Rating: M

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer of Twilight fame, owns it all. I just have a date with Edward. Yeah, he called.

A/N…One more time you two saved my ass. Thanks again LovinRob and amandac3. One word… Marcus Foster. (okay that was two but whose counting?)

Thanks to all of you that reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you liked it and even more glad I didn't drag it out. No matter how exciting a story, the longer these two stay apart, the more I hate it.

CHAPTER 48

EDWARD

"Edward? Edward, she's going to be okay." My mom says from behind me.

"I know, mom, but look at her. She's so frail and… and quiet. I need to hear her voice and then I will feel better." I watch her every breath, hoping for a sign she is waking up but nothing moves except the machines. At least she's warm now and her skin has color again.

"Dad heard from Jenks." Mom says, touching my shoulder.

"Fuck Jenks. I don't want to hear his name again, mom. He was supposed to protect her. We did nothing but discuss procedures and plans and promises so that something like this would not happen to her." I turn to her and get up to stand next to her. "Look at her, mom. If Jenks kept his promise she would be at school right now. Doing what she loves."

"I know, baby. I know. But Jenks wanted your dad to know that both Tanya and Jacob are in jail."

"About fucking time." I say and sit back down next to Bella, feeling the skin on her cheek. She has to have lost ten pounds easy.

"The doctor said she was critically dehydrated. I believe Tanya was going to let her die." I shudder at that thought and pray to God both Tanya and Jacob stay in jail forever.

"Mr. Cullen?" Dr. Miller says as he enters the room.

"Yes, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen." I say and reach for his hand. "I'm Bella's fiancée."

"She's a very lucky girl, Mr. Cullen. Her arm was badly broken. We were able to pin it back together and she will have use of her arm and hand again but she will need extensive physical therapy. If she doesn't do the therapy, she will have issues the rest of her life. It was nearly beyond repair but we have a wonderful surgical team here." He looks at me and smiles. I feel reassured and I am determined that she will do her therapy no matter how hard she fights me… and I know she will.

"As far as her head trauma. We are watching that closely. Her brain is swollen and we are keeping her sedated to allow the swelling to go down. We will be taking her in for tests to check if the swelling has gone down any from when she was first brought in. We will be doing those tests tomorrow morning." I look from the doctor to Bella, praying to God she is in no pain.

"She's in very good hands, Mr. Cullen."

"Thank you, Dr. Miller. I know she is, I just haven't heard her speak for about four days now and I need to hear her so I will know she's okay for sure."

And this is how it was for me for three more days. Sitting by her bedside and willing her to get better. Waiting until they could quit sedating her and then the day finally came when the doctor said her brain swelling had gone down enough to quit the drip that was keeping her asleep. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. It is only a matter of time now before I will see her eyes looking into mine.

I reach up and kiss her warm lips and decide to run to Rosalie's for a quick shower and shave before she wakes. I want to be the first person she sees.

~BD~

It's been two days since they stopped the drip so why isn't she waking up? She's supposed to be out of her sedation by now.

"Please, baby. Please wake up. Please talk to me. Please." I beg her.

I lay my head on her arm and pour my soul into my pleas. I remember how close I had come to losing her and for the millionth time, tears come to my eyes as flashes of her being drug across the barn floor, lifeless and helpless, come crashing into my brain.

"Baby?" Says the voice of an angel.

I jump up and immediately cradle her face in the palms of my hands and kiss her frantically.

"Oh, Bella. Oh thank God." I say into her ear. "Hold on, baby." I say before running to the door and yelling down the hall. "Nurse, she's awake. She's awake!" And I run back to Bella.

"How do you feel, baby?" I ask, gently running my hands over her hair and along her face.

"I'm stiff. Sore. What's with my arm?" She asks trying to move it to see but flinches with pain.

"What the fuck, Edward? What happened to me?"

"Tanya happened to you. Do you remember anything?" I ask her, hoping she hasn't lost any memory function. I watch her as she stares at the ceiling, searching her memory, then I see tears well up in her eyes. I jump up and wipe them away for her and hold her as best as I can without hurting her.

