Hey everyone. This is the final chapter to Love Like No Other... *CRIES* While I'm sad to see it end, I'm also happy to have my very first story completely posted to fanfiction. It's been an incredible ride people, and I'm happy to have known you all. My thanks to everyone will be in the A/N at the bottom.
See you for the last time at the bottom! (CAUTION, MAY NEED TISSUES)
SM owns us all people.
Epilogue:
January 13th, the day I felt my heart stop and start right back up, beating impossibly fast. The day she said her first word after coming out of the coma. It was the first day of the rest of my life.
Bella fell back to sleep right after she spoke to me.
"Eh-wa."
God, that felt so fucking good to hear. It was raspy and spoken in barely a whisper, but I heard it clear as day.
"Eh-wa."
It had taken another two week before Bella could be awake for long periods of time. Her mind and body still healing from the trauma of the accident. Her mind is still healing in it's own way.
Due to the swelling from the blunt force trauma, Bella's brain had had some damage done to it, causing her to lose some of her abilities to function. When she had woken after a week and trying to speak, dad and her neurologist had another CAT scan done.
"Just give it to me in English dad."
He sighed and removed the scan from it's perch under the lighted area on the wall.
"Basically it means that there's some scarring on her brain, Edward. In the area where learning and speaking happens. She's going to need to relearn things. Walking, talking, reading, writing. These are just some of the things she'll have to relearn."
I sat there staring at my feet trying to really understand what this would mean for Bella. She was a nurse, someone who has to deal with a lot of writing and reading, walking and talking all day long. She loves to read. She's going to have to relearn all the basics. Would she feel embarrassed; angry? Would she feel she's worthless? Would she push me away?
I didn't need my memories to know how she'd really react.
I slapped my knees and stood up to my full height.
"Alright. What do we do first."
From that day on, I had taken on the role of not only son and brother, but father, lover, teacher, therapist, and protector.
Being a teacher, I understood just how frustrated the student could be. It made for some very angry fights between Bella and I.
We were half way through the story "The Cat in the Hat" when Bella threw the book across the room against the wall. I had been waiting for it honestly. She had been awake for close to five weeks now, working constantly on trying to read again. She was trying so damn hard, but had finally gotten to her wit's end.
The past few days her physical therapist had told me she wasn't trying as hard as she first had, her speech therapist said that he can barely get a few words from her, and she'd been giving her father the silent treatment. Charlie had called me last night while I was at home just after tucking Alyssa into her bed.
"She's losing her will to fight Edward. She won't talk to me, she won't exercise. I don't know what to do."
I sighed into the phone, using my other hand to grab at my hair. I sat down on the couch with my elbows resting on my knees.
"The nurses told me she hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday morning." I told him quietly.
Sailor worthy curse words came from the other end of the phone, making me blanch just slightly, hearing them from my almost soon-to-be father-in-law.
"So what do we do?"
I looked up at a shelf sitting across from me, staring at the photo of Bella, myself, and Alyssa from Halloween, remembering that wonderful night.
"We fight for her."
I sat back in the chair beside Bella's bed and watched her curl into herself.
"Gg.. Go."
"No." I shook my head, crossing my arms.
"Ddo… Ddoont wahn… want… yhoo." Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides.
I sat and stared at her for a few moments, letting her think she'd won.
"BULLSHIT!"
Her eyes bulged out of her face as she stared at me in shock.
"You're tired and you're frustrated, angry and hurt. But you CANNOT tell me you don't want me, because I'll never believe it." I took her hand in mine and made her feel my heartbeat in my chest.
"Do you feel this Isabella Marie! Do you!" I waited for her to nod yes.
"My heart is only beating because of you. You and Alyssa are everything in my life. There is nothing in Heaven, Hell, or on Earth that will tear me away from you. Not a slur, not a shaky hand, not a damn thing. So get used to it." I let go of her hand and hobbled without my crutch across the room, bending down to get the book.
"Ta.. ke.. Alll… Alllly…sssa."
"No." I turned around and moved back to the chair.
"Pl.. Pleeez." She had tears running down her face, but I wouldn't budge. She had to understand I wasn't going anywhere.
