Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Day Twenty-Eight Stranded

Edward

The storm had finally stopped raging outside after two days of being in the cove, and when it was light again, Bella and I were going to go back on the island. I was worried about what we would find--what if there was no supplies left? What if there was no more food, and the spring had been trashed to the point of no return?

Then we would really be in trouble. I tried not to think about it.

I lay next to Bella’s sleeping form, spooning her body. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her, and at first she had gotten aggravated when I kept waking her. Each time I would fall asleep, my dreams would turn to nightmares of her beautiful face, deathly pale and sickly. I would be swimming to her, and no matter how hard I kicked and thrashed, I could never reach her, as if I were stuck in the same place.

I woke up in a cold sweat each time, gasping for breath. I would see her lying next to me every time, and she was pale and her breathing was not strong enough for my satisfaction. I had shaken her awake, just to make sure she was okay. After the third time, she got really pissed at me, but seeing my worried face made her hold in her anger.

So I gave up on sleeping. Looking down, I measured Bella’s breathing again. The back of her ribs moved slowly with her breath in a steady rhythm, and the movement stretched her scars when she inhaled.

I trailed a cold finger around the longest scar, careful not to touch the scab itself. It was about four inches long, but it wasn’t deep. We would have to make sure the gashes didn’t get infected. Lying there, staring at the angry marks that marred my beautiful girl’s back, made me want to try everything in my power to get away from this island. We needed to go home. Our time here had been fun for the most part, but not knowing what was going to happen tomorrow, or in a week, terrified me. The unknown wasn’t safe, and I wasn’t about to take a chance with Bella’s safety. Now that I finally had a girl, one that I wanted to take care of, I wasn’t going to lose her.

“Edward,” she murmured in her sleep. Her voice sent a jolt through my spine, and I tightened my hold around her. I kissed the back of her head, and tasted the nasty salt water.

I wanted to bring her home to my enormous, empty bathroom, and just wash every piece of her glowing skin. I wanted to lay her on my big bed and ravish her, and then we could wake up between the white Egyptian sheets every morning and do it all over again.

I wanted my first bath back home to be with Bella. I would litter the floor and counters with candles and rose petals, and shampoo the nasty dirt and sand and salt from her hair and body.

I took comfort from all the things we could do once we hopefully returned. I knew it would be so hard to be away from her for just an hour or so after being with her 24/7 on the island. It would take a long time for us to make the transition back to normal life. Well, as normal as life could be now that I had her in mine. Looking back at Bella’s back, I kissed the scar softly, thinking of ways to get a plane to notice us.

When Bella started to stir an hour later, I helped her get up, trying to ignore her naked body. I grabbed what was left of her shirt and shorts and tried to put them on her. She looked at me like I was silly.

“That’s a lost cause,” she said, taking the ripped shirt from me and dangling it in front of my face. “It looks more like a rag now.” I laughed. “I’ll just go naked,” she continued, shrugging. My laugh was cut short, and I blinked a few times to clear my head. Had I heard that right? Bella walked away, holding the shorts and her underwear, and smirking back at me.

I pulled on my shorts and joined her at the edge of the water. The tide had risen with the storm, and I knew it would be harder to get out now. But we had to do it--it’s not like we could just stay in the cave forever. First, we would die, and second, we would never be seen to get rescued.

“How bad do you think it is?” Bella asked, referring to the damage on the island. I tried not to look at her naked, knowing it would make me stupid with desire, even under the circumstances. I still failed, though, and Bella covered the girls with her arm when my eyes darted to her, a wide smile on her face.

I chuckled. “I don’t know. I think it will be okay. This island’s probably been here for thousands of years--if it’s survived a hurricane before, it can do it again,” I said. I took her hands and led her through the water. The light from the holes in the ceiling of the cave was the only thing allowing us to see, and I worried it would be darker underwater because it was deeper. “Hold onto my back, and kick your feet. I’ll swim us out of here, okay?” She nodded her head at my request, and we were off.

