Welcome to PAD's less than private hospital room.

Stephenie Meyer owns the entire Twilight Patient Care Network.

I just want to sneak into one of her supply closets with you know who.

Pineapple Upside-Down Edward Part 2

"Oh my God… Edward, what did you do… Wake up, Edward, wake up… Thank God, you're still breathing… Please have a good pulse… Your pulse is only forty-eight beats… Come on… pick up, pick up."

"9-1-1. What is your emergency?"

"My roommate, uh… my boyfriend… I came home and found him… Edward Cullen… hanging upside down like a bat on his gravity board, passed out… I think he sustained a mild concussion yesterday and also took a hard hit to his abdomen… He didn't complain about anything except his head and back… He was doing fine when I left to go to work almost eight hours ago… I came home to find him passed out… He's kind of cold, but he's still breathing and has a weak pulse... Should I try to move him?"

"No, ma'am. An ambulance has been dispatched and is on the way. Is there anything else I should note regarding your location? Are you in a multi-story dwelling?"

"Yes, there's more than one floor, but we live on the first."

"Help should be there in about five minutes. Would you like me to remain on the line with you?"

"No… No, thank you. I need to call Edward's father. He's a doctor."

Ring… Ring… Ring… Ring… Ring…

"Bella, what can I do for you?"

"Thank God you answered. It's Edward again, Carlisle. I came home from work to find him passed out hanging upside down on his inversion table. He has a weak pulse but is still breathing. I already called the ambulance. The operator told me not to move him."

"You're doing the correct things Bella. Just stay with him."

I choose to sit on the floor and just hold Edward's hand while I talk to Carlisle. Edward's very cold. I wrap my fingers around his palm and stroke the back of his hand with my thumb. Even if I can't reach him, it will soothe me.

"I don't know what happened. He looked fine when I left. He was cleaning his room. He even made me dinner."

"Yes, I know. He was Facetiming with Esme. She said he was so worried he would make a mess of things. She helped guide him through the process of preparing everything for you. I think she stayed chatting with him until nine o'clock when he finished doing the dishes. She didn't mention anything out of the ordinary other than the fact that it was cute he was doing that for you and that he seemed a little nervous wanting to get everything just right."

"I feel as if this is my fault. It has to be related to the hit he took yesterday. He looked fine. He was still complaining about the pain on the back of his head and the soreness around his stomach, but he didn't say it hurt any worse than other times he had taken hits like that.

"Did you notice anything else, Bella? Think carefully, please."

"Now that you mention it, he was rubbing his left shoulder and his neck, but he never said anything to me about it. I thought it was just muscle pain attributed to him doing a lot of cleaning and moving stuff out of his room.

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Well, I have my theories. I'll call the hospital and speak to whoever is on-call tonight and suggest they order Edward a few tests. Do me a favor and follow him to the hospital. Esme and I will meet you there in a few hours."

"Of course, Carlisle, I would never leave him. I just hope he's okay."

"I hope he is too, Bella, but try not to worry."

"Carlisle, he's, um, my best friend… I don't know what I would do if anything happened to him."

"I know what you mean, Bella, as Esme is mine."

Honk, Honk

"I think the ambulance is here."

"Okay, we'll see you in a few hours."

I answered all of the paramedics' questions while they were carefully unstrapping Edward from one board and strapping him onto another. I made sure to take Edward's phone from the kitchen as well as his wallet with his driver's license and insurance card. I also put away the scrumptious food he worked so hard at making for me, sneaking a bite or two, knowing full well it was going to be another long night. I also remained hopefully optimistic and grabbed a change of clothes for him. The medics had to cut open Edward's tee shirt and jeans. They needed to be able to gain better access to attach their monitors to him. I just pray he wakes up soon.

I follow the ambulance to the hospital, keeping up pace with it, hoping not to have to explain to my dad why I chose to ignore traffic laws while driving Edward's faster car and got a speeding ticket along the way. My mind starts drifting and begins reminiscing about all of the instances Edward accompanied me to the same place.

