Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to SM. No infringement intended. Anything original is mine, though. Rated M for future chapters.
This is an AU/AH story. My first fanfic in the Twilight world.
CHAPTER SIX
The first thing Bella registered was warmth.
She reveled in the feeling as consciousness came back to her slowly. Her eyes were incredibly heavy so she decided that opening them wasn't that important at the moment, choosing instead to listen to the strange, muted noises in the background. It almost sounded like the mother in the Charlie Brown movies, an indistinct "roh roh roh".
Bella focused on the rest of her body, slowly wiggling her fingers and toes. There was some pain in her arms, kind of like the time Jacob dared her to lift the hundred pound barbells that he would weight train with. She had been bound and determined to lift those damn barbells, and she had, but the next week had been a lesson in pride and the importance of working up to that kind of weight.
She swallowed, cringing slightly at the raw, razor sharp feeling of her throat, and she could taste the bitterness of the river water she had ingested. What she would give for a toothbrush and toothpaste, or an entire bottle of mouthwash to take that flavor away.
The muted noises in the background slowly became clear, and she recognized them as voices, their words clear but speaking nearby in hushed tones.
"How's she doing?" Her green eyed angel. She would remember that voice for the rest of her life.
"She seems to be doing better. I've bandaged her hands and her lungs are clear, thankfully." That voice she did not recognize, but it had a comforting quality to it. "She'll be sore for a while, she was pretty banged up, but she'll live."
At the man's words, Bella began to register the stinging sensation in her hands, but her body felt too heavy to even attempt to look at the damage. She preferred to focus on the warmth surrounding her and the softness beneath her. And the soothing voice of the angel in the room.
"Emmett said he found her car washed up downriver a ways. He managed to get her bags out of it, but he's not sure if everything is destroyed or not. Her car is totaled, obviously."
"She's lucky she managed to get out of the car before it went under."
"We saw the accident from the bluff," her angel said and she swore she could detect both fear and pride in his voice. "A tree fell across the road and she had to slam on her breaks to avoid hitting it. Of course with the water over the road, she hydroplaned and went into the river. I swear, she was out of that window in about 15 seconds, before Emmett could even start the ambulance."
"Smart girl," the other voice said and a rush of warmth spread through her body at the kind words. She thought back to what her angel had said, describing her accident from his perspective and her heart started pounding, remembering the sheer terror she felt during those moments. Being the only child of a police chief, she had grown up learning how to protect herself in different scenarios. She knew how to bring down an attacker- "aim for the balls, Bells" - how to shoot a gun- "pull the trigger on your exhale, kiddo" - how to get her truck out of a snowy ditch- "never get behind the wheel without a bag of cat litter in the back, Bella" – there wasn't a scenario that her father hadn't taught her how to get out of. She remembered when she first got her license at 16, just a few months before her parents were killed, there had been some bad flooding around Forks and a family of four had lost their lives when their car was caught in the floodwaters. Charlie Swan had drilled into his daughter's head how critical those first 30 seconds were once the car went into the water. If she didn't get out of the car before it submerged, her chances of survival would plummet. And if she didn't survive it, he would forever be furious at her for leaving him like that.
She never once thought she would ever end up in that situation. She thanked her father fervently for his teachings for he had just saved her life.
Well, him and the green eyed angel.
Bella shivered at the memory of her accident and shifted slightly, groaning when the movement jarred her hip and a sharp pain shot from her hip to her knee.
The voices stopped and she felt the warmth of a hand on her forehead.
"Can you hear me, honey?"
Bella opened her eyes slowly, once again meeting the deep green. Those eyes belonged to a face that was beyond beautiful. A crooked grin tilted up the corners of the perfectly shaped mouth, making the green sparkle like gems. A shock of messy, damp hair fell over his forehead, somewhat dark in color from the water. He had a day's growth of coppery brown stubble on his strong chin and he looked exhausted. Despite the exhaustion, he looked at her as if she were a giant Christmas present with his name on it.
Bella's stomach fluttered at the thought. Even in her condition, she recognized the wave of lust spiking through her body at the sight of the beautiful man.
"You," she croaked, swallowing hard at the pain in her throat. "You pulled me out of the water."
