A/N: Did any of you get to see Cam's battle on the voice last week? Damn it was awesome! I hope you are enjoying this story, thank you for the reviews and recs!

Don't forget you can find the song Hold Steady in a link on my profile, it's available on all music platforms along with Cam's other originals... and you can follow along on Cam's journey and support him on Facebook or Instagram. Those links are on my profile too.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight characters or the rights to any song lyrics, no copyright infringement is intended.

Special Thanks: to Ashley - Pandora's Box is Heavy for her pre-reading and encouragement and to the best Beta in the world Di - Midnight Cougar. I'm blessed to have you both in my corner. Love you ladies.

Summary: Bella lives alone in the small town where she grew up, dividing her time between the bookstore she runs, the bar she half-owns, and the big, expensive dream house she bought with money she doesn't know what to do with. She exists quietly at the edge of the circle of friends she's known since school and avoids everybody else—until the new guy in town crashes a bike in front of her store and wedges himself into her world.

Warning: Brief descriptions and references to past, non-sexual assault against the main character. Themes of physical and emotional recovery from the same.

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Chapter 2

Edward doesn't want to go to the ER. What he wants is to get on his bike and ride home as if nothing ever happened. Presented with this seriously insane decision, Bella finds it hard not to gape at him.

"Exactly how hard did you hit your head?" She tries to be discreet about checking the dilation of Edward's pupils. They appear to be the same size, but the only medical experience she has comes from eight months in physical therapy, six seasons of House, and a CPR certificate she got back in high school.

Edward laughs, and it's a little ridiculous. Too many perfect, straight, white teeth and a flip-top head like a Pez dispenser. Bella can't take her eyes off him.

"It'll be fine." He grins. "It's only a couple of miles."

"It was only a couple of miles here," she points out. "How did that work out for you? You didn't have a concussion on the way in and now look how you ended up."

Edward watches her just a beat too long to be casual, then leans over the counter between them, his elbows propping him up. The fabric of the T-shirt—that should have been at least one size larger, not that Bella's complaining—stretches across his broad shoulders. His eyes are bright and interested.

"Yeah," he says in a low, satisfied tone that pleasantly rakes across her nerves, sending a shiver down her spine. "Look how I ended up."

Bella's face heats up, and she tries to stop the blush, but it's no good. She has the wrong kind of skin for it, so soft and pale. She can't even see someone else embarrassed without turning prom-dress pink.

"Really," she says, ducking her head to hide the grin. "That's what you're going with?"

"Um, no?" he asks weakly, his demeanor shifting instantly to unease.

"No," she confirms.

Edward picks himself up off the counter and sighs. His entire body shifts from come-on to carefree like the flip of a switch, and the hotness factor dims to a more manageable level. "Can't say I didn't try."

Bella laughs. "If that was trying, then I'm very sorry for you. You must not get out much."

"Hey, I do all right. What are you saying—that you want to make me work for it?"

"Please don't. I wouldn't feel right mocking the wounded."

Edward raises both hands in surrender. "Okay, but I should warn you, you're going to regret it when you get to know me. I'm pretty awesome."

"I'll find some way to go on." Bella eyes him thoughtfully. She kind of saved the guy, and her conscience is starting to ping. She may not be responsible for Edward from here on out, but at the very least, she should try to get him back home in one piece. She sighs and thinks longingly of her laptop and the hour she would have spent writing amazing stuff if she hadn't been co-opted into paramedic duty.

"Look, I've got my truck in the lot out back. We can throw your bike in the back, and I'll drive you home."

"Are you sure?" Edward looks around. "I mean, you're the only one here."

"I'm always the only one here." Bella goes around the counter and flips the Open sign on the door to Closed. "Unless someone else comes in bleeding to death, no one will ever know I was gone. Or even here in the first place, for that matter."

"Your boss won't mind you leaving?"

"She'll get over it," she says easily. "Trust me."

She fails at not staring at the long curve of Edward's back as he unlocks his bike, and he fails at not being noticed staring, too. It's not her fault; the man is a walking work of art, and he knows it. Edward's smile is instant and gleeful, and he practically bounces as he straightens to his full height, puffing out his chest.

Bella laughs and takes the bike away from him. "Fine, you're hot, whatever. That's not all it takes."

"Oh, I have more than that." Edward grins, falling into step with her. "I'm just biding my time." He tucks his hands into his pockets and walks closer than he has to, so their arms brush against each other over and over. Bella pushes the bike closer to the sidewalk and rolls her eyes. She lets Edward take it back when they reach the truck so she can unlock the tailgate.

"Wow, nice," Edward says respectfully, and thereby wins himself an instant toehold in her affections.

Bella tamps down a flare of smugness quickly. The Chevy truck is sleek and black and unashamedly overpriced. It's the first thing she bought when Sue made her start spending her money.

She pulls a blanket out from behind the back seat and lays it out over the bed liner, and Edward hoists the bike onto it as if it weighs less than nothing. When he catches her watching, he does something alarming with his eyebrows and flexes his biceps in a meaningful way. It's far more comic book villain than porn star, and his face falls hilariously when Bella only laughs.

"Just get in the truck, Thor," she says, unlocking the doors with the remote on her keychain. "And try not to bust out of that T-shirt in the process. I'm not giving you another."

"It's like you're made of stone," he whines.

Until next time... stay safe and wash your hands... :)

Jess