Author's Chapter Notes:

Surprise! These characters and this story just wouldn't go away, and this ending played itself over and over in my mind until I decided to "put it on paper", but I feel as though it brings the story to a full closure...it turned out EXTREMELY long, so I am giving it to you in two parts! I hope you enjoy where they are today...and all I have to say is just...TRUST ME. :)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

SM owns the characters, I just play in the sandbox.

June 2011 (Present Day)

Silent. Peaceful. Heavenly. That's what my weekends are like when the kids are with Jacob. I relish the quiet and the calm from the chaos of the weekdays. I love my kids, but I love my quiet time too. Who doesn't? I know these moments won't last very long, so I am soaking them up as much as I can, even if this particular weekend, I am extremely lonely.

Edward and I celebrated our first anniversary as husband and wife this year, and since that day it has felt like a whirlwind had taken over our lives. Let me start by saying that our anniversary was beyond spectacular. He took me back to the hotel where he proposed, and we spent a weekend locked away in our hotel room, beneath the sheets. God, it was fantastic to "get away" and spend some time together, just being the two of us. I never imagined that I'd have to miss that time with him, but I do.

Eighteen days later came the news that tilted our world off its axis. He was being sent to Arizona with the rest of the Air Rescue squad, to help fight some major, and out of control, wild fires. I immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up all of the contents of my stomach when he came home that day and told me. I felt like I was being transported back to another lifetime ago, to the first time that Jacob had told me he was deploying for six months. I never thought that Edward being a firefighter would take him away too. Delusional…yes, I know. The fires have been horrible though, and way too many people have actually lost their homes, so I know it's where he needs to be, I'm just selfish and I don't like sharing him. Period.

That next Sunday, it was one week until he had to leave, and I remember waking up that morning and running straight to the toilet, purging the contents of my stomach for what felt like hours. Edward came staggering in still half asleep, pulled my hair back and ran a cold, wet washcloth over the back of my neck. He then took me by surprise by asking me the most basic question, but it left me dry heaving into the toilet. Again, delusional me, had never really thought much about it being even a blip on the radar, but he'd obviously been paying more attention that I had. That night marked the second and most substantial flip of our world in just a matter of weeks. It's not like we had been trying, but we weren't exactly doing anything to prevent it either. We were just living, and now, we were having a baby.

Edward has been gone for just over a month now, and every moment that goes by, we know less and less about how much longer he'll be gone. He does make it a point to call me every night before he goes to bed, and me being all kinds of crazy and hormonal, cry like a baby every time the phone rings. The relief that he has made it through another day…well, it's overwhelming; especially in my condition.

So, here I sit, just over two months pregnant, sipping a mug of boring-ass decaf coffee on my back porch, while my children are with Jacob, and my husband is off risking his life. It's so quiet you could hear an ant fart, and yet, I know it won't last long, so I do my best to remember how much I love it.

I still haven't told Alice or Rose yet. I'm not sure why either. I know they will both be thrilled beyond belief that I'm having a baby, but something in the back of my mind has me waiting to get to that "less risk of anything going wrong" stage. They're both going to verbally kill me when they find out I've taken so long to tell them, but what can I say? I'm still a chicken-shit about the delicate first trimester.

Speaking of Alice. She moved out about six months after Edward and I got married. She ended up renting his old condo from him, and I swear, that girl was meant to live in that place. He's pretty much given her free reign to decorate as she pleases, and let me just say…I barely recognize it as ever being his place anymore. That girl can decorate! Her and Jasper have become quite the item these days too, but since he still lives in Washington, they are doing their best at maintaining a long-distance relationship, and going about things pretty maturely. They are obviously head-over-heels for each other. Anyone who isn't blind can see that when they are together, but he's very delicate with her, considering her past with James. Things are just hard for them considering he has his bar, and she doesn't want to leave Rose and me. So, they make it work for now, but I have a feeling one of them will crack soon. My bet is on Jasper, because once she finds out I am pregnant; she will let nothing drag her away from San Diego.

Except this weekend, she's in PA with him, and won't be back until next weekend. Emmett and Rose took the kids to Disneyland for the first weekend of the summer, so that leaves me one hundred percent alone. This fucking sucks.

