Word of Warning folks - This chapter is a tad short, but in order to keep the flow of the story, it had to be this way.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Six

EPOV

I woke up groggily to a darkened room and lay on my back for several long moments before the previous events came crashing down on me.

They had done it. They had actually done it. My love - my life - was gone. The amount of pain that was crashing through my body was overwhelming and debilitating. Wave after wave of excruciating pain of loss was flowing through me leaving me breathless and incoherent. I welcomed the numbness that followed it. I stared unseeingly up at the ceiling, not even moving to see who had walked into the room. There was no one else I wanted to see; now or ever. The only person that I wanted to see, that could even remotely make this all better was gone and was never coming back.

I felt a warm hand caressing my hair, but it felt wrong. It wasn't her hand. I knew they were talking to me, but I wasn't registering anything they were saying to me. I didn't want to hear anything except my angel's voice and I would never hear that again so what was the point of listening to anything else?

I felt weak and broken. Maybe I had finally lost my mind. Maybe my grief was so great that my mind had finally broken and become irreparable. God, I hoped so. I sure as hell didn't want to be coherent enough to deal with the full amount of pain.

I continued to stare at the ceiling, ignoring whoever it was that was talking to me. I heard several other voices join the first one but paid them no mind either. I heard snippets of conversation but made no attempt to insert myself into it.

"…Catatonic…Won't respond…"

"Is there anything you can do?"

"We can have one of our resident psychologists come down and talk to him."

"I think that would be best."

"It could just be shock, you know? Maybe if we tell him…"

"No, she wants to do that herself."

"So maybe that will bring him out?"

"Has anyone told him about her yet?"

"No. He just woke up in this state."

"Did you think that maybe if you just told him, it may bring him out?"

"Hmm…I hadn't considered that…"

I briefly wondered who they were talking about, but my broken mind simply shrugged it off. I didn't care. I cared about nothing anymore. All I wanted now was to join my Kitten. As soon as fucking possible.

"Edward? Son, It's me, dad. Can you hear me, son?"

"Carlisle, just tell him. I can't bear to see him like this! He hasn't moved all day!"

"I can't just blurt it out, I need to know that he's listening first and gauge his attentiveness and-"

"Carlisle! He's your son, not a patient! Take off your doctor's hat for one moment and handle this as his father!"

I heard a sigh from the person next to me and almost smiled. Almost being the operative word. My muscles refused to move on my command; like me heart, they too were frozen.

"Edward, son, you need to come back. Bella is awake. Bella is ok. She needs you to be ok son."

'Yeah right. They took her from me. She's gone and she's not coming back." I mentally scoffed at the voice though my mouth did not move and no sound came out.

"Edward, please, sweetie, talk to us. Bella is ok."

This voice was softer, sweeter; motherly. But still it was not the one voice I wanted to hear and I certainly didn't believe what it was saying. My Bella was not ok. I had seen her. I knew they had pulled the plug after I had been dragged from the room. She had looked the same as she had since I had first seen her after I woke up.

I totally tuned all of the voices out after that. I couldn't allow hope to unfurl inside me only to have it crushed when the truth hit me again. I gladly sank into the pits of despair and darkness; finding solace in those corners.

This was my new reality.

EmPOV

I stared at the unmoving form of my brother as the doctor, mom and dad discussed and argued things around me. This zombie-like state was on a completely new level; it was unnerving. It was scary. Edward simply stared, unblinking, up at the white tiled ceiling. He hadn't even flinched when Bella's name had been spoken. At least when she left eight years ago, he had flinched and cowered away despite his dead state, but now…now, he simply lay there as if he couldn't hear us.

I felt anger at the doctor's and at Charlie for causing my brother to be in this state. Rationally I knew there was no way they could have known this would happen. But my irrational mind and my aching heart weren't listening to reason right now.

The more I sat there and stared at my brother and the more I heard mom and dad argue about how to deal with this situation; the more angry and frustrated I became. All of a sudden an idea struck me; born out of frustration and desperation. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, why not bring Mohammed to the mountain? I sprung up, much to the surprise of the gathered company and strode out of the room and into the one next door.

Bella was sitting up in bed as she fidgeted with the blanket in her lap. She looked up in surprise when I entered and smiled at me weakly.

"Emmett! How is Edward? Is he awake? Can I see him?" she rushed out all in one breath.

