Thanks so much to all reviewers, especially bkbl08 and Hannah (aren't you supposed to be in Switzerland or something?!)

Disclaimer- Unfortunately the best fictional character I own is… well, it's not Edward Cullen, let's leave it at that.

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Edward POV

I had been by Bella's side for ten minutes when I heard Charlie, Renee and Phil's thoughts below the window. They were all hopeful and worried; hope in case Bella was getting better or even awake; worry in case she was worse, or even… they couldn't think the word and neither could I. A world without Bella would be… pointless.

I leant my face towards her, so that my lips were close to her ear and ignored the temptation, the burn. But it wasn't very hard to do that anymore; I knew that the pain I felt because of the burning was a lot more bearable than the pain would be if Bella didn't exist.

"I believe in you, Bella. You'll be fine, you'll live, you'll wake and this whole thing will be just like a nightmare. A nightmare that you can, and will, wake up from." I whispered, hoping, hoping that she could hear me; hear how sorry that I was for not being here to save her.

Then I darted from the room and out of the third floor window so fast that it would've been impossible for a human to see me. I was in the nearest forest area in milliseconds and I sat, out of habit, on a fallen tree.

I found myself wondering about tiny, trivial things compared to some of the immediate questions that had shot into my head. I wanted to know the answers to the questions that I had thought of when I had first met her. I remember wanting to discover the secrets that lay in her mind, find out why I couldn't hear her thoughts. That seemed like an insignificant thing; now I needed to know. I needed to know all about her: her favourite colours; her aspirations and dreams; what she wanted out of life; whether she liked living here in Forks yet; there was so much that I wanted to know.

I shook my head and pursed my lips, before running home, back to the rest of my family; I had made my decision. And I wasn't going to run. Not yet. I had to stay so that I could go back to the hospital, back to that room. I had to see Bella again; the need was acute. And if things didn't look up, didn't get better, then I would go. If she didn't pull through, I wouldn't live either. I couldn't live in a pointless world.

I was home in minutes, despite the distance, and the house seemed quiet. It wasn't until I got inside that I realised why; only Esme was there.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked her.

"They're hunting," Esme replied, "I've already been today and I wanted to be here for you when you got back." Her tone was suddenly soft, caring, loving, "Are you okay, Edward?"

I merely shrugged and drifted to the grand piano in the corner.

He's going to play again? Esme's thoughts were delighted, but surprised and concerned at the same time. She removed herself from the room, but I knew that she was listening from the next one as I began to run my fingers along the keys, playing the tune as I felt it go. It was a beautiful melody, beautiful and perfect, just like the person who I was basing it on. After a while, the beautiful song drifted to a slow, sad conclusion.

Well done, Edward, Esme thought, overjoyed, that was beautiful.

BPOV

He was gone. I didn't want him to leave, but it seemed fair enough. I had had my tiny taste of heaven. Yet, as the selfish person that I felt myself becoming, I wanted more, but now I was sure that I was heading in the opposite direction; obviously Edward wouldn't be in hell.

The next voice I heard was not Edward's.

"How is she, Dr Cullen?" Charlie asked as I heard more people file into the room.

"No change, I'm afraid Charlie," another man sighed.

"Bella?" – Mom – "Bella, honey, it's okay. Can you hear me?" there was a pause.

"I don't know if she can hear you," the same man as before spoke, and I presumed that it was Dr Carlisle Cullen, "But you can give it a try all the same. I'll leave you alone with her. I really do hope that she pulls through," Carlisle added, with so much honesty and care in his voice that it was hard to doubt him. Did he care this much for all of his patients?

"Bella, Dr Cullen said that we can take you home to Phoenix, darling, isn't that great?" Mom seemed happy, but I was confused. How could they take me home like this? As if she had heard my question she answered it, "He's given us permission to transfer you to Phoenix hospital instead of here, because we know that that's where you want to be. Don't you think that that's brilliant? Bella?" her voice choked off into a sob, and I heard Phil comforting her. But I was barely paying any attention to that.

Leave? Leave Forks? How could something I'd wanted so badly a few days ago now seem so bad? I wanted to scream. No! No, I didn't want that! I wanted to stay here, in the hope that Edward would come back. I didn't want to leave! I tried to pull my head above the blackness, tried to fight it, but I couldn't. It was like a heavy black blanket over everything, over all of my senses. And it meant that I couldn't tell them not to take me. I felt myself slipping into a deep, dark pit of despair.

"I'll come too, Bella," Charlie said, in an awkward tone that clearly told me that he felt kinda stupid, "I'll be there until you wake up."

