A/N: Hi, everyone! Sorry it's been almost a month since my last update. I've been totally swamped with work and school and I went on a two week vacation so needless to say, I haven't had much time to write. The good news is that the next chapter is practically done and the story is almost over. Also, I have posted the Prologue and chapter 1 of Phases. If you haven't already, please read and review it! It's Nessie and Jake's story. Here's the link:
.net/s/4969873/1/Phases
I will have chapter 44 up by this weekend.
Thanks for your patience! Please review!
ciao. JJ
************************************************************************
Chapter Forty-Three
I promised Chelsea everything was going to be okay. I was the one who told her to go home with her sister. I was responsible for that accident. This was entirely my fault – had I not told her to go, she would still be here with us.
Now she was lying in a hospital bed on the brink of death.
****
Dad pulled the truck up to the entrance of the hospital to drop Mom and me off as he parked the car.
"Excuse me," Mom addressed one of the nurses at the admission table, "I'm looking for my father, Dr. Cullen."
"Let me check my charts," the nurse scanned her clipboard. "Dr. Cullen is on the fourth floor attending to a patient. I can page him if you'd like."
"No, that's okay, we'll just head up there. He's expecting us."
We headed for the elevator. I tapped my foot impatiently while waiting for the doors to open. "Stairs would have been faster," I jeered. The doors slid open. "Finally."
We walked briskly down the long hallway to the center of the ICU. Carlisle was already there, waiting for us. "The nurse downstairs told me my daughters were here."
"Carlisle… please… what's wrong with Chelsea?" I asked, desperate for information.
"How bad is it Carlisle?" Mom added.
"From the statement the boy gave the police, he claims that Chelsea and Alex were arguing on their way home from the dance. He and Alex were both intoxicated. Alex reached over and grabbed the steering wheel sometime during the argument. Chelsea slammed on the breaks in the middle of the road and the car ended up sideways. It was too late for Chelsea to do anything—an oncoming car crashed into the driver's side, flipping the car over at least twice. We're doing everything we can to make her as comfortable as possible."
"Comfortable? What does that mean?" A grave stare was plastered across my face. "When they say that on TV it means the patient is dying." A huge lump was now stuck in the back of my throat – if Chelsea died because of me, I'd never forgive myself – ever.
"Ana! Ana!" I turned in the direction my name was being called. Aiden, followed closely by Bryce, Moe and Dad were barreling down the hallway. "Carlisle. Tell me! Please, what's going on?" Aiden was panting, completely out of breath and soaked with sweat. "I need to see her!"
"Aiden, we can't let you in there right now. Chelsea suffered severe trauma. Several broken ribs, a punctured lung, her vital organs were crushed beyond repair. There's nothing we can do for her. Her father is with her now. He doesn't want her on life support any longer than she needs to be."
"You can't just take her off!" I yelled loudly – everyone in the entire hospital probably heard me, including her father. How could a parent just give up on their child like that?
"Ana, we've been trying to persuade him otherwise." I watched his eyes fill with sorrow. "There isn't anything we can do."
"What do mean there isn't anything we can do? Change her!" Aiden demanded.
"Aiden. Son, it's not that simple," Dad put his hand on Aiden's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
"Not that simple? Just change her already!" I was gripping Aiden's hand, trying to restrain myself from raising my voice any louder. "Why are we just standing here?"
"Ana, Chelsea's father is…"
"No! Why are we still discussing this? Just do it!"
"Ana! Do not raise your voice to Carlisle. You need to keep it together," Dad gripped both of my shoulders in his hands. Tears were streaming down my face.
"I don't understand why you don't want to change her! She's one of us!" I broke away from Dad's grasp throwing myself into Moe's arms. "And what about Nick and Alex?" I asked him, placing my hand on my hip. "I hope Alex is worse off than Chelsea," I huffed under my breath.
"Aiyana Black! You take that back right now!" Mom reprimanded me. "We do not wish anything bad on people – no matter how much you think they deserve it."
I didn't acknowledge she had even said a word – I was too wound up to even say anything – because what was ready to fly out of my mouth wasn't going to be nice.
"Alex has a bad concussion and a few broken bones, very minimal injuries in comparison. She'll be fine and recover quickly as well as Nick."
Inside I was screaming – I literately had to hold myself back from speaking out loud.
"Come on, let's all go to my office," Carlisle said calmly. "Edward and Bella are on their way with Seth and Leah. We all need to talk."
****
Thirty minutes after we arrived at the hospital, my entire family was crammed into Carlisle small office.
"What do we do?" Edward asked.
"What can we do?" Mom replied.
"We change her. That's what we do. We can't let her die. Dad… please. You know I wouldn't be able to live without her," Aiden was facing Dad.
"Aiden, it's not that we don't want to but…"
"But Chelsea's father won't leave her side and we need to figure out some way to buy us some time," Carlisle finished for Dad.
"Kids, why don't you all go outside and get some air. Let us talk, please. We'll figure something out."
"I don't want to go," Aiden said defiantly.
"Aiden. Please," Mom pleaded with him.
"Fine. But as you're done with the grown up talk, come get me."
