Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 4: Another Hospital

There was a faint but steady beeping noise far off. I could also hear voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. Who is that? What are they saying? My body felt heavy and my eyelids like lead. I tried to open them but couldn't lift against the weight. Where am I? I struggled to get my body to do anything, but it wasn't working. I grew tired from the effort and let myself fall back into unconsciousness.

The next time I became aware I could not hear anyone. The steady beeping noise was still there. I tried to open my eyes again. This time my eyes slowly opened. It was dark in the room. I looked around and did not recognize my surroundings. No one was in the room. I focused in on the beeping noise and looked to my right. There I found a heart monitor and IV stand with a bag. I looked down to my arm to see the IV. I was in a hospital.

I reached up to scratch my nose and felt the oxygen line taped to my face. I moved to sit up and felt a sharp pain when I tried to push up. I looked to my left arm and saw a bandage around my forearm. The area was throbbing and felt like it was on fire. Huh. I wonder what happened there? I looked down and saw my right leg was elevated. I pulled the covers back and saw a boot that went to my mid-calf. I wonder if that's broken or sprained? I groaned to myself as I finally remembered breakfast, up until the point that I got the syrup from the stove. I looked outside to see that it was nighttime. Was I really out that long?

"Bella!" I turned when I heard Alice's exclamation. She ran over from the door and wrapped me up in a hug. I hugged her back and winced at the pain it caused in my arm. I could see Jasper, Charlie, and Sue behind her.

"Darlin'," Jasper said in a calming voice as he pulled her off me. "Remember to be gentle." Alice sat on the bed next to me. I smiled at Jasper in thanks. "Hey Bells."

"Hi Jasper," I answered, my voice sounding a bit horse. "Hi everyone." I tried to clear my throat, but it was dry. Charlie poured me a glass of water and handed it to me as he sat on the side of the bed opposite Alice. I smiled in thanks and took a sip.

"Bells, kiddo," Charlie said. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused. I realize I'm in a hospital, but I don't know how long I've been here," I answered honestly.

"It's Tuesday night." I looked at him with a slightly panicky face. He hurried to continue. "You passed out when you were cooking breakfast on Sunday. You had the syrup in your hand when you fell and it spilt." He pointed to my bandaged arm. "Sue called 911 right afterwards. Seth and his partner responded. They brought you here to the ER. Dr. Cullen checked you out and said he wanted to run some tests to see why you had fainted.

"I told him what you told me, about being sick these past few weeks. He also thinks it's cancer. I told him you had been checked for cancer, and it was negative. He's been running every test he can think of. He hasn't found any answers, and it's been really bothering him. You've always been his favorite patient.

"Alice and Jasper came up Sunday night when I called her. Rosalie came with them, but she had to go back for work. I've been here when I'm not at work. Sue's been here during the day. Esme even came by. Those flowers are from her." He pointed towards the vase filled with orange, red, and yellow lilies. I remember seeing her bringing some in one day that I was in the ER, for probably the hundredth time. I had stopped her to admire them, and told her they were the most beautiful flowers I'd ever seen. I can't believe she remembered, but why did she give me flowers? I barely know her.

"I have to leave," I said. "I have work and school. I don't-" Jasper cut me off.

"You don't need to worry yourself Bells," he said as he placed a hand on mine. "I called the school to let them know what was going on. They aren't expecting you until at least next week at the earliest. I also talked to Katelynn, your advisor; she happens to be close friends with my mentor. I'm getting your assignments from your professors, and they don't expect you before next week. I just have to keep in contact with them if you need more time. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours."

"Thank you." I managed to say through my building anger. I could feel a tear form at the corner of my eye. Everyone was taking care of me. I wasn't used to that, and I'm not sure I liked it. I had learned to be an independent person; I didn't need anyone taking that from me. I took another sip of my water. "When can I leave?"

"Well, we're waiting for Dr. Cullen to finish his tests," Charlie said. "He'll come in when-" Charlie was cut off when there was a knock on the door. Dr. Cullen came in with his usual warm, calming smile.

"Hello Isabella," he greeted me by my full name as he always had, "and friends. We've got quite a full house!" Dr. Carlisle Cullen was one of the nicest people I had ever met. He was also one of the best looking. He was tall with blonde hair, a timeless look to him. All the nurses had a crush on him, and honestly every patient did too. His looks mixed with his charm put women in a tizzy. I had always thought of him as someone that would be a perfect dad. "I'm glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm-" I stopped when he gave me that look. The one that told me he wasn't falling for my lies. He had seen me in the ER enough times to learn when I was trying to gloss over something. "Well, honestly, I feel about the same."

