Characters belong to SM and the beautiful music that inspired this piece belongs to Ryan Tedder and his band of musical geniuses. The rest is all from me.
Chapter 2
-2013-
It was almost midnight when I finally stopped reading and turned out the lights.
I would have kept going all night, but I knew I knew I needed some rest. At
forty-three my body just couldn't take the abuse that was sleep deprivation.
I woke the next morning to find that the forecast had been right. There was
over a foot of fresh snow covering everything, and I made a mental note to
thank Emmett for convincing me to stay in Duluth rather than try to drive home.
I showered and gathered up my things, calling Tanya once more to check and
see how everyone was. I renewed my promise to make it home that evening,
since I hadn't managed to at all over the course of the weekend, and checked
out of my room.
Old Man Winter had the ability to turn a fifteen-minute jaunt into an hour-long
commute, and that was exactly what happened on my return trip to the
hospital. The roads weren't fully plowed and the packed snow was slick and hard
to navigate. I managed to make it there safely nonetheless, and found Bella's
neurological team gathered around her bed when I finally arrived.
"Good Morning, Edward," Angela greeted me. I set my stuff down in the corner
of the room and ran a hand through my still-damp hair.
"Morning." I looked expectantly at her, hoping for some type of an explanation
about the number of people in the room.
Dr. Weber knew me well, and she got right down to the nitty gritty of things.
"We were just discussing our plans for the next few days," she explained. "We'll
be decreasing the pentobarbital gradually over the next three days. We dropped
the dose somewhat last night, and so far we haven't seen any new swelling or
causes for concern."
"Over three days you said?"
Angela nodded. "She'll be completely off of the medication by Wednesday."
"Wow." After six weeks of no answers, it was strange to hear one that sounded
so final, yet so good. "Well, I guess that's a positive thing, right?"
"I think so." Dr. Weber smiled and then turned to face the rest of the team.
"Let's give Edward some space, shall we? I'm sure he'd like the chance to be
alone with his wife."
I took off my boots once everyone was gone, slipping on the house shoes once
more and taking a seat in my usual spot next to her bed. A nurse came in to do
her routine checks, but once she was gone I leaned forward, caressing Bella's
cheek with the back of my hand.
"Did you hear that, baby? They're slowing down the meds, bringing you out of
this thing." I felt my eyes brim with tears as I stared at her seemingly lifeless
form. Six weeks in that bed, and the only time she'd changed positions was
when the nurses came in to give her a bath or reposition some sensors. Bella
wasn't the type to stay still for too long, and I could only imagine her reaction if
she were to see herself laid up like that.
"The kids will be so happy to hear about this," I continued, bending down to kiss
the area my fingers had just caressed. "They have so much to tell you. Coach
asked Riley to be the starting quarterback this fall. Can you believe it? I can't
either." I continued talking for another minute or so, filling her in on everything
from the weather to the journal. I had no idea whether she could hear me or
not, but I always tried to approach the situation like she could.
"I'm going to let you rest now, Bells. But I'll be right here." I squeezed her hand
once and then pulled my fingers away. It wasn't even eleven yet, which meant
there was probably nothing good on television. Emmett wouldn't be by to meet
me for lunch for another hour, so I pulled out the journal once more, continuing where I'd left off the night before.
-October 1987-
After our first encounter, Bella and I were inseparable. The rest of the summer
went by in a blur. We spent days on the North Shore and nights in the meadow,
where we talked for hours about everything and anything. My friends adored
her, and it didn't take long at all for her to fall perfectly into place in our social
circle. We were the talk of the town as word of our relationship spread like
wildfire.
We continued to spend time together when school started, working around
classes and homework and after school jobs. I'd never been big on dances, but
when homecoming time came, Bella made it known that she wanted to go. She
trekked to Duluth with Alice and Rose to find a dress and arranged to have her
makeup done by Mrs. Cope. The thought of spending the night in the school
gym, surrounded by a bunch of people I didn't care to know was less than
thrilling. But seeing the look on Bella's face when we arrived at the dance made
the night worth it.
"Do you feel that?" Bella whispered. I stopped pouring punch and turned
around.
"Feel what?"
"It's like there's this magic in the air." She spun in a circle and the fabric of her
dress swished around her ankles.
I rolled my eyes and resumed the task at hand. "You're crazy."
"Where's your sense of romance, Edward?" Bella took the glass of punch I
offered and sipped on it.
"This is a high school homecoming dance, Bella. It's not like we're at the
Duchess of Richmond's ball." I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled
her to me. "Wait until Newton gets so drunk he pukes down the front of
Jessica's dress. That's when the magic happens."
"You're terrible," she said, but her eyes were shining and a smile danced on her
lips.
The night passed quickly, and much to my surprise, I had a pretty good time.
Bella, Alice, and Rose danced like fools to "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," Mr.
Banner threw Newton out halfway through the dance, and none of us got caught
when we snuck out behind the school to smoke the fatty that Jasper had
brought in with him.
Bella and I took off before the rest of our friends and ended up in the field
behind her house. We parked my jeep and climbed in the backseat, putting a
blanket over ourselves and staring up at the stars that decorated the night sky.
"It's so beautiful up here," she breathed. "You can't see stars like this in the
cities. I mean you can see a few, but it's like they all come out of hiding up
here. It's breathtaking."
"You're breathtaking," I whispered, running my nose along her ear and pressing
my lips against the soft skin of her neck. Bella shivered, and I knew it wasn't
from the chilly air.
She turned to face me, her chocolate colored eyes sparkling with emotion. "You
know what the best thing about moving here is?" I shook my head. "You."
She kept her eyes on me, and the longer I stared into them the further and
further gone I became. When I looked back in time, I had no idea how I'd made
it through the seventeen years I did without her in my life. Everything P.B., or
Pre-Bella, was a blur. I'd fallen quick and I'd fallen hard, and in that moment I
knew—I loved her and I needed her to know.
I reached out and brushed a few stray tendrils of hair away from her eyes,
trailing my fingertips over her cheek and down her jaw. I tipped my head
forward until my forehead was pressed against hers and took a deep breath.
"I love you."
Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she reached up and wound her arms
around my neck. "I love you too, Edward. You silly, hopelessly unromantic boy."
I tilted my head and pressed my mouth to hers softly. The kiss was innocent at
first, but soon it deepened, and when she parted her lips I let my tongue dart
inside for a taste. She was sweet and soft, like cashmere and velvet, and all I
wanted was to get lost in her and never be found.
We stayed that way, a tangle of limbs and locked lips, until the sun began
throwing its first rays across the sky. I hated to see Bella go, but it felt different
this time. I loved her and she loved me. I was alive in a way I'd never been
before. Suddenly the future wasn't just about what I wanted; it was about what
she wanted and what we both wanted. We were young, and some people would
probably think we were also foolish, but we were in love.
And that was the only thing that mattered.
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