So, here we are. It seems like FFN is working again, YAY! No copyright infringement is intended, and Twilight doesn't belong to me.

Thanks to LaPumuckl for her help talking out the story and catching issues. Thank you to the wonderful and talented Dowlingnana for again wielding her red pen, to shape me into a better writer. Any and all mistakes are mine, I still dabble. Thanks for the story love, see you at bottom.


Chapter 11

I ride with Edward in the ambulance, and Emmett promises to be on his way with Rose soon. Carlisle said he would call me back after he called a friend at Harborview.

I watch in silence as the EMT is watching Edward's vitals. Edward is breathing fine, but cannot seem to wake up. Before I know it we are pulling into the ambulance bay at Harborview. A lady directs me to a grouping of chairs that are close to the room they take Edward in and hand me a clipboard. I start filling in the information that I can. I finish the paperwork, and she takes it from me, telling me someone will be with me shortly. I wait for a while and soon Emmett and Rose come into the waiting room.

"How is he, and what happened?" Rose asks.

"He had his first treatment today. It seemed to go okay, but the doctor warned him that we needed to keep a close eye on him. He was acting off and when I tried to see if he was running a temp he got crabby. I closed myself off in my room and ignored him for a while. When I came out, he was lying on the sofa. He was on his stomach and had an almost melted icepack on the back of his leg. I tried to wake him, but couldn't. I checked his temp, and it was high. I called the doctor's office, and they said to call an ambulance. He never woke up in the ambulance, and no one has come out to talk to me yet."

"He will be okay, Bellsy," Emmett says and hugs me.

He lets go and sits down beside me, as my cell vibrates.

"Hello," I answer.

"Bella, this is Carlisle. I've talked to the doctor who is attending to Edward. He is awake and coherent. His white count is elevated, so they started him on some strong antibiotics. They think he may have been coming down with something, and having the treatment today may have escalated it. Edward doesn't get sick often, but when he does he gets sick fast. The doctor there should be coming to talk to you soon. They are going to keep him overnight for observation, while they are awaiting his test results."

"Okay, Carlisle. Thank you for calling and letting me know."

"Thank you for being there for my son, Bella. Esme and I are flying out tomorrow morning instead of next week. I know how Edward is when he is not feeling well, and you don't deserve to deal with the bear he becomes."

"He's not any trouble, I knew he wasn't feeling well as soon as we left the doctor's office this morning, but he claimed to be fine. When are you guys going to arrive?"

"Our flight gets in when the shop is open, so we will rent a car and check into a hotel. Don't worry about us," Carlisle says.

"You are not staying at a hotel. You should plan to stay at our place still, I have plenty of room, and your room is already set up for you. As for the shop, it may be open tomorrow, but I am not going to be there, I will be here," I say.

"Okay then, I will call when we land to see if they have released Edward yet, and we will come to you in the rental car we have scheduled."

"Okay, Carlisle, I look forward to meeting you and Esme. I wish it wasn't under these circumstances though."

After our goodbyes, I tap to end the call and look over at Emmett.

"That was Edward's dad, he and Esme are flying out to be here tomorrow instead of next week like they planned. The doctor should be out soon, it seems Edward is awake now, and they are giving him some strong antibiotics." As I say the last part a guy in a lab coat holding a tablet comes toward us.

"Are you here with Edward Cullen?" he asks.

"Yes," I stand.

"Hello, you must be Bella. I am Doctor Banner. When Edward came in, we thought it was related to the treatment he had earlier today. I have checked his leg over and it does not seem to be infected at all. Edward was running a fairly high temperature when he came in, and we have gotten it lowered. We ran bloodwork, and his white count is elevated, which means he is fighting an infection someplace. After checking him over, and running a few other tests we started him on a pretty heavy dose of antibiotics. He does appear to have an ear infection, but since that alone should not cause this strong reaction we are going to do a CT scan. Would you like to come in and see him, before we take him to CT, he is asking for you?"

"Yes, I want to see him," I say before turning to Rose and Emmett. "I will be right back."

I follow the doctor into Edward's room, he is on the bed and has an IV in his left arm.

"They cut off my shirt that Dave gave me," Edward says.

"I'll get you another one. How are you feeling?" I ask.

"I'm okay, but my head hurts. They said I have an ear infection and a high fever. I kinda freaked out on them when I woke up here instead of on the couch. I'm sorry I was a dick."

"It's okay, you are clearly sick, and you've never been rude before."

"I'm still sorry," he says, reaching for my hand.

I hold his hand and smile at him.

"What all did the doctor tell you? I know he said more tests and talked to my dad, but that is about it."

"So the doctor told me that they are going to come for you soon to get a CT scan. They are still unsure why your temp spiked so badly. They did say though that the removal treatment you had today is not the cause of all of this. He also said that you seem to have an ear infection."