I made it to the other side without any problems, and we both gasped for breath when we finally reached the opening. Seeing the sun was such a relief after not having it for over a day and a half. I swam out more, getting my first view of the island. I couldn’t see much because the cliff was blocking me, but the few trees I could make out were bent all the same way from the wind blowing so hard. It didn’t really worry me…yet.

We swam around the cliff, to the other side of the island where we usually resided, taking in everything that had happened. Many trees had been snapped in half, the tops just dangling on the ground.

When we finally reached our side, Bella yelped.

“The suitcase! Edward, it’s gone!” she swam to shore frantically. I followed her, amusement taking over. I tried not to burst out laughing as she ran around in the nude, searching for the suitcase with the only clothes we had. Water dripped down her breasts and long legs as she did so, and the whole scene was like something out of a really funny movie.

She looked at me with a pout, probably hoping I would help her look for the clothes. I would do no such thing, however.

“I’ll just go naked,” I said in a high, girly voice, mocking her words from earlier. “I bet you wish you had that rag of a shirt now, huh?” I keeled over in hysterical laughter, and I could feel her scowl upon me. She pulled on the panties and the shorts, but was left with nothing for her torso. She walked up to me quickly, mad. I could see her eyes smiling, though.

“And what if a plane comes by today, Edward, and we get saved? Would you really want another man to see my chest, just because I can’t find a shirt?” she said in a mocking tone, matching mine. I frowned for a second, thinking about it before I made up my mind.

“Let’s find that suitcase.”

***

We did not find the suitcase, but by some miracle, my old undershirt was caught in a tree somewhere, along with some of the underwear. The suitcase must have toppled over, making everything inside fly around, then floated away.

I wasn’t sure what I liked more: Bella naked, or Bella wearing my t shirt. It was hot again, so she just put on the red panties this time. A lot of the food we had picked had been either trashed or drowned, so we went in search of more. Luckily, the food trees stayed mostly intact, and we were able to eat an okay meal.

And now we were back to square one. I wasn’t going to be ignorant this time, however. As Bella walked around, I dug up the word “SOS” in the sand next to us. Maybe, just maybe, a plane would see it, and send someone to our aid. It looked big enough for a plane to see it from high above, but the problem was whether a plane would even pass by us at all.

The air was dry and hot, very different compared to what we had experienced before and during the tropical storm. I was already sweating, even though I was just clad in shorts. I started a fire anyway, hoping that it would add to the possibility of getting noticed.

I realized Bella had been gone a long time, probably around a half hour, and I grew worried. We never spent this much time apart; every time she would “go to the bathroom,” she would always be back within ten minutes, at most. I looked around the broken tree line, but caught no sight of her. Concerned, I started walking the path she had followed.

I finally found her ten minutes later, sitting in the fresh water in the spring. It seemed unharmed, but something was wrong with Bella. She was just sitting there, looking down at the water. She was perched right at the edge, in all the rocks, barely any water under her. She gathered water in her hands and ran it over her stomach, sighing. She never even noticed me approaching. I watched the water cascade down her abdomen, dripping down her legs and returning to the spring. Why did she look so sad?

“Love? Is something wrong?” I asked loudly, hoping my voice didn’t shake with the worry looming in my chest.

My words had startled her, and she turned her head quickly to look at me. Giving me a small smile, she said, “No, I’m just having cramps.” I could see through her little fib, so I walked over to her. She had gotten rid of the shorts, and all she had on was my tee and the red lacy thong. I thought this rather strange, so I sat next to her in the water.

She frowned deeply, and I took her head in my hands gently. “Really, Bella, what’s wrong? I can’t help you unless you let me.”

She sighed again, finally looking at me. There was so much sadness in her brown orbs.

“Igotmyperiod,” she rushed out. I didn’t understand her, especially given the fact that she was blushing profusely.

“Um…what?” I asked dumbly. She threw me a dirty look and repeated herself.

