20.

Carlisle had brought a makeshift stretcher for John to lie on, while Emmett and Edward carried him through the woods at a rapid pace. Carlisle had bandaged up John's wounds as best he could, including setting his leg into a temporary splint, which had made John scream bloody murder as he nearly broke his hand squeezing mine. He would need to be given a lot of stitches when we got home.

Right now, John rested peacefully, morphine flowing through his body. I held on to his hand as we ran towards home. We had to change our pace to a slower one because of John, so it took us a little longer to get home, but we made it home before the sun had set.

I helped Esme strip the sheets off the hospital bed they kept in one room; the one I had lain on for three days during my transformation; and put on new sheets. Emmett lifted John carefully to the bed, Edward supporting his leg, and they put him down softly. Then they disappeared as I watched Carlisle slowly undo the bandages. Esme and I sanitized his needle and thread. While he worked on the stitches, he told Esme to hook John up to an IV drip of morphine for his leg. Last he sanitized the teeth marks, checking to make sure no venom was left, and bandaged them tightly, along with all the wounds he had just stitched. I sat at the end of the bed, watching John, as Carlisle rebandaged his leg, putting anti-bacterial cream on the hole where his bone had pierced through the skin.

And then there was nothing left to do but wait. Carlisle came in every hour to check on John and make sure there was still enough morphine in the IV, and then left without saying a word. Esme came in once in a while, too, to make sure I was all right. I reassured her I was and told her I just wanted to be alone.

I sat there for hours. I saw the sun rise through the small window in the back of the room, my skin responding by transforming into glitter. Finally, around 2 in the afternoon, there was a slight movement as John tried to reposition himself. I put a cold hand softly on his arm. "Don't move," I told him.

His eyes fluttered open slowly, and he looked around the room, dazed. He saw me and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I handed him a glass of water, using the remote to put up the back of the hospital bed so he could sit up comfortably, and helped him sip the water. He drained the glass and then looked back up at me. "Where am I," he asked, his voice slurred from all the drugs in his system.

"At the Cullen's house. Do you remember what happened?"

He slowly nodded his head. "You saved me," he whispered gratefully.

I took his hand in mine and patted it lovingly. "Don't worry about it," I said with a smile. "We were glad to do it."

I leaned over and kissed his forehead softly, marveling at how soft and warm his skin was.

"Lisa," he mumbled, trying to get my attention and asking me to be serious. I looked at him, concern in my eyes.

"What's wrong, John?"

A tear slipped down his cheek unchecked as he said, "I'm so sorry for everything I said to you. I shouldn't have… it wasn't right for me to lash out at you like that. And I'm sorry for not listening to you." His voice failed him as a great sadness came over him.

I lay down next to him on the bed and he put his head against my chest, sobbing. "Shh," I whispered over and over while rubbing his hair. "It's alright, I forgive you."

"But why," he wailed pitifully. "I don't deserve that."

"Because you're my husband and I love you."

He shook his head as if trying to deny it. "I don't deserve your love."

I hugged him close to me, being careful not to hurt him or upset his wounds. He moaned softly into my chest. "I'm so sorry."

We lay there for a long time, though he'd stopped sobbing somewhere along the line. Time seemed to stand still as a I marveled at the feel of his burning flesh against my cold stone body.

Finally he looked up at my face, his eyes puffy and red from the crying. "What can I do to repay all of you?"

"We're not asking for that. We did it because we care about you, John."

He shook his head, "No, I want to repay you somehow."

I sighed and replied softly, "Just love me. That's payment enough."

"You don't want me to be like you?"

I had thought about this long and hard while watching him these last hours and I knew what the right answer was. "No. I want you to want it, not the other way around."

He buried his head in my chest again and his muffled voice said, "Thank you. I don't deserve someone like you."

I shook my head, but said nothing. You deserve so much better than me. I am still a monster like you said, just a nice one.

"I love you, Lisa," he whispered. And when he looked up at me, I saw the truth of that statement written all over his face. "I love you so much."

And I kissed him softly on the lips, feeling him melt into my arms. I fingered the two rings that were once again on my finger. I remembered the promise we had given to each other, to love one another til' death make us part. That promise had been changed slightly, but it still held true. I would love him until he decided he didn't want me anymore, and even after. I would always love him.

One day I would ask him for 'forever', but for right now, this was enough.

Author's Note: Characters, references, quotes, and other things taken from the 'Twilight' series are copyrighted by Stephenie Meyer.

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