The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25[dot]com

Prompt: Bedroom

Pen Name: Mcgt
Pairing/Main Character(s): Bella
Rating: M

This will be a multi-chaptered story.

Photo prompts can be viewed here: thetwilight25[dot]com/round-six/prompts

A/N

Thanks toLittleRedScientist for helping beta this for me and Jenequilter for her prereader skills.

Chapter 12 – Bedroom – Ordinary Day

Shaking off my stupor I asked, "You…you were the one who almost hit me?" I was completely dumbfounded by his blatant admission and the fact that my brain still hadn't recalled anything since stepping out of my café from that day.

He looked tired and horribly guilty as he nodded, stating he'd barely had time to stop when I stepped out from between two SUVs that were parked in front of my shop. "I'm so, so sorry you got hurt."

"Why are you sorry? I'm the dumb ass who stepped into moving traffic without looking." I'd been lamenting my idiocy for the last week since the entire experience had been discussed with me only to have me forget it again and again.

He cradled his head in his hands before explaining to me that he had something to give me.

"What- what do you mean?" I sputtered, unsure of how he could possibly have anything for me?

Before he had a chance to answer though, Dad walked through the automatic doors greeting the man sitting beside me by name.

"Doctor Masen, good to see you. You coming or going?"

I watched intently as the man beside me stood, meeting my father face to face.

"Oh please call me Edward and I'm coming, back for another twelve," he replied taking Dad's hand and shaking it firmly.

"Did that little one make it? She didn't look too good when I saw you last night."

"Yep, she's a fighter. It was a long night but she was doing pretty well when I left. I just stopped by Isabella's shop for a pick me up." He lifted the cup in his hand indicating his need for caffeine.

Once he'd mentioned being here all night I wondered if I'd presumed he looked guilty, when perhaps he was merely exhausted.

"My baby makes the best coffee next to her mama," Daddy enthused.

I could feel the blush creep up my cheeks at my dad's compliment and I heard Edward wholeheartedly agree, only increasing my discomfort.

"Well, I need to be heading inside. Good to see you again sir and glad to see you on your feet again Isabella." Edward turned to me asking if he might stop by the shop sometime soon, reminding me again he had something to return.

Nodding, I wasn't sure exactly what to say to him or what he could possibly have of mine, but I knew deep down that I didn't really care what his reasons were for wanting to see me. With every beat of my heart since hearing his voice for the first time in a week, my body wanted to spend some time with him, no matter what the reason.

At that very moment I believed in cell memory or whatever it was, because even though he was a stranger who almost killed me with his car, I craved the serene feeling I remembered having when I was in his presence.

~*oo*~

After day four of being home I'd begun to go a little stir crazy. I'd been cooped up here ever since my last therapy appointment and the days sitting in my room were beginning to really get to me, even with the sporadic visit from my parents and friends.

The sun had decided to peek out of the clouds and I thought perhaps today was the day to try and make my way to the shop. I'd been in contact with Esme and Angela but I longed for the coffee tinged scent that always lingered on my clothes after spending the day there.

Setting foot at the top of the landing, I suddenly had a severe case of vertigo. Clutching the railing, I closed my eyes wishing for the dizziness to recede before making me fall down the steep narrow steps.

I wasn't sure how long I stood like that but when I heard the voice I'd been dreaming of call out to me, I slowly allowed my eyes to open to the very concerned face of Doctor Masen.

"Isabella, are you okay?" He took my elbow, and helped steer me back into my apartment once I'd admitted to him that I wasn't. "Where's your room? You really need to lie down."

Pointing down the hall, I knew there was no way I was going on my walk now. Especially since my own personal knight in shining armor had appeared to save me from a nasty tumble and trip back to the hospital. With my mind running a mile a minute, I couldn't wait to ask him the thousand questions I'd saved up to ask him the next time we met.

Pulling back the covers he gently helped get me situated, even removing my shoes and windbreaker. Of course once my spell had passed I was completely mortified to have appeared so weak and pathetic in front of this stranger.

Finally coming to my senses I asked, "Thanks for the help but what are you doing here?"

He took a step back away from my bed, apparently realizing he was treading on very personal ground for someone I didn't know.

"I'm sorry for coming unannounced but the ladies at the shop said you weren't probably going to come in for another week or so and I wanted to make sure you had this." He pulled my ledger out from the backpack he'd been wearing and handed it to me.

"God, I didn't even realize I was missing this." Thumbing through it, I cringed looking at all the post-it notes with reminders about payments, deliveries, and my big ideas for expanding and promoting my store. Dreams and ideas that were probably dead now that I was broke. "Thanks," I whispered, trying to contain the emotional swell I felt coming on.

