A/n: Enjoy!

Chapter 14

BPOV

I stood in the cafeteria staring blankly at the menu board wondering absently what I was hungry for. Nothing at the moment sounded appetizing. I wonder why? I thought bitterly to myself.
Alice and I, and on a very rare occasion Rosalie, were waiting in the hospital by the bed-sides of the ones we cared about. So far nothing had changed; it's been a week.

At first it was hard to go into the room, but now Alice or Esme had to force me out of the room for at least food. I couldn't find it in me to leave his side and something in me told me he would have done the same if our roles were reversed.

The nightmares came the day after the rescue and got steadily worse hearing the screams from Rose's room. I realized a cure when I fell asleep with my head on his bead holding his hand in mine, the dreams were gone! So ever since I have taken the 'night' shift and came to the hospital to sleep beside him.

Although technically the hospital hours ended at a certain point, Carlisle was able to get permission through his connections, so as such the night nurses knew who I was and what I was doing here.

I was doing better after that, Alice was better than both Rose and I, but she was always confident that everything would be fine shortly. I only hoped she was right.

But it was Rose that we were both worried about. No matter how hard we tried she would not talk to either of us. Alice was scared, as was I.

Alice was under the impression that if she just spent some time with Emmett, then maybe she would work her way out of the depression she is in, but the problem with that is she won't even enter the room. Anytime we bring her with us to the hospital, she sits silently in the hallway chairs waiting for any source of news or confirmation that it was time to leave.

"Excuse me miss? Did you need something?"

A nurse asked snapping me out of my trance-like state. My face was blank and it took me longer than necessary to register what she had just asked.

"Oh, uh, no thank you….wait, um can I get two ham sandwiches?" I asked my brain catching up to why I was even currently in the cafeteria.

Then it dawned on me that this woman did not even serve food. She steered me to the line and retrieved two sandwiches for me, also throwing in two bags of potato chips and two bottles of water.

I went to the register, but the boy just smiled saying everything was taken care of. I was flabbergasted and rather confused. When I asked what he meant he simply responded that Dr. Cullen had put a cover charge for my sister's and I, saying that what ever we needed was to be taken care of by him.

I thanked the boy and walked back to room 242.

Alice's voice echoed toward me through the entrance to the room.

"I'm doing well. You had me rather scared though, you've been out for a week now…" As the realization that one of the boys was awake I almost dropped the food held in my hands, but sprinted in nevertheless.

I ran in and found a smiling Alice standing beside Jasper, who was wearing a grin. Both their heads turned to me at my entrance.
"Look who's awake!" Alice squealed quietly. My grin grew bigger than it had in a while. I walked over to his other side.

"Jasper! It's so good to see you're awake. How are you feeling, does anything hurt, do you need anything at all?" My smile turned slowly into a frown at the possibility that he could be uncomfortable, so I bombarded him with unnecessary questions.

"Bella," he spoke chuckling lightly, "I'm fine, Alice has already asked me all those questions and the nurse came in right after I woke up so everything has been taken care of. It's okay, just breathe." He said, his words turning into another chuckle.

The whole time Alice just smiled at the two of us, smiling at my concern, his assurance, and in essence that he was awake.

"Hey," a groggy voice said behind me, "Why is he getting all the attention?"

I whipped around to find those Godly green eyes smiling back at me.

I darted to his bed and wrapped him in a hug, at least an awkward hug since he was lying down with IV's stuck in his left arm. I also couldn't squeeze as hard as I wanted because it would probably be a little painful; I wasn't sure so I just took precautions.

I heard him take a deep breath and sighed.

"Mmmm, you smell good." I laughed and started to rise up, but was prevented when he squeezed tighter.

"No, you can't go anywhere yet." He pouted. I sighed in contentment, "I'm not going anywhere," I promised.
Alice came around to Edward's other side.

"Hey Edward, are you feeling better?" she asked, making me feel rather stupid.

"You have no idea." He replied a smile in his voice. I was glad he liked having me there.

"Hey little brother!" Jasper called from behind me.

"Hey slightly bigger brother." Edward replied, making the two boys laugh.

