Prologue
“Bella? Love, wake up.” The sound of Edward’s velvet voice urged me to open my eyes. “Thank God,” I heard him mutter. I must have given him a confused look. “Bella, you’re burning up. You have a cold.”
Oh, I could see how that would make him upset. After all he died from one of the worst flu epidemics in history. I bit my lip. “Edward, I’ll be fine. We human’s get cold’s all the time,” I assured him. “Besides, you have four medical degrees don’t you?”
Edward shot me a worried look before it faded into my favorite grin. “You’re right love. I’ll just stay and take care of you today,” he said, his arms wrapping around me.
I snuggled into his icy embrace, glad that he was here. That was one thing about my vampire fiancée, when I was sick and had a fever he was way better than an ice pack. I was nearly back to sleep when I felt him shift on the bed. “What is it?” I questioned, curious to find out if it was my dad coming home early.
He placed a quick kiss to my forehead, “Nothing love, Carlisle and Alice sent me a text while you were asleep that they are stopping by for a few minutes. Carlisle to check on you, and Alice, well she went shopping for supplies to help you.”
Oh God. I rolled my eyes and said, “Alice will use any excuse to go and shop won’t she?”
Edward laughed heartily. “You know it. She actually just got some orange juice, Seven Up, saltine crackers, chicken soup, some movies and medicine for you,” he answered, for once not being the teensy bit evasive.
Hmmm, seems like even Alice knew when to tone it down. Oh who am I kidding? If I wasn’t sick, that little pixie would’ve dragged me out of the house an hour ago to complete the plans for the wedding, which, Holy Crow, is only in one month. I stretched out against Edward and looked up at his god-like face. “Well, if I’m going to deal with the pixie, then I need a human moment,” I mumbled as I tried, and failed to get out of bed. Thankfully my own personal knight in a shiny Volvo caught me.
I could tell he was stifling a grin at my natural clumsiness and tried, yet failed, to give him my death glare. Guh! It’s so unfair how he can dazzle me to get himself out of trouble like that. I can’t wait till I’m a newborn, then I’ll be able to do the dazzling. “How about I give you an escort to the bathroom love?” he asked all too innocently.
However before I could answer, he had already carried me the seven feet to the bathroom. He gently set me on the floor and I hurriedly went inside for my human moment.
Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom and smelled the scent of hot tea wafting up the stairway, as well as some toast. A smile broke out over my face as I clutched the stairway railing and eased my way downstairs to the kitchen where Edward had made himself at home and made me a light breakfast.
“Thanks Edward, but you didn’t have too,” I began speaking, however, before I could continue, Edward had lifted me up off my feet and placed a chaste kiss to my lips.
“I wanted to, besides, you shouldn’t be walking around,” he said as he carried me over to the couch. “Now, just sit here and rest, love…” He didn’t get any farther before the doorbell rang. “There’s Alice and Carlisle.”
He set me down on the couch then went to the door and let his sister and father in. “He….hey guys,” I wheezed between coughs.
“Hello Bella,” Carlisle soothing voice floated through the room. “Edward and Alice told me you have a cold.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s just a little cold. You all know as well as I do that there not much you can do - ” I would’ve continued except for the cough that had welled up.
Carlisle and Edward shared a glance since out of the whole family only they had been to Med. School. Ha! Score one for the human. I knew that they were both realizing that I was right. Even through my fever induced haze I could see the mischievous look in both Alice and Carlisle’s eyes. When I looked over at Edward I could see the half annoyed, half amused look on his face that he got when the family began teasing him through their thoughts… well when everyone in the family but Emmett. The look he reserved for Emmett was a completely annoyed and angry.
“Well, it looks like you and Edward were right. You just need to get some rest and drink a lot of fluids…”
“Which is why I went and bought you some essentials,” Alice cut in, a huge grin on her face. I fought a groan. If there was a way for Alice to get to go shopping she’d find a way, even if it was due to my being sick. Much to my shock, she placed a huge basket in my lap. “Well, open it!”
With a roll of my eyes, I opened the basket and began pulling the items out one by one. There was a box of saltine crackers, Sierra Mist, condensed orange juice, Theraflu, Nyquil, Dayquil, and even a couple of movies. I grinned when I saw the movies that she had picked out; “The Princess Bride,” and “Ever After.” Two movies which, I have to admit, I hadn’t really watched, but ever since I began dating Edward, I thought about watching, especially since I could see the comparisons between our relationship and those of the characters in the movies. I looked up from my goodie bag with a genuine smile on my face and looked over at Alice. “Thanks Alice. This is just what I needed,” I thanked her through my coughing.
I swear as soon as I said those words Alice began vibrating like the tiny pixie she was. “I knew it! And I didn’t even have to ‘see’ it either,” she grinned. “I’m going to let you get better. Just remember as soon as you’re back to 100% we’re finishing up the wedding preparations.” And with that last warning and threat, Alice was out the door heading to her yellow Porsche Turbo 911.
Knowing I was in capable hands, Carlisle said his goodbyes as well and headed to work at the hospital. Once they were out of vampiric hearing range Edward turned towards me. “What would you like to do now, love? Would you like to watch a movie, or would you rather have me read to you as you rest?” he questioned as moved the basket off my lap and began covering me with thick quilt.
“How about you put in “The Princess Bride,” and then join me on the couch?” In a fit of rare humor, I added, “You can be my personal ice pack.” I was rewarded for my joke with a grin from Edward.
A mischievous but loving look overtook Edward’s face and eyes as he replied, “As you wish, love.” He took the DVD from the case and walked over to the DVD player and started the movie before returning at vampire speed and sat behind me, letting me lounge on him.
I laid back, with my head on Edward’s shoulder, basking in the closeness and coolness of his body. I tried focusing on the movie, but even as Peter Faulk on screen began saying, “That day she was amazed to discover that when he was saying 'As you wish', what he meant was, 'I love you.' And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back,” I began to fall asleep, needless to say I did not expect the dream I had.
