I don't know how long I've been trapped in the car, but my head was pounding and I couldn't ignore the sharp pain in my left hand whenever I tried to move it. It was getting harder to breath with whatever was pressing against my chest. I couldn't even tell if I was sitting up anymore. I knew I was still in the car, but I also knew we were not sitting upright. Which angle the car was in, I couldn't tell. Derek's muffled gurgling slowed, I think, about an hour ago. I couldn't tell if he was breathing at all anymore. I concentrated on my thoughts debating whether or not to put my thoughts in my fathers head. The blackness pulled me under.
The sound of sirens brought me closer to reality. I tried once again to warn my father, but I couldn't get my mind to work properly.
"Hello! Can anyone hear me?!" Someone was yelling.
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The pressure on my chest hurt too much. Despite the pain I moved my left hand and searched for Derek in the web of tangled metal and glass. I found his hand and held onto it. A slight smile spread across my lips when his hand twitched under mine.
"How many people are in the car?" The voice spoke again. I could hear him by Derek's side of the car. At the same time I heard someone on my side.
"I got one over here, female. She's pinned by the dashboard. I don't think I can pull her out." The male next to me spoke with concern.
"Male driver, no one in the back. If there was than they're gone. We need to focus on the two in the front right now."
"Sweetheart, can you tell me your name?"
I opened my mouth again and forced my eyes open. The light was too bright. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Sorry," the male said and the brightness disappeared. "I'm Jerry, we're going to get you out of here. Hang tight."
I nodded as best as I could.
"The boy's not doing too good. We need to get him out now."
A hand touched my right arm. "That's Kevin, we're going to have to help your friend first, but we will not leave you here alone. Do you understand?" Jerry asked me.
"Help…" I croaked. That one word took too much energy. "Him." I was too tired to stay awake anymore. Derek was being helped and that's all that mattered.
"Call for backup! I'm not leaving her side. She's not stable enough." Jerry's voice sounded far away. "Wait, she's trying to say something." Was he talking about me? I couldn't feel my lips moving. "Nessie, I think she's telling us her name. Cullen?" Jerry's voice was closer now. "Cullen…" He trailed off as he thought about it. "Oh," Jerry gasped. "Kevin, get a hold of the hospital now! Get one of the Cullen's and let them know we have a Nessie here." Just then another ambulance was pulling up. I was lost in the darkness once more.
The cool air hitting my face brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky. I squeezed my left hand, but it wasn't Derek's hand the I gripped. My arm was in a brace. I couldn't move my head to look around, it was stuck in a neck brace.
"Derek," I whispered into the darkness.
"He's in the ambulance, they're bringing him to the hospital now. You're next." I tried to sit up, but something was holding me down. "Easy there, Nessie. You're on a backboard."
"Let me up! I'm fine."
"Afraid not, Dear."
"It's ok, when I get to the hospital I'll let my sister, brother, or uncle look at me. Please, I'm really ok." I insisted.
"They were already notified. We're leaving now." More hands surrounded me and I was lifted into the air. The ambulance ride was quick and I relaxed as soon as I heard my father and grandfathers voice.
"Open the damn doors!" My dad snapped.
"Seventeen-year-old female, car accident, she was the passenger--" Jerry was informing them.
"I know who she is! You don't need to go through the whole thing." The doors flew open and my dad was inside the ambulance leaning over me. Tears immediately fell from my eyes when I saw his face. I knew he'd be crying too if he could. "Vitals?" he called over his shoulder.
"She wouldn't let us, she insisted that you did it."
My dad nodded and touched my cheek. "Good girl," he whispered.
My eyes got heavy once again, but I didn't want to stop looking at his face. My dad must have noticed because he pushed the gurney out of the rig and leaned over staring into my eyes.
"You stay with me, Renesmee. Keep those eyes open, baby."
I nodded. I would do it for him. "Where's Derek?"
"In with Bella, she's working on him."
I blinked and it was hard to open my eyes again. The movement under me stopped.
"Renesmee, open your eyes!" My dad cried frantically.
I opened them and he sighed, relieved. We continued on to a trauma room. The neck brace was gone and my dad was checking to make sure nothing was broken. He refused to work with any other nurse. My grandpa went in to help my mom out with Derek. I was alone in the room with my father. I didn't want to look down when I felt him tearing at my clothes.
"I want Mom." I whimpered.
"She's a little busy right now, Sweetie." His hands moved along my body making sure nothing was broken. I flinched when he reached my ribs. "I'm not even going to x-ray that one. There's definitely a few broken ribs. His hands slid up to feel my collarbone I was glad when nothing hurt there.
"I'm so sorry, Dad." I whispered.
"The important thing is that you're ok."
"The car's not."
He shook his head. "The car is no big deal, that can be replaced. You can't."
I forced a smile and nodded.
