"Good morning," Edward said, watching her open her eyes.
It took her a bit to blink, and make sense of the room.
A hospital one.
He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry, I know you didn't want to come here."
"You're here," she whispered.
"Of course I am."
Their togetherness still felt so unreal, that her subconscious mind hadn't quite accepted it yet. His absence was still its default.
Then he kissed her fingers. "How's your back?"
She was barely aware of it, and taking in the several liquidy bags hanging near the bed, suspected there was enough pain medication to make her forget about most of her bodily existence.
"Fine."
He closed his eyes, sighing a little. "Bella, please. Your kidneys were badly bruised. They've been trying to manage it, but—"
"Really, fine," she said again. She didn't tell him she felt stiff, but then realized it was probably from being in bed for a longer period of time than usual. "Um, when is it?"
"Wednesday morning."
She sucked in a panicked breath. "Edward, I have court today. This morning—if—"
"Jasper's taking care of it. Don't worry," he hurried out. "Judges understand people get sick. It's OK."
"But—"
"Trust me," he said, "everything will be fine. You just need to focus on being well. That's all."
She released the air in her lungs, frowning. She knew she could trust Jasper to smooth things over, and was sure the lawyer was competent, but the idea of leaving it to someone else made her stomach squirm uncomfortably.
He was frowning, watching her, and Bella could see the worry growing there.
She wouldn't be in a hospital bed if he wasn't afraid for her well being.
"I'm fine," she said,
"No," he said softly. "You're really not, and I'm sorry that I didn't realize just how bad it was."
She shook her head. "You can't, Edward. That's just...life." She shrugged. "Clearly, I didn't either."
He was half-perched on the bed, playing with the fingers of her hand.
"I can do better," he said. "Certainly better than I did."
She sighed, knowing this particular battle was already scripted and lost. Perhaps she could redirect his fretting to safer territory.
"You're sure about the court appearance? My dad says that some judges are really—"
"Absolutely. Easy to handle."
"Is that code for a bribe?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Certainly not." His face folded in disapproval, and then morphed into concern, seeing her bite her lip. "It's really bothering you, isn't it?"
"Yes," she sighed, and it was. She could just imagine the awkward conversation unfolding with Charlie, trying to explain what had happened and why.
"It's a simple thing for us to manage, Bella, and worrying about it isn't good for you." Then he smiled, that beautiful lopsided expression that usually made her worries become a confused muddle, "perhaps I can distract you, in some way?" Then he leaned over and kissed her.
She could only feel his lips, everything else becoming a murky and pleasant haze underneath it.
"Are you worried about court now?" he asked, pulling away.
"I won't be if you keep kissing me," she murmured.
He smiled. "More, I promise, later, after the nurse leaves."
Seeing the remote readout, the nurse knew that Bella was awake, and came in to check.
"The Doctor will be in a few minutes to talk to you, OK?" she said softly, admiring Edward's attentiveness out of the corner of her eye.
He was as good as his word, leaning over her, hands at her face, and hers snaking up to match his in position, but the shake in her treacherous fingers made him move back, stilling the tremor with his hands. "More, later," he promised her. "Rest now."
"Not controlling at all," she murmured.
"You'd be if our positions were reversed. You had me worried the other night." It was an understatement. He'd been terrified, watching her fall midstep, control taken by the pain.
Unhappily deprived of the distraction Edward provided, Bella shifted in the bed, becoming uncomfortably aware of something protruding from a most intimate place. Her hand fluttered at the realization, and then stopped.
Seeing the dance of her fingers, his eyebrows puckered. "They've catheterized you."
Her face was suddenly flaming. "Please tell me you weren't here for that."
"I was."
She closed her eyes, appalled by the notion.
"I respected your privacy, Bella, I assure you."
"OK," she said, voice small, wondering at the many levels of humiliation one's humanity could present, when held up against a vampire's comparatively simple bodily functions.
After a moment, she opened her eyes to see Edward pulling out his phone, standing and stepping away to listen and murmur softly into it. When he snapped it shut, he sat back down again. "Good news," he said, "all charges have been dismissed, including the misdemeanour." Then he grinned a little, "Jasper was sorry you weren't there to see the judge reprimand the officer."
"Oh thank God," she muttered. "Wait," she added, sitting up a bit more, "will there be a record?"
"No," Edward shook his head. "The lawyer's requested an expungement. Everything will be destroyed."
