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AN: This one is all in EPOV. It should answer some questions for you. I hope you like it. The response last chapter was great!
EPOV
I chuckled to myself watching Emmett twirl Bella across the dance floor and dipping her in an exaggerated dance move. She was laughing and slapping at his arm trying to get him to place her upright again. I loved watching my girl with my family. She fit in so well that it was hard to imagine a time when she wasn't a part of it.
I decided that since Bella was currently occupied with my goofball of a brother that I would make a quick trip to the restroom because I planned on cutting in and dancing with Bella next. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around her and feel her close to me. Ever since seeing her in that dress when I picked her up my mind had been conjuring up some seriously naughty ideas that included me and Bella without that dress in the way. I know that I told Bella that I wanted to do this right and I really have good intentions of doing just that, but she was testing my control to its limit!
Hopefully some cold water on my face would calm me down enough that I could dance with Bella, and not act like an animal!
I definitely felt more in control as I left the restroom and started down the hall to the ballroom. Without warning I felt a pair of hands grab me by the shoulders and spin me around into a small alcove located in the hallway. I was initially taken so off guard by the abrupt movement that I had to grab onto the offending person so that I didn't fall flat on my face.
As soon as my gaze landed on their face a feeling of both dread and anger coursed through me. What the hell was she thinking? Just as I opened my mouth to tell her exactly what I was thinking, Tanya crashed her lips to mine. Not caring about being a gentleman anymore where Tanya was concerned, I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from as hard as I dared.
"Tanya, what the hell are you doing?" I practically screamed at her before remembering we were in a quiet hallway and could possibly draw attention to ourselves.
Instead of answering my question, Tanya made a move to kiss me again. This woman must be mental! Not only couldn't she get the hint all the times before, but now she was resorting to throwing herself at me when I was clearly in love with someone else.
What? In love?
I had never uttered those words in regards to a woman before, but I was suddenly sure that I was in love with Bella.
At the same moment that my epiphany struck me, a small manicured hand flew at Tanya and struck her cheek. She reeled back from the impact clutching her hand to her face with a gasp, and a look of complete shock gracing her face.
She was not the only one with a shocked expression. My face must have mirrored hers as I turned to look at my tiny sister's venomous expression that was directed at Tanya.
I knew Alice was a formidable woman, but I had never seen her lash out in physical aggression before. Her hands were balled into fists at her side and she was trembling from the rage that must be coursing through her at this moment. Before I even had the chance to speak to Alice she began her tirade at Tanya.
Her perfectly polished fingernail was pointing like a dagger in Tanya's face and even Tanya knew better than to say anything against Alice at this moment.
"I have had enough of you shamelessly throwing yourself at my brother! He is too much a gentleman to ever tell you to piss off, but lucky for him I have no such qualms. I am saying this one time and one time only, get out of his life and get off this property. You are no longer welcome here. You will be gone by morning or that slap will seem like a tickle when I let Rosalie have a go!"
With that last comment, Tanya's eyes flew open in surprise and a hint of fear I am sure. Even during our brief relationship, she was well aware of Rosalie's opinion of her.
Choosing wisely on her part Tanya turned towards the door and hurriedly walked away with not so much as a glance back at us.
I was so grateful to Alice for her words to Tanya because she was accurate in her appraisal that I would never be less than a gentleman to a woman, even a woman such as Tanya. However, before I could thank her she whirled around pointing that same finger in my face.
Shit! What had I done now?
"You dear brother are in seriously deep shit! How could you do that to Bella?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Alice. I didn't do anything! You know I would never hurt Bella. I lover her for god's sake," letting the words fall from my lips without consideration to the fact that I was telling my sister about the depth of my feelings before sharing them with Bella.
My words must have hit their mark though because her expression softened and instead of continuing her tirade she grabbed me into a fierce hug.
As I hugged Alice I realized that I needed to find Bella and tell her how I felt. I knew that my feelings were never going to change, and I couldn't wait another minute to share this with her.
"I need to go find Bella. I am sure she is wondering what happened to me. I left her dancing with Emmett. Did you happen to see if she was still dancing with him?" I asked Alice in a rush.
The look on her face was one of sadness and pain. It made no sense to me at that moment until she began to speak in a low measured tone, "Edward, Bella isn't in there with Emmett anymore. She went back to her cabin a little while ago."
What the hell? That made no sense at all. Was she sick? My brain was having trouble processing what Alice was saying to me.
