A Deich (10)

A/N: Well, y'all just can't wait for more. I will say this once more for those not paying attention. Shitty passive aggressive reviews will be deleted and not thought of again. I don't speak Gaelic, but I don't use google translate, cause it's shit. I am also not a doctor. This is fiction, suspend your disbelief or gtfo. That said, thank you so much for all your kind words and hilarious reviews. I'm still working on getting even more ahead, but right now we are good to go. Thanks to the usual suspects; SassyNoles, 2 brown eyes, Maplestyle, BitterHarpy, and AGoodWitch. Also, thanks to my beta Mel C. These ladies rock. So, you don't care; you want to see how this shit show is gonna turn out.

Waking up the next morning was an experience. Immediately upon opening my eyes, I realized I was not in my bed. The hard body laying draped around me was the only evidence I needed to deduce that. I shot up in bed, experiencing a serious case of vertigo. My sudden movement woke up Edward, and he moaned, which turned into a groan and a muttered "fuck my head." I rolled my eyes and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, happy to see it was really early in the morning. Edward pulled me back down to lie next to him. He pulled my chin to look at him. Even though he was still probably partially drunk, I couldn't deny that he was absolutely gorgeous. "Please tell me we did something more interesting than just sleeping last night."

I chuckled. "Oh, you had a very eventful night last night." I dropped the playful tone. "Yeah, you drove here, drunk. Then you proceeded to almost beat the shit out of Demetri. I believe you said that you would shove his teeth down his throat. Does any of that ring any bells?"

Edward flopped onto his back, that guarded look back on his face. "So, you're pissed I threatened your boyfriend."

I scoffed. "He's not my boyfriend, and he's a big boy; he can take care of himself. I'm pissed you drove drunk, Edward. You could have killed yourself or someone else."

"I wasn't drunk when I got here. I downed quite a bit of scotch after I talked to my dad."

"Why?" I asked, not understanding what could have happened to make him down a shit ton of alcohol.

"It's not important."

"Code for 'I don't want to know.'"

He looked over at me. "Yeah." He turned his head away from me again.

This time I grabbed him by the chin to make him look at me. "Stop that. What is going on with you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Bullshit. You know what I'm talking about. Something is going on with you. If you want to tell me it has to do with 'family stuff' then fine, I'll believe you and back off because that's your deal, but I know that's not all. I'm actually pretty intelligent. I can read between the lines."

He groaned and turned to hover over me, surprising the hell out of me. He gripped my hip with one hand, the other holding his weight off me. "What if I told you I didn't want you to go to the gala with Demetri?"

"Edward." I sighed. "I have to have a date."

"Go with me."

I started shaking my head before he finished his sentence. "No," I said and pushed him off me, getting out of the bed. He followed me out of the bed and we stood facing each other.

"It would really be that bad to consider going with me?" he said, the look on his face full of a bruised ego and anger.

I pulled my hoodie on and shoved his shoulder, completely frustrated with the whiplash this man was giving me. "Are you kidding me? You are hot one minute and cold the next. You wanna know why I won't consider going with you? By the time the night actually came around, you may have decided that you don't want to go with me, and if you did actually show up, one of us would kill the other before the end of the night."

"That's a little dramatic."

"Is it though?" I sat down and pulled my shoes on, then stood back up. "We fight constantly. Even though we are supposed to be in a truce, you just can't help throwing your dominance all over the fucking place. I'm trying to hold my tongue. I'm trying to do what I'm asked, but you have gotten worse, not better. It's suffocating. I can't deny that I'm attracted to you, but it's not enough."

"I told you to be patient."

"You keep saying that, but I don't think you know how to change, or maybe you think you don't need to, if I would just fucking submit, right? I'm telling you, right here and right now, it'll never fucking happen. So, ball is in your court, Cullen. I need to go."

I turned and walked to his door. I grabbed the knob, opening the door, before I felt him grip my wrist and spin me to face him. With his other hand, he pushed against the door, slamming it shut again. His lips were on mine before I could protest, and I immediately wound my arms around his strong back, digging my short nails in to keep me anchored. He groaned into my mouth and pulled my body closer to his. He grabbed both of my thighs, hitching me up higher against the door. I was now at eye level with him, and I pulled away from the kiss to look into his dark emerald eyes. I didn't get to see them up close since he was so much taller than me. He seemed to be searching my eyes for something. "God, the things I want to do to you, agra."

