A/N: Well, my Christmas totally sucked. Hopefully yours was much better.

That being said, please accept my belated Christmas gift to you and yours: this new chapter. Yeah. I know, I shouldn't have. I'm too generous, it's too much. But I can take it back cuz I tossed the receipt, so just enjoy it.

Hey, on another note... allow me to pimp my new story, Delusions of Grandeur. It features a militant Bella and an uptight Edward. What could possibly happen? (I'll give you a hint: hot hate sex! Shhh!)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. Just the dream of Edward Cullen being all up in my room, delicious-like.

BPOV

"Bella, I just want to be sure you're thinking about your future," Charlie began in a grim tone.

"Charlie..." I said in a warning tone.

"You're really young, Bells. You've got your whole future ahead of you. This Edward guy looks like trouble to me," he said over me.

I sighed. "Dad! I am a grown-up, and I know exactly what I'm doing with my life. And Edward is not trouble. He's great, he's fantastic, he's completely wonderful. What's your deal, anyway?"

"Bella, you're in your early twenties. You were with Jake for a few years, and now you're suddenly with this new guy. I just think you should take things slowly. You've got so much potential," he said in a cajoling tone.

"Dad, Jake and I are friends now. We're not going to get back together. I'm with Edward now, and we're in a really good place. I'm in love with him, and if he wants to..." I cut off when my cell phone rang shrilly from my front pocket.

I shot an apologetic glance at Charlie and pulled my phone out to look at the display. I wondered why Seth was calling me.

"Seth? What's going on?" I said when I answered.

"Bella! Oh my god, Bella! You have to come, it's Jake..." he was talking so fast that I had a hard time understanding what he was saying. All I could understand were the words 'Jake' and 'accident' and 'hospital.'

"Seth! Seth! Calm down! What happened?" I yelled into the phone.

"We were driving to our next show in Baltimore and we got in a car accident. Jake was driving and he was injured. He's in the hospital!" Seth explained in a shaky voice, obviously terrified for Jake.

"Oh my god. Is he going to be okay?" I asked, panic inching into my own voice.

"The doctors haven't told us what's wrong yet. All we know is that he's listed in critical condition. We tried to reach Billy, but we can't. Will you come? Can you come?" Seth pleaded with me.

"I... don't know, Seth... I'm kind of in the middle of stuff here and there's a lot going on," I said, feeling horrible.

"Please, Bella. The label is making us leave because we can't afford to cancel anymore shows. We already canceled the one tonight and they said if he's not better by the weekend we'll have to leave him here...I know Billy can't afford to come out here. Will you come? Please? Please, Bella?" Seth begged.

I sighed and wondered how my savings would stretch to get me on a sudden flight to the east coast. I had no idea how I was going to make this happen. I couldn't just desert Jake; he was my friend.

I glanced at Charlie, and his face was crumpled in an expression of fear and confusion. I needed to tell him what was going on. I told Seth I would call him back in a moment and turned back to my father.

"Jake was driving the van. They got into an accident and now he's in critical condition at a hospital in Baltimore. Seth said the label is making them leave if Jake isn't out of the hospital by this weekend, and he can't get a hold of Billy..." I heard my voice quaver as the worry climbed my chest, making me choke with my fear for Jake.

Just because we weren't in love anymore didn't mean I didn't still love him. I was terrified at the idea of Jake being hurt in a hospital on the other side of the country. I ran to the house phone and threw it to Charlie, who was still sitting in his chair with a stunned expression on his face.

He snapped out of it as soon as the phone plopped on his plate. He grabbed it and dialed Billy's number with a shaking hand. The atmosphere in the kitchen was rife with tension. I could hear the ringing on the other end of the line in the thick silence. Billy's machine picked up and Charlie left a brief message.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked him helplessly.

"I think he was going to the pub on the reservation today to watch the game. Maybe I can reach him there," he said as he grabbed the phone book. I dropped into the chair and waited while he thumbed through the pages until he found the number.

Our eyes locked while it rang, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end. A voice finally answered, and Charlie asked if Billy Black was still in the bar. He breathed a sigh of relief and my shoulders dropped from around my ears as the phone was passed off to Billy.

Charlie's grim face became even grimmer as he told his best friend the news. Billy's voice was loud over the phone as he began to panic like the rest of us. I felt tears roll silently down my cheeks as Charlie got off the phone and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm going to go meet him at the bar so we can figure out what to do," Charlie told me.

"I'm coming, too," I replied, hurriedly grabbing my shoes and coat. We were out the door in a couple minutes, and we were on our way.

My tense shoulders jerked when my phone rang again, and I saw that it was Edward this time. I felt the panic recede a bit when I heard his melodic voice come over the line. "Bella? What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Jake... he's in the hospital in Baltimore and he's in critical condition. Seth called me... he wants me to go to Baltimore," I said in a shaky voice.

There was silence on the other end of the line, and I wondered if Edward was hurt or something. "Edward?" I asked.

"I'm here. You said you need to go to Baltimore? Which hospital is he at?" he asked rapidly.

"Uh.. uh... yeah, Seth said they have to leave Jake there, and I don't know if Billy can afford to go. I can't either, but I'm healthier than Billy and I think Jake would appreciate the help..." I said.

"Which hospital is he at?" Edward asked again.

"I'm... I think Seth said he was at the Maryland General Hospital," I replied.

