EPOV

I crawl back into bed after I hear Bella leave, but since I've already eaten and had some coffee, sleep doesn't come easily. I toss and turn for a while before I decide to get up and shower. The shower does wonders, and since it's equipped with its own bench and steam functions, I take my time and try to reclaim my place in the land of the living.

Bella still isn't back by the time I'm dressed, so I clean up the kitchen, grab her book, and climb up into the loft to lie in the hammock. Once I'm situated, I send Jasper a text to check in, and he tells me that the Kraken won the game last night. I scowl and pocket my phone, turning to the book.

I'm not sure how long I've been asleep when I wake to the sound of the door opening, but from my perch in the loft, I can see Bella tiptoeing in, absolutely covered in mud. "What the hell happened to you?"

She looks up at me in surprise. "I, uh … I fell down a hill and into a river."

Climbing out of the hammock, I make my way down to the first floor to take a look at her. She looks like she's hiding from The Predator with all the mud on her. I can see her shaking. "You're freezing. Are you hurt?"

"No, Doctor Cullen, I'm fine." She takes a step forward and whimpers. "Okay, I'm not fine, but I don't think anything is broken."

Shit. I knew something would happen. "Do you need help getting cleaned up? I want to check you over, but …" I trail off. This place is nice. Like, too nice to have her standing around in muddy clothes.

She sighs deeply. "I know I'm going to regret this, but I saw a hose out back last night. Can you grab me a couple towels, and then meet me out there to hose me off? I can clean this up later."

I pinch the bridge of my nose—her lips are starting to turn blue, and she wants me to hose her off outside? "The shower is huge. You brought more than those clothes, right?"

"Of course, I did. What are you—" Before she can finish, I scoop her up into my arms as she shrieks. "Edward, I do not like this. Please, put me down!"

"I can feel your entire body shivering. I'm going to put you in the shower. Strip everything off, and I'll toss it all in the washer." I walk us to the bathroom and deposit her in the large shower, turning on the water. "You need to get clean and warm quickly."

"Okay." Her voice is quiet, and I can see her favoring her left ankle.

"Your ankle? Did you twist it?"

"I think so. It's sore—like a four out of ten," she tells me, her eyes starting to tear up.

"All right, rinse off and leave all the clothes in here. Will you be able to get to your room to change?"

She looks aghast. "Please, don't touch my underwear, Edward. I'm already embarrassed."

I can't help but laugh. "Okay, okay. If you need help just holler. I brought a first aid kit, so I'll grab that. When you're dressed, let me know, and I'll take a look at your ankle." I move to leave the bathroom, glancing in the mirror at my ruined clothes as Bella calls out to me, "Thank you."

Forty minutes later, I hear her quiet voice call to me from her room, and I gather up my supplies and knock on the door before walking in. She's propped against the headboard with her left ankle boosted up on a pillow. It already looks a little swollen, but it isn't bruised.

"How are you feeling?" I ask as I start twisting her ankle gently and poking around.

"I'm warmer, but I'm still cold. I think the only thing that didn't get drenched in mud was my phone," she tells me, holding it up. "I have one of those waterproof jogging bags."

"Hmm, it's definitely not broken, but I don't think you sprained it either. You probably just rolled it. How's the pain?"

She shrugs. "I took some Advil when I got out of the shower, so maybe a three?"

"I think you'll survive. We won't have to amputate." I offer her a smile, and she laughs.

"Thanks, Doc."

I snort. "More like PT Cullen, but you're welcome. I'm going to gather up your wet clothes and wash them. Where are your shoes?"

"I left them by the front door."

I pat her leg and stand up. "If you need anything, you know where I'll be."

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you go to med school? You had the grades, didn't you?" Bella's picking at her comforter.

"I did, but my dad's a doctor. The long hours almost destroyed my parents' marriage. I hardly saw him when I was growing up. I didn't … I don't want that." Leaning against the doorjamb, I shrug.

"So, physical therapy?"

"I like it. It's rewarding."

"And it comes in handy when you're trapped in the woods with a clumsy person." She taps her nose, and I laugh.

"There's that too."

When she doesn't say anything else, I leave her room, heading back to the bathroom to gather up her wet and muddy clothes and get them into the washer with my own. Once the load is going and I've mopped up the entryway, I settle back into the hammock with my book.

After a few hours, I get up and check on her, but she's asleep. Her ankle is still propped up, and after a quick look, I can tell that the swelling has gone down completely. It's not cold in the house, but Bella isn't under any covers, so I grab the blanket from the couch that I gave her last night and drape it over her.

I can feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see a text from Alice.

I haven't heard from Bella in a few hours. Did you kill her and dispose of her in the woods?

I snap a quick picture and send it off before calling her. "Hey, Allie. Bella took a spill when she went on a walk earlier."

"Oh, my God, is she okay? I never should have agreed to you guys not having a car!"

"She's fine. A little shaken up and she was freezing by the time she made it back. She rolled her ankle, but she's going to be okay." I walk into the kitchen to make a late lunch as Alice freaks out over the phone.

"Maybe we should just call this whole thing off and bring you guys home. I'll drive up myself to get you." Alice is talking a mile a minute and yelling to Jasper.

"Alice, calm down. We're … fine. Look, nothing about this is ideal, but we're determined to make this work for the sake of our friendships, okay? You don't need to drive up here."

"Jasper wants to talk to you." I hear some whispering before my best friend comes on the line.

"Dude, you swear everything is all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine. If a car somehow appeared here so we could get around, that would be amazing, but we're fine. I promise."

He breathes a sigh of relief. "I trust you. I know we put you in a bind, and I'm sorry for that."

"I can't speak for Bella, but I feel like we've left you two no choice at this point." I lean against the counter, looking out at the scenery, sighing. "It's really beautiful here. I think … Well, we're not going to be best friends, but we might be okay."

"All right, call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, I know. I'll talk to you guys later." I disconnect and hang my head. Did I just shoot myself in the foot by denying us a way out of this? I'm not sure what to think when Bella slowly walks out from her bedroom. She's favoring her left side, but she's smiling.

"Do you know how long I was out?" Her hair, which she threw up into a bun, is messy and falling out, she has sheet creases on her face, but her eyes are bright and her smile is wide.

"At least, a couple of hours." I turn back to the fridge. "I was going to make a sandwich. Do you want one?"

"Sure. Later, I'll make you dinner since you took care of me. I really appreciate it."

I'm pulling stuff out of the fridge, and when I turn, she's standing right behind me, making me jump a little. "Yeah, no problem." I sidestep her to place the ingredients on the counter when I feel her reach out and touch my arm.

"I'm serious, Edward. Thank you." Awkwardly, she wraps her arms around my waist, and I pat her back a few times.

This is new, and I don't hate it.

Shit.