Where my Heart Lies

Chapter 13: Sweet Nothings

Bella

"What the hell is going on here?" I hear Jessica yell as I turn to look at her in the doorway. She looked utterly pissed off.

"I am rescuing Edward from your demented ass," I sneer as she starts looking around the room. The sirens were getting closer.

"Jessica, it's not too late to turn yourself in," Edward rasps out as he tries to sit up.

"No, I am not turning myself in. No, I have a better idea," she snaps as she turns to leave the room. I am conflicted in going after her and staying with Edward. I decide to follow her, but as I am about to get up I feel a hand reach out for me.

"Please stay," he whispers as I just hold his hand in mine as the paramedics, my dad and Emmett come barging in to the room. I see the look of surprise on Emmett's face but ignore him.

"Jessica took off," I say as I see the stretcher being brought into the tiny space. I go to move away yet again only to have Edward hold tighter to my wrist.

"Miss," one of the paramedics says as I try to reach my wrist from his grip.

"Alex, let her alone. I think she deserves to go with him," I hear my dad say as I feel tears creeping into my eyes.

"It's all going to be alright Edward," I whisper as I kiss his forehead. I feel him tug on my wrist almost making me fall into him as the paramedics roll the stretcher out of the house. I climb in as the put him in. His grasp was beginning to hurt a little, but I just wiggled my hand and he loosened his grip slightly.

"He sure has you firmly," the other paramedic says as he takes Edward's blood pressure and a few other things. I only nod my head. I couldn't imagine what he has been through at Jessica's hands, but one thing was certain I was going to stand by his side through it.

I felt a pang of disappointment when we got to the ER and they were able to get Edward to release my wrist. I was no longer tethered to him. I was beginning to feel alone yet again. I sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs and let the tears I had been holding back fall freely.

"Bells," my dad says as I look up to see him holding out a coffee to me. I take it from him, and give him a small smile.

"Daddy, he was tied up. He was alive the whole time and his family gave up on him," I mumble as I feel his arms wrap around me.

"I know sweetly, but they love him as much as you do still. We all grieve in our own ways. It was hard for them to think that he was alive when the evidence said otherwise," he says as he rubs circles on my back.

"Where is he?" I hear someone say as I look up to see the Cullen's making their way into the ER. I stiffened at the sight of them.

"What do you think you are doing here?" I seethe toward Rosalie and Alice. I see Esme and Carlisle walking in with the twins as I stand up in front of them.

"We are here for our brother," Rosalie snaps at me.

"Right, the brother you all but forgot about," I snap back at her. She looks as if she was about to hit me when she catches Emmalin running to me.

"Hey baby girl how was your day with your grandma and grandpa," I ask softly as Carlie joined us.

"It was good. They took us into town to shop," Carlie says excitedly.

"Is it true," Esme says softly pulling me into a hug as all I can do is nod my head. "You were stronger than all of us Bella," she says as I let her hold me.

"I'm going to see what's going on, and I'll be back to let you know," Carlisle says as I pull myself away from Esme.

"Carlisle," I say as I want to follow him, but Esme pulls me back to her.

"I will make sure he is taken care of," he says softly as he continues on through the private doors. I can't just sit there as Alice and Rosalie tale among themselves about him.

"I would like you guys to leave," I state as clearly as I could.

"I don't think so," Rosalie snaps as she stands up walking toward me. "You don't get a say in who stays or goes Isabella Swan. You are not a Cullen nor do you deserve my brothers' time," she snaps as I stand there floored that she would even say such a thing to me.

"I don't deserve his time. Wow, Rosalie I think I do since I was the one to find him while you were doing what again. I bet you were shopping spending money or doing something so much more important than thinking about Edward. In your mind you had already put him away. To you he was dead," I sneer at her as I feel her hand come across my face sharply.

"Rosalie," Esme says as she turns my cheek to look at it. "That was uncalled for," she continues.

"I guess the truth hurts," I mutter as I see Emmett entering the ER.

"Chief, we combed the woods around her house, but we couldn't find her," he says stonily as he looks toward me and then at Rosalie.

"Put an all bullets out for her, and Emmett take your wife and sister home," he says as he looks to me. Emmett looks around at all of us confused but nods his head.

"I'll call you when Edward is in his room and can have visitors'," Esme says softly looking toward me as I just shake my head. If I had anything to say about it they could all rot away.

"Okay," he mumbles as he pulls and unwilling Rosalie out the ER doors followed closely by a somber Alice. As she got out of the door she turned back to look at me, and I could see the sadness in her expression. She was Edward's twin sister, but right now I couldn't deal with her.

Charlie has sat down with a twin on either side of him. I sit down beside him as I pull Carlie into my lap. Esme sits beside me as she lets her hand brush through my daughters' hair. Carlie loved to have me do this. I put my head on my dad's shoulder to rest my eyes. I wasn't sure how much time passed or that I had slept any, but I am nudged softly.

"What," I mumble as I see Carlisle bending down at my level with a small smile on his face.

"Edward was dehydrated, had several bruised ribs and a broken ankle that was healing improperly so it had to be re-broken. He is in his room and should be waking up, it has a small couch where the girls could rest and you could wait for him," he says as I get up. I notice the girls are both gone as well as Esme.

"Where are the twins?" I ask as I don't see my dad either.

"Esme took them up. Charlie had to get back to work," he says as I follow him to the elevator.

