A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/followed! All mistakes are mine. I hope ya'll like this chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Enjoy.

"Walking like a one man army fighting with the shadows in your head. Living out the same old moment, knowing you'd be better off instead, if you could only say what you need to say…" – John Mayer

Chapter 24

EPOV

September 2009

I hear my parents talking in the kitchen when I come home from football practice. This is the first practice of the new school year and everyone's is still hyped up from winning nationals.

"You'll never guess who came into the hospital today, Esme." Dad said, a frown forming on his face.

"Who?" Mom asks worriedly.

"Bella."

"Edward's Bella? Why was she in the hospital?"

"She broke two bones in her leg. One bone was a clean break, but the other wasn't so lucky. The other bone was completely shattered. She needed surgery to repair the damage that the break did. She also had a severe concussion and cuts and bruises all over her leg. She said she didn't have any recollection of what happened, but I the signs are clear. I filed a report to social services before I came home. I just hope it does some good."

Dad takes a deep breath to compose himself before he continues. "The worst part of all this was that her parents didn't want her to have the surgery. They said something about not being able to afford it, but I looked at their insurance. They could have very easily afforded it. When I brought this to their attention, they quickly agreed to the surgery, but I could feel the tension flare up in the room. It was like they didn't want her to get better. It was all very sad, Esme."

I decide now is the best time to make my presence known. "What happened to Bella's leg, Dad? How did she break it?" I ask, worry and concern lacing my tone.

"Everything is alright, son, she's fine now. She's just a little banged up."

"A little banged up? A little banged up is falling down and scraping your knee. A little banged up is running into the wall and having a bruise on your forehead. You just said that Bella had to have surgery to fix her two broken bones in her leg! That's not just a little banged up!"

"Calm down, son. Yelling will not help you right now." I sigh angrily. I know he's right. "Good. Bella is fine now, Edward. She's in recovery at the hospital."

"I'm going to see her then." I start to walk out the door.

"Edward, you can't –"

I'm out the door and in my car before Dad has a chance to finish his sentence. He just doesn't understand. I have to know what's wrong with her. I have to know she's okay. It's crazy that I feel this strongly about her, but I can't help it. I'm completely in love with her and I would do anything for her.

Dread overcomes me with every mile to the hospital. What happened to her? Why didn't she try and contact me? How badly is she hurt?

When I get to the hospital, I all but run to the front desk. I quickly ding the bell until an elderly looking nurse comes around the corner.

"Can I help you with something, young man?" She asks, looking me up and down as if I'm some sort of parasite infesting her hospital.

"I need to find Bella Swan. She just got out of surgery for her leg. My Dad was the doctor who performed the surgery. His name is Carlisle Cullen." I add, hoping that she will let me through.

Her eyes light up in recognition. "Ah, yes. Your father called not even five minutes ago and warned us that you would be down here soon." I sigh in relief. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen," she continues, "but I can't allow you to see Miss Swan right now. It is family only visitation."

"WHAT?" I shout. A couple of nearby nurses glare at me.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen. It's the hospital's policy. There is nothing I can do about it." She says calmly, as if my entire world wasn't suffering in a nearby room all alone.

"Please let me –"

"No."

"Please, can I just –"

"No."

"But what if –" I'm practically begging at this point.

"I said no, Mr. Cullen. If you have anything else to say, I suggest you take it up with our complaint box over there." She points to a small box sitting on top of the desk.

I huff angrily and start walking out the door when I hear a younger nurse begin talking to the old nurse that wouldn't let me see Bella. "Janice, the patient recovering from the leg surgery in room 204 is refusing to eat. If she doesn't eat, I can't give her the pain medication. I told her this and she still refused to eat. Nothing I have done is working and Dr. Cullen has her on strict orders not to be put to sleep for at least another hour because of her concussion. She won't talk to me, so I don't know what's wrong. It's all very frustrating."

She has to be talking about Bella. Suddenly, an idea pops into my head and I rush to where the nurses were standing.

