He grinned, and bent his face to press his lips tightly to mine. The monitor went, wildly.
But then his lips were taut. He pulled away.
"I think I hear your mother," he said tightly.
"Don't leave me," I cried, a surge of familiar panic flooding through me. I couldn't let him go—not again.
He read the terror in my eyes for a short second. "I won't," he promised solemnly, and then he smiled. "I'll take a nap. I'll be right here, Bella."
He moved from the hard plastic chair by my side to the turquoise faux-leather recliner at the foot of my bed, leaning it all the way back, spreading his legs and putting his hands, clasped together, behind his head. He was perfect. He was still perfect.
"Don't forget to breathe," I whispered sarcastically. He took a deep breath, an unnecessary deep breath, and opened his eyes just to close them again.
I could hear my mother now. She was talking to someone, maybe a nurse; she was screaming. Her words were jumbled and ran together. I wanted to jump out of the bed and run to her, to calm her, to make her stop yelling at the nurse. It was so embarrassing. But I wasn't in any sort of shape for jumping, so I waited for her to come to me.
The door opened a crack, and she peeked through.
"Mom!" I whispered in a shout, my voice full of love.
She took in Fredward's still form on the recliner, and tiptoed to my bedside.
"He never leaves, does he? Bella?!" Mom yelled, throwing her hands up and pacing about the room.
"Mom, I'm so happy to see you!"
She bent down and suddenly wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tighter than I had ever been squeezed before. I felt warm tears being pushed out of me all over my cheeks.
"Bella, I was so upset!" She yelled into my ear.

465

Chapter 24

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