“I. Got. My. Period.” Oh. Yeah, I could see how that would distress her. I pulled her close to me, making sure the water still hit her. I poured more over her stomach--it must have soothed the ache. I understood that she was in pain, but I couldn’t comprehend why she seemed depressed. She leaned her forehead against my shoulder.

“Why are you sad, baby?” I asked, “These things are natural.”

“I’m embarrassed, Edward. This must be so disgusting to you. And I have nothing to stop the-the bleeding,” she choked out, terrified for my reaction.

“Bella,” I chided, “nothing you could ever do would disgust me. Well, unless you pulled a Marilyn Manson and wiped your butt on an American flag in front of a large crowd, and to tell you the truth, I’d probably find even that fascinating if you did it. But, anyway, my point is that you shouldn’t be embarrassed or disgusted. And we can always find something to hold the bleeding. You’re probably not even bleeding much anyway, what with not getting the proper nutrition your body needs.” I looked at her questioningly.

She nodded. “No, it’s not much. I didn’t think I would start at all because of the added stress, but I guess it just delayed it. I counted, and realized I probably should have started a few days ago. It likely won’t last long, either.” She smiled at that thought, and I just had to know what was on her mind.

“What’s making you grin all of a sudden?” I asked. She laughed.

“This period better not last long, because I don’t think I can refrain from jumping you for any long length of time,” she giggled. I laughed with her, and kissed her softly, showing her how not disgusted I was.

She gasped all of a sudden, and I pulled away, thinking she was in pain.

“What?”

“How many days has it been since the crash?” she asked me hurriedly. I counted quickly in my head.

“Almost thirty, I think, if I haven’t lost count,” I said, suddenly worried by her alarmed expression. She gasped, her eyes widening and gaining tears.

“Edward,” she cried, “my birthday was last week! I’ve been twenty-three for six days and never even realized it!”

My jaw dropped to the ground. Bella’s birthday? What was I supposed to say to that? “Happy birthday” wouldn’t go over well. She put her head down, and my heart broke for her.

“I’m sorry, love,” I said softly. She shook her head, her long hair swishing from the movement.

“It’s no big deal,” she added after a few seconds. “I’ve never really enjoyed birthdays anyway.” Her voice shook, but I didn’t want to call her out on her lie.

After a couple minutes of silence, she looked up at me. There was determination on her face and all the tears were gone. I picked her up bridal style, carrying her back to our usual lounge area. I tried to give her privacy as she changed clothes. When she came find me, I was poking the fire to make it bigger. She was only wearing my shirt and new, black panties. I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, and she giggled. I grabbed her leg, making her fall gently on the sand next to me.

I laid her down and hovered over her, attacking her swollen lips.

“You don’t know what your wearing my shirt does to me,” I growled.

***

A few days later, I decided it was time for another special dinner. The last week had been the hardest so far considering everything that had transpired. The storm, Bella’s womanly “problems,” as she called them, and her depressing skipped birthday realization had all weighed down our little happy bubble.

I wanted to do something special to celebrate her birthday, but there was only so much in my power. So another special dinner made by me was going to have to suffice.

Bella’s scars on her back were healing, and I made sure nothing got in the way of their progress. I didn’t let her lift a finger for anything strenuous, especially picking food or catching fish. We hadn’t even made love for six days, but her period was also to blame for that. But now she was done with it for another month, and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t stop thinking about how sweet our reunion would be as I rubbed aloe vera juice on the pink gashes lining her hot, roughening skin. She sighed at the cool contact.

“I still can’t believe you’re a doctor,” she said softly. I smiled, thinking about the first time I told her about it.

“Do you doubt my skills?” I asked.

“No, not your skills. Your maturity, sometimes, yes, but never your intelligence and ability,” she laughed. I scoffed at her, finishing the last mark and kissing her shoulder.

“Hilarious, Bella. Why don’t you go pick some avocados, and I’ll try to catch us some fish,” I suggested. I wanted her out of sight so I could make another surprise for her. She turned around quickly in surprise, complaining that I hadn’t let her pick anything in the last few days and asking why today was different.