"Who is in charge of Edward's medical," I ask out of the clear blue. He chuckles slightly as he points to me. I give him a smile because the girls were in for a rude awakening. If I knew Edward like I think I did he would have left me in charge in case of anything going wrong, just like I had left him in charge of me. He would know I would to the right thing.

I went to the security desk first as Carlisle followed me and told them I didn't want any of Edward's family allowed in, but his parents. Carlisle looked a little bemused but kept his mouth closed when I detailed if they refused what I would like to happen because Edward didn't need the stress right now.

He nodded his head and I continued to follow Carlisle until I was standing in front of a room similar to the one I had been stuck in a while back. I looked through the little window slit and saw him laying in bed hooked up to several wires. I didn't know why I felt so guilty all of a sudden but I did as I opened the door. Esme turned to look at me giving me a small smile as I looked over to the sofa where both girls were sleeping.

"I'll be back later," she whispers as Carlisle takes her hand and leaves us. I walk over and sit in the chair she was just sitting in and take his hand in mine. He felt cold, but I could see his chest rising up and down. I laid my head on his hand holding on for dear life as I began to spill my heart out to him.

***XOXOXOXOXO***

Edward

I was very afraid the moment I saw Jessica in the doorway of the room, but I was more concerned for Bella. I needed her to be safe because she needed to take care of our daughters. If I didn't make it she better damn well make it. I hardly heard what spill Jessica said, but when I heard other people in the room telling Bella to let go of my hand I got angry. I just got her back and they wanted her to leave me. I held on tight, well as tight as I could.

I knew the exact moment that I lost contact with Bella because I felt a sudden loneliness all of a sudden. I mean I knew I was in the hospital, but it was strange being the one on the bed instead of the one taking care of the patient. The doctor who was prodding my body was on the verge of killing me when I felt the awesome liquid flowing throughout my body. I didn't feel everything thing, but I did hear that I was going to have to have my ankle re-broken. It was already hurting pretty bad, but I was scared that it would hurt more. They must have given me something powerful because I don't remember anything else from the room.

"I must tell you Edward, we all gave up on you. I am ashamed to think that we easily believed you were dead. I don't know how Bella kept it together, but you would be proud of her son. Bella never thought you were dead, nor did she give up like the rest of us," she whispers into my ear as I feel so much right now. I knew Bella found me, but I didn't know everyone else thought I was dead.

I heard the door open and close. There were at least two people who came in, but it was quiet. I felt my mom let go of my hand and some whispering, but couldn't hear the words being said. Then the door opened and closed. The hair on my arms was standing on edge I knew it was Bella if not anything else but that. I heard her movement and the chair moving. She held my hand in hers. She was so warm. I would have been happy to die now, except for the honest words that flew from her lips.

"I hate you right now Edward. I hate that you made everyone think you were gone, but I didn't. I knew in my heart that if you were really dead I would feel it. I didn't feel you gone, nor did the girls. I don't know why I did the stupid stuff I did to you. I guess it was petty to walk away yet again. I mean you were trying to do the right thing, but I just didn't want to let you in again. I was afraid you would hurt me," she pauses as I hear her sniffle. All I want to do is pull her into my arms, but I must be knocked out still because I can't move anything.

"You want to know something; ironically I had a horrible time away from you and your family. I mean you talked to the girls' everyday and I was so childish. I saw the way you looked at me that first day when the girls were facetiming you. It was all I could do not to jump back on the plane to run to you and beg for a chance. I was going to ask you if I could bring the girls to visit you the day you supposedly died, but I never had the chance. I was going to surprise everyone with me moving back, but things went a different way," she pauses again this time brushing her fingers over my lips. It felt so good to feel her doing this.

"I came home though. I moved back a month or so ago. The girls and I have a house near my dad, but not as far out of town as your house. I love your little cabin. I don't know if you or I will ever be together, but I need you in my life. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I know we both did things, but we're adults now, we have children who need both of us. I need us," she whispers as I open my eyes to see her brown eyes peering right into mine. They were full of tears, as I lifted my hand and brushed them away.

"I need you in my life as well," I rasp out as her lips find mine.

***XOXOXOXOXO***

Carlisle

I was worried that Esme would break down when Rosalie and Alice rushed back to the hospital to only be turned away. Bella had put them on the 'no visitation' list. Well she even put Emmett on it, but Jasper wasn't which surprised me slightly. I held my wife in my arms as she cried.

"Our son was alive this whole time," she mumbles as I just think how resilient Bella was about it. I hated to admit if anything I admired her for sticking to her belief because I had my son back, but I felt pangs of guilt as I think to how the kids treated her. They blamed her for Edward's death and it wasn't even anything she could have prevented.

"Why don't you lie down here for awhile and I will do my rounds and then take you home," I tell my wife as she lies down on the sofa in my office. I walk down the hall to where Edward's office was, today I was suppose to pack it up. I guess I won't have to now.

"It's like your son to disappear and then reappear," Dr. Jenkins' says laughing as I knew it wasn't meant in a bad way, but still the thought was hard to see. He didn't have a choice in it. He was abducted and held against his will. I just nod my head and walk toward his room.

I looked into his room to see his eyes open as Bella was talking to him. The father part of me wanted to rush in, but I stood my ground when I saw the tender moment they shared and then the kiss. Yes, things might not be perfect right now, but Bella and Edward would work through their issues. I smiled to myself as I walked back to where my wife was waiting for me.