DISCLAIMER: All places and characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real places and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

CAPÍTULO TRES

~ladyeire3~

Edward's thoughts ran a mile a minute as he limped out of the building cradling Bella. He could see one gash that ran along a natural part in her hair on top of her head, and he thought he noticed another near her temple. He'd already taken stock of his own injuries. Most were minor and nothing more than irritating with the exception being his ankle. He nearly dropped Bella when a small tremor moved a piece of debris directly in his path but was just able to keep himself upright, much to his own amazement. His ankle throbbed with each step, but he'd be damned if he was stopping his forward movement.

Everywhere he turned, there was rubble littering the street and people searching for their loved ones. He'd give his left nut to know if there was a damn hospital anywhere close though he was fairly certain he'd be lucky to find a doctor, let alone a whole troop of them.

After another five minutes of hobbling, Bella started to squirm and moan. Any other time, those two actions combined might actually make him happy. Now was not that time.

"I've got you. You're safe now. Okay, Bella?"

"Whasat? Wha'happened?"

Her voice was shaky and rough. It pained him to see this woman he'd always considered small but mighty just seem small.

~boo1414~

Bella started to come to and became more aware of her surroundings. Her first thoughts were: What the hell happened, and why is Edward Cullen carrying me?

"Put me down!" she demanded, smacking him weakly on the chest.

"Quit struggling, Bella. I think you have a head injury," he answered. "I need to find us some medical attention."

Edward limped along carrying Bella, trying to find help. It was too soon after the disaster. It would probably be a while before relief services arrived, he reasoned. He needed to find them both someplace away from the collapsing buildings and safe water to drink. They wouldn't last long in this heat without water. The fact that Bella wasn't fighting him anymore also worried him.

A beat-up pickup truck pulled up alongside them. The bed was filled with the injured. "¿Necesitan ayuda?" the driver called out.

"¡Sí, por favor!" Edward answered, carrying Bella over.

The truck carefully maneuvered around debris until it pulled up to a large parking lot, where a group of people were putting up a large white tent; it read MFS.

A man in scrubs ran up to the truck. Edward looked up in surprise. "Dad?"

~chinchin unicorn~

If it weren't for the pain, Bella would have preferred to stay in the darkness, but her subconscious was unwillingly pulling her up and into the light. The pounding of a hundred tiny hammers against her skull reminded her that she was indeed still alive even though she felt like death. It hurt to open her eyes, to break the crust sealing her lids shut, to have the light of the morning, afternoon, night—she wasn't really sure—blazing into her sight when she wasn't quite ready for it.

The hand she lifted felt heavy and uncoordinated, and she ended up slapping her own face in her attempt to soothe the aches. The only comfort came when a warmth engulfed her trembling fingers, holding her palm steady, pressing it against a heart rapidly beating beneath layers of cotton and flesh.

"Are you okay?" He was whispering, but to her it felt like he was yelling right into her ear with the way his hot breath caressed her bruised skin.

"Shush…" She tried to shake her head before realizing what a bad idea that was. The hammering increased, and she groaned her agony out loud.

"Stop moving. You're pretty banged up." Fingers smoothed the hair from her face, pressing gently against her throbbing temples, relieving the pressure if only somewhat.

"What happened?" She tried to focus her vision, the blurred edges of her reality slowly coming together from her efforts. Green penetrated before anything else, followed closely by a wild array of bronze, highlighted by the sunlight filtering through. "Edward?"

She couldn't see much of anything beyond his face dipping down closer to hers. That was when she noticed the stain of dried tears, the worried glint of black, the creases of agony lining his forehead, but the flaking blood streaking from the bronze and across his cheek had her heart drumming back to life with concern over his well-being.

The free hand she lifted, aiming to offer back a little bit of the comfort he gave, went ignored as he pressed his face into her stomach. Instead, she buried her fingers in his hair, running through the strands as he breathed his relief into her shirt.

"Edward?" she asked again.

He shook his head, hiding his wet eyes against cotton and soft curves that he'd only dreamed about in the past. He'd never imagined this was how he would finally be able to feel her body so intimately. His fantasies had never included such a disaster.

"I was so worried, Bella," he whispered, his voice choking against his words. "You don't even know."

"How long have I been out of it?" She tried to catch a hint of anything beyond his bronze, but nothing, not the people scurrying by nor the mayhem of panic, gave her a clue.

"Too long for my liking." He lifted his head then, and that was when she confirmed her suspicions, taking in the slight sheen of moisture glistening across his green eyes.

