Chapter twelve

A lump was formed in Bella's throat as she dialed the number on her phone, her hands shaking ever so slightly.

The phone didn't ring for long and soon, she heard Edward's voice from across the line and she breathed in relief: he hadn't gone home yet but was still at the office, eleven at night.

"Bella?" he questioned, his voice laced with confusion.

"Edward, I'm… I-I," she stuttered, unable to form the correct words.

"Are you ok, is there something wrong with the baby?"

"No, the baby and I are just fine, I promise, nothing is wrong with the two of us," she was touched by his concern but she couldn't let her hormone filled feelings get away with her.

"Do you want me to buy some ridicules craving with me on the way home?" she could hear the mockery in his voice and she had to agree with him: her cravings had been slightly ridicules so far. Pineapples for example, she wanted it on everything, even in Edward's delicious vegetable soup. And there was sushi. No matter how many times her doctor told her that she couldn't eat it while pregnant, it didn't stop her from craving it.

"IaminLondon!" she rushed out when her courage disappeared. The sound of Edward spitting out something, most likely his beloved coffee, echoed in Bella's ears while she waited for him to say something.

"What did you just say?" he demanded, "I thought I heard you say that you're in London, but that can't be right as we aren't allowed to leave the city without the other."

"I am in London," Bella whispered, her eyes burning as she wished to cry.

"Bella!" Edward growled on the other end and the first tear escaped her, sliding down her cheek to the corner of her mouth.

"It's Rose," she hastily added, "She's in the hospital, in London, in a coma," Bella couldn't hold the tears back anymore and howled into the phone, her nose running with snot, her eyes puffy and her whole frame shaking with the fear of the unknown: would Rose ever wake up again?

Without a word, Edward hung up and Bella slowly let her arm fall away, crying harder as she felt abandoned. A few teenagers, who sat in the lobby of the hospital, looked at her and were unable to hide their laughter.

Bella ignored them.

*** C R S ***

Bella was curled up on her side on Rose's bed in the apartment Rose was renting while in London, when the banging on a door brought her out from her dazed stupor.

Feeling like a graceful whale, Bella got up from the bed but quickly sat down again when the room started to spin around her, her head going fuzzy from rising too quickly to her feet.

As she made her way through the small apartment, a familiar voice drifted to her ears.

"Who the hell are you?" Edward's voice demanded and Bella groaned when she saw Royce, Rose's "boyfriend" at the door, blocking Edward out.

"I told you to fucking leave Royce!" Bella all but screamed when she neared him, her anger towards the idiot of a man reaching new heights.

"This is Rose's apartment and I'm her boyfriend," Royce told her haughtily but Bella only rolled her eyes as she pushed him out of the way, letting Edward inside.

"You stopped being her boyfriend the minute you decided to ignore the fact that she's in the hospital, in a coma!" Bella's voice rose only higher and higher with every word until she all but fell against Edward, a heap of hormones and emotions.

"You heard her," Edward's voice was smooth in her ears, "Get out or I will call the police. Oh, and leave your key."

Royce looked like a tomato as he angrily stared at Edward, but when Edward took a step towards him, Royce quickly started to gather his things, throwing the key on the coffee table, before rushing out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

"You should sleep," Edward told her after a long silence, giving her a small shake to make sure that she in fact didn't fall asleep, leaning against him.

"Ok," Bella mumbled, shuffling along the floor to Roses bedroom, collapsing on the bed and snuggling up against a pillow that smelled just like her friend.

Before she knew it, Bella was fast asleep, soft snores drifting through the room now and then.

*** C R S ***

After making sure that this Royce wasn't coming back any time soon, Edward made sure that the door was locked and that Bella was still asleep. Feeling restless and still rather angry with Bella for breaking the one rule they had to follow: to not leave the other part behind.

On the other hand, he could see why she had rushed out of the country when her best friend was hospitalized in another country. Yet, he fished for her to have confined in him and told him that she had to go to London, instead of just taking off without a word.

Walking around in the small apartment, Edward tried to make a picture of the woman who lived in it and he found it weird that for someone who only planned on staying for a few weeks, a month tops, the apartment was well lived in and there was no signs telling him that she would leaving any time soon.

Then a pang of guilt it him: of course she wasn't leaving any time soon, lying in a coma in the hospital.

Edward struggled to place a face on Rose as there were no pictures in the apartment, a part from one with two people in it, a woman and a man with their arms around each other, the photo in black and white. Was she the spiky little girl with raven black hair that had drunkenly winked at him when he had shown up unexpectedly at her dorm back in early July? Or was she the leggy blond with a supermodel's body?

Stretching his arms over his head, Edward realized that he had been awake since five-thirty, then traveled five hours into the future. With a quick calculation, he had been awake for more than twenty-four hours.

Yawning, Edward joined Bella on the bed, lying on his back with his arms crossed over his chest so not to touch Bella and scare, he fell asleep.

*** C R S ***

The next morning, Bella woke up feeling warm, comfortable and rather safe. The warmth, Bella knew, came from Edward as he had crawled into bed with her during the night, the IKEA couch that adorned Rose's living room too short for him. The couch was even too short for Bella, as she had tried to nap on it just before Royce, the scum of "boyfriend", had arrived, barging in as if he owned the place.

