Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Day Forty One Stranded

Bella

A week had passed. A whole, horrible week. Seven days since the plane crossed in the sky, and there was not one sign that anyone had seen us. It felt like the end of the world.

Really, how long would it take for another plane to pass? And what were the chances that it would even see us? Were we doomed to this island? Had Edward and I done something in a past life to deserve this complete horror? I knew I was being a bit irrational and pessimistic, but seeing the plane just keep going, hearing the sound fade into the distance as I stood there, helpless, I couldn’t help but lose all hope.

And Edward…my Edward. He was coping with both his sadness and mine. I felt like a complete bitch. We hadn’t spoken much in the last seven days, and it was terrible. But I knew it was because we couldn’t just pretend to be happy and get over the plane’s ignorance. We couldn’t be our normal selves again, the happiness we had formed on the island was just gone. It would take some time for both of us to build up hope again.

Every night when we would try to sleep, the image of the plane just flying away made me cry again, and Edward would hold me and tell me he loved me. I was a complete jerk, not even asking him how he was dealing with it all. The fact that he ignored his sadness and took care of mine spoke volumes about his character and the love he held for me. It also killed me that he didn’t seem to want to touch me. The voice of reason in the back of my mind simply reminded me that he was probably too scared to make a move because of all the emotions I kept spilling over. I understood to an extent but we hadn’t gone this long since we started. Fourteen days was my limit, depressed or not.

Now we had been staying close to the edge of the island at all times, making sure one of us was always looking for any sight of a plane or boat. Edward had taken to making larger fires, hoping they would get noticed. If I didn’t want to get rescued so badly, I would worry that he would light the whole island on fire.

I sat on my large boulder, twirling a flower Edward had given me between my fingers. I watched him add more wood to the already raging fire before us, my eyes darting up to the sky every few minutes. I stared at the little pink petals, so soft and pretty in my hands. I thought of a time when I was younger--my mom had tried to plant roses in the flowerbed in front of our house, but, like most things my mom does, the hobby didn’t hold her interest for long, and the poor plants had died within a month.

I wondered what she was doing now, at the particular moment. Had she taken up another hobby, hopefully to distract her from the weight of my “death”? Or was she too heartbroken to even function, as I guessed my dad was? I pushed the pointless thoughts away--they weren’t going to help me any. Bringing my face up to smell the flower, my eyes met Edward’s a few feet away. His expression was one of a man who was distraught. I was starting to grow accustomed to this look on his face: worry. I smiled at him slowly, hoping he got the message that I was okay. It didn’t seem to satisfy him, however, because he walked closer to me and sat down slowly.

“I hate seeing that look on your face,” he said. It was the most he had spoken to me in what felt like forever. I attempted another smile and cupped his face lightly with my palm.

“Not as much as I hate seeing the look you’re giving me, Edward,” I replied. He leaned into my touch and kissed my palm.

“This can’t tear us apart. I won’t let it,” he said a few seconds later. I shook my head in agreement.

“Then why is it the only time you seem to really want to be around me is when I cry every night? Other than that, you’ve been ignoring me.”

His eyes grew wide at my admission, and I could see remorse taking over his face. “Bella,” he started, “I’m so sorry. I thought you wanted to be alone in your thoughts. I didn’t think you were really in the mood for me to be in boyfriend mode for you.” He blinked quickly and looked away from me. “Most of the time, I can tell what you’re thinking and what you want, but I guess sometimes you can be a complete mystery to me, Bella Swan. It’s pretty frustrating, let me tell you.” I laughed out loud, really laughed for the first time in a week, and it became contagious as Edward chuckled along with me. The fact that he was trying to figure me out when no one else had ever even bothered was heartwarming and pretty amusing.

