33. Hospital Beds

BPOV

Ugh. My head is hurting. Why is my head hurting so badly? Okay, what is the last thing I remember? I was in the car, on the way to school. There was ice and snow. We were running late, and Edward was speeding worse than usual. I couldn't take my eyes off the speedometer as I watched it steadily climb, chanting repeatedly in my head "vampires don't have accidents."

Let's see. Hmmm. Edward's phone buzzed. It was Alice. She shouted something about Tyler and his van. Edward assured her we had taken care of it. There's something odd about that. But what? Oh, well, I'll come back to it. Then Edward had looked my way and his face flashed with horror. Next, there was a horrendous sound. Yep, that's pretty much all I remember. No wait, there's more. A dream. A dream of Edward staring down at me with black, hungry eyes showing no recognition, only confusion. His lips had been redder than usual. I had felt him kissing my forehead, but my brain was dizzy from the feeling of a head rush. As he had continued to stare into my eyes, his confusion grew and the blackness of his pupils began to recede. But there was something wrong with the picture. The blackness wasn't replaced by his topaz irises. No, his eyes were red! Red!

I crinkled my forehead and felt tape wrinkling on my skin, right where his mouth had been. Who am I kidding? He wouldn't be kissing my injury to make it all better! I must have been bleeding, and he must have been drinking from me. That would explain the feeling of the blood rushing to my head. He had been sucking it out. How do I feel now? My vampire boyfriend had been sucking my blood. Actually, it didn't sound so bad considering I had lived to tell about it. After all, I knew he was a vampire before I started dating him. I knew I was his singer, and he would have a harder time resisting my blood than any other human's blood, yet I still chose to ride in the confined space of a car alone with him.

Oh, no. He'd been drinking my blood. I knew what that meant. He'd be blaming himself, calling himself a monster, and making plans to leave me for my own safety. What a load of malarkey. If he left me, I would personally chase him down and have Emmett rip his legs off and hide them. I'd like to see him run away without his legs. Hah! Don't even try me, Angst Boy! I read what happened in New Moon, and there was no way in hell I was going to let him do that to me for real. Forget it.

Something was tugging at the back of my mind though. Something about Alice's phone call… Wouldn't she have seen my decision to call Tyler? Why would she call about that so long after my actual call? Why had she sounded so panicked, when it had already been handled? Wait a minute. Had we ever given Alice the details about the accident as described in Twilight? I couldn't remember doing so, and Edward didn't seem to like to divulge anything from the books to his family.

Alice must have had a vision. The accident must have happened anyway! But how? The look of horror! The horrible sound! My head injury! Somehow, Tyler must have crashed his van into us, probably into my side of the car. I hope he was okay. Oh, no! The Volvo! Edward must be crushed! He has it backwards as usual. He's the one who isn't safe with me. I must literally be a danger magnet. How else could we deliberately avoid an accident, only to be met with a worse one involving all the original players?

"Bella?" an anguished voice murmured at my side. I felt a hard, cold hand squeeze mine. It felt like lifting elephants, but I eventually managed to pry my eyelids open. I saw Edward's grief-stricken face staring down into mine. I refused to be like those goofy people on TV who always came out of a faint wondering what happened. I had already deduced what had happened. Sure enough, the eyes staring intensely down into my own were a cross between orange and yellow. I knew he had consumed my blood, but I wasn't burning, so he hadn't shared his venom with me.

"Oh, Edward," I wailed. "I'm so sorry about your Volvo! I know how much it meant to you."

He looked at me in shocked surprise, clearly questioning my sanity. "It's just a car, sweetheart. There's hundreds more out there. I can easily get another one just like it. Besides, it wasn't your fault. You didn't wreck the car."

"I know, but I still feel bad. If I wasn't such a danger magnet, nothing would have happened."