There was the time when we were horsing around, going through our "Lord of the Rings" phase in his back yard, pretending we were in a medieval fairy tale and climbing up branches when I fell out of his mom's favorite apple tree and broke my arm. Edward whipped off his shirt, made an elbow sling and carried me over a half mile when we were both twelve. He kept teasing me along the way to try and help me take my mind off of my discomfort by telling me the most outrageous things. He said he found a mole behind my ear the size of a half dollar. He also said that he discovered I had three gray hairs on my head in a patch that appeared as if it had the potential to develop more. Additionally, he remarked that I should be prepared to break out a set of tweezers because it appeared as though I might be growing a unibrow. I half think he picked on me in that way because my bitching and whining gave him more stamina towards not dropping me. When he finally got me safely to his house, he stunk like boy sweat after straining to get me there in one piece. His hair was utterly soaked while his face was bright red. His veins at his temples were popping out as he wheezed through his breathing. I think that was the first time I really looked at Edward differently, the kind of differently that said Edward wasn't just an "eeyewy", perspiring adolescent boy. It was the kind of look that acknowledged how cute he really was with his unruly, scraggly hair, peach-fuzzy upper lip, and tensed-up, developing biceps. For a fleeting moment, I think I actually had a girl crush on him. After all, he was Dutiful Knight Edward rescuing Distressed Damsel Bella from the brambles of the Forbidden Forest.

Another time that he helped me was when we were both thirteen and playing softball at the baseball field with Jasper. I tried to catch one of Edward's pop flies without a mitt. It was an idiotic mistake on my part because I badly dislocated my pinky. When I looked at it, I noticed it was bent sideways. Edward took my hand to take a closer look and noticed I was going to pass-out at the sight of it. He lied to me and told me to look up at an eagle that wasn't there, flying overhead, while he proceeded to take my finger to snap it back into place while I was distracted. I was so pissed he did that, and it hurt like hell afterwards. But the adrenaline boost it caused let me walk another two miles back to my house so my mom could take us both to the ER, seeing as I may have kneed Edward in the groin really, really hard and made him pass out on our ball field. Luckily, I didn't do any permanent damage. I certainly would never intentionally hurt that part of him now… not in that way. God, I hope I can still hurt him there in another way.

Tears begin to well up as I consider the possibilities of me not having the same friend anymore. He just has to be okay. I never even got to tell him how much he truly means to me. I really do want to say those three words, the three words we've said countless times to each other but never in the context they convey now. The tears are pouring down my cheeks now over the thought of Edward sustaining some severe, permanent injuries… or worse. I need to pull it together as I can barely see the road. I blow my nose so hard it honks into a, thankfully, unused Subway napkin, and I feel an epic headache coming on not only from the tears but dehydration from the night before. I tell myself to suck it up as Edward's situation is far worse than mine, and I need to be strong for him.

The ambulance eventually makes its way to the hospital and hits an enormous pothole before turning the corner into the driveway. Thankfully, the doors didn't fly open, and Edward didn't get dumped onto the street. I'm in no mood for any more sit-com moments right now and am appreciative things haven't gone further awry. I pull into a parking space close by and dab my eyes dry. I watch as paramedics wheel Edward out and into the rear ER entrance. I walk through the automatic doors in the front and start handing over his I.D. along with his insurance card to the hospital intake receptionist. I note that he's an organ donor and sure hope that he's not going to be surrendering those anytime soon. She asks me the usual questions and has me take a seat.

