While You Were Knocked Out Cold

By Melolabel

Chapter 1

He walked out of the jewelry store carrying the little striped bag like it was a bomb about to

go off. The lead weight that had been sitting in his gut seemed to grow exponentially as he

walked down the street toward the restaurant—toward his doom.

Marrying Tanya wouldn't be that bad, he tried to convince himself. It wasn't working. He felt

more and more panic bubbling up inside of him as he continued his dead-man-walking march

to the Ristorante Voltorini. She was waiting there for him. In all likelihood, she already knew

what he had planned.

His family had been pushing him to propose for ages. Her family was just as eager for the

match but for reasons he didn't understand, Edward just couldn't generate feelings any deeper

than friendly affection toward his intended.

He pressed the crosswalk button and waited. Cars whizzed by and he was vaguely aware of

the normal city noises but still more focused on the task at hand. He really should not be

proposing to her. Not if he felt this way. She'd probably hate the ring since she didn't get to

pick it out. High maintenance—the thought flashed through his mind on a loop.

The light changed and he took one step into the crosswalk. On his left a horn blared a second

before the crunch and screech of metal split the air. A huge, black SUV backed away from a

sleek, silver sports car, turned and then sped off in another direction. Edward was so stunned

by the driver's depraved behavior-a hit and run!-he didn't even think about getting the license

plate number. By the time the thought entered his mind, the vehicle was too far away to see

the plate clearly.

He called 9-1-1 as he ran to the car. The woman driving was slumped over the steering wheel.

For some reason, the airbag hadn't deployed. At least she was wearing a seatbelt. That was

probably the only positive part of the whole situation.

The driver door was mangled and pushed in, but hadn't intruded too far into her space.

Chunks of glass from the broken window lay strewn in her hair. He gingerly reached in and

felt for a pulse. A heavy sigh of relief passed his lips as he relayed to the 9-1-1 dispatcher that

she was unconscious but had a pulse and seemed to be breathing.

She was turned toward the window and even though her features were covered in dripping

blood, Edward couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He was captivated. With

tentative fingers he picked a few of the bits of glass off of her face.

Just before the ambulance arrived, the woman groaned and tried to move. Edward placed his

hand on her shoulder and spoke as calmly as he could. "Hey, don't move. You were in an

accident. The ambulance is on its way."

She grunted. Edward asked, "What's your name?"

She stopped shifting and managed to crack one eye open. "Bella," she said. Her voice was

rough and garbled like she was talking halfway under water.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"No," it came out even quieter than before. "Please, don't leave me," she said with a slight

desperation. She lifted her hand to Edward. He took it in his own and felt her weak squeeze.

That simple connection seemed to hum appreciatively though his entire being. He returned the

squeeze and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Her lips lifted into a hint of a smile and then her body slumped forward even more. Panic

flooded his mind as he reached his hand to her cheek. "Bella! Bella, hey beautiful, wake up

please."

Just then, the paramedics pulled up and started doing their thing. They put a collar around

Bella's neck and monitored her vitals as best they could. It was several minutes before they

were able to pry the door away and transfer her to a stretcher. An officer took Edward's

statement. He wasn't sure how helpful it was since he couldn't really describe anything about

the actual accident.

Finally they were loading Bella into the ambulance. Dread overwhelmed Edward as he

thought about the possibility that this would be the last he ever saw of Bella. "I need to go

with her. I promised I wouldn't leave her."

"Sir, we can't let..."

"Please, I promised her."

The paramedic sighed and reluctantly waved him aboard the ambulance.

"Here is Ms. Swan's purse. If we find anything else in the wreck, we'll bring it by the

hospital." Edward nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen," the officer continued,

"for your help. If we have any further questions we have all your contact information." The

police officer pounded the back door of the ambulance twice and then walked away.

Edward sat awkwardly as the medic checked Bella's eyes every few minutes. The man looked

up and said, "You can hold her hand. She's stable for now."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." Edward wrapped his hand around hers and tried to understand how he'd

gotten so completely sucked into this situation.

Before he knew it they'd arrived at the hospital and he was being escorted to a bland waiting

room. A clerk shoved a clipboard full of paper work into his hands. "Where's Bella? Where

are they taking her?"

This level of worry for a complete stranger was disconcerting to him, to say the least.

"Are you family?"

Even though he'd had time to think about it, he still hadn't come up with a reasonable reason

for him to be with her. He'd asked her if there was anyone he could call and she'd said "no,"

so he answered the clerk as truthfully as possible. "I'm all that she's got."

"She's being treated as we speak. Someone will let you know if there's any change. What's

your name?"

"Edward Cullen."

"She's in good hands. Just get as much of that paperwork filled out as you can."

The forms blurred together in front of him. How was he supposed to fill all of this stuff out?

He didn't even know who she was.

Reluctantly he opened her purse and found her wallet. He leafed through the various cards

and bits of paper shoved into the bill fold compartment. The pen shook in his hand as he

copied information from her insurance card onto the forms. He used her driver's license to list

her address and date of birth. He couldn't fill in the social security section, but he did manage

to get her phone number by calling his own phone with hers. The battery level on her phone

was low so he powered it off until he'd had a chance to take it home and charge it for her.

He'd just gotten to the part of the forms where it asks about personal medical history. The

allergy card that was tucked into the wallet came in helpful at that moment, but the rest he had

to leave blank. He didn't know this woman at all. And that thought bothered him more than it

should.

He'd finished all that he could and set the clipboard down. His phone rang. Tanya. He'd

completely forgotten about her. He was supposed to have met her hours ago. She was going to

be pissed that he'd stood her up, and frankly he just really didn't want to deal with her at the

moment.

He silenced the call and turned his phone off. The little bag from the jewelry store, now

crumpled and sitting lonely on the chair next to him, called to him. He reached in and

retrieved the little velvet box.

The diamonds sparkled and shone but he knew it really wouldn't suit Tanya's tastes at all. She

was so much flashier than the simple ring he held. Maybe he should be looking for a woman

who fit the ring?

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry this accident ruined such a special day for you!" The clerk was eyeing

him with pity as her gaze flicked from his confused expression to the ring and back again.

"Oh, it's not. . ."

"Tut tut. I won't pry. But I'll let the staff know that she's your fiancée." She picked up the

clipboard and cursorily flipped through the forms.

"How is she?"

"The doctor will be out in a moment to talk with you." Her face was a mask of calm as she

escorted him to a private meeting room, but Edward was pretty good at reading people.

Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. She patted his shoulder and walked out, closing the

door with a soft click.

A moment later—which meant an hour in medical speak—a doctor in scrubs and a mask

pulled down around his neck walked into the waiting area. Edward hadn't really noticed that

he wasn't the only one in the room.

"You are here with Ms. Swan?"

Edward stood up and walked toward the Doctor. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Right, the fiancé. Is there no other family we can call?"

The doctor's incorrect reference to his relationship with Bella didn't even faze him, in fact he

was grateful for the clerk's error. "No, there's no one else. How is she?"

The physician frowned. "She has a punctured lung and experienced closed head trauma. We

need to get her to surgery immediately to control the pressure that's building in her brain.

We'll continue to treat her, but it'd be helpful if you can locate one of her immediate family

members in case things take a turn for the worse before she regains consciousness."

"Sure. Yeah. Whatever you need."

"She's in critical condition; we'll do all we can."

Edward slumped back into his seat and again wondered how on earth he'd gotten into this

mess.

Chapter 2

After he left the consultation room, he was led to another waiting room on a different floor. It

was much quieter there. He sat for several hours staring blankly at the fuzzy, impressionist

painting that hung on the wall. He'd long since put Bella's wallet away, though he was

tempted to dig through her purse just to see if he might be able to glean some insight into who

she was.

She drove a really nice car, or what used to be a really nice car, so she probably had a decent

job. She was wearing an attractive dress, leading Edward to believe that she had some style.

Other than these superficial details, though, he was coming up blank. He'd have to wait until

she woke up in order to piece together the rest of who she was.

The sky darkened and the people in the waiting room ebbed and flowed like the tide—old

ones out, new ones in. No one tried to make conversation; it was as though there was an

unwritten rule that the room was sacred and shouldn't be desecrated by idle chatter.

Occasionally there'd be someone crying or sniffling, but that, of course, was allowed.

It was some time after midnight when an aide finally came to take Edward up to the ICU.

"Mr. Cullen?" A squat, young woman touched him lightly on the shoulder. He must've drifted

off a bit.

"Yeah," he said with a grunt still hazy from the impromptu nap. "How is she?"

"They're getting her settled in the ICU. I'm here to take you up there." Edward stood and

followed the aide to the elevators up to the fifth floor. Once they'd reached the ICU, she

introduced him at the Nurse's station.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. I'm Angela Webber; Ms. Swan's nurse."

"Is she okay? Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen. The ICU policy is that only immediate family members are allowed.

You'll be able to visit her once she's moved into a general care room."

He shoved both hands into his hair and tugged viciously. He needed to see her. Logically, he

knew he didn't have any right to intrude into this stranger's life, but she had asked him—

begged him-not to leave her.

Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out the little box. He flipped it opened and held it

out to the nurse. "If it hadn't been for this accident, we'd be engaged. Please. I'm begging you.

Is there any way I can see her for just a few minutes?" He could see her eyes softening as she

looked between him and the ring. "Please?" he whispered, desperation dripping from the

single word.

A twinge of guilt swept through him as he begged. He even had the gall to unleash the full

force of his puppy dog eyes on the poor woman. It was unconscionable to play on such an

emotionally charged misunderstanding—he knew this—but the compulsion to see with his

own two eyes that she was all right was too strong to deny.

The nurse looked over her shoulder and turned back to face him worrying her lower lip with

her teeth. "I'll take you in there for just a moment. You can't stay for long. The doctor will

meet you in the ICU consult room, but I'll warn you now, he's not going to be able to disclose

very much about her condition."

"I understand. I just need to see her."

"Thank you for doing this, Angela. You have no idea what this means to me."

Walking through the intensive care unit was daunting. The severity showed on every single

face he passed. This was the land of the critically injured and ill. He imagined the Grim

Reaper with a reserved seat in the waiting room, casually twisting his bony hands together

until someone died. Chills ran up and down his spine as they passed the empty waiting area.

Angela, who'd been more kind than any of the other people there, showed him into Bella's

room. He stopped short just a few steps into the room and took in the sights and sounds. A

steady beep, a regular hiss, and a random pattern of clicks echoed around the sterile room.

There were so many tubes and wires coming into and out of Bella it looked like a scene from

sci-fi movie.

"What do all these things do?" he whispered to Angela.

"This one goes to the ventilator. She'll have that until she no longer needs to be sedated. This

one is the feeding tube; it's called an NG tube or naso-gastric tube. This one is to measure her

blood pressure and the little clip on her finger is to monitor the level of oxygen in her blood.

This is the shunt that will drain any excess cerebrospinal fluid or blood from Isabella's brain. .

."

"Bella. She prefers to be called Bella." He was a little shocked that he'd picked up on that fact

in the one minuscule conversation he'd had with her. He was more shocked that he'd been so

matter-of-fact about correcting the nurse. He still didn't know anything about Bella.

"Bella it is. I'll make a note in her chart." Angela went on to explain all of the other equipment

in the room and the general operating procedures in the ICU; basically he could come to the

ICU and sit in the waiting room, but that was it. This would be the only time he'd be able to

visit her in person until she was moved to a general care room. He listened with only a

fraction of his brain, mostly because he couldn't stop staring at the woman in the bed. She

seemed petite and dainty before, but now she was dwarfed by the clinical bed and all the life-

sustaining machinery.

She no longer wore the neck brace. She had a wound on her forehead—probably stitches—

that was covered with a bandage. Part of her hair was shaved off where they'd inserted the

shunt. She'd probably be pissed about that; then again, maybe she wouldn't. He didn't know.

Her face was swollen and bruised, distorting her features, but at least the blood had been

washed off. He still hadn't moved from where he'd stopped upon entering. It was as though

roots had grown out of his feet anchoring him to the floor.

"Are you okay, Mr. Cullen? I know it's a lot to take in, so if you have any general questions,

I'd be happy to answer them out in the hall."

He flicked his eyes toward Angela. She wore a kind expression as she placed her hands in the

pockets on the front of her scrub shirt.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," he said softly. "Can she hear us? I mean I've heard

that sometimes people can hear stuff when they're. . ." he waved his hand around indicating

Bella's current physical condition, unwilling to say the word "coma."

"It never hurts. You can talk to her about familiar things; events or experiences you've shared

together, places you've gone, or personal memories. Those generally tend to be the most

comforting. Though, I don't know how much talking to her you'll be able to do if you're not

allowed in the room." Angela smiled sadly and then turned to adjust some of the equipment.

Great, he thought. How could he share that kind of stuff with a person he'd never met before?

How could he do that if he was stuck out in the waiting room? He would just have to

improvise, because he'd already decided he wouldn't abandon her. He silently vowed to stay

as close to her as he was allowed until that time when she sent him away.

Slowly, he walked toward the bed, lifted the least fettered hand and rubbed slow circles over

the top of it. Every now and then his thumb would snag a piece of tape on which the edge had

curled up. Her hand was cool; the fingers were soft, limp and completely unresponsive. And

yet, he had that pleasant feeling of comfort surge through him as he caressed her skin.

As he continued to smooth his thumb over Bella's hand, he lifted the other hand and stroked

one finger along the side of her battered face. No movement. No reaction. It was oddly

disconcerting to know she was alive but so devoid of all the outward signs of life.

"Why don't we head back out to the waiting room? The doctor should be here in a moment to

tell you what he can about Bella's prognosis."

He nodded and placed a tender kiss on Bella's hand, whispering against her skin, "I'll come

back as soon as I can." He then shot the nurse a grateful smile and said, "Thanks, Angela, for

everything. I'm glad Bella has you for her nurse."

"You're most welcome."

He paced around the ICU waiting room for a few minutes. It was hard for him to feel

comfortable surrounded by the ominous and stifling atmosphere. A throat cleared behind him

and Edward turned to see a staid, older man with salt and pepper hair and a crisp white lab

coat looking expectantly at him. "Mr. Cullen? I'm Dr. Garrett. Follow me, please."

Edward once again, gathered his and Bella's things and followed the doctor into a private

room.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, the shunt is in place and we were able to get the intracranial pressure down

to a manageable level. I really can't disclose much more than that. Though you'll be relieved

to know that she is stable and the fetus is fine; a strong, regular heart rate of 163 beats per

minute. A miracle, really, considering the severity of the trauma."

Edward blinked; then blinked again. "Fetus? You mean a baby? She's pregnant?" Jeez, this

situation just became even more complicated than before, he thought. As the world began to

spin around him, all he could see was Bella's bloodied face begging him not to leave her.

He felt a rush of heat flood over him followed by a wave of cold as all the blood in his body

drained to his feet, then everything went black.

Chapter 3

When Edward opened his eyes, it was to a bright light being shined in his face. He was sitting

in one of the moderately comfortable meeting room chairs. It was considerate, he supposed, of

the hospital to provide ergonomically sound furniture while discussing a loved one's prospects

of survival.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Cullen," asked Dr. Garrett.

"Uh…In shock? How did you know? About the baby, I mean."

"Yes. I can see that. The pregnancy showed up in the results of the battery of standard tests

we do in the ER when an unconscious woman is admitted. I assume this was a surprise to

you?"

"She hadn't told me yet." His foggy brain scrambled for a plausible lie. "She had mentioned

that she needed to tell me something at dinner tonight, but then the accident happened and…"

That sounded legit, he thought.

"I see. When was the last time you ate?"

The half a bagel with shmear and three gulps from the box of orange juice seemed like

decades ago. "Uh, not since this morning. I was nervous about the proposal." The lies just

kept rolling off his tongue with frightening ease.

Angela appeared at his side and handed him a small cup of juice and a package of crackers.

"Eat those, then go home and get some rest. I have a feeling we'll be seeing you tomorrow."

She patted him on the arm and retreated back to the nurse's station.

"Nurse Webber is right. Go home and get some sleep. In light of Ms. Swan's pregnancy…You

are the father, correct?" He leveled Edward with a searching gaze. Edward nodded and the

doctor continued, "That being the case, I'll see if we can make an exception to the ICU

visitation policy."

"Thank you, sir. That would be great." Edward reached out and shook hands with the older

gentleman.

"Mind you, there are no guarantees. But, we'll keep you informed as to when she's transferred

to a general care room."

Edward nodded his understanding and drank down the juice. Angela was right, of course.

There was nothing else he could do at that moment. He gathered up Bella's things and headed

for the elevators. On his way out, he waved to Angela and the other nurse at the desk and

pushed through the doors.

He took a cab home and trudged up the steps to his apartment. He had just enough functioning

brain cells to plug in Bella's phone, strip out of his clothes and fall face-first into bed.

An insistent pounding woke him up; it sounded like a battering ram breaking down his door.

As it turns out it was just his mother. She tackled him in a ferocious hug as soon as he opened

the door, clad only in his boxers and scratching his head in bewilderment.

"Oh, my sweet boy! Thank heavens you're all right." Her hands fluttered wildly all around his

face and shoulders. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? We've been worried sick.

When Tanya called last night, she was frantic. She said you were supposed to meet for dinner

but after waiting for more than an hour she left and came here, but couldn't find you. And you

weren't picking up your phone. Well, you know how my imagination runs away, and we just

thought the worst, Edward. The absolute worst! How could you do that to us? To Tanya?"

Edward managed to stifle a snort; he highly doubted that Tanya was all that distraught. She

was most likely pissed that he'd stood her up. "I got…tied up with something and wasn't

allowed to use my phone where I was. It was late when I got home and I just forgot to turn it

back on. I'm sorry I caused such a fuss."

He went into his room and pulled out his phone. When it powered up he had twenty three

missed calls and six text messages. He sighed heavily as he walked back out to the living

room. "I'll give Tanya a call in a little while," he said to his mother, "I'm still trying to wake

up."

"Well, what on earth kept you so preoccupied that you couldn't bother to check your phone?"

He hesitated to tell her the truth, and yet he really didn't want to have to blatantly lie to her

either. He decided to go for a half-truth/half-omission. "I witnessed a hit-and-run accident.

The driver of the car was pretty badly injured. I had to give a statement to the police and

everything. It just took a while."

"Oh, dear. That's terrible. Nothing happened to you, though, right?" His mother was wringing

her hands together, a wrinkle of worry still present in between her eyebrows.

He thought about the question. Something had definitely happened to him, but not in the way

his mother was imagining. "I'm fine, Mom. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure, sweetie? You seem…different." She ran her hand gently over the stubble on

his cheek.

"Really, Mom, I'm just tired. I didn't get home until really late." To punctuate his statement,

he yawned long and loud. "I need to get in the shower and call Tanya."

"You're a good man, sweetie. She'll be relieved to hear from you."

He just nodded, not sure how much he believed his mother. She turned to walk toward the

front door and casually said, "We'll see you at Sunday brunch. Tanya and her parents are

coming as well."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay. Sunday brunch. I'll…be there."

She turned back to face him, lifted up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Love you,

sweetheart."

"Love you too, Mom."

He showered, dressed and was fixing a bowl of cereal when his phone started ringing. He

hadn't had a chance to listen to or read any of the messages that were left for him so he had no

idea what to expect when she called. He looked at the display and cringed. Still not feeling

prepared to deal with her, but knowing his time was up, he accepted the call.

"Hey, Tanya," he said, his voice filled with fatigue and resignation.

"Hey, Tanya? Hey, Tanya? Were in the hell-o Dolly were you last night? I waited in that

restaurant for over an hour getting hit on by creepy, old Italian men."

"I'm sorry, Tan. I was on my way to the restaurant, but I witnessed a hit-and-run accident and

had to stay and give a statement to the police and everything. It ended up taking a really long

time." He tried to sound apologetic, but he knew the story his mom had accepted at face value

wouldn't be enough to satisfy Tanya.

"Good lord! How long does it take to tell a few cops what happened? I tried to call you, like a

million times! Why didn't you answer me?" She'd moved from pissed to whiny, which was

infinitely worse than pissed.

He closed his eyes and spoke in that soothing way one would speak to a petulant child. "T, I

was the only witness. They needed me to hang around for questioning until they were done

with the investigation. I turned it off and didn't get home until late. I fell asleep before I had a

chance to turn it back on. I'm sorry." He was getting more and more annoyed by how she just

wouldn't let the issue go.

"How are you gonna make it up to me?" she asked, her voice shifting into a higher pitched

babyish voice. He could imagine her with her index finger poised on the edge of her lip as she

twisted back and forth. "Last night was supposed to be special, Eddie. I was so worried."

He sighed. "I'm gonna be pretty busy this week. How about we spend a little extra time

together after Sunday brunch? Maybe we can take a walk in the park?"

"But that's, like almost a week away!" she whined.

"Not a whole week," he cajoled. "Five days, and we'll spend a little extra quality time

together." He was already dreading the thought, but then an idea came to him. It would be the

perfect time to let her down gently. She'd have the support of her parents close by, and he

could end things on friendly terms. If it didn't get ugly, then maybe their families could

remain cordial.

"Fine," came the pouty-sounding voice, "I'll see you, Sunday. Wuv's you Eddiekins."

"Yeah, you too, Tan," he grumbled.

"Eddieeeeee, wuv you," she said more forcefully. It was how she expected him to end all of

their conversations and every time it made him want to throw up a little. He couldn't do it

today.

"I gotta go." He ended the call before she had a chance to say anything else.

Getting rid of Tanya wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't until about twelve hours before that he

truly realized that he wanted something more than what Tanya Carrington had to offer;

something much more.

Chapter 4

A satisfied grin broke out over his face after he hung up on Tanya. He couldn't explain exactly

why, except that for once, he'd had the last word. He would just have to brace himself for the

fall out. If she didn't call him during the week he was sure to get an earful on Sunday.

The list of things he needed to do was growing fairly quickly. He needed to check in with his

supervisor, read over the latest assignment submissions from his students, and post up the

newest lesson material, but he could do that from anywhere. Edward was also looking

forward to visiting Bella. He hoped that they'd allow him into the ICU. It would really suck to

have to sit in the waiting room with the eerie spectral presence he'd imagined the previous

night.

He gathered all his necessities and stuffed them into his black, freebie messenger bag—he'd

won it in a raffle at one of the first education fairs he'd attended. He powered up Bella's phone

and slid his finger across the glass to unlock the screen. He unabashedly scrolled through the

apps she had downloaded. Some he expected, others, he did not. Just that one tiny peek into

who she was made him smile.

Edward slid the little slice of technology into his pocket and plugged the charger into his

phone. It didn't take long to shovel down the rest of his cereal. With a sack lunch packed and

his phone and charger packed away as well, he headed out the door of his sparse, two bed-

room apartment.

Just as he was descending from the bus, Bella's phone chimed. He read over the text; someone

named Alice wanting her to call or text. He took note of it, but didn't think much more about

it.

Walking in through the main entrance of the hospital was much less intimidating than

entering through the chaotic emergency room. He walked quickly to the bank of elevators,

pressed the call button and waited—not very patiently; his hand tapped a haphazard rhythm

on his leg which caught a sideways glance from another awaiting passenger.

He exited and went through all of the admittance procedures to enter the ICU. The nurses

were different, but he didn't expect to see Angela or the other lady here during the day. He

just hoped that Dr. Garrett had been able to work something out for him to be able to sit with

Bella.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, I see here that Dr. Garrett has approved you for temporary visitation with

Miss Swan until a formal decision from the Hospital Administration can be obtained. Did

Nurse Webber go through all of the procedures last night?"

"Yes ma'am, she did. Will it be a problem if I use my wifi in the room?"

"Nope, not a problem at all, just make sure you turn your cell phone off. I'm Tia, by the way.

I'll be taking care of Bella during the day."

"Nice to meet you, Tia. How is she doing?" They began walking down the hallway toward

Bella's room.

"She's stable. Her ICP is down just slightly, which is good. Dr. Garrett will have more

information when he comes in around two P.M."

"Good. That's . . .good."

The regular hissing noise from the ventilator and steady beep of the heart monitor greeted

them. He set his bag down on the chair and stood next to Bella's side. His heart was thumping

with the gravity of the charade he was putting on. More than once he'd thought about

abandoning the whole thing, but he was in too deep. Not only was he concerned about

ramifications with the authorities, he felt completely and utterly attached to the unconscious

woman.

He traced along her hand with his fingertips. Her skin looked dry. He should bring some

lotion with him tomorrow, he thought. He opened his laptop and started work on the next few

lesson plans he'd need to upload to his virtual classroom.

When Tia came in to check Bella's wound dressings and change her gown he stepped out and

went to the cafeteria to answer emails and download the assignments that were due from his

students. Even though he was technically her fiancé, he wanted to afford her as much privacy

as he could.

Dr. Garrett was examining Bella when he returned. "Ah, Hello Mr. Cullen." He gave Edward

a brief rundown of Bella's current status. She was still in serious condition but the pressure on

her brain was lessening and she hadn't shown any other signs of getting worse. Edward was

hopeful that once she was taken off the heavy sedatives, she'd wake up and remember him.

As the afternoon wore on, Edward set himself to grading assignments. It was difficult to do,

though, since his mind and his gaze kept wandering to the sleeping brunette. Unable to

concentrate he set his laptop aside and stood next to her. The top of her head was still heavily

bandaged but the cut on her forehead was now covered with just a Band-aid. The bruising

under her eyes and on her cheek were more pronounced today.

He pulled out some lip balm and gently applied it to her dried lips. He was still staring down

at her when a gentle knock sounded at the door.

"Hi there. I'm Dr. Amun, the neonatologist. I'm here to do a follow up check on the baby."

"Oh. Uh, hi. I'm Edward. Dr. Garrett said the baby was okay, right?"

"With the procedures Miss Swan has undergone, we just want to make sure the baby is

tolerating the sedation."

"Oh, okay. I'll just get out of your way and let you do your thing." He backed up but couldn't

tear his eyes away when Dr. Amun raised Bella's gown. There was a dark, rectangular bruise

across her lower belly. It really was a miracle that the baby had survived.

She set up what Edward assumed was the ultrasound machine and started swirling a wand

looking thing around on Bella's stomach. She stopped and adjusted a few settings and that's

when he heard what sounded like a staticky, galloping horse. He squinted at the monitor

trying to puzzle out the shadows and shapes he was seeing.

"Right here is the head," Dr. Amun pointed to one end of a white bean shape, "and here is the

heart beating." She pointed to a fluttering dark spot in the middle of the bean.

He felt like he had been punched directly in the chest; he could hardly breathe. This wasn't his

child. This baby belonged to another man, and that thought twisted in Edward's gut. He

stared, unblinking as Dr. Amun finished her assessment.

"Everything appears to be normal. The baby's heart rate is a little on the low side today. I'll

continue to monitor the baby while Miss Swan is still sedated." She looked at Edward

curiously. "I know it's a lot to take in. You should sit down," she said with a smile.

After Dr. Amun left, Edward's mind was in turmoil. He sat next to Bella holding her hand,

stroking his thumb absently over her fingers. What was he doing? She was not his fiancée.

The child she carried belonged to some other guy. How would he feel if the situation were

reversed? He'd want to know. He was going to need to do some digging into Bella's private

life. He needed to figure out who Bella Swan was.

He didn't realize how late it was until Nurse Angela came in to check on Bella. "Hello,

Edward! Glad to see they've allowed you to sit with Bella."

"Well, it's temporary. Dr. Garrett's waiting on an answer from the big wigs."

"I see. Well, I think it's good that you're here. She needs someone special to stay close to her."

Angela looked him up and down, probably noting his rumpled appearance. "Have you been

here all day?"

"Yeah. I was just getting ready to head out and grab some dinner. I was thinking about

bringing some lotion from home. For her hands?" He felt sheepish just thinking about it. He'd

already resolved to do some snooping in Bella's apartment. He'd planned to bring a few

personal items from her place to maybe help her feel more comfortable when she woke up.

"Sounds good. If I don't see you again, have a good night." Angela left the room and Edward

packed his computer away.

He leaned over Bella and whispered to her, "I don't know if you can hear me. It's me. Edward.

The guy who spoke to you right after the wreck. I feel kind of stupid talking to you like this,

but, whatever. I just wanted to say I'm sorry in advance for invading your privacy. I just want

to help you. You asked me not to leave you, so I won't." He paused, trying to think of

something not-idiotic to say. "Your baby is okay. It's just a little bean. Like tiny. But I saw its

heart beating. I hope you don't get mad that some total stranger got to see that before you

did." He pulled back from her and blew out a breath. Then, as if pulled by a string, he leaned

back down and placed a kiss on her battered cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Get better,

beautiful."

Chapter 5

Edward plugged Bella's address into the map application on his phone. He ignored the missed

call from Tanya, read the text from his mother, and looked over the route to Bella's house.

He'd have to go home and pick up his car before he went to her place. He wondered what she

was doing on the opposite side of town from her home before the accident. He added it to the

list of mysteries-to-solve about Bella.

He jogged up the stairs to his apartment, dumped his bag on the couch and headed to the

fridge. He settled for two slices of cold pizza, squashed together sandwich style, and grabbed

a can of soda, before heading out the door again.

It was a good twenty minute drive to Bella's house. He felt strange pulling in to her driveway.

There were no lights on and no newspapers piled up on the porch; one could've easily

assumed the house was uninhabited. It was a fairly generic Cape Cod style house; white

clapboard siding and green shutters made up the outside. He wondered if the interior was as

Spartan.

He tried two different keys on Bella's key ring before finding the right one. He'd just cracked

the door open when he heard the skittering scratch of a scampering animal on the hardwood

floor. A sharp bark echoed loudly through the small foyer. A silver and gray puppy—some

kind of Husky if he had to guess—was dancing around his feet and pawing at the door.

"Crap, little man, you probably have to go, don'tcha?" One sniff and Edward knew that there

was a pile somewhere he'd have to clean up. He glanced around and quickly found a leash

hanging from a pegged coat rack next to the door. Once the leash was securely clipped to the

dog's collar, he reopened the door and the dog bolted. He was stretched between trying to jab

the key into the lock and the anxious animal pulling him in the other direction.

Once the dog had sniffed, marked and squatted a sufficient number of times, he trotted down

the sidewalk intent on having an evening constitutional. After a turn around the block,

Edward led the way back to Bella's house. He knelt down to unclip the leash and read the I.D.

tag on the collar. "Well, Jake, how's about we get you some food?" Edward grabbed the mail

from the box that hung on the wall next to the front door and entered the foyer.

He walked down the central hall, noting the tidy, but lived in front room on his left and the

untouched formal dining room on the right. A straight set of stairs led from the front door up

to the second floor while the hallway passed to the rear of the house and the kitchen.

There were a few pieces of art on the walls—an Ansel Adams type grouping of nature

photographs in the hall and a few pieces of abstract art—but nothing that seemed personal.

The kitchen was equally tidy, minus the gift that Jake left in front of the back door. At least he

didn't crap on one of the rugs, Edward thought. He set the mail on the counter, grabbed a

handful of paper towels, scooped up the mess and went in search of a toilet. The powder room

was just off the kitchen near the back door and a small laundry room. He glanced in the

window of the pricey front-loading washer and dryer and noticed there was a load of clothing

that needed to be folded.

When he returned from the bathroom, Jake was scratching at one of the doors in the corner of

the kitchen. He opened it and found the large bag of dog food. Once he had Jake's food and

water sorted out, he sat down on a stool at the small breakfast bar.

He was struck again by the lack of personality he saw in the kitchen. Nothing was stuck to the

fridge with magnets; there was no calendar hanging on the wall; nothing seemed to tell a story

about the owner of the house. Absentmindedly, he walked around to the sink and washed the

bowl, spoon, and mug that had been left there.

One by one, he opened her cabinets and figured out where the clean dishes lived. He went

back and poked through the pantry. Healthy cereal, organic this, all natural that. He came to

the disappointing conclusion that she was kind of a health nut. Her freezer was filled with

single serving organic microwave meals and a carton of all natural peach ice cream.

The fridge echoed what he found in the pantry: lots of vegetables, and healthy, organic food.

He wrinkled his nose when he picked up a plastic box of what looked like grass. Alfalfa

sprouts? People really eat this kind of rabbit food? He wondered. He replaced the box back on

the shelf and shut the door, still not satisfied with the picture he was painting of Bella.

He walked back to the front of the house and looked around the living room: A thirty-two

inch flat screen sat on a low cabinet. It was a good brand, but on the small side. She probably

didn't watch a lot of T.V. The two bookshelves that flanked the whitewashed brick fireplace

were stuffed to the gills with books. Not one knick knack had a spot on those shelves. The rest

was nondescript: A comfortable couch, a basket of throw blankets, a little stack of wood in a

hammered, brass holder next to the hearth. It was all very blandly cozy.

Perhaps there was more to tell upstairs, he thought. He took the stairs slowly, noting a creak

on the third one from the top. White beadboard lined the staircase below a dark, wood chair

rail. Some kind of flowery vintage wallpaper rose above the bisecting wood. It wasn't really

his taste, but it fit the house. It kind of reminded him of his Grandma Platt's house.

There was a generous bathroom—claw footed tub and everything—at the top of the stairs and

two other rooms, one on either side of the stairway. He peeked into the master bed room on

the left but decided to save that one for last. The other slightly smaller bed room was

converted into an office. More bookshelves lined one of the walls, a desk took up the wall

next to the door, and a large, squashy chair and ottoman took up the rest of the space. There

was a small table which held a stack of at least ten books and fancy-looking floor lamp next to

the chair.

The desk was full of clutter; stacks of papers and folders were overflowing on to the floor. He

opened a few of the drawers, but didn't find anything more interesting than envelopes or

paperclips until he got to the last one. Files. He sat down in the ergonomic adjustable desk

chair and began to look at the labels.

Most of the tabs read like they were book titles. He opened a few of them but either they were

empty or didn't have anything that looked helpful for figuring out the elusive Miss Swan.

Towards the back of the drawer he came across a folder titled Hargrove, Biddle & Brown. It

sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't remember why. He pulled out the dossier and spread

it open on the desk top. Bingo. The first page was a "Congratulations, you're hired" kind of

letter. The rest of the documents were all related to her being hired as an editor at the

publishing house. She'd been working there for six years, and was making a decent salary; at

least she was when she was hired. She was probably making a lot more than that, now.

He jumped when he felt a cold, wet nose nudge the hand that was resting on his knee. "So

she's an editor, huh Jake?" he mumbled to the dog. He then took a moment to gather clues

from the desk. She had several sticky notes posted around the monitor. Most of them bore the

same name: Shelly.

He lifted a few stacks of papers, but didn't find anything else useful. Jake sat at his heel and

panted, tongue lolling happily to the side. He pushed his muzzle under Edward's hand again

and waited patiently for some attention.

Edward gave him a brief scratch between the ears then moved to the overstuffed chair. He

groaned in appreciation of the deep cushioning and soft fabric. This chair was definitely big-

car comfort. Jake resumed the position of muzzle on knee and Edward obligingly continued to

scratch. With his free hand, he pulled out Bella's phone and powered it on.

The contact list was extensive but his first scroll through proved unsuccessful in turning up an

ICE number. The second time through, he noted a Shelly Cope and an Alice Whitlock. Both

were names he recognized now, but had no idea of their significance; He still wasn't sure who

he should call. She had told him before she passed out that there was nobody he should

contact for her.

He flipped through her apps again. She had the typical word games, bird games, restaurant

finders, movie ticket apps etc. She also had a few financial apps that coincided with the credit

and debit cards that were in her wallet.

Still, there was no clue as to who belonged in her family. He rose and made his way to the

master bedroom. The queen bed was neatly dressed with a neutral comforter and a few throw

pillows—nothing overly frilly or out of control. The furniture was a matched set made of dark

stained cherry. He opened the top drawer and immediately noticed the dovetailed joints and

the solid wood of the drawer box. It was definitely quality stuff and probably pretty

expensive. Then he noticed the contents of the drawer and slammed it shut.

For whatever stupid reason, he felt more like a creepy stalker pervert because he saw her

underwear drawer, than he did for rummaging around in the rest of her entire house. A lace

runner covered the top of the dresser and a dark, oil-rubbed, bronze lamp sat on one end. The

bedside tables had coordinating lamps as well. She was tasteful in her furniture, thoughtful in

her decorating, but it still felt cold. There were very few if any personal touches. Not a single

picture of family or boyfriend; nothing to indicate that she was attached to anyone. It was

frustrating and disconcerting. The more he looked around the more he got the feeling that

Isabella Swan was a very lonely woman.

He stopped in the bathroom and picked up the tube of scented lotion and the hairbrush that

were sitting on the top of the vanity. As he headed down the stairs Jake came scampering

down behind him.

He couldn't just leave the dog there; it was too far of a drive for him to make every day to

walk and feed him. He sighed and headed back to the kitchen. It took a few trips out to his

car, but finally he had all of Jake's necessities. "Well, buddy, it looks like you're coming with

me." He plucked the leash from its peg by the front door and ushered Jake out onto the porch.

Edward groaned when Jake jumped on the leather seat of his car and pressed his wet nose to

the glass. This whole situation was getting messier and messier by the second. Literally.

Chapter 6

The morning after he'd snooped through Bella's house he called her office and asked to speak

with her. He was told she was out of the office and not expected back for two weeks. So she

wasn't being missed at work. Some vacation, he thought ruefully. It bought him a little more

time, but not much. Hopefully she'd wake up soon and she could take care of that situation

herself.

He scrolled through her contact list almost obsessively, waiting for some name to jump out at

him and scream "Call me!" but that never happened. There had also been no more text

messages from Alice, so he pushed that name to the back of his mind. Instead of dwelling on

it overmuch, he set about his new routine which consisted of walking the dog, sitting with

Bella, letting the dog out in the afternoon to do his thing, going back to Bella, and finally

coming home for the night. It wasn't exciting, but he felt needed and for the first time in a

very long time, he felt like his personal life had some kind of purpose.

He enjoyed the predictability of his days; it was comforting to know what to expect. It was the

exact opposite of what his life was like with Tanya. One day she'd be talking excitedly about

planning a skydiving excursion or a week-long road trip to Mexico; the next day she'd just

want to watch movies and cuddle or she'd be bawling her eyes out over the littlest thing.

There were times when she could be as calm and put together as her mother and others when

she used that horrid baby-talk and clung to him like an octopus. She was the epitome of

confusing and Edward was coming to the swift conclusion that he just couldn't handle her

changeability anymore.

When he arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning, Dr. Garrett was already in Bella's room.

Edward set his bag down in its usual spot and greeted the doctor.

"So how is she doing?"

"Her body is repairing itself and doing exactly what we'd hoped. Her ICP has been stable and

within normal range for two days, all her other vitals have come back into normal ranges as

well, the baby has been tolerating the sedation, really it's been a better-than-expected outcome

considering the type of injuries she sustained.

"We'll be removing the shunt later today. We'll also begin weaning her off the sedatives and

lowering the vent settings. If her O2 sats remain above ninety-two percent, we'll remove the

breathing tube as well."

Edward ran a hand through his hair, his eyebrows rising up as he considered what the doctor

had told him. "So today is kind of a big day, huh?"

"We'll proceed with caution, but hope for the best."

"So, how long until she wakes up?" Not only was it a question he really wanted answered, but

it was also one he thought any concerned fiancé would ask.

"That, unfortunately, is a question nearly impossible to answer," his expression softened. "The

weaning process will occur over a twelve hour period. After that, it's a matter of time as to

when she might regain consciousness. It's different with all patients."

It was the answer he'd expected. Dr. Garrett had been kind about answering questions, but he

had also perfected the art of being as precisely vague as possible.

Edward sat for what felt like hours while Bella was in surgery staring blankly at his computer

screen. He couldn't concentrate on anything until she had been brought back into her room.

Once she'd been settled, Tia started adjusting the settings on the I.V. and ventilator.

"Now we start weaning her off the sedatives," she said with a bright smile. "I'll be back in an

hour to turn things down again."

Edward nodded. He was too tongue-tied to respond. This was it. She was going to wake up

and…what? What did he expect from her? He'd been posing as her fiancé, hadn't contacted

anyone on her behalf, and had thoroughly invaded her privacy. He'd even gone back to her

house and folded her delicates. Creepy pervert stalker!

He gazed at the now-familiar face, her eyelashes brushing the apples of her cheeks as they

remained closed. The new bandage that covered the shunt site was smaller than before. He

hadn't tried to brush her hair yet, mostly because the bandage that had been there previously,

covered a large part of her head. But even now he was hesitant. He didn't want to disturb

stitches or anything and he didn't want to incur the wrath of the nurses by doing something he

shouldn't.

He did squeeze a drop of lotion into his hands and rubbed them together to warm it up. Her

hands were always so cold, he had noticed. He picked one of them up and began rubbing the

balm into her skin. Immediately, he felt the soothing comfort that he always did when he held

her hand. Careful to avoid the I.V. site and other bits of tape and tubing, he massaged her

hand and arm. He switched sides and repeated the actions on her other arm.

"Well, Beautiful, you're going to be waking up soon. At least I hope you will." He looked out

the window of her room and sighed. "I've really screwed this whole thing up. I'm sorry. I'll

probably be saying that forever."

He brushed his fingers along her cheek. The bruising was starting to yellow and fade. "What

have you done to me?" he whispered. "I hope that you aren't too pissed at me when you wake

up. I don't know a thing about you except that you eat healthy food, have a dog, and in less

than a week have become my entire world." He kept his voice soft and soothing. He brought

the lotion to the foot of the bed and raised the blankets off of her feet. He admired the

prettiness of her toes, neatly trimmed and painted with a light pink polish. He squeezed

another dollop of lotion onto his hand and began massaging her feet and calves.

"Lord, I wish someone would do that for me!" Tia exclaimed as she came into the room.

Edward stepped back intending to give her space to work. "Oh, don't stop on my account. If I

were her and had you rubbing my feet, I'd be thoroughly ticked off if someone interrupted

that." She smiled and worked around him without another word.

Tired of trying to work, he pulled out a John Grisham novel and let himself become engrossed

in the fictional mystery. He left the hospital briefly to take the dog out to do his business then

he was right back at Bella's side.

The last time Tia came in to turn down the settings on Bella's equipment she'd let him know

they were a third of the way through the weaning process. He greeted Angela when the shift

changed and stayed for another hour before getting ready to leave.

He was just approaching the nurse's station when he overheard his name.

"We should all have our own personal Edward," said one voice.

Then Angela replied, "Tia said he was rubbing her feet earlier."

"She is one lucky woman to have a man as devoted as he is. I hope she recovers soon," the

first voice said.

"Me too, Judy. Me too. He really is one-of-a-kind."

Edward's cheeks were only slightly aflame as he stopped at the desk just seconds after

Angela's response. Both women clamped their mouths shut and gave him strained smiles.

"Uh, you guys have my cell phone number, right?"

"Yes, I believe it's in Bella's patient profile," Angela said with a tight-lipped expression.

"Good. I have a family thing that I have to go to tomorrow, so I won't be here in the morning.

But if there are any changes to Bella's state of consciousness, could someone call me right

away?"

"Of course, Mr. Cullen." Angela remained smiling but could hardly look him in the eye.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He turned and walked down the hall toward the exit.

As the doors to the ICU ward closed he swore he heard uncontrolled giggling.

He shook his head and smiled to himself. At least the nurses thought he was doing something

right.

He walked up the stairs to his apartment, eyes unfocused, thoughts centered on a comatose

brunette. It was unfortunate that he was so completely distracted, otherwise he would've been

prepared to defend himself.

"Eddieeeee! I've been waiting here forever. Where have you been wuvvykins?" Tanya

wrapped herself around him, causing him to stagger back into the wall, and began pecking

kisses all over his face.

As soon as he'd regained his bearings he quickly peeled her off of his body and rushed to

unlock the door. Of course she pushed her way through without invitation but Edward

couldn't say he was all that disappointed with the results of her barging in.