No, no, NO! I wanted to shout, but I was held there, a prisoner inside my own body. I fought and fought and fought the blackness, but I was fighting a losing battle from the beginning and I felt tired, drained, even though I had been lying there for… I had no idea how long. Ever since that bloody van had hit me, I'd had no concept of time. I'd had no concept of anything. Everything and anything had ceased to mean anything special to me until he had been here.

I felt myself drifting into a welcome slumber, as my parents' voice became a drone in the background; they were insignificant compared to the beautiful voice that had heightened my awareness with just one word.

I slipped in and out of consciousness. I heard my parents leave and doctors come and go, but I didn't pay any attention.

Next thing I know, I "woke" to a cold touch. Of course, I still remained trapped inside my body, but I was aware again. I felt like the living dead.

The cold fingers probed along my skull gently and he muttered things. Even from his incoherent mutterings, I could tell that it was the same doctor that had been here earlier, Dr Carlisle Cullen. The one who had given my parents permission to take me away. I wanted nothing more that to tell him to take back the permission, to hold me here and, most importantly, to ask him if Edward was coming back.

But I couldn't. So I lay there until I heard him leave and my room was silent once again.

EPOV

Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper returned from the hunting trip not long after I my own return, and, for some unfathomable reason, avoided me like the plague. They had obviously been instructed to not bug me. But their thoughts couldn't be hidden.

Stupid bitch. Who does she think she is? How could Edward like her? She's not even remotely pretty; how could he go for her and not me? Rosalie's malicious feelings made a low defensive growl bubble up in my chest, but I refused to let it out and ignored her.

Why does Edward feel so guilty? Jasper, Bella's accident wasn't at all his fault. And he's so sad… so broken. I've never felt anything like it…

I hope he's okay… Esme's motherly concern was still swirling around her head.

Ah, crap! Emmett's thoughts were not about me at all; he was more worried about the score on the game on TV. No one else understood how he could find that entertaining, but his brain wasn't very original, so it was hardly surprising.

I hope she wakes. I want her to, and for Edward's sake. It will kill him if she doesn't… I can't believe he already feels that passionately about her… how in love he already is. Hmm… I wonder… And Alice was off speculating… again.

I sighed quietly and began to play the song that I had composed earlier to myself quietly as I waited for Carlisle to return from the hospital with any news about Bella. I didn't have to wait for long.

Just two hours, though it had felt like centuries, after I had got back, I could hear his thoughts from a few miles away. Immediately I knew that he was hiding something from me, and dread quickly lodged itself inside me. I could barely wait the two minutes it took Carlisle to reach the door.

"Carlisle, what is it?" I pounced on him as soon as he came in, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's… wrong, as such," Carlisle carefully worded his reply to my anxiety.

Then I heard Alice gasp as she saw the future shift, and Carlisle's real answer to my questions.

"What's happened, Carlisle?" I repeated frantically, "Has she got worse?"

"Bella…" Carlisle cleared his throat and checked me over to see whether I could take whatever was coming next.

"Carlisle, I can handle it… Please, it's better then not knowing." I took a deep breath, "Is she… is she…?" I couldn't finish, but they all knew what I meant.

"No," Carlisle shook his head, "No, nothing like that. She hasn't got worse…"

"She's better? Awake?" I interrupted, awed. I didn't feel relief like I should've, thinking that she had got better, been responding, but I didn't. I felt… jealous, of who had been there when she awoke and worried that she wouldn't want to see me.

"No," Carlisle quashed my spirits.

"Then… what? I don't understand, Carlisle," I said.

"Bella… had arranged…" Carlisle kept pausing, and it took all of my self-control not to interrupt again, "… before the accident… with her parents… she had arranged to go back to Phoenix three days ago. She was supposed to leave then, but, obviously, she couldn't… so…"

"So she did wake then?" I couldn't help myself this time, "And she has to leave?" a sinking feeling hit me as the thought of having her away from me for any amount of time coursed through me.

"No, Edward. Will you stop jumping to conclusions?" Carlisle sighed. There was a pause and then he continued, "Her parents requested my permission so that she could be transferred to Phoenix general hospital instead of staying here."

I was relieved, "So?"

"Edward," Carlisle paused, "I gave them that permission. Bella will be transferring to Phoenix General Hospital tomorrow."

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Duh duh duuh! Sorry about the tiny cliff hanger!

Quote from the next chapter:

"I don't know if you can hear this, Bella, but I wrote it for you," I muttered. As the lullaby filled the room, I stared at her, memorizing her every feature. I knew that Carlisle was right, that I was being selfish, but I couldn't bear Bella leaving.

No, I reprimanded myself. This would be the last time that I would see her. I wouldn't act on selfish impulse any more. But before she left, there were a few things that she had to know…

Yes, Bella's parents want to move her to Phoenix! Will they be separated forever or will Edward save the day before it's too late?

PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!

Steph