WON'T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU

OVER THE HOURS of waiting, Alice Cullen had introduced herself to my mother, and then proceeded to charm her until they were now close confidantes. It gave me time and space to worry for my sister without having to look after my mother, too. Rosalie and I spent most of our time in the waiting room or the cafeteria. We had booked a hotel room at the same place Bella had 'had her accident', so I was reluctantly dragged away after visiting hours to sleep and eat and shower and all the other human things that were now being monitored keenly by my ever vigilant best friend.

But that was what Rosalie was to me now. The title felt underwhelming for the depth of emotion I felt for her, but it was what I would settle for. As long as she would have me. On the third day, when my mother was more coherent, she had eyed the too beautiful blonde who watched over me, and waited until Rosalie was out of hearing range. I knew that she wasn't. "You didn't tell me about her."

"It's new." I say truthfully, unable to understand how quickly we had progressed to this point. "We got close after Bella and Edward started dating."

"She seems a little standoffish."

I chuckle. I imagined after a few hours with Alice, anyone would seem cold-hearted. "She's nice when she wants to be."

I knew Rose would hear that. I could imagine her huffing. Alice comes around at lunchtime, insisting we all go to the cafeteria together. We had taken turns until then - one of us always staying behind so Bella would have us when she woke up. But it was impossible to argue with Alice.

Mom insisted on climbing the stairs after, on our way back to the room to get some quarters from her bag. She fretted about how much junk food we'd been consuming over the past few days, wishing we had time for a gym visit. The stairs would have to do. It was so strange to have this conversation with her, one that had been so oddly normal before. I was the athletic twin, her gym partner, her willing yoga buddy - though graciously that phase didn't stick. Of course I should care what I've been eating. But the medicine and vitamins Dr. Owens had prescribed me was working, for the most part. I just had to be careful Mom didn't see any of the labels.

I looked up at the nurses' station as we passed, smile easy. They'd been really good to us. I thought about asking Rosalie to stop at a grocery store on our next trip back to the hospital, get them some snacks as a thank you. A few chocolate boxes, maybe. "Any change?"

I kept walking, not really expecting a different answer from Nurse Bea. "Actually, there's been some fluctuation on her monitors. I was about to go in."

I actually froze, before remembering we'd left Edward behind. Bella would be fine. But we were taking longer strides now, Mom's steps two-time to match my longer legs. "I'll check on her and let you know..."

The younger aide, rising out of her chair, sat back down again, bowing to my mother's desires. She got to the door first, opening it quietly, as if she'd wake my sister. Bella was already awake.

"Mom!" Bella whispered joyously, and then her eyes, open and brown as ever, darted to me, relief clearly flooding her. "Gracie."

It took everything in me not to bolt to her, but my strides were quick and I was careful, hardly touching her as I leaned over her to hug her, pressing a kiss against her bandaged head. "Don't ever do that to me again."

She had a sheepish smile. "I'm so glad to see you. And mom, you're here! I'm so happy you're here!"

Mom had walked to the other side of the hospital bed, where Edward was pretending to sleep on the recliner. I'd heard her mumbling when I'd hugged Bella, noting aloud how Edward never left. But now she had Bella in her sights, crying as soon as she bent over her to repeat what I had done. "Bella, I was so upset!"

"I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now, it's okay?" Bella comforted her.

"I'm just glad to finally see your eyes open." I sight, sitting on the edge of her bed while Mom fussed over her, brushing her hair back with a weeping smile.

Bella frowned at me. "How long have they been closed?"

"It's Friday, hon, you've been out for a while." Mom answered.

"Friday?" Bella was shocked.

"They had to keep you sedated for a while, Bells - you've got a lot of injuries." I frown a little at her. She didn't seem like she was in pain for now, the painkillers must be really strong.

"I know." She glances down at her bulky leg beneath her blanket.

"You're lucky Dr. Cullen was there. He's such a nice man... very young, though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor..." Mom's eyes were distant.

"You met Carlisle?"

"And Edward's sisters. Alice is a lovely girl, Rosalie hardly lets your sister out of her sight."

