Ch-12 : (Confrontation)

I was vaguely aware of something soft covering my body when I finally regained consciousness. My back hurt, my legs and my sides were sore, and the back of my head throbbed. I groaned and tried to turn to my side. Something stiff around my neck prevented me from moving.

"Katherine!" There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor before warm, soft hands clasped around mine. "Are you awake?" The female voice sounded sad. Concerned? My brain was foggy and couldn't quite process everything yet. "Are you okay?"

I groaned again before slowly opening my eyes. White, large tiles covered the ceiling. I could see a TV monitor on the wall in front of me. Somewhere close, a machine was beeping consistently. Why was I in the hospital?

I tried to move again, but everything began to hurt. Right. That had to be why.

"Katherine?" The voice asked again and squeezed my hands. I knew that voice. My eyes darted to my right, where Bella was standing next to me, hair disheveled and eyes red as if she had been crying.

Right then, everything came back to me. The accident, Edward, me bleeding and fainting.

My eyes widened. Had he? My hands flew out of Bella's, and I began to feel at my arms frantically. Then, I placed both of them right above my heart. Which was thankfully still beating.

Instantly, I relaxed. He hadn't bitten me. He had resisted. Then again, my blood was probably easy to ignore next to Bella's.

Bella. Whom I hadn't answered yet.

"I'm okay," I told her, my voice hoarse from not using it for who knew how long. "What happened?"

New tears formed in Bella's eyes as she grabbed my hands again. Almost as if she was afraid I would disappear if she weren't touching me. "Tyler's van crashed into the truck," she told me, and her grip on my hands tightened. "I was... pushed away from you," she frowned. There was something she wasn't telling me, I was sure.

She wouldn't hesitate like that if she weren't hiding something.

"I thought you'd been hit, but then I heard your voice. There was chaos everywhere. Tyler hurt his head, but they got him out of the van. Then the ambulance came, and a tow truck, too. When they finally got you out, Edward was holding you," again she frowned. "You were bleeding, but he used his scarf to manage it."

I blushed. Why, I had no idea. None at all. Nope.

Bella squeezed my hands again. "For a moment, I thought you were dead." Her lip was quivering, more tears threatening to fall.

I squeezed back. "It's going to take a bit more than a stray van to get me to kick the bucket," I joked. Better to move forward than linger on this.

Bella laughed even though a few tears fell from her eyes.

I let go of Bella's hands to try to sit up. Bella eagerly helped me. "How long was I out?" I asked as she put a pillow behind my back to keep me from sliding down the bed. She also helped me raise the back of the bed with the remote.

"A couple of hours," she told me as she went to a sink, grabbed a cup, and turned on the faucet. "Tyler was here too, but I think they wanted to run some test on him," she turned the faucet off and walked over to me, the cup now filled. "He hasn't come back yet."

I gently grabbed the cup and proceeded to try to drink. It was awkward with the neck brace on. Everything was stiff, and I couldn't move with the cup. In the end, Bella decided to end my struggles and helped me.

"They've done all your tests since you were more pressing," she continued as she put the now empty cup on the table to our sides and sat down on the edge of the bed. "They wouldn't let me in here until you were done with them."

I was sure I looked shocked.

"You're my friend," she told me and looked away. "I thought you'd been seriously hurt," she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Their words about you being fine weren't really making me feel better."

Oh, Bella.

Trying to move as gently as possible, I scooted closer to her and put my arms around her. Almost immediately, her arms were around me, too. "Thanks for being such a good friend," I told her, hoping she could hear that I meant it.

Not long after, the doors to the room opened. I looked over Bella's shoulder and immediately tensed.

Edward.

I was sure Bella noticed since she quickly unwrapped herself from me and turned around to face him. I couldn't see her expression. Edward, on the other hand, looked like... like he was wearing a mask. Not a single muscle in his face was out of place. But his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He was also wearing a different shirt than when he had saved me.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me, completely ignoring Bella. He was also keeping his distance, not moving further into the room but rather staying by the door.

Oh God. This had to be hard for him. Bella and her blood, and then me and my dried blood. I wished I could make it easier for him to be around her.

For a moment, he looked confused before the mask reappeared. Strange...