"I can get Bella to eat."

The older nurse, Janice I presume, scowled at me. "Who said anything about this being Bella?"

I scowled right back at her. "She did," I say, pointing at the younger nurse.

Janice rolls her eyes and turns her back to me. "I don't care what you have to say or do, just get the patient in 204 to eat. Shove it down her throat if you have to." And with that, Janice starts to walk off.

The other nurse looked at me with pity. I put on my charm and beg her to let me talk to Bella. It took a bit of convincing, but she finally led me to room 204.

"Do not tell Janice I let you do this. She would kill me. When she decides to eat, press the red button on the side of the bed. I'll come and distribute the food and medicine." A somber expression crosses her face. "She really needs these pain pills. She's fresh out of surgery with a concussion. I don't know how she's screaming in pain right now."

I frown. "I'll get her to eat, I swear." She nods and walks back down the hallway that we just came from.

I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what is waiting for me behind this door. I open the door and quickly realize that nothing could prepare me for what I see.

Bella is currently staring out the window, so she doesn't notice me immediately. I take this moment to examine her injuries. Her leg is definitely broken. It is lifted off the bed with a sling hanging from a machine. She has a bandage wrapped all the way around her head. She has tons of cuts and bruises all over her body. She looks so pale and fragile. My heart breaks knowing she's in so much pain right now.

"Bella," I whisper, but she still hears me.

Her head whips around so fast I am afraid she's going to get dizzy from it.

"Edward. You're here. Why are you here?" Her voice cracks with every word. I can see the unshed tears forming in her eyes.

"Why am I here?" I ask unbelievingly. "I'm here because you are clearly hurt and you didn't tell me about it."

She hangs her head in shame. "I blacked out when it happened. I'm sorry. I don't even remember how I got here in the first place."

"You blacked out? Baby, what happened? How'd you break your leg? How'd you get a concussion?" I ask warily. I want her to feel comfortable telling me the truth. I hate it when she lies to me about these things.

I move closer to her bed and move the chair so I am sitting right next to her head.

I can see the debate going on in her head from her face. She's like an open book sometimes.

"I, uh, tripped going down the stairs in the middle of the night. My leg and head broke my fall." She tries to smile and lighten up the mood, but I don't laugh at her attempt at humor. She quickly gets the message and continues. "It was dark and I couldn't see anything. You know me, I trip walking on flat surfaces in the broad daylight." Her answer sounds fake, like it's been rehearsed over and over again.
I stare at her, warning her that I know she's lying to me and giving her a chance to tell me the truth. She hangs her head in shame, knowing that she's been caught lying. "Baby, you have to tell me what happened. The truth this time."

"I can't, Edward."

I frown. "Why can't you?" A million scenarios pop into my head as to why she can't tell me what really happened. None of them are good enough reasons not to tell me, though.

"Please, Edward. You just have to trust me. I can't tell you."

I give her a you – can – tell – me – anything look.

"Please don't." She begs.

The way she says it makes my heart break in two. It's like her entire life is riding on me trusting her fake story about her leg and head. Not wanting her to be any more broken than she already is, I give in to her.

"Okay, I trust you."

I visibly see her relax.

Moving on to another problem, I ask, "Why are you refusing to eat and take the pain medicine? Once you take them you'll go to sleep and you won't be able to feel a thing anymore. I know you want to stop the pain."

Her stomach chooses this moment to growl.

I chuckle when her face turns red. "I think your stomach is agreeing with me. You should eat."

She looks down, embarrassed. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

I sigh and continue. "Bella baby, you have to eat. You can't get better if you don't. They can't give you any pain medicine if you don't eat, babe. I know you're in a lot of pain right now. Why don't you want it to go away?"

I can see her internal struggle. It's written all over her face.

It's a few minutes before she responds. "If I take the pain medicine, then I get trapped."

