Story: Mine, Characters: Stephenie's

Hospitals and Caretakers

I woke to a cold feeling on my face and an unbearable throbbing in my head. I slowly remembered what had happened and whimpered quietly at the thought of having to face him. Better get it over with.

My eyes fluttered open and tried to focus, but one was covered in something hot and sticky. I reached to wipe at whatever it was and someone caught my hand.

"Easy. You had a pretty bad fall and your eye is bleeding all over the place." The sound of his voice flooded my ears and I could easily discern the wariness, though whether it was because of me or the blood I couldn't tell.

"Yeah, head wounds tend to do that. I can't see anything." My voice was barely audible.

I felt something cool and wet rubbing at my eye and realized he must have gotten a rag from the bathroom closet. I tried to sit up and he helped me.

"Can you stand up?"

"I don't know, my legs feel kind of funny, and I'm pretty dizzy."

The next thing I knew I was being hoisted up off the floor and carried outside. I wasn't sure what was happening.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the hospital. That's a pretty nasty cut and it's gonna need stitches."

"You don't have to do that. I can call someone to come get me."

"Yeah I kind of do, it's my fault. I thought you were gone, otherwise I wouldn't have come in."

I suddenly felt defensive and wasn't sure why. His tone was obviously apologetic, not accusing in the least, but I didn't like it. What he said bothered me somehow. That feeling quickly passed as the dizziness caught up with me and I vomited. Unfortunately for Edward that vomit happened to be aimed directly at his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that was going to happen." God must have been mad at me today. That must be why this is happening.

"Don't worry about it, we better hurry. " Even though he tried to sound nonchalant about it, I could tell he was trying not to breathe, and heard him gag slightly.

He sat me down gently in the passenger seat of what I assumed was his truck and buckled me in. I held the rag to my head and tried to breathe through the pain. Sometime between him shutting the door and getting in on his side his shirt had been changed.

"I'm bleeding and throwing up, and you had time for a wardrobe change?" I was more awed than annoyed.

He laughed, "I always keep an extra shirt stashed in my tool box. You never know when you might need a clean one."

"Guess not."

We drove the few minutes to the hospital in silence. I wasn't sure if that was because he didn't want to talk to me (who could blame him), or if he thought I was in too much pain to keep up a conversation. I was grateful for whichever reason he may have chosen to keep to himself.

We pulled up to the emergency room and he walked me inside. I insisted this time that he not carry me. He had called my mom on the way there to let her know what happened so she was waiting with a doctor in a room for me. They were immediately taking me upstairs for x-rays on account of the dizziness and vomiting. I don't know that it was completely from the head trauma though.

Two hours later I was wheeled back in to my room in the ER and the doctor started stitching up my cut. It only took five to close it, but the amount of blood would have made you think otherwise. My mom had been quiet the entire time I was there, and so had I. I didn't know what to say to her and I'm sure she felt the same. That's probably why she kept disappearing every so often.

She walked back in with the films from my x-rays and placed them on the board for the doctor to see.

"Hmm. I thought so. Looks like you've got a concussion, but no fractures."

"Fabulous. I've always wanted one of those." All of the stress and pain made my voice sound like I had been smoking for fifty years.

The doctor laughed. I had always tried to joke through pain, and this time was no different, only it seemed to make it worse, so I stopped.

" I'm going to have your mom give you something for the pain, and then you will be free to go."

"Thanks."

"Don't go to sleep for the next few hours. If the dizziness comes back or you get any blurred vision come right back okay?"

"Sure thing, I didn't have plans today anyway."

I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the hard throbbing in my head, but it didn't work. I heard my mom come back in the room and I opened my eyes.

"What were you thinking?" I knew she was getting ready to leave again, so I had to get her attention.

"What?" Her innocence was completely fake.

"Were you never going to tell me that my ex-fiancé was living in your workshop?"

"Yes, I was going to tell you. I just hadn't had a chance yet. I knew you would have questions so I wanted to wait until I could answer them."

"What, last night at dinner wouldn't have worked?"

