Disclaimer: I don't own the original Twilight characters.

Author's Note: This chapter was really hard to write. I'm sure I probably screwed a few things up with some of the medical aspects of this chapter, but I tried to stay as realistic as I could while still advancing my story as I needed to. Hope you guys like it!

Also big thanks to my validation beta Sassenach Wench.

Warmth In The Darkness

BPOV

After Esme left, I fell asleep slumped sideways in the small plastic chair with Edward's hand firmly gripped in mine, my head resting on his forearm. The night nurse, Rachel, came in on a regular basis to check his vitals, turning on the light and waking me up every time. I would move out of her way so she could do whatever she needed to do. The second she left, I would return to my original position and drift back off to sleep.

The sun hadn't quite risen fully in the sky when I felt a pair of warm hands on my shoulders. I jumped up to find Carlisle looking down at me in concern.

"Did you sleep like that all night, Bella?"

I groaned as the muscles in my neck and shoulder flinched as I moved to stand up and stretch.

"Yes, the nurse let me stay. There weren't really any other options short of crawling into bed with him, which I definitely wouldn't do in his current condition. It is fine. I'm young. I'll survive."

Carlisle frowned at me before walking across the room to look at the computer screen by Edward's heart monitor. He pushed a few buttons, bringing up a chart that he scrolled through with a few nods and optimistic sounding 'humph's before turning back to me with a smile.

"His vitals look really good, Bella. I can't say for sure, final call will be left to Dr. Howser, but I'd be willing to bet that they will go ahead and stop the propofal drip and allow him to come to on his own sometime today."

I smiled brightly, grabbing Edward's hand in mine. "Really?"

He smiled back, crossing the room to rest his hand on my upper arm.

"Really. I also wanted to talk to you about your internship."

My eyes grew wide, my heart starting to stutter in my chest. With all that had been going on, my internship was the furthest thing from my mind. I had missed so much lately between all of the things going on, had I finally hit my threshold, and would have to repeat the year?

"The board saw the video of your actions in the waiting room. They were very impressed with how well you handled yourself and the cases with the limited resources you had. They have decided to give you the better part of the week to recuperate without having to make up the time. On Wednesday, they want you to undergo a psychiatric review to make sure you are stable enough to practice. If the review goes well, you will return to the floor Thursday morning."

I managed to slow my heart rate some, but there was something that did not escape my notice. "And if the review goes poorly?"

Carlisle sighed, running his hands through his hair...a gesture I had learned to recognize as a sign he is either frustrated or worried.

"Don't worry about that right now, Bella. We will cross that road when and if we come to it. Right now, just focus on getting some rest and relaxing. You have had an incredibly intense couple of days. It is vital that once Edward is more stable and you've spent a little time with him that you go home and get some rest."

I began to shake my head.

Carlisle gripped both of my shoulders in his hands. "This is not a request, Bella. I'm sure Edward will agree with me once he's been awake and been able to spend some time with you. You don't have to go home, but you must go somewhere, Emmett's, Alice's, even to our house. It doesn't matter where, it just matters that you get out of this place and get some good recuperative rest."

I grunted, crossing my arms.

He smiled and shook his head. "You and my son, the two of you are like two peas in a pod sometimes. The both of you are so stubborn, but trust me; I can give both of you a run for your money. I pretty much run this place, so I can guarantee that in the end, I will win."

I chuckled a little, unable to resist smiling for his benefit. He smiled back and patted my arm comfortingly. He told me to take it easy and that he would be back later to check on us before turning to leave. He had nearly made it to the door before he stopped, turning back to me.

"Bella, I just want you to know that we're all here for you if you need us. It's highly likely that you haven't seen the end of the side effects of what you endured over the past few days. If you have any issues at all, please don't hesitate to call Esme or myself."

I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat and nodded numbly. "Th..thank you, Carlisle. I'll remember that."

He nodded back with another small smile before breezing out of the room.

I looked around sleepily at the room and then looked up at Edward's face. I brushed my hand gently across his chin, bending down to kiss his forehead.

"Did you hear that, sweetheart? Your Dad says that they will probably let you wake up today. I can't wait to see those beautiful green eyes. I love you."

When visiting hours came again, Esme stepped into the room, telling me that my brother and our friends were in the waiting room and would like to see me. She stayed with Edward as I went down to see them all to let them know I was okay.

