DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is Edward's POV from before to the accident until Bella awakens.
Bonus Chapter
THE ACCIDENT:
As my Bella slept within my protective embrace, I took in as much of her scent as I could. I would be leaving her shortly, under her orders to hunt. She had pleaded with me to go last night and I had been unable to deny her. I wasn't nearly as thirsty as she thought I was, but I wanted to appease her worries.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Alice; she answered with her usual cheery tone. "Edward, like I told you an hour ago, I see everything going smoothly. She'll come over this morning and go over a few wedding details with me and then you'll be here with us. Stop worrying and go hunt. Bella's right about you getting grumpy when you don't hunt enough." Her tinkling laugh rang through the speaker before she hung up on her end.
I smiled and slipped the phone back into my pocket. I made sure Bella's own cell phone was charged and turned on, just in case she needed me.
I lowered my head to hers and softly kissed her temple. "My love, my life, I leave my heart with you, as I do every time I must leave your side for any reason. Know that I love you and I will return to you as quickly as I can. Be safe, my love."
She smiled in her sleep as she turned on her side. I kissed her forehead and then slipped away from her, already missing her warmth.
I made sure her alarm was off so that she would sleep in a little bit; she had stayed up late into the night, refusing to give up any of her time with me. I had finally had to dazzle her and cheat with her lullaby to get her to give into her drooping eyelids.
She longed so much for the day when she would no longer need sleep. Part of me wanted that as well, but a bigger part was so afraid. I told her that I was afraid for her soul, and in a way, I was. But I was more afraid she would lose her soul by regretting her choice and hating everything about being a vampire—hating me. She was everything to me and I could no more live without her than she could go without breathing.
With one last kiss to her forehead, I forced myself to leave her room. Lithely jumping from her window, I landed gracefully on the ground below, making sure not to leave a single mark in the Earth. I took off through the forest behind her house, heading toward an area that would offer good hunting, while not taking me too far away from Bella.
I felt a little more at ease knowing that Alice was closely monitoring Bella's future. There had been a few holes in her vision recently, because of Victoria, but that red-headed demon was long gone. I had made sure of it with my own two hands.
My thoughts turned to the meadow and to Bella's smile as she allowed me to put my mother's ring on her finger, this time for eternity. I knew she was mostly doing it for Alice, her parents, and me, but it just made me love her all the more. She was always so selfless. I had tried to let her out of it all, but she wouldn't hear of it; she was determined to give her parents a proper goodbye and felt that a wedding was the right way to do that. And as long as she was going to have a wedding, she would let Alice be in charge of it. Yet, I still wondered if it was truly what Bella wanted.
I was still struggling with trusting that Bella meant what she was saying—that she was as sure of herself as she seemed. If only I could read her mind and know for sure. Of course, her sleep talking did give me a small glimpse of her true thoughts. My name still fell from her lips, drenched with love and want. The few times she had spoken of Jacob, she had either been wishing him well or congratulating him on imprinting. I knew a small part of her loved him, but she had truly chosen me and seemed to be happy with her choice.
With my speed, I reached the hunting area in just under thirty minutes. I slowed down to a walk as I took in the different smells, deciding on which animal would have to give its life for mine. I finally caught the scent of a mountain lion and took off after it.
One mountain lion and two deer later, my thirst was more that sated. I even drank extra to make sure I wouldn't have to hunt again anytime soon.
My mind turned once again to my own personal angel. Bella thought I hated leaving her side because I was worried something would happen to her. While that would always be something that concerned me, I couldn't bring myself to admit the full truth to her…That it pained me to leave her. I had seen in many minds the pain she felt at my absence, but I had no way to let her know of my own. And honestly, I felt it would be selfish of me to try to explain, since I knew she dealt with it each time I left to hunt. Part of her was still afraid I would leave again, still unsure of why I loved her.
