Day 20

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The team raced into the room. Bella had cold wet towels on Edward's head and behind his neck.

"Ok, I need to start an IV, he needs fluids STAT and let's get 800 mgs of Motrin in him. While we're at it lets add Zofran, 40mg push and get some labs drawn, full rainbow plus a lactic and blood cultures times two and some recent vitals would be nice." She looked up at the people wrapped in plastic, "What the hell are you waiting for?"

A voice she didn't recognize came from one of the people in protective gear. "Dr. Swan, step away from the patient."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Eric Campbell, I'm a clinician from the Centers for Disease Control. I'll be escorting Mr. Cullen to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. They're set up to treat the Ebola virus."

"No one here knows more about treating this than I do. I'm going with him." She looked from person to person, but no one moved.

Campbell said more firmly. "I'm sorry. You're still under quarantine. You cannot leave the fort."

"I, I can't…I have to stay with him." She touched his face, it was still far too warm. She clasped his hand in both of hers, but there was no answering pressure.

"You're delaying his treatment. Step away."

One of the night guards, she didn't know her name, put a hand to her hip, where Bella knew the guards carried their service revolvers.

She bent over him, kissing next to his ear, "Edward, I love you. I'll be with you as soon as I can." She stood and backed to the far wall of the room.

More people in protective gear ran in with a gurney, lifting him like he weighed nothing and strapped him in. She ached to help, but could only watch. She checked off in her mind as they ran through the steps. One person was listening to his lungs then took a temp, yelling out "102.7" Another medic was sticking him, quickly starting two lines in his inner elbow. They hung a bag of saline before they rushed him out of the room.

Campbell hung back. "I'm sorry, but this virus is not getting out on my watch. If he's positive, your clock resets from today."

She slid down the wall, hugging her knees to her body, never having felt so alone in her life.

…

"Alice, you can't go to the hospital."

It had started badly, and got worse. His sister's shriek had been terrible. Bella asked to speak to Jasper, but Alice reacted immediately with, "What's happened to my brother?"

"He's been taken to the hospital. His symptoms—"

"Oh my God, not my brother! JASPER!"

She wished she had another person to contact, it sounded like Alice was hyperventilating. Between the pregnancy and her frantic reaction, Bella was afraid Alice was going to faint. She hesitated calling so early in the morning, but she knew she'd want to know as soon as possible if she was in Alice's place. Alice was too hysterical to be useful, she was still sobbing on the other end. Bella needed to talk to someone who was legally able to make medical decisions for Edward if his sister wasn't up to it. She had no idea when his parents would be back, they'd never discussed the exact date, he'd only said soon. At last she heard Jasper in the back ground.

"Who's this?" he said in a hard voice.

"It's Bella Swan, Edward's Bella. He's running a temperature and vomiting, they took him to RWJ hospital."

"Christ, does that mean he has it?"

"He has some of the symptoms, the fever, headache, nausea, but that could be a hundred things. They'll treat his symptoms. If this is Ebola it will show itself quickly."

"So what do I do?"

"He needs someone to speak for him, for any medical decisions."

"What the hell do I know, I'm his lawyer, not his doctor!"

"Alice isn't thinking clearly. She isn't in any condition to be making medical judgment calls. I'm not a family member, until his parents come back, he needs someone to do it for him. That leaves you." The irony wasn't lost on Bella, that the first time she spoke to Jasper, she was asking him to possibly make life and death decisions.

"My in-laws are flying home tomorrow."

"He needs someone now. You can call me and ask any questions, but I have no way of knowing what's going on unless you tell me."

She heard him speaking away from the phone, "Alice, please lie down before you fall down. This is no good for the baby." Back into the phone he said, "What do you want me to do?"

"Go to the hospital, make them tell you what they're doing for him, then call me."

"Okay." She heard a door close. "I'm outside. Tell me straight, if he has it, what are his chances?"

"Hell of a lot better than in Africa."

"How many died in Africa?"

"About seventy percent. But we didn't have the equipment or the resources."

"And in the US?"

"Only one person in the US died out of nine cases."

"That's what I'll tell Alice. If something happens to her brother…"

He didn't have to explain. She felt the same way.

…

Her butt was asleep from sitting on the floor by the desk. She switched to the chair, putting her chin over her crossed arms, staring at the phone, willing it to ring.

Last she heard from Jasper, he'd made it to the hospital and told her nothing she didn't already know.

A soft knock on the door was followed by Arlene entering. "I'm so sorry honey."

It wasn't her fault, Bella wanted to say, but she couldn't find the words. She opened her mouth for the thermometer and closed her eyes.

"I have to ask Dr. Swan, are you having any symptoms, headache, nausea, sore throat, aches?"

Besides her broken heart? Nothing else hurt. She shook her head.

"Good. You're 98.8." Arlene pocketed the thermometer. "If I find out anything, I'll let you know."

Bella knew that was a big thing. Legally, procedurally, Arlene shouldn't tell her anything, Bella had no legal connection to Edward. Any information Arlene gave would be at the risk of her job.

"You didn't put in a food order. You have to eat."

She knew she had to eat and drink, stay hydrated and strong. The chances of her getting the virus at day 20 was miniscule, but still there. There was a scientific reason for the 21 day quarantine, it wasn't random. One tiny virus could be in her system, hiding like an assassin, until it found the perfect time to strike.