"Bella, stop worrying about it. What's done is done. What do you want to know?"

"Pain meds first, talk second."

She helped me sit up and gave me the pills. I took a sip of water and waited a second to make sure the pills weren't going to make a reappearance. My gag reflexes weren't the best at the moment.

"How long?" I knew she would understand what I meant without having to say it.

"A little less than two years, just after your father died."

"TWO YEARS!" I immediately regretted raising my voice and winced in pain. "You've been hiding this for two years?"

"I wouldn't say I was hiding it. We just never had a reason to talk about it until now."

"And I assume that Emmett knows."

"Of course. He does some work for your brother on occasion, it was his idea in the first place."

"Well this just keeps getting better and better."

"Oh hush. Nothing is different now than it was yesterday. Only thing is that now you know. You don't have any reason to go out there anymore so you won't have to see him again...after this afternoon." She tried to slide in the last part by speaking low and quiet, but not quiet enough.

"What?"

"Well I can't come home to watch you so he's gonna stay with you until I get off of work." She tried to turn around and busy herself with something so she wouldn't have to look at me when she dropped that bomb on me.

"Absolutely not! I will not let you make him come back down here and take me home just to watch me. Call Rose."

"Come back? Now, honey he never left. He's been sitting in that waiting room since you got here. Besides, I tried to call Rosalie, but she wasn't home. And before you ask, I already tried Emmett, but he's not answering his cell phone. He's probably still hauling that equipment wherever he was going."

Wasn't home? She said she was going to be there cleaning up this afternoon , and it was only just past one. Huh. Wonder where she ran off to? I would be sure to thank her later for disappearing.

More importantly I tried to focus on what unfathomable reason Edward would have for staying. Then it hit me. I knew why he was here. He never got any sort of closure from me and now I was going to be asked for it. He was probably trying to string together a list of names to call me when we were safely away.

"Mom, I can't let him baby sit me all afternoon. He... well, he has company." I left out the part about how that would probably end up being my worst nightmare, spending that much time with him. I cringed internally at the thought of having to sit through the berating I was sure to receive.

"Oh, a little red headed girl? Named Tanya?"

"Don't know, I didn't catch her name. Though I did catch her naked, in his bed, with him naked." The grimace that accompanied the statement caught her attention, but for the wrong reasons. This time it was the physical pain bothering me.

"My goodness, it has been a rough day for you, huh?"

"To say the least. I swear it's like everything that I never wanted to do is happening all in the same day. Can I go now?" I was suddenly anxious to get out of there, and to have whatever was coming behind me. I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Yeah, the meds should kick in around twenty minutes from now. You can take some more in about six hours if you need it. I'll go get Edward."

I laid back against the bed and closed my eyes. I knew I probably shouldn't but I thought it would feel good. I realized how wrong I was when all I could see was the picture that would forever be burned in to my mind. Edward and that girl, looking at me in shock, without clothes on. I opened my eyes.

One minute later she was back, alone. "Did he decide to ditch me?" The thought wasn't displeasing and I was suddenly hopeful that it was true.

"No such luck for you missy. He's pulling the truck around front." She patted the seat of a wheelchair, "Now hop on in and let's get you home."

I sat down and let her push me to the exit. I knew better than to argue with her, plus I didn't think I had the energy. When we reached the doors I saw him standing there holding the truck door open. I avoided meeting his eyes as I pulled myself on to the seat. It's a good thing the curb was raised, otherwise I never would have made it on my own.

He got in on his side and then rolled my window down when he saw my mother gesturing to him. I threw her one last pleading glare, but if she noticed she didn't react.

"Edward, you know how she is. If you think she's lying about anything injury related just give me a call. I'll be home this evening."

He turned to look at me and I stared straight ahead. "Yep, just as hard headed as always, huh? I figured that little bump would have softened it up just a bit at least." His attempt at humor fell flat with me, but my mother chuckled.

I didn't respond. Partly because it was true, but mostly because I didn't know how to talk to him. He seemed completely unaffected by everything that had happened, and that was something I didn't know how to take.

"Okay then, away we go."