"What are you talking about, baby?" Tears begin to form in her eyes. She looks completely terrified. I immediately try to comfort her. I grab her hand and bring it to my lips. I place a kiss on it and try to urge her to talk to me. "Talk to me, Bella. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

She takes a deep breath and speaks again. "I get these nightmares and it's like I can't get out of them on my own. If I take the pain medicine, I know it's only going to get worse. They will trap me in my nightmares and I won't be able to get out at all." She's becoming hysterical and I notice her heart monitor is starting to beat more frantically.

"Baby, I didn't know you had nightmares. I've never noticed when you've slept with me…"

"Because they don't happen when I sleep with you! It's every other time that I feel cornered and trapped. I hate it, Edward. Please don't make me take the medicine."

"Shh, baby, it's going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright." I lean in close to her in an attempt to calm her down. I place a kiss on her forehead and tell her, "Scoot over, baby,"

She looks confused. "What, why?"

"You said you don't have the nightmares when you sleep with me, so I guess that means you're just going to have to sleep with me. This way you can eat and take the medicine and sleep all at once." She looks at me, still clearly worried. "I won't let anything happen to you, Bella. I swear."

It takes her a few minutes to digest my words, but she soon scoots over. I crawl into the tiny hospital bed and put my arm under her head. She turns to the side as best she can with her leg and cuddles up to me. I take my hand and grab hers and bring it up to my mouth to kiss it before placing our intertwined hands back on my chest. She looks so small and vulnerable with her bandage and leg right now and I can't help but want to protect her. I don't know why she won't tell me what happened. I only want what is best for her.

"Are you comfortable?" I feel her nod her head in response. "You look so tired, baby. How much have you been sleeping?"

She sighs. "Not much. I can't seem to stay asleep longer for a couple hours a night for the past couple of months."

Damn, that's a lot of restless nights.

"I'm so sorry. I wish you would've told me sooner."

"I didn't want to burden you. It's not really a big deal Edward. It's just sleep."

I snort. "So what are you going to do when school starts next week? What are you going to do when you have tests and shit that you have to concentrate on and you can't because you're too damn tired?" I don't mean to sound so angry, but I hate that she didn't tell me.

She makes herself impossibly smaller against my body. Her movements cause her to shift her leg and she immediately moans in pain.

"Shit Bella. Stop. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. It's just frustrating."

"I know and I'm so sorry for that Edward, just please don't…"

She doesn't have to finish. I know what she was going to say.

"Shh. It's okay, baby. I'm here. I'll always be here." I squeeze her hand in reassurance. "Are you ready to eat and take your medicine now, Bella?"

She looks up to me slowly. I can see the disbelief and hurt on her face. "You'll stay with me while I sleep, right?"

"Of course I will." She nods her head and I reach for the button that will bring a nurse in here.

It's not even five minutes before the same young nurse from earlier comes in with a plate of food and some pills.

"Make sure you eat all of this before taking the pills. We don't need you throwing up." She glances at me before continuing. "Take all four pills. They will make you sleepy which is a good thing because you need to rest. Dr. Cullen said that your twelve hours of staying awake because of your concussion will be over by the time you eat this. We just called him." She eyes me. "Press the button again if you need anything."

I nod and the nurse goes about her business once more.

I help Bella as she eats, well as much as I can without making her feel like an invalid. She finishes her meal quickly and takes the pills without hesitation. I guess she was in more pain than I originally thought.

We talk mindlessly for about thirty minutes before I see the medicine take effect.

"So when are the doctors going to let you out of here?" I ask her quietly, knowing she'll be asleep in moments.

She sighs. "I don't know. They said that if I showed signs of improvement after the surgery then I'll be out by next week. If my leg doesn't get any better, then I'll be here for at least two weeks." I can barely understand her. It's as if she's drunk

"So, you are going to miss the first week of school regardless." I sigh.

"Yeah." Her voice is barely above a whisper. The drugs are really starting to hit her.

"Go to sleep, baby. I'll be here when you wake up."