There is a quick knock and I turn to look as the door opens. "Hello, Mr. Cullen, I am Maria, and I'm here to take you for a CT scan."

"I'll be in the waiting room, can you let me know when he is back from the scan?" I ask.

"Of course, I will get you as soon as we return," she says.

"Okay, Edward, behave and have your scan so we can figure out what is wrong," I say with a grin.

Edward smiles back at me. "Yes, boss," he chuckles.

I giggle and tilt my head slightly. "And don't you forget it."

I go back out and sit with Rose and Emmett making small talk while we wait for Edward to be brought back. About forty-five minutes later, Edward is wheeled back into his room and Maria comes over to me.

"Miss Swan, you can go back in now. The doctor should be in soon as well."

"Thank you," I tell her and stand to go back to his room.

I walk into the room and Edward has his eyes closed. I walk over, sit beside his bed and take his hand. His eyes open and looks at me.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I ask.

"Not too bad, my head still hurts though."

"Maria said that the doctor would be in soon, so we will have to see what he has to say."

He nods and closes his eyes again. We sit in silence for a little while and then there is a knock on the door as it opens.

"Okay, at least we know what is going on now," says Doctor Banner.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It seems that Edward here has had this ear infection for a little while as it is turning into Mastoiditis. There is a slight swelling behind his right ear, and the antibiotics we are giving you should help. If you are not showing signs of improvement tomorrow, we will have to do further testing. Do you have a history of ear infections?"

"I did when I was a kid, but I had tubes and quit having issues. Is this something that I need to worry about happening again?" Edward asks.

"It is always a possibility of returning once you have had Mastoiditis, however, we will be sending you to see an ENT to see if there is a way to circumvent this happening again."

"Thank you, Doctor, and if you could reach out to my father, I am sure he will want to know the results," Edward states.

"I already spoke to Doctor Cullen, and he has asked that I set you up to see Doctor Molina, who is an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Doctor Molina will be in the hospital tomorrow to see you early, and I'm transferring your care to him. I am sure as long as the antibiotics you are on are working you will get to go home tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Your father said to tell you, to get some rest, and he and your mother will see you tomorrow afternoon."

"My parents are coming? I thought you said this wasn't serious," Edward says.

"This is serious, but we are treating it. My understanding is that they were planning to come visit anyway and just moved up their trip," Doctor Banner says.

"Yeah, your dad said they were coming early when I spoke to him earlier. I guess we will have a houseful," I smile even though I am nervous to have three strangers in the house at the same time.

Diego is coming on Friday afternoon, and leaving next Friday and his parents were supposed to be coming the Monday after, and now they are arriving tomorrow. They are all going to be here at once. I don't mind, but it is a lot for someone who up until a short time ago lived alone, and before that only lived with family and Alice.

"Doctor Banner, one thing before you go, I assume that Edward will be moved to a room soon, right?"

"Yes, and Doctor Cullen already asked that I make arrangements for you to be able to stay, so before you ask that is taken care of." He smiles at me.

"Thank you," both Edward and I say at the same time, and then laugh.

It isn't long before we are moved to a room, and Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice come in.

"The nurse said we can only visit if we stay quiet and we have to leave in twenty minutes because visiting time is over. Have you eaten, Bella?" Rose asks.

I shake my head. "They offered Edward something to eat but he said his stomach was upset. The doctor gave him some medicine, but he only agreed to drink some chicken broth for now. They told him he could have regular food if he was hungry. I am hungry but don't really want hospital food."

"How about I run out and grab you some food from Tam's Noodle Box, you like that and it is just around the corner. I can be back before we have to leave, and I know what you and Edward like from there. That way you can eat something, and if Edward wakes up, he can too," Alice says.

"Thanks, Al, take my card," I say, reaching for my backpack.

"Nope, we got this," Alice says, pulling Jasper out the door with her.

"She has been worried all day," Rose says. "I grabbed a set of clothes for Edward when I went home earlier. We also brought Big Red, in case Edward gets released in the morning. I brought his crutches too. Call us if you hear anything, and don't worry about your appointments, we have your schedules cleared through Monday."

"Thanks, Rose."

"Bellsy, you take care of yourself too," Emmett says. "I love you."

"I love you too, Em."

"You guys are being sappy," Edward mumbles from his bed.

"Hey sleeping beauty, are you ready to throw down some grub yet? Al went to get you and Bellsy some food," Emmett states.

"I'm hungry," Edward says, using the control to sit his bed up a little. He looks around the room, and smirks. "Where pray tell is Alice going to put all the food she is likely to buy?"

Emmett, Rose, and I all laugh.