I finish off the last of my coffee, wondering why I even bother since it does nothing to wake me up, and head inside. I know I need to do the laundry, but in case you missed it, it's my first trimester, and I am fucking tired! The pile of clothes mocks me from the laundry room as I walk past. I glare back, as if it's going to stand up and converse with me. Jesus, I need to get out more.

I rinse my mug and head back to my room. A nice soak in the tub seems like the perfect idea at the moment, and hey, I have no responsibilities today. A soak it is!

I grab my iPhone, open up the iPod app and select the random play setting before docking it into the station on the counter. I turn on the water and as I let the tub fill, I strip down and take a good long look at my naked self in the mirror. I turn to the side, maybe hoping to see some kind of a bump, but there's really not much to see at this point. I busted my ass to get into shape before the wedding, and I have maintained it well. My stomach hasn't been this flat since before I had Lynette, and there's no sign of an impending bump at all.

I slide into the tub, turn on the jets and let the warmth and music surround me. Yep, best fucking idea ever!

I remember when I first wanted to buy this house; there were two things stood out to me the most. It's huge, beautiful kitchen where I imagined preparing countless meals, as well as hosting countless parties in. And the master bathroom, this room is like my own personal spa, and the tub….fucking huge with its jets in all the right places. Let's just say that Edward and I have christened it well. Oh yea, very, very well, and often, and….dammit.

Did I mention that in my first trimester, I am also extremely horny? How fair is that? He's not even here to enjoy this with me, and when he comes back, I'll probably be all puffy and fat and miserable, and not want him within an inch of me.

Annnnnnnd, now I am crying. Damn pregnancy hormones.

I sigh, turn off the jets, and hit the drain plug. Since my moment of pure bliss is now over, I stand up to climb out. Just as I am reaching for a towel, my phone begins to ring. I jump about a mile high, and my heart starts racing. Shit. That scared the piss outta me.

I quickly wrap the towel around me and cautiously climb out of the tub. The caller ID reads "Unknown" and my mind begins racing. Everyone I know is programmed into my phone? Who the hell could this be? Oh shit….

And before I even let my mind go there, I answer.

"Mrs. Cullen?" an unfamiliar voice responds.

"Umm…yes?" still not sure who the hell this is.

"This is Dr. Ryan at Phoenix Grand General Hospital. Am I speaking with Mrs. Edward A. Cullen?"

I swallow hard, and try to ignore the horrid pain that is threatening to close up my windpipe and shut down my heart. Calm down Bella. Breathe.

"Yes. Yes, that's me."

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm calling to inform you….admitted….life-flight….critical". There's a sudden ringing in my ears, and my vision is blurred. I try desperately to fight back the wave of nausea and hold on to what he is saying, but my body is giving out. I drop my phone to the floor and slump forward, bracing myself on the counter. I feel myself gasping, choking, desperate to get air into my lungs, but it feels like a noose is tied around my throat, preventing air from getting in. Please God. Help me.

I feel my knees hit the floor, and I press my forehead against the cabinets. A noise from the floor below me causes my brain kick back on. I draw in a long, deep breath, and feel the blood rushing to my brain again. Another noise then registers with me, and I realize it's me, sobbing. Not moving, I blindly reach for my phone. I can hear the doctor trying to get my attention as I press it to my ear.

"Mrs. Cullen? Mrs. Cullen, are you still there?" he sounds slightly panicked.

"Yes." I answer softly. "I'm sorry. I'm here. Please…please tell me about my husband."

Oh my God, Edward. Don't you dare fucking leave me now!

"I'm very sorry to have to call to tell you all of this. It's not news that I like to deliver over the phone, but as are the circumstances, I am sure you understand."

"Yes, sir, I do understand. Please...is he…will he?" I can't even finish the thought or the question. I won't. Edward will come home!

"As I was saying Mrs. Cullen. Your husband was brought in via life-flight about an hour ago. We have him stabilized, but he is still very in critical condition. We have him heavily sedated in a medicated coma for the time being, to give his body time to recover and rest. He was severely dehydrated, and suffered some first and second degree burns over about thirty percent of his body." Holy shit. "We won't know the extent of his smoke inhalation for some time, but when he arrived his oxygen stats were less than seventy percent."