"Alice, what the hell are you talking about? Is she sick? Why didn't she come get me?"
I was starting to panic. Why in the world would Bella leave?
"Edward, I think Bella must have seen Tanya kissing you and gotten the wrong idea. She came to me really upset and asked me to take her back to her cabin. She wouldn't talk to me about whatever was bothering her. I figured she just needed to cool off. I didn't realize what had happened."
Alice's words hit me with the force of speeding truck. If Bella had seen Tanya kissing me, it would have looked entirely different to her. Given her past with James, this would have been a devastating blow to her. I knew that she was breaking down her walls with me, but that level of complete trust had yet to be reached. This one incident would set her back miles in our relationship.
"Shit, Alice! I need to go talk to her. I can't let her think that I would do that to her. Can you tell everyone that I had to leave and I will call you after I talk to Bella," my voice was shaky and strained. All I wanted to do was get to Bella and make this right.
I stared towards the front doors of the lodge with Alice quickly following me.
"Edward, wait I need to tell you-," Alice was yelling behind me, but her words were cut off when Emmett came running towards me from the ballroom.
"There you are man! I have been looking everywhere for you. We just got a call from the patrol office. There's been an avalanche on the far side of the resort. Thankfully it's in the restricted area, but they think it may have reached the main road. From the reports they are receiving, it sounds like it could be nasty. They are calling everyone in to the patrol office in case we need to go out."
Great now I was stuck having to go to work instead of talking to Bella. This was going from bad to worse in record time.
I knew that I couldn't let Bella continue thinking what she was about me and Tanya, so I turned to Alice for her help.
"Ally, can you please go talk to Bella for me. I hate to not do it myself, but I have to check into this," I pleaded my case to Alice knowing she would help me.
Again her face was a mask of pain and this time fear.
"Edward, I can't. That's what I was trying to tell you before. Bella isn't there right now. She told me that she was leaving the resort for a few days to clear her head. She won't be there. I am sure she is on the road already."
Road! Oh my god, Bella! The avalanche!
Emmett's and Alice's thoughts must have been running parallel to mine because their faces registered the same realization as mine.
Alice was the first to speak, "Oh my God! The road!"
At her words, Emmett and I started running towards the door in a full out sprint to the headquarters.
As I ran I yelled over my shoulder at Alice, "Call Bella and drive to her cabin. Stop her if she hasn't left yet and call me as soon as you know anything. We'll be at the patrol office getting the most recent details!"
I didn't even bother to wait for a reply knowing that Alice was just as terrified as I was about the possibility of Bella being trapped in the avalanche. As I ran I kept telling myself that the chances of her being caught wee small and that she most likely was safe. I honestly couldn't let my heart believe anything else. It would have killed me to think of something happening to Bella.
As Emmett and I ran through the door of the patrol office, I was mentally listing the things that had to be done to prep for the possible situations caused by the avalanche. The resort had never experienced one while I was here even as a child, but protocol was always reviewed each year in case of such an emergency.
Newton met me at the door with the report from the weather agency and local authorities. Apparently the avalanche was substantial in size, but had luckily occurred in an uninhabited area of the mountain. The biggest problem was the possibility that it had caused damage or was blocking the mountain road that connected the resort to the surrounding area.
As Mike was reading off the reports details, Emmett and I were quickly getting into our gear in preparation of any rescues that may come up. The entire time I was gearing up my mind was locked on the woman I loved and her current whereabouts. I was just about to call Alice when my phone rang in my pocket. It was Alice.
My heart was beating erratically at all the possibilities that this call may bring. I sent up a quick prayer to the heavens and flipped open my phone.
"Edward, she's not here and she's not answering my calls," came Alice's shaky and desperate voice.
As her words sunk in I felt my world begin to crumble. This could not be happening. My rational side was telling me that there could be plenty of reasons why she wasn't answering her phone. However, my irrational side was playing out all the devastating scenarios. This was the side that was winning out.
In the distance I vaguely heard Alice calling my name still on the phone that had now fallen to my desk. I quickly snatched the phone back up knowing exactly what I had to do.
"Alice, I have to go. I will call you if I hear from her. Please stay at the cabin in case she comes back," my voice was clear and firm.
"Okay, Edward," was Alice's soft reply before hanging up on the other end.
I grabbed my parka and radio from my office and ran to find Emmett. There was no option left at this point. I needed to make sure Bella was safe.
