(DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse or any of it's characters.)

CHAPTER 8: Wake Up

bella. day 4, 8:00pm.

carlisle. day 4, late evening.

"Bella?" The monitors and machines beeped quietly in the background as she watched the window, watched the snow fall against the rich navy sky. I walked around to the other side of the room, sitting in the chair beside her bed.

She had been stable since she woke up, but quiet. No one had talked to her yet, about what had happened since she was found, but she could guess. She'd seen the scars, the stitches and the staples.

"How are you doing?" She hugged her pillow tighter and nodded.

"You came into the hospital four days ago," I began, "Your injuries weren't very severe, though you fractured a rib and your wrist is sprained. Your right ear will need to be reconstructed, but other than that..." I wasn't sure if she was listening or not, she just stared at the window, "We want you to stay here for a few days though, there were a few complications after the surgery, okay?"

She stared forward.

"Bella?"

She nodded.

I reached my hand out and touched her shoulder.

"Is everyone here?" Bella asked suddenly, quietly.

"Yes."

"Is…" She winced, "Is Edward here?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

bella. day 1

The drive in the car was silent. I stared out the passenger window, and he stared at the road ahead. He was thinking, thinking hard about something. And so it was silent. But that was better for me anyways. I didn't want the words. Didn't want what I knew he would say. And we were halfway to the airport.

He had flown all the way to the nearest city with an airport, and then he had rented a car and driven it all the way up to the tiny little house where I rented the basement. And he didn't need to. He did, because he had things to say. Things that, no doubt, had been eating at him since the day I left.

He delivered to me the news of Charlie's death, and he had lent me his shoulder to cry on, and for a little while, it was back to the way it was before it fell to pieces. And as I got prepared to leave, through a single sentence before we got into the car, the whole atmosphere changed. It was silent, and cold. And I was fearing the words.

Then Jake finally broke the silence, "He doesn't fucking love you." He said, and I cringed internally at the reference to him. These were not the words I had been expecting.

"He doesn't even fucking love you. He told you that. He doesn't want you. Yet your pining after him like you think you have some fucking chance in hell. He. Doesn't. Want. You. He doesn't fucking give a damn. He's not coming back. And so you die. Emotionally dead. Then you make me think that we had something. And then you move to fucking Alaska. Alaska!" Jake paused for a moment there, and I opened my mouth to speak, but he wasn't done, " It's probably your fault that Charlie's dead. And still, I can see it in your face. It's been a year. Pick up the fucking hint already!" His voice filled the car, his dark eyes staring at me, and then the road, then me.

The silence, if it had been bearable before, was completely unbearable now.

"Pull over, Jake." He looked at me with his angry eyes, his expression slightly incredulous, "Pull over." I said, trying to keep my voice strong, trying to fight the tears.

"What are you going to do? Walk? We're 45 minutes out of town and it's freezing outside."

"I don't care. Pull over." The tears broke, and my voice cracked.

"No." He stared at the road, straight-faced.

"Dammit Jake! Pull over!" I screamed, throwing the box of Kleenex off the dashboard at him. He stopped it in the air before it hit his head and reluctantly began to slow down, putting his turning signal on, jaw clenched in fury.

"You can't walk to the airport, Bella." I slammed the door shut, and began walking, the tears like ice on my cheeks, the wind blowing in my face. I wrapped my arms around my body, cursing myself for not grabbing my coat. "Bella!" He called after me, getting out of the car as he realized that I would probably walk a fair distance and catch my death before I got back into the car. He caught up to me in just a few of his very large steps. "Bella, I didn't mean it."

"I don't want to hear it, Jake." I said, and walked on.

"Bells…" He sighed. "Bella!" He called again, "Come on."

"No!" I screamed back at him, "Go home, Jake. Go wherever. Just go."

"Bella," Something in his tone caused me to stop then. To turn, and face him across the distance that separated us.

"Jacob Black, what you just said.. I can't even begin.. To fathom.." I sighed, unable to get my thoughts straight, "Of all the things.. I can't take it, Jake. Not from you. Not from anyone. I just can't take it. I thought.. God.. I don't even know what I thought."

"Bells…"

Silence.

"God… who the hell are you to tell me to pick up the hint?" I could feel the hysterics coming as I fought to keep myself together. A giggle escaped, "I mean seriously, Jake. How much did it cost you to come down here? To rent that car? We both know that you don't have the money to spare. So why did you do it? A simple call would work." I could see the tremble in his hands. Jake had gotten better at controlling himself, but I always knew the buttons to push. "But you came down here. Because you can't take a hint! Can't take a fucking hint!" I screamed.

Then everything happened so fast. Too fast to catch it all. And their was pain.

And then there was black.

bella. day 5, 2:37

He was sitting there, in the chair farthest from me. In the back corner. I couldn't read his expression.

I almost didn't believe it when I first opened my eyes. My vision was still blurry from the sleep. I blinked it away, next I new he was next to me. Hands on my face, stroking my hair, running along my jaw.

"You're up."

"Yeah.."

A/N: Um.. yeah.. anybody remember me? It's been nearly a year. I expect some of you have given up. I had given up. But then I got some belated reviews, and I thought, hmm. I forgot about that story. Why? The chapter is half-written (I was done up to the Bella/Jacob scene). Why? I couldn't answer, so I added a couple more lines and now here it is. Tidbits for real reviews, as usual.