A/N: OK, I've gotten 40 hits, but no reviews. This makes me a bit angry, as this is exactly what is happening with my other story. I'm not writing for myself here, I'm writing for feedback. I'm writing for you guys. So please, if you take the time to read the story, take the 30 seconds to review. But please don't be stupid, saying "next chapter" or "good" or something…I want to know what you really think. Comments, questions, or suggestions. I always reply in the author notes at the end of every chapter. So, let's try this again, shall we?
BPOV
"Bella." I looked up. Edward was holding a small hand towel in one hand and a plastic bag full of ice in the other. "Are you all right?" No. I nodded slightly, wincing at the movement, which sent spots dancing into my vision. I took my good hand and covered my eyes, trying to get a hold of myself. I took as deep a breath as I could manage, slowly exhaling. I took my hand away and looked around again. Things had stopped spinning, which was good. Edward was standing in front of me, the towel and ice on my bed, his arms out to catch me if I started to fall from dizziness.
"I'm fine." My voice was small, and it cracked in all the wrong places. He placed the towel against the back of my head; it was cold and wet-he had dampened it with water. It stung a little, but not as much as I thought. He rubbed, trying to get the blood from my hair, and dabbed the cut. Finally, he stopped.
"Bella, can you hold this and place your wrist on it?" He held the bag of ice to me. I took it, gingerly cradling my hurt wrist on top of it. My wrist burned in pain, but it dulled some. I held it close to my chest, keeping my eyes down. "I'm taking you to Carlisle now. He's at the hospital. Can you stand or do you want me to carry you?" I suppressed a shiver at the thought of being that close to his eyes. I shook my head, swinging my feet off of the bed and onto the floor. He grabbed the elbow of my good arm, helping me to a standing position. He never let go as we walked down the stairs and out of the front door, only stopping to grab my sweater from to hook by the door, which made me quickly assess my outfit. I had fallen asleep in sweats and a t-shirt, so I was fine.
It wasn't raining outside, but it wasn't sunny either. It had rained last night, however, so Edward was tugging at my elbow, maneuvering me around the puddles of murky water. His car was parked in Charlie's spot, so I knew he had journeyed home after Charlie left to freshen up. Edward opened the door for me, and I ducked my head in carefully, still cradling my wrist. I didn't bother with my seatbelt as Edward started the car and pulled away. I looked back at the house longingly, wishing that this day wasn't happening.
"Are you OK, love? You've barely said two words to me," Edward said. I could feel that he was looking at me.
Because I'm afraid. "Hurts," I said quietly, still turned to look out of the passenger window. This must have been enough for him, because he turned back to face the road.
We arrived at the hospital, parking in the front row nearest the entrance. He walked me inside, my eyes stayed trained on my feet. We walked down a few hallways, finally arriving at Carlisle's office. "Hello, Edward…Bella? What happened?" Carlisle stood up from his desk and walked toward us. I took a few steps toward him.
"Fell," I said simply. Carlisle put his arm on my shoulder and steered me out of his office to the room across the hall. Edward followed, sitting in the chair next to the bed that I climbed onto.
"She rolled off her bed and hit her forehead on the bedside table, landed square on her wrist, and the lamp came crashing down on her head," Edward said, obviously feeling the need to elaborate on my one-word description. I noticed his wording, how he used 'rolled', as if I had woken up and sleepily thought I had more bed on one side of me than I actually did. So he knows what frightened me. I kept my eyes on Carlisle's hands, which were probing at my numb wrist, trying to figure out a way to get him alone so that I could tell him what really happened and tell him how frightened I was. Doesn't he notice Edward's eyes? It was the only hope I had.
"Well, it's only dislocated, not broken, although I think it could be bruised. We need to get it back into place. I'm going to inject some medicine to help with the pain, but it will still hurt some," Carlisle explained while filling a syringe with a clear liquid. I nodded as he tied a tourniquet around my arm. I had to turn my head as I felt the needle slip into my skin. "OK, it's done. I need to tug on your hand to get it back into place; this is going to hurt, Bella, if you want a towel to bite down on?" I shook my head, tensing my body, waiting for the pain. I felt Carlisle's hands, one on my hand and one on my forearm. Suddenly, he yanked my hand towards him, keeping my forearm steady. At once, my wrist popped loudly, and pain shot up my arm. I bit my lip again, the pain was not unbearable. I looked at Carlisle.
"All done. That wasn't too bad. I'm going to have you wear a brace for about five days, and then wrap it in an elastic bandage for a week after that, and I'll check it in about a week to make sure it's healing properly." He fixed the brace on my arm as he talked. "The back of your head doesn't look like it needs stitches, it's stopped bleeding, and it looks like Edward got all the blood out of you hair. You've only got a bump on your forehead, and that should go away, but if it hurts, you can take a few Tylenol and lay with an ice pack, and that's the same for your wrist." Carlisle's hand touched my shoulder in comfort. "Are you all right, Bella?"
I looked up into his eyes, hoping that he would see the fear. Being a doctor, he saw pain instead of fear. "Are you in pain? Do you need more medicine?" I shook my head, looking back at the ground. "Take her home, Edward. She needs rest." I felt Edward's hand on my arm, helping me from the bed to the floor, guiding me down the hall to the car, and away from Carlisle.