If only she could see herself as I do—if she could read my mind, or see through my eyes. She was the most beautiful creature on this planet, but she thought of herself as plain. How could she ever be plain with those deep, brown eyes of hers? They were so expressive, pulling you in until you just had to know what was going on in the mind behind them. Her skin was soft and warm, and each time her fingers touched me anywhere, I lost the ability to think correctly. It was one of the many reasons that I feared her compromise so much, but Bella was absolutely certain I would not be able to hurt her. I wanted to be as sure as she was, but if she was ever hurt by my hands…
Who was I kidding? She had already been hurt by me. I had been blinded by my fear of destroying her humanity and I had left her. I had torn her heart from her chest while leaving her at the mercy of a vengeful vampire and uncontrolled werewolves. I had pushed her away and toward another man, and I couldn't understand for the life of me how she had forgiven me, or why she had chosen me in the end. But I also knew I was too selfish to question it for long. I needed Bella; she was the only thing that made this existence bearable.
My phone vibrated and I pulled it out, hoping it was Bella calling to say 'good morning' to me. I looked at the screen and noticed it was Alice.
"Whatever you want, if Bella says 'no', that is the final answer, Alice," I said, trying not to laugh.
"Edward," Alice sobbed.
"What's wrong, Alice?" I asked. If I still had a heart, it would be pounding in my ears by now.
"Bella," she choked out.
"What's wrong with Bella?" I roared, already running back toward her house.
"Just get to the hospital. Emmett and Jasper are bringing her to Carlisle. I'll meet you there and tell you everything." She hung up before I could say anything more.
I dropped the phone into my pocket and pushed myself to run faster. I had to get to Bella. What could have happened to her? She couldn't be bleeding if Jasper was helping Emmett to carry her. I should never have gone hunting today. It could have waited!
I slowed down as I came to the line of trees surrounding the hospital. I saw Emmett's Jeep roar through the parking lot and head toward the emergency entrance. I ran as quickly as I could while keeping up the human charade.
I opened the passenger door of the Jeep just as Emmett pulled to a stop. Jasper was holding Bella in the backseat. I took her from him, cradling her to my chest. She was breathing and her heartbeat was steady, but very slow.
"What the hell happened?" I roared, looking at my brothers.
"Edward, get her to Carlisle first," Jasper said softly, washing me with calm emotions.
I turned and headed through the sliding doors of the entrance. Carlisle was waiting and ushered me into a nearby room. I gently placed Bella on the bed as Emmett and Jasper filed into the room. I held her hand in mine, but there was no reaction from her.
"Carlisle, her truck was flipped onto its roof. We don't know how many times it rolled before stopping. It looked like she was wearing her seatbelt, but that it snapped in half on her because part of it was still in the buckle," Jasper explained. "Alice wasn't able to see exactly what happened because of the werewolf."
"What wolf?" I hissed.
"Edward, I need to examine Bella. You can find out about the wolf later," Carlisle said sternly. "Go stand on the other side, please." 'And please calm yourself. Your anger does nothing to help Bella.' "Emmett, Jasper, step outside so that we can get Bella into a gown."
I moved to the other side of the bed, taking deep, unnecessary breaths, trying to reign in my anger.
"Edward, until I know everything that is wrong with her, I don't want to jostle her. Go ahead and tear away her shirt and jeans, but make it look as close to a cut as you can. Let me know when you have a gown draped over her," Carlisle instructed, as he turned away.
This was not how I was supposed to first see her in her undergarments. This was all wrong! I took another deep breath. My anger needed to be completely under control before I did this. I didn't want to risk accidentally scratching her with my nails. Slowly and carefully, I removed her shirt and pants. I took the gown Carlisle had placed at the end of her bed and draped it over her body. She never once reacted; not to the cool air, or to the coarse fabric of the gown. I was doing my best not to think the worst, but this did not look good at all.
"Carlisle."
