Previously

"Bella, what's wrong?" Alice panicked as she saw her best friend on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"Edward," was all she could get out.

"Bella, what's wrong? What about Edward?" Alice asked placing her hands on Bella's shaking shoulders. Bella continued to sob refusing to say a word.

"Bella honey, you need to tell us what happened," Jasper said kneeling down next to her. He hated to see her cry almost as much as Edward.

"Edward…" Bella sniffed. "Mercy Hospital…" Bella collapsed into Jasper's chest wetting his shirt with her tears.

"Come on, Jasper, you drive while I call mom and dad," Alice hurried as Jasper picked Bella up carrying her to the car while Alice grabbed her purse, locking up the apartment.

"Dad, I'm so sorry to wake you, but something's happened to Edward," Alice said sitting in the back seat with Bella's head on her lap. Alice stroked her hair as Bella cried softly.

"Yeah, we're heading there now. No, they didn't tell her anything," Alice replied.

"Will you call Emmett?" Alice asked.

"OK," Alice shut her phone. "Mom and dad will be there as soon as they can." Jasper nodded looking at Alice through the rearview mirror.

"Are you OK?" Jasper asked catching Alice's eyes. Alice just nodded. She was terrified for her brother. She didn't know what she would do without him. Even if he was a dumbass, he was still her big brother and she loved him with all her heart. She was even more terrified for Bella. If something happened to Edward, she didn't know what Bella would do. And to make matters worse, their night didn't end on the best of terms. She knew that Bella would blame herself for what happened, when it obviously wasn't her fault at all.

No, Alice had to think positive. Her brother was going to be fine. Him and Bella would talk things out and things would go back to normal. Maybe if she repeated that to herself she would start to really believe it.

"Edward Cullen?," Alice said walking up to the counter at Mercy Hospital. "Oh, and why wasn't my father called?" Alice wasn't meaning to sound rude.

"When he came in he said to call Bella," the receptionist explained. "One of the nurses handed me his phone for her number." The receptionist handed Alice the phone over the counter.

"Please take a seat in the waiting area," the receptionist said motioning over to a room full of uncomfortable chairs.

"Please," Bella cried tears streaming down her face. "I got a call saying he was here. Tell me he's OK!" Bella slammed her hands down on the counter, the receptionist never wavering. It didn't occur to Bella that she hadn't recognized the receptionist working the desk. She did a lot of her work at the hospital, but had never seen this woman.

"Miss, I need you to go take a seat and I will page his doctor," the receptionist replied. It wasn't a surprise to her that Bella was upset. She's had to deal with many people like this. It was always hard to see people come in upset and anxious about a family member or a friend. At times she would get frustrated, but knew that she had to keep her cool. She didn't want to upset them even more. They were already going through enough.

"Thank you," Jasper smiled as he took Bella into his arms and led her over to the chairs. "Bella, look at me." Jasper moved her back so he could see her face. "You need to be strong. Edward is going to be alright. He'll need you to be strong for him."

"This is all my fault," Bella cried.

"Bella, this is NOT your fault," Jasper demanded. He didn't want Bella to beat herself up over this. She had no control of the situation.

"It is! We got in a fight because he asked me why Jacob was at the wedding and I went off on him," Bella explained. Alice and Jasper looked to each other. Neither of them had seen Jacob, but apparently Edward had.

……….

Jake, please tell me what's wrong," Bella pleaded as she sat down next to her best friend who was sitting silently on her front porch. Bella and Jake had been best friends since the day they met five years ago. Edward and Jacob were both medical interns at Mercy Hospital. Edward an ER intern and Jacob a surgical intern. Bella met Jacob a month after she met Edward. Bella had gotten a job doing PR for the hospital after she found out she had not gotten the job that she interviewed for the first day she had met Edward. It was a surprise to her to find out Edward worked at that same hospital. After working there for a couple of weeks she had been hurrying around the hospital working on a media kit for one of the local newspapers and had taken a corner too fast falling into a tall, dark skinned, body. Since that day, he vowed that he would never let her fall again.

Edward and Jacob had become friends through Bella and the three of them were constantly together causing a raucous in the hospital, it was a miracle neither of them got fired or kick out.

"Bella, I…" Jacob paused as he ran his hands over his face. He has never been so scared in his entire life than he was right now. He couldn't imagine his life without her, but he knew that what he was about to do could cost him that forever.

"Jake, please tell me," Bella rubbed circles on Jacob's back.

"Bella, I can't do this anymore," Jake said standing up moving away from Bella.

"Jake?" Bella whimpered.