I gave her a weak smile in return and crossed the room to her bed, glancing at the IV attached to her arm as I approached.

"Bella, Edward is in a bad way. He was sedated yesterday just before you woke and he since he woke up this afternoon he hasn't said a word and nor has he moved." I paused to take a deep breath before I continued, "He thinks you died. He thinks that when they pulled the plug you didn't survive and it's killed him emotionally. He needs you Bella." I finished softly.

Bella was crying, her delicate shoulder heaving with the force of her sobs. I gently wrapped my arm around her and soothed her best I could. She cried for several long moments before she calmed enough to speak. The first words out her mouth caused me to smile widely, my first true smile in days.

"Take me to him, Em. I need him too." She said softly, yet urgently.

I nodded and stood from the bed. I eyed the IV pole and found that it had wheels. I turned back to Bella.

"I'm going to lift you into my arms but you'll need to grab the IV, okay?" I said to her.

"Fine. Whatever. Just get me there." She replied dismissively.

I bent and gently lifted her off the bed and into my arms, bridal style. She grabbed the IV pole and we started towards the door.

It was slow going because of the manoeuvring of the pole but finally we made it into Edward's room. Everyone stopped talking when I appeared in the doorway with Bella in my arms. Dad looked at me incredulously and mom simply smiled.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" dad asked.

"She needs him, he needs her. You guys were all arguing about how to go about getting him out of his zombie state; I simply went to the source of it. The way you lot were going, Edward would never come out of it." I shrugged.

I brushed past my parents and the doctor and carefully sat Bella down on the bed beside Edward. I only hoped this worked.

EPOV

Through the dark abyss I felt it. I felt her. The ever present electricity that always told me when she was near. I revelled in it. If this was the last time I would feel it for a while then I sure was going to savour it.

It was then that I heard the voices again.

"Emmett, what are you doing?"

"She needs him, he needs her. You guys were all arguing about how to go about getting him out of his zombie state; I simply went to the source of it. The way you lot were going, Edward would never come out of it."

I snorted internally and for the first time since I opened my eyes today I felt the muscles in my face twitch.

The pulse moved closer to me until I could feel it coming from right beside me. My hand twitched on the bed as it itched to reach out towards the familiar pulsing electricity. I longed to hear her voice again and as if my wish had been answered, she spoke.

"Edward? Honey, it's me. I'm here. I'm ok. I came back to you, now I need you to come back to me." she whispered tearfully.

I slowly felt myself coming back to myself and my entire body jerked in reaction to her as soon as she spoke. I blinked to clear the haze from my vision. Slowly, ever so slowly, I turned my head towards her voice. My green eyes met her beautiful brown ones. I drank her in; my eyes dancing over her features as if to memorize them once again. Without any conscious thought I bolted upright and pulled her into my arms, ignoring the sharp pain in my shoulder and even her own injuries. I buried my face into her neck and breathed her in. Nearly two weeks in the hospital had not erased her unique scent. I inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply, gasping as I tried to breathe in her scent as quickly as possible.

"Amazing…I've never seen anything like it…" I heard from across the room.

I ignored the voice. All that mattered was the angel in my arms.

"Bella…"I whispered reverently.

"Edward, it's ok, I'm ok. I'm here, honey, I'm here." she whispered back.

"I love you, Kitten." I murmured into her neck.

"I love you too, Tiger." She replied softly; her love for me clear in her voice.

I pulled back only enough to look into her eyes. I brought one hand round to cup her cheek as I gazed at her tenderly.

"Don't ever do that to me again, baby. I can't…I won't survive without you." I said urgently.

She shook her head, "Never again, honey. I'm sorry." She replied gently.

I sighed and leaned my head against her forehead and closed my eyes in contentment. My Kitten was here and she was alive. What more could I have asked for?

CPOV (Carlisle)

I stared in absolute amazement as with just one sentence and one touch, Bella brought my son back. I guess I really had underestimated their connection. I never would again.

Esme POV

My children were back, alive and well. What more could a mother ask for?

A/N – Phew! They're now both back and together again. Who here needed tissues during the last couple of chapters? Okay, next chapter will be a little more light hearted before the finale drama kicks in. There are only a few more chapters left for this story, so stay with me, yeah?

As always R&R people! Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far – you guys make my day!