"I'm okay," I finally answered. My voice was thankfully not as hoarse as before, but it was still throaty. "A little sore, but nothing some rest shouldn't be able to fix."

Edward chuckled. "Good to hear." He buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Bella's hand found mine and squeezed. Was she okay? What was happening? I couldn't see her expression since she was sitting in front of me, between me and the door (Edward).

"Speaking of rest," I deflected, hoping the tension in the room would disappear. "Do you know if I can go home yet?"

Edward laughed again. Then he shook his head. "I figured you would want to be sped through. So I called in a favor."

Right then, the door opened again, and the most handsome doctor I had ever seen entered.

His hair was a gorgeous blonde, only just reaching his collar. His butterscotch eyes and smile were gentle and friendly as he looked at me. And my God, was he tall...

How did that family manage to look like movie stars? Of course, I knew why, but my simple human brain could not fathom how anyway.

"Hello, I'm Carlisle," he spoke, and I immediately closed my mouth, not realizing that I had opened it. I heard a chuckle behind Carlisle and tried to scowl at Edward. "So, Miss Henderson, how are you feeling?" He was now standing next to me. Bella had moved down from the bed and over to the chair again.

I gulped. "I'm fine."

For a moment, he pulled the chart from my bed to read. After finishing, he put it back. Then he pulled out a flashlight. "Can you follow the light for me?"

I tried to nod, but the neck brace made it impossible. I blushed and confirmed that I had heard him. As my eyes followed the light, I couldn't help but ask, "Can I get this thing off my neck? I don't think I need it; my neck feels fine."

Carlisle turned off the light, looking satisfied with my eyes. "Maybe," he answered before heading to the sink to sanitize his hands. "Edward told me you hit your head pretty hard. I'll just have a feel of your muscles first," he continued. "This might feel cold."

As his hands gently nudged my sore muscles, I suddenly became aware that I wasn't wearing my clothes anymore. Instead, I was dressed in a white hospital gown. My bare arms and legs sticking out (thankfully, my legs were still hidden beneath the covers of the blanket). I flinched as Carlisle's cold, hard hands touched my exposed upper arm.

"Tender?" He asked, momentarily stopping his probing.

"Yeah," I lied after trying to nod again.

He looked thoughtful before speaking. "I don't see anything broken on the x-rays, and you don't seem to have sustained any other serious injuries than the one on the back of your head," his hands moved behind my neck to the neck brace. "But just to be cautious, I'll have a look at your neck and shoulders too."

Then it was off. Cold air caressed my now exposed neck. I hadn't even realized how warm the braze had been. He put it on my bed before going to sanitize his hands again. I knew why he was being so thorough with me. Edward was probably scared that he had handled me too roughly as he saved me.

The whole situation just seemed utterly ridiculous. I was being looked over by the vampire doctor like I was a porcelain doll. Bella, completely unharmed. Edward, saving me instead of her.

Or... well, he had to be the one who pushed Bella away before saving me. So technically, he had saved her, too, I suppose. But I had been the one trapped between the cars with him. Why? Perhaps he hadn't had the time to pull both of us away? Then why had he pushed Bella first? Why had he done this? What were his motives? Bella's blood, I could understand. Me? Not so much. My death would not have been as tragic as Bella's. Sure, judging by Bella's reaction when I woke up, she would have been extremely affected, but it wouldn't mean the same to Edward. At least my blood spilled everywhere wouldn't turn him into a frenzied killer.

I grunted as Carlisle touched a sore spot on my neck, which I was sure was from falling asleep at my desk last night.

"Sharp or dull?" He asked me.

"Just sore," I answered, looking toward Bella. She had the weirdest look in her eyes as she observed Carlisle. My hand twitched as I tried to keep it from reaching to where he was gently touching me. "I fell asleep at my desk last night, drawing," I decided to tell him. Hopefully, the brace would stay off. "Had a bought of inspiration."

Carlisle smiled and removed his hands. "Everything seems fine," he said gently as he grabbed the board from my bed again to scribble some notes on it. "Just make sure to take some Tylenol if you feel any pain at all." Then he hung the board back. "And try to resist falling asleep by your desk again. Bad posture lingers."

A quiet laugh escaped me. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"So, can she go home now?" Bella asked, bringing my attention back to her in the chair.