"Bella you're my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you. You've been there for me everyday for the past five years and I hope that you feel that I have been there for you. There isn't a minute of the day that I don't think about you. That I don't yearn to touch you, to have you in my arms. Only to remember that you find comfort in someone else's," Jacob said as a tear rolled down his cheek. Bella stood inching closer to him not believing what she was hearing.

"Jake, I…" Bella started seeing sadness in Jacob's brown eyes that she's never seen before. Her heart was heavy and felt a stab of guilt as he walked closer to her.

"I'm in love with you, Bells," Jacob said cupping her cheek in his hand and placing the other hand on her waist. "I have been since the day we met, I was just too afraid to tell you."

Bella closed her eyes as she felt Jacob's hand on her cheek. Her heart beating rapidly as her mind went over and over what he had just confessed. "Jake, I…" she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Jacob's lips crashing to hers. She stood there frozen. Not knowing what to do. Her lips unmoving as he tried to deepen the kiss. Bella's eyes shot open as she placed both hands on Jacob's chest shoving him away from her.

"What are you doing?" Bella cried. She loved Jacob with all her heart, but it was Edward who she had given her heart to. Edward was the one she wanted to start a family with. Edward was the one she wanted to marry. Edward was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Bella, did you not hear me?" Jacob asked as he took another step toward her. "I love you." He reached out his hand to take hers. He pulled her hand up to his chest where his heart was. "This is yours. It's always been yours."

"Jake, I can't," Bella whimpered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Bells, I know you love me too. We can run away together, we can get married, we can start a family," Jacob smiled as he looked into her brown eyes.

"Edward," was all Bella could say.

"Bells, you know he'll understand," Jacob coaxed. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her toward him. He slowly leaned down closing the space between their lips.

"Jacob, stop!" Bella screamed as she pushed him away once more. "I love Edward! I'm marrying Edward!"

"Bella, please, give me a chance. You'll see that you can love me too. We're perfect for each other."

"Jacob, don't do this," Bella cried. She didn't understand why he was acting like this? And five months before her and Edward's wedding. "You're my best friend. I don't want to lose you."

"I can't be him anymore. Not if you don't love me," Jacob said shoving his hands in his pockets. He knew this would happen. He knew that telling her that he was in love with her could cause him to lose her forever.

"Jacob?" Bella cried trying to reach out to him. He backed away maneuvering toward the steps.

"I'm sorry Bella. I can't watch you marry someone that's not me," Jacob said as he walked down the steps of the porch.

"Jacob, don't do this! I need you," Bella collapsed to the ground as she saw Jacob getting into his car. "We can fix this!" Jacob didn't hear her as he shut the door starting his car. Jacob took one more look at the crying figure on the porch. He couldn't help but cry himself at the pain he was causing her. If he was a stronger man he would suck it up and continue playing the 'best friend', but he wasn't. He wanted Bella and he wasn't strong enough to keep her in his life while she was in the arms of another man.

"Bella?" Edward hurried over to his crying fiancé. "Baby, what's wrong? Where's Jake?"

"He…he told me he loved me. He told me he couldn't be friends with me anymore I didn't…if I didn't choose him," Bella sniffed. Edward wrapped his arms around Bella's tiny frame and held her as she cried. He hated seeing her cry. He hated that it was Jacob that made her cry. He thought Jacob would never do anything to hurt her, but he was wrong.

It took Bella two months to get over the fact that Jacob chose a life without her if he couldn't have her. She said she was fine, that all she needed was Edward, but Edward knew better. He had spoken the Jacob about his decision, well more like yelled, but none-the-less. Jacob thought it was for the best and that he didn't want to be in either of their lives. Edward told him he was making a huge mistake. He didn't think he could ever be upset with Jacob, but he was more than upset. He was livid.

……….

"Do not blame yourself. It isn't going to help the situation. You and Edward have been through so much, and he really needs you to be there for him right now. Please, just forget about the fight you guys had for now and you can talk to him about it when he's better," Jasper said stroking her hair.

Jasper was always the one to calm people down. It was a gift. Bella took three deep breaths to calm herself as she rested in Jasper's embrace. Alice rubbing her back. After what seemed like an eternity the elevator dinged for the twentieth time opening the doors to a 6'9", dark skinned, dark haired, man in blue scrubs and a white coat. He stepped off the elevator seeing the three people waiting for him embraced in each other's arms. Bella was the first to spot him. She had finally calmed down as Alice stroked her hair. The doctor made his way toward the three entangled bodies.

"NO!" Bella screamed as she saw the doctor walking toward them. Jasper and Alice looked up to see the man standing before them. Bella shot out of Jasper's arms her hands clinched into fists as she pounded on the man's chest. "This is all your fault! You did this! I hate you!" Bella screamed. Jasper and Alice sat there in shock as Bella beat the man's chest with all her might. Bella didn't care that she was making a scene. She didn't care that people were whispering and staring. All she cared about was that Edward was going to be OK and that the doctor knew how angry she was at him.