Jake, though he was still a puppy, was a pretty decent sized dog and quite exuberant. He came

charging out from Edward's bedroom and barreled straight into Tanya. Since she wasn't

expecting it and since she was teetering on ridiculously high, high heeled shoes, she was

knocked flat on her back. Jake began laving her entire face with puppy kisses.

Edward just laughed as Tanya began shrieking at the top of her lungs. One would think a

murder was in progress with the fuss she was putting up. Jake sat happily on Tanya's stomach

and continued to sniff and lick her until she'd finally recovered from the shock.

She roughly pushed Jake off of her, scrambled to her feet and reared back like she was going

to kick him. Edward was about to intervene but Jake seemed to have things under control. He

scooted back, assumed a defensive posture and bared his teeth, a menacing bark ripping from

his throat.

Tanya stumbled away from the dog, bumped into the couch and tumbled backward head over

heels, once again landing in a disheveled heap on the floor.

"Jake!" Edward said with masculine authority. The dog immediately took up a protective

stance in front of his current provider.

"When did you get a dog?" Tanya screamed. Her voice had changed from the lovey baby-

talking to a gruff and almost maniacal growl. "He's awful! You have to get rid of him. I…I

can't believe…he almost tried to kill me!"

"I'm watching him for a…friend."

"Well you need to get rid of it." She was still heaving unnecessarily large breaths as she

picked up her purse and backed toward the door as far away from Jake as she could manage.

"Why didn't you stop him, Edward? He was mauling my beautiful face! I mean…GAH I'm

covered in dog spit!" She wound up the end of her rant with a high-pitched whine that would

probably cause him permanent hearing loss.

"I can't just get rid of it Tanya. What are you even doing here? I thought I said I'd see you at

brunch on Sunday." His voice was purposefully exasperated. He needed to start distancing

himself right that moment.

"You weren't returning my calls, Eddie-pie. I missed you." She'd shifted into that demure,

baby-talking voice again and it made his stomach roil.

"That's because I've been busy. I told you I was going to be busy this week."

"But I thought," she began.

"Tanya, I need to take Jake for a walk and then I'm going to bed. It's been a long day."

"I'll bet," she grumbled just low enough for Edward to catch.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled brightly, but the smile was false and full of sarcasm. "Nothing. Nothing at all.

Now give me a kiss and I'll see you tomorrow." She leaned forward offering him her cheek.

"Uh…your face is covered in dog slobber." He recoiled in obvious disgust.

"Argh! I can't even believe you," she roared. "I hope you take tonight to think about what this

relationship means to you. I will not stand for this kind of treatment from you again!"

As he watched Tanya storm down the hallway to the elevator, wobbling once on her heels, he

took Jake's face in both hands and rubbed it vigorously saying, "Good boy, Jake. Good boy."

The dog's face split into a toothy grin and his ears perked up.

Brunch was not going to be a pleasant affair.

Chapter 7

Edward awoke feeling tired. His sleep was restless, punctuated with disturbing dream flashes

of Tanya chasing him with a giant kitchen knife. The looming brunch with his parents and the

Carringtons left his stomach heavy with an impending sense of dread.

He'd gone over a hundred different ways to try and end their relationship but when it came

down to it, he just had to say five little words. It's over between us, Tanya. Though anyone to

assume saying those words to Tanya would be easy, really didn't know her at all.

The walkway to his parent's front door was lined with newly-planted flowers, the lawns were

freshly mowed, and all of the bushes had been trimmed into their usual unnatural square

shapes. It was home. Home, he tested the word in his mind again. For whatever reason, the

usual feeling of belonging in his parent's old house wasn't there.

He knocked twice before entering the house. "Mom? Dad? I'm here!"

"In the kitchen, Honey!" his mother's voice echoed from the rear of the house.

With his hands thrust into the pockets of his chinos, he cautiously entered the kitchen. Carmen

and Eleazar Carrington stood at the back window wall, both with champagne flutes filled with

Esme's famous mimosas in hand, talking to Edward's father. Tanya stood next to the granite

island, an apron covering a black and white dress. Edward's heart rate spiked when he noticed

she was cutting up fruit with one of his mother's very sharp knives.

She was watching him as he stood uneasily in the doorway of his parent's kitchen. All

conversation and activity seemed to suspend for a moment too long. Esme turned from the

stove and wrapped her arms around her son then stepped back, holding him at arm's length.

"How are you, dear? We're almost ready to start. Can you get the napkins for the table?"

"Sure, Mom." He walked to the island warily and knelt down to retrieve the napkins from the

cupboard right next to Tanya. As he stood, she deftly scooped up a pile of chopped

strawberries with one hand and the edge of the large, chef's knife and slid them into the bowl

to her right.

"Good morning, Edward. How are you, my love?" She set the knife down but kept her hand

curled around the handle and leaned toward Edward, quickly planting a kiss on his cheek.

Edward's whole body tensed. He was acutely aware of the cutlery that sat just inches away

from his body. He was also disconcerted that normal Tanya was in attendance today, but

maybe that would bode well for the conversation they needed to have.

"Shall we sit?" Edward's father called out, ushering their guests into the dining room.

Food was passed. Polite conversation took place. All seemed to be going well until Tanya set

her fork down with a little bit more clatter than she probably intended. Her eyebrows pinched

together just slightly and the smile on her face was tight and forced. "Edward, why have you

been spending all day long at the hospital for the last week?"

Silence blanketed the table as once again, all the chit chat and eating came to a grinding halt.

Esme's fork was poised halfway to her mouth, which hung open in surprise. Carlisle's eyes

were wide with curiosity and concern. Carmen and Eleazar also wore matching expressions of

concern with a hint of what Edward perceived as suspicion.

Tanya tilted her head and the forced little smile spread as she asked, "Are you sick?"

Edward felt all the blood drain from his face. How on earth did she know...he began thinking,

then, a sinking realization settled in his stomach. She'd been following him. A growing sense

of uneasiness radiated through him.

The silence had lasted too long. He'd just sat there chewing his prosciutto and mozzarella

crèpe while everyone stared at him. With measured slowness, he wiped his mouth with the

white, linen napkin and set it down next to his plate. "No. I'm not sick. Why do you ask?"

Her eyes narrowed and he knew she was probably working hard to try and keep herself from

sounding crazy in front of both sets of parents.

"I…Well, I drive by the hospital on my way to work, and noticed your car in the parking lot

every day this week."

He cocked an eyebrow, silently calling her bluff. He rose from the table and said, "Can I

speak to you in private, Tanya? Dad is it okay if we use your study?"

"Oh…Of course, son. Is everything all right?" Carlisle had stood up as well.

"Everything is just peachy, Carlisle," Tanya simpered. She strutted with confidence down the

hallway and into the study.

Edward rolled his shoulders once then entered the room behind her. When the door was

firmly shut he said, "What was that, back there?"

She turned wide, inquisitive blue eyes on him and asked, "What was what? I was just worried

about your health."

"That's bull and you know it Tanya. Have you been following me?"

She turned her attention to a magazine on the edge of the desk, fiddling with the corners of the

glossy paper.

When she didn't respond, his resolve strengthened. "Well? Have you, Tan?"

"NO!" she shouted indignantly.

"Then how do you know if I've been at the hospital? My car has been parked in my garage for

the last week," he said.

"Five days!" she retorted then slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide.

"JEEZ, Tan! What's up with that?"

"You wouldn't return my calls. I thought…I don't know…that you were seeing someone

behind my back."

The whine had started creeping into her voice, but the truth of her words stung a little more

than Edward had been prepared for. He had been seeing someone else. And he couldn't

explain to her why, but he knew he hadn't been entirely fair to Tanya. It was so much easier to

dismiss her when she wasn't acting rationally.

"This isn't working, T," he sighed as his shoulders slumped.

"But it can. We can work on it; go to counseling or whatever, it'll be fi…"

"No, it won't. I'm not in love with you, Tanya, and this whole..." he motioned between the two

of them, "thing, is not good for me anymore."

At first, she just stared at him blankly. Then she started laughing. "Edward, don't be silly.

We've known each other forever. We're perfect for each other. I can be perfect for you."

"Tanya, I told you I was going to be really busy this week. Why couldn't you just let me do

my stuff?" he asked.

"I was worried," she said. And jealous, stalkerish, and psycho, he thought.

He sighed. "The fact that you followed me every day, Tan…I mean, you realize how crazy

that is, right?"

She began pacing and grabbing handfuls of her long, blonde hair. Then she started muttering

to herself. She looked once at Edward with wild, glassed over eyes. Then she marched right

up to him and shoved him hard in the chest. "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME CRAZY! I AM

NOT CRAZY!"

He reached out for her hands to try and calm her down but she yanked them from his grip and

began storming around the room pulling books off the shelves. She turned over a chair and

screamed at him. "All I have ever wanted was you and now you tell me you don't love me? I

have given you everything and you throw it back in my face like I'm garbage? What kind of

heartless, soulless person are you Edward Cullen?"

"Tanya, I wasn't calling you crazy," though that's exactly what he was thinking at the moment.

"But your behavior for a long time has been unpredictable and erratic. You're not the girl you

were when we started dating."

She whirled around, her hands braced on the large globe/ bar that sat in the corner of his

father's study, and said, "So you think I'm erratic?" Her voice was eerily calm.

"A little, yeah."

"Unpredictable?" she pressed.

He shrugged. "Look, Tanya, I'm sure there's a great guy out there for you, but he's just not

me."

She closed her eyes and nodded. Without warning she started screaming a stream of curses

and profanities as she overturned the globe. Crystal decanters, bottles, and tumblers crashed to

the floor.

Edward flinched at the noise then began dodging the glassware that she was throwing at his

head.

"How's this for unpredictable?" she growled as she hurled a partially broken glass in his

direction.

The door to the study was flung open and all four parents stood with jaws gaping opened. The

tableau they'd happened upon was the stuff of soap operas. Tanya's chest was heaving with

breathless fury, a miraculously-unbroken bottle of Scotch raised in her hand, and Edward,

arms crossed protectively over his head, stood on the other side of the room.

"Tanya Katherine Carrington! What is going on here?" Eleazar's voice rang out over her

cursing, cutting her tirade short.

"He says he doesn't love me. I think he's cheating on me, Daddy," she whined, pointing an

accusing finger at Edward. It didn't help any when she started in with the blubbering tears.

"Sweetie, what's going on?" whispered Esme to her son.

Yeah, brunch pretty much sucked, Edward thought as Eleazar turned a steely gaze on him.

Chapter 8

Tanya's face was buried into the protective embrace of her Father. Edward stared with

disbelief at her back then looked up into Eleazar's narrowed eyes. Carmen's hands were

fluttering uselessly around her daughter.

"Dear, why don't you take Tan Tan to the restroom and help her get cleaned up. I'd like a

word with Edward…In private."

Tanya fell dramatically onto her mother's shoulder and stumbled out of the room while Esme

and Carlisle surveyed the damage. When the door closed, Eleazar's shoulders sagged. He cast

a glance around him and sighed. "She didn't get the Glenfiddich 40, did she?" he asked.

Carlisle held up his forty year-old, three thousand dollar bottle of Scotch—the one Tanya had

been about to chuck when the door opened—and said, "Safe."

"Good," grunted Eleazar, "I like that one."

"Edward, honey, what happened? Why was she so furious? We heard the shouting from all

the way in the living room." Esme had been picking up the larger pieces of glass and putting

them into a garbage can, but her attention was now fully focused on her son.

Edward ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know. I mean, one

minute we're arguing and I find out she's been following me around all week—stalking me

really, then the next minute she's throwing glasses at my head." He turned to Eleazar and held

up his hand. "Mr. Carrington, I swear on everything that is holy, I am not cheating on Tanya."

Eleazar walked around the desk, glass crunching under his feet. He flopped down into the

brown, leather executive chair and rested both elbows on the desk. After a moment, he took a

deep breath and cradled his head in his hands. With another sharp intake of breath he looked

up at the Cullens with resolve in his eyes. "I believe you, Edward."

"What's going on with her? You have to have noticed something, right?"

The older man just nodded his head.

"She's not the same girl I started dating four years ago."

"No," sighed Eleazar, "she's not."

"Has anything like this happened before, Lee?" Carlisle asked.

"Three times. The first time was during her junior year of high school. We'd chalked it up to

hormones and drugs; Carmen had found a stash of pills and weed in her room. The second

time was during her sophomore year of college. She hasn't had any trouble for the last several

years up until about six months ago. She had another major episode like this one and since

then she's become paranoid and extremely…difficult."

Carlisle placed an unbroken glass in front of his friend and poured some of the prized whiskey

into it. "This sound serious, Lee. Do you need any references for a psychiatrist?"

Eleazar waved away Carlisle's offer and simply replied, "We've looked into a number of

options. There's a private reatreat her shrink recommended. It's up in Alaska." He took a large

swig of the drink and continued. "Hopefully she'll be willing to stay if it's presented as a

health spa and not a mental clinic." His gaze remained fixed on the large desk blotter in front

of him.

"If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know," said Esme, her voice full of

compassion. "Have Carmen give me a call."

Edward pulled out his phone and checked for messages. Nothing. Why hadn't the hospital

called yet? He wondered.

"I'll let her know," sighed Eleazar. He stood and finished his drink before looking at Edward.

"I'm sorry you got so wrapped up in this. She just always seemed to be at her best when things

were good between the two of you." Edward looked up from his phone and simply nodded in

a vague acceptance of Eleazar's apology.

"Why don't we go see if Tanya has calmed down?" suggested Esme.

Edward's mind was spinning as he walked slowly to the living room. All of Tanya's

breakdowns coincided with times when he was somehow out of her life. His study abroad

semester in high school, the year he graduated and went to a different school for his masters,

and six months ago when he added another class to his workload and thus cut his time with

Tanya.

His father placed a comforting arm around Edward's shoulder and said lowly, "How long have

things been weird with her, Son?"

They stopped halfway between the study and the living room. Edward leaned against the wall

opposite all of the family pictures and stared at an old snap shot of the Cullen/Carrington

annual camping trip. "Probably about six months ago; right around the time I took on an

additional class to teach. My free time was severely cut back for the first several months while

I got my lesson planning in order." His eyes slipped back down to the phone he held in his

hand. Still Nothing.

"And now?" Carlisle prompted.

"And now, she's so erratic, I really don't want to spend time with her. It's like I don't even

know her sometimes. "

"What exactly did you say that set her off?"

Edward detailed his conversation in the study, to which Carlisle replied with a low whistle.

He shrugged then looked into his father's eyes. "I don't know how to feel about this. I mean, it

was like we were constantly thrown together and for a while, being with her was easy. I

figured it was the natural course of things to propose but is it bad that I'm relieved that I

didn't?" Edward asked in a whisper.

"No, son. It's not bad that you feel that way. It sounds like Tanya has some pretty big issues

she needs to deal with."

"I think she's somehow fixated on me or whatever the word for it is." He then explained to his

father his concerns about the timing of Tanya's breakdowns.

Carlisle nodded and said, "I'll mention it to Lee. Why don't we say goodnight and get the

study cleaned up?"

"Okay," Edward responded and checked his phone for what felt like the millionth time. Zip.

Zilch. Nada. Had she not woken up yet?

Carlisle's hesitated and chuckled when Edward bumped into him. His eyes were still glued to

his phone. "Are you expecting a call?"

"Oh," Edward shoved his phone back into his pocket and shrugged. "Sort of? Don't worry

about it, Dad. Let's just take care of the situation out there," he motioned to the living room.

"You know we're here for you. We certainly didn't intend to make you feel like you were

expected to marry Tanya. I'm sorry we didn't recognize that you and she were having

problems. You've put up a considerable front. I hope that…Well, whatever is going on in your

life, I hope you know you can talk to us."

"Thanks, Dad."

The two men entered the living room, Edward walking to Esme's side and Carlisle sitting

down next to Tanya on the couch. Awkward silence filled every empty space in the room.

Carmen kept glancing between her husband and Edward. Clearly she was waiting for some

kind of explanation, while Tanya sat in the middle of the couch staring blankly at the grand

piano that took up the corner next to the marble fireplace.

If anyone, Edward figured, it probably should be him to break the silence. "Tanya," he began

softly, "I want you to know that I have not been cheating on you. I know things haven't been

great between us these last few months, what with my job getting busier, but I have never

stepped out on you."

Slowly her head swiveled toward Edward's direction and she very blandly asked the same

question she had at the table. "Why have you been staying all day long at the hospital for the

last week?"

Right at that moment, his phone buzzed with a text message from Tia. "Breathing and heart

rate pattern is fluctuating. You might want to get here ASAP."

"Uh…Sorry, hang on," Edward said as he tapped out a quick response to Tia. "Sorry. I've

been going to the hospital to be with a friend."

"Is it someone we know, Edward? How seriously are they injured?" Esme asked.

"No, Mom, you guys don't know them. I've been there because they don't really have anyone

else." He then turned his gaze to Tanya and said, "That's whose dog I've been watching. So

I'm sure you'll understand that I can't get rid of my comatose friend's pet."

Esme and Carmen gasped. His tone was a bit sharper than he had expected it to be, but in all

fairness, he hadn't told his parent's about Tanya's visit to his door the previous night. She

flinched but shot him a venomous glare. "This isn't over, Edward. You know we belong

together." She stood up and stalked to the front door. Just before she opened it she looked

over her shoulder and with a voice dripping in malice, hissed, "We were meant to be

together." Seconds later a car door slammed shut.

It felt like ice-cold hands had taken hold of his stomach and were twisting it into knots. He

vaguely heard Carmen apologizing over and over to Esme and Carlisle. She touched Edward's

arm lightly and looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Edward. She's

sick. We're going to get her some help. I'm just so, so sorry." She then scurried out the front

door.

Carlisle and Eleazar shared a handshake and then he was there in front of Edward with his

hand extended. "I really am sorry about how this all came about. We'll be leaving town

tomorrow; it's probably best if she doesn't know it's coming."

Edward nodded his head, but he needed a little more assurance than Eleazar's word. "Look,

Mr. Carrington, I know that our families have been friends for a long time, and I'd hate for the

relationship that you and your wife have with my parents to suffer, but I really don't think it

would be good for Tanya to be around me anymore. If she starts coming around again, I'm

going to have to take some legal action."

The older man's eyes were full of sadness as well as understanding as he simply nodded and

shook Edward's hand. "We'll keep her away."

When the front door closed and the crunch of tires on gravel had faded to nothing, Edward

finally faced his parents. They stood just next to the grand staircase, his father's arm propped

up on the curled top of the newel post, the other wrapped around his mother's shoulders.

While the atmosphere was still thick and heavy with all of the tension and gravity of what had

just transpired, Edward felt lighter and more hopeful than he ever had.

"Oh, sweetheart. We just had no idea that things were so out of control. Can you forgive me?

If I'd known that you didn't want to marry her, I'd never have encouraged her or you for that

matter." Esme reached out to her son, begging with her eyes for his forgiveness.

Edward pulled both of his parents into a hug and said, "I know. I should've said something a

long time ago. I just never really had a strong enough reason."

Esme leaned back and examined her son closely. "And now you do?"

"Maybe," he said with a wink. "Look, I know you guys probably have a lot of questions, but I

really don't have time to answer them right now. The text I got a few minutes ago was from

the hospital. I need to get back there as soon as possible. I promise I'll tell you what I can,

when I can."

He backed up toward the front door as his mother started saying, "But what about…"

"I gotta go, Mom. Love you guys, and thank you for understanding."

He left the door ajar and sprinted to his car. It shouldn't take more than ten or fifteen minutes

to get to the hospital. Would she already be awake? He hoped not. There would be a boat load

of explaining to do if she was.

Chapter 9

He was panting as he slapped both hands on the counter of the nurse's station. One of the

other day nurses—who was not Tia—raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly crusty stare.

"Sorry," he apologized and then asked, "Is Bella awake?"

"Let me get Tia. Wash up then go on back. I'll send her in when she's available."

He scrubbed his hands clean and practically tip-toed toward Bella's room. Was she awake?

Would she remember him? What would he do? His breathing came in short puffs as he inched

closer to the door. Finally he was at the threshold and nothing looked different. Except that

she didn't have a tube coming out of her mouth.

She was so peaceful and just…still. Had she already awoken and was just napping now? He

was twisting himself up in knots. He shuffled to her side, but it felt like his shoes were filled

with lead. He was terrified to touch her, not knowing if she'd startle awake or not. He was

going back and forth unable to come to a decision when it was made for him.

Tia, apparently, had been watching him and so took his hand and placed it on top of Bella's.

He tried to pull back, but the nurse held it firm. "She hasn't regained consciousness yet. Some

of the early signs were there which is why I texted you, but there haven't been any further

changes."

A strange mixture of relief and frustration surged through him. "Thanks for letting me know,

Tia. Any idea how long this could take?"

"We'll just have to watch and see," she said with a reserved smile. Edward watched as Tia

gently did her routine check of the equipment and Bella's vitals. His thoughts were churning

in his mind as he went through as many scenarios of Bella waking up as he could think of.

When Tia left, Edward leaned in close to Bella's ear and said, "It's time to wake up, Beautiful.

I'm kind of at a loss about what to do if you don't wake up soon. Like your house and job and

all that. I'm also scared about what might happen if they find out I'm full of crap."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. The bruises were nearly completely faded. One

would have to have known exactly where they had been to be able to notice them anymore.

When day turned to night and still there was no change, Angela shooed him out the door.

"I promise I'll call you if there is any change. Now go get some sleep," she'd said.

And so his daily routine returned to normal; at least what normal had become over the last

nine or ten days. On Wednesday, Dr. Garrett came in and discussed transferring Bella to a

rehabilitation hospital.

"She's been off the vent and sedation for several days now, she's breathing on her own, and

her condition has remained stable. She'll have all the care she needs, plus more regular visits

from the physical therapist. It'll also be easier for the OB/GYN to do their checkups on her

and the baby."

Edward agreed and by the next day, Bella was being transported to Sunrise Gardens Rehab

Hospital. During that extremely long day, he met most of the staff who would be working

with Bella. They all seemed pretty nice except for the PT, Jane. She was like an evil lady

torturer, the way she came in and started twisting and pushing Bella's limbs around. He

wanted to shout "She's not going to confess" and was truly glad when the diminutive woman

left the room.

It was Friday when Bella's phone signaled an incoming text message: Call me Bella, it's

important. Another text from Alice. After that one, a similar text came in every fifteen

minutes.

Edward held the phone in his hand as though it were a live grenade. When the loud, chiming

ringtone went off, the phone seemed to leap out of his hand. It was like watching a cartoon

with how he juggled it back and forth to keep it from falling on the ground. Once he had it

under control he looked at the caller information. Alice again. He let it go to voicemail and

waited until the "new message" icon popped up.

He looked from the phone to Bella, who was, even after nearly a full week off the sedatives

still asleep, then back to the phone. His grace period with Bella's work was running out. Come

Monday, other people were going to start calling. So he listened to the message.

"Look, Bella, I get that you're still pissed at all of us. I guess I can't really blame you.

Anyhow, I just thought you should know that Mom found a lump on her breast a little while

ago. The doctors are going to be doing a lumpectomy and biopsy on her tomorrow. I know

she'd love to hear from you. Just call her, okay?"

Alice was Bella's sister. And they weren't on speaking terms. At least Bella wasn't speaking to

her family. And she did have a family. Even if she was estranged, a fiancé should know that

kind of stuff. Now how exactly was he going to contact this Alice person and not immediately

expose himself as the fraud he truly was?

Several hours later found Edward skulking around a recently abandoned nurse's station. He

glanced over his shoulder, nervous energy making him twitchy and hyper-aware of his

surroundings.

He pulled up Alice's contact information, reached over the edge of the counter, picked up the

corded hospital phone, and dialed. After three rings a woman answered. Her voice sounded

tired and edged with concern.

"Is this Ms. Alice Whitlock?" He quickly adjusted his voice to something more nasally and

tried to come off sounding as official as possible.

"Speaking. Who is this?"

"I'm calling from Sunrise Gardens Rehabilitation Hospital. Are you a relative of Isabella

Swan?"

"I'm her sister. Is she okay? Did something happen to her?" Panic was rising in Alice's voice.

"Can you verify her address?" Edward was scrambling to make himself sound like he knew

what he was doing.

"2318 Grant Street. What. Happened. To. My. Sister?"

"Thank you Ms. Whitlock. I'm sorry to inform you that Miss Swan was involved in a hit and

run accident. She sustained some pretty serious injuries and is currently in a coma."

"Oh my…When did this happen?"

"She was admitted to our facility yesterday morning, but she's been at the University Medical

Center ICU for the eight days before that."

"What?" Edward pulled the phone away from his ear, protecting his hearing from the screech

coming through the connection. "Why hasn't anyone called me before now?"

"Miss Swan was unconscious when she was brought in by ambulance. She had no emergency

contacts listed on her phone or in her personal effects." Edward threw a cautious glance

around him and was grateful to see he was still alone. His heart was pounding against his rib

cage in an almost painful rhythm.

"I can't believe this is happening," Alice said quietly.

"I know this is difficult news to hear, Ms. Whitlock. We do have a number of papers that need

to be signed by an immediate family member. Do you think you or one of your parents will be

able to come?" Edward was torn by this question. On one hand he desperately wanted the

decision making taken off of his shoulders in regards to Bella's care but on the other hand, he

dreaded meeting Bella's family under such a ruse. All the nurses, aides, and other care

providers knew him as Bella's fiancé. There was no way he would be able to avoid that label

with her family.

In the distance he could hear voices and knew he needed to end the call and fast. It sounded as

though Alice was speaking to someone but had covered the mouthpiece. He silently willed her

to hurry up.

"I can be there tomorrow."

"Very good. Miss Swan is in room 1118. Be sure to check in at the front desk when you

arrive."

"What if I have questions? Who do I…" No way was Edward going to be able to answer that

line of questioning, so he interrupted and rode over what Alice was trying to say.

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Whitlock. We'll be seeing you soon." He slapped two fingers

on the disconnect button and quietly replaced the handset onto the cradle. He resisted the urge

to shove his hands in his pockets and start whistling as he walked away from the desk.

Instead, he turned on his one thousand kilowatt smile and flustered the poor aide and

volunteer that he met coming the opposite way.

Once he was out of their sight, he hurried back to Bella's room and slumped into the chair

next to the bed.

"Well, Beautiful, your sister is on her way. I hope that's okay because I don't think I can do

much more for you without a power of attorney or something."

At that point, he no longer waited for a response. He sighed and pulled her much less

encumbered hand into his own. She didn't have nearly as much equipment connected to her as

she did in the ICU. He just sat there stroking her fingers and enjoying the peculiar warmth

that holding her hand seemed to bring.

"I guess I should tell you a little bit about me." He ran his unoccupied hand through messy

hair and gazed at her serene expression. "I'm a distance learning teacher. So, all my classes

and such are online. I have about forty-five students, which is a lot, but my work environment

is flexible so that's good. I love getting to work in my pajamas. Or sitting here next to you as

it's been lately."

He gave her hand a little squeeze and resumed his monologue. "It's cool being able to…" He

was stopped short by the tiniest twitch of Bella's index finger. He squeezed her hand again as

he stood up and leaned close to her ear. "Bella? Can you hear me? Can you move your finger

again?" He waited, and waited, but there was no more movement. "I know you're in there

somewhere, Sleeping Beauty. Try and wake up, Bella. You can do it. Do it for your family.

They're on their way. I promise."

He slumped back in the chair, disappointed that nothing more had happened. He was

encouraged, though, by that one little twitch.

It was nearing five o'clock when a harried and eccentric woman breezed in the room with a

rolling cart full of equipment in tow. "Good Afternoon Miss Swan! I'm Zafrina Mercer. I'll be

your OB while you're here at Sunrise."

Edward watched in amusement as the woman plugged in the ultrasound machine and went

about listening to Bella's heart and breathing. Her graying dreadlocks were wrapped with a

colorful length of cloth and bounced haphazardly on top of her head. The corners of her eyes

were graced with well-worn crow's feet and the black-framed reading glasses she wore were

perched precariously on the end of her nose. She didn't even spare him a glance as she lifted

up Bella's gown and pressed gently around her abdomen. The seatbelt bruise was now a

sickly, yellow stripe across her hips. "How about we take a look at your baby, shall we Miss

Swan?"

He couldn't take it anymore. "Um, Doctor Mercer? You do realize that she's in a coma, right?"

The tall woman stood still and looked Edward over while holding a bottle of blue gel in her

hands. Her eyes bored a pathway right into his brain and with a casual lift of her eyebrow she

asked, "You talk to her, don't you?"

He nodded. There was something in her demeanor that was powerful and commanding and

just plain intimidating.

"Are you Edward?"

He nodded again.

"And you're the baby's father?" Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

He gulped and nodded once more.

After a few more beats of silence, her face broke into a wide, brilliantly white smile and she

said, "It's good to meet you. Let's have a look at the little one, okay?"

In no time, Dr. Mercer was pointing out the heartbeat and other important landmarks. He was

amazed at how much change had occurred in the space of a week and a half. Arms and legs

were clearly visible and while it still had a blobby kind of bean shape to it, it was looking

more and more person-like. He was awe-struck.

"I'd say that she's about eleven weeks along, which puts the expected date of delivery around

December fifth."

Edward was sure his expression was as blank as he felt inside. He felt a warm hand on his

forearm and looked up into the amber colored eyes of the doctor. "Keep praying, and have

faith," she said while looking directly into his eyes. "The baby is developing just as it should

in spite of the accident and all of the sedatives Bella was under. I'll be back in two weeks,

same time, for another check-up. See you then Mr. Cullen."

"Yeah. Thanks, Dr. Mercer."

It was her turn to nod once and then she was gone. Once the door was closed, Edward stepped

next to the bed. The blanket and sheet had all been rearranged and were tucked neatly under

her arms. And for a long time, he just stared at the flatness of her stomach. He'd never have

been able to tell that she was pregnant.

Tentatively, he reached his hand out and let it hover over her abdomen. He'd read somewhere

that pregnant women didn't like having their bellies touched. But maybe that didn't apply to

Bella. He laid his hand down gently over top of the blanket and closed his eyes.

Chapter 10

If holding Bella's hand was pleasant, then the feeling Edward experienced when he laid his

hand on the flat of her stomach was a hundred times better; even through the blankets.

He couldn't take his eyes away from where his hand rested. The desire to lay his head down

on her stomach and listen was overwhelming; which made no sense to him at all. With

pinched-shut eyes, he shook off the feeling and backed away from the side of the bed. It

wasn't even his child. Why was he having such a strong reaction to it?

There was, of course, the possibility that he was experiencing a mental break of his own. Not

on the same scale as Tanya, but still a departure from reality and good judgment all the same.

He sat back down in the chair next to the bed and leaned forward resting his elbows on his

knees. "So, Alice said your mom found a lump on her breast. I guess she's having surgery

tomorrow. Crap, that means Alice…is probably close by if she thinks she'll be able to get here

by tomorrow." The words came out slow and methodical as the idea took root.

What on Earth could've happened between Bella and her family to drive her away so

completely? Why did she have every right to be pissed at them? And it had sounded like Alice

felt guilty. His mind wouldn't stop analyzing every angle he could think of.

"Well, I guess I'll get some answers tomorrow if I can convince Alice not to throw me out."

Because, he thought, surely her sister will be able to tell I'm a complete poser.

He gathered his things and brushed his lips over Bella's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow,

Beautiful."

The next morning, Jake pounced on the bed and nuzzled his wet nose right into Edward's ear.

He wiped at the side of his head harshly and rolled away from the source of his annoyance.

Unfortunately, he misjudged the edge of the bed and landed with a thud on the floor.

"Freakin'A, Jake! Down!" Edward sat on the floor, his knees bent just slightly, rubbing at his

stubble-covered scowl.

Obediently, the dog leapt off the bed and laid down next to Edward, whining lightly.

"I don't care if Bella let you jump on her bed. No dogs on mine, capisce?"

Jake stared at him with wide, unblinking, ice-blue eyes.

"You want food?"

Jake continued to stare for a moment longer, then a goofy dog smile cracked his jowls and his

tongue lolled out happily, the rhythmic pounding of his tail on the floor another sign of his

contenedness.

"Of course you do, lousy mutt," Edward replied with a note of humor in his voice. He

scratched Jake between his ears and then hauled himself up off the floor.

When he arrived at the hospital, everything was business as usual. There'd been no change in

Bella's condition overnight; she lay in her bed as peaceful looking as ever. He noticed her hair

had been washed and she had on a new gown and a fresh dressing over the shunt site.

Her brush was sitting on the rolling table which had been moved from where he'd put it

against the wall to right next to her bedside. Just as he lifted the brush, Kebi, one of the CNA's

came back into the room. She was quiet, dutiful, and fairly easily embarrassed.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen! Hi, it's…um…I wasn't expecting you this early. I'm almost done—just need

to finish her hair."

"Do you mind if I help?" The words had left his mouth without any kind of forethought.

"Sure. I'll just support her while you do the brushing."

Kebi raised the back of Bella's bed until she was almost sitting. While the younger woman

held Bella's torso steady, Edward took a gentle hand to her hair. He was extra careful to not

pull too hard on the hair nearest to the still-healing stitches.

He was just about done when Kebi said, "If you kind of part it down the middle, I can braid

both sections. It helps keep it from getting too tangled."

Once Bella's hair was sectioned off, Kebi quickly braided Bella's hair and excused herself to

take care of the rest of her duties.

He studied his sleeping beauty for several minutes after Kebi left. She looked so innocent and

child-like with her hair in pig-tail braids. It gave her an air of freshness and guilelessness that

was wholly endearing.

He spent the day catching up on grading and just enjoying the quiet of Bella's hospital room.

His apartment faced a busy street so it was nice to be able to have solitude.

During one of his breaks, he was looking out of her window and wondered again if she could

hear him; if she was trapped inside her head and listening or if she was really checked out.

He sat back down and scooted up right next to the bed. As one hand wrapped around a braid,

he used the other to smooth over her face. He caressed her forehead and down the side of her

face before speaking. "I wonder if you can hear me. You'll have to tell me when you wake

up." He paused. "I just broke up with my girlfriend. We'd been seeing each other for close to

four years. She kind of went a little nuts, but that's only part of why I broke up with her. The

biggest reason was because I felt more for you in the two minutes that you were conscious

than I ever felt for her. That's horrible, right? I shouldn't even be here."

He let the quiet settle back over the room while his thoughts continued turning. "And I've

totally invaded your privacy and your whole life. I don't even know if you had a timeline in

mind when you asked me not to leave you. I mean, you could've meant 'Don't leave me before

the ambulance gets here' or 'Don't leave me until…' I don't know." He grunted in frustration at

his own uncertainty. "I have no idea what I'm doing. But I know I can't help this attraction I

feel toward you, Beautiful."

He chuckled and placed a tentative hand over her stomach. "You just seemed so desperate

and...Now, I don't think I ever could," he ended in a whisper, again feeling the strength of his

attraction to her magnified by the connection.

He stood up and started grumbling about sounding like an idiot talking to himself. He placed a

kiss on Bella's forehead and said, "I'm gonna go let Jake out. I'll be back in a little while."

Edward and Jake were walking at a leisurely pace through the neighboring park. The spring

air was thick with the scent of the newly planted flower beds and the noise of children on the

playground. It was during one of the moments when Jake's need to sniff overcame his desire

to walk that Esme's ringtone added itself into the mix of all the other ambient sounds of the

outdoors.

"Hello, mother. How are you today?" He felt a smile start to twitch at the corner of his lips.

"I'm fine, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm good. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, his smile growing wider. He turned his

face into the sun and waited on Jake.

"You sound happy," she remarked.

His smile faded slightly as he asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, honey, of course not. It's just been a while."

"I know. And I am. Happy, that is. At least for now."

"Well, I'm glad," she said. "Will you be coming over for brunch tomorrow?" Her voice was

tentative but hopeful. It had been their tradition after all. He found it odd that she'd be

questioning it now. He resumed walking, allowing Jake to lead them down the paved path

through the shade.

"Of course I will, as long as Tanya won't be there." He grimaced just saying her name.

"No," Esme sighed, "they've got her settled at the clinic in Alaska. Carmen wasn't very

specific about the details, just that they'd arrived and Tanya really didn't put up much of a

fight. Carmen said she'd slipped into a pretty severe depression the day after they left our

house."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said and genuinely felt it.

"Well, no matter. It's not your fault. I just hope they can get her the help she needs up there."

"Yeah, me too."

"So, brunch?"

"Yep, I'll be there, but not for long. I'm still sitting with my friend most days." Every day,

creeper, he thought wryly.

"How is your friend? Any signs of improvement?"

"We got a finger twitch yesterday, but not much beyond that."

"Oh. Well, I'll just keep praying for them."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Love you."

When he arrived at the hospital he parked next to a bright yellow, classic VW beetle. The first

things he noticed were the giant, flower appliqués pasted all over the vehicle. The second

thing he noticed was the driver fighting with her purse; it seemed to be snagged on the

window handle.

She was a tiny thing with dark hair that looked like it had been put through a blender. After a

loud grunt and another forceful tug, her bag and all its contents went flying in one direction

and the window lever came hurtling at Edward's head. Why is stuff always flying at my head?

He wondered as he caught the airborne handle.

"Dammit!" she screamed then proceeded to burst into tears, flopping both arms onto the roof

of her car and laying her head down on top of them.

Edward gathered as many of the items that had spilled from her bag as he could find. Women

carried the strangest things with them, he then realized; Bella being the exception. All she'd

had was her phone, her wallet, a pen, a pack of gum, and some lip balm. This woman,

however, looked like she was prepared to camp for a least a few days.

In the disorder he found a travel pack of tissues and pulled one out. "Here you go," he said as

he offered the Kleenex to her.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Thanks. It's just been a crazy twenty-four hours."

"Tell me about it. The same could be said for the last two weeks of my life. Uh, here's your

stuff. I think I got everything…Oh and the window thingy."

"Thanks again," she said with a watery smile. She chucked the lever into the passenger seat,

pushed the lock button down, and slammed the door shut. "Well," there was a moment of

awkward hesitation and then she jerked her thumb toward the front of the hospital. "I gotta get

inside."

"Right. You're welcome."

She dashed off toward the entrance tossing a wave over her shoulder as an afterthought.

Edward started toward the doors as well, but remembered he wanted a soda from the vending

machine. He ducked into his car, found some spare change, and strolled back into the hospital.

Once he had his Dr. Pepper in hand he headed toward Bella's room. He was just outside the

door when he heard a familiar voice ask, "Whose stuff is this?"

"Oh, that belongs to Edward," replied Bella's regular day nurse, Dida. She was soft spoken but

extremely chatty. Her blonde hair was usually pulled back in some kind of bun-twist thing,

and she always wore cartoon themed scrubs. Edward looked at his watch and saw that it was

indeed time for her rounds.

"Who is Edward?" the woman asked.

Just then, Dida made eye contact with him and smiled. She motioned toward the door,

doubtless for the benefit of the other woman and said, "That's Edward, of course. Bella's

fiancé!"

Edward wanted to slap his hand over his eyes, but instead came face to face with the raven-

haired purse survivalist from the parking lot. "Her what?" she said shocked. "I…I had no

idea." Her brow then crinkled together as a frown spread over features.

"Alice?" No time like the present for introductions, thought Edward.

Chapter 11

At hearing her name, Alice faced Edward and promptly burst into tears. Dida's eyes grew

wide as she helped Alice to sit down in one of the chairs, patting her shoulder and murmuring

a few maternal "there there's."

Edward remained frozen and rooted to the spot where he stood. He had no idea what to do

with a sobbing woman. Whenever Tanya had a crying jag, he fled as quickly as possible. For

whatever reason, crying women made him unnaturally nervous.

He could tell that Alice was mumbling and talking into her hands but between the hiccups and

the sniffling, he had no idea what she was saying.

"I'll be back in later," Dida whispered as she walked out the door.

Edward fidgeted as he shuffled his way into the room, making sure to keep his back pressed

firmly to the wall opposite of where Alice was sitting. He was relieved that Bella lay in

between them as a buffer of sorts.

Time seemed to crawl by while Alice got a hold of herself. He'd tried to prepare himself for

all possible reactions, but there was just no way to brace himself for the explosion of emotion

that was coming from the small woman.

She reached for the tissues and blew her nose. His eyes grew wide at the level of noise she

was able to produce. He didn't think a sound that loud could come from a person that small.

After repeating the process a few times and several more swipes to her eyes, she finally

looked up at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm not usually so out of control. This has just been a really hard week." Her eyes

were red and her cheeks were mottled and splotchy, but she managed a weak smile despite her

emotional outburst.

"I can imagine," he tried to smile back reassuringly, but it probably looked more like a

grimace than anything that would bring comfort.

"So you're Bella's fiancé?" Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her; everything in her

posture was screaming tension and unease.

Edward was almost as uncomfortable with this question as Alice seemed to be with the whole

situation. "Well, technically, I didn't have a chance to ask her. I was on my way to

propose…when the accident happened." Never mind that you were going to propose to

another woman, his inner voice chided. "But they weren't going to let me in with her

otherwise, and one of the staff saw me with the ring and just put two and two together, so I

didn't bother to correct anyone." He shrugged and literally crossed his fingers behind his back

hoping that Alice bought the story.

She sniffled and inched closer to her sister. "I'm glad she has someone." Alice then glanced at

Edward with fresh tears shining in her eyes. "I'm glad she has you."

Edward watched as Alice stroked Bella's face and trailed gentle fingers down her arm. She

laid her head down next to Bella's and looked as though she wanted to crawl up into the bed

next to her sister.

"I'm so sorry, Jelly Belly; for everything. We should've been here for you. I should've been

here all along. I'm sorry Bella. Get better and wake up soon. There's so much going on with

Mom and Dad, and I've been trying to get a hold of you. Just…wake up soon. I need my big

sister." She said the last few words in a whisper. It was a concept with which Edward was

very unfamiliar. Being an only child, he'd never experienced the sibling bond.

"I think I'm gonna take off. You know, just let you have a little bit of time with your sister, or

whatever." He inched his way back toward the door, still trying to avoid any close contact

with Alice.

"NO!" she said loudly, stopping Edward in his tracks. His eyes widened at the force of her

command and he held up his hands. "Sorry, it's just you're the only connection I have with

Bella and I have so many questions. Please, stay? Maybe we can talk?"

Talking could be…dangerous, he thought. But it could also be really helpful in getting some

of Bella's affairs in order. He sighed and sat down in the other chair in the room. Alice wasted

no time in dragging her seat next to Edward, sitting down with her body hinged forward in

eagerness.

"Tell me about the accident. Were you in the car with her? Did you get hurt?"

"I wasn't in the car, I was on the sidewalk. This big SUV slammed into the side of her little

car, backed up and sped away. By the time I thought to look for the license plate, it was too

far away. She was only conscious for a minute or two. She just begged me not to leave her. So

I haven't." A sad smile crept over his features as he remembered that fateful encounter.

Alice seemed to be concentrating hard on something, her face twisted in confusion. "Why

didn't…I mean, I don't want to sound like a shrew, but why didn't you call me? Or Mom and

Dad? I just…two weeks, Edward! She's been like this for two weeks!"

He measured his words carefully. He really didn't want to cause anymore distress to Alice, but

what he was going to tell her next would be hurtful. "I'm sorry Alice, I…I didn't know about

you; or your parents."

Her face paled and the furrow in her brow deepened. "She never mentioned any of us?" Her

head began to shake back and forth as she grappled with this information. "Surely you've seen

pictures or something, right?"

He shook his head again in the negative and tried to think of some way to soften this blow.

"Her home is pretty austere. She didn't speak about her family. All she ever told me was that

she didn't have anyone. I'm so sorry Alice. If I'd known, I would've called you immediately."

Silent tears began coursing down her cheeks again. "It's my fault. Well, all our faults really.

We pushed her away."

She was quiet for a moment, and the question of what had happened between Bella and their

family was on the tip of his tongue but he never got the chance to ask it. Alice's eyes

brightened and she stood up, straightening Bella's blankets and talking to her sister.

