Bella’s POV

Eyes flickering open, the lights burned them. Closing them, I heard a beeping noise next to me. It was a sound I was familiar with. A heart monitor.

Twitching my fingers, my head hurt. It felt as if someone smashed a hammer into it.

The smell of anesthetics burned my nose.

I was in the hospital. What happened?

Opening my eyes again to the bright artificial light, I blinked them several times to see clearly.

Groaning, I heard a rustle to my right. Turning my head weakly in the direction, I lost my breath.

Edward was sitting next to my bed. He was even more beautiful then in my dreams. He looked exactly the same as the day I first saw him. Disarrayed hair, butterscotch eyes. But his mouth was turned down and I detected sadness in his eyes.

But I had to still be dreaming. I wasn’t awake yet. There was no way Edward would be here. He has been gone for so long.

“Good morning,” Edward said in his velvet voice I missed.

I turned my head away. “I must still be dreaming,” I murmured, my voice hoarse. “There’s no way you’re actually here.”

He took up my hand, his cold hands brought a shiver through me. “I am here, Bella,” he said.

I turned my head to look at him still not convinced. “Why?” I asked.

“I came with your daughter Bailey. Of course I didn’t know you were her mother at the time, but when I found out you were, I stayed,” he replied.

I frowned. That wasn’t his typical answer in my dreams. Then something occurred to me. My daughter. Where was she. In a panic I sat up painfully, and looked around. “Where’s my daughter? Where’s Bailey?”

Edward pushed me back down into the bed gently. “Don’t strain yourself, love. Bailey is at a hotel sleeping,” he replied, lightly.

“She is?” I asked. The dream I had about her floated in my mind, causing me to panic again. “How is she?”

Edward bowed his head. “She’s seen better days,” was all he said.

“I don’t understand? What’s going on?” Tears filled my eyes, as my chest rose and fell rapidly.

He stroked my hand. “You’re in the hospital in Seattle. You had a seizure yesterday morning. But don’t worry yourself.” He explained.

That’s when it all came rushing back. I was having breakfast with Charlie when I started to feel a headache and I was disoriented, confused. And then everything went black.

“Carlisle will be here in a bit, to explain what happened,” he said. “Don’t worry yourself. You need your strength.”

All I did was stare at him. What? Carlisle was here? What was going on? This couldn’t be a dream. It was way to realistic. The sights and sounds and smells were way to realistic. I never dreamed of Edward being so perfect and his scent was breath taking, definitely not something I could have dreamed up. And the thing I noticed right away was that I didn’t feel the hole in my chest anymore.

The tears escaped my eyes. I gazed deeply into Edward’s eyes, searching. “You’re really here, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I am, love.” He still had my hand in his.

“Why?” I asked again.

“I couldn’t keep myself away,” he responded.

I was suddenly angry. “But you kept yourself away for twenty years! What do you think your doing? Are you here to torture me? I mean I’ve never stopped loving you, Edward! I dream of you every night! Why?” I wailed. I covered my face with my hands, and sobbed. The effort made my head throb.

Pulling my hands away from my face, Edward said, “Please don’t cover your face. I’ve spent far too long not seeing it’s beauty.”

“You don’t love me, why are you here?” I asked again.

“Bella, what I said in the forest that day was the blackest type of blasphemy,” he responded, pleadingly. “I’ve always loved you, and always will.”

“You…love…me?” I asked. “Then why didn’t you come back sooner?” I wiped the tears away, angrily.

“Yes, Bella. I do love you. That could never change,” he said, and then continued, “And I did come back. After your graduation I came back to check on you. I wanted to see if you were happy, or moving on with your life. And from what I saw, you had moved on and I couldn’t bear the thought of turning your life upside down again. And I came back a week ago. I was checking on you. And I saw what your life had become. You had been married and you had a daughter. I thought, I couldn’t enter your life after that. You needed to focus on your daughter. But I didn’t realize how much time had passed, and when I did, I didn’t think you’d take me back.”

