I manage to fight the pneumonia off, but it gets a little hairy from time to time. Thankfully, Edward doesn't leave my side—even when he gets weird looks from the nurses. Emmett explains that Edward's his close friend, but I still worry it was obvious he was too close to me. But I try not to think about it. I'm finally well enough to leave the hospital, which is all that matters.

"All packed?" Edward asks, looking at my bag at the foot of the bed. Emmett is pulling the car around, so Edward said he'd bring me out.

I nod, smiling like a crazy person under the mask they're making me wear. It's purple, so, oh well, I can't complain much. "Get me the hell out of here, please?"

He chuckles as someone brings a wheelchair in. I shake my head, but he stops me. "You can't walk that far yet. Now hop in so I can free you from this prison."

He's probably right, so I stop protesting and sit in the chair. He tosses my bag over his shoulder, and then wheels me out of the room. There's a little fanfare as we leave—the nurses and doctors saying goodbye and wishing me luck.

While I can't go home yet, leaving is good enough for now. Besides, Emmett has a swanky hotel room waiting for me, and Edward is staying with me tonight. Sadly, he has to go home for the next couple of days, but he promised to come back every weekend as long as he's not on call.

He finished his last reserve weekend just before my transplant, so he no longer has to go out of town. I'm proud of him for serving, but I'm glad he's done—and he is too.

We get outside, and Emmett opens the passenger side door to the Jeep. I'm a little slow to stand because I'm still a bit weak, so Edward helps me into the seat, which is warm from the seat heaters. It's February, so it's kind of freezing out, and I'm thankful he thought ahead.

"Ready to get the fuck out of here?" Emmett asks with a grin.

I nod as I pull on my seat belt. "I'd rather go home, but just getting out is good enough for now."

He goes to the driver's seat as Edward hops in the back. The hotel is only a five-minute drive, and it's a gorgeous day. Since I'm not quite ready to walk very far, Edward carries me to the room. It's a huge suite with two bedrooms, and I get the one with the king bed, which Edward sits me on.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asks as I get comfortable, propping pillows up behind me.

I nod, asking for a Coke, which he reluctantly obliges. I'm only allowed one a day, and I don't feel like saving it for later. I'm free, so it's kind of a celebratory thing.

Emmett comes in with my bag and his medical one. "We're going to take your vitals three times a day, just to be safe. Also, you have some medicines you need to take in about an hour. I have them all sorted in pill cases with the time written on them."

He pulls out three, setting them on the nightstand before he opens his bag and sits beside me. I'm not annoyed he wants to do vitals so often. We need to do everything we can to protect this heart, which is why I can't go home yet.

I have physical therapy, tests, and a lot of appointments over the next three months, so I need to be close to the hospital.

Emmett wraps the blood pressure cuff around my arm and clips the pulse-ox thing to my finger as Edward comes back in.

"I have the journal in my bag," Edward says, going to his bag on the floor. He pulls out the journal and hands it to Emmett as he finishes.

"One-sixteen over seventy-nine, and your O2 sat is at ninety-eight," Emmett says with a smile. "I'm so fucking happy you're doing so well, Bells. Let's get your temp."

He grabs the thermometer and runs it across my forehead and behind my ear. "Ninety-eight-point-six. Perfect."

He writes down the numbers in the journal as I sip my delicious Coke. Finally, things are going well. I'm going to be back to normal soon. Sure, I have to take a shitload of meds, but it's worth it to feel so well.

I'm a new person, and I love it.


Thanks to May, Nole, Fran, Brier, and Meg for prereading and Sally for Beta'ing.