Bella's POV
"Bella? Bella, love?"
I opened my eyes and looked at the angel sitting at the edge of my bed.
I smiled. Then remembered what had happened last night. I sat up but remained silent. My arm was stinging badly but I didn't do anything to stop it. I deserved the pain after what I'd put Edward through.
His back was turned to me and I heard a low growl coming from his general direction.
He stood up and turned to me, and I gasped when I saw his face. The remorse and guilt was gone. All that was left now, was rage. Pure, unadulterated fury. And it scared me.
"Bella," he said, his eyes blazing. "What were you thinking?"
I looked away from the force of his glare. "I wasn't."
"I want you to tell me now, Bella, how long this has been going on for."
"Edward, I-"
"No. I want a straight answer Bella."
"Ever since you left me," I whispered.
His face held a tortured look for a short second. Then it became furious again.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I just couldn't deal with the pain that came when you were gone." A few tears fell and I dried them quickly.
"Well I'm here now. So what, might I ask, is your reason now?" He was being cynical. I decided that I didn't like this Edward very much.
I didn't say anything. I knew that, now that Edward was back, I couldn't justify my actions anymore.
I felt a slight breeze and saw that Edward had left, only to appear a second later with several of my blades and razors in his hand.
"Is this what you use?"
I nodded. I heard a sharp snap as my cutting utensils were flung roughly at the wall, most stayed stuck.
"Why would you do this to yourself, Bella. With all the energy I spend trying to keep you safe, how could you possibly justify turning around and bringing harm to yourself? I can protect you from many things, Bella, and I have. But I have never had to think about protecting you from yourself! How do you think that makes me feel?"
I waited for him to finish his rant. The anger faded, and it left a look of sorrow behind.
"I cannot begin to explain…how much I love you, Bella." If he was human he would be near tears now. "So to know that you are like this, being driven to bring pain upon yourself, and to know that I caused this to happen…it's killing me, Bella."
The tears were falling freely now, but I did nothing to stop them.
All of a sudden, I needed my release. My antidote.
Seeing Edward in so much pain made me empathetic towards him. I couldn't stand it.
My blades were wedged halfway into my bedroom wall, so I used the first thing I that came to mind.
Taking a deep breath, I took my pinky finger and dragged the long nail down my arms, drawing blood.
Edward's head snapped up at the smell of my blood. Then he did the last thing I expected him to do.
He took a piece of cloth, looking like a handkerchief, and pressed it to the cut; trying to stop the bleeding.
Once most of the blood had dried up, he picked me up and carried me bridal style to his car.
"School?" I asked meekly.
"We'll skip today."
He started the car and drove down to the freeway.
"Then where are we going?"
"The hospital. You will be examined and checked for any other markings and I will be advised on the appropriate action to take."
"Edward-"
"No, Bella. You cannot talk me out of this. I will not sit back and let you mutilate your body. Not if I can help it."
By the set of his brow, I doubted there was anything I could say to change his mind.
As we pulled into the hospital driveway, I thought about how much Edward loved me. He loved me enough to try and help me.
The question was, did I love him enough to help myself?