I'm sobbing again. Warm, fat tears are streaming down my face as this all sinks in. I want to crawl through the phone and rush to his side. He needs me there, I know he does.

"Dr. Ryan?" I ask timidly.

"Yes, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Please save my husband. Please. Do whatever it takes, just please….save him." There's no stopping me now, the tears are coming fast, and I am openly begging and crying to this stranger on the phone.

"I assure you, we're doing everything we can." He answers.

"And please…tell him I love him, and I will be there just as soon as I can. Please tell him that. He needs to know. He has to know that I am going to be there for him. Please." I beg.

"Mrs. Cullen, as I stated before –"

I cut him off, "PLEASE! Just…please, do this one thing for me." I beg without hesitation.

"Yes, of course. I will, Mrs. Cullen. I will tell him." He says solemnly. I immediately hate the tone of his voice. It's too final. Too fucking final. Edward will be ok! He just will!

"Thank you Dr. Ryan." I'm crying again, but I don't care.

The call is disconnected, and I just stare at the phone in my hand. I replay all the words he just told me like a broken record in my mind. Critical condition, medical coma…oh God!

My fingers grip the phone so hard they ache, and if I had super-human powers, it would likely crush into dust. What the hell happened?

I rush into my bedroom, toss the phone on the bed and put on my underwear, a pair of yoga pants, my bra and a plain white t-shirt. I quickly brush my teeth and pull up my hair. Running to the front door, I grab my purse and keys. I don't have a destination in mind, but I have to go…I have to just go. As I merge onto the freeway, I know immediately where I should go and press the accelerator hard, swerving in and out of the cars in my way. It's not until I make the exit onto El Cajon Boulevard, that I realize where I am headed. The station. Someone has to know something.

I park my truck and jump out. The doors are down, which is a good sign, because that means that the trucks are here and so are the guys. I race up the steps and burst through the door. Bree, the station receptionist looks up at me startled.

"Bella? What are you –"

"Bree, where's the captain? I need to see him. I need to see the captain…now!" I blurt out, clearly taking her by surprise, as her eyes widen, and the fear must mirror my own.

"Ok, ok. Hang on, let me call him up here." She says quickly.

"No! Just…just take me to him...now…please? I need to talk to Jared now, it can't wait." I'm practically hyperventilating, and likely scaring this shit out of this poor girl, but I can't worry about that now. I need answers. I need to get to Edward.

She stands up and quickly comes out from behind the desk. "Ok, let's go." She says without another thought. I hope I can remember to thank her later.

She swipes her badge over the card reader by the door, and it beeps, allowing her to pull it open. We walk quickly down the hallway to the station quarters where the guys will likely be hanging out. I've walked these halls countless times in the last year, hung out with the captain and the guys more times than I can remember in their stinky "man cave" as they like to call it, and somehow at this moment, it feels eerily quiet and haunted. We turn the corner, and she knocks on the captain's door, before pushing it open and walking in.

"Captain, Bella Swan is here to see you. She says it's urgent." I really hope I remember to thank her later.

I hear his voice rumble and some papers shuffle across his desk, before I step into the doorway and see him. He has the phone tucked between his chin and shoulder, and the moment our eyes lock, I shudder. He knows.

Of course he does, Bella. He's the damn captain for crying out loud. Those are his boys over there fighting that raging inferno. Of course he knows.

He motions for me to come in, and I sit in one of the leather chairs facing his desk. I note the sound of the door clicking closed behind me, and realize that Bree has left us.

"Right. Ok. Yea, that's probably the best idea. Right, keep me posted. Uh huh. Bye."

He places the phone back on the cradle and our eyes meet again. He drops his elbows to the desk and scrubs his hands over his face before clasping them on the desk in front of him and looking at me again. He eyes are sad, and my heart breaks all over again.

"Bella. Shit. You should have heard this from me, and I just found out less than an hour ago. How the hell do you already know?" he asks me sincerely, with a trace of pain in his voice.

"The hospital called me." I answered softly, dropping my gaze to my hands as I clasp and unclasp them in my lap.

"Shit." He huffs.

