I couldn't even call for Alice before Edward materialized at my bedside. It was hard to tell because of his stoic demeanor, but he must have heard our conversation. He knew exactly what Anna was talking about. And even though my entire chest was shivering from hyperventilating, I was going to get answers.
"Wha-?!" I couldn't form words, "Thom-"
"Hannah, it's okay." He said, but his words were empty.
"What happened?!" I said.
He looked perfectly still, "It's not serious."
"Edward, tell me." I demanded, but my voice quivered.
"The enemy tried to destroy him." He said.
"Destroy him?" I squeaked.
"The easiest way is for the vampire to be torn apart and burned." He explained flatly, like an exhausted parent explaining something to their toddler for the umpteenth time.
I nodded, trying to not vomit.
"He only lost a leg when he was saved." He said.
"A leg?!" I said.
"At the kneecap." He said.
"A leg-" I squealed, horrified, and Alice materialized in the doorway holding an empty brown paper takeout bag.
"It's okay, Hannah. We'll try to find his leg." She soothed, sitting at the foot of my bed and hanging me the bag, "If we can't, he can live without it."
I stared at them in shock as tears rolled down my cheeks.
"He almost died, and nobody told me!" I cried.
"We didn't want to worry you." Alice said, "You need to focus on getting better."
"How can he protect himself without a leg?!" I cried.
"There are prosthetics." Edward said calmly, "He can basically use the same ones that humans do, although it will be made from a stronger material. They strap onto the thigh."
"Is he okay? Is he safe? Where is he now?" I whimpered.
"He's in Forks with everyone else. He's fine." Edward said.
"I have to go! I have to see that he's okay." I said.
"You're not going anywhere." Edward said firmly, "You're still healing."
"It's not safe for you." Alice said gently, "Wait one more month, and we can take you to your family. Two months is better, but one month is feasible if you insist. You can finish healing there."
"No, I need to see Thomas." I said.
Alice and Edward exchanged a glance. Edward shook his head.
"Can he come back here in the meantime?" I asked.
Alice shook her head, "We can't spare the manpower to move him. We do not know where his leg is, and we do not have time to properly design and manufacture a replacement. Until then, he needs to stay hidden for his safety."
"Am I allowed to call him at least?" I asked, the classic teenage attitude rearing its ugly head.
"Of course." Alice said, unfazed.
Edward gave me a very hard look before he left the room. Alice took the phone from the bedside table and punched a number into the phone, and then handed it to me. She then left the room too.
My heart drummed harder with every ring.
"Hello?" His voice rang, and my heart skipped beats. His musical voice was just as mystical as in my memories, if not better.
"Thomas?" I said, hesitant.
"Hannah." He sounded relieved, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." I brushed off, "I hear you're missing a leg."
He chuckled, "You're not one to mince words."
"Nobody told me anything." I said quickly, but my tone was mildly accusing.
"I asked them not to." He said.
"Do you know how worried I've been?" I said.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you next time I lose a limb." He said humorously.
"You better." I said firmly and he chuckled again.
"So how are you really?" He asked casually.
"I'm fine." I said, a bit brisk.
"Really?" He asked carefully, "How's Edward treating you?"
"He's… intense." I said, struggling to find another word.
"Yeah he is." He agreed, "How are your injuries?"
"They're healing okay. I can sorta walk now. Alice has been helping me every day." I said.
"Good, good." He said.
I've been waiting for this moment for weeks, and yet I didn't know what to say. What was there to talk about? It didn't feel right over the phone. I wanted him right here with me.
"So… did they make your leg already, or whatever?" I asked awkwardly, feeling stupid for possibly picking the weirdest question to ask. I already knew they hadn't.
"Not yet. They're not on the market. Rosalie's been testing possible suitable materials. She's having fun with it." He said.
"Rosalie?" I asked, deeply surprised.
"She's a talented mechanic and has medical training. She's the best choice to design a prosthetic for a vampire."
"Rosalie?" I repeated.
He chuckled, "Yes, it's a bit of a surprise, isn't it?"
I tried to imagine the vampire goddess in my dad's car garage back in Alaska, covered in motor oil and so out of place. Then I tried to imagine her in Papa Billy's converted car garage that doubled as dad's old workspace behind the house. I couldn't picture that either. But I guess this was what she was doing while here.
"So you're just sitting on the couch, being a couch potato too?" I asked.
"No, I can hop around in the meantime."
I laughed, "Hop? As in hop? Bouncing up and down on one leg?"
"That is the definition of hopping, yes." He said.
I giggled. Past the stress, past the anxiety, the image of my beautiful Thomas hopping around a room was ridiculous. And hilarious.
"I'm sorry- I'm sorry." between laughter.
