Edward's point of view.
Six-thirty. Why wasn't Bella home yet? I'd been sitting in her driveway for almost a half an hour. She said she got off at five. Maybe her truck finally broke down and someone brought her home. Then again, she would have seen me out here and come outside. Or I would have heard her inside, but I didn't hear a thing. Silence. Not just any kind of silence, either. Dead silence. The kind that really gives someone the chills. Except I couldn't exactly get the chills.
I got out and walked to the door to see if maybe she was playing some kind of game with me. I reached for the key and walked inside. "Bella? Are you here? I've been outside waiting for your truck to pull up, but I guess you got another ride home. Bella?"
Why wasn't she answering? I searched the whole house as quickly as my feet would let me. But they just didn't seem to be going fast enough. I decided to go over to Newton's and see if maybe something caught her up. At this point, I started to get worried. Even if Bella had stayed late, even considering our fight earlier, she still loved me. I knew that much. And I knew she didn't want me to constantly worry about her. But with what she left me with tonight, I would say she was avoiding me altogether. I pulled into Newton's in record time.
"Mike, is Bella here?" I didn't want to let him know what was going on right now, so I stuck with the basics, avoiding all details.
"No. She never came in today. Which wasn't so bad, we weren't busy. Why? I thought you two were glued at the hip." The sarcasm in his voice showed his disbelief in what Bella and I had. Ha! He can't find Bella! What a good boyfriend! Can't even keep track of her for one afternoon. I wanted to hit him as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Little did he know.
"Thank you for your wonderful help," I responded with as much sarcasm as I intended. I was thinking about Bella and where she was, I didn't care what Mike Newton thought of us.
Alice was right though. Bella had gone somewhere instead of work. But where? She wasn't one to keep secrets from me. Not that she couldn't, she just didn't. I raced home driving by Bella's and glancing in her driveway to see if she had gotten there while I was out. She hadn't. As soon as I got home, I ran to find Alice. These are the times I wish Alice could read my mind. Then, we could have an entirely private conversation even if we were five miles apart. But I couldn't hear Alice anywhere.
"Esme, where is Alice?" I bolted through the front door.
"Edward what's wrong? Calm down. Alice just went hunting. She'll be back in a few days. She and Jasper went to northern Canada. What's the rush, dear?" She noticed the panic in my step as I paced around the room.
I wouldn't be so panicked if Bella had just told me where she was going. Unless she went to La Push... but she wouldn't. She wouldn't do it. Would she? I needed Alice now. This was a matter of urgency.
"When did they leave?" I tried to consider how far they could get in the four hours since school got out.
"Only about ten minutes ago. Why, Edward, what's happened?" Esme's voice filled with concern as her thoughts drifted to Bella. Is Bella hurt. Her panic peaked at the thought.
I heaved a sigh and sat on the couch contemplating where Bella could have gone. "I don't know. I can't find her. She didn't go to work. I don't know where she went. All I know is that I can't find her. I need Alice, i now /i ." I got up and raced out the back door following Alice's scent. I couldn't run fast enough, though. Every step seemed to be pulling me further behind. It felt like I was only going ten miles an hour when really, I was going about seventy. I called for Alice and Jasper loudly, maybe if I yelled, the sound would travel further and they would hear me sooner.
I tried to think of good things; the smell of strawberries in Bella's hair after she took a shower, her warm hand in mine as we walked around the school together, the jealous thoughts of people who saw us, the sound of her voice while we laid in the meadow, soaking in the sun's rays. The things I cherished about Bella. I couldn't let my mind wander to what might have happened to her.
"Alice! Jasper!" I shouted over and over again.
Finally, I heard Alice thinking as fast as she could. Edward! I just turned around; I'm on my way back. I just had a vision. Look! Edward! I hear you yelling for me, but you're so far away, can you hear me? Edward.
"I hear you. I'm going now! Thanks Alice!"
Never mind that now Edward, just go! Hurry! God, I hope she's okay... She was quieting as I ran back home, faster than she could.
I hadn't thought it was this bad. I never even considered it. I mean, I just thought she had gone off somewhere; maybe to meet up with that mangy mutt. But I didn't even consider this happening. I kept running, faster and faster. I could tell I had set a new personal record. I was in a huge hurry. This wasn't like running for the thrill. This was running to protect the love of my life. For Bella, I told myself again and again.
Before I knew it, I was at the emergency room doors. I slid through them and went to the desk. I didn't even have to say anything. Mrs. Pelt knew immediately why I was here.
"She's in room 207 upstairs. Your father is with her now. She's not conscious though, dear. Dr. Cullen is doing some tests to see what the problem is."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Pelt." I smiled at her as I continued towards the stairs. I couldn't seem to run up them fast enough, though. When I reached room 207, I paused at the door, hesitant. I wanted to go in, but I wasn't sure how I would see Bella. I didn't want to see her all bloodied up and bruised with a million machines supporting her life. Twice was enough. A split second later, I realized that it didn't matter what condition she was in, as long as I could see her alive.
I got a big surprise when I walked through the doors. Carlisle was standing over Bella, next to her heart machine, taking notes. I smelt something foul in the air and realized with sudden anger that a dog had in fact made it in here. I looked over to the corner and eyed him carefully.
"Carlisle, I came as soon as Alice told me. How is she? What happened?" I whispered. I knew Jacob could here, but I still tried to keep this conversation private.
