A/N: Just remember the vampires in my story are very different from Stephenie's ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Chapter III

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" I lingered at the doorway of the guestroom, my hand on the doorknob.

"Yes, I'm sure," she giggled, but it sounded more like bells tinkling. She was lying on the bed, the blankets tucked under her chin.

"Alright. Good night, Bella." I turned to leave the room.

"Edward," she called in her sweet voice, sounding a little unsure.

I turned around and caught her biting her bottom lip again.

"Yes?" My voice shook a little.

She hesitated for a moment. "Thank you again for helping me. I really thought you didn't want me around."

Bella looked incredibly vulnerable, her eyes shining with gratitude, as she looked up at me.

I slowly made my way back to her. "Bella, you know it wouldn't be any other way." I sat at the edge of the bed, her dark eyes never leaving me.

"You needed help. So I helped you," I continued.

"And I'm really grateful for that, Edward. I promise I won't be a burden. You won't even notice me."

I eyed her for a moment. She was indeed the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. Her skin glowing in the dim light of the room, complemented by her eyes, which always seemed to sparkle when I looked at them.

She watched me expectantly, like she was waiting for me to suddenly change my mind and kick her out again.

"Bella, are you hiding from someone?"

My question must have caught her off guard, because her eyes widened for a moment before turning down, her hands gripping the blankets firmly.

"Or are you running from the law? 'Cause if you are, Bella, I'm afraid I won't be covering for you..."

"No, it's not what you think." Her voice shook slightly.

I kept staring at her, waiting for an elaboration, but she refused to meet my eyes, as she remained silent.

"How old are you, Bella?"

She finally looked up at me. "I'm eighteen."

Eighteen.

She was just a kid. A lost, young girl running from Lord-knows-what, willing to have sex with a stranger just so she would have a place to stay.

I didn't know what she running or hiding from, but it was big. Just the mention of her having to leave panicked her, and she'd rather live on the streets than go back to where she came from.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

Her expression became pained.

"I am. I just don't wanna talk about it right now." She looked up at me and smiled lightly.

"I see. Well, I'm going to bed now. Sleep tight." I stood up without looking back.

"Edward?"

I turned around slowly and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't get a goodnight kiss?" she whispered, biting on her bottom lip again.

She wasn't playing fair and she knew that. I was merely a prey to her charms. So I made my way back to her tentatively and leaned down, bringing my face close to hers.

I was just about to touch my lips lightly to her cheek when she turned her face abruptly, pressing her soft lips to mine.

I froze for a moment, and she took the chance to hold my face with both her hands to keep me in place. I drew in a sharp breath when she caught my bottom lip between hers and sucked on it.

I pulled away from her, trying to catch my breath. Without saying anything, I turned around and fled from the room.

"Good night, Edward," I heard her calling after me, as I closed the door.

I had to fight the urge to lock the door, too, just in case she wanted to pay me another visit. I went to the bathroom and took a long and hot shower to de-stress, putting on some dry clothes afterwards.

I was trying not to think about the girl lying in that room right now, without any success. That night was still a mystery to me. At first, when she had shown up at my door, I thought nothing of it; she was just scared and confused and would eventually fall asleep. If I only new.

But I wouldn't let it happen again; I wouldn't take advantage of her like that. Deep inside, I knew exactly why she had done it. I knew she was just trying to seduce me so I wouldn't send her away the next day. I guess she wasted her time then, because that's not the reason why I brought her back. I couldn't stand the idea of her living in the streets by herself, knowing that she asked for my help and I denied it.

After my night shower, I dragged my tired body to bed. All I wanted was the comfort of my soft pillows. I must have been really tired, because what seemed like seconds later, Bandit was barking loudly outside.

I went downstairs, expecting to find Bella preparing something for breakfast in the kitchen, but she wasn't there. The house was completely silent, until Bandit came rushing through the back door, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Good morning, boy. You haven't seen Bella around, have you?" I asked him, as I petted his head. He let out a soft whimper and ran off to the living room. I shrugged, then grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal.

I looked at the clock and it read 10:17 a.m. Bella still hadn't shown up, and I didn't want to bother her in case she was still sleeping. I spent the rest of the morning doing trivial house chores. I played a little with Bandit outside, since he was more active when Bella wasn't around.

Lunchtime passed by, and still no sign of Bella. The house had been completely silent apart from the noises Bandit and I were making. I was starting to get worried, so I decided to go upstairs and check on her.

I knocked softly at the door, and no one answered. I could hear nothing from the other side.

"Bella?" I knocked again, louder this time.

After a few moments of silence, I creaked the door open slowly, poking my head inside.

