HI everyone! This is the longest chapter yet (for this story any ways lol!) Also for those of you who are fans of my other story 'Crescent Dawn' and haven't read the new chapter yet or have but didn't review yet then please go do so! I'm almost at 500 reviews for that one and I just need 3 more to get there, so head on over and whoever is number 500 gets a shout out at the top of the next chapter!! Alright enough of about that already,

as always Edited by GOLDSPARKLER and the usual disclaimer that no I am not Stephenie Meyer nor do I know her or own her characters, I'm just playing in there world!

enjoy!

“Hi” I said meekly looking back up to his piercing gaze. I thought I saw a small flicker of the same warmth I seen so long ago before his emerald gems quickly composed themselves into the look of a professional PT, but I couldn't be sure. I wouldn't, I couldn't let my heart think there was new hope, if I wasn't good enough for him then, then I surely wasn't now.

Chapter 8:

Touch

He cleared his throat then smiled at me with that crooked grin that had haunted my dreams since the first time I saw it. “It's nice to see you again Bella, shall we get started with your evaluation?” Hearing him asked making my heart beat even faster than it already was from the sight of that breathtaking smile speak my name made my heart, which was already beating double it's normal rate from that breathtaking smile, speed up even more. I nodded and hobbled over to the room to which he gestured, leaving a dumbfounded Emmett staring after us.

I knew my cheeks were still pink but no matter how hard I tried to calm my nerves I couldn't. Edward motioned for me to take a seat in a small exam room with a desk in the corner and two chairs, one of which I sat in. There was also the normal hospital type examination table along the wall with a pillow resting on it. There wasn't much to the room but I did notice the same poster that Emmett had written on in the hospital on the wall. As my eyes took in the surroundings I heard Edward speaking in a low voice to someone whom I could only assume was Emmett since he was the only one out there when I turned away.

I couldn't quite make out what they were saying but I did catch my name being said between them. I tried to strain my ears to hear more but Edward cut off whatever Emmett was going to say and walked into the room with an annoyed look on his face holding a folder in his hands.

“Sorry about that Bella.” He said with an apologetic smile taking the seat with his back to the desk.

I just shrugged not able to think straight with the way he kept saying my name like it was a newly found word to him, or rather a name he thought he would never say again.

“So as you might have guessed by now we are going to have a lot of work to do to get you back into perfect physical health with your knee, shoulder and wrist rehabilitation.”

I nodded as he spoke simply showing that I understood what he was talking about. I hated the thought of working out and the pain which I knew I was going to feel in order to get back on my feet but knowing that Edward would be there every gruelling step of the way and all the time we'd be spending together in the process outweighed all that.

“Today we're just going to take a look at where you stand then we will go from there. Okay?” He smiled looking over something in my folder. I watched his eyes intently scan whatever it was he was looking at and his brow puckered then smoothed out making his face unreadable. The silence felt like an eternity as I stared at him taking in his jaw line, which was fine by me, when I noticed that he had a faint smile pulling at the corner of his lips and I realized he must have caught me looking at him. I quickly looked down at the floor feeling my cheeks heat up once again in his presence. The moment I looked away he placed the folder back down on the desk, the sudden movement making me look back up at him just as he was running his fingers through his bronze dishevelled hair.

I had the sudden urge to stand up and run my own fingers through it wanting to feel the silkiness of it that my mind couldn't quite capture from my memories. “Bella” his velvet voice spoke breaking me out of my trance. My gaze locked on his sparkling emeralds and my breath hitched up for the briefest of seconds. “Can you hop up on the exam table for me or do you need help?”

“I...I um don't think I can do it by myself.” I said shyly, my voice sounded funny even to my own ears. He stood up lithely, and before I could fathom what he was doing I was swooped up in his arms and placed on the exam bed. My arms wrapped around his neck instantly and the feel of being in his strong arms again made my heart soar. I noted that his arms stayed locked around me like mine were around him as we stared deep into each others eyes.

I bit at my lip fighting with the burning need that raced through me to kiss him as his eyes darted from mine to my lips quickly then all too soon he pulled away turning from me. What is wrong with me! Bella get a grip of yourself! Your mind is just playing tricks on you that's all! He couldn't possible want to kiss me, never mind just want me in general, not after all this time seeing as he clearly changed his mind about me back then. Could he? No... I won't get my hopes up only to be hurt again. My mind groaned with all the sudden questions and thoughts jamming together at once making my head start to throb.

I still remember that day clearly when Alice came home from Jasper's and told me that Emmett was talking about Edward snagging himself a girlfriend recently and all he knew was that she was apparently very beautiful and fascinating. So Alice asked if he at least knew her name but Emmett shrugged saying he didn't know her name for sure but remembered Edward saying something in regard to Claire when he overheard him talking to Esme. My heart broke when she told me that part. I hoped at first that he was possibly talking about me but that was stupid of me to think that. When I thought about her words afterwards I should have known straight off it wasn't me. I was anything but beautiful and far from being fascinating, unless you can call my lack of balance as being seen as such. I was plain boring Bella, the bookworm who listened to classical music and wrote cheesy poems and things.

I brought my hands to my face trying to wipe away my raging thoughts before he could turn around again. When he turned back to me his face looked a little flustered but yet again his professional mask fell into place across his features.

