Previously

Esme POV

"We were able to stitch up the puncture in his kidney and the bleeding stopped relatively easily. Believe me, his wound looked much worse from the outside. He will be awake by next morning."

"What about Bella?" Carlisle asked quickly, his blue eyes alight with worry.

Dr. Snow pursed his lips slightly, sorrow crossing his face. "I'm sorry Carlisle," he breathed, his eyes closing. He squeezed his temples hard before rubbing his eyes firmly. "There was nothing I could do. I tried everything. She had lost too much blood by the time she got here. I couldn't get it to stop. She just stopped responding. I'm sorry Carlisle, Esme. She didn't wake up."

Jasper POV

"She didn't wake up."

My head spun, my vision blurring violently. Bella. Beautiful, beautiful Bella. My little baby sister. She couldn't be gone.

I fell back into the vinyl chair. I felt… there was no way to describe the way I felt. I felt lost, scared, hurt… like a child again, hiding with Rose in the closet from my father's drunken stupor. Denial. Bella couldn't be dead. She wouldn't leave us like that. Lost. Bella, our rock of sorts, keeping us grounded, keeping us going, calming Rose when she worried, soothing my anger when things went wrong. Scared. What would we do without her? What could we do without her? Hurt. My little sister. My little baby sister. Angry. He had no right to take her. He had no right to hurt my little angel of a sister. After all the shit he had put her through, he had no right.

I felt as if my head would explode, swarming with emotions the way it was. My stomach clenched up and I leaned forward in my chair. I retched, half digested food and bile spewing from my mouth. It stung, or at least, I knew it was supposed to. It meant nothing to me. If Bella were here, she would stroke my hair, give me water, and clean up the mess.

I was vaguely aware of Alice calling my name, feeling her tug on my arm as I watched a nurse clean the vomit from the floor without truly seeing him.

"Jasper," Carlisle said loudly, shaking my arm. I looked blindly up at him. "She's not dead son," he assured me, though he looked just as desolate as I felt. "She just not… responding. She could still wake up though."

"Could," I choked out, pressing my forehead to my knees.

One Months Later

Edward POV

I stroked the back of Bella's hand with my thumb, feeling the soft warmth of her palm against mine.

"I still miss you Bells," I sighed. I massaged my temples with my free hand. "We all do. Last night was the first night Rose didn't cry herself to sleep you know. Jasper's still catatonic. It's like… he's like a zombie. He needs you back Bells. I need you back. I miss the way you smile at Rose and Jasper like they're your children when they do something crazy. And the way you drive like a maniac and never get caught." I nearly smiled as I thought of her driving. She beat me every time. "I even miss the way you yell at me for being an ass and for insensitive I am. I really need you back. Bella please."

I rubbed my eyes with one hand. "I'm so sorry Bells," I breathed sadly. My voice shook over the lump that formed high in my throat. "I'm so, so, so sorry. I was right there. I was so close. I should have… I could've protected you. I should've saved you."

A large hand rested on my shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done Edward," Carlisle said quietly. His blue eyes shone with emotion, reflected in the tears clouding them. "You got shot Edward. You took a God damned bullet. You could have died. You did the best you, or anyone else could have. The fact that you delayed him long enough for us to get help was enough Edward."

"That's not enough damn it!" I hissed, slamming my fist against the table top. "I got shot and she's still like this. She's still just lying there! I didn't do shit for her!"

"But she's not dead, Edward, she's not," Carlisle said firmly. "If he had shot her instead of you, that one minute extra would have killed her. She would have bled out before the ambulance could get her to the hospital. You did the best you could have done."

Another Three Months Later

"Bells, you have to wake up. Carlisle told me yesterday if you don't wake up soon, they have to pull the plug. He begged them for more time, and they're stretching it. But no one believes me when I say you're going to wake up. I just know you will. They keep saying it's unlikely because of how much… because of what happened."

Another One Month Later

I sat with Bella yet again that afternoon. I had just finished my homework and packed it away in my bag. I held her hand in mine, my head lolling to the side with tiredness. I hadn't slept well since Bella… since the shooting. I had been here most times. I came every day right after school and didn't leave until visiting hours ended at nine. Most nights I ended up driving back here. I knew all the night shift nurses by name and they all knew me. They let me in every night through the back door, leaving me to sleep on the window seat in the private room Carlisle had demanded for Bella. They even kept a spare set of bedding and pillows in her closet, along with a mini fridge under all the spare sets of clothes I kept in her room

I turned sideways in the chair. That was new too. The nurses brought it in when Dr. Micheals bought a new one.

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I was brought back to awareness by a soft pressure on my hand.

I groaned softly, tightening my hand, assuring that yes, her hand was still in mine, that it was still warm. A gasp slipped from my lips, my eyes flashing open wide.

Dazed chocolate orbs gazed at me from their place on the fluffy white pillow.

Hey. Sorry it took so very long for me to update. I thought things would speed up but I've been trying to spend a lot of time with my friends. I've realized spending time with other people, my friends, has made me less of a pessimist and I truly appreciate that. The company is enjoyable as well.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through all of this. I know I haven't updated in forever. I'm so, so sorry.

Love,

Sea