He walked over and started to examine Bella's head, arms, and legs. "She has some bruising on her head and I suspect swelling of the brain as well. We'll need to run some tests to see if the pressure requires surgery to release it, or if we can expect it to go down on its own," Carlisle announced, as he checked over every inch of Bella. "There's no blood, so there doesn't appear to be any other injuries than these bruises I see forming on her arms. She'll probably have them on her legs as well." He pulled back part of the gown that was covering her chest and revealed a large, red welt. "Yes, her seatbelt definitely snapped. It probably held for the first few rolls and that's why she's not as injured as she could be. Her heartbeat is strong, but a bit slow."
"I noticed that, too."
"Edward, all we can really do is run the tests on her head and wait for her to wake-up. She may have some memory loss from this, but we won't know anything for sure until she can tell us what she recalls."
"Carlisle, could you…"
"Alice called me as soon as it happened and all of the necessary arrangements have already been made. The nurses and doctors on staff are aware that you will be in her room, regardless of the hour."
"Thank you."
"Edward, please try not to worry. Bella is strong, and I'm positive she'll be fine. Now, I need to get those tests started. Why don't you step outside and get the answers I know you want."
I leaned down to Bella, kissing her forehead softly. "I love you. I'll be right here with you, just please wake up soon."
I stepped outside of the room and was immediately met with one of Alice's crushing hugs.
"I'm so sorry, Edward. I don't know how he was smart enough to get around me. It's all my fault. I should have gone to get her instead of letting her drive that damn truck," Alice cried in a rush of words.
I pulled her along with me, outside of the doors and over to an area with benches. I was aware of Emmett and Jasper following close behind.
"Esme and Rose are on their way back from Port Angeles," Jasper stated. "They should be here soon, and both of them asked that I remind you how tough Bella is capable of being."
I gave him a look of disbelief, but he only smiled.
"Yes, even Rosalie had something nice to say about Bella," he confirmed.
Carefully, I pried Alice's arms off of me as I sat down on the bench. I didn't want to accidentally hurt my sister because of my anger, and from the state she was in, Jasper and Emmett would waste no time attacking me, even if it was an accident.
"Alice, what happened to Bella?" I asked, barely controlling my voice.
"She was on her way over to our house. I was watching her progress in that ratty old truck, making sure she didn't break down on the side of the road. She was coming around the big curve, about a mile from our house, and she just disappeared. Jasper and I took off immediately and got to her before the tires had even stopped spinning. That Paul boy was lying in the road, just staring at the truck. You could see where the front end had impacted with him. We got to the truck and Jasper pulled Bella out of the wreckage. Emmett arrived in the Jeep and I sent them both to the hospital with her, alerting Carlisle, and then calling you," Alice explained.
"And the wolf?" I hissed.
"He never moved. He just sat there, looking at the truck. I grabbed ahold of him and he finally seemed to realize I was there. He said he had been waiting for her, by the side of the road. When he saw her truck, he phased into his wolf form and jumped out into the road. She must not have been paying attention, because she hit him head on. That's what made the truck flip. He turned back into his human form, but was too afraid to approach the truck. He was afraid he had killed her. He swears he only wanted to scare her," Alice told me.
"Where is he now?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"I don't know, Edward. I'm sorry, but I was working to fix the scene so that it would be believable for Charlie. I couldn't keep an eye on the mutt and fix the crash at the same time. I turned around and he was gone," Alice sobbed.
Jasper pulled Alice into his arms, trying to comfort her. "Alice, honey, this isn't your fault."
"Jasper's right. I don't blame you, Alice. You did what was necessary. I will find the wolf on my own," I said, standing up.
"No, Edward," Emmett said sternly. "The only place you're going is back inside that hospital. Bella needs you more than you need to find that damn wolf."
"Emmett, you misunderstood me. I have no intention of leaving Bella's side, not until she is awake and I am assured that she is perfectly fine. But once Bella is healed and home again, I will find that coward," I promised him. I turned my attention to Alice. "When will she wake up?"
Alice's face took on the most heart-wrenching look and I knew she would be crying if she could. She only shook her head at me.
"Alice, when does Bella wake up?" I repeated.
"I don't know," she whispered, barely loud enough for my sensitive ears to pick up.