Edward began going through the paces of testing my shoulder limitations then my grip strength in my good hand comparing it to my recently healed one. He explained as he went what things needed to be worked on in my sessions here to make them stronger and what needed to be done to get back my full range of motion in them as well.

My wince didn't go unnoticed by Edward as he bent the recently injured hand back to check the flexibility of it. “Sorry Bella, but I have to check.” He said with an apologetic smile as he kept my bad hand in his and lightly rubbed over my wrist bone with his thumb. His touch was so soft on my skin that it gave me goosebumps up my arm. “Cold?” He questioned causing me to blush once again. I quickly looked away from him shaking my head and out of the corner of my eye I saw him close his eyes and take a deep breath as if he were trying to collect himself.

My mind was so caught up in his features that I forgot he was still holding my hand until I felt him give it a light squeeze making me look up at him. “Bella...” Edward's voice was merely a whisper as I searched his glittering eyes, he looked so torn inside.

“Yes” I replied in the same tone feeling my heart skip in place waiting for him to speak again.

“I really don't want to hurt you but I'm afraid that I have no choice in the matter.” He looked down to my broken up knee and I felt my heart sink as I realised that what he was going to say was not what I had hoped would come out of his mouth instead. How silly of me to think that he was going to ask me out? I'm sure he has a girlfriend waiting for him at home. He removed his hand from mine and I quickly felt the emptiness at the loss of his warmth which had enveloped my tiny hand that still fit so perfectly together with his after all this time. Something about it just felt right but I couldn't let my thoughts stray there, not now.

I felt a shiver run up my spine as I felt his fingers brush against the skin on my thigh as he undid the bindings of the brace from around my leg freeing it completely. I was glad that I had worn shorts today because if I had worn pants then I would've had to take them off to give him full access to my knee. The thought itself was embarrassing enough, but to have to sit there in your underwear with a hospital gown on in front of someone you didn't know, never mind the fact that I did know this person in more ways than one, made me cringe.

Edward put my bare foot on his upper thigh to support it sliding his left hand up my calf leaving my skin tingling in its wake as he positioned his other hand cupping my knee cap.

“Bella this is really going to hurt you might want to brace yourself by grabbing on to something” he said. A little twinkle in his eye as my hand gripped onto his shoulder without my mind telling it to. I could feel the built muscle beneath my fingertips ...'just how I remembered it' I thought to myself.

My train of thought was cut off when he gently bent my leg up making me almost bite my tongue off. I tried to hold in my scream of pain as tears filled my eyes, and my fingernails dug into his shoulder.

“Sorry” he said softly massaging my now burning knee muscles releasing some of the tension in them. My body relaxed at his touch and I realised I was still holding tightly to him. I quickly removed my hand from his shoulder and wiped some of my traitor tears away.

“Please tell me you don't have to do that again.” I inquired with little hope knowing full well I would have to endure this pain over and over again in the days to come in order to get better.

“Just once more for today, I promise.” He smiled reassuringly at me. “Do you want to call in Alice this time?” He asked and something in his voice told me he wished I wouldn't. I shook my head and braced myself once more gripping his shoulder feeling him tense up suddenly. My eyes flashed to his face seeing a hint of pink forming on his pale cheeks and followed his line of gaze. I looked down at my foot and gulped noticing that I had unknowingly slid my foot up higher on his upper thigh when I sat forward landing extremely close to a very sensitive spot. My face flamed up as my eyes widened in shock and I felt like we were frozen in place both not sure what to say or even if we should say anything at all making the moment feel like it lasted forever instead of mere seconds as my foot stayed in its compromising place.

Edward cleared his throat licking his lips nervously while quickly moving my foot back to where it was originally resting just above his knelled knee. Neither of us dared to look at each other due to the awkwardness that had engulfed the room after that. He leaned back on his knees slightly reaching for the ruler gage that was on a cart to his side then returned his hands to my leg holding the cold plastic against it. “Ready?” He asked looking up at him from under his long dark lashes. I nodded in reply not trusting my voice knowing that it would falter from under the weight of his stare.

I took a deep breath as he took his eyes from mine tilting his head to better read the measurement as he again bent my knee moving it up and down. “OW! OW! OW! OW!” I whimpered out between breaths as a new batch of tears formed in my eyes. “Shhhhh” Edward said soothingly putting down the ruler while his other hand once again began rubbing my knee, his features holding concern. My mind raced as he looked at me and I wondered if he was this way with all his patients touching them so much like this while comforting them in such a caring way or was it simply because I was someone who had shared a somewhat intimate past moment with him. Maybe I was just letting my mind get the better of me.

His eyes bore into mine as his free hand reached up hesitatingly brushing my fallen hair behind my ear and stroked his thumb along my cheek catching a cascading tear drop that had escaped from its hiding place. I smiled against his touch despite myself feeling my heart rate pick up as his body leaned in closer to mine.

Hmmm I wonder who this Claire could be that Edward was talking about? Do you know? Whoever guesses it right gets their name used in an upcoming chapter!! Will you be a waitress or something else who knows, but until then let me hear those guesses along with your REVIEWS!! and yes I left it there hehehehehehehe!!

luv you all! until next time,

always, Feathers Kiss

ps. almost at 200 reviews so far for this story!! lets see who gets the shout out if they get the lucky number!! thanks for reading and for always reviewing everyone!