"Well, my guess is she is leaving the food for her, Jasper, Emmett, and me in the vehicle and just bringing up the food for you and Bella."

Edward looks at the clock and sees it is after eight. "You guys haven't eaten yet?"

"No, been here, worried about you. Now I know you're okay we are gonna grub, bub," Emmett says, rubbing his belly.

"Bella, you cannot go without eating. I know you didn't eat much earlier."

"I am fine, Edward, and Alice is bringing us both some food. I'm staying here tonight. Your parents will be here by three tomorrow, and Diego will be here Friday. We are all set."

"Oh shit, I have a full schedule tomorrow," Edward says.

"Alice already rescheduled your appointments, and everything is okay on that front," Rose states.

"Yeah, you aren't allowed back in the shop until Monday," Emmett adds.

"Monday?" Edward says.

"Yes, Monday, and I am taking time off too. Everything will be fine, and Alice has already rescheduled everyone. It is all good," I say as Jasper walks in the door carrying two full sacks of food.

Edward looks at Jasper and then at me and laughs. "That has to be food for more than just us," Edward says.

"No, our food is in the car with Alice. Rose and Emmett let's go; Alice doesn't want her noodles to get cold. Bella, there are a couple dishes for each of you, so you have a variety, Alice said, and she got you appetizers too. Enjoy," Jasper smiles.

"Bye guys, I gotta get to the food before Alice eats it all," Emmett says, kissing my cheek and fist bumping Edward's hand holding mine.

"Bye, call if you need anything," Rose says with a wave.

They all leave and I extract my hand from Edwards.

"I'll be right back; I need to let the nurse know you are going to eat something now."

"I can just call them," Edward says, holding up the button.

He presses the button, and I sit back down. A minute later his nurse Karen comes in. "Goodness, it smells good in here. Does this mean you are going to eat some supper now?"

"Yeah, we are both going to eat. If you get a break soon, you are welcome to have some too, since our foodie friend brought enough Tam's to feed half the floor," Edward says.

"Hmmm, I love Tam's, I may take you up on that. Let me know what and how much you eat, Edward. I just need to make sure that you are holding it all down okay. How is the stomach feeling?"

"Good, but hungry," he says as his stomach lets out another rumble and we all laugh.

"Do you happen to have any plates; I see silverware and napkins here, but no plates?" I ask Karen.

"We most certainly do have plates, let me grab you each a plate and bowl, and I'll be right back."

I pull the table over from the other bed in the room, fold it open, and start setting the containers out. Karen comes in with some bowls and plates for us. When she sees how much food there is, she laughs. "I guess your friend is a foodie, huh?"

"You have no idea," I deadpan.

Karen helps me by moving Edward's table over his lap after he sits up more, and I make our plates.

"Karen, we weren't joking if you like food from Tam's please feel free to take all the rest and have it or share it with the other nurses at the desk with you."

"Thank you, kids, that sounds good. You guys eat your fill and let me know when you are done," she says before going out the door.

I sit our plates in front of Edward and then climb up on his right side to sit with him. We eat the food, and it is so good, that we are both vocally enjoying it. I'm sure if someone overheard us, they would think we were doing more than eating, and I cannot help but feel my cheeks warm from those thoughts.

"Why are you blushing?" Edward asks.

"Well, we are sitting on your bed together and letting out moans that could certainly be misconstrued as erotic noises. The thought made me blush," I say honestly.

"Well, that is an interesting thought," Edward responds and continues eating.

When we are done eating, I pack up the rest of the food and Edward pushes the call button.

Karen walks in about four minutes later. "How are you feeling?" she asks Edward.

"I'm good, but I need to get up to use the latrine."

"I'd prefer that since you have the IV and cannot wear your prosthetic right now that you use the bedpan," Karen states.

"I just need to take a piss," Edward clarifies.

"Then this will work easy," Karen states, pulling out a plastic jug from the bottom of his bedside table.

"I'll be outside, let me know when you are done. I will take these bags down to the nurse's station," I say and grab the bags of food.

"I'll take the bags, hon, just let me get Edward set up here," Karen says.

I move out the door, and when I'm in the hallway, I wait for Karen to come back out.

When she does, she is smiling. "He's all set, I gave him the antibacterial wipes to wash his hands with, and the container snaps shut. He should be done here soon. Thank you again for the food, there are only three of us on staff for the night, and we are going to enjoy this."

"That is good, I'm glad you guys will enjoy it. Thanks for all you do," I tell her.

"Not an issue, it's a job I love, and sometimes it has great perks," she holds the bags up with a big smile.

I stand outside Edward's door, as Karen makes her way back to the nurse's station.

"I'm done," I hear Edward call, and I make my way back inside the room.