- 0 -
Officer Patrick Bellaney's reasons for charging Bella had been systematically demolished in court, leaving him unusually flustered, and ultimately humiliated under questioning. The commentary from the judge had led to some snickers in the gallery from counsel who'd run up against him before, and when Bellaney arrived back at his desk, he filled in the mandated order to destroy with an angry pen.
Before he put the file in the shredding bin, he let an ugly smile walk across his face, and took it first to the fax machine. It was standard procedure to notify home districts of such files. He hadn't yet. Most officers didn't do it until after the court date.
Standard procedure.
Easy enough to do, getting busy, forgetting the destruction order.
Who wouldn't understand the error?
And if they didn't...what more could the judge do, really?
He punched in the numbers, and sent off the contents of the file to the Forks, police department, attention to Charlie Swan, smiling the entire time.
- 0 -
"You'll be fine, Bella, but you really do need to rest in bed for the next few days. I'll send you home today, but no class until early next week, and only then if you're feeling well enough."
Bella's face was puckering with worry. She'd already missed two days of class, and midterms came up so fast—and the team—
"We'll make sure someone gets your notes," Edward said, seeing her fears wrinkle in the corners of her eyes.
She was soon at home, Edward holding her in the hallway. "Where to?" he asked.
She hated to admit it, but the ride home had exhausted her. "Bed, I think."
"I gathered as much," he grinned, leaning down and kissing her, "but which one?"
"Yours, if that's OK?" It was bigger, and would let her have space for books. And Edward.
"Absolutely," he said, moving towards his room, setting her down gently. Doing so, he used the position to let their lips meet, pulling a soft moan from Bella.
Cat-like, he slipped over her, bringing himself to lay beside her, not breaking the kiss.
This very pleasant activity continued, and Bella let her hands know his form again, slipping over his shirt as they faced each other, lying on their sides.
When she reached his waist, his hands matched hers in position, curled possessively at the crook of her hips. She was so lost to the sensations he was pulling from her, she didn't even realize her own fingers had infiltrated the armour of his clothing, sliding under his shirt. When he matched this development, breathing out in a shuddering frisson, she gasped at the coolness his touch brought to her ribs.
They were so close, she felt the hardening of flesh against her, and stopped, immediately, realizing what she'd done.
She was suddenly very nervous.
Her "sorry," was whispered, as she pulled away.
"Why?" he asked.
She wished it wasn't so easy to blush.
The flick of her gaze told him.
"I thought that was the reaction you'd found...wanting, before," he said.
"Sorry," she said, "old habits." She was breathing too fast.
Yes, it had been something she'd wanted.
And now...now she felt an anxious apprehension at the thought of being with him—for many different reasons.
Some more valid than others.
He'd been so careful before, keeping this particular physical reaction to her under tight control. It'd been the least he could do, so afraid of hurting her, not to taunt her with what he couldn't offer her.
But he'd realized that she'd been left feeling undesired, and undesirable. He wouldn't hurt her that way again.
He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that Alice's knock at the door caught them both unawares.
"Um, sorry to bother you," she said, smirking a little at Edward's utter inattention to her very purposeful thoughts. That hadn't happened for a very long time. It made her happy to see him so.
"Come in," Bella called, clearing her throat.
They both sat up in the bed, bodies now a circumspect few inches apart.
Alice's thoughts preceded her, and Edward grimaced slightly at what she'd seen.
"Don't," he whispered, low enough that Alice could hear, but not Bella.
Are you sure? She asked silently. Incredulously.
She entered the room, giving Bella a quiet smile. "Heading out. Wanted to ask if you needed anything?"
"No, I'm good," Bella said, oblivious to the subtext between Edward and Alice.
"'K, back in a couple hours."
"Thanks, Alice," she murmured, finding it odd that she hadn't just thought this at Edward. She wondered if perhaps they wanted to avoid such unusual methods of communication for now. Let her feel...normal.
As she walked away, Alice was thinking rapidly at Edward. She is not going to be happy about this, Edward. Are you sure you don't want to tell her?
"You heard her the other day," he said sotto voce, turning to get a glass of water for Bella, "she doesn't want to know. I won't second guess her on this, and neither should you."
But we know. How is that letting her have a normal life?
"It isn't, but it's as close a thing as we can offer her."
OK, Alice huffed out, leaving the house. Be ready this evening, then.
"I will," he sighed.