WOW! So last chapter is my second highest reviewed chapter of ANY story I've ever posted. You guys are amazing!
(and I totally know you don't care what I'm saying up here when the answer to all your questions is below LOL, so have at it and come find me at the end)
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Edward
There's barely any strength left in my body, but I make it over to her, wrapping her in my arms and resting my head against hers as the tears spill over and she buries her face against my chest. Everything in me screams for answers. Her hiccuping sobs tear at me like a knife through butter, every second that passes breaking my resolve not to shake her until she tells me what's going on.
"They're all alive," she finally whimpers, her cries quieting. My eyes pop open. "God, it was so scary. Mom called me at work...they had to be rushed here."
Squeezing my eyes shut again, I feel hot tears burning my cheeks.
They're alive.
I can take anything else as long as they're still here, still fighting. Anything else, we can deal with.
"But they're okay?" I croak into her hair, squeezing her tight.
"As okay as you could expect," Rosalie breathes, pulling away to wipe her cheeks with the too-long sleeves of what I'm guessing is Charlie's or Benjamin's sweater. A frown tugs at her brows. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Utah?"
Before I have a chance to answer, the door to the family room swings open and a head of dark hair pops out, red-rimmed gray eyes widening when they spot me. I instantly drop to my knees. I don't care about the pain that shoots up my legs when they hit the floor or the way my voice catches on Jaxson's name as he barrels into my chest, promptly bursting into tears. I don't pay attention to Rosalie's choked cry or Kirsten quietly suggesting we move this into the family room.
My boy needs me.
Carefully pushing him back, I cradle his face in my hands and wipe tears from his rosy cheeks as my eyes search him for signs of injury. He has a butterfly bandage on his jaw and a bandage around his forearm, but that's it for visible injuries. "Are you okay, buddy?" I ask once I think I have a handle on my emotions. He needs me strong, not bawling like I want to right now. "Where are you hurt?"
He hiccups a shuddering breath before steeling himself, still clinging to the fabric of my sweater. "J-just my arm and here," he points to his arm, then his jaw. "My neck is a little sore but the doctor s-said that's normal."
"EC," Rosalie murmurs, nodding at Kirsten, then the family room door. "Maybe we should…"
Looking around, I see we've earned ourselves quite the audience. I don't particularly care, but Jaxson is uncharacteristically shy, burying his face in my shoulder. "C'mon, bud." Mindful of his arm, I scoop him up and follow Rosalie, unsurprised to find half of the Swan clan camping out on uncomfortable plastic chairs.
Charlie, Renee, Everly, and Benjamin are all here. The latter two are fast asleep, Everly's head resting on her brother's shoulder, a big blanket draped over both of them.
"EC! What are you doing here? We didn't want to disturb your vacation or we would have called you." Renee hops up, throwing her arms around me and Jaxson as he sniffles against my neck.
"I spoke to the EMT yesterday," I admit, biting back the emotion clogging my throat and the tears stinging my eyes. "I called her just after they got her out of the car. One of the EMTs called me back to find contact details for a next of kin, then I got on the first available flight."
Frowning, Renee blows her nose on a tissue she pulls from her pocket. "An EMT? They didn't say anything."
Stretching with an audible pop of his shoulder, Charlie winces and steps closer to wrap an arm around his wife's shoulders. "We didn't see them, love," he reminds her. "They'd already handed her over to the ER when we got here."
"True," she murmurs, reaching for her grandson. "Come here, baby—"
"No!" Jaxson snaps before new tears stream over his cheeks. "I want to stay with Easy."
Still frowning, Renee nods and hugs Charlie, eyeing me speculatively. "Okay, Jax, sweetie, that's okay."
"So what, um…" Rubbing Jaxson's back, I blow out a deep breath. "What happened? Where're Bella, Finley, and Arlo?"
Wiping her eyes, Renee motions for me to sit. "Finley and Arlo are downstairs in the cafeteria with Little Grandma. They have minor cuts and scrapes, mostly." Her eyes fill with tears and she presses her face against Charlie's shoulder for a moment before composing herself. "They think Arlo might have a fracture in his right ankle, but it was too swollen to tell last night. They'll look again today. We haven't got the full story yet, I don't think, but from what the boys have told us, they were driving through an intersection and the other car came from nowhere to hit them from the front."