"Hmmm." His eyebrows knit together as he looked over my chart. "Well, you can see your arm is bandaged. You received a second-degree burn from the syrup pan. That means that you have some blisters, but you will not require a skin graft. It's superficial. That means it's mainly on the surface so in time it will go away, and you might not even get a scar. It is going to hurt though. Burns are very painful.

"For that reason, I want you to promise me that when you are hurting you let a nurse know. They will bring you some pain medicine." I nodded. "You don't have to tough this out. Let us help you. The burn should heal, barring infection, within three weeks. After that, it may take up to a year for any scars to fade. For the next three weeks, you will have to keep the burn covered. You'll unwrap it for an hour or two each day to clean it, let it breath, and apply a topical antibiotic, but that's the only time it should be exposed. I will teach you tomorrow how to dress it.

"Your right ankle is thankfully not broken. It's a slight sprain. I only think you need to wear the boot for two weeks." He sighed before continuing. "As for everything else, you don't know how much I hate to say this, but I don't know what's wrong. I've run every test I could think of. I rechecked for cancer, I looked at all the usual things. I've exhausted the tests that we can run here.

"I want to keep you till Thursday morning for observation. I want to see if there's anything more I can learn about your condition. I also want to make sure that your burn is healing properly before I let you go. I know how stubborn of a patient you can be. I don't want to imagine how you are at home. At least while you're here I can insure you're following my instructions."

"Dr. C, are you serious? Can't I just go home?" He smiled apologetically at me.

"I want to keep an eye on you, and try to get a better grip on what is going on. I'm just trying to help you here. I really want to get some answers for you."

"Fine. Is there anything I need to do?"

"No. Just rest, and let me work. I have a few other patients to check on then my shift will be over. I will send in a nurse to give you some pain medication before I leave. I'll be back and check on you first thing in the morning at 8." I remembered it was dark outside indicating it had to be very late.

"It's so late. Shouldn't your shift have ended long ago?"

"I wanted to be here when my favorite patient woke up." I began to protest and tell him he shouldn't have stayed, but he cut me off. "No arguing, no protests; I don't want to hear it. Now, I'm headed home. I will see you tomorrow."

"Oh, wait! Please tell Esme thank you for the flowers. They're wonderful. I absolutely love them."

"I'll be sure to pass the message along. Have a good night everyone." There was a chorus of goodbyes as he left the room. I closed my eyes to try to ward of the throbbing that had intensified in my arm.

"Bells," Charlie said. "Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

"No Dad," I hurried to say. "Don't be ridiculous. You and I both know you don't sleep well in hospitals. Go home where you'll be comfortable. I'll still be here tomorrow."

"If you're sure." He turned to Sue and held his hand out to her. She slipped hers into his hold and they stood to leave. The sight was odd, but it was growing to look…normal. "I'll be by to see you before I head off to work."

"I'll come by before my shift at the store to keep you company for a while. Would that be okay?" Sue hedged. I smiled at her.

"I would like that." She returned the smile then they left. A nurse came in and added pain medication to the IV. I thanked her.

"So Sue is really nice," Alice said, and I had to laugh at her attempt to distract me.

"What are you doing here? You should be in Seattle."

"Well, why would I be there? You're my best friend, and you're in the hospital. This is where I belong. I had to make sure you were okay. Now I know you're tired and will be even more once that pain medication kicks in. Jasper and I are going to head back to the hotel, and we'll come back tomorrow after Sue leaves."

"No, Ali. I want you to go home. You can't put your life on hold for me. I will be out Thursday morning, and I'm driving back. Please don't worry about me."

"No Bella. I'm staying. There's nothing you can do to change my mind."

"Alice, if you don't go home I won't shop with you again for a month." She gasped.

"That's not even funny."

"I also won't tell you about the knight in shining armor I met at the accident on Sunday."

"Bella, you can't-Wait! What? Knight in shining armor? What are you talking about?" I smiled at her confusion.

"I'll tell you when I get home on Thursday if you go home tonight or in the morning." She glared at me and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

"Fine. We'll go home in the morning. It's too late tonight. Can we come say bye to you in the morning? We will probably want to get out of here around 9."

"I'd be upset if you didn't." She smiled at me and hugged me. Jasper also hugged me before they left.

