First of all, and this is kind of random: I totally didn't know that people from all over the world actually read these, WOW!
You can skip this bit if you want but I am going to list all the countries which contain people who have read this story so far, in alphabetical order (because I have no life), hem hem, Australia, Austria, Bahrain (didn't see that one coming), Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico (or this one), Singapore, the UK and US, (again) WOW! (if you read this and I haven't mentioned your country, it's only because my computer hasn't registered that statistic yet)
Also: Thanks for all the reviews everyone. I didn't think you'd all like it that much (head begins to swell). Here is the next chapter, I hope you don't feel let down in any way.
Oh and I would just like to ask a few people (Stress overload and xXTinyFanxX in particular P) is this enough Edward for you?
Now, on with the story --
Disclaimer: S.M.O.T.A.A.I.C.
Chapter 2 – Confusion and worry
Edward's POV:
I was worried.
Bella really hadn't looked very well when I had left her last night. She always felt warm to me, so I didn't know if she had a temperature or not. But she'd been so white and while she slept her breathing had gone all funny.
I would have stayed with her to make sure she was alright, but Emmett had shown up and I really did need to hunt. So I wrote her a note and left hoping Charlie would be home soon to check on her.
I would have stayed myself if Emmett hadn't almost dragged me from the house. I had promised Emmett that he could choose our hunting destination, but never in a million years would I have dreamt he would take me to Canada.
I could clearly remember his response when I had tried to get out of going to hunt. I hadn't been hunting in almost two weeks, so it had been a little uncomfortable being around Bella, but I had managed.
"Come on Edward it'll be fun. We can hunt mountain lions and the bears are really big and strong up north. Come on."
In the end, to put an end to his whining I had agreed, and it was kind of fun. But one of Emmett's questions was beginning to trouble me.
"She'll be fine for one night won't she?"
Now that I thought about it, I was slightly apprehensive as I drove through the streets of Forks to her house. I knew she'd be fine, she had told me she was, and I trusted her judgment. Even though I was, reasonably, confident she would be fine, I also knew that I'd be uneasy until I saw her again and made absolutely sure she was perfectly healthy.
I started to plan ahead.
Today was the last day of term so we could probably skip school if she wasn't feeling up to it... My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my reflection. Within an instant the caller ID has checked and the phone was at my ear.
"What's wrong Alice?" I started to get more panicked. Alice very rarely saw good things happening to Bella.
"She's really sick; you need to get there fast. I'm no my way but..." For a second I didn't realize why the phone went dead, and then I realized that I had hung up on her. I threw the phone onto the passenger seat and hit the gas at the same time, and within minutes I was outside Bella's house.
As soon as the car was fully stopped I was out and climbing up to her window. I couldn't see her in her room so I opened the window and climbed inside. Where was she?
I made my way out of the door-intent on searching the rest of the house for her-and down the short hall towards the bathroom. The door was closed so listened closely, not wanting to burst in on her at the wrong moment. There was no sound of running water or hair dryer coming from the bathroom only slow, shallow and labored breathing.
"Bella?" there was no answer so I tried the door. The door wasn't locked, not that that would have stopped me, but it did mean that I wouldn't have to ruin her house in my haste to get to her.
A strangled sob erupted for me when I saw her.
She was lying in the middle of the bathroom, sprawled in an unnatural position. She wasn't moving except for the slight rising and falling of her chest which showed that she was also only just breathing.
"Bella?" I called again as I knelt next to her. She looked even more breakable than usual and I didn't know what to do.
A large bruise was blossoming over her right eye. It was so dark in comparison to her skin. What do I do? I thought.
"Edward?" I heard Alice call from downstairs.
I snapped out of my reverie and took in the full picture. She was only half dressed; her sweater and shirt were resting on the edge of the bathtub. I reached over and grabbed them, gently easing the shirt over her head and making a pillow out of the sweater. I could smell the faint odor of vomit lingering in the bathroom. This only made me more worried.
"Edward?" Alice was right behind me now.
"What do we do Alice?" I begged, my scrambled thoughts couldn't be arranged into any form of helpful plan.
"We need to get her to Carlisle."
"Is he at the house?" When I had returned from hunting, I had only gone to pick up my car, I hadn't checked to see who was there.
"Yes, but we may need to take her to the hospital."
"No, I want Carlisle to look at her first." I said as I carefully lifted Bella off the floor, she was so slight I barely notice her weight. She was also still warm, even though she had been lying on the cold tiles. Not a good sign.
I made my way down to the car, cradling her to my chest.
"I'll sit with her in the back to keep her cool, while you drive." Alice suggested as she came out of the kitchen, having left a note for Charlie.
"Hurry up." I said as I gently lowered Bella into the back seat. Alice quickly got in with her and I started the engine and started to drive home to where Carlisle waited to help my Bella.
I didn't take very long to get to the house and up to my room where Carlisle waited.