Christ. I feel sick just thinking about it, but of course, I can't stop imagining what it must have looked like.
The squeal of brakes. The crunch of metal. The shattering of glass.
Screaming.
I squeeze Jaxson tighter, trying to remember that he's hurt so I don't make anything worse. He's clinging to me just as tight, though.
One thing from Renee's explanation sticks out the most.
"Why hasn't Bella told you what happened?" I ask with trepidation, my eyes jumping between Charlie, Renee, and Rosalie as they fidget.
"She hasn't woken up yet," Charlie finally breathes, the pain in his eyes crushing my hope, every thought flying from my mind but one.
Not again.
"She hit her head pretty hard in the crash. The doctors have run some tests and they did a scan overnight, but the swelling...it's just a waiting game."
Charlie's voice sounds like it's coming from underwater, my ears and throat closing up like it will protect me from this.
I've heard those words before. I've played that game and lost. It's the very worst kind of deja vu and my fragile heart can't take another defeat.
"C-can I see her?" My voice is barely a whisper, my heart beating a shallow rhythm as all the adrenaline that's been keeping me going drains out of my body.
I can see the confusion taking hold, the wonder in Charlie and Renee's eyes, but it's Everly's voice that draws our attention. "I'll take you to see her," she offers quietly, careful not to jostle Benjamin as she extricates herself from the blanket and gets to her feet. Running her hand through Jaxson's hair, she murmurs, "Would you do me a favor, Jaxy?"
"What?" he whispers, eyeing her with suspicion.
"I think Nana and Papa are hungry, but they won't do as they're told and go get some food. Do you think you're responsible enough to make sure they go and eat?"
Torn between wanting to stay and wanting to be in charge of his grandparents, Jaxson finally sighs and leans back. "Okay. C'mon, Nana and Papa."
The fact that he refuses to be put down and insists on being passed from my arms to Charlie's doesn't escape any of our notice, but none of us mention it. I watch with a frown as Charlie carries him out of the room with Renee right behind them.
"Come on," Everly says quietly once they've gone, Rosalie opting to stay with their still-sleeping brother. She loops her arm through mine to tug me down the hall, greeting a couple of the nurses on the way and eyeing me curiously when Kirsten makes a point of saying 'hello' to me. "You know each other," she guesses, stopping outside room 1506. I keep my eyes on her, not quite ready to look inside.
"I do."
It takes a couple of seconds, but it's obvious when she realizes how and why I know her. "Oh."
"Yeah."
Blowing out a breath, she squeezes her eyes shut against a sudden rush of tears and shakes her head. "I can't...I can't go in there."
Dread and worry eclipses everything else. If Everly won't even go into the room, it can't be good. Steeling myself as best I can, I pull her against my chest and give her a tight, lingering hug before sucking in a breath and deciding I can't take it anymore. The distance is too great even though I know Bella is just on the other side of this door. Every atom of my body screams at me as I leave Everly sniffling into the neck of her sweater and slowly swing the door open, forcing myself to breathe before I pass out.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I see when I step into the room. The sight of Bella lying still on the bed, her head and neck in a brace and a multitude of wires running from various IVs to machines at her bedside, knocks the breath from my body.
"Christ, Bella."
Getting closer, I see the little cuts and scrapes littered over her face and arms. I see the stitches holding her left eyebrow together and the split in her otherwise perfect lips. Hot tears stream over my cheeks as I reach for her hand, mindful of the IV sticking out the back, and intertwine our fingers before giving them a squeeze.
She doesn't squeeze back.
Dropping slowly to my knees, I rest my forehead against our joined fingers and do something I haven't done since the day of Willow's accident.
I pray.
I pray for her injuries to be less life-threatening than they appear right now. I pray for her to wake up and laugh all this off in her usual way. I pray for her ability to look at the positives instead of the negatives and her sunny outlook on life. I pray for her voice, her smile, her love.
