Thanks to May, Ciara, Jo and Marie who loved this idea as much as I did, and Monica for making this 'beta'.


Chapter 6

My eyes open, squinting against a bright light, blinking rapidly.

"You have a visitor," a clipped, bodiless voice says, the sound of shoes tapping across the room.

I squint and blink again, slowly shuffling up the bed. I feel cold. Shivery. My vision clears, focusing on a picture of the sea hanging across from me on the wall. It's bland. Generic. Calming. I slowly roll on to my side, my body aching, reaching for a drink on the bedside table, beside a vase of daisies. I gaze at them as I sip, wetting a parched mouth, frowning.

Daisies.

The hospital room is clinically white, small, with a bay window overlooking rolling green hills. The nurse bustles around. Checking monitors. The NG tube in my nose irritates, the tape holding it in place pulling uncomfortably at the skin on my cheek. She slaps my hand down when I go to peel it back, scolding me.

I eye her name tag.

Renee.

She pushes liquidated food through the tube as I look at my hands, the pale skin translucent, and then at my arms, so small you could pinch a finger and thumb around my bicep. Deep purple bruises mottle my arms.

The nurse leaves eventually, a limp to her step. Seconds later, the door opens, and a wheelchair appears. Amber looks pale and thin. Very thin. Skeletal.

"Why aren't you fat?" I blurt out.

She laughs, her feet moving up onto the edge of the seat. She's dressed in layers and layers of clothing, but I can still see every ridge in her chest. Her laugh is a cackle. Her hair, dull and wispy thin. She looks up at the orderly pushing her, and my gaze flicks to him too.

A rush of heat in my cheeks. He's smiling as he wheels her up to my bed, tousled hair falling just above his eyes. Handsome. Ridiculously handsome.

"God, you're hilarious. I knew you'd be back in here. Are you still skitzing out? I can't believe you fell down the stairs."

I swallow, confused. Amber looks up at the orderly.

"She's a fruit loop," she hisses. "An actual fruit loop."

"I thought you all were," he replies, his voice raising every hair on my arm. Her hand reaches up to smack him as she giggles. His grin is dazzling. He offers his hand to me, his white uniform stretching across a bicep.

"Edward. I'm new around here."

I stare at his hand and then at him. But he looks just like...

"Did we—have we met before?" I quiz, taking his hand in mine. It's warm, large, and familiar, but really not. My voice is hoarse and I feel like I'm about to cry.

"I don't think so. I think I'd remember you—"

"—because she's gorgeous. You'd remember her because she's freaking gorgeous." Amber chips in, reaching out to stroke my hair affectionately.

The orderly—Edward—looks at me pointedly, and I remember I'm supposed to be introducing myself.

I clear my throat. "Oh. It's Bella... My name's Bella."

"Bella," he repeats, his smile growing. "Bella Swan."

The End


And there's the Flip 😉 What's real and what's not? I've left that for you to decide.

I really hope you enjoyed this little experiment. It's definitely been some of my favorite writing so far, I have to say. So much fun with these two.

While I'm here: my first ever finished story—White Noise—has been included in an epic list of fics that were completed in 2020. You can find the list, and vote for your top ten completed fics (one vote every 24 hours), over on twifanficrecs! Go show some love!

For my ToI readers, there'll be an update at the weekend, and I've almost finished my Britward one-shot... which is basically as fluffy as you'll get from me (yup, no angst)! Keep your eyes peeled!

HTFM xx