Alice pressed the nurse's button on Edward's remote, so as to inform them that another Cullen was awake.

"Hey how is our biggest brother?" Edward asked.

I looked at Alice, both of our smiles having disappeared, and we all (except Jasper- as he couldn't see over Edward and I) looked over at the big lovable teddy-bear Emmett.
In this last week, according to Carlisle he had slowly been declining in health, while Jasper and Edward had steadily getting better.

I buried my face in Edward's chest after having crawled into the bed carefully to lie with him.

"He's not doing well," Alice told the boys looking at the sheets on Edward's bed. Edward's hold around me increased. Both the boys were silent. Alice went over to Jasper.

"Can you tell us perhaps why he's not doing so well? He didn't break anything or puncture anything did he?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know, Carlisle won't tell us much, incase Rose finds out. We just know that he has been slowly getting worse. The only times he seems to somewhat level off is when Rose-"Alice stopped.

I turned to look at her, Edward doing the same. Jasper was staring at Alice with concern.

"So that's why…and she's always been…but then that would mean that…."

"Alice, what are you talking about?" but then it clicked. I swiveled my head around to look at Emmett's large form, then turned my head back around to Alice, who was sitting cross-legged on Jasper's bed, my eyes were wide. "No!" "Yes."

"Well then we have to-"

"Exactly."

"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

I jumped off the bed and Alice was off the bed as well retrieving our coats and purses.

"Wait!" Edward shouted.

I jumped at his outburst.

"Would you care to explain your silent exchange?" Jasper finished, looks of confusion were on both of the boys.

"We can't now love. All will be revealed in due time, but first we have to go get Rose." Alice explained vaguely skipping over to his bedside, kissing the top of his head, then followed me out the door.

Before we started our sprint, we heard a vague, "Oh!" Good, it seems the boys might now be on the same wave lengths.

Rose POV

I was tired. Tired physically and emotionally. Tired of crying, tired of screaming, tired of the roller-coaster of emotions, tired of the nightmares, tired of everything I was going through right now. But no matter how tired I was, I was not tired of caring or worrying about him.

I loved him, plain and simple.

But I couldn't bear to look at him at the moment, the stab of pain in my heart every time I just heard his name was far too much. I don't think I could handle being in the same room with him.

Every time I heard that name, an instance flash of his face in the cave would come back to me, that's all I saw.

I thought that if I focused on the good times, when he was smiling or laughing or watching me, that the vision of him in the cave would go away or at least die down, but no. I can't see those faces anymore; they are just blurs that turn into the cold face of my love.

I know he was alive, that he would come out of this temporary coma soon, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't empty my head of the scene.

I wanted to be comforted, but not just by anyone, by him. With his big muscular arms that would save me from myself, from the visions of the cave. But that couldn't happen, he was in coma, he couldn't comfort me.

My thoughts created pain in my chest that forced my eyes to release yet more tears. Shouldn't I be cried out now! I thought, but no, they came so easily now.

Over the years I had come to be known as 'strong' as 'protective and fearless' that 'nothing could bring me down', what would they say about me now?

I was strong for my sisters. Having to take them in after our parents died, wasn't a problem for me, I wanted to help and protect them, ensure that they had someone.

I was protective over my sisters and friends, not only because I was the oldest, but because that was who I was, I knew how to put someone in their place if needed, but also be a shoulder to cry on when the time called for it.

I was fearless because in all honesty nothing scared me, except the idea of losing my sisters, no one could intimidate me I was the one who intimidated.

I was a strong-willed girl and I knew it. I got that after my mom, no matter how many times she would blush, she could still take you down in a heart beat. That was the way the women were in the Brandon family (mother's maiden name), that is the way I am.

But why is it, that the day I meet this one guy, he can turn me into a shy, scared, little girl?

No matter what he did, whether it was whisper words that would make me blush, leave the room and make my heart ache, or even enter the room and make my heart go wild, he was able to bring out a side of me I didn't like to show.

And in this last week I have shown more of my inner fears to my sisters than ever before, even when he was awake.

