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Bella felt like a heavy blanket had been placed on top of her. Her arms hurt, her legs hurt, but mostly, her head hurt. She struggled to open her eyes, prying them apart once, twice, a third time before she managed to keep them open for good. She looked around, surprised to find herself in a dark room. The only light came from the monitor hooked up to her, monitoring her heartrate, pulse, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. She groaned when she tried to move her head, the pain intensifying.

"Don't move, sweetheart," Edward murmured, and she felt his hand slip in with hers before he leaned over her and she could see him. "You're okay."

"Not okay," she slurred, her words coming out thicker she expected. Her lips were dry and when she tried to wet them using her tongue, she could barely get her tongue between her lips.

"Here, let me help," Edward said, and a moment later, she felt him rubbing an ice cube along her lips. "Better?"

"Yeah," she whispered, her eyes closing again. "I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart." And a moment later, she felt his lips against her forehead. "Sleep. I'll be right here."

"Don't leave me," she whispered as the darkness crept over her again.

"Never."

—BDBH—

When Bella came to again, her room was filled with light. She shifted her eyes around, her neck and head hurt too much to move. Edward was curled up in the chair next to her bed while Emmett and Carlisle were standing just outside her room.

"Edward," she croaked, her throat dry and scratchy. He didn't move, so she tried again. "Edward."

Again, he didn't move. Tears filled her eyes, and she tried to move her hand, but her arms were too sore. "Edward. Edward, please wake up."

"Shh, it's okay, Swan," Carlisle said, hurrying over to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder before reaching across her and giving Edward a hard shake. "Wake up, Masen. You're fucking scaring her!"

"Huh? I'm awake," Edward garbled, scrambling to his feet. He looked from Carlisle, down to Bella, his eyes widened. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here."

"Edward," she wept, trying to lift her hand again, but it felt too heavy. "Edward, please."

"Hey, I'm right here," he whispered, gently lifting her hand off the bed, sitting on the side as he placed it on his cheek. "You're okay."

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he whimpered, and she felt his tears falling onto her hand.

Bella's eyes closed for a minute before she opened them again and looked at Carlisle and Emmett, who was standing behind him. "Did it work?"

"Everything went perfectly, Swan," Emmett said, stepping around Carlisle so that he stood at the end of her bed. "We placed the implant at the base of your skull, attached it to the nerves without any trouble."

"Good, good," she murmured, her mouth tasting like cotton balls. "Can I have some water?"

"Some ice chips," Emmett said. "Just for a little while longer."

Edward kept hold of her hand before reaching for the cup of ice, taking some of the chips out and feeding them to her.

Her eyes closed again. "Essie and Peanut, Cowboy, they're okay?"

"Everyone's okay, sweetheart. Just worried about you." Edward placed her hand back on his cheek, causing her eyes to open and she smiled weakly at him. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm so tired," she whispered, her eyes closing again. "Don't leave me."

"Never leaving," she heard him promise as she drifted to sleep again.

—BDBH—

When Bella awoke hours later, she once again found Edward seated next to her bed, though this time he was leaning forward with his head on her bed, her hand still pressed against his cheek.

"Hey," she whispered, causing him to smile as he lifted his head and looked at her. "You're still here."

"Nowhere else I want to be," he replied.

"What time is it?" she asked, trying once again to set her lips with her tongue.

Edward stood up and grabbed a piece of ice, wetting her lips. "Almost eight at night. You've slept most of the day."

"I'm tired," she whispered, taking a deep breath, then wincing when he neck and head started to ache more. "That was dumb."

Edward smiled and reached over, picking up the controller for her pain pump, pressing the red button. "No point in being a hero."

"Is it going to work, Edward? The implant? The cure? It is going to work?"

"I sure as hell hope so," he replied, leaning so that his arm was on the other side of her body. "I missed seeing your eyes."

"You did?" she asked, and when he nodded, she said, "I missed your eyes, too. I'm scared, Edward, that it won't work. I'm so scared."

"Me too," he admitted, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. "But no matter what happens, I'm right here, okay? I'll always be right here."

"Promise?" she whimpered, her tears spilling down her face. "Do you promise?"

"I do."

—BDBH—

"I can't do this," Bella whined, clutching onto Edward's hands, who stood in front of her. She had slept most of the night, and since her vitals were stable, Emmett and Carlisle were preparing to send her home, but first, she had to get out of bed and walk. The only problem was her entire body hurt and her head and neck felt like they were going to split open. Once again, she questioned whether going through the trial was worth it, but she kept that opinion to herself.

"I've got you, sweetheart," Edward murmured, placing her hands on his shoulders before wrapping his arms around her waist, hoisting her off the bed, and onto her feet. "Just hold on to me."

"For dear life," she whispered, before letting him take a step backward, causing her to move her feet forward. Her legs ached, though that might have been more from the almost twenty four hours of sleep she had. She had struggle to stay awake for more than few minutes at a time. "I need to pee."

"Okay, sweetheart."

Edward moved slowly toward the bathroom, reaching behind him to open the door. Once they were inside, she kept one hand on his shoulder while the other held onto the metal bar. He lowered her shorts and panties for her before helping her sit down. As if she hadn't been humiliated enough, she now needed help using the bathroom.

