I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR THE CHARACTERS

"Ms. Swan.."

As the words left the doctors mouths Bella braced herself for the worst. She knew her father didn't have much time left here on this earth with her but she refused to believe this was the end. These doctors who had known her for the last four years were not here to tell her that her father was dead. Wiping tears from her eyes she felt a hand grab hers , she knew it was Edward but couldn't look at him.

What was her father thinking? She wanted to be so angry with him but she couldn't find it in her heart. She knew he only did this because he loved her and how could she be mad at him for that. Her and her father had been through hell and back in the past couple of years and he knew she would have no one else after he died. Bella's friends from school had slowly pulled themselves out of her life one by one when her dad got sick. So she was pretty used to being alone when she wasn't at the hospital, which wasn't very often. Truth be told she hadn't really given much thought to what she was going to do once Charlie passed. Sure she knew it was inevitable but she was just trying to live every day in the moment with him. Edward was a card she never thought her dad had it in him to play.

"You're father has contracted pneumonia Ms. Swan. His lungs are filled with fluid and the strain from both that and the cancer made him go into cardiac arrest. We were able to keep his heart beating but unfortunately he was down for quite some time. He is on a ventilator and we are transferring him back to ICU right now."

"But there is a chance he could wake up, right?" Bella's voice was timid, in her heart she knew the answer. If the cancer wasn't enough the pneumonia would be the ending factor. Still she wanted to hold onto some kind of hope that she would be able to talk to her father one last time.

"The chances are slim Bella. I'm so sorry but he doesn't have much time left, maybe a day or two before his body will start to shut down." The doctor stepped forward and took Bella's free hand, the other still being held by Edward. Her small body frame started to shake with sobs. "Your dad has fought for a very long time. Remember when he was first diagnosed?" She nodded and he continued. "We gave him two, three years at the most and now its four years later. I know this is hard and I can't imagine what you're going through. We have counselors here if you would like to speak with someone, I can have one come in and explain what happens from here. My suggestion is go home and try to get some rest, come back in the morning. I promise you we will call if anything changes during the night."

"Can I at least see him?" She cried, weakly.

"Of course. I'll go see if he has been transferred yet."

The doctors somberly left the room and soon as the door closed Bella lost it. The sobs coming from her tiny body were so hard she could barely catch her breathe. Not knowing what else to do Edward carefully pulled her to his chest and just held her, remembering what his mom would do when he and Alice were little and upset. Surprisingly Bella didn't push him away and just cried into his chest and clenched his shirt in her hands. She was still a little put off by him being there and didn't quite know what she was going to do about the situation but in that moment she was thankful he was there, she was thankful she wasn't alone.

Edward held her to his chest while her sobs seemed to calm just a bit. It was the first time he realized just how tiny she was. Remembering the nurse's comment about her eating habit he came to the conclusion that she wasn't really looking after herself, only her father. He made a mental note to try and get her to eat something once they left. He didn't want to push because he knew she was still hesitant towards this arrangement her father created but the need he felt to take care of her was undeniable. Edward looked up to see Eleazer watching them closely, his friend hadn't said much since they got to the hospital.

"She is starting to calm." Eleazer noted making Edward look down at the girl in his arms. She had fallen asleep probably exhausted from crying. Her eyes swollen and wet from tears. Edward looked back up to meet his friend's eyes.

"What have I gotten myself into Eleazer?"

Eleazer sighed before responding. "I don't know Edward but I think it's safe to say you won't be in to work tomorrow. Do you want me to call Emmett?"

"No no I will call him. Would you do me a favor though?" He asked, Eleazer nodded. "Would you go get Bella a smoothie or something light for when she gets up? I have a feeling that in the process of taking care of her dad her own health took a back seat."

Eleazer left, leaving Edward and Bella alone. She was still asleep but had let go of his shirt so he gently pulled away and let her lie on the hospital bed while getting up to call his brother. In a way he hoped his brother wouldn't answer, he didn't quite know what he was going to tell him, but Emmett picked up after only a couple rings.

"Hey Bro, what's up," Emmett boomed in the phone. Edward winced at his brothers loud obnoxious voice thankful he walked away from the bed where Bella was still sound asleep.

Edward's brother was a people's man to say the least, that's why he was so much better at getting people to sign deals, they just loved him and his light attitude towards life. Well the artist did at least, when it came to the managers Edward always expected to get a call after a new meeting. They were more serious about contracts and such, so that's where Edward stepped in to wrap up the end of the deal. Emmett had been married to his wife Rosalie for almost five years now and they had a set of twins who were 3, Emmett Jr and Evelyn. Although he was very happy for his older brother Edward did feel a tinge of jealousy at how easy life and love came to Emmett.

"Geez Emmett! Just blow out my eardrum why don't you," He hissed into the phone.

"Oh don't be so uptight Eddie." Emmett chuckled a little lower. "To what do I oh the pleasure of this 9pm phone call?"

"I won't make it into work tomorrow. Something personal has come up and I will be out of town for a little while. Think you can hold down the fort? I know you aren't traveling till next month."

"Uhm yeah sure I got things covered here but everything ok? What do you mean something personal?" Emmett asked, curious now.

Edward hesitated not sure how to respond. He wanted to confide in his brother but he also didn't know how to explain what was going on, or even how long he was going to be away from Seattle. He did know that he couldn't leave Bella, granted she wanted him there, anytime soon.

"Uhhh its complicated Emmett," he started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look I will try to explain in the morning but right now I really have to go. I'm ok Emmett, please just drop it until tomorrow. I promise I will explain everything."

There was a tense silence between the brothers before Emmett sighed. "I'm going to let it go until the morning but you better call first thing. I'm going to assume you won't be at family dinner tomorrow evening? You know mom is going to worry, we never miss unless we are out of town."