I wanted to be strong for my sisters, but the idea that the one I loved was lying right next to theirs; I knew that I would loose it right in front of them. Unfortunately I had been doing that even when he wasn't in the room or vicinity, I felt like I had let my sisters down, crying in front of them or waking up in a cold sweat screaming over a simple nightmare.

I was vulnerable and that scared the hell out of me.

I sat in my room, currently in the wicker chair by my window, mulling over so many thoughts my head was spinning, but I was not going to do anything about it, it would hurt no matter what I did.

A loud bang echoed through the corridors, feet thudded through the house, pattering feet following, another door banged, but I sat still not allowing any of this annoying noise to effect me, even though normally I would have been yelling violently at whoever was slamming doors. We were taught early to respect our home, but I didn't want to worry about those insignificant things, I just wanted to think about him.

"Rose!" I heard Alice's voice yelling at me. I felt a tugging at my arms, but I pulled away not wanting to go anywhere, just be in my thoughts were I knew he could find me.

But this tugging was persistent; before I knew it I was in a moving vehicle.

"What's going on? Where are you taking me?!" I demanded. I didn't want to go anywhere and they normally told me if we were going to the hospital.

The two kept silent through my shouts. I caught a few glances between the two of them, but when I demanded to know what was going on Bella would look back over the steering wheel to watch the road and Alice would turn to look out her window once more.

After about ten minutes of my demands and their silent answers I gave up. I looked around but didn't take in where we were, although a few things would spark something in me that looked familiar.

Ten minutes after that we entered the parking lot of the hospital.

"What?! No I'm not going in! You can't make me!" I shouted knowing that they were about to force me into that traumatizing room, with him.

"Rose you have no choice this time. You are going in that room whether by will or by force." Alice said the Brandon force shining through.

Alice was standing in the way of the back door on the passenger side, Bella on the drivers' side. There was no escape.
I looked in their eyes and saw the fire behind the brown. I was not going to get out of this.

I bowed my head; maybe I could fake them out.

Alice took my hand, "He needs you, and I know you need him."

"How can you know that, he's in a coma?" I said to my chest, my plans went out the window at her words, my insecurity back to the forefront.

"Rose," Bella said softly, "Rose please, he's not doing well. The only time he does, is when you're around. It's like he knows your there. I know you don't believe us, but maybe if you just talk to him, tell him about what happened"

I flinched but she ignored it, "release some of your anger and sadness, maybe you can heal too. And trust me when I say, that talking to him, being there for him, really does work." I looked up and saw her smiling gently.

Something was different about her, but I couldn't put my finger on it. But I wasn't too concerned about that as I was the words that she had spoken, they had shot an arrow of hope through my heart; hope that everything would be fine.

"Okay," I said simply. I took her outreached hand and scooted across the back seat out the door.

***

We stood outside the door. Alice and Bella were behind me. I stood on the brink of the door and the hall. No matter how desperately I wanted to see his face, I couldn't get my legs to move.

"You can do this Rose. We know you can." Bella said behind me.

"We'll stay out here to give you some privacy, but just call out if you need us okay?" Alice finished.

I nodded my head not trusting my voice.

I walked into the room.

The first thing I noticed was that the other two boys were no longer in the room.

But that was the least important thing on my mind.

I remembered from the girls' talking's that Emmett was the one closest to the bathroom, farthest away from the window. So as soon as I stepped around the corner I would be directly in front of his bed.

I stared down as his large frame and just drank in the sight of him. He was even better than I could remember.

His dark curly hair was lazily falling in his closed eyes. Oh how I wished I could see those eyes- those beautiful blue eyes.

I took in his features and before I could stop myself tears started to form in my eyes.

I moved my feet to sit in the chair by his bed. As I sat there the tears continued to fall.

After a moments time the tears began to subside.

I stared once more at his form lying unmoving on his hospital bed. I looked at his child-like features that could turn into a beautiful smile, could hold wonder and amazement in his big blue eyes that captured my heart. As I looked at him every little problem, every tear, every worry, every hope and dream, every thought that passed through my head spilled out from my lips to his awaiting ears.

I didn't stop until everything came out.

As soon as I was finished I felt nothing but relief. I could finally look at his face and see the man I remembered meeting and spending time with. I wasn't worried about the fear of losing him or filled with the memories of what I saw in the cave. All I saw and filled my thoughts with were him.