Emmett said nothing to me as I jogged past him. Without a word he grabbed his gear and followed behind me easily matching my strides. He had to know what I was planning to do. I welcomed his assistance, but I didn't stop to talk with him. Time was not on our side if there really was an emergency situation. Avalanches were unstable entities even after the initial onslaught. Smaller avalanches and slides could occur due to the unstable conditions.
I rounded the corner of the patrol office building once I was outside in the cold night, and stopped dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me Newton and several other senior patrol members were assembled with snowmobiles and rescue gear ready obviously awaiting my instructions. The gratitude that swept through me was immeasurable and I would have to share it with all of them some day, but for now there was no time to waste. At the front of the group were two snowmobiles with their engines purring waiting for Em and I to take the lead.
I simply nodded at the assembled team and quickly made my way to the snowmobile at the front of the group. Emmett was less than a step behind me. We quickly secured our gear and hopped on the snowmobiles. Thankfully the snow had let up considerably so the visibility would be better than expected. There was no question as to the destination our team was headed tonight. The mountain road was my only concern. If that area was clear than I could be fairly certain that Bella was safely on the other side. I couldn't even bring myself to ponder the other possibilities.
The access road used by the snowmobiles was fairly clear thanks to the freshly fallen snow leaving a clean blanket for the snowmobiles to fly across. I led the group in a single file formation down the path that would lead us to the restricted area where the avalanche had apparently occurred. We would have to take a lesser used path to reach the road.
In less than 5 minutes we had reached the smaller path that led to the main road. I cranked the engine to its limit and flew through the trees at the fastest speed I dared. My heart was pounding in anticipation of either outcome.
I could see the break in the trees up ahead that opened to what was supposed to be the main road, but all I could see was a pile of snow that was littered with debris from the snow sliding down the mountainside during the avalanche.
Cursing in frustration at the hampered visibility, I maneuvered the snowmobile over the piled snow and began scanning the area where the road should be located. It was impossible to discern the road from the surrounding landscape. Everything was blanketed with snow, rocks, dirt, and tree limbs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a piece of the guard rail that was used to line the road. I scanned its pathway using it as a guide to discern the roadway.
My whole world came crashing down at the sight that met my eyes. The guard rail was ripped out of the ground and curved over the mountainside in a twisted mass of metal. Directly in front of the twisted metal was the tail end of an old Chevy truck…Bella's truck. The rest of the truck was pointed over the edge of the road. From this angle I could see nothing in the cab.
My heart was hammering in my head as I gunned the engine of the snowmobile and flew towards the truck. Emmett having pulled up seconds after me was right on my tail in pursuit of the same target.
As soon as I was within three yards of the truck, I stopped the snowmobile and hopped off testing the density of the snow beneath my feet. If it was not packed tightly enough I could fall in and create another dangerous situation. All of my senses were on high alert trying to follow all of the training I had received, and not run straight to the truck without thinking things through.
Emmett was one step behind me mimicking my actions. The rest of the patrol was spaced out across the distance trying not to disturb the already unstable situation.
As quickly as was safe I made my way towards the truck. It took every ounce of my self control to not just bolt to the truck.
As I made my way over I yelled for Bella, "Bella! Bella are you there?" Only silence answered my calls.
In two more steps I was close enough to look over the edge of the road and see the rest of the truck. My stomach lurched and my heart ripped into two when I saw Bella's face covered in cuts and scrapes and her head resting to the side of the cab obviously unconscious.
My control had meant its limit and I dropped to my knees and scrambled towards her, no longer caring about safety. If Bella was going to lose her life, then I didn't care if I lived!
"Bella! Baby can you hear me?" was my relentless refrain as I tried in desperation to reach the woman that had stolen my heart.
I distantly heard Emmett trying to shout warnings to me, but I honestly didn't give a shit what he had to say. Bella was my only concern.
I slid on my belly along the snow until I reached the passenger window of the truck. There was no glass left in any of the windows. The force of the sliding snow must have pushed it out. I reached through the window with my right arm while I braced myself against the truck cab with my left to see if I could feel a pulse.
Thank god! She had a pulse and her breathing was shallow but steady. Unfortunately in the given conditions her injuries from the accident were only part of the concerns. Hypothermia could set in quickly and we had no idea how long she had been out here. Someone from above must have been looking out for her though because as the truck slid over the edge breaking through the guard rail, two large trees had stopped the truck from plummeting any further.
"Hold on beautiful. We're going to get you out of here. Please hold on for me," I tried to steady my voice and sound calm and strong for her.
