297Hi readers! So this is the second to last chapter of Camp (part one out of two), and I have to say I've really enjoyed writing this story. Do you know what I've also enjoyed? Hearing your marvelous responses. I have to thank you for taking the time to read as well as review, and for putting up with my delays. The epilogue (which will be posted after this) is pretty short, but please be patient with me about posting -I have finals coming up! These coherent chapters could not have been possible without help from the wonderful SUNFLOWER3759, and I'm so grateful for her work! Note: Part II of this story will not be following immediately. I still need to finish writing it :). Lastly, these characters are not mine! Okay, without further ado, here is the chapter. Enjoy!
The Promises We Make
Our travel was stilted by the fact that I couldn't walk on my own. I required Edward's assistance even to stand, and just the simplest of brushes against my ankle had me crying in pain. I tried my hardest to hold in my groans, biting my lip to restrain them. In the end, Edward lifted me onto his back and carried me. With every jostle of his step, my tears slipped down the back of his neck.
The pond that had been my landmark. That glorious, vast pool of water we had dropped into had actually been a sight on one of the hikes, which the camp administers to their overnighters. I knew the general direction of the campsite from that point and we were a mere two or three miles away; however, I didn't know how much further Edward could carry me. Throughout the course of the day, I had noticed his skin turning a sickly color. Soon enough, he began coughing to the point where he was wheezing. I looked into the green eyes of my fighter and saw determination. He wasn't going to give up, even if it killed him. But what use would it be to die when we were so close?
"Edward, stop," I told him.
"What's wrong?" he asked as we halted. He gently crouched down to deposit me on the ground. I lie back against the trunk of a tree that was seemingly safe and void of suspicious ants. I had enough bites to last me a lifetime, and I didn't need a poisonous one to end it all.
I knew Edward was going to protest at my suggestion, but our choices were limited, "You have to leave me."
"What," his expression immediately transitioned from shock to anger, "No. No. That is not an option."
"Look," I told him, "It's a straight walk to the campsite, but it could still be another three miles. You can't do that with me on your back, and no matter how much you deny it, you're sick. It's not as if you're abandoning me, I'll be fine. Just get help, and they can come back for me."
"I'm not leaving you," he shook his head, but even I could see that he knew it was the right approach; "I can't just leave you here defenseless. What if the bear comes back?"
"Either way you can't run away from a bear with me on your back," I shrugged, "The faster you go, the faster you come back. You need to go before it starts getting too hot. I think you might have mild hypothermia."
"I think you're out of your mind," he shot back.
"You can stay here and call me names, but it's not helping us," I told him.
"I'm not leaving you," he said.
"You'll be back," I said, "I know you will."
"I don't want to leave you," his face fell, the distress apparent once again.
"I know you don't," I gave him a smile, "God, for the first time, I know you don't want to leave."
He crouched down before me and held my face between his hands. His forehead touched mine, the grains of dirt grinding between our skins. For a few moments, all he did was look into my eyes, steadying his breathing as he searched, and searched, and searched for something. Every part of me hoped that he found it in me.
"I'll come back for you," he said, "No matter what happens."
I nodded and touched my lips to his, savoring every second of the kiss. I prayed to God that he would make it.
"I know you will," I smiled again, not wanting to leave him with the sad image of my tears.
He dropped what was left of our supplies, and tucked me in with my jacket. With one last kiss, he was on his way.
I didn't know how long he would take, so I reclined onto the forest floor, using my arms for pillows. I closed my eyes for a few moments, trying to slow my breaths. I knew it was the right thing to do; that Edward needed to go alone; so why then did I feel so hopeless?
Maybe because we're both still lost.
In fact, we all possibly could still be lost.
I let myself venture into the morbid, but highly possible reality that I could die in this spot. With the heaviness, and uselessness of my body, I might as well be a corpse. I was uncomfortably hot, and my skin matched the odd color of Edward's. Nothing felt right within me. It was a wonder I hadn't lost my mind in this forest.
But as I thought of the possibility of losing everyone, I supposed that insanity wouldn't be a loss but perhaps a blessing. I wouldn't be reminded of the constant terror I'd felt every night I had to sleep in this forest. I wouldn't be reminded of Edward's face as he accepted that he had to leave me. I wouldn't be reminded that the last words I'd said to my sister were that she was a 'vapid bitch.'
I would never forgive myself.
So many years filled with hatred
I'd missed out on her life, and she'd missed out on mine. Granted, we both had legitimate reasons to dislike the other, but at what price? Alice had been denied a relationship with Charlie –I had stripped Renee of a relationship with me. I began to question every decision I'd made in my life. But what if I thought differently after getting out of here?