I had only made it halfway down the hallway toward the waiting area when Emmett spotted me; He rushed up to me, pulling me into a bear hug that knocked my breath out of my chest.

"Geez, you look tired, kiddo. You really need to go get some rest! Maybe tonight you can come stay at the old apartment with Rose and me. You could get some sleep."

I smiled up at him weakly, "We'll see, Em...maybe."

To my surprise, I turned to see Tanya and Elizabeth were also sitting there with the rest of the group. As soon as I locked eyes with them, they stood up and rushed to my side, pulling me into hugs.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Elizabeth asked, pushing my hair back from my face.

I nodded, trying my best to smile at her.

Once Elizabeth released me, Tanya pulled me into a bone crushing hug, grabbing my hand to sit next to her on the plastic chairs.

"Bella, in all the insanity, I never got a chance to thank you for everything that you did in there. You saved us all. I honestly believe we would all be dead if you hadn't taken care of us and fought him the way that you did. You were amazing! I don't even begin to know how to thank you."

I nodded numbly with a fake smile as she continued to ramble on, mumbling an occasional 'You're Welcome.' I was passed around the rest of the group with hugs, receiving many offers of help if I need it. All I could think about was how desperate I was to get back to Edward's side. Esme said that when I was near him he was more at peace, but to be honest, that was a two way exchange. The longer I was away from him, the more anxious I felt as well.

After a respectable amount of time with our friends and family in the waiting room, I returned to Edward's side with Elizabeth trailing behind me. Esme looked up with a sad smile when she saw Elizabeth come in behind me. I reached my hand out to grab Edward's, squeezing it longingly, as Elizabeth crossed to Esme.

They engaged in an awkward embrace, whispering to one another. Esme looked back at Edward with a clouded expression, before smiling weakly at me and leaving the room.

Elizabeth crossed to Edward's bedside, running her fingers through his hair. While it was a motion both Esme and I engaged in on a regular basis, the act seemed awkward and unnatural when Elizabeth did it. She spoke softly to him for a few minutes before an awkward silence filled the room. She finally mentioned leaving to allow him to rest before disappearing through the doorway once more.

The shift change came at ten o'clock. I cringed when I saw that the bitchy nurse from the first night was back. She shot me a sour expression, opening her mouth to speak just as Dr. Howser and Carlisle came into the room. Her expression immediately shifted to a neutral attitude.

The doctor went over his chart, discussing with Carlisle and examining the computer with his recorded stats. He kept looking over his shoulder at me occasionally while Carlisle was speaking. When they were finished, he crossed to the nurse, giving her a few directions in a low voice. Then, he turned back to me with a wide smile.

"Dr. Swan, I'm so glad to see you are still faring quite well. I have given the orders to remove the propofol drip from his IV. It should be working its way out of his system in the next couple of hours, in which case he will wake on his own. As you know, typically we don't induce a coma except for head trauma type cases, but with the extent of damage to his ribs and the punctured lung, we thought it necessary to keep him as still as possible for the first forty eight hours. Even though he's not supposed to be able to sense anything under propofol, his vitals appear to be reacting to your presence and your voice. It may be a fluke or it may be legitimate, but I'd really like you to stay close in case it is the latter. When he awakes, please do your best to keep him as still and calm as possible. The nurses have orders to page me immediately."

I nodded, tears welling in my eyes. In a few short hours, I would be seeing my Edward's beautiful green eyes.

"Thank you, doctor."

He smiled and tapped my shoulder as Carlisle escorted him out, casting me a wink over his shoulder. Esme came back in soon after they left to sit with me. We both kept a steady watch on Edward for any signs of him coming around, as the clock on the wall announced the passing of each second with a loud droning tick.

EPOV

Everything was dark. I lay in a dreamless peaceful sleep. I could feel no pain. I floated in the dark numbness, occasionally hearing voices that almost reminded me of the teacher from Charlie Brown. I could tell it was a person speaking, could make out the gentle rise and fall of the inflection they used while speaking, but the words didn't make sense.

I drifted away again, no longer hearing or feeling anything as my tired body drifted completely away in sleep.

I don't know how long I had been away from consciousness when I felt her the first time. Her warm hand caressed my arm and her lips brushed the side of my mouth, sending the tingles of her essence straight to my chest, warming me up. I still felt no pain, but I was no longer completely numb either.

