"Do you need to go?" Bella interrupted my reverie.
"Phil's supposed to call in a little while... I didn't know you were going to wake up..."
"No problem, Mom." Bella said indifferently. "I won't be alone."
That's right. I'll be here. She was just so soft and vulnerable. It seemed foolhardy to let her out of my sight, where anything could happen to her. And yet, the worst things that could happen to her would result from being with me. Deep down, I wished that she wasn't better off being away from me.
I bet you won't...not with Edward keeping an eye on you. "I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know."
"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that! You can sleep at home -- I'll never notice." The words were slurred slightly, the drugged stupor still not completely worn off.
"I was too nervous," she admitted sheepishly. "There's been some crime in the neighborhood, and I don't like being there alone." Her eyes darted to the newspaper next to the bed.
"Crime?" Bella asked, thunderstruck.
It was awful. The building was in ruins. Renée was picturing the remains of the ballet studio. "Someone broke into that dance studio around the corner from the house and burned it to the ground -- there's nothing left at all! And they left a stolen car right out front. Do you remember when you used to dance there, honey?"
"I remember," her voice quivered slightly under - what I would expect to be - bad memories.
She looks scared. Maybe I should stay here... "I can stay, baby, if you need me."
"No, Mom, I'll be fine. Edward will be with me."
Edward, again. That could also be a good reason to stay. "I'll be back tonight." I hope he heard that. She glanced at me again as she thought it.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, Bella. Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don't want to
lose you." I never realized her clumsiness would come to this though. Seriously - a coma in the hospital.
I remembered Carlisle looking over Bella's X-ray at the hospital after the van nearly crushed her to death. She had many healed fractures. Trying to suppress laughter, I could stop the grin that spread across my face.
I wonder if that hot boy will be in the room. I heard the nurse's thoughts that checked on Bella yesterday. She came bustling in then to check all of the tubes and wires.
Renée watched the nurse for a minute. I better get going. I don't want to miss Phil's phone call. He'll be elated to hear that she is awake finally. She kissed Bella's forehead, patted her gauze-wrapped hand, and left.
The nurse was checking the paper readout on the heart monitor. Hum...I wonder if this is because of him. The nurse pictured my face. He makes my heart do funny things, too. Maybe she is just worried or nervous. I would be if I woke up from a coma, too. "Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there."
After Renée left I opened my eyes, watching the nurse interact with Bella, pushing her thoughts from my mind.
"I'm fine," Bella assured the nurse.
I'm sure you are. I'd be fine too if he was at my bed side. "I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute."
The nurse turned on her heals and strode quickly out of the room.
It took me less than a second to move to her side, so quickly that she didn't see me move from point A to point B. Instead of her being surprised, her tiny eyebrows rose in humor.
"You stole a car?"
Duh, I wanted to say. Instead I just smiled.
"It was a good car, very fast," I refused to apologize; she didn't seem to mind.
It had to be fast, my only purpose was to get to her as quickly as I could...to save her life before James had the opportunity to take her away from me forever. I was too late, but just in time to barely reverse the effects of the venom that had rushed down her veins.
"How was your nap?" She smirked.
"Interesting."
My mind was wondering, remembering her plea to stay in Forks and her word crush. My eyes narrowed slightly and she noticed the change in my facial features.
"What?"
Honestly, I was happy with her response to stay in Forks, but disappointed all the same because now I had to find the courage to tell her to go, that she would be better off without me in her life. Was I brave enough? Was I that self sacrificing? By the look on her face she had already read too much into my face so I looked down.
"I'm surprised. I thought Florida ... and your mother...well; I thought that's what you would want."
The many nights I watched her sleep, as her worries and thoughts were spoken freely, let me know how much she truly cared for her mother. Also, when she talked about Renée it was if a parent were talking about a child. Was she just tired of the responsibility of her mother? That was uncharacteristic of her, so probably not the culprit to her reasoning to stay in Forks. The word crush rang through my mind again and so I couldn't be the reason, either.
When I finally looked up she was staring at me uncomprehendingly. "But you'd be stuck inside all day in Florida. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire."
A real vampire? What am I, chopped liver? The humor quickly passed. It was time to convince her to go back home...to Florida.
"I would stay in Forks, Bella. Or somewhere like it," I explained." Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore."
She stared at me with a blank expression, like she was having trouble processing my words. Was it the drugs? Maybe this conversation should wait until she was more aware and alert. I was just making excuses. Her lips turned down into an unfathomable expression as the monitor magnified her heart beats which were quickly increasing. The beeping nose and the pounding in her chest were reaching a dangerous point, going so fast I was nervous. Her breathing picked up along with her heart. Soon, she was gasping, hyperventilating. Her eyes began to water as her face contorted into a horrible grimace of pain. The soft lines of her face were suddenly sharp and defined. I didn't know what to do, what to say.