Disclaimer:
I own no part of the 'Twilight Universe'. Only the idea to this story. This is strictly for fun.
Author'snote:
Thank you all for the reviews, good wishes, adding me to lists and all! I feel honored.
Also: A huge thank you to those, who review anonymously.
Previously:
As soon as I touched the pillow again, I was closer to my dream land than I was to reality. But I caught Marcus whisper, "Cia will be in the room with you, Bella. Aro and I will be just in the study, and listen to everything. We'll be here for you. Sleep now, and get better." Something cool touched my forehead. It didn't matter now. I was out.
Chapter 31 (Marcus' pov):
It was pure torture, when I had to leave Bella alone in the room with Cia and those two humans. What could I do to help her? I felt exhausted and helpless.
With a sigh I sat down in the chair next to my brother.
"Have some faith, Marcus. She is stronger than she looks. She is still alive after all that she has been through, and we have the doctor here to care for her. All will be well," he attempted to sooth me.
"Exactly, Aro. How much more can she take? Her strength is not limitless!" I hissed.
"There is nothing else we can do, Marcus. I told you before and I tell you again, we can not change her in this state. That might very well cost her her life. I know it goes against your instinct, brother, but her heart wouldn't make it. It wouldn't be able to work her through the change," he argued back.
With that the guilt I had repressed before came crashing back into me.
We had been sitting next to her bed, brainstorming how to proceed with this red head, after the doctor had left, when Bella's heart went into arrhythmia again. I waited a for the length of half a minute, before I had deemed it too long. I had almost bitten her, initiated the change; a reflex reaction. Luckily, Aro had caught on to my thoughts quickly and had managed to shove his hand between my sharp teeth and Bella's soft neck, while he pried me away from her with Cia's help. He now bore a new scar in the palm of his left hand. I flinched at the memory of my own brother's venom on my tongue.
They had saved Bella's life, when I had almost, unknowingly, taken it.
And later I had hurt her anyway. I had torn her vein, when I had lost control of the pressure I put on her hand. I had caused her pain, my own mate.
A cold touch reminded me of Aro's presence, but one part of my brain was still fixated on the noises from the other room. Her heart rate and breathing were even and regular. She was sleeping.
"Marcus, you feared for her life, of course your only thought was to change her. It's only natural, and I told you, I don't mind the new scar. I would do it again. I don't regret it, and neither should you," he told me heatedly.
"But Cia might give you a piece of her mind later," he tagged on, trying to lighten the mood a little.
I found nothing funny about his comment. His attempt at humor not having the desired effect, he decided to change the subject.
"For now, let's think about ways to improve Isabella's situation, shall we? It will take your mind off this uncalled-for guilt trip. Think about the past hours. Didn't she tell you not to be angry with yourself? Didn't she forgive you?" Aro went on.
Of course she had said she had forgiven me, but had she meant that? Was it true?
"Furthermore, remember the past two hours. You will find proof there," he continued after a short pause. "Isabella clearly wanted you to be close. Honestly, for a moment I thought I would have to shove you to get you closer to her. If at all, you should be ashamed of keeping her waiting and in uncertainty like that," he ranted.
When the scent of Bella's blood wafted from under the door to us, I was instantly on my feet, ready to burst in and hurt whoever dared to commit this blood offense.
Aro intercepted me half way and held me firmly in place, my arms crossed tightly behind my back, and hissed in my ear, "Calm, brother, the doctor just set up the central venous catheter. It is unavoidable. Isabella will need it. Now, get control."
The fight left me when his words registered. I willed my tensed body to relax. Aro slowly loosened his hold on me and when he deemed it save, let go of me completely. In attempt to rid myself of the last of the tension, I brushed my ruffled cloak out and took a deep breath.
"Very well," I pressed out.
Slowly I made my way back to the chair I had abandoned in my haze and took my seat.
My brother fell right back to the previous topic, "As I was saying, you need to act with more self-confidence. Isabella is insecure enough for the both of you right now. Don't let yourself be influenced by that. She needs you to be strong now, so that she can lean on you," he admonished me and by the tone of his voice, and the way his eyes blazed seriously I knew I would receive a lecture now, like I had not had one since my newborn years. He was my sire after all, and by all known gods, he took the part with the responsibility seriously. Always meddling. I remembered some of his longer monologues clearly now, and smiled fondly. He had always taken good care of me.
"What has you so melancholic, brother? May I?" Aro inquired curiously, while he held his hand out to me. It was always easier to talk to him this way, so I took it.
"Ah, yes... I'll have you know, I had my hands quite full with you," He said wistfully, clearly recalling some of the events of this time, too. "Always so obstinate," he recalled, then he chuckled and added, " I think, that Isabella will be your perfect match. I'm looking forward to seeing you struggle with her, once she is a newborn. She is vivacious, strong-willed and dauntless now, I can only imagine the arguments you'll get into with each other. She won't back down, but keep you on your toes." The prospect of this seemed to amuse him greatly, until, only a moment later, he sobered.