I felt her fingers scratch along my scalp, warming me more. She began to speak and while she still sounded like she was far, far away, I could hear her and understand her. Oh God, how I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. I vowed that the second I could wake up and see her and talk to her, I was going to tell her exactly how much I loved her, forever.

Then her touch was gone. I wanted it back. I heard voices again. I knew they belonged to my parents. Once again, the meaning of their words were lost to me, but the fact that they were there was still a comfort.

I longed for my Bella's touch again. After what seemed like forever, the numbness was replaced with the hum of her touch, as her hands once again roamed my hair and her lips brushed my forehead. I still wasn't completely convinced yet that she wasn't an angel. Who else but an angel could cut through the numbness?

She left again, but promised to return as soon as she could. I floated in the darkness with no sense of time. I felt as though I was somehow restless deep inside. I couldn't really relax, like I somehow knew I was supposed to. I couldn't think, or see, or really even hear, but somehow I knew my world wasn't right.

Then I felt her again, heard her beautiful voice at my side, and suddenly the world fell into place again. The restlessness inside me stilled as I floated happily in the darkness with the warmth of her presence keeping me safe.

I heard her voice break through the darkness as she told me about the angel's kiss on my chest. She told me how she couldn't help but remember the first day she had seen it and our interactions. She asked if I could feel her.

I wanted to scream that yes, I could. I wanted to beg her not to leave my side, to tell her that her touch was the only thing keeping me sane in the dark foggy world of my mind. My thoughts were muddled, but even through the haze, my heart longed to tell her that I had always loved her.

She continued to talk as my mind struggled trying to force my lips open.

There was an annoying beeping in the room, like an alarm clock that nobody was bothering to shut off. When it got louder, she started talking about how she wished she knew if I could hear her or not. I felt like crying, wanting to tell her I could, but I was locked inside my body. The only thing crossing the expanse of the darkness was her, and her alone.

Then I heard her voice again, "I'm sorry you're in here. All of this, every bit of it, all ties back to me. This whole thing is my fault. If I hadn't had put together that damn Femme's night to begin with, I never would have met Trager or Trevor and none of this mess would have happened. Matter of fact, if you hadn't beat him up as justice for what he tried to pull with me; he probably would have gone to jail or died in that warehouse raid that night. My life would suck without you, but sometimes I wonder if you would have been so much better off if I never came into your life."

I started to panic. I needed to be able to tell her that my life wouldn't be worth living without her in it. I would trade all of the gun shot wounds and pain in the world if it meant having her love in my life. She was my everything. I would give anything, trade anything, do anything to always have her in my life.

My panic must have come through loud and clear in the beeping in the room, because suddenly I felt her hands running through my hair. Her panicked voice called out to me, "Oh I'm sorry, baby. I didn't really mean that. Not really. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Please calm down, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for as long as you're willing to have me, okay?"

I calmed down as I heard her words, but more than that, I felt the truth of them in her touch. She rested her head against mine. Soon, I was drifting again in my peaceful warm darkness with her at my side.

I was pulled away from the warm darkness when I felt the loss of Bella at my side. I heard the muffled voice that I was pretty sure was my Mom, talking to Bella. Then I heard her answer.

"I can't, Esme. I can't go sleep in that bed without him, knowing he's here. It was one thing when he was at work while I was working graveyard, but even then, I knew he was going to climb in with me when he got home. I can't sleep there, knowing he won't be coming home to me tonight."

It was then that I realized that I had been floating in the darkness for what was probably a very long time. I had no clue how many days, but it was probably more than one. This whole time, my Bella was refusing to leave the hospital. She wasn't taking care of herself. That upset me even more than the thought of her leaving me.

The beeping once again grew louder. I felt her hands in my hair again as she assured me it wasn't my fault. She just didn't want to leave me. I calmed myself down some, but still was unhappy with her not taking proper care of herself. The beeping continued on, faster than usual. Bella sighed, finally agreeing to go home and shower, before coming back for the night.

I wanted her to take proper care of herself and get a good night's sleep, but I was also feeling selfish. I wanted her to stay by my side. The empty feeling was gone when she was near. I knew I would feel it all over again the entire time she was away.

She finally left, taking all the warmth of my current darkened world with her.

