SM owns Twilight.

(CozItRunsInMyBlood /Rose B. Mashal) owns the plot.

(BandMum) is the wonderful beta.

Chapter 17

Edward seemed like a good man, kind and gentle, but wicked men often acted kind and gentle at first. Their true colors appeared later when it was difficult to escape, and impossible to turn back time to reconsider my actions.

I wanted to trust him; everything told me to. Until this moment, he had done nothing to make me think he planned to harm me in any way, but that was how my mind worked—I trusted nobody.

"Will it hurt?" I asked in a small voice when he touched my bandaged arm and placed it on the bed beside me.

"No, Bella. It won't hurt. I promise," he said. It wasn't a promise I took seriously, as the slightest movement was painful, but I hid it from him. I wasn't even sure he could see me in the dim light. "I need you to relax; this will only take a minute."

I took a deep, calming breath in and let it out slowly, repeating it a few times as Edward worked on undoing my bandages.

"Good g-… job." He said the last word hesitantly, realizing the words 'good girl' had triggered me before and made one of my worst memories surface.

He really did pay so much attention to me, and I wondered if this was all for the experiment's research, or something else.

Idiot!

I dismissed the idea, hating that sometimes I forgot how pathetic I was. Thinking someone would notice something about me because it was me, and not because it might mean something for the medical experiment I was going through.

Only a lab rat.

"Don't you… need light for this?" I asked when he had unwrapped my arm, trying not to show how embarrassed I was by the stench released once he exposed my wound.

"No, I don't. Now I want you to close your eyes and think of something nice; me for example." He chuckled, and I giggled despite my nervousness. He I knew he was trying to ease my worries, but he wasn't as calm as he tried to sound. I could hear in his voice that he was almost as nervous as I was.

Despite everything going through my mind, I wanted to obey. Closing my eyes, relaxing in bed, and thinking of something nice weren't the easiest things to do, especially alone in a room with a man I knew so little about. But I had to if I wanted this to work.

I took a few deep breaths again, but they didn't help. My heart pounded, and I suddenly felt cold. My anxiety was going to be a problem and make me lose this last hope of fixing my arm.

"It's okay, Bella. Take your time," Edward said softly, and I looked up, searching the darkness for his eyes. They would be difficult to see, but I tried, unsure why I wanted to see his eyes in that moment. Maybe I wanted reassurance that it would be okay, or confirmation that he wasn't mad at me for being so tense when he told me to relax, or maybe just encouragement. I didn't know.

I caught just a glimpse of his green eyes, and they were as soft and kind as I remembered. Our eyes locked for a moment, and it was all the reassurance, all the confirmation and encouragement I needed.

My breathing calmed, my heart slowed, and my anxiety eased as I looked into his eyes and listened to his soothing voice. "I won't touch you. I won't hurt you. I will fix it. You need to trust me on this, Bella."

I nodded, suddenly wanting to keep my eyes open to continue looking into his, but I closed them as he asked. Thinking of something nice wasn't difficult, not with the image of his warm eyes so fresh in my mind.

~WtSGD~

I've never been to the beach before, never been on open water, but I had a faded memory of being in a swimming pool with my father. He put me on a floating ring and let the water carry me. I never wanted to get out.

That was how I felt when I woke up; I was floating. I had to be certain, touching the mattrass beneath me to be sure I was really in bed, not somehow left on a floating ring in the middle of the ocean. I wouldn't have minded; I felt amazing, something I hadn't felt in forever.

When I opened my eyes, I immediately knew where I was. There was no fuzziness from sleep and no heavy-headed feeling. All I felt was… life. I sat up in bed and waited. I expected to be dizzy or have a minor blackout, two sensations I usually felt whenever I sat up or even stood from lying down, but neither happened. I felt nothing. I felt fine.

Something inside me prevented me from feeling confused. I didn't want to think; I had no anxious thoughts and no worries. I only wanted to feel happy.

I did feel happy and couldn't stop smiling.

There was no explanation for the positive energy I felt, and I wouldn't look for one. I simply wanted to feel this and enjoy it. I giggled for no reason, though feeling no pain was a good enough one.

In the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror and gasped. I had never seen myself as beautiful; I was plain, nothing special. My father always told me I was a pretty princess, and my teacher told me once that I was adorably cute. I liked to hear those words when I was young, but as I grew up, they became frightening. With time, I stopped believing them, as they came from the wrong people.

Illness, sorrow, fear, and troubles had made me look as I felt—ugly. But as I looked in the mirror, I dared to think I looked beautiful. My pale skin had some color to it, my brown eyes seemed bigger than usual, and even my hair looked silkier, with waves full of life. I couldn't believe my eyes; I looked the best I ever had.

Still gazing at the mirror, I reached out and touched my reflection. I giggled, then gasped again as I noticed my bandaged arm. I flipped it over a couple of times, my mouth slack as I realized it didn't hurt at all.

