Caught in the Flames

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Eight

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 148

EPOV

"Oooh, those stairs are going to kick my ass," I grumbled, looking at the front porch of our brownstone. I had been released from the hospital after a month inside. I had a long recovery ahead of me, but I was tired of being in the hospital. The smell of the nasty food made my stomach turn, mixed with the scent of chemical disinfectant and non-latex gloves. All I wanted was my fiancée's home cooking. I wanted to sleep in my own bed. I wanted to take a shit without having a nurse comment on how loose it was. I wanted to shower and take care of myself.

Damn it.

However, that was a long time coming. I was still incredibly weak. The wound on my chest was healing nicely, but I'd forever have an eight inch scar along my ribs from the surgery Dr. Grace performed to drain the blood from my pericardium. I also had a four inch scar in my abdomen. And let's not forget about the scars from the burns on my right arm, neck and hand.

Out of all of the scars, those hurt the worst. I had to get them cleaned daily. They needed to be scoured so I wouldn't get an infection. I was also on some heavy-duty antibiotics and pain killers. I hated to take them because the pain killers made my mind fuzzy, but the pain was overwhelming. I'd had burns before, but this was the most extensive burn I'd ever experienced.

"We could go to your parents' place. They offered us the guest bedroom now that Peter has found an apartment," Bella said, offering me her arm. She was practically glowing from her pregnancy. She had a tiny bump from our growing baby and she looked so incredibly beautiful. I was also concerned for her well-being. She had barely been home since I woke up. Dr. Popper, her OB/GYN, had to force her home on more than one occasion to get a decent night's sleep in a bed and not in a stiff hospital recliner. However, she usually came back because she had nightmares, which I apparently kept at bay. I also slept better with her nearby, but I didn't want to her to lose the baby because of my weakness.

"I do not want to go to my parents' place," I said, climbing up the steps and huffing and puffing by the time I reached the top. "The doctors said I need to get my strength back and to increase my stamina. The best way for me to do that is to be at home, with you and Peanut."

"Well, not at the expense of your health," Bella chided, helping me into the house and plopping me down on the couch. "I'll get you some water. Do you want a pain pill?"

"No. I'm not due for a pain pill for another hour or so," I replied, looking at my watch. "Do you need help with the bags?"

"Not like you can help me," she quipped, taking out her cell phone. "Emmett and Garrett are on standby to help me since I'm not allowed to pick up heavy items." She tapped out a text message, smiling when she got a response. "The boys are on their way. Do you want to stay here or go to the kitchen? I promised them some chicken salad sandwiches if they helped out."

"When did you have time to make chicken salad?" I asked, arching a brow.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep. So, I had a craving for chicken salad and I made it," she blushed. I pressed my lips together, anger coursing through me. "Don't look at me in that tone of voice. I had another nightmare about James coming to get us. My blood pressure sky rocketed and cooking calmed me down."

"Bella, you need to relax, love," I chided, getting up from the couch and wrapping my arms around her body. "James will be caught."

"Why didn't he get caught when he was at the fire?" Bella growled.

"Because he was wearing my gear. They would have assumed he was one of the firefighters," I said.

"But you stabbed him in the neck! Why didn't he die from blood loss?" Bella grumbled, turning in my arms and gently hugging me. It hurt. I couldn't do much to provide her with comfort, but hugging her and giving her the love she desired was a small task. Though, I was hornier than shit and all I wanted was to make love to my fiancée. It would be a long time before that would even been on the realm of possibility. Heaven knows that she's been taking things into her own hands. Her pregnancy had made her needy and horny. There was nothing I could do about it.

Maybe she'd let me watch?

Ugh! I'm such a fucking perv. What the hell?

The doorbell rang and before we could answer it, Emmett and Garrett strolled in like they owned the place. I sat down at the kitchen table, feeling woozy while Bella went to make some lunch. "Bellsy, where are the bags?" Emmett bellowed.

"Here, Em! They're in the back of the car. Can you move it to the garage?" Bella said, tossing him her car keys. "Lunch will be ready in a few minutes." Emmett smiled impishly, leaving the kitchen and going out to the car.

"Edward, let me help you to the entertainment room," Garrett said, smiling but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Is it okay if we eat down there?"

"Yeah. There's some pillows and blankets if Edward feels cold," Bella replied, dishing out the sandwiches.

Garrett looped his arm through mine and we slowly made our way down to the entertainment room. Garrett picked up the clicker, turning on the television on low and sitting down next to me, his face was grim. "You look like you're about to give me a death sentence, Garrett. Why do you have this expression that I kicked your dog?"

"I've received news from the brass at headquarters," he said grimly, twisting his wedding band. "It's. Not. Good."

A/N: Up next will be the conversation with Garrett. What do you think he'll say? Leave me some.

Also, thank you for those of you who have prayed for my mom. Unfortunately, she passed on Wednesday. As sad as I am, it's a blessing since she was in so much pain. No one should endure such suffering. My updates will probably erratic – the only reason why this is going up is because it's already written – and we'll see how things pan out. Much love to all of you and I appreciate your prayers, condolences and thoughts.