"You can't see her future?" I questioned. "Is it missing again?"
"No, Edward," she sobbed. "I can see her, but I don't see her waking up."
"Check again," I growled, no longer able to hold onto my anger.
"Edward, she's checked enough for right now," Jasper said, his tone final. "She can check tonight. For now, go inside and be with Bella."
"Alice, I know you can get in touch with him. Call Jacob Black. Tell him I want to meet with him, and to bring Paul with him," I ordered.
"Edward, Jacob's not going to bring his brother to you anymore than you would bring one of us to him," Emmett remarked.
"Jacob's not in La Push," Alice announced, looking up at me. "That's why Paul was mad at Bella. Jacob got a wedding invitation and ran away. Paul thought Bella had sent it."
I suddenly found myself sitting on the bench again, unable to stand. This was my fault! My choice had once again put Bella in grave danger.
Alice took my hands into hers. "Edward, if you aren't going to blame me for asking her to come over to do wedding stuff, then you can't blame yourself either. You asked me if you should send that invitation and I agreed with you, whole-heartedly. So, either we are both at fault, or this was just an accident that we couldn't stop."
"Alice, I can't lose her," I said, my voice wavering.
"Edward, you won't lose her. I can't see her waking yet, but I know that she will. She loves you too much to leave you. You have to have faith in her," Alice replied.
"Edward, the best thing you can do is to go in there and talk to her. I'm sure once she hears your voice, she'll wake up," Jasper assured me.
"Until we can deal with the wolves, I would appreciate it if one of you could be outside of her hospital room at all times," I told Emmett and Jasper.
"We'll take shifts," Emmett said. "Jasper and I will go talk to Carlisle about the arrangements. Alice and you should go see Bella."
The four of us headed back into the hospital. The nurse at the front desk let us know that Carlisle had moved Bella to a private room. We found the room easily and entered it since I already knew Carlisle was the only one inside.
'She has no other injuries, besides bruises. There is no reason for her to not wake up. She just needs time. I'm sure of it.' Carlisle's thoughts did little to ease my anxiety. "Edward, all of her tests look good so far. The swelling is minimal and should go down on its own in the next day or so. I'll keep a close eye on it. Has anyone notified Charlie?"
"Yes," Alice said softly, as she stood at the edge of Bella's bed, her hand on top of Bella's covered foot. "I spoke with him earlier when I called in the accident. I told him that Jasper and I were taking a walk and heard the crash. I told him that we ran over, never expecting it to be Bella. He had to go to the scene first, but he'll be here in twenty minutes. I told him Bella was coming to visit me and that's what we all need to stick with. No one is to mention the wedding, or he'll blame all of this on Edward."
"Alice, have you been able to find out when Bella will awaken?" Carlisle questioned.
"No," she and I answered in unison.
Carlisle frowned. 'I'm sorry, Edward. But you have to believe that Bella will awaken.'
I nodded my head, acknowledging Carlisle's thoughts.
"Carlisle, can we speak with you outside?" Jasper asked.
"Certainly," Carlisle replied, stepping out of the room with Emmett and Jasper.
"She always looks so little when she sleeps," Alice sighed, sitting at the end of Bella's bed.
I sat in the chair, close to Bella's head. I carefully brushed her hair away from her beautiful face. "If only I could read your mind and know that you were in there."
"Of course she's in there, Edward," Alice assured me. "She's more of a fighter than either of you know."
I took Bella's hand into my own, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it before holding it against my cheek. It was as soft and warm as always, but there was no life to it. There was no erratic beating of her heart at my touch. It just continued in that same, slow, steady rhythm.
"Her breathing and heartbeat…It's the same as when she sleeps at night," I muttered.
"Then we should just assume that she's dreaming," Alice chirped. "Yes, our Bella is dreaming and as soon as she's well-rested, she'll wake up."
I leaned close and whispered into my Bella's ear. "I love you. If you are dreaming, I pray they are all happy ones. But don't get so lost in them that you forget to come back to me. I love you and I need you, Bella. So much more than I can ever explain to you."
