Disclaimer: i do not own anything... not twilight nor any of the other well known names and places i have included

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Chapter 10

Accident

1 month later...

BPOV

The construction of the gazebo and sun room for the Garden Club was finished. Now it was up to Alice to make it beautiful. I was on my way today to visit the hospital site. The walls were up as well as the frames for the rooms. I just had to go on my weekly checks. I had a meeting in the morning with a new client so I had to wear a suit or dress. Since I was going to the site a dress was not an option for today. So I got up and decided to get dressed in a gray pant suit with a cream V neck blouse and I wore my black ankle boots with a chunk heel.

I got into my car and made my way to the office. I was to meet with a Sarah Jacobs for a restaurant renovation. She was to meet me at 10:00 a.m. While waiting for her I reviewed my drafts and compared them with the specs that Alice indicated for the shelves and beds and the like. Rose was supposed to accompany me today to check on the wiring and other mechanical aspects.

"Hey, Bella, you ready to go?" She peeped into my office and asked.

"Yes Rose, let's go. Tyler and Eric are supposed to be in the lobby." I said as I picked up my drawings. We went to the parking garage, got into my Volvo C70 convertible, and made our way to the hospital. After about ten minutes we were pulling into the lot. We each gathered our stuff and made our way to the site. We put on our hard hats when we got to the gate then entered.

We all went in our own directions inspecting what we each needed to look at. After about an hour Rose and I met on the second floor. She was looking at the wiring and I was checking the measurements. I was setting up my equipment when I heard Rose shout, "BELLA! Get out of there". It didn't register and the next thing I knew my left side made contact with the floor and Rose was on top of me.

"Rose, what happened?" I asked her still a bit winded.

"The piping fell loose and almost landed on you. Can you get up? What hurts?" She explained as she patted me down.

"Uhm, I'm not sure. It feels like my entire left side hurts. But my wrist and ankle hurt the most." I said.

"Well, it's good that were in the vicinity of the hospital. Come on; let's get you to the ER. Is Edward working today?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. He's schedule is screwed up again. It changes like every other day." I told her.

"Never mind. We'll just have him paged. Wait here." She said then left. I could see she had a few bruises as well. "John! What the hell happened? Stop the work and check everything! Make sure what is supposed to be secured is secured. Eric, stay and supervise. Tyler help me get her to the ER then you can come back and help Eric." She ordered. Everyone just nodded, you'd be afraid to cross Rosalie of all people.

She took one of my arms and Tyler took the other. We then walked to the ER slowly. The pain in my ankle seemed to be getting worse and I held my wrist close to my body so it wouldn't move too much. We got to the ER and they sat me down while Rosalie made her way to the reception desk. She was explaining our condition and after a while got a bit agitated. "Tyler can you help me walk over to Rose before she rips the poor receptionist apart," I asked him and he stood up then helped me and we walked over.

"Rose, is there a problem?" I asked her.

"Well, this nurse is being rude! Just give us the damn forms and put us in line," she said, raising her voice a bit.

"Calm down Rose." I said to her then looked at the nurse. "Can we please get assistance? We were over at the construction site when a pipe fell causing us some injury." I said calmly.

"Well, you will have to wait a bit since the ER is swamped at the moment," she explained.

"Ok, where do we sign up?" I said. Then she held out two clip boards with the forms. We each took one then filled them out. When we were done Tyler gave it back to the nurse and we waited. After about twenty minutes Rose stood up and went over to the desk again.

"How much longer?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," the nurse replied coldly.

"Well, then can you please page Dr. Edward Cullen?" she asked.

"I'm sorry but Dr. Cullen is engaged with another patient. You will be seen by whoever will be free when you name is next." The nurse explained. I could see Rose fuming. She pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Hello, Emmett?" I heard her say. "I'm sorry to bother you but we're in the ER. Bella and I got into an accident at the site and we've been waiting half an hour," she paused to listen then said, "Bella is hurt more than me because I fell on her since I pushed her out of the way and this nurse won't page Edward for us." She listened then nodded the looked to the nurse, "Excuse me what's your name?" she asked.

"Lauren Mallory," the nurse replied. Then she got back on the phone, "Her name is Lauren Mallory," she said then listened again. "Oh, I, see. Well, ok, but can you tell him to hurry cause Bella's wrist is getting really swollen. Thanks Em," she hung up the phone, glared at Lauren and turned to come back to us to sit and wait. After about two minutes Edward was running through the door.