I heard Mom's muffled distorted voice above me before I felt coolness on my skin. The realization clicked, she was doing the cool compress thing that she did when I was a kid. There was nothing else she could do, so she was doing the one thing that always made me feel better. I couldn't hear her or communicate with her, but God did I want to tell her how much I loved and appreciated her.

I listened as her voice spoke softly in the garbled string of stories that were gibberish to me. Sometimes her tone was light and cheerful, while other times it was sad. I longed so much to hug her and comfort her, as she had done me so many times. I wished I could hear the details of her story. I hoped I would remember to ask her to tell me again some day.

My mom's presence was comforting, but I was really missing the irreplaceable warmth and comfort of my Bella. Thankfully, she eventually returned. My mother left, and Bella stayed by my side for the longest time as I floated happily in the warm dark, feeling truly at rest.

Bella only left me one more time for a short while as my mom's voice once again filled the room. Bella returned shortly afterward as my mom's presence was replaced by another.

It took me a while to place the voice before I realized it was Elizabeth. She had come to see me. I felt a little twinge inside me of gratefulness that I was important enough to visit, but her presence brought me no comfort. Thankfully, her visit was brief.

I heard lots of murmurs of a variety of voices before I finally heard Bella speaking close to my ear. "They are taking you off your medicine and you'll be able to wake up soon, baby. I can't wait to see your beautiful green eyes. I love you, Edward."

Her lips pressed to my temple for a very long time. I reveled in the warmth and love. I'm not sure how long it took, but slowly, the noises of the room grew louder and louder. After a time, the voices around me were no longer the distant muffled teacher voices I once heard, but were now understandable and discernable voices of individuals who were both strangers and loved ones.

I felt Bella touching my arm. I willed my fingers to close tightly onto hers, to squeeze her small cool fingers to let her know I was waking up. To let her know I would look into her beautiful brown eyes soon. I focused on my fingers, imagining them curling up around hers. Suddenly, I felt her jump and yell out to my mom that I moved.

I concentrated on tightening my grip some more. I heard them both emit uncharacteristic girly squeals just before I heard the footsteps of my mom dash out of the room.

I started to focus on my eyelids. They felt as though they were sewn shut. I tightened them, hoping to break the bonds, before trying once more to lift them.

New voices filled the room as my mom returned, just in time for my eyes to split slightly, dousing my vision with harsh bright white light. I slammed them closed again before slowly prying them open once more. Then, I slowly opened them wider as my eyes grew accustomed to the brightness of the room.

When my eyes finally focused, I was hoping to see the eyes of my Bella. Instead, I was staring at some unknown woman in white with a penlight in her hand, asking me question after question, too quickly for me to actually answer.

I tried to respond, but my throat felt blocked. My hand shot up to my mouth to find a tube there, keeping me from speaking. I began to pull at it, wanting it out and feeling panic at the fact that Bella wasn't at my side.

I heard several loud voices call out at once, but only one caught my attention. I glanced to my left, toward the sound of her voice, just as her head popped into my field of vision on that side.

"Edward, baby, calm down. They will take the tube out as soon as they know you are okay. You have to stay calm and still my love."

She shot an angry look at the nurse. She mumbled to her something about this being why the doctor asked her to stay at my side and how she shouldn't have pushed her out of the way.

In response, the nurse narrowed her eyes at Bella, before elbowing her back again, leaning over me once more to poke and prod painfully at my body.

My arms were weak, but I forced my left hand to reach up toward her. I caressed Bella's cheek as she pushed her way between the table and the head of my bed so that she could still be near me while the nurse worked. She ran her hands through my hair, helping me to relax a bit more. As long as she was at my side, I knew I would be fine. I looked up at her eyes, unwilling to look away, while the nurse continued to ask questions that I didn't even hear.

Finally, Bella looked up at the nurse with a frustrated expression before looking back down at me, caressing my face with her hand.

"Edward, can you hear me?"

I nodded, squeezing her hand.

"Can you feel what she is doing to you near your incision?"

I winced as the nurse prodded painfully at my chest. I frowned and nodded again.

"They are going to disconnect the machine that is helping you breathe now. The tube is still going to be in your mouth just in case they need to reconnect you. We need you to breathe normally. If you find that you cannot take a breath, squeeze my hand three times to let me know. We will reconnect the machinery. It's going to hurt, baby, but it's important to get you breathing on your own as soon as we can. Are you ready?"