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ONE WEEK AFTER THE ACCIDENT:
'Edward, doctor incoming,' Emmett's thoughts warned me.
I lifted my head from the edge of Bella's bed, turning from her beautiful face toward the door.
"Oh!" the doctor said as he entered the room. "I didn't expect anyone to be in here so early."
"Carlisle Cullen is my father and Bella is my fiancée. I have permission to stay with her."
"You're Edward, then. I'm so sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances, but I want you to know that your father speaks very highly of both Bella and you." He stepped forward, holding out his hand. "I'm Doctor Randy Johnson. You can just call me Randy." 'He looks so broken without her. But Carlisle is so sure she will wake up. I hope he's right.'
I shook his hand quickly, not wanting him to have time to register the coldness of it. "What brings you to Bella's room?"
"Carlisle must have gotten tied up," Randy said. "He was supposed to let you know I was coming by. I'm the physical therapist, and I'll be working with Bella until she wakes up."
"What do you mean?" I questioned. His thoughts were only on how sad I seemed, not giving me any clue to his intentions.
"I will be doing exercises with her everyday to keep her muscles in shape. We actually should have started two days ago, but Carlisle was hopeful Bella would be awake by now."
'I hope I've gotten here before Randy.' Carlisle's thoughts reached me a few seconds before he entered the room. "Ah, Randy! I see you've made it here already and met Edward." 'Edward, I got hung up in surgery. I wanted to talk to you before he came.'
"Carlisle, I was just starting to explain to Edward about Bella's physical therapy," Randy stated, pointing his clipboard at me.
I spoke quickly, too low for the human to hear me. "No one, other than you, our family, or me, is going to be touching Bella. If there are exercises she needs to do, then I will help her with them."
"Edward, be reasonable. Between your permission to stay at all hours, and Emmett and Jasper guarding her door, I really can't ask anymore of the hospital," Carlisle replied.
"Father, please," I begged.
He nodded his head enough for me to see it. "Randy, I actually wanted to talk to you about her treatment."
"Well, it's pretty basic; bending her arms and legs, kneading the muscle tissue, and rotating her joints. She'll also need to be placed on her side, rotated daily, to keep bed sores from developing."
"That sounds simple enough. I'm sure if you were to show Edward what needed to be done, he could easily do those things for Bella. I'm sure it would be a huge help to you, especially with the patient load you have," Carlisle commented.
"Carlisle, that would be highly impractical, if not neglectful," Randy replied.
"Randy, my son would never neglect Bella in anyway. They are engaged to be married," Carlisle assured him. "As a personal favor to me, could you please consider it? Edward just feels so helpless and I know that if you allow him to do this for her, it would really lift his mood."
Randy looked from Carlisle to me before sighing. "I will check on her progress twice a week and if I find that her exercises are not being done properly or consistently, not only will I take over, but I will have Edward removed from the room during her sessions."
Part of me wanted to explain to this idiot human how easy it would be for me to do a much better job than him blindfolded. I had two medical degrees for crying out loud. But arguing with him wouldn't help anything and I would just have to let it go. Carlisle was already putting so much on the line to keep me in the room and keep my brothers outside of Bella's door.
"Completely understandable and acceptable," Carlisle stated, shaking his hand. "Thank you, Randy. You are helping my son more than you know."
Randy nodded his head as he approached the side of Bella's bed. "Alright, Edward. Let's get started."
I stood up next to Bella's bed, waiting for further instruction.
"The first thing I want you to do is to take Bella's arm into your hands. I want you to gently lift it, bend it at the elbow, then bring the back of her hand to touch her shoulder," Randy instructed. He kept a close eye on me as I followed his instructions, his thoughts letting me know he was impressed with how serious I was taking this. "Good. Straighten her arm out, move it to the side, and then gently rotate it. You'll need to be very slow and exact with all of your movements since she won't be able to tell you if it hurts her," he smiled, attempting a joke to lighten the mood in the room.