She doesn't respond. By the time the words are out of my mouth, she's out like a light.

I keep my promise to her and stay with her until she wakes up. What I didn't plan on was falling asleep right beside her. When I wake up the next morning, the first thing I see is Bella staring at me.

"You stayed."

A smile forms on my face. "I told you I would." Suddenly realizing that I didn't tell my parents when I would be home, I frantically searched for my phone.

"Your dad already knows that you're here."

I snap my head to her. "What? How?"

He came in a couple hours ago. He said he was doing his rounds and wanted to make sure we were okay. He said that when you didn't call last night, they assumed that you were going to stay with me. He was very cool about it."

I let her words sink in. Dad was here. He saw me sleeping in the same bed as Bella. I hope he doesn't try to give me the safe sex talk again when I get home.

"What time is it?" I ask, suddenly worried. If Dad came in a few hours ago, then it's probably later than I thought.

"It's a little after 10. Why?"

"Shit! I missed the first round of workouts this morning. I've got to go! I'll see you when I have some time, okay?"

"Okay." I can hear the disappointment in her voice.

I sigh and kiss her forehead. "I love you."

She nods her head in response.

It breaks my heart when I see her face when I walk out the door. She looks so hurt, but I can tell she's trying not to show it. I don't want to leave her, but coach will have my ass if I don't show up for afternoon workouts.

I have every intention of going back to spend the night with Bella again, but it never happens. When I get home from practice, I head straight to my room to change clothes and shower and go back to the hospital. My mom stops me when I'm coming down the stairs.

"Edward, you can't go back to the hospital today."

"Why not?"

"Because you broke hospital protocol last night when you slept in the room with Bella!"

"Mom, you don't understand. She needed me there and she still does."

She sighs before continuing. "I know you care about her, sweetie, but the doctors, including your father, can't do their job if you are constantly around. I can't have you breaking anymore hospital rules, either. I know you're worried about Bella, but you're just going to have to rely on your father for communication with her, okay?"

"But mom –" I whine.

"Don't 'but mom' me. You scared us half to death last night because you didn't call. Your father had to call the hospital to make sure that you were still there. We didn't have any contact from you, Edward. I'm too old for you to be scaring us like that." She gives me a pointed look before I break out in laughter.

"Mom, you're not old."

She rolls her eyes and tells me that dinner will be ready in five minutes. I was going to use this time to call my dad so he could put me on the phone with Bella, but he walked through the door before I had the chance. I rush over to him and bombard him with questions.

"How is she doing? When is she getting out? Is she eating? Is she sleeping? Is she taking her medicine?"

"Whoa, calm down son. She asked me to give you this. I hope it answers all your questions. I'm going to eat I'm starving." He hands me a sheet of paper and I eagerly take it from him.

Edward,

I'm fine. Your dad told me what you did to get in my room last night. Why did you break the hospital protocol for me? You're insane, but I can't thank you enough for it. I can't tell you how much you being there last night meant to me. I promise I'll be a good patient and eat and take my medicine when I'm supposed to. Try not to worry about me too much. I'm not worth it. Focus on school and football tomorrow. I know it's going to suck going back to school on Monday, but it'll be over before you know it. I'm hoping we can talk through your dad until I get out of here. I'll be waiting your response.

Yours,

Bella

So that's how we communicated. Every day for the entire first week of school, I would wait for Dad to come home so I could read my letter from Bella. I loved the fact that I could still talk to her since I have been all but banned from visiting her in the hospital. I also hate it because I can't actually see her, which sucks. I've even considered sneaking out, but reconsidered when I realized that I would probably end up running into Janice again.

The first week of junior year drags on and on without Bella by my side. I made sure that the guidance counselor put Bella and me in almost all of the same classes again. The only difference was I had Team Sports, which is basically football practice during the school day, and she had AP World Literature with Mr. Masen.

She's supposed to get out of the hospital soon, but no one will tell me exactly when. Between classes and football practice, I don't have time to beg my parents to let me go see her.