"What does that mean? Agra. That's the second time you called me that."

Edward backed off and slowly lowered me to the floor. "It's Irish. It's like calling you sweetheart, a term of endearment," he explained, but his explanation made it seem like he was leaving something out.

"God, you're killing me. I really need to go," I groaned, cutting this off before it turned into another argument. To my surprise, he nodded. It was tense and I could see that he wanted to argue, but he let me open the door and leave without another word. I booked it down the stairs and thought I was home free until I ran into Esme coming out of the kitchen.

"Bella, dear. Why are you here so early?"

I was never a good liar. Every time I snuck out of the house and got caught sneaking back, I was never able to come up with a good lie. Every once in a while, Rose was there to save me. Not this time. I just kind of stared at her, trying to come up with something. I saw her eagle eyes surveying me and I knew I was caught. Shit!

"You're just now leaving?" she said, smiling widely. Oh crap, she was thinking that something between Edward and me was going on.

"Edward was drunk!" I blurted out. I rushed to explain. "He was really drunk when Alice and I returned from dinner. He was threatening Demetri, and so I stepped in and we helped him up to bed. He asked me to stay. I mostly did it to make sure he didn't choke on his own vomit in his sleep."

"Amadán!" she exclaimed.

"Esme?"

"Sorry, it means dumbass, which he was being. So, you slept here?"

"Yes, and that's all it was." She nodded her head and invited me to have a cup of coffee. I was about to politely decline, but she gave me a look that told me it was mandatory. I followed her to the stools and sat, watching her make a fresh pot of coffee. Watching her work and her earlier use of Irish reminded me of Edward's weak explanation. "Esme, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, agra," she said, giving me a warm, motherly smile. I just stared at her, mouth open. She looked at me concerned and then she gave me a sweet smile. "It seems you're familiar with that term?"

"Edward has called me that twice. He said it meant sweetheart."

She chuckled. "Oh, a leanbh. It's a term of endearment, and it is a 'sweetheart' word, literally translated: it means love. So, if you say mo grá it means my love," she said, pulling two mugs from the cupboard and filling them with coffee.

I blew out a big breath, completely floored by the information she was giving me. "I just don't know how to process that. This is so weird to talk to you about."

"I know that kid better than anyone else, Bella." She brought our mugs and the creamer over to the counter. She sat next to me on a stool. "Even better than Emmett, who has known him since they were old enough to remember. I raised him. Luckily, I'm not one of those mothers that thinks her kid can do no wrong. I'm aware of his many flaws, but I also know his strengths. I stand by what I said at that meeting after you accepted the job, but it's clear that you two are not there yet."

After pouring in a generous enough helping of creamer to turn my coffee light brown, I stirred it and took a generous drink. "He told me that he wanted me to go to the gala with him, and I told him unequivocally no. I mean he changes his mind on a whim, so what's to keep him from deciding that he doesn't want to take me. Plus we fight all the time. I told him that I am attracted to him, but it's not enough."

"Absolutely. Physical attraction will only get you so far. You two definitely have the passion part down."

I scrunched my nose, causing her to laugh. It sounded like bells, and I loved her laugh in that moment. "He just… drives me crazy."

Esme opened her mouth to talk but stopped when there was a creaking of stairs. She took a large drink of her own coffee. Edward appeared in the doorway, looking surprised to see me sitting there with his mom, drinking coffee. "Morning, a leanbh. There's fresh coffee."

He visibly flinched at her voice. "Ma, not so loud," he grumbled.

I put my lip out in a pouting motion behind his back and Esme chuckled. I pulled my lip back in before he turned around and saw me. Edward got a mug of coffee, and I had to admit that it was awkward as hell while Esme and I just looked at each other. "Well, I should probably go. I told Rose that I would be home soon. Thanks for the coffee, Esme."