“Your back is almost healed, love. C’mon, I can’t do all the work around here,” I said jokingly. She frowned and stared at me suspiciously before jumping up and doing as I told her. Once I saw that she was through the tree line, I ran to the water and searched quickly for fish. I’d gotten much better at catching them since the first time a month ago, and I didn’t even need a weapon to beat it with anymore. It was all about speed and aim, two things I never had trouble with.

I caught two flounder, our favorite, and what seemed to be the most abundant on the island, and put them to cook over the fire. Bella still wasn’t back, thankfully, so I filled our cups with water from the spring. We had emptied a wine bottle and filled it with the fresh water so we wouldn’t have to keep rushing back for more every few hours. Most of the things we had scrounged since we got stranded had been damaged or scattered for the storm, but nothing was out of use. Every object, broken or not, was still of some sort of value. It was a small wonder how cavemen lived like this. Didn’t they ever get bored?

And Adam and Eve…we were so much like them in a way. This island was our planet, and we were the only beings. It was romantic in so many ways. I just wished it was perfect no matter the circumstances. I wondered if the first man and woman had bickered and played as we did, and if they ever wished there was someone else around for company or to complain to. Sometimes I wished Emmett was here to see Bella, so I could brag to him how lucky I was. And if Esme were here, she would definitely never question my sexuality again. The thought made me laugh out loud.

I set a shirt out on the sand as if it were a table cloth and put our “cups” in the corners.

“What are you doing?” Bella’s voice called out from the opening in the trees. I looked up and saw her carrying a few avocados and bananas. “What’s all this?” She started walking toward me, a sly grin from ear to ear.

I smirked crookedly and shrugged, hoping she would appreciate this little sentiment. “Happy birthday.” She stopped in her tracks suddenly, staring at me, just five feet away. She seemed a bit confused, like she didn’t know what to think of what I had done.

Then she smiled. “You know, I usually hate gifts. Especially when I have nothing to give back,” she said, walking again. She fingered the string ring I had given her and sat down next to me. She emptied her arms of the fruits and looked at me lovingly.

“You do?” I asked, adding this fact to the list of things I knew about her. She nodded.

“But I think I’ll let it slide this time. Only because I love you,” she added. I handed her water to her. She would have to get used to receiving gifts if we ever got back to the states. There was no way I would not give her special things. I bit my tongue, however, and kissed her sweetly, inwardly cheering at the other “gifts” I would give her tonight.

The sun was going to go down in about another hour, and the heat was starting to die out. I took our fish from above the fire and handed one to her. It had taken a while to get over the weird taste of an almost-raw fish, but now we had gotten to the point where we would take whatever we could possibly get. I held my cup up to toast before we ate, and she held hers up, too.

“Happy birthday,” I said again. She rolled her eyes playfully but touched her water to mine anyway.

“Thank you, Edward,” she said.

Once we were finished, Bella stared down at our fish bones, deep in thought.

“I used to love sushi,” she said. I chuckled at her admission.

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “Seems to be the only thing to eat around here other than the stupid fruit.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever want raw fish again. I would eat at my favorite sushi restaurant every Friday. I would go to the bar all by myself every Friday and became pretty good friends with the people who worked there, even though half of them didn’t know English,” she said, pausing. “I bet they’re wondering where I am. Or maybe they know what happened.” She frowned and looked down at her hands in her lap. I took our fish bones and threw them in the fire, not wanting her to have a reminder.

“Hey, I whispered, taking her cheek in my hand. She looked up at me sadly. “Don’t think about it. Everything will be fine soon,” I promised her. I wished I could promise more, but doubt was honestly starting to eat its way into my brain. We’d been here for almost a month and a half, and still there was no sign of being rescued.

She nodded, and I could see she didn’t really believe me, but she was going along with it just to satisfy me. It made my heart ache.