The man smiled at her, his arm going behind her head, lifting her slightly and bringing a cup with a straw to her mouth. "And you got out of the car and held on for me," he said softly. "Take a sip, but slowly. It will help your throat."
Bella sipped from the straw, expecting water but was pleasantly surprised at the lukewarm tea with honey that she tasted instead. She moaned at the flavor, closing her eyes and taking a few more tiny sips before pulling her head back. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," he lowered her back to the pillow and sat the cup down behind her head. "And I'm so happy to see you awake. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Bella blushed as he reached out, brushing her hair off of her forehead. She fought the urge to nuzzle into his hand, instead taking a quick glance around the room.
She expected a hospital room, given the turn of events, but it appeared that she was in a bedroom in someone's house. It was a good sized room with a chest of drawers, a desk and a large curtained window. Beside her bed was a nightstand, and the bed she was lying in was large, a Queen sized with luxuriously soft sheets and warm, heavy blue blankets. Bella looked down, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the needle taped to her bandaged hand, and followed the tube up to a bag of clear IV fluid attached to a hook on a stand.
"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but where am I?"
The man chuckled, sitting back slightly. "You're in my parent's house. My father is a doctor and we thought it was imperative to get you inside and looked after quickly. The roads to the nearest hospital are flooded out, so we didn't want to risk getting stuck." He leaned forward again, staring deeply into her eyes. "I'm Edward Cullen."
Bella cleared her throat, holding out her bandaged hand to him. "Nice to meet you, Edward. I'm Bella Swan."
Edward's smile widened as he took her hand in his and she swallowed hard at how his massive hand seemed to dwarf her own tiny one. When did her hands become so small?
A throat cleared and Bella tore her eyes away from their joined hands, spotting a tall, blond man near the door with a fatherly smile on his face. Edward turned slightly to look behind him before facing her again.
"Bella, this is my father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Dad, this is Bella Swan."
"Hello Bella," Carlisle stepped forward and she reluctantly pulled her hand out of Edwards grasp to shake the good doctor's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Cullen."
He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Just Carlisle is fine, dear. We're relieved to see you awake."
Bella brought her hand down to her lap to join her other one, nervously picking at the bandages. "How long was I asleep?"
"Almost fourteen hours," Carlisle said, gently picking up her wrist to check her pulse. "You'd had a pretty traumatic experience and needed the rest."
"So I'm gonna be okay?" She knew that he'd told Edward that she would be, but she wanted to make sure for herself.
"You should be just fine," he assured her, laying her hand back down gently. "A few bumps and bruises and cuts that I've cleaned and bandaged. Your lungs are clear, but you may be achy for a little while. Your hands were pretty cut up from the branches, but they'll heal with minimal scarring."
Bella nodded, relieved that despite the danger she had been in, she had gotten out of it fairly unscathed. Things could have gone so much worse.
"Is there anybody you need to call?" Edward asked suddenly. "Your parents, brothers or sisters? A boyfriend or husband?"
Bella nodded, remembering that she was supposed to call Jacob when she reached her cabin in Gatlinburg. "I need to call my best friend. I was supposed to call him last night when I got in and my phone was damaged in the flood. He's bound to be freaking out by now."
Edward nodded, reaching into his pocket and removing his own cell phone. "You had your purse strapped on when we got you out of the river. Mom put your cell phone in a bowl of rice hoping to save it, but it hasn't worked so far. We may need to take you into Sevierville to get you a new one."
Bella took the phone gratefully, thinking about her belongings. She was sad to lose her laptop and car, but everything could be replaced. Her heart seized, though, when she thought of the contents of her purse. "Was everything destroyed in my purse?"
Edward stood up and walked over to the desk, lifting said purse off of the chair and bringing it back to the bed. "I'm not sure. We didn't go through it, only to get your phone to see if we could find anybody to contact in case of an emergency."
Bella unzipped the bag, fearfully going through the drenched contents and pulling out the familiar envelope from her father. It was wet, the handwriting on the front darker and the ink bleeding slightly. She carefully removed the letter and spread it out on her lap, lovingly smoothing it out. It was damaged some, but still readable and she was grateful that the one thing that meant the most had somewhat survived the ordeal. She met Edward's worried eyes and offered him a smile.
