Caught in the Flames

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five

As always, none of this is mine. I'm just the perv who want to make our beloved Twilight characters swear, drink, and go at it like horny rabbits. This story will be a combination of love, suspense, some violence and steamy, sweaty sex.

Chapter 145

BPOV

Two weeks. Edward was in a medically induced coma for two weeks. The damage to his lungs was more substantial than originally anticipated. So, they kept him asleep for two weeks. Slowly, they started to wean him off the medication this morning and he was already triggering the vent, indicating that he was trying to breathe on his own.

I was anxious for him to wake up. I missed him terribly. All I wanted was to see his jade-colored eyes and hear his deep, baritone voice. I wanted to curl up in his arms, feeling the safety of them and the strength of his embrace. I wanted to apologize for my abrupt departure. I wanted to tell him about the baby. Our baby. I wanted to show him the pictures of the ultrasound. I wanted him to talk to my belly and encourage our little peanut to grow to be big and strong, just like him.

But, wants and needs were two entirely different things, really.

I was needed at the office and I spent half days working at my business since Peter was still out from his burns. I was needed to coordinate photography sessions, website designs and ensuring that everything was running smoothly. Jacob had picked up the slack in regards to being a business manager, but the artistic aspect of my business fell to my hands until I delegated it out to my minions. I wanted to say forget it, but Jacob said that everyone in my employ relied on the paycheck and I couldn't let my own personal tragedy cause theirs. He was right. I had been selfish enough when I flew out to Seattle. So, I put on my big girl panties and worked in the mornings, spending the afternoon and evenings with Edward, reading to him, bathing him and loving him as much as I could.

Wants versus needs.

Though, the nurses were mindful of my own condition as well. I couldn't lift anything and I was given a much more comfortable recliner since my pregnancy was so precarious to begin with. Dr. Popper had been checking me when she was on rounds, making sure that I was still progressing on schedule and that the stress of Edward's accident was not affecting my little peanut. Each scan and examination didn't indicate any problems, but I was grateful for her concern.

Alice's store had been completely destroyed. The guys worked so hard to get to Edward that the fire spread quickly, working through the fabrics and decimating her once vibrant store. Alice was obviously upset, but her concern was for her brother. She decided to take the insurance money, pay off her lease and then focus on mainly fashion designs. She was not going to reopen her store in a traditional sense. She was going to stay online, but reopen after her wedding. She had enough saved to live comfortably, plus her trust fund.

Alice had become a pillar of strength for me. We'd grown closer since her store was burnt to a crisp. She was one of the few who knew I was pregnant. She took care of me when she was with me at Edward's side. I was there for her when she wanted to vent about the stupidity of the insurance agents. We were together while she gave her statement to the police about the fire. Alice held me when I was told that it was Renee that was the body inside of the store and used as the accelerant, causing Edward's deep burns. I was upset that she was dead, but not upset that she was out of my life. Once her "body" was released from the coroner, I called Phil, only to find that he had been thrown in jail for human trafficking and drug possession. After hearing that, I told the coroner to dispose of the remains. She was not my mother and did not deserve a proper burial. It was cold, but it was her own fault that she met this demise.