I smiled as I gently grazed my hand across his temple, moving the hair out of his eyes.

I stood and moved to go back out into the hall to get my sisters.

"Hey guys," I smiled as I found my sisters sitting exactly where they said they would be.

"How'd it go?" Bella asked gently.

"Good," I said smiled.
"You were right, I feel so much better." I told her.

She returned my smile and they both came over to where I stood in the middle of the hall.

"See I told you." She teased. We formed a small circle and embraced.

It was at this time that the thought that I put on the back burner came to the fore front of my mind.

"Hey, where are Edward and Jasper?" I asked, now rather confused at their absence. They, as far as I knew were still in a coma, why weren't they here?

"Oh, um…well they actually woke up about an hour and a half ago." Alice said cautiously.

"Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me?!" I yelled, shocked as this was great news.

"Rose you were practically catatonic- no you were catatonic, why would we go and tell you that both of the guys we like are now awake while yours is still in a coma?" Bella told me in an incredulous sort of way, like I was missing the obvious. I found it rather sweet and once more brought tears to my eyes.

"Oh guys I'm so sorry! I should have stayed strong for both of you. And honestly why didn't you force me to snap out of it?" I asked hugging them to me.

"Rose we all were slightly concerned…um, out of it… not quite but almost devastated that are not-yet boyfriends were in a coma. Besides just like us you needed your time, and honestly you needed far more time than either of us just because of what you witnessed." Bella stated once more, once again proving a point.

I pulled them to me, "Thanks," I said quietly into their shoulders.

"So do you want to see them or would you like to stay with Em?" Alice asked sincerely.

I looked back at the door and that's all it took, Bella stepped in.

"Go, you can see them later. Go talk with Emmett some more, spend time with him, just make up for the time that you haven't spent with him this week. We'll explain it to the guys and they'll understand." She said with a smile and a gentle push towards the door.

I sent a smile over my shoulder to the girls and walked into the room where my love was awaiting.

BPOV

I smiled as watched my oldest sister step into the room closer to the one she loved, the one she needed.

Alice grabbed my left hand and pulled me toward the door a few rooms down to room 250.

We entered the room our eyes connected to our consecutive others.

I walked over to the green-eyed wonder.
"Hey,"

"Hey," I responded a smile already on my face.

"So do you two plan on telling us why you left in such a rush?" Edward asked a smirk plastered on his face.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now." I said a smirk on my own face.

"Well we have our speculations, but we would like the full explanation from both of you."

"Well," Alice started, "I- and later Bella- came to the realization that Emmett, your older brother has a keen sense of when Rose is around. Rose never being in the room, that would kind of be hard to imagine, but every time that we all were here in some form or fashion, you all would improve, including Emmett. But since Rose was hardly ever here, the health of Emmett seemed to just deteriorate, like he was falling apart from the inside." She chuckled lightly, "Just like Rose," her eyes seemed to glaze over and I'm sure mine did too as we both looked over the events of the last week or so.

"Anyways," she continued snapping out of her thoughts, "I finally put two and two together, that when she was here he knew and she was somewhat content, but when apart they both seemed to fall apart at the seems. That and owing to the fact that Bella and I have hardly left your side since the day you were brought in, only leaving to eat and sleep- except Bella who decided to sleep here after a while," my eyes bugged out of my head as I stared at my sister with my head to the side. That was one piece of information I didn't really want Edward knowing just yet. I felt his gaze on mine, so turned to look at him and found a curious and questioning glance come my way, while Alice was giggling on Jasper's bed.

"Anyways, we both were here physically and emotionally for you and it seems that Rose and Emmett were not doing the same thing so were affected by it." Alice finished.
"Does that make sense at all?" she asked.

"A little," Edward replied with his brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend Alice's words.

"Basically, Emmett needed Rose just as much as Rose needed Emmett. We all needed each other to heal, and those two, particularly Rose as she wouldn't come into the room, couldn't do that, so we in essence forced her, knowing that it was for her own good as well as his." I explained simply.