"I remember. I remember everything. She threatened to hurt you if I didn't go with her. She had a needle and stuck me with it in the car. She said she was having you watched and if I caused a scene she would call her "man" and have you harmed."

"Don't worry, baby. You are safe now. You are here with me and she will never hurt you again. Both her and Jacob are in jail, being held without bail." I say to her, wiping the tears from her soft cheeks. "The judge is a golfing buddy of dads. There is no way those two are getting out until their trials."

"It was awful, Edward. I really thought I was going to die. I was so cold and hungry and thirsty. I felt myself leaving my body." She says beginning to cry again. "I felt myself dying."

I watch as she closes her eyes to the memory and she tries to calm herself and begins talking again.

"In fact, I think I did die. It felt like I was floating above you and Rosalie and Alice. You were kneeling next to me while I was lying on the ground. I was so cold and then all of a sudden I felt warm."

"We put a bunch of coats over you until the air ambulance arrived to bring you here." I explain to her. I watch her as she flinches and I can tell she's in pain.

"Where are the fucking nurses?" I ask just as one walks in.

"We are right here, Mr. Cullen. The doctor is on his way." The nurse says.

"Good." I say, looking at my girl. "Are you okay? Do you want something to drink? Ice chips? Anything, Bella. Just tell me." I lean in to kiss her and finally get a kiss in return. It seems like it's been forever since I have been able to really kiss my girl versus kissing her unresponsive lips.

"Ms. Swan?" Dr. Miller says as he rushes in the room. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" He asks as he assesses her vital signs.

"A little. My head hurts pretty bad. My arm hurts like hell. I feel like I've been drug through a ringer." I chuckle as soon as she says that.

"What's so funny about that?" She asks quizzically.

"Well, you were drug through a ringer, so to speak." She gives me a confused look, "When I found you, Tanya was dragging you across the barn floor full of rusty nails and broken boards." I watch as she frowns, trying to remember.

"When can I go home, doctor?" She is as eager as I am to get her home.

"As soon as your tests come back positive that the swelling in your brain is completely gone, only then will I be comfortable with you going home." Dr. Miller says as he check's Bella's fingers in the cast.

"I could hire a nurse to watch her if that will reassure you and if that will get her home faster." I say, looking hopeful at Dr. Miller.

"If she promises to do her physical therapy as prescribed, then I don't see anything wrong with that, BUT I need to check on her tomorrow and I will let you know the results of her tests at that time as well.

"Bella, are you ready to go home?" He asks, looking at her and she is nodding and smiling, "If I let you go home with a nurse you need to follow the instructions otherwise you will need to stay put. Can you do that?" Dr. Miller asks her.

"Yes. I promise to do as I am told." She says, sounding like a little girl. It makes me smile.

"Okay, let's see how you are doing tomorrow. Mr. Cullen, I will have the nurse bring you a few numbers for you to call for nursing assistance. Be prepared to have her around for at least a week, alright?"

"Yes. I have the facilities for her. I will make sure Bella is taken care of." I smile directly at Bella and she knows what I am talking about because she gives me her grin right back at me.

"Oh, and no sexual activity of any kind for at least two weeks. With the swelling in her brain we need to make sure her blood levels remain normal and not elevated at any time. Understood? Nothing, Mr. Cullen." Dr. Miller says to me, looking over the rim of his bifocals.

"Understood." I say to Bella, shrugging my shoulders. "I tried." I mouthed to her and she giggles.

"Okay, I will see you both tomorrow then. Bella, get a good night's sleep and we will see if we can get you home tomorrow." Dr. Miller says as he leaves the room.

"Edward, I want you to go home. You need some sleep. I'm sure your family and the girls will be here with me. In fact, I already feel myself getting a little tired." She says as I watch her eyelids get droopy.

"But I want to stay here with you." I say. "You just woke up and I want to be with you."