"That is embarrassing, I cannot wait to be allowed to get out of bed and use the actual toilet."

It's around eleven when we dim the lights, and Edward tries to go to sleep. I am lying in the other hospital bed, Karen set it up for me. She said it was against protocol, but she wouldn't tell if I didn't.

It seems like sleep will not come easy, and I am playing a mindless game on my phone.

"I can't sleep either," Edward says. "What are you doing?"

"I'm playing Solitaire," I respond.

"I slept too much earlier and now I'm not tired," he says.

"Let's turn on the television, maybe we can find a boring movie to put us to sleep," I say.

He grabs the remote, and I situate myself to see better. As Edward surfs through the channels, the glow of the screen lights up his features. I've spent a lot of time with Edward lately, but not usually in the very dim of the night. I notice the scruff on his face, and the cut of his jawline. He stops changing the channels and turns, giving me a smile. "How about The Breakfast Club?"

"Perfect, who doesn't love this movie," I say.

We watch the movie and at some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I am awakened by someone coming into the room. I glance at the clock on the wall and see it's a little after five in the morning, and I sit up.

"Good morning, Bella, I didn't mean to wake you. Did you sleep okay?" Karen asks.

"Not really, these beds are very uncomfortable, for a place where you come to heal," I say.

"I know, and agree," she says.

She goes about charting Edward's vitals as she checks them. He wakes up as she is checking his temperature.

"Good morning, sunshine. You are back to normal body temp and had no medicines for it after nine last night. If you can make it until nine this morning, I am pretty certain that Doctor Molina will allow you to go home today."

"Thank God, I mean you are great and all, but this bed is horrible," Edward says.

"That seems to be the general consensus," Karen states with a grin.

Around ten Doctor Molina comes in and agrees that Edward can go home, but he has to take Augmentin for the next ten days, and he also has to use some drops in both ears. He has an office appointment with Doctor Molina next Friday. We get things packed up and I pull Big Red up to the door where Edward and one of the aides are waiting.

"You ready to bust out of this joint?" I ask with a smile as the aide pushes him closer to the curb.

"You have no idea," he says with a smile.

Once the aide moves as close as she can, she locks the wheels, and opens the truck door. Edward stands, and with his hand on the truck door, takes a hop closer. He turns slightly to his left and easily pulls himself into the seat. I suppose he has done this a time or two but it is amazing to see how fluidly he moves even without his prosthetic.

"So, other than going home and having a nice shower, what do you want to do today?" he asks.

"Well, we can't do a whole lot, because you are supposed to take it easy. I thought that maybe we could make some stuff so that we have easy meals prepped for while everyone is here. I know we have a couple of nights where we planned to go out, but with your parents coming now too, I think we should have some real food at home for at least most nights."

~ES~

Arriving back home Edward asks, "My parents will be here around three, right?"

"Yes, they are already on the way here now, I spoke to them this morning while you were having your leg cleaned and wrapped. It is noon now, if I run to the store and grab a few things, will you be okay?"

"Bella, I am fine. If you want, I can go to the store with you."

"I want you to rest your leg, and well your whole self so that you don't get ill like you did yesterday. I am only going to the grocery store, is there anything special I should get for your parents?"

"Just grab a variety of fresh fruit, and when you get back can we make some of that stuffed pasta for supper, I know my dad will love that?"

"Absolutely, I wanted to make some pasta anyway. I will be back in less than an hour, behave."

"Yes, mom," he laughs.

I smile and walk out the back door.

I make it to the store, shop, and get out and back to the house by a quarter after one. Edward comes out to the kitchen, sits on a stool, and watches me mix my pasta dough. After I have it wrapped, I let it rest while I start warming jars of my canned homemade sauce. I start the filling for the manicotti I plan to make. Once all the filling is mixed, I fold in the fresh herbs and grated parmesan. The consistency is nice and thick, the way I prefer it. Glancing at the clock, I know I only have about half an hour before Edward's parents arrive.

Pulling out the attachments, I set up the KitchenAid to roll out my pasta dough. I get it nice and thin and in long sheets. I put my filling into the piping bags, and begin putting the rows of filling on the pasta. Once the sheet is covered, I cut and roll each manicotti into perfect shape and place them into the three pans I prepped. I ladle my sauce covering all the manicotti.

"Man, you make this look so easy. I am surprised you are not a chef," Edward says.

"I actually almost went to culinary school, but my love for art outweighed my love to cook. I can be an artist, and still feed everyone."

I cover the dishes and set them in the fridge, just as I hear a car pull into the driveway.

"Looks like the parentals are here," I say with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry, Bella, they will love you, just like the rest of us do," Edward says, and I let out a bit of a gasp.


A/N: So there is that ... What are your thoughts? I love your words, so let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing.