Hullo guys, welcome back to the next instalment of Seasons of Love. The story is winding down now but isn't finished quite yet. Little twisted cliffy at the end of this chapter. I cringed with sheer disbelief at how clever I am when I thought about it.

Anyways, where have all my lovely reviews gone, I do not want to sink as low and threatening people's lives for them but will unless I get 16 reviews for this chapter.

Once again, this chapter is dedicated to the one, the only: bella raven cullen because she and I had a cool PM session two nights ago and a mini one yesterday.

And now…what you've all been waiting for… CHAPTER 17!!!

Chapter 17

When I woke, only one person was there, he was lying on my pillow and holding my hand. I smiled at him and raised my other hand to stroked his soft bronze hair. I twisted my finger in it and leant towards him and kissed his head. He stirred slightly.

'Edward?' I whispered, his eyes flew open and he turned to me.

'Bella, how are you?' he replied, touching my cheek gently. I smiled but my legs started aching. I grimaced.

'What is it?' he asked worried, I pointed to my legs. They were wrapped in tight heavy plaster casts.

'There's not much I can do about them because I can't take off the casts. I'm sorry, love. Your legs were almost too broken to save, they're not sure if you'll ever walk again. But don't worry about it yet,' he whispered. I smiled uneasily at him.

'Edward, when was the last time you were at home?' I asked. He thought hard for a moment.

'A couple of weeks ago, I think,' he replied kissing my forehead. I frowned at him and whacked his arm weakly. He grinned sheepishly. I shifted over on the bed and patted the space I had left.

'You need some rest, come up here,' I said. Edward slipped his shoes off and got on the bed and put his head on my shoulder carefully.

'I often thought we might have lost you but I tried to stay strong,' he admitted.

'I hardly remember what happened!' I whispered. He shifted onto his side to look at me.

'You know what happened to Alice?' I nodded. 'Yeah, about fifty times worse than that, you were shot twice, kick repeatedly, hit and had both legs broken! The doctors said that it was a miracle that you survived and there was only a fifteen percent chance of you waking up. I was beyond completely insane with worry and panic. You've been in a coma for about six months, oh my poor Bella, I love you so much.' He was in tears by the end. I put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into me to give him a hug. I was beginning to remember the kidnapping.

'But Bella, a tonne of news teams from across the country want to talk to you about your ordeal. None of us were sure that it was the right thing to do,' he said suddenly serious. I shook my head, it made my ears ring.

'I'll have to see later.' I told him before laying my head down on his chest and sighing. Being injured is so boring unless you have an obscenely good looking guy as your boyfriend who will stay with you throughout the bad times.

Edward's hand combed through my tangled hair as we lay there.

'I'm so sorry that I didn't stay, my darling, I really am. I wish I could make it up to you but I fear that there is no way that it is at all possible to repay you,' he whispered as he kissed the top of my head.

''S'not your fault, Edward. I told you to go,' I slurred tiredly.

'Yes but you were already hurt and wasn't thinking straight, I should have stayed!' he was obviously blaming this all on himself and I wasn't going to let that happen.

'Don't beat yourself up about it Edward, please for me,' I begged him yawning. He debated it quietly but his shoulder sagged in resignation.

''Kay,' he sighed and danced his fingers across the bare skin of my arm in hypnotic circles. Soon I found myself falling asleep.

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Emmett was pulling faces over my face when I woke this time. He didn't notice I was awake.

'Cut that crap out, Emmett,' I complained. He jumped in shock and nearly fell on me as he was leaning over the bed. Edward jumped up into a kneeling position on the bed as he had been lying beside me and pushed him back to Rose who was sitting quietly in the corner but smiling at me. Everyone was quiet, strangely and unusually quiet. I looked at them, trying to get them to talk. Alice was holding her side silently laughing.

'Aw, come on guys, what is it?' I asked.

'Nothing,' Alice giggled. I let it drop…for now. Edward kissed my cheek and I nuzzled against him, trying to keep warm. He swaddled me in the extra blankets; I felt to baby-ied and folded my arms stubbornly.

'When do I get the heck out of here?' I moaned. Alice stood and sat on the bed beside my still-bandaged legs and tapped one of them lightly.

'In about three week's time, honey. But then its back to college for you after about another two weeks and all of us the day after you get out, we had been given a lot of extended holidays, so we could be here with you. We have piles of classwork and homework for you to do back in your apartment, now that's its been cleared as a crime scene,' Alice informed me, much to my regret.

I was quite surprised that no one had come from the Police force to speak to me yet. As if my mind had been read, there was a knock at the door and a NYPD officer walked in. I inwardly groaned. As much as I wanted it over with, I still had to get through it without falling asleep. He started talking to the others at first but made them leave the room when he spoke to me. I cried when he said that and begged him if one of them could stay. Begrudgingly he agreed and I chose Edward. He grinned at me brightly and my world lit up considerably, he wiped my eyes with his hands and sat beside me on the bed with his arms secured tightly around me. And then the questioning began…

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I'd fallen asleep once he'd finished and given Edward a dead arm from lying on it. He lay back on the pillows and I lay on his chest.

'I love you Bella,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Edward,' I agreed, kissing his hand that I was holding. Alice gushed and Rose squealed, hugging Emmett tight. Jasper stood up and walked out of the room with no previous hint to where he was going. Alice ran after him, confused. There was another squeal in the corridor and Alice came rushing back in.

'Bella, there's two people here for you!' she screeched, giddily. I smiled hesitantly and closed my eyes relaxing as much as possible. The two visitors walked in while I had my eyes shut and I heard gasps and quiet words exchanged while I relaxed.

I opened my eyes carefully, one at a time and…

OMC Who is it? If you have an idea, feel very, very free to review telling me who and what happened next?!?!?

Heeeheeee, who knows maybe I don't even know. Bites lip and thinks hard Now I know who it is.

Lots of love to the lonely and reviewers,

Beth 'Very doo-lally but Equally Evil' Cullen

xx