He ended his speech. I tried to comprehend everything he told me. He came back? After graduation? He saw that I had moved on. Obviously he saw that I was with Jacob. But I hadn’t moved on. I always kept a hope that he would come back, and now he had. Could I let him in again?

“Edward,” I began, “You saw me living my life, but not for me. Never for me. I was trying to make everyone else happy. I went through life as a zombie for a long time. It took me everything to be able to laugh again. Jacob helped me with that. He was my sun, he parted the clouds perfectly. And I loved him, but if you would have come back I would have done anything to be with you again. You don’t understand what it felt. You took a piece of my heart with you when you left.”

Edward sighed at my words, and then nodded. “You took a piece of me with you too, Bella. You don’t know how long it took me to just continue on with my life. I more or less curled up in a ball for years and let the misery take me. I guess I didn’t see that you felt the same way. But you lived!” He exclaimed. “You had the life I would have wanted for you! You had a daughter, and you lived! You wouldn’t have had that if you would have stayed with me. You would have been in constant danger! I couldn’t have lived with myself you someone would have killed you. My family and I kept you in danger just by being by you!”

“I was still in danger, Edward!” I protested. “When you left the problems continued! Laurent and Victoria came back! They tried to kill me! But luckily I had the pack at my side! They took care of them! I was in constant danger! And more vampires came to Forks! I would have been better off if you would have changed me, Edward!”

“I could have never taken away your soul! You would have never forgiven me, Bella. Never!” He responded heatedly.

“People without souls could never love me like you used too! People without souls don’t love and they don’t repent, and they don’t try so hard to keep the monster inside. All they can do is hate and kill and feel no remorse! That was never you, Edward. You have a soul, and I’ve seen it!” I protested. I saw something flicker in his eyes, but I didn’t catch what it was.

Sighing, he resigned, and then said, “I do love you Bella, and if you could take me back after all this time, I’d be forever grateful. I can’t live without you Bella. Will you take me back?” His eyes were pleading with me.

Eyes widening, I couldn’t believe what was happening. And it wasn’t a dream. It was reality. New tears formed in my eyes, as I said, “I could never say no to you, Edward. I’ve always loved you and hoped for you. You don’t even have to ask, I’d always take you back.”

He beamed and kissed my hand. I sighed with pleasure. The heart monitor began to beep rapidly.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” I couldn’t help but ask.

His expression was intense, “I’d never leave you, again. I love you, and now that you have taken me back I know for certain I could never leave your side again.”

I smiled at his words. I finally had my Edward back, and I couldn’t be any happier. But then I remembered I was still in the hospital.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked.

His eyes got sad and his mouth pulled down. “Carlisle will be in here in a little bit to explain to you. But before he does, I’m sure you’d like to see your other visitors?”

I groaned, as Edward chuckled, and muttered, “Things never change.”

“Who’s here?” I asked.

“A lot of people. Charlie is here, and Jacob, and some of the Quileutes, and my family,” he replied.

“Your families here too?”

He chuckled again. “Yes. All of them, they’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

“Ugh, I don’t think I can handle this,” but as soon as the words escaped my mouth, the room started to fill up with everyone.

Everyone was smiling to see me awake but there was discomfort in there expressions. But I shrugged it off as being so close to each other. Charlie, Jacob, Sam, Emily, Sue, Seth, Leah, Lindsey, Quil, Embry, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Esme entered the room. It was so full I started to feel claustrophobic. But I pulled on a weak smile, and talked to everyone. They wanted to know how I was feeling, such things as that. And then a faux cheerful atmosphere took hold of the room and everyone started to joke around. Some of the jokes were centered around my expense. Nothing ever changed there. Emmett was the worst at cracking the jokes at my expense though. It was hard to realize I hadn’t seen the Cullen’s in so long. It felt like only yesterday that Emmett was cracking a joke over my being a klutz.

Finally the room started to clear out. Alice and Edward were the last two in the room.