"Jared. What happened? I need to know what I am facing here. And before you try and talk me out of it, I am getting on the first flight I can to Phoenix. He needs me."

He doesn't argue with me and for that I am grateful.

"Where do I even begin, Bella?" and I can tell he is fighting back the tears. This strong, hard man, who I have watched command a room without even speaking a word, is breaking down in front of me.

He takes a deep breath and sits back in his chair, locking his hands behind his head. "The guys had a late night and an early morning. Apparently the winds had died down significantly overnight, and it was the perfect time to get the bird in the air early, and drop them into the mountains at Cave Creek Canyon. Edward, Paul, Tyler and Mike, along with about ten other guys from other stations, pulled the first drop and began building the fire line. I guess I don't need to tell you that the area they were in was pretty treacherous, being it's a national park and all." I just nod and wait for him to continue.

"So, about two hours after sunrise, they had reported that they'd formed a pretty decent line, and radioed for the bird to fly back and take them to the next drop. What they didn't anticipate was the winds shifting…" he pauses, meets my gaze, and leans back on his elbows on his desk.

"Are you sure you want to hear this, Bella?"

I nod, though now that he's actually telling me, I am not so certain.

"Well…like I said, the winds shifted and began forcing the fire back up the mountain. Now, of course you know our boys know exactly what to do in that situation, but…Jesus…it was just too fast. It was just too fast Bella. They didn't have time. The bird couldn't get in there because the winds were so strong at that point…and…FUCK!"

I jumped in my seat, and he dropped his face in his hands. I choked down the sob that was threatening to escape my throat and began playing with my engagement ring. I looked down at it as tears once again fell from my eyes. Please, Edward. Please don't leave me.

"Bella?" Jared asked, and as I looked into his face, I was met with so much pain. Tears were slowly making a trail down his cheeks, and I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from completely losing it again.

"Bella…we lost Paul. Paul…didn't…make it." He sobbed. Oh my God! Paul!

That was all it took. I jumped out of my chair and ran around his desk as he stood and pulled me into a tight embrace. We sobbed into each other; both overcome by the pain and fear.

"Mike's also in the ICU where Edward's at, but he only suffered some severe heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. They have him on strict IV fluids and one hundred percent oxygen to get his stats back up…or something like that." He said softly into my shoulder. I simply nod. I can't let go of him. I'm too scared that once I do, I'll fall completely to pieces, and I can't do that yet. I have to maintain some form of hope. I have to.

After a few moments of trying to get a grip on myself, I pull back, "Tyler? What about him? Is he…okay?" I ask shakily.

He nods. "Tyler saved Edward and Mike. I don't have the specifics on that yet, but from what we've heard so far, he was able to drag them away with the help of some of the other units men before they we rescued. Four men….died…on that mountain today. Four…" he choked.

My knees felt suddenly weak, and I leaned my side against his desk. I was at a loss for words. The selfish side of me was beyond thrilled that Edward wasn't one of those four; yet, he was hurt, and fighting for his life and that made it hard for me to breathe. I felt Jared's hand on my shoulders, and I looked into his eyes.

"Go to him, Bella. He's strong, but he needs you. Go to him."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I quickly hugged him, and then ran out of his office and back down the hallway. I heard muffled voices coming from the quarters, but I ignored them as I pushed harder to the front of the building. I burst into the reception area, and a startled Bree met my gaze.

"Be safe, Bella!" I heard her call out as I pushed open the front door. I halted dead in my tracks and spun around.

"Bree, thank you. For…everything."

She waved me off and I ran out to my truck. As I fumbled to get my keys into the ignition, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I need to call the kids. Shit!

xxx

"Thanks Jake." I said calmly, as he lead me into his apartment. My legs felt like lead, and my heart was in my throat. They love Edward, and this is going to scare them to death. I know I need to tell them that he's hurt, but how much do they need to know? Lynette is very perceptive, and she's going to pick up on me keeping anything from her. Shit, this is going to be hard!

The kids were in his living room playing Rock Band, and barely even noticed I was there. I smiled to myself sadly, knowing I was about to turn their carefree afternoon into one of chaos and fear. Stupid fucking reality.

"Hey guys!" I said, in my best fake cheerful voice.

