Chapter 63 – Even the Strongest

Edward

We were in surgery for hours, working almost in assembly-line fashion, barely stopping between children. It seemed as if the procession of injured children was never-ending. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping me focused, because I knew if I stopped, someone else could die on my watch. Dr. Stanley was in almost the same condition, and I had to admit, she had been doing a fine job keeping up, even helping with some of the surgeries outside her specialty. I realized the hospital really had made a wise choice in bringing her on staff, as she had proven today that she was truly a gifted surgeon. Once she finished her portion of the last surgery and headed out, obviously as exhausted as I was, it was just down to closing up.

When I finally finished the last sutures on the last child, I was barely able to stand. I stripped off my bloody surgery garb and staggered out of the OR suite. Bella was waiting outside in the hall for me, and I had never been so glad to see her. I practically fell into her arms, so relieved to have her here to hold me up.

I was on the verge of dozing off in her arms when I heard screaming. I jumped up and ran towards the nurse who was still screeching in hysterics. I wasn't prepared for what I saw when I entered the stairwell and looked down. Dr. Stanley was lying face down in a massive pool of blood, and it had run in little cascading rivulets down the steps. I could tell without touching her that she was dead. That amount of blood loss would be fatal for anyone. From the side, I could see the slice on her neck. It looked like whoever had done this had done it in a fit of rage, judging from what I could see of the brutal execution of the wound. I didn't disturb anything and went back up and told Bella to summon hospital security. Thankfully, I didn't have to block Bella from seeing the carnage. She wouldn't go anywhere near the stairwell door.

Emmett was one of the first ones to arrive, and he entered the stairwell below where Dr. Stanley's body was lying. He blocked off entry to anyone else but the police while waiting for the medical examiner and coroner. The nurse who had found the body was interviewed first. She had just been in surgery with me and Dr. Stanley, which I told the detective taking her statement. The police questioned us thoroughly and took our personal information before moving on. Bella barely moved from the spot she was in the whole time. She was pale and looked like she was going to keel over any minute. When they brought Dr. Stanley's body up out of the stairwell, I thought for sure she would faint dead away.

According to the medical examiner, whoever had done this had attacked from behind, so it would be highly possible they hadn't seen Dr. Stanley's face. Instead, they had targeted her based on how she had looked. Knowing that Dr. Stanley had been wearing Bella's coat had me scared for my wife.

The detective finished taking Bella's statement, and she stood up to leave with Emmett and Rose, but Bella immediately collapsed. I caught her before she hit the floor and took her to a nearby empty patient room, laying her on the bed. One of the nurses who had seen everything ran in, bringing me a stethoscope and an adult-sized pressure cuff. She started taking Bella's vitals, while I checked her over, trying to revive her. The fact that she was so unresponsive was starting to scare me, as I rubbed her arm and tried to get her to wake up.

"Edward, what happened?" I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned to see Carlisle coming around to the other side of the bed. "Emmett said she fainted. I came in to see what I could do to help. Is she alright?"

"I hope so. She's been here since yesterday, with nothing to eat and no rest. She's exhausted," I told him. Bella still hadn't come to, and I was starting to panic a bit. She was deathly pale, and her skin was like ice. Carlisle examined her eyes, looking her over as well.

"She's alright physically, but she's seen a lot in the past two days, even more than in her usual job, Edward. Let her mind rest," he told me. "She's a strong woman, but things like this get to even the strongest amongst us. I think she just reached her limit."

I leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. I knew she had been working almost as hard as I had since we had gotten here, helping families, comforting the grieving loved ones, and looking out for everyone else but herself. She had been running non-stop, and it had finally caught up with her.

She was a vision to behold, and as she lay there silently, I gazed at her beautiful face and wondered how I had ever gotten so lucky to have her as my wife. I also knew how I was even more fortunate, and blessed beyond measure, to have her lying here now breathing and alive.

It could have been her I had found in that stairwell today, I realized, and that thought made my stomach flip and my heart clench. If that had happened, my own life would have ended today as well, because I doubted I would have been able to go on without her. I had waited for her for so long, and the thought of losing her in such a horrible way, so early in our story, terrified the crap out of me.

I had spent a lot of time in my life thanking God for the blessings He had showered on me, but He was going to be hearing thanks and praises from me a lot more from now on.