Winking, Alice said, “Once your better, we’re going to go shopping!” And then she left the room. I groaned. Some things never change.

I yawned. I was exhausted, which was hard to believe on how much sleep I’ve had, but I made sure to keep my eyes open. All the visitors took everything out of me.

“Don’t worry, love,” Edward said in a soft voice. “Carlisle will be here in a minute and then you can get your rest.”

I nodded. “Can you come lay next to me?” I asked. I longed for his arms to be around me.

He knitted his eyebrows together, obviously contemplating if it was a good idea. “I’ll lay with you after Carlisle’s visit.”

At that moment, Carlisle came into the room with a fake smile on his face. That worried me. “How are you doing, Bella?” He asked.

“Fine,” I responded. “My head hurts a bit though.”

He nodded, already expecting my words. He sighed, pulling a chair next to my bed and sat down. “I need to tell you about your condition, Bella. But just remember there are options,” he glanced at Edward.

I gulped, and nodded. My throat felt swollen. I was suddenly terrified.

“Bella, you have Glioblastoma multiform. It’s a type of brain tumor,” he explained.

No, no, no, no, no!

“Am I going to be okay?” I asked.

Carlisle sighed. “This form of brain tumor is very severe. We could do chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or even surgery, but all that would damage the brain further. And drugs won’t help. I’m sorry, Bella, but you may only have a few months left.”

I was in shock. I was going to die? I couldn’t die! Not after being with Edward again. And I have Bailey! I couldn’t leave her, she’s only seventeen!

Tears began to run down my cheeks again, as I choked out, “I’m going to die?”

“It’s your choice Bella. There is another option,” Carlisle said. I felt Edward tense at my side.

“What is it? I’ll do anything!” I exclaimed. “I can’t leave Bailey!” My chest felt constricted.

Carlisle bowed his head. “I’m going to give you the choice to become one of us, a vampire.”

I stared at him for a second in confusion and then blurted, “I’ll do it! Do it now!”

“Bella, don’t be rash,” Edward replied. “You still have a few months. Think about it.”

I nodded, but my decision was set. It’s always been set. To spend eternity with Edward.

“Yes,” Carlisle added, “Don’t be rash. You’re going to be released in a couple of days and if your decide this, then you need to make the proper arrangements. And you need to deal with the wolves. They won’t be so kind as to let us change you. I think it would be your word alone that will convince them.”

“Okay,” I said.

Carlisle stood up. “Just give me a call if you need anything. You should get some sleep now.” And he left.

I turned my head back to Edward. His expression anguished and intense. “Do you really want this?” He asked, gesturing to himself. Indicating his immortality.

“Of course!” I exclaimed. “I have no choice, now, Edward. It’s either immortality or death. And I need to be here. I need you and I still need to take care of my daughter.”

“I understand,” he said.

I was puzzled. “You’re not going to fight this?”

“No! How could I fight this now? I need you!” He exclaimed.

Smiling sadly, I patted the bed, and slid over. “Come lay with me,” I ordered.

He obliged, and laid next to me. Tucking the blanket in around me so I wouldn’t be cold, he wrapped his arms around me.

“Kiss me,” I ordered.

Smiling my favorite crooked smile, he said, “Okay, but then you need to sleep.” And then his lips were on mine. Hard and soft at the same time. My heart picked up speed and I gasped, wanting more, but Edward groaned and pulled away. “Sleep now, Bella, and dream happy dreams.”

Closing my heavy eyes, he began to hum my lullaby.

Despite my prognosis, this was the happiest day of my life.

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Okay, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I hope it’s what you all wanted! I’ll post another one tomorrow, or maybe even later today! It depends on how bored I am. Lol. Thanks for all your awesome reviews!

I’m not too sure what my next chapter will be, yet, but I have some ideas. Some things that Bella and Bailey need to know, so I’m thinking I’ll go there, and the release of Bella. But I’m not sure yet. You’ll have to wait and see.

Actually, why don’t you all review and tell me what you want to see!