"Add to this the fact that you won't be able to be strict with her, to restrain her like she might need it at times, we will have to step in, and I am absolutely positive, that then we will have to deal not only with a newborn Isabella, but with a very upset and overprotective you, too," he groaned in displeasure.
"I'm too old to go through that again," he lamented unhappily, and his head dropped back to lie against the back rest, his eyes closed. He gave a pathetic sight, and for once he looked old and somewhat vulnerable; a rare display of weakness, that only the family was allowed to witness.
I chuckled. It was true. I would be many things but happy, when somebody were to try to restrain my mate, but it was inevitable. Was it? What if she never wanted to become like us, to share an immortal life with me.
My heart grew heavy and my mind filled with cold fury at the possibility that she might reject me, because of what another had done.
"Okay, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now back to the problems at hand. How do we make her more comfortable. She is sick. So what do humans do to lighten the mood of a friend in a hospital?" Aro asked, and he looked at me expectantly.
"I wouldn't know," I began, but then I remembered the conversation I had had with Bella.
"Can we do something about the smell of the room? She said she didn't like the scent of a hospital. The room isn't white, so that is no problem. The bed seemed to suit her just fine until now. But perhaps a new mattress? This one is rather old. And, perhaps we can arrange the machinery so that she doesn't necessarily have to see them..." I trailed off unsure.
My brother nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I think that would be a good beginning. Heidi, come here please, and bring Gianna."
Of course, our secretary should have better insight.
There was a sloshing noise then. It was an exact replica of Bella's heart beat only amplified many times over, but the beautiful tune was marred by some electronic static.
Now it was my time to look at my brother questioningly.
"That would be the echocardiography. The doctor is looking at her heart right now," he explained. We were both waiting with baited breath what he would say. The knock at the door remained unanswered.
"For now, there is nothing that would hint at any vegetation. The valves work properly, no sign for a beginning insufficiency. Apart from stress-induced periods of arrhythmia there are no complications for now. I will look daily to make sure we don't miss anything. We'll hook her up on the rest of the machines..." the doctor commented.
I didn't listen further. The strength of my relief might have knocked me off my feet, had I been standing. That was good. She was doing fine for now. I sent a quick prayer of gratitude to Carna and Mars for their protection and aid. I hadn't done so in centuries. I had thought the ancient god, whom I had been promised to before my birth, and whom I had dedicated my mortal and immortal life to, had scorned me; that I had fallen from his grace. I had thought he had forgotten all about me. Now I was filled with gratitude and veneration. I felt a need to offer a sacrifice, to make up for all the years I had disregarded my gods' influence. I would have to pay proper deference to all of them, make amends; try to come back in their favor.
I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't even hear Aro call for Heidi and Gianna to come in.
But as soon as they stood before us, my focus was back in the present, while a small portion of my mind went on making a list of things I needed to do for my gods.
"Gianna, what would you say we could do to support Isabella's recovery? What do humans usually bring to a sick friend or family member in hospital?" Aro got right to the point.
"Masters," she nodded in greeting, then went on, perfectly professional, "I think the most common things would be flowers, sweets and entertainment; perhaps in form of a magazine, a book or a movie. Some people like to bring self cooked food, but that would be nonsense here, comfortable clothing, and personal hygiene products, too, as she has all that already," she concluded.
As an afterthought she carried on, "If I may be so bold to give personal advice?"
I nodded, giving my permission.
Her voice was softer now, it was more personal, "I think it would be good to just show presence. If I were so far from home, I would surely feel lonely and homesick; even without what she went through. So, now that she is so weak, you could read to her, or listen to music she likes? I would like that. Later, when she is a little better, you could play games with her. After that, to save her from claustrophobia you might simply show her the castle some more.
"On second thought, you could do that even sooner, if we ordered a wheelchair. She could be kept warm with a blanket, and even the IV could go with her, if we had one of these special gadgets."
While she spoke, she had inclined her head to one side and was looking intently at nothing. One could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
I was impressed with her suggestions and approved of all of them. It made sense, and showed that she had given this some thought before. Out of curiosity I concentrated on the bond I saw between our secretary and my Bella. I was pleasantly surprised that it had grown to one of friendship although, to my knowledge, they had only met this once in the kitchen. Perhaps Bella would like to spent some time with Gianna, too. Not that I liked to share her, but if it made her happy, who was I to deny her? She probably missed human company.
Aro and I nodded, contemplating her words.
"Uhm, Masters, I don't want to be nosy, but could you tell me how she is doing?" her weak voice interrupted the short silence. Obviously she was unsure whether it was in order to ask.
When no one answered her immediately, she continued, "Of course I know of the doctor and his niece staying here, and I have seen all the equipment, when it was brought in. She'll be fine, won't she?" Her voice broke and tears glistened in her dark eyes. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
"We hope so, Gianna. For now she seems to be doing okay," I attempted to allay her fears.
