For Your Eyes Only

Chapter Three – When She Was In Hospital

Even though I was on the brink of consciousness, I still knew that I was in trouble.

The last thing I remembered was pain. A horrible, prickling pain across my forehead. I could clearly picture the splinters of glass shattering over me, the force of my head slamming against the steering wheel. My truck crashing into a tree.

The ghost. Edward... was that really his name?

I promised Rose I'd get home safely; she was probably really panicking now. I'd been such a fool, driving after I'd fainted earlier on in the day. Only a complete idiot would do that, but why couldn't I have realised that before? I just had to be stubborn.

Then again, an idiot isn't likely to be stalked by a ghost by the name of Edward Cullen who insists that he needs their help.

I realised, then, just how alert I was and decided to open my eyes slowly, surprised by a numb feeling that was spreading through my body. I couldn't feel my fingertips or my toes, or anything at all.

That was... worrying.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision and was met by a handsome blond doctor who smiled almost immediately when I looked up into his eyes.

"It's nice to have you with us again, Miss Swan."

A groan escaped my lips and I tried to shift myself upwards, but nothing happened. I just flopped back onto the bed like a jellyfish.

"It's best that you keep still for the time being," his voice continued. "You had quite a shock."

That's putting it lightly.

I looked around and, for sure, I was in Forks Hospital. There was a humming noise in the air; the sound of distant conversations echoing through into my room and medical machinery. I was alone with the doctor and felt disappointed once more when Edw- I mean, the ghost wasn't there.

Something which was completely unreasonable.

"So, Miss Swan..."

I turned my attention to the doctor and couldn't help smiling goofily at him (I blame the accident). He looked like he should be a film star, or at the very least a model for shampoo. He was just so handsome and his hair shone beautifully.

I had to stay focused, though, and tried my hardest to keep my face neutral.

"Are you in any pain at the moment?"

I thought about that for a second. It was strange, but I really couldn't feel anything. In fact, I felt strangely high. Well, at least I thought this was what it was like to be high; I'd never had that experience before and didn't ever intend to.

"No," I answered, frowning a little. My words were slightly slurred and slow. "I feel kind of... numb."

He chuckled. "That's the pain meds getting to work. You'll need to alert a nurse when you need a top up, though. There's a button there." His gaze moved to just above my eyes. "You had a rather nasty injury on your forehead."

My hands automatically moved upwards but he rushed over, quickly stopping my action. "No, no, don't touch it just yet. You don't want to damage the stitches or pull them out."

I winced at that; things were getting even worse, if that were really possible.

"Luckily there weren't any serious injuries," he added, taking a chair and sitting close to me. "You were very fortunate." I smiled at him and randomly glanced at his name tag. Dr Cullen.

My heart immediately began pounding faster. Surely he couldn't be...? No, he wouldn't...

"H-Hey, are you related to an Edward C-Cullen?" I asked, unable to stop the words pouring from my mouth. I immediately regretted saying so, but just had to wait for his reaction now. A frown quickly appeared on his face.

"No, I don't think so." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I... I, well, I met somebody with the same surname as you earlier today," I replied carefully. "Maybe it was just a coincidence."

He nodded a little distantly. "Yes, probably."

We sat in silence for a while and I internally moaned for bringing that up; I had most definitely sounded completely stupid and very nosey, and now Dr Cullen seemed to be thinking about it a lot, as though it were really a possibility.

"Can you remember what caused you to crash, Miss Swan?" he continued suddenly, gaining my attention.

I took a deep breath, knowing exactly what had happened. It was still fresh in my memory and I knew I'd never forget it for as long as I lived, ominous as that may sound. I also knew that I couldn't tell Dr Cullen what had really happened, or he'd send me straight to the psychiatric ward.

"Um... I think I f-fainted," I told him. "But it happened to me earlier today as well."

His eyes widened. "Miss Swan, that was very irresponsible of you to drive after fainting previously." He paused. "How long was it between the two incidents?"

"About two hours."

He looked at me for a long time. "I shouldn't really make any judgements, but-"

"I know, it was wrong," I sighed. "I just... well, I wasn't really thinking straight."

There was suddenly a loud thud on the door and I closed my eyes in despair, recognising the head of blonde hair. Rose.

I was in deep sh-

"Bella Swan!" she hissed.

I exchanged a look with the doctor, silently pleading with him to help me. He gave a helpless smile and turned towards my new visitor. She rushed through the doors and stood at the edge of my bed; her head was constantly shaking and she looked in complete disbelief.

Basically my general feelings of today, then. What a suckish day it's been.

"What did I tell you?" she shouted. It was obviously a rhetorical question because she soon yelled, "I told you not to drive!"