There was no hesitation when she lifted her hand for a second time, caressing his unmarred cheek. "Are you okay?"

His voice cried the tears that wouldn't fall from his eyes. "You wouldn't wake up. Dad said I had to wait, but I just needed you to wake up."

With a long past full of hatred, rivalry, and so much confusion of the heart, it was natural to be bitter when faced with this man's cocky smile and arrogant shrug, but here, with his sadness and desperation written so meticulously across his features, she couldn't help but feel a sort of camaraderie, respect, and—dare she admit it—affection for him. She still wasn't quite sure what had gone down that day, but she knew it was something big, and for the moment at least, all she had was Edward by her side.

"I'm here now."

~Mommymac0508~

The two of them sat there for who-knows-how-long before anyone spoke.

Bella, now awake and feeling more clear-headed, asked, "What happened? Was that an earthquake? How strong was it? How did we get here? And where is here?"

Stunned by the rapid-fire questions, Edward sat for a moment without speaking. Finally, he answered, "Whoa! Slow down, Bella. One question at a time, okay?" He smiled a sweet, crooked smile and said, "Yes, we were caught in an earthquake. I'm not sure of the magnitude, but it was powerful enough to cause a lot of damage. I haven't left your side, so I can't really answer all your questions, but we caught a ride in a truck that was picking up the injured."

Now it was Bella's turn to be stunned. Seeing the wheels turning in her head, Edward put his hand on hers and said, "Whatever you are thinking can wait. I want my dad to check you over now that you're awake."

Edward stood up, leaned down to cradle her head, and pressed a lingering kiss on her temple.

"I'm going to leave you here in my father's good hands. Promise me you won't go anywhere."

~ThisIsReallyHappening~

"Whoa, there. Take it easy," Carlisle Cullen warned, maneuvering Bella back into her recumbent position.

If there were any Cullen in the world Bella would listen to, it would be Carlisle. The man who had been there after her mother's death eased Bella's mind with his soothing words. While she was debating making a run for it, her head throbbed, causing her to still her feet and refrain from moving. She could see Edward in the distance, gathering supplies for the attending doctors, assisting them as much as he could.

As long as he's safe.

She didn't want to analyze why that thought was so important to her, so instead, she focused on Carlisle listening to her heartbeat.

"One-twenty over eighty. External trauma to the upper right quadrant." Carlisle yelled medical terminology to the attendant beside him. "No evidence of internal bleeding, Paul, but this wound needs to be sterilized. Bella, I need you to stay alert; if you begin to feel dizzy or experience numbness anywhere, tell me immediately."

Bella could barely understand his words. Edward was walking towards them, his face grim with worry. Carlisle worked his magic, cleaning her laceration and ensuring there would be no infection caused by her injury.

As Carlisle poured a liquid over her gash that made Bella gasp from the sting, the radio in the truck blared a broken, fuzzy message:

"Manténgase alerta. El centro sismológico advierte al público de la posibilidad de réplicas."

Bella had barely deciphered the radio host's warning that an aftershock was due before it was too late.

The ground shook, each vibration and jolt louder than the last. As if the planet were angry at its inhabitants, the terrain began to split. Chaos emerged around her, each person knocking into one another like dominoes. Carlisle propelled Bella onto the floor, looming over the top of her as supplies ascended into the air.

"Bellaaaaaa!"

The one voice Bella needed to hear cried from several feet away, the sound deafening her eardrums. She attempted to push Carlisle from her body, but it was to no avail.

Though the ground trembled, it was her heart that convulsed, each beat shuddering her turmoil into a dark abyss that failed to relieve her of any strife.

Her lungs held captive all sources of oxygen as Edward plummeted into the earth's gaping hole.

~postapocalypticdepository~

The movement stopped and a dawning occurred to Edward. He was still alive. Somehow, by the grace of God, Edward became entangled within tree roots and managed to hang on throughout the arduous ninety seconds of violent shaking, narrowly missing the hundred foot drop to his inevitable death as the earth ripped open angrily as if to spit a giant "fuck you" back at him for all of his misdeeds.

The wall of the clinic—the makeshift hospital his dad was treating Bella in—was completely sheared-off, falling below, taking unsuspecting patients, staff, and volunteers in its wake. Edward watched in horror and silently prayed for their souls as the realization hit him.

I might be next.