He looked irritated for a minute, but quickly settled back into grief and shame. "Bella, I have something I have to tell you. Something I must confess." He couldn't meet my eyes. His fingers idly picked at the blanket covering me. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Edward, if this is about you drinking my blood from the gash in my head, I already know."

His eyes flew open and gazed at me in disbelief. "You do? But how?"

"I sorted through my memories and sort of put two and two together. Besides, your eyes aren't gold anymore."

He started to sob. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I can't believe I am such a monster to try to devour the woman

I love. I need to leave, Bella. It's not safe for you to be around me!"

I glared at him, grabbing his hand with both of mine. "Don't you even try to start that bull, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, or I will personally kick your ass to kingdom come!" I yelled angrily. He stared at me in surprise again, shocked to hear me speak to him that way. "Do you remember New Moon? Doyou? Crap, I cried just reading about you leaving me. I refuse to actually experience it. I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. I will fly to Italy by myself, if need be and go say hello to Aro." A strangled cry left his lips at that last threat. He continued to stare at me wide-eyed, momentarily speechless. I rather liked it, I had to admit, that I could do that to him. I decided to take advantage of the fact and continue my rampage.

"If anything, you are the one who is in danger from me. It's too dangerous for you to be around me. I don't like you getting hurt."

He scoffed, finally regaining control of his facilities. "Don't be ridiculous, Isabella," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. As if nothing I said mattered. Well, doggone it. It mattered to me, and I wasn't going to back off of this one.

"I'm a danger magnet, remember? If I had kept my distance in the first place, your Volvo would still be intact, and you wouldn't be kicking yourself now."

"You're being absurd, Bella."

"Did you ever have an accident before you met me?" I demanded.

He grimaced. "Well, no, of course not."

"I rest my case!" I shouted, tasting my victory. He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you're right. You are a danger magnet. Only you could get in a car accident with a vampire driving," he admitted.

"Ha! You admit it! Fate is out to get me! So who is going to protect me if you leave? Jacob?"

He growled, suddenly gripping both of my hands in his. "No! I won't let that dog have you! You're mine!"

"Absolutely!" I smirked. "About time you remembered that little detail. I am yours. Your soul mate, your danger magnet, your responsibility. So stop moping and get with the program."

He released my hands, falling back into his chair with a groan. "Fine, you're right. I can't leave. But I can't afford to be alone with you anymore. I would die if I ever harmed you again."

"You know, Edward, I'm feeling pretty good, except for some bumps and bruises, which are NOT YOUR FAULT, so really I can't see that there was any harm done. I'm still alive, I'm still here. You didn't drain me dry, you didn't change me. So I really don't understand why you're still beating yourself up over this. It's over. It's done. Move on already. Sheesh. I forgive you. You're a vampire. I already knew that. You responded instinctively, yet your humanity overcame and allowed you to pull away."

He looked at me intensely. "I can't take risks with your life, Isabella. You are far too important to me."

Brainblast! Did I really just think that? That's what I get for watching the 'Jimmy Neutron' marathon with Emmett the other day. It was pretty funny when Emmett kept comparing Jimmy to Edward, from the weirdo hairstyle, to the big head, to the know-it-all explanations. It was also pretty funny when I asked Emmett if that made him Carl or Sheen. I remembered the look on his face when I asked that question. Complete outrage. It was hysterically funny, and suddenly, he stopped making jokes about Edward.

"Edward, we simply have to look at the problem objectively. We should use logic to solve the problem, instead of just giving up as if it is insurmountable."

He looked at me in surprise, then turned rather sheepish. "You're right. I haven't even thought there might be another solution to the problem. What other option is there? Either I stay or I go."

"Silly vampire. Use your superhuman intellect for once. I'm only human, and I have ideas. Sheesh.

Now who's being absurd?"

"Look, if you're just going to insult me, I don't see how this could possibly be a productive conversation," he huffed indignantly. I rolled my eyes again. He is so melodramatic sometimes. How on earth had he lived for over a century without gaining a bit more maturity?