I nodded my head. This man had no idea just how long I had been making sure I was slow and exact around Bella. I knew better than anyone how fragile her bones felt under my hands.
"Excellent, Edward. Now, bring her arm back to her side. For this next part, you might find it easier to just sit next to her. You're going to gently knead the muscles on the top and underside of her arm with your fingertips. This will help her circulation and keep her muscles from getting too relaxed. We don't want her to have any trouble hugging you when she wakes up."
"Certainly not," I said, grinning in spite of myself. The image of Bella waking up and hugging me was beautiful and I wished for it with all of my might.
"So how did the two of you meet? You both look pretty young."
"We met at the high school. She was in my biology class."
"Lab partners. That's actually how I met my wife, but we were in college at the time."
"Don't say 'college' too loud," I chuckled. "Bella might decide to pretend to stay asleep. She's very nervous about attending Dartmouth."
"Wow, Dartmouth! She must be very intelligent."
"She's one of the most brilliant people I know. She sees the world in a way that no one else ever could."
"It's easy to tell how much you love her from the way you speak about her."
"She's easy to love. She just wants others to be happy, and to be with me."
"Then I'm sure she'll be waking up any day now."
Randy continued to walk me through the various exercises that needed to be done with Bella. Once we had completed them all, he cautioned me again that he would be checking to make sure they were done correctly and daily. But I could tell from his thoughts that he really wasn't worried about it. He could clearly see how much I loved Bella and he trusted that I would do what was best for her.
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FOUR WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT:
"Alice and Esme send their love to you," I told Bella, resting my head on her bed, rubbing soft circles against her arm. "They called just a little while ago."
I listened to the music floating around the room for a moment, collecting my thoughts. Jasper had brought Bella's CD player over last week so that she could listen to the songs I had recorded for her. It was part of his attempt to get me to go hunting with Emmett. It hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped since Emmett had still had to physically remove me from the room. I had been forced to promise my family that I would hunt without a fuss the next time, and that I wouldn't wait so long to go. But I was terrified Bella would wake up alone and think that I had left her.
"Charlie was more talkative than usual tonight. His thoughts showed he was hoping that if he kept on talking about that baseball game, you would wake up and tell him to be quiet. And honestly, I was wishing for the same thing myself."
I reached up and moved a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Renee was very pleasant on the phone tonight. I offered to buy her a ticket so she could come and see you, but I think she's scared to see you in the hospital again."
I lifted Bella's hand with the crescent shaped scar and kissed it lightly.
"So many terrible things have happened to you, my sweet Bella. I wish I could take them all back and suffer them for you."
I watched her face and listened to her heart, looking for any sign of change in her.
I sat up, running my hands through my hair. "Come on, Bella! This is the part where you yell at me and tell me I'm being silly. You tell me not to blame myself and that you don't care about anything as long as you're here with me. I'm right here, Bella. So just sit up and yell at me, okay? Please, Bella!"
Emmett's hand rested tentatively against my back. "Edward, you need to calm down. Bella will wake up as soon as she can. And really, you don't want her to wake up with you yelling at her. You want to be calm and collected, so she gets that dreamy look in her eyes when she sees you."
I snorted at the image of Bella swooning in his thoughts. "She accuses me of dazzling her all the time. That's what she calls it, anyway."
"You know, Rose nearly had a fit the first time you did that to Bella. Rose couldn't believe you even knew how to do it, much less you getting it to work so easily."
"But it really wasn't easy and Bella can pull herself out of it now. She's that stubborn."
"And that's exactly why you should know she's going to wake up, Edward. She's too stubborn to leave you behind."
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SIX WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT:
Alice pranced into Bella's hospital room, smiling brightly, but blocking her thoughts from me.
"Bella, Alice is here," I told her, bending her leg as I worked my way through all of her necessary exercises. "Lucky for you, she seems to have left the make-up kit at home this time."
"Bella loves it when I give her a make-over after her sponge bath. She'll wake up and tell you so, you just watch."