The four of us walked out of the room, Bryce slammed the door shut behind us. I let go of Moe's hand and walked over to Aiden.
"It's not fair, Ana," Aiden dropped down into one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room. He dropped his face into his hands.
"I know," I rubbed his back consolingly.
Tears started to fill his eyes – but shortly after, they turned straight to rage. "I'll be back," He said and took off abruptly.
"Follow him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," I said to Moe and Bryce. Both of them nodded in unison, taking off in the Aiden's direction.
I heard yelling come from inside Nick's room – this definitely wasn't good. Aiden's voice was booming. "Why didn't you help Chelsea? How could you do that to her? Do you have any idea what you've done?!" He went to put his hands around his throat – thankfully Bryce and Moe stopped him. The fury that was raging through his body was emanating off of him. Jasper would be going insane if he were here.
"Dude, chill. We don't need assault charges right now and if it is anyone's fault, it's Alex's. She knew exactly what she was doing," I watched as Moe told him, holding him in a vice-like grip away from Nick.
"I'm sorry! I tried to stop her. Alex was drunk," he scooted towards the back of the bed, running his hands through his blond hair. "It all happened so fast, Alex was yelling at Chelsea and Chelsea was defending herself - before I knew it there were headlights and a loud crash."
I decided that since Moe and Bryce seemed to have Aiden under somewhat control, it was about time that I paid a visit to Alex.
I slipped inside her room, poking my head out the door to make sure none of my family saw me entering her room. Alex was asleep on her bed, a brace wrapped around her neck and a fresh cast on her right arm.
"You got off too easy," I whispered, trailing my fingers up her cast. "I could kill you right now. No one would know.
"Can you hear me in there? I know you can… you're not in a coma like your sister. You don't even deserve the privilege to breathe – but you know what? I'm going to let you live. Do you want to know why?" I was certain that even unconscious, Alex could hear me.
"I'm going to let you live because your sister might die and rather than me killing you – which would actually be the easy way out – I'm going to let you live with the fact that you killed her. Every single day that she crosses your mind, you can know that you've caused all of this!" I hadn't realized it – but during my ranting, my grip had tightened on the railing alongside her bed, crushing it.
"Ana? What are you doing in here?" Em asked.
"Nothing. Just talking," I straightened my stance, no longer leaning towards Alex's ear.
"Ana, get out of here. Now," Jasper demanded. He must have felt my rage boiling over.
"Where's Aiden?" I asked Moe who was waiting for me outside of Alex's room.
"In the woods with your brother. Don't worry, Nick's still alive."
"I should go to him. He needs me right now."
"Sweetheart, give him a moment to calm down." He opened his arms for me to walk into his embrace. I immediately accepted his offer, crashing into his chest. Being in his arms was the only thing that felt comforting to me at the moment.
"I love you," Moe looked down at me adoringly, kissing the top of my head.
I inhaled and exhaled in his aroma, "I love you, too. How did everything just completely turn around like this? One second everything was completely fine and blissful and then it all just changed."
"I know, I know. That's just what comes with being who were are, Hun. There is always some sort of task we're constantly battling. But you're not to fear, everything will be okay." He kissed my cheek, guiding my by hands over to the plastic chairs outside in the hall.
"I really hope so," I rested my head against his chest as he wrapped his muscular arms around my torso – he pulled our bodies close together, which caused me to smile. That was the first time I had smiled since I heard about Chelsea – it felt good to feel a bit of joy – to relish in it for a moment.
"I want you to know something," Moe began, shifting his weight in the seat.
"What's that?" I turned around on his lap, looking into his eyes.
"I want to make a promise to you. I promise that as long as I'm alive – I'll always keep you safe and never let anything happen to you, okay?"
I brought my lips to his, kissing him gently. "Thank you, but you know you don't have to promise that to me."
"Yes, I do. I'll never let you be in a circumstance like Chelsea's in – as long as I'm alive to stop it."
"Thanks." I paused, understanding how hard this really must be for Aiden. Knowing him, he probably felt like this was entirely his fault. "I've got to talk to Aiden – now." I got up, not really knowing where I was going to go – but I had to find him. I quickly darted for the first exit as Moe quickly followed behind me.
I tracked my brothers' scents fairly easily– they were off to the west, just a few miles. After about two minutes of running I found them. Aiden and Bryce were sitting on a rock, picking up chiseled pieces of bark, chucking them into the darkness before them.
"I'm going back to the hospital. I'll leave you alone with your brothers," Moe kissed me before turning back, "I love you."
"Aiden," I placed my hand on his shoulder as comfortingly as possible. "Are you alight?"
"I'll never be alright unless Chelsea is." He mumbled, burying his head in his hands.
"I'm so sorry," I went around in front of him and hugged him. "I love you, don't worry. Everything will be alright."
"Mom and Dad will figure something out. You must know that," Bryce added.
"Oh, yeah? And what if they don't? What then? I can't live without her."
"Aiden, don't talk like that!" I said.
"I'm sorry. I can't help it."
"We understand," I replied. "All we can do now is wait."
****