Next, the intake nurse calls me in to go over more of Edward's personal records. I know he's up on all of his vaccinations because we were required to have a fresh round of immunizations before we both set foot on campus. I also go over his medical history, telling her what I can remember, like the time Edward broke the tip of his middle finger when he wanted to see what would happen if he triggered a rat trap. He ran around his house screaming and waving his hand as if he were the cat in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. He said the pain had to be worse than one of those Asian tortures when they yank your fingernails out or put sticks up under them. But ever the optimist, he was pretty excited about being able to flip everyone the bird because he had to wear a splint for the next two weeks. I also told her about the time he mixed Clorox and ammonia and created a toxic cloud of chlorine gas, which forced all of his neighbors within a half mile radius to evacuate their houses. That stunt earned Edward a trip in the ambulance because it triggered an asthma attack and he needed oxygen. He really was lucky then that he didn't kill himself. I also told her about the time that he and Jasper stripped down to their tighty-whities on a dare issued by Mike Newton. Edward was trying to prove to Mike that neither he nor Jasper would contract poison ivy. Both of them proceeded to roll around in the shiny green vines and got such bad rashes they had to be put on cortisone and sedated for a week. Thankfully, they at least had the common sense to wear their underwear. The nurse just closed her eyes and shook her head at me after I disclosed all of Edward's afflictions resulting in hospital visits. When I was finally through with the interview, I left the signature section for Esme and Carlisle to complete when they arrive and decide to take a seat in the T.V. room to wait for them.

It's been about an hour since we got here, and my adrenaline's worn off. I'm really tired and decide to hit the Pepsi machine. I grab two cans and down the first one quickly. I then take the other back to my seat. I sit back down and feel a vibration in my pocket holding Edward's phone. It's from Lauren Mallory. Do you want to come over to study, Eddie? Or, maybe you just want to come. Either way, I'm here. Shoot me a call or a text.

I know I'd like to shoot you something, Bitch, or just plain shoot you, period. Humph!

About ten minutes later Edward's phone hums again. This time, it's Jessica Stanley.

Edward, I'm lonely. My roommate's out for the night. Please come over. If you come over, I promise to do that thing to you that you like when you let your batter out of his cage.

What the fuck? Gross!

I am so tempted to hit delete right now on each one of these skanks' messages, but this is not my phone. And Edward and I have not discussed boundaries yet.

Fifteen more minutes go by, and another message pops up. This one is from someone named Orri. Orri, I bet her named raises a lot of heads.

Hey, Edward, I'm sorry things didn't pan out last night. I had really hoped I could have ridden your horse last night, and judging by the size of it, I don't think I'm too far off. Please call me. I need to make it up to you.

That's it. I've had enough….

For the next hour, I go through Edward's Contact List and Facebook Friends and introduce myself as his new girlfriend. I even Tweet he's off the market. I make it abundantly clear that he is abstaining, so they should refrain from contacting him for those kinds of activities unless they want to incur personal dealings with me. And by that, I mean I wouldn't be opposed to giving them some serious ass-kicking, hair-pulling, face-scratching, beat-downs. I certainly don't shy away from keeping Edward in line, so I definitely wouldn't walk away from a much needed, point-making catfight. I am well prepared, thanks to my police chief dad, and very eager to take on any of them, especially those wanting to sink their claws into Edward, hoping he'll stick parts of him into them. And judging by the few texts I've looked at, he's experienced quite a bit of that. He's had so many encounters, I think he needs to get a full panel STD screening before he puts any more of himself in me.

Something tells me I really should just support him here as a friend and bail on the relationship aspect, but I remind myself of the fact that he hasn't had intimacy with these girls, just recreation. It's clear they know very little about him. I guess those parts of him are reserved for just Jasper, Emmett, and me.

Carlisle and Esme should be here any minute, and so far no one's come out to talk to me. I hope Edward's okay. I'm disgusted with myself because here I am feeling like a victim in dealing with Edward's harem, but clearly he wouldn't be here if it were not for me and my childish act. I start tearing up again, thinking about the potential extent of his injuries when Carlisle and Esme finally walk in. Esme rushes to give me a big hug, and Carlisle gives me one, too.

"Oh, Bella, sweetie, are you okay? Is Edward all right? Has anyone come out to talk to you about him yet?"