The end of the first week came in a blur and my weekend consisted of trying to figure out what happened to Bella and why she wouldn't tell me. I spent literally every waking moment thinking about her, but nothing made sense. I still don't understand why she would keep something like this from me. It just doesn't make any sense.

I was waiting on the front porch for Dad to get home from his shift for about ten minutes then he pulls in the driveway. Before I even get a chance to ask about her, Dad puts his hand up and says, "She'll be back at school tomorrow, son. I think she's expecting you to pick her up in the morning. She kind of hinted at it this morning when I checked on her and gave her your note. She's going to be on crutches for the next couple of months, son. She has to be really careful with what she does. "

My eyes go wide at the thought of seeing her tomorrow. A grin forms on my face and doesn't go away until I see her beautiful face the next morning.

October 2009

One late October night after school and football practice, Bella and I are doing homework in my room. We are both currently stretched out across my bed, side by side. I have one hand writing notes from my textbook and the other is around Bella's shoulders, lightly stroking her arm.

Instead of doing homework like I was supposed to be, I was thinking about Bella, like always. Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind.

"Hey Bella?"

"Hmm?" She answers, lazily.

"You know what I've been thinking?"

"You can think? I never knew that." She jokes.

"Alright you little –" My sentence fades away as I crawl on top of her, mindful of her leg. I begin playfully tickling her stomach and I am rewarded with her beautiful giggles. Her giggles turn into moans as my hands drift lower down her stomach to the apex of her legs. I begin to slowly rub circles in a way that I know makes her go crazy. When I see her head fall back in pleasure, I abruptly pull my hand away. Her groan in protest comes immediately after.

"Tease."

I smirk at her, but it fades when I remember my initial intent on asking her a question.

She huffs and asks, "What were you thinking about?"

My frown deepens. "We've known each other for over a year, Bella."

"Yeah, so?"

"There's something that you've never mentioned over the course of this year, babe."

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Everyone has one. It only comes around once a year and on it people usually celebrate…" I trail off, hoping she'll get the hint.

Unfortunately for me, she doesn't. Bella rolls her eyes and says, "Stop speaking in riddles, Edward. Ask me what you want to know."

"When's your birthday?"

She freezes instantly. I guess there's a reason she's never mentioned her birthday before.

"Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I want to know when my girl was born. I want to know when she came into this world. I want to celebrate that day, because it was the best day ever."

Bella rolls away so that she is not facing me. This is so not the reaction I was hoping for.

"The day of my birth is definitely not the best day ever, not for me, not for my mom, not for anyone." She gets off the bed as best as she can with her cast on. She picks up her crutches and hobbles over to the couch on the other side of my room.

"Bella, you know that's not true." I get up from my spot on the bed and go to where she currently resides on my couch.

"How would you know, Edward? You weren't there…" She trails off.

"No, I wasn't, but you can still tell me."

She huffs angrily and turns so she's not facing me. "There's nothing to tell! Not everyone likes their birthday, Edward! Can we drop it already?"

"Bella, hey. I didn't mean to upset you. I just want to understand. I feel like I hardly know you. I don't even know something as basic as what your birthday is. I just feel like I'm being at bad boyfriend by not knowing it. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Just know that I'm here if you do ever want to talk about it."

She turns back around so she can see me once more. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. You're just trying to be the most amazing boyfriend ever like always." She smiles sadly at me. "I've never once celebrated my birthday, Edward. Trust me when I tell you that it is really not a big deal. I've never had any reason to celebrate it before and I don't really want to start now."

"But I want to celebrate that day. I want to celebrate the day that you were born into the world. It's because of that day that I have you now. I want to celebrate it. Please tell me." I urge.

I can see the hurt in her eyes when she speaks again. Her voice is cold and forceful, unlike I've ever heard it before. "That day is the worst day of my life, Edward. There's absolutely nothing to celebrate, so can you please just drop it?"

