Hi everyone! I hope your weekend was great. We got to do a few speical things outside as we had some unseasonalby nice weather here in MI. But, as promised, I am back with the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. And heads up, I am hoping to have the facebook fanpage up sometime this week. I will keep you posted.

As always hats off to my wonderful beta hapakids! You rock!

And, of course all the love in the world to the amazing Stephanie M. and all rights to Twilight are hers. Again, thank you for allowing me to play with your characters.

Now...on with the story!

EPOV

Listening to Bella's breathing as she slept on my chest was the best sound I have ever heard. I'll admit kissing her for the first time in a hospital room after she had just woken up from an attack was not ideal or romantic for that matter, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had to tell her. I had to show her how much she meant to me. As I expected, she was taken aback a bit, but I knew deep down somewhere she felt something we just had to finally admit it ourselves. I promised that I would give her time, but I would make her mine entirely. The usual Cullen charm of a crooked smile and a wink followed by wining and dining was not going to cut it with Bella. I had to get creative. Sighing I laid there thinking about how our lips fit together perfectly, and how amazing her tongue felt on mine. Fuck, I was getting hard just thinking about it. It felt like what I imagine drugs were like to an addict. I craved her mouth on mine. I was broken from my thoughts when my phone started ringing. Bella started moving at the noise. I quickly answered it in an angry whisper, "This better be important."

"We got him, boss!" I heard Emmett say.

"Hold on," I whisper into the phone. I carefully release Bella from my arms and slowly climb out of the bed so that I don't wake her up. I look down at her briefly and make my way out into the hall. Sam and Seth are standing on either side of the door as I walk out and nod to me. "Where did you find him?"

"Alice, sent a picture of him to my phone. It was a picture of Bella, while they were in class. James was in the background. She enhanced it and we got a clear shot of him. We were heading back to the club to grab some more gear. As we walk in the fucker, is sitting there getting a lap dance. I had one of the girls offer him a private dance. He was so drunk and high, we had no problem with transportation, and the fucker couldn't even hold his head up to get his dance."

"Good, good! Remember, keep him secure however you have to, but leave him for dad and me." I snap the phone shut. I turn back to Sam and Seth. "No one other than family and the authorized nurses and doctors get in here. The list of pictures of doctors and nurses is being sent up and should be here soon. If for some reason..." I start to say, but am interrupted by a blood curdling scream from Bella. I take off running into the room with Sam and Seth following with guns drawn.

When I get inside, I see Bella thrashing in bed screaming. "No, no, no! Get off me!"

"Bella," I yell running over to her bed. She isn't waking up, only screaming louder. I grab her shoulders and shake her a little, "Bella! Bella, wake up baby! You're safe. You're safe baby. Wake up!" I am now yelling. She isn't waking up. "Sveglia Isabella! E' Edward. Aprite gli occhi e guardami. [Wake up Isabella! It's Edward. Open your eyes and look at me.]" I plead with her to wake up, hoping that by hearing my voice in Italian she will know she is safe and wake up."

Her eyes pop open and she looks at me with terrified eyes. "Don't let him get me Edward! Please, don't let him get me!" She pleads with me as she throws her arms around me, holding onto me for dear life.

I hear the door open and Angela is walking in. "I'll go and get her a shot of Xanax, which will calm her down."

"No, just give me a minute." I say to her. I pull Bella back from me and look into her eyes, "I promise you, he isn't going to get you love. I've got you, you are safe. You are always safe with me." I say massaging my fingers on her scalp, trying to calm her down as she is sobbing so hard she is having trouble breathing. "Come on Bella, you gotta calm down. You have to breathe. Come on baby, breath slowly, in and out." I softly plead with her. Her breathing is becoming worse and I know that she is going into a full blown panic attack. I quickly stand and position myself behind her as gently as I can. I wrap one arm around her waist and put my hand palm side down on her chest. I gently pull her back to my chest, just like I used to do when we were younger and she had an attack. "Feel my chest Bella. Breathe with me, feel me breathing. Come on baby, in and out. Do it with me Bella, in and out. Feel me breathing, follow my breathing. **Sei al sicuro. Ho te. Sei al sicuro. [You're safe. I've got you. You're safe.]" After a few moments I feel her start to listen to me. I feel her breathing coming down a bit, but I don't let go. As I am whispering in Italian in her ear to keep her calm, Angela comes closer.