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to call Carlisle and see if he has any contacts at MGH. If he does, he can probably pull a few strings to get some more information on Jacob's condition. You will sit tight and try to calm down. Look up some flights and see when you can get out. I'll call you back in a few minutes, okay?" Edward said, his tone soothing and firm at the same time.

"Are you serious? Okay, okay...thank god, thank you, Edward!" I breathed, my heart clenching in my chest.

"Bella, it's no problem. Really. Please just try to calm down and I'll talk to you soon," he replied.

We said goodbye and I hung up, looking over at Charlie. "Edward's going to see if his father can get any more information on Jake's condition," I said.

Charlie looked surprised. "How can he do that?" he asked.

"Carlisle is a doctor, and he has a lot of friends and associates. If anyone he knows works in Baltimore, Carlisle may be able to find out what's going on with Jake," I replied.

Charlie looked grudgingly impressed, and I smiled a little behind my hand. "Edward's not such a bad guy after all, wouldn't you say?" I teased.

"We'll see," he said in a gruff tone.

We got to La Push and Charlie pulled up in front of the pub. We climbed out of the cruiser and walked into the dark interior. There was the smell of stale smoke and beer pervading the air. We spotted Billy at the bar, a couple of his friends surrounding him.

His worried eyes turned to the door as we walked in. Charlie rushed to his side and gave him an awkward one-armed hug. I hung back by the door, feeling worried and uncomfortable. Billy beckoned me over and I went reluctantly.

"Isabella, please tell me what Seth told you," he said roughly.

I told him everything Seth had said, and when I was done I decided to step outside and call Seth back. He was grateful to hear that we were able to get to Billy and tell him the news. I spoke to Quil and Embry and I told them what Edward was trying to do.

I went and waited in the cruiser until Charlie rolled Billy out in his wheelchair. We went back to Billy's house and I got on the internet to look up plane tickets. The prices were steep for such short notice, and I winced when I checked the balance of my savings account. I'd be wiping out over half of my savings if I were to buy something so expensive.

I grabbed my phone when it rang again. "Hello?"

"Hey, honey. Carlisle works fast. Apparently, Jake is in an artificially induced coma. He's got several broken ribs, and both of his legs are broken. He suffered a blow to his head, but they won't know if he's got any brain injuries until he wakes up," Edward said in a low tone.

"He's in a coma? Oh my god. Wait, why did they put him into coma?" I asked, my voice strained.

"Due to the extent of his injuries, they thought it would be best to put him under so he could heal a bit so he's not in so much pain," Edward replied.

"Wow. I need to go. I need to be there. I don't know if Billy can make it, and he's not exactly healthy..." I trailed off. Here I was, talking to my boyfriend about flying across the country to go sit at the bedside of my ex-boyfriend.

"Edward? Is this weird for you?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, kinda. But I'll get over it. Jake's still your friend and he needs you. We're on the eight o'clock flight leaving tonight," he replied.

I choked, my jaw dropping open in shock. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Jake needs you, but you can't go there all by yourself. You'll need some support. I'm coming with you. We already have tickets, so you there's no getting away from me now/ Oh, and I also reserved an open ticket for Billy in case he's fit enough to fly out," he said.

"Edward... that's too much. You didn't have to do that," I said in a small voice. Part of me was feeling guilty for him spending so much money and offering to drop everything in order to support me, but I couldn't help the overwhelming relief that won out.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes. We'll have to leave soon if we're going to make it on time," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Edward?" I said.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

I hung up and rushed into the kitchen where Billy and Charlie were sitting, slumped at the kitchen table in front of a couple beers. I sat down and told Billy what Carlisle and Edward found out about Jake's condition, and he gripped Charlie's hand as he let out a few tears.

I looked away, uncomfortable with this brave and strong man breaking down in front of me. I told him that Edward had a reservation for him through the airline, and that he would be leaving with me tonight.

Charlie didn't look very happy about it, but he didn't say anything. Billy just looked stunned; I knew exactly how he felt.

"Dad? I have to go back to the house and get packed. Edward's going to be there soon," I said.

He nodded and let go of Billy. We drove back to the house and I started throwing things into a bag willy-nilly. I was just finishing up when Edward knocked on my bedroom door.

"Bella? Are you ready to go?" he asked, his face concerned.

"I...yes. Let's go," I said quickly. Edward nodded and grabbed my bag off the bed.

We hurried down the stairs and I shoved my hand into Edward's. I needed his strength right now. Charlie was already driving back to Billy's so he could be there for him.

We drove to the airport, neither of us speaking a word. Edward's hand rested on mine, imparting a sense of serenity and comfort throughout my body.

The airport was hectic, but we made it through security and to the gate with little trouble. I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped into a chair. We waited for the call to board in tense silence. Edward kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you okay, honey?" he asked.

"I'll be okay once Jake wakes up," I replied tiredly.

"We'll be there soon," he said quietly.

I nodded and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his warmth. I let my head fall onto his shoulder. He stroked my hair and I let my eyes close, relaxing into his touch.

"This is the call for all first class passengers flying Delta flight 862 to Baltimore, Maryland. Please make your way to the front," came the voice over the speaker.

Edward moved to stand up and I looked at him, confused. "That's us," he said.

A/N: Soooooo... yeah. D'you hate me now? I bet you thought they were goin' to Europe in this chapter, eh?