Chapter 26 - The Good Mud

BELLA

I woke up in the hospital with a stitched and wrapped hand and a worried Edward watching over me. Dr. Cullen looked down at me and smiled. I realized I had an IV and a hospital gown on. "What happened?" I asked the doctor.

"I suspect you had an adrenalin rush when you stopped Tyler from attacking Edward. You were injured, dear, and when you finally had a chance to settle down, your blood pressure dropped, as your body attempted to calm itself down. Basically, you were suffering from shock, but you're fine now. We're just looking after you to make sure you're completely stable."

I took a deep breath and looked over at Edward, who had red-rimmed eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head no. "Why are you asking me that? You know I'm fine. You stopped that jerk from stabbing me in the back, Bella. He probably would've killed me, and then you. The guy was completely crazy out of control. What the hell were you thinking?"

I shrugged. "That I didn't want Tyler to hurt you."

Dr. Cullen smiled at me and patted my hand. "Thank you for saving Edward. Our family will be forever grateful."

Esme Cullen came running into my room and hugged Edward tightly. She had tears in her eyes and kissed his cheeks several times. He blushed, and I laughed. My laughing brought me to her attention.

"I'm so happy to hear you're doing well." She walked over and took my hand, but then pulled me up to hug me. She kissed the top of my head. "If there's any way we can repay you, you let us know. Anything," she said and turned to Dr. Cullen, "Isn't that right, Carlisle; we'll give you anything for saving our Edward."

I blushed and shook my head no. "I don't need anything."

"Surely you can think of something you need, or want?" Esme asked.

I shook my head no. "I only want my mom to get better, and Dr. Cullen already is working on that," I said with a shrug.

Esme gave me a worried look and snapped over to her husband. "What's wrong with her mother?"

He frowned. I knew he couldn't tell her, but I could. "She has an auto-immune disorder. She gets sick and is in the hospital a lot. She's fine now, though, she just got home from her last stint here."

"Wait, is that why she didn't attend the dinner the night of the dance?"

Dr. Cullen and I both nodded yes.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. It must be so hard taking care of things at home when your mother is ill."

I just shrugged. "I've gotten used to it. Speaking of which, when do I get to go home, doc?"

"We're going to keep you overnight, but your dad can check you out in the morning."

I let out a sigh. "Okay."

"Carlisle, is there anything we can do for her family?" Esme asked again.

"It's an illness, Esme. I've already done all I can. It isn't something you can cure. It's just something their family has to live with."

Deputy Dallas walked in. "Evening, everyone. I'd like to talk to Ms. Bella for a moment if she's up to it."

"Of course, Officer Dallas, have they determined what they're going to charge Tyler Crowley with?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, they counted nine stab wounds in the costume Ms. Bella was wearing, and considering he originally was going to attack Edward here, we believe his intent was murder, so he'll be charged with two counts of attempted murder. Being seventeen, and given that his crimes have escalated, he'll most likely get charged as an adult." He looked over at me. "Luck must've been on your side. Looks like only your hand was injured; the way he went at you appears to have been incredibly violent judging by the force he had to use to drive his knife through that tough, thick costume. It's really a miracle he didn't hurt you more."

I blushed at Deputy Dallas's assessment.

"It really is no big deal. He couldn't tell where I was in my suit," I explained.

"Still, that took some balls, little girl."

I shook my head and looked up at Edward. He seemed to look ashamed for some reason.

Everyone left the room, and Deputy Dallas took my statement. He recorded it on a video, and I showed him as best I could how I had attacked Tyler and disarmed him.

EDWARD

Bella scared the piss out of me. I seriously almost pissed myself, when I came running into the ER, screaming for Carlisle, with Bella out cold in my arms.

He had said she was going into shock and treated her for it, then sewed up her hand before he woke her. I guess it was one less thing she had to go through. Chief Swan had called him and told him what had happened. Once he was done stitching her hand, he hugged me tightly. I didn't know why, it must have been the stress of the previous events, but I burst into tears and sobbed into his neck, as I hugged him back.

