Virgin Blood

Chapter 5

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It was the cold that finally woke Bella up from her sleep. She woke up disoriented and confused. She imagined herself back at the orphanage. She kicked her feet out to feel for the ratty blanket she expected to be at the foot of her bed, but there wasn't anything there. She shivered and closed her eyes again.

Edward looked up from the book in his lap when he heard Bella moving around. He had slept most of the day, and so had she. Now it was dusk, and this was the first time Bella had moved since he had last fed her. When he saw her shiver, he guiltily chastised himself for his lack of consideration. Bella was a human. Bella would be cold, naked as she was. Though he liked seeing her body free from clothes, he walked over to the bed and pulled out the blanket she was laying on top of, tucking it around her body.

Jasper would bring her more food soon. He looked down at her, and his hand, almost of its own accord, reached out and gently pushed the hair off of her face to expose her delicate features. He stared down at her for perhaps a full hour, but to Edward it only felt like a moment. Time to a vampire is a funny thing. He abruptly shook his head as though to clear his mind from a trance. He stomped back over to his chair and picked up his book, refusing to look at her again.

Jasper came down only a few hours later. "I brought some more food for the girl," he spoke only slightly grumpily to Edward, which was a sign to him that he was about to get over his anger. "Hopefully she eats more."

Edward looked up at him as he set the soup and bread down on the bedside table. "Has she woken up at all?" he asked Edward solicitously.

"No," Edward admitted.

"No. Papa."

Edward and Jasper both snapped their heads to the girl in the bed at her mumbled words.

"Are you awake?" Jasper asked her. Edward listened carefully to her body, though, to her breathing. He could tell she wasn't awake. Before he could tell Jasper this, though, Jasper was already leaning over her. He flipped her onto her back. His eyebrows scrunched at the sight of her.

Bella was pale white and her skin was visibly sweaty, her hair sticking to her face. Jasper put his hand on her forehead. "She's burning up," he told Edward, his tone disapproving.

"You say it like it's my fault."

"It is your fault," Jasper spoke angrily, "You left her down her without food for days, tied up, feeding off her. Of course she got sick."

"Well, what now?" Edward asked. He had never had to take care of a sick human before.

"Change her sheets. Make sure she eats and drinks plenty. Perhaps put a fire in. I'll get some cool towels," Jasper turned and left the room. Edward used his speed to have a fire started in minutes. Once he had it going, he walked over to pick Bella up. He made sure to be slow and gentle.

Her small body was indeed warmer than normal. She was covered in sweat, and Edward enjoyed the subtle aroma. She smelled sweeter than any other girl he had before. He delicately placed her in the chair while he put new sheets on the bed.

Jasper came back in with some towels and buckets of water. He set them down by the bed as Edward picked Bella's limp body back up in his arms. Jasper turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Edward demanded.

"Upstairs to sleep. I'm going out tomorrow, remember?" Jasper said.

"You can't leave. Not with her like this. What if I need you? Stay and take care of her."

"You made this mess, now you clean it up," was all Jasper said, "And I'll only be gone for the day," he walked up the stairs.

"Come back and take care of her Jasper," Edward demanded, still holding Bella's limp body easily in his arms, but Jasper didn't turn around.

Edward growled after him. "Defiant boy. Should teach you a lesson," he mumbled under his breath. He could feel Bella breathing against his chest.

He laid her back down on her back.

"Rosie," Bella spoke weakly again, her eyes still closed. Edward picked up a towel and dipped it in some cool water. First he wiped off Bella's heated forehead.

"She's so scared," Bella spoke with surprising clarity that time, though her eyes were still closed. Edward slowly ran the cloth down her neck and over her chest. He rinsed it off and wiped her arms.

"That feels so good," Bella spoke as Edward ran the cloth over her ribcage and stomach. He looked up at her face, but her eyes were still closed.

"Do you like that?" he spoke to her gently anyway.

"Mmmm," was Bella's fever-induced response. Edward thought she was adorable.

He cleaned off her legs as well. He then gently sat her up, supporting her weight with his arm under her breasts. He lightly wiped the sweat off her back before laying her back down on the bed.

He covered her body back up with a light blanket. It was sheer enough that he could see her delightful curves underneath it. Edward then saw the soup sitting on the bedside table, remembering that he was supposed to make her eat.

Touching it, it was slightly cold. He rolled up his right sleeve and walked over to the fire, holding he bowl over the flames to warm it up slightly, careful to keep the fabric of his clothes out of the way so they wouldn't catch on fire.

When it was temperately warm, as best Edward could tell, he went back to Bella. She was sleeping peacefully now. Assuming the position he was in before when he had fed her, he lifted her up fully onto his lap.

Bella moaned. "Shh," Edward whispered in her ear. He lifted up the spoon and held it to her lips.

"Eat your soup, Bella," Edward said softly. Bella ate the whole bowl without a struggle. When she had finished it, he laid her warm little body back down.

Edward sat back and watched her for a few hours, occasionally getting up to put logs on the fire. The night was halfway over when Bella spoke again.

"Don't leave me here," Bella whimpered out. Edward was curious what she kept dreaming about. "No, no," Bella cried as she started to thrash around.