“Looks like there’s one thing you’re not perfect at, Cullen,” I teased. My heart felt slightly better; I was glad that it had been somewhat resolved. So long as Edward and I were okay, I couldn’t be devastated. I also couldn’t wish to have never been stranded here, because then I wouldn’t have fallen in love. It was amazing how just looking at his face cheered me up. I was still going crazy on the inside with all the anxiety and worry about what was going to happen to us, but I knew it could be much worse. I was so glad that we had finally settled our awkward silences and were hopefully on our way to happiness because if I didn’t have Edward…I couldn’t even think about the wreck I would be. So long as I had him, I could hope again and endure anything.

~***~

The sun was really starting to drain us out, still hot even though it was now almost October. My body had lost about seven pounds just from being on the island, and I had been slim and a little on the weak side to begin with, so the heat was definitely taking its toll on me more so than Edward. He still looked like a bathing suit model, but I could tell he had slimmed a bit, too. His cheeks had sunken in just a touch, but I could hardly tell because of his heavy stubble. His hair was lighter than it had been when I first met him on the plane, and now it was this pretty lighter bronze color. My hair had lightened up, too, but since it was so long, only the top of it got lighter while the rest stayed dark. I was sure I looked extremely weird, and looking at my reflection in the water didn’t help much. Edward assured me it was fine, but he had a knack for stretching the truth to make me feel better. If I ever went home, the first place I was going was the bathtub, and then in front of a mirror. And then a refrigerator. And then a bed, respectively.

I was surprised that my face hadn’t broken out from not washing it, but Edward said that salt water was good for the skin, and it actually cleans the face from infection like acne, and it made sense; my mom had always made me gargle salt water when I’d had a sore throat. I still felt disgusting, though, from all the nastiness that coated my body. Getting my period had been a relief at first, but then I felt embarrassment. I knew we were taking huge chances with having so much unprotected sex, but we just couldn’t get enough of each other. If I got pregnant, I would accept it, and I wouldn’t look at it as a problem or consequence of a stupid action. Edward would be with me, I knew, and we would be happy. I wasn’t hoping for it, definitely, but it wasn’t a dreadful outcome either. We probably should have at least talked about it more.

I was so embarrassed because I had nothing to cover the blood with, and no girl ever wants to be humiliated that way. I was afraid that Edward would be disgusted by me, but, as always, he proved to be perfect. I hated that he had to ignore the icky hair on my armpits and legs, and I couldn’t wait to hopefully get home and shave it all off and be the feminine woman I once was. Well, as feminine as I had been. It seemed as if he didn’t pay attention to my grossness at all. But, then again, I was sure he had seen much grosser things interning in a hospital than the sight of my legs.

I walked to where Edward was standing, working on something new, and told him I was going to the fresh water to bathe a little. He smiled and kissed me sweetly, telling me not to trip. I scowled at him as I walked away.

The fresh water was such a heaven compared to the rest of the island lately. When Edward wasn’t around, I would roll around in the cool water, stretching my aching muscles and soothing the sunburn. The tiny waterfall was great, too, especially when I wanted a “shower”. I was scared to contaminate the water with all the salt coating my body, however, so I barely let myself enjoy the freshness and just drank from the spring instead.

I probably looked like a complete fool rolling around in the water like an overgrown child, but I didn’t care. The cool water and Edward seemed to be the only things that made me feel better about our situation lately. I sighed in contentment when the water soaked through my shirt and hit my skin. I rolled slowly over and over, making sure to get my front, too.

“What are you doing, silly girl?” Edward’s silky voice called out. I stopped in mid-roll and got up quickly, glancing toward him as my face turned red. He was standing a few feet away, pursing his lips to keep from laughing at me. “Was that your idea of bathing?” he chuckled.

I scoffed and turned away so he wouldn’t see how embarrassed I was. “Shut up,” I told him. He snickered and walked up to me.

“You’re so funny. I’ve never met someone so unpredictable. Emmett would have a cow if he saw how whipped I am now. Especially since I dogged him for years for doing whatever Rose said.”

I smiled at his admission of being whipped. “Your family sounds so cool. I wish I could meet them.”

Edward rolled his eyes playfully. “Oh, they would love you. Probably more than they love me! My own mom thought I was gay for the longest time!” Edward said. Now that made me laugh.