I nodded, squeezing her hand in nervous anticipation. I kept my eyes locked on her as I heard a strange gush of air and felt the steady air filling and leaving my lungs through the tube stop. As I tried to bring in a breath, I felt my lungs hitch and stutter. I tried to pull in the air with a painful gasp. Fire burned in my lungs as they inflated and deflated with my own efforts. It hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't like the feeling in the ER where I felt as though I was drowning in the middle of open air.

I took a few more slow shuddering breaths before my breathing finally evened out and I heard a collective sigh leave the room as Bella's wide smile filled her face and sparkled in her eyes. I squeezed her hands, dying to tell her I loved her and finding myself extremely anxious to get the damn tube out of my mouth already.

I felt people poking and prodding. Then I heard a male voice explaining that they were about to remove the tube. They wanted me to try to cough.

Bella grimaced, shifting herself so that her face was down by mine. She kissed my temple and whispered in my ear as I tried to cough, which morphed into a gag as the tube was ripped uncomfortably from my throat. Once it was free of my mouth, I coughed hard for a bit, causing stabbing pains to shoot through my chest. I cinched my eyes tightly. I tried to stay still as Bella had warned, but it was really fucking hard when you felt like a mass murderer was plunging a carving knife into your chest repeatedly.

I was glad to see my love, but the pain shooting through my body made me wish I were in the damn darkness again. Finally, my body settled again. As it slowly relaxed, the worst of the pain subsided.

Bella stood sentry at the head of my bed. I locked eyes with her again, smiling as I tried to speak, only to be met with a low scratchy squeak. I finally managed to make her understand I needed some water, hoping that once I drank a little I would be able to speak a little better.

She rushed to a table next to the bed, filling a plastic cup and placing a bendy straw in it. She brought it to my bedside, positioning it to help me take a few sips.

My mouth pulled at the straw eagerly as the cold water slid down my throat painfully, accompanied by the sensation of swallowing glass. I pushed through the pain and eventually it dulled slightly. The coolness began to feel slightly soothing.

I heard a commotion on the other side of my bed. I looked over to see the bitter looking nurse arguing with the doctor.

He looked at her with an air of frustration before very calmly saying, "She is a doctor in this hospital and as close to a wife as the man has. She is fully capable of taking care of his needs for the time being and is successful in keeping him calm and cooperative. Please put your personal dislikes for Dr. Swan aside and be the professional that we both know that you are, Michelle. Leave your sister's past grievances with the two of them off of this floor."

The nurse, Michelle, looked taken aback.

The doctor looked down at her with an air of authority. "You are a thousand times the nurse Maggie ever thought about being. Don't get into the same petty, unprofessional activities that got her fired, Michelle."

With that, he turned to leave. It was then that I saw the resemblance. Of course she was being a bitch to Bella, she was Andy's slutty nurse, Maggie's, sister. Suddenly, I became a bit nervous about the medication she was adding to my IV solution, wondering if I should speak to Dad about perhaps insuring that I didn't get stuck with this sadistic bitch again.

Thankfully, whatever she added to my line did help me feel less pain. A warm tingly sensation filled my body. I looked back up at Bella with a sleepy smile, as the stresses started to drift away.

Bella smiled back down at me, shifting once the room cleared a bit to sit at my side. She caressed my arm with her hand. My heart felt warm and content. I opened my mouth to say the words I had been dying to say for the longest time. I didn't remember anything from the time I was under besides her…feeling her by my side, hearing her voice floating in the darkness. I opened my mouth, mouthing the words with a whisper of a voice that I wasn't sure she could actually hear.

"I love you so damn much, Bella. I heard you."

Her eyes grew large before brimming with tears. She leaned forward, nuzzling her face in the crook of my neck, kissing my cheek gently.

"I love you too, Edward. I hoped you could hear me. God, I love you so much. I was so scared."

She leaned over me, slowly drifting down to brush her lips over mine.

I caressed them back, wishing my lips weren't so chapped, and most likely uncomfortable to kiss. I felt her sigh into my mouth, filling my next breath with her taste and smell. I sighed in response.

I felt my parents come to my bedside. I looked over, unwilling to let go of Bella, as they leaned down to kiss me. They told me that they knew I was going to make it. They stayed for a while, before leaving me to rest, assuring us both that Bella was now allowed to stay as long as she wanted.

