Bella's POV

I felt something cold touch my injured hand. An electric shock ran down my arm at the same time the throbbing pain I had been feeling on my wrist lessened. Edward was holding my hand. He was holding one hand under my wrist and the other was stroking me on top. I didn't dare open my eyes. I pretended to still be asleep. I was thankful for my ability to regulate my heartbeat at will. I had learned to do that to make myself clam down whenever I had breakdowns during my worst days. He thought I was sleeping. I decided I will remain sleeping until sleep really overtook me or he left. For now I wasn't about to take my hand away from him when it really soothed the pain, after all why should I hurt myself when I had a perfectly good way of getting the pain lessened. I was not a masochist.

Edward had tried to apologise and talk with me when Alice left. I was not in a state of mind to talk to him. I was really mad at myself for loosing my temper. I had not lost it for a very long time. I didn't like it that I felt emotion so strongly. I regretted it. I didn't want to start feeling again. The only thing I didn't regret is what I said. I had made everyone aware of what I wanted and how I was going to go about it. No one was ever going to take control of my life again. I had nothing more to say on the subject and didn't want to have another emotional break down. I was happy the way things were and I didn't really want anything to change.

So I decided to simply pretend to fall asleep. I can tell that he bought it. I was becoming really good at acting. I was putting up a great show for Charlie's benefit at home. He knew something was amiss but he didn't find any fault so he didn't try to question me on it. I knew he didn't want me to go back to my misery so he accepted the way I was coping. But I could see that he still worried about me. I think he got a really good shock at the last parent teacher meeting when he saw my grades. I was about to smile at the memory when I remembered I was supposed to be sleeping! Oh shit.

Anyway, when Mr. Banner our class teacher handed out my report card to Charlie he took a good look at my grades and dropped it on the floor in his shock. 'Er… Mr. Banner…' he started to stammer I had a feeling he was about to ask whether they made some sort of a mistake. So I smiled the biggest brightest smile I could manage at him; he looked me in the eye and then did something very uncharacteristic of him. He stroked my hair and hugged me to him I could see tears simmering in his eyes. The feeling I got at that moment cannot be described in words. I felt so happy and proud. The subsequent meetings with the other teachers also went well. I felt that Charlie was a very happy man after a very long time. It was worth all the effort I had put into getting there. It was at that moment that I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to make him happy and get into a good university. I didn't think much of the future but I concentrated on what needed to be done at the moment to get through each day to reach my ultimate goal of taking care of him. That brought me to my present predicament my recklessness with the cliff diving was about to cost me and Charlie that future or at least delay it. I was feeling very sad about it.

Edward's cold hands were very soothing and I soon felt myself falling asleep. I didn't fight it. I would worry about my studies later. I must now concentrate on getting better.

Edward's POV

My Bella was asleep. She had fallen asleep in the middle of my apology. I couldn't believe it. As soon as Alice left she had closed her eyes. But I had continued with my speech thinking that she would respond. Soon after I heard the steady breathing that signaled sleep. How could she just fall asleep like that after the shouting match that ensued between us? I was flabbergasted. It was as if she just shut off like a light switch. She was magnificent in her anger. Her eyes fiery and her voice loud and clear; I longed to kiss those lips to make her stop shouting at me. The force of my need took me by surprise as well as her next words.

"If you want to remain friends with me you have to accept that I make my own decisions. No one, not even Charlie is going to interfere with them. If you are not happy with that you can get the hell out of here and I never want to see you again."

My sweet Bella had changed so much. Did I do this to her by my own selfishness? Yes. I had to admit it. All of my anger ebbed away at that thought and I had started on my apology, which was in vain since I seriously doubted whether she heard a word of it before falling asleep.

I slowly took her hand in mine I simply had to touch her. My need for her was too strong. I craved some kind of a physical contact. Her warm touch brought back memories of Saturday. She had felt so good pressed against me. Her sweet scent engulfing me…. How I longed to hug her tightly to my body every line of her body pressing against mine…. I would kiss her with all the passion I am capable of. Her soft breasts pressing against my chest, our bodies intimately connected. I felt my arousal at these thoughts. I lightly kissed my Bella's hand. I didn't dare kiss her on her lips as I longed to do. Would she kiss me back if I started kissing her very passionately? I remembered how urgently she responded to my advances those days. Her sweet lips….

I was pulled out of my day dream when Alice burst into the room and hurled one of Bella's pillows at me. I automatically caught it releasing Bella's hand to do so. Just then Charlie burst into the room.

"Young man, how dare you show your face in here? After all that you have done I don't want you hurting her again. She is barely putting her life back together and you barge in here as if you own her."

I was dumbstruck. I stood there frozen to the spot. Alice was looking scared. Charlie grabbed the pillow back from me purposefully.

"I suggest you leave now. I'm visiting with my daughter."

Charlie's voice had been very loud and I had heard a sudden change in Bella's breathing as if she was about to wake up but her heartbeat regulated again soon after.

Alice and I left quietly. I was surprised when Alice touched Charlie's arm and said,

"See you later Charlie."

"I'm sorry Edward. I didn't see him coming. He made a sudden decision to stop by the hospital while passing it to see her before he went home from his shift. I was in the other side of the hospital with Carlisle, and it took me time to get here at a human pace. I knew you had your phone on silent mode so as not to disturb Bella. At least I was in time to prevent him from seeing you holding her hand and the interesting development in your pants." She began to giggle at that.

Holy shit! She had seen it. Oh! Now I understood the pillow throwing. I had wondered why Alice would throw a pillow at me. I turned my head away from her, I couldn't look at her I was mortified.

"You should have seen your face when I threw the pillow at you when Charlie entered the room." She showed me her memory.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Alice joined me. I wasn't feeling that embarrassed anymore. In fact I was feeling more closer to the little pixie than I had ever felt before. I had known all of her deep intimate secrets of her escapades with Jasper for decades. I had thought nothing about how embarrassed she must have felt knowing her brother knew every detail. The last two weeks had seen a reversal of roles with her knowing as much about my intimate details as I knew about hers. She had always been more than a sister to me. In fact she was the best friend I had ever had. I never had any close male friends other than Carlisle and he was more like a father or an elder brother to me than a friend. My relationship with him had always been a very serious one. My brothers and I were very close but I was never able to open up to them about my inner feelings. I was scared they would make fun of me. As it was they already did at every opportunity they got.

But with Alice I had been able to be open about anything and everything except for the topic of male female intimacy. Not that I spoke with anyone about the topic. We knew almost everything about each other with our gifts it was impossible for us to keep secrets from the other. But we had always respected each others privacy. We had plotted and executed many devious plans against the family and other humans. Jasper and everyone else in the family knew how close we were. They also knew that although she was a girl and I a boy we never had any improper feelings for each other. The love I felt for the little pixie was very strong. I would give my life for her as she would for me. She had already demonstrated that when she came to save me from the Volturi. I think it was her love as well as my family's that kept me from understanding how much I missed the love of a mate.