My eyes tried to adjust to the darkness inside the room. The lights were out and the curtains were closed, the minimal light coming from outside was barely enough to properly illuminate the room. Then I saw Bella under the covers in the middle of the bed, her eyes slightly open, staring up at me.

I walked up to the bed and switched on the lamp to take a better look at her. She flinched from the sudden light, and I let out a low gasp at what I saw.

Bella's face was damp with sweat and abnormally pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her breaths were haggard as she closed them again, and I would have thought it was a breathing corpse lying before me.

"Bella, are you feeling okay?" I asked, as I put my palm over her forehead. Her skin was burning beneath my hand. Her eyes opened at my touch, and she looked directly into mine. But I noticed something different about them; they weren't the beautiful chocolate brown I was used to. They were pitch black, as if her pupils were completely dilated.

"I'm fine," she breathed, not even strong enough to speak.

"You look horrible. Wait here, I'll be right back."

I thought I heard her mumble something weakly as I walked out of the room, but I didn't turn back. I quickly went to get a wet cloth and a glass of water. Bella hadn't moved from her spot when I returned, only turning her head slightly in my direction.

"Here you go," I said, as I put the cold wet cloth on her forehead, gently wiping her sweat away.

"That feels good," she moaned quietly, and the sound made me shiver.

I reached for the nightstand drawer to get my old thermometer. "Let's see if you have a fever, which I'm pretty sure you do. Open up." She opened her mouth, and I put the thermometer under her tongue.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding the cloth against her face. She closed her eyes, and after a while, I started to run my fingers through her hair. Bella looked so fragile lying on the bed, breathing became an exertion, her chest heaving in time with each breath.

A few minutes later, I took the thermometer from her and checked her temperature. Oh crap. It read 102.7 degrees.

"Bella, you're burning up." I couldn't hide the panic in my voice. There was a sick girl in my bed, and I absolutely had no idea what to do, how to take care of her. But I would try. She didn't have anyone else; she needed me.

"I'm gonna make you something to eat, okay? Drink this, you need a lot of fluids." I helped her to sit up a little straighter on the bed and handed her the glass of water. She held it weakly in her hands, staring at it with a disgusted expression.

"I don't wanna drink this," she whined.

"You have to, Bella. You need to hydrate."

"But I don't..."

"No 'buts'. Come on, Bella. Please, for me?" I gave her my best puppy eyes. She stared at me and then sighed.

"Okay." She took a deep, haggard breath before tentatively sipping on the water.

"That's my girl," I said with a big smile. She looked up at me and smiled back, and I swore her eyes had gotten even darker. I had to act quickly.

"Drink it all up. I'll be right back." She nodded, and I left the room.

I gathered the ingredients to make chicken soup, something I had learned with my grandmother. She used to make me eat it every time I got sick, and it tasted so good that I asked my grandma to teach me how to cook it. I knew it would help Bella get better, as it always did me. After it was done, I filled a bowl with the hot liquid, grabbed a spoon and headed upstairs.

What I found inside the room almost made me drop the soup. Bella was still lying on the bed on her side, tucked under the sheets. But also lying on the bed by her feet was Bandit and he was sleeping. No growling, no barking or running away from Bella like he usually did whenever she was around.

I approached the bed at a slow pace, the bowl of soup firmly in my hands. "Bella, are you asleep?" I whispered as I gently touched her shoulder. She stirred, turning her head around to look at me. "I brought something for you. It'll make you feel better."

She eyed the bowl in my hand suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Chicken soup. It's really good, trust me. I made it myself," I added with a big, proud smile on my face. "Now sit up straighter so I can feed you."

She did as I said, still staring strangely at the soup. After I sat on the bed next to her, I filled the spoon with the soup, blowing it a little so it wouldn't burn her mouth. The smell of it made her crinkled her nose.

"Oh, don't be like that. You didn't even taste it yet."

"Do I really have to eat it?"

"Yes, you do. If you don't eat something, you'll never get better."

She gave me a strange look. It seemed like guilt, maybe. Or I was just imagining things now.

"I'm sorry, Edward. It's nothing personal; I just don't feel like eating it."

"Why is that? Do you feel sick in your stomach?"

"No, but it..."

"Then take the soup. At least just a few spoonfuls of it, Bella. Please."

I couldn't understand her pained expression. Why was the idea of taking my soup so repulsive to her? I thought she would be hungry, given that she hadn't eaten anything since she arrived here. She seemed truly disgusted by the mere sight of the bowl in my hands. But it didn't matter; she would never get better with an empty stomach.

"Open up. Now," I said a little more forcefully, lifting the spoon to her lips. She closed them tightly and turned her head away. I sighed.

"Bella, I'm starting to lose my patience here."

She kept her head turned to the other side like a stubborn child. "Fine. I thought you wanted me to help you, but I guess I was wrong."