I smiled and squeezed her hand, motioning that I wanted her to join me on the bed.

She shook her head, arguing that there wasn't enough room and she would hurt me.

I frowned and patted the bed more insistently. I was determined that she be lying by my side where she really belonged.

Her eyes spoke volumes regarding how fucking exhausted she must be. I felt the need to take care of her now for a bit.

After ten minutes of her resisting and my insisting nonverbally, she finally relented. She climbed carefully onto the sliver of bed next to me, balancing on her side. She barely allowed her body to come into contact with mine as she shifted wires out of the way.

Once she finally had her body on the bed, her head resting on my perfectly healthy shoulder, I wrapped my arm around her. I pulled her closer, needing to feel the warmth of her body heat next to me. After all, I was only injured on my right hand side. My left was perfectly fine. It wasn't even slightly sore.

The medication was making me sleepy, but I refused to give in to it until I knew she was finally resting. A few minutes later, I was rewarded with the weight of her body relaxing into the bed and my uninjured side as her breath hit a slow steady cadence. I smiled and thanked God for her as I tightened my arm around her shoulder, finally submitting to the sleep that the medication was forcing upon my body.

We didn't get to sleep long before I heard harsh yelling. I opened my eyes to see the nurse yelling at Bella. She called her a spoiled, selfish bitch, screaming at her that she needed to leave the ICU. I heard the beeping grow louder and faster before my scratchy voice filled the air.

"I want you out of my room, you fucking bitch. Bella is the only thing keeping me sane right now. I asked her to climb into my bed. I need her with me. It's you I don't want or need. Leave…NOW!"

She turned her evil gaze on me, starting toward me with a stomping gait. She leaned down over me to yell in my face.

"You fucking asshole! You screwed my sister and dumped her like she was trash. You don't deserve to have survived. You should have died with the asshole in the ER."

I didn't even get a chance to respond before the bitch was ripped from over my bed and sent flying across the room. I looked over surprised to see Bella pulling the bitch by her hair and tossing her into the hallway.

"Don't you EVER fucking say something like that to anyone ever again. If I have any say in this whatsoever, you will not work another day in this hospital. Get the fuck out of here, you bitch. OH and for your information, he never had sex with your lying slut of a sister. If you walk into this room again, you will regret it!"

She slammed the door in the bitch's face before stomping over the phone. She picked it up, dialing angrily. I heard her voice asking that the charge nurse come to the room before hanging up. Next, she dialed my Dad's number, explaining what had just happened.

I looked up at the camera on the wall with a smirk for a second before I started to worry that Bella's reaction could cost her as well. The fucking bitch certainly wasn't worth her career.

BPOV

The term pissed off didn't even come close to the murderous rage I felt when that bitch had the audacity to say that my Edward didn't deserve to live. She's lucky all I did was drag her out by her dark brown ponytail!

Within five minutes, both Carlisle and the charge nurse were standing in the room, trying to calm me down. I paced back and forth, trying to expend the energy that I really wanted to use to pummel the harpy to the ground.

The nurse and Carlisle both tried to comfort me as best they could. When I finally calmed down some, I glanced over to see Edward smirking at me as his eyes followed me in my paces back and forth at the end of his bed. They assured me that action would be taken. They promised to trade out nurses, making sure that 'Michelle' was not assigned Edward again during his stay.

Once they finally left, I walked back to Edward's bedside. I fussed with his covers a moment before flopping down in the chair by the bed with a long tired sigh.

Edward chuckled, which quickly turned into a moan when his laughter irritated his injuries.

I ran my hand through his hair as he reached up to take it, pulling it down to his mouth, placing a sweet kiss on the back.

"My avenging angel," he rasped with more strength to his voice than he had before we had slept. It still far from the velvety smoothness it normally imbues, but it was a definite improvement. "You know, you are beautiful when you are pissed off and defending my honor."

I smiled with a snort as he reached up to cup my cheek, a serious expression now on his face. "You know it was a lie, right? I promise you, I never had sex with Maggie. The most that ever happened between us you witnessed first hand, much to my shame."

I nodded, placing my hand over his. "I know, sweetheart. I never doubted that for a second. I believe in you."

He patted the bed again at his side. I shook my head again, not wanting to face another showdown today.

