Anything that looks or smells like twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer :)
She sat in the little green rental car parked in front of the small town hospital. It was still the same, old hospital from her memories: a two story brick building with perfectly cut hedges on the front lawn. A huge, American flag was blowing in the wind in front of the windows. The scenery would have looked like something from a magazine if it was not for the rain and lack of sunshine. Maybe she would be able to get in and out of the hospital without running into anyone. She prayed her father was on the first floor and that maybe Carlisle had the night shifts. Knowing her luck, he would be the one at the front desk.
She did not want everyone knowing Bella Swan was back, and there were certain people she wished she could keep it from forever. Bella leaned her weary head on the steering wheel not believing she was back--right where she started: back to her home town. Back to her father. Back to the memories she spent so much time trying to bury; so much time running from. She had finally gotten over the hurt and finally filled that piece she had ripped away from her so long ago. But now her path in life led her right back here running from new pain and different memories.
"Ain't life grand." she whispered cynically to herself. She hoped it would be different this time. No, she knew it would be different. She was no longer the young, scared girl in love with the wrong person. She was a grown woman with her shit together—well almost together, more like she knew what she wanted and had a plan on how to get it. She had a degree that would help her get a nice job and knowing she had a little boy to take care of would help her keep her priorities in check. Readjusting her mirror she moved it so she could see her little angel sleeping in the back seat.
"Is Grandpa Charlie in there?" Daniel asked his green eyes bright with excitement. Well, her angel was asleep a minute ago.
"Yes he is sweetie," she answered knowing she would no longer be able to put off going inside. "Are you ready to go see him?"
"Yeah!" he announced fumbling with his seat belt trying to get unbuckled.
"Let's go." she opened the door and the moment the cool air touched her skin her stomach tied itself into a knot of worry. Her hands shook as she pulled open the back door to let Danny out. She had to calm down or else he would know something was wrong. Children had that little sixth sense when it came to their parents. They knew when something was wrong, they knew when their mother was upset or scared and Danny picked up on it quick with her. Taking a deep breath she watched as he grabbed the present he got for his grandpa and scooted out of the back seat.
"Are you sure he is going to like it?" he asked doing his best to straighten the wrapping paper on it.
"Of course he will," she reassured as she straightened out the collar on his shirt, "He loves to go fishing."
As they swung hand in hand heading to the double doors to the hospital she realized she wasn't sure if her father still liked to fish or not. It had been so long since she had seen him or even talked to him. There were a lot of things she was not sure of. It had been eight long years since she had left the desolate rainy town of Forks, Washington. The town knew the stories of the best years of her life and the worst. She never wanted to come back, but now she had no where else to go. How much had changed? Maybe the people she was trying to avoid moved. Who could stay in a place like this forever?
"Momma, what's wrong?" Danny asked when they made it inside.
"Nothing, baby. I just haven't seen Grandpa Charlie in a long time, so I am really excited." she lied.
"I've never seen him," Danny reminded her. "I can't wait to meet him. Grandma Renee said I have a hard head just like him."
"She is right about that." The conversation was cut short when they approached the front desk where a young girl sat looking like she would rather be some where else. Her hair was dyed black with purple streaks running through it. Her eyebrow and nose was pierced along with her tongue. She wore a white button up shirt and a plaid black skirt. Her make up was dark and heavy on her eyes and her lips were painted a bright blood red, it looked creepy against her pale white skin, almost as if she were a vampire.
"Hi, how can I help you?" The girl asked, in a genuinely sweet voice that really caught Bella by surprise.
"Yes, I am looking for Chief Swan's room." Please say the first floor, please say the first floor. Bella thought to herself. She could not chance running into Carlisle right now. The thought she had about them possibly no longer living here evaporated when her paranoid side kicked in.
"He's on the second floor in room 211."
Damn!
"Thank you so much."
"Do you want me to call and tell him he has visitors?" The girl asked as they began to walk away.
"No, We just want to surprise him." She said rubbing Danny's head while trying to calm her nerves.
"I have a big surprise for him." Danny said proudly holding out his gift.
"Ooh. I'm sure he'll love that." The girl said with a wink.
"Thank you." Bella nodded as she turned Danny toward the elevator. Biting her lip as she waited for the elevator doors to open, she tried picturing room 211 in her head. Seeing if there was something from her memories that would help her find it fast, so she would not have to stop and ask for directions. The less people she came in contact with the better.
It took all of two seconds to get to the second floor. When the doors opened she stepped cautiously off the elevator looking both ways like she was 007 before continuing on. She blew a sigh of relief when she noticed there were signs posted on the walls directing which rooms were which ways.