“You’re kidding!” I sat down on a large rock and dipped my feet in the water. Edward sat beside me and continued.

“She sure did. One day she gave me this whole speech on how she loved me no matter what I did, and if I ever needed to tell her something, not to hesitate and just come out with it. I couldn’t figure out what the hell she was talking about, and then she said ‘come out’ again with heavy emphasis, and I realized she thought that I was homosexual.” Edward rolled his eyes again as I burst out laughing. “’Just because I never brought a girl home doesn’t mean I’m gay!’ I had told her.”

“Did she believe you?” I asked curiously. Edward froze for a second, contemplating his next words.

“I think so,” he said slowly, “but it took some convincing.” He ducked his head shyly and touched the top of his back. It only made me laugh more.

“I can’t wait to meet your mom,” I said. He looked back up at me, smiling.

“I can’t wait, either. She definitely won’t think I’m gay after she sees you,” he said.

“Yeah, right. With how hairy I’m getting, she’ll think I’m a man, and your whole plan will have backfired,” I said. I looked down at my legs and cringed again.

Edward shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.” My jaw dropped open--I wasn’t expecting him to agree with me. He really thought I was hairy? I pouted.

Edward laughed. “Bella, I’m joking. I don’t think you’re hairy, and you shouldn’t, either. And even if you were, I’d still do you.” I snorted loudly.

“And what if I had been born a man? Would you go gay for me then?” I asked, chuckling. I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say about that.

He ran a hand through his hair, really thinking about what he was going to say. Or perhaps he was just pretending to consider it to humor me. Then he grimaced.

“I don’t know, baby. Sex would definitely be a lot more different,” he said, shaking his head. “And I really can’t imagine you with a penis, nor do I want to.” I laughed hard, grabbing my stomach from giggling so much.

I wiped a tear from my eye and got up, walking back to the shore. Edward followed me, smirking.

~***~

The sun was starting to go down as we both sat next to the shore, talking and playing another game of rock, paper, scissors.

“I’ll never understand why paper beats rock,” I said as I lost again. Edward chuckled and dug out my name in the sand. He looked back at me hungrily, and I could feel the electricity and the sexual tension in the air. It had definitely been too long.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked as I saw his piercing green eyes gaze toward my chest. I was inwardly blushing and holding in my laughter. His eyes snapped back up to meet mine, not one bit of guilt in them. He smiled wide and came even closer to me, grabbing the hem of my shirt.

“I was just thinking that this needs to come off. For good this time,” he said. He pulled it up and off fluidly, as if he did it every day. Technically, he did do it every day before my period came and the whole plane fiasco.

“Hey!” I protested jokingly. His hands left my body and threw the shirt away, but his eyes just went straight back to the cloth that covered my chest.

“From now on, each time you lose to me, you have to take off a piece of clothing,” Edward affirmed. My mouth dropped open in shock, but I readily agreed under one condition.

“Fine, but you have to do the same,” I added smugly. I knew this was going to be fun. Edward had only one piece of clothing on, and I had three more--my bra, my panties, and the shorts. Edward smiled again; he thought that since I never won, I would be naked before him. “And whoever ends up naked first has to run into the water and stay naked the rest of the day,” I clarified.

“You’re on,” Edward agreed, putting his fist up to mine, starting the game.

I lost the first and second time, then only clad in my undies, I finally beat him, and he was forced to take off the shorts. I was sure he wished he didn’t go commando for once. I laughed and teased him as he pulled off his ripped jean shorts, getting naked in front of me.

“Okay, you remember the deal. Now go run in the water,” I pointed toward the waves, still laughing. He smirked devilishly and grabbed me around the waist. I tried to push his arms off me, but he wouldn’t budge. He pulled down the underwear so that we were both in the nude, then he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder and ran toward into the water. “Edward!” I chastised. I guess I couldn’t complain, though-- this position gave me a great view of his ass. He carried me to the deeper end, about four feet deep, before he dropped me into the water. I sputtered and writhed, trying to stand up.