I could feel myself growing tired. Why did I mention Edward to Alice? I don't know what overcame me. I don't know if I said that to get her to leave, or if I actually wanted to see if this was something I wanted to pursue. That thought scared. I had spent the past nine years fearing any man besides Charlie, Jasper, and Dr. Cullen. The one time I did let my guard down, the one time I decided to trust a man, I was sorely disappointed and hurt. I still had nightmares about him to this day. I don't want to think about him; especially not when he's in the same town.

I let my mind wander back to Edward. I felt completely comfortable with him, Emmett too. I don't understand. How can I be so comfortable around them? It took months to become comfortable around Charlie, over a year for Jasper and Dr. Cullen. All Edward did was confuse me. He was on my mind often, and it was beginning to really throw me for a loop. I needed to forget about him. It was a chance meeting, one that wouldn't happen again. Seattle was very large. I slowly rolled onto my side and readjusted my leg before falling asleep.

I woke when I felt a kiss on my forehead. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Charlie straighten up. He was dressed in his uniform, gun clipped to his side. I twisted to the side to look for the alarm clock. It was 5:15 in the morning. I felt like I had only slept for a few hours, and that was probably accurate. Twice during the night nurses came in to check on me, waking me to ask if I wanted more pain medication. I had learned over my years that hospitals were not a place to rest, just a place to get better. The resting would have to be done at home.

"Hey Dad," I said sleepily.

"Hey kiddo," he answered as he sat in the chair next to my bed. "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"A couple hours. I guess I should be happy for that much." He smiled and chuckled. "Do you know what time I should expect Sue?"

"She should be here around 8:00. She's going to have breakfast with Seth and Leah first. They get together once a week. I'm going in early so I can get off work early. Sue has a shift at 10:00 so she'll have to leave around 9:30. I should be off around five. I'll bring dinner; I know you hate hospital food. Is there anything you want?"

"Whatever you can get. I haven't been that picky lately."

"Then I'll get something from The Lodge. I gotta go. I'll see ya later. Call me if you need anything."

"Will do Dad." I yawned. "See ya." I rolled back over and fell asleep. I woke again to the sound of the door opening. I peeked at the clock to see it was 7:45. Dr. Cullen walked in with his usual smile, although he looked more tired than usual.

"Good morning, Isabella," he greeted. "How was your night?"

"I learned a long time ago that hospitals are a place to get better, not sleep." He chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

"That's very true."

"So what do you have for me Doc? What's your diagnosis?" He clutched the folder he held tighter and looked a little grim.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" He motioned to chair that was left vacated by Charlie. I motioned for him to take the chair not trusting my voice. This can't be good. He sat and pulled the chair closer to the bed. He laid the folder next to me placing his elbows on the bed and rested his chin on his hands. "Isabella, I don't know what's wrong." He sighed and looked away almost as if he were ashamed. "I've been up all night researching, and I don't have an answer for you. I sent your lab work and films to a friend of mine at the Mayo Clinic. He doesn't have any answers for me either."

"Dr. C, you shouldn't have stayed up. I also don't want you feeling guilty or ashamed for this. You're the sixth doctor to see me and the sixth one without answers. Trust me when I say I don't hold this against you."

"I know you don't, but I still don't like this. I became a doctor because I wanted to help people. I can't help you. I don't handle that very well." I smiled at him, and he smiled back weakly. "I'm going to keep researching this and talking to some friends of mine. If I get any ideas or answers I'll get in contact with you."

"I really appreciate that. Thank you."

"It's the least I can do, and please don't thank me until I get you an answer. This folder here is for you. It's all your lab work and films along with articles and more research that I've done. I want you to keep this handy. Any time you go to the doctor or the ER I want you to make sure this goes with you. It will help the physician narrow things down and know where to begin. Can you do that for me?" I nodded. "Now, I want to teach you to dress that burn."

He left to go gather the supplies that would be needed, saying he would return around 9:00. I placed the folder on the bedside table, not in the mood to browse through it yet. Sue arrived as Dr. Cullen left the room. She pulled up a chair opposite my injured arm and gave me a hug. I asked her about breakfast and listened to some stories her children had told her over breakfast.

"So, how long have you and Charlie been seeing each other?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. She smiled and blushed.

"We actually went on a date about four months ago," she looked worried as she said. "About a week after that we decided to see each other regularly." Four months?

"Oh. Four months. That's a long time." I couldn't understand why they would hide this from me. I honestly felt a little hurt.