"No, Esme, no one's come out. I don't know anything, yet. Maybe now that you and Carlisle are here, they'll give up some answers."

"I'll go see what I can do."

"Thanks, Carlisle."

Carlisle goes to the nursing station and flashes that hypnotic Cullen smile, the smile that has those nurses wanting to surrender their panties, their pussies and their firstborn sons. I definitely see where Edward and Emmett get their charm from as Carlisle practically has those women lapping from his hand. Esme and I just shake our heads as we share the knowing sentiment we've been privy to for years. Evidently, Carlisle has the right stuff because he gives us a hopeful look before disappearing behind the restricted doors.

Esme and I turn and hold hands while we lean on each other. We lighten our tense mood and begin saying inconsequential things.

"Dinner was really good. I had a little taste of it while I was putting it away as the paramedics were getting Edward ready for the ride."

"I'm glad it turned out good. Edward did a really great job following my directions. He was quite excited about it. You could see the pride beaming on his face when everything turned out just the way it was supposed to. His expression was especially adorable when he lifted the cake pan away from the cake and saw that it was still intact. His smugness reminded me of when he pulled out his first loose tooth without any assistance. That was twelve years ago. He's so grown up now, my handsome, brilliant little boy."

Just then, Esme starts wailing into my shoulder. Now I need to be the tenacious one.

"Edward will be fine (God I hope so), you'll see. He's had worse… Remember his broken leg and the appendicitis? You can't forget when he had mono and had to get his liver checked weekly or when he cracked his ribs. And how about when he was delirious with that tick disease and was sick for over a month? He still pulled through. It's also not like he hasn't already had a concussion before."

"Oh Bella… (sniff)… you're probably… (sniff)… right. This is Edward we're talking about here. Edward always has things that happen to him, but he always manages to bounce back. I think he's truly meant to achieve great accomplishments. He's still here for a reason.

Just then, Carlisle comes out with whom I think is Edward's treating physician. Esme, Bella, this is Dr. Varner.

We walk to a consultation room away from the waiting area.

"How is he?" Esme and I ask at the same time.

"Well, he's stable. He's woken up a few times, but we have him sedated."

I need to know.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Edward has a splenic rupture and a mild to moderate concussion."

"Oh my God!" I frantically yell out into the silence of the room.

Both Esme and I are freaking out about this.

"These injuries are fairly common, and Edward should make a full recovery. He was very fortunate that his blood pressure rise—caused by the concussion—was offset by the pressure drop incurred from the bleeding of his spleen. Otherwise, he could have experienced life-threatening complications. He is very lucky and most likely will not even need surgery because the damaged area should be able to repair itself, but I'd like to keep him here for a day or two just the same to make sure he doesn't have any additional swelling or injury we aren't aware of. Other than that, he should be fine."

Thank God.

"When can we see him?" I ask.

"He should actually be up for visitors now."

"Um, can we all go in?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

Esme and I further support one another and link our arms at the elbows on our way in.

They have Edward hooked up to an IV drip and a few monitors. His eyes are closed. His expression appears quite peaceful. He really is beautiful when he sleeps. Well, actually he's beautiful, period.

Esme grabs his hand, and I stand off to the side as he begins stirring.

"Hi, dear, how are you feeling?"

"I'm tired and sore, Mom. Thanks for coming… and for helping me with dinner. I think I was dreaming about it. Where's Bella? Did she make it home from work? Is she here?"

My heart starts fluttering that he's immediately asking for me.

"I'm right here, Edward."

"Come here, Bella."

I go to the other side of his bed. He outstretches his hand with the needle and IV tube sticking out of it. I don't want to hurt him by holding his hand, but he insists. He then smacks his lips together in a gesture conveying that he wants a kiss from me. I am extremely self-conscious. Ordinarily, I wouldn't hesitate over it, but now it feels awkward, not just because of the feelings we share but because we also have an audience. I'm turning a shade likened to that of a boiled Maine lobster but oblige him anyway.

