Fran is my beta-fairy godmother who waved her sparkly, red
fingertips against her keyboard and made this readable.

So, the consensus has been that Bella MUST be on a plane.
Only ONE person came close in their guessing. Guess we'll
get your queries answered right now! LOL

-LWTC-

Chapter 18

Twenty-seven hours.

Edward was beside himself with worry. Twenty-seven hours had passed without any communication from Bella. That wasn't like her. He stood in the living room, pacing back and forth, as he pulled at his hair in frustration. Carlisle and Esme watched their son slip from disappointment, to worry, to despair over the course of the day. There was not much anyone could do but offer him platitudes. Truth be told, they had grown rather concerned, as well.

"Son, wearing a hole in the rug with your pacing won't make the phone ring any sooner," Carlisle pulled Edward's hand away from his hair, and motioned for him to take a seat. "Where is she staying? Have you tried calling the hotel?"

"Yes, Dad," Edward spoke through clenched teeth, "I did that three hours ago. She's checked out."

Carlisle had no response. What could he say? He placed a hand on Edward's shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"She'll call, Son."

Edward looked at his father with a haggard expression; his eyes were full of doubt.

"At this point, I'd take a text telling me to fuck off—sorry Mom—over the silence. At least then I'd know she's alive."

"If we haven't heard from her by tomorrow morning, I'll call the hospital there, and see what I can find out."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I called the airline, and all they would confirm is that there was no Dr. Swan on the flight. They wouldn't tell me if the ticket had been traded."

"I can't believe she hasn't called me to talk about this," Edward shook his head in despair. "That must be the call she took after her last text, Dad."

"Son, I have a pretty good idea what's going on inside of her right now. Give her some time. She's devastated."

"But they said there was nothing she could have done. The surgery went perfectly. She could not have foreseen a sudden reaction to an antibiotic."

"No, Edward, she couldn't have. No one could have. That doesn't mean that she isn't kicking herself. The death of a patient is always a difficult thing to accept. We talked once a few months ago about the fact that she has only lost one patient in the past, and that was before she was able to perform surgery. Nearly a year later she still struggled with the thought that if she had been able to work them into her surgical schedule earlier, things could have been different."

"So she's going to take this one that much harder. Dammit—sorry Mom—but why won't she call me? Doesn't she know I would want to be there for her?"

"Edward," Esme walked over to her son, who was leaning against the kitchen counter, with his arms crossed over his chest. She placed a hand on his unshaven face and smiled at him sadly. "Bella will come around, I am sure of it. Try not to take this so personally. Keep in mind; she has never had someone to turn to like this before. She's used to being self-reliant, and-"

They fell silent as the sound of Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison filled the room. Edward scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket.

"Princess," Edward breathed out in relief before his brows furrowed.

"No, this is Katy, Bella's friend."

"Is she with you?"

"Yeah, she's here," Katy sighed heavily, rubbing her hand over her face. The past thirty-six hours had been difficult. "She's passed out, but she's here."

"At your house?"

"Yes, she's staying with my family and me," Katy assured him. "I know I shouldn't have invaded her privacy, but she's been ignoring your texts and calls, and in between her bouts of crying about losing her patient, she's talked about you, and kicked herself for not calling you sooner. She's caught in a vicious cycle, and I am at a loss for how to help her break it. She refuses to call you, but cries because she wishes she could talk to you."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" Edward growled in frustration, and slammed his fist down on the countertop.

"My suggestion," Katy offered, "is that you make a grand gesture, and send her a message with it."

"Like what," Edward asked in an exasperated tone.

"I don't know, Edward, but if you're half the man that woman thinks you are … if you're the kind of man I am hoping you are, then you'll figure it out. Our girl is worth it."

"That she is. Listen, Katy, I want to thank you for calling. I've been out of my mind with worry."

"I can't fathom. I only called because I happened to overhear your last message when she was listening, and I heard your voice. You sounded so terribly desperate, and I knew I had to let you know that she's okay."

"Thanks, Katy. Can I get your home address?"

"Uh, I …" Katy sounded a little hesitant, "I guess so."

Katy told him her address, and he wrote it down

"Will you call me and keep me up to date? Let me know how she's doing?"

"I will. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with."

"Me too, Katy," Edward admitted, "I'll talk to you again soon."

"Bye."

Edward spent the next two hours both on the internet and his phone, making a plan, and setting it in motion. He hoped that by this time tomorrow, Bella would understand that he did not intend to give up on her.

… Ever.

-LWTC-

So, how are we doing? Is Esme right? Should we cut her a bit of
slack, seeing as she is so very new to the relationship idea? She
has never really had anyone to turn to in her grief before, you
kow? Maybe we can give her the benefit of the doubt?
And do we love Katy, or what?
*huggles*