"I don't see why not," Carlisle answered. "I'll just talk to some of the nurses about your discharge papers," he went to take the brace before continuing, "You were quite lucky today."

"Yes, it was lucky Edward was standing right next to us to push us out of the way," Bella said, her voice sounding quite dark and threatening. She was frowning at Edward, her arms crossed over each other.

"Yes, very," Carlisle simply said before walking towards the door. "I'll be back with your papers." Then he was gone. Edward was still standing beside the door, hands in his pockets. Had he breathed at all during this? Once more, I wished I could make it easier for him around Bella.

He frowned again. Seriously, what was up with that? Every time I thought about-

"Can I talk to you?" Bella interrupted my thoughts by saying. "Outside?" She wasn't looking at me but rather at Edward.

Should I intervene? I wasn't sure. Even if it had been me, he rescued, Bella probably still noticed him across the parking lot. She would want answers. Should I be demanding them too?

I honestly didn't know.

"Your father is waiting for both of you," Edward's mask was cracking. A small scowl grazed his features.

Bella sighed. "Please?" She asked. "I also want to thank you for saving my best friend."

I couldn't say who was more shocked at her words. Me or Edward. "Fine," he grumbled before opening the door and walking out.

"I'll be right back!" Bella eagerly told me before quickly following him out the door, stubbing her toe on the corner before she was also outside. I wasn't sure if I should follow them or just let them have the spat. Part of me was still in shock at Bella's revelation.

I'm her best friend?

Despite feeling stunned, I somehow managed to get dressed in my clothes but did not move from the bed. Then Bella barged into the room, huffing and mumbling profanities under her breath.

I blinked and went to stand again. "What happened?" My legs were shaking, but I managed to grab a hold of the table next to the bed before my legs gave in.

Bella groaned and clenched her fists. "He's insufferable!" She complained. "Stupid, stubborn, cryptic-" she continued but then interrupted her rant. "He wouldn't answer any of my questions!"

"Maybe he had a good reason?" I offered, resulting in a snort and Bella rolling her eyes at me. Then she suddenly widened her eyes and smiled.

That's never a good sign...

"I didn't have any luck, but you might have," she moved closer to me. "He talks to you." Then she grabbed my hand and began dragging me toward the door.

I tried to get out of her grasp. "Don't you think we should go meet Char-"

She opened the door and shoved me outside. Just as Edward was passing by the corridor. He frowned at me before continuing to walk away.

I looked back at Bella in the door. Her eyes narrowed at me, clearly telling me to "go after him!"

I sighed in defeat. She would surely drag me towards him if I didn't move on my own.

The good thing about hospitals was that there were always people around. It made it hard for vampires to walk away fast enough for humans not to follow. I caught up with Edward quickly.

Nurses were passing by us, some on foot, some on those weird hospital scooters.

"Edward, wait!" I called.

He didn't stop.

Stubborn asshat.

"I just want to say thank you," he stopped but didn't turn around. "For saving me. You could have let Tyler's van crush me, but you didn't," I squeezed my left upper arm. Suddenly, my resolve to talk to him faltered. As he finally turned around, I averted my eyes, fearing his judging stare. "And also for saving Bella. I wasn't fast enough to push her away," I fiddled with one of the buttons on my flannel. "And I wanted to apologize for my outburst while we were trapped. That wasn't okay."

Edward scoffed. Surprised, I looked up at him again. His eyes were intense as he gazed at me. Heat flooded my cheeks.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious as the silence began to stretch.

He shook his head. "You just never act the way I think you will."

That might be because you can't read my thoughts, Eddy dear.

"How come?" I decided to ask. Whatever his answer, I knew it would tell me exactly what I had already concluded long ago.

He sighed, not looking at me with animosity anymore. "Usually, reading people comes easy to me, but you surprise me."

I swallowed. "What about Bella?"

His eyes instantly narrowed, his face hardened, and he crossed his arms. He didn't answer.

I held his gaze. "She just wants to know why," I told him. "And so do I."

"Well, both of you better get used to disappointment." He snapped before turning around to walk away - signaling

the end of our discussion.

I sighed and felt myself deflate. At least this had gone somewhat according to plan. Now, all that was left was Mike, Eric, and Tyler asking Bella to the dance in about a month.

Finally, the ball was rolling as it should.