"I wanted to tell you, Bella. I tried to talk Charlie into so many times. He was just so worried you wouldn't approve. He was scared he would disappoint you. He wanted to wait and make sure this was something that would last before talking to you about it. He thinks you're still a little girl. He said he didn't want to introduce someone to you if she wasn't going to stick around." We both shared a laugh.

"I can understand him still seeing me as a little girl. I think sometimes, because he didn't have me when I was a little girl, that he started over when he got me. Therefore, instead of being seventeen when I came here, I was three in his eyes. It still hurts a little that he kept this from me. All I have ever wanted for him was to be happy. I saw what Renee did to him, and I always wished for him to find someone that could love him and take care of him. It would have been nice to know he found you."

"I know, and I'm so sorry. I hope you forgive us."

"Oh, Sue. There's nothing to forgive. I couldn't be happier that you two found each other." She smiled and her eyes began to tear up.

"You don't know how much it means to hear you say that. I want you to know that your father means the world to me. I will always love and miss Harry, but Charlie…he's my everything, my world. I know you have a mom, and I would never want or ask to replace her, but I do want us to be friends. Is that okay?"

"No." Her face dropped, and I couldn't keep my smile away. "That would be great." She beamed and squeezed my hand. There was a knock at the door, and Dr. Cullen came in with all the supplies.

"Hello ladies," he smiled. "Are you ready to change that dressing?" I just shrugged and held out my arm.

He unwrapped my arm, and I saw it for the first time. My forearm was burnt from my wrist to the crook of my elbow. As soon as the air hit it, I had to suck in a breath. It stung, badly. Tears sprung to my eyes, not only because of the pain but also because of the way it looked. My skin was an angry red. There were blisters along the length of the burn; I could see the liquid under the blisters and knew that the minute they popped or seeped, I would be in much worse pain. This was going to be a painful recovery. If that weren't bad enough, it was ugly. I was not blessed in the looks department in the first place; this wouldn't help in that area.

"Now, Isabella," Dr. Cullen began, "this is going to be the toughest part." Before he was able to continue Jasper and Alice walked in. "Actually, it's a good thing you two are here. I'm showing Isabella how to clean and bandage her burn. I know y'all are close. It'll be good for more than one person to know how to do this. Would y'all be comfortable watching?"

"Of course," Jasper answered while Alice nodded her head. They moved to stand beside Sue. I then realized that Sue was holding my hand. I smiled at her as I tried to wipe away my tears. She pulled a Kleenex from the box and wiped my tears for me.

"Okay. Like I said, this is going to be the toughest part. You have to clean it. First you will wash your hands thoroughly. Lay the clean bandage onto a clean towel so it's ready to be wrapped. Removed the bandage and dispose of it. Now you have to clean the burn. Run it under cold water and wash gently with soap. I will prescribe you the soap; do not use a household soap. Understand?" I nodded. He began to clean the burn. I couldn't keep the tears from falling or keep the whimpers at bay. The pain was horrible. "I'm so sorry, Isabella. I know this hurts. There.

"Now, the next step is to apply the antibiotic. This I will prescribe to you as well. I just want you to apply a thin layer. Lastly, you have to wrap it. Just watch what I do, and you'll copy me." I know he was being as gently as possible, but my arm was screaming and throbbing in protest.

"It's t-t-t-too m-m-much," I whispered, my voice breaking due to the tears. My body was shaking as well. I had never had a high pain tolerance. Dr. Cullen reached over to inject pain medication into my IV. "I feel s-sick. I need a t-t-t-trash can." Jasper hurried to hand me the trash can from beside the door. I leaned over and dry heaved. I had nothing in my stomach to expel. I had always believed dry heaves hurt worse than actually vomiting. I leaned back after five heaves. I realized I was sobbing and my body was shaking still. Alice placed a hand on my forehead. I looked over to see her crying as well.

"It's going to be okay, Bella," she said.

"Honey, we're right here," Sue said as she rubbed my arm. "We're right here, Bella. You're going to be okay." I saw Dr. Cullen's hand inject something into my IV. "Try to calm down, sweetheart. I know it hurts, but try to calm down. Let the sedative take effect. I don't want you to hurt." Her voice was so calm and soothing. I tried to calm down, but I felt the darkness drag me under first.

AN: It has been a crazy hectic week, and next week will only get worse. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. So, Bella knows their dad. Will he accidentally reveal it? Only time will tell. I said at the beginning of the story that this would be all BellaPOV. I'm going to have to go back on that. I will be putting an EdwardPOV in soon, probably two chapters from now. He's dying to talk about Bella. Emmett's not heling much. :)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think; they're much appreciated.