I was not excited when I woke up. Overnight, it had rained….and then snowed. The world outside was covered in snow and ice. Covered in it. I sighed in exasperation and walked away from the window, getting dressed slowly since I had time to waste. Atlas whined softly next to me, and I patted him gently. "I know, I know. You need to go potty. Let me get my shoes on, okay?"
He panted happily in response. Sometimes I wondered if he could actually understand me. What if dogs understood and just couldn't communicate back? That would be something. But alas, I knew it was too good to be true. But I knew Atlas was the closest I would get to that. The closest anyone would get to that probably.
We finished getting ready and then loaded into the car. Charlie never came down, which made me wonder if he had left early and I just hadn't noticed. It was possible he was quiet enough, but I still found it strange. I made it to the high school within minutes and then unloaded, giving Atlas a second to stretch. I walked to the back of my truck and noticed something weird. Glancing down, my tire seemed to reflect in the light. I reached down and realized that my tires had snow chains on them. No doubt from my dad. That must be why he woke up so early and slipped out. I'd have to thank him for that later.
Everything after that happened very quickly.
Firstly, I looked up, noticing Edward about four cars away from me, staring at me in horror. Secondly, I heard the van coming for me as it slipped on the thick winter ice, breaks squealing loudly. I turned my head slightly, confirming my fate as I saw Tyler's car heading straight for me. Tyler yelled unintelligibly out the window. Atlas and I were directly in the path of the van. I had no time to act. I didn't even have time to straighten. All of a sudden, I felt something hard knock me over, and I fell backward, my head bouncing off the concrete. Everything went black.
EDWARD POV
Everything happened within seconds. I had no time to think. No time to consider. I had to make decisions in the moment. And that's what I did. I was about four cars away from her, standing next to my family. I saw the van heading her way. It would certainly kill her. Both her and her dog, though the dog mattered very little to me other than the fact I knew he was important to her. I sprung from where I was, rushing to her side. I grabbed Bella in one arm, and her dog in the other. Then, I rolled out of the immediate path of the van. I heard Bella's head hit the concrete, and I cringed. Then, the car was still a danger to us, the momentum turning the back of the van at Bella's legs. I let Atlas go and lifted my arm, using my hand to stop the oncoming vehicle. Then, with a flurry of snarls and growls, Atlas was biting my arm, leaving no damage to my concrete skin.
I took a breath in, and then out, immediately blurring the handprint on the van and then turning to Atlas and forcefully shrugging him off. He let go, but backed up to Bella's side, growling at me, teeth bared. I couldn't barely move in the position we were in. Atlas suddenly stopped growling and turned to Bella's side, crying and nosing her repeatedly. I leaned her way to get a better look and Atlas let out a warning snarl. I ignored it and stayed where I was. He began crying again, and then to my utter horror, Bella started convulsing. Atlas tried to crawl on top of her, and he licked her face as she shook on the ground. She was having a seizure! Luckily, I had medical training in the past, so I knew not to panic, but I had to get her out of here. Stabilize her and get her somewhere safe. Those were my goals.
"She's having a seizure!" I yelled. "We need help!"
I could hear the crowd get more panicked, and it started to mirror my thoughts. Which was ridiculous. I had a medical degree. I should be able to be calm about this. But for some reason, I absolutely could not stay calm.
"Help is coming," Alice said from the other side of the van. I could now hear the sirens in the distance. It sounded like multiple vehicles. Good. They'd need multiple people to pull her from this scene.
I was starting to get more concerned now. She was still convulsing. It had been what…twenty seconds already? Atlas was still licking her, leaning against her lap the best he could in his position. Atlas stopped and started snarling again when I shuffled myself. I noticed he had a broken canine. I then realized the rest of his tooth was stuck in a divet in my arm. I'd pay for that dental bill but damn it proved Atlas was really dedicated to Bella. Now clearly I knew service dogs weren't meant to bite, and I was absolutely sure he never would bite a human, but that dog knew what I was, or at the very least he knew I wasn't human. And he wasn't afraid to show to me that he had that knowledge and was willing to act upon it.
"Hello! Sir, are you okay?!"
I looked up, but the cars blocked my view. "I'm fine, but she is having a seizure. It's been almost a minute now."
The scene was full now. Students, teachers, medics, policemen, firefighters.
The policemen and firefighters were working to move the van, and the medic kept asking me questions. I half ass answered them, more so concerned for Bella. She was still convulsing, and I was getting increasingly worried now. She did hit her head pretty hard after all. After a few more maneuvers, they were able to pull the van away enough to get to Bella.
And then Charlie Swan got to the scene.
Charlie got out of his cruiser, took a two second glance around, and immediately his eyes landed on his daughter, still deep within a seizure. "Bella?!"
The medics were loading Bella onto a gurney, attempting to check vitals as she convulsed. Charlie rushed over. One of the medics turned to address him. "Chief Swan, sir. Does your daughter have a history of seizures?"
Charlie seemed shocked. "Not that I know of…"
"What is the service dog for, sir?" the medic asked.
"I…I don't know…" Charlie admitted, trying to peer over the medic to check on his daughter, "Is she going to be okay?"
"We are taking her to the hospital now. Dr. Cullen will be looking her over," the medic explained.
It was just then that I noticed Atlas was still in the space between the van and truck with me. He was barking and attempting to use me as a way to climb out. With a subtle lift, I helped Atlas out of the space. He ran directly to the ambulance, trying to climb on. Charlie grabbed his leash. "We will see her in the hospital, buddy." The, addressing the medic, he said, "I'll follow you in the cruiser."
Now, people other than the single medic finally noticed that I was in the accident too. As students and medics came over to check on me, I stood up, brushing myself off. "I'm fine, but Bella hit her head really hard."
With a bit more persistence, I was able to get everyone to leave me alone. The ambulances left, students scattered, and my family, minus Alice, continued to stare at me from across the parking lot. This wasn't good.