The doctor stood there for a moment before he grabbed her wrists willing her to stop. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her legs started to give way. The doctor pulled her close to his chest hushing her to try to try to calm her. He wasn't sure why she was yelling at him, but he knew that she had a reason to be upset.

"Jacob?" Carlisle said coming up to the two with a puzzled look.

"Dr. Cullen, Edward came in after a vehicular accident. He has suffered extensive internal injuries, they are prepping him for surgery right now. I will be the one working on Edward, but I thought I should be the one to come down to tell you all," Jacob explained as Esme gasped. "You all are more than welcome to come up and wait in the private waiting area on the surgical floor."

"That will be fine," Carlisle nodded. Esme placed her hand on Bella's back as Bella turned from Jacob to enter Esme's arms.

"I'm sorry," Jacob said before heading toward the elevator. The group followed him up to the fifth floor and into the private waiting room. Alice and Jasper sat there in silence holding each other as if one of them might disappear at any given moment. Esme and Carlisle were off talking to a few of his colleagues. Emmett had yet to arrive, and it was killing Bella to stay up there just waiting. She had to get some fresh air and she needed it now.

"I need some air," Bella said to no one as she got up and walked to the elevator.

"Bella, you want me to go with?" Alice asked walking toward her.

"Thanks, Alice, but I think I need to be alone," Bella smiled weakly at her best friend. She knew how hard it was for her, but she couldn't imagine how hard this must be on Alice. Edward and her were extremely close. They did everything together when they were younger and as they got older, their relationship seemed to strengthen.

"Shit!" Bella whispered to herself as she took a seat on a bench outside the emergency room doors. Her head was spinning out of control. The one person she loved more than life was in surgery and she wasn't sure if he was going to make it out. She could never live with herself if something happened to him. He was her life, he was her everything. She had lost him once before and she didn't want to lose him again, for good.

"Are you OK?" Bella heard a voice ask. She looked up to see the receptionist from earlier looking down at her with concerned eyes.

"Not really," Bella replied as she closed her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" the receptionist asked. She didn't usually interact with family members of patience, but she felt that Bella really needed someone.

"No, thanks though," Bella replied. She didn't want to be rude, but she really wanted to be alone.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't realize who you were when you came in or I would have gotten Dr. Black down a little quicker."

"Oh, it's alright. I'm the one who should be apologizing. You were just trying to do your job," Bella smiled.

"I'm Kate, by the way," she smiled holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you Kate, Bella," Bella said taking her hand.

"It's definitely nice to finally meet the famous Bella," Kate joked.

"Famous?" Bella was confused.

"Oh yeah, all the nurses around here are completely jealous that you snagged Dr. Cullen," Kate laughed. "You should hear them.

"Are you sure they aren't talking about Carlisle?" Bella asked knowing the answer.

"Well, I do hear them talking about him as well. It's quite entertaining and a bit sick," Kate giggled. "I don't think either of them realize how often the nurses try to throw themselves at them. Their totally oblivious, I love it!"

"Well, I'm glad someone else gets a kick out of it, too," Bella chuckled. "I've always told Edward about how many women drool over him everywhere we go, and he thinks I'm being ridiculous."

"Well, personally, I'm more of a dark skinned, dark eyed, dark haired kind of girl," Kate said. She was really enjoying talking to Bella and hoped that she would get to do more of it, but on different circumstances.

"Oh…uh…Dr. Black?" Bella smiled raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know he's totally out of my league, but he's just…oh my gosh…there aren't words," Kate fanned herself as she leaned back against the bench.

"Have you talked to him?" Bella questioned amused at Kate's reaction to her once best friend.

"Only in passing and when I have to page him like earlier," Kate said. "I just get so flustered around him."

"Oh, I know what you mean. I was that way around Edward when we first met. Come to think of it, I still get that way sometimes even after five years," Bella laughed.

……….

"Charge to 200! Clear!" the nurse commanded as she pressed the defibrillator paddles to his chest. Edward's back arched off the bed and slammed back down.

"Still v-tac," another nurse observed looking at the heart monitor.

"250!" Once again Edward's body arched up and fell. "V-tac."

"Come on Edward, you can't leave her!" Jacob yelled as he took the paddles from the nurse. "300!" Jacob pressed the paddles to Edward's chest once more sending his body upward and back down whipping his head toward the monitor.

A/N: Sorry for another cliff hanger, I just couldn't help myself.

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