"It's okay. This is all I cared about and it's fine. I just have to get it laminated sometime to protect it."
He nodded, glancing down at the papers on her lap. "Do you want me to lay them out on the desk? Let it dry out?" He met her eyes. "I'll be very careful with it, Bella. I promise."
She nodded, somehow trusting him with the most important thing to her. He gently picked up the papers and carried them back over to the desk, laying them out flat on the surface.
"I'm going to head downstairs and let Esme know you're awake," Carlisle said, making his presence known once again. "She's been cooking for you ever since Edward and Emmett brought you here. Are you up for some soup and hot tea?"
Bella nodded, wondering who Esme was but figuring she would learn more soon enough. "It sounds heavenly Carlisle. I can't thank you enough for your kindness."
He smiled down at her, patting her knee gently. "No thanks necessary, Bella. Just get better, that's all the thanks I require."
She watched as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Edward returned to her side, sitting down on the edge of the bed and nodding at the phone in her hands. "Would you prefer if I left you alone while you made your calls?"
She shook her head. "Not necessary. It's likely that Jacob will want to talk to you anyway. Make sure I'm okay and all."
At Edward's nod, she turned on the phone and dialed out, bringing it to her ear. It only rang once before her friend's panicked voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jake," she said softly, clearing her throat to dislodge the lump of emotion growing there.
"Jesus Christ, Bells! I've been in a panic since last night! Why didn't you call me? Why aren't you calling from your phone? Are you okay? Where are you? Why weren't you answering your phone?"
She sniffled, feeling like shit for causing Jacob so much distress. "I'm sorry I didn't call last night. I was kind of in an accident and just recently woke up."
"What?" Jacob's voice rose to dog whistle pitch, his fear and anxiety palpable over the airwaves. "Are you okay? Are you in the hospital? Which hospital? Sam and I will catch the first flight out!"
"I'm fine," she swore, struggling to sit up. Edward reached out silently, assisting her with moving up and moved the pillows behind her back so she could lean against the headboard. "And I'm not in the hospital. The roads to the nearest hospital are kind of flooded out and I'm staying in the local doctor's house with his family."
"The doctor's house? Bella, explain." The voice on the other end was harsh, and she knew he wasn't angry with her, only terrified for her. She couldn't get mad at his sharp tone.
"Ikindofgotcaughtupinaflashflood," she said quickly. Beside her, Edward chuckled quietly at her fast speak and she rolled her eyes at him. He only smiled back innocently.
Jacob huffed on the other end. "Slower, Bells."
"I pulled off the interstate during a storm to find shelter and got caught up in a flash flood," she said slower, feeling her eyes fill up with tears at the sob that escaped her friend's lips. "I'm okay, but my car is totaled and my phone was destroyed. And I just woke up a little bit ago, so this is really the first chance I've been able to call you."
"A flash flood? Are you still in Nashville?"
"No, I left Nashville yesterday morning. I'm somewhere between Knoxville and Gatlinburg," she said, narrowing her eyes. She honestly had no idea where the hell she was. Looking up at Edward, she gave him a wide eyed stare. "Where am I, exactly?"
His eyes were tender as he leaned forward slightly. "You're in Chapel Crossing. About fifteen miles northeast of Gatlinburg."
"Who was that?" Jacob demanded. "Is that the doctor?"
"The doctor's son, actually," Bella said, her eyes still caught up in Edward's stare. "He saw the accident and pulled me out of the river."
"Pulled you out of the river?" Jacob's voice had hit teenage girl shriek status and Bella had to pull the phone away from her ear. "How the hell did you end up in the river, Bella? Put him on! I need to talk to him!"
Bella bit her lip, holding the phone out to Edward. "He wants to talk to you."
Edward grinned reassuringly, taking the phone from her. "Hello, this is Edward Cullen." Pause. "I swear to you, Jacob, Bella is just fine. A little scraped up and bruised, but she's safe and sound." Pause. "Dr. Carlisle Cullen, he has a family practice in Chapel Crossing… he graduated from John's Hopkins School of Medicine with honors about eighteen years ago."
