Twilight OC Rewrite

Chapter Twenty-Four: An Impasse

We made it to the hospital Thursday, the day after we had left for Phoenix, but Bella didn't wake up until Friday.

"No, don't." I quietly scolded her, catching her hand as she tried to rip off her IV in confusion.

"Alex?" She looked at me then. "Where's—" I cut her off by pointing behind me. Edward had stayed in this room since probably before I got here and never left, pretending to sleep in front of my dad.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I knew she was talking to him, she was still looking at him, even though she had almost killed me in her blind heroism.

"Everything's all right," he soothed her as he came up beside me, smoothing her hair.

Christian did his best to fill in the details for me yesterday while avoiding my dad, but Edward had hardly spoken until now.

"What happened?" Bella asked.

"I was almost too late," Edward choked.

"I need to call my mom," she seemed to realize through the haze.

"I called her already. Mom's here - well, here in the hospital. She's getting something to eat right now." I chimed in.

"She's here?" Bella tried to sit up, but Edward's hand pushed her gently down onto the pillows. I was almost surprised she didn't fight him.

"She'll be back soon," he promised. "And you need to stay still."

"But what did you tell her?" She was starting to panic. I could tell she had no interest in being soothed. Mom was here and she was recovering from a vampire attack. "Why did you tell her I'm here?"

"You fell down two flights of stairs and through a window." I paused. "You have to admit, it could happen."

She sighed heavily, and then winced. I watched her gaze travel down her body under the sheet, to the huge lump that was her leg.

"How bad am I?" She asked.

"You have a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in your skull, bruises covering every inch of your skin, and you've lost a lot of blood. They gave you a few transfusions. I didn't like it - it made you smell all wrong for a while." Her boyfriend scrunched his nose and I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to be here for this, but I couldn't leave her so soon.

"That must have been a nice change for you." She said.

"No, I like how you smell."

I gagged.

"How did you do it?" I asked quietly. He knew what I meant at once.

"I'm not sure." He looked away from my wondering eyes, lifting Bella's gauze-wrapped hand from the bed and holding it gently in his, careful not to disrupt the wire connecting her to one of the monitors.

We waited patiently for the rest.

He sighed without returning my gaze. "It was impossible... to stop," he whispered. "Impossible. But I did." He looked up, finally, at her, with half a smile. "I must love you."

"Don't I taste as good as I smell?" She smiled in response. I don't know how she could smile with how beat up she was.

"Even better - better than I'd imagined."

I gagged again, very obviously.

"I'm sorry," She apologized.

I stood up and paced the room a bit, letting them talk while I wandered into my head. I wasn't going to leave the room, but I could give them some privacy.

"I think I hear your mother," Edward said loudly after what I think had been five minutes, purposely breaking my thought, and moving away from my sister.