"Please, Bella; I need to have you close to me. I meant what I said; you were the only thing that kept me sane since I've been in here."

I frowned in his direction. He responded by casting me his puppy dog eyes and I couldn't resist. "In a little bit, baby, let's meet your new nurse first before we go pushing boundaries again."

He nodded with a small pout, deciding to be content with me sitting on the edge of the bed and holding his hand. I traced the veins and sinews on the back of his wide hand, memorizing every inch of him.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened. I looked up to see the smiling face of Donna.

"Well hello you two! It's good to see Mr. Masen here awake! You're right, Bella; he does have beautiful green eyes."

I glanced over at Edward as she crossed the room to his side to examine him. He was smiling back and forth between Donna and me.

"Donna and I bonded yesterday. She was the first one to break the rules and let me stay with you throughout her shift."

She smiled at me with a wink, "Well it's not bending the rules for you to be here today, matter of fact, its doctor's orders." She turned back to Edward as she lifted the sheet to examine his incision. Edward looked down for the first time with a frown.

"Don't worry, Mr. Masen, you'll be right as rain before long. The doctor just told me that they will be moving you down to a regular floor probably tomorrow, where you'll stay for about a week. Once your incision has healed a little more, they will be taking out half of your staples and then casting your upper body and right shoulder before they send you home to help stabilize your ribs."

Edward groaned in frustration.

Donna smiled, putting her hand on his arm. "Trust me, Mr. Masen, it could be much worse. You should count yourself lucky that this is the worst of it and that you have that sweet girl over there taking care of you."

"Edward," he rasped with a smile. "Please, call me Edward."

She smiled and nodded before collecting her things, making her way out of the room. She was almost to the door when she spun back around with a smile.

"Oh, and if you two want to curl up and take a nap, I definitely won't screech down the house. Bella needs some rest. She's been at your side non stop for," she glanced down at her watch and then back at us, "about thirty six hours now. The only sleep she got was sitting in that plastic chair with her head resting on your arm. She deserves to stretch out a bit!" With that, she turned, closing the door behind her.

I glanced sheepishly back at Edward who was frowning at me slightly. He patted the bed next to him. I gingerly climbed up next to him, settling into his side like I had before the disruption. He wrapped his good arm tightly around me and sighed.

"You should have been taking better care of yourself, Bella. You should have gone home and rested."

I shook my head on his chest. "No, I couldn't. I couldn't stand to be away from you. I knew you needed me here. Your heartbeat confirmed that. Besides, I didn't want to be away from you. The nightmares are too much if I'm not with you."

"Nightmares?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as he stroked my hair.

"Yeah, after you came out of surgery, I fell asleep for a little bit in the waiting room. While you were in recovery, I had one so bad that I started screaming in my sleep. When Jasper tried to hold me to keep me from hurting Emmett, I nearly broke his nose with my elbow."

He coughed hard with a slight chuckle mixed in, followed by a tight moan as his rib ached again at the strain. He finally croaked out, "You what?"

"Yeah, I was freaking out on Em in my sleep. Jazz grabbed my arms to stop me but I pulled one free and slammed it right into his nose. It bled like crazy."

I felt him let out a strange snort, trying not to laugh and cause him self more pain, but was on the verge of failing miserably.

"It's not funny, Edward! I hurt him really badly. I'm kind of scared that now that you're awake, I'll be less focused on taking care of you and the dreams might come back. I might hurt you worse if I sleep here with you."

He sighed, "Nonsense. I'll be fine. Besides, you didn't have any nightmares when we were resting earlier."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean…"

He cut me off, "No, you'll be fine. I need you here just as much as you need to be here with me. I love you, Bella. Please just stay here with me."

I sighed, settling myself closer to him. I closed my eyes, giving thanks that he was safe and talking to me and needed me as much as I needed him. So what if we were being codependent? Right now, I couldn't really give a shit. I wrapped my fingers through his where they rested on my side, taking a deep breath, relishing the feel of my Edward at my side.

It didn't take long until I drifted off again, the exhaustion of the last several days burying me in a world of peace, warmth, and Edward.

Well…what did you think? I'm sure most of you are glad he's awake. I only kept him out for three chapters, but you'd think I was keeping him away from you guys for half the story the way everyone was begging/threatening my life if he didn't wake up during this chapter. Now I want to hear your opinions!