"God, Edward, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would've done if she wasn't there to save you. I swear I'm going to be a better father figure. I know I'll never take Ed's place, but I'm going to do the best I can at showing you that I love you just as much as he did. Esme and I both do, I'm so sorry I let my anger interfere with that. I promise I'm getting help. Just know that I love you more than anything. You and Alice both are our children, and I promise to always be there for you." He kissed my head and gave me one last squeeze. "I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you, too." He stepped back and shook his head. He dried his eyes with his hanky and smiled at me. "Now let's wake up the hero of the day."

I couldn't help but smile at that thought. Bella really was my hero. I guess I would have to add another verse to Super Shake for her. No, I should write something totally hers, because it had been Bella, not the shake, who had saved me.

Bella being Bella, she didn't ask Carlisle or Esme for anything. She just wanted to go home to her mom. She dismissed the thought of being a hero, just like a true hero would, and I realized I didn't think I was hero material. I felt like a jerk. I was in shock, when I heard that Tyler had stabbed at her nine times. I was ashamed that I hadn't done more to try and help her. She had just caught me so off guard, but then I couldn't tell what he was doing. It was like he was hitting her. I started for him, but she had already stopped him and told me to call her dad. I didn't know why I hadn't done more, why I couldn't do more.

It was that moment right there that would define the rest of my life. I decided I would never again get caught not doing more.

In my shame, I could not look at Bella again.

I didn't see her for the rest of the summer. It wasn't until we met up at Tyler's trial that I saw her again.

She smiled at me, and it took my breath away, when I noticed she'd gotten her braces off over the summer, and her face had cleared up completely. It also looked like her hair had grown a lot, and she had it straightened and pulled back, making her neck look even more delicate. I had a hard time not staring at her through the whole trial without drooling on myself.

Tyler went away for ten years for his attack. I noticed the look on his face when he saw Bella sitting on the stand. The prosecutor had her hold up her scarred hand. The deep cut had definitely left a prominent mark. He looked sick to his stomach. I think we were all shocked, when he shouted out that he was sorry and that he loved her, as they dragged him away sobbing. I might have been wrong, but she looked sad to see him go as well. That was when I realized that Bella Swan had a soft heart.

Carlisle did finally come up with a way to thank the Swans and help Bella's mother. Esme and Carlisle paid to have a fancy air conditioning and heating unit put in that filtered the air in their house, so it was super clean. I was in the car, when Carlisle stopped to tell Chief Swan about the company coming to install it. The Chief cried and hugged Carlisle for his generosity, and I knew that really was the best gift my family could have given them.

The first day of senior year, I looked for Bella Swan, but she wasn't there. I asked Alice if she had seen her, and she said no. Alice had decided she wanted to accelerate her course load and graduate with me. She seemed to be all over the school like a whirlwind and too caught up in her own work to really worry about anything else.

I had been in touch with Jasper and decided to attend school in New York to be close to him at West Point. We had a plan, but it would take some work to get there. Alice would be coming with me to New York if things worked out the way she hoped. She wanted to become a fashion designer. She hoped to attend some school there. I knew I should have been more interested in what the hell my baby sister was doing, but I had to admit I was still distracted.

I went by the Swan residence after school. I knocked on the door and saw Mrs. Swan through the window. "Hello, Edward, right?" she said not opening the door, but I understood why. "Bella's around back if you'd like to see her."

"Thank you, Ma'am," I said with a smile and waved.

I found Bella on the back porch. I had to admit, I just about vomited, when I saw what she was doing. She was stitching up a tiny black and white kitten's thigh. The cat was still awake and looking at her, but not meowing.

"Why doesn't it hurt it?" I asked.

She didn't look up, just stayed focus. "I used a local topical anesthetic. It's just a shallow gash, but there's a large portion of flapping skin." She put the last couple of stitches in and then looked up at me. "This tiny little guy is such a troublemaker. I swear I just dewormed him two days ago, and he sneaks off, only to come back cut up. I have no idea how he got out of the backyard or what he's getting into. Probably looking for his mother."

"Whose cat is he?"

"No one's. He's just a stray, but he's a sweetheart, isn't that right, Max," she said, as she kissed his head. He tapped her cheek with his paw, like he was saying thank you. She curled the little furball up and then taped up his leg with the stitches. "Now, we've got to keep you from chewing on your stitches."

"You're very good with him. Why don't you keep him?"

"I can't, my mom can't be around animals. They carry too many germs."

"Right," I said feeling like an idiot.