"That's all gonna change now. I'm here, Jasper will be here as soon as he can get work

covered. Mom and Dad will be here in a few weeks, Em and Rose are coming, too," she said.

Edward gulped down his nerves. She had a big family. How was there absolutely no evidence

of them in her life?

"So your folks won't make it for another few weeks?" He didn't want to tip his hand by letting

her know that he was aware of her mother's condition.

"Uh, no. My mom just had some surgery this morning, so she'll be recovering for the next

couple of weeks. Plus, Dad needs to stay in town because one of his deputies is on vacation

and won't be back in for another week."

"Deputies?" His voice squeaked like an adolescent and he was pretty sure that the sound of

his nervous swallow could be heard in the hallway.

"Yeah, he's the Chief of Police in our hometown."

"Oh. That's…great!"

"He's been so upset over Bella's refusal to respond to any of our efforts to contact her. We've

all really missed her, she's just so stubborn, you know?"

Edward nodded and said, "Yeah, that's for sure." He chalked up Alice's acceptance of his half-

hearted response to stress. If he couldn't even sound convincing to himself, how was it that

other people were eating up his stories? For a long moment he felt disgusted with himself. He

was just about to spill the whole truth but Alice cut off his inner musings.

"Oh! Do you want to see a picture?" She grabbed her purse and immediately dove into the

opening; her arm was nearly swallowed whole by the gigantic bag.

She produced a little 4x6 wallet of snapshots and flipped to one in particular. "This was at

Rose and Emmett's wedding, two years ago."

Edward's gaze lingered over each of the people in the photo. The bride, Rose he assumed, was

a statuesque blonde with a stunning smile. She clung to a hulk of a man with curly hair the

same shade as Bella's.

"That's our big brother, Emmett," Alice said and pointed to the groom. Edward nodded and

continued his perusal.

Next to the groom stood a willowy woman with auburn hair and the same pouty lips that

Edward had admired on Bella. At her side was a man of average height, with hair a few

shades darker than Bella's. He was a little thicker in the middle than he'd probably been in his

younger years, and wore an impressive mustache. Edward's mind then unwillingly imagined

him in full police uniform with his hand poised over his gun.

He again swallowed his nerves and made sure that his voice was steady before he said, "Tell

me more about them?"

Alice beamed at the chance to talk about the family she obviously loved dearly. "Well, that's

Renee and Charlie Swan, or Mom and Dad, since you're going to be part of the family, right?"

She nudged his arm but he was filled with nothing but unease. "And this man next to yours

truly, is Jasper, my husband."

"How long ago did you two get married?" Edward closed the little album and handed it back

to Alice.

"Almost four years ago," she said.

"Bella didn't make it to the wedding?" He asked.

Alice shook her head and frowned. "She's missed so much. I just hope we haven't lost her

forever."

All of the anguish over the broken relationship came pouring out and once again he was

confronted with a sobbing woman. She'd folded over and her head rested on her knees as she

cried. The strange thing was that Edward felt a tightening in his chest, too. He couldn't

imagine going years without any kind of association with his parents. No wonder Bella's life

felt so lonely.

Dida came in a little later to do all of her checks. She explained for Alice's benefit how they

repositioned Bella every couple hours and changed the pillows around to prevent pressure

sores. She also explained how they checked Bella's alertness level every four hours. But up to

that point there hadn't been much improvement.

"The central nervous system is very slow to heal," she explained with a smile. She didn't say

anything else as she finished her duties and left with a little wave.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Edward asked.

"Oh, um I was just going to get a hotel close by."

He wrestled with the idea of offering to let Alice stay at Bella's but he really didn't feel like it

was his place. So instead he said, "Okay. I'm gonna head home. I need to see if I can figure

out how to get on to her bill pay account. She's got a few bills that need to be paid and the

user name is saved but the password isn't. I'll probably have to call all of the individual

companies and let them know what's going on."

Alice nodded absently as she held her sister's hand. Without shifting her gaze she said, "Try

28willow. It was our address growing up, but she always used that as her email pass word.

Maybe she hasn't changed that much?" Her voice was tinged with sadness, but hope at the

same time.

"Thanks, Alice. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe you can help me sort through some things at

Bella's place? It was good to meet you."

"Sounds good. And it was good to meet you too, Edward. Maybe tomorrow you can tell me

how you two met." Her eyes twinkled with muted excitement as she offered her hand. He

shook it and managed to wait until he was down the hallway before he started to panic. How

would he get out of this one?

Chapter 12

Sleep came in truncated and extremely disturbing increments for Edward. When he awoke,

there were only foggy memories of being cornered by giant mustaches and knife-wielding

bunnies.

He woke up much earlier than usual and grumbled that his peaceful Sunday morning had been

interrupted by such bizarre dreams. There wasn't much work for him to do since he'd already

finished grading the most recent assignment and was currently waiting on the next batch of

submissions, though he wasn't holding his breath. Most of his students waited until about five

minutes before the deadline.

Normally he would still be asleep, but since he wasn't Jake became more and more insistent

for his morning walk. For reasons he wasn't able to identify, Edward was keenly on edge and

snappy with Jake. He rushed the animal through a short walk, just enough for Jake to take

care of business, and hurried home.

A shower and fresh clothes improved his mood only slightly. As he drove to the hospital the

cause of his uncharacteristic black mood surfaced and demanded attention. He really didn't

want to outright lie to Alice or her family but he'd painted himself into a corner, and now she

wanted details; details which he didn't have.

And she still hadn't really explained why Bella had cut herself off from her whole family for

so many years. While he was glad that Alice had come, he started to feel a little indignant on

Bella's behalf. How would he feel if the situation was reversed?

When the automatic sliding doors whished open, his stomach dropped. What if she didn't

want them there? How mad would she be when she woke up to the people she'd kept away for

so long? There was just no way he could win. His heart grew a little bit heavier as that

thought sunk in. He needed to start preparing himself for the inevitable worst case scenario:

That she was going to be really angry with both him and her family.

When he looked up, he'd managed to wander all the way to Bella's room without realizing it.

Dida was just finishing her morning routine and smile brightly as Edward entered.

"Good morning, Edward! How are you today?"

"I'm okay. Tired. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Well, hopefully you'll be able to relax today."

"How is she? Any changes?"

"I went through the whole thing this time at Dr. Grant's direction: Finger pinch, pin prick, and

finally sternal rub. She's up from a three to a five on the GCS. She moaned a little and

flinched with the sternal rub. So that's a sign that things are moving in the right direction."

"Good. That's really good. Has…uh…Alice been here yet?"

"No, not this morning that I know of. She was quite upset yesterday, wasn't she?" The little

frown on her lips and concern in her eyes were evidence of how caring Dida was. Edward was

again pleased and impressed with the caliber of nurses that had managed Bella's care.

"Yeah, Bella hasn't had much contact with her family in the last few years."

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, this is just proof that you can put off resolving issues with your

family. You never know when something might happen." She patted Bella's shoulder then left

the room.

Moments later, Alice crept into the room; a tiny knock on the door being the only warning of

her entering.

"Hey," she greeted. "How's the patient?"

"Pretty much the same, though Dida said she got a little bit of verbal response from the

alertness eval."

"Verbal? She said something?"

"No, no, just a little moaning. But that's better than a few days ago, so…"

"Right." Alice finally looked away from her sister and took in Edward's haggard appearance.

"Jeez, Edward you look awful!"

"Thanks, Alice. So kind of you to notice. I didn't sleep very well last night." Thanks to your

scary dad and my even scarier ex, he thought.

"Speaking of last night, I meant to ask you if you'd contacted Bella's work, but I didn't have

your phone number and you'd already left."

"Oh, yeah. We should probably exchange numbers, huh?" He handed his phone to Alice who

entered her number, then called her own phone from his.

"There. All set." She smiled and handed the phone back. He noticed that her hair was still a

mess, but it looked more purposeful. She also looked more rested than she had yesterday.

"I haven't called work yet, because I wasn't sure when she would wake up. Plus, she's been on

vacation for the last two weeks, but that's up tomorrow, so I'll call in the morning." That was

going to be an interesting conversation. "So I've got a family brunch thing I need to go to, but

I'll be back after that. Maybe…Do you want to come over to Bella's with me and Jake?"

"Who's Jake?"

"That would be Bella's canine companion."

"Oh, I didn't…" she sighed. "It figures she would have a dog. She would constantly beg our

parents for one when we were little, but they always said no." Her voice was so quiet, almost

like she was talking to herself. She snapped out of her reverie and her smile was a little more

subdued when she said, "I'd love to see Bella's home and meet Jake."

"Okay, I'll just pick you up after I'm done with my thing."

He stepped over to Bella's bedside and gazed down at her. She was currently propped on her

side with her hand resting lightly on her hip. He covered her hand and leaned down to brush a

lingering kiss on her cheek. His eyes closed involuntarily as the heat and tingle traveled

through his lips. He could've sworn that he felt her respiration increase at the same moment.

Brunch was an odd affair. He was anxious and his parents noticed. And of course, because

they were really too good for words, they made sure that he knew he could come to them with

anything he was dealing with. He hugged them both and thanked them for their support and

love, but assured them that everything was okay. The dubious looks on both their faces told

him that he'd failed miserably at convincing them of his claim, but they said nothing more and

waved him goodbye from the porch.

He called Alice and by the time he arrived at the hospital, she was waiting by the main doors

for him. They picked up Jake and drove in near silence to Bella's. As Edward pulled up into

the driveway, Alice reached up to her throat and her eyes turned glassy.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded and got out of the car. Edward stepped out as well and opened the door for Jake

who went bounding up the walk, turning circles and racing up and down the stairs of the small

porch.

"It's just that…This house looks very similar to the one we grew up in back in Forks."

He had no idea what to say to something like that, so he just nodded and unlocked the door.

Jake tore through the house sniffing everything and rubbing against the couch and other

favorite surfaces. When he settled by the back door, looking expectantly at the pair, Edward

chuckled.

"I guess he's happy to be home," Edward said, but noticed that Alice wasn't really listening to

him. She was walking through Bella's house, a small scowl pinching her eyebrows together.

"It's just so…I don't know. Not like the sister I remember." Edward got a glass of water and

settled down at the breakfast bar while Alice poked around the pantry. "Ha!" she barked,

"nothing like the sister I remember." She came out holding a package of seaweed crackers and

scrunched up her nose. "I mean, what on earth is she doing with all of this so called food?

Does she actually fix this stuff when you guys eat together?"

And there is was. She wanted details of their "life" as a couple and he had absolutely nothing

to give her. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. "Tell me about how you remember her? She never talks

about her past."

"Oh, she was the wild one. Emmett was fun, but always did well in school and sports. I was

sixteen and kind of a goody-two-shoe when Bella started getting really out of control. She

would date the absolute worst kinds of guys. It drove my parents crazy, especially dad. He

would arrest some kid for whatever and at the very next opportunity, Bella would be dating

him."

"Huh…" Edward said, letting that information sink in. "So what ended up happening?"

"Humongous fight of epic proportions," she said and sat heavily in one of the chairs at the

breakfast bar. "Everyone said things in the heat of the moment that were hurtful and before

the night was out, she'd packed her bags and left. We haven't heard anything from her since."

He wanted to delve further but Alice stood up and was heading toward the stairs. One thing

nagged at him, though. "How did you get her number?" He blurted out causing Alice's steps

up the stairs to falter.

"I…well,"

"Because it seems like she went out of her way to keep you guys out of her life. I'll be honest,

Alice, you seem really sorry and all that, and you come across like a nice person, but I'm kind

of second guessing myself now about calling you guys. In the end I support Bella and

whatever she needs."

"I know you do. And you should. Look, I'm not proud of it, but I Facebook stalked her. It took

me a couple of tries but I finally convinced one of her friends to give me her number. It sucks

that I had to throw around the fact that our mother might have breast cancer and basically had

to beg in order to get in contact with her, but I didn't know what else to do." She continued up

the stairs and into Bella's office.

Edward stood in the doorway and watched as she settled down into Bella's reading chair.

After a moment he sat at the desk and plucked one of the sticky notes from the edge of the

monitor. Shelly. That was the latest mystery.

He booted up her computer and pulled up the bookmarked bank website. "Let's see if your

password theory holds up."

When the login screen came up he typed in the password that Alice had suggested but a big,

red "X" and a login error message was displayed.

"No such luck," he sighed.

He jumped when Alice's head popped over his shoulder. He hadn't even realized she'd stood

up. "Shelly must be a personal assistant or something. All of these notes look like something

I'd have on my desk; just change the name from Shelly to Pierre and they'd be almost

identical. It's kind of creepy, really."

Just then her phone rang. When she looked at the screen she smiled ruefully and said,

"Speaking of. Hello, Pierre. What's up?"

Edward stepped out into the hallway but could tell that something was wrong by the snippets

of conversation he managed to overhear.

Alice wore a grim expression when she finally emerged from the study. "This is going to

sound awful," she said and paused, "but I need to go back home. I really don't want to but

some issues at work have come up that only I can deal with." It was like she'd put on a

completely new persona; the caring and concerned sister had been buried under the

overwhelmed business woman.

"Okaaaaay," Edward said.

"You'll call if there's any change in Bell's condition, won't you?"

"Yeah, of course," he said a bit dazed by her abrupt change in demeanor.

Edward went out back to get Jake while Alice waited next to his car. She chattered on and on

about her family and when they'd probably be showing up. He really should've been listening,

but his mind was stuck on the uncomfortable phone call he would need to make in the

morning. He really wasn't looking forward to that.

Chapter 13

"Hargrove, Biddle and Brown, how may I direct your call?" The cheerful voice pierced

through the silence of Edward's apartment and made him cringe. His free hand was shaking

and he felt like his heart was going to pound its way out of his ribcage.

"I need to speak with Bella Swan's assistant, please? It's urgent."

"One moment," replied the still-bubbly receptionist.

The one thing he had to be thankful for was the absence of muzak; he probably would've hung

up had he been serenaded with the likes of Kenny G.

Moments later a brusque voice said, "This is Shelly, to whom am I speaking?"

He mustered up all his courage, needing every last shred in order to convince the one person

who was closest to Bella that he was a part of her life. "Hi Shelly," he said smoothly, "this is

Bella's fiancé, Ed…" He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence because Shelly cut him off.

"Tyler? Is that you?"

Who the hell is Tyler? The thought burned through him like rattlesnake venom, but then he

should have been prepared for something like that since Bella's baby was obviously not his.

Still, to have a likely name to the man who fathered her child and know that he'd made no

effort to get in touch with her in over two weeks made him feel about three miles outside of

rational.

"Uh, no. This is Edward Cullen," he replied after getting his temper and voice under control.

"Bella doesn't have a fiancé named Edward. The last man she was dating was Tyler and that's

only been over for six weeks. Why are you calling?"

He took a deep breath, going back over the story he'd concocted at three A.M. when he

couldn't sleep. "Bella and I have only been together a short while. And no, I didn't get a

chance to make things official between the two of us because she's been in an accident."

"Oh my stars, is she okay? What happened?" Her voice seemed to change instantly from

guarded to concerned.

Edward recounted the accident and how he'd been with Bella the whole time. He discussed

her comatose state and the small bit of progress they'd seen. He glossed over his tenuous

reasoning for not calling anyone, deflecting her question with the fact that Bella had said not

to contact anyone on her behalf.

"But now that her vacation time is over, and she's improving very slowly, there are practical

things like bills and stuff that I think you can help me with."

"What hospital is she at?"

"Sunrise Gardens Rehab. I'm sorry to spring this on you; I'd hoped she'd be awake, but that

may be a while in coming." Edward's heart rate was returning to normal. Shelly hadn't been

overly inquisitive, but then she was probably in shock. Given time, she would definitely have

more questions.

"I'll be there in thirty. I just need to grab the power-of-attorney forms from our locked files."

"Thank you Shelly, for understanding."

"Oh, I didn't say I understood, but I'm the closest thing Bella's got to family and she trusts me.

I'll see you in a bit."

He gulped down his nerves and said, "Okay, see you there." He ended the call and flopped

down on his couch, throwing his arm over his eyes. He needed Shelly as an ally; he was going

to have to break out the big guns and charm her to pieces. Or, would the truth work better?

He'd have to play it by ear. The one thing he knew he wouldn't have to fake was how much he

cared about his sleeping beauty.

When he walked into Bella's room she was laying still, her hands resting gently at her sides.

Her hair was freshly braided, most likely the work of Kebi, and she had that just-scrubbed

scent of the hospital soap lingering about her. He leaned over and brushed his thumb over her

cheek. The worst of the bruising was gone now and the little cuts from the glass were close to

healed.

"Hey, beautiful. Shelly is on her way. I'm sure you'll be glad to know that," he spoke softly

close to her ear. "I really hope that you can hear and understand everything I've been saying. I

really haven't tried to be a creepy jerk. I don't know what it is about you. I just..." He sighed.

There was no way to effectively put into words how he felt whenever he was near her.

With his mouth already so close to her face, he couldn't resist indulging in another kiss to her

cheek. While his lips lingered, he heard it: The softest little moan—well, whimper was closer

to it—drifting through the room. "You hear me, beautiful? Can you feel this…this thing

between us?" He grasped her hand and brought the back of it to his lips. "Fight your way

back, sweetheart. I know you can do it."

A soft "ahem" had him turning around sharply. Standing in the doorway of Bella's room was a

formidable looking woman, tall and on the heavier side of curvy, with frizzled, orange hair.

She was probably in her late thirties and wore an exaggerated pair of cat-eye glasses that aged

her another ten years.

She wore a curious expression as she held out her hand and said, "You must be Edward."

"And you're Shelly?" He responded and shook her hand in greeting. "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," she said with a hint of suspicion. "You know, it's odd. Bella never mentioned that

she'd started seeing someone new; especially after the whole Tyler debacle."

He pushed down the urge to scowl at the name but must have been unsuccessful.

"Did she…" her voice trailed off, but he could follow the line of her gaze to Bella's stomach.

"I know about the baby, if that's what you're wondering," he said quietly, still holding Bella's

hand in his own.

"Is it…" Her eyes softened just a little and worry cracked through the cautious veneer as she

continued to stare at Bella's middle.

"It's fine. Growing and developing right on schedule. The doctor said the due date was

December fifth."

"Wow."

He couldn't agree more, but didn't interrupt the silence with meaningless chatter.

"So I spoke with administration and the nurses. They know I have power-of-attorney so I'll be

able to authorize whatever needs to be taken care of in the future." She laid her purse on the

shelf under the window and sat down in one of the cushioned chairs.

"Good. That's…good. I was starting to get a little bit lost with everything."

"How long have you two been together?"

He glanced up at her question; the skeptical expression had returned, but he tried not to let it

faze him. Instead, he returned his gaze back to Bella and said, "Not long. It just seemed like

fate brought us together. I don't think she was ready to tell you because of how quickly things

progressed. She keeps her private life pretty close to the vest, you know?"

"That would be Bella," Shelly mused. "It's just strange that she didn't say anything."

Edward shrugged and let her come up with her own reasoning for why Bella never told her

about him.

"She didn't tell me much about you either," he said with a wan smile. Maybe he could turn

this conversation around and make it less about him and learn a little more about Bella at the

same time. "Something about keeping work and her private life separate…" he trailed off.

"I suppose. She's always tried to compartmentalize her life; to exert order and control over

every inch of it. It made her feel safe, she told me once."

He absorbed the new information and added it to the things he knew about Bella. The list was

still abysmally short.

Just then Dr. Grant came in for his morning rounds. He briefed Shelly on Bella's condition

then performed the alertness evaluation. Edward winced and covered his chest with one hand

as the doctor rubbed his fisted knuckles vigorously over Bella's breastbone. That had to hurt

like crazy.

He smiled when he saw her hand twitch and heard that soft moan again. The doctor then

started speaking about feeding tubes. Since her recovery was progressing slowly, it would be

in her best interest to insert a feeding tube directly into her stomach. He could feel the blood

drain from his face and sat down in the second chair as the doctor explained the procedure.

He was surprised when, at the end of the explanation of the procedure, Shelly turned to him

and asked, "What do you think, Edward?"

He looked at the woman who had unwittingly become his entire world and nodded. "If it'll

help maintain her weight, and won't present any complications with the baby, then yeah. We

should do it."

"I agree," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Excellent," said Doctor Grant, "I'll have the consent forms and paperwork brought in as soon

as possible so we can get that taken care of."

A strange silence blanketed the room once Dr. Grant had left. Shelly kept looking at him like

he was a puzzle she needed to solve. He couldn't help but squirm under her scrutiny.

"So what do you do for a living?"

While her question seemed out of the blue, he welcomed the chance to talk on a subject that

he didn't need to lie about.

"I'm a distance-learning teacher. I work with the state online high school program."

"Subject?"

"English—literature and writing."

She mumbled something that sounded a little like "well if he isn't Mr. Perfect" but he decided

not to comment.

"I'm just going to call Alice and let her know about the feeding tube." Edward rose and

headed toward the door. He needed a little breathing room after being under the microscope

for the better part of the morning.

"Wait. You called her family?" Her voice was low and ominous.

"Um…yes? It just seemed like they should know she was in a coma."

She cursed under her breath and then shook her head. "Didn't she tell you?"

"Not in specifics. Alice texted her a bunch of times and finally left a message that their mom

found a lump in her breast and was having surgery…I didn't know what to do."

"Dammit. Well, this complicates things. How did Alice even get her phone number?"

"She said something about one of Bella's friends on Facebook," he mumbled.

"She is not gonna be happy about this. Heads will roll."

At that moment, Edward's phone lit up with Alice's name displaying on the screen. His eyes

grew wide and Shelly asked, "Is that her?"

He nodded. She stuck out her hand and said, "Let me talk to her."

Edward's stomach sank to the bottom of his feet as he passed his phone to Bella's assistant. He

had a very bad feeling about how this conversation was going to play out.

Chapter 14

Just before Shelly took the phone from him, Edward pulled it back and covered the speaker.

His brow furrowed and he glanced over at Bella for a brief moment then returned his focus to

Shelly. "I…I really think they're sincere about making amends. I know a lot of serious stuff

went down and feelings have been hurt for a long time, but…Just don't slam the door on them

completely. I mean, if…" He hated even thinking about this possibility, but pressed on. "If the

worst should happen, and she never wakes up, they should at least be able to apologize and

make peace in person, don't you think?"

Shelly gave him a hard look then nodded once and accepted the phone. "This is Shelly Cope.

I'm Bella's personal assistant."

It was odd for Edward to listen to the one-sided conversation. He tried to follow it though, as

best he could.

"Yes, I'm well aware of who this is. You have an awful lot of nerve harassing her Facebook

contacts to get her number."

Pause

"Regardless, you shouldn't have gone about it that way. There's a reason she cut off contact

with you, or have you forgotten all about that?"

As Shelly listened to a lengthier response from Alice, Edward could see the lines in her face

soften and her shoulders begin to slump just a little.

"I know that every story has two sides, but you've crossed a line. She needs those boundaries

and for you to just trample all over them…I really don't think she'd be very happy about that."

Pause

"I wouldn't go that route if I were you. I have power-of-attorney and control over who is or is

not allowed to be involved in her treatment. So you can take it to the courts, but it would just

be a waste of your time and money."

Shelly was once again bristling and sitting ram-rod straight as she lit into Alice. She even

started shaking her finger at the phone. In an effort to diffuse the tension Edward caught her

eye and gestured for calm.

She took a deep breath and said to Alice, "I'd be willing to meet with your family and discuss

the matter when you get here. But I won't make any promises."

She sighed as she continued to listen to Alice. "We'll have to play it ear. If she's still

unconscious…Well we'll just have to see when that time comes."

Shelly listened for a moment then turned her eyes sharply to Edward. He sat up a little

straighter and cocked his head to the side.

"If he's willing, then yes. I'll be in touch to schedule your arrival." She pressed the "off"

button and handed the phone back to Edward.

He raised his eyebrows and said, "So…?"

"Alice requested that you call her with updates on Bella's condition. I can't control what you

do, but if you value your relationship with her, Bella that is, you'll be extremely judicious

with the details you provide her family." She arched one eye and Edward responded with a

nod.

Once the conversation with Alice had blown over, Edward and Shelly hammered out the

details of her bills and accounts, and came up with a tentative plan for Bella's job situation.

She was more than happy to leave the care of Jake to Edward since she had several cats at her

home and they ended up splitting plant watering and mail pick-up duty.

Bella continued to improve very slowly. Her verbal responses came more easily and there

were slightly more purposeful muscle movements. This was always more apparent whenever

she was in a session with one of the torture twins. Jane and Alec Sanger were a brother/sister

team of physical therapists that had been assigned to work with Bella. There was also a

speech therapist, a huge guy named Felix, who would work her jaw and facial muscles.

Once the feeding tube had been placed, she was able to maintain her weight; her coloring

improved as well. Edward liked watching the hair grow back where they'd shaved her head

for the shunt. He would rub his thumb over the soft, fuzzy spot, which would sometimes elicit

a grumbly hum from his slumbering girl.

The other thing Edward liked watching was Bella stomach. He'd grown accustomed to the

visits from Dr. Mercer and thoroughly enjoyed viewing the little bean on the ultrasound

screen. He had also taken to humming and singing to her tummy. He'd rest one hand on the

ever-increasing firmness of the baby bump and use his other hand to hold Bella's as he sang to

her stomach. It was when he would sing that Bella's hand squeezing became the most active.

The doctors were encouraged by all of these little progressions. They would ask specific

questions and prompt her to respond by squeezing, but she hadn't quite made it to that point

yet.

Edward and Shelly talked frequently, conferring with each other on Bella's treatments and

progress. He also spoke with Alice once a week and kept her updated. There were apparently

only a handful of people in Alice's office and two of them were on maternity leave, making it

nearly impossible for her to come back down as soon as she'd wanted to. Renee, Bella's

mother, also ended up undergoing radiation treatments which delayed their arrival.

He hadn't heard much about the brother, Emmett, just that he and his wife Rosalie would be

coming down with the rest of the family in a week.

The plan was for Shelly to meet them at her office and discuss the whole situation. She would

then try to judge if it really would be in Bella's best interests to allow them back into her life,

even though she was unable to speak for herself.

Edward soldiered on in his private life. He continued his regular associations with his parents

and couple of friends, though his buddies were all convinced he'd turned into a recluse, since

he never went out with them anymore. He cited work and other commitments but never

elaborated.

He could tell his mother was worried about him, but he really hadn't given her any reason to

stage an intervention, so she kept her opinions to herself. He went golfing with his father a

few times, but their fairway chatter usually remained on neutral topics, except for the one time

when Edward inquired after Tanya.

"From what her father says, she's doing remarkably well. They've been very pleased with the

treatment she's been getting up there." Carlisle set up his tee shot, waggled and shifted, then

swung the driver with a grunt.

Edward waited until after they'd sighted his father's ball and then asked, "And she hasn't had

any more breakdowns or episodes?"

Carlisle shrugged and said, "Not that Eleazar has mentioned. They're very optimistic that

they've got her on the right combination of medications and her therapy sessions seem to be

going well, too."

"Good. I hope she can get better." He then took his own tee shot and placed the club back into

his bag.

His father looked pointedly at him and asked, "How is everything with you?" He hefted his

own bag and started walking along the path to where their balls rested.

"Good. Same as usual," he said coolly, catching up alongside of his father.

"And how is your friend doing?" It was the first time Carlisle had inquired after Bella and the

emphasis on the word "friend" told Edward his father was suspicious.

"She's improving slowly."

"So it is a girl? Your mother and I have had a bet going for a while now. She'll be annoyed to

learn that she lost."

Edward's eyes grew wide as he realized what he'd said. Up until that point he'd been so

careful to be ambiguous about his friend. He really wasn't sure why he'd wanted to keep her

gender a secret. Maybe it was because of the circumstances that surrounded his break-up with

Tanya and the fact that he had gone to Bella's side that very same afternoon, but he couldn't

do anything for it anymore.

He was grateful that his father chose to keep his thoughts to himself for the rest of their

outing.

It had been ten weeks since Bella's accident. Her family was arriving that afternoon. And

everything around Edward was too much. His clothes were too tight, his apartment was too

hot, and his heart was beating too hard. He was definitely going to have a heart attack any

moment. He was sure of it. The moment her family walked into Shelly's office, he'd keel over

dead. Her dad's probably going to be packing heat, his evil inner voice taunted.

The only thing that calmed him was the fact that Dr. Mercer was going to try and determine

the sex of the baby. He was oddly, calmly ecstatic about that.

He waved "hello" to the staff he interacted with frequently, hitched his messenger bag higher

up on his shoulder and ducked into Bella's room.

"Good morning, Beautiful. Are you excited for today?" He stowed his bag and opened the

vertical blinds a little wider to let in the rare bit of sunshine.

He did what he usually did: Kissed her cheek, smiled at her gentle hum of—what he assumed

was—appreciation, and squeezed her hands. He waited for just a moment and felt the return

squeeze, though it was really more of a trembling of her fingers than an actual grip.

He rambled about his nervousness but that did nothing but make him more anxious. Instead,

he began grading an assignment for one of his students, adding suggestions for revisions as he

went along, but the paper was really boring. He slumped in his seat and dozed off.

A sharp rap on the door startled him awake. He scrambled to keep the laptop from crashing to

the ground and looked up to see Dr. Mercer rolling in her ultrasound cart.

"Hello Edward, how are you today?"

"Good. Really good. Excited."

"I'll bet you are. So we're going to be looking for girl or boy today, right?"

He grinned. "Yes, we are."

"Well, then let's get started."

She went through all the various measurements, checked the umbilical blood flow, kidneys,

heart, all the vitals. Edward was proud that he was able to keep up. He'd been paying

attention. She was rolling the wand around trying to get a better look at the spine when

something caught Edward's eye.

"Wait, wait, wait. Go back a little?" He stared fixedly on the screen. "Is that…Is that what I

think it is?"

Dr. Mercer grinned and nodded, "You have sharp eyes, Daddy. He certainly is waving his

little flag pole proudly isn't he?"

"A boy," Edward whispered.

The next few moments would be burned in his mind forever. A loud crash drew his attention

to the door where a crowd of people were gathered.

Alice and Jasper were gaping, Renee had her hands clasped over her mouth while a pot of

flowers lay broken at her feet, the dirt spilled everywhere. Charlie's face was a deep shade of

magenta and his mustache looked like it would walk right off his face with as much as his

mouth was working. And Emmett and Rosalie just stood there grinning.

Grinning? That's odd, he thought.

And that's when the shouting began. But it was when Charlie said, "What kind of a sicko

knocks up a comatose woman?" that Edward truly began to fear for his life.

Chapter 15

Edward stood up like he'd been poked in the butt by a thumbtack, shooting his chair

backwards. His eyes flew open wide at Charlie's accusation. Not really thinking, he said, "She

was pregnant before the accident."

If it were possible Charlie's face deepened to an even more vivid shade of mottled pink than it

had been before. "So you got her pregnant before you married her?" he bellowed.

"How do you know they aren't married?" A deep, chuckling voice rumbled from the back of

the crowd.

"SHUT UP, EMMETT," they all responded in unison.

"Jeez! I'm just sayin'."

Edward stared bewildered at the imposing man with the ridiculously out-of-place grin on his

face.

Before he had a chance to respond to Charlie, Renee threw an elbow into her husband's

stomach, deftly stepped over the broken flower pot, and threw her arms around Edward.

"Ohhhhhhhhh. My first grandson," she half-squealed half-cried. "I can't believe it. Can you

believe it Charles? She always said she'd never subject another human being to parents. And

here she is, just blossoming. I can't believe it. And here I am hugging my future son-in-law

and I haven't even properly introduced myself. I'm Renee, sweetie, you must be Edward."

"Ma, if you're not careful, you're gonna send him running for the hills."

"SHUT UP, EMMETT!" came the practiced response.

Renee had stepped back just slightly and was squishing both of his cheeks between her hands.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my baby."

"Renee, let the man breathe. I want him coherent when I strangle him to death."

Edward's heart started racing again. He'd been right. He was going to have a heart attack and

die, except that it would be here in Bella's room and not Shelly's office. Shelly! She's going to

be so pissed off.

Gently he removed Renee's hands from his face and took a step back. Dr. Mercer then stepped

forward and stood protectively in front of Bella. "Is there something I can help you all with?"

She spread a blistering glare over the invading horde.

"Uh, this is Bella's family, Doctor," Edward said, his voice stilted and uncomfortable. Shelly's

words kept running through his head. Bella would probably not be happy about this.

"I'm Bella's father, Charlie Swan, this is my wife, Renee, Bella's sister and brother-in-law

Alice and Jasper Whitlock, and her brother and sister-in-law Emmett and Rosalie Swan. We

just got in to town and came straight here. How's our girl?"

When the Doctor looked his way, Edward gave an infinitesimal shake of his head before

stepping closer to Bella.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you. Any information you need can be

obtained through Shelly Cope, her personal representative."

Charlie's eyes darkened and he drew himself up to full height. "Now see here. This is my

daughter. My flesh and blood. You can tell me anything that he," Charlie pointed directly at

Edward and continued speaking, "knows. I need…I need to know how my daughter and

grandson are doing." His voice broke and his chin quivered on the word grandson and before

anyone could do anything he stormed out of the room, swiping at his eyes.

Emmett cursed under his breath and followed his father out into the hallway; Rosalie wasn't

far behind the pair. When Edward looked at Renee her face was crumpled with sadness and

hurt. Her eyes beseeched him to understand, but he couldn't afford any more missteps when it

came to Bella's family.

Renee left the room and then it was just Alice, Jasper and Dr. Mercer who remained.

"Alice, you guys were supposed to meet with Shelly first. Why are you even here?"

"I couldn't stop my dad. He's as stubborn as a hundred-year-old hickory stump." She rubbed

her fingertips over her eyes before glancing back to Edward.

Dr. Mercer had cleaned Bella's stomach and was wheeling the equipment to the door. "If

you'll excuse me, please? Edward, just let the front desk know if there are any specific

requests with regards to visitors," she murmured as she passed by.

"Thank you, Doctor." She nodded once in return and left the room.

"I'm really sorry. I know this was kind of a circus…"

Edward held up his hand, stopping Alice's apology. He pressed the call button and waited for

a response. He then explained about the broken plant and that they'd need housekeeping to

come clean it up. But apparently Dr. Mercer had already informed them of the mess.

He sighed and shook his head. "You realize this is not going to go over well with Shelly at all,

right?"

"I know. They were just so hell-bent on seeing her for even just a moment. I guess Dad

figured it'd be better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Edward barked an uncertain laugh and said, "Probably not this time. You do not want to make

an enemy of Shelly. She's known Bella for the last three years. She probably knows her better

than you guys do anymore. Not to mention that she can have you banned from the premises,

she could probably get a restraining order against you guys. I just…I don't know if it was such

a good idea for you guys to come down here all together and barge in like this."

Without realizing it, he'd taken Bella's hand in his and was gently stroking his thumb over her

knuckles. Her touch anchored him to the world; he craved it and couldn't seem to do without

it.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

He didn't need to guess to what she was referring. "I'd only just met you. She was still in her

first trimester and really, because it wasn't your business to know right then."

He caught Jasper eyeing him with a speculative look. Instead of saying anything he just

nodded once and began pulling Alice out of the room. "Come on, sweetheart. We need to go

meet with Ms. Cope and get things square."

Alice started following Jasper from the room but stopped at the door and turned. Her face was

pulled down by sadness. "We really do love her and want what's best. We're trying, but it's

hard."

"I know, but now you need to show that by respecting her boundaries. I'll see you at the office

in an hour."

He turned his back on the pair and stroked Bella's forehead. He leaned down and whispered to

her, "You're having a boy, Beautiful." He then placed a kiss on her cheek and reveled in the

feelings and sounds that emanated from the woman who was stealing larger and larger pieces

of his heart without even trying.

. . .

If Shelly had been a cartoon, her head would've turned into a giant, screaming train whistle

and steam would've been shooting from her ears. Pissed was the understatement of the

century when one attempted to describe her reaction to Edward's retelling of the morning's

events.

Edward had to work really hard to convince her to even hear them out. She went on and on

about respect and boundaries and how dare they? Edward listened to her rant and agreed with

all of it, but still had a feeling that there needed to be some kind of reconciliation. They had to

be able to come to a compromise. It really sucked being in the middle of a situation like this

and not having all the information from either side.

After she'd kept the Swan family waiting fifteen minutes beyond their scheduled meeting

time, Shelly took a long drag from her chilled bottle of water and strode purposefully toward

the conference room. Edward followed closely behind her and took a seat opposite Jasper at

the long, wooden table. Shelly sat apart, leaving two chairs on both sides of her to separate

herself from all parties involved.

"So who'd like to explain this morning to me? Because I thought my instructions on how this

little family reunion was supposed to go were pretty clear." She leaned back in her chair with

her arms crossed, glaring directly at Charlie.

Edward expected more blustering and yelling, but found, to his surprise, genuine contrition

and remorse instead.

"That was my fault. I was too impatient to see my girl." He sighed and stared off into the

distance. "Do you have kids, Ms. Cope?" His hands were folded one on top of the other,

resting calmly on the tabletop.

Edward guessed that Shelly probably had an idea where this line of questioning would lead,

but she answered anyway. "No, Mr. Swan. I don't."

He turned his face, full of shining eyes and furrowed brow, to Shelly and said, "Then you

can't begin to imagine what it feels like when you let down the one person in your life you're

supposed to always be there for. You have no idea how it feels to watch her walk into the

arms of a convicted felon and never look back; to wonder every single day if she's even alive,

to have all your efforts to apologize and make contact returned or ignored. You can't begin to

understand the self-inflicted wounds on my soul that have plagued me every day since Bella

left home," he said with a trembling voice.

"Jeez, Dad. Dramatic much?" whispered Emmett, which earned a glare from Renee and Alice

and a slight quirk of a smile from Jasper.

"What?" asked Charlie. "I've been workin' on that since Alice told us about the call from the

hospital."

Shelly looked directly at Edward and raised her eyebrow.

Renee rolled her eyes and sat forward on her chair. "Ms. Cope, we have mourned for Bella

since the day she left. She's refused us at every turn, going so far as to change her number and

keep all of her contact information unlisted." She wiped a stray tear that had managed to

escape down her cheek. "We've missed her. We love her. And we promise not to interfere

with her care. We just want to be able to visit with her. And Edward. We'd like the chance to

discover who she has become. It's obvious she's not the same, girl who walked away from us

all those years ago."

Shelly listened, then leveled them all with a hard glare. "What makes you think she hasn't

been in contact with the family?" Her laser vision stopped abruptly on Emmett.

Everyone's head swiveled toward him while he tried to melt into the furniture.

"Did Bell contact you?" Charlie asked in a low voice.

Emmett leaned over and started knocking his forehead on the table. Rosalie rubbed circles

onto his back as Charlie's voice quadrupled in volume. "Stop acting like a child and answer

me. Did she contact you?"

Emmett sat up and glared at his father. He simply shook his head, stood up and stalked over to

the corner of the room and stared out the window.

"About six months ago," said Rosalie. "It was completely out of the blue. They talked every

couple of days."

"You've been in touch with her for months?" Renee's question was filled with some

accusation but mostly just hurt.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Alice.

When Emmett turned around his face was thunderous. "Because she asked me not to. I was

the only one in the family who hadn't betrayed her."

"That's only because you were away at school. You'd never have supported the choices she

made," retorted Charlie.

Alice cut in and said, "So, did you tell her about Mom?"

He shook his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his crisp, stone colored chinos. "I

couldn't. I lost her number when my phone fell into Lake Pleasant."

"Oh. I forgot about that," she replied.

An uneasy silence, punctuated by Renee's quiet sobs and Charlie's huffs, settled over

everyone.

Shelly sighed. "You have to understand. These last few years have been difficult for Bella.

She's worked hard to get to where she is. She guards her privacy jealously and does not take

well to her system being thrown into upheaval. I can see that you have a genuine desire to

repair the broken bonds, but I can't allow so much chaos around her. And Mr. Swan," she

turned a hard stare at Charlie, "you have got to rein in your temper otherwise I don't think

we'll be able to come to an agreement."

He was puffing up to say something when Renee reached under the table. Before he'd even

made a sound, he grunted in pain, clamped his mouth shut and nodded his assent.

"Give me a few minutes to speak privately with Edward."

The family shuffled out of the room and the door closed with a soft click.

"One of these days someone is going to have to give me the full run-down of what actually

happened."

"I know, and that day will come, but it's not today." Shelly leaned back and crossed her legs.

"What are your thoughts?"

Edward shrugged. "I think they're sincere. They're also nuts. I can see why Bella might have

wanted some distance. Her father is pretty heavy handed, so-to-speak."

"What if we limited their visits to couples only and then for just a few hours a day?"

"That sounds reasonable."

"I think we're still better off keeping the details of her recovery and treatment limited."

"What about the baby? Renee was pretty darn happy about her first grandchild."

"That's up to you," said Shelly.

"You know it's not."

"That hasn't stopped you yet," she quirked an eyebrow at him. She was calling him on some

of his lies and in a way it felt good to come clean about at least one little thing. "From what

you told me about this morning, as far as they're concerned, you are the father. That's what the

doctors think, too, isn't it?"

He sighed. "Yeah. I just don't want…anyone to get hurt."

"Well, if you two love each other and were planning on a life together, when the truth does

eventually come out, the fact that you're committed to one another will soften the blow. For

now, just leave things status quo. If Bella can, in fact, comprehend what's going on around

her, she doesn't need any more stress."

A knock sounded at the door and Emmett poked his head inside. "Shelly, if you have a

minute, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Come in. What is it you wanted to discuss?"

Emmett turned his head, cracking his neck, which caused Edward to shudder. He hated it

when people did that.

He rested his tented fingertips on the table and leaned forward and said, "It's about Bella's

house."

Chapter 16

Shelly waved Bella's brother into the room. "Come in Emmett. Have a seat. I think we have

more than just Bella's house to discuss."

A dimpled grin spread across his features as he nodded and said, "Yeah, we probably do."

Edward leaned forward on his elbows and focused on the man sitting opposite him. His size

alone was imposing but his jovial personality seemed to temper the unease that his physical

presence brought with it. He met Edward's inspection with unvarnished curiosity.

"So she must have met you in the few weeks between when I lost my phone and the accident.

Last time I talked with her all kinds of stuff was going down with Tyler." He leaned back in

the chair, his hands spread behind his head, and held Edward's gaze.

Resisting the urge to clear his throat, Edward nodded and said, "Yeah, we met after Tyler was

out of the picture."

"And is he out of the picture?" Emmett asked, his gaze bouncing between Shelly and Edward.

"He is most definitely out of the picture," Shelly affirmed. "Got a new job, moved to Boston,

and hasn't looked back." Shelly took a swig of water and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Did he know about the baby?"

This was all information that Edward was dying to know but felt like he couldn't ask for fear

of exposing the entire ruse. Unconsciously he scooted forward and assumed a more alert

posture.

Shelly nodded. "They were already dissolving their relationship when Bella found out. He

was very clinical about the whole thing, really. They both were. He didn't want children at all,

she refused to abort, so when he offered an alternative arrangement, she accepted." Shelly

closed her eyes and relaxed into her chair. "She was probably on her way home from her

lawyer's office on the day of the accident."

"Stupid ass…" Emmett muttered. He appeared deep in thought for a few moments. Edward

was processing all of this new information as well. Tyler didn't want the baby. Which meant

that he probably wouldn't be coming back and butting in to her life again. But would she want

him to? Would he want to come back if he knew that Bella was in a coma? Would he try to

take custody of the baby if Bella never…? No. He wouldn't think like that.

"Speaking of financial help," Emmett said seemingly out of nowhere, "How are Bell's house

payments and bills being taken care of?"

Shelly narrowed her eyes slightly and studied Emmett for a long moment.

"I assume you've probably run through her remaining vacation and sick leave days, so she's

probably out on the Family Medical Leave Act? How much time is left on that before it runs

out? And she's not getting paid anymore, I'm guessing?"