Bella groaned, shaking her head at Jacob's obvious game of twenty questions but Edward only shot her a look of understanding. She listened as Edward patiently explained her accident to Jacob, following with her rescue and bringing her to his parent's home because the road to the hospital was impassible. He listed off the phone numbers of his father's office, his father's cell phone and the home phone number before assuring him that the number Bella had called from was indeed his own cell phone number and that he could call at any time. He also assured Jacob that he would keep Bella safe and get her to the closest large town to buy a new cell phone and find a new safe car for her. By the time he handed the phone back to her, Bella was blushing bright red.
"I'm so sorry," she mouthed, taking the phone back. Edward only chuckled and shook his head.
"He's worried for you, Bella. It's understandable."
She sighed and put the phone back to her ear. "Do you believe me now that I'm okay, Jacob Black?"
"Don't get short with me, young lady!" Jacob teased, finally sounding a little bit more like himself. "You can't expect me to hear how close I came to losing you forever and be calm about it."
"I know. And I'm sorry. I'm still a bit in shock over everything. It's a bit surreal at this point."
Jacob sniffled on the other end. "For me too. I knew the weather was bad down there, and when I didn't hear from you, I thought the worst."
"I'm okay, Jake. No more floating down the river in the Volvo for me, I promise."
"Smartass," he muttered. "I'm proud of you for thinking so quickly and getting out of the car when you did. Edward said he was impressed with how quickly you were able to get out."
"Daddy taught me well," Bella whispered and Jacob grunted in agreement. "I'm going to let you go for now, I'm ready for a nap already."
"Call me tonight? You know, for peace of mind."
"I will. I promise. Let everybody know I'm okay, will ya? Post on there that I'm currently without a laptop, so I can't log back on right now."
"I will. I love you , Bells."
Bella sniffled. "I love you too, Jake. Tell Sam I said 'hi' and I love him as well."
"Will do."
Bella cleared her throat, ending the call and handing the phone back to Edward. "Thank you for being patient with him. He's got that 'big brother/overprotective father' bit going on when it comes to me."
"Not a problem," Edward said, taking the phone back. "Is there anybody else you need to call?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Just Jacob. He'll let my other friends know that I'm okay."
Edward looked like he wanted to ask a question, but shook his head instead and pocketed the phone. He was about to say something but a knock on the door interrupted him.
The door opened and a lovely woman walked in, carrying a tray in her hands. Bella stared at the woman, amazed at the fantastic genes running through the people in the house. The woman looked like a movie star from the 1950's, with her soft caramel colored hair and sparkling green eyes. There was a strong resemblance to Edward, but she didn't look old enough to be his mother, so Bella was going for sister.
"Hello, Bella dear," the woman said in a soft southern accent, coming closer. "I brought you some chicken soup and herbal tea. It should help with the rawness of your throat."
"Thank you," Bella murmured, watching as Edward moved further back on the bed while the woman set the tray over Bella's lap. Besides the bowl of soup and mug of tea, there was a sectioned orange on a small plate and a little vase with a beautiful rose on the tray. "This is wonderful!"
The woman smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. "You're very welcome, dear. My name is Esme. I'm Carlisle's wife and this one's mother," she teased, nodding her head towards Edward. Bella couldn't hide the surprise on her face.
"I thought you were his sister or something!" The moment the words were out of her mouth, she groaned and blushed. Esme laughed, clapping her hands in glee.
"You just made my entire week, no need to be embarrassed. You gave us quite the scare when Edward and Emmett showed up with you in the ambulance. Sounds like you had quite a frightening evening."
"It was, but your son saved my life. And Emmett," she looked between the mother and son. "I don't really remember him, just that he was there in front of the ambulance."
"Emmett's my nephew," Esme said, pulling up a chair and making herself comfortable. "He's a volunteer EMT with Edward a few days a week. He called a bit ago to check up on you. You might have a couple visitors when you feel up to it."
Bella nodded, not quite sure why a stranger would want to visit her. Instead of thinking on it, she reached out and carefully picked up the mug of tea, bringing it to her lips and sipping slowly.