This must be a dream, because there was no way any of this was real. If I hadn't woken up in the same place I was last night, I would have thought I died and this was my afterlife. Whatever painkiller Edward had given me was working wonders.

I dismissed the silly thought with a shake of my head and a giggle, then got in the shower. Despite no pain in my arm—or anywhere, for that matter—I was still following Dr. Cullen's orders and didn't get any water near the bandages on my arm. The wound on my head had already healed nicely because I did everything he had asked me to do. I wished the wound on my arm was as shallow as it was. It would have healed by now, too. But at least it no longer hurt. That was more than I had ever dreamt.

After getting dressed and leaving my hair to air-dry, I returned to my glass room. I made my bed, then tidied a bit, still amazed at how I felt no pain, not only my arm, but all over my body. My bones didn't ache, nor my head, and my stomach wasn't upset. As a matter of fact, I was famished.

I started thinking about what Dr. Cullen would bring for breakfast. I felt like I could eat for five people.

"Hey, buddy! Guess who wants to play?" I smiled at Smokey, then laughed at his reaction when he saw me moving around so easily. I almost felt like I was flying.

It was too early for breakfast time, so I knew Smokey hadn't eaten yet, and I struggled with the desire to offer him some of the fruit I had in my room. Dr. Cullen had told me not to feed him, but suddenly I was tempted to do so. I felt like it wouldn't be such a big deal not to do as he said just this once.

I didn't know what was going on with me. I had never been this carefree or easy going, literally dancing around, laughing, and feeling so energetic I wanted to run a marathon. I ended up just dancing with Smokey through the walls of his glass cage and didn't feed him anything. He didn't seem to mind.

The idea of putting on my coat and going outside for a walk was running through my head when I heard the inside basement door open, and Dr. Cullen came in with breakfast.

After feeding Smokey, Dr. Cullen came to my room with his usual polite smile. His smile dropped when his eyes met mine, and a frown of confusion formed between his eyebrows as he entered.

"Good morning, Bella! You look good today," he commented as he put my food on the small table.

"Good morning, sir. I do feel good, thank you." I pushed a stray hair away from my face shyly. Dr. Cullen's eyes followed the movement with more confusion than before, and I realized I had absently used my bandaged arm.

"Feeling any better?" He jerked his chin towards my arm.

"Yes, sir," I smiled. Dr. Cullen's eyes darted to the bottle of painkillers he gave me before his trip the other day, and I giggled. "I didn't take the entire bottle, I promise. I didn't take any of it today, actually." I wasn't sure if I should tell him what Edward did, but I decided not to, hoping Edward would tell him himself.

It was Dr. Cullen's turn to smile. "I know; it would have killed you. Just making sure." He paused, "You look very… well, unusual."

"I woke up like this," I shrugged.

"Hmm… let's check your blood pressure and take a look at the wound, shall we?" He went to the nightstand and opened the second drawer where the medical gloves and some of his equipment were, and I sat down on the bed.

After taking my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, Dr. Cullen removed the bandages from my arm. I was eager to see if the wound had improved at all after Edward treated it. It must have healed some, since it wasn't painful, but nothing prepared me for what I saw.

Instead of the ugly gash with yellowish and nasty smelling ooze, there was a fresh scar. It was pinkish, like those a few weeks after surgery with the stitches removed. It was still the shape of a zigzag, but it looked clean, closed, and completely healed.

"Uh…"

"How…?" Dr. Cullen looked as confused as I was.

"Is it… is it really healed?" I couldn't believe my eyes.

Dr. Cullen examined my arm for a few moments before speaking. "It's completely healed. It looks a few weeks older than it did yesterday. How is that even… wait…" Dr. Cullen was silent for a minute. He looked deeply into my eyes with unspoken questions. I gulped, not sure what I should tell him or how to answer what he was asking me with his gaze.

When he glanced up at one of the cameras, I knew he figured out what happened, and suddenly he looked furious. For the first time that day, I started feeling anxious.

"Was it Edward?" Dr. Cullen asked, his eyes stern and his tone firm.

"Y-yes, sir," I stuttered.

"What did he do?" His next question was quick.

"I don't know, sir. I fell asleep and woke up like this. I swear I don't know what he did," I said, my voice full of worry, and it seemed to piss off Dr. Cullen even more. I wanted to run and hide, but I did nothing, too afraid that any movement could anger him even more.

After only a few seconds, Dr. Cullen let go of my arm, took off his gloves, and stormed out of my glass room, back to the door he came through. I'd never seen him like this before, and it was truly scary. I didn't know what I did wrong.

Minutes passed while I sat on my bed, not knowing what to do with myself. Should I wait for Dr. Cullen's return? He hadn't told me if I should continue taking the new meds he prescribed to help with the wound. Now that the cut had healed, I wasn't sure if I should. To be honest, I didn't want him to come back. He scared me when he looked that angry.