“You’re a sore loser,” I said. Edward wrapped his arms around me and we floated deeper, holding each other.

“And you’re a cheater,” Edward replied. I wrapped my legs around him and let him take us wherever he wanted. I kissed him passionately and when I felt him stirring beneath me, I couldn’t help but look down through the clear blue water at him. I looked back up and kissed him again, treasuring the way his lips felt on mine. He moved one arm from around me, gripping me around my bottom to hold me instead. His free arm came up to fondle my breasts softly. After having waited almost two weeks, desire shot through my limbs and insides quickly, making it difficult to not just attack him.

“Edward,” I moaned when he moved his lips from my lips to my throat. He moaned in response, sending more tingles through my spine. I reached between us and stroked him, slow and then fast, just the way I knew he liked it.

We stayed out in the water, kissing and touching, but never going further, as the sun went down fully. I hadn’t realized how long we had been out until I felt my fingers prune, and Edward picked me up once more and carried me back to our sleeping spot. I was tired earlier than usual because of all the times I had woken up during the nights, crying for hours. This night would be different, however. We watched what little was left of the sunset, and when I saw that Edward’s eyes were also drooping, I pulled him down beside me. I had really hoped tonight would be the night in which we reunited ourselves, but we were just both too tired, so it would have to wait at least another day. We laid down and I fell asleep shortly after Edward did.

I was lying in the sand, letting the sun warm my body. The heat felt delicious, especially with the slight breeze cooling me down if I got a little too hot. I was watching Edward swim naked in the water a little ways away. We had made an agreement that we would stay naked from now on since there was really no reason for clothing anymore, plus, if a plane did happen to come by, the passengers were more likely to see a naked couple than a clothed couple. They were Edward’s words, and I was just going along with it.

Sooner than I anticipated, Edward was close to me, murmuring my name and caressing my face. I smiled and pulled him close to me, capturing his lips with my own. The waves hit farther than before, and we both got soaked lying in the sand on the shore. It didn’t matter, though--Edward was the most important thing in the world in that moment. He put his weight on me, but I wanted to try something different all of a sudden. I wanted him to feel my weight, be under my control. I pushed on his chest so that he would pull back, and once he did, I pushed him back onto the ground easily, more easily than was realistic with the little muscle mass I had, but I didn’t pay attention. I got on top of him and straddled his hips, seeking friction.

“Bella…” he cried in want. I traced his abdominal muscles as I sought for his--

And then I woke up. I heard Edward sigh in relief beside me.

“Thank God you’re awake. I’ve been calling your name for ages,” Edward whispered. I shivered at the memory of the dream, still groggy with fatigue and unfulfilled need. “It’s okay, baby, it was just another nightmare,” Edward yawned out, “you’re okay.” I looked toward his exhausted face in disbelief. He thought I was having a nightmare?

“Edward,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from sleepiness. Instead of telling him my dream, I decided to just do it, exhaustion be damned. I pushed his shoulder to the ground so that his chest was facing up, and I climbed on top of him. I wasn’t waiting any longer. He looked up at me incredulously, probably shocked that I wasn’t crying like I usually did. His arms came around me automatically nonetheless.

“Bella, are you okay?” he asked, his eyes widening as he woke up a bit more. I chuckled at him and realized that we were both still naked. This just kept getting better. If only the sun was out…

“Edward, why did you think I was having a nightmare?” I inquired cheekily, waiting for his response.

“You kept moaning my name in your sleep, and you were sweating and making really weird movements….” he trailed off, suddenly realizing what he was saying.

“Bella, were you having a wet dream about me?” he said, and we both laughed.

“Yes,” I murmured as I bent to kiss him, “and I’d like to continue it, if you don’t mind.”