Edward understood the precariousness of his situation as he dangled above the carnage below. His legs teetered over what remained from the tree as the apex of his groin hovered, perfectly balanced as if an unbroken wishbone, and right now he was definitely wishing, acknowledging that any shock to the unstable earth over his head could send him into the chasm as well. He offered words of contrition and a promise to be a better person, a better son, a better man—better to Bella—if granted the strength to endure this test.

"Edward!"

He recognized the strained voice from what seemed like miles away.

"Edward! Where are you?" The words that came from Bella's mouth couldn't be any more beautiful even if sung by seraphim.

Fearful of jostling the earth around him, Edward offered a careful reply, "Bella, down here! I need a rope or some bed sheets tied together. Please hurry, but be careful! Don't come over to the edge. I'm tangled in roots, but they may give way."

Bella managed to extract herself from Carlisle, who had just come to after the occurrence.

"Carlisle, snap out of it, quick! I need your help! Edward's alive but fell away with the wall. He needs a rope or bed sheets so we can pull him up."

"Hold on, son," Carlisle added as calmly as possible even though his guts twisted inside.

Bella mustered the strength of ten men and set off on a rampage grabbing any lengthy piece of fabric she could take hold of. She quickly tied the cloth pieces together and employed her knotting skills Charlie had once instilled when he taught her to tie his fishing lures.

"Edward, I need you to talk to me so I know where to start lowering the line."

"Here, Bella. I'm over here."

"Keep talking."

As Bella and Carlisle lowered Edward's only hope, Edward considered what he should say and began his confession.

"Bella, I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you all of these years. There's no excuse for my behavior. I had a crush on you then and still have a big one now. I acted cold and distant because I was hurt you rejected me when you went to the prom with Mike. I was so embarrassed I put myself out there for you like that, but I had to. I had no idea how you felt about what I did because I was too chicken shit to ever ask, but know this: If I get out of here alive, I'll spend my whole life making it up to you. I resolve to be a better person. I don't want to play these games anymore. I've missed out on so much, not having you with me. Life's too precious to spend without the person you're meant to be with. I've always felt that way about you, but my pride has always gotten in the way. If these are my last words, I want you to know that I always thought we could have had something special, and we can still have that something if we survive this . . . and you forgive me . . ."

Bella's heart nearly broke with his confession, but she needed to stay focused through her blurry haze. Edward cared for her, had always cared for her, and wanted to be with her.

"Bella, say something."

The line finally reached him. He secured the sheet tightly around his chest, grabbed hold of the cloth in front, and gave it a tug, signaling Carlisle and Bella could start pulling. Edward worried as much about Bella's take on his revelation as he did about her condition. Knowing her, knowing him, he reasoned that she would think his rant was a ploy to get her to rescue him. So when he heard Bella's next words as he was slowly inched up past the sliding rubble, he wanted to shout with joy and make incredible love to her when they were equally safe and she was once again sound.

"Edward, I've always felt the same way about you, too. Please, just hang on and let us get you up here."

~riv3rboy84~

A couple more pulls and Edward was finally out of the hole.

Carlisle was quick to engulf his son in a hug, thanking God and whoever else was out there for saving him from certain death.

Now more than ever, Carlisle couldn't bring himself to regret applying to work with Doctors Without Borders. He'd always been a bit of a globetrotter—a trait he had passed down to his son—but he hadn't traveled since he met Elizabeth. They had been so happy back in Seattle until a few months after Edward was born and Elizabeth bailed on them.

It was hard at times, trying to balance his career and taking care of Edward, but things soon settled. Once Edward went off to college, Carlisle didn't see the harm in traveling again. In fact, it gave his son the opportunity to visit new places every holiday and his love for photography to reach new levels.

Carlisle had always been proud of his son—except when it came to women. Edward had turned into a bit of a manwhore during college, and Carlisle had no idea how that happened. He'd had his theories, some involving the impatient brunette behind them, but they were just theories . . . until now.

Carlisle pulled back from the embrace, noticing just now that his son was covered from head to toe in dirt. He helped his son shake some of the dirt from his hair and was about to assess any injuries when he was pushed aside by Bella, making him fall on his ass.

"Edward!" exclaimed Bella, wrapping herself around him like a lemur.

Edward didn't know where to put his hands, so he settled for wrapping his arms around her.

"Oh my God, Edward . . . I was so scared!"

Edward shushed her, enjoying her warmth. How many nights had he dreamed about having her in his arms? There had been too many to count, and they never did the reality justice.

"You know, that's the first time you've called me Edward while you're awake," he whispered into her ear, making Bella gasp. He chuckled and pulled back a little to see her eyes.