"I know, look I'll call you in the morning and explain then I'll call mom and dad." The sound of Bella shifting in bed made him turn, meeting her sad eyes he quickly ended the phone call and made his way back over to where she was laying.

"Hey how are you feeling?" Edward asked while sitting on the edge of the bed. He wanted to pull her into his arms, like he held her just a moment ago, but he knew that was a different circumstance. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't leave her alone, he didn't think he even could at this point. Edward was totally vested at this point, he would be anything she needed at this point.

It scared him that he was so taken with this girl that he barely knew. She was beautiful in the most pure way but she was also scarred and there age difference was definitely a factor that had to be addressed. Some would see a problem with it and others wouldn't, honestly she seemed wise beyond her years so maybe she wouldn't be so against the thought. Although Edward did not see or think of Bella as a "younger sister" maybe that's all she would see him as, an "older brother".

"I'd ask if it was all a dream but that would be a stupid question," Bella stated with tears in her eyes. Edward scooted just a hair closer and hesitantly took her hand, he didn't know how she would react but felt good when she didn't pull away.

"You are not stupid, Bella. I truly am so sorry about just showing up like this, your dad just seemed so urgent in his letter and there was something about it that made me need to meet you both. I can't imagine what you are going through but I swear my intentions for being here have no malice. I know if I were going through this I would want a friend and if that's what you want then I'm yours," Edward stated.

Bella listened to every word of Edward's little speech, her eyes never leaving his face. "He's handsome" she thought to herself noticing his features for the first time. Over the years she had come face to face with so many sympathetic eyes, from doctors to nurses, case workers and all the friends she used to have but his eyes. They were like pools of emerald green that she could very easily get lost in, they were sympathetic but also friendly and kind. His hair was unruly and Bella wondered to herself how many times he ran his hands through the bronze mess a day, she came to the conclusion, multiple with how it looked. She looked down at their hands still intertwined then looked back up and smiled slightly at him almost blushing when he smiled back.

"Thank you Edward. If for nothing else than for being here tonight. Your right I haven't had a friend to talk to about all of this for a while now and it feels nice to have that again. I know my dad had only the best intentions when he sent that letter to you and I apologize for my initial reaction. I hope you understand that it had nothing to do with you. You seem like a very nice person and someone I'd be ok with getting to know but I want you to know that I'm not sure how much I can give back at the moment. My life has revolved around this hospital for the better part of four years. My dad and his care has been my main priority besides school, I never let my grades falter but unfortunately my friendships have," Bella finished looking down.

"Can I be honest with you Bella?" Edward asked, then continued when she looked up and nodded slightly. "I think you need a friend Bella. Now more than ever. I think that you have had to grow up way to fast and that's no one's fault, just the way life happened for you, but Bella you deserve as much as anyone else you age does. Let me help you achieve that. Let me be the friend that gets you through this."

Before Bella could open her mouth to respond they were interrupted by her father's doctors. They informed them that he had been successfully moved to ICU and that it was ok for Bella to go over and see him quickly before she went home. As they made their way to the 2nd floor of the hospital Bella began to feel sick again, sure she had seen her father ill and getting worse every day but never hooked up to tubes that were keeping him alive. She was very aware of the hand on her back helping guide her and knew it was Edward.

His speech was very heartfelt and Bella could tell he was genuine still she was wary on how much she could trust him. She has just met the man and knew very little about him, not even how her father came to know of him. She knew he must be wealthy because he had a body guard, or at least that's what she assumed him to be. More than anything Bella wished she could talk to her father about this.

When they turned the corner and into Charlie's room Bella held back a sob. Her father was absolutely lifeless, hooked up to so many machines Bella couldn't count them. Tubes were coming from his mouth and chest, suddenly whatever hope Bella was holding onto started to disappear.

"Oh daddy," she cried softly and went to sit in the chair they had pulled up next to her father's bed. She took his hand in hers and brought it up to her lips, kissing it lightly. "I'm going to be ok daddy. I'm so proud of you and how hard you fought, but you don't have to fight anymore. I'm going to be ok. I won't be alone, you made sure of that." As the words left Bella's mouth she felt Edward's hands on her shoulder giving a light squeeze. He truly had never seen anyone with as much strength as she had, especially for her age.

Soon after a social worker came in to speak with Bella. She was asked as Charlie's Health care proxy if she would want to sign a DNR form but Bella politely declined saying she would like to wait until morning in case anything changes in her dad's condition. They were respectful of her wishes but Edward could see in their eyes that Charlie's condition would more than likely stay the same until he passed. They didn't dare tell Bella that though and Edward was grateful they didn't. Less than twenty minutes later ICU visiting hours were over for the evening so Edward and Bella made their way to the hospital lobby where they found Eleazer and Bella's smoothie. She thanked him shyly before turning to Edward, her eyes full of questions.

"Eleazer and I will follow you home if that's ok and I can meet you at your house in the morning to head back to the hospital. Do you have school?" He wasn't quite sure where he was going to stay tonight but he was sure there had to be a hotel somewhere around this town.

Bella shook her head and after making sure she was safely in her car Eleazer and Edward got into his Volvo and began to follow her home.

"Do you know what you've gotten yourself into Edward?" Eleazer asked, as they pulled out from the hospital parking lot.

Edward was quiet for a minute or two. Did he? Sure he came here on a spontaneous whim but this trip had turned into so much more than that. Suddenly he had this girl that he cared about, maybe not in a romantic way yet at least but he cared what happened to her. He cared about her future and hoped it had him in it. So the answer was no, he had no idea what he had gotten himself into but he had faith that he had made the right decision. The rest he would just have to leave up to fate.

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