"Why are you looking around so much?" Danny asked, interrupting her worry. "I know what his room number looks like. It is a two and a one and a one. I'll let you know when I see it."
"That would be so much help. There are so many numbers here I was afraid I would get lost." She said as he took lead. She had to get a hold of herself. She was acting silly and she knew it. If she ran into Carlisle he probably wouldn't even recognize her.
"Here it is!" Danny yelled after a few moments of searching. He ran ahead of her and was darting in the room before she could stop him.
"Danny, wait!" Bella yelled desperately.
"Hi, Grandpa Charlie, look what I got you!" She heard him announce upon arrival in the room. Her heart began racing in her chest. She planned on doing this so much more differently, a bit smoother maybe. She was going to walk in with Danny at her side and hope that her father would still claim her and love her and her son. Not have Danny running in there to announce to the grandfather he never met that he had a present for him.
"Danny!" She yelled again once she made it into the room. Swallowing the apology she had ready, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the way her father was looking at her son. He wore a look of awe and astonishment on his face.
"Grandpa Charlie, are you gonna open your present?" Danny asked looking a little confused. Without missing a beat, Charlie grabbed the gift out of his grandson's hands and set it on his bed. He wrapped Danny up in a hug so tight, Bella worried if her little boy could breathe or not.
She noticed her father looked different from the day she left him so long ago. His hair had a little more gray his face had a couple more wrinkles and he seemed to be a bit over weight, but she still wanted to cry when she saw him. It had been too long since she saw him, she never realized how much she missed him.
"Hey, dad." She spoke softly after she let him rock Danny back and forth. The urge to cry strengthened when Charlie looked at her. Her father was never an emotional man. He kept his feelings to himself and very rarely showed any affection, but right then as he was holding her son, his grandson, tears sat unshed in his eyes. He blinked them away before they fell, but the joy on his face remained.
"And the award for shitty daughter goes to Bella Swan." She thought bitterly to herself. She had kept her son from his grandfather and her father from his grandson for too long. She should have done things differently.
"How are you?" She asked shaking the thoughts from her mind. Thinking about the past and how she should have done things differently was not going to help anything right now. She was going to enjoy this reunion with her father.
"I'm doing pretty good." He said finally letting go of Danny."You look good, Bells."
"You do too. Especially for a man that just had his appendix removed."
"Oh you heard about that, huh?"
"Yep, that is why Danny and I are here. We're gonna help you get back on your feet."
Charlie raised an eyebrow at her comment, but shrugged it off and hugged Danny again. Bella leaned against the door thankful that her father's avoidance of questions was still there. She did not want to answer questions right now. She needed to come up with believable answers first.
Charlie unwrapped the present Danny brought and went on about how it was the perfect hat to go fishing in. He let Danny plop it on his head and straighten it out.
"I think your going to have to break it in for me, buddy." Charlie told him as he patted the bed for Danny to crawl up. Not thinking it was a good idea for Danny to be up there with him, Bella took a step forward ready to help Danny down, but Charlie put up a hand to stop her.
"Dad-"
"I'm fine, Bells. They did the surgery three days ago and are just keeping me here "for my own good," He explained, using the bunny ears. Charlie had a notorious stubborn streak and it was a good thing the doctors kept him here. He didn't have anyone at home to help him out. Here they could make sure he ate right and did not try to get up and go to work the day after surgery.
She watched as Charlie made room for Danny on the bed so they could watch some TV. It was amazing how easily they took to each other in mere moments. Like they had known each other forever. Hoping they would be safe for a moment on their own Bella escaped out of the hospital room in search of something to eat for she and Danny. Stopping in front of a map of the hospital she looked for the cafeteria. All thoughts of trying to hide from Carlisle and anyone else had vanished due to the high she felt from being so happy. It had been so long since she had been really truly happy. Was she really smiling?
"Bella?" A familiar voice called.
She froze and her heart began to race furiously in her chest. The soft melodic voice entered her head and traveled down her spine triggering every emotion she had spent so long trying to bury. So long trying to forget. She thought he had moved. He was not supposed to be here in Forks! That is why she was only worried about seeing Carlisle.
Taking a deep breath she turned around to face her past. Not knowing how she would react to seeing him she built the wall she learned to make a long time ago and she slapped on the fake smile that usually accompanied it. She prayed the memories would just hit her wall of defense and leave her alone.
"Hello, Edward." she replied. Wishing she could run away again.
So while recovering from surgery this story idea popped in my head and just would not leave me alone. I hope you all give it a fair chance :)
I will TRY to stay in character but I don't know how well that will work out. Cannon pairings. All human.