Throughout my whispered prayers, tears continue to pour over my face. When I've run out of words and my throat is too tight to speak, I wipe my cheek on my shoulder and catch a glimpse of movement in the corner of my eye.
Charlie stares back at me through the window, his dark eyes narrowed.
~ oOo ~
"Easy!" Arlo squeals, bouncing in his wheelchair as Little Grandma pushes him toward us, Finley at his side. With a faint grin, I tuck my cell into my hoodie pocket and gently hug the boys.
"Hey, you two." Gently touching the new cast on Arlo's leg, I cock my head. "Do you want me to draw somethin' on it?"
His eyes light up. "Yeah!"
In the two hours since I arrived, the doctors have figured out that Arlo has a small break in his right ankle. They think it will heal fine but he'll need follow-ups as he grows to make sure he hasn't caused any damage to the growth plates, and he'll have this cast for six weeks or so. Finley and Jaxson are all signed off and ready to go home, but nobody seems to have made any kind of decision on where they're going just yet. I'm guessing they'll be heading home with Charlie and Renee when they eventually leave, although there's no sign of that happening right now.
The Swans have been here since yesterday afternoon. Angela is holding down the fort at home with Danny and has been responsible for bringing fresh clothes and toiletries, and as of this morning, she's also watching Max now he's been given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian he was taken to yesterday.
Everyone is doing great—except Bella.
My eyes dance toward the window overlooking the corridor, but her room is just out of sight. Charlie and Renee are with her now. There's a two-person limit and I won't deny that it kills me I'm not able to stay by her bedside like I want to, but Charlie is obviously suspicious. He didn't wait for me to leave Bella earlier and I haven't been able to speak to him since then. He and Renee were called to Bella's room a few minutes later and that's where they've been ever since.
"You look like you haven't slept a wink in days, EC," Little Grandma tuts as she sits in the seat beside me, Arlo distracted by Benjamin's arrival with the markers he went to buy when we found out Arlo would be getting a cast.
Blowing out a quiet breath, I peer down at Little Grandma and admit, "I couldn't sleep last night. I'll sleep later, I just...needed to get here and see that they're all okay."
She hums, reaching over to pat my leg. "They're going to be just fine. I have every faith in our girl to get through this."
Her sheer confidence bolsters me. I manage a small smile as I squeeze her hand and tell myself she has to be right.
The hours pass by in a mind-numbing cycle of trying to keep the boys fed and entertained while fielding their questions about their mom and why they can't see her. Renee and Charlie don't want them to see Bella right now—I'm not so sure that it's the right decision, but it isn't mine to make. So, instead, I do my best to keep them busy. People come and go throughout the day. Friends, family, a couple of the women from Renee's crochet group. Sullivan spends some time with us before deciding to head back to my place to get some sleep. Just after he leaves, Jane Samuels stops by with Lakely, which cheers Arlo up for all of a half hour before they, too, head out and he's bored again and resumes pestering his brothers.
When they all get whiny shortly after noon, I push Arlo to the cafeteria in his wheelchair with Jaxson and Finley trailing along beside him. They shovel jello and ice cream into their mouths as though they've never eaten before, then giggle like the carefree little boys they should always be when they squeeze onto Arlo's chair and cling to each other as I jog through any empty corridors we find on our way back to Bella's floor.
"You boys are crazy," I tell them with a fond grin, but it slips from my face when Finley lets out a loud gasp and takes off down the corridor. However, my amusement quickly returns when I round the corner.
The woman whose legs Finley's arms are wrapped around needs no introduction.
~ oOo ~
The clock ticks ominously, the low hum of activity filtering through the door. My eyes remain locked on the excited faces through the window as Jaxson, Finley, Arlo, and Danny play with their Lego on the floor. Benjamin left to go home and get a shower, but he's back now and has parked himself in a seat across the room.
"Are you okay, buddy?" I ask as Arlo wobbles his way over to me.
He shakes his head, huffing a frustrated breath at the crutches he's still learning to use. The doctor gave them to him so he could be less reliant on the wheelchair, but so far, he's pretty much a liability on them. Carefully scooping him onto my lap and setting aside the crutches, I ruffle his hair and manage a faint smile.
"What's up?"