"I know, I know. But you look so tired. You have dark circles under your eyes and I would rest easier if you got some sleep. Besides, I am going to do nothing but sleep. So please, go home and get some rest for me?"

"Okay, baby." I frown at her. "I will be here first thing in the morning though, okay? I think the girls are outside waiting to come in so I will see you tomorrow?" I say, bending down to kiss those beautiful lips of hers and lick the bottom one before sucking it into my mouth.

"The doctor said NONE, Edward." Alice giggles from the doorway.

"I know. I couldn't help myself. Goodnight, baby. I love you so much." I say rubbing her nose with mine.

"Good night, Edward. I will dream of you." She says cupping my face with her good hand.

"Night, Alice, and don't keep her up too long. She needs rest if they are going to let her come home tomorrow." I say before looking over my shoulder to blow my girl a kiss goodnight.

"Rose, I'm heading to your place now. I'll see you all tomorrow." I sneak one last peek at my girl before I leave. God it's good to see her awake.

~ BD ~

"HOW IN THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN, DAD?" I yell into my phone.

"Edward, calm down. She's safe. Judge Peabody, the judge that denied Jacob and Tanya bail, left the country for vacation and the sitting judge granted the bail at an emergency bail hearing. Apparently the sitting judge is good friends with Jackson Denali and Jackson's attorney got both Jacob and Tanya bail last night." My dad explains.

"I have a call in to Eric Hale right now and he is working on figuring out how this happened and why he wasn't called before the hearing took place. I will let you know as soon as I hear from him." He says calmly, trying to assuage me.

"I'm going back to the hospital, dad. I am not leaving her alone again. Call me as soon as you hear anything." I hang up and turn my car around, speeding back to the hospital.

As soon as I pull into the parking lot I see police cars everywhere with their lights flashing and I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I run through the doors and an officer stops me from getting on the elevator.

"What is it?" I ask. "I am Edward Cullen and my fiancée is Isabella Swan. She was kidnapped by Tanya Denali and I need to get up there." I say quickly. "Is she what this is all about?" I ask, scared out of my mind. As soon as I stop speaking the officer speaks into his walkie-talkie, telling whoever is on the other end that I am downstairs and need to get up to see Miss Swan.

"Sir, Miss Denali is upstairs on Miss Swan's floor, I have been instructed to let you up. There will be an officer at the elevator waiting for you."

The entire ride in the elevator my stomach is in knots as worst case scenarios cross my mind. As soon as I get off the elevator pandemonium ensues. An officer grabs me and takes me behind the nurse's counter and I can hear Tanya yelling down the hall.

"You fucking bitch! You took him from me and now I will take you from him." I hear Tanya scream at Bella.

"TANYA, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" I yell at her from down the hall.

"Eddie. You came for me, baby." Tanya says, cooing at me. It makes me sick.

"Tanya, first you need to put that gun down before someone gets hurt." I say, still standing behind the counter.

"She is going to get hurt." She blurts out.

"I was talking about you, Tanya. There are at least twenty cops here and as soon as you point that gun at someone they will shoot you. Do you really want that? You are going to all this trouble to shoot Bella when you will be shot in return? You will be dead and you won't be able to see me anymore. Is that what you want?" I try to negotiate with her, hoping she will at least put the gun down.

"She took you from me, Eddie. She can't be allowed to do that again. She needs to die." Tanya says with an evil look on her face and hatred in her eyes.

"I'll get you my pretty…" Keeps going through my mind. My nightmare has come to life.

"EDWARD?" I hear Bella shout from her room. I want to go to her so badly but a cop has me by my waist so I can't leave from behind the counter.

That's when it feels like my life ends as I see Tanya turn on her heels, aims her gun into Bella's room and fires. She shot my girl. My life… I see it flash across my eyes.

As I stand there numb, frozen in place, I see Tanya drop to the ground in a pool of blood. My feet finally allow me to move and I take off down the hall. There is no one that is going to stop me.

BELLA

"Hey you guys." I say to my best girls walking through the door.