He was all for it, and soon I was seeking his erection like I had been in my dream. He was already as hard as a rock, and I felt bad that he had thought I didn’t want him all these past few days. I wanted to make up for it all. I circled his tip around my entrance and slid down slowly. He gasped when I finally had him fully seated inside me. I slowly made the way back up, and when I came back down, Edward met me with a thrust. We began a somewhat steady rhythm, speeding up and slowing down to make it last longer. We had never done it this way, and our movements were scattered because we were so tired, but I could feel that he hit deeper now than ever before. It was complete ecstasy, especially after going so long without it.

He gripped my hips and moved us faster, and I knew he was close, but I was closer. My mind started to go blank as he moved two fingers to circle my bundle of nerves. I gripped onto his hair tightly and kissed him sloppily. I gasped into his mouth as I felt myself clench onto him hard, like a wrench to a perfect screw. I was in complete bliss, and my whole mind felt like it had gone to heaven. I was very acutely aware of my face on top of Edward’s sweaty chest, and I slowly came back to Earth as I felt his chest rise and fall quickly in pace with my pounding heart. I brought my face up so that my chin was on top of his heart and looked at him. His green eyes were drooping, but with the moonlight, I could see that he was still looking at me, undeniably happy. I smiled at him in response and removed myself from him. I collapsed again as soon as I rolled over and fell asleep again, feeling his warm breath fan over my forehead.

More days passed, and we had gotten back into our routine of mostly happiness and awesome sex. No planes came by, which made us more nervous by the day, but as long as no more storms came our way again, we weren’t going to complain. Things could get so much worse. We were now in the month of October, the month that ended hurricane season, which made us ecstatic, but it also wracked our nerves. We had been here nearly two months, our flight having been on August 20th, and it seemed like a very long time.

We fried fish every day now that Edward had become skilled at catching them, and I had even caught a few with his guide. I felt silly remembering how I had fussed Edward the first time he’d caught one. We didn’t leave the shore for days, afraid that a plane would pass without our notice, and the sun was really taking its toll on my skin. I constantly searched my body for a mole that strangely just appeared, looking for a sign of skin cancer, and always sighed in relief when I didn’t find one.

On our fiftieth day, I swam out deep into the water bravely, wanting to see all the pretty fish that inhabited the waters. I loved to watch all their colors and how they moved so quickly to get away from me. I was up to my chin in the water when I heard Edward come in after me. I knew he would come once he saw my clothes lying on the sand. He was so predictable, and I loved playing with him. I turned my head sideways and looked back at him, trying to be sexy, something I would never have done three months ago.

This island really has changed me so much, I thought, or maybe it’s just Edward.

I sank down a little and took a big gulp of water into my mouth, holding it there. When he finally reached me, I spat it all in his face childishly. His hands came up to wipe the water out of his eyes, and I laughed hysterically. He faked a mad face and told me that I was going to “get it”. We swam around naked for a while before taking our little game back onto the shore. Edward chased me around, never catching me. I knew he was probably going really slow for him so he wouldn’t catch me, but I appreciated it all the same. I ran into the woods, giggling and yelling at him that he was slow.

I really shouldn’t have done it, but with all the confidence I had been building lately, I forgot just how uncoordinated I was. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, just trying to get away from Edward.

It was as if everything was in slow motion. I was running, my feet hitting the ground one by one as quick as I could push my legs.

The broken tree branch sticking from the ground taunted me, knowing how clumsy I was. My right foot caught the heavy bottom of it, and my whole body twisted as I fell to the earth. I heard the sickening crunch that was my ankle, still caught in the mangled tree branch. Cries filled the air, and Edward’s stricken face popped into my blurry view. I realized the cries were my own, but I couldn’t stop them. The pain gripped me like a wrecking ball, shooting through my foot and my leg.

“It’s broken,” Edward gasped out. I heard a string of curse words as he touched my ankle, and I pushed his hand away from the pain. Tears ran down my face as I tried to calm down.

Edward looked around for something desperately before picking me up bridal style. I complained and cried as the solidness of his arms came into contact with the searing pain.

“Edward,” I groaned, “it hurts sooo bad.”