"Are the storms over?" She asked, setting the mug down and starting in on the most amazing bowl of soup she'd ever consumed. She would have to get the recipe from Esme before she left.
"For a few days, Edward answered. "At least enough time to let the flooding recede a bit."
"I'm not used to storms like this. Rain, yes. Where I'm from it rained all the time, but the severity of it…" Bella broke off with a shiver. "I was on the way to Gatlinburg from St Louis and had to stop for a couple days in Nashville because of them. I had thought they were over with."
"Where are you from, dear?" Esme asked, folding her hands on her lap.
"Washington State. A few hours outside of Seattle."
"Well aren't you a long way from home. Your parents must be beside themselves with worry!"
Bella looked down, finding the orange slices interesting. "My parents died when I was sixteen. It was just my best friend Jacob and I until I graduated high school this year. I've been on a road trip for the past month and a half." She didn't want to get into the Billy situation, choosing instead to leave that part of her life to herself. "I was on my way to Gatlinburg to spend a week when this happened."
"Oh my," Esme's eyes filled with sadness. "I'm so sorry to hear about your parents."
"Thank you."
"Where were you heading after Gatlinburg?" Edward asked, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Florida." Bella returned to her food, sipping the broth from her spoon. "I thought maybe I'd find somewhere I'd want to stay for awhile. Maybe rent an apartment. Driving was starting to get tiresome. Of course now, I'll have to find another car."
Esme sat forward in the chair, reaching out to pat Bella's leg. "Well you're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like. And we'd be happy to take you to Sevierville to find a new car. And a phone. I tried to save yours with rice and paper towels, but it wouldn't work."
"I appreciate you trying. I'm just grateful I'm okay. Just about everything else can be replaced."
The three of them chatted comfortably as Bella finished her meal, which Carlisle followed up with some Tylenol once he came back into the room.
"I'll leave you alone to get some rest," Esme said, standing up to take Bella's tray. "Just let us know if you need anything, sweetheart."
"Thank you so much," Bella smiled softly at the kind woman and Esme smiled back before quietly leaving the room. Carlisle watched his wife go before turning back to Bella.
"I'd prefer if you stayed in bed at least a couple more days," he said. "Give the antibiotics some time to work," he nodded towards the IV. "There are also some fluids to prevent dehydration. Are you allergic to any medications?"
Bella shook her head. "Not that I know of. My dad was allergic to penicillin, but I'm not."
"Good, good," Carlisle murmured. "Well I'll leave you to rest. That is the best medicine."
"Thank you, Carlisle."
He left the room and Bella faced Edward, noticing that he seemed to be staring at her intently. When their eyes met, he looked down and she was intrigued to see his ears turning pink.
"I'd better follow their lead," he said quietly, looking back up at her. He reached back into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "I'm going to leave my cell phone on the nightstand if you need it. I'll be here, so just dial 'Mom and Dad' if you need one of us."
Bella bit her lip, watching as he leaned forward to set the phone on the nightstand. "That's not necessary, Edward. What if you miss an important call? I can get out of bed and find someone if I need something."
He shook his head. "You need to stay in bed and rest, no exploring just yet." His grin lit up his face and Bella was enamored. "The en suite is through that door," he pointed towards a partially opened door against the far wall. "As for missing an important call, all the important people know they can reach me on my parent's house phone. It's not a problem, Bella, I promise."
She nodded, unable to look away from his face. Seriously, he was too damn beautiful. Clearing her throat, she looked down to her hands.
"I can't thank you enough, Edward. For everything."
Bella almost groaned aloud when his hand gently covered her own. "No thanks necessary, honey. Believe me, it was my pleasure."
He stood up and Bella had to fight the urge to beg him to stay. The man had jumped into a raging river to save her life and then stayed by her side for God knows how long. He had to be out of his mind exhausted. She watched as he walked to the door, stopping with his hand on the frame.
"I'll be back to check on you in a bit," he promised, giving her a reassuring smile. She nodded, smiling and leaning back into the sinfully soft pillows behind her head.
"Thank you, Edward."
"You're entirely welcome, Bella."
*.*.*
Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews. Seriously, I'm so happy that you seem to like my little story. And Yay, we've made it to Edward! Finally!