"You knew how to calm down her breathing?" She asks coming over to take Bella's pulse.

"Yes, she used to have them all the time when we were younger." Abusive father I mouth to her. "She didn't like to take medication for them. We found if someone she trusts could show her how it felt to breath then she would calm down. There were only a few times when she actually required medication."

"It works; she is actually breathing, and sleeping." I glance down and notice that her head is tilted to the side and I see her eyes closed. I carefully slip out from behind her and lay her back down.

"Was she beaten often by her father?"

"He was more mentally abusive then physically, but still, a man should never lay a finger on a woman. My father didn't tolerate it and brought her to live with us the summer before she started high school. In all honesty, we should have brought her to live with us sooner. But she wouldn't leave him alone. Then we found her beaten so badly my father lost it and gave him a choice. Isabella never went back to his house again."

"What were his choices?" She asks slowly

.

"Rehab or death, either way he was never coming near Bella again." I say simply. I hear her gasp. "Look, let's not pretend you don't know who my family is and what we do. We are powerful, but we protect what is ours and cherish it with all of our being. Bella may not be blood, but she has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and that makes her one of us."

"I'm not judging, I just didn't expect you to be honest with me. I am not so sure I would have given him a choice. I think I might have just killed him." She says looking me in the eyes.

"I thought the same thing, but then my father explained to me. That no matter what, he was still Bella's father, and if she found out that my father killed him, it would wound Bella deeply." Still somewhat shocked to hear that come out of Angela's mouth, I laugh under my breath. "I like you Angela. You're good with, Bella. Thank you!"

"It's my job, I try not to get attached to my patients. I keep it professional for their benefit and mine. No one gets hurt that way, but I just I feel a pull to Isabella. She seems like someone who is a good friend."

"She is the best. She has kept me sane all these years. She is my anchor. She never lets me forget who the real me is."

"That is nice." She says nodding her head. "I won't be back until later tonight for my shift."

"What time is that?"

"Around five. I'm taking on a double tonight."

"Do you have a way home?"

"The bus, I don't live that far from here."

"You're not taking the bus." I say pulling out my phone. "Jake, I need you to give Bella's nurse a lift home. OK, right out front." I look back at Angela. "My driver will be here in ten minutes waiting out front." I see her try and protest. "Don't argue, you've done more than enough to help out Bella. Plus, you need to get some sleep if you are working a double, I insist."

"Thank you Mr. Cullen!" She says nodding to me as she walks to the door.

"Angela, it's just Edward, Mr. Cullen is my father."

She laughs and smiles. "Thank you, Edward!" And with that she is out the door.

I exhale loudly and run my hand through my hair. "You know, one day you are going to pull that hair right out of your head if you keep pulling at it like that." I hear from behind me. I turn to see Bella smiling at me.

"Hi, beautiful!" I say walking over to her.

"Hi!" She blushes as she smiles. "That was really nice of you, you know."

"What? Calling you, beautiful? It's just the truth, Bella." I tease.

"You know what." She says giving me that 'you can't bullshit me' look that only she and mother can pull on me. "Having Jake come and take Angela home."

"I can be nice from time to time."

"You're nice all the time." She says cocking her head to the side. "When was the last time you slept Edward?" I stand there and think, because I can't remember. "If you have to think that hard about it." She says motioning for me to get into bed with her. I walk over to her and don't hesitate to climb in and winding my arms around her, softly pulling her to my chest. She lays her head down and runs her hands over my heart. "You are my heart too, Edward. I...I can't...I don't want to hide these feelings anymore. They've always been there, I just pushed them so far down so that I wouldn't get hurt every time I seen you with another girl."

"**Ti ho amato per sempre Isabella. Mi dispiace mi ci è voluto così tanto tempo. [I've loved you forever Isabella. I'm sorry it took me so long.]"

"**Sono contento di aver finalmente vedere. Tu sei il mio per sempre. [I'm glad I finally see it. You are my forever.]"

"I love that you speak Italian!"

She laughs. "Carlisle once told me that it was a shame that a good Italian girl, like myself didn't speak the language. The next day I had a tutor." She said yawning.

"Sleep, Love."

"You, too!" She says grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers and bringing our hands to rest over my heart.

"Yes, Love. I'm not going anywhere." We let sleep take over and I have never felt more at peace in my life as I did in this moment.

Thank you for taking the time to read. And as always, if the feeling moves you...leave me some love. See you all tomorrow!