PRM ch41

A/n: Thank you all for the overwhelming positive responses to the past few chapters! They weren't easy to write and I hope I did them justice!

Now, a few things to remember:

1) Edward has been through years of mental, emotional and physical abuse. He's not going to get well overnight. While he has made some progress, it'll still be a journey for him to reach the maturity level of where he should be. He's been through hell and back and he's learning to cope/deal with it all

2) He doesn't understand 'normal' feelings/emotions anymore. He's had to surpress them for so long. He's completely unsure of what he's experiencing with Bella. So, I ask that you give him time to figure it all out.

Now...hopefully you'll get some answers to some of your questions in this chapter:)

Three Months Later

BPOV

I walked into Jake's office just after eight am. I hadn't been able to see him for a few weeks and we needed to touch base about a few things.

The police had finally made their final conclusions regarding Tanya's death. They decided that Edward had acted in self-defense and his name had been cleared. They had also determined that the scanner that Tanya had installed in the warehouse blocked any transmissions from the microphones that Jake and Carlisle wore. They could have had a thousand cops ready and waiting, they would have all been useless without the ability to let them know when to charge in and save the day.

As soon as the two of them had exited the car that night, the police were blind as to what would had occurred. The alert signal that Jake's phone emitted reached my phone but not Embry's because he was too close to the warehouse and his phone was evidently blocked at that distance as well.

Jake had fully recovered but we still waited to see if Carlisle would make a full recovery. He had suffered a heart attack and consequently had to have open heart surgery to repair some damage. He now rested comfortably at home under Esme's watchful eye.

"Hey Bells." I heard his voice as he walked around the corner to tackle me in a hug.

"Hey Jake." I said when he finally put me down and I could breathe again.

"What brings you by this morning?" He asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a few 've both been so busy that I thought I'd drop by so I could at least see your face." I said as we moved into the office and sat on the small love seat.

He quirked a brow at me, I was bullshitting him and he knew it. He knew full well that I just needed to talk to him, he was like my brother and would help me sort through my thoughts.

"Okay, Jake...I need to talk to you about something." I finally relented as my hand ran through my hair.

"Spill it," he said with a knowing laugh.

"Well, you know that I've gone to visit with Edward on a pretty regular basis. And, well..." this was the hard part. I had to admit my feelings to someone or I would just burst.

"Well, I'm in love with him." I said with a long gust of air.

He smiled and then shook his head, "Bella, tell me something that I didn't already know."

I just stared at him in confusion.

"What?" I asked inquisitively.

"Bells, I've seen the way you've looked at him from the moment I met him. I knew then that you felt more than just friendship for him. It's about time that you finally admitted it to yourself though."

"Oh..." I said, completely perplexed that it was obvious to him even way back then. That revelation brought me back to the bigger issue in my problem list. Should I tell him how I feel? "Um, well, that's part of the problem, see...I don't know if I should tell him or not. I mean, he's made a lot of progress in his therapy. But, I worry that something like this could set him back or make him not trust me anymore. I mean, he's always so open and vulnerable with me. Do you think I should tell him?" I needed a deep breath as I ended my sentence, I felt like a school girl again with her first crush. I was so worried about him and didn't want to hurt him anymore than he had already suffered through.

Jake threw his head back and laughed his deep, hearty laugh before he looked at me and squeezed my hand in his.

"Bella, that boy is just as crazy in love with you as you are with him. He just may not realize it yet, or, maybe by now he has. Either way my point is that when the time is right you'll know when to say something to him." His eyes held sincerity as he spoke to me.

I realized after I talked to him this morning that he was right. I needed to stop worrying about this and let it happen naturally, if it's meant to be, it will be.

I pulled into the parking lot of the hospital forty-five minutes later and checked myself in the mirror. Saturday was my favorite day of the week, because I got to spend a few hours with Edward. The visitation hours were never enough but it was more than I normally got.

His family had more time during the week and therefore came to see him then, so it left his weekends to me. I enjoyed it immensely and I felt like he did too because he always gave me one of his gorgeous smiles and a hug that felt like a vice grip. I especially looked forward to those.

EPOV

It was almost time for Bella to be here and I couldn't wait to see her this morning. I loved my family visits during the week but I lived for my weekend time with Bella. She was the sunshine in my dark existence.

Wait, I wasn't supposed to think that way anymore. Dr. Mike and I had spent a lot of time the past few weeks talking about that very subject.

While I had lived under a dark cloud for the past few years because of Tanya, I no longer had to live that way or even think that way. She was gone and couldn't hurt me anymore. The dark clouds had disappeared the day she left this earth. .

I spotted Bella as she approached the front doors and I couldn't stop my sway from side to side as the excitement of her presence ignited my happiness.

"Hi Bella!" I exclaimed as her eyes met mine and she smiled that gorgeous smile for me. She walked towards me and I opened my arms for a hug.

I inhaled her scent and enjoyed the feel of her so close to me.

"Hi Edward. You seem awfully chipper this morning." She said with a laugh as I placed my hand in hers and led her towards the gardens where we liked to sit and talk.

She said 'hi' to a few of the other residents and nurses along the way. She'd visited so often the she had come to know a lot of them. Everyone came to like her because she was so kind and caring towards everyone else. She was nice to have around and everyone recognized this fact.

Once I led her to our bench and sat down I felt like I could breathe a little easier. My body felt less tense around her and aside from my therapist, she was the one person that I truly felt comfortable with and able to talk about things with.

"I'm so glad that you're finally here." I said as I squeezed her hand and watched her eyes as they lit up.

"I'm glad to finally be here, too. It's been a long week." She blew out a long breath like there was more to that story but she didn't speak about it. Instead she turned back to me and smiled again, "I've looked forward to today every day since I left last Sunday." She said and I could hear the sincerity in her voice.

We talked about her week at work and cases that she worked on. She reassured me that I still had my job when I was ready to go back to work. The hours were filled with our talk, we shared stories about our younger years and silly things we did back then.

"Bella, I need to ask you a favor." I finally said since I knew that our time was almost up for the day.

"You know that you can ask me anything, Edward." She said with a small smile.

"Um, Dr. Mike thinks it would be helpful to have you come to a few therapy sessions with me. If you'd be willing to do that." I looked down at our hands and got this weird sensation that holding hands with Bella, a beautiful woman who was my best friend, meant more to me than just a simple comfort from one friend to another.

I suddenly got very nervous. I realized that her touch not only calmed me but almost excited me in a way that I had never experienced before.

I wasn't sure what to make of it and made a mental note to talk to Dr. Mike about it.

She pulled my chin up to force my eyes to hers. "I'd love to go to therapy with you. If it would help you in some way, you had to know that I would do it without hesitation." She spoke so soft that her words felt like they floated through the air and permeated my skin.

"Thank you, Bella." I said as my eyes took her in. It was almost like I really saw her for the first time.

She was so beautiful that she took my breath away.

A/n: (sighs) He's getting there;)

I'm hoping for another update Friday...and if I can get the rest written, we could possibly finish this up over the weekend as there are only four more chapters...

REC's: These story currently own me;) they are all in my favs!

Crash & Burn by Twistar Junkie - an addictward...and recoveryella...so freakin' good

I'm Sexy and I know it by Reyes 139 - my sissy is hiliariou in this one!

This Old House by True English Rose - slash, J/E...I'm in love, love, love with this fic!

On The Wings of Love by lvtwilight09 - FINALLY she writes my ANGELWARD:)

Dirty Laundry in my Diary by ttharman - soo good!

The Blackened Flame by Catastrophia - gah...it's like she reached into my soul and pulled out this fic!

Kyla