Shelly spread both hands flat on the table and pushed herself to standing. The woman was

scary when she stared right into a person's eyes like that. "Look. I know that you two had

rekindled a speaking relationship, but I'm still not comfortable discussing her finances with

you or anyone else in your family."

"Please, Ms. Cope, hear me out. Bella and I talked a great deal over the last few months. I was

the first person she called when she found out she was pregnant. I even came down and met

her for lunch a few times. I know you've only got my word to go on, but I want to help." He

paused and glanced at Shelly who simply motioned for him to keep going.

"I'm being transferred down here in a couple weeks for work. If Bella's still out of it, maybe

Rose and I could rent her house and take care of the utilities. We'll be looking for our own

place as well, so that we can get out of her hair when she's ready to come home, but that way,

Bella's savings doesn't have to get run down for no reason. I just want to help my little sister. I

hope that my father and Alice haven't ruined that chance. That's it." He sighed and rubbed his

hands up and down his legs.

Shelly had already sat down heavily and was tapping a manicured finger on the table top.

"You have to realize it's hard not to lump you in with the rest of them."

"I know," Emmett said with a smirk. "Believe me, I know. I was out of the loop when it came

to this visit. I'd just gotten home from a business trip when Rose and Alice announced we

were coming. I didn't know about the stipulation that we were supposed to have met with you

beforehand. Trust me, if I'd known that, I would've blocked Bella's door personally."

Everything about his tone of voice, demeanor, and carriage spoke to his sincerity. His

earnestness and honesty must have earned points in Shelly's book. She no longer looked at

him with contempt.

"And I apologize for my Father. He has the social graces of an irritated porcupine. He's grown

up in the sticks his entire life and I'm pretty sure that he was, in fact, raised by wolves, despite

all of Gramma Swan's protests to the contrary." Emmett sighed and ran his hand through his

dark, curly hair. "He loves Bells and really has been broken up about her leaving. He just

doesn't know how to communicate that without sounding like an overbearing, control freak.

That's probably half of why she left in the first place." He mumbled the last phrase, but it was

that one that stuck out to Edward as the most important.

Shelly folded her arms across her chest and continued to scrutinize Bella's brother. After a

several moments of silence she said, "We'll definitely take your suggestion under advisement.

Go ahead and let the rest of your family back in and we'll go over the terms for visitation."

Emmett nodded and left the room. There was a tense moment when Charlie's raised voice

could be heard through the door. It was unclear what he had said, and it only lasted for a

minute but it was enough to settle a blanket of tension over the entire room once again.

Shelly outlined all of the particulars regarding the visits. Alice kept shooting menacing

glances at her brother, Charlie's face was a mask of stoicism, and Renee's was tearfully

hopeful. It was an all-around exhausting meeting and Edward couldn't wait to spend a little bit

of peace and quiet with Bella.

"It's clear," Shelly said as she wrapped up her comments, "that you all have some serious

issues to work out. Make sure that you do, because we don't want any more drama going on

around Bella."

. . .

As Edward left Bella's office building, he passed the Swan clan bickering heatedly in the

parking lot. He shook his head as he hopped into his car and drove to the rehab hospital.

Jane was just leaving Bella's room when Edward arrived. "Hello, Edward." Her voice was this

grating, high-pitched, little girl sound that made his skin crawl. It didn't help at all that she

looked like she was twelve.

"Jane," he responded. "How is she today?"

"About the same. I made sure to give her a good work out." She winked, which creeped

Edward out even more than her voice did. "Alec will be in tomorrow. Have a good day!" As

she left the room, she twiddled her fingers and winked again.

Edward shuddered as he drew next to Bella and began stroking her arm. Though it had

happened slowly, he could tell how much her muscles had withered. He worried about how

she'd be able to manage everyday things once she woke up, especially if she was still

pregnant.

As he ran his fingers over her hair, which Kebi had fashioned into a low side ponytail, he

relayed the main points of the family meeting.

"I wish you were awake, so you could tell me what to do. Your family is…a little, no a lot,

nuts. I like Emmett, though. I can see why you reached out to him."

He leaned over and spoke lowly near her ear, encouraging her to squeeze his hand and to open

her eyes. He smiled and kissed her cheek when he felt the more purposeful contraction of her

fingers around his own. It had only been a few days since she'd started doing that and every

time made the energy that surged between the two of them, intensify.

The little bubble that invariably grew around the pair was burst when he heard whispering

behind him.

"Oh, Charles. Look at how sweet he is with her. I never thought I'd see the day."

Charlie grunted.

Slowly, Edward stood and turned to face Bella's parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Swan? How are you?"

"Oh, just fine dear. Just fine." Renee walked around the bed and held Bella's hand. "Oh, she's

warm," she remarked.

"Of course she's warm. She's not dead," grumbled Charlie.

"Hush, you old grump. Come say hello to your daughter."

Edward backed away and swept an inviting hand toward the spot he'd been occupying.

Charlie stood and took a few tentative steps toward the bed. In a single moment, the furrow in

his brow shifted from one of anger and annoyance to concern and uncertainty. He really didn't

know how to express his emotions in any kind of positive way.

The heart monitor had been turned down to the lowest volume, so the constant beeping was

barely audible, but Edward watched the little beating heart icon on the screen and noted with

interest that her heart rate increased when Charlie held her hand. He wasn't sure if that was a

good thing or a bad thing.

"Hey there, baby girl," he said with a gravelly voice. "You been out for long time. Any chance

you might wake up soon? Never could get you out of bed for school…" he trailed off, a

pained look crossing over his face.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Renee dragged one of the chairs close to the bed

and resumed holding Bella's hand. Charlie leaned up against the window sill next to his wife

and folded his arms.

There was a brief stare down of sorts. Charlie seemed to be sizing Edward up for the first time

and Edward was trying to see through the walls of pain and gruffness, wondering if there was

a soft center inside of the hardened, outer shell of the older man.

Charlie's eyes scanned over Edward's arms and face and then out of the blue he asked, "You

got any tattoos?"

Edward's brow wrinkled in confusion and he said, "No. I don't."

"Ever been in a fight?"

"Uh, once? When I was twelve."

Charlie grunted again.

"Arrested?"

"No. Not even a speeding ticket."

"Drinker? Smoker?"

"Not generally, and not since high school."

"You a virgin?"

Edward's eyebrows shot up into his hair line and he started sputtering.

"Charles Matthias Swan, you stop it right now. Leave Edward alone," Renee chided her

husband then turned to Edward and said, "You don't have to answer that, dear."

Charlie had the decency to look sheepish and extended his hand to Edward. "Sorry, son. Got a

little carried away. I just…the last man I saw with my girl…" And there was that weary,

tortured expression again.

In that moment, Edward began to understand Charlie a little bit better. He took the

interrogation in stride and hoped that he never had to experience the heartache that Charlie

had, even if it was partly self-inflicted. Because Edward firmly believed that Bella wasn't the

only one to walk away from that relationship.

The two men shook hands and came to a silent understanding. Edward excused himself into

the hallway when his phone began to vibrate. He quickly headed for the lounge and answered

the call from his father.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hello, Son." Carlisle's voice was tense and sounded stretched.

"What's up?"

"I just got a call from Eleazar."

"Oh?"

"Tanya's disappeared."

Chapter 17

Edward was in a state of complete nervous collapse when he ended the call with his father. If

her behavior in Carlisle's study had been any indication of the depth of Tanya's mental

instability, then Edward was in serious trouble. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd

come back and try to insinuate herself, in some way, back into his life. The question was how

and when?

As he approached the door to Bella's room he overheard Renee and Charlie arguing.

"What on earth was that, Charlie?"

"What?"

"Are you a virgin? Obviously not, since Bella's expecting!"

"I was hoping for an immaculate conception."

Edward smirked at Charlie's last comment. He couldn't really fault the man; he'd probably feel

the same way if he ever had a daughter.

When he walked into the room, Renee's mouth snapped shut and Charlie pokered up. The

atmosphere was tense for the rest of the afternoon until the Swan's left. And even then,

Edward was strung tight with anxiety over Tanya's AWOL status.

He thought about going to the police and filing a pre-emptive protective order, but after

placing a call to the local precinct, they confirmed that because he'd had no previous

complaints against Tanya, and because she had no criminal record of any kind, they couldn't

issue a restraining order.

He spent the next several days on pins and needles, constantly looking over his shoulder.

Renee observed him with concern. Charlie kept looking at him as though he'd lost his mind.

Emmett simply asked if he was okay and Rose hardly noticed him. She spent most of her

visiting time fixated on Bella's stomach.

The second time Alice and Jasper came to visit happened to fall on a day after a particularly

difficult night's sleep for Edward. Alice chatted with him for a bit before sitting with her

sister. Jasper, on the other hand, took a seat next to Edward and just sat.

It struck Edward as odd, but after a few moments he was feeling more relaxed, sliding down a

little further in his chair and crossing his outstretched legs as though he didn't have a crazy,

stalker-of-an-ex-girlfriend on the loose.

"So how much longer are you guys in town?" Edward asked. Even though he felt more at ease

around Jasper than anyone else, he still picked nervously at a fraying bit of thread on his

jeans.

"Just 'til the end of next week," Jasper replied. He looked up at Alice and then turned to

Edward, "How about we give her a few minutes alone?"

Alice was hunched over, whispering into Bella's ear. Tears were streaming down her face and

it was clear she could use some privacy. Besides, Edward really didn't want to have to deal

with more tears from the tiny woman.

"Sure. We can go get a Coke or something."

They sat down in an empty lounge and popped open their cans of soda. Jasper took a small sip

and set the drink down on a low, rectangular coffee table. He leaned back and crossed his

arms over his chest, just waiting.

Being so blantantly observed really made Edward uncomfortable. He felt like a bug being

chased by the concentrated beam of sunlight from a mean boy's magnifying glass. First his

knee started to bounce. Then he shifted a few times in his seat, but never found a good

position. He could feel his heart rate increasing and he couldn't understand why. There was

just something about Jasper staring at him that now made him extremely anxious.

"Dude, you seem really agitated. Are you okay?"

Well, he got points for perception. "I'm just distracted today. I had a bad . . . night."

"You wanna talk?"

"Uh, no. Not about that." No way was he going to get into a touchy-feely discussion about his

nightmares with a total stranger. Jasper nodded, took another casual sip, and returned to his

previous occupation of staring at Edward. "So what do you do?"

"I work in law enforcement."

"Following in Charlie's footsteps?" Edward let out a stiff chuckle while Jasper inclined his

head wearing an easy smirk.

"Does Alice ever worry about the danger?"

"Well, I'm more of an . . . analyst."

"Oh, so what do you exactly?"

"I'm an FBI profiler."

Well damn, he thought. He was pretty sure that Jasper had already figured out he was a fraud.

"Look, man, I know that something has happened in the last few days to really set you on

edge. You were much mellower a few days ago, even after Charlie pulled his little

interrogation stunt on you."

Maybe Jasper could help? But then maybe he would do something to screw everything up.

Edward didn't know him well enough to trust that he wouldn't do something to jeopardize his

time with Bella. But he needed to throw him a bone, otherwise Jasper would be all over him.

"I found out an ex of mine, who has been in a mental health clinic for the last couple months,

just left AMA. She can be really sweet, but I discovered shortly before she left for the clinic

that she'd been following—well stalking me, really. When I broke things off, she kind of went

nuts. Got really violent and threatening. I just . . ."

"You just don't want her anywhere near Bella."

Edward nodded and swigged the last of his soda.

"I can understand that. What does she look like? So we can keep an eye out for her and

everything."

As the two men walked back to Bella's room, Edward described Tanya's slightly-taller-than-

average frame, her long, reddish-blonde hair, and her ice-blue eyes. Jasper nodded and said

they'd watch out for her.

"You ready, babe?" Jasper asked Alice.

She sniffled and said, "Yeah."

Jasper slung his arm around her shoulder, jerked his head up once at Edward silently saying

goodbye, and walked out with his wife.

Alone in the room, Edward was bombarded by feelings of fear and dread. He needed to fix

things. Getting Tanya handled was his biggest worry, but all of the other stuff was piling on,

too. He needed to get things straightened out with Shelly, and with Bella's whole family. The

problem though, was that as dysfunctional as they were, he could see how hard they were

trying and how much they loved Bella.

But he was the go-between. Shelly wouldn't deal directly with them, and they had

unanimously designated him as their mouthpiece to her.

He laid his hand on her bump and leaned forward. "Ah Bella. What am I gonna do? All I

wanted was to make sure you weren't dead. That SUV hit you so hard. And then you enslaved

me with just a few words. What happened with your family? If I was a real fiancé I'd know

that. If I was a real anything to you, I'd know something. Instead, all I know is that you have a

dog and butt-load of nasty organic food in a cold, impersonal house." He paused and ran his

hand through his hair.

"What I wouldn't give to know the real you; to be your real fiancé. If we'd met in real life and

not this crazy situation that is all my fault, would you have given me the time of day?"

A throat cleared behind him. "Alice thought she might have left her purse behind," Jasper

said.

All of the blood drained into the soles of Edward's shoes. He swallowed hard and turned to

face a grim-looking Jasper.

"You and I need to talk. But not now. Meet me at the coffee shop down the road from the

Cozy Inn at seven."

"I . . ."

"Not here, and not now," he said putting up his hand. "I'll see you tonight at seven, sharp."

"Okay."

He slumped back down into the chair and tried really hard to not freak out. This was bad.

Very bad.

He grabbed the book from the side table next to Bella's bed and opened up to week 21, and

began to read to Bella all about what to expect while she was expecting.

He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye when he left that evening.

. . .

Jasper was already seated with a cup in front of him when Edward arrived. Even though he

knew he wasn't going to drink anything because his stomach felt like it was being twisted into

a pretzel, he still bough a drink. No sense in arousing more suspicion.

He slid into the booth and waited for Jasper to lay into him. It felt like hours before Jasper

started to speak.

"So tell me what would compel an ordinary guy such as yourself to pretend to be the fiancé of

a coma patient who is pregnant with someone else's child?"

Right to the point, huh?

He'd already thought about this. A lot. And still hadn't come to any solid conclusion. "I . . . I

don't know."

"Bull. You could've given your statement at the scene, signed it and left. But you didn't.

Why?"

Edward dropped his face into his hands and groaned. "You're gonna think it's stupid."

"It probably is. Because I can't for the life of me figure why you'd go to these lengths to

deceive so many people for a woman with a dog, a butt-load of nasty organic food, in a cold

and impersonal house."

Edward winced as his own words were thrown back in his face.

"Yeah, I heard pretty much everything," Jasper confirmed.

Edward sighed. "She begged me not to leave her. I saw the tail end of the accident. The Black

SUV sped off and I ran over to see if I could help. She was awake for a minute or so, told me

there was no one to contact for her, then she begged me not to leave her. I guess I've

subconsciously done everything I needed to do in order to fulfill that request."

"So what are you getting out of the deal? You're here every day, all day. You don't seem to go

out with friends, you work remotely, all you do is spend every waking moment with a

comatose woman you don't know."

Jasper's question knocked the wind of him so hard, he felt like he couldn't breathe. It

infuriated him mainly because every last word was true. What was he doing? He'd put his

entire life on hold for Bella, only doing the bare minimum to get by. But the strange thing was

that he didn't feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. He enjoyed every minute of

time spent with her. The physical connection that thrummed between them was almost

enough by itself to keep him coming back to her side.

He stared beyond Jasper's shoulder out the large, plate glass window of the coffee shop, and

continued to mull things over. When Jasper leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table,

Edward snapped back to their present conversation.

"I guess I feel like I'm needed. I like keeping Bella company, and I like knowing that I helped

her in a time of need. She would've been all alone for those first two weeks or longer,

depending on how long it took to track down Shelly. But she had me. With my ex I always

felt used. She wanted my family name, or some strange, idealized version of suburban

perfection that she'd dreamed up in her mind. She never wanted my help or protection unless

there was an advantage to be gained somewhere. I don't feel that way with Bella."

Jasper snorted a little but shook his head and motioned for Edward to continue.

"She was so broken and fragile when I got to her car. All these caveman urges to protect my

woman came bubbling up to the surface and I've frankly kind of enjoyed that."

Jasper then closed his eyes and whistled. "Boy, you really don't know her at all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The girl I know is full of piss and vinegar, and she'd probably string you up by your toes if

she ever heard you talking about protecting or possessing her."

Edward's shoulders slumped as he tried to assimilate this information into his mental Bella

file. He was still missing too much information.

"You know what happened, don't you? Why she left?"

Jasper simply nodded.

"Tell me. Please?"

After a long silence Jasper looked him in the eye, sighed, and began speaking. "James was my

brother. He was also one of the biggest troublemakers Forks has ever seen."

Chapter 18

Jasper sucked in a deep breath and turned to stare at the patrons milling around the coffee

shop. Edward's knee began bouncing up and down, the anticipation of finally learning about

the infamous falling-out, driving him to distraction.

"I should back up a little bit," he sighed looking down at his cup. "I took about six months off

after I graduated from college and before I applied to the FBI. I wanted to study up, make sure

I was fit enough to pass the physical, work on my marksmanship etc. So I came home, got a

job at the sporting goods store, and that's where I met Bella. We hit it off as friends, but

nothing more than that. A few weeks after working there, I met Alice when she came to pick

Bella up, and I was done for."

He downed the last of his drink and began tearing at the paper cup. "One day, my older

brother, James, came into the store, fresh out of jail, and hits me up for money. I told him to

take a hike. Then he started sweet talking Bella. He said all the right things and had her

charmed in a matter of minutes. Once their conversation tapered off, he flipped me the bird

and walked out.

"I warned her to stay away from him, that he was bad news. I guess that was my first

mistake." He chuckled dryly and continued to decimate his cup.

"Why was that a mistake?"

"She couldn't stand authority. She would constantly do the exact opposite of what she was

told, even if she knew it wasn't good for her. Alice says that she was like that all through

junior high and high school. Every kid her parents disapproved of, those were the ones she

hung out with or dated. Drove Charlie and Renee crazy."

"I'll bet," Edward said.

"So anyway, over the next few weeks, she hooks up with James and things get serious." He

paused and looked up into Edward's eyes. "Just so you know I wasn't there when the blowout

went down. The only reason I know is because Alice told me."

Edward nodded and said, "I understand."

"Apparently, Bella had already finished her Associates Degree at the local JuCo and wanted

to finish up at UDub. It wouldn't have been a problem had it not been for James."

"How old was Bella?"

"Twenty-one. James was Twenty-eight. He'd already had more than a decade of hard living

under his belt when they met: Gang tattoos covered his arms and chest, he smoked, drank, did

and sold drugs—which was why he was in jail—theft, you name it, he did it. He was a

parent's worst nightmare and she ran to him as fast as she could, mostly because her parents,

her sister, and her real friends all told her not to. James was slick, though. He could put on a

smooth front when he needed to, but I'll be the first to admit he was probably as bad as one

can get."

"What did she look like?" Edward was curious if his sleeping beauty had always worn her

hair in the natural looking, chocolate, brown waves she had at present or if she'd been

different.

Jasper smirked and shook his head. "Oh, she had the whole jet black hair, eyebrows pierced,

heavy, goth makeup and ripped up clothes. I don't understand why, but it seemed like she did

everything she could to stand apart. Charlie was either in his police uniform or his 'Charlie'

uniform of jeans and a flannel. Renee was always dressed comfortably, but neatly. Emmett

was stylish but on the preppy side, and Alice was a bit of a fashionplate. But not Bella. She

preferred black jeans and worn out Chucks over anything girly. And whenever anyone tried to

suggest other clothing options, she pushed back even harder and would go out and do

something stupid with which ever boy she was dating at the time."

Edward sat there stunned. He couldn't reconcile this image that Jasper was painting for him.

He couldn't picture Bella dressed or made up like that. And he certainly couldn't imagine her

with that kind of guy. If he was truly being honest, he couldn't picture Bella with any guy that

wasn't him; a thought which shook him to his bones.

"You have to understand," Jasper continued, "Alice is, by nature, a very curious person. She

was barely seventeen when all of this happened, but her parents had become very strict with

her because of all the wild things that Bella had done growing up. They felt like they had

failed with Bella so they were much more rigid with Alice. She swears that she wasn't trying

to be vengeful or anything, she was just being a typical busy body. Plus she was rightfully

worried for her sister."

"What did she do?"

"She overhead a phone conversation between Bella and James. They were planning on

moving to Seattle and getting an apartment together. Alice told Renee and then Charlie found

out and went ballistic. Alice said they had a huge, screaming fight. She stayed upstairs, but

overheard the majority of it. Her parents were going to cut off Bella's college fund, but she

cursed them out and told them it was too late. She'd already cashed it out and if they didn't

want to support her relationship with James they could go screw themselves. She stomped up

the stairs, kicked Alice's door open and said, 'I can't believe you told them. What kind of a

sister are you?' She packed a couple of bags, took off in her old truck and never spoke to any

them again."

Edward was reeling. The woman that Jasper was describing was not at all the woman he'd

imagined. Was he really that off base? He was again struck hard in the chest with the fact that

he really didn't know anything about Isabella Swan. Not. One. Thing.

He rubbed his hands on his legs and tried to focus. His thoughts were swimming with the

story he'd just heard. "I . . . I need some time to wrap my brain around all of this."

"Not quite the picture you had in your head?" Jasper's comment was more sympathetic than

accusatory. Maybe he could be a friend.

"No. Not really."

"So what happened to James?"

"The short story is that he was arrested again about seven or eight months after they'd left.

This time he was convicted and sentenced to ten to fifteen years in prison."

"So he's in jail still?"

"No, he was killed in a brawl last year."

Jasper piled up the shreds of his cup onto a napkin and balled it up. Edward just sat and

stewed while Jasper disposed of his trash. He needed to find out where Jasper's head was at.

He needed to know if he could count on Jasper's help.

When the sandy-haired man took his seat again, Edward was resolved. "I should tell them,

shouldn't I? I need to come clean to everyone. This . . . this whole deception has gone on too

long."

Jasper eyed him carefully, his arms folded over his chest. "Think about what that would mean.

You piss of Shelly and she kicks us all out. You lose your girl, Alice and her parent's lose

their sister and daughter all over again, and no one is happy."

"But, what if I . . . I just don't want to screw things up worse than I already have."

Jasper rubbed his forehead then dragged his fingers through his cropped hair. "Just from

listening to Shelly, and seeing Bella this way, I get the feeling that she's changed. Shelly

mentioned her working hard to get to where she is and I believe it. I think she could be open

to some healing with her family. Who knows? Maybe she's heard all the lovey dovey stuff

you've been whispering in her ear and she's halfway in love with you already. Lord knows all

it would take is one kiss from her, blown your way, to tip you head over heels."

"I'm not that whipped," grumbled Edward.

"Uh, yeah. You are." Jasper smiled. "That's not a bad thing, though. I get the sense that you're

a decent guy and Bella needs a man like you. She's always drifted toward guys who were just

not good for her. You're different."

After a minute of silence, Jasper stood up and stuck out his hand for Edward to shake. "I'm in

your corner. I won't tell the Swans or Alice about anything."

Edward took Jasper's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Thanks. I'm just worried this is all going

to go wrong."

"We'll try to keep that from happening. Let's just focus on Bella getting better."

Edward sat there until the girl from the counter nudged him and told him the store was

closing. He'd been sitting there for hours and still had no idea how this would work out in his

favor.

. . .

With the weekend coming to a close, Shelly had given the family permission to visit all at the

same time. Emmett and Rose were going home to pack, Alice and Jasper had to return to

work, and Charlie and Renee had appointments with her oncologist.

The room was cramped and hot; Edward was feeling claustrophobic with all the bodies

pressed around the bed, hovering over Bella. He stepped out and went down to the lounge for

a breather.

It took him a few minutes to calm down. He just kept telling himself they'd all be gone in

thirty minutes. He could hang on until then. He'd be glad to get back to his usual routine with

Bella.

His parents had updated him that morning at brunch that there was still no sign of Tanya

anywhere. Her parents had alerted the police that she'd left a mental health facility against the

advice of her treating psychiatrist and that she was not taking her prescribed medication, to

their knowledge.

Even though he knew Bella's room was full of people, just thinking about Tanya and the

possibility that she could be anywhere, caused his skin to erupt with prickling goose bumps.

He sprinted down the hallway earning several disapproving glares from the nursing staff.

When he turned the corner to Bella's room, all of the Swans were standing outside and the

door was closed.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he asked, breathing hard from his run.

"The nurse came in and said she needed to do a procedure that required some privacy and

asked us to wait out here for a moment," Renee said.

Edward's body went cold. "What was her name? What did she look like?"

"Her nametag said Katherine, I think," Alice said.

"Tall girl, with short, light brown hair," Jasper Added.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Emmett asked.

"She doesn't have any nurses named Katherine." Edward barged into the room and came face

to face with Tanya.

She was on the far side of the bed, leaning over Bella with a syringe of something hanging

loosely from her hand. Edward felt a tiny bit of relief wash over him when he saw that the

needle was still full of whatever was in it.

"What are you doing here, Tanya?"

She looked up at him with a blank expression which quickly morphed into one of rage and

accusation.

He vaguely heard the family shuffle in behind him but tried not to pay attention to them.

Her eyes darted quickly over Bella then back to Edward then to the now-blocked exit. When

her focus returned to Edward she narrowed her glare and spat, "You left me for some chick in

a coma?"

A collective gasp rose up behind him.

"You swore that you hadn't cheated on me. You SWORE!" she screamed. Her hands gripped

the rail of Bella's bed, shaking the entire bed each time she yelled.

Edward inched toward the call button on the bed rail.

"Don't move or I inject this into her." She pushed the needle into one of the IV ports closest to

Bella's hand and let her shaking thumb hover over the plunger.

"Not moving," Edward said softly and put up his hands in surrender. "I didn't cheat on you

Tanya. It's the truth."

"Oh, like I really believe that. If you didn't cheat on me, then how is she pregnant? Do you

think I'm stupid? Do you think I'm crazy?" She ground the words out with such force and

venom, that Edward was frozen. He'd never seen her like this. Not even in his father's study.

"Well I think you're crazy," Alice said and stood right next to Edward.

"No . . ." hissed Edward.

He watched in horror as Tanya screamed and lunged across the bed for Alice's throat. At the

same time, Jasper circled around behind her, yanked the syringe from the IV port and grabbed

Tanya by the waist. Alice had a handful of Tanya's hair trying to deflect her reaching hands.

Renee was crying hysterically, Charlie was shouting, and Jasper was yelling at Tanya to stop

resisting. She was flailing wildly all over the place and managed to jostle Bella significantly,

though Edward didn't think she'd landed any harmful blows.

Jasper had just wrestled Tanya to the ground when Emmett came bursting back in with two

security guards and Bella's real nurse, Dida.

The guards put handcuffs on a now passive, deflated Tanya and were preparing to take her out

to wait for the police to arrive when Rosalie gasped.

"Out with it Rose. What is it?" Charlie asked.

"She's awake!"

Chapter 19

Edward sat apart from the rest of the family, his head bowed and his hands lodged in his hair.

Renee, Alice, and Jasper sat in a small cluster talking quietly. Charlie paced up and down the

hallway muttering and wringing his hands together, while Rose and Emmett sat in silence,

their hands twined together in a solid, unified grip.

Tanya had been taken to a holding room as soon as Dida kicked everyone out. Doctor Grant

had only just arrived, so there was still no news. Shelly swept into the waiting room, her eyes

wide with uncertainty, searching over all of the people in the small space.

"Edward, what's going on?"

His head snapped up at the mention of his name and he looked grimly around the lounge.

"Let's talk in private," he said as he stood up.

Shelly nodded and followed him to one of the satellite dining cafes. He sat down heavily in

the molded, plastic chair and resumed combing his fingers roughly through his hair.

"So?" prompted Shelly.

"What would you like to hear first? The part where my psycho ex tried to inject something

into Bella's I.V. or the part where Bella's eyes opened up for the first time?"

"What?" Shelly's eyes widened and she started shaking her head. "I swear that woman is a

magnet for trouble," she mumbled. "So she's awake?"

He shrugged. "It's hard to say. Dr. Grant is still examining her and Dida hasn't said anything."

"And the ex?"

"Oh Jeez. She was just there and crazy and thought that I'd cheated on her and gotten Bella

pregnant, and she was just … unhinged. Jasper took her down, but she bumped Bella's bed

and stuff. There might have been some hair-pulling between her and Alice …"

"She didn't actually inject anything did she?"

"No. She never got the chance."

"Thank Heaven."

"Seriously."

Edward's phone buzzed with a text message from Alice. Dr. Grant is ready to give an update

on Bella's condition.

"Dr. Grant's ready."

"Let's go. Just you and me at first. We can decide what the rest of the Swan's need to know

after that."

"Got it."

When they rounded the corner, it looked as though Dr. Grant was trying to placate the scrum

of Swan/Whitlocks while waiting for Edward and Shelly to arrive. Charlie's voice was

insistent and rode over the calmer voice of the physician.

"Dr. Grant? We're here now," said Shelly.

"Excellent. Come with me. Edward? You too." The doctor turned and walked back into

Bella's room. Surprisingly, there was no verbal protest from the waiting family—specifically

Charlie. Edward looked over his should and caught an understanding nod from Jasper.

"This has been an exciting afternoon," said Dr. Grant. Dida snorted from the corner shaking

her head.

Bella's eyes were closed once more and she looked as serene as she usually did. There was no

outward evidence that any change had occurred.

"What was in the syringe?"

The doctor shook his head and rubbed a hand over his graying beard. "Concentrated

potassium chloride. Quite ingenious, actually. It isn't a compound we'd routinely search for in

a tox screen and hard to detect an overdose since it is found naturally in the body. There was

enough in that syringe to stop Bella's heart almost instantly."

Edward stumbled backward, the wall being the only thing holding him up. Tanya could've

killed her. And that was entirely his fault. Tanya would've been nowhere near Bella were it

not for him. He wanted to throw up.

"Good Lord," breathed Shelly. "She's in custody now, right?"

"Yes, yes. All of that has been disclosed to the police. That's part of why it took so long to be

able to meet with you. We had to rush the lab work to make sure there was nothing in Bella's

system that shouldn't have been. I'm happy to say that there was nothing abnormal to report."

"Thank goodness for that," said Shelly.

"So is she really awake?" asked Edward.

"Well, that's the tricky thing. She's moved up significantly on the GSC. She shows positive,

purposeful flexion in response to painful stimuli. She opens her eyes in response to verbal

commands, but her verbal responses are still random and … inappropriate."

"What does that mean?"

"She let a few choice curse words fly during the evaluation," replied Dida.

"Really?" exclaimed Shelly. "I don't think I've ever heard her cuss. Have you, Edward?"

"Not once," he answered honestly.

"It's not uncommon," said Dr. Grant. "I expect we'll see a gradual surfacing of more coherent

speech patterns as well as a greater ability to follow instructions and respond, hopefully, in

normal ways. Her progress thus far is encouraging."

"Is there a timeline?"

Doctor Grant sighed. "I'm afraid not. Brain injuries heal at their own speed. It could be weeks,

it could be months, there's really no way to lay down a time frame. I wish I could offer

something more concrete."

"No that's fine. I … We understand," he said glancing at Shelly who was nodding. Edward

inched toward Bella. "May I?" he asked the doctor.

"Of course. Of course. I have more to discuss with the police. I imagine you do as well, but

take a few moments now. Would you like me to debrief the rest of the family?"

"No, I'll take care of that," said Shelly. "Thank you Doctor Grant."

He nodded and exited the room. Dida followed not far behind, stopping briefly to give

Edward's shoulder a squeeze. "She's close; keep talking to her," Dida whispered. He nodded

and turned his gaze back to Bella.

He tried to see the young woman Jasper had described, but she just wasn't there. He sighed

and ran his hand gently over her forehead. He leaned in closer and could just barely make out

the tiny scars from where her eyebrow had been pierced.

"I need to know what Bella's told you about her separation from her family," he said and

glanced over at the exhausted-looking red-head.

"Don't you want to wait and hear it from her?"

"I spoke to Jasper. The picture he gave me wasn't very pretty."

She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I don't imagine it would be pretty."

"Please, Shelly. I just need to know. It would affect the way I associate with her family."

"You're right. Having only one side of the story won't help any," Shelly said. "Why don't we

go get some pie after we're done with the cops?"

"Pie is good," he said with a smile.

"Okay, I'm gonna go tell the Swans what's going on."

Edward nodded and slid closer to Bella. He wrapped his hand around hers and felt a gentle

squeeze.

"Hey, Beautiful. Are you awake? Can you open your eyes for me?" He brushed a lock of hair

from her forehead.

His breath caught in his throat as her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze was unfocused and sleepy

so he positioned himself more directly in her line of sight.

"Welcome back to the world, Bella. Do you remember me? I'm Edward. We met right after

your accident," he said, a goofy half-smile curving his lips up.

She blinked a few times and then her eyes slid closed again. There didn't seem to be any

recognition. He wasn't sure if there ever would be.

The Swans and Whitlocks re-entered the room, and each took turns speaking to and hugging

Bella. One by one they were taken out and interviewed by the police. Edward was the last one

to return from the room the police had been using for the initial investigation.

"So what is everyone's plan?" he asked upon returning to the visitor's lounge.

"Rose and I are going home to pack. We should be back in a couple days," Emmett said,

slipping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"I have a number of appointments over the next couple of weeks, so as soon as those are done,

Charlie and I will be back," Renee said. Edward noticed that she looked extremely tired. Her

eyes had dark circles beneath, and her shoulders seemed too heavy for her weakened body.

Charlie assumed the same supportive stance that Emmett had. Edward smiled a little when he

noticed how Renee seemed to sink into the strength of her husband's embrace.

Alice, who was standing in front of Jasper, let her head rest on her husband's shoulder and

closed her eyes. "As soon as the stupid County Fair is over I'll be back here and won't need to

leave for a while."

"You'll call us with updates, won't you?" Renee asked Edward.

Edward glanced over at Shelly who nodded. "Yeah. We'll keep in touch."

While Bella's family hugged each other in preparation for their return home, Edward pulled

out his phone. He'd turned it off after they returned to meet with Doctor Grant. When Renee's

thin arms drew him into a hug that belied her strength, he was taken aback.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you for bringing our daughter back into our lives."

He patted her back, so full of awkwardness it was almost painful. He wasn't sure if he wanted

the credit for this family reunion, especially if Bella was going to be unhappy about it.

When Renee released him, Charlie stepped up and offered a stiff handshake. Edward figured

that was about as much as he'd ever get from the man.

"See you around, bro." Emmett slapped him on the back, pushing him slightly off balance.

"Sure," Edward replied. "See you soon."

"Edward!"

He whipped around at the sound of his name. The bottom of his stomach dropped out the

moment his eyes connected with his mother's. She was hurrying down the hallway, her heels

clicking noisily along the Linoleum floor, nearly dragging Carlisle behind her.

He jogged toward Esme and Carlisle, panic clearly displayed in his expression. He imagined,

though, that his parent's assumed he was still upset over the Tanya situation.

"Mom, Dad! What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"Carmen just called in tears. She said that Tanya's been arrested. What is going on?"

"Jeez mom, she was completely out of her mind. She just showed up here, tricked my …

Bella's family, threatened to inject something into her I.V., which turned out could've been

lethal, it was just nuts. But yeah, the cops already took her away."

By now, everyone was staring at Edward and his parents. There was no way to gracefully

avoid introductions.

Stranded in the middle of the hallway, like a castaway bobbing on a lone piece of driftwood,

Edward pleaded with any and all cosmic forces for some kind of salvation—or at least for a

large hold to appear under his feet. The sense of inevitable doom settled on his shoulders as

he looked between both groups of people. The expectancy on everyone's faces was crushing.

With a sigh he took his mother by the elbow and led her toward the Swans, his father

following right behind.

"So these are my parents," he said with a stiff, spokesmodel-type move. "Esme and Carlisle

Cullen, meet Charlie and Renee Swan."

"Oh, Esme! It's so good to meet the future inlaws," Renee gushed.

"Excuse me?" Esme said, her eyes growing wide with confusion.

"I guess Edward hasn't had a chance to tell us about the happy news," said Carlisle, his voice

tight and laden with accusation.

Edward wanted to slap his forehead. He wanted a DeLorean time machine so that he could go

back and avoid this entire mess of a situation. He was dead meat.

Chapter 20

Edward truly understood what a fish out of water felt like. He was emotionally flailing

helplessly, he couldn't breathe, and there didn't seem to be any help on the way.

He watched as Renee drew his mother, stiff as a board, into her arms and rocking back and

forth like they were a pair of long lost best friends. Her eyes flew to Edward's; they were

blazing with questions and disbelief.

When Jasper cleared his throat, Edward thought he might cry from gratitude. "It's uh, getting

kind of late, don't you think Charlie? We still have a four hour drive home and they're calling

for some pretty nasty storms."

A warm hand squeezed Edward's shoulder, drawing him out of his frozen state. He looked

back at his father and was ashamed to see the strained friendliness on his face. Underneath the

façade, Edward could see the hurt that he'd caused his parents. He jumped on the opening

Jasper had given him. "Yeah, the weather reports are saying this is going to be a pretty bad

storm. I'd hate for you to get caught in that."

"The boys are right, Charles. I am feeling a bit run down; today has been so stressful." Renee

took Charlie's hand and squeezed it. "It was so nice to meet you, Esme. We must get together

as soon as we're back in town."

It was rare that Esme Cullen was stunned into silence. But silent she was as she nodded to

Renee, a tight smile stretched across her lips.

"Safe journey," Carlisle said and shook Charlie's hand.

Renee grabbed Edward in a bone-crushing hug, pinning both of his arms down by his side.

"Thank you. I don't think I can say that enough times." When she released him, she patted his

cheek once and led Charlie down the hall.

"Keep in touch, okay?" Alice asked quietly.

"Sure. Will do," said Edward.

Jasper just shook his head in what appeared to be sympathy and gave Edward a half salute

before following his wife.

"We'll see you in a few days, man," said Emmett, pumping Edward's hand up and down.

"Will you need any help? Moving in or anything?"

"Nah, we'll be all right. We're just going to bring suitcases for now. When we find our own

place we'll go back for the furniture and stuff. See ya soon!"

Edward shoved his hands into his pockets and swayed on his feet. He was staring at the floor

and had just assumed that Emmett and Rosalie had followed the rest of their family. It was a

shock when he felt a gentle hand on his arm and looked up into Rosalie's light grey eyes.

"I'm not going to be working down here, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd be happy to take some

shifts keeping Bella company. So you can have a break, if you want."

Her voice was soft, almost timid, but there was an underlying strength there as well. Much

like him, she didn't even know Bella since she and Emmett had married during the long

period of estrangement. She smiled and squeezed his arm then turned back to her husband and

they left.

He waited a few moments before doing an about face. Both of his parents were watching him

with a mixture of sadness, anger, and confusion. Edward thought he'd probably rather poke

his eyes out than to see so much disappointment in his mother's expression.

"I think we need to talk, son." Carlisle tilted his head in the direction of the lounge at the end

of the hall.

"Yeah, we do," Edward replied. He followed his father and could feel the intense stare of his

mother prickling on the back of his neck as she followed him.

When they'd all taken a seat Edward asked them to not interrupt while he told the whole story

from the beginning. He could tell this was particularly difficult for his mother, but he

appreciated her silence while he got everything off his chest.

By the end of his tale, both of his parents were staring at him, mouths agape.

"So none of it is real?" his mother asked.

He sighed and tried to think of a way to describe his feelings. "Mom, I can't … I don't know

how to explain the connection that I feel with Bella. There is definitely something real there. I

just don't know what."

"But, son, you don't even know her. You said so yourself," his father added. "Can't you see

that you're setting yourself up for disaster?"

His brow wrinkled as he thought about what his father said. He didn't think he was heading

for disaster; that was a bit melodramatic. But his parents didn't really comprehend the

dynamic between Bella's family and Shelly, either.

"You don't understand, I'm the only buffer between her family and her assistant. If it had been

up to the assistant, her family wouldn't have even known that she'd been injured." He then

tried to explain briefly what had happened between Bella and her family without going into

too many details.

"Well, don't you think that her assistant would know her wishes better than you?" Esme had

stood up and was pacing along the length of the lounge.

"She needs her family," Edward said softly. "How would you feel if you never heard from me

again? Would you wonder about me? Worry if I was safe and okay?"

That question drew her up short. "My goodness," she sighed. "Of course we would. Every

day."

"Well, that's what her family has been going through for four years. I couldn't just cut them

out. And what little I do know about Bella tells me that she is isolated and alone."

"Son, you need to come clean about this. To everyone." Carlisle's tone was dark and serious.

"I know, dad, but just … please let me handle this?"

After a long moment of consideration his father nodded and heaved a sigh.

"So do we get to meet our future daughter-in-law?" his mother asked with a wry smirk.

Edward rolled his eyes at the teasing, but stood and led them back to Bella's room. He

approached the bed and straightened the blankets before leaning close to her ear. "Hey

Beautiful, my uh … parents are here to meet you. Can you open your eyes?" He gently

stroked his hand up and down her arm.

She hummed lightly at his touch and her eyelids fluttered a few times but never opened all the

way. "That's okay. You can try again tomorrow," he whispered. He kissed her temple and

stepped away. When he took in the look on his parent's faces, he felt his own cheeks flame

with embarrassment. He didn't mean for them to see such an unguarded moment; it was an

action he didn't even think twice about anymore.

His mother approached the other side of the bed and reached a tentative hand out toward

Bella's face. She tenderly drew the back of her finger along the apple of Bella's cheek. She

sucked in a tiny breath and glanced up at Edward. All the earlier expressions of

disappointment and confusion were replaced by one of… reverence.

She and Carlilse shared a significant look. "I hope you know that we're here for you, son. You

don't have to shoulder this all on your own."

"Thanks, Dad."

Carlisle and Esme hugged Edward in turn and left for the evening, allowing Edward time to

say goodbye in private.

. . .

The next several weeks proved interesting for Edward. Emmett and Rosalie had moved into

Bella's house. They'd tried bringing Jake home, but after three days of constant whining,

barking, and one incident of snapping at her, Rosalie issued an ultimatum to Emmett that

made it worth his while to give the dog back to Edward.

"I guess, Rosie and Jake just don't get along," Emmett had said followed by a booming laugh.

"Gotta keep the wife happy, if you know what I mean." He waggled his eyebrows and clapped

Edward on the shoulder. It was more than uncomfortable, as far as conversations with pseudo-

future-brothers-in-law went.

Emmett visited Bella when he could, but Rosalie became almost as permanent a fixture in the

hospital room as Edward was. She was especially excited when Dr. Mercer came for Bella's

check-up, asking a ton of questions that never even crossed Edward's mind. He bristled,

though, when Rosalie put her hands all over Bella's expanding stomach. Mine, he thought, but

then quickly shook of the possessive caveman idea. She wasn't his, and each time he was

reminded of that fact, irritated him.

True to their word, a couple of weeks after Emmett and Rosalie had moved into Bella's, the

rest of the Swan crew returned.

Shelly had only spoken briefly with Edward since she was busy coordinating several projects

at work that needed her direct attention. She just told him to use his best judgment when

dealing with all the Swans and that they'd meet as soon as the wave of work had lessened for

her.

The Wednesday after the Swans arrived started off like any other day. He took Jake for a

quick turn in the park, set up the food and water bowls, and threw all of his stuff into his bag.

He was glad that he was the first one to arrive at the hospital; he'd reluctantly gotten used to

having company during the day, so he coveted any spare moment alone with his Sleeping

Beauty.

Dida was just finishing her morning checks when Edward strolled through the door. "Good

morning, Dida. How are you?"

"Just fine, Edward." She smiled brightly as she took Bella's temperature and listened to her

lungs. "Keep an eye on her today. She was much more active last night."

"Really? That's good to hear."

Sure enough an hour later, Bella's head began lolling back and forth and she was saying

something. Edward had to stand up and lean in close to hear what she was actually saying.