Carlisle seemed to understand my meaning and helped keep the conversation between the two of us. She seems fine. All the tests so far have come back clean. We don't really know what we're looking for, so we're not sure where to look. She's just unconscious. We don't even know how it happened. Carlisle looked up at me with worry in his eyes. That same worry spread to me and I turned to Jacob with steady anger in my voice.
"Go. You're not needed here anymore. I can take care of her. Thank you for bringing her here. Your deed is done. Go home."
No. She came to see me. She wanted to talk to me, and I'm not leaving until she finishes what she started to say. You can leave though. She seemed pretty pissed at you when she came over.
"Thank you for caring, but I can handle it from here." At this, Jacob started shaking and I could tell this was about to take a bad turn. "Leave now, before you hurt Bella. If she hadn't gone to see you, she would be in my arms watching some romantic movie right now. Please, understand when you are not welcome." I was being as calm as I could, speaking through clenched teeth, and he was obviously angered by this.
He stood up and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"Please, both of you leave now. Go home and get some rest. The last thing Bella needs to wake up to is the two of you dishing it out, right here." Carlisle interceded in good time. Jacob calmed down enough to turn around and walk out of the room.
"You know very well that I am not leaving. Not until Bella wakes up and is ready for me to take her home."
I know that. Mr. Black left though, didn't he? He was starting to mess up my senses. His foul smell has just made me realize how delicious Bella's blood really does smell. I growled at him and narrowed my eyes. Now, now. You know I would never even consider it. She's perfectly safe. I was actually complimenting her.
I stared at him for a second and grabbed the closest chair. I sat down next to Bella, holding her hands in mine. I kissed each hand softly several times before I turned back to Carlisle and asked, "So what happened? Is she going to be okay?"
"Yes. As far as we know, she just fainted from stress. We don't have all our tests back, but we're working on it. That's the best explanation we can come up with. Mr. Black said they were arguing and just before she was on her way out, she collapsed. He carried her all the way here, and specifically asked that I not treat her. Except, when Mrs. Pelt saw that it was Bella, she thought it best that I look at her. She said Bella would probably like to wake up knowing she was treated by family."
"She considers Bella a part of our family?" I asked, although, I knew the answer.
"Yes. When the nurses and I have some down time, we talk about our favorite people. You and Bella have come up a few times."
I was silent as I laid my head on her chest to listen to her heart. I hated how artificial the machine made it sound. The real thing was so much better, except I could tell how her heart beat had slowed from her usual steady rate.
I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but it couldn't have been ten minutes between the time Carlisle left the room, and Charlie and the rest of my family came pouring in. Even Rosalie.
"Bella? What have you done to her? Bella, sweetheart, wake up! I'm here." Charlie was very angry that I was here. You need to leave. She wouldn't want to wake up knowing the source of her pain was here. What the hell could you have done this time? This is the second time she's been in the hospital in the past year and each time, the common factor is you. He growled his thoughts towards me as though he knew i could hear them. To avoid conflict, I slipped out of the room.
I continued to listen at the door as my family all poured their love for Bella onto Charlie. He seemed happy that they cared. Although, several times, his thoughts rang back to me and how much he blamed me for what happened.
"Can I have a minute alone with her, please Charlie?" Alice asked in her most polite voice. The one she knew Charlie couldn't turn down, even under the circumstances.
"Um. Sure. I'll go get some coffee and call Renee. I'll probably be with her most of the night." I wondered briefly if Alice could dazzle people too. That always seemed to be the case when she was talking to Charlie.
He slipped out the door and down the hall glaring at me over his shoulder. Once he rounded the corner, I snuck into the room. Everyone left except Alice. They all tried to comfort me with their thoughts.
Rosalie always had to be the odd one out though. God, Edward. She almost dies every time you leave her alone anyhow, why not just change her? It would make it so much easier on all of us. Think of someone besides yourself, Edward. She hesitated before continuing on, which I could only take as her trying to think of someone other than her self. Think of Jasper.
"Thanks, Rose."
Alice didn't have much to say or think. Nothing, at least, that she wanted me to hear. She simply held Bella's hand standing next to the heart monitor. She closed her eyes and I could tell she was searching for some clue to tell me how Bella would end up.
Last time she was in the hospital like this, she had every right to be unconscious. She had just been attacked by one vampire and almost sucked dry by another. This time, there wasn't even a clue as to why she was here.
After a while of Charlie coming in and out, waiting for me to leave and slowly getting used to the fact that I wasn't, I pushed Bella over a little and crawled into the bed with her. I just wanted to be near her, to feel her warmth. I didn't care how angry Charlie was that time he came in and saw me in the bed with her. I was "sleeping."
The next morning, my hand in hers, I felt her grip tighten. I had been pretend sleeping and I laid there, eyes closed. As soon as I felt it, my eyes shot open and I looked down at her.
"Bella..." I whispered and kissed her forehead. I wrapped her in a hug and felt her warm salty tear stain the shoulder of my shirt. I pulled away from her and looked into her big, chocolate eyes. I couldn't read her expression.
"What... ha-happened?" Her sleepy voice made her sound sweet and innocent to the whole situation.
"Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea. You went to see Jacob and when I finally found you, you were here, unconscious."
I sat up and watched her every move as she slowly sat up next to me. She turned her face into my shoulder and hugged me, quietly sobbing.
"Bella, this isn't your fault. Things happen. You tend to fall down a lot. I'm sure that's all this is; nothing to worry about." I whispered into her hair as she held me tighter. Her grip and her continuing flow of tears told me she didn't believe me. Not surprisingly, I didn't believe me either.