Machines beeped all around her. It reminded me strongly of her last hospital stay, except for the fucking oppressive cloud hanging over me this time.

I held my head in my hands, tugging at the greasy strands. I'd been here for nearly 24 hours, waiting for Bella to wake up.

She was still asleep. I refused to use the word 'comatose' like those prick doctors. As in, "The patient could remain comatose for at least 24 more hours."

I tried not to remember as the EMTs worked over Bella, checking for fractures, splinting her whole body onto a board. There was no blood anywhere that we could see, thank God, but apparently that had been even more ominous.

"She could be bleeding inside her body, inside her skull," Jasper whispered softly as I'd climbed onto the back of the ambulance. A few cuts and scrapes were cleaned off during the ride to the hospital. I held her hand the whole way, growling like a fucking animal when the EMTs told me to move aside. As soon as we arrived, Bella was whisked off for a CT.

Jasper and Alice were taking care of admission details and filling out forms, trying to locate Angela again. It felt eerily like a repeat of just a few weeks ago, but this time there was so much more at stake for me.

We had been in each other's pasts and I could not conceive of any fucking future without her. But for now, all I had of Bella was her sleeping form under hideous hospital issue sheets.

I looked up as Alice came quietly into the room. She handed me a Starbucks cup. "Angela is trying to book a flight back from Seattle."

I sipped my latte, realizing it was the first thing I'd eaten all day. Alice sat next to me, putting one hand on my shoulder. She didn't say anything; she didn't have to.

Bella lay on the bed, her breathing slow and even. The machine rigged to her pulse beeped out a strong rhythm. That sound gave me hope.

"What am I gonna do?" I finally said, leaning into Alice's embrace.

"About what?" She wasn't going to make it easy for me.

"Her. Me. Us. I don't know." I rubbed my hand over my eyes. "We knew each other once, Alice. In a weird, fucked-up way, we're connected. How did this happen?"

"Kismet? Fate? Magic 8 ball? Alice poked my side. "Don't know, Edward. But it happened, and I don't think you should give up, no matter who she is when she wakes up, Isabella or just Bella."

Easier said than done. I'd spent time with Isabella, tapping into parts of me I didn't know existed. I'd kind of stopped being Edward Cullen, vagrant douche who hated work and was an artist only in name. Now I was actually painting again, and rediscovering how much I loved it. But along the way, I'd read about Bella, and was halfway in love with the woman who dug Nintendo controllers, zombies, and paired fancy skirts with beat-up Chucks.

"Halfway in love…" I muttered to myself.

"Love?" Alice perked up.

"It's just…" I hesitated. "I don't know. If she could… if I… maybe, getting to know Bella, not just Isabella, there could maybe be a chance for us to… be something more."

"Whoa," Alice said softly. "You do love her, don't you?"

"It's only been a few weeks but… maybe?" I asked helplessly, shaking my head. "I have a whole attic—yours, actually—filled with paintings for the first time in years… all because of her. So maybe… yeah. All of her. I love her."

A frantic siren filled the room; Bella's heart rate was out of control. About ten seconds passed, Alice and I hovering over Bella, pushing the call button. A couple of doctors and nurses burst in, flipping switches and placing instruments on her body.

Jasper ran in, breathless. "What is it?" He addressed the room at large, but one of the doctors answered him.

"Her pulse spiked rapidly, but for no reason we can discern. She seems fine, brain activity's normal."

"Sure, despite the fact that she's still asleep," I snarled, my fear making me lash out.

"Sir, comatose patients can—"

"She's not fucking comatose, you asshole! She's—"

"Edward," Jasper warned, stepping between the doctor and me.

"Um, guys…" Alice said.

"What?" I yelled, whirling towards her.

Alice wasn't looking at me. She was staring wide-eyed at the hospital bed. We all turned in its direction.

Bella was awake. She was blinking furiously against the harsh fluorescents, and her eyes threatened to slide closed again. We all stared, mesmerized.

Jasper spoke up first. "Hello. I'm Dr. Whitlock, you're at St. Joseph's Hospital here in Phoenix. Can you tell me your name?" She just stared back at us.

"Maybe it's too overwhelming," I said in a low voice. Her eyes snapped to mine, and held my gaze.

It was intense. The doctors and nurses surrounding her stepped back from the bed. Something crackled in the air but our gaze didn't waver.

My heart pounded like crazy. Was she still Isabella or Bella?

"Quién eres?" I asked, fists clenched in fearful anticipation.

Finally, she blinked. Confusion filled her eyes.

"I'm Bella," she whispered. "Who are you?"

I'm so in the writing groove right now. I've got a couple more stories on back burners, but I really want to get this one finished before I post any others. And for those, I'd like to be a regular poster like all those fanfic authors who inspire me to be a better writer. A couple more chapters to go…