During the night, the two of them had moved and curled towards each other in the middle of the bed, Edward lying on his stomach, his face towards her and an arm draped over her stomach.

As she moved away from him and his warmth, Bella took him in and realized that she was seeing Edward vulnerable and defenseless for the first time she had ever met him. Lying there on the bed, on his stomach, his face was free off any lines, the lines she had seen almost every day for so long. Before joining her in bed, he hadn't removed his clothes and his black t-shirt had ridden up his back, exposing the fine set muscles of his back and his always sun kissed skin.

Feeling the unmistakable pull towards him, he a man and she a woman, Bella shook her head and decided that it was time to be up and about with her day, especially as the baby was pressing on her bladder, making her needs almost dire.

Wandering around Rose's apartment yet again, Bella started to notice that there were too many personal nick-nacks on shelves, end tables and the coffee table. There were pictures of the three of them New Year's Eve a year earlier, birthdays and movie nights, all of them hidden into corners where one could barely see them without picking them up.

A nagging feeling filled Bella as she realized that Rose, one of her best friends, were hiding something. Anger then filled her, followed by guilt for being angry with someone who could not defend or explain himself or herself.

"Bella?" whipping a few stray tears from her eyes, Bella turned away from the picture of herself with Alice and Rose wrapped around her like snakes to face Edward.

"Yes?"

"I've bought us two tickets for tonight, for Boston," he informed her and his eyes told her that arguing with him would lead to nothing.

"Go back to Boston if that's what you want, Edward, but I'm staying here until Rose wakes up," Bella crossed her arms over her chest, sick of acting like the helpless one, like she had done for more months that she were willing to admit.

"You know you can't stay here if I go back," Edward sighed as if he had no patient with her.

"I don't fucking care!" Bella all but yelled, her emotions going all over the place. "I'm not going to leave Rose here, along, with no one to care for her, just because a judge says I have to!"

"Let her family take care of her, Bella, and just be her friend when she wakes up and needs you again."

"I am her family!" Bella screamed, going red as she realized she was losing her temper. "Rose's family washed their hands of her years ago because she refused to be what they wanted her to be. If I leave, she'll have no one."

Edward was silent for a long moment and Bella started to get nervous when he turned away from her and went to the kitchen, his phone in his hand.

"I think you should go and say goodbye, for now, while I pack the little you brought with you," his voice was dead and Bella nodded mutely before going to the bedroom to get dressed.

*** C R S ***

At the hospital, Bella walked purposely toward the room Rose was lying in, only to come to a full stop when she opened the door, not seeing Rose in there.

"Excuse me, yesterday, Rosalie Hale was in this room. Has she woken up and been assigned another room?" Bella asked the first nurse she saw.

"I don't know, dear, but come with me and I will find out where they have taken here," the nurse smiled warmly at her and led her to the nurse station.

"Miss Rosalie Hale has been moved to the private wing of the hospital with extensive care," the nurse informed Bella, giving her the number of the room where Rose were held.

Just like the first time, Bella started to tear up when she saw Rose lying in the hospital bed, lifeless and pale. However, she had to admit, she looked better, more color to her skin in the new room, the light more flattering.

For hours, Bella just sat beside Rose's bed, talking to her as if she was awake. She told her about her relationship with Edward, feeling a small burden lift from her chest and her shoulders as told her friend. She told her that Charlie was dead and gave her the tale of his funeral, about how Helen had lost it and how she had made love with Edward, not just fucked him. And then she told Rose, proudly, about the expecting baby, tearing up and she told her about their small and short visit to the court.

"Bella," hearing her name, Bella looked up from where her eyes had been resting for what seemed like forever: Rose and her hand's intervened.

"Edward," his name came out as a soft breath from her mouth as her eyes landed on him.

"We have to go if we want to reach our flight on time," his voice were soft and Bella nodded, tearing up all over again, sick of all the hormones and emotions ragging through her body.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she asked as they walked out of the hospital, Edward's hand resting at the small of her back as they walked side by side.

"I couldn't force you to leave her behind without letting you know that she will get the best care money can buy."

"I can't let you pay for this, Edward, it's too much."

"It's not too much if it makes you smile like you are right now," Edward's words made Bella feel warm and fussy, and the feelings made her confused. His behavior as well confused her.

Since she had moved in with him, he had been someone else entirely. He rarely were moody like he used to be before she became pregnant. There were times when he would lose his cool, like when she took off to London without telling him, but now, he was trying to make up for his own faults, just like Bella had to.

"While you were sitting with Rose today, I called Emmett and he will look into her apartment, finding out for how long she planned to rent it and if any problems might come up while she's, well, indisposed, he will handle them."

"Ok," Bella murmured softly as they climbed into a cab.

"I've also made it so that your name is on everything Rose have signed when it comes to her apartment, so everything will go through you and, of course, Emmett. The hospital will also contact you if there are any changes with Rose, and, if unfortunately there isn't, you will still get weekly updates so you won't be walking around worrying."