"If there is anything I can do..." she trailed off, looking to the floor.
"Actually, Gianna, I do like your idea with the wheelchair, as Bella has confided that she is bound to go 'stir-crazy', as she put it, when she is sick and has to stay in bed too long. So please order one of those. And then, Marcus mentioned that a new mattress might be good. So we would like you to order one of those, too. Thank you for your thoughts on this topic." The human nodded.
"My pleasure. Good day to you, Masters, and could you let Isabella know I said 'hello' and to get better soon, please?" She answered shyly.
We nodded and she turned to leave. Heidi, followed her out.
"Their bond is growing," I stated, when they had left.
"I thought so. I had the opportunity to see into Gianna's thoughts earlier today. She and Felix had just returned from their trip into the city to lay the false trails. Which, by the way, went perfectly fine; according to plan. The house is also prepared, Demetri has seen to that. Furthermore, Demetri has been mindful enough to remove Isabella's personal information from the airline systems and such. No one else will be able to track her to us," my brother informed me. I simply nodded. Our tracker was also a good strategist and very thorough. If he said no one would be able to find a trace of Bella, then nobody ever would.
"Also, Lydia has informed us that she has properly disposed of the body, that this redheaded female has left in her wake. I know it disturbed you immensely, when you were informed of this by Demetri." I shuddered when that memory replayed in my mind. It had taken Demetri's warning to bring me back to my senses, but then it had already been too late. I could have hurt her so much worse.
"I am glad you were able to control yourself," I scoffed.
"At least somewhat," he continued as if I hadn't interrupted him.
"It was simply an instance of ill luck, that you were holding Isabella's hand, when you were informed of the looming threat. Let it be. Isabella will be fine. But back to Lydia. She found out that this human was the unfortunate one who had driven Isabella to Volterra, her taxi driver. So by now this Victoria, as I am certain it is her, will arrive here tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after. The guard is on high alert and Demetri and Chelsea will be patrolling the city, staying close to the castle. Even Caius and Dora are in a position of attention."
Instead of the rage, that I had expected, when Aro breached this topic, an eerie sense of malicious anticipation washed through me, settling deep in my bones. I would end the redhead soon enough. My inner demon purred in contentment.
"But back to your observation, Gianna is thinking about your Bella a lot; and quite fondly, might I add. She's worried about her health, as is Felix. He as well seems to hold her in high regards. Astounding," Aro elaborated.
"He does. I am glad we chose him as her personal guard," I acceded. "Their bond is rapidly morphing into one of siblings. Because of the small time it has taken to be formed, I would assume that both of them have always wished for a sibling. They simply found it in each other and the bond fell in place."
"That seems plausible." Aro conceded.
"As soon as we have taken this witch into custody and either Jane, or Alec," preferably Jane, I mentally added, " has a good handle on her, I want Felix and Gianna to come here and keep Bella company. I will leave her side then and join you. If you would agree, I would also like for Renata to be at Bella's side, just in case. It's better to be safe than sorry," I told him my plan, that had only formed in the last couple of minutes, straight out.
"Yes, yes I agree, but I would advise to place Corin in the hall, too, as additional protection. You of all people should know, that Felix would be torn between his need to protect Gianna, and the order to protect Isabella, should the impossible situation arise, that the woman should escape us all. It would not be fair to place him between a rock and a hard place."
"Yes. Thank you, brother." With my last word we fell back to silence.
Sure, Caius should have been part of this decision, but I couldn't bring myself to care. There were so many other, more important things, that I didn't care, whether he would throw a tantrum or not. As long as he didn't disturb Bella's rest that is.
To judge by the noise coming from the other room and the shuffeling of feet, the examination and the 'hooking up' had been completed. Not one bit too early, I was anxious to be back by her side. I hadn't felt as peaceful as I had with her in my arms, ever since Didyme had been taken from me.
She made me whole, and she had come to me willingly. This act of hers had given me hope like nothing else. She had allowed me to comfort her, to hold her. She had snuggled closer, relaxed in my cold embrace to the point that she fell asleep.
Never in all my years had I thought it possible, that a mating bond could be formed between one of our kind and a human. When I had first seen the potential in the bond between Gianna and Felix I had simply deemed it a freak accident. But now, I couldn't deny it's possibility.
Inevitably, thoughts of how many intended mates had been killed at the hands of one of our kind reached my conscience. I would attend to this matter later, when all this drama had ended and my mate was well. For now I was simply grateful that I had my mate with me. I would be for her what ever she needed me to be.
We entered her room swiftly once Cia had called for our presence. I tried to follow the doctor's explanations, but my eyes were on Bella- locked on the horrific sight before me.
End note:
Okay, now this is the betaed version. Thank you , DerFlash!