"Nooooo sssprouts," she said, her voice rough and hoarse from not having been used for

months. "Nnnn… mmm. Yo quiero Taco Bell. Taco …"

Edward began chuckling at her mumbled craving. She said it a few more times causing him to

laugh even harder.

Alice walked in at that moment and gave him an odd look. He explained what had just

happened and Alice began laughing too. "I think today might be the day, Alice."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Dida said she was really active last night. Add that to her cravings for a Chalupa and

we might see something." He was too excited about Bella waking up to even consider what

could go wrong.

"Oh, I should call my parents. Mom wasn't feeling very good this morning, but I'm sure they'll

want to be here." She began digging around in her bag presumably looking for her phone.

"You stay, I'll give them a call." Edward slipped out of the room and called the Swan's.

Renee's mood was immediately improved when he told her of the little signs they had seen

that morning. She asked variations of the same question over and over, but Edward couldn't

begrudge her excitement.

He gave Emmett and Rosalie a call as well then headed back to Bella's room. He was just at

the door, but still out of sight, when he heard Bella's croaky voice.

"Alice?"

"Hey, Bell. How are you feeling?"

"Where am I and what the hell are you doing here?"

A stone of dread sank to the bottom of Edward's stomach. Maybe his father was right.

Chapter 21

"Where am I and what the hell are you doing here?"

She sounded different. Not that a minute of whispered conversation at the scene of her car

crash made him an expert on the sound of her voice. It simply wasn't how he imagined she'd

sound. There was an edge to her words, most likely because she'd woken up to Alice. Holding

his breath, he tilted his head toward the door and waited for the response

"You're in the hospital; you've been in a coma… I should call the nurse."

He could hear the muffled response from the nursing station which propelled him to action;

high-tailed it to the men's room.

This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for, literally, for months, was at hand, and he was

hiding in a public bathroom. He leaned on the counter and examined his reflection. Idiot, he

thought with a shake of his head. Terrified was the only word he would use to describe

himself at that moment.

His fingers tore through his hair as he groaned. If only they'd been alone, he'd have had time

to explain… Explain what? How he'd lied to everyone? Intruded into her life? How he'd seen

her underwear drawer?

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the bathroom but it was probably long enough that her

family had shown up. They were all staying close by for this exact reason. I should call

Shelly.

She answered on the first ring. "Good morning, Edward. How are you?"

"She's awake. How soon can you get here?"

"She's what? Really? I'm just around the corner. I was running some errands and was planning

on stopping in. I'll be there in five."

Man up. You can't avoid this any longer. He strode back down the hallway to Bella's room.

During the time he was hiding, the rest of the Swan clan had arrived and were congregated

just outside of Bella's door.

He met Jasper first and asked if the doctor was already in the room with Bella.

"Yeah, he's been in there for about fifteen minutes now. Where you been, man?"

"Uh… bathroom. Wasn't feeling too good."

"Hang in there. Things will work out."

Edward nodded and moved closer to the door.

As soon as she noticed him, Renee wrapped her arms around Edward and began hug-rocking

him just like she'd done to Esme the day before. With his arms pinned to his sides, he

managed an awkward pat to her hips before she released him.

"I'll bet you're on pins and needles, aren't you?" She had visible tear tracks lining her cheeks,

but her grin was unstoppable.

"It will certainly be interesting," he offered. "I called Shelly. She should be here any min—"

"I'm here," Shelly's voice echoed from a short distance away.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Charlie.

Shelly looked to Edward with a big smile. "Is the doctor in with her?"

He nodded in response and tried to muster more than a grimace for a smile. After that,

everyone was quiet; it seemed ridiculous to try and make small talk.

When Doctor Grant emerged from Bella's room, Edward would've sworn lifetimes had gone

by. "Well, this is a tremendous day, isn't it?" The doctor smiled broadly and shook hands with

Charlie, Edward, and Shelly. "Bella is at a fifteen on the GSC, though her motor responses are

weak. But then that's to be expected. She has a long road of physical, occupational, and

speech therapy ahead."

"Can we see her, doctor?" Renee asked bouncing on her toes, her hands clasped tightly in

front of her chest.

"Yes, but I'd like to caution you about what to expect. Common behaviors displayed by

Traumatic Brain Injury patients include: Aggression, extreme temper, manipulative behavior,

and… uh, cursing as well. So don't be shocked if she says things that are out of character."

Edward and Shelly both snorted at this.

"Yes. Bella has already displayed a colorful vocabulary during her recovery," agreed Dr.

Grant.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked. He couldn't have sounded grumpier if he

tried.

"It means, Dad," Emmett interjected, "that she cusses like a sailor, now."

"Oh, she wouldn't do that. She never cuss—" Renee began.

"Yeah, she did, mom. And she gave me an earful before the doctor came in," said Alice.

"Yes, well, as her cognitive and behavioral control improves, her vocabulary choice will

hopefully improve as well. We'll also be watching closely for signs of depression or anxiety,

irritability, and mood swings," said Dr. Grant. "Try and keep things low key. She'll probably

get tired quickly. Dida will be in and out frequently over the next several hours."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Shelly and proceeded into the room. One by one everyone

followed her in until Edward and Jasper were the only ones left in the hall.

"I can't do it," Edward whispered.

Jasper gave him a sidelong glance and sighed. "You've come this far, don't you want to see it

through?"

"I… I don't want her to hate me."

"The old Bella might have, but who knows with this Bella two-point-oh model. She might

surprise us all. They say that head injuries can cause personality changes. Maybe she's turned

sweeter than a Georgia peach?"

They took two steps into the room and hear Bella's gravelly voice.

"Damn it, Shelly, I want them gone. How did they even find me?"

Jasper sighed. "Then again, maybe not." He clapped Edward on the back and stepped into the

room.

Edward tried to find his happy place, but that place had become Bella. And right now, she

was rather pissed off, leaving Edward adrift. He squeezed his way into the crowded room and

tried to be invisible.

"Bella, they're here because they want to reconcile. They've been worried sick since they

found out about the accident." Shelly was speaking in a soft soothing tone; no one else made a

sound.

The blinds had been closed and the lights were on the dimmest setting, giving the room a

strange, cocoon-like feel.

"Can you tell me what you remember?"

Bella let a string of curse words fly as she tried to shift her position in bed. Her body was too

weak and heavy with child to be very effective in moving around yet.

"You promise the baby's okay?" she whispered, trying to keep her eyelids open.

"The baby is just fine. I swear. Do you want to know what it is?" Shelly asked.

"Mmm. Not yet." She closed her eyes and her breathing became even and deep. After several

minutes, her eyelids fluttered open and she took a deep breath. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"That's okay sweetie, we're just so glad you're awake," Renee said, her voice all wobbly and

tremulous.

Both Shelly and Bella shot Renee matching looks of annoyance. "What is the last thing you

remember?" Shelly asked again.

"Ugh," Bella groaned. "I had just left my lawyers office. And now here I am. How long have I

been out?"

Emmett let out a low laugh. "Baby girl, you've been knocked out cold for almost five

months."

"Wow. I don't even…"

Edward had been watching her from behind Emmett but when he stepped back to lean against

the wall, Edward was exposed. Bella's forehead scrunched together ever so slightly as she

stared at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Every set of eyes in the room turned to look at Edward. He was paralyzed by some

combination of emotions he couldn't begin to define. Jasper elbowed him hard in the side,

which snapped him out of his daze. "I'm Edward."

For a long time, Bella continued to stare at him. He could see the whispers of several

emotions playing across her face. Finally she gave a light shake of her head. "What are you

doing in my room?"

"Bella, you and Edward were seeing each other before the accident. He was going to pro—"

Shelly started to say.

"He's your fiancé, Bella," Alice interrupted.

Bella's brow deepened in concentration until she finally looked back up with a scowl. "The

last person I was dating was Tyler, and he's long gone. Did anyone call him, Shel?"

"Don't worry about that Bella, we can discuss him later."

Suddenly, Alice gasped. "Oh my gosh. You have amnesia. That's why you don't remember

Edward."

Bella seemed to consider this but shook her head again. "I don't have amnesia. I was born on

September thirteenth, I live at 2318 Grant street, I have a dog named Jake—Oh good lord, is

he okay?" she looked up frantically at Shelly.

"Jake's fine, Bells. He's been staying with Edward," Emmett said. "They're good buddies,

aren't you Ed?"

Edward cringed internally at the shortened version of his name but nodded and tried to smile.

"But why? How do I know you?" Her voice was still rough and raspy from months of disuse.

It was then that he remembered the little lemon-flavored sponges that Dida sometimes used to

moisten Bella's mouth. He found one in a drawer near the sink and filled a plastic cup with

water. After saturating the sponge he handed it to Renee.

"Sweetie, he's been with you every single day. He hasn't left your side," Renee said softly.

She brought the sponged to Bella's lips. "If you suck on it, it'll help your mouth to not be so

dry."

She kept her eyes focused on Edward as she awkwardly manipulated the sponge with her

mouth. When she became obviously frustrated with the inability of her mouth to do what she

wanted it to, she turned her head a way and huffed.

"Thanks," she said looking directly at Edward again.

Perhaps she didn't realize that she'd done it—moved her hand to rest on her stomach—but

Edward had noticed. The week before, he'd felt the baby move for the first time. It was just

after an ultrasound appointment with Doctor Mercer. She had pointed out the likeliest places

on Bella's abdomen where kicks might be felt. He'd waited for a half hour and was finally

rewarded with a stiff couple of nudges. His perma-grin lasted for at least twelve hours.

Bella became lost in thought, looking more and more confused. It was really starting to tear at

Edward's resolve to keep the charade going.

"Honey, he was with you at the accident. I have to admire his dedication," Charlie said

grudgingly, though his comment was tinged with gratitude as well.

"You were there?" she whispered.

Edward nodded.

"No," she said more forcefully, after a moment of thought. "I was alone when I left the law

office. No one was with me."

"Bella, he had your purse and your phone. He filled out all of the paperwork for you. He had a

key to your house, has taken care of Jake for you, has cleaned out your fridge for Pete's sake,"

Shelly said slightly exasperated.

"I don't know him," Bella said, with all the seriousness she could muster. "I've never met him

before in my life." Her heart rate started to increase and she began to look visibly upset.

A low hum of conversation buzzed around the room. But Edward was only focused on Bella.

He couldn't do it. He wouldn't let her think that she was going crazy or that she'd honestly

forgotten her significant other. He cared about her too much to let the deception go on.

"She's right." His voice was soft but firm.

"Don't do this," Jasper hissed.

"I can't see her so upset," Edward said to Jasper, then turned to the rest of the room. "I saw the

accident happen, but I'd never met Bella before that."

Alice and Renee gasped but those were the only sounds in the room.

He moved closer to Bella's side and implored her with his eyes. "I have allowed everyone to

think that I was something more to you than what I really am. Right after the accident, you

were barely conscious, but you asked me not to leave you. So I haven't."

He vaguely registered the elevated voices behind him, but he kept his focus on Bella. "I'm

sorry. I never meant for things to get so out of hand. One thing led to another and before I

knew it you had become part of my life."

She continued to stare at him with disbelieving eyes. He felt heavy hands on his shoulders and

arms, as though he would try something now, to harm his Sleeping Beauty.

"So you just let yourself into my life? You went in my house?" Her tone was incredulous and

colored with hostility.

He nodded.

"You called my family?"

"Yes. I didn't know about everything that happened before."

"But you do now, huh?" she asked, the sarcasm dripping from her lips. "You must have some

pretty big balls, there, Edward. I can't believe you'd just… do that. I mean, I deserve my

privacy. And you didn't even know me. How dare you? What the hell kind of person does that

kind of stuff? You're nothing but a damn stalker."

Shelly was now shooting jumbo-sized daggers in Edward's direction as he backed away from

Bella. He couldn't let her get any more agitated.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'll just go. I'm sorry. I had no right at all. I should've told the truth a

long time ago." He ducked into the corner and grabbed his bag. "I never meant to hurt you.

That's the very last thing I wanted to do," he said, his voice breaking on the last word. He took

one last look at the woman around whom his world had revolved for the past five months and

sped out of the room, unimpeded.

Chapter 22

Edward rushed down the hallway and through the lobby, his heart hammering away in his

chest. She was so angry. What fantasy land had he been living in to think that she'd wake up

and fall into his arms?

"Edward," Shelly shouted from behind him. He heard her but kept moving, single-minded,

toward the front doors. "Hey, stop."

Edward stood still but didn't turn around.

"Care to explain what just happened in there?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I lied. It was wrong and

I'm sorry. There's not much I can do to make it up to anyone, least of all Bella."

She walked around his motionless body and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you just tell me

at the very start?"

"I was afraid."

"As you should've been." She crossed her arms and leveled him with a hard stare.

"You may not believe me, but from the moment I first laid eyes on Bella, I felt a connection

with her. I can't explain it, I don't understand it, but every time I touched her I felt that bond. I

didn't want you to send me away."

Shelly grabbed two handfuls of hair and paced back and forth. "I don't know what she's going

to want to do. She's really pissed off at everything and everyone right now—including me."

If there was anyone he needed to convince of his feelings, beside Bella, it was Shelly. He

needed her to know that he was genuine.

"I have grown to care deeply for Bella. None of what you saw was faked, and I swear I'm not

crazy or a stalker. I just... she is my whole world. If she needs anything, I'm here for her."

Shelly narrowed her gaze and looked him up and down. "I let her know. Take care, Edward.

For what it's worth, you're a nice guy."

He nodded and headed through the automatic doors, not willing to watch Shelly walk away.

By the time he made it to his car, his chest was so tight that he couldn't breathe. He fell into

the driver's seat, tossed his bag carelessly into the back, and slammed the heel of his hand into

the steering wheel. Over and over he railed until he heard a crack. When he could no longer

take his frustration out on the wheel, he screamed a string of profanities into the air. Once he'd

exhausted the rage he felt toward himself he collapsed forward and rested his head on his

forearms.

Bella's soft brown eyes flitted through his mind. He saw her face; she has such a beautiful

face, he thought. And before he knew it he was sifting through all of the seemingly

inconsequential things he'd miss about her: The way she hummed when he was near, the little

hints of a smile he saw as she was coming closer to waking up, how she would turn into his

touch. Most of all, he'd miss that feeling of rightness and completion he had every time they

were together.

A couple of choking, snot-riddled sobs escaped from him before he could rein in his

emotions. He had to get out of the parking lot before someone else came looking for him.

As he put the car into gear and sped out of the parking lot he thought about his parents. They

really did get smarter the older he got. It was a lesson he was learning slowly, and right at that

moment he had an unwelcomed respect for his father's wisdom. Carlisle had tried to warn

him, but he hadn't listened. And now he felt like he might break down and not ever recover.

He trudged into his apartment and dropped his bag and keys on the floor right in front of the

door. Jake skidded around the corner yipping and panting with excitement. Edward caught his

front paws as the dog stood up on his hind legs and tried to lick his face.

"Hey, buddy. How are you?" He scratched the animal's head and scrubbed at his ears. Jake

cocked his head to one side and examined his surrogate owner. "Don't even ask why I'm home

so early."

Edward pushed the door closed and stepped over his bag, not bothering to put it away. What

was the point? He dug through his fridge, grabbed a box of Chinese take-out, and settled on

the couch.

Jake followed close behind and lay down at his feet. Edward appreciated his presence. It was

comforting to know that he still had a small connection to Bella.

After a few flavorless bites of food he set the box of noodles on the coffee table. "Arrrrrgh!

What was I thinking?" he yelled to no one in particular. Jake stopped inching his way toward

the abandoned food long enough for Edward to run his hand over his back. As soon as

Edward had pulled his hand away, though, Jake was back to nosing into the take-out box.

He slouched down into the corner of the sofa and rested his head on the back, his eyes closed

tight. There were so many ways the morning could've gone better. He really wished that he'd

been able to talk to Bella in private beforehand. But considering the way she'd reacted, that

probably wouldn't have helped. She'd been asleep. She didn't remember him from the scene of

the accident, and she obviously didn't remember asking him to stay with her. To her, he was

just some stranger who had butted into her private life without her permission.

And he only had himself to blame. Because he knew—he knew from the moment he let that

pencil pusher in the ER believe that he was Bella's fiancé—what he was doing was wrong. It

was entirely possible that if she wanted to, Bella could have him arrested for fraud or

impersonating a… person or something. In her eyes, he was exactly what she'd said: A creepy

stalker.

When he opened his eyes, Jake was muzzle-deep in the food box but he didn't have it in him

to scold the dog. "I screwed up, Jake." He threw his arm over his eyes and groaned. "Your

mom is awake and she's royally pissed at me."

At hearing his name, Jake's ears perked up and he withdrew from his stolen snack. He barked

once, licked all of the leftover LoMein from his snout, and rested his head on the couch next

to Edward's elbow. He nudged the elbow once and waited for the arm he knew would start

petting him.

"You're a good boy," said Edward as he closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

. . .

He avoided his parents for a week, citing a busy work load and carefully side-stepped

questions about Bella. And it wasn't even a lie. He did nothing but work, walk Jake, and sleep.

He did a lot of sleeping. The local economy was bolstered by his subsisting on nothing but

take-out food and a few delivered groceries. He really didn't want to go without his morning

bowl of surgary, kid cereal, so milk was a necessity.

When he called to cancel Sunday brunch with his parent's for the second week in a row, he

was surprised at how smoothly the call had gone.

"Hey mom, I'm not gonna be able to make it today."

"Oh? Why is that, sweetie?"

"Just have a lot to get done."

"Well, I won't keep you. Do you have stuff for breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'm all set."

"Love you."

"You too, bye."

The moment he heard the telltale knock—his mother's signature ra-ta-ta-ta-tap—he knew he

shouldn't have taken the ease with which he'd avoided brunch for granted.

He debated answering the door or just pulling the covers over his head. But he remembered

that she had a key for emergencies and if she thought that he was purposefully avoiding her,

she might use that key to come and check on him.

So he sluggishly rose from his bed and shuffled to the door. He was halfway there when she

knocked again, this time accompanied by his father's authoritative voice. "Son, open up.

We're worried about you."

He opened the door just as Esme pulled a key ring from her purse. She had what appeared to

be an exasperated expression on her face as the door opened but when she looked up into his

eyes, she gasped. "Edward? My goodness, you look terrible. Are you sick, honey?"

He rubbed a hand over his face trying to clear some of the sleep and tedium from his features.

It had been nearly fourteen days since he'd last shaved, two—or was it three?— since his last

shower, and he'd just woken up for the second time that morning.

Esme attempted to smooth over his hair but he gently brushed her hand away. "Please, Mom.

Just don't." He turned toward the living room and flopped down in his hand-me-down

recliner.

He watched his parents share some kind of couples-code look and closed his eyes, just

waiting for the interrogation to start. When nothing happened he cracked one eye open and

saw that both of his parents were sitting on the couch, wearing coordinated masks of concern.

He sighed. They were waiting for him. It was the same kind of evil, parental, torture tactic

they'd used on him as a teenager. Whenever his mother sensed that something major was

going on in his life, they'd bring him into the living room, sit him down, and just stare at him

until he spilled his guts. It was highly effective.

"She's awake."

They continued to watch him, the only indication that his first declaration had registered was

the slight elevation of his father's left eyebrow.

"They kept trying to make her think she had amnesia, telling her I was her fiancé and that

we'd been dating, but she didn't believe them."

"Maybe she does have amnesia?" his father supplied.

"Well, she certainly doesn't remember meeting me the day of the accident," Edward said with

a humorless chuckle.

"Of course she doesn't. Did you really expect her to?" Carlisle asked in as gentle a manner as

he could. "She was barely conscious, from what you told us before, and she's been in a coma

for how long? Five months? It's common for accident victims to forget the events

immediately surrounding the trauma."

"I know. It just sucks that she didn't even… Anyway, they kept telling her all the stuff I'd

been doing for her, but that was just freaking her out even more. I could see her heart rate on

the monitor going up too high and she was getting really upset. I was worried about her and

about the baby. So I told the truth; just blurted it out there. I just didn't want her to be upset

anymore." He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath.

"You were right, Dad. I should've been prepared for this."

"Oh, sweetheart," his mother said as she moved to sit on the arm of the recliner. He rested his

head against her side and for the first time in a long while, let himself be comforted by his

mother's touch. She stroked his head, rubbing her fingers gently over his scalp. "I'm sorry

things didn't turn out like you'd hoped."

. . .

Another week passed in much the same manner, though Edward resumed his usual shaving

and personal grooming habits. He read through assignment after assignment, putting in the

required amount of work, but finding very little enjoyment or satisfaction from it. Once the

semester was done, he was going to reduce his work load and maybe change subjects.

What he really wanted to do, but certainly couldn't afford was to just quit and go back-

packing through Europe or some other kind of escape that would take him far away from his

current situation.

He was sitting on the couch with Jake curled up next to him, watching a hockey game on TV,

and waiting for his dinner to arrive. A heavy knock sounded and he gathered up the cash that

he'd set on the table next to the door.

"How much do I owe…" his words faded into nothing when he saw who was at his door.

"Emmett? What are you…?"

He frowned and huffed out a breath. "Bella wanted me to come get Jake and bring him

home."

Chapter 23

Edward had never really considered the possibility that he'd lose Jake too. It was stupid of

him since it wasn't his dog, but he'd grown used to animal's presence in his life. So when

Emmett said he was there to bring Jake home, the first thought that popped into his head was,

but he is home.

Since he obviously couldn't say that to Bella's brother, he shook his head once and snapped

back to the present. "Right. Of course. Do you want to come in?" Jake was right behind

Edward, a low—almost inaudible—rumble coming from deep in his chest.

"Sure." He stepped inside and glanced around the apartment, his wary eyes stopping on the

animal.

"Sorry it's a bit of a mess, I haven't really been in the mood—"

"Can we talk?" Emmett blurted out. He'd been wringing his hands but had a determined look

on his face. Edward was very nervous all of a sudden.

"Okay?" said Edward. "Did you want anything to drink?"

"Nah, I'm good." Emmett sat down on the middle section of the couch. It left just enough

distance between him and the recliner—where Edward sat—to feel non-threatening but still

engaged.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He figured he'd let Emmett run the show since he was

the one who asked for the parley, even if he did have a thousand of his own questions he

wanted to ask.

He ran his hands through his hair a few times then rested his elbows on his knees and sat

forward. When he looked up, his forehead was furrowed and his eyes burned into Edward's.

"Why?"

Edward blew out a breath and slumped back in his chair. He'd asked himself the same

question a million times in the last few weeks and still hadn't come up with a satisfactory

answer.

"I'm not sure I can really explain."

"Tell me everything. From the very beginning."

"Everything?" He wondered if Emmett wanted the details about Tanya too.

He nodded and made himself comfortable, throwing both arms across the length of the back

of the couch and resting and ankle on his knee.

"…and you saw everything that happened when she woke up. That's it." It had taken a lot

longer to get through his story because unlike when he'd told his parents, he took the time to

answer all of Emmett's questions.

He shook his head and shifted forward. "I don't know what to say, man."

"How is she?"

Emmett squirmed and looked extremely uncomfortable. His eyes bounced all over the room—

landing everywhere but on Edward. It was more than he could take.

"Please, I just need to know if she's doing okay."

"The truth?"

Edward nodded.

"Physically she's making progress, slowly. The speech therapist has been working with her a

lot to get her jaw and facial muscles back under control so she can start eating regular food

again. The PT's are working on getting her leg strength back up, but they're not sure if she'll

be able to walk before she delivers. Man, that Jane woman is psy—"

"How is the baby?"

Emmett's eye's brightened. "Squirmy. That kid is a wiggly little sucker."

"Yeah, he was just starting to get really active before…" Edward shook his head. He couldn't

think about how things had been left between him and Bella. "You said she's improving

physically, how is she coping… you know… emotionally?"

"That's more difficult to gauge," he said with a sigh. "There are days, moments, when she

seems happy, or at least calm. But then there are other days where she's either ready to bite

your head off or can't remember why you're there in the first place.

"Sometimes she gets really frustrated with herself. Like why can't she get her mouth to work

right, and why can't she hold anything heavier than a can of tomato paste. She gets really

pissed with the dexterity manipulatives the occupational therapist brings in. He makes her

screw nuts onto this board covered in bolts over and over; she got so mad the other day she

pushed the whole thing off the table."

Edward's heart ached to be with Bella. He wanted to help her, encourage her. He wanted to

get to know her—the real her. The woman she was right then. Not how her family

remembered her or how Shelly perceived her. He desperately wished he could make amends,

somehow.

"Does she… ask about me?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but the words had

flown out of his mouth before he'd had a chance to think about them.

"Not a whole lot. Really it's just when she's down. She'll ask the same question we all ask:

Why?"

"What do you mean 'when she's down'? Is she sad?" That was the last thing he wanted for her.

She deserved some happiness after her ordeal.

"The doc said that depression was pretty common, but Bell's situation is difficult because they

can't really give her anything to help." He shrugged and leaned back on the couch again.

"There aren't any medications they could give her?"

"None that are safe for the—"

"—for the baby," Edward interrupted.

They sat in silence, both absorbing and processing the information they'd exchanged. Emmett

rubbed his knees uncomfortably and stood up. "I should… uh…gather up Jake's stuff."

"Oh. Right. Let me go clean out the bowls." Edward went into the kitchen and dumped the

water from one of the large, stainless steel dishes. He rubbed a towel around the inside of the

bowl, swirling it around, while he tried not to think about how lonely his apartment would be.

"Is the food in the closet?" Emmett pointed toward the pantry.

"Yeah, there's not much left, so it should be pretty easy to carry." Emmett retrieved the food

while Edward wiped out the food dish and put both bowls into a plastic bag. "I'll go get his

leash."

Jake snored on his bed in the corner of the living room. It appeared he was in no hurry to

leave. In fact, when Edward clipped the lead onto his collar, he barely cracked one eye open,

which was not like Jake. He'd usually be bounding toward the door pulling whoever was

holding the leash's arm out of their socket. This time, though, there was no reaction.

"C'mon Jake, you're going home with Emmett. Let's go. Up. C'mon, boy." Despite all of

Edward's cajoling, the dog remained where he was.

When Emmett whistled—a loud, sharp sound—Jake's eyes flew open and his hackles rose. He

growled and backed up further into the corner.

"Um. Maybe if I wasn't here, he'd—"

Emmett stepped closer to try and pick up the leash but that just set Jake off even more. He

barked louder, circled once around Edward's legs, and sat down on his feet. With his muzzle

lifted in defiance and his teeth bared, he was clearly telling the humans that he wasn't going

anywhere.

"Okay," said Emmett as he backed off. "I don't think this is going to work."

"No, it would appear not."

Both men watched the beast as he pawed around on his bed and settled back down as if the

matter had been settled and for all intents and purposes, it had. Jake wasn't going anywhere

without Edward.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and asked, "What are you going to tell Bella?"

"Eh. I'll think of something." He put Jake's things down on a table and shoved his hands into

the pockets of his jeans. "I should probably get going."

"Right. So, will you call me if there's any changes to Bella's condition?" He wanted—no, he

needed—more information about his Sleeping Beauty. Maybe he could write her a letter or

some other kind of grand gesture. He hadn't listened to Emmett's response because he was so

intent on coming up with some non-threatening way to get a message to Bella.

He was startled when a large hand waved in front of his face. "Hey? You in there?" asked

Emmett.

"Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking," Edward said. And then it hit him. "Emmett, can you do me

a favor?"

"Depends," he said, drawing out the word. "But, probably. What'd you have in mind?"

"If I gave you some money, would you buy some flowers for Bella? Make sure she knows

they're from me and that I'm sorry Jake is being a pain?" He'd already expressed to Emmett

how much he wanted to get to know Bella. And by his reaction, Emmett believed he was

sincere. "I just need some kind of toe hold. I can't give up on her. She's too important to me."

"I'll see what I can do, man."

When they shook hands, Edward palmed forty bucks into Emmett's. "Something simple, you

know? Not like roses or anything." He nodded once and headed for the stairwell.

Edward closed the door and turned to face the dog. "That wasn't very nice, Jake. Or should I

call you Jacob Swan since you're in trouble?" He walked over to the dog bed and sat down

next to his roommate. "I can't really say I'm sad that you decided not to leave. I just hope this

doesn't piss off your mom even more."

. . .

Edward was able to resume his regular routine, though he enjoyed the crisp, fall air with Jake

a little bit more. He wouldn't take his fur buddy for granted anymore. He wasn't sure how long

it would be until Bella decided she really wanted him—the dog, that is—back.

He would get a text message periodically from Alice or Jasper. Emmett had called him with

an update every other day, though he'd said nothing about how the flowers were received,

which bummed Edward out. He'd hoped for… something.

At his mother's insistence, he came to Sunday brunch; it went without saying that they didn't

discuss Bella. He did learn that Tanya was institutionalized and would, at some point in the

future, have a competency evaluation to determine whether or not she could stand trial for

attempted murder. Eleazar and Carmen were understandably devastated, but remained

supportive of their daughter. They didn't condone her actions; they simply wanted her to get

help.

As time wore on, and he still only received perfunctory reports about Bella's health, his mood

grew darker and more depressed. Even having Jake at home didn't seem to be able to lift his

mood like it used to.

One day at the beginning of October, he was at the store to pick up some milk and cereal. He

grumbled at all of the Halloween paraphernalia that littered several of the main aisles and all

of the end caps. It annoyed him because it marked time for him in the bleakest of ways. It had

been nearly five weeks since he last saw Bella.

He'd just tossed several boxes of tooth-rotting breakfast food into his cart when his phone

rang. He flicked it on without even looking at who was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ed, it's Emmett."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Bella would like to see you."

A powerful mix of emotions flooded his body when he heard those words. She wants to see

me? What am I going to say? She wants the dog back. Is she going to scream at me? SHE

WANTS TO SEE ME! He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't look where he

was driving his cart. So when the entire display of plastic, orange, Jack-O-lantern buckets

came tumbling down, he was surprised.

"Crap. Ow… Sorry!" he said to the glaring store employee who'd come running over to see

what the problem was.

"Ed? Edward! Are you okay, man?" Emmett yelled into the phone.

"I'm here," he said, still a little dumbstruck by Emmett's news. "I just crashed my cart into a

pyramid of Halloween stuff and it kind of went everywhere. Anyway, sorry. So she wants to

see me?"

"Yeah, she asked that you come over to the hospital tomorrow at eleven."

"Okay. Eleven. I can do that. Should I bring anything? What should I… I mean, does she need

anything? How does she seem? Is she excited or does she hate my guts and want to kill me

herself?" He was rambling. He knew it but he couldn't stop it.

"Chill, man. She just said she wanted to talk to you. And no, she doesn't need anything, so just

come as you are, okay? I gotta run."

"Thanks. See you around."

He was in a daze when he walked back into his apartment and put away his groceries. He was

going to see her the very next day.

. . .

His hands were sweaty and shaking. He also felt like he might throw up at a moment's notice.

He hadn't seen anyone from Bella's family other than Emmett since the day he left the

hospital. He really hoped he wouldn't have to see any of them until after he'd seen Bella. So

he was a little disappointed when he saw Rosalie coming out of Bella's room.

He shouldn't have worried, though. The striking blonde smiled at him, kindness shining in her

eyes. "She's waiting for you."

"Is there anyone else with her?"

She shook her head and walked toward the cafeteria.

Edward stood in front of the door for a moment and tried to compose himself. He took a few

deep breaths and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," she said. Her voice was clearer, less raspy than it was that first day she was

awake, but still a little rougher than what he remembered from the day of the accident.

He stepped into the room and looked around. Not much had changed. The tables were all in

the same place, except that one held a colorful bouquet of assorted flowers. His eyes lingered

there for a few moments and then turned toward the woman in the bed.

She was sitting up at what looked to be close to seventy or eighty degree angle, her face was

flushed with color, and her eyes were wide opened. She was beautiful—so much more than

when she was asleep.

He stood unmoving while she eyed him with caution. It seemed to take her a while to process

his appearance. He hadn't dressed up; jeans and a long-sleeved polo shirt were all he wore.

Nor had he done anything overly special with his hair. He wanted her to see him exactly as he

had been—minus the long sleeves—when she had her accident.

Finally her eyes drifted up and locked with his. Her eyebrows were drawn together just

slightly, as though she was concentrating really hard. He wondered what thoughts were

running through her mind at that moment.

After what felt like an interminable silence, she spoke. "Hi." Her lips quirked up into the

tiniest smile but it felt like a megawatt grin to him.

"Hey, Beautiful. How are you?"

Chapter 24

Bella's eyes grew wide and her forehead wrinkled a bit. And what Edward had said finally

registered in his brain. If it were possible to suck the words back into his mouth he would

have. He also would have like to knock his head against a wall. Idiot. What were you

thinking?

"I'm sorry, that was too much. I shouldn't have… I'm a little nervous." He blew out a breath

and raked his fingers through his hair.

The little quirk of a smile on Bella's lips grew a bit larger. "I thought I'd know what to say

when I saw you," she said. Her words were slow and a little halting, but her voice was

definitely clearer. It was a mellow sound that wrapped around his heart and squeezed in that

painfully good way.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, still standing in the same spot. "I see they took the feeding

tube out, yeah? That must be nice."

She paused and looked down at her hands which rested on her much larger belly. He zoned in

on her stomach and was amazed at how much her figure had changed since he last saw her.

When she looked at him again, she wore a thoughtful expression.

"I forget sometimes that you know more about what I've been through than I do. It's weird."

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

She looked surprised. "Sorry, I completely forgot. Yeah. Go ahead and have a seat."

He pulled the more comfortable of the two chairs over to the side of the bed, just like he'd

done dozens of times before, and sat down. "Emmett says you're getting stronger."

"Yeah…" She looked over his head and out the window. He was watching her intently and

saw the moment a scowl crossed her face. "I can't do this," she said out of nowhere.

The declaration seared through Edward and turned his insides to ash. She really was giving

him the brush off. "Do you want me to go?" he asked, the words tasting like poison in his

mouth.

"What?"

"Did you want me to leave?"

"Why would I want you to do that?"

Now she sounded angry. Was she mad at him? He was so confused, and it appeared Bella was

too. "Because you just said you couldn't do this, so I thought maybe you still hate my guts and

want me gone."

"Ugh. Stupid brain," she said and rubbed her eyes. "I just meant, I can't sit here and chit chat

about how I'm doing when there's this whole other… thing that we need to talk about."

He sighed and relaxed back into the chair. "You're right. I've just been…" he wanted to tell

her how worried he'd been for her and how happy he is that she's finally awake. He wanted to

tell her how special she was to him, but it was much too soon for all of that.

"Tell me what happened. From the accident." She reached for a triangle bar and pulled herself

up, adjusting her position in the bed. The grimace that pulled her mouth down sent Edward

into caretaker mode.

"Do you need help?" He stood and reached out his hands to offer whatever assistance he

could, but she abruptly waved him off.

"I got it," she said and added a few more colorful words as she finally settled into the new

position. "I'm not really comfortable with the idea of you touching me. Alice told me about

everything you did while I was out."

He nodded. It was perfectly understandable. He would probably be weirded out knowing that

a total stranger—not affiliated with the sanctioned medical facility he was in—had been

kissing his cheeks and holding his hand.

"Sorry. I think I'm going to be saying that a lot."

His heart beat a little faster when he heard the few huffs of laughter. "So, the beginning."

She nodded. There was caution mixed with curiosity, but he hadn't seen too much anger. He'd

have to be totally honest and hope for the best.

As he started the story for the fourth time, he thought about writing it down and turning it into

a book. It was crazy enough it just might sell. But he'd never do that—expose such a

traumatic event—to public scrutiny.

"Well, I had just come from the jeweler's; I'd bought an engagement ring for my then

girlfriend. I was standing on the corner when I saw a big SUV slam into your little car. It spun

you around and dented in your door pretty bad. Then the driver just backed up and sped away

before I could read the plates.

"I called 9-1-1 and ran to your car. The glass had been shattered and was all over your face.

You were collapsed over the steering wheel; for whatever reason the air bag hadn't gone off,

so you had a big bump and gash on your forehead."

She reached up to where the scar was and then continued to rub her hand into the short patch

of hair that had been shaved. It was about two or three inches long.

"Everyone keeps telling me that I asked you to stay."

He nodded and continued the story. "I checked your pulse to make sure you were alive, and

you opened one eye. I asked your name and if there was anyone I could call for you, but you

said there was no one. The ambulance was almost there but you were fading into

unconsciousness. Just before your eyes closed you said, 'Please, don't leave me.' You sounded

so desperate and I don't know… It was like when people talk about the world shifting on its

axis and discovering true purpose and meaning and all that other stuff that sounds ridiculous,

but that's what I felt in that moment."

He shrugged and looked directly into her eyes. "So, I blew off proposing to my girlfriend of

four years to stay with you. Because I promised I wouldn't leave you." He wanted to reach out

and curl his hand around hers. The warmth and hum of their physical connection was

something he sorely missed, but he wouldn't overstep his bounds now.

Quiet lingered in the room while Bella worked to comprehend the little bit of the story he'd

just told her. He could see her struggle to make sense of it all. "You do realize how crazy that

sounds, right?"

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I know. And it's impossible to really explain,

but it is what it is."

She yawned and he could see her eyes starting to droop. "I should let you get some sleep," he

said.

Clumsily, she reached for the bed controls and tried to lower the back, but kept hitting the

wrong button. "Dammit," she yelled, pounding her fist weakly onto the mattress.

Edward stood and moved closer to the bed. "May I?" he asked. She nodded once and

relinquished the controls to him. He lowered the bed to her usual sleeping incline and made

sure the clicker was close enough to where she could reach it if she needed to.

He knew she wouldn't be awake much longer and he wanted to make sure it was okay for him

to return. "Do you, uh, want me to come back?"

"Yes. You still need to finish the story," she mumbled, her eyes almost completely closed.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Same time?"

"Yeah." It came out as a whisper.

"Sleep, Bella. I'll be back tomorrow."

He moved the chair back into the corner and made sure that she was covered with the blanket.

He'd almost reached the door when he heard her voice. "Hey, Edward?"

"Yes," his bit his tongue against the "love" that wanted to follow his first word.

"Thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome." He turned to leave but was stopped again by her next words.

"Tell my traitor dog I said 'hello.'"

He chuckled and said, "Will do. He's a good, dog. I'll bring pictures next time."

"M'kay," she said and closed her eyes completely.

He walked out of the hospital feeling like he was ten feet tall.

. . .

October 4th

"Oh my gosh, he's so big," Bella said as she looked at the pictures of Jake. "He was just a

puppy before the… you know."

Edward held up his phone and scrolled through several pictures of Jake while Bella sighed

wistfully.

"When did you go to my place? How was he when you found him?"

"It was the day after the accident. He was hungry, and uh, he'd had an accident in the kitchen

by the back door. But I got that cleaned up. Once he'd eaten, I didn't know what to do with

him, so I brought him home with me."

He put the phone away and couldn't help but smile at the pout she wore. "And that's all she

wrote, huh?"

"Nah, he'll love you back."

"I don't know. From what Emmett said, he's pretty attached to you."

He shrugged. Maybe you should take us as a package deal? The words were on the tip of his

tongue, but he just smiled and moved on to a new topic. Discussing how he'd snooped all over

her house was not something he wanted to discuss during this second meeting.

"Where did we leave off?"

She looked at him blankly. "Brain injury," she said and pointed to the shaved spot on her

head. "Don't expect me to remember things like that." She concentrated really hard about

something then finally huffed and used her index finger to push up one eyebrow. Soon, they

were both laughing.

"Okay, I'll keep track of where we are then," he said with a smile and continued from where

he'd left off the day before.

. . .

October 7th

"Wait, so you mean you gave me foot rubs?" She was irritated today.

"I was trying to act like your fiancé. I had no idea what I was doing. The nurse suggested it,

so I did it." He was a little frustrated too. He'd tried to explain why he had touched her, but

until she physically felt what he did she would never understand. And then a horrifying

thought crept its way into his mind. What if she never feels what you feel?

"What else did you do? Kiss me?"

The blood drained from his face and he swallowed hard, thinking about all the times he'd

dropped kisses on her forehead or cheek.

"You did," she said and narrowed her were on fire with menace. "What gave you the right to

do that? Jeez, Edward. I don't even… How do you expect me to deal with that? Did you kiss

me on the lips? I swear, if you did I will haul my crippled noodle legs out of this bed and kick

you in the nads."

"I never kissed you on the lips. Never, I swear. I was so afraid they'd figure out I was full of

crap and kick me out. They still had no other contact information for you, no next of kin," he

said breathing hard, "I was all you had."

His voice trailed off into nothing and he sat back in the chair feeling sullen. Not just because

they'd been having the same discussion for the last hour but because he was still beating

himself up for having done things so wrong in the beginning. If he'd done the right thing, this

discussion would be going much differently. Or this discussion wouldn't even be happening

and you'd be saddled with Tanya, the evil voice in his head chided.

She looked stricken by his last comment and he watched the fight leech out of her. Since she

couldn't easily roll over, she turned her head away from him and closed her eyes. His arms

ached with the effort it took to not reach out and rub her shoulders or stroke softly along her

arm. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, effectively dismissing him.

. . .

October 8th

"I'm sorry about yesterday. Jane was a total beast and it just kind of ruined my day."

"Apology accepted."

"You're still not forgiven for kissing me. That was just… I don't know."

She looked tired, but not as pissed as yesterday. Her hand reached up and tugged at the short

patch of hair. He wasn't sure if she realized she was doing it, or if she was annoyed that it was

uneven with the rest of her hair.

"It'll grow back."

"What?"

"Your hair," he said. "You keep pulling at it like you can make it grow faster."

"Hm, I didn't realize..." Her hand dropped down and she closed her eyes. "I'll probably get it

cut when I get out of here. Just so that it's even all the way around."

Edward frowned. He loved her long hair, but again, it wasn't his place to say anything about

it. Instead he just said, "Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Bull. Are you one of those Neanderthal guys who forbid their woman from cutting her hair?"

"No," he said indignantly. Yes, liar.

She smirked at him. "So did you really pass out when the doctor told you I was pregnant?"

"You're still on about that?" he asked, mirth lighting up his eyes. "That part of the story was

like three days ago."

"Hey, at least I remembered that."

"Yeah, you did."

Chapter 25

It had been a week since Edward had resumed regular visits with Bella. He didn't stay all day

long, usually just a couple hours. He'd tell her more of "their" story and she'd ask questions

about details she'd forgotten. Sometimes they'd talk about his work or about what she used to

do at the publishing firm. They found some common ground in their mutual love of literature.

He'd grown to love every part of their interactions—even when she was frustrated and cranky.

So he looked forward to accompanying her to her PT appointment. He wanted to be there for

her in every way possible.

When he arrived at Bella's room, Dida was on her way out and wearing an expression of

complete vexation. "Good luck, today. You're gonna need it. She's on one heck of a tear."

A string of curse words issued from Bella's room causing a smile to twitch on Edward's lips.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Dida gave him a long, appraising look and nodded her head. "You really are good for her. I'm

glad you're back, but don't you dare think of pulling any stunts."

"No ma'am. I'm a boy scout from here on."

"You probably were, too."

"Maybe," he said with a sly smile and entered Bella's room. She had one arm reached around

her shoulder and the other hand pushing the first further back. He watched her twist and

struggle for a few moments before he spoke. "Do you need a hand?"

"No," she snapped. "I can do it. I… just… need… there. Got it." She slumped back into the

bed and closed her eyes.

His fingers itched to hold her hand and soothe her. He walked a bit further in and noticed

something peeking out from her clothes. "What are you wearing underneath your gown?"

She gave him a baleful look and rolled her eyes. "A circus tent. Why? What are you wearing?

No, wait. Let me guess." She tapped her finger on her chin and asked, "Can you face the

door?"

"What? No," he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "If you want to look at my butt, you're

just going to have to ask. None of this tricky stuff." He crossed his arms and widened his

stance.

"You're no fun." She humpf'd and one of the shoulders of her gown slipped, revealing more of

what she had on underneath.