"I don't know how I can ever thank you," Bella mumbled as she leaned against Edward's shoulder, closing her eyes.

*** C R S ***

Bella felt dead on her feet when they finally entered Edward's apartment after the long flight. It was evident that Edward was tired as well as snores erupted from him the second he sat down on the couch, closing his eyes.

Dropping her bag to the floor, Bella sat down next to him, just to close her eyes for a few seconds.

When she woke up later, the sky was starting to lighten as dawn drew near and she found herself lying on top of Edward, her body resting between his legs, his arms around her upper body, one hand resting on the top of her stomach, dangerously near her sensitive breasts.

A warm feeling and need rushed through her body, and Bella moved slightly to create some tiny friction between her legs. As she moved, ever so slightly, a strangled moan came from the sleeping Edward underneath her and she felt him grow.

With no sex since right before she moved to San Francisco, Bella felt herself grow hot and she knew that if she didn't move away from Edward, she was going to attack him and have her way with him, even asleep.

She had been suppressing her sexual feelings for five months but as she felt Edward grow hard, his cock pressing through the rough fabric of his jeans, pressing against the lower part of her stomach, she was ready to combust.

Moving carefully, Bella started to rub her breasts, closing her eyes as she brushed her nipples through the fabric of her shirt and her bra. Her first moan was strangled as she tried to hold it back.

"Feeling good, Bella?" Bella gasped as Edward's voice reached her ears and his hands joined her on her breasts, pushing her hands away to give him full access to her goods.

Turning between his legs so she was lying on her back, Bella gave him the access he needed to slip his hands underneath her shirt and her bra. He wasted no time and Bella arched off the couch when he pinched her nipples hard.

With the grace only Edward could possess, he lowered them from the couch to the floor, pushing the coffee table out of the way in the process of doing so.

Bella found herself on the back, Edward over her as he reached for two soft pillows from the couch, placing one underneath her head before lifting her effortlessly off the floor to place the second under her butt.

Then he descended down upon her, ripping her shirt out of the way before pushing the cups of her bra down, freeing her aching breasts and hard nipples, her whole body yearning for Edward and the pleasure he could give her.

"Please," Bella moaned as he took her right nipple in her mouth, straddling her hips, her stomach brushing against the hard planes of his.

"Do you want me, Bella?" Edward asked, tugging slightly at her left nipple and Bella felt her orgasm starting build as he lowered his head again, capturing the other one with his soft, wet lips.

The orgasm hit her heard, crushing her to the floor as she bit her lip until it almost bled. Her hands were gripping Edward's arms tightly as she shook and he let dig her nails into his skin, almost breaking it and drawing blood.

When it subsided and she could finally breathe properly, Bella felt as if she had run a marathon, with twice of her own weight strapped to her back.

"Ok, my turn," Edward announced and Bella sobered up, glaring at him. Ready to give piece of her mind, Edward started to laugh and Bella stared, dumbfound, at him, unable to comprehend anything as she was still in an orgasm induced heaven.

"Not funny," Bella grumbled as she sat down, with help from Edward.

"Maybe not for you, but for me, it was," Edward smiled as he pulled her to her feet, capturing her lips with his before she could say another word.

Bella melted in his arms and she didn't care when she bumped into the coffee table or the large leather chair on their way to the room that was hers while living with Edward.

By the time they reached the bed, they were both naked, a trail of clothes leading to where they stood in the middle of the room, Bella holding Edward's head to her chest as if she was nursing a child while he nibbled on her soft and tender flesh of her breasts.

"I need you," Bella whispered when he pulled up, a sexy, cocky and devastatingly handsome mix of a smile and a smirk on his lips.

With a gentleness Bella had never experienced before, Edward helped her onto the bed, joining her and lying down on his back, staring up at her with hooded eyes as he guided her to straddle his hips, just like he had done to her mere minutes ago.

The help was unnecessary but Edward's hands felt good and firm on her hips as he guided her down on his cock, clenching tightly against her soft skin when her inner walls clenched around him.

"Fuck," she heard him hiss when Bella started to move, slowly, tantalizing, up and down, leaning forward to rest her hands on his hard and perfectly sculpted chest, his black and white ink fading out over his pecs.

Edward's hand ghosted over her skin, traveling from her hips and down her thighs before beginning the journey back up, continuing until he had her breasts in her hands and her nipples between his fingers.

The pleasure Bella felt was greater than anything she had experienced before and in the back of her mind, she wondered if it was simply because she hadn't been with anyone for five months and that, on top of it all, she was pregnant and her hormones were all over the place.

"Fuck, you feel good," Edward gritted out as he started to pump up to meet her, the sex going from soft, slow and gently to what they both needed: hard and fast.

Bella couldn't understand for the life of her how he did it, but as her orgasm crashed down upon her, he shot up in a sitting position, holding her close to him as they came together.

When her shaking subsided and their breathing came back to normal, he gently pulled out of her, rolled her over and pulled the covers over the two of them before gathering her in his strong and warm arms, and falling asleep.

Next Friday, May 1st, you can expect the continuation of Bella and Edward's tale!