"Sorry, Miss, would you mind please lowering your-"

Rose fiercely cut off Dr Cullen's attempt. "No! I won't!" She turned towards me. "Bella, that was incredibly stupid of you! I knew I shouldn't have let you go, but now look at you!"

"I know, I know," I said quietly. "I-"

My voice trailed off limply and, to my embarrassment, I realised that I was close to tears. I didn't know how that had happened but I just stared at my lap, managing to feel my face prickle. Obviously the pain meds didn't numb off everything...

"Do you mind if I have a quiet word with Bella?"

Rose was talking to the doctor and it seemed she had finally quietened a little. He nodded and started to stand up.

"Thank you for looking after me, Dr Cullen," I called, just when his hand reached the door.

He turned back around and gave me a wonderful smile. "No problem and, please, call me Carlisle."

I was still grinning when he walked out down the corridor. Now that man certainly had charm.

After swallowing a few times, I looked up at Rose and was relieved to see that she looked a little calmer now. In fact, her face was full of sympathy and I immediately squirmed, feeling a lecture coming on.

"Bells, what happened?"

She took the seat where Dr Cullen had been before and I sighed, telling her the same old story about the fainting. I felt really bad about hiding stuff from her, my best friend, yet I couldn't tell her about Edward. I just couldn't. Not yet, anyway. I didn't even know if he was real.

"You fainted again?" she asked and I nodded slowly. "But that's twice in one day, Bells. Do you think there's something seriously wrong?"

I shook my head this time. "No. The doctors have checked me over and the only thing that's wrong is the cut on my forehead."

She grimaced. "If you're sure-"

"I am. Really. I've just been feeling stressed with everything..." I shrugged. "Y'know."

"Yeah. I know," she said softly. "Oh, Bells, I'm really sorry for shouting back there. I just-"

"Don't worry," I interrupted. "I'm perfectly adapted to your tempers now."

She nudged me gently in the ribs. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

I laughed half heartedly, suddenly feeling very tired. I could barely keep my eyelids open and I just wanted to escape into unconsciousness. I had no idea of the time but just knew that I needed sleep.

"You look exhausted, Bells," Rose observed, once again showing her scary knowledge of my feelings. "I'll let you sleep. Do you know when you're being discharged?"

"Tomorrow morning, I think."

"I'll pick you up."

"What about school?" I asked, yawning involuntarily afterwards.

"You're more important."

I felt briefly warm and fuzzy. "Thanks Rose."

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

"Will do. Oh, and Rose?" She turned around and looked at me curiously. "Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want any rumours going around."

"Don't worry about it," she replied reassuringly. "Just relax and get some sleep. You need it."

I mumbled something intelligible, before gratefully closing my eyes and finally getting some rest.

I woke up the next day and instantly knew that it was early; the light outside was bright and I could hear some birds tweeting cheerfully in the trees. After letting out a low groan and managing to sit myself upright, I glanced at the clock. 5am. Ugh. It wasn't right to be up that early.

As well as the wildlife, I could also hear the distant sound of people in the corridors and grumbled, feeling annoyed by the constant noise in the place. Thank God I was going home later today. I had to visit Charlie as well...

After taking a sip of some water to soothe my raw throat, I made myself comfortable and decided to close my eyes for a while. My ears were buzzing strangely and I shivered, wrapping the covers further up to my neck. It was oddly cold in here and goose bumps quickly travelled along my arms.

A new shiver passed through me as I remembered when I'd last felt like this.

"Bella?"

Oh no. Please no... not again. Not now. He's not real.

Surely enough, when I opened my eyes, he was there again. Edward, as he called himself, was stood beside me, looking as beautiful and mysterious as ever.

I think my heart actually stopped beating for a moment from the shock.

He moved over towards the place where Rose had been sitting yesterday and leaned close to my face. Once again, I was amazed by what was happening; Jasper Whitlock's looks paled in comparison to his. So did Dr Cullen's, actually; Edward was just scarily beautiful. There really weren't enough words in my vocabulary to describe him, even if he wasn't real.

We stared silently at each other for a time that I couldn't even begin to measure. His eyes were wide and focused on mine, almost as though he could read my mind and was listening in to my frazzled thoughts.

"Are you alright?"

I frowned at him, somehow finding my voice. "I wouldn't be in a hospital if I was."

He looked momentarily surprised but a soft chuckle soon escaped his lips. The sound seemed to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. "You have quite an attitude."

My eyebrows rose. "Excuse me, but that's a little rude."

He grinned again, as though he was enjoying our exchange. "I apologise. But anyway, you need to answer my question."

I groaned heavily, making sure nobody was hovering outside. "I've been better."

He paused for a moment, looking at my forehead. I was beginning to feel a tad self conscious, but he soon murmured, "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Scared me?" I retorted, scoffing. "You frightened the life out of me!"