"How romantic," Jasper mumbled only loud enough that we could hear, although I wasn't entirely sure that we were meant too. Edward chuckled at his brother's statement, "That it is, Jazz that it is."

I crawled onto the bed with Edward, wrapping my small arms around his waist and he complied with wrapping me in his own arms.

"So where is Rose?" Jasper asked.
Alice, who was currently snuggled up to Jasper in a similar fashion as me with Edward, answered, "With Emmett."

****

RPOV

I sat in the chair by Emmett's bed and told him everything about myself, my family, the dogs, my work, and even what happened in this last week. I laughed and cried at certain memories, even laughing till I cried.

At these times, when I laughed, I noted that the heart rate monitor seemed to pick up speed. This egged me on to continue with stories that were funny, even ones that caused me to be incredibly embarrassed.

After a few hours of just talking, I sat in silence enjoying (as much as I could anyway) the time with him. My eyes were focused on nothing in particular, but pointed in the direction of his feet, when movement caught my eye.

I looked for what moved in my peripheral vision, but found nothing moving. Shrugging my shoulders I went back to my random thoughts of nothing, when once again a movement in my peripheral vision caught my eye.

My brows furrowed in confusion as once more I could find nothing that was moving.

The only thing that seemed to be able to move was his hand, but that didn't seem likely.

I stared intently at his hand when a loud noise from the door made me jump out of the chair, screeching in alarm. Around the corner came a very confused nurse. When she took in my appearance, which probably wasn't very good, she chuckled lightly.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to frighten you. The door got away from me and swung back causing the handle to smack into the wall. I apologize." She smiled gently, but a curious gaze met her features.
"I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Who are you?"

"Um, I'm Rosalie Hale. Uh, my sisters are Bella and Alice. I…uh, well, I haven't really been coming up here." I continued to stutter out an explanation.

"Aw, Rosie that hurts my feelings." A very familiar voice spoke.

I whirled around to see a big smile on Emmett's face, his brilliant blue eyes staring back at me.

"Oh look who's awake." The nurse said in a very cherry voice, much like how women spoke to little kids. I guess you could say it was kind of appropriate due to the fact that he was such a kid at heart.

Emmett stared at me, and I him. But no words came to my mouth. I couldn't speak, I was so thrilled at seeing him awake, smiling at me, but my throat was clogged preventing any form of words from escaping.

All the while in our loving stares the petite nurse bustled from machine to machine to check Emmett's vital signs.

After a few moments she left us alone, a quiet click indicating that she had closed the door for privacy.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," I replied, barely getting out that one syllable word.

My tears of joy slowly spilled over onto my tear stained cheek.

"Come here," he said, my legs immediately obliged easily following his orders.

I came over to his right side standing by his upper body. He reached with his right arm and caressed my cheek gently. He wiped away the tears as I closed my eyes at his touch.

"Don't cry," he spoke, "I'm here. I'm okay now. It's going to be okay."

I took his right hand in both of mine and held it at my cheek, pressing the warmth of his hand onto my face. I never wanted to let him go. I voiced my thoughts and he smiled, "Good, because I'm not going to let you go" making me smile at his love for me.

I stood there holding his hand, he lying there holding my cheek, and we both stared at each other letting the world around us fade into nothing.

I vaguely thought that the others should probably be informed, but right now I just wanted to be alone.

BPOV

Alice and I had filled in the boys about everything that happened from the day of the trials through the past week we had been through. There were times that Edward would squeeze me tighter to show that he was there for me, often when we told about those dreadful days in the hospital, even a few times when we discussed the rescue.

Both of us had cried through the difficult parts, being comforted by those that we loved.

We now were sitting in silence enjoying the companionship, when Alice spoke quietly into the eerily silent hospital room that was only penetrated by the beeping of the monitors.

"Can I ask, now that we have told our story, what happened to you?"

"Well it seems only fair, right Ed?"

Edward smiled and lightly chuckled, "Absolutely."

"But we probably should wait until Emmett wakes up, there are times in our story where both Jazz and I were asleep, so only Em knows what went on at that point.

I nodded my head against his chest. I could agree to those terms, as long as I got to be with Edward I was perfect.