His lips hold onto mine not wanting to pull away. He grasps my hand tighter, wanting me to prolong the kiss. He gives me a few more quick pecks and then releases his hold.

I look into his glassy, drugged-up eyes and see his endearment, and for an instant, I actually forget that his parents are here. But it's only for a moment as Esme is nearly bouncing on the floor with delight like Tigger the tiger in Winnie-the-Pooh while Carlisle's wearing a Cheshire cat grin conveying he knew something was up all along.

"Oh, Edward… Oh, Bella… This makes me so happy… I always knew you two would end up together… Renée and I even took bets on how long it would take you two to figure it out… She won by six months… I suppose it isn't too early to start planning the wedding… We can already secure a reservation at the country club to confirm the date… I really don't think you two ought to tie the knot though until you both graduate in another three and a half years… Ooh, I'm so excited for you both….

Wait a minute… Why didn't you two tell me you were together? Hmm? Edward, I ought to smack you— injured or not—for you keeping it a secret from me… And Bella, tsk, tsk, I'm hurt. Why couldn't you just say something? How long has this been going on? When were you planning to tell us? Carlisle, did you know this was going on between them? Does Renée know yet? Why isn't anyone answering my questions?"

Take a deep breath, Bella, and be careful how you answer. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with the wrath of Esme.

"Esme, Edward and I just realized that we care for each other—in this way—last night. This is really new for us. I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't quite sure if Edward would be all right or if he would even remember that we liked each other that way. We wanted to wait before we said anything because we don't even know if this is going to work out between us."

"Nonsense, of course it will. Why wouldn't it? You two are perfect for each other. Hell, Renée and I knew that the minute we put you two together. Isn't that right, Carlisle?"

"Yes, dear."

"And wait a minute… What about you, Carlisle? Did you know what was going on? Be careful how you answer that because the guest room downstairs is going to have your name on it if you don't give me the right one."

Poor Carlisle! Esme really does wear the pants in the family. He shuffles back and forth nervously before answering.

"Well, I had my suspicions, dear, but neither Edward nor Bella said anything confirming my thoughts."

"You're lucky I'm letting you off the hook this time."

"And you, young man, why didn't you say anything to me when you were cooking dinner?"

Dear Lord, now it's Edward's turn.

"I didn't mean to be sneaky about it, Mom. If it's any consolation, Jasper and Emmett don't even know. Like Bella said, we just realized what was happening. We want to take it slow, so we don't mess things up. We want to have a solid, lasting relationship like you and dad and Renée Charlie do."

Good answer, Edward. Wait. What? We do?

Edward gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, and I gently squeeze his in return. I now sense Esme's going to back down as she's somewhat pacified by our answers.

"I suppose I can forgive all of you for dummying up, but it better not happen again."

"Yes, Esme, I promise it won't."

"Absolutely, Mom, I'll definitely tell you."

"I'll be sure to share my opinions next time, dear."

"By the way, son, what possessed you to get on your inversion table, anyway?" Carlisle asks.

"Well, after all of the housework and room cleaning I did, my stomach, back, neck and left shoulder hurt like hell. I figured I needed to stretch a bit to get rid of the pain and spasms before Bella got home. When I tried to get back up again after a few minutes, my abdomen hurt a lot, and I couldn't. I was afraid that if I rocked the board too hard it would topple over making my head injury even worse, so I figured I'd just wait for Bella. I left my phone in the kitchen, so I don't know if I missed any of her calls. I started getting light headed and feeling somewhat cold. The next thing I remember was waking up in the examining room. But, I think I recall dreaming about Bella talking to me at home. I also remember feeling like I was getting really sleepy and needing to pee very badly. Everything was kind of a blur after that."

"Well, Edward, you've had a very involved twenty-four hours, and I can't help but think this is partly my fault. I should have demanded that you go to the emergency room yesterday. They would have put you on bed rest and would have given you instructions not to do unusual things like hang upside down. Thankfully, it wasn't more severe. Your mother and I are going to find a hotel room now, and we'll see you tomorrow. Bella, would you like to come with us?"