"Nope, I'm a total square. So seriously, is that a bathing suit?"

"Yes. They're starting me on some kind of h... hy…" She cursed when she couldn't get the

right words out, but Edward had already learned not to complete her sentences for her. That

only pissed her off more. "Pool therapy. Alec said that I have enough strength in my legs to

start on a treadmill in the water. So, yippee I get to wear this stupid potato sack in front of

everyone."

Moments later, a transport aide came into the room with a wheelchair, a cheerful smile, and a

set of extremely beefy arms. "Hey little mama, you ready to roll?"

"Can it, Paul. This is Edward. He's my… He's just, Edward."

Edward suppressed a smile. He thought it was kind of funny that she had no idea what to call

him. Though to be honest, he didn't know what to call himself, so it wasn't like he could be

helpful in labeling who or what he was to her. Yet another discussion they'd need to have

sooner or later.

"Hey, man. How's it going?" Paul extended his hand.

"Good. Nice to meet you."

Paul assisted Bella in transferring to the wheel chair and the three of them headed off toward

the hydrotherapy room. When they arrived, Alec was waiting for them.

"Edward," he said, a look of surprise on his face. "Nice to see you." He threw a questioning

look toward Bella who just shrugged in response.

Alec directed Paul to station Bella near the entrance to the therapy pool. Bella struggled, but

finally managed to unsnap her gown and pull it from her body. She wore a colorful suit that

tied behind her neck and hugged her stomach perfectly. Edward lost himself while admiring

her gravid belly until Paul bumped his shoulder on his way out. "Snap out of it, man," he

whispered.

When Edward looked up Bella was staring at him with a strange expression on her face. She

seemed to be analyzing him, but for what, he couldn't even begin to guess. Alec took off his

shirt and scrub pants to reveal a skimpy pair of euro-swim briefs. Edward wanted to dive

across the small therapy pool and rip the jerk's head off. He could feel his breathing and heart

rate pick up. The urge to lay claim to his woman was overpowering. His hands clenched into

fists at his sides, so he shoved them in his pockets. It wouldn't do for him to kill her physical

therapist.

For the next hour he watched her walk on the underwater treadmill, bob up and down with

weights on her legs, and a dozen other exercises that Alec had her do. At every turn Edward

offered her encouragement. During the more strenuous exercises she'd curse at him and tell

him to shut up, but other times she seemed to glow under his praise.

Once the session was over and Bella was sitting in the wheelchair, Alec leaned up against one

of the vinyl-covered therapy tables, a towel slung around his shoulders, and went over her

progress.

"Do you really think I'm going to be here until the baby comes?" She wasn't quite whining,

but it was clear she was sick and tired of being cooped up in the hospital.

"You're making good progress, but you need to be ambulatory, at least with a walker before

we can let you go. It's harder with you since your center of gravity has shifted due to the baby

as well as the extra weight you've gained over the pregnancy. That's why we're going to keep

working in the therapy pool. The water will relieve some of that stress, allow you to work

your muscles, and build strength and confidence. With hard work, you could be walking on

your own in a couple of weeks."

She grumbled her thanks and waved goodbye while Paul pushed her out of the therapy suite.

Her pleading eyes turned up to Edward. "Can you break me out of here? Please?"

"Ha. You're lookin' at the wrong guy, Beautiful. I want you to get well and if that means being

stuck in the joint for a few more weeks, then so be it."

Kebi was waiting to help Bella change into dry clothes and settle back into bed. Edward didn't

want to invade her privacy so he left to get some lunch. When he returned, Bella scowled

while pushing hospital food around on a tray.

"That looks… delicious," he said with mock sincerity.

"It's vile. Jeez, what I wouldn't give for some—"

"Taco bell?" Edward lifted up the take out bag in his hand and shook it.

"Shut up. Are you kidding me? How did you know?"

Edward grinned and unpacked the bag of fast food. He smiled as Bella's eyes grew wide. She

licked her lips and snatched one of the wrapped items. "Don't you even want to know what I

brought?"

She tore into the paper and shoved a bite into her mouth. "Don't care," she mumbled around

the mouthful of food. She groaned her approval and smiled the whole time it took to chew the

bite. After swallowing the last of what looked to be a chicken soft taco, she asked again,

"How did you know?"

"You might have mentioned it just before you woke up." He went on to tell her about how

she'd mumbled about Taco Bell and no more sprouts. "Why did you have sprouts and all that

organic health food in your house? Do you usually ah, adhere to such a strict diet? Or was it

because of the baby?"

She'd just taken a bite of a Burrito Supreme, but stopped mid chew and glanced at Edward.

Her eyes closed and she set the food down on the table. Slowly, almost methodically, she

finished chewing and swallowed. "All of that food belonged to Tyler."

"Oh." Edward's next thought twisted his gut. "Did he, uh, live there? With you?"

"No. But he was there often enough that we ate together frequently." She looked out the

window, avoiding his gaze.

Why was this so awkward? He knew she'd been with someone else before him. That fact was

glaringly obvious, growing and squirming in Bella's stomach. But hearing that they'd spent

significant time together—that he'd been such a part of her life that she bought special food

for him—made Edward feel irrationally angry.

He was about to ask what had happened between her and Tyler, but a knock at the door

interrupted his plan. Dr. Mercer rolled her cart into the room and stopped short at the sight of

Edward. Much like Alec had done, she glanced at Bella making sure she wanted him to stay.

"How are you feeling? Is baby moving around?"

"I feel like a walrus, and yes, the baby is moving all the time."

Once the doctor had set up the ultrasound machine she looked between Bella and Edward then

down at Bella's stomach and back up to Edward. As the doctor widened her eyes in a silent

question, Edward finally got it.

"Um, do you want me to look away, or something?"

Bella turned her head toward Edward. All of a sudden his shoe laces were the most interesting

thing in the room.

"Why? You've already seen everything, haven't you?" she said with a huff.

He could feel the tips of his ears get hot. "Uh, not everything." He glanced at Bella who'd also

turned a lovely shade of pink. "But I have seen your belly, on a number of occasions."

"Well, what's one more time?" she asked then said to the doctor, "It's fine. Let's just get it

done."

He tried to avoid looking at her stomach, but it was impossible and not because it had swollen

to the size of a basketball. He couldn't tear his gaze away because it was undulating. His eyes

widened as he watched the ripple of movement travel across her belly.

"Oh my gosh, it's like Alien," she whispered, her eyes also firmly locked on her stomach.

"Come here. Give me your hand," she demanded.

Edward obediently held out his hand which she immediately pressed to the side of her belly.

He closed his eyes and felt the familiar rush of feelings. As soon as she made contact with

him, his world seemed to shift back into proper focus. He felt the baby move a few more

times and then quiet.

When he made to pull his hand away, he found that hers were clamped over it in such a way,

that he couldn't. He took in her shocked expression and smiled, rubbing his thumb lightly in a

circle on her skin. The spell was broken when Dr. Mercer cleared her throat.

Edward winked once at Bella who still looked thunderstruck. He moved his hand from her

belly so the doctor had room to work, but Bella never loosened her grasp. He hoped she never

would.

Seeming to understand the gravity of the exchange, the doctor went about measuring and

examining, murmuring only the bare necessities as to the baby's condition. When the exam

was complete, the doctor handed Edward a black and white picture. He thanked her and

moments later he and Bella were alone again.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I wish that I could've seen him when he was younger. I feel

like I've missed out on so much and the kid's not even born yet." A lone tear dripped from the

corner of her eye and disappeared into the cotton of the pillowcase. "Can you put that picture

in the drawer with the others?"

"Sure." He stood up but she still hadn't let go of him. "I'm gonna need my hand back."

"What is it?"

"What?" he asked, purposefully obtuse.

"This… thing." She motioned to their still-clasped hands and then between them.

He sat on the edge of her bed and turned their grip so that he was cradling her hand to his

chest. "I have no clue, but this," he paused and looked significantly at their hands, "is why I

stayed."

"But you don't even know me. Why turn your life upside down for someone you've never met

before?"

He shrugged, but smiled. "I felt like I owed it to the both of us to find out what this

connection meant. And I want to know you."

When he kissed the back of her knuckles, her eyes flew open and the intense energy that

hummed between them became almost painful. She broke their grip and folded her arms,

tucking her fingers safely away.

"Too much," she whispered, turning away from him. "I think I need to rest."

He nodded and asked if she needed any help getting settled. She shook her head and slowly

rolled onto her side, propping a pillow between her legs. When her eyes closed, he moved

over to the side table drawer. Instead of putting the most recent picture with the other two that

were there, he pocketed them all and closed the drawer softly.

It was hard to tell if she was really asleep or if she was faking it, so he decided to forego one

last caress to her cheek. If she was faking it, he didn't want to invade the personal boundaries

she'd re-established when she pulled away from him.

As he strode through the lobby, he ran into Charlie and Renee. None of them spoke, though

they all acknowledged the meeting: Edward with a perfunctory nod, Charlie with narrowed

eyes and a twitch of his mustache, and Renee with an impossible-to-suppress smile and wave.

He walked on, trying to ignore the suspicion that rolled off of Bella's father. Instead, he

thought about the project he'd be working on that night. He hoped that Bella would like it.

Chapter 26

Edward fiddled with the handle of the brown, paper, grocery bag as he walked toward Bella's

room. She'd probably either love it or hate it, but with how unpredictable her moods were, he

had no idea which way the balance would tip.

The door was wide open so he quietly walked into the room. If she was napping he didn't

want to wake her up. When he peeked around the corner, he found Bella sitting in her bed, her

knees bolstered up, and an opened book perched on her belly. Her eyebrows were drawn

together in deep concentration and her finger was twining around a lock of hair that had fallen

out of her ponytail.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked and set the bag on the floor next to his usual chair.

"Holy crap!" she screamed and started, causing the book to tumble off her stomach.

He stooped and caught the book just as it tipped off the edge of the bed. It was pretty large as

far as books go. Not as big as a textbook but larger than the average paperback.

"Give it back," she said reaching for the volume, her face suffused with an angry blush.

Feeling in a bit of a teasing mood, he stepped away from the bed and held the book behind his

back. "Why? Are you embarrassed?"

"No," came the quick retort.

He glanced over the cover—it was one of those pictures of a woman in an old-fashioned ball

gown and even though you can't see her face, she's in some kind of breathless, desperate

pose—a smirk pulling at his lips, and flipped it over and read the back of the jacket. His

eyebrows rose slightly at the brief synopsis of the story. "The Lady Has a Secret? Really,

Bella?"

"Shut up. I like that author. It's a great es… esc… grrr," she did a funny growl-sigh and took a

deep breath. "It's a great distraction."

"Hmmm. Would you like a different sort of distraction?"

"Like what?"

He set the novel down and retrieved the bag. When he handed it to her, her eyes narrowed and

her lips pursed together.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see."

She fingered the folded paper handle and raised her eyebrow shooting him a dubious look.

"This is very eco-friendly wrapping," she teased.

"Gimme a break, the Hallmark store was closed." He returned the good-natured jab with a

wink.

She opened the bag and tore the sheets of tissue paper wrapping away. Her brow furrowed

when she pulled out a light blue, leather binder. She opened the cover and a soft gasp escaped

her lips. Her finger traveled down the page skimming over the slanting, masculine

handwriting, and stopped at the black and white photo. It was the first one they'd printed when

she'd been brought into the hospital.

With a frenzied determination, she flipped through all of the remaining pages in the memory

book. Her face was down and she'd grown extremely quiet, so he had no way of gauging her

reaction. When she came to the last page he heard a sniffle.

"These are the ones from yesterday."

"Yeah, I… I kind of took them with me, so I could put them in with the others. What do you

think?"

He'd come up with the idea for a memory book from one of the baby websites he'd scoured

when he first found out she was pregnant. His mother had made him an elaborate baby book;

she and Tanya would always pore over it, cooing and gooing at his naked butt pictures. He

figured that Bella would not want to miss all of her pregnancy milestones. He might have

been a guy, but he wasn't totally clueless (thanks to his buddy who'd just had a baby); he

knew that stuff was important to women.

She closed the cover and kept her hand resting on top. He passed her a tissue and waited for

her to blow her nose. But even after she'd crumpled the tissue into her hand she remained

silent. As the quiet dragged on, Edward's nerves frayed a little bit more each minute.

When Bella finally looked up at him, her eyes were red-rimmed and her mouth was quivering,

but she didn't look happy.

His heart sunk at the realization. "It's too much, isn't it? I'm sorry I shouldn't have presumed—

"

"I need some time," she interrupted. "Can you just… I don't…"

He took her hand in his without thinking. It was calming and reassuring for him, but her sharp

intake of breath and trembling fingers told him it did just the opposite for her. He squeezed

once and set her hand back on the bed.

"Sorry. I'm sorry if this upset you. Do you want me to get rid of it?"

"No!" She looked at him with a horrified expression.

He was so confused.

"Give me a day or two, please? I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay." He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to delay. He didn't want to leave but

there wasn't much left to say.

. . .

The next day, Edward was grading assignments and wallowing with cold pizza and flat root

beer. Bella hadn't called the night before, nor had she called that morning. He thought she'd

like the book, especially after the comment she'd made during the ultrasound.

He groaned when he heard the signature knock on the door. He really wasn't interested in his

mother's company at the moment, but couldn't think of a plausible way to escape.

"Hi, mom," he said with forced enthusiasm.

"Hello, dear. I was in the neighborhood and wondered if you wanted to grab some din…" her

voice trailed off as she stepped into the apartment and noticed the plate of pizza on the table.

"Well it appears I'm too late." She turned to Edward with a smile which faltered when she

took in the bags under his eyes and the drooping sag of his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm just grading papers right now."

"Something's wrong. What's happened?"

"Nothing really."

Esme settled into the corner of the couch and patted the arm of his recliner.

He trudged over to his table and returned to the chair clutching the two liter bottle of soda.

Esme's attention, though, was focused on the mess strewn across the top of the coffee table.

Edward cursed himself for not cleaning things up after he'd finished Bella's book the two

nights previous.

"Sweetheart, since when do you scrapbook?" She fingered some of the remaining bits of

paper until she found one of the duplicate ultrasound pictures. "Oh, dear. You made a book

for Bella?"

"Yeah. She… uh, kind of freaked out. Well, not really freaked out, but she told me to give her

some space, so… yeah."

Esme was quiet for a long moment, stacking piles of larger bits of colored paper and

arranging the other supplies into a neat row.

"Honey, I know this might be difficult to hear, but I want you to listen to me, okay?"

He rolled his eyes, just a little, and nodded.

"I can't begin to imagine what that poor woman has been through. She's had her whole life

flipped upside down to find that a stranger has been an active role in her personal affairs for

months without her knowledge. And that's not taking into account the feelings of fragility and

uncertainty that come with a healthy pregnancy, let alone one under these circumstances." She

paused and looked at him.

He was scowling. Not on purpose, but he could feel it. He just couldn't stop it. He'd crossed

his arms over his chest so that his mother couldn't pat his hand like she usually did when she

was chewing him out in her irreproachable way.

"Did it ever occur to you that she might view this," she motioned to the coffee table, "as yet

another invasion into her private life? Into a process so intimate and special that she might not

feel comfortable sharing it with anybody?"

He huffed out a frustrated breath and stood up to pace the length of the room. "See, that's just

it, mom. She did share this with me. The other day she let me stay during her ultrasound, and

she said how she wished she hadn't missed so much of the pregnancy, and stupid me, I

thought, 'Awesome! I've got that all taken care of.' So I bring her the book yesterday and she

acts like I was nuts to give it to her, but then I ask if she wants me to get rid of it and she

looks at me, again, like I'm nuts and won't let go of it." He flopped back into his chair and

moaned. "I don't understand her."

Esme covered her mouth, but Edward could see the laughter in her eyes, which only

aggravated him more. "Don't laugh at me."

"I'm trying not to, but sweetheart? You will probably never understand her."

"Great. Thanks for the encouraging words."

"Oh, I'm not trying to get you down, but I'm willing to bet that if you asked your father if he

understood me, the answer would be 'no' ninety-five percent of the time." This time she did

manage to get a hold of his hand and patted it. "Women are fickle creatures, but pregnant

women even more so. Give her time. I have a feeling once she's had a chance to process her

emotions, she'll give you a call."

. . .

At seven o'clock the next morning, Edward was awoken by his phone chiming with an

incoming text message. He snatched the phone from his nightstand, and read the text with

still-bleary eyes.

My doctr says I should txt to prxtice my dexteiyt and had eye coooodination.

He smiled at the several typos in her text, but was happy to be getting anything from her at

this point.

Looks like you still have some work to do. How are you?

He closed his eyes, resting one arm across his face, and waited for Bella's response.

How sooon canyou get here?

His thumbs fumbled as he tapped faster than he was able to.

20 minutes

He was up and out of bed in a flash, dragging on a pair of jeans and hurrying into his

bathroom. Bella's answering text came while he was brushing his teeth. He'd only just

finished the tops and read it with the toothbrush dangling from his lips.

I'll see u soon.

His bottom teeth were a little more neglected in his hurry to finish dressing. He was about to

run out the door, but nearly tripped over Jake, who was waiting patiently by the welcome mat.

Edward cursed under his breath and grabbed the leash. A few minutes later and one very

ticked off Jake was unceremoniously hustled into the apartment and Edward was running to

his car.

He was out of breath as he jogged to Bella's room. His heart felt like it was trying to break

through his ribcage. He couldn't go crashing into her room like some desperate freak, so he

took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, willing himself to play it cool. This time, her

door was closed, so he knocked gently and waited.

"Come in."

He walked in and gave Bella a hesitant smile when he turned the corner. Her breakfast tray

hadn't come yet so she had the scrapbook lying on the table. There was an air of caution all

around her. She eyed him with a reserved interest; she still seemed to be trying to figure out

what his angle was.

"At first I didn't know what to think about this," she pointed to the book. "I was surprised and

amazed, but then I felt weird, and I didn't understand why."

He simply nodded and waited for her to continue.

"And then I thought it was kind of creepy and I got really scared that you had taken such an

interest in my baby. It was really frightening and it just brought up all of the helpless feelings

I had when I first woke up, you know?"

He didn't know, but he tried to put himself in her shoes, and he could see how she might take

things that way, so he nodded.

"Why, Edward? Why did you do this?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I did it for you, because I care about you. Hell,

because I've cared about you from the very first moment. I just didn't want you to miss out on

something so important."

"Really?" Her eyes filled with tears and her hands were trembling.

"Yeah, really."

"And all the stuff you wrote in there… I just can't wrap my head…"

In addition to the pictures, he'd included excerpts from websites that highlighted how the baby

was growing and how big it was. He'd also used the pages as a kind of journal. He'd written

about how Bella had been doing. He wrote about how he felt when he found out the baby was

a boy, when he first felt the baby kick, and when Bella had first woken up.

"I thought about what you said during the ultrasound and I figured you'd be happy to have

something like that," he said and pointed at the scrapbook. "I didn't want to upset you."

"Come here," she said and motioned to the side of her bed. She scooted over so that he had

enough space to sit down. "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank

you."

She looked straight into his eyes and smiled as one tear drop spilled over her lashes and down

her face. He was frozen still when she leaned forward and placed one hand on his cheek and

her lips on the other. It was only a second before his paralysis was broken and instinct took

over. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and reveled in the warmth of her embrace,

his own lips brushing against the fullness of her cheek and eliciting a gasp.

Without letting go she whispered, "I remember that."

Chapter 27

"What do you remember?" Edward whispered, his arms still wrapped snugly around Bella.

"That. I remember that feeling."

"What feeling? When?" He nuzzled her ear and grinned, filled with a sense of rightness he'd

been missing for too long.

"Edward," she whined, "don't make me say it."

"You remember me doing this?" he asked and pressed his lips to her cheek again.

"Yeah," she breathed.

He couldn't help the smile that stretched across his lips as they remained firmly locked to the

side of her face. When he pulled back, he let his hands drift down to the bed to capture hers.

"How do you feel about that?"

"I think I kind of . . . like it. I've never had this kind of thing with a guy before. It's intense."

The moment was interrupted by a hospital staffer dropping off Bella's breakfast tray. She

dumped a box of raisins into the oatmeal and stirred it around. Her fingers fumbled as she

concentrated on peeling open the little foil covered tub of jelly for her toast. He smiled when

she bit back a curse word.

"During the process of waking up, some of the things you said were, uh, pretty colorful.

Shelly said she'd never heard you curse before." He glanced over at Bella, who was regarding

him warily, and moved to stand facing the window. "I just wondered if the potty mouth was a

recent development or an old habit that didn't want to die."

Cold, fall rain pelted the windows adding a quiet, natural music to the suddenly uneasy

atmosphere of the room. He knew he had ventured into difficult territory, but his curiosity had

been percolating for nearly six months. He hoped that she would be willing to share some of

her past with him.

She scraped the last bit of oatmeal from the bowl and licked the spoon clean, her expression

one of thoughtfulness. "That would be a bad habit. I'm sure you've heard about what a

horrendous, awful daughter I was, right?" She slumped back in the bed and folded her arms

across her chest; her body language screamed "defensive."

He leaned against the sill of the window and turned his head to watch the raindrops chase

each other down the glass. "Honestly, the only person who's told me anything is Jasper. And

from what I understand his is mostly second hand information."

She was skeptical, that much was clear in her expression, but she also looked sad as she

thought about her past.

"I haven't really formed any concrete opinions based on what he told me, if that's what you're

worried about."

"How could you not? I'm sure he painted quite the picture." Her voice grew wobbly and she

brushed the back of her hand at a tear that dared to fall.

He sat down and reached out his hand, palm up, inviting her to take it. When she did, he could

feel her trembling. "I'm interested in getting to know who you are now. Yes, I'm curious about

the falling out with your family because it shaped who you are today, but if you're not ready

to talk about it, that's fine."

She huffed and tried to get control of her emotions. Every now and then she'd look at him

with that "Are you for real" kind of expression that she used on him—frequently—then cast

her eyes back down to her lap.

"You know, I don't think I ever properly apologized for getting your family involved."

She began shaking her head immediately then looked confused. "I thought the hospital called

them."

He smiled and shook his head gently. They'd already discussed this, of course, during the

week that he'd told her everything that had gone on while she was out, but like many details,

she'd forgotten this one. "No, remember I had your phone and Alice's texts and messages

about your mom, and I called her pretending to be someone from the hospital."

"That's right. You know, that was a really underhanded thing to do."

He shrugged. They'd already gone round and round about that.

"Anyhow, you shouldn't apologize for that. It was the right thing to do." She lifted her gaze to

the window and chewed on her bottom lip as she thought.

"How are things going on that front? I passed your folks the other night on the way out."

She gave him a wry smile. "Did my dad give you the stink-eye?"

"Pretty much," he said with a chuckle and then waited for her to talk.

"Things with my family are . . . better. Not great, but we've been able to talk about a lot of

things and have come to an understanding."

He smiled and nodded. It was all still too vague for him to really comprehend what ground

had been gained with her family. "Why haven't they been around more?"

She squirmed a little and refused to meet his eye but finally said, "I didn't want you to have to

run into them; it would've been too much drama. I told them they could visit me in the

evenings and you've been coming in the mornings so it was never an issue."

"What about Emmett and Rosalie? Have they been coming too?"

"Yeah, they've actually been really great. Did you know Rose is pregnant?"

"No. I haven't seen her in a while and Emmett never mentioned anything the couple of times

we've met. I'll bet they're pretty happy."

She rubbed circles around her own belly and smiled. "Yeah, I guess they've been trying for a

while. She's due a few months after me—February something, I think."

"How much longer will they stay in your house?"

"Probably for a few months after this little guy is born." She placed both hands on her

stomach and wobbled it around.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"No, it's kind of cool to be able to feel him and move him around. Sometimes he kicks back."

"Is he kicking now?" Edward's gaze was locked onto her belly. He had an overwhelming

desire to put his hands on her protruding stomach.

"Hmm, not really." She gave him a sideways glance. "Do you want to feel?"

He tried not to look overeager, but when she began to laugh at him, it was pretty clear he'd

failed in his attempts.

"Come here. Give me your hands." She placed one on the side of her belly and the other she

placed at the top. For a brief moment, the more lascivious part of his brain fully recognized

the fact that his hand was less than an inch away from her breast. His fingers itched to spread

out and brush the sloped under-curve that would surely feel like heaven, but he stuffed the

sensation down and locked it away. Totally not okay to think about feeling her up.

As if she sensed his conflict, she covered his hand on the top part of her stomach and pressed

down hard. "Do you feel that? I'm pretty sure that's his butt. And this over here," she pressed

on his other hand, "I think is a shoulder or an elbow or something. But if you feel along the

side you can tell that's his back." He allowed her to move his hand up and over her stomach,

enjoying how freely she was letting him touch her.

He swallowed thickly feeling the familiar hum and then there it was—a sharp jab under his

hand. His eyes flew to hers and a wide grin spread across her face. "Have you picked a name

out?"

"Not yet."

"And Tyler's completely out of the picture?"

"He's already signed away his rights. As soon as the baby's born, they'll do a paternity test and

confirm that Tyler is the sperm donor," she spat the words out with vehemence, "then the

paperwork will be finalized and I'll officially be a single mom."

The little kicks subsided and Edward pulled his hands away. He wanted her to know that he

would be there for her and for the baby, but he didn't know how to let her know without

further freaking her out. Time. He needed to be patient. Instead of spilling his guts, he reached

his hand out and cupped her cheek, brushing a tear away with his thumb. He hoped that his

commitment to her was reflected in his eyes. He needed her to know that she could count on

him.

But maybe it wasn't in her nature to trust others, especially when one considered her past

history. Perhaps if he knew more about who she was as a girl, he'd be able to find a way to

gain her trust.

"So, help me understand the girl who ran away. How did she get to be so strong?" he asked.

She sniffled and covered his hand with hers. "She's not strong, not at all. In fact, she's pretty d

. . . arn scared."

He turned his palm toward hers and squeezed. "I don't know, I think she's pretty amazing to

have survived everything she has up 'til now." He paused until she'd gained control of her

tears. "Why did you leave home like you did?"

"Because I was an idiot. Plain and simple. I can freely admit that I made some really stupid

choices, but it started long before I ever became interested in boys or anything like that." She

eyed him uncertainly and tried to pull her hand away but he wouldn't let go. "Are you sure

you want to hear all this?"

He nodded once and settled into a more comfortable position on the bed.

She breathed out a long gust of air and seemed to steel herself for the conversation. "Just so

you understand this is going to be, like, years of therapy condensed into however long it takes

to get it out."

"My ears are wide opened."

"Okay. I think I was probably six or seven when I first remember my mom saying to me,

'what's the matter with you?' I'd colored Alice's entire face with magic markers even though

mom had just told me not to draw on my baby sister. It was like this compulsion to do the

opposite of what she told me.

"And things like that kept happening. I'd get scolded, and they'd ask why I couldn't behave

more like Emmett; he never got into trouble. And every time I did something that they'd told

me not to do, either mom or dad would ask, 'what is wrong with you?' After a while I began to

believe that there was something wrong with me, that I couldn't do anything right."

She took a deep breath and paused. He handed her a cup of ice water with a straw. "How do

you always know exactly what I need?"

He shrugged and felt his cheeks heat up. But what she'd shared grounded him in a harsh

reality. "That's a heavy burden for such a young kid to carry."

"Yeah, well it didn't get much better as we grew up. Alice could do no wrong. She was really

good at playing the victim when she wanted, so I caught a lot of undeserved flak. That's not to

say that things were never good between us. We also had a lot of fun times together, though

we weren't especially close since there were several years in between us.

"Anyhow, I was probably thirteen or fourteen when I discovered that my parents could do

very little to really punish me anymore. I ran away to friend's houses all the time, and then

boys started noticing me. And then I noticed how boys noticing me affected Charlie. I know

that it's wrong now, and really stupid, but I got a thrill—a high almost—from being able to

rile him up to the point of murder."

"What did you do?"

"I hung out with the creeps and criminals of the school. I'd flaunt them every time we went

out on weeknights. If they tried to rein me in, I'd disappear for the whole weekend with

whatever boyfriend I was seeing at the time. I just couldn't see that they were like that because

they cared for me. All I saw was them trying to oppress me and make me be like Emmett and

Alice. I wasn't good enough; I was broken so they were trying to make me be like my

siblings."

"I can sympathize with him a little bit. I have no idea how I'd react in that circumstance, but if

I had a daughter that I loved, I probably would've gone out of my mind and locked her in the

tallest tower."

"I'm sure I shaved years off their life expectancies."

"So how did you manage to pass school?"

"Well, I wasn't completely stupid. I knew that if I wanted to get out of Forks, I'd need to do

well in school. So even though I hung out with all the losers, I still managed to keep up with

my classes. Plus, high school, especially Forks high school wasn't that difficult academically

speaking."

"Did you have scholarships?"

"No, I passed, but hadn't really gone the extra mile in that regard. I went to the local junior

college and got my Associates Degree. Then I got a job that summer at the sporting goods

store and that's where I met Jasper and James."

He nodded but averted his eyes.

"Let me guess, Jasper filled you in on James."

There was no point in denying it. "Yeah, he did. He didn't sound like a very nice guy. Why

him?"

"See that's just it. I never knew the 'bad' James until we were already in Seattle and the

bridges had been burnt. He was only ever nice and courteous to me. In my ultra-naïve

idealism, I didn't think it was right to hold his past against him. He'd served his time and

deserved a clean slate. It just rankled me when everyone would tell me to stay away from him,

that he was no good, that he was bad for me. Because all I saw was how he validated my

feelings and supported my choices. He made me feel good about myself.

"Tell me, why would I want to stay someplace where I constantly felt bad about myself, or

where I felt like I couldn't ever do anything right?"

"You wouldn't. No one wants to feel that way."

"So, James and I made plans to move in together at the end of the summer when I transferred

to Udub. Of course Alice overheard and tattled. Even after talking with her now, I still have a

hard time believing that she didn't rat me out just to get back at me. My parents were über-

strict with her during high school, probably because of the hell I'd put them through."

He rubbed soft circles on her hand and watched her. The story was taking its toll on her; he

could see the weariness in her eyes. "That may have been part of her motivation, but do you

think, knowing what you know now, that maybe she really was concerned about you?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Hindsight being twenty/twenty and all, she had every reason

to worry. Anyhow, back to the scene of World War III. My parents completely freaked out.

Charlie threw James' lengthy rap sheet at me, which incensed me that he'd checked into his

background, my mom was crying, I was screaming, and it all went to hell in a hand basket. I

think I kicked Alice's door open and cussed her out, then I grabbed a duffle bag, filled it with

as many clothes and things as I could fit and left."

So far, most of what she said matched what Jasper had told him, though her perception put a

completely different spin on things. She was miserable and misunderstood, with parents

whose efforts to discipline her came off as tyranny. He understood clearly that this woman

would be controlled by no man. She was her own, strong, amazing self. But how could he

convince her to carve a space in her life for him? How could he show her that he didn't want

to run her life or tell her what to do?

"Knock knock!" The overly bright and cheerful voice of Jane, the evil-lady torturer, sounded

through the room as she bustled in. "You ready for PT, Bella?"

"What the heck is that?" Bella asked and pointed to the contraption Jane held in front of her.

"That, my dear," she said with a wicked gleam in her eye, "is a walker."

"What am I supposed to do with a walker? Those are for old people."

"Well, if you want to get out of here next week, you'll walk with it."

A wide smile broke across Edward's face as he listened to the stream of profanities that issued

from Bella's mouth. Apparently she wasn't happy about using a walker.

Chapter 28

Emmett, Rosalie and Edward sat around the kitchen table watching the powder room door

with guarded wariness. Renee hovered just outside of the bathroom, one hand on the handle,

poised to offer assistance as soon as it was needed. Inside, Bella could be heard bumping

around and cursing every now and then.

After what felt like an eternity, the door banged open and Bella stepped out, leaning heavily

on the cane she'd brought from the hospital. Alec had finally given her the green light to lose

the walker the day before she was released. Renee fluttered her hands around Bella peppering

her with questions.

"Do you need help, honey?" Renee asked. "I can have Emmett give you a hand..."

"I got it," Bella retorted, her tone laced with frustration and fatigue. "I just need to get to the

chair. I'm hungry."

Edward jumped up and pulled his chair out a little further so Bella could slip into it easily.

"What sounds good? I can make you a sandwich or something." He'd been feeling a little lost

since they'd returned to Bella's house from the hospital. Emmett and Rosalie were as

comfortable as if they were in their own home, Renee was focused on being Bella's shadow,

and Charlie had disappeared somewhere shortly after they'd unpacked Bella's things from the

car. Now that there was an opportunity for Edward to do something he grabbed hold of it like

a drowning man grabs a life preserver.

"Are there any tortilla chips?" Bella asked Rosalie.

"Um, I think so," she replied, "in the pantry, maybe?"

Before she'd even finished her sentence, Edward was rooting through the shelves for the

desired chips. "Bingo!" he exclaimed in triumph as he walked back into the kitchen with the

bag hoisted above his head.

"What about cheese?" Bella asked.

"It's in the deli drawer," Rose called out to Edward who eagerly opened the refrigerator in

search of the cheddar.

"I want the hot sauce too. It should be in the door," Bella said before Edward could close the

fridge. "Please," she added with an amused smile.

"Are you sure that's okay, sweetheart?" Renee asked. That seemed to be the limit of Bella's

tolerance for her mother's concerned hovering.

"Mom, just… can you please not try to tell me what to do?"

Renee took a breath like she was going to say something but bit her tongue. Her mouth

opened one more time, but the scathing look Bella shot her caused her jaw to snap shut with

an audible clack of her teeth. She nodded her head and mumbled something about organizing

things in the dining room.

Emmett had put Bella's dining set into the little, one-car garage to make room for a new full-

sized bed. He'd explained that they'd use it in their guest room when they finally moved into

their own place. They'd also brought down one of Bella's night stands from her bedroom, and

had a set of plastic storage drawers in the corner for her to use as a temporary dresser. Tension

rods mounted in both the kitchen and hallway doors were draped with thick, burgundy

curtains to give the room some privacy. Edward was impressed with how they'd prepared the

space for Bella to be comfortable.

After Renee disappeared through the curtain, an tense silence lingered for just a beat before

Edward clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I'm assuming you want the nachos,

yes?" he asked Bella, an unconcerned smile spread across his lips as he tried to establish a

more comfortable atmosphere.

Bella nodded vigorously and rested her hand on the top of her Belly. "He does too, I swear.

His kicks have probably been Morse code for 'nachos.'"

"Anything for the little bossman," Edward grinned and set to work making the snack. "Did

you want anything else on these? Tomatoes or onions or anything?"

"Ugh, no. Onions give me heartburn."

Edward kept his head down and prudently remained silent, though he was thinking it funny

that onions gave her heartburn but she could put away hot sauce like it was her job.

She dove into the nachos, pulling out long strings of melted cheese and groaning with each

bite. Rather than focus on the sounds she made, Edward put all his effort into cleaning up the

mess he'd made.

"Hands off, Bucko," Bella said to Emmet followed by a slap to his encroaching fingers. "You

can make your own nachos. Edward made these special, just for me."

"Just one, please?"

Edward chuckled at Emmett's attempt to win Bella over with puppy dog eyes.

"Uh-un. Pregnant ladies don't have to share their food. It's like a law somewhere."

"Fine, I'll just get something else." Emmett stalked into the pantry and came back out with a

jar of marinated artichoke hearts. Bella lifted one eyebrow, but said nothing. He proceeded to

the silverware drawer for a fork and sat back down at the table. With almost no effort at all, he

twisted the lid off the glass jar, the little pop of the seal making him smile.

At first, Edward hadn't noticed that Rose had begun to lean toward Emmett as soon as he sat

down, but after he'd fished out the first anemically-green artichoke, Rose was nearly in his

lap. His eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before softening into an expression of

adoration. Without complaint, he held the fork to Rose's lips, who greedily opened, and ate

the whole thing in one bite.

The intimacy of the moment blanketed the entire room. Bella had stopped eating mid-bite to

watch her brother and his wife, while Edward was similarly transfixed by the tenderness of

the usually boisterous man. When Bella's gaze flicked to him, Edward felt a rush of

something he couldn't put his finger on. All he knew was that he wanted to be wrapped

around Bella more than he wanted to breathe.

He dropped the sponge, dried off his hands, and pulled the fourth chair as close to Bella's as

was possible. "How was your snack?" he murmured, his fingers brushing over the hand she'd

rested on the tabletop.

She turned toward him, their faces mere inches apart, and looked into his eyes. "It was del…

deli… it was really good." Her speech was greatly improved thanks to all of the therapy, but

there were still moments, usually when she was upset or flustered, that she had a hard time

getting the right words out.

"You've got a little bit of hot sauce, right here." He reached his thumb to the corner of her

mouth and brushed his thumb across her trembling lower lip. All he had to do was lean

forward three more inches and they'd be kissing. He could feel her breath in short, hot puffs

on his lips. Her shoulders were rigid, braced for the unknown, and her eyes had closed.

What did she expect? Did she want him to kiss her? He was so close to throwing caution to

the wind, but as he started to think with his rational mind and not his lust-addled body, he

realized he couldn't kiss her. Or rather, he wouldn't kiss her at that moment; they hadn't even

been out on a date yet. With heroic restraint, he closed the gap between them, diverting to the

side, and placed a soft, lingering kiss to her cheek. Her body sagged at the contact and she

released a shuddering breath against his neck, which only served to escalate the physical ache

in his body.

Just as he was about to wrap his arms around her and give in to the desire to cover her lips

with kisses and all the loving words he could think of, the front door opened and Charlie's

heavy, booted footsteps could be heard coming toward the kitchen.

Edward flew back in his seat and shoved both hands into his hair. Bella's eyes were still

closed and her breaths came in irregular, jagged pants.

Charlie hefted several grocery bags onto the counter, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Emmett and Rose had remained tactfully quiet during Edward's kissing fantasy, which was a

surprise when he considered all that Bella had told him of her brother. He would've expected

catcalls or some kind of obnoxious interference, so he was grateful that the moment passed

relatively uninterrupted.

"Stopped at the store while I was out," Charlie announced and looked up from the bags. He

looked at the two couples, both sitting very close to each other. His gaze narrowed and

focused on Bella. "Why does Bella look like she's gonna pass out?"

Her eyes snapped open and she glanced at Charlie then returned her gaze back to Edward.

"I'm fine," she said as she stared at Edward. "I was just a little overwhelmed—needed to close

my eyes, ya' know?"

"Sure, sure." He went about rustling bags and clanking around in the kitchen while Bella and

Edward seemed locked in some kind of staring contest. Her expression was full of disbelief

and question. Edward couldn't help but look on her with the oddest mixture of gratitude and

humor. She was so cute, looking all confused and annoyed, that he couldn't stop a smile that

twitched at his lips.

All the while her father muttered and puttered. He mentioned something about hats and how

he just couldn't resist.

Bella blinked once. "Huh?" she asked, her brows pinched together.

"I got the little guy a baseball hat," he said gruffly his voice trailed off into nothing as he

continued. "It was too cute not to get it."

"Aww, that is really cute," Rose cooed as she passed a tiny cap toward Bella.

She held the navy blue hat—complete with a Mariners logo—tracing the white stitching with

her index finger. She swallowed thickly, still not able to find the words she wanted to say.

The crack and hiss of a bottle of soda being opened punctuated the silence, but Bella's eyes

were still fixated on the hat.

Edward gaze was likewise stuck, but not on the hat. He couldn't tear his eyes away from

Bella. They were both startled when Charlie set two mugs filled with grape soda and vanilla

ice cream in front of them. He shuffled away and brought two more for Emmett and Rose,

then picked up his own and leaned against the edge of the counter. Edward hadn't realized it,

but Renee had managed to stealthily return to the kitchen and stood next to Charlie holding a

mug as well.

Bella's stare shifted to the purple concoction sitting in front of her. She wrapped her hand

around the mug, a wrinkle creasing her brow, as she sniffled. When Edward looked closer, he

could tell that she was seconds away from tears; her eyes were red, her chin was wobbling,

and she was chewing on her bottom lip seeming determined not to let her emotions get the

better of her.

Edward glanced around at everyone else, but they were all focused on observing Bella's

reaction; everyone except Charlie, whose eyes were cast down to his boots.

The paralyzing silence was stifling. After what felt like hours, Edward finally spoke. "What

am I missing?" he asked in a low voice.

She sniffled and ran her sleeve under her nose. "It's a purple cow."

Okaaay, he thought but didn't voice his confusion. Obviously this was something significant,

but he wasn't about to break the bizarre spell that had taken over the entire Swan family in

order to find out.

"Dad used to make these all the time when I was younger; they were my favorite," she

whispered.

"He hasn't made them in nearly fourteen years," Renee said, her voice thick with emotion.

Bella turned to her father, two tear streaks down her face and opened her arms. "Dad…" she

said with an unsteady quiver to the singular word.

In a flash, he was on his knees in front of his daughter. Their arms wrapped around each other

as the emotion flowed freely. They apologized over and over, clinging to each other like it

was the last moment of their physical existence.

Charlie sniffed loudly and pulled back, holding Bella's face between his hands. "You're my

baby girl. I love you and I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I love you too, Dad."

After that exchange, the atmosphere lightened considerably. Renee and Emmett shared a few

of Bella's more adventuresome exploits, which earned glares and threats from her, while

Charlie remained quiet, leaning against the counter once more. When Bella slipped her hand

into his, Edward thought the day went from "pretty darn good" to "perfection."

During a lull in the conversation, Charlie straightened up and leveled and calculating stare on

Edward. "You a sports fan, Edward?"

He was a bit taken off guard by the direct address. Up to that point, the only interactions he'd

had with Charlie were a few explosive accusations and suspicious glares. "Yeah, sure. I

wouldn't describe myself as a superfan, but I enjoy watching a game when I have time."

Bella rubbed her thumb gently over the skin of his hand sending ripples of that distinctive,

warm energy up his arm. He stole a quick glance in her direction. She wore a serene

expression that spoke of an inner peace that, he guessed, she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Seahawks are playing in a few, if you and Emmett want to join me." Charlie shoved his

hands in his pockets and headed out of the kitchen.

Edward raised an eyebrow and Bella squeezed his hand. Emmett chuckled and kissed Rosalie

on the cheek. "Well, Edward, it looks like your 'enemy number one' status has been

downgraded." He stood and carried his mug to the sink before following his father into the

living room.

Rosalie and Renee gathered the rest of the mugs and took them to the sink. While the two

women washed the dishes, Bella and Edward had a little bit of privacy.

"He's giving you a chance," she said with mischief in her eyes.

"Is that what you want?" He asked as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Yeah, I think I do."

"Okay. Holler if you need anything." He gave her a wink and retreated to what had now

become the man cave.

. . .

Hours, a significant amount of yelling at the television, and a thorough drubbing later, the

men emerged from the living room—a tenuous bond of camaraderie formed.

"Where's Bella?" asked Edward when they entered the kitchen and she was nowhere to be

found.

"She's already settled in bed for the night," said Rose.

"We should head out too, Charles. It's getting late."

He nodded and patted his chest and pockets like he'd lost something. He then thrust his hand

toward Edward. It was a firm handshake, conveying the newly earned trust Charlie gave him.

He returned it with an unspoken assurance that the older man's trust wasn't misplaced.

"Night, kids," he said as he and Renee left for their hotel.

"We're turning in too, Ed," said Emmett.

"Let me just say goodbye to Bella and I'll be out of your hair." Edward carefully pulled back

the curtain that separated Bella's room from the rest of the downstairs. The soft glow of a

small lamp filled the room and his smile spread wide as he watched Bella concentrating on

the novel she was reading.

"Hey," he said with a light tap on the door jamb.

She smiled and closed the book, then patted the space next to her in invitation. He crossed the

over-full room, it wasn't a large dining room to begin with, and sat down next to her. "How's

the reading going?"

