I whimpered softly as I held my beautiful angel as gently as vampirely possible. She was in so much pain, pain I had inadvertently caused. My frozen heart ached with remorse.

"Edward?" Bella shifted her face towards me without opening her eyes. "Edward my head hurts." She whispered, as she lay cradled between my arms and against my chest.

"I know Bella, I'm here. We're going to make everything better, I promise." I couldn't allow her too much freedom of movement because of her stitches and broken leg, which rested in a makeshift splint. I adjusted her closer into my body, as we slid into the backseat of Carlisle's Mercedes.

"We?" Her heartbeat flitted a small amount and her eyes fluttered as if they were about to open.

"Yes Bella, Carlisle's here too. We're going to a hospital. You'll be safe. I'm here." She relaxed into my arms and her heartbeat slowed.

My worry for her was sickening. But my relief was immeasurable, she was alive and she was in my arms. What more could I wish for? Her skin was paler than usual due to the deficient amount of blood in her veins, but her beauty was no less stunning. Her body temperature soared above her typical warmth.

"Carlisle, how much further? She's so hot. She needs medical attention and she needs it now." I could feel Bella's consciousness slipping. There was so much broken and harmed on her fragile body.

"Edward we're almost there. Her body is heating up because of the rush of white blood cells in her system; they're trying to heal her. But with as much blood as she's lacking I doubt they're doing much good."

My eyes fell back to Bella's soothing face, her porcelain cheeks, the dip of her chin, and the curves of her lips. I traced my fingertips over her features memorizing their perfection, her thick eyelashes, the slope of her nose, and the heat of her forehead. I lowered my face, delicately brushed my lips over her cheeks and skimmed over the thin skin of her neck.

"I love you Bella." I breathed into her ear. Bella's open wounds made it much more difficult to breathe around her. I held my breath for the car ride, appreciating the glorious love I had for her.

Edward, we're here.

I had been so consumed by Bella; I had not realized that the car was no longer moving. Carlisle's Mercedes was parked beneath the overhang of the ER wing at the Phoenix Memorial Hospital.

I slid from the back seat and impatiently pushed through the automatic double doors. The stark white hallway was full of rushed nurses and assistants that moved around much too loudly. Carlisle spoke urgently with the lady at the desk as a man wheeled a stretcher around the corner. I lay Bella gently onto the thin mattress but kept her hand in mine. I wasn't ready to let her go yet. Entrusting her fate to Carlisle was completely different from throwing it into the hands of strangers.

A nurse came from around the desk with a clipboard against her hip.

"We're going to need you to fill this out sir." She handed me the clipboard and a pen.

"Alright, thank you." I glanced quickly at the sheets of paper before turning back to the nurse. Her nametag read Jen. "Please, if there is anything you can do to tend to her more quickly, she is in dire need of surgery." And I can't lose her. I said the last part to myself. Worry hung deeply in my voice. I stared down at Bella as the male nurse began pushing her down the hallway and past the desk. I kept her hand in mine.

Poor thing, he seems so upset. This must be his girlfriend.

Although the male's thoughts were simple enough, they made me smile. I appreciated the fact that they realized how important she was. No one would ever completely understand what Bella truly meant to me. It was indescribable.

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to wait here." The male's voice was detached but sounded sympathetic all the same. Naturally I was asked to await the news in the waiting room outside of the intensive care unit.

I stole one lasting look at her. My heart melted some. I grudgingly let go of her warm hand. I allowed my fingers to softly brush against her cheek. I love you Isabella Swan.

With that the nurse whisked her away, into a room of sharp metal objects and people who said goodbye for a living.

Would she ever forgive me for putting her through this? I winced at the thought. Glancing around the room, it was dreary and sparse. Mostly what you would expect of an emergency wing waiting room. There was only one other person there, a small woman who was worriedly wringing her hands through a handkerchief as she paced around the cramped space.

What was he thinking? He was too young. I should have taught him better. Oh Lord please save my boy.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she raised her head. A petite girl in scrubs had walked in from the ICU.

"Mrs. Caldwell?"

"Yes? That's me." Oh no, please let him be all right.

"Your son BJ just got out of surgery."

"Yes. Is he okay?" her voice had begun to shake. The nurse walked towards Mrs. Caldwell and led her through the steel swinging doors.

"He's going to live, but it may be…." The nurse's voice trailed off and I opted out of eavesdropping.

I had enough burdens of my own. I didn't need to forcibly listen to those of others.

I sat down into one of the monochrome colored chairs against the back of the room. The cushions were stiff. The rectangular and plastic gray table in front of me was layered in wrinkled magazines and over read comic sections. A small television flickered in the corner to my right.

I leaned my head back against the wall behind the chair and let my eyes shut. My brow creased together as I allowed the stony chamber of my memories to pour Bella into my mind. I thought back to when I had seen her in Port Angeles preparing to ward off the four lewd stalkers that had herded her into a back alley. She looked steady and brave.

I wondered if that's how she had appeared as James encircled her and planned her murder. A low growl brewed within me at the thought of what he had done to Bella. My chest grew alight with fury and disgust. I raised my hand and put pressure against the bridge of my nose.

I had put Bella in such danger, caused her so much pain. A bitter ache befell my frigid chest. Bella was the last person in the world I wanted to cause harm to. Carlisle's entrance interrupted my pensiveness. His thoughts were too familiar to ignore.

I explained everything they seemed to understand.

He placed himself in the chair next to me. Alice had already fabricated a rather convincing tale on what had put Bella in such a condition. After tripping on her way down a staircase she ended up two flights of stairs below and through a window. I had to smile for it was possible…for Bella at least.

Alice had left immediately and begun creating the scene back at the hotel. I had to admit, she had done an excellent job. Our century of necessary crime had made us experts at staging and executing crime scenes. My thoughts fell back to Bella, lying in the Emergency room with LCD monitors beeping around her. My mouth sunk into a frown.

She's going to be all right Edward.

Carlisle's thoughts were comforting but not so much as to calm my worry. My head slipped into my hands, my forehead rested on the edges of my wrists and my elbows balanced on my knees. My body shook subtly in fear of an unimaginable loss. My foot kept tapping, I was anxious for a nurse to arrive and let me know exactly how extensive the damage was.

Edward, Emmett and I are in the parking lot; we'll be there soon.

Alice had arrived. I relaxed minimally knowing she would be here soon. Alice was always a positive presence. Even when Jasper wasn't around, or when he wasn't able to be. The hospital full of wounded humans bleeding fresh blood, well that just wasn't a comfortable place for Jasper to be.

In times of great emotion music always filled my mind. This time, my lungs inflated and deflated to the beat of Death Cab for Cutie, a popular alternative band that I thoroughly enjoyed. Their latest CD, Plans, had many songs that related to my current position. But one in particular came to me, 'What Sarah Said'. I hummed the acoustics quietly to myself as the lyrics sung in my head.

'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room
Just nervous pacers bracing for bad news
And then the nurse comes round and everyone will lift their heads
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said that "Love is watching someone die"

There was no comfort to this room. But I was not going to watch someone die. Not this someone, not my everything. My shoulders slumped forward and a large ball formed at the back of my throat. I shoved my eyes into the palms of my hands. A weak cry of pain came from me; Carlisle's solid arm fell upon my shoulders. He embraced me slightly before releasing.

We're here for you Edward. That's what families are for. I have faith that Bella will recover.

"Yeah well we're about to find out," I uttered, "here comes the nurse."