I look at Edward, and he's shaking his head no. He wants me here. Cue the fluttering insects now in my stomach.

"I want Bella to stay here with me, Dad."

I start to melt when Edward looks back at me with adoration.

"Aw, look at these two, Carlisle."

She gives both Edward and me kisses and hugs, and she's bouncing again.

"Esme, dear, I think I have some groveling and making up to do to you."

Carlisle pats then pinches Esme's ass while coaxing her out the door. The last thing I hear is Esme's happy cackle, indicating that she'll probably be on the receiving end of some of that Cullen charm.

I turn towards Edward.

"Hi."

"Hi," he gives me back in return.

"Are you really okay?"

I curl my hand over his face and move it from his temple down to cup his cheek. He leans into my touch and nearly purrs at my action.

"Yeah, I'm in pain, but I'm much better now that you're here. Come over to this side…"

He directs me to his right where his other hand is free from hospital hook-ups and tubing.

"Lie down."

"No, Edward, the nurses will get mad."

"Fuck the nurses. I want you here."

His eyes glisten in the dimmed, muted fluorescent light, conveying both his want and his need.

Who am I to argue with him?

I crawl onto the bed and into his side. My shoulder nestles into his armpit as his hand finds my hip. His fingers begin lazily sweeping circles over the jut of one bone and near themselves dangerously closer to another. His touching me next to that spot sends tingling waves radiating outward to all of my body's parts. God, I want him, all of him. I take a deep breath and shudder a bit as I exhale slowly. His telltale smile shows that he knows that he's getting to me, but we can't do anything here.

So, of course, he persists and moves his arm upward, underneath mine, and decides to rest his hand on top of my breast. Even through my hoodie, T-shirt, and bra, the friction he's causing while rubbing over my left nipple has my thighs tensing. He's such a shit. Let's see what he does now.

I reposition my body and move my hand downward over the tip of the "V" where his torso ends, finding where his "happy hunting ground" begins. I move my hand even lower to just above the base of his cock. I eye his hospital monitors, making sure his increases in heart rate and blood pressure don't send the nurses scrambling in here. I watch Edward's restraint diminish as I graze the base of him, which now begins to awaken.

"Shit. Okay, Bella, you win; you win. I'll behave."

"Why, Edward, I don't think you've ever given up this easily in anything."

"Well, you don't have a catheter stuck up your dick while your girlfriend is giving you a hard-on. This shit is uncomfortable."

I can't help but laugh.

"Well, if you behave yourself now, I'll make it up to you later."

"Do you promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

And with that, he turns to me and plants a few sweet but lasting kisses on my lips before closing his tired eyes and nodding off. I really want Edward sooner rather than later, so I fire off a text to Carlisle—thankful that he and I didn't have this conversation face-to-face earlier—conveying my request for both Edward and me to have blood work done before we engage in more intimate activity. I also shoot a text to my mom about Edward and me before she hears about it first from Edward's mom. She immediately sends one back telling me she knew it and that she was happy to be collecting her fifty bucks from Esme and happy for me and Edward, too.

As I'm drifting off, I can't help but be optimistic about this all. Esme is right. Edward and I, probably, were always been meant to be, but he and I have always been too stubborn to see all of the signs. With our families now emotionally supporting us, it will be interesting to see where our relationship goes from here. I turn to my sleeping beauty next to me and whisper "I love you" before closing my eyes to yet, another unbelievable day.

A/N:

Do you think Edward deserves some making up time?

Review me your thoughts.

Next up is Edward's POV and some furthering of his and Bella's relationship.

Thank you to my fantastic beta, Chayasara, who fixes my flaws.

Thank you to Monica Solis, a.k.a. CaliGirlMon on FFN, for making my sweet banner.

Thank you for reading.

PAD