"No." I opened the book back to where we had left off.
"Ed.. ward."
"No Bella. I love you. I'm not going anywhere. Where would I go?"
She started sobbing uncontrollably. I placed the book down and gently slid into the bed with her, like we'd done many times before.
"Baby.." She cut me off trying to speak harshly and loudly.
"STU…STUP'D. DU…MMM. FFFF…. FREEE…K." She tightly gripped shirt in her hand as I held her against me.
"You're not stupid, Isabella. You're not dumb, and you're most definitely not a freak." I pulled her chin up to me.
"Don't you see just how strong you really are? I am SO proud of you. When you first started, you couldn't even get through one sentence without having to sleep for an hour? Or how about every time you came back from physical therapy, you'd be sleeping the rest of the day through? This is going to take time, baby. And I am going to be there every step of the way."
That day had been a turning point for Bella. We set her up with a rigid schedule to where I would come in when Alyssa was at school, we'd work on her reading, I'd go pick Alyssa up, make her dinner, and we'd go to visit with Bella.
The first time Alyssa had been able to visit Bella had been so beautiful. They were both breathtaking in their blotchy faces, river-like tears and snotty noses.
A week after Bella finally woke up, the doctor said due to her improvement she could finally be moved to the general patient area of the hospital. Which meant Alyssa could finally see her mommy on a longer basis. Yes, she had been allowed in momentarily before with me and Carlisle, but I really don't think we had had the hospital's approval. Now she could visit with Bella at any time during visiting hours and to say Alyssa was ecstatic was an understatement. She had been bouncing in her booster seat the entire ride to the hospital. Rosalie had driven us there and let us go in by ourselves.
Before we got to Bella's room I pulled Alyssa to the side to speak with her.
"Alyssa, honey, you remember how mommy looked before right?"
She nodded.
"Well, mommy's still hurt. I know you're excited, but you have to promise not to run into the room and press too hard on mommy. She's still healing from her ouchies."
She nodded again and took hold of my hand. We walked much slower towards the room from then on and when we got inside Bella was awake staring out the window. Bella turned towards the sound of the door opening. She smiled at me but when she saw Alyssa tears fell quickly from her eyes.
"Ba..by." Bella cried softly. She held her good hand out towards Alyssa, and Alyssa walked slowly towards her mommy, tears running down her little cheeks softly.
"Mama." Alyssa grabbed a hold of her hand and before I could say a word, Bella had pulled Alyssa to her quickly, making Alyssa have to climb halfway onto the bed just to keep herself from falling completely onto Bella.
Bella held her daughter tightly against her body as they both shook with their sobs. My own tears were making the sight blurry and I had to wipe my face constantly to be able to see them together again. Right where they should be.
It had been five months since the accident and Bella was finally coming home from the hospital. Our cuts and bruises were gone, our bones healed, and Bella was finally able to walk completely on her own. While she would probably end up with arthritis in her pelvis, causing problems in her hips later on in life, right now, watching her walk into her home was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen.
Her body was healed, her mind still healing, but to see her opening the door, and walking into the apartment on her own made me swell with pride for her.
"SURPRISE!"
Bella's eyes widened in shock and she laughed in shock to see our family standing around her living room, a banner over the doorway saying "Welcome Home Bella," and a cake in front of them done up in butter cream icing.
"Thank-you… every… one. You… all… didn't… need to… do this."
Bella's reading/writing/speaking were getting better by the day and the doctors expected by the 1st of the next year, she would be close to, if not completely back to the way she'd been before the accident. Hearing that from her doctors made Bella extremely happy. Now that she had a possible 'dead line' to meet, she was putting every last second she had into getting herself better.
The family came forward to hug Bella and myself. Alyssa barreled at me and I just had enough time to open my arms for her as she jumped at my chest. I held her so tightly to me, happy that my family was finally all home, together.