Without me asking, he started talking about the accident and how he'd found my ledger lying on the ground underneath one of the SUVs, only discovering it after the ambulance had taken me away and opened it to see what it was, and if it did indeed belong to me.

"I didn't mean to pry, but-" he let his voice trail off and I waited to see if he was going to continue. "Anyway, I just wanted to get that back to you. It looked important."

I could feel my ire build up in my chest realizing that this complete stranger might have read all about my financial woes, not to mention all of the secrets and dreams that were written in notes throughout the book. "My name is right in the front. Why would you look through it once you realized the personal nature of its contents?" I seethed.

Hanging his head, he must have felt shamed because he apologized again, telling he knew what I was going through. What it was like to lose everything in the blink of an eye. He started for the door, saying he was sorry again when I did another completely irrational thing, I invited him to stay. I'm not sure why especially when I was still upset that he'd pried, but he'd peaked my curiosity about his personal story.

I wasn't sure what surprised me more, the fact that I asked or the brilliant smile that accompanied his acceptance.

"You- You're sure?" he asked so quietly I almost didn't hear him. Nodding my head and giving him a small smile, I tried to reassure him as best as I could. My mood swings were starting to bug even me.

After pulling a chair into my room, he sat down and began asking me how I was feeling, and if my physical therapy sessions were going alright.

We chatted comfortably for a while and I felt myself begin to open up to him, answering questions I might otherwise have previously dodged. After reading all the notes I'd kept in my ledger he knew more about me than even most of my friends. That one book held more of my hopes, dreams, and failures that I'd never spoken about out loud

An awkward silence suddenly developed and I must have felt like it was my duty to fill that space up because I blurted the thing I'd been longing to ask, "Did you visit me in the hospital?"

His eyes widened in surprise and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before nodding with a very confused look on his face.

"How…How did you know that? Did one of the night nurses tell you?" He stood, looking ashamed all the while muttering angrily to himself.

I hated seeing him so agitated and tried my best to let him know I wasn't upset. "I heard you. You were speaking to me, right?" I brushed my hand across his forearm during one of his paces beside my bed urging him to sit back down.

"You were in a coma. How did you hear me?"

I explained to him all about my visions and dreams I'd had when I'd been unconscious, explaining how every time someone would speak to me, I'd feel as if I was wherever it was they were speaking about.

"And with me, you were in a small cottage? And a meadow?" He was shocked and amazed at my brain's workings, asking me all about the details I'd heard from him and my friends.

"You told me you had a dream about me. That we were being chased by a cougar or something like that. Did you?"

He was pacing again across the tiny space of my room, laughing that he'd actually dreamt that three times within the last week.

"I just can't believe you heard all that. Well, I guess now we're even. You know some of my secrets and I know some of yours." He winked before glancing at the clock by my bedside table. "Crap, I need to get to the hospital. I didn't realize it was that late already."

I was stunned to realize it was almost seven in the evening and we'd talked for the last three hours. Not only had I spent all afternoon talking with Edward, but it was the first time since leaving the hospital that I hadn't napped due to exhaustion. Perhaps I was finally getting better.

"Can I visit you again? Maybe call you?" he asked, color rising across his cheeks and ears.

Nodding shyly, "I'd like that." After exchanging numbers he leaned down and gave me a hug suggesting I wait until someone was around before trying to go for a walk about town.

"Are you offering?" I teased, hoping it would push him into coming over again sooner rather than later.

"Sure. After tonight, I'm not on call again until Friday. How about Thursday? I might have sufficiently gotten my body back on schedule by then." He smiled broadly, leaning down to kiss my forehead almost like he'd been doing it forever.

Unconsciously I brushed my fingers across where his lips had descended, still feeling their tender touch tingling beneath my fingertips.

"Oh, sorry. I- I, didn't. I shouldn't have done that," he stumbled over his words as if he just realized how intimate the gesture was. The bright red blush once again colored his cheeks and tips of his ears.

Who knew blushing men could be so endearing?

"It's okay." I wanted to tell him that I recognized it from when he'd done it in the hospital but I was a little afraid I'd scare him away, especially when the connection I'd felt when I was unconscious was so powerful, so strong. Now that I'd found him, I need to know everything there was to know and figure out why I felt this way.

Nodding his head once, a gesture I recognized a manly way of saying, 'thanks for not blowing it all out of proportion and making me feel like an idiot'. Asking me if I needed anything he said he'd call me soon before leaving my tiny apartment, a whole lot quieter and me feeling more alone than I had in years.

A/N

There you have it… Mystery Man in his full glory. Happy? Disappointed? Let me know. Next chapter will be on Tuesday! Enjoy & thanks everyone for your kind reviews. We hit 100! I'm so excited. My stories usually stay under the radar & hardly ever hit that number, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Have a fantastic weekend & catch you Tuesday!