"Mommy!" they all three screeched together. A huge knot formed in my throat, because I really didn't want to do this.

"I have to talk to you real quick. Can we pause the game a sec?" I asked, still maintaining my fake façade.

After some mild huffing and puffing, they paused it and sat patiently, or as patiently as they can when really wanting to play their game. I take a deep breath, and sit down across from them on the coffee table. I lean forward, putting my elbows on my knees and look at them one at a time. Oh, my sweet, sweet babies. I sigh and realize it's now or never.

"Ok, so…you remember that Daddy Edward is in Arizona to help save all those families houses from the bad fires, right?" They all three nod. "And you also know that he jumps from the helicopter when it can't land on a flat spot so he can help stop the fire, right?" Again, they nod. Here goes…."Daddy Edward had a little accident today, and mommy is going to fly to Arizona to see him, and make sure he gets better. Ok?"

Their eyes are wide, and none of them move. Robbie looks back and forth at the girls, likely waiting on their reaction as usual, before he gives one. Madysen's eyes are scared, and I can see her fear, so I quickly grab her hand and rub my thumb over her knuckles. Lynette has clasped her hands in her lap and is staring at them intently.

"Now, I want you to know, it's ok to be scared. Mommy's scared too, so don't try to hide that. If you need to talk to me, or Daddy, you know you can." I say as softly, and as reassuring as I can. "Does anyone have any questions?"

I look between the three of them, and can see the wheels turning in all of their minds.

Robbie surprises me by speaking up first. "Mommy? Did the fire hurt Daddy Edward?"

I swallow thickly as I look into his sweet, brown eyes. "Yes baby. The fire hurt him, but the doctors are taking very, very good care of him. Mommy's going to go to the hospital with him to help him get better and come home to all of us. Ok?"

He nods, and then stands and wraps his little arms around my neck. That was all his young little mind needed to know, and he was satisfied. He sits back down on the couch, and as before, waits for his sisters to speak. I look to Lynette, knowing she understands the weight of this more than the others. Her eyes meet mine, and I can see the struggle she is trying to fight deep in them. "Lynnie?" I ask her softly. She just shakes her head and stays quiet. My heart cracks a little more, knowing how hard she is struggling to be strong for her little brother and sister. She's twelve now, and she's taken on a fierce role of protecting them.

"Madysen?" I ask as I turn my eyes to hers.

"Mommy, can you tell Daddy Edward that I love him very much, and I hope he gets better soon? And also…tell him I miss him."

If there is one thing in this whole ordeal that the four of us have been through with the divorce and my marriage to Edward that I am more than grateful for, it is that they without a doubt do not feel like they have to hide how they feel about Edward in front of Jacob. He has been more than understanding in their relationship with Edward. He knows that Edward loves them as much as he does, and he's never denied them that. Thank God.

"I will absolutely tell him that baby girl. I know he misses you and loves you too." I pull her off the couch and into my arms, running my fingers through her hair. I kiss her gently on the cheek, release her and rub my palms down my thighs. I'm anxious to be with Edward, but feel torn between being there for him, and now being here for my kids. I feel Jake come stand behind me and place his hand on my shoulder.

"Do you guys have anything else you want to say or ask Mommy? She's leaving soon, you know?" I know he's trying to coax a response from Lynette, but I also know she's processing everything, and will come around when she's ready. They all shake their heads, and I pull them in for a group hugs.

"Now, be good for your daddy, and I promise to call you every day. Ok?" They all nod again.

I give them another round of hugs and kisses, and make my way out front. Jake has agreed to keep them without even blinking an eye, and for an undisclosed amount of time. He's being great about everything, and I am beyond relieved. The last thing I need right now is to deal with any of his issues.

xxx

It's an hour and ten-minute flight direct from San Diego to Phoenix, and I swear it has been the longest hour of my life. I grab my roll-along suitcase from the overhead bin, and make my way up the walkway. As I approach the rental car counter, I see I am not the only person who decided to fly to Phoenix on a Saturday night, and I begin to impatiently rock from leg to leg as I wait in line to get my car. Could these people take any longer?