I knew our first priority was to get her out of the truck and warm her body temperature before we could assess her other injuries. I also realized that she needed to get to a hospital sooner rather than later. Time was not on our side and I would be damned if Bella wouldn't get everything she needed to survive this.
"Emmett, radio for the recue chopper. Tell them we have a victim in need of transportation with possible hypothermia and other unknown injuries. Tell them to land as close to the avalanche site as possible and radio in a location. We will transport her to them as soon as she is free from the truck," I yelled all of this in the calmest voice I could muster before ducking my upper body back into the truck cab to assess Bella's condition more closely.
I knew that removing Bella from the truck posed its own innate risks, but allowing her to remain in these conditions would lead to greater risks more quickly. We would have to do what we could and pray that no further damage came from the rescue.
I could briefly hear Emmett relaying the information to the rescue operator and the rest of the patrol members. I turned my attention back to the love of my life that was fighting for hers. On closer inspection I realized that the old truck had taken the brunt of the impact and for once I was grateful that Bella had been driving it.
Her face was covered in many cuts and scrapes though most appeared superficial in nature. There were a few that would require stitches. Her left arm appeared to be injured as well. It seemed that when the truck had rolled to the left that her body had pinned it against the doorframe at an odd angle. It made me sick to think of the terror she must have been feeling during those moments when the snow hit the truck.
The question now was how to remove Bella from the truck without causing her further damage and without creating a more dangerous situation if the truck shifted. It appeared to be holding fairly stable against the trees, but caution was still a factor.
Emmett's head appeared beside my body at the window holding a neck brace in his one hand while holding himself against the truck frame.
"Here man, slide this around her neck and then we need to get her out ASAP. The chopper is on its way as we speak." His voice was clear and firm, but the emotion under the surface was evident.
I simply nodded taking the neck brace from him and slipping it around Bella's neck as gently as I could, all the while murmuring to her that she was going to be fine and that I loved her. I knew she couldn't hear me, but I had to say it anyway. Another day was not going to go by without her hearing my words of love.
"Bella, baby, you need to hang in there for me. We are going to get you out of here in just a minute. I love you, baby. Stay with me," the words were filled with all the emotion I had for her.
I reached under her arms and slowly began inching my way back out of the truck still on my belly. Emmett had moved to the side and was making sure that the truck was remaining stable while I maneuvered us backwards. Bella never uttered a sound while I was moving us out. Her silence was terrifying to say the least.
The whole time I was pulling us out, I kept up a constant dialogue in her ear. It was as much for her as it was for me. I needed to relay my thoughts and feelings to her.
As I slid the rest of the way out the window, Emmet reached forward to assist in pulling Bella the rest of the way out. He had a rescue board waiting for her next to the truck's window. We slowly transferred her body to the board and quickly covered her to conserve any heat that we could. Thankfully the boards were designed to transport victims in harsh conditions and were designed to keep them warm.
Moving as quickly as we could we attached the board to the snowmobile and readied Bella to travel the distance to the helicopter landing site.
Emmett jumped on to drive and I hopped on behind him. I knew that I was in no shape to drive and I needed to be as close to Bella as I could.
Emmett briefly told the rest of the patrol to return to the headquarters and brief Esme and Carlisle about what had happened. He also told them to make sure that no guests entered the roadway or restricted areas.
Starting the snowmobile, we pulled away from the group and headed to the designated landing site. The entire ride took less than 5 minutes, but it felt like an entire lifetime. As soon as the helicopter was in sight I started to radio ahead to inform them of the details of Bella's condition.
Emmett pulled the snowmobile up next to the chopper's door. We both jumped off at the same time and began disconnecting the rescue board. It was made to then be lifted directly into the chopper. The rescue team in the chopper helped lift Bella in and starting working on her right away.
I knew that there was no way I was leaving Bella at this point, so I yelled into the pilot so hear could hear me above the noise from the engines.
"I'm coming with you!"
He started to argue, but I cut him off.
"That's my girlfriend in there, and I am not leaving her!"
The desperation in my eyes must have been enough for him to take me seriously. He just nodded and I hopped in beside Bella's still form. I knew then that I would never leave her side again. Our relationship was now on a new level and I only prayed that Bella would make it through this so that I could hold her in my arms forever and share my life with her.
As the helicopter lifted off the ground and made its way to the nearest trauma center, I knew that the next few days held the answers to my future.
AN: I hope you liked this one. I wanted to get it out fairly quickly. Please review for me. I read and respond to each one. Thanks!