She sighed and shoved the book further away from her. "About the same," she said with a

grumble. During one of their visits, they'd discussed her frustration with comprehending

printed language; it was an ongoing challenge that hadn't seemed to improve. That coupled

with her continued short-term memory issues had forced her to officially resign her position at

the publishing company. She was now signed up for disability pay and government health

insurance, and her phone was filled with alarms and reminders of things she needed to do and

when.

"I'm sorry. I know that's frustrating for you."

She shrugged. "I'll live."

"I know," he smiled and lifted her chin with one finger. "You're a pretty tough cookie." Her

warm, brown eyes glowed with the shy acceptance of his compliment, but he could tell that

she ate up the attention.

"Are you headed out?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to say goodbye and I also wanted to ask you something." She waited with

an expectant expression and a soft smile. "I was wondering if you… would like to go out on a

date with me?"

Her expression remained unchanged and the quiet dragged on. He'd never felt so nervous

asking a girl out before, probably because in recent years he'd only ever been with Tanya.

This moment with Bella felt so much more important than any of the time he'd wasted with

his crazy ex. He was considering revising or retracting the invitation altogether, when he saw

a slight quirk of a smile appear at the corner of her mouth.

"You're asking me out, Cullen?" The smile grew in intensity and lit up her whole face. She

was beautiful.

"Yeah, I am."

"I accept," she said with a grin that matched Edward's, "on one condition."

Chapter 29

(from the end of last chapter)

"You're asking me out, Cullen?" The smile grew in intensity and lit up her whole face. She

was beautiful.

"Yeah, I am."

"I accept," she said with a grin that matched Edward's, "on one condition."

"And what condition would that be?" asked Edward.

"When do I get to see my dog?"

He stared at her for just a beat before bursting into laughter. He'd prepared himself for a range

of provisions from no healthy restaurants to staying in or letting her choose the activity. Jake

hadn't even crossed his mind since they'd settled Bella into her new space on the ground floor

of her house.

"I'll bring him over tomorrow."

"First thing?" Her drowsy eyes lifted up, as she pulled her covers more snugly around her

shoulders.

"I've got to get a few things done in the morning, but I should be here a little before lunch."

"M'kay."

"You might want to give Rosalie a heads up. She and Jake apparently do not get along very

well. I wonder if he just doesn't like tall, blonde women."

Bella's eyes had closed, but her eyebrows creased in confusion. "Why do you say tha…?" A

long yawn cut off the last part of her question.

"Let's just say he didn't take very well to Tanya, either."

At the mention of his ex-girlfriend, Bella's eyes flew open and she regarded him warily.

"You're gonna have to tell me about her one of these days."

"Tomorrow, I promise. Sweet dreams, Beautiful." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her

upturned cheek.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she smiled, satisfied and well on her way to unconsciousness.

Edward was filled with a sense of satisfaction as well; as he strode into the kitchen he couldn't

wipe the grin from his face.

Emmett looked up from the car magazine he was reading and nodded. "You takin' off, man?"

"Yeah, thanks for waiting."

"No problem, I just didn't want to make Bells get up to lock the door behind you."

"See you tomorrow."

When Edward arrived home, he took Jake for a turn around the park. As they jogged and

trotted on the lit pathway, their breaths puffed out in clouds of steam. Homes and shops

around the area were decorated with cobwebs and ghosts and other Halloween paraphernalia.

It reminded him to ask Bella if she wanted to give out candy.

Both man and beast were breathing hard as they ascended the stairs to the apartment. "Are

you ready to see your mom?" He asked Jake as he removed the leash and rumpled his furry

ears.

Jake replied with a single "yip" and scampered off to his water bowl. Edward joined him in

the kitchen and downed a bottle of Gatorade before turning in for the night.

. . .

When the car pulled to a stop, Jake didn't wait for his door to be opened. Instead, he jumped

over the console and out the driver door before Edward had a chance to close it. As usual,

Jake tore up and down the walk, turning circles every now and then before plopping down on

the porch to wait for the humans to let him in.

Edward knocked and waited. It took longer than he was expecting, but the reason became

clear when Bella opened the door. She leaned on her cane and shuffled to the side to let him

in while Jake danced back and forth, little whines escaping him as he registered who was

finally home.

"Jakers!" She rubbed his head and slowly walked to the couch in the living room. When she

sat down, she patted her knees and called to the dog again.

Somehow he knew instinctually to rein in his exuberance. He was shaking with the effort it

took, not to jump all over Bella. He whined and rested his muzzle on her knee while his tail

thumped wildly on the floor as she stroked his head and shoulders.

"I can't believe how big he's grown."

"He has a hearty appetite." Edward sat down on the couch leaving a little bit of space in

between him and Bella. He didn't want to crowd her, but he wanted to be close.

"So tell me what happened between him and Tanya."

He sighed and relayed how she'd barged into his apartment, how Jake had covered her in dog

kisses, the fact that she nearly kicked him, and how Jake growled at her.

"Wait. She almost kicked my dog?" Bella's body tensed for a fight as she fumed. "If I ever see

her stupid face, I'm gonna beat her with my cane."

"Easy, killer. Jake held his own. She ended up falling over the couch backward, demanded I

choose between her and the dog, and then stomping out."

Bella regarded him with her head cocked to the side. After a moment she closed her eyes and

began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Just… You were engaged to her?" Her eyes shone with mirth as she continued to laugh at

him and pet her dog.

"No. Not officially. And I broke up with her, like, the next day."

"Still you were with her for a long time," she said. Her face had lost some of the humor that

had animated it only a few moments before.

"Sometimes I wonder if I ever really knew who she was. Her competency hearing is

tomorrow."

"Oh." It was like a vacuum had sucked all of the sound from the room. She stared at some

point beyond the walls of the living room. Not really seeing anything in front of her.

Edward could see the muscles in her jaw work as she processed her thoughts. It was strange to

try and put himself in Bella's shoes. Tanya had tried to murder her, but she hadn't even been

aware of the danger. "Do you remember anything more from while you were asleep?"

"I don't know. Were you there when she… you know, tried to off me?" She chuckled but the

attempted joke did nothing to alleviate the tension.

"I was there. She had a syringe full of potassium chloride less than an inch from your IV port.

Her behavior was totally erratic; everyone was scared that she would actually inject it into

your line." He wouldn't tell her how it felt like his heart had stopped, how he felt like his

world was falling to pieces while Tanya stood there threatening her. He wouldn't put that

burden on her. At least not yet. "Alice called her 'crazy' and she went nuts. She lunged across

your bed and jostled you around a little bit; I'm surprised you didn't wake up right then." He

glanced at Bella; her eyes were closed and she seemed to be concentrating really hard.

"I think… I have flashes of a dream that I was in an earthquake. Maybe that was from her."

She turned her gaze to him and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut by the raw emotion

he saw in her eyes. She seemed so uncertain, so fearful. "Do you think there's a chance she'll

get out?"

He shook his head. "From the way I understand it, if she's found incompetent to stand trial,

she'll remain in state custody at the mental hospital until she is found competent. If that never

happens, then she'll stay at Western State Hospital indefinitely. If at some point she is found

competent to stand trial, the evidence and witnesses are pretty irrefutable. She wouldn't walk

away without some kind of punishment."

"But what if she tries to plead insanity? I mean, it's not a stretch that she was out of her right

frame of mind when she tried to attack me."

He scooted closer to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her head to

rest on his chest. "If that were to happen, she'd still be remanded to a psychiatric facility until

she was no longer deemed a threat. She could be in a psych hospital for longer than she would

be in jail. They're a little more cautious about letting the admittedly insane back into society."

She hummed but said nothing else for a moment. "So are you going to the hearing?"

He and Charlie had already made arrangements to go together. He also knew that his parents

and of course Tanya's parents would be there as well. "Yeah. I'm picking up your dad."

She pulled away from him in surprise and looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?" she said

with a squeak.

"Yes, but enough about that. Do we need to discuss custody arrangements for the fur-baby?"

He tilted his head toward Jake.

"No. As long as Rose and Emmett are here, he should probably stay with you. Just promise to

bring him with you when you come to visit me."

"Deal," he said and squeezed her shoulder a little bit tighter, wondering exactly how often she

wanted him to visit. The thought that he was becoming a more permanent fixture in her life

sent his heart and mind into overdrive. "Now, enough depressing talk. I have a little request to

make about our upcoming date."

"What are we doing?"

"Hm, that's a secret, but you'll need a little bit of preparation."

She lifted one skeptical eyebrow in his direction and narrowed her gaze. "What kind of

preparation?"

"Well, I know you don't have a wide selection of maternity clothes since you've been in the

hospital for nearly your whole pregnancy, but for what we're doing you're going to need a

dress."

"Edwaaaard," she whined, "what's the point? I'm due in like, a month. Why spend money on

something I'm only going to wear once or twice?"

"I want you to feel as beautiful as you look," he said and stroked a finger down her cheek.

"I just don't have any extra money to sp—"

"This is on me," he said. She tried to argue with him but he pinned her with a look that

allowed for no dispute. "I'm the cause for the necessity of new clothing, so I'm going to pay.

Please, let me do this for you. I'd also like for you to go to the salon and have your hair done

in whatever way you want. Maybe Rosalie and your mom can go with you and you can have a

girls day out or whatever you call it."

Her brow was furrowed and pinched together as she struggled to accept his generosity. He

turned on "the look"—when the eyes glowed, and the lips were just a little bit poutier than

usual—it was his completely manipulative fallback maneuver. And this time it worked but

only just. He'd have to use it sparingly with Bella or she'd be sure to figure him out quickly.

When he added in a soft, caramel-rich murmur, "Please, Bella, just enjoy yourself," he was

really thinking, Let me take care of you.

He held her hand, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles in hypnotic circles. As the moments

ticked on, he kept sending her subliminal waves of encouragement to just give in and let him

do this for her. He smiled and squeezed her hand gently when she finally sighed and said,

"Fine. When is our date?"

"Saturday."

"Well, I guess we can go tomorrow while you and dad are at the… thing." She snuggled

further into his embrace and sighed.

"That sounds like a good plan. Any thoughts on what you'll do with your hair?"

She shook her head back and forth. "Uh un. If you won't tell me what our date is, then you'll

just have to wait and see what I do with my hair."

He looked down and grinned when he saw that her eyes were closed, but her lips were curved

into a mischievous smile. "Fair enough," he said.

Jake had wandered away from the living room at some point during their conversation, but

Edward could hear him pawing at the back door. "I think Jake needs out. Do you want

anything from the kitchen?"

"Some water, maybe? Oh, and I think Rose got some of those mini Milky Way bars, a couple

of those too, please."

"Oh, that reminds me. Do you want to pass out candy on Halloween, or do you want to be a

Scrooge?"

"Huh. I hadn't even thought about it. I've always been away from home on Halloween. I

guess, sure." She shrugged her shoulders, but a smile slowly crept across her lips and lit up

her whole face.

"Can I join you?"

"You'd better. I'm not haulin' my butt up every time the doorbell rings."

"Can we paint your stomach to look like a Jack-O-lantern?" He grinned at her now-perturbed

expression.

"Don't push your luck, Cullen."

Chapter 30

Edward and Charlie sat at the back of the courtroom, in the furthest corner from where Tanya

would sit. Edward had no desire for any kind of confrontation with her at all. His parents sat

in front of him; they'd made polite but circumspect greetings to Charlie and then turned

toward the front. Every now and then, he noticed his mother whispering to his father and his

nods or grunts in response. He was curious about what they might be discussing, but before he

had a chance to ask, the door to the defendants holding room opened.

When Tanya walked in, her face was pale and gaunt, her hair pulled into a lifeless ponytail.

Her wrists and ankles were shackled and she wore a drab institutional outfit. She looked

thinner than he'd ever seen her before, but it was the blank expression on her face that was

most troublesome. Her eyes were focused on nothing, it seemed. There was no light or spirit

in them. She was not the same woman he used to know and care for.

"She doesn't look so good," whispered Charlie.

"No, she doesn't. She's really not well. I feel awful for her and her parents."

Charlie grunted. "Let's not forget she tried to kill my daughter."

Edward sighed and wished there was some way to impart to Charlie the history he and Tanya

shared. "No, I haven't forgotten that, but it's obvious she's ill," he whispered.

Carmen and Eleazar stood and hugged their daughter. She didn't respond to their physical

affection or their words. She simply stared toward the back of the courtroom.

He was doubly glad they'd decided to sit on the opposite side of the room for that reason

alone. He was jerked out of his silent musings by the bailiff ordering everyone to rise and the

judge's entrance.

After that, the hearing was swift and conclusive. She was not fit to stand trial and to aid her

attorney in her own defense. She would remain at the psychiatric hospital until her doctors felt

her progress was such that another hearing should be convened.

As Tanya stood and prepared to be led from the courtroom, she turned and looked at Edward,

but it was a though she didn't even see him; like she was staring right through him. He made

no gestures or movements, going with the squirrel defense theory: If I don't move, she won't

know I'm here.

Two guards took her by the upper arms and led her from the room. His parents rushed over to

the Carringtons and offered their sympathy. They chatted for a bit, but didn't linger. Edward

felt rooted to the ground where he was. He didn't know why, but the hearing had affected him

deeply. He was vaguely aware of Charlie, shifting impatiently, obviously waiting on him to be

ready to go.

"How are you, sweetheart?" his mother asked him.

He hadn't even realized they'd come back over to where he was still standing. "I'm… I don't

know. It was hard to hear about how deep her depression is and that she's having all these

severe delusions. Especially when I remember how she used to be." It also shook him to the

core and even made him a little nauseous to think about how her fixation on him drove her to

try and kill Bella.

"She's under excellent care at the hospital. Her parents are supplementing her treatment with a

private psychiatrist. They're doing everything they can for her," said his father.

He nodded in understanding, but bowed his head and tucked his hands into his pockets, still

trying to sort out his feelings.

"Charlie, we'd like to invite your family to have Thanksgiving dinner with us," said Esme.

Edward's head snapped up in surprise, but he felt a smile of gratitude tug at his lips. His

mother really was amazing. She always knew what to do.

"I… uh, well… I'll talk it over with Renee and Bella, of course, but that would be great.

Thank you."

Edward could see his mustache twitch and his lips purse as he gave a nod.

"We'll look forward to having you all and getting to know you better. We've come to care

about Bella, too." Carlisle shook Charlie's hand then ushered his wife away.

Charlie then eyed Edward speculatively. He folded his arms across his chest and grunted.

"You've got good people around you."

"I do, sir. Thank you."

. . .

The women hadn't returned from their shopping and salon excursion when Edward dropped

off Charlie. He would've liked to have waited to see Bella but he had some grading to get

done before their date the next day. He wanted the weekend free.

"Tell Bella I'll give her a call later tonight."

"Yep," Charlie replied as he made his way up the front walk of Bella's house. With a cursory

wave he walked through the front door leaving Edward idling in the driveway. He shook his

head at the older man's taciturn disposition.

On their drive to and from the courthouse they'd come to some unspoken truce. As long as he

remained in Bella's good graces, Charlie would tolerate him. He planned to stick around long

enough to maybe even earn Charlie's approval—at least he hoped so.

. . .

True to his word, Edward had called Bella on Friday evening, but she was still tight-lipped

about what her hair looked like. "You'll just have to wait and see," she'd said, her laughter

softening the snippiness of her comment.

He cinched the light green tie around his neck and ran his hands through his hair again. He'd

gone all out and used a dab of special goop to artfully arrange his unruly, cow-licked hair into

something that resembled an actual hairstyle.

Jake sat on his haunches, staring up at Edward. He cocked his head to one side and barked,

then trotted off to his nest in the corner of the living room.

Edward blew out a breath and shoved his phone and keys into the pocket of his slacks. As he

shrugged on his wool dress coat he looked over his shoulder. "Don't wait up, Jake," he said

casually as he walked out the door. The butterflies that flapped around in his stomach

reminded him of just how much he wanted this date to go off without a hitch.

By the time he pulled into Bella's driveway, the swirling feeling in his stomach had calmed

but was still present. When Emmett opened the door and grinned, the churning began anew.

"Bella!" he shouted. "Your date is here." He opened the door wider and invited Edward into

the foyer with the sweep of his hand.

Edward tried to keep his outward appearance composed and placid. He'd spent enough time

around Emmett to know how he liked to rile people up for his own amusement. When Bella

turned the corner and began a slow walk—without her cane—down the hallway, Edward felt

like all the breath had been sucked from his chest.

She was stunning. Her hair had been cut to shoulder-length, and was styled in soft, layered

waves which masked the chunk of hair that was still growing out. It shined in the light and

looked healthier than he'd ever seen it. Her make-up was so natural it was hard to tell she

wore any, save for the deeper shiny pink of her lips.

The dress was black and wrapped around her chest and stomach accentuating both of those

features perfectly. The neckline was a sharp "v" that exposed just a hint of cleavage that had

been adorned with a diamond tear drop pendant necklace. He tried not to let his gaze linger

overly-long on her breasts, but it was difficult.

"Have you been keeping your feet up?" he asked with a rueful grin. Her feet and ankles were

hardly swollen at all.

"All day long," she said and shook her left foot back and forth.

Thankfully, she wore sensible flats decorated with some kind of flower thing on the toe. He

didn't really care what they looked like, just that he wouldn't have to be worried about her

teetering around on high heels. He took a few steps forward and grasped her hands in his.

"You look absolutely gorgeous." He leaned over her hands and kissed the backs of both,

perhaps spending a little more time than he should have on the endeavor. "Are you ready to

go?"

"Almost. I just need my coat and pashmina."

"What's a pashmina?"

"It's like a big scarf," said Rosalie as she entered the foyer with Bella's outerwear. She lifted

the coat so Bella could slip her arms in easily, and handed her the scarf.

He hadn't noticed, but Charlie and Renee had also snuck into the foyer to see Bella off. All of

a sudden he felt like a seventeen-year-old taking his first girl to the prom. All they needed to

do was pose for pictures.

"Do I need my purse?"

"No. Maybe just your I.D. And if you need any lip stuff or whatever. I can keep it in my

pocket if you want." He offered his arm to Bella and felt the pieces of some imaginary puzzle

in his soul click together as she wrapped her hand around it.

She leaned heavily on that arm as they descended the front steps. When he looked back at the

front door, it was crowded with both Bella's parents and Emmett and Rose. Charlie grumbled

something about a midnight curfew, which caused Renee to elbow him in the gut.

"Never mind him. You kids do what you want," she said.

Edward shook his head and helped Bella into her seat, then rounded the front of the car and

climbed in as well. As he backed out of the driveway, only Emmett remained on the porch,

but he gave Edward a serious look, then did the two-fingers-to-the-eyes I'mwatchingyou

motion.

Bella fidgeted with her fingers. She bounced her knee up and down. Then she tapped her

fingernails on the console until he covered her hand with his.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded stiffly. "Just nervous."

"Why?"

She looked straight ahead out the windshield into the quickly darkening night and sighed. "I

just don't want to end up in some massively public place waddling and tripping along like an

orange on weak toothpicks—which is exactly what my legs feel like right now. It wouldn't

take much for me to go down."

"Would you feel better if I promise there will be little to no chance of public embarrassment?"

She gave him a sideways glance and shrugged. "I suppose that would help a little."

He squeezed her hand and smiled. "I promise. We'll be enjoying a very private dinner for

two."

The tension between them was thick, but not really uncomfortable. At least not after he'd laid

to rest her fear of public humiliation. They drove north for nearly a half an hour and after

exiting the freeway and a few lefts and rights, finally turned onto a private drive.

He helped her out of the car and led her down a pathway lit by white paper sack luminaries.

The path wove through what would be an amazing garden in the springtime, but being so

close to winter lay dormant. He smiled when he saw the twinkling white lights that

surrounded the gazebo.

"Where are we?" she whispered forcefully. "Are we even allowed to be here?"

He stopped and covered her hand which was gripping his forearm in nervous spasms. "Trust

me?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes.

She stared back at him for a moment, and then he felt her grip relax. "I trust you." She held

his gaze for a bit longer and then broke into a wide smile. "I trust you," she said again, this

time with a slight nod.

If his heart could fly at that moment, it would probably be somewhere high in the atmosphere.

He continued to lead them down the path to the gazebo, which had been set up with a table for

two. It was covered in a bright, white cloth and his mother's best china. A small flower

arrangement lay in between two very tall taper candles which were already glowing, and the

heat waves from the gas patio heater were barely visible in the dimly-lit surroundings. The

only other source of light came from a few strands of white Christmas lights that had been

strung around the inside of the roof of the gazebo. Seth and Ana had really outdone

themselves.

"This is beautiful," said Bella as she leaned on the railing that looked out onto the lake.

He couldn't stand to keep his distance anymore. It was as if every nerve in his body was

aching to hold her in his arms. He stepped up behind her and rested his hands on her hips. Had

he been just a little bolder, he would've wrapped his arms under hers and cradled her stomach,

but he didn't do that. Instead, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

She turned in his arms, her stomach bumping into his side, which caused her to grimace. But

then she tilted her head back and gazed into his eyes. "You did this all for me?"

He took the new position as an invitation and drew her closer into his embrace. "Of course I

did. I would do anything to make you happy." He felt naked before her, those three special

words on the tip of his tongue.

Her eyes shone with emotion as she lifted one hand to his cheek. Her fingertips were chilled

as they brushed along his freshly-shaved jawline. "You do," she said even as she choked back

a little sob. "You make me so happy." Her hand had settled on top of his shoulder and she

only had to squeeze once to send him into action.

One hand curled around her back as the other rose up to cup her neck and head as he lowered

his lips to hers. With a slowness he couldn't account for, he caressed her mouth with his,

reveling in the soft feel of her lips. There was only a hint of strawberry gloss left there; she

had worried them so much she'd rubbed it almost entirely off. He could feel her trembling as

they separated just enough to draw in a deep breath, before pressing their mouths together

with more fervor.

With slow, languorous passes, he traced her lips with his tongue; he drew her lower lip into

his mouth and sucked gently. She hummed when he moved to her upper lip. He moaned when

her hand raked through the hair on the back of his head, goose bumps erupting all over his

arms.

Feelings, urges were crashing through him like a roaring wave. If they didn't put the brakes on

soon, he would have a hard time stopping. He wouldn't forgive himself if he pushed her too

hard. He certainly didn't intend their first kiss to get out of control, though it was just about

there anyway.

In a massive show of self-restraint, he slowed the kiss to gentle nips and closed-mouth pecks.

Leaning down, he rested his forehead against hers and tried to direct his heavy breathing away

from her nose.

Once their breaths had returned to normal she turned her head and rested it against his chest.

"I have never been kissed like that before."

Her head bounced gently on his chest as he chuckled. "You have no idea how long I've been

waiting to do that."

Chapter 31

"What do you mean? How long have you been wanting to kiss me?"

He raised his eyebrow and squeezed her a little tighter. "Um, probably since the first time I

saw you?" He ducked his head and tried to fight the embarrassment that bloomed over his

cheeks.

"Seriously? When my face was all bashed up and I had blood all over me?"

"You were still beautiful. That's what I called you before you told me your name."

She eyed him speculatively and smiled. "You know you're kind of cute when you're being all

sappy and romantic and stuff."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I have some good inspiration."

She immediately lowered her head and seemed to shrink into herself. He didn't know quite

what to make of this insecure side of Bella. She'd always come across as self-possessed and

confident. To see her blush and deflect when he was baring his soul was hard to take.

"Talk to me, Bella. Why does that surprise you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to being so …"

"Wooed?" he asked with a chuckle. "No one's ever romanced you? Not even Tyler?" The

shmuck's name was like acid on his tongue. He could hardly get it out without sneering and

cursing.

"Ha. No definitely not Tyler." It came out as a sarcastic bark, but he could hear the underlying

pain that relationship had caused her.

His brow furrowed as he tried to visualize the layers and layers of protective armor that she'd

had to put on over the years. "Do you want to talk about this?" He cupped her shoulders with

his hands and rubbed his thumbs in small circles.

"No? Maybe?" She sighed and rested her forehead on his chest. "I probably should. Besides,

you deserve to know."

Her voice was muffled in his shirt, but he was still able to make out what she'd said, and the

mere fact that she felt he deserved to know anything about her past made his heart swell and

beat a little faster.

"Why don't we sit? I think Seth has our first course ready."

She nodded and straightened up. "And who exactly is Seth? Are you going to tell me where

we are?"

He could feel his cheeks flame, and hoped that it was too dark for her to notice. "Um, we're in

my parent's back yard." His smile grew sheepish when he caught Bella in a valiant battle

against the chuckle that threatened to burst from her pursed lips. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and

laugh. I just thought it would be nice and private." His voice trailed off to almost nothing as

he cast his eyes down and to the side.

She curled her hand around his and gave it a squeeze. He cautioned a glance in her direction

and allowed the humor of the situation to soothe his bruised ego.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. But you have to admit, this whole evening has felt very

much like a high school first date, you know?" She settled into the chair he held out for her

and unfolded her napkin into her lap.

"Yeah, it has. I felt like I was picking you up for prom with the way your folks and Emmett

and Rosalie hovered." He grinned as he sat down in his chair.

"Oh my gosh. They are so embarrassing." She buried her face in her hands and shook her

head back and forth.

"They were just excited. I'm guessing they didn't really have the opportunity to send you off

to a formal dance with such a fine specimen of masculinity as yours truly." As soon as the

words were out of his mouth, he realized how they must have sounded to her.

Sure enough, her face fell just slightly, despite her efforts to maintain a cheerful façade. "No,

I've never been the formal type."

"That … I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"No, it's true."

At that moment, Seth and Ana stepped quietly into the gazebo and placed steaming bowls of

soup in front of them. "Good evening Edward, Bella," said Seth as he affected a formal bow,

underlined with sense of humor. He was grinning like a fool, but to Edward's relief managed

not to guffaw and tease as he might have expected him to.

"Bella, this is my good friend Seth; he and I were roommates in college. And this is his wife,

Ana. They own a catering company and were gracious enough to set all this up for us."

Bella extended her hand to both of his friends and greeted them warmly. She fairly sparkled

with how bright and genuine her smile was.

"Well, we did have some help. Esme set the table and Carlisle strung the lights. We just made

the grub. By the way, this is a chunky potato soup with fried pancetta. There's also a basket of

rolls. Enjoy." Seth bowed again which earned him a roll of the eyes from Ana, who pushed

him down the two steps of the gazebo. She started whispering something to him as they

disappeared into the night, but Edward couldn't make it out.

"Oohh. Maah. Gaah." Bella slurped a second spoonful of the soup and moaned. "This is so

good," she said after she'd swallowed.

"Yeah, I was pretty lucky to have Seth as a roomie. He was always messing with recipes and

making me taste test them."

They both focused their attention on the food, letting the comfortable quiet wrap around them.

As Bella sopped up the last of her soup with a hunk of roll, she looked up at him.

"So Tyler," she began, "was an exercise in opposites."

He swallowed the food he'd been chewing before he spoke. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that after James, I kind of swore off men. Tyler was polar opposite of James. After all

my therapy, I figured I should try and find a man who was everything James was not. Tyler

was reserved, staid even, predictable. He was very health conscious, conservative, but he was

also aloof." As she spoke, she tore her bread into little pieces. She popped one in her mouth

and seemed to be considering what to say next.

Seth and Ana cleared the soup bowls and placed the main course in front of them. They nearly

blended into the scenery with how non-descript their movements were. Edward appreciated

that they recognized the seriousness of the atmosphere in didn't disturb the moment.

"How on earth did you meet him?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I went through a very short-lived phase of going to the gym.

We met in the early morning yoga class. He complimented me on my 'downward dog' form,

then asked for my number."

"So he was checking out your butt?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I called him out on it a little while after we started dating. Everything

was regimented with him. He planned our dates, his BlackBerry was attached to his palm at

all times, he was ... "

"A stiff."

"Yeah, he was. But he was also what I needed at that point. He wasn't totally without humor

or affection, obviously," she pointed to her round belly.

Edward still hated the thought that it was Tyler's baby and not his, growing within her.

"But he'd always been pretty clear that he didn't want kids. And to be honest, I really wasn't in

a place in my life where I felt like I was ready to have children either. This was just a

complete accident."

"Were you being … careful?" He asked, squirming with the awkwardness of the question.

"Of course, but who knows how these things happen. Maybe I missed a pill or was too late

taking it? Maybe his condom had a hole, or came off wrong and semen spilled out anyhow. I

don't know. But the timing was all wrong in any case. I knew things weren't going to last with

him; he was being courted by several companies on the east coast before I found out I was

pregnant. That bit of news just sealed the deal for him."

Edward had scarcely taken a bite of his meal. The need to take care of her and of the baby was

insistent in his mind. It was almost primeval, this desire to protect and care for his woman.

"So what will you do now?"

She sliced a bite of chicken piccata and brought it to her mouth. He was mesmerized as he

watched her chew. The action was unaccountably sensual and he had to give himself a mental

shake to get his mind back on the conversation.

"I get to be a welfare mom. Isn't that great?" The sarcasm in her voice was heavy as she sliced

another bite of food.

He rolled his eyes and waited until she was looking him in the eye. "Seriously, Bella, what

will you do when Emmett and Rose move to their own place? I hope you know that you can

count on me."

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes or light up her face like when she was truly happy. "I

know, but I can't let you do everything for me. I mean, this is great and all, and you've made

me feel … wonderful, but I'm going to be up to my eyeballs in dirty diapers in about a month.

I'm sure you have a life that you've put completely on hold for me, but things will be fine.

We'll figure it out."

It was clear she didn't get it. He was going to have to be even more transparent than he

thought he was being. With a sigh he set down his fork and reached across the table for her

hand. "Sweetheart, I don't think you understand, and I don't want to freak you out, but here's

the truth. I'm quite attached to you. I want to take care of you, be there for you. I've got this

stupid caveman urge to make sure you're safe. And every time we touch," he looked at their

clasped hands, "that desire to protect and care for you just grows stronger."

Her eyebrows pinched together and a frown tugged at her lips. She tried to pull her hand away

from his but he wouldn't let go.

"How … how can you say that? How can you want to take responsibility for some other guy's

kid? I'm such a mess, Edward. Why would you want to get involved in all of my crazy?"

"Bella, I've been involved in your crazy for a long time now. It's nothing new." He scooted his

chair so that it was right next to her and lifted her chin with one finger. "How could I not want

to be with the other half of my heart?"

She sniffled, and closed her eyes. "Jeez, Edward. Can you give a girl a break with all the

mushy stuff?"

"Nope." He leaned forward and drew his nose alongside of hers.

She tilted her head, her eyes still closed, and sought his lips with hers. When they brushed

together, he could feel them trembling. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clung to

him as the kiss grew more and more needy.

He brought things back to a low simmer before he pulled away and dropped a kiss on her

forehead.

"Come on, let's finish dinner. Seth makes really good dessert."

She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah."

. . .

"Now where are we going?" Bella seemed much more relaxed as they pulled away from

Edward's parent's house—probably because his folks had remained out of sight.

"Um … I thought we could hang out at my place for a little while. You could see Jake again,

and we'd have a little bit of privacy?"

She arched her eyebrow and looked at him with a little smirk on her lips. "And what were you

planning to do with that privacy?"

"Nothing," he said, as a mischievous smile spread across his face. "I thought maybe we could

watch a movie."

"That sounds perfect."

They had to stop a few times on the stairs up to his apartment so Bella could catch her breath.

When they arrived at his apartment, they heard Jake scamper across the floor and slide into

the door with a dull thud. As Edward's keys jangled, the volume of Jake's whimpering grew.

When the door finally opened he lunged first at Edward but then turned almost immediately to

Bella.

Jake backed up and was on his best behavior during the tour of the apartment. Edward had put

forth a little effort and made sure that everything was clean and tidy. He tried not to live like a

slovenly bachelor, but sometimes it just couldn't be helped. Tonight, though, he wanted to

ensure he made a good impression and had spent extra time straightening up.

Bella slowly wandered through his home, peeking into the fridge, and the cabinet under the

bathroom sink. She even opened the washer. He was glad he'd finished his laundry. She

glanced briefly into the master bedroom, but didn't linger. When she stepped back into the

hall, her cheeks were tinged pink and Edward could only imagine what she'd been thinking of.

"So what would you like to watch? Rom com? Action? Sci-fi?" He'd opened the cabinet that

housed his movie collection and was sifting through some of his favorites.

"Hmm, action. I could use a nice car chase or something."

He grinned and selected a newer movie that he'd only seen once. As they waited for it to start,

he settled himself into the corner of the deep, plush couch and beckoned to her to sit between

his legs.

She held up one finger and wagged it. "Be good."

"I'm always good. Scout's honor."

"You probably were a scout, weren't you?"

"Maybe," he said with a sly wink.

When she'd made herself comfortable on the seat, she leaned back against Edward's chest and

propped her feet up on a throw pillow.

He wrapped his arms around her middle and gently rested them on her belly. "Is this okay?"

She burrowed further into his embrace and hummed. "It's fine."

"Your feet don't look too swollen tonight."

"No, they aren't too bad right now."

"Are you sore anywhere? I didn't make you do too much walking, did I?"

She turned to look over her shoulder and gave him a playfully reproving glare. "I'm fine Mr.

Worrywart."

"Okay. Just checking."

They both quieted when the movie started, but it was difficult for him to concentrate on

anything but the woman in his embrace. He finally held his entire world in his arms and it was

a little overwhelming. He stroked her stomach, gently prodding the various bumps and

contours of the baby. Every now and then she'd shift into a slightly different position, or she'd

push her hand on her belly, but after a while, she grew still.

When he leaned forward and looked down at her face, her eyes were closed, the lashes

brushing lightly over the apples of her cheeks. Her breathing had also evened out and she'd

lost any vestiges of remaining tension.

He closed his eyes and let the perfection of the moment carry him away. When his eyes

opened again, the movie had finished and the clock read one AM.

It was too late to drive her home but he didn't want to leave her on the couch. Nor did he think

she'd appreciate being hoisted up and carried like a sack of potatoes.

"Bella," he whispered, "I'm going to help you up and to the bedroom."

"Mmmkay." She kept her eyes closed but was compliant as he helped her up and slowdanced

her into his bedroom.

He sorted through his drawers and found his favorite T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.

The T-shirt was so old it was nearly threadbare and as soft as a cloud. "Here's some stuff you

can change into. I'll be right back."

"Can you get me a drink of water?"

"Sure, sweetheart."

He stopped in the bathroom, whipped off his dress shirt—leaving him in only his undershirt—

and threw on a pair of pajama pants he'd pulled out at the same time as the shorts. He

hummed to himself as he filled a glass half-full with water and a few ice cubes. Even though

it was winter, he'd learned that she still wanted her cold drinks cold.

After what he thought was a reasonable amount of time for her to get changed, he returned to

his bedroom and knocked.

"Come in."

"Here you go," he said and set the glass on the nightstand. She'd already snuggled under the

fluffy down comforter and was laying on her left side.

"Mmm. Thank you."

"No problem. Do you need anything else?"

"Uhn uh," she said then paused. "Actually, do you have an extra pillow for between my

knees?"

"Be right back." He ran out to the living room and grabbed both of the soft throw pillows

from the couch. When he returned, her eyes were half opened and she smiled.

"You're the best, you know that?"

"Only for you." He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled the second pillow

off the bed she frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep on the couch."

She rolled her eyes and flopped back down on the bed facing away from him. "Just stay,

Edward. I don't want to kick you out of your own bed. I trust you not to pull any

shenanigans."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Plus I need you to keep the other side of the bed warm."

He smirked but dropped the pillow and walked over to flip the light switch off. After he slid

into bed, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder that peeked out from under the covers, and laid

down. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time. It had been a near perfect evening and

hopefully the first of many.

Chapter 32

When Edward awoke the morning after his first official date with Bella he couldn't help

smiling. She was curled around a pillow, her hair in complete disarray, and a peaceful barely-

there smile turned the corners of her lips upward.

Without cracking an eye, she gave him a hard time about his dragon breath and in turn, he

ribbed her right back for her own less-than-fresh smelling breath. She then stuck her tongue

out and ran to the bathroom.

He successfully kept his features schooled into a mask of pleasant acquiescence when she said

that she was "totally craving IHOP."

"You feeling rooty-tooty?" he asked jokingly.

He shut up very quickly when she raised one eyebrow and leveled him with a glacial scowl.

"IHOP it is," he replied in an overly bright tone.

As they pulled into Bella's driveway after breakfast, he was still reeling at the quantity of food

she managed to put away. She'd ordered some colossal hash brown omelet thing that was

stuffed with sausage and bacon and an assortment of vegetables. When it arrived, he was sure

they'd be taking the majority of it home, but he was proven wrong.

She ate more than half then shoved the rest toward him and refused to get a doggie-bag

because just the sight of it, she claimed—cold and half-eaten in the fridge—would make her

sick.

With the engine off, he hurried around to Bella's side and offered his hand to help her out of

the car.

She looked up at him with a mixture of gratefulness and chagrin as she grabbed hold of him,

locking their thumbs together and wrapping her fingers around the back of his hand like they

were about to arm wrestle.

With little effort on his part, he helped hoist her out of the bucket seat and steadied her on her

feet.

The constant grin that had been on lips since he awoke grew a tiny bit larger as he looked

down into her face, so full of frustration and resignation and even a flicker of happiness. He

took a deep breath through his nose, smelling the wet leaves and crisp bite of fall air, and

smiled a little bit wider. He loved this time of year.

Neither of them made any move toward the porch, and that was fine with him. He didn't relish

the idea of confronting either Emmett or Charlie. Instead, he placed his hands on her

shoulders, running his thumbs lightly over the curves of her collar bones and up the sides of

her neck eliciting a little shiver from her.

"I had a really great time last night."

The sparkle in her eyes seemed to intensify as a rueful smile spread across her lips. "I did

too."

"Would you like to go out with me again sometime?"

"Hmm. How about you come over on Monday with a few bags of candy, I'll provide the

Charlie Brown movie and we can sugar-up all the innocent children of the neighborhood

together?"

He could feel the stupid-happy expression grow in intensity as he nodded. "Done. I love The

Great Pumpkin." Slowly, his hands slid down her arms and moved in a soft caress along the

sides of her belly, coming to a stop as if they were holding a basketball. "Are we still a no-go

for painting the tummy like a Jack-o-lantern?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him hard against his chest. He stumbled back and started

laughing as she furiously waddled up the few steps of the porch and jammed her key into the

lock.

He jogged up behind her and encircled her shoulders with one arm. "Teasing, sweetheart.

Doling out candy to the local rugrats sounds perfect." He glanced at their surroundings and

was once again hit with the very high school-esque feeling that had surrounded their date.

"Would you mind if I gave you a good-morning kiss on your front porch?"

"I think you'd better."

He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly against hers.

"I can feel you smiling," she murmured against his lips. "Why are you smiling?"

"Just because. Now shush, I'm trying to kiss you." He wound his hand under the fall of her

soft hair and cupped the back of her neck, the action sending little sparks of excitement

through his fingers.

When he pressed his mouth to hers again, she wasted no time in burying her fingers into his

hair and holding on with a ferocity he was not expecting.

Without conscious thought, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her as close to his chest

as human anatomy and clothing would allow, but it wasn't close enough. If it were possible he

wanted to draw her within himself and hold her there forever.

Her hands kneaded and pulled like she was searching for something. He almost whimpered

when she dropped them to his elbows, but then groaned as he felt her push them through his

opened jacket and around his torso, effectively bringing her an inch or so closer to him.

They continued the feverish exploration of each other's mouths, their heads tilting at just the

right angle to allow for optimum sensation. He slid his tongue along her teeth, enjoying the

way in which she would relax and let him test and try and taste. It was even better when she'd

take control and do the same to him. He'd never felt such a perfect symbiosis of physical

affection. And it was really starting to turn him on, which was not how he wanted to appear

when they walked into Bella's house.

As the kiss progressed to its natural end, he stepped back and took a deep breath. "We do that

pretty well, huh?"

Bella reached behind her and steadied herself on the wrought-iron railing. "Yeah, maybe a

little too well." She looked at the window behind him and smirked. "You know Emmett was

watching."

"He's gonna kill me now, right?"

"He'll want to, but I'll take care of him."

"Let's go face the music," Edward said.

When Bella stepped into his arms and hugged him, he sighed in a mixture of pleasure and

apprehension. No matter what happened once they crossed over the threshold, this was

exactly where he wanted to be.

. . .

Edward laughed at Bella's wide-eyed expression when he set down the grocery bag full of

candy on the afternoon of Halloween.

"My gosh, how much did you buy?"

He shrugged because he really hadn't kept count. He just bought all his favorites. It was

always such a downer when he was a kid and would empty his plastic pumpkin bucket to find

a bunch of suckers and those nasty Mary Jane candies instead of the good chocolate.

As he pulled out bag after bag he realized that he'd probably gone overboard. "We can share

with Emmett and Rose, or give out two pieces. It doesn't matter to me." He went to the

kitchen to retrieve a bowl for the booty.

"Yeah, I think we can hand out two or three at a time," she called out, "and still have enough

to skim off the top. There's like, twenty pounds of candy here."

"Well, we could just dump it all in the bowl, set it on the porch, and let the little monsters

self-govern," he said as he sat on the couch. "Then we wouldn't be disturbed." He waggled his

eyebrows and nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

She snorted and shook her head, giggling as his five o'clock shadow brushed against her jaw.

"The first group of kids to the door would dump the whole thing in their buckets and take off.

Then we'd get a bunch of ringers and have to tell them we're all out. And even if we put a sign

out that said 'no more candy' and turned off the porch light, we'd still get stinkers that would

ring."

He eyed her with barely contained amusement at the passion with which she spoke.

"Persistent little boogers over here, aren't they?"

"You have no idea. It's what comes from living in a slightly more upscale neighborhood. I had

one kid last year ask me why I wasn't giving out full-sized candy bars."

"And what did you do?"

"I put the candy bar I was going to give him back in the bowl and gave him one tootsie roll

midget instead."

"Is there such thing as a Halloween Scrooge?"

"Bah humbug." She affected a disgruntled expression with furrowed eyebrows and lips draw

into a sour pucker.

Just as he leaned in to kiss her pursed lips, the doorbell rang, which kicked off several hours

of streams of children coming one after another, begging for candy from strangers. He was

more than relieved when the last piece of chocolate was gone.

. . .

Over the next several weeks, Charlie and Renee returned to Forks so that she could undergo

another round of treatment. Bella and Alice had also begun a tentative correspondence via e-

mail. They weren't on the best of terms yet, but they were working through long-buried

feelings and grievances and were on the way to a more positive relationship.

Bella had also resumed her visits to her psychologist. She'd struggled since waking up, with a

myriad of feelings and having an impartial ear, who was familiar with her before the accident,

was helpful to her. At least that's how she explained things to Edward.

On Thanksgiving morning, Edward drove to Bella's to pick her up for the Cullen family

dinner. Emmett let him in and pointed silently toward the kitchen.

Bella paced the length of the room wringing her hands and taking larger-than-necessary

breaths. When her eyes flashed to his, he could see the anxiety as plain as if she was wearing

a neon sign that said "nervous."

"Hey, sweetheart."

"You're here? Already?" Her voice squeaked as her hands fluttered over the loose-fitting

material of her shirt and along the soft jersey skirt she wore.

"Why are you freaking out?" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

He smiled as she burrowed into his chest, clinging to the sides of his jacket.

"I'm not freaking out," she mumbled.

"Whatever you say, hon. Is everyone else ready?" He looked around the abnormally empty

kitchen. Usually when he came over, Charlie and Renee were there along with Rose and

Emmett, and more recently Jasper and Alice.

"We need to swing by my mother's friend's house so that they can follow us over. Do you

mind if Emmett and Rose ride with us?" She leaned back and gave a wobbly yet brilliant

smile.

"Yeah, that's fine, as long as they don't mind Jake."

"You brought Jake with you?"

"Yeah, I figured he'd like the open space in my folks' back yard. Plus, he wanted to see his

mommy."

"Hopefully he won't bite Rose's head off."

"Maybe Emmett will just have to sit in the middle to separate them." He winked and looked

up. "Emmett?" he called toward the ceiling, "you guys ready to roll?"