“I know, baby. Just let me get you back and I’ll take care of it,” he said, his voice strained and full of concern. I barely felt him moving with me. A minute later, he laid me down on the sand, carefully holding up my hurt leg under the knee.

“I’m going to elevate it, and then I’m going to find something cool to put on it, Bella. Oh, God, it’s swelling,” Edward said hurriedly. I took deep breaths to keep myself from hyperventilating. He gabbed something and put my foot on top of it to keep it high. The sun beat down on me, and I felt even worse. Edward came back with my sopping shirt, and he put it on my ankle with a little pressure. It was surprisingly cool. The pain was still throbbing enough to drive me mad, but it was more bearable.

“I’m so sorry, baby. It doesn’t look too bad, but it can get worse if it’s not treated. I just wish I could find something that would substitute for a splint somewhere,” Edward said. His voice seemed more calm, and I knew he had gone somewhat into doctor-mode.

I looked around my leg and up to his hands holding me. The giant flesh Edward held in his hands was my ankle, and I realized it had swollen to three times its size. I gasped in horror. I looked up to Edward’s stricken face, and when my eyes met his, I saw panic. He and I both knew this made things ten times worse. I couldn’t heal on my own, and that meant I couldn’t walk. What if something really bad happened? Edward couldn’t take care of me 24/7. Now I was completely useless, in pain, and thoroughly miserable.

Edward’s eyebrows were scrunched together in deep thought and sadness. His beautiful face twisted more every second, and I hated it. Trying not to sob, I reached for his hand. He took it in both of his and leaned his head against the knee of my good leg. The bronze strands of his hair tickled my numb legs.

We stayed there a long time in silence before I asked Edward to move me under the shade. The sun was going down again, and I really just wanted to sleep. We could try to deal with this in the morning. Edward was the most depressed I had ever seen him, and I knew he probably blamed himself. But it wasn’t his fault, as I repeated over and over again.

I fell asleep quickly, really exhausted from everything that had happened. The sound of the waves made me surprisingly calm, and the pain in my ankle had subsided somewhat. Edward kept the cool, wet tee shirt on it and dressed both me and him. I hoped we got out of here soon because as of now, I was better off dead. I was of no help to Edward now, just a burden. The thought made tears spring anew, and Edward wiped them away gingerly.

“I love you,” I told him, putting as much emotion into the words as I could.

“I love you more,” he responded, kissing my knee once more before crawling beside me. He had put my foot on top of a mound of sand to help the throbbing, but I was still very uncomfortable. I leaned into him for a kiss and got my wish quickly. When I traced his lips with my tongue, he pulled back and told me to go to sleep. He was going to treat me like a fragile doll now, and even though I really was helpless and hurting, I hated it. This was the icing on the stupid cake. I was never getting on a plane again.

I traced his strong jaw line tenderly and fell asleep, wishing he would do the same, but I knew he would probably be up all night to make sure I didn’t turn or move in my sleep. It slightly infuriated me, but it also made me love him so much more.

I dreamed of Edward again, swimming in the ocean with him like we had done just about every day. Then the dream changed, and I was running through the jungle again, stupidly. I knew what was going to happen before it did.

“Bella!” he called, but my dream self wouldn’t stop.

“Bella!” he called again.

When I fell, everything went blank for a few seconds, but then the throbbing in my ankle woke me up. Or maybe it was Edward. Or maybe it was that awful loud sound coming from above me. My eyes snapped open, and in the light of the dawning sun, I saw Edward’s extremely happy face, smiling from ear to ear and calling my name. I slowly registered that he was pointing at the sky and laughing.

For a second, I thought that he had gone completely insane, but then I realized what the loud, beating sound was.

“Bella! Oh my God, look!” Edward sang out. I grabbed my racing heart and, forgetting about my broken ankle, rushed to get up. Edward pushed me back down into a sitting position, but I could see almost perfectly from here. My mouth was hung agape.

A small helicopter wasn’t very far away from us in the air.

And it was coming for us.






All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.