I was about to stand up when she turned to me. "No, Edward, I'm sorry. Don't leave." She reached her hand toward me. And there it was, the crushing vulnerability again. I sighed again and sat back down on the edge of the bed. I held up the spoon to her lips again. She opened them hesitantly, clearly against her will. I pushed the spoon into her mouth quickly before she could change her mind, and her disgusted face almost broke my heart. When she tried to swallow the soup, though, she choked and started coughing violently.

"Whoa, slow down there," I said as I patted her back in an attempt to clear her airways. Instead, she threw up. It wasn't a normal vomit; it was a dark and thick fluid.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she apologized, trying to clean her face with her hand. I took a hold of her arm and pulled her from the bed. "It's okay, don't worry about that. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Bandit had woken up and was already out the room. He'd begun to bark from somewhere downstairs.

I helped Bella out of the bed, but she was too weak to walk by herself, so I put one of her arms around my neck while supporting her with my arm around her waist. I led us to the bathroom, closing the door behind us. Bella leaned against the wall as I prepared a bath for her. She was a complete mess, with tangled long hair and sweaty, filthy face.

"I'm really sorry, Edward. I feel so embarrassed." She closed her eyes, tilting her head back against the wall.

"Nonsense. It's not your fault you're sick. Could you strip? I promise I won't peek."

She started to pull her shirt over her head, so I turned my back to her, feeling my face warm up. I heard her faint giggle behind me.

"The water is good. You can get in now," I said awkwardly.

I tried not to look as her naked body passed by me and got in the tub. She let out a long sigh as she sank into the warm water, her eyes closing again. I didn't waste time as I got to washing her face. She gasped when I poured water on her, but I continued to wash that strange dark liquid from her chin. I grabbed a new bath sponge from the sink cabinets and started to wash her back, her arms, trying to be gentle.

Bella didn't take her eyes from me as I worked. They held such intensity; those big doe eyes seemed to see right through me. I looked away, concentrating on washing her hair.

"What are you staring at?" I tried to smile; the silence was killing me.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have exquisite eyes?" she whispered.

I stopped my movements for a second, her words startling me. I was no longer used to women complementing me. There was a time when it was quite frequent; back in high school, college. When I had a real social life. But even back then, girls always seemed nervous around me. They stared, giggled, blushed. Most of them were fake. Bella wasn't fake. She was simply herself, did what needed to be done and always spoke her mind.

"Probably. But with a different word choice, I believe," I chuckled, and then stood up. "All done. I'm gonna get you a towel."

After that, I gave her another old t-shirt and waited outside as she changed. A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom looking clean, but still very tired, the dark circles under her eyes even more pronounced. She slowly made her way to me, until her legs collapsed. I caught her before she could hit the ground, then picked her up in my arms, bridal style.

"Thanks," Bella mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

I proceeded to carry her to my room, since the bed in the guest room was a mess. I'd take care of that later. I placed her on my bed, tucking her under the covers. I went back to the bathroom and took a long, relaxing shower. When I came back to my room, I found Bella sleeping, and once again Bandit was at the foot of the bed, this time on the floor, as if he were guarding her. That was odd. I could've sworn he was afraid of her not too long ago. After turning off the lights, I slipped under the cover on the opposite side of the bed. I let out a long, tired sigh and closed my eyes; hoping sleep would get to me soon. Bella was breathing softly next to me, the heat emanating from her like a soft lullaby.

At some point during the night, a stirring movement coming from next to me woke me up. Startled, I looked out the window automatically and saw it was still dark. A strangled choking sound made me turn to my left to find Bella having what only seemed like a seizure. I didn't even pay attention to Bandit loudly barking in the background.

I quickly pulled her head up, so she wouldn't choke on her own saliva. I noticed the left side of her face was covered in that black fluid; she had probably puked again. I tried to get a reaction from her.

"Bella! Bella, can you hear me?" It wasn't such a good idea. When she tried to respond, she only choked harder, and I saw her eyes roll to the back of her head. I started to panic. Not too long ago, I thought she was going to get better with a good night of sleep, but it only got worse. I had no idea what else to do; I would have to take her to the hospital.

"Bella, I'm taking you to the hospital now, okay? Don't worry, you're gonna be fine."

She shook her head frantically at that. "No, please don't," she managed to say, a look of desperation on her face. I simply ignored her; I wasn't exactly asking for her permission.

I scooped her into my arms and ran out of the room, Bandit following close, still barking loudly. "Bandit! Stay, boy." He stopped at my command and hurried to the front door. I grabbed my car keys on the way, fumbling a little as I tried to get Bella in the truck. After she was settled, we were off.