"Oh, Bellaaaaaa." Alice immediately starts crying. "I thought I'd never see you again." She wails, standing there afraid to touch me.

"I'm here and I'm okay, Alice. Come here and give me a hug. I've missed you two so much." I say as I start to cry.

"All I know is that C.U.N.T. better NEVER, EVER, show her face around me again because her nose is going to be shoved up inside her brain and she will smell brain juice for the next 17 years." Rosalie says through her own tears.

"Oh, you guys it was just awful. I was really getting concerned there at the end that I wasn't going to be found." I say staring at the ceiling, remembering the fine details now.

"It was so cold. I couldn't get warm. The floor was cold, the walls, everything. Then my body became so cold that I couldn't even warm my hands." I shiver at the memory.

"You are here now, Bella, thank fuck." Rosalie says, taking my good hand in hers and rubbing them like they might still be chilled.

"How is Edward doing? Is he okay? I mean, he seemed okay here today, but did he manage okay while I was gone?" I ask, looking at both of them.

"When he first got the news he was a mess. He thought Jacob had taken you based on the texts he received from your phone. But later he realized it was Tanya." Alice says, looking at Rosalie. "He had to have his dad take some of his meds out of the safe. I guess he became addicted to them when he and Leah split so he had his dad lock them in the safe so he couldn't get to them. He needed them when he thought of Jacob…" She stops talking then and starts to cry once again.

"Hey, hey. Stop that. I'm here now." I say, taking her hand to my face.

"Man, Tanya really has a hard on for me you guys. She's twisted. She is really pissed that Edward and I are together and the fact that Jacob still has this weird and sick perversion for me just exacerbates it all."

"The vintners all showed up at the main house to form a search for you and she was actually with them. I think when Edward thwarted her advances for the umpteenth time, she slipped and gave Edward a hint that she had you and that's when the town put their brains together and determined you might be in that cellar." Rosalie explains.

"When we all stood at that barn door and saw Tanya dragging you across that rotted floor by your hair, it was like Edward had been shot from a cannon or something. He was on Tanya like lightning. He jumped her ass so fast, sending her across the barn with a hard thud." Alice recalls with a giggle.

"Yeah, I dug the shit out of that part." Rosalie confirms with her own chuckle.

"Did she hurt you, baby?" Rose asks, with tears in her eyes again.

"A little. I was really scared when she stuck me with that needle. I had no idea what was in it and I thought I may never open my eyes again. When I did and I woke up in the cellar I had to talk her into giving me some water and food. She gave me a few bottles and some fruit that I rationed because I knew I wasn't going to get more. She told me Jacob would be there in a few days and I knew that if he showed up, I was toast." I tell them. I recall my visit from him at Lake Tahoe and know this time wouldn't have been any different from then, possibly even worse.

"Well, you should have seen Edward take charge of the situation. It was cool to see. He started assigning different tasks to people to make sure everything was covered and nothing fell through the cracks." Alice says, smiling, massaging my scalp. It feels good. I could really use a shower.

"Really? Like what?" I ask.

"He had me call the newspapers to organize a meeting with the reporter so the real story got out rather than some made up bullshit." She says.

"He had me call the University to make sure you were covered and not dropped for not showing up. When I told the Dean that my father was your attorney and I would be happy to have him call his office, he was very cooperative. Your class schedule is going to be adjusted and you will still be allowed to return with no repercussions." Rosalie says, looking all proud of herself.

"Rose, you missed your calling. You should've been an attorney yourself." I say giggling.

"Naw, I'm just a tough negotiator and that's why I make the big bucks in transportation, baby. I can make them come to mama in no time." She laughs.

I close my eyes trying to keep them open but I feel myself slipping fast.

"Okay, guys, I need to rest a bit. I can't stay awake any longer." I say through closed eyes.

"Okay, sweetie. I am so glad to see you, Bella. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you in my life." Alice says in my ear and I can't help but let a tear fall at that.

"Oh, Alice. I love you guys too, so, so much." I say in return.