Glancing toward the door, he leans into my chest. "When can we go see her?"
Frowning, I rest my cheek against his head. "She'll be in soon, buddy. Nana and Papa just want to catch her up on everythin'." The door swings open, all of us looking up, but it's just one of the pediatric nurses checking on Arlo. She leaves, but Arlo remains on my lap with his head pillowed on my chest. His brothers turn their attention back to the tower they're building until the door swings open again, only this time, Renee and Charlie step inside closely followed by a short lady I easily recognize.
Smiling, I adjust Arlo and stand with him on my hip, chuckling when I'm pulled into a tight, warm hug.
"I feel like I know you already, Easy."
"I know exactly what you mean, Nanny Jude."
Jude is probably just a shade over five feet tall with curly gray hair, bright hazel eyes, and an infectious smile that brightens even this dim hospital waiting room. Her neon yellow cardigan helps, of course. I've spoken to her a handful of times when she and the boys have been Facetiming. She's sweet and funny and obviously adores Bella and the boys as if they're her own, which makes her good people, in my opinion.
Turning her attention to Arlo, she gently tweaks his nose and laughs when Jaxson and Finley run over to cling to her skirt. "Oh, how I've missed you boys."
It's clear to see they've missed her just as much. As she sits in a chair beside me, they all attempt to monopolize Jude as they pepper her with questions. She takes it all in stride, kissing each of their heads and reminding them to take turns talking.
However, Jaxson's words make her snort with a wry little smile. "But you're scared of planes, Nanny Jude! How did you get here? Did you have to swim?"
"No, sweetheart, I didn't swim. I got a plane just like you and your momma did. Nothing and nobody was keeping me from my little loves when I heard you'd been in an accident."
My stomach knots, the boys' good spirits dampening a little with the reminder of why we're here.
Jude frowns, rubbing the wrinkle between Jaxson's brows. "Hey, now, what's that look for?"
"I wanna see Momma," he mumbles, twisting the fabric of her skirt between his fingers.
Looking up at Charlie and Renee, who shake their heads minutely, she sighs. "Can I tell you something? You're all big boys, so I know you can handle it."
"You can tell us, Nanny," Arlo tells her quickly, wriggling around in my lap so he can face her.
Her tone serious now, she tells them all to listen carefully. "Momma is poorly right now, you know that. She's still sleeping so the doctors can make sure she's well enough and won't be in pain when she wakes up. Don't you want Momma to feel good when she finishes her nap?"
Eyeing each other, the boys finally nod. "But she's taking a really long nap, Nanny," Finley whines. "When's she gonna wake up? I want to see her. I want to go home."
His voice trails off into whimpers before fat tears roll over his cheeks and off his chin. Tugging him onto the knee not occupied by his little brother, I hug Finley to me and let him cry into my shirt until his eyes are dry and his breaths aren't so choppy. Everyone's emotions are running high, so I'm not surprised by his meltdown. He, Jaxson, and Arlo have been extraordinarily brave. There'll probably be a fair few more tears before everything is said and done.
Ignoring the eyes on us—Charlie and Renee are both watching with varying degrees of confusion and suspicion while Jude simply smiles—I cup his face in my hands and wipe his cheeks with my thumbs. "Better, buddy?"
He nods, wiping his nose on the back of his arm. "Uh huh."
"Good. Now, Nanny Jude is right. Momma is taking a nap, and when she wakes up, hopefully she'll feel a whole lot better."
I don't get a chance to say anything else, my heart taking off at a sprint as Rosalie throws open the door to the waiting area, her eyes wide and chest heaving with big breaths.
"What is it, Rose, honey? Renee asks, grabbing her daughter's hands. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Rosalie breathes, her glassy eyes underscored by a burgeoning smile. "Bella's awake."
There's a scramble of activity then, everybody wanting to get down the hall to room 1506. When we reach Bella's room, nobody needs telling that Renee is going in. A doctor and two nurses are also inside, so there isn't enough room for more than just Renee right now. It kills me to stay outside, but just being able to see Bella's glazed gray gaze as her eyes wheel around the room is a massive relief.
She's awake. She's alive, and now she's awake.
