Trigger warning*

This chapter contains a brief description of a woman's death in the hospital. If this is a sore spot for you, you can skim the very last part of the chapter for just the point of the story.

Ch. 10 The Water Basin

By the time everyone was caught up with what Edward and I had spoken about, I explained my theory about my scent changing which intrigued Carlisle. There were mixed emotions about Bella being Edward's mate. Esme took that news the hardest I think, definitely worse than Edward had taken it.

"I'm sorry Edward, dear, I want you to find true happiness in a mate. Is that so wrong of me?"

Edward ran his hands through his hair. "We've been through this. I'm just not sure it's in the plans for me. Maybe Carlisle's right. Maybe I was too young when I was changed, but I'm happy with you all here now." His eyes shifted to mine in apology a few times while he spoke, and I tried to keep my gaze polite. Inside, I was dying. Edward was perfect. Absolutely perfect. He deserved everything, but here he was arguing with his own mother that he didn't want anyone that way. I couldn't help the way my heart broke a little more each time he said it. I wasn't Bella. I ruined his life, and he didn't even see it. Shit.

"Dude! You were finally gonna get some!" Emmett wagged his eyebrows in Edward's direction to which Edward turned around, grabbed a pillow, and chunked it at Emmett's face. He dodged it and laughed heartily.

"Alice, have you seen any...regular vampires...visiting anytime soon?" I had to change the subject before I burst into tears. My question definitely quieted the room.

Alice's eyes glazed over for a moment, and she shook her head. "No. There's nothing."

"And the hikers who've gone missing? Do you guys have any theories about them?"

"Where are you going with this?" Carlisle inquired with a frown.

"The climatic point of the first book is coming up. A week from tomorrow, there will be a storm, and you guys decide to play baseball. While you're out there, you run across a coven of three vampires—James, Victoria, and Laurent." I shuddered when I spoke their names. Esme placed her hand over my own.

"What is it, dear? We've crossed paths with nomadic vampires in the past without any problems."

"Not like these, and not with Bella around..." I felt nauseous the more I thought about it. "Bella is a danger magnet, and now that makes me one too by default. She was at the game with you guys when Alice got a vision of the nomads, but it was too late for you to take her away. The leader, James, is a tracker. He's bored in his immortal existence and gets off by playing sadistic games with others. He decides to track Bella. You guys protect her, of course, and kill James..." Esme and Carlisle gasped, and I shot them an apologetic look. They didn't like to end other's lives.

"It was unavoidable. You didn't make the decision lightly, believe me. So after he died, you guys thought the problem was solved, but you didn't account for his mate, Victoria. Edward said in the book that he missed the strength of their connection because she was so sure that James would never lose that it never occurred to her how she would feel to lose him. So then she comes after Bella throughout the next year. You know, mate for a mate...Her gift is knowing how to escape, so she's not an easy one to catch."

There was silence in the room until an evil grin crossed Emmett's face. "Two vampires? Pfft hand 'em over. I'll take them both down for you. Problem solved." Jasper gave Emmett a high five in solidarity.

"If it were that easy, then there would have been way less story. There were four books, each longer than the next almost."

"Four?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Yes. Bella had a lot to say about you." I teased.

"Atta boy!" Emmett called and Jasper laughed along side him. I couldn't help but laugh too. They were just like their book characters, except better.

"Wonderful." Edward said through his teeth. I laughed again. It was nice to be able to joke, not having to hide anything.

"It was only nice things." I smiled angelically.

"Yes, I'm sure." Edward chuckled. My heart fluttered at the sound, and he looked at me funny but didn't say anything.

"So are we going to kill these nomads or not?" Emmett was pouting, and it made me laugh again.

"Definitely not, Emmett. These nomads have done nothing wrong, yet. We should give them the benefit of the doubt first." Carlisle reasoned. Ugh...I wanted to smack my forehead in frustration, so I sat on my hands.

"What is it? Do you not agree?" Edward didn't miss my discomfort.