EPOV

I had the 11:00 to 7:00 shift today. I had lunch with my dad filling him in on the progress of the new wing. He was pleased with how everything was going. I left him about 1:30 and made my way back to the ER. At about 2:30 we had a trauma come in. Two guys apparently rammed their car into some barrier. They were not badly injured but had some major fractures. Garrett and I took one each. We made sure they were stable then sent them off to x-ray.

There were also a few kids who were throwing up which were relatively easy to treat. I was finishing up their charts when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, Emmett. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Bro, Rose called me. Bella and her are in the ER and your admirer at triage is keeping them waiting. Can you go get them? Rose said Bella's wrist seems to be swelling really bad," he told me.

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks Em." I hung up and ran to the receiving area. Bella was hurt. How did that happen? I found then sitting down in the waiting area.

"Edward, thank god!" Rose said standing up and walking over to me.

"What happened Rose? You're hurt as well," I said seeing the bruise forming on her right shoulder.

"A pipe fell on the second floor and Bella was in the way so I had to push her away. She fell on her left side and I fell on her. I asked this nurse to page you but she said you were with another patient," she quickly explained to me while pointing to Lauren. I looked over to Bella and she was seated with her eyes closed.

"Nurse Mallory, where are their charts?" I asked her.

"Oh, Dr. Cullen, I didn't see you there. Here are their charts, but Dr. Newton—"she began but I cut her off.

"Charts, NOW! I don't care if Newton is on deck. They are MY patients. And when they ask you to beep me you beep me so I know they are here," I scolded her, grabbed the charts then walked over to Bella.

"Bella, sweetie," I said nudging her a bit and she opened her eyes. "Let's get you inside," I said calling for a wheelchair. The guy they were with helped her into the chair. "Thanks Tyler. I'll be ok, go help Eric at the site." She assured him. He just nodded and was off.

I helped Bella onto a bed and Rosalie into another just as Emmett arrived. "Rose, what happened?" he asked her. She retold the story of what happened while I attended to Bella.

"What hurts aside from the obvious Bella?" I asked her.

"Well, my ankle and I think my side is about to bruise." She replied.

"Did you hit your head? Are you dizzy? Headache? Blurring of vision? Nauseated?" I asked her.

"No to all of those," she shook her head. "Ok, well, I'm assuming your wrist is broken but I'll have an x-ray taken so I know how bad it's hurt, and your ankle and rib cage as well." I filled up the order sheet and handed it to Jessica for her to carry out. I went back to Bella.

"If you wanted to see me you could have just asked. You didn't have to come as a patient," I teased.

"I promise it's not an intentional injury. Rose was snapping at everyone before we left the site." She smiled weakly. "You should check Rose as well." She motioned to her friend and I walked over to her.

"Is another part of your body painful aside from your shoulder Rose?" I asked her.

"Nope I'm fine. Even if Bella is small she makes a good cushion." She smiled at Bella.

"We'll have your shoulder x-rayed just to be sure." She nodded and I wrote down the orders in the chart and handed it again to Jessica. Then our previous trauma arrived from x-ray. I told Bella I'd be a while and I made my way to the negatoscope. Both hand compound fractures on the lower extremities and the driver had a broken arm as well. "Jessica, call ortho for them. They need a trip to the OR. I'll take Ms. Swan and Ms. Hale to x-ray. Charts." I said extending my hand then made my way back to Bella.

"Dr. Cullen I can do that. That's not part of your job." she said to me which really irked me.

"I don't care whose job it is. These people are important to me and I want to take them to x-ray. Your evil twin has kept them waiting outside long enough." I said and took Bella and Rose to x-ray.

When we got back the vehicular accident guys were admitted and taken to the OR. Rose's shoulder was fine and range of motion was complete. I told her to ice it for the first twenty-four hours then then heat compress for the succeeding hours if needed for the bruise. I also gave her some Ibuprofen.

Bella on the other hand had a hairline fracture on the distal third of her ulna, but her ankle was only sprained. I gave her a brace for her wrist that extends from her palm to mid forearm and a stirrup brace for her ankle. I prescribed her Naproxen for pain if needed.

"So Bella let me explain. Your ulna has what we call a hairline fracture which we could treat with a brace. I'll also give you a stirrup brace for your ankle since it's sprained. Just for support. I'll prescribe you Naproxen for the pain. If it hurts to much let me know I'll give you something stronger," I explained to her and she nodded and smiled at me.

We got her fitted with the braces and I gave her the prescription. When they were ready to go I wondered how she would get home. It was only 5:00 pm so I had two more hours for my shift. "Bella, how are you getting home?" I asked her.