She stood up and gave me one of her warm hugs. I met Edward's eyes over her shoulder, and the stare was intense as always. I looked away first and quickly headed to my car, trying to not just run full-on. I had almost made it there before I heard the front door close and saw Edward coming toward me. Fuck! So close. I waited for him to make his way over to me, instead of what I wanted to do, which was jump in and speed off.

He looked down at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. I won't touch you again. That's not fair to either of us, but I also need some space, so aside from things that have to do with your clinic, you won't see me either. I need to respect your boundaries, and I plan to at least honor that."

"I never said that I didn't want to see you."

"No, but you said I needed to stop trying to control every aspect of your life. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be for now, for me to be able to control that part of my personality."

"Are you always this introspective when you are hungover?"

"No, this is all the effects of getting my ass handed to me by you."

We both chuckled, and I nodded my head. "Well, I will miss you, but I appreciate you are willing to try. Thank you."

He nodded. He looked like he wanted to hug me, so I initiated it and gave him a brief hug. I closed my eyes, taking a mental snapshot of his warmth and smell, before pulling away. He opened the driver's side door and closed it for me when I got in the seat. It was bittersweet that he was finally being a nice guy, before it would be an extended time until I saw him. I drove away feeling relief and agony.

The next week flew by with work, spending time with Rose and Alice, and getting to know Demetri a little better. Rose was spending a lot of time with Emmett, and I was happy that they were doing so well. This allowed me to see Emmett a few times, and he even watched a couple movies with us one night. We stayed away from the topic of Edward. I really wanted to ask for news on him, but he was respecting my boundaries, so I had to do the same for him. Edward texted me twice during that week, always related to the business and always completely professional and to the point. On Wednesday, my last day at the hospital, Demetri asked if he could take me out to dinner to celebrate. He called it a pre-gala date. I was stressing about what to wear when Rose walked in my room, went straight to my closet, flipped through a few hangers, grabbed a hanger with a dress on it, picked a pair of shoes from the shoe rack, and set both on my bed. In a joking move, she swatted my ass, and said "you're welcome," as she walked out. Scoffing, I went over to the bed to see what she had picked out. Damn, the outfit she picked was actually really good.

"I hate you," I teased.

She reappeared at my door. "I hate you too, but I still love you."

"You're such a dork."

She blew me a kiss, and I stuck my tongue out at her. She laughed. "Real mature, sissy."

I closed my bedroom door and pulled the dress on over my head. She had picked my black sheath dress that had a large swirl of green down each side, and my only pair of Louboutin heels. Alice had given them to me because they were an older pair and she never wore them, and she needed an excuse to buy new ones. Old to her meant less than a year, but her being completely spoiled worked out in my favor. After getting dressed and slipping into my heels, I opened the door to find Rose standing there, holding out an earring box to hand me.

I looked at her with my brows furrowed and opened the jewelry box. Inside were our mom's real pearl earrings, and I almost started crying. "Ro," I choked out.

"They're just a loan for tonight. I know how much you like them. I figured they would look better than the diamond ones."

"Want to help me with my hair. I'm going to have to put it up now."

Rose nodded and we stood in front of the hallway vanity, both of us beating my hair into submission. Soon it was pulled up into a simple updo with pieces framing my face that were curled. There was a knock on the door as I was finishing my makeup. Rose answered the door, and I was confused to hear Edward's voice. I looked at my watch and saw that there was still forty-five minutes until Demetri was supposed to be here. Edward sounded panicked. I headed to the living room, meeting Edward in the hall on the way there. He looked at me and stopped dead in his tracks. He took me in and visibly was checking me out.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked, nervous that he was here suddenly.

"It's Demetri," he said.

My blood ran cold as I noticed the blood on his hands and shirt. "What's Demetri?"

Edward's face fell. "He's hurt, Bella. We were too scared to move him, but we gotta hurry."

I nodded, not even thinking twice. I ran to my room and changed into scrubs and tennis shoes in record time and put my hair in a messy bun. I grabbed my medical bag and then exited my room, rushing past anyone in my way and made my way to the driveway, where I knew Edward's vehicle would be, with him following me. I was already calling Alice.