"Rosalie? Come here, bitch." I say to her, lifting my good arm to bring her in for a hug.

"I love you girl, I was so fucking scared." Rosalie says trying not to break down.

"Okay, get. I need some beauty sleep." I say, ready to pass out.

~ BD ~

"WAKE UP, WHORE!"

What the fuck? I jerk awake after having a pitcher of water dumped on my face and see the one face I never thought I would see again.

"Tanya?"

"That's right, cunt. You thought you could get rid of me? You thought your high and mighty lawyers could keep me in that cell? Fuck you, bitch. I have my own high and mighty lawyers and see? Here I am." She yells in my face.

She steps back and my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see a gun in her hand.

"Tanya, please. What do you want? I've done nothing to you, why do you need to keep this up?" I ask her and I hear this evil, sinister laugh as she bares her teeth at me.

"I want you fucking dead. Once and for all. You. Can. Not. Have. Him." She seethes.

My fingers grope the side of my body where the nurse put the call button and I frantically push it. When she comes running in, Tanya whips around pointing the gun at her and yells at her to get out. That's when chaos erupts all around me.

Cops are everywhere, alarms are sounding in the hallway and the negotiations begin.

"Tanya, I thought you loved Jacob. What happened there?" I try to talk to her like she was my girlfriend or something.

"Oh, that's rich, Isabella. HE FUCKING LOVES YOU TOO!" She yells at the floor. "Edward loves you, Jacob loves you. Who the fuck else loves you, you little whore?" She frantically paces the room, shoving her hands through her hair.

"But Tanya, I don't love Jacob. We have been over for 5 years. Why don't you make him fall in love with you? You are a very beautiful woman. You have a body to die for, surely you know how to use all that." Hoping flattery will get me somewhere with her.

"I want Edward. I had him first. We were together for a long time until you showed up. You fucked it all up. Now you will go away and never bother us again." She glares at me.

"Tanya? Tanya Denali?" I hear her name being called over the intercom system.

"WHAT?" She screams putting her hands to her temple, still with the gun in her hand.

"Tanya, please step into the hallway so we can see you and no one will get hurt. Just step into the hall so we can see you." The voice says.

I watch as Tanya creeps to the door and peeks down the hall before looking back at me.

"You thought they'd protect you didn't you? No one can save you today, whore. No one." She says. "Did your daddy love you too, Bella? Like mine loves me? My father loves me so much that he kicks the shit out of me nearly every single day and my mother doesn't give a shit because she is fucking some wanna be cop. I bet you grew up in a pretty little yellow house with a white picket fence around the yard." She says. I can see she is really losing her grip on reality.

"Tanya?" I say to her as she backs out of my room.

"You fucking bitch! You took him from me and now I will take you from him." She screams at me and that's when I hear his voice.

"TANYA, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" I hear him yell down the hall at Tanya.

"Eddie. You came for me, baby." Her face changes completely. She is calm now and I hear Edward try to talk some sense into her. Until I shout his name. Then the look on her face becomes sheer sinister, evil… twisted.

She turns to me and aims the gun haphazardly into the room. She wastes no time pulling the trigger and shoots at me. My blood leaves my body completely. I can't move as I see the smoke rising out of my pillow, right next to my head. The next thing I know Edward is there. My white knight. My reason for existing.

EDWARD

As soon as I make it to Bella's door I jump over Tanya's lifeless body to see Bella looking at me. Her eyes are huge with fright. I drop to my knees and a feral sound escapes me, just seeing her alive.

Once I get a grip on the fact that she is breathing, I jump up and run to her, seeing a bullet hole in her pillow. It is still smoking and I pull it out from under her and throw it on the ground so she can't see it. I cover the hole in the mattress with another pillow.

"Bella? Bella, baby. Oh my God, sweetie, talk to me, baby. Say something." I plead with her again for the second time in just days. How much more does she need to take before this is over? I think about Jacob being out there now. Will he come after her too?

"FUCK!" I yell at the ceiling. And that's when I feel her hand touch my face.

