An hour later, I was still in the same uncomfortable hospital chair with a lukewarm cup of coffee sitting in my hands.
It tasted burnt enough to qualify as chemical warfare, but at least it gave me something to do besides stare at the clock.
Outside, the snow had finally stopped, and pale winter light filtered through the waiting room windows, turning everything a washed-out gray.
The vending machine hummed in the corner while the occasional nurse passed by in soft squeaking shoes, but otherwise the place had gone quiet.
Then I spotted Tyler’s mom walking through the lobby.
Beth Crowley looked exhausted, like the last few hours had aged her a decade.
Her makeup was faintly smudged beneath tired eyes, and strands of dark hair had escaped her ponytail, but the moment she saw me, relief softened her expression.
“Mike, right?” she asked as she approached.
I stood quickly, almost spilling my coffee.
“Yeah.
Hi, Mrs.
Crowley.” She smiled faintly.
“Please, just Beth.
‘Mrs.
Crowley’ makes me sound ancient.” That caught me off guard enough to earn a real laugh.
“Right.
Sorry.
Beth.” “The nurses told me you’ve been here all day.” Her voice was gentle.
“You really didn’t have to do that.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.
“Tyler’s my friend.
Besides, somebody’s gotta be around to stop him from flirting with the nurses while he’s drugged up.” Beth laughed quietly, and just like that, some of the tension in the room eased.
“He already tried,” she admitted.
“Apparently he asked one of them if morphine counted as performance enhancement right before he fell asleep.” “That sounds exactly like him.” Her smile lingered for another second before emotion crept back into her eyes.
“Seriously, Mike.
Thank you.
Charlie told me what happened in the parking lot.
Bella could’ve been hurt badly.” I shifted uncomfortably under the praise.
“I just reacted.” “Well, whatever you did, I’m grateful for it.” The sincerity in her voice hit harder than I expected, and for a moment I didn’t really know what to say, so I just nodded and stared down into my terrible coffee like it held the secrets of the universe.
Thankfully, a nurse appeared before the silence got too awkward.
“Mrs.
Crowley?
Your son’s awake now.” The relief on her face was instant and overwhelming, and it reminded me that no matter how messy this whole situation felt in my head, Tyler was alive, conscious, and already annoying hospital staff.
Things could’ve been a lot worse.
As she walked away, Beth turned back to me, “I’ll be right back, okay?” “Of course,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Tell him I’ll be here.” She nodded and followed the nurse down the hall, her steps quick but unsteady.
I sat back down, elbows on my knees, staring at the faint reflection of the waiting room lights on the floor, the faint beeping of machines down the hall filled the silence.
I tried not to imagine the crash, the metal twisting, the sound of glass, the way the van had slammed into the truck, it hit too close to home, wasn’t that exactly how I’d died?
I had proved I could change things.
But at what cost?
I knew I probably shouldn’t be blaming myself for it, but I couldn’t help it.
Ten minutes later, Beth returned, looking relieved.
“He’s asking for you.” I blinked.
“Me?” “Apparently he wants to know if his van survived.” She sighed.
“Priorities.” “Honestly?
I would do the same.” Beth laughed again and pointed down the hallway.
“Room 208.
Don’t stay too long though, he’s still pretty out of it.” “Got it.” I tossed the remains of the coffee into the trash and headed down the hall.
… Room 208 smelled like disinfectant and those weirdly sterile hospital blankets every hospital in America seemed legally obligated to own.
Tyler was propped up in bed with one arm in a cast and his leg elevated beneath layers of plaster and bandages.
Bruises darkened one side of his face, and his hair looked like it had lost a fight with an electrical socket, but when he saw me enter, he still grinned.
“Dude,” he croaked.
“You look awful.” I snorted.
“Funny.
You look like you got hit by a van.” “I was driving the van.” “Close enough.” I pulled a chair over beside the bed while he laughed weakly, then immediately winced and grabbed his ribs.
“Ohhh, nope.
Bad idea.
Don’t make me laugh.” “Sorry.” I leaned back in the chair.
“How’re you feeling?” “Like my entire skeleton got rearranged by Satan.” “Nice.
So basically a normal Tuesday.” Tyler grinned again, more tired this time.
“The doctors said I’m lucky.” “Yeah,” I said quietly.
“You are.” For a second, the room settled into a softer silence.
Machines beeped steadily nearby while snowmelt tapped against the window outside.
Then Tyler looked over at me again.
“Hey.
Thanks, by the way.” I frowned.
“For what?” “For pulling Bella outta the way.” He shrugged carefully, trying not to jostle himself.
“If she got hurt because of me, Chief Swan would’ve buried my body in the woods.” I laughed despite myself.
“He probably would.” “I’m serious, man.” Tyler’s voice softened.
“You reacted fast.” I looked down at my hands for a moment before shrugging.
