It was 2 weeks before I had my sling off. My wrist unfortunately would be another five before it could be freed from the itchy plaster cast that kept it immobile. In that two weeks I ate more smoothies than I had previously in my entire life, to avoid people asking if they should be helping to feed me. I wouldn't even let Renee feed me, and she'd been down for almost four days before I could convince her to leave again. I was determined to heal as soon as possible. I took every bit of doctor advice I could, partially because Carlisle had an uncanny knack for detecting lies, but mostly because I wanted to be out of the hospital. Angela had entertained me a few times, and brought me all the school notes I was missing. She was wonderful and I was glad to be seeing her, even if I felt awful that she had to come to the hospital to see me. Edward spent most of his days at school – by request of his father, and broke all kinds of speed records to get to me by five minutes after school was done. He spent all of his nights with me too, although Carlisle again cautioned because staff were on call at all hours.
Edward had also bought me a new phone – one with a 'Bella-proof' case. He told me that it was waterproof, shock proof, and you could drive a small car over it and the phone would be fine. I put his 'generosity' in my mental tab, to be paid back later. I spent a few days learning the ins and outs of the phone, but I had to concede that it was infinitely better and faster in all ways.
Exactly nine days after my admittance – and I could swear before a judge that I'd only been trapped that long on Edward's or Charlie's overprotectiveness – I was released. I promised to wait until the end of the school day, and Edward promised to drive me home. Although my shoulder was free, it was stiff and sore, and heavily bruised, so I couldn't drive yet. Not to mention that holding my arms up and steering would pinch at my ribs. Edward waited patiently for me to enter the passenger side of his Volvo. I was standing firmly in the rain, just outside the hospital, my cast tucked safely under my jacket.
"I'd rather walk." I moaned.
"I know." He smiled. "But it is a little far, even for you."
"If you go a single breath above the speed limit…." I warned him, glaring. I hoped I sounded dangerous. I probably just sounded pathetic.
"I'll be a minimum of five under at all times." He assured me. "You won't feel a thing." I promise.
He waited like a statue, with the passenger door propped open for me. I took the last few steps into the car and eased myself in. I was not okay. I bit at my lip with my nerves. I couldn't wait to be healed fully.
True to his word, as Edward drove me home he kept a remarkably smooth pace. His extremely gradual accelerations and decelerations were actually causing me to wonder if he'd been possessed. I'd seen how he normally drove, and ran. Edward loved speed. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was relaxed and happy about the pace he was taking. He certainly looked it.
"Why are you so happy about going so slowly?" I asked, to avoid thinking about the fact that I wasn't driving.
"Because I won't have to come visit you in a hospital anymore. No more restrictions on overnight visiting, no more pretending to eat, just you, and me."
"I'll be glad to take a bath actually. Get the hospital smell off." I still smelled like disinfectant and stainless steel. Edward's brow furrowed.
"What? Don't think you could do what your father does?" I asked him. He started to shake his head before I'd even finished.
"I used to wonder. But now that I've managed to abstain so long from you, the rest of them smell about as appealing as animals. I could probably be a doctor, even a surgeon , now."
"Then why the frown?" I asked.
"Because you don't exactly have the room in your house to have a bath," Edward pointed out, his eyes wandering to mine. My stomach rolled. As I opened my mouth to correct his gaze while we were driving, he flicked his eyes back to the road. To be honest – I had forgotten that. I had been quite used to the bath we had in Phoenix. I didn't let my surprise and disappointment show.
"I mean bathe in general. It doesn't have to be a bath. I'd jump in a lake to get the smell off, if I could." I looked out again at the greenery passing beside me. We were nearly home. Nearly there. I heard a jumble of distorted noise and turned back towards Edward.
"What?" I asked, "Sorry."
"You're welcome to use the facilities at our house."
"Yeah no. I feel bad enough about being the only one leaving fingerprints and hair and stuff. I'm not bathing there." Or ever using the toilet – I thought to myself. Edward smiled as if he could read my mind.
"We'll see. I don't ever want you to be uncomfortable because you're human Bella."
"Well I don't want anyone else feeling uncomfortable because I'm human either." I retorted. Edward narrowed his eyes.
"Rosalie will adjust. Over time."
"And Jasper?"
"Jasper has also been doing very well. He doesn't even get thirsty when he catches your scent on me anymore."