"It's simple really. We'll just have Carlisle take a few blood samples periodically, and then he'll expose you and the others to them gradually in controlled environments. If he was able to become immune to blood, I don't see why the rest of you couldn't also. Hopefully, it won't take two hundred years for you to master it, since I certainly won't have blood for that long, so it would be a moot point. I'm hoping since it is only one person's scent you have to resist, and since Carlisle discovered whichever techniques worked best for him and can help and guide you, that it will only take a few months or so to be able to resist a small wound. You simply have to train. Mind over matter, right? You've already managed to get used to my smell when I'm not actively bleeding. Now you just need to work on maintaining control around my spilled blood. And you know how much I really love you when I suggest this, because you know how much I hate needles."

Edward just sat there in shock, staring at me with his mouth open. I raised an eyebrow. What was his problem? Carlisle glided over just then, grabbing my hand and grinning with excitement.

"Absolutely brilliant, Bella! Of course!" Carlisle exclaimed. "I don't know why I never thought of that. I guess because we haven't really needed it, though I should have tried with Jasper at least. We'll get started on that right away! Thank you, dear." He beamed at me and left again, presumably to check on Tyler. I was starting to worry about Edward. He hadn't even moved yet. He was simply portraying a shocked statue. I squeezed his hand.

"Edward? Are you okay, honey?" He finally snapped out of it enough to comment.

"That's such a smart idea, Bella. I can't believe none of us ever even considered it. I'm really quite embarrassed. Still, though that protects you from me, it still doesn't protect you from other dangers in my world." He sighed, looking downcast.

"Edward? Do I need to remind you again about the rapists in Port Angeles, both by the warehouse district and at the mall? There are dangers in my world too, and you and your family help keep me safe. I could just as easily get raped and murdered in the human world as get injured in your world. Not to mention I just got hit by Tyler's van. We both know in the alternate future the van would have killed me without your intervention. Unless Tyler's van is a Transformer or something, you can't blame that on mythical beings." His lips quirked at the idea of the van being a Transformer out to get me.

"Maybe I should have Rosalie take a look at it," he murmured in amusement. Then he got serious again. "Even though we changed the circumstances, we weren't able to truly change the future with regards to the van accident. It still involved you, Tyler, and Tyler's van. The results were different, but still similar. You ended up with a head wound. Only this time, I drank your blood too. It would have been better if we had left it the way it was."

"I'm sorry, Edward. If we hadn't changed it, your precious Volvo would still be intact."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Whatever, Bella. I don't care about the stupid Volvo. I would smash a hundred Volvos to keep you safe."

"Still, I always thought I had the worst luck. What if instead of being persecuted, I was being protected? What if the way things happened was the best possible outcome? What if changing things only makes it worse?"

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, Bella. I don't have any answers for you. In fact, I'm starting to think you're smarter than I am, even though you're only human, and I've been around for over a century. Your mind never ceases to surprise and amaze me." He opened his eyes again, staring at me intensely. "My big question is what do we do about James, Victoria, and Laurent? They'll be here in a little over a month. I thought it would be as easy as just keeping you out of the baseball field, but now I'm not so sure."

I frowned at him in disturbed comprehension. "It's time for a Plan B, I think. I just have a sneaking feeling that if we try to avoid the confrontation the way Meyer presented it, it'll just happen a different way, when we aren't surrounded by your family. We need to think this over for a few days, and then have a discussion with the whole family about it. If they're going to be risking themselves for me, I want them to go into it with their eyes open and not be forced into it by circumstance, like last time."

"I have no problem discussing it with everyone, but do you really think any of them would refuse to protect you? You're part of our family, Bella. It's one for all and all for one."

"I thought you were the Cullens, not the Musketeers," I teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

"Well, they do say laughter is the best medicine. Maybe we should get Jasper here and tickle him until he cures the whole hospital," I quipped. He chuckled.

"Vampires aren't ticklish, my dear," he protested.