Shifting in my arms, Finley reaches out and rests his palm on the window. "Momma…" he whispers.
Squeezing him tighter, I press a kiss against the side of his head and swallow the lump in my throat. "She's going to be okay, buddy."
She's going to be okay.
~ oOo ~
Unlike the few times I've seen people wake up from comas in movies, Bella's reentry into wakefulness is slow and relatively undramatic. After taking their turns to sit with her, each of her siblings head home to get some rest now they're more confident that she'll be making a full recovery. It's still touch and go as to whether she's sustained any lasting damage, but the signs are good.
A few hours pass with a steady stream of medical personnel entering Bella's room while I'm stuck out in the hall. The boys eventually get their turn, leaving a little while later when Bella has drifted back off to sleep, smiles on their faces and relief loosening their previously-hunched shoulders .
"Do you feel better now?" I ask Jaxson, cupping his face as he leans into my leg.
"Yeah," he breathes. "It's kinda creepy. She can't talk yet so she's just kinda looking around."
"That's normal," Kirsten says softly, carrying a pitcher of water toward us. Pausing outside the door, she offers the boys a smile. "But do you know what? It'll help her feel better if you keep talking to her whenever you visit. She can hear you just fine, and she can feel it when you hold her hand."
Jaxson's little face sets with determination. "I'm gonna talk to her lots and hold her hand all the time so she can get better faster."
"That sounds great, hon."
Renee holds the door for Kirsten as she steps out into the corridor, her eyes dry but red. "All right, boys. Shall we get you home for some dinner?" As they all start protesting at once, she gently hushes them and crouches. "We need to get Nanny Jude all set up in the guest bedroom, too. She's had a very long day and could probably do with some help, right?"
Jude is a good sport. She nods, plastering a serious look on her face, and fakes an overly-loud yawn. I stifle my grin as she says, "I really could do with some help unpacking my suitcase, if anybody feels up to it. It's awful heavy, what with all the presents I brought with me…"
At 'presents,' the boys are sold.
"I'll help you, Nanny Jude," Arlo tells her happily, his crutches clicking on the floor as he makes his way over to her. He's getting a little better, a little more coordinated, as the day wears on.
"Well, that's kind of you, Arlo! I think we could use two more helpers, though. Can you think of any?"
"We'll do it!" Finley offers, playing right into her hands, and Jaxson agrees.
Smiling big and wide for the first time all day, Renee leans into Charlie's side and closes her eyes as he kisses her head. My chest aches, my arms empty without Bella to hold. Charlie and Renee's easy intimacy makes me long for things I can't have just yet. The time to tell Bella how I feel is nearing, her parents' inevitable explosion along with it.
Turning her gaze to me, Renee raises her eyebrows. "Do you want to keep Bella company while we take the boys home?"
Attempting to sound less desperate than I feel, I nod and say, "I'd be happy to."
Charlie is noticeably silent, his eyes on me as Renee rounds up the boys and heads for the elevators. Glancing over her shoulder at her husband, she cocks her head. "Are you coming?"
He smiles and nods, his hands in his pockets. "I'm right behind you. I'm going to check that the doctors have all our details before we leave in case they need to get ahold of us."
"Okay. Meet you at home. See you later, EC."
"Bye, Rae," I say, my tone carefully neutral even as nerves flip my stomach. Charlie isn't loitering to speak to the doctors.
His hand lands on my shoulder, squeezing hard just as Renee and the boys round the corner. His eyes are dark and narrowed as I sigh and meet his gaze, straightening my shoulders and readying myself for a long-overdue conversation.
"I think it's time you and I had a chat, EC."
Yep, so that's where we're at. The boys are mostly okay and it looks like the jig may be up for Bella and Edward's secret *eek!*
Next update: Wednesday
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As always, huge "thank you's" need to go to the wonderful ladies who help me out with this story, particularly my good friend annaharding because she's always so darn helpful and great at talking me off the ledge. Can't wait to see you again later this year!
And big hugs to all of you wonderful people taking the time to read and review. When there's other bullshit going on, it's your reviews and sweet words that get me through the writer's block and the 'can I do this?' wobbles.