“Guess adrenaline kicked in.” “Well, your adrenaline’s got great reflexes.” I smirked faintly.
“Good to know.” Tyler shifted slightly against the pillows.
“So… how bad’s my van?” “There’s technically still a van-shaped object.” “That bad?” “One of the wheels was pointing at heaven, Tyler.” “Damn.” He sighed dramatically.
“She died doing what she loved.” “What, hydroplaning?” “Going fast.” “You were driving in an ice rink.” “And I was committed to the bit.” I shook my head, laughing under my breath.
Somehow, hearing him joke around made the whole thing feel lighter.
Not fixed, exactly, but less heavy than it had earlier.
“Tell you what,” I said after a moment.
“Once you’re outta here, I’ll drive you around until your leg heals.” Tyler raised an eyebrow.
“You?
Volunteering to drive people places?
Are you dying?” “It happened once already,” I muttered automatically.
He blinked.
“What?” My brain stalled for half a second.
“Uh, I said your driving almost got me killed once already.” Tyler barked out a laugh and immediately regretted it again.
“Ow.
Dude.
Stop being funny.” “That sounds like a you problem.” A nurse poked her head into the room a few minutes later and informed me visiting hours were basically over for non-family members, so I stood and grabbed my jacket.
“Get some sleep, man,” I said.
Tyler pointed weakly at me.
“Drive slower on the way home, Speed Racer.” “No promises.” As I stepped back into the hallway, I realized something important.
Tyler was still Tyler.
Broken bones, hospital bed, and all, he was still joking around like an idiot.
The world hadn’t ended just because things changed.
Maybe that was the real problem with knowing the original story.
Every little deviation felt catastrophic when really, life was probably always messy, even without me interfering.
Still, I couldn’t completely shake the feeling that the timeline had shifted onto unfamiliar tracks.
And unfamiliar tracks in Forks usually led somewhere dangerous.
… By the next morning, most of the snow had turned to gray slush piled along the edges of the roads.
The sky hung low and heavy over Forks, and cold mist clung to the parking lot as students shuffled toward the school building wrapped in hoodies and winter coats.
I parked carefully this time, which honestly deserved recognition considering my recent driving record.
The moment I stepped out of the car, though, I froze.
Edward Cullen stood several spaces away beside his silver Volvo.
He wasn’t talking to anyone.
Wasn’t moving either.
He was just staring at me.
Golden eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that immediately made every survival instinct in my body start screaming.
And because the universe apparently hated me, my first thought was: ‘Oh God, the mind reader.’ Edward’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
Right.
Fantastic.
He definitely heard that.
I tried to play it cool while internally panicking hard enough to qualify as cardiovascular exercise.
‘Okay.
Don’t think suspicious thoughts.’ Which, naturally, was the most suspicious thought I could possibly have.
Edward’s brow furrowed.
Crap.
My brain instantly began flailing for a distraction, and somehow the first thing it grabbed was the dumbest thing imaginable.
A pixelated gray cat with a Pop-Tart body flying through space.
Trailing a rainbow.
‘NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN~’ Edward blinked in confusion.
I doubled down immediately.
The song looped louder in my head while the cat kept soaring across an imaginary galaxy like some kind of cursed missile.
‘NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN~’ Edward’s face went completely blank in the way people looked when they were trying to process psychic damage in real time.
For one glorious moment, the ancient immortal vampire genuinely looked confused.
Then mildly horrified.
Then deeply concerned for my mental stability.
He turned sharply toward the school building, muttering something under his breath that sounded very close to, “What is wrong with him?” I watched him stalk away and barely held back my grin.
‘That’s right, sparkle boy.
Fear the internet.’ Feeling significantly more victorious than I probably should’ve, I headed toward class.
The amusement lingered through most of the morning too, right up until lunch.
That was when I noticed Edward wasn’t sitting with the Cullens.
Instead, he was sitting with Bella.
The two of them occupied a table near the windows while Bella spoke with that cautious, slightly shy expression she always wore when she was curious about something.
Edward leaned toward her, listening closely, and every now and then she smiled.
That made me slow down mid-step.
Because that wasn’t supposed to happen yet.
In the original story, Edward avoided her after the accident.
He kept his distance because saving her had exposed too much.
Except… he hadn’t saved her here.
I had pulled Bella out of the way before things got that far, which meant Edward never had a reason to retreat.
No reason to disappear again.
No reason to fight the pull between them.
And suddenly I understood something that should’ve been obvious from the beginning.
Changing one moment didn’t just alter that moment.
It changed everything connected to it too, and those changes kept spreading outward like cracks through glass.
I stood there for another second, watching Bella laugh softly at something Edward said, before finally making my way toward my usual table.
Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, gears were already turning.
Because if this much had changed already… Then what the hell was going to happen next?