When my stomach growled for the third time, demanding food, I couldn't deny it anymore and got up to eat breakfast. If I didn't feel so different today, I knew I wouldn't have touched the food. Fear always made me lose my appetite. Although I was afraid of Dr. Cullen's reaction to my arm, I wasn't that scared. I found that for the first time in forever, I could actually push a negative thought to the back of my mind; I could push a bad feeling to the back of my soul. I felt… normal.

After I finished eating, I decided to call Edward. I wanted to phone him from the moment I woke up, not to ask what happened, or how, or why I felt this good. I just wanted to thank him for even trying, and for actually taking away the pain.

I still wanted to show my gratitude, but now I had questions only he could answer. At least, he would reply to me honestly. I already knew Dr. Cullen wasn't completely truthful with me; he hid things, and I didn't understand why he needed to do that.

Edward didn't answer the call, not even when I tried calling him a few hours later. When night came, I called him for the fifth time, and he still didn't pick up. I figured I should stop trying. He would call me if he wanted to.

~WtSGD~

Dr. Cullen didn't return that day. I made some cereal for lunch and noodles for dinner. I took my medications and played a bit with Smokey. As the hours passed, the heaviness in my body slowly returned. The pain was raising its ugly head and making itself known.

As I feared, the relief was temporary. I thought I was at peace with my illness and the agonizing pain I constantly felt, but I was wrong. Now I had tasted what it was like to be okay, I was angry with everything around me: my life, my luck, and my fate.

That night, I hugged my blanket tightly. I hadn't felt this lonely in a while, not since Edward started calling me for bedtime stories and late night chats. It was almost like he wasn't even watching me through the cameras anymore. I hadn't realized how much I appreciated those calls, and him watching me—watching over me—until I lost them.

The worst part was, I didn't know what I did wrong. Whatever it was, I hoped I didn't cause trouble between Dr. Cullen and Edward. It seemed like bad things happened wherever I went.

~WtSGD~

The morning brought the usual pain throughout my body. My bones hurt, and the headache had returned. My stomach was upset, and my skin felt itchy. I struggled to get out of bed.

This, I realized, felt normal. I was pathetic.

The first thing I did was check if the wound on my arm had reopened, since all the awful symptoms I was used to were coming back. Miraculously, the scar was the same, and my arm still didn't hurt like it had before Edward promised to fix it.

After I showered and dressed, I returned to my room, surprised to see Dr. Cullen waiting for me on the couch.

"Morning, Bella!" He wasn't smiling.

"Morning, sir." I looked down, not knowing what to do.

"Ready for your morning check-up?" He rose and went straight to the nightstand to get the gloves from the drawer.

"Yes, sir." I sat on the bed and waited for our morning routine. It seemed longer than usual, and I felt my head would burst with all the questions storming inside it.

"Ask!" Dr. Cullen said firmly as he took my blood pressure. I jumped back slightly at the sound of his voice, but contained myself quickly. There was no time to wonder if I should ask him what I wanted to know; he probably already read my face and knew I had lots of questions. He wouldn't humor me if I said I had none, since he always knew when I was lying.

"Is my arm all fixed? I mean, will the wound open up again?"

"Yes, it's healed. It won't open up again," he said as he wrote some notes.

"It's just, I didn't feel any pain yesterday. But today it all came back but the wound."

"That's normal. The effect of Edward's, um… treatment is wearing off." He still didn't look at me.

"Wh-what did he do?" I had a feeling I was pushing it by asking this question, but I couldn't help it.

Dr. Cullen inhaled sharply before he replied. "I think I'll let him answer that question. I can't wait to hear what he comes up with." His smile was sarcastic. "I'll see you later."

His answer confused me more than I was before, and I frowned. Dr. Cullen was hinting Edward would lie to me, and that made me feel uneasy, though I didn't know why. Even if Edward lied to me, he wouldn't be the first. What was so different now that made me feel that way?

"Dr. Cullen, please, wait," I called after him as I got up from the bed. He stopped but didn't turn around, waiting for me to speak. "Did I do something wrong?" It appeared he didn't even want to see me.

He sighed again before turning to look at me for the first time. "No, Bella, you did nothing wrong." He paused. "I want to ask you to do me a favor, though,"

I nodded, listening carefully, knowing full well that whatever he said, I would do. It was silly to think he needed to ask for a favor; I already owed him so much, including my life.

"If Edward offers to 'fix' you again, say 'no'. I can't afford to lose him."

~WtSGD~

AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm extremely sorry that I took so long to update. After publishing my latest book (Sacrifices: Pre-Black Keys from Mazen's POV) my oldest daughter had a major surgery, and while on her way to recover I had one myself. There were so many complications, it's a miracle I'm still alive.

Thank you so much for reading, understanding, and being patient with me. I love you guys.

~Rose.