Alyssa whispered something into my ear that made us both grin wide. I nodded to her and she squealed, jumped out of my arms, and ran back towards her Aunt Alice. When Alice leaned down to ask Alyssa a question, she just shrugged her shoulders, acting as if nothing was happening. As we were all sitting down to eat the early dinner my mother had made for us I stood requesting to make a toast. Everyone quieted down and I quickly cleared my throat.
"I wanted to thank everyone for being here tonight to celebrate Bella's homecoming."
I turned towards Bella, who moved her seat sideways slightly so as to see me full on.
"Bella. The day we met, you took my breath away. It was like a tunnel vision. I couldn't see anyone… or anything else around me. But more important that your beauty, is your heart and soul."
I knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in mine.
"Baby, I was so scared that I was going to lose you. That this family…" I stopped a moment to look around at everyone, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. "…that this family would lose that heart and soul that is just so precious to me. When this first happened to us, I couldn't remember our time together. It was only through my dreams that I was given the chance to re-meet you; my literal Dream Girl."
I kissed the back of her hand lightly. I looked back up at her and saw her the tears in her eyes.
"When you woke up, and the first word that you spoke was my name… I could remember everything. Every moment, of every minute, of every hour, of every day that we have spent together; you me, and Alyssa. I don't want to go through my life again without having more moments to share with you."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the tiny box.
"The night of the accident I had every moment planned out. Alyssa was to sleep at Mom and Dad's. You and I were going to head back to my apartment. I'd pour the wine I had set aside. We'd sit together, curled on the couch, and stare at the Christmas tree lights. I would tell you just how lucky I am to have looked up from that piano at that exact moment to see the most beautiful woman that I have ever known walking down the stairs. I would pull out this ring…"
I opened the box and she gasped at the sight.
"And say to you; Isabella Marie Swan. I fell in love with you at first sight. I love your daughter like she's my own. She IS my own. I want to be a father to her, and I want to be a husband to you. Please say you'll be my wife. Will you marry me?"
I felt the tears running down my face at this point as I stared down at the ring. I looked back up at her. "I didn't get that chance. And I was so, so scared that I would never get that chance again. I was so scared that my moment was gone. For the past five months I have been staring at this ring, wondering when that right moment would come back again and I realized something…."
She reached for my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
"What did… you… realize… Edward?"
I smiled softly.
"I realized I don't need a special moment to ask you. I should've asked you the day you woke up. I never want to waste another moment again trying to find that 'Perfect Moment.' This, right here, this is our moment, and I don't ever want to let it pass by me again."
I took the ring out of the box and placed it on the tip of her finger.
"Isabella Marie Swan. Will you marry me?"
I watched her stare at me with all the love her eyes. She didn't stutter, or lose focus, or have any of the problems she'd had in the past when she gave me my answer.
"Yes."
*CRIES* So this is the end everyone. Let's all take a deep breath and a moment of silence for the final chapter.
*SILENCE*
Now that that is out of the way. I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed.
My very first reviewer, an anonymous person... THANKS FOR LIKING THE STORY! :D
My first non anonymous reviewer : MaryAnnaBella, I'm glad you enjoyed the story and were willing to add it to your favorites. It means a lot to me that you were my first listed reviewer, where I could see your name and picture in my head a real person reading the story.
I'd also like to thank the multi-chapter reviewers, because well, with only 39 reviews, if it weren't for you, I'd probably have... idk, like 2? hahaha, I'm kidding.
But seriously, even if you reviewed once, thank you. I really love hearing that you enjoyed the story...
I'd also like to thank Jaymili, who has helped me and has become a wonderful friend through the writing of this story. She's also helped me with some ideas for my next story, so be on the look out and add me.
I have an outline for roughly 9 or 10 chapters (none written though), and I'm hoping with this concept, it will make writing faster and easier, because I basically will already know what I want in each. Once I get my outline finished from beginning to end, I will then start writing actual chapters, and then posting them straight to Fanfiction.
This will be my last request to ask for reviews... I know I've had over 16,000 views at this point to LLNO, and to see that many people who've read each chapter, makes me so ecstatically happy. Please, click the box, send out a quick review, and let it post.
It really would mean the world to me.
Thanks for reading. I hope to see/hear from you all really soon!
See you next time!