Thomas chortled himself, "Don't be sorry. It's good that you're laughing. I've missed it."
I immediately stopped, self-conscious.
"So Alice also said something about finding your leg and reattaching it?" I said, moving onto the next thing.
"Yes, that's correct." He said.
"What did she mean by that?" I asked.
"Exactly as it sounds. If they can find my leg, it can be reattached." He said.
"How?" I asked, stretching out the syllables, baffled.
"If the detached limb is taped to the body, depending on the angle and severity of the dismemberment, it will reattach itself within 72 hours." He explained.
"And when you say 'tape'..." I trailed off.
"Tape. Duct tape. Electrical tape. You know tape? I'm not an expert, but I believe it's a common human device." He said.
My laugh was half-hearted.
"No, I haven't heard of tape before. It sounds fascinating." I replied breathlessly.
"There are other ways to reattach a limb, but tape is the most convenient, as long as you don't move too much."
"I see." I said, "I hope they… find your leg."
It was his turn to laugh, "Thank you, thank you. Don't worry about it. I will be okay."
I knew he meant it, that he would be okay. Vampires are durable. I already felt guilty because while I worried about my family, I wasn't as worried for them as I was about Thomas. I didn't want to say it out loud. I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else. Family is the most important thing. Like Anna said, falling for a vampire already went against my tribe. I was a traitor to my blood. Everyone knew it.
"Um, I don't know how to ask the next question." I said, unsure.
"You can ask anything." He said.
"Okay." I took a breath, "Which vampire did this to you?"
The other end of the phone went silent.
"It doesn't matter." He quickly said.
"If it doesn't matter, you can tell me." I said.
"Hannah-" He said, but what he said was interrupted by Alice, who was silently standing at my bedside. Her hand was reached out for the phone, her face unreadable.
"Um, Alice wants to talk to you…" I said, trailing off.
"Pass her the phone." He said, and I gave it to her.
I blinked once, and Alice was already gone.
She did not come back for several minutes. I waited impatiently, feeling like a slighted child. I did not need to be protected. There was nothing they could say that would upset or shock me. I understood we were at war, and sometimes loved ones get hurt.
Rosalie appeared in the doorway. She did not enter the room, probably on principle, but she was looking at me. Her expression was unreadable.
"Hello." I greeted, confused.
"Hello." She said passively, uninterested.
"How is the prosthetic going?" I asked, "Thank you… for doing that."
She shrugged, "That is not why I came up here."
"Oh, sorry…" I stumbled, "What would you like to say?"
"Everyone wants to baby you. I don't want to do that." She entered the room, and stood at the foot of my bed.
"I appreciate it. Thank you" I said.
She continued as if I had not said anything.
"Nobody wants to tell you how Thomas got hurt." She said, "I disagree. It was that mutt Anna. They were fighting against Evan's newborns, and she attacked him. There's a treaty between my family and them, but Thomas is not officially part of the treaty. Mutts do not have self-control. My family never should have gotten involved. Bella was just another human who means nothing in the grand scheme of-"
I looked down at my hands, crumbling under her wrath.
"Don't call my family mutts." I could barely get the words out.
"Excuse me?" She snapped.
Blood pounded in my ears, thick and hot. I looked her straight in the eyes, avoiding every instinct to look down. My own fury reflected in her eyes.
"They are not mutts…" I took a deep breath, "They do not lack self-control. I don't know what happened, but there's no way this was on purpose. This was an accident. We are allies."
"Just like your mother." Rosalie rolled her eyes, "We are not allies. We have a common enemy to defeat. That's all."
I never felt as unwanted as I did right then. I was human, but I had the wolf in my blood, assuming it was a recessive gene. Were the Cullens willing to let me and my family die? When push came to shove, were any of us really safe if we were divided like this? Dad didn't trust them, was he right? Mom trusted them, but could I? Anna was so angry at me. How did Thomas feel about all this? I didn't realize how much hostility there was on both sides. Maybe Thomas and I should stay apart until this is all over… or forever… My heart ached as it raced and my vision blurred from anxiety. What was I to do?
"Rosalie." A quiet but angry voice came from the doorway, Edward, "That's enough. Go away."
She looked at me for another second, looked at him, and then she ran from the room at full speed.
"I'm sorry about her." He said. He didn't sound sorry, but I didn't push.
"Thank you." I said, "Is what she said true?"
"Which part?" He asked, still in the doorway.
"All of it." I said.
"There is a treaty. As of recently, additional clauses have been added and are currently in effect, as we are now working together. Thomas is part of the additional clause. Rosalie knows that. She blows everything out of proportion when she's mad." He explained, "This treaty is binding. Rosalie will not go against Carlisle's word, I can assure you that."
"Oh." I said.
But that did not change anything, apparently. The rivalry still ran deep.
