The Learning Curve: Chapter 91

Forks Community Hospital

We found Alice and Jasper in the waiting area for the emergency operating room. Alice had obviously been crying, but now she simply looked shell-shocked as she sat curled against Jasper on a faux-leather sofa.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered to me. "I was going to go get my dad. Maybe he can get an update for her."

I nodded. "Yeah, go on. And thank you."

He kissed my temple in acknowledgment and went off to the elevator bank. I gingerly crossed the otherwise empty waiting room and sat next to Alice on the sofa. "Alice," I whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She turned her head to look at me and her face crumpled. "They were supposed to come straight home after work," she said in a tight voice as she held back sobs. "They promised me. Why couldn't they just listen?"

"I don't know," I said helplessly as I gave her an awkward half-hug – awkward because she hadn't moved away from Jasper. "Have you heard anything yet?"

Alice shook her head. "They just said they had to go into surgery right away and they'd tell me something when they could. Bella, I'm so scared. They can't die. They can't."

As much as Alice had to be grieving for her parents' possible demise, I knew she was also thinking about the guilt she would have to live with if she hadn't been able to prevent it. I knew she had to be terrified because I couldn't imagine what I'd do if something happened to Charlie and I had to go live with Renee in Florida. I'd lose everything I had here in Forks – Edward, the promise of Dartmouth, the wonderful friend I had in Alice...I understood too well her feelings.

"You can't let yourself think the worst right now," I urged her. "We don't know anything yet."

She nodded and stared at a painting of a generic landscape across the room. I sat holding her hand while she rested against Jasper, who silently ran his fingers through her hair. Around ten minutes later, Edward returned with his father. Alice looked up hopefully as he approached.

"Hello, Miss Brandon," Carlisle greeted her. "I was so sorry to hear about your parents' accident. I just checked in on their surgeries. Would you like me to talk to you about it privately?"

Alice shook her head quickly and sat forward on the sofa. "No. Please, just tell me. Are they okay?"

Carlisle nodded. "So far, everything is okay. Your father's surgery is going well. There was some internal damage, but it's been relatively easy to repair. Your mother is in more critical condition. They're trying to stop an internal bleed, but she's already lost a lot of blood, and there may be some brain trauma as well. We won't know the full extent of the damage until we get her stable."

Alice's face was white. I squeezed her hand. "Do you know how much longer it will be, Dr. Cullen?" I asked, doubting Alice would have the presence of mind.

"It could be a couple hours," Carlisle said. "Is there any family we should call?"

It took Alice a long beat to reply. "I have an aunt in California. But I don't know her number."

"My dad could probably find it," I offered.

She nodded again, unemotional, and I knew having her aunt around wasn't going to make one bit of difference. It might even make it worse.

"Thanks, Dad," I heard Edward say, and I looked up to see Carlisle give Edward an unhappy half-smile.

"I'll keep you updated," Dr. Cullen said.

We were back to waiting.

A/N: I apologize for making you wait twice as long as usual for an update. Rough week at work. I don't want anything but sleep right now.

I've been asked about the McGill mention last chapter. No, I'm not Canadian. And I didn't go, partly because of the not-Canadian issue, but also because I didn't realize I could find a way to afford it - my parents didn't go to college and they didn't have the first clue how to go about applying for loans and those sorts of things. I ended up going to a small private school that offered me scholarships. Now I'm about 40K in debt for an education I could have as easily gotten at a state university. Live and learn.

As for college acceptances, yes, I imagine a lot of them come electronically now. I found out about my McGill acceptance electronically. The others I got on paper.

Some good news for this author's note - I mentioned Bonne Foi being up for Fic of the Month. We won! Thank you guys - I know many, many of you voted and I appreciate it.