Whatever happened, she had to be there for Edward. "I'll put in an order."

Satisfied, Arlene left.

She looked at the menu from Ben's favorite deli, remembering Edward's comments.

..

"I think you should get that one." He pointed to something called 'The Bomb.'

The Bomb was a breakfast sandwich with two fried eyes, hash browns, pork roll, sausage and bacon.

"Are you kidding?"

"Nah, you're right. Not enough bacon."

"That's way too much meat anyway."

"Let me explain this to you." He looked straight into her eyes. "Bacon, is its own food group. Bacon, is the true food of the gods. Bacon, goes with everything, especially more bacon."

Now she was crying reading a menu! What had this man done to her? She wiped her tears and ordered orange juice, a fruit cup and The Bomb, with extra bacon.

..

She called her father. She didn't want sympathy and tears, which her mother would have given her by the bucket, she wanted an action plan.

"Dad, I—"

"What the hell is going on over there? Fox news says a man was taken from quarantine, suspected of having Ebola. Of course, they're blaming it on Obama, but I was worried it was you. They didn't release his—"

"Dad, it's my friend. It's Edward."

She didn't share everything with her parents about Edward, but her father picked up on him being more than a friend from the beginning. He'd spent the day with Alice after all, and the way she ran her mouth, he probably knew more about Edward's childhood than she did.

"What can I do?"

"Worst case, he has the virus. He'll be treated..." She swallowed, trying to stay calm. "Treated until he gets better. Maybe a couple of weeks. If he has it, I'm in here for 21 days from yesterday."

Her father sighed, which was pretty emotional for him. "Are you okay Bells?"

"So far I'm fine. The odds are with me."

"They say you have to be in close contact with—"

"I know, dad."

"So you've been…"

"Yes." Nothing like having to reveal to your father that you've had close, personal contact with a man, which may have endangered your life. As a doctor, she should have avoided it at all costs. If they'd kept their distance, and just waited, she wouldn't be in this situation, possibly stuck here instead of going to him. Proof that love makes you stupid. "I'll call you when I get more information."

"We'll come down tomorrow anyway. If we can't take you home we'll have a visit."

"I won't be good company."

"Then just sit back and let your mother talk. That's what I do."

She hung up quickly. The phones didn't have call waiting so she feared Jasper called while she was talking. She couldn't bear the suspense, so she called him.

"Hold on, I'm on with Alice."

In the silence she resented him talking to his wife, Edward's sister, instead of talking to her. It was irrational, but these weeks with Edward had sucked the rational out of her. Somehow, C-3PO wound up in her hand. She looked at the little toy. "He'd better be okay. What if he's not? I just found him. All these years I was getting by. I never knew what I was missing. Listen to me- Are there any cliché's I've missed? Maybe I'm losing it, I'm talking to a piece of plastic."

"Dr. Swan?"

Angela's voice through the door shut her up. She didn't need a psyche evaluation to keep her stuck a second longer than necessary.

"I'm on the phone."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything."

The guards had always been pleasant, but now they had that gooey sweet attitude towards her that oozed of sympathy and that hidden joy that they weren't in Bella's pathetic situation. Or maybe she was overanalyzing this. Angela had always been helpful. Maybe she did need to get some sleep. How long did Jasper have to talk with that nut job Alice anyway? No, that was not kind, Bella. She helped you get rid of Emmett, you really shouldn't…oh my God, now I'm talking to myself.

"Bella?" At last, Jasper was talking to her.

She sat up straight, willing him to tell her good news.

"Yes…what's happening?"

"The doctor said they're still running tests. He's developed a rash—"

"A rash? What does it look like, how big, where is it, is it spreading?"

"I didn't ask, he just said a rash."

"What about his eyes? Did they mention the whites of his eyes?"

"They didn't say. He's still running a temperature."

Having these tantalizing bits of information was almost worse than knowing nothing. Jasper didn't know what to ask, and the doctors were not sharing more than would satisfy a layman.

"Could you get one of the doctors on the phone to talk to me?"

"Not without Edward's permission. I asked. They weren't too crazy about talking to me since I'm just his brother-in-law."

"Is he conscious?"

"I didn't ask."

It was a stupid question. If Edward was conscious and lucid, he'd insist on talking to her or having one of the doctors talk to her. She needed to keep her cool with Jasper. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't communicate with the staff and he was her only conduit to Edward right now.

"I think they said something about Benadryl. At least that's what it sounded like."

Benadryl? That didn't make sense.

"And something with an A, he was talking too fast."

"Ok, Jasper. You get a piece of paper. I'm going to tell you what to ask, and you badger that doctor like he's on the witness stand. Just because he's wearing a white coat, doesn't mean he gets away with not telling you what's going on."

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AN: If this sounds authentic, it is entirely due to my favorite nurse in the world, NurseBeta. Even running on a sleep deficit, she managed to look this over for all the medical stuff, and added some RL lingo. I just wish we were in the Harry Potter universe where a good dose of chocolate could fix almost anything.

Thanks for not running away screaming after last chapter, I was afraid to post it. And I admit, after I post I usually wait to see if any reviews come up, and for the longest 25 minutes, NO ONE REVIEWED! I thought you'd all abandoned me, then finally, they started coming. Thanks for the trust.