"Almost. Rose is brushing her teeth," he replied, his voice muted by the layers of flooring and

insulation that separated him from the downstairs.

Emmett in fact did have to sit in the middle and act as peacekeeper between Rose and Jake.

And after they'd added the other Swans and Whitlocks to the caravan they headed north. The

ride was filled with talk about the impending arrival of both Bella's and Rose's babies. Rosalie

was just starting to pooch out. Unfortunately her morning sickness had continued well beyond

the first few months and she wore a beleaguered expression while her skin seemed to be

constantly tinged green.

Halfway there, a loud boom crashed and a streak of lightning tore through the sky above them

as the clouds began emptying sheets of rain over the entire area. Edward slowed down

immediately and turned the windshield wipers on high while Emmett soothed an extremely

agitated Jake. Even with the wipers on full blast, visibility was sketchy and Edward had to

wind carefully through the familiar streets until they arrived at the Cullen house.

"I'll just pull directly into the garage. That way you don't have to tromp through the rain."

They were greeted warmly by Esme and Carlisle who ushered them all into the kitchen, while

Jake went about sniffing out his favorite place in the house.

As was the Cullen tradition, there was a large slow-cooker filled with spiced wassail on the

counter. The smell of fresh-baked bread mingled with cloves and cinnamon; scents that

seemed to take up permanent residence in Edward's mother's kitchen from Thanksgiving until

after New Year's Day. He smiled at all of the memories those simple scents stimulated.

"Did you survive the rain? I haven't seen it pour like this in a long time," exclaimed Esme.

"It seems to be letting up a bit. At least the lightning and thunder have settled down," said

Edward.

"Well, that's good. Help yourselves to something hot to drink. We'll be ready in a little while."

Esme smiled and readjusted her apron.

"Is there anything I can help with?" asked Bella.

"You, my dear, can have a seat with Rosalie. Pregnant ladies get waited on hand and foot. It's

a Cullen rule."

"Well, that explains it," muttered Bella with a sneaky wink in Edward's direction.

"I had no prior knowledge of said rule. It must be ingrained in my DNA." He replied with a

grin and pecked a kiss on her cheek as he pressed a mug of warm wassail into her hand. "Now

scoot. The couch is calling your name."

Bella, Rosalie, and Alice shuffled out to the living room. Edward overheard Bella grumble

about feeling like a bloated Weeble Wobble, but then heard her groan when she sunk into the

plush sofa cushions.

Carlisle then escorted Charlie and Emmett to his man-cave; he'd outfitted the basement with a

premium television as well as a billiard table and wet bar. "You coming, son?"

"In a few."

Esme had returned back to stirring something on the stove as she chatted with Renee.

"Did you need anything else, Mom?"

"Hmmm, I don't think so … Oh! Can you get the cans of cranberry sauce from the shelf in the

pantry?"

"Sure." Edward submitted to the ruffle his mother gave his hair as he passed by her and

flipped on the light in the pantry. As he rummaged through the cans and boxes he called out,

"Where are they?"

"Second shelf on the right with the other canned fruit."

He looked again and could feel the wrinkles furrow his brow. "There's no cranberry sauce.

There's cherry pie filling, but no cran—"

"Carlisle!" shouted Esme.

"Yes, dear?" he replied from the basement.

"You bought cherry pie filling. Not cranberry sauce! How does a man with three advanced

degrees manage that?" She growled and shook her head as she slid past Edward and began

hunting through the canned goods herself.

"I can run to the store and pick some up," said Edward as he backed into the kitchen.

"No, it's not a big deal." Esme's shoulders were slumped as she trudged out of the closet.

"How much longer 'til dinner's ready?"

"Probably another hour."

"The store is opened, right?"

"Yes, until six tonight, I think."

"I'll be back in a flash."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

When he shook his head, she lifted up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "You're a dear.

Thank you, sweetie."

Edward strolled into the living room flipping the ring of keys around his finger. As soon as he

came into sight, a round of raucous laughter was cut abruptly short and three sets of eyes

blinked owlishly in his direction. When the women turned back to each other they once again

erupted into peals of laughter.

He raised one eyebrow and shook his head, not even wanting to understand what was

transpiring. He edged closer to Bella who was still laughing with one hand braced against her

shaking belly, and the other gently stroking Jake's head, which was lying in her lap. He

whined a few times and snuggled closer to Bella, nudging her stomach with his nose.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Mmhmm." Her lips were pressed together so tight, she couldn't even manage a verbal

response.

"Okay. I have to run to the store for cranberry sauce. Apparently my dad got cherry pie filling

instead of the real stuff."

Bella sucked in a deep breath and made an effort to compose herself. She peered around him

at the large bay window that looked onto the back yard. The rain was still coming down, but

not as hard as it had been.

"Drive safely." She reached out for his hand and squeezed tightly.

"Will do. I'll be back before you know it."

It was a madhouse when Edward arrived at the store. All of the displays with pre-made side

dishes were bare, the shelf that held the cans and jars of turkey gravy was decimated, and a

couple of ladies were having a tug-of-war match over the last bag of rolls in the bakery

department.

Edward skirted the mayhem as he searched for the elusive cranberry sauce. When he closed in

on the display, there were a scant couple of cans left on the shelf. He lifted his gaze and eyed

a crazed-looking woman who was determinedly hustling toward the same display. He reached

the end-cap in a few ground-eating strides and casually snatched the two cans off the shelf.

The woman's eyes narrowed and as he turned his back and walked away with a whistle on his

lips he was almost positive he heard what amounted to a battle cry.

He refused to glance behind him and instead hurried through the self-checkout lane. He gave

a piteous look to the harried store clerk who was trying to restock a display of boxed stuffing

and slipped through the sliding front doors of the store.

The rain was coming down once again in punishing sheets, thunder shaking the ground

making the trees shiver. He pulled his jacket collar tighter around his neck and ran for his car.

Just as he ducked inside, his phone began to ring.

"Hey mom, did you forget something else?"

"Honey, you need to meet us at the hospital."

"What? Why? Is Bella okay?"

"Her water broke, dear."

Chapter 33

It was one of those moments that seemed to shrink down to a single point of meaning. It was

time. Bella needed him now more than ever and he wasn't there. His chest felt tight and he

couldn't utter a word past his knotted-up tongue.

"Honey? Did you hear me?" The concern in his mother's voice seemed to loosen the

constricting feeling enough for him to respond.

"Yeah, mom. I'm on my way." He cleared his throat and ended the call. The need to get to

Bella was nearly overwhelming but he took a few deep breaths and was able to bring his

anxiety back under control.

As he drove faster than what was considered safe, given the weather conditions, his fingers

thumped frantically on the steering wheel. There weren't many cars on the road but enough to

slow his progress toward the hospital. He cursed loudly when a car changed into his lane and

slowed down to turtle speed. Annoyed with all of the idiots on the road he turned sharply into

a neighborhood intending to take a short cut. He was somewhat familiar with the area and so

thought he'd be able to navigate it pretty easily.

He had to get there. She needed him and he was going to be there for her however she needed

him. Loud cracks of thunder continued to crash all around and the electricity in the air was so

thick he could feel the hairs on his arms raise up. And even though he was aware of the

charged atmosphere he was startled when a jagged, blinding light tore through the sky and

slashed a tree in half. He slammed on the brakes and felt the rear of the car skid and fishtail as

he fought for control. A huge limb crashed onto the road, power lines sparked and crackled,

and when he finally came to a screeching halt, he barely heard the pop over the rain which

pounded the roof.

He did, however, feel the car shift off balance as one of the rear tires deflated. He slammed

his fist repeatedly on the steering wheel and finally looked around him. He was mere feet

away from the downed tree which caused him to swallow thickly and thank his lucky stars

that he'd been able to stop in time.

Grudgingly, he threw open the door and set about changing the tire. After fifteen minutes in

the rain, he was soaked to the bone. He threw the old tire into the trunk, cursed the stupid,

little donut-of-a-spare tire and climbed back into his car.

Water dripped from the ends of his hair down his face and into his shirt. He flipped a U-turn

and sped back to the main road, the aching need to be with Bella driving him on. As he

approached the bridge, a line of red tail-lights snaked up the road. He groaned as he slowed to

a stop. Water was sloshing over the road making it difficult for cars to pass. A police officer

was directing traffic allowing only one or two cars over the bridge at a time.

He rubbed his hands together and held them in front of the vent to warm them. Slowly, he

inched forward willing the vehicles to move faster. He grew more and more impatient as he

watched the minutes tick by. Three more cars, he thought as his knee bounced up and down.

He picked up his cell phone to give his mother an update, but when he pressed the call button,

he noticed there was no service. With total contempt, he threw the phone into the passenger

seat and let out a frustrated growl.

His impatience turned into a murderous rage when the police officer closed the bridge entirely

and directed the rest of the waiting vehicles to turn around and seek other routes.

When all the cars had cleared out, Edward begged the officer to let him by, explaining that his

pregnant girlfriend was in labor, but the police officer wouldn't budge. And when he saw the

spare tire on Edward's car, he simply snorted and shook his head.

Completely saturated, Edward turned around and took the only other alternate route to the

hospital which would've put him an hour out of the way had there been no traffic, but since

several other routes had been redirected to the same detour, the vehicles crawled by at an

excruciatingly slow pace.

It had been nearly three hours since his mother had called. He slogged his way into the

hospital, and was pointed toward the maternity wing. He had to wait several more minutes to

be admitted through security and into the area where the delivery suites were located.

As he rounded a corner he heard an angry-sounding Bella scream at someone to "get the hell

out of her room." A nurse exited the room, shaking her head and turned in Edward's direction.

When she took in his bedraggled appearance she raised one eyebrow and asked, "Can I help

you?"

"I'm looking for Bella Swan."

"Are you Edward?"

He nodded.

"Thank the Lord. She's been demanding we send out a search party for the last hour and a

half. What happ … never mind. I'll go get you some dry scrubs. Go on in."

He muttered a brief "thank you" and hurried into the room. He glanced around briefly at the

homey décor of the room. Even though it was nice—wood cabinets and flowery curtains and

stuff—it was still obviously a hospital. His gaze stopped short at the oddly tilted bed.

"Why are you upside-down?" he asked.

"Edward? Is that you?" Bella called out.

He skirted around the foot of the bed and came to stand next to Bella's down-turned head.

"Hey, Beautiful. Why'd you start without me?" He leaned over and kissed her forehead,

smoothing back a lock of stray hair from her face.

She lifted her face and kissed his cheek. When she pulled back, though, she pushed him hard

against the chest. "What took you so long? And why are you all we- Ow ow ow…hooo hooo."

She watched one particular piece of machinery with rapt attention.

It was then that Edward noticed a fast, rhythmic blip sound. As Bella continued to pant and

breathe through the contraction, the little blipping noise got slower and slower.

She cursed when the contraction was over and flopped her head back.

"What? What does that mean?"

"That's the baby's heartbeat. Every time I have a contraction it slows down. Apparently he has

his hand on top of his head and wrapped around some of the umbilical cord."

"Really? Are they sure?"

He would've been reduced to ash had she had the power to incinerate him with her glare.

"Would you like to join your name to the other five jerks that have had their hands up my

hoo-hah only to say the exact same thing? 'Yep that's a hand all right'!"

"Um…no, I just… so what happens now?"

"I get to stay upside-down and get a head rush while they get an operating room ready. The

anesthesiologist will be here in a minute to give me an epidural, and then they slice me open.

Yay."

Edward ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the ends as he paced near the bed. He didn't

like the idea of her needing surgery, but if it wasn't going to be safe for her to deliver the baby

the usual way, then he was glad they were at one of the best hospitals in the area.

"Why are you all wet? And, seriously, what took you so long?"

"It's a long story. How about I tell you after the baby gets here?"

Bella looked as though she was about to argue, but her eyes narrowed at the person who had

just walked into the room.

"Hey there, Mama. I'm going to check you one more time to see if he's pulled that hand back."

It was the same nurse Edward had met in the hallway. She tossed him a stack of dry clothes.

"Here you go, Dad. Bathroom is right through there."

"Oh, I'm not—"

"Go change, Edward," said Bella, cutting off his objection to the nurse's assumption.

He peeled off his wet clothing and quickly donned the dry scrubs. When he came back into

the room, there was a flurry of activity going on around him. His mother rushed up to him and

wrapped her arms around his midsection.

"We were so worried," said Esme.

"I'll tell you all about it later."

"You're okay, though, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's dad?"

"Oh, he's keeping Charlie company in one of the lounges."

Edward looked over his mother's shoulder and noticed Renee standing near the head of the

bed trying her best to not look like she was hovering.

It was then that the exotic and bold Dr. Mercer swept into the room. "Hello, Bella, Edward,

how are you doing?"

"I'd be doing a lot better if this baby would cooperate," Bella grumbled.

"We'll get him delivered and soon you won't be able to remember all the trouble he's caused.

The candy man is on his way and then we can begin. Who will be in the O.R. with you?"

Bella's forehead crinkled as she looked between her mother and Edward. He could see the

internal struggle play out on her face. After several moments of deliberation, she reached her

hand to Edward. "I want Edward with me," she said and looked up at her mom. "I'm sorry,

mom, I just…"

"I understand, dear. He'll take good care of you." Renee gave a tight smile to Edward and

surreptitiously wiped at her eyes.

"You're already in scrubs, but we'll have you put this suit on, just to be safe," said the nurse

and handed him a disposable, zippered jumpsuit, a pair of booties, and a cap. "Oh, Dr. Payne

is here. You can put all that on after he places the epidural."

Edward cringed as he watched the anesthesiologist prepare for the procedure. The bed was

leveled and heEdward took up a kneeling position in front of Bella as instructed by the nurse.

Bella curled over, exposing her back to the doctor, and grabbed hold of his shoulders. He felt

the moment the needle went into her back as Bella's hands turned into raptor claws, digging

into his arms.

"You're doing great, Beautiful," he whispered into her ear. He felt completely helpless as she

grunted and whimpered into his shoulder.

"Almost done," said Dr. Payne.

Edward chuckled inwardly at the appropriateness of the doctor's last name. He did his best to

soothe her through another contraction while still keeping her in the right position when she

had a huge needle in her back. Finally the doctor stood up and declared her all done.

"You should start feeling that in about thirty seconds. I'll double check everything once we

get into the O.R."

Once Bella was settled back into the bed, Edward put on the protective clothing. Bella's eyes

were closed as she waited to be wheeled into the O.R. He once again felt that curious

tightening feeling in his chest, only this time it wasn't because of anxiety or fear. It was an

overwhelming sense of perfection.

He reached out and stroked his hand along the flushed contours of her face. "You ready to

have a baby, Beautiful?"

. . .

Bella sent him to take pictures of the baby's first moments of life. And then the neo-natal

nurse handed the little bundle of human being to him and said, "Here you go, Dad. Why don't

you take him over to see his Mommy while they finish stitching her up."

The protest against the unearned moniker rose up in his throat and died at the same moment

he looked down into the pink, squashy, little face of the child in his arms. He wanted to be a

dad. He wanted to be this baby's dad.

He walked over to Bella and sat down on the stool next to her. He tipped the little swaddled

bundle up so she could see him and kissed her temple. "Hi, Mommy. Look at me! I passed my

first test."

Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. "He's beautiful," she said with a sniffle. "Hi baby,

you sure were a stinker about coming out like you were supposed to." She kissed his cheek

when Edward lowered him down a bit more.

"They're going to take him to the nursery and get him warmed up while you rest for a minute

in recovery."

"Mmkay." her voice took on a dreamy almost slurred quality as her eyes closed.

After that, the baby was wheeled away and Dr. Mercer finished closing the incision. As Bella

rested in the recovery area, she started to shiver so violently, her whole body was shaking.

"Sweetheart, are you cold?"

She was white as a ghost and didn't answer. Edward started to panic. She didn't look good at

all. Her rosy complexion had been replaced by a deathly pallor and then an alarm started

going off. When that happened, he got up to look for a nurse.

"Can someone help her, please?" He turned back to Bella when he saw that someone was

coming over to Bella's bed. "Stay awake, Beautiful. You still need to pick a name for that

little baby. He can't go around being known as 'Sweet Baby Swan' his whole life. That's like a

bad mobster name or something." He continued to ramble as Bella remained unconscious.

Thankfully, the nurse ignored the nonsense he was spouting.

The nurse fiddled with the IV and waited a few minutes. Finally, Bella moaned, but continued

to shiver in great, forceful tremors. "So c…cc…colddd."

"I know, sweetheart, they're bringing a warm air blanket for you," said the nurse.

"How's…b…babbby?" asked Bella as she continued to shake. Her lips were a dry and her jaw

was clamped tightly in an effort to keep her teeth from chattering together.

"He's perfect. You okay? You had me really worried there for a minute."

"S…sorry. Just ti…tired. Love you," she said and closed her eyes.

He squeezed her hand as he rolled his head back and looked up at the ceiling. He wondered if

she'd remember what she'd just said. He decided that it really didn't matter.

"I love you too, my beautiful girl."

Chapter 34

Once Bella's blood pressure had stabilized and she was more coherent, they moved her into

the postpartum suite, followed closely by one of the nursery workers who pushed the baby in

a clear bassinet on wheels.

After the nurses transferred Bella to her bed and settled her in, the pediatric nurse turned to

Edward. "Hold out your wrist, Daddy."

His eyes once again shot to Bella's and he waited for her to correct the woman, to say

something to the contrary, but it never came. As he held out his arm, warmth spread through

his chest at the thought that maybe she didn't want to correct them. The nurse strapped a band

with numbers and the name "Baby Boy Swan" on his wrist and did the same for Bella. She

then gently unwrapped the baby's blankets and compared all three numbers to make sure they

were the same.

As she tucked the baby's foot back into the swaddling, Edward noticed a strange little box on

his ankle. "What's that?"

The nurse's gaze followed to where Edward gestured and nodded gravely. "That's our baby

anti-theft alarm. If the baby is taken anywhere outside of the postpartum wing, an alarm goes

off and the hospital goes into lock-down. Not even through the doors to the lobby area."

"Wow, that's good to know."

The nurse then turned to Bella, helped her adjust the bed to a comfortable sitting position, and

settled the baby in her arms. "He's sleepy right now, but he'll probably be hungry in a little bit.

Have you had any breast feeding classes?"

Edward watched Bella's eyes grow wide as she slowly shook her head back and forth. He

swallowed hard and focused on a repeating swirly pattern in the laminate wood floor. Up until

that moment he hadn't really thought about the logistics of feeding the baby.

"The lactation specialist should be coming by for a visit soon. Here's the call button if you

need anything." She turned and walked out of the room, leaving them both bewildered.

The awkwardness only lasted a few moments though, because when Edward looked up, he

was completely robbed of breath by what he saw. Bella holding her newborn infant, a tear

trickling down her face as she stroked a gentle finger down his tiny nose, was probably the

most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"I can't believe he's here," she whispered.

He continued to watch in awe as she gently undid the blankets and examined the scrawny

little legs, stubbornly tucked up against his bottom. She touched each perfect little toe and

then covered him back up. She then pried his fist open until he grasped her pinky with

instinctual force.

"He is so perfect, isn't he?"

Edward's throat was so tight with emotion, it took him a moment to say anything. "He is. He's

beautiful."

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.

"Uh … sure," he said.

She glanced questioningly at his hesitation.

"Of course I would," he corrected himself.

"If you're sure," she said as she laid the baby on the bed and tried to re-create the wrap that the

nurse had done.

"Here," he said. "Let me?"

She leaned her head back and let him do his thing. He turned the baby to face him, made sure

he was situated on the blankets, then deftly folded the bottom up over his legs, wrapped one

side around and slipped it under, then brought the other side of the blanket around and

anchored the wrap by tucking the end of the blanket into one of the other folds.

When he looked up at Bella, her eye brows had shot up and her mouth was hanging open.

"Where the he … heck did you learn how to do that?"

She knew he'd been reading up on baby stuff, but her incredulity was still a little

embarrassing.

"Youtube?" he said then cast his eyes down with a sheepish smile. "And I took three years of

child development in high school. They made us practice this stuff on life-sized baby dolls

and I guess it's like riding a bike."

"You must have gotten an 'A,'" she said.

He shrugged and looked down into the peaceful, squashy little face that peeked out of the

bundle he'd made. "Hey little man. So what is your mommy gonna call you, huh?"

"Isaac," she whispers as she looks into Edward's eyes, a mixture of hopefulness and

trepidation swirling in their depths.

He nodded and returned his gaze to the infant. "Isaac, do you know how amazing your

mommy is?"

A light scoffing noise came from the bed and he looked over to Bella. Her eyes were closed

and she was once again resting her head on her pillow, but her face held a sardonic expression

that clearly said she thought he was full of it.

"You are," he said and then paused. "Why haven't you said anything?"

"About what?" she asked, a sleepy, dream-like quality to her voice.

"Everyone calling me Daddy," he finished softly.

Her eyes opened slowly and he could see her brow furrow. "Is that not what … I mean, I

thought you wanted … never mind." She shook her head and squeezed her eyes closed.

In a panic, he rushed to the side of the bed and began to stroke her face, brushing the stray

hair from her forehead. "Sweetheart," he said, but she wouldn't open her eyes. "Bella, please

look at me."

When she opened her eyes, a lone tear rolled down her cheek. She had her hands clasped

tightly in her lap and she only barely looked in his general direction. "I just thought, I mean,

all the stuff you've said. I'm sorry I assumed …"

How could he have avoided such a gross misinterpretation, he wondered. He needed to fix it.

He just hoped he wouldn't make things worse.

Gently, he set Isaac in Bella's lap and cupped her cheeks with both of his hands. "I want you,

and him," he nodded toward the baby, "for the rest of our lives."

He paused and a debate raged within him. "Dang it," he said softly. This was not how he

wanted to do things, but it seemed that it would be the only way to truly convince her. He dug

around in his pocket and pulled out the little box he'd carried with him almost non-stop since

Halloween. He could feel his fingers shake as he opened the velvet case.

"I bought this ring for another woman, but it was never meant for her. It was always yours.

From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew we were meant for each other. I want you

now, and tomorrow, and fifty years from now. Sweetheart, I love you; please say you'll marry

me."

She sniffed and looked between the ring and his face, her own eyes brimming with moisture.

"I lo … love you too, Edward."

"I know you do, baby. Say you'll be mine 'til we're a pair of grumpy old folks, scaring kids on

Halloween."

Her eyes flicked up to his, confusion clearly written on her features. "You know? But how?"

A slow smile spread across his face as he brushed his thumb over the apple of her cheek.

"You told me a little bit ago when you were in recovery."

She closed her eyes and wiped furiously at the tears. "I thought I was dreaming. Everything

was so foggy."

"You had me worried. You were so pale, and your blood pressure kept dropping." He took her

free hand in his and rubbed her chilled fingers between his, trying to warm them.

After a few minutes she raised her eyes to his, worry mixed with hope plain in the furrows of

her brow. "Are you sure? Everything is still so … I don't know, messed up."

"Bella, as long as I have you and Isaac, everything else will work itself out."

She was quiet as she looked into the face of the tiny baby that lay in her lap. "You really want

us both?"

"As soon as possible, too. If I could, I'd marry you and adopt him tomorrow."

She groaned and rested her forehead against his. "Jeez, Edward. You can't just say such

perfect stuff like that." She sniffled and sought out his cheek with her lips. "One of these days,

you'll give me a heart attack or something."

"I love you, Bella. Say yes, baby." He gently ran his nose along the edge of her jaw, placing

tiny kisses as he went.

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you." Her body began to shake in that unexplainable combination of

elation, giddiness, and happy tears.

With all the tenderness he could muster, despite the fact that every cell in his body cried out

for him to snatch her up into a crushing embrace, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders

and just held her.

When her body had relaxed and she pulled back, he looked into her eyes and could see all of

the love he'd shown her reflected back to him. Then he looked down at the ring that had fallen

between them and landed right next to Isaac.

"So what do you think?" He nodded toward the ring. "If you don't want that one, we'll get

something differ—"

"It's beautiful. Will you put it on?"

"It would be an honor." He sat down on the edge of the bed and slipped the ring from the satin

folds of the box. When he placed it at the tip of her ring finger, he looked into her eyes and

smiled.

Wearing a watery grin of her own, she nodded and he pushed the ring forward, only it didn't

make it past her second knuckle. He didn't push any further for fear that it would get stuck.

"Noooooooo," she half-groaned half-cried. "I'm so bloated. How much saline have they

dripped into me?"

"Umm … probably four or five units." He left the ring on her finger partly so she could look

at it but mostly because he really, really liked seeing it there and knowing that he'd put it

there.

He watched as her hand fluttered over her still-swollen stomach. "Ugh. I'm never gonna have

a waistline again." Her forehead was pinched in frustration but she was still the most lovely,

exhausted, amazing woman he'd ever seen.

"Don't even worry about that right now, beautiful." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on

her trembling lips as his fingers stroked over where the ring sat half-way on her finger.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Renee poked her head in. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah, mom. Come on in and meet your new grandson, Isaac."

Renee hurried to the side of the bed, her gaze locked on the little bundle of baby. "Oh, he is

just perfect! Can I?" Her arms reached out to hold the child.

"Of course you can, Gramma."

It was then that Renee's eyes strayed down to where Edward held Bella's hand.

"Oh my. Did he … did you …" She was rendered speechless as she glanced between Edward

and Bella.

"Yeah, he did. But my fingers are too fat."

"Oh, my sweet girl, give it a few weeks. The swelling will go down," she chided. "It's just

beautiful."

Edward stood up and gave mother and daughter some space to talk. It was good to see Bella

letting her mother in for such an important moment. He took another step back but ran into

the brick wall of Charlie, Emmett, and Jasper.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose and Alice shaking their heads and wearing

unmistakable smirks, make their way to Bella's side. Slowly, he turned to face the proverbial

firing squad.

They all had their arms crossed over their chests, though Emmett managed to pull off the

menacing look a little better than Charlie and Jasper, simply because of his size.

"You're a smart fellow, Ed, I think you can imagine what we're all thinking," said Charlie.

He nodded. "I'll take care of them both, and love them 'til the day I die." His words rang with

the crystal clear tenor of sincerity.

The harsh set of Emmett's face cracked and a huge grin spread wide across his features. "That

was the right thing to say." He pounded Edward on the back. "Now I'm gonna go meet my

nephew."

Jasper simply nodded as he also slapped Edward heartily on the back and passed by to wrap

his arms around Alice.

"Take care of her, son. That's all I can ask." Charlie nodded and moved to stand next to his

wife.

Edward stood on the periphery of the fragile family tableau until Bella called him over. Rose

made a space near Bella's head for him and at once, he was a part of the Swan clan. After a

few minutes, though, Isaac started making frustrated little grunting noises.

Renee handed him back to Bella with a knowing smile. "Looks like he's getting hungry."

At that moment, a knock echoed through the subdued atmosphere and in walked a woman

who introduced herself as the lactation specialist.

Charlie's eyes grew wide and it didn't take long for everyone but Renee and Edward to clear

out of the room.

"I'm gonna go get some snacks," he said as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Oh, they should be bringing in a meal for both of us soon. Dads get one free meal on

delivery day."

"Okay," he said and shuffled his feet, avoiding Bella's gaze.

"And I want you to stay," she continued in a mouse-like voice. "Please?"

There was no way he could refuse her, no matter how awkward he felt.

"I just remembered I left my … knitting out in the car. I'll be back in a little bit," said Renee

as she kissed Bella on the head and discreetly left the room.

"Where do you want me to … I'll just sit over here, okay?" Edward felt out of his depth and

unsure of how to behave. This wasn't how he'd imagined seeing Bella in any state of undress

for the first time. And he had imagined it, but it was more along the lines of candles and

chocolates, not hospitals and nightgowns with flaps in the front.

When Bella chuckled, he lifted his head and simply soaked in the sight of her; full of so many

emotions he couldn't put a name to all of them.

"Get used to this, Daddy," she said, "'cause I'm going to be doing this for a while."

He could feel the smile pull at his lips at her calling him "Daddy" and he could no longer

remain aloof and removed.

When he reached her side, she lifted her hand to his cheek and drew him toward her. "I love

you," she said and raised her lips in a pucker, silently asking for a kiss.

He covered her mouth with his in a generous kiss, but had to break off at the insistent and

angry wail of Isaac who would no longer be put off his meal.

With a chuckle, he pecked her one more time and took the ring she held up to him. They'd

wait a few weeks and see how it fit when her body had recovered. And for the next hour he

watched in reverence as Bella learned how to nurse their baby.

Chapter 35

"Are you sure it's going to fit?"

"Trust me. I have done this before."

"I know, but … Ow! Don't push so hard."

"Almost there. Hold still," Edward said. All of the grunts he made and the perspiration on his

forehead only served to highlight the effort he was making.

"It won't go in like that. You have to turn …"

"Like this?"

"No, not like that, the other way." She braced her arms against his back in an effort to be

supportive. "Just a little more … Yes!"

"Right there, baby?"

"Right there is perfect."

"Good, 'cause it's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Sounds fine to me," she said and planted a kiss on his lips.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in closer for another kiss. All his

earlier frustration melted away as her body molded to his and she returned his embrace with

equal fervor.

"Now what about the rest of it?" she asked after he'd thoroughly ravished her lips.

He groaned and raised one eyebrow. "Can't it wait?"

"No. We can't leave it all in the living room. How inconvenient would it be to have to go

downstairs to change the baby's diaper at two in the morning and then bring him back in here

to his crib?"

He glanced around the half-filled room and smiled. Isaac's crib was now—finally—set up in

its designated place in the bedroom across the hall from the master bedroom. They'd moved

Bella's office down to the dining room where she'd convalesced all those months ago and

decided to turn the second room upstairs into a nursery.

They'd been married for three months and had been making do with a portable crib that sat

right next to the bed so they didn't have to go very far for diaper changes and three AM

feedings. Now that Isaac was almost nine months old, however, it had become a priority to get

him moved into the nursery.

Edward had to use buzz words like "fostering independence" and "acquisition of self-soothing

skills" in order to convince Bella that Isaac needed his own space, when really he just wanted

some desperately needed alone time with his new wife.

And now the living room was overflowing with brand new baby furniture and Edward's arms

were sore from heaving the solid wood crib up the stairs.

"Can we take a little break? I liked what we were just doing."

"Mmm, I'm sure you did," she said and nuzzled her nose against his. "But we need to get this

done before the grandmas come back with the baby."

"Okay, but I'm going to need to wait for my dad to help with the dresser. That sucker is

heavy."

She pouted and then sighed. "Fine, but we can get everything else situated before then."

After a couple hours of work, everything but the dresser was in place and ready for Isaac. It

would be his first night in his own room; kind of like a new beginning.

It made sense, though, since tomorrow would be a new beginning for them all.

. . .

"All rise. The Honorable Judge Collin Zachary presides over the hearing involving the minor

child Isaac Swan. All those parties involved in these proceedings, please come forward."

Edward's hand trembled lightly over the small of Bella's back as he followed her to the front

of the family courtroom. A chubby, gurgling Isaac was poised on her hip, gnawing on his fist

with decided intent.

The judge swept into the aging courtroom and indicated for everyone to be seated; everyone

except, of course, Edward and Bella's little family.

Edward could feel the nervous energy thrumming in his veins. He'd been keyed up all

morning, though nothing that would happen in that courtroom would change how things had

been. It would just make it official.

He glanced behind him and caught the approving smiles of his mother and father, the teary

but radiant expression of his mother-in-law, the stoic, satisfied countenance of his father-in-

law, and the beaming grins of his new siblings-in-law. Everyone was there supporting them.

Just as they'd been since before Bella had emerged from her coma.

"Are there any new motions or information that need to be addressed?" asked the judge as he

looked between the attorney representing Isaac and Edward's counsel. Both lawyers shook

their heads in the negative and Judge Zachary nodded and tapped a stack of papers on the

bench.

"I have read the report from the social worker and have examined the home study and find

everything in order. It's always a pleasure to be a part of these types of proceedings." The

judge's ruddy cheeks seemed to grow brighter as he took in the balloons and flowers their

families had brought. When his gaze settled on Edward, the crinkles around his eyes softened

and he took on an almost paternal expression.

"You have a beautiful family here, Mr. Cullen. I trust you won't take that for granted?" His

eyebrow rose in a gentle expression of censure, but the smile never left his lips.

"No, your honor. I am the luckiest man in the world," replied Edward. And he truly felt that

way. He would always be grateful for Bella and Isaac.

Isaac chose that moment to vocalize his own opinion by blowing enthusiastic raspberries with

his lips.

The judge chuckled as Edward pulled a burp cloth from his pocket and gently wiped away the

drool that covered Isaac's chin. When he withdrew the cloth, Isaac grinned, his two bottom

teeth shining prominently in an otherwise gummy smile, and reached for Edward.

"Come here buddy," he said as he lifted Isaac from Bella's arms.

"I wish you all the best," said the judge, drawing Edward's attention back to the front of the

courtroom. "I hereby grant Edward Cullen's petition to adopt Isaac Anthony Swan and at the

same time grant the petition to change the child's name to Isaac Anthony Cullen.

Congratulations."

Judge Zachary tapped the gavel once and then said, "Let's have some cake!"

The joyful atmosphere seemed to bloom into a jubilant celebration of family and the future.

One after another each member of both their families hugged Edward, Bella, and Isaac. Once

the family had squeezed, hugged and pinched sufficiently, their friends started to approach.

Seth pounded Edward on the back as Ana cooed at Isaac while she tickled his double chin.

"Congratulations, man," said Seth.

"Anytime you need babysitting, you let us know," added Ana.

"Thanks for coming, guys. We really appreciate it." Edward patted Seth's shoulder as he and

Ana moved toward the refreshment table.

"That was really nice of them to come today," said Bella as she wrapped her arm around his

waist.

"It was. I'm glad they were able to be here." He leaned forward and kissed her gently, though

he could hardly contain everything he was feeling. What he really wanted to do was run

through the halls of the courthouse pumping his fist.

When they separated, Bella's eyes focused on someone behind him. The wistful expression

Bella wore was the only clue as to who was waiting to offer their congratulations.

"Shelly," said Bella as she skirted around Edward and drew her friend and former co-worker

into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here today. Thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. How is that sweet little fatness doing?"

"He's fat and happy," said Edward with a smile, his chest puffed out with pride.

Shelly looked up at Edward with a mix of humor and a rueful head-shake. "May I?" she asked

as she held her arms out for Isaac.

"Of course," he replied and transferred the baby into her arms.

"My gosh, he is a chunk."

"You're telling me," said Bella as she stroked Isaac's jowly cheek. "He eats constantly. Thank

heaven he's been on solids for the last few months."

"So how are things?" Shelly asked Bella with pointed interest.

After Bella had recovered from the birth and life had settled into a routine, she tried to do

more reading and editing, but there was some kind of disconnect in her brain that simply

wouldn't let her analyze words the same as she used to.

It was a very frustrating thing for Bella. And while Edward did his best to encourage her and

to be supportive, Shelly had been a lifesaver when it came to "handling" Bella's darker moods.

Because she'd known Bella before the accident, she had insight into not only her temperament

but her talents and skills as well.

Shelly had suggested writing a book to help children understand when a loved one is in a

coma. She and Edward had been working together on the project and he was really proud of

the work Bella had put into it.

"I'll just let you two catch up," said Edward. Bella nodded and he dropped a kiss on the top of

her head and drifted toward the food.

He smiled and nodded as he passed by Rosalie who was chatting with Alice. After Isaac's

birth, Alice had taken some personal time away from work. It took many heart-to-hearts and a

few sessions with Bella's therapist before they had been able to resolve their differences and

build a new foundation for their future relationship. All that really mattered to him was that

Bella was happy, and she'd assured him over and over that she was happy to have her sister

back in her life. There didn't seem to be a trace of the darkness of her past in her eyes and that

was what counted.

Once Alice found out she was expecting, her relationship with Bella deepened as she sought

advice and counsel from her big sister. Edward watched as Alice smoothed her hands over her

rounded belly. He was glad that she and Bella had worked things out. He squeezed Alice's

shoulder and dropped a kiss on her cheek as he passed by.

When he approached his brothers-in-law, he had to smile. Emmett was struggling with a very

squirmy infant and the look of frustration was written all over his face. Edward smiled and

thought, been there done that. Amelia Swan was much feistier than Isaac ever was; it didn't

help that she had colic as well.

"Emmett, you have to stop pinching the baby or she'll never quit crying," Edward said with

mirth.

"Shut it Mr. Super Dad. Congrats, by the way," he said, his dimpled smile on full display as

he bounced the fussy baby to no avail.

"Want me to try?" Edward asked.

"Go for it, man." Emmett handed Amelia to her uncle Edward and shook his head. "I don't

know how Rose handles it all day long."

"It'll pass," assured Edward. At least he was pretty sure it would pass. It was odd that he was

the "expert" in this department since he'd been helping Bella care for Isaac since day one.

Edward cradled the baby girl against his shoulder and began humming softly in her ear while

he rubbed her back. Within a few moments, she'd settled down and her eyes were beginning

to droop closed.

A sharp wail pierced the air causing Amelia to startle and also begin to cry. He watched Bella

take Isaac from Shelly and soothe him. He was rubbing his nose and pulling on his ear—a

sure sign it was time for a nap.

Edward handed Amelia back to her father before clearing his throat. When everyone's

attention was focused on him, he began his impromptu speech. "I just want to thank everyone

for their support. We are so lucky to have all of you in our lives and we're glad we could share

this special day with you. But it looks like the star of the show is getting tired. We'll have a

potluck at my parent's house on Sunday and you're all invited over there, but for now, I think

we're just going to spend a quiet afternoon at home."

. . .

Bouquets of balloons floated in the living room and several vases filled with flowers were

lined up on the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Edward was just putting the diaper bag into the

closet when Bella padded down the stairs.

"Did he go down pretty easily?"

"Yeah, he nursed on one side and cashed out. Now I'm uneven," she said adjusting her bra. A

sad smile snaked across her lips as she walked into Edward's open embrace.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I'm just going to miss those moments of closeness with him. He's getting so big and he'll

only be nursing for a few more months."

He tightened his arms around his wife and considered his words. He couldn't really relate to

her feelings, and if he was honest, he looked forward to when he would have "the girls" to

himself again. So it was in jest when he suggested that she didn't have to stop nursing when

Isaac turned one.

"I know," she sighed. "I guess we'll just play it by ear. If he gets to be old enough to ask for it

by name, then maybe it'd be time to stop."

Edward blanched and stiffened at the thought of his three-year-old son lifting his mother's

shirt and asking for milk. "Uh …"

Bella pulled back and grinned. "Kidding, hon. Totally kidding." She raised her hand up to his

cheek and scratched through his stubbly beard. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," he whispered and leaned in nuzzling his nose against

hers. "I'm the lucky one." He could feel her breath mingle with his as his lips hovered just

above hers.

"I just can't believe all this happened while I was knocked out." She shook her head gently

and looked up into his eyes. He hoped she could see all the love he felt for her reflected in his

gaze.

"I'm just really glad you woke up." He threaded his hands into her hair and cradled the back of

her head.

"Me too," she said as she lifted up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. "Me too."

The End

Outtake 1 Enlightened Parenting

The meeting with the illustrator went well, Bella thought. With any luck they'd be in print

within a couple months. Right now, though, her sole focus was meeting Edward and Isaac at

the school. It was spring Parent/Teacher conferences and Isaac was very excited to show his

mom and dad some projects that he'd worked hard on. Bella smiled at how eager he'd been

when she told him of their appointment with his first-grade teacher.

She pulled into the parking lot glad that she was fifteen minutes early instead of barely on

time as was her usual M.O. Maybe they weren't here yet, she thought, as she climbed out of

Edward's old Volvo. There were a bunch of kids on the playground and parents positioned

like satellites around the perimeter of the jungle gym. She scanned the group but didn't see her

boys, at least not until she looked over toward the sandbox.

Edward was squatted down next to Isaac, Elsie wrapped snugly against his chest in the

camouflage sling, helping their son shovel sand into a bucket. There was just something about

seeing him carrying an infant that was so sexy. It was totally natural for him and the sight of

him with Elsie like that almost made her want to keep his arms continually supplied with little

babies. Almost. She shook her head at the thought and was about to head toward them when

she saw Brady, one of Isaac's classmates, start toward the sand box.

"Brady!" screeched the boy's mother. "Stay over here on the slides, or go play basketball over

there. Just don't go to the sandbox."

Bella stopped short, feeling a bit confused. Why wouldn't Rachel want Brady to play with

Isaac? She hung back and watched the scene play out.

Another mom looked at Rachel and said, "Yeah, I can't stand shaking sand out of Collin's

shoes. I don't know what that dad is thinking. And to sit there digging in the dirt with a baby?"

"No, it wasn't the sand I was worried about, it was the Cullen kid. I let Brady play at his house

once and he came home talking about how they'd played dolls and had a cupcake war. I

thought he mean action figures and a food fight, but no. They actually played with baby

dolls—girl baby dolls. Can you believe it? And they baked cupcakes and decorated them with

flowers. I just can't even…"

"Like, they played house with the baby doll?" asked Collin's mom.

"Dolls! And apparently the dad played with them."

At that point Bella's blood was boiling. How dare they judge her husband for being the most

amazing, involved father in the world? And to withhold friendship from her son because he

was learning valuable life lessons and being allowed to discover a variety of hobbies and

activities that he enjoyed?

She looked over to the sandbox and saw that Edward had stood up and was waving at her. He

dusted off Isaac's rear end and started walking toward the play structure, his arm gently

cradling their three-month-old daughter.

It was then that the harpy-moms turned around and saw her standing there. Bella leveled them

with one raised eyebrow.

"Oh! Bella, what a surprise," said Rachel. "I didn't know you were there."

"No, that much is obvious. I'm sure you have better manners than to bad-mouth the most

wonderful father in the world, to his face, or his wife's face for that matter."

"I…I didn't…"

"Save it. Just know that when your son turns out to be an uninvolved couch potato of a father,

who doesn't know the first thing about parenting and nurturing all of the qualities—not just

the barbaric and quote 'manly' ones—of a well-rounded child, you'll wish he had an example

like my husband."

"It's just not normal, Bella—" Rachel replied with a sickly sweet know-it-all kind of voice,

but was cut off by more of Bella's venom.

"Don't even go there when you don't know what you're talking about. Do you even watch The

Food Network? Did you know that nearly seventy six percent of head chefs are men? I know I

sure don't mind it when I can take a night off in the kitchen and not have to order take-out."

Bella was fuming and felt like steam was pouring from her ears.

Within moments, she felt the calming influence of her husband's touch, right at the base of her

spine. She could blame her fit of temper on the accident; she was still prone to occasional

outbursts, but this one was driven solely by her inner mama-bear. With Edward's hand on her

back, though, she felt all of the tension and fight drain from her shoulders, down though her

fingertips and back into the ether.

"Hey, sweetheart." He trailed his fingers gently up and down her back and kissed her cheek.

With a nod to both of the mean moms he said, "Hi Rachel, Emily." Bella marveled at how

good her husband was.

Isaac threw his arms around Bella's legs and hugged her. "Mommyyyyyyy!" he shouted as he

squeezed her tight.

She ruffled his hair and bent to kiss the top of his head. "Hello there, handsome. How has

your morning with daddy been?"

"Awesome. Daddy let me help change Elsie's diaper. It was stinky, but he showeded me how

to wrap it up like a little football, then he letted me step on the diaper can thingy and he threw

it in the hole and we scored two points!"

Bella smiled at Edward and inwardly gloated that he'd just proven her point to Rachel and

Emily.

"It's just about time for our appointment," said Edward as he took Isaac's hand.

"I'm right behind you," replied Bella.

When Edward and Isaac were almost to the door of the school, Bella turned to the other two

women and said, "It's called enlightened parenting. You should join us in the twenty-first

century and give it a try."

She strode away with her head held high and the knowledge that she really did have the best

husband and family in the whole wide world.