I had been in the hospital for two weeks. I’d had surgery to
remove the cage around my left leg. I was now in a foot to thigh cast. I had
been a raging bitch and I was absolutely miserable from being confined to the
bed, not able to fend for myself and peeing into a damn bag.
Oh, let’s not mention the fact that I’m in horrific pain.
I was also ignoring Edward. He’d been nothing but
supportive, loving and patient. However, seeing him reminded me of what I was
going to lose once I got out of the hospital. I would never dance again. I’d forever have a limp. I may not be able to have children. The
internal damage was healing, but there would be significant scarring to my
uterus due to the surgery and internal injuries I’d sustained.
I was working with a physical therapist on my other leg when
Rose stomped into my room, scowling and her face red with anger. “Do you mind
if I have a moment with my best friend who’s being an epic bitch? I want to
talk to her before I drive back up to Seattle to make sure our apartment hasn’t
burned down,” she sneered. She glared at the therapist who scurried out of the
room. Turning to me, she snapped, “I’m not going to apologize. Yes, you’ve been
in an accident. Your mom and arch-nemesis are sitting in a jail cell. You have
every right to be pissed off, but treating the man who adores you more than his
own life like complete and utter shit? That’s cold, Swan.”
“You’re right. I’m entitled to be pissed off. Now, if you
don’t mind. I want to be pissed off,” I snapped. “Because of my mom’s sick
pleasure in ruining my life, I’ve lost everything.”
“You haven’t lost everything. You’re still fucking
breathing,” Rose growled. “You could have died, but you didn’t. You have new
scars and injuries to your legs, but you’re still here. Don’t give up and shut
down. You don’t see Edward. He’s just
as broken as you are. But, his wounds are due to you and your harsh treatment
of him. Stop being so awful to him. Quit shutting him out, bitch!”
“I’m not treating him harshly,” I argued.
“And I’m a natural red head,” Rose deadpanned. She flipped
her blonde curls, glowering at me. “Bella, I know that you’re struggling. I
remember when I first met you, just after your dad died and you were still
trying to heal from your knee injury. You acted the same way: distant and cold.
After a few months, you warmed up to me but you still … there was this anger
inside of you.”
“Do you blame me? My knee was fucked up. My dad was killed on
the job because he was pulling extra shifts to pay for my medical bills. My mom
blamed me. And now? It all boils down to my mom and her bullshit. Because of
her actions, I’m back in the same position, with injuries that are threatening
my dancing career and mounting medical bills, but even worse. I don’t know how
I’m going to pay for this. Edward’s going to see that I’m not worth it. Just
like you. I’m just preparing for the inevitable,” I sobbed. “I’m going to be
alone.”
“Fuck,” Rose mumbled, sitting down next to me and wrapping
her arms around me. “You’re not going to be alone, if you change how you’re
acting, Bells. The walls are back up and I miss the girl, my best girl. The
girl who auditioned with me, on a whim, for this crazy competition. A
competition you won!”
“A competition that I’ll never be able to take part in again
because of my fucked-up legs,” I said, shrugging her off. “Oh, let’s not talk
about the damage inside. Carrying a baby to term is ‘questionable’ at best.” I
pointed to her barely visible baby bump. “You think that I don’t know?” I felt
the tears streaming down my cheeks and I whimpered in pain.
“What’s going on?” Sarah, one of my nurses, asked.
“Nothing. I was just hoping that Bella would pull her head
out of her ass,” Rose growled, stomping past her.