The medicine Carlisle gave me was starting to kick in on the ride home, and my wrist felt better, although it was still throbbing dully. When we pulled up to the house, the throbbing had almost completely faded. Edward helped me out of the car, and I still avoided his eyes. When we went into the house, he led me up the stairs to my room. I stopped at the doorway, hesitant to be alone in a room with him. I needed a few minutes to myself so I could think.
"Edward…I want to take a bath. You know, freshen up, make sure the…the blood is out of my hair?" I chose my words carefully, knowing that if I said I needed a few minutes to myself, it would hurt him.
"Do you need me to help you?" he asked. I panicked and shook my head frantically, trying not to wonder if he was suggesting anything.
"No, I'm fine," I insisted, going into my room and grabbing the jeans and tee shirt that I had laid out last night.
"I'll be right here. Just call for me if you need me." Edward leaned forward and kissed my forehead lightly. I suppressed a shiver as I turned into the bathroom and shut the door. For a split second, I thought about locking it, but decided against it. If he heard the click, and I was sure he would, he would be suspicious. Not to mention if I fell again or blacked out and I really did need him…I didn't want to explain a busted-up bathroom door along with my injuries to Charlie. I turned on the tap, adjusting the temperature to a medium-hot, and stepped out of my clothes. I turned the water off and slowly stepped in, letting my body get used to the change of temperature.
I laid back in the tub, letting the heat soak through, as I tried to think. I didn't know what would happen when I stepped out of the bathroom. I didn't know what was waiting for me in my bedroom, and that terrified me. He was acting like his normal self, but his eyes…I've seen his eyes black before, but they've never been red. Every vampire that I've met with red eyes has been, for lack of a better word, completely psycho.
Edward was bound to ask me what was going on, and I'd have to tell him. I was so scared of hurting him, but I was even more scared of him, if he were to snap if I pointed out his eyes. Just thinking this made a sudden pain slash through my heart, as though someone had stabbed me with a white-hot poker. I've never been so completely terrified of Edward before.
I sat up, grabbing the sponge from the side of the tub. I dunked it in the water and slowly rubbed it over my body, being careful not to let any water get on my brace. When I was finished with my body, I took it and squeezed it over my head, letting the water drip down my hair and face, gently rubbing it against my cut, trying to get any remaining blood from the area. When I was thoroughly convinced that there was no blood left and my skin was squeaky clean, I pulled the plug from the drain and began to stand, grabbing my towel from the towel bar and stepping onto the cold floor. I began to feel dizzy again, the room turned fuzzy at the edges. My heart started beating faster, and my breathing got deeper. I sat down on the edge of the tub, trying to control myself, but I knew that Edward had heard this change and would come to investigate.
Sure enough, a light tap on the door. "Bella? Love, are you all right? Do you need me?" His voice was completely normal, although it was laced with concern.
"Just got a little dizzy. I'll be fine." I reached for my clothes and began pulling them on, the spinning feeling waning. After pulling my clothes on and patting my hair into a damp, messy state, I finally opened the door. Edward had gone back to my room, and I slowly walked there.
Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed, watching my approach carefully. I took another step forward, and his red eyes followed me. I fought the urge to gulp, and forced myself to sit down next to him, although I noticed that I sat a little further from him than normal. Apparently, he did, too.
"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked. I decided to play dumb. I didn't want to launch into an explanation about being frightened by his eyes if he was asking about my episode in the bathroom.
"What are you talking about? I'm fine," I said in what I hoped was a convincing manner. My voice cracked, and I hoped maybe he would overlook that, mistaking it for my lack of fluids in the past twelve hours.
"Bella…You know what I'm talking about." He scooted closer to me, and my body leaned away slightly before I could stop it. "That, right there, Bella, is what I'm talking about. Why do you seem scared of me?"
I took a deep, shaky breath, also noticing how badly my hands were shaking. I looked up at Edward, and he had noticed this too, placing his hand over mine. I flinched before I could stop myself, although I'd already been caught. "It-it's your…eyes. They're red…and that scares me." I saw the pain flash across his face as I spoke. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
"You're scared…because my eyes are red? Because I want you so badly? Because all I could think about last night, holding your body so close to mine, was tearing off your clothes and making you mine? Because I crave you, you are scared of me?" His voice was angry, and I couldn't move. I could barely breathe from fear. Is he talking about my blood? Or…
The answer came before I could even think my question through. His lips came crashing down on mine. I fell backwards on the bed, but his lips never left mine. I couldn't move any part of my body, even my lips. I had no idea what was happening, and I was terrified. His lips trailed up to my ear, his breath heavy on my skin. "Mine," he growled.
A/N: So, what do YOU think happens? Is he talking about her blood or her body? Will there be a lemon in the next chapter or not? WILL ANYONE EVER COMMENT? These questions and many more will be answered in the next chapter. Please comment. Any comments, questions, or suggestions will be replied to in the authors notes at the end of each chapter. Why are there no replies in this chapter? BECAUSE THERE ARE OVER 40 HITS AND NO COMMENTS! Please comment, people, it doesn't take much time or energy.