"What happened Edward?" He asked as I placed the still unconscious Bella on the bed.
"I don't know exactly." I admitted as he started to look over Bella, "She said she was fine last night when I left her, all she said was that she was tired. Then this morning Alice called and when I got there she was unconscious on the bathroom floor. I could smell vomit so she was sick sometime this morning, but that's all I know." I felt my shoulders slump after these last words.
"There was nothing else you could have done Edward," Carlisle tried so sooth me. "We'll sort her out and she'll be just fine."
"How is she?" Esme's soft voice called from the doorway.
She came over and wrapped her arms around me when I responded. "I don't know." I felt so helpless; there was nothing I could do, only wait.
"I think she may have a fractured skull." Carlisle murmured. I groaned and Esme held me tighter. "And she has quite a high temperature. I can try giving her some medication to lower her temperature, but..."
I knew what he was thinking even though he didn't say it out loud. She could have more serious symptoms than just a temperature.
He continued his examinations as I slipped deeper into my pool of worry and depression. She has to wake up soon I thought. She has to. I need her to.
"Well there isn't much more we can do until she wakes up I'm afraid. She needs an IV to get her re-hydrated and to get more medication into her, but I don't have the correct equipment. This is all I can give her until we get to the hospital." Carlisle administered the medication and turned to Esme; "Can you go and get the oxygen? She looks like she could use the help."
Esme was gone for only an instant and when she returned she was carrying a small oxygen tank and face mask.
"When did you get that?" I asked.
"You know how accident prone your Bella is Edward, i'm just covering all my bases." Carlisle let out a short bark of laughter, but there was no trance of humor in the sound.
"Well that's all I can do. Don't worry Edward, she's strong she'll pull through." Carlisle patted my shoulder and departed, and Esme followed after a few moments, leaving me alone with Bella.
What did he mean? Strong? Nothing about Bella was strong. Not her skin, bones or grip. The only strength she had was her unconscious ability to block my special mind-reading ability, and of course, her hold on my heart. Nothing was stronger than that. But physically she was so fragile.
Moving slowly I made my way over to her side and placed the oxygen mask on her face. Her breathing was still labored, but it was a little deeper, which made me feel better.
Now that I had done all that I could and I was alone, I began to go to pieces.
Edward? Jasper thought, Are you Alright?
"Not really Jazz." I whispered, "I'm sorry you have to suffer with me though."
Don't worry; Alice feels the same way you do, so there's no escaping the sadness. No one wants anything to happen to her.
I knew this was true, even Rosalie was minutely worried about Bella's condition.
Carlisle came to check on Bella before he left for his shift at the hospital.
"I think we should take her to the hospital." She needs more medical attention than I can give her here. His thoughts were filled only with concern for Bella, but I knew going to hospital was not going to make things easier when she woke up.
"No, that will only scare her more when she wakes up." I whispered, "Even more than the needles."
"Well if that's what you think is best. Bring her to the hospital when she wakes up."
I nodded feebly without taking my eyes off Bella. Nothing had changed in the past couple of hours except that she'd got warmer. She was sweating and for the past hour I'd been trying to cool her down, using fans and my own cool touch, but none of this seemed to make any difference. She was still a dangerous 102.
"Come on Bella," I moaned, "Wake up. I need to see you're alright."
There was no change.
My head fell into my hands and the sound of my tearless sobs filled the house.
Edward? Esme's thoughts were saturated with pity and concern.
"She'll be fine, Alice can see that."
"Yeah, Edward. Don't worry so much." Alice's voice chirped up the stairs.
One of Alice's strange visions suddenly swam before my eyes. Bella looked healthy again, she was laughing with her arm wrapped around Alice's shoulders. This made me feel slightly better, but the horrible feeling of helplessness wouldn't completely go away until I saw her awake.
"She'll be fine," Esme repeated, "Just give her some time." She patted my shoulder once more and departed.
Seeing Alice's vision had soothed me slightly, but it had also made me more anxious. So I did what I always did when I was anxious or frustrated. I paced. The more tense I got the faster the pacing.
After a few minutes of pacing, turning my head every few seconds looking for change, something happened.
It was so fast that any normal human would have missed it, but my eyes were fast enough to catch the motion.
Bella's eyelids had fluttered, only once, but that was still a change.
I was at her side within an instant. "Bella?" My panic momentarily disappeared, "Bella love can you hear me?"
Her eyelids fluttered once more and then they slowly opened. Her beautiful chocolate brown eyes stared back at me.
My heart soared.
Okay, so I'm sitting here hoping you all don't completely hate me for my lack of writing ability, please put me put of my misery. What do you think?
Also if you are going to ask me why Edward didn't take her the hospital ASAP (if she was so sick) please don't because I don't have an answer for you. I just felt that the story didn't work as well when I wrote it like that i.e. it would have been much shorter and I really like writing D (I do not like torturing Bella or anything like that, it's just about the storyline).