"We took my car. Tyler can drive it back to the office then Rose can drive us home. We rode together to work today," she answered me. I nodded then finished her paper work so she could be released.

After all was settled, I brought her out to the exit to find two guys, who I assumed were Tyler and Eric, already waiting. "I plan to pass by after work. Will that will be ok with you?" I asked her.

"Yes, that would be fine, unnecessary but fine." She hugged me goodbye and kissed my cheek. "Thank you Edward. I'll see you in a bit." she said then I helped her into the car. I bent down and whispered "It's nothing. Aside from it's my job, I'd do anything for you," I whispered to her kissing her temple. She looked at me with wide eyes then smiled and I saw her cheeks turn pink. She looked even more beautiful. I closed her door and watched them pull out. I went back to the ER and finished my shift. I couldn't wait to go and see her later in the evening.

I got off my shift at 7:00 p.m. I decided to bring Bella some food but I had to make sure that no one else would do so. So I called Rosalie and Alice and found out that they don't really cook so I told them I'd just bring food for everyone and I informed Em and Jazz as well.

I decided to buy the food from Maggiano's Little Italy. I was unsure of what Bella would want so I, again, got one of everything. I got Mushroom ravioli al forno, Eggplant parmesan, Shrimp & Angel Hair al' Arrabbiata, Roasted Chicken & Arugula Salad, Baked ziti & sausage, Creamy chicken & potato soup and tiramisu for desert. I also picked up a bunch of Tulips on the way.

I got to their apartment at about 8:30 p.m. I made my way up to their floor, and rang the bell. Rosalie answered the door. "Hi, Edward. That's a lot of food!" she said. "Have you seen Emmett eat?" I replied with a laugh. "Well, yeah, you got me there. Come on in. Bella is in the living room". She took the bags into the kitchen and started to lay them out on the bar.

I saw Bella sitting on the couch, her leg propped out on the table over a pillow and plans on her lap. "Hey Bella, how are you?" I asked her as i waled over.

She looked at me and smiled. "I've been better. How was the rest of your shift?"

"It was ok. Nothing big, just usual illnesses." I sat down beside her. "I brought you food, well for everyone actually. Oh, and these are for you," I said, handing her the flowers.

"Thank you, this is very thoughtful of you. And I can see we could have a floor party again." She said with a laugh.

"Well, I wanted to bring you dinner, but then I thought that Rose and Alice wouldn't want to leave you even with me around so I just invited everyone. As for the amount of food, like I told Rose, Emmett will be here to barf down the leftovers." I stated. I enumerated the food I got and noticed her eyes get wide. I said I'd bring her what she wanted and she started with the soup and salad.

"Wow, this is really good!" she said and ate with so much gusto. I made a plate for myself and sat beside her to eat my food. When I noticed she was done I asked what she wanted next. She asked for the Mushroom ravioli and eggplant. I stood up and fixed the plate and brought it back to her.

I watched her eat and was glad that I could see she was enjoying the meal. "Is it good?" I asked. She swallowed the bite she just put in her mouth then looked at me and smiled. "It's the best. How did you know I love Mushroom ravioli?" she asked. "I didn't. I just got one of everything." I answered and continued to eat my food.

Conversation was easy; we all traded stories from college then some blunders we had while on the job. At about eleven I noticed Bella was getting quiet, rubbing her neck, with her eyes closed. "Bella, are you tired? Do you want to turn in?" I asked her. She just nodded. "I'll help you into your room," I said. She bade everyone a good night and I offered to carry her, which thankfully she agreed too.

We got into her room, I pulled her sheets back , and then laid her on the bed. I tucked her in and bade her a good night. "I'll try to find you a cane tomorrow. I'm sure you'd prefer that to crutches." She nodded and I kissed the corner of her mouth. I was making my way out then when I was at the door she called out, "Edward, thank you for everything. I really appreciate it." I turned to look at her and said, "It's my pleasure sweetie. Now rest, I'll see you tomorrow." I walked out.

When I got to the living room I found the guys watching TV and the girls in the kitchen cleaning up. I walked into the kitchen and offered my help. "No, we're fine Edward. You brought the food the least we can do is clean up." Rose said and Alice simply nodded. I did not want to watch TV so I just sat at the bar that was facing the kitchen and grabbed the paper.

Alice approached me and said, "Thank you for taking care of Bella, Edward. It's surprising that she's taking it so well." I was confused then. "What do you mean Alice?" I asked and she looked like she was pondering on how to answer me. Rose was the one who spoke next.