I wrinkled my nose as I sat there. My house was coming into view. Charlie was not home yet, but there was another vehicle parked outside. It was a familiar beige truck that I had last seen on the La Push reserve.
"Jacob!" I exclaimed happily. It had been a while since I'd seen him. Edward shifted uncomfortably. He pulled the car to a stop on the opposite side of the road, making no move to leave.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'll wait until he leaves to rejoin you." Edward offered. "The treaty between his people and my family makes things a little uncomfortable."
"I thought Forks was neutral ground?" I asked.
"It is."
"Then you are both my guests, and you can both visit me. He's my friend, and you're my boyfriend. There's no reason to be hostile." I said stubbornly, kicking the door open. Edward followed me out, still looking uneasy. We walked across the street, and I smiled as Jacob caught sight of me. He waved a 'hello' salute and then his smile faltered. I wasn't sure if I looked like shit, or if he'd caught sight of Edward.
Either way, my usually happy Jacob had evaporated.
"Hey Jake! How's life? Shouldn't you be in school?" I asked. He smiled slightly at me, his gaze fixing on my arm.
"Early start, early end. Heard you were in hospital." He said, shrugging. "Thought I'd see how you were."
"Good. Fell down an escarpment. Usual week, I suppose." I laughed. I saw Jacob's eyes flicker over my shoulder again. "Oh – Jake, this is Edward, uh, my boyfriend."
Boyfriend felt like such an inadequate and unnatural word for Edward. A vampire of his age deserved a better title. Companion? Soulmate? That charted strange territory with most people though. Jacob's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he nodded his head.
"Hey."
I heard Edward say something, but what it was I was unsure. I could only read one of them at a time.
"So Bella… you learned a lesson?" he asked, looking at my cast.
"Yeah. Ribs suck to break, and if you disable both arms at the same time, people try to feed you."
He smirked back. I looked back at Edward.
Bella, I was thinking of going to retrieve your truck, if that was alright with you? He signed and spoke at me. I sighed. If he truly felt that uncomfortable, I wasn't going to stop him from leaving.
"Alright, shoo." I said, sadness filling me as I watched him go. It would be nice if all of the aspects of my life fit together. Couldn't hope for too much from sworn enemies though. Edward winked at me as he climbed gracefully into his car, and sped away. Jacob and I worked our way into the living room. He helped me squeeze my awkward cast out of my jacket, and even threw my coat onto the hook.
"You look like shit." His voice boomed, as he settled down comfortably on the couch.
"I feel it. Or rather, I definitely felt it."
"What happened exactly?" he asked, picking something off of his jeans, and looking at me carefully.
"I hit a wolf with my truck – though I thought it was a dog. I tried to follow it into the woods, and I didn't even get very far. That's where things kinda blur. I just remember spinning a lot, and pain, and waking up in the hospital." Lies worked best if they contained elements of truth – and especially if they included something embarrassing. "I'm still kicking myself for not recognizing a wolf. I thought it was like a husky dog or something."
"Well that's stupid." He said. "I can tell my dad and Sam to lay off me at least." He sighed and reclined into the chair.
"What? Billy and who?"
"Sam. He's the oldest kid you met on the beach – remember?"
I did. I nodded
"Yeah well, they're kinda convinced that you keep getting hurt because you're hanging out with the Cullens." He looked like he hated to say it, and like he was being forced. "They gave me twenty bucks to come talk to you about it today."
"Ouch Jake, didn't know you needed to be paid to visit." I scoffed at him.
"Hey now, technically I don't have a license. I'm not allowed to come visit you without someone driving me." He raised his finger, and goofily smiled.
"Well, twenty bucks is twenty bucks. Tell them to pay up. You can tell them you talked to me, and that I blatantly ignored you." I sat down in Charlie's usual TV viewing space. "Also, you can tell them – and I mean this with sincerity – that without the Cullens I would have died back when I first moved here. Without the Cullens I would have been attacked in Port Angeles a while back, and without the Cullens I would have definitely died nine days ago." I felt powerful as I recounted the goodness they had done. I owed them so much already. Jacob's mouth fell open. He looked dumbfounded.
"You – I mean – what? You've nearly died three times since you moved here?"
"Yeah Jake." I nodded. "So tell Billy to lay off, okay? They aren't as big and scary as he thinks they are. And tell him…" I had to think about how to word it. "Tell him I'm more informed than he is."
Jacob nodded solemnly.
And then Charlie burst through the door.