Finally, it's my turn, and the rep behind the counter must think that I have all the time in the world, because she is about as slow as a fucking turtle as she's pulling up my rental information. On top of that, she's chewing on gum like it's her last damn meal, smacking and chopping away. I did everything online simply to avoid this crap, and as her annoying flame red fingers type along on the keyboard, it takes everything in me not to reach across the counter and slap that damn gum right out of her mouth. Breathe, Bella.

Once she decides that she's finally done, she slides the contract across the counter for me to sign, and I really hope she can feel the burn of my glare on her face, but she won't meet my eyes. Bitch. Jesus, anxious much Bella?

She rips off the copy from the back, folds it, hands me my keys and directs me to the shuttle bus that will take me to the car lot. I sigh; grab the handle of my suitcase, and head through the double glass doors to the awaiting shuttle. As it makes its way away from the terminal, I rest my head back on the seat and close my eyes. I'm thoroughly exhausted, anxious and scared as hell, but I am grasping on to the smallest string of hope, and I will not let it go. Thinking of Edward soothes me, and I feel myself begin to drift to happier times over the last year. His beautiful blue eyes, his gorgeous, soft hair, always in disarray, his soft touch, his warm smile, his smell, his love. Please God, just please.

Tears prick behind my eyes, and my hand drifts to my abdomen just as the shuttle jerks to a stop. The driver welcomes us to Phoenix and "hopes we enjoy our stay." Psh…if you only knew buddy.

I find my car, toss the suitcase in the back seat, and slide behind the wheel. I plug in the address of the hospital to the GPS system in the dashboard and crank the engine. Within fifteen minutes, I am pulling into the parking lot of the hospital. Every single one of my nerves is on edge. I have no idea what to expect when I see him. I don't even know if he'll know I'm here. Wait. Of course he'll know I'm here, he'll feel me.

I walk casually up to the information desk, and ask the lady behind it how to get to the burn unit. She places a map of the hospital on the counter in front of me, circles the area, and places an "x" on where we are now. She then directs me to the elevators. I punch the button and wait. I feel like I have been doing that all day…hurry up and wait.

As I step off the elevator and make my way to the burn unit, I can feel my stomach twisting and turning fiercely. I push open a set of heavy wooden doors to the unit and slowly step through. To my immediate left is a nurse's station with all sorts of monitors beeping and recording way too much information for me to process at the moment. To my right is a long corridor of rooms. There are two nurses at the end of the hallway, deep in conversation, each holding a clipboard. Behind the desk at the nurse's station are another nurse and two doctors. I swallow hard, and walk up to the counter.

"Umm…excuse me? I'm Bella Cullen…my husband was admitted here today." I'm surprised at how calm I sound, while inside I feel like a swarm of bees are flying around and shoving their stingers into every possible surface. One of the doctors turns immediately at the sound of my name and makes his way to the counter. He's tall and blonde, and has a demanding, yet gentle demeanor.

"Mrs. Cullen. I'm Dr. Ryan." He says cautiously while he extends his hand.

I take it firmly, still trying desperately to hold onto that string of hope with everything in me.

"Yes, of course. It's nice to meet you doctor."

"Likewise, Mrs. Cullen. I'd be lying if I said that I am surprised to see you here so soon." He pauses briefly. "If you'll come with me, I have some things to discuss with you before I take you to Mr. C—your husband." I have no voice, so I simply nod.

We walk directly across the hallway, and he opens the door to an empty waiting room. It's not very large, with two couches facing each other on adjacent walls, and a flat screen television hanging on the far wall between them. He gestures for me to take a seat, and I do. He sits on the couch across from me, and leans forward on his elbows, locking his fingers together. I can feel the "doctor" conversation beginning before he even opens his mouth, and now I feel completely nauseous.

"Mrs. Cullen, I wanted to brief you on today's events before I take you to see you husband. I also want you to be as fully prepared as possible, simply because I can only imagine the thoughts of him that you have conjured up in the time it took you to get here." It must really suck to be a doctor and have to have these types of conversations with people. I can't even begin to imagine, and it makes me even more anxious. I nod again, wringing my hands in my lap and wait for him to get on with it. I just want to see my husband.

