Bella bit her lip until it bled. "Ouch." Three days. She had been off for three days and all she thought about was Edward. She had spent the past two days catching up with some friends, but she still couldn't get him off of her mind, but she didn't dare tell any of her friends knowing that they would all make a big deal about it. When her shift had ended she had snuck into his room only to find him curled up on his side fast asleep. She felt a pang in her heart, but she knew she couldn't wake him up. He had stayed up all night watching her and listening to her talk, so she had left without a goodbye. All weekend long she hoped and prayed that he was still there, even though deep down she knew he wouldn't be. He was stable and his recovery was excellent. There was no need for him to stay in the ICU.
As she stepped into the elevator and punched the button labeled 'five' she knew he was gone. It had been three days. He was either on another unit or he was sent home. She closed her eyes as the elevator began to ascend, but had to open them just as fast as she closed them. The lifeless eyes from her nightmare began floating through her mind. Three days without Edward. Three nights full of nightmares. She began to wonder if it was time to talk to someone. Tell someone about what had really happened. Maybe that would finally end the nightmares, but she knew the minute she began to talk she would have to admit something horrible - something that she had been trying to ignore for years, and if she finally accepted the truth then she was afraid she would never spring back from the agony and pain the truth would bring.
The ping from the elevator started Bella, drawing her back to reality. She mindlessly stepped into the ICU which was filled with chatter between the day and night shift nurses. Bella ran to the nurse's station before going to the locker room, and looked at the unit census. She felt her heart drop. He was gone. Room 2114 now occupied an Alberta Frank. She continued to look at the other unit census and couldn't find his name. He had been discharged from the hospital. Well good, I can finally breathe now that I know I never have to see him again. She was getting good at lying to herself.
Twelve hours later Bella had accepted that she was never going to see Edward Cullen again. As she stepped out of the locker room she realized she was okay with that. It was for the best, she thought to herself. She didn't like the way he made her feel. It was new and uncomfortable, and although he didn't know he was doing it, he was crossing the barrier that Bella had set up around her life and her heart, the barrier that kept everyone at bay except for a few important people in her life, and even those few people didn't know the real her, and if they did she wouldn't be as important to them as they were to her.
Bella took a few more steps forward when she bumped into a young redhead in a blue jacket labeled 'volunteer.' "Oops I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going."
The young girl glanced at Bella's ID and back at her face. "Isabella? Are you Bella? The nurse up in the ICU?"
Bella eyed the small envelope she was holding in her hand. "Yes. Is that card for me?"
The girl nodded. "This man came to the volunteer office and asked me if I could bring it up to you before change of shift. I'm glad I got to you before you left."
Bella's heart skipped a beat and before she could ask how the man looked like she found herself opening up the envelope. The girl stood there looking curious. The card was white with some textured swirls on it. The inside was blank except for two sentences. Those two sentences caused her breath to hitch.
Bella, meet me at the Starbucks across the street. I'll be waiting. –E.C.
She didn't have to guess who E.C. was. With a thank you directed to the young volunteer she headed off the unit and towards the elevator. She didn't think as she walked to the Starbucks because she knew once she did she would head straight home. She was tired and she looked it with her pale skin and strands of hair falling out of her bun into her face. The last thing she wanted to do was see him, but her entire being was screaming for him. Bella felt terrified knowing that she had no willpower when it came to this man, yet that feeling went away as soon as she found herself standing in front of the busy Starbucks.
She pulled open the door to the shop and was welcomed by the cool air conditioned air. Her eyes wandered around the room until they reached him, sitting with his back to the window, and although he was wearing sunglasses she knew he was staring at her. She made her way through the sea of tables until she was standing in front of him. He didn't bother to take his glasses off, his arms were still crossed over his chest, and he hadn't said one word to her. "Umm hi." She shifted her weight to her other foot. As if she had said the magic word, he lazily took his glasses off and placed them on the table, and then he continued to stand. Bella knew he wouldn't look the same as he did in the hospital, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw. He was wearing blue shorts, a white V-neck shirt, and boat shoes. His bruises were almost completely gone leaving small traces of yellow under his eyes, and the swelling was gone. She didn't think it was possible for him to look any more beautiful than he did in the hospital, but there he was, the most glorious man she had ever seen. She eyed his abdominal area.
As if he can read her mind he spoke up. "My ribs still hurt a lot, and I should have stayed home, but I didn't think a coffee would hurt." Bella nodded and took a seat with Edward following suit. She stared at him, his face, his hair, his chest, anywhere but his eyes. She didn't know what to say and she couldn't understand why he left her feeling like that. "You're probably wondering why I had you come here." Once again all she could do was nod. She felt uncomfortable. She tried to ignore it on her way over here, but now, seeing her reflection in the window behind him and seeing him in front of her without the bruises and hospital gown, she didn't understand why she thought seeing him would be a good thing. He was too damn good looking and she was average at best.
"Actually, I didn't really think at all when I came here, Edward." She lowered her gaze down to her hands.