"Where is he?" I asked Edward. He looked unsure. "I can't fucking operate on him alone because I'm too emotional, Edward. Tell your sister where he is," I said, handing the phone to him. He talked to Alice quickly while we got in the car and then handed the phone back to me. I took it from him. I got frustrated because it wouldn't unlock, so I threw it. "Fuck!" I screamed and put my head between my knees. I needed to calm down. I took deep breaths and calmed myself down. "I swear to god, this is hard enough that I have to operate on a friend like Demetri. If you ever put me in the same situation, Edward Cullen, I will kill you myself. Don't fucking get hurt and make me be the one to help you," I cried.

He pulled the car over and came over to my side, opening the door. He pulled me out and pulled me into a hug. This move alone made me cry even harder, and I gripped his shirt in my fist. "It's okay, Bella. You gotta calm down, agra."

I shook my head. "Please, don't call me that, not now."

"I'm sorry. How about a pheata?"

I chuckled sadly. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"My pet," he said, his voice teasing.

"You're such an ass." He helped me get back in my seat, and soon we were headed to our destination again. "So, tell me what I'm walking into."

"Ugh, we were taking care of some business, and there was a loose step or something. I don't know what the fuck happened, but Demetri went straight through the floor. He fell into a sub-basement, and there was rebar sticking out all over the place. It went straight through his side."

"Fuck." I rested my forehead against my palm.

"I mean he seems to be okay. He's not coughing blood, and Emmett is with him, and he said he is answering questions, albeit he's not chatting away."

"Edward, I can administer emergency assistance, but I can't remove the object. He needs to go to a hospital. I need to get a CT scan to make sure that it hasn't hit any major organs. There's no way I can take it out without that, and I don't work at the hospital anymore."

Edward nodded and pulled out his phone. "Da, it's about Dem."

I heard indistinct talking on the other side of the line. "No, she has to do a CT scan before she can take it out," he replied. He looked at me as he was listening to his dad. "When was your last day at the hospital?" Edward asked, directing the question to me.

"Earlier today."

"You hear that? Yeah, okay, we're almost there," he said and hung up.

"My dad is calling in favors to get you a CT scan and surgical suite. We're gonna go in there and you do whatever you need to so we can move him. Okay?" I nodded. He grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "You can do this, a pheata."

Despite the situation, I smiled and nodded. I got out of the car, pulled my jacket on, and grabbed my bag. "Do you have bolt cutters?"

He looked at me with furrowed brows and went to the back of the SUV, looked around in a toolbox and pulled a pair of bolt cutters out. I raised an eyebrow. "Hey, never know when these might come in handy."

I scoffed and followed him to the warehouse, which I guess was our destination. The minute we walked in, I heard Alice talking and I followed her voice. I was right next to her, sitting on Demetri's side in moments. He looked paler than usual, and I felt his forehead. He was getting clammy. I saw the piece of rebar sticking out of his torso. It was down by his hip bone.

"This is gonna hurt. I'm so sorry," I said. I palpated the tissue around the wound, and he groaned in pain. It didn't seem to be near any organs, but there was no way to tell without a scan. "Okay, we need to cut this down, Ali, so that we can move him."

She nodded and grabbed the rebar as low as she could. Edward handed me the bolt cutters, and I cut the rebar down as low and as gently as I could. I asked Emmett and Edward to help me sit him up. The rebar was in a spot where he could sit up without injuring himself further. I went behind him and Alice helped me get the back piece cut down. I pulled out a roll of gauze and wrapped it as loosely around the wound and his waist as I could. Edward was talking on his phone the entire time, so all I could hope was there was good news. We got Demetri standing, supported by Emmett, and we all made our way to Edward's SUV.

"We got a CT machine and somewhere where you can take that out if it's safe."

"And if it's not."

He grimaced. "We'll figure it out from there."

I sighed and gestured for him to get moving. I could already tell it was gonna be a long night, and I just hoped that I would be able to save my friend.

A/N: Yeah, so that happened. Can we see the small changes in Edward already happening? So, how are we feeling? What do you think is going to happen next? Good news, next update will be EPOV, so that will be fun. And sorry, but that will have to wait until next week. Have a happy fourth of July for my American friends. For those not in the US, still have an amazing day! Thank you, lovelies, and leave a review!