"There's a first time for everything," I muttered, determined to test it out later when he least expected it. "As fun as it is to stay in this miserably uncomfortable hospital bed, hooked up to this noisy monitor, with this annoying IV inserted into the back of my hand, do you think you could pull some strings and spring me?"

He grinned. "I'll see what I can do."

While he was away, working his magic, I hoped, Charlie came in to see me. He gave me a gentle kiss on my cheek and squeezed my hand.

"How are you doing, Bells?"

"I've been better," I griped with a smile. "I'm actually pretty lucky I think. It could have been so much worse."

"I'm glad you had Edward there to take care of you. I can see you two really love each other, but you need to be smart. I don't want you getting pregnant before you even finish high school like Renée did. I don't think you're going to have to worry about your relationship falling apart like mine did, but you still need to think about the future. If you guys are doing anything, I really don't want to know, but don't throw your life away before it even begins. You've got a great mind, and I'd really like to see you go off to college, even if you and Edward go together," he lectured, unable to meet my eye. Both of us were as red as tomatoes. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation at all, much less here and now.

"Dad! Please! What if somebody hears you? Are you trying to kill me?" My heart monitor was beeping like crazy, with my heart rate and blood pressure skyrocketing rapidly.

"Just think about it, Bells," he muttered sheepishly. "And calm down before you give yourself a heart attack."

Carlisle and Edward both came rushing in right then, looking from me to the monitor and back again. Edward's eyes were wild, and he was panting, which I thought odd considering he didn't even need to breathe in the first place.

"What's wrong, Bella? Talk to me!" he demanded, panicking. Carlisle was busy checking my vitals. I was so embarrassed. I certainly had no intention of repeating my conversation with Charlie. I was surprised they hadn't heard it in the first place.

"It's nothing, really. Just a disturbing conversation. I guess I overreacted," I confessed. I was calming down, and my bodily reactions were gradually returning to normal. Carlisle and Edward both glanced over at Charlie and then shared an amused look with each other. I guess they must have heard at least some of it after all.

"Umm, Carlisle, can I please go home now?" I begged. He chuckled.

"Aren't you enjoying our pleasant hospitality, dear?" he teased.

"Yeah, sure. Can I go now?" He chuckled again.

"If you let Edward keep an eye on you until Charlie gets home, I'll let you go. If you have any problems, I want you back here pronto, understand? No playing the martyr and pretending nothing's wrong," he instructed. I tried to give him an innocent expression, but he looked at me knowingly. Right. Nothing gets past Carlisle. "Just let Edward take care of you. You need to rest. I don't want you walking up and down stairs by yourself today. With your balance and current dizziness, I'd most likely see you back here with a broken limb or worse. Nothing strenuous today. I'll check in with you when I get off work later tonight, and we'll see how you are then before I give you your prescription for tomorrow." He wagged a finger at me. "No funny business, young lady. I'd better find you resting comfortably, well hydrated and well fed, when I arrive later." I blushed and nodded. He gave me his stern paternal look, which conveyed beyond a doubt that he meant what he said, and that I wouldn't appreciate the consequences of disobedience. There was no way I was going to disappoint him after a look like that. I thought I probably just got a glimpse of how he keeps the rest of the family in line so easily. He turned to address Charlie.

"If you'll fill out the paperwork on your end, I'll fill it out on mine."

"It's a wonder there are any trees left considering all the paperwork we have to fill out these days," Charlie grumbled. We all smiled in agreement. I couldn't wait to get out of this place.

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Hey guys! Im sorry for the late upload... I working on my admissions right now and its putting a load on me... :\ The school i want to get into has such a high criteria! However i will get in no matter what!

WHATS HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS? I USED TO GET A LOT MORE VOTES THEN I DO NOW....

FOR THE NEXT UPLOAD ---> 10 VOTES NEEDED....

Sorry for that but i really wanna raise this story high.... :)

<3 Y