"Not especially...sorry Carlisle. It's just that every time I've tried to avoid a major plot point in the story since I've been here, it's come back to bite me in the a—behind." I felt weird cursing near these prim and proper vampires, well except Emmett. He probably wouldn't mind.

"You say it begins a week from tomorrow?" Edward asked.

"Yes in the book, but like I said earlier, I've changed the story now, like when I fell out of the window, ran away, and earlier with Rosalie in the woods...that wasn't supposed to happen. Now I really don't know what's going on. I just know that Bella ends up being attacked in Phoenix by James. He bites her, and she almost dies."

"HE BITES HER?!" Edward was out of his seat before I finished my sentence.

"Yes, but you're able to suck the venom out and prevent the change. I know how you feel about changing someone unnecessarily." I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice. Cut it out, McGee.

"Interesting." I could see the wheels turning in Carlisle's mind. Probably trying to think of a way to cure cancer or something using venom. More power to him.

"We have to protect her, Carlisle. I won't let that happen to you, Iris. You won't be one of us." Ouch. Now I know how Bella felt every time he denied her wishes. I mean it's not like I especially wanted to be a vampire, but jeez. Could he tone down his distaste for me being with them for eternity a little bit? Delivery, Edward. It's all about your delivery! However, I couldn't help but find his take-charge, protective side attractive. Hubba hubba.

"Thank you. I will take any help I can get."

"Fine, but no killing sprees. No hunting for these nomads. We will avoid the baseball field that day, stay in. From now on, we will be on alert. Iris, you are welcome to come here to stay with us as often as you like until you feel the threat is passed." Carlisle was in Coven leader mode. The authority rang in his voice.

"Thank you." I smiled in appreciation. I knew what a sacrifice this was for them.

"Ok, dad." Emmett looked like a petulant child. "I really need to be getting to Rosie anyway. Thanks for the laughs, Iris. This will give me new material on Eddy for years!" He smiled widely, dimples showing, and he put his hand up high waiting for me to slap it. I met him half way and laughed along with him.

"Tell Rosalie that I'm sorry, and that her record is still intact, thankfully. I don't hold anything against her, not that she'll care anyway. She's probably pissed at me for existing..." Everyone laughed. No one denied it, so I guess I hit the nail on the head with that one.

After Emmett ran out the back door toward the woods, I stood. "May I use your phone? Charlie is probably having a conniption fit as we speak. I've kinda been on house arrest since my last...stunt."

"Of course, dear. Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything all evening. I'm going to go fix something right up for you." Esme patted my shoulder as she walked passed me. "Edward? Be a dear and show Iris the phone upstairs. I'm sure she would like to freshen up as well."

"Of course. Iris?" Edward, always the perfect gentleman, held out his hand toward the stairs as if I forgot which way they were, but I liked it. Chivalry was a lost art among my generation.

"Thank you." I answered with a smile, and Edward winked at me. God, could he please stop doing things like that? I could only stand there and stare at him dumbly.

"Iris? Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You look confused." Edward appeared amused by something.

"She doesn't feel confused." Jasper chose then to speak up with a smirk. Shut. Up. Jackass. Holy crap.

"What?" Edward looked to Jasper and then back to me confused.

"Never mind." Jasper winked at me. What was with the winking?!

I shook my head to clear it. "Sorry, lets go." I started walking toward the steps, but my foot was caught on my jeans. THIS IS WHY WE STOPPED WEARING FLARED JEANS! I wanted to scream. I fell forward, and what do you know? Edward saved me. Again. Now I'm not ungrateful, but seriously. Why can't this body just walk in a straight line? "Thank you." I gritted out, and Edward laughed.

"See? I don't need Bella to joke about how clumsy she is. You make a pretty good substitute." He smiled his famous crooked smile, and I lost it. Holy shit. It. Was. Perfect.

Suddenly my head was spinning, I couldn't catch my breath, and my heart felt like it would fly out of my chest. It was like this body couldn't resist the pull that was Edward, and I went limp in his arms.

"Iris?!" Edward panicked, and the whole family—minus Rosalie and now Emmett—was surrounding us at the bottom of the stairs. Kill me now!