No, I couldn't. I did not just spend five days being lost, only to still be lost.
I didn't know how long I had been lying there before the shivering started. It had begun as small trembles, but soon progressed into teeth chattering tremors. I was in two conflicting states –on one hand feeling uncomfortably hot, and, on the other hand, shivering as if I had been lying in the snow.
What was happening to me?
The sun seemed bright, too bright, and the wind seemed loud, too loud, and it seemed as if every part of me could identify every sensation. I sensed pain, roughness, dirtiness, wetness, coldness, swollenness, aloneness; why can't this all just be over?
The sun was starting to retreat. It had been hours. So many possibilities went through my mind.
Had Edward collapsed?
Had he encountered the bear?
Was the camp further than I'd thought?
Did I give him the wrong direction?
Were they coming?
Could they find me?
It began to get dark.
And then, the crying started.
It came to the point where I could safely conclude I had never cried so much in my life. It didn't matter if I looked at all my experiences of crying collectively –nothing compared to this. Dehydration had taken its toll, so all I produced were tearless sobs. I no longer could control whether I was bawling, or just screaming.
Edward wasn't coming back.
No one was coming.
I screamed for anyone. Dad, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, God, God, God where are you? Why aren't you listening to me? My vocal chords gave up, but I continued wheezing as I sank into my greatest fear.
I was going to die alone.
My face pressed against the damp forest floor. I didn't care anymore. I didn't have anything in me to care anymore. I just wanted to die. I just wanted to stop feeling, thinking, being.
I didn't know if the sound was far away, or if my soul was. Everything felt out of body, and out of mind. Blinking was my only means of anchoring myself to my body. I continuously fluttered my eyes, the only bodily function I could control. My thoughts desperately attempted to gain purchase as my inner monologue tried to hold onto my remaining sanity:
Bella,
Oh there you are. Where have you been?
It's time to get up.
I'm trying.
Try harder.
And I did try harder, I honestly did, but in the end it didn't matter. When that flash of light swept across my face, I knew I'd been found. Activity bustled around me as a paramedic dropped to her knees before me, and asked me whether I was well enough to respond.
All I could do was blink.
~camp~
I lay across from him on a cot, unable to do or say anything. I could see that his skin was grossly pale, a testament to the five days we'd spent lost. His blank emotion mirrored mine, as did his still posture, and slow, heavy breathing. My heart was filled with the fact that he was okay, but none of us would come out of this unscathed. We'd lost so much more than we'd anticipated in that forest, things that we would never get back.
"You need to eat," he finally said, his voice hoarse.
I blinked in response, my mouth failing to move. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't eat. I couldn't move. Not until they brought Alice back.
"They know where she is," he continued, "it's just hard to get in and out of the forest. It takes time. She'll be fine."
The doctor came in and took my temperature, shaking her head as she mentioned something about my being as stubborn as my dad, who I had yet to see. Apparently, they'd gotten a track on Alice and Jasper. Both he and Renee went to go and assist the rescue.
"Bella, I need you to cooperate with me," Dr. Montgomery said, "Your body … it's too weak to keep going on like this, and your throat's too raw for me to use a feeding tube. Your body will go into survival mode…"
She kept talking, but I was unable to listen. Wasn't I already in survival mode? Hadn't I been in survival mode for the past five days? When could I stop surviving and start living again?
Dr. Montgomery's pager went off, and she fled from the room. From my position, I couldn't see what was happening beyond the doors, but it sounded like a lot of activity. I craned my neck desperately, but only landed myself in a coughing fit.
"You have to calm down," Edward said, "They'll tell you what's going on."
Renee burst through the door first, not slowing down for a moment before she met my bed. She threw her arms around me, holding me for all I was worth. I could feel her body shake as she sobbed, releasing her emotions into my shoulder. I let her hug me, because, truthfully, I was too exhausted even to feel revulsion.
"Bella, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you so much. I'm sorry." She repeated, as she pressed a kiss to my cheek. I nodded, not knowing what, nor wanting to say anything to her. Her kiss burned.
"Bella?" Charlie appeared behind her, his face overwhelmed with emotions. The emotion I'd been waiting for welled within me as I saw him. He wrapped his arms around me and cradled my head in his neck. I could feel his tears on my shoulder, showering me with his relief. Nothing compared to the feeling of being back in my father's arms. If all else failed, at least I had this feeling. I had never doubted Charlie's love.
"How is Alice," Renee said, "What are they saying about her? Why won't they let us in?"
"That's what I came to tell you two," Charlie said, before clearing his throat, "It's not looking good."