"I'm not leaving," Edward comforted her. He put his cool hand on her cheek and Bella calmed down instantly.

"Don't leave," she begged.

"I'm here," Edward reassured her. She turned her head and was quiet.

It was almost dawn when Edward left Bella to go get firewood. If Jasper wasn't going to be here all day, he would need to get everything before the sun rose and he was unable to leave the darkness of his basement. He also gathered food from the kitchen and larder. More than Bella needed for the day, but he wanted to be safe.

He drank a jar of the stockpiled blood he kept for emergencies as well. It was cold and tasted awful, nothing like fresh. He probably would have had time to run down to one of the farmer's houses, but he didn't want to leave Bella for that long.

As it was, when he went back downstairs, Bella was crying and thrashing about. "No, no!" she was all but screaming. "Please. I'm scared. Don't hurt me."

Edward rushed over to her. "It is alright," he assured her, grabbing her arms to keep her from flailing about. "You're alright," he said in his most soothing voice.

Bella was hot. Warmer than she even had been when Jasper first noticed her fever. Her skin was pale and sticky, but her cheeks were flushed red. Though her eyes were tightly shut, tears spilled from them.

Bella was making sounds in her throat between moaning and whimpering. Edward felt a funny emotion deep in the pit of his stomach that he hadn't felt in so long it took him a moment to recognize: worry. He was worried for this little human that was so fragile and sick. It suddenly occurred to him that she could die.

Edward pulled her body into his chest and held her tightly. He smelled urine and realized that she had wet herself. Humans had so many fluids in them: sweat, tears, cum, piss, bile, and that which they shared with vampires: blood.

Edward lifted Bella's body fully into his lap. She was covered in sweat, tears, and piss. Edward knew vampires who thought the human's constant secretions to be disgusting. They go around shedding dead skin and hair over everything they touched. Edward, however, felt a tenderness for these things that made them so alive, so different from vampires, whose bodies were more like stone-trapped from any sort of change and growth.

Edward once again bathed Bella's body with cool water, this time holding her in his lap. Bella would whimper and squirm, but would seem to be comforted by Edward whispering in her ear. He set her on the chair again while he changed the sheets.

Edward felt it deep in his bones when the sun rose. His body felt tired, but he didn't want to leave Bella to go rest. He looked down at her sleeping form in the large bed. Edward had never slept with another human being, or vampire for that matter. He always rested by himself, locked deep within the earth. It was a vulnerable state, one he had never been willing to share.

But what could she do? His little human? And in the state she was in?

Edward locked the door to the room as extra precaution, and climbed into the bed and laid down on his back. He reached out his arm and laid it across Bella's body so that he would feel her if she stirred and closed his eyes. He was asleep within moments.

Edward woke in the middle of the day to Bella thrashing again. "Papa! Help!" she cried out.

"It's alright," Edward soothed as he gently rubbed her side. "Quiet, Bella," he spoke softly, and she did.

Edward got up to feed her again right after. He thought it best to stick with soup, something easy for her to eat.

He held her body tightly against his chest as usual, but was surprised when he was almost done feeding her when he looked down into her open eyes. She was looking up at his face.

Edward didn't know what to say. Though here eyes were open, they fluttered tiredly. Edward simply put another spoonful of broth into her mouth, and Bella swallowed obediently.

"What are you doing to me?" she rasped out. Edward looked down at her soft, brown eyes.

"I'm feeding you," he answered. Either Bella was content with that answer or she was too weak to ask again, either way, she simply closed her eyes and put her head into the crook of his neck.

Edward held her sleeping body, enjoying the way her breathing felt against him. He placed his palm under the crease of her left breast, cupping her tender flesh. He could feel the steady heartbeat there. The feeling comforted him, and he held her there for an hour.

At first he was upset that he had to take care of the girl instead of just having Jasper do it, but now, he found that he was actually glad Jasper had refused to stay. He enjoyed holding her this way. He found that he didn't mind taking care of her, he only wanted her to recover.

Not wanting Bella to pee the bed again, Edward lifted her body up in his arms and took her to the chamber pot. He sat her down on it, supporting her weight with a steady arm around her waist. He wrapped his other arm around her knees and pulled them up so that she was in a pseudo crouching position.

"Bella, you're on the chamber pot," Edward told her, hoping that she was too out of it to feel embarrassed and refuse to go. Bella, however, didn't even respond to him. He didn't want her that out of it.

"You have to pee," Edward felt ridiculous saying the words so gently. He never took care of anyone like this before. He was glad that no one was here to see him, and Bella probably wouldn't even remember.

Bella still didn't respond, though. Keeping a firm hold on her, Edward took the hand that was holding her knees and pressed gently against her bladder. He knew that if Bella was aware of what he was doing, she would be horrified and embarrassed. Edward desired to see the blush stain her cheeks again. It made him wish she were awake.

He ran his hand over her vulva, stimulating her. He held her labia apart with two fingers and pressed against her dry folds, rubbing her, then pressed on her bladder again. Bella started to pee, and Edward took his hand away to hold her legs again. When the flow stopped, he wiped her clean with a wet towel and carried her back to bed. "Good girl."

They both slept the rest of the day.

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(Thanks so much for the reviews. They make me want to post faster ;)