I looked over at Alice, trying not to read into her comment too much. She still hadn't seen anything as far as I knew.
"Oh, exercise time," Alice chirped. "Bella, you know if you're just staying asleep to get Edward to touch you all over, I'm going to be very disappointed in you."
I chuckled at my sister's comment. "Alice, if Bella was aware of my hands on her leg, that heart monitor would be beeping like crazy and you know it."
"Maybe she just found some control, like you're always asking her."
"I doubt that," I snorted. "So why are you blocking me?"
Alice's entire body vibrated with excitement. "I don't want you to see it and get your hopes up, but…"
"Alice, tell me what you know," I begged.
"I saw her talking to you, Edward. It wasn't long, or very clear, but you were lying in that bed with her and she was smiling and talking to you."
"Alice, please! Please let me see it."
"Edward, I don't think that's the best idea. You're already wound up tighter than a top."
"Jasper's right outside. If I can't control myself, you can just have him calm me down."
"You swear you'll let him?"
"Absolutely."
"Finish Bella's exercises first and then I'll show you."
I started working on her leg again. "Did you hear that, Bella? Alice saw you waking up! You told me you never bet against her, so you really have no choice but to make her vision come true."
"Edward, please don't get your hopes up. I don't think what I saw is going to be happening today, or even this week. It wasn't completely clear."
"It doesn't matter, Alice. You finally saw something and that's good enough for me. I've already waited well over a hundred years for her. I have no problem waiting a little more."
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SEVEN WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT:
Emmett's thoughts entered my mind at the same time my phone vibrated. I flipped it open, knowing it would be Alice.
"Edward, there's a werewolf in the hospital. Emmett, Bella, and you just disappeared," Alice said, clearly in a panic. "Jasper and I are on our way."
"Emmett just smelled him. He thinks it might be Jacob," I informed her. "Get here as soon as you can. I want Emmett with me, and Jasper and you with Bella." I hung up the phone, knowing Alice would agree to anything I asked for where Bella was concerned.
I leaned down and kissed my love's forehead. "I love you. I will be by the door, close enough to hear you easily if you should decide to wake."
I strode over to the door and opened it just enough for me to see Emmett. "Has the smell gotten any stronger?"
"No. He seems to be waiting for something."
I opened myself up, searching through the thoughts around me. He made it easy by calling my name.
'Edward. I just want to see her and know if she's okay. I swear that I don't want to harm her or come between the two of you. I'm waiting in the lobby for you.'
I flipped open my phone and called Alice. "It's Jacob. He's in the lobby. I know you hate being in the dark, but would Jasper and you please bring him up to Bella's room?"
"Edward, are you sure about that?" Alice asked.
"His thoughts are calm. He's only worried about Bella's well-being," I replied.
"Alright," Alice sighed. "But I really hate not seeing, Edward."
"I know, Alice. Thank you," I told her.
Emmett glared at me as I put my phone away. "You're actually going to let that mutt come near her?"
"Emmett, you have to understand that Bella cares for Jacob as much as she does for you or any other member of our family. And besides, it's safer to have him see her under controlled circumstances than to give him a reason to try and sneak in," I explained.
"Just don't let him hug her. We don't want to have to disinfect Bella's hospital room," Emmett chuckled, patting me on the shoulder.
"After Jacob sees Bella, you and I are going to go outside with him to discuss Paul," I informed him.
"Think he has any idea of where that good-for-nothing coward is hiding?" Emmett asked.
"If he does, he's guarding those thoughts very closely," I replied.
"So you must be excited," Emmett said, nudging my shoulder with his. "Alice told me she had another vision of Bella waking up."
"Yes, and this one was much clearer and lasted a lot longer. She thinks it might happen as early as next week," I said, smiling for the first time in nearly two months.
"How does my little sis look in that vision?" Emmett asked, looking at Bella over the top of my head.
"Happy, Emmett. She looks really happy," I told him.
