Chapter 4

"Shh, love. Sleep." I felt his lips brush my cheek bone and softly kiss it.

"But...didn't our plane just land?" I was blinking my eyes, trying to focus through the blur of waking up, but he patted my back.

"I will carry you. You can sleep in my arms." And with that, I collapsed in slow motion back into his lap and didn't wake up until we were home.

A dreamless sleep is always the purest sleep. I woke up in our bed, feeling refreshed and full of memories. Vivid pictures that shot messages up through my center every time I would imagine Edward's hands on me. I was alone, though. As I crunched against the comforter to sit up, I heard an array of voices. They were the voices of my family. My family that I loved dearly with every cell in my rigid body. The Cullens. Nothing in this world could ever amount to the way I felt to be a part of them...to be a Cullen. I was Mrs. Cullen. No, no...I was Mrs. Edward Cullen. I sat there on the bed smiling and gazing at the wall when a high-pitched voice swung through the room and grabbed me by the arms.

"STEPHANIE! Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie!" She lunged onto the bed and embraced me, pulling me up and down with every repetition of my name. I loved her, my sister. I hugged her back, tightly. I was beaming.

"Alice! Oh, Alice I'm so happy to see you! I missed you so much!" My voice was like that of a child who was telling her parents a compelling story of childish elation.

"We missed you, too, silly!" She tapped my nose. "For two weeks, no one tripped down the steps. It was fourteen days of no laughter."

Just then I heard the softest footsteps open the door ajar. "Can I come in?" A whisper escaped from the opening, evident in the tone that whoever said it was smiling.

"Esme!" I exclaimed. She gleamed and flashed her huge white teeth while darting over to give me a hug.

"We missed you, dear! Two weeks is too long for me not to see my children." She winked at me and I was overcome with emotion. Tears began to fill my eyes and the three of us shared a group hug. It was chilly being in the middle but I wouldn't have traded anything in the world for this moment. Well, maybe a moment in Edward's arms. . .

"Where is everyone else?" I was curious why no one else had been anxious to see that I was in perfect condition, despite the haystack that was my hair.

I was growing more and more suspicious of the quiet conference going on in the next room. I could tell it was Edward and Carlisle. "Rosalie and Emmett are hunting. Jasper is making sure things stay calm between Edward and Carlisle. And you're here!" She threw herself on me and hugged me again. How unusual. Normally, I was the one lunging myself at her, because I missed her too much, or because I was too happy to see her after months of isolation during the darkest period of my life. . .

I saw Esme's forehead crease inward as she looked down and folded her hands into her lap.

I sighed and switched glances between the two of them. "Alice, what's wrong." I wasn't stupid, or deaf. The quiet chatter through the wall was enough to get my heart rate accelerating. "Stephanie, it's-" She was interrupted.

"My lady! Welcome back!" Carlisle's arms stretched for me as he glided through the now open doorway and drew me in for a long hug. "How did you enjoy the island?" He tilted his head to smile at me, winking, obviously beaming with pride and courtesy.

"It was amazing, Carlisle, I couldn't have asked for more. Thank you so much." I turned to look at Esme to channel my gratitude towards her, too. Everyone was smiling.

Then my stomach turned. A current of pain twisted my insides, and I remembered the horrid airline food I scoffed down due to Edward's command. He was more concerned with my diet than his. I started to think I looked like someone who had an eating disorder with the way he watched me eat. He just cares...he just cares. My hand grabbed my stomach in hope to rid the pain. I squeezed my eyes and my stomach was in a knot for a few seconds before it finally faded away.

"Stephanie, is everything OK?" Carlisle's attention was on my hand, tense on my stomach.

"Oh, yeah...stupid airline food." I brushed it off. I hated attention. "Where's Edward?" I asked, uneasy now.

"Oh he's right inside, just talking to Jasper. Come on in when you're ready. We have a lot to discuss."

He parted back into the living room with a genuine grin. I still felt uncomfortable with the obvious tension in the room. You could have cut through it with a knife. And worse, it seemed to be hindering my hearing. Everything was getting quieter, like I was in a soundproof bubble. I began to think. Why has Alice been preventing me from listening to the conversation between Edward and Carlisle? Why did Esme dip her head down as if she was hiding something? Why was Jasper calming them down? Why did Rosalie and Emmett decide to hunt the day Edward and I came home? What did Carlisle mean by "a lot to discuss"? And why haven't I seen Edward yet?

I was starting to breath heavy and break into a sweat when Alice's hands were on my shoulders. "Hey! Sis! What are you thinking about? Are you OK?" Her eyebrows furrowed in concern over her liquid golden eyes.

