La Donna e Il Dottore Teaser

Bella watched over Edward as Jasper stitched up his wounds. “Bella, he’s going to need surgery for his arm,” Jasper murmured. “I think his bicep is completely torn from Embry’s blade.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Bella hissed, glaring at Jasper.

“My brother, Peter, is a doc,” Jasper said. “He’s the one who showed me how to suture.”

“And you’re just telling me this now?” Bella sneered. “I wouldn’t have had to involve him!” She brushed Edward’s hair back, frowning deeply. He was terrified of her. He’d seen her kill. Granted, the man she’d killed was the one who sliced up her face and injured him. His death was justified. But, he was still terrified of what Bella did.

“Bella, my brother is a war hero, a captain in the army. He can help out in a pinch, like with this injury, but he’s not cut out for our life,” Jasper said, wrapping Edward’s neck with gauze. “I’ll call him. I believe he’s got some leave coming up.” Bella nodded. “He’ll be out for a few more hours. I’m going to call Rosalie to arrange for some ‘time off’ for Doc Cullen.”

“Make it as legit as possible, Jasper,” Bella whispered. He nodded and left the bedroom where Edward was resting. His arm was wrapped, but still bleeding. She picked up his other hand, threading fingers with his and stared at his face. Even in rest, he was in agony. Getting up, she walked to the window and overlooked the backyard. It was nearly dawn, with rain coming down gently in the lavender light.

“You should probably change, Bella,” said Charlie. She turned, seeing her father. He was gripping a cane, his face drawn and covered in sweat.

“You should probably be in bed, Dad,” Bella countered. She helped him to a chair and he sat down heavily. “Do you need a pain killer?”

“Nah. I’m fine. I just moved too far, too fast, but I wanted check on Doc Cullen,” Charlie replied jutting his chin at the injured man in the bed. “He took excellent care of me. I hope you’re doing the same for him.”

“He needs surgery for his arm,” Bella muttered. “Something about his bicep. Jasper is going to bring in his brother, who’s a military man.”

“He’ll need surgery sooner rather than later if he wants to have full use of his arm,” Charlie said. “Bells, I see how you look at him. You care about him.”

“Well, you see how much my care helped him,” Bella sneered, her hands clenched into tight, angry fists. “He was attacked at his job by the monster who slaughtered my face.”

“He’s one less monster to worry about. I’m assuming you ended him,” Charlie nodded. “And that’s why you’re covered in blood.”

“Not all of it was Embry’s,” Bella snapped. “Some of it was …” Her voice caught, and she blinked back at Edward. “We need to help Edward get his life back. He shouldn’t be involved with us. I fucked up, Dad. I shouldn’t have called him. I had a moment of weakness. I let my emotions … my love for you … I put his life at risk.”

“If you think that love is a weakness, you’re wrong, little one,” Charlie growled, using her childhood nickname. “Love is a source of strength.”

“I disagree,” Bella argued. She looked at Edward and shook her head. “I’ll see to his injuries and arrange for a handsome payment. Then, I’m walking away from his life.”