"Now, we still have him in a medicated coma while his body heals, and we expect that he will remain in that state for at least a few more days. We were able to determine the extent of lung damage from the smoke inhalation, and at best we believe at this point, he's only lost about twenty-five percent lung function." I blanched. What does that mean? "In layman's terms, what that means is, due to the extreme heat from the smoke and fire, his lungs began to shut down due to lack of oxygen, and had he been exposed any longer…well, he could have suffered irreparable damage or worse. So, this is good news. He may or may not ever regain full function of that twenty-five percent, but only time will tell how his lungs will or…will not heal."

I still have no voice, so again I nod. He can still breathe with seventy-five percent of his lungs, right? Right?

"As for the burns…I want you to prepare yourself. Please don't take this to mean any harm…but you need to understand that…you may not recognize the man lying in that bed as your husband. The burns that he suffered are on the left side of his body, from his neck, down to his upper buttocks. We also had to shave his head, as some of his hair on the back of his head was singed." Again, I blanched. "We have bandaged him with a hydrating and medicated wrapping that is helping his skin heal. We did some skin grafts to the back of his neck and shoulder where his burns were more severe. Luckily enough for him, those were the worst of his burns, but they will also be the most painful when he does regain consciousness."

My voice still hasn't returned, so all I can do is stare at the man who is fighting to save my Edward's life. I feel something warm and wet on my hands, and realize that tears are dripping from my chin. On the table next to Dr. Ryan is a box of tissues, which he quickly pulls a few from and hands to me. I wipe my face and take a deep breath.

"Is there anything you'd like to ask me before we go in there, Mrs. Cullen?"

Is there? I'm not even sure what I should be asking at this point, so I simply shake my head. He stands, and turns to open the door. I rise hesitantly, and follow him out of the room and down the hallway. It's not empty, and the sounds on the monitors at the station are the only noises to be heard. He stops a few doors down, and grasps the door handle. I hold my breath as he pushes the door open. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting to see when I arrived here today, but nothing…nothing…could prepare me for what I saw when I finally laid eyes on Edward. I gasp quietly as my heart crumbles into a million pieces, and Dr. Ryan merely nods and motions for me follow him into the room. It's dark, save for a small lamp to the far side of the room. The bed is flat, and he is partially propped up on his right side. He has an IV drip and a blood pressure cuff on his right arm, and just by the way he's laying, I want to push him flat on his back, because he just doesn't seem comfortable. There is a breathing tube taped to his mouth and face and the machine it is attached to, has an accordion looking bag that pumps up and down. Each down, Edward's chest rises, as it fills his lungs with air. Seventy-five percent. Seventy-five percent.

He is covered with a blanket up to his waist, and there is gauze and bloody bandages covering his back, arms, neck and head. The gauze around his head is only partial, like a sweatband, and I can clearly see the top of his head. Gone. All his beautiful hair is…gone. As if I'm being pulled, I slowly make my way closer to him. His beautiful chest has strips of gauze wound around it, holding the ones on his back in place. He has a heart monitor strapped to it as well, and a pulse ox bulb taped to his left middle finger. But he's dirty, or sooty, and I want to grab some soap and water and clean him. His fingers and nails are covered in dirt and soot too. I sigh. As I move closer, I can see his face somewhat more clearly. His cheeks look bruised and flushed, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He looks so completely fragile, and nothing at all like the strong man I know he is. A soft sob escapes my lips, and I bring my fingers to my mouth quickly as tears shed from my eyes. Oh, Edward!

Somehow I manage to find the chair next to his bed, and slump into it. I can't take my eyes off of him; for fear that he'll disappear from right in front of me.

"Can…can I touch him?" I ask shakily.

"Yes. You can touch him. Just be aware of his bandages and IV line."

Ever so slowly, I reach my hand out to his right one. As our skin connects, the familiar jolt of energy shoots up my arm, and I know…I just know…he can feel it, too. He can feel me here. He has to know I am here. At precisely that moment, his heart rate picks up on the monitor, and Dr. Ryan eyes me curiously. I suppress a giggle, as I stare at Edward's face. I'm here baby. I'm here. Please get better and come back to me. Please.

Chapter End Notes:

Remember...TRUST ME! Part II will post next weekend, as I wrap up the finishing touches! :)