"Of course she does," Emmett laughed. "You're with her."
I stiffened as the smell of a wolf increased, along with the constant flow of Jacob's thoughts. I could also hear Jasper and Alice, both reassuring me that Jacob was calm and in control of himself. Emmett flexed his arms beside me as Jacob came into view.
"Emmett, be calm for Bella's sake, please," I pleaded with him.
"For Bella," Emmett agreed, relaxing his stance.
"Jacob," I greeted, nodding my head.
"Edward. How is she?" Jacob asked.
"I noticed that your first question was not 'what happened'. Does that mean you've spoken to Paul?" I questioned.
"Yes. Edward, he's very sorry. He only meant to scare Bella, not harm her. The pack has ordered him not to phase for three months," Jacob replied.
"Wow, what a punishment for nearly killing our Bella," Alice hissed.
"You have to understand, le…Alice. Not being allowed to phase is extremely painful for us, especially for someone who is as easily angered as Paul," Jacob explained.
"Whether he meant it or not, Jacob Black, you had better pass this warning onto your friend. If he comes near Bella at all, ever again, he will lose his life," I promised.
"I really don't think Bella will allow you to do that," Jacob said, with a smirk. 'I know her better than you.'
"If Paul even has a single hostile thought regarding my Bella, he will be dead before Bella has a chance to even speak," I hissed.
"She'll hate you for it," Jacob shot back.
"No. She will be upset, but she has already given me permission to do what I need to save her life."
"Until you take it from her," Jacob spat. 'I may have found my imprint, but I will always love Bella.'
My entire body relaxed at his words. "Jacob, she has chosen to have a second life, a different life, but she will still be Bella. She will still be the girl that runs with vampires and plays with werewolves. She will still be as full of love for those around her and she always has been."
I was shocked at my words, but even more so at the fact that I truly believed them. Watching her as a shell of herself had changed the way I viewed her transformation. I would not be taking her life completely. I would just be giving her one where she never had to lie in a hospital bed again.
I allowed Jacob into Bella's room, cautioning him that he was not allowed to touch her since she had no way to let us know if she was hurt. He accepted the reason without question. After allowing him to sit and talk with her for awhile, we left the room and went outside with Emmett to discuss Paul. While we stood there, Jacob told me a little about the girl he imprinted on. He met her while traveling through Oregon, trying to sort out his feelings for Bella. I extracted a promise from Jacob that he would inform the entire pack that I had sent the invitation and that they were not to blame Bella in anyway. I had no desire to have her awaken and be in danger from the mutts.
EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB
EIGHT AND A HALF WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT:
My phone vibrated, breaking up the stillness in Bella's hospital room. I let go of her hand and pulled the phone from my pocket. I saw Alice's name flash across the screen.
"Yes, Alice?"
"She's going to wake up, Edward," Alice sang. "In one minute and twenty-three seconds! We're all on our way to the hospital."
"Alice, are you positive?"
"Absolutely, Edward. I never would have called you if I wasn't."
"Thank you, Alice," I said, a smile stretching across my face. I hung up the phone and put it away. I moved from the chair and sat down on the edge of the bed, wanting the first thing she saw to be me. Alice had been getting more and more visions of Bella talking, but we still hadn't known when it actually would occur.
I heard her heart pick up seconds before the monitor registered it. Her legs moved the slightest bit as her face scrunched up in annoyance.
Carlisle's thoughts reached me. 'Edward, Alice called me. I'm right outside with Emmett. I'll give you a minute alone with her, but I will need to check on her as her doctor.'
I spoke just loud enough for him to hear. "Thank you."
Bella stirred further, rolling from her side onto her back. "No," she groaned. "Vampires aren't supposed to faint." There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Rose, please don't add it to the list. This one wasn't my fault."
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't care. She was talking! "Bella?" Her name on my lips was both a thank you to God for returning her to me and a plea for her to open her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered and opened slowly, reveling the warm, brown eyes I had missed so dearly. Finally, my Bella had come back to me.
THE END END!