I roll my eyes at Mom's tone. "She's just trying to be here for me, Mom."

"Rosalie's here?" Bella's surprised. I was a little thrown at her reaction, the fear in her eyes. Did she not know that Rosalie had saved her life? Was she already unconscious for that?

"Yeah, she came with me."

Mom glanced over her shoulder at Edward, lying with his eyes closed in the chair. "You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Forks." Bella cringed, and then moaned.

"What hurts?" I'm already up on my feet, trying to remember what button I had to press to call the nurses.

"It's fine." Bella assured us. "I just have to remember not to move."

Bella seemed eager to move on. "Where's Phil?"

"Florida - oh, Bella! You'll never guess! Just when we were about to leave, the best news!"

"Phil got signed?" Bella guessed.

"Phil got signed." I smiled, nodding.

"That's great, Mom." Bella didn't sound even half as enthusiastic as I had, and I had a feeling it was because she had no clue what getting signed meant.

"And you'll like Jacksonville so much." Mom's gushing words take us both by surprise, sharing a glance to check if the other twin had any idea. "I was a little bit worried when Phil started talking about Akron, what with the snow and everything, because you know how I hate the cold, but now Jacksonville! It's always sunny, and the humidity really isn't that bad. We found the cutest house, yellow, with white time, and a porch just like in an old movie, and this huge oak tree, and it's just a few minutes from the ocean, and you'll each have your own bathroom - "

"Whoa, whoa." I cut her off. "What do you mean 'each'?"

"Yeah Mom." Bella sounded far more panicked than I did. "What are you talking about? We're not going to Florida. We live in Forks."

"But you don't have to anymore, silly." She laughed as if the very idea that anyone could want to stay in Forks had never even occurred to her. "Phil will be able to be around so much more now... we've talked about it a lot, and what I'm going to do is trade off on the away games, half the time with you, half the time with him."

Bella turned to me, eyes pleading. I sighed. "Mom." I hesitated, wondering how best to be diplomatic about this. "We want to live in Forks. We're already settled in at school, we have a lot of friends" - I didn't miss the way Mom glanced toward Edward again when I reminded her of friends, so I worked harder to take the spotlight from Bella. "I have Adam, too, we're getting serious and I don't want to have to pull the plug again with another move like Johnny. Besides, Charlie needs us. He's just all alone up there."

"He can't cook at all." Bella tacked on.

"You want to stay in Forks?" She asked, bewildered. I had been right. The idea was inconceivable to her. And then her eyes flickered to Edward again, and then to Bella. My reasoning was valid. Bella had been on her side about Forks. She hated the town just as much as Mom.

"Why?"

"Like Gracie said - school, Charlie - ouch!" Bella had shrugged. Not a good idea. Mom's hands fluttered helplessly over my twin, trying to find a safe place to pat. She made do with her forehead; it was unbandaged. I snorted at the awkward move.

"Bella, honey, you hate Forks." Mom reminded her. "You don't have to stay if your sister wants to, you know. I know you two have very different ideas about where you'd wanna live."

She frowned and looked back and forth between Edward and Bella again, this time very deliberately. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Is it this boy?"

"He's part of it." Bella eventually confesses, and I smile. "So, have you had a chance to talk with Edward?"

"Yes." She hesitated, looking at his perfectly still form. "And I want to talk to you about that."

Uh-oh. "What about?" Bella asked.

"I think that boy is in love with you." She accused, keeping her voice low. I grin.

"I think so, too." Bella matches her whisper.

"And how do you feel about him?" She only poorly concealed the raging curiosity in her voice.

"I'm pretty crazy about him." She finally said. It was the understatement of the year.

"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella..." Her voice took a familiar tone; as far as I could remember, this was the first time since we were eight that she'd come close to using her 'parent' tone with Bella. Bella, the well-behaved one. Bella, who hadn't gotten busted at a college party soaked with Tequila. Bella, who hadn't gotten detention and a call home for making out with her too-old boyfriend in the parking lot during Spanish. Bella, who had never put a toe out of line her entire life.

