Thanks for all of your reviews : ) they really help! Sorry for the wait but I had some stuff I needed to do this week.

Disclaimer: Don't own it

EPOV

There she was. Lying peacefully on one of the hospital beds. I walked up slowly to the side of her bed, gazing down at her beautiful face. I knew that everything was about to get complicated. I knew that I had to talk to Emmett. I knew that I had to find out what happened to James. But for now I didn't think about any of that. I just thought about the beautiful girl in front of me who was hurt by me in so many ways. It was like the calm before the storm. The only noise came from the steady beeping and whirring of the medical machines.

Careful not to disturb Bella, I carefully lifted the blanket off her arm and gasped. The hospital gown she was wearing only came halfway down her arm but that was enough. I could clearly see all of the yellow and blue bruises forming against her ivory white skin. And as I looked at her bruised and damaged arm, something broke inside me. It was my fault, it was all my fault. The tears came thick and fast and I shook with heavy, heart wrenching sobs. My vision blurred and my cheeks burned where the tears came down. I hated myself. How could I have let all of this happen?

"It's not your fault you know." I heard the voice from behind me but I didn't immediately turn. I didn't want to face him yet.

"How do you know." I whispered to the asylum white wall in front of me. "You don't know what I did. You don't know what I've seen. You don't know- you don't know-" I couldn't finish as a fresh wave of misery overcame me.

"No I don't know," Emmett's voice was closer now but I still refused to turn around. "But you could tell me."

"No I can't. I can't tell anyone. That's my punishment for what I've done." I gestured at Bella's lifeless form on the bed beside me. "I have to keep it all to myself."

I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me as Emmett started talking.

"Edward, the world doesn't work like that. You made some mistakes. You f***ed some stuff up. Everyone does it at some point in their life. Admittedly maybe not like what you did but you have to get over it. Beating yourself over and over isn't gonna help Bella, Hell it isn't gonna help anyone. You just have to live with the fact that you messed up and try your hardest to make up for it. " Emmett glared at me as if daring me to prove him wrong.

"But I can't just forget. Every time I look at Bella, I feel so guilty."

"Well then you're just gonna have to suck it up, aren't you? How exactly is this your fault anyway. You weren't the one beating the shit out of Bella." His eyes darkened at the memory

"I broke up with her. I made her want to get together with another guy to get over me. I didn't turn in James when I found out about him."

"But you broke up with Bella so James didn't hurt her and because you thought it was better for her not to be with a drug dealer. So from what I see you were just trying to protect her."

"But I didn't. I failed!" I cried in distress.

"How could you have known what was going to happen? You made the smartest choice and it wasn't the wrong choice-" Emmett's voice had risen to an almost-shout when I interrupted him.

"But it was the wrong choice Bella got hurt and it's all-"

"Don't you dare say 'it's all my fault' you just want to blame this all on yourself. You couldn't control the situation so you're just trying to find someone to blame, yourself." I started to say something but stopped. I didn't know how to respond.

"As I was saying, it wasn't the wrong choice because even if you decided to stick with Bella you could have told her about the drugs and James could have killed her. There were too many variables and you made the right choice. You have to get over the fact that it isn't your fault. You can be sad that the situation happened. You can be sad Bella got hurt, but you can't just hide in a corner and think of every what if- and every variable. You have to talk to someone. You need to talk to Bella."

"But what if I'm not best for Bella?" I said hoarsely. The fear in my voice was so obvious and genuine that I hated myself for being so week.

"Well that's up to you and Bella isn't it? Tell her the truth the whole truth no matter how much it hurts."

"And what if she hates me?" I looked Emmett in the eye for the first time in our whole discussion. His rich amber colored eyes bore into y own emerald ones.

"Then that is her right and her decision. But I don't think she will hate you."

"Why not?" I needed to know.

"Because no matter what you did in the past, you saved her from James and she still loves you. I saw it in her eyes when she would look at you while you guys were working on that stupid biology project that I failed my senior year." He smirked, remembering, then turned back to face me as serious as ever.

"What if I'm not good enough for her?" I needed to know his opinion of this. I knew he would be honest.

"It seems like you are at a crossroads. You can try to make things right with Bella and hopefully it will all end up alright although there are no guaranties. Or you can lave this hospital tonight and never come back and never see her again, hoping that this is what is best for Bella and for you."

"And what road should I take?"

"Well that's up to you isn't it. I'm just your stupid collage drop out brother." He turned to go but I stopped him.

"For being a stupid collage drop out you sure know a lot of things." He grinned weakly at me.

"Ya I guess I do." He left me then to think.

He was right. I had two choices and I didn't have much time to decide. The doctors hadn't said when Bella would wake up. It could be any minute now. The thought of not being here when Bella woke up hurt me even moe then the thought of staying but still, I wasn't any good for her. And how could she ever trust me with her heart anymore? She had given me her whole heart and I had broken it. Would she risk getting hurt again? Could she survive that?

"Edward?" I weak voice startled me and I turned around. Her large doe eyes were staring straight into mine.

I hadn't decided what to do yet! I glanced at the door and then to Bella and then back at the door…

Oooooh cliffy! Ha ha I bet you hate me but I don't even know what to do yet. Maybe Bella will drop dead ha ha you guys would hate me. So anyway please please please review. Pretty please with a chocolate covered Edward on top!