"I'm good. I'm fine. No biggie." I pushed myself away from Edward, putting a good five feet between us. What the hell was that? This is bad. This is so bad. You can't do this, Iris. He doesn't want you. It's Bella. It's Bella that he needs. Walk it off. Be normal. I leaned my still swaying frame against the stair banister. "It's probably low blood sugar from not eating all day. Esme? Would you like help in the kitchen? There's a phone in there, right?" I know I sounded insane, but Esme only offered me a smile and welcomed me to help her.

"Of course, dear. There's a restroom at the end of the hall just there too." Why the hell did she want Edward to take me all the way upstairs then? Was Mama Cullen playing matchmaker?

"Th..thank you." I stuttered out as I passed a still confused Edward. It would have been comical if it wasn't happening to me. Get it together, Iris! He already said it earlier...You're human. He's not interested. I was blushing so much that my face felt like it was on fire, and when I reached the restroom, my fears were confirmed. I looked like I just came back from a weekend at Tybee Island with no sunscreen. Great. Just great.

I splashed my face with water to cool off, and looked in the mirror, but I didn't see anything. Something about the water on my skin...

•PTaT•

"Sorry, George. I'm not looking for anything long term right now. And besides, you're going home soon." I laughed at the pretend frown that crossed the sweet old man's face. He was such a flirt. My favorite patient tonight by far. We weren't supposed to have favorites, but he was mine.

"You're breaking my heart." He brought his hands to his chest weakly in mock horror.

"I couldn't do that any worse than you already have. Cut it out with the salt already! Now off to the cath lab for you." I chastised him with a smile, but he knew I was serious. This was his third heart attack. He wouldn't survive another one.

"Code Blue!" A female voice called from one bay over, and I ran away from George without a word, leaving him with a person from transport to take him to his next stop. There's no time for pleasantries when it's a matter of life or death. Those extra seconds could be the difference of a person's survival or a full recovery versus lasting damage.

I grabbed the backboard off the back of the crash cart, and helped the other nurse, Sandy, roll the unresponsive woman over to put it behind her. We continued compressions, and the rest of the team arrived. After thirty minutes of trying everything we possibly could, the doctor finally called it. "Time of death, eighteen-twenty-eight." This was the worst part of our job. A hushed reverence came over us all as we mourned the loss of this stranger. She was young, maybe in her fifties. Much too young to pass the way she had.

We each knew how to perform the task at hand. I went to grab a small basin to fill with water to clean her wounds. We needed to prepare the body for viewing, and ultimately for the trip to the morgue.

"No! She can't be gone...Try again! Use those pad things! You only used those twice! Try it again! Please! She's all I have!" I turned to see a man, also in his middle fifties, holding onto the doctor who had turned to address the man. The man's pain was evident. This woman was his life. I tried to memorize his dark hair, peppered with white, a sign of his age, the way his eyes crinkled in the corner, and the crease in his nose when he frowned. I also noticed his ring, not a usual wedding ring, but worn on that finger. It had a strange shape to it, like chain links. He grasped that hand over his chest as he bawled into the doctor's coat. I looked on him with a feeling of helplessness.

"Please...please...please..." He met my eyes for the briefest of moments, and it felt like he was begging me. I needed to save her. I needed to help this man out of his misery. But there was nothing else I could do besides treat this woman he loved so dearly with the utmost dignity in this, her last hour.

I could still hear him as I turned into the supply room to fill the basin. When the door closed behind me, I could feel the tears coming, but I fought them, focusing on my task. Water. I need water.

I carried the basin back to the emergency bay, turning the corner without paying much attention to where I was headed, and I almost ran head-on into the crying man, but now he only looked angry. I looked down and realized I had spilled some of the water on his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Let me get a towel for you!" While it was only water, I was horrified that I had messed up his shirt. It seemed unnecessarily cruel to the man that the universe would choose this particular moment for my rare clumsiness to shine through.

"It's all shit. Don't bother." He stumbled away before I could answer.

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