"Mmhmm. I'm fine." I swallowed hard. "Just a little nauseous." I held my stomach as I slowly started to get up from the bed. I grabbed Alice's hand and plastered it against my forehead. I was beginning to get dizzy. I heard Esme ask me something in concern, but it was just a short, incomprehensible mumbling to me. My legs felt unbalanced as I wobbled a few feet away from the bed towards the bathroom. The walls started to cave in and splotches of color began coating my visual field. My head was spinning. I knew I only had time to say one word. I chose wisely.

"Edward!" His name came out as a screech. I gasped before my knees gave out completely. I felt my insides twist tighter as shocks of pain splintered through me. Suddenly, he was there.

Edward's arms were holding my limp body upright as he raced to the sink. I heard him nervously ask Alice what happened.

"I don't know! She just collapsed Edward!" She was just as worried by the sound of her pixie voice.

"Esme! Hold her hair back!" I heard Edward demand. In the same second, I dipped my head over the sink and felt my insides move up my pulsating esophagus. Suddenly, the doctor's hands were on my face.

"Stephanie...can you hear me?" Carlisle asked. My eyes were closed and I could barely think straight. I kept forgetting where I was. I couldn't open my eyes. The bright lights pierced through them like bullets, breaking the armor of my skull. I gagged. Then everything finally made its escape as I vomited into the sink.

It was all hazy. I heard distant voices yelling. "Alice! Get her water!" "Esme take this arm!" "Edward support her neck!"

What was happening to me. My neck hung backwards and I felt Edward's cool, hard hand hold it up, preventing it from rolling off my shoulders. The residue in my mouth crept its way down my throat and I choked, yanking my head into the sink again for another round of hell. When it was over, I coughed violently. My head was washed over in pain with each thrashing of my throat. It was sore now. My eyes were teary. My legs felt crippled. I tried opening my eyes.

The first thing I saw was my feathered reflection in the foggy mirror, and Edward's right next to mine. I looked over to my right and his eyes were glued to mine, begging for answers. They were strung with fear. Then I heard Carlisle.

"Esme, Alice, can you tell Jasper to call the hospital and tell them I will be in early tomorrow?" His voice was hard and mechanic while he twisted the faucet on to wash away the evidence of my mortality. I should have guessed Jasper was still in the living room. He never handled moments like these well. What if I was bleeding? Slowly, my consciousness came back. I looked at Edward, squinting my eyes because the lights still hurt.

"Love...what happened?" His left hand was still supporting my neck and his right arm held me under my arm. Without him, I would be a pile of flesh on the floor.

"I'm... I feel better now." I was confused. I spoke in a whisper like the fragile human I was.

"Here, Edward..." I saw Carlisle give Edward a glass of water.

"Let's go sit down." He pressed the edge of the glass of water to my lips and urged me to take a sip. I complied, rinsed my mouth out, and gulped the rest down in seconds. The cold water felt like ice soothing my burning throat. I wondered for a moment if this was similar to how vampires felt when they were thirsty. Then I was being carried to the bed. When he sat down I shivered into his chest. He quickly began untangling his arms from me and grabbing the blanket when I stopped him.

"No, no! I need to be near you. Just hold me tighter..."

"Of course, sweetheart." And he did, rocking me back and forth slowly kissing my head. He let a few minutes pass to allow me to calm down. I lay cradled in his chest for a few moments, when I looked up at him.

"Edward, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I hate putting you in situations like that, when I'm so helpless and vulnerable." I looked down ashamed. I've always had a problem with showing weakness. It was something that bothered me a lot.

"You know that's ridiculous, Stephanie. I made a vow to be there for you through sickness and in health. And needless to say, you didn't need a vow to know that already."

I looked up into his eyes and stroked his jaw line. "I know." I whispered. "I just...I don't know, I felt very dizzy. And I really don't remember much after collapsing in the bedroom."

"It's OK, love. Carlisle is going to check you tomorrow. Your blood sugar may be low."

"Oh, do I not smell as sweet to you anymore?" I joked.

"Hilarious." He chuckled at my lameness, shaking his head while fabricating his most perfect crooked smile. I returned to a perfect state when his eyes sparkled into mine.

Just then, I heard Rosalie and Emmett rush into the house frantically. Rosalie was mumbling to Alice while Emmett was speaking to Carlisle at light speed. Then I heard Emmett's loud voice.

"Steven's escaped. And he's not on his meds. His scent is hard to follow, though. Cigarette smoke is a good camouflage."

Steven? The same name I had heard on our honeymoon, who was involved with that incident of deforestation and animal abuse.

I saw Edward pick his head up to listen and his arms held me a bit tighter. His rigid jaw line was like a razor about to shred me to pieces.

Then I heard Emmett continue.

"He wants her, Carlisle. Just her."

Something was wrong. Very wrong.