No, no, no, no, no,
"What happened?" Renee's voice cracked.
"T-They said she must have eaten a poisonous mushroom of some kind," he coughed, trying to hold the emotions back, "they're trying to pump her stomach but …"
No.
"There's been organ failure," he continued, "kidney… liver … they're talking about a transplant Renee."
"Okay, okay," she nodded furiously, "I'll do it."
"You know you don't match," he shook his head, "but I do."
Wait, but what about his heart?
I know…he can't handle that.
But Alice needs it,
We're not losing any of them. But what do we do?
We fight Bella. Why can't you get it through your head that we never stop fighting? Stop your fucking blinking, and talk.
And so I did.
I cleared my throat before interrupting their conversation, "I'll do it."
~camp~
"Bella," Dr. Montgomery said, "I'm not entirely sure this is something we can do. Given your current health, and the state that Alice is in –it might end up harming the both of you."
"As in, both of them could die?" Renee cried.
Dr. Montgomery answered, "The double-transplant procedure is one I've done many times; however, there can be complications, especially when there is such deteriorated health on both sides. There's a possibility that Alice's body will reject the organ due to the stress on her body. And there's a possibility that Bella's body may not react well being put under anesthetics and the stress of the operation."
"I don't get what we're waiting for," I nearly spat at the doctor, "It's simple. I'm volunteering to be a donor for Alice. I'm a legal adult and have full mental capacity. Can you do the transplant or not?"
Dr. Montgomery nodded slowly, "Do you understand the full implications? No one is forcing you to do this, Bella."
"I'm her sister," I said, "More importantly, I'm her twin. What could be better than the exact, genetic material? I fully understand that I could die. With all due respect, Dr. Montgomery, I could have died at any time over the past few days, but I didn't. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to do this. Please, let's not delay any further. I'll sign whatever I need to."
The doctor left to get the necessary paperwork and inform the rest of the staff of the changes.
"I can't let you do this, Bella," Charlie shook his head.
"You're not letting me do anything, it's my decision," I told him.
"I don't want to lose both of you again," he said, "let me do it."
"So that we can lose you?" I scoffed, "And even if you do it, there's the high risk of rejection. I'm the perfect match."
Renee pressed a kiss to my cheek, "Thank you. I know saying that is not enough, but thank you."
I nodded before they both left to go and check on Alice.
"You don't have to do this, Bella."
I had forgotten Edward was in the room. He slowly maneuvered himself to my bedside, wincing in pain with every step he took to get to my side. I hated that he was causing himself so much pain to come over, but my leg had been harnessed.
"I'm just supposed to let her die then?" I asked.
"You heard Dr. Montgomery, there's a high chance it won't even work," he said, "and then that will be two lives the forest claimed."
"She's my sister, Edward," I said, "Not my dog, not my pet fish, my sister. I've already treated her like shit, and lost everything we had together. I'm not losing her, too."
"What about Renee and Charlie?" he questioned, "You're going to let them worry over losing both of their daughters in the same day?"
"Edward, if I don't do this, I will never be able to live with myself," I told him, "I will always be wondering if I could have saved her, and if she would still be alive, and if we ever would be close again."
He picked up my hand, leaning his head against it as he exhaled a few breaths. I put my hand beneath his chin and lifted his face to be in my view.
"When I had found the camp," he started, "I collapsed as soon as I stepped foot through the door. I didn't wake up for the next few hours, so I couldn't even tell them where you were. When I finally came to, they refused to let me come along to find you –they said I was much too weak … that I was mildly hypothermic."
I grinned, "Told you so."
He shook off his smile, "So they left me with a walkie-talkie to keep me complacent since I kept getting up from the hospital bed. Charlie left it on the entire way there, filling me in on what was happening."
Edward had paused for a moment before the anguish broke through in his voice, "I could hear your screams; you were screaming as if someone has been tearing you apart."
I winced at the description.
"And you called my name," he cried as he placed his head in his hands, "And I wasn't there."
"Edward, you saved me," I told him, "We wouldn't be here if you hadn't gone on. I couldn't have walked with you, and you would have collapsed that much sooner. You comforted me, and you ran with me from the bear. I owe you my life in so many ways that I don't know how I'll even begin to repay that debt."
"There's one way you can," Edward said.
My expression changed to one of confusion, "How?"
"Promise me something," he started.
"Anything," I said, before he could even finish his sentence.
"Promise me, you'll come back out of that surgery alive," he said, "Promise me you'll be okay."
I pulled his face up to mine, and blessed his forehead with a kiss, "I promise you."
Hope you enjoyed -I'd love to hear what you think!
~CH