Burning Horizon

Burning Horizon; If Only...

Chapter Twelve: If Only...

I shoved open the glass door of the first building we came to on the site, there seemed nothing impressive about these buildings, just tall lumps of concrete, but what did you expect from a hospital. A place of disease and a place of death. The woman at the front desk started as I sprinted in, clutching my daughter's body close to my chest, Bella and Carlisle close behind and Jacob bringing up the rear, but I thoroughly doubted that he would have the courage to follow us inside those doors.

"She was attacked, by an animal, she's hardly breathing, and you have to help her!" I shouted at the woman who pushed off from her black, wheeled chair, a confused expression covering her face.

She was Italian; of course she was Italian, we were in Italy for god's sakes. When I was hassled my mind didn't seem to work as usual, it just shut down, mashing everything into a mess of thoughts when I needed a clear mind the most. She jogged over to a burly looking man in a long white coat who reminded me of Emmett, dragging him by the arm to where we stood.

"Bring her here!" This man was clearly Italian from the accent that filled his voice. He glanced once at the blood that was soaking my shirt from the gashes. Renesmee's chest was heaving up and down unevenly but only supported by the constant pumping of my hands applying pressure, without that her breathing would collapse again. She was dead, yet she was being forced to stay alive.

A trolley rammed into my thighs as he shoved it desperately towards us. I laid her down, retracting my hands from her chest. Another doctor strode over, his eyes widening as he saw her injuries.

"You do know her?" The Italian doctor queried, running over to another group of waiting staff.

"She's our daughter." I clutched Bella's hand, pulling her gently to my side. "You have to help her please..."

The group of hustled staff gathered around the trolley, blocking her from our view and then started to run, pushing the trolley away in front them so our baby disappeared through a pair of plastic double doors with them.

"She'll be okay." I whispered into Bella's ear, her response wasn't so positive; she just stared after her blankly. "She'll be okay."

I felt so empty when I lost sight of her, just like somebody had sucked all the life and hope out of my body and mind leaving nothing but deadness behind. All I could do was walk forward along the bland corridor, leaving the pairs of doors we passed through swinging loosely behind us.

All my fears for that fight had been for losing Bella, she was the one who was determined to get herself killed but nothing had prepared me for losing our daughter.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Carlisle murmured, I realised that we'd reached the room where they'd taken her. "I'm trained."

Of course - her beautiful, ivory tinted skin wasn't penetrable by human force; Carlisle would have to take over this surgery. The doctor nodded quickly and slipped inside the door, bundling a green item into Carlisle's chest as he entered too. I backed up against the wall, still clutched Bella's hand who was echoing my exact movements like I had some sort of gravitational pull on her. Another scream like that of the ones she'd released earlier only much worse seeped through the door, draining the last of my strength. My legs gave way underneath my body causing me to crumple onto the floor.

"Edward." Bella breathed, sinking down to slump next to me. She lent her head on my shoulder lightly, though the burden of all her thoughts caused her to press it harder and harder into my bone.

"She'll be alright." I whispered, all I could manage now.

"Edward, why did Jacob do it?" Bella sank down to slouch next to me on the grey linoleum, her face completely torn. "Did she dump him or something?"