It was hard to concentrate on the road when Bella could barely breathe next to me. I had opened the windows in an attempt to let the air circulate and freshen her up a bit, but it didn't seem to help much. The sweat made her face damp and once more dirty with that odd vomit of hers. Now I had two bed sheets to clean when we got back.

"How do you feel?" I asked her as I pushed some hair away from her face.

"Weak," she whispered in a barely audible voice.

Oh, she was weak, indeed. I'd seen how she couldn't find the strength to move while she choked helplessly on the bed. I didn't even want to think about what would've happened if I hadn't awakened.

About twenty minutes later, the light of the city started to appear in the distance. I'd only gone to the hospital here a couple of times, but I knew the way quite well. Most of the town's establishments were closed, considering the late hour. I parked my truck, almost running to get to Bella's side. I opened the door carefully, so she wouldn't fall to the ground, picking her up in my arms again. I walked as fast as I could without actually breaking into a run, so the sway of my movements wouldn't make her feel even worse.

Bright lights greeted us as we entered the building. The reception area of the ER was nearly empty, only a couple of unfortunate patients waiting for a doctor or something, but they didn't looked as bad as Bella. The lady behind the counter was reading a cheesy novel, a bored expression on her face. When she saw me entering with a girl who probably looked like a filthy corpse in my arms, she gasped loudly, a hand flying to her chest.

"Oh my God! What's happened to her?"

"I really don't know. She got sick, and wouldn't eat anything, and not too long ago, she almost choked to death on her own vomit," I said in a rush. The woman looked at me with wide eyes, then quickly recovered from her shock and went to request an available doctor.

"You can sit down; it'll only take a minute." And then she disappeared into the halls. I looked around and found the waiting chairs, the few people sitting there looking at me with as much shock as the receptionist.

"What the hell are you looking at?" I barked at them. I felt like we were a freak show, and the girl in my arms didn't deserve that. They looked away in shame and fear.

I sat down in the chair farthest away from the others, who were whispering viciously amongst themselves. I cuddled Bella in my lap and settled for ignoring them; it was the best to do right now.

"Hang on, Bella. A doctor is coming to see you," I whispered in her ear, rocking gently back and forth. She opened her eyes slowly, and I had to resist the urge to sob. They were utterly bloodshot; her pupils seemed impossibly darker. Se looked up at me, silently begging for something with her eyes.

"Edward..."

"Hush, now. You're gonna be okay." I honestly didn't know whom I was trying to convince at this point.

A few minutes later, the receptionist returned. "Dr. Grant will see you right now. Would you care to follow me?" she asked in a rushed tone, turning back to the hall. As I was about to stand up, Bella's breathing picked up, and she clung to me with all the strength she had left. "No! Please, Edward, don't let them take me," she pleaded, panic clear in her dark eyes.

"Shh, Bella, I'm right here. Nobody's taking you." My arms tightened around her. When I tried to get up again, Bella started screaming and held onto me for dear life. I didn't know where she got the strength from, but suddenly she was kicking and screaming as I tried to take her to the room. She was making it quite difficult with her struggle. Eventually, some male nurses were requested to try and tame Bella. But as soon as she spotted them, her arms went around my neck viciously, nearly chocking me.

"Please, Edward! I'm begging you! I don't wanna go!"

Bella kept screaming as the nurses grabbed her and dragged her away from me. "We're gonna have to sedate her," one of them yelled to another. Everybody in the room was paralyzed, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of us. I sat frozen in my spot, unable to do anything. My vision blurred as I watched that fragile girl in the pure incarnation of despair being dragged to a room, her loud screams fading in the distance.

I fell back down on the chair, lowering my head into my hands, pulling at my messy hair. I could still hear the muffled noises from the room, and it was leaving me on edge. The receptionist had returned to her place and was trying her best to ignore the events.

After a long while, everything finally went silent. The noises and screaming had ceased, and we all just sat there as if waiting for something to happen. I looked at the receptionist,who just shrugged.

And then it happened. A loud noise came from the door, and we all jumped in surprise. I stood up and headed to the source of the sound.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there." The receptionist came to restrain me.

"What the fuck was that? What are they doing to her?" I was starting to get really pissed now.

"They're just doing their job. Now would you please-"

She was interrupted by a screeching sound. Then a blonde nurse came rushing through the door, panic clear in her face.

"Betty, call the police. Dr. Grant is dead, and the girl is gone."

"What?" Betty and I said loudly in unison. I didn't think twice as I ran through the corridors, until I reached Bella's room. There was a commotion by the door, and I pushed the people aside so I could enter. What I saw in front of me made my blood run cold. A corpse, probably the doctor's, was lying on the ground, but I could barely see anything besides blood. The body was clearly mutilated, disfigured.

I took a step back. "Shit."