"Do you know someone who'd like a kitten?"

I didn't know what to say; the truth was I didn't, but I really wanted to help her out. I just shook my head no.

"Can you hold him for me?" she asked.

I nodded yes, and she surprised me by opening a bench seat on the back porch. She pulled out a plastic box and retrieved a folder with the title 'Max the kitten' on it. She wrote something down and then slipped it back inside her box. While she was doing this, Max climbed up on my shoulder and started sucking on my earlobe. I couldn't help but chuckle, as I tried to pull him away from my ear.

"He likes you," Bella said with such a sweet soft smile.

"Yeah, he's pretty cute himself. What happened to his mommy?"

"Katy died; she was hit by a car and was killed instantly along with her two other kittens that were following her. Max here was the runt and was running a little behind, so he was safely out of the way when they were hit."

"Oh, my god, that's horrible!" I clung a little tighter to the kitten, feeling his pain. I knew what it felt like to lose your mommy.

"It was. Mrs. Carter called me when she couldn't get a hold of animal control. I've been taking care of him ever since. I would've turned him over so he could be adopted, but they wanted to charge me to take him," she shook her head

"But he's just a baby!"

"I know, Edward. I'm doing what I can, but if you can find someone to take him, so he could have a home and a family who'd love him, that'd be best. I've been keeping him in a box here on the porch, but the little rascal climbed out, and something attacked him. He's lucky to be alive. It's too bad he's got it so rough. He really has such a sweet disposition," she said scratching his head. He just started purring. She was right; he was so sweet, he deserved a home and a loving family.

"Would you like to give him his bottle?" she asked me.

"Bottle?"

"Yes, he's still just a baby, not much more than three or four weeks old. I have a bottle for him here." She reached into the bench again and pulled out a bottle and poured some powder into it, then added some water, shaking it up. "Here, I'll bet he's hungry."

I awkwardly took the tiny bottle, but the little guy seemed to know just what to do and excitedly sucked it down. He pawed at my hand with his tiny white feet, while he made little contented purring noises, as he ate with his eyes closed. He really was just a baby. Someone needed to keep a closer eye on him than Bella could. I couldn't just walk away from this little guy. "I'll take him."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm keeping this little guy," I said. He finished off the last of his bottle, curled up in my palm, and dozed off. He was so bitty and sweet. I couldn't just leave him out in the world all alone to fend for himself!

"Okay, I'll give you the kitten bottle and milk, and I'll write out instructions for his care for another two to three weeks. He goes potty by himself now, so you're lucky there," she grinned. "I'll also give you his records. He'll be due for some shots soon, and you'll probably want to get him fixed so he doesn't spray."

"Spray? Spray what?"

"There are scent glands that cats have around their anus that excrete a territorial scent to ward off other cats. If you get him fixed and get those taken care of as well, I believe Esme will tolerate him in her perfect house," she said with a smirk.

"Sure, yeah, okay," I said not really understanding. He was too cute to not tolerate. "So, why weren't you in school today?" I asked.

"Well, I'm going to finish my senior year at home with my mom. This way I won't bring home excessive germs from public school, and I can move at my own pace, which is quite a bit faster than public school. I'm also taking a few college courses online as well. Plus, I get to spend more time with my mom. It really is a win-win. It also gives me more time to take care of my stray patients, and I get to help out at the vet clinic in town twice a week."

"That's good," I said trying not to sound too disappointed. "That's really good for you," I tried to sound more convincing, but the truth was I was going to miss her.

"I should probably get going. Are you sure you're okay with taking Max?"

"Yeah, of course, I'm not going to let this little guy down," I promised, and I wouldn't.

She thanked me and turned to go inside. I stood there and watched her through her back door window. She shocked me by stripping off her shirt and throwing it along with her jeans into the washer by the back door. She looked over her shoulder at me and winked, and then I watched as she bent over. I didn't know what she was doing, but then she dropped her panties in the washer with another wink. She smiled again, as she popped her bra off, her back still to me, and then she opened the door to her left. She waved and disappeared.

I had just watched Bella Swan strip. Holy hell, she had totally stripped for me on purpose! "Did you see that, Max?" I asked the kitten in awe, but he was sound asleep. I looked around to see if anyone else had seen me watching her, but no one had.

Freaking hell that was hot!