Edward

I watch with rapt attention as Bella's new heart beats for the first time in her chest. It's the most beautiful sight to me. Her old, horribly damaged heart is gone, replaced by this perfect one. The donor was a healthy young woman who ran every day. As terrible as it is she's gone, she's left numerous lifesaving gifts behind, and I'm grateful for her.

"Looks perfect, Dr. Cullen. Ready to close?" Dr. Callahan asks from the other side of the table.

I nod, wanting to finish this myself. I'm meticulous about closing her chest, leaving no room for excessive scarring. I keep a close eye on her vitals as I work, thankful we've had no issues.

She's a fucking rockstar.

She has a long recovery ahead of her, but I have no doubt she'll follow all the instructions to keep this new heart safe. The first thing I'm going to do once she can go out is take her on a real date in Port Angeles. It won't matter who sees us, and I plan to make it the best date she's ever had. I'm going to pamper her and treat her like the precious gem she is.

I leave two chest tubes in place and finish closing her up before letting a nurse bandage her. Emmett's probably getting nervous, so I want to be the one to tell him she's done. Her long road to a heart has ended, and hopefully, she'll now live a longer life.

The fact is she probably won't live as long as average, but there's always new medicine and technology. We've seen hearts last decades, and in that timeframe, who knows what will be discovered. I have faith in science and my sweet Bella.

She's a fighter.

"I'm going to talk to her brother. Page me when she's settled, and I'll bring him up to the cardiac ICU," I say to my team. "Great work, everyone. Thank you for helping me give her a new life."

I step away and pull off my gown, gloves, and mask before washing my hands, and then I hurry out to the waiting room to find Emmett.

Rose has joined him, making the long trip to be by his side, and when they see me, they both jump from their seats.

"Is she okay?" Emmett asks, worry etched on his face. I smile brightly with a nod, and he throws his arms around me tightly. "Thank you. Jesus Christ, thank you, Edward."

I pat his back. "She did amazing, man. Better than I could have hoped for."

He pulls back, grinning. "That's my girl. When can I see her?"

"They should be moving her soon. I'll get a page. I just want to remind you that she's going to look rough. We might have some small complications, but the team will be on top of them."

He nods. "I know what to expect, but thank you. I just can't wait to see her."

Rose rubs his back and smiles. "It won't be long," she says. "She's in good hands."

"She's right. Let's just take a seat, all right?"

I can tell he wants nothing more than to rush through the doors to Bella, but he listens to Rose and takes a seat, tapping his foot.

Once I get the page, he leaps from his seat, following me into the Cardiac ICU. Bella's in an isolation room as we work on adjusting her anti-rejection meds. She's incredibly susceptible to infection right now, so we both have to scrub our hands and don gowns, masks, and gloves.

We finally go in, and he rushes to her side. She's still intubated and has tubes galore running from her body. He's careful to gently pick up her hand and push her hair back from her forehead.

"When will you try to wake her up?" he asks.

"We'll lower the sedation soon. Right now, we're watching her vitals closely. Once I'm sure she's stable, we'll try to see if she can breathe on her own. Sometimes, it takes a little while though."

He nods. "I know. I can't thank you enough for taking care of her. I knew she'd be in the best hands with you."

I smile under the mask, appreciating his words. We haven't been as close since he found out about Bella and I, but he seems to be coming around more.

I sit down across from him and Rose, taking my sweet girl's cool hand under the blankets. She looks rough, but soon, she'll be glowing again.

She's going to thrive.

Thanks to May, Nole, Fran, Brier, and Meg for prereading and Sally for Beta'ing.

i've finished writing some of the last chapters before the epilogue, so updates cwill be frequent.