He didn't speak for a minute, considering what she said. "Well, that's better than not coming at all." He offered her a smile that quickly faded. "You didn't say goodbye when your shift ended. Isn't it a part of your job to let me know you are leaving and that my next nurse will take over?"
Bella's eye shot back up towards him. He asked her to come here so he can chastise her for not saying goodbye? "Yes, that it what we usually do, but since you were sleeping I didn't feel it necessary to wake you up just to say goodbye."
"Well, you should have." He crossed his arms again, his bronze hair making him look years younger.
He was her patient. She knew nothing more about him other than his medical record, and he wanted to know why she didn't say bye? "If every single one of my patient's went out of their way to talk to me outside of the hospital I would be a very busy woman, Edward."
He shrugged. He acted like this wasn't weird at all. "Okay then, I wanted to have coffee with you. I like talking to you and I know you like talking to me."
Bella was now irritated. She was tired and didn't want to deal with this. "You were my patient. That is all. You wanted someone to talk to, and as part of my job, I offered myself."
His brow furrowed as he looked down at his coffee, but as quickly as that expression came, it went. "How many times were you willing to sit in a patient's room all night to talk to them?"
"That's beside the point. Also, I do not hang out with patients during my personal time." She sat a little straighter, and held her head high, knowing he couldn't argue with that.
What she wasn't expecting him to do next was laugh. He laughed loud, so loud that he turned the heads of the people sitting nearby. Then he leaned over the table, his face inches from her own and whispered, "Bella, it's a good thing I'm not your patient anymore."
She tore her eyes away from his lips and looked down at the table. "Fine. We can be friends." She offered him a quick smile. "I'm exhausted though, and I do not want our first date…as friends…to end with me falling asleep on you."
"I don't think that would be too horrible." A mischievous smile played on his lips.
"Ha-ha. Really, though, I need to go. I look worse than death itself, and I am pretty sure I smell like a nasty GI bleed."
Edward broke out into another one of his booming laughs and Bella couldn't help but giggle along. His laughter was contagious, but the laughter ended short with him clutching his side. A low groan came from the bottom of his throat and Bella felt the hairs on her arms stand up. "I didn't realize laughter hurts this much, but really Bella, you look beautiful." She knew he was lying of course, but her body didn't care, allowing a rosy blush to appear on her cheeks. "Alright I'll take you home."
Bella sprang up from her chair. "No that's fine I live a walking distance away. I'll see you later." She was about to walk away, but his voice stopped her.
"Bella." She felt her heart flutter. Did he know what her heart did every time he said her name? "It's hot out and you are tired. Let me just take you home. For my peace of mind." She had a strange feeling not to argue, he wouldn't accept no for an answer, so she shrugged her shoulders allowing him to lead the way.
She didn't know what to expect when they neared his car but she wasn't expecting this. In front of her was an old black Honda Civic with rust forming around the edges of the door. Wasn't this man a billionaire? Why was he driving an old car like this when he can have any car he wanted? Once again, as if he can read her mind, he began to speak as he slid into the driver's seat. "This was the first car I ever bought on my own. I was sixteen and I didn't want to work for my dad. Everyone called me rich boy as it is, so the last thing I wanted were handouts. I worked over 30 hours every week at a butcher shop and saved every penny for a year."
"Why do you still drive it?"
Edward shrugged. "I love this car. I was so proud of it when I bought it. It was me telling my dad that I can do things without his money. I guess that just made my dad more confident in me which is why he retired early and gave me the company. Plus, this car keeps me humbled."
Bella stared at his profile in amazement. There was more to this guy than she thought, and suddenly she felt guilty for ever thinking he was just some rich prick."How is your dad?"
Edward hesitated as if he didn't want to talk about it, but then gave her a short answer. "He is rough around the edges. He thinks he always knows what's right and still tries to control my life from time to time." It seemed like he didn't get along with his father well, but he didn't say anything else, and Bella knew not to ask. If he wanted to offer more information he would.
She felt a pang in her stomach when she saw her apartment, knowing that her few minutes alone with Edward had come to an end. Opening the door she let one foot out. "Thanks for the ride. I guess I'll see you later."
She was about to stand up when she felt his hand grab her wrist reminding her of the moment at the hospital. Her skin began to feel hot again. "Now that we are friends don't I get to have your number?"
She was about to give it when she suddenly changed her mind. "That would be too easy for you, Edward." She got up and walked away without looking back. He was going to get a hold of her somehow, so why not have a little fun?
She made her way into the small apartment and went straight to the bathroom. Bella gazed into the mirror as she brushed her teeth. She looked the same - plain and boring. Her long brown hair was frizzy and falling out of the bun. You wouldn't believe it was June by looking at the color of her skin. She made a mental note to herself to make plans with Alice and Emmett to go to the beach this week. It wasn't until she met her own eyes that she almost dropped the brush. They were the same brown eyes that she hated, but they were alive with excitement, something Bella never allowed into her life, and she always felt like she never deserved it. The only excitement Bella had in her life were her two best friends – Alice and Emmett, and that was enough for her.