He pulled the toilet paper off the roll and went to wipe her, but she stopped him. "I can do that for myself."

"Sorry," he grumbled.

"It's okay," she mumbled, and wiped herself as well as she could before bracing herself on his shoulders and standing up, wincing as her body ached again.

Edward helped her pull her panties and shorts up before they walked over and she washed her hands. She looked up at them in the mirror. Her hair was tangled mess, her skin pale and dry, her eyes dark and baggy. Edward didn't look much better, though she didn't say anything about it. She turned and faced him, placing her hands in the middle of his chest.

"I love you," she whimpered.

Edward smiled before he pressed his lips against hers. "I love you more."

"No way," she scoffed, wincing. "Damn, that was dumb."

"Let's get this walk done so we can go home."

"Home sounds nice."

Edward kept his arm around her waist as they walked out of the bathroom, through the open door to her hospital room, and into the hallway. Emmett and Carlisle were standing next to the nurses' station with Esme and Rose, all of whom stopped talking the second they were seen. Talking about her, she was sure, about her chances, about what would happen if phase two didn't work.

"Come on," Edward whispered, his arm tightening around her as he led her down the hallway. "We won't go far," he added, louder as he looked over her head at everyone. "Have her discharge papers ready, please?"

"Of course," Emmett said, nodding.

Edward walked slowly, knowing Bella's legs were stiff and sore. Her chest ached, her back hurt, her neck throbbed, and her head felt like someone had stabbed her with an icepick repeatedly. When they reached the end of the hallway, she stopped him and placed her hands on the wall, trying to take a deep breath, which only made her chest hurt more.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No," she replied, trying to smile. "I just wanted a second with you, before Esme pounces."

Edward laughed. "That's fair."

"Will you . . . will you promise me something?" she asked, looking at him.

"Anything."

"If . . . if this doesn't work," she whimpered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. "If I die, promise that you'll take care of Esme for me. She's going to need you, need Peanut and Cowboy, Carlisle, Emmett, and Rose, too, but she's going to need you to tell her I fought every day to live, that I never gave up like . . . like he did. Can you promise to tell her that for me?"

Edward nodded, dislodging his own tears. "I promise."

"Thanks," she murmured, taking a deep breath. "I need to go back. I don't know how much longer I can stand like this."

"Okay, sweetheart," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist again. "I've got you."

"Don't let me go," she cried.

"Never," he vowed again.

By the time they arrived back at her room, Emmett and Carlisle were waiting for her inside. Esme and Rose weren't there, and Bella suspected that Carlisle had sent them to the waiting room, to spare Bella for a few minutes longer. Bella groaned as she sat on the side of the bed, blowing out a gust of air from her lungs.

"Can I go home now?" she asked, weakly.

"Yes," Emmett said, placing her discharge papers on the bed next to her. "I'm just going to take a look at your incision first."

"All right."

Bella bit the inside of her lip as he moved so that he was standing behind her. She felt the tape pull against her skin and hair, causing her to wince. "Will you have to remove the implant at some point?"

"We'll wait a few months, and then go in and remove it. It won't be as evasive as placing it, we can do it as an outpatient procedure."

"And if it doesn't work, the trial, I mean," she whispered. "How long will I have?"

"If the trial fails, you're looking at a year. Maybe eighteen months," Emmett whispered, placing the bandage back on her skin. He walked around and sat on the stool in front of her, reaching for her hand, which she gave. "I believe that in a month, when we redo the EEG and MRI that we won't see any signs of Kuf's left, Swan. I really, honestly believe that, but if I'm wrong," he whimpered, "then I will be here with you every day, trying to find a way to save your life, okay? Up until your last breath."

"Well," she cried. "Let's hope it works, because having you around all the time would be annoying, Em."

Emmett laughed. "Fair enough, Swan." He stood up and helped her to her feet before leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "Go home, sleep, and drink lots of water. I'll see you two days to check your incision, all right?"

"Thank you," she whimpered, reaching for Edward, who immediately had her in his arms. She looked at Carlisle. "You too, Doc. Take care of my sister."

"Don't worry about Esme, Swan. I've got her."

—BDBH—

Bella fell asleep in the car, waking hours later in her bed. She groaned as she rolled from her back to her side, reaching for Edward, but finding the bed empty. She sat up, looking around the room. Edward wasn't there, either. She swallowed against the dryness in her throat as she scooted across the bed and stood up, whimpering as her body protested the sudden demand to move. She could feel her chest ache as she stumbled to the doorway, bracing herself against the wall in the hallway, and walked into the living room. The front door was open and she could see Edward sitting on the front steps. She could hear him crying, see the way his shoulders shook.

Tears flooded her own eyes, falling down her face as she stumbled across the living room, out the front door, and sitting next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him.

"It's okay, love," she sobbed. "I'm here."

"Don't leave me, sweetheart," he cried, wrapping his arms around her legs. "Don't fucking leave me."

"Never," she choked out, hoping she wasn't lying to the love of her life.

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