He pulled out a gown and helped me put it on. I asked for another to make sure I was fully covered. He let me have it once he was done wrapping up my ribs.
"Did you get a hold of Derek's parents yet?" I asked, looking down at my hands.
"No, they've been busy working on him."
I slid off of the bed when I heard my mom's voice in the other room.
"Ness, stay in here." My dad's arms wrapped around me. I wasn't sure if it was to keep me where I was, or if it was to support me.
"Edward, I need you in trauma four." A nurse poked her head in the room.
"Stay in this bed and don't move. Carlisle will be in to check on you as soon as he can."
"Dad," I called after him. "Call Jacob, please."
He nodded and walked out of the room.
I heard my mom speak once more, but she sounded frantic. I had to see how he was doing. I walked into the trauma room and froze. His body was covered in blood, my mom was standing over him doing compressions while my grandfather worked over his body.
"Mom," I gasped.
Her head snapped around to look at me. "You're up! Where's Edward?"
"He had another trauma. Don't even think about asking me how I am. What's going on with him?" I pointed to Derek's still body.
She turned back around to continue working over him. "Go back into your room."
"No!" I yelled.
She looked over the bed to my grandpa and he nodded, stepping in to take her place.
"Ness, Sweetie, I don't think there's much more we can do. His injuries are too much for his body."
"No," I growled. "I'm fine, he should be too! Save him! That's what you do!"
"Sometimes there's nothing I can do. We've done all we can."
I looked at my best friend. "How could I have been so stupid! This is all my fault!" I cried.
"No it's not. Now, I need to call his parents…" My mom trailed off when she looked at my face.
"I know!" I hissed. "I know what else you can do."
"Ness…" My mom started to shake her head.
"Bite him! Change him! He's too important to lose, please, Mom! Save him our way."
She looked at my grandpa and he shrugged. "It's not up to me. She asked you."
"Carlisle, I've never done anything like that before! I could kill him." she turned to look at me. "No." Her tone was final.
I dropped to me knees in front of her and threw myself into begging her. "Please, please save him! He's not supposed to die like this. Please, Mom. What if this was Jacob, what would you want for your best friend?" I looked up at her pain stricken face. She was thinking about it.
"Carlisle, can we get him out of here?" She looked at my grandpa and he nodded slowly.
"Ness," My dad barged into the room and pulled me off my knees. "I told you to stay in your room…" He trailed off as he took in Bella's face.
"Did you call it?" He asked her softly.
She stared at me and shook her head. "We're--" she cleared her throat. "I'm going to save him."
"No you're not." He hissed.
I pushed between them and shoved against my dad's chest, despite the pain it caused my left wrist. "Let her! He deserves a second chance. He's so proud to go to college, his parents--" I choked off. The lump in my throat wouldn't let me continue.
"You really think you can do it?" He looked over my head at my mom.
"It's what she wants." She went around his question.
"I'll get into the computer system, you have to keep his heart beating. Do not do anything until I'm there. Take him to Esme and Carlisle's.
"What about his parents?" My mom asked.
My dad shrugged. "Lets hope he's as calm as you were as a newborn. He's supposed to be leaving for college soon anyway."
I couldn't help but smile through my tears. Derek was going to join the family.
We got him home without anyone noticing. As soon as I walked in the door I was in Jacob's arms. His tears soaked my cheek. "I thought I lost you, I was going to go to the hospital, but I was terrified of seeing you. I couldn't see you injured. I saw the car, Ness. I went running. No one could survive an accident like that. You truly are a miracle, you walked away from it. I love you." He held me tighter and I ignored the pain in my ribs and enjoyed his arms around me.
"Derek didn't walk away from it." I sobbed. He looked up as my mom entered the house with Derek in her arms. Blood stained her clothes and Jacob pulled me away from her. She rushed up the stairs with Carlisle and Edward at her flanks. I pushed Jacob off and followed with the rest of my family.
"Bella's going to do it?" Uncle Jasper gasped.
"She's perfectly capable." My grandma answered him.
My dad hovered over her as she leaned down towards Derek's neck. His hands out in front of him, ready to yank her away if she couldn't control herself. I had complete confidence in her. Her lips brushed up against his neck. It looked like she was kissing him, but the fresh smell of blood filled the room. I stepped back against Jacob and he held me tight against him. Her tongue lapped up the new blood and the marks disappeared. She continued this motion all over his body.
I counted four beats if Jacob's heart before Derek was streaming in agony. The sudden sound made me jump. My legs gave out as I sobbed. Jacob caught me at the same time my dad appeared in front of me.
"Get her out of here. She doesn't need to see this. Take her home and keep her there." My dad was silent for a moment and I looked up at Jacob as he glared at my father. My dad looked down at me and touched my cheek. "Yes," he said softly to something Jacob asked him silently.