He stared at me, unblinking, and I realised the true extent to what I'd just said. The words tumbled out of my mouth again without regards for any kind of filter. "Are you still alive?"

His gaze shifted to the floor and he leaned back silently, thinking to himself. I wasn't even sure if he was actually capable of producing thoughts.

God, what the hell am I on about? He's not even real! I must be going insane now, I'm having a conversation with him...

But... he had appeared three times now. He couldn't just do that by coincidence.

Even if my mind was messed up, I could at least enjoy his presence while it lasted. He certainly had my interest, despite the fact that even thinking of what he was made me shiver with fear.

"I'm sorry. That was really insensitive. I-"

"I think I'm still alive, Bella," he said quietly. My mouth fell open and I looked at him in surprise. Still alive?

"But-"

He cut me off. "I'm glad you're finally accepting my existence now, though."

His small smirk made my heart flutter but I averted my eyes to the sheets. "You don't know that."

"I know it must have been a little worrying to see me," he began and I quickly snorted.

"Do you realise how scary it was?" I asked. "I thought I was going insane. Actually, I probably am. Maybe you're still just a crazy hallucination."

"No, Bella!" His eyes screwed tight and the hands by his sides balled into fists. "Please don't say that... it's taken so long to find somebody who can actually see me! Please just..."

He trailed off, looking so genuinely lost at that moment, and I instinctively wanted to reach out for his hand. Then again, I wondered if my attempt would just result in me flailing away at thin air.

That thought was slightly heartbreaking.

"Edward, you really need to-"

My voice broke off when I noticed Dr Cullen standing in the doorway. He quickly knocked on the door and poked his head through the space, giving me a warm smile.

"Good morning, Miss Swan."

I tried not to stare at my other company in the room when I returned his greeting. "Morning, Dr Cullen."

"Carlisle," he smiled, closing the door behind him. I managed a small smile.

"You're up early," he commented, standing by my side just a few inches in front of Edward. I swallowed nervously, peeking quickly at him. His face was neutral and it seemed as though he was tuning out of the conversation.

Even though he was a ghost thing, he was pretty polite and considerate.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," I spluttered, rubbing absently at my eyes.

"And how do you feel?" he queried, writing something down on a clipboard that was in his hands. He glanced up at me and I just about forced another smile.

"Good, I think."

"Is your head sore at all?"

"Not really," I answered honestly. "I feel fine, actually."

That wonderful smile appeared on his face again and he very obviously ticked something on his clipboard. "When's your friend taking you home?"

"10am."

"Well, I advise that you get some more sleep if you can."

I smiled wryly. I most definitely wouldn't be getting any more shuteye now that Edward had appeared again. I glanced over to check that he was still there and he hadn't moved; he still held the same posture and look on his face as before.

"I'll check on you one more time before you're discharged," he told me.

"Thanks for everything," I said, genuinely grateful for his compassion and concern.

"It's my job," he smiled. "Now, please have some rest."

I watched him walk out the room and waited until he was right out of view down the corridor before turning towards Edward. To my surprise and slight annoyance, he was shaking his head.

"What?" I frowned.

"Nothing," he sighed, pulling his gaze to meet mine.

"No," I said, sitting further upwards. "Tell me." Silence. "Now."

"You can be quite bossy sometimes," he grumbled, although the lopsided smirk was in place again.

"Yeah? Well... you can be quite ghostly sometimes."

His expression turned to stone. Once again I'd gone and said the wrong thing.

Cue forehead slap.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"I wouldn't say that I'm a ghost."

"What are you then?" I countered.

"I really don't know." He didn't say anything for a long time and I decided to prompt him. "You said you thought you were still alive..."

He lifted up his hand and moved it as though he was about to run his fingers through his hair. However, he let out an exasperated sigh and met my gaze with tortured eyes. "I keep forgetting that I can't feel things anymore."

I frowned. "You can't?"

"No. It just feels like I'm pushing through air. But I'm always cold," he sighed. "Always freezing cold."

This strange ghost thing that I didn't even know already had me feeling sympathy towards him, and I still wasn't sure if he was truly real.

"I felt cold the first time I saw you," I said, and a small hint of interest flashed across his features.

"Really?"

"Yeah. And it happened again before you turned up here again."

"Huh," was his response and it was obvious that neither of us had an explanation. I still felt awful for him because he couldn't feel anything except the cold; that must be horrible.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" I asked after a few minutes' silence. He took a deep breath and met my gaze once more with those dazzling green eyes. It was a little scary to think that he might actually be real...

"I guess I have to," he sighed. "Especially if I'm going to need your help."

That thought filled me with dread but I nodded, keeping my face calm. Well, reasonably calm.

"Alright then," I said, taking in a deep breath. "Tell me everything."