"Well, we're not sure how much Bella has shared with you. She is a really great person. We do look out for each other but she would always go an extra mile for us when needed even if we didn't ask for it. She has taken care of us more than we take care of her." She told me. So clearly she was selfless, thinks of others before her. That was one thing we had in common. I think that's why I became a doctor, to take care of others.

Alice then spoke, "She has been through a lot. Well, I'm sure not as much as some but for her it's a lot. Though it is not our story to tell, we do appreciate that you are willing to take things slow. I can assure you that she is worth the wait." She finished and Rose nodded in agreement.

"She can take as long as she wants. I'm sure she will share that part of her story when she's ready. Having your approval means a lot to me." I told them. I was getting tired and said my good-byes and made my way home. On my drive home I got an idea to send her a care package of sorts. I just had to think of what I wanted to send.

I had the next day off. I got up at about 9:00 am. I then decided to go for a run. I ran about three miles then got into the shower when I got home. I was done at about eleven then decided to ask help from my mom for my gift for Bella. I got my cordless phone, sat on my couch and dialed. My mom picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, mom. I need some suggestions" I said to her.

"Good morning to you to dear. I heard what happened at the site. Are Bella and Rose alright?" she asked.

"Yes mom, they're fine. Rose just has a bruise but Bella has a fracture in her forearm and a sprained ankle. That's actually why I'm calling." I replied.

"Oh, yes, what can I help you with?" she asked me.

"I wanted to send Bella a gift. Like a care package but I'm not sure what to put in it," I explained.

"What kind of gift sweetie? Food? Clothes? Furniture? Toiletries?" she enumerated.

"I'm not sure. I want something to help her relax. Some aromatherapy stuff I guess." I said.

"Oh, ok, I have something in mind. Are you off today? We can go to the mall and pick it out if you would like." she offered.

"Yes, I'm free today. I can come and pick you up then maybe we could have lunch there. That is if you haven't cooked yet." I suggested.

"That's a great idea. I'll wait for you then. Drive safe sweetheart. I'll see you in a bit." She said.

"Ok, mom," I said then hung up. I made it to their house in about five minutes. We went to Copley place, had lunch then went to get my gifts.

BPOV

The weekend went by well. Edward checked on me a couple of times and he suggested I work from home at least till Tuesday. He dropped that "Doctor's Orders" line on me. So I took his advice since I had no new projects to draft in the meantime. I asked Angela to just pass by after work to get me updated. As usual, she was a doll about it.

When she came on Tuesday afternoon I was surprised when I opened the door and found that she was carrying a package. "What is that Ange? You didn't have to bring me anything." I said while eying the package. I couldn't help her since my arm still hurt a bit.

"Hi, Bella, though I would have loved to have thought of this idea, I didn't. This package was delivered to the office this morning." She said as she put the basket on the table and handed me the note. It had my name written on the front and the writing was in an elegant script and looked oddly familiar. I opened the enveloped and read the message.

My dearest Bella,

I hope you would accept this gift I put together for you. I so badly wanted to give you something but I also had to make sure that you wouldn't throw a fit about it, since I know that you are opposed to receiving gifts. At first I was coming up blank so I asked the help of my mother to come up with these gifts.

First is a robe with matching slippers. It's a plush one; similar to the one Alice donated. I got it from Victoria's Secret and had your name embroidered so I'm sure she won't mind you having it. I got you blue just because I love you in the color.

Then I got you a variety of aromatherapy products. I got you massage oils, bath salts, foot soak, pillow mist and candles. I got it in 2 scents, Eucalyptus spearmint for stress relief and Lavender vanilla for sleep.

I hope these will bring you comfort, especially while you are recuperating. Enjoy.

Your Edward

I was staring at the note with my mouth wide open. "Bella! Bella! Are you alright?" Angela asked me and I just handed over the paper. I was in awe. How could someone even think of minute details like Alice giving my robe to charity? Is he really that perceptive? "He is a keeper Bella!" Angela squealed bringing me out of my thoughts. "I know Angela. He remembers the most minute details and he seems to always know what I like. Like last Friday he brought food and one of them was mushroom ravioli. I didn't remember telling him that it was my favorite so I asked him how he knew and he said he didn't he just got one of everything."

I told her a few more stories, how he tucked me in bed, how he would always check up on me or call for no reason. Wow! That is how I describe this thing with us in one word. Definitely no one has ever done anything like this for me. I think I'm starting to fall for Dr. Edward Cullen!