Freesia Juliet

Part One: My Ancient, My Only

Chapter Five: Confinement

(Bella's Point of View)

The first thing I heard was the worry in Edward's voice. "Carlisle?" he said, and I breathed out with relief. At that moment I had two thoughts. The first one was Oh, thank God they found me. The second one was Ouch, it really hurts to breathe.

Ouch.

Ouch, everything hurts.

I quickly found that it was impossible to move my head, so I could not turn to the sound of my angel's voice. And more importantly, I could not focus my eyes. A permanent haze had settled on my eyes, and the best I could do was pick out blurry shapes of color. "Bella, can you hear me?" asked Carlisle loudly. A strange light shined in my right eye, then in my right. It blinded me. I shut my eyes.

"Bella, please respond if you can hear me," instructed Carlisle.

I paused, and found that I could move my lips without pain if I moved them slowly. Very slowly. "Carlisle?" I said. It came out in an embarrassing slur.

He sighed in relief. I opened my eyes, and found that I could focus them now. Edward's face was there, grotesquely disproportionate. I giggled, watching is big topaz eyes balloon in and out. "Bella?" he said, perhaps questioning my sanity.

"Hello," I said, able to move my mouth a little more. I found that my lips were dried and cracked, and my voice was croaky.

"Oh, thank God Bella!" he said with pure love and joy. I let a tear slip down my face, and he brushed it away.

"Bella." It was Carlisle again. "Bella, honey, I want you to try to move your hand."

It was a simple enough request. I tried to reach for Edward's outstretched hand, and found that my hand was stubbornly still. With frustration, I tried again, and this time I was met with a small success. I could move my fingers. Trying a third time, and exerting myself completely, I forced myself to make contact with Edward's hand.

Exhausted, I clung to his hand feebly. It was like shouting across a long distance. It took several tries to get the message across to my body. Not good. But Edward looked pleased. He chuckled quietly. "It's good to have you back, Bella."

"Good to be back," I said, gaining confidence in the powers of my own voice. "I've spent some time in the land of the dead, and it wasn't very pleasant." Edward, whose face finally came into focus, grimaced.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, hello Alice," I said nonchalantly, despite my heart bursting with delight as I heard her voice. "I had a dream about a hospital…" and I explained everything, except for the part where Edward's mother turned into Victoria.

As I spoke, I began to see that the other Cullens were in the room besides Alice and Carlisle and Edward. There was Esme, smiling in her sad, motherly sort of way. There was Jasper, maintaining his distance as usual but looking genuinely pleased to see me better. There was Rosalie, her smug expression glowing with her fantastic beauty. And finally, there was Emmett, his grin so big it looked like it could fill up the room.

"You got her," I said with as much casualty as I could muster.

Everyone froze. "How did you know?" Jasper asked for all of them.

"I saw her in my dream," I admitted, "and boy was she ever pissed to be there."

Emmett erupted with laughter, breaking the tension.

"Bella needs to rest now," said Carlisle sternly.

"I love you," whispered Edward as he was dragged out of the room by Emmett and Jasper.

"I love you too," I agreed.

If anyone ever tells you that physical therapy isn't so bad, call them a liar and then shoot them. Or do whatever is possible to make their existence miserable if they cannot be killed by a bullet. Or both, just to relieve the stress.

Last, Carlisle removed the neck brace that had held my spine intact for the past four weeks. He explained that the muscles in my head, neck, and shoulders would be practically atrophied. So I was condemned to more physical exercise than I had ever been forced into in gym class, and now I was even more uncoordinated and slow (if that was possible.)

My mission was finally accomplished. Carlisle and his colleagues had given me permission to go home.

Home.

But Charlie was gone.

This thought had barely registered in my brain. Renee had explained to me that Charlie had been killed in the 'home invasion' that had nearly left me paralyzed.

Damn Victoria.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn!

It was impossible. My father couldn't be dead. He couldn't! I hadn't gotten to make him explode yet over my engagement. I hadn't gotten to tell him that I would be with Edward forever, and that there was nothing he could do to stop me. I hadn't gotten to see his beaming face when he finally consented to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.

It was impossible. It wasn't fair.

I covered my face to hide my tears when Edward peeked his head in with the official leave-the-hospital wheelchair. "Hello," he said cheerfully. His voice was a chorus of seraphim.

"Hello, Edward." My voice cracked. So much for hiding my tears.

He was at my side in an instant. "Are you in pain?" he asked with concern.

"No more than usual," I responded stubbornly.

"Is it anything I can fix?"

"Can you bring people back from the dead?" I choked. He held me tight in those strong arms, so tight my newly mended ribs began to ache. "Easy," I whispered.

He let go immediately. "I'm so sorry!"

"S'okay. Just be careful," I winced.

"I really am sorry about your father. If there was anything I could have done—"

"No, Edward, I know. You were lucky to get me out of there alive." I buried my face in his shoulder. His cold hand lay gently on top of my head. My mind flashed to my dream.

I heard the faint, quivering beat of his dying heart, and sobbed brokenly. Unexpectedly, a feeble hand lay on top of my head. I looked up and saw that his unforgettable green eyes were keen and sharp as they stared at me, mirroring my incredulity.

His words were so full of love I nearly choked. "Bella, you must come back to me. You must come back."

"Ready to go home?"

"Yup," I smiled. His strong arms lifted me from the bed and into the wheelchair. I protested, "I can walk, you know."

"I know," he said, wheeling me foreword, "but I like you better this way."

"What way?"

"When I know I can make you safe."

It was dark by the time we got back to the Cullen mansion. For once in the whole time that I had known him, Edward actually drove at a reasonable speed. Maybe he thought that going his normal speed would hurt me somehow.

Oh, and by reasonable speed, I mean seventy-five.

My eyes widened when I saw the twinkling lights that covered the entranceway to the house. "Edward, are those Christmas lights?"

He was just as confused as I was. "I left Alice and Esme to do the decorating while I went shopping. I guess we're having a Christmas party in late June."

I caught something in his words that I didn't like. "Shopping, Edward?" I accused. "I know and you know that whenever you go shopping, you spend an ostentatious amount of money on me."

He helped me out of the car and supported me with his hand as we walked up the gravel driveway. "Ostentatious, Bella? Is that your new favorite word?"

"You're a poor sport, Edward Cullen," I growled, watching my ring catch the light.

"How am I a poor sport?" he said with mock indignation as he held the door open for me. "You know shopping for you is my favorite game. I always play fair."

"Oh, sure, buying the biggest ring in the State of Washington is playing fair."

"To be honest, I bought it in Switzerland."

"Switzerland?" I gasped. I didn't even notice that Alice had come into the hall to greet us. "I'll never forgive you!"

"And Alice will never forgive you if you don't give her a hug," said Edward perceptively. I gave her a gracious and tearful hug, while sticking my tongue out at Edward.

He laughed all the way into the dining room. "Welcome home, Bella Swan."