I pulled her up so that we were standing together. I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t want to keep giving her empty words, so I led her through the woods, her left hand in my right. She didn’t question me, didn’t fight me; she just followed me through the trees. Just five minutes after crossing the forest entrance, I stopped and pulled her close to me. We couldn’t hear or see the ocean from here, and that was what I wanted. From this spot, an onlooker wouldn’t have known we were on an island at all.

“I’m sorry,” I said to her. “I wish I could assure you more, Bella, but I don’t know what to say other than to hope.” I kissed her forehead, and she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Thank you for the present, Edward,” she said, “I’m sorry I’m being so pessimistic. It’s not your fault.” She sighed and sat down. I sat, too.

“This paradise doesn’t seem like paradise anymore, huh?” she asked sadly.

“Paradise is anywhere you are,” I said. She looked up at me, finally meeting my eyes. Hers were swimming with tears, but none spilled over. She smiled brilliantly, and I thought for a moment she was completely happy, hope or not.

“I love you,” she said. She cupped my face in her small, warm hands, and brought her lips to mine, kissing me wildly. Her fingers drifted into my hair, pulling at the strands. I moaned at the feeling. She was everywhere, and everything in my world.

“Bella,” I moaned, my voice husky and sultry. Her tongue swiped my lips, and I gave her entrance into my mouth. She whimpered and shook, even though she was the one in control.

She rubbed my hardness through my shorts, and I gripped her hips roughly, bringing her impossibly closer. My hands made their way through the hem of her shirt, and I kneaded her breasts through the little silky bra. I gasped when I felt her peaks harden under my touch. I could feel them perfectly through the fabric, and it was amazing.

She started to climb my thighs, and straddled my hips. I bucked upward, trying to create friction for the both of us.

“Hmmm, Edward,” she groaned, pulling her lips from mine for a second. I trailed my mouth down her neck, sucking the soft skin there. I bit lightly, making my mark even though there was no one here to see she that she was mine. The heat of her core above my erection was sublime, and I started to go mad with lust. I looked up at her again when she started grounding onto me, and saw that her eyes had darkened with lust, too. I kissed her again, and started to pull her shirt off.

Bzzzzzzzzz…..the sound came from nowhere, and I froze. Bella kept kissing me, however. She mustn’t have heard it. It didn’t stop, and I jerked in surprise. She felt my sudden movement, and broke her lips from mine, looking at me questioningly.


“Do you hear that?” I asked Bella. The sound seemed to be getting louder every second. She scrunched her eyes in concentration, straining her ears to hear what I was hearing. She nodded slowly, looking back at me. I whirled around, looking for the source.

My heart was beating a mile a minute.

My eyes darted through the sky, the buzzing noise getting closer, but the source was nowhere in sight. Bella jumped up from her little seat on the ground, throwing sand everywhere in her haste. She ran to the shore with me hot on her heels. Running around the trees slowed us down, but we finally made it. The buzzing sounded an awful lot like a--

“It’s a plane! It’s a plane, Edward!” she called back to me. Her arms flailed around, trying to get the plane’s attention. It was facing sideways, far in the air, just a speckle the size of an inch where I was standing. Bella had run knee deep into the water, and was screaming at the top of her lungs. I ran to her, hoping my movement would get the plane’s attention. We both flung our arms like birds, yelling.

But nothing happened. The plane continued on its course, so far away from us. There was little chance anyone even saw us.

“NOOO! LOOK BACK! TURN AROUND! NOOOO!” Bella yelled. She was hysterical. I saw tears running down her cheeks. I felt numbness spreading throughout my body as the plane’s buzzing grew faint. Bella’s yells turned to sobs as I turned to her.

I grabbed her around the shoulders and held her tightly as her body wracked with her cries. She collapsed in my arms, and I went down with her. I wiped her tears with my fingers, fighting my own. Her hopelessness grew with the fading sound of the plane, and she sounded more broken than ever.

This was the worst that had happened. This was our breaking point. This was even worse than when she ran from me.

After about twenty minutes of holding her as she cried, I picked her up bridal style and carried her back to the fire to dry off. She cried in my shoulder, and I knew now that there was definitely nothing I could say.




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.