I am sorry to say that I may be unable to update for an indefinite amount of time after June 6th-I'll be moving, so the internet/cable will be off. Then I have to get everything set up at my new house, blah, blah, blah. So, don't think of it as a hiatus, think of it as more of a sabbitical for an undetermined amount of time.
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Disclaimer: This disavowal of any rights to Twilight, that the author may have been thought to possess, procures an outcome that is positive for the defendant if it is declared that she must go to court. Said author renunciates any claim to any aspect of Twilight. This dissociation takes effect immediately.
A cool hand resting in mine. A cool hand on my cheek. A cool hand, reminding me that I had a world to come back to, that I was alive. I struggled to beat away the suffocating darkness, determined to come away from the oppressing blackness in my mind.
The weights lifted, and my eyes opened to an unsettlingly bright light, and past that, a frighteningly white, sterile ceiling. A fuzzy, recurring beep, becoming more clear by the second. And that same cold hand, the one that had brought me out of my temporary rest.
"Love?"
I turned my head slightly on the smooth pillow, only to see Edward at my side, his chin resting just inches away, on the edge of my pillow.
"Thank you," I said. He would know what I was talking about.
His eyebrows drew together in consternation. "I could have been too late. When you passed out like that, right in front of me..." he said distractedly.
"I'm fine, Edward. Now, at least." I insisted. "How...how did you find me?" I said, my tone changing from assertive to questioning.
He raised his head from the pillow, and stared at his lap for a moment, trying to keep his emotions under control.
"Alice. She had a vision. It showed her enough to see the building...but not how to get there. Then she had another vision, about half an hour before we found you. It showed her the route from where he was staying, to where you were.
"We couldn't follow your scent-it had disappeared a few hundred yards away from the house. We assumed he had taken you by car from there."
I looked away from him for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. That's when I noticed my arm.
My wrist was wrapped in a cast-deep blue, undoubtedly Alice's choice, seeing as she thought that it was my color. The cast had been signed by my whole family, including Carlisle and Esme. Edward's name had a tiny heart next to it.
"What happened to Damien?" I asked.
"After Carlisle and I left to bring you here, Emmett and Jasper took care of him."
I blew out a relieved sigh. "And what will we tell everyone?"
It seemed like the most important question at the moment-how were we going to explain all of this, without telling my life story to everybody? It wasn't a tale I particularly wished to share with the rest of the world, and one that would only gather pity, attention, and stares-none of them something I was particularly excited about at the moment.
"The most believable story would probably be that you fell down the stairs," he said, brushing his hand softly against the side of my face. The beeping from the heart monitor sped up.
I felt heat rush to my face. "That's going to be embarrassing later." I said sheepishly.
He looked down at me for a moment, grinning. "I wonder..."
He leaned down, barely brushing my lips with his. The insistent beeping accelerated, and he leaned back again, chuckling softly to himself.
"Hey," I protested. "I wasn't done kissing you yet. Don't make me come over there."
In that moment, any traces of concern left on his face vanished in his mirth, and he laughed boisterously. It was nice to see him relax, in who-knows how long. Just as we could all relax, now.
Emmett entered the room at that moment. "What's so funny?"
Rosalie came in as Emmett hugged me gently-most likely afraid of hurting me-and she was quickly followed in by Alice and Jasper. Esme and Carlisle followed them in, and they all gathered around my hospital bed. They seemed relieved-although I couldn't tell if that was left over from when they had found me, or because I was awake.
"Wait," I said. "How long have I been out?"
Carlisle answered my question. "About fourteen hours, now."
"I was afraid that...that we were too late," Rosalie said suddenly, her voice thick. "When you passed out like that, and then when you weren't waking up..."
"Rose," I said, smiling at her. "I'm here, aren't I? And we're all together. Nothing is going to change, any time soon."
At least, not if I had anything to say about it. Damien was gone, and there weren't any outstanding threats.
I was ready to go home and take a nap. A long one. And in the morning, I would get up and go to school like nothing had ever happened, like I was a normal person, my broken wrist being the only reminder of what had happened. And, eventually, even that would go away.
I had a new life, now; and I was ready to live it for all it was worth.