I'm taken back at her statement. I drop the subject immediately and head back to my bed. She follows a few minutes later and we silently agree to ignore any thought of birthdays from this point forward.

November 2009

Football season this year is really slow. We've played a few games, but no one has even come close to our skill level. The games drag on and on and all we do is smoke our opponents every time. It's not fun and everyone is waiting for a challenge again. The teams we play are so bad that we let our Junior Varsity team play the second half of the game. So, I end up spending half of the game watching Bella interact with Mr. Masen on the sidelines.

I watch in awe of how they are with each other. Mr. Masen seems to genuinely want what is best for my Bella. Over the first few months of school, I've seen an amazing bond form between them. Mr. Masen treats Bella as if she were his own. I know Bella looks up to him as if he were her real father. I love the fact that he is so good to her.

Bella has even sat in on a couple of our practices with Mr. Masen too. On those days, Mr. Masen always offers to take her home, knowing that I won't be able to get her home before Renee gets off work, especially with her cast weighing her down. That's what happened today. Bella and Mr. Masen sat and talked in the bleachers for an hour before taking her home. She waved goodbye to me when she left, even though she knows I'm in the middle of practice. I wave back and I get scolded at by coach.

Today, just like always, the team teases me about it in the locker room. I merely roll my eyes and go to my car. When I start to unlock the door to my Volvo, I hear footsteps coming from behind me. I turn around and I'm completely surprised by who I see. "What the fuck do you want, Jacob?" The venom in my voice is almost palpable. I can't stand him anymore. Ever since he started to screw Tanya behind everyone's backs, he hasn't been the same old Jacob. The Jacob I knew wouldn't have done that shit to me or to Bella.

"What? Can't I visit an old friend?"

I scoff. "Old friend? Is that what we're calling backstabbing assholes now?"

"Backstabbing asshole? Wow, Cullen. I forgot how dramatic you are."

I roll my eyes and turn to get in my car.

"Wait, I thought you should know something." He pauses. "It's about Bella."

I turn around immediately. "What about Bella?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that she's not the girl that you think she is. She's a liar and she's pathetic. She's not worth your time, bro."

Anger consumes me. I go over to where Jacob is standing and grab his shirt. I pick him up by his shirt and shove him against the car next to mine. "Don't you dare talk about her like that! She is not –"

He cuts me off before I can finish. "Oh look at that. Edward is protecting his little slut. Do you even know what goes on when you're not around? Do you even know what goes on inside her house at night?"

When he sees my reaction to his questions, a smirk crosses his face. "Didn't think so. I bet she doesn't tell you about all the naughty things that happens in there at night. I bet you don't even know what happened before you met her. You don't know shit, but I know it all."

All I see is red. In my outrage, I shove Jake against the car as hard as I can. I smile at myself when I see him topple over in pain. It serves him right. "Screw you, Black. Stay out of my life and stay the fuck away from Bella," I spit out.

"Why don't you ask her then? I bet you she won't tell you shit. She doesn't trust you." He barely gets the entire statement out before I kick him in his side. He's now on the parking lot coughing up blood and holding his stomach with his arm. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. I'll be here when you realize I'm right."

"Fuck you, Jacob. You don't know shit." With that, I get in my car and head home. I try to figure out what he meant about the 'naughty things that go on in Bella's house,' but it only makes me angrier. Thoughts of rape and abuse fill my head. She would've told me by now if it was that bad at her house, wouldn't she? I shake my head to get rid of those thoughts.

Completely determined to get to the bottom of what is going on in Bella's house, I rush home. I know I can't go to Bella's house right now because of Phil and Renee, but I can go home and pray the night goes by fast. Tomorrow morning, she is going to tell me everything.

A/N: So what did ya'll think? Note that when Bella breaks her leg, it is August 30 and she is in the hospital by September 1. What do you think about Edward's and Jacob's conversation? Sorry for flying through time in this chapter, but time will be slower for the rest of the story. See ya'll next week!