She slapped his shoulder. "I did not say your name in my—"

Edward shut her up with his lips. His hand tangled in her hair and held her impossibly closer while his lips and tongue claimed the mouth he'd been dying to taste for so long. Bella's legs tightened around his waist, her hands pulling his hair almost too hard. Their lips moved in sync as they put everything they were feeling into that single kiss: desperation, relief, want, need, hate, and maybe a bit of love. For one blissful moment, the chaos around them disappeared, and all that was left was the person in each other's arms.

Carlisle chuckled, watching the new couple, when a hand appeared in front of him.

He looked up, his heart racing when his eyes took in the woman in front of him. Dark hair, skin the color of brandy and grey eyes. She was a mess. Her jeans were ripped at the knees, and the t-shirt she wore had dirt and mud stains. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and sweat covered her forehead and upper lip.

Still, Carlisle has never seen a woman as beautiful as she.

"Necesitas ayuda? Do you need help?" she asked him.

Carlisle took her hand and stood up. "Gracias . . ."

"Esmeralda, but you can call me Esme."

Carlisle smiled. "I'm Carlisle."

They shook hands, and Carlisle couldn't ignore the way his heart raced at the contact or the way Esme blushed when he smiled at her.

Yeah, applying for this job was a good idea indeed.

~rockraven244~

Bella watched a starry-eyed Carlisle talk to a tiny, dark skinned woman. She hadn't noticed her a few moments ago and wondered where she came from.

A quick shake of her head caused her to lose her balance.

"Hey," Edward said, his arms wrapping around her. "Are you okay?"

"A little dizzy." Bella closed her eyes and focused on centering herself.

"Okay, listen. We need to move," the woman said, a lovely lilt in her voice that reminded her of her mother. "This area is not safe. Let's salvage what we can and get away from this drop."

Her statement quickly reminded them of the dire situation they were in.

"Edward, Bella," Carlisle's voice rang out, "use whatever you can find to make carryalls, and collect all of the salvageable medical supplies. Esme and I will do a quick walk-through of the area to make sure we don't leave anyone behind."

Bella found a sheet in the rubble and ripped it in half. She tied the ends of one half together and handed it to Edward before starting on another bag for herself.

She watched as he slipped the material over his head and shoulder, thankful that they had been able to save him. Her breathing wavered and tears filled her eyes as she imagined what could have happened.

Edward took her face into his hands and kissed her. "It's okay. I'm right here. I'm here."

She nodded and pushed her face into his chest, relishing the warmth that spread through her body.

She took another breath and pushed away from him.

"Help me lift this shelf. Let's stock up on the first aid and medications first," Edward said as he looked around at what was left of the hospital. "Be careful of the glass."

They lifted the cabinet and pushed it back against the wall.

Most of the vials were shattered, but there were tubes of ointments and bandages that were usable.

She started to move toward the far corner of the room when a loud rumble filled the air. Before she knew what was happening, she was in Edward's arms.

Her eyes were on the hospital as he ran toward the trees. The little building looked like it was on a wave in the ocean. It swayed and rolled before collapsing on its side. A huge plume of dirt rose in the air, and debris flew over the edge of the mountain.

After a few moments, Bella started registering the noise—yelling, screaming, praying, crying.

"Edward, put me down!"

He stopped and set her on her feet, and they ran hand in hand toward the group in front of them.

"I see my dad up ahead. Let's catch up to him," Edward yelled as he pulled her behind him.

As they caught up to Carlisle, they noticed that Esme was carrying a small child.

"Edward, thank God!" Carlisle reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder. "We need to hurry."

Bella's emotions were getting the best of her, and the softness in Carlisle's eyes and voice had her worried about her own family.

By now, her father would have seen the news about the earthquakes. He was probably worried sick, and she had no way to contact him.

"I need to call Charlie," she said out loud.

Edward looked down at her with worried eyes.

Authors' Note: We thank you all for the overwhelming response to this story—all the follows, favorites, reviews, and especially who joined in this collab and those who donated to the cause. We not only reached our goal, but we knock it out of the park! We raised over US$1,300 and that's thanks to everyone who donated and helped spread the word around. The next chapter will up tomorrow and we hope you enjoy the rest of this story.

To the guest reviewer who was confused about the location of the story: They are somewhere in South America where they speak Spanish. They are not in Brazil.

Thank you once again from all of us!

Ana, Born, Mina, Ladyeire, Emily, CeeCee, Nicole,
Happening, PAD, Riv3rBoy, and Yvonne.
—First Responders