"Oh, Bella. Baby. Are you okay? Please tell me you are okay." I say into her neck. I can feel her pulse race against my cheek and I know she is in shock.

"Is it over?" She asks simply.

"Yes. She's dead." Someone says at the door. I look up and it's Jenks.

"What the fuck are you doing here? How appropriate that you show up after everything goes down, Jenks." I yell at him.

"I heard that Denali's judge friend let those two out of jail and I immediately started trailing her. I have Jacob covered now. I got a report he is going to run. We will get him at the first sign he is leaving and will notify the authorities. If he runs, he is back in jail and will not be granted another emergency bail hearing." He says quietly.

"I saw her lift the gun at Bella and I shot her." He says. "I promised she would never hurt you again, Bella." He says as he turns and walks out the door.

I watch him leave and I look up and see everyone standing at the door waiting to come in. I look down and see Tanya's body still on the ground covered in blood. I walk to the door and allow only those necessary into the room and shut the door.

Bella doesn't need to see that I think to myself.

"Bella, Dr. Miller is here to see you. Are you okay to talk to anyone?" I ask her, stroking my fingers across her forehead, wishing to God I could climb into bed with her and just wrap myself around her. All she can do is nod her head.

"Bella?" Dr. Miller says. "Bella, look at me dear." Although her eyes are still huge she moves them to look at him. He checks her pupils by shining that stupid light in her eyes. Then he checks her blood pressure and her heart.

"She's in shock. She's been given a scare but she will be alright." He says, checking her drip to make sure it is still working properly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen. I can't promise to release her tomorrow. I need to run more test on the brain swelling. I need to make sure this has not affected that at all." He says in his professional bedside manner.

"Sure, sure. I understand." I say, looking at my Bella. She is calming herself now. I can see her eyes returning to normal, but my God, she looks scared to death. Who wouldn't after having a bullet literally miss you by one inch? It makes me sick to think that if Bella had been looking to the left, the bullet would have gone through her temple. I shudder at that thought and gasp for air.

"She's going to be alright, Edward." I hear a warm, familiar voice say behind me. I jump up and my dad wraps his arms around me as I break down right there.

"There, there, son. She's going to be fine. We will make sure of it." He says, rubbing his hand up and down my back. I pull away, rubbing my face across my arm and look back at Bella. Her eyes are closed.

"Bella?" I say into her ear. "Open your eyes, baby. Please tell me you are alright." I need to hear her voice.

"I'm alright. I just need a minute or two. She… she said I was going to die and she hated my soul and… and…" And that's when my girl breaks down and finally lets it all out. She covers her face with her pillow and allows herself to cry. Hard. Everything that has happened from the moment Jacob walked through the door at Lake Tahoe until the bullet whizzed past her ear comes out of her. I ask everyone to leave the room so that she can cry in peace. I then walk out and shut the door, standing guard so that no one will go in there. I want her to have that privacy. It breaks my heart to hear her guttural sobs but I know it has to happen.

After a long while I hear her soft voice calling my name. It makes me smile and I quietly open the door. After seeing her flushed face, I go into the bathroom and get a cool cloth and wipe her face down and allow her to blow her nose into it. I then go back into the bathroom to get a warm cloth and wipe her face again. I then grab her hairbrush that Alice brought and begin brushing her hair for her. "Thank you, baby." She says to me.

When I am done I climb into bed with her and just hold her. When the cops open the door to speak with her, I give them a death glare and shake my head no. 'Tomorrow', I mouthed to them and they nod their heads and quietly shut the door.

I lay there awake while Bella sleeps. I watch her for any signs of distress but she sleeps peacefully, moving herself as close to me as she can get. I hold her as tight as I can without hurting her and hear her moan with contentment. My heart springs alive and I smile.

A/N: "Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead….." Where's Jerkoff you ask? Muaaaahhhhahahahah. Next chapter children. We are nearing the end and I am really feeling the withdrawals. Really bad! I don't want it to end, but alas, I have another story I am working on so my time must be spent there soon.