"I know that, Mom. Don't worry about it. It's just a crush." Bella soothed her.

"That's right." She agreed, far more easily pleased with Bella than she was with me. My bitterness stung. I could imagine her reaction now, to the news I had been waiting to tell her and Charlie. My new deadline was after Bella got home.

Mom sighed and glanced guiltily over her shoulder at the big, round clock on the wall. Bella noticed. "Do you need to go?"

She bit her lip. "Phil's supposed to call in a little while... I didn't know you were going to wake up..."

"It's fine Mom." I assure her, but my voice is a little tight with annoyance. "I'll be here with her."

"I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know." She announced, proud of herself.

"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that! You can sleep at home - I'll never notice." Bella was sounding a little off. She had been awake for longer than I expected with everything tubing into her.

"I was too nervous." Mom admitted sheepishly. "There's been some crime in the neighborhood, and I don't like being there alone. Your sister's been staying with your friends at their hotel."

"Crime?" Bella asked in alarm.

"Someone broke into our old dance studio, the one around the corner from our house?" I tell Bella with a pointed look. "Burned it to the ground."

"There's nothing left at all!" Mom gossiped. "Do you remember when you two used to dance there, honey?"

"I remember." Bella shivered, and winced.

"I can stay, baby, if you need me."

"No, Mom, I'll be fine. I have Edward and Gracie." Mom looked like that might be why she wanted to stay. "I'll be back tonight." It sounded as much like a warning as it sounded like a promise, and she glanced at Edward again as she said it.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Bella. Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don't want to lose you."

"I'll carry her everywhere from now on. Piggyback." I joke to lighten the mood, and Bella smiles with appreciation. A nurse came bustling in then to check all her tubes and wires. Mom kissed her forehead, patted her gauze-wrapped hand, and left. The nurse was checking the paper readout on Bella's heart monitor.

"Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there."

I raised both my eyebrows high, giving my sister a look while she flushed scarlet. "I'm fine."

"I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute."

As soon as she closed the door, Edward was at Bella's side. I was slowly getting used to how fast the Cullens moved. "You stole a car?"

"Multiple." I answer for her. "We had to lose the first. We had a full-on car chase, Edward destroyed most of it on the way."

"I didn't need rearview mirrors." Edward shot back.

I ignored him. "I felt like I was in The Fast and the Furious."

Bella blanched, but Edward chuckled. I saw Rosalie in the doorway, lingering and sharing a look with me before disappearing out of view. She was back from her hunt, then. "I'm gonna give you guys a minute."

It was a normal, quiet conversation we had. I wanted to know where she had gone, if she was all right. But then, out of nowhere, she goes rigid. And then she snarls, low and deadly and inhuman, lips curling over her dangerous teeth. Her eyes were so full of savage wrath I could only think back to the look on her face the first time we saw each other. "Rose? Hey, easy. What's wrong?"

I'd tried to reach her clenched fist, but quick as a blink, she was across the hallway from me. I frown even more. She was shaking with her ferocious anger now, her entire long body vibrating with the emotion. "She just - I - I need to leave."

It was very obvious that the physical strain of removing herself from the situation was immense. "I'll come with you."

"No." She was quick. "No, I'm not safe right now."

"Rose." I give her a look. "I'm coming with you, and you're going to stop eavesdropping and hearing things you won't like."

She looks very ready to start shrieking, but she purses her lips, nodding stiffly and turning on her heel. I sigh, glancing back at the door to my sister's room, wondering what fresh hell she had released. I followed behind the fuming blonde not unlike a puppy. It was going to be a long day trying to calm her down.

But when I find out what she'd heard, I'm just as angry and upset. Bella wanted to become a vampire. She was upset that Edward had not let her become one. I had come to understand, in the way they looked at each other, that she would choose Edward over me. That he had become the singular priority of her life. But I had not thought she would make this choice so easily, so willfully. That she wanted it now.

Gracie won't miss me. The words Rosalie repeated to me burned deep against my heart, leaving a permanent scar. She was choosing to leave me behind, and she didn't think I would even care. She was my fucking twin for Christ's sake.