Hi guys!
This is my short break from my Yugioh Story, Higher Stakes. Please check it out if you have the time and are in that fandom! Enough shameless self-promoting, here's an important note about this story: There are certain things that I tend to stress more or add for the sake of realism. It's a tough balance, but while I put my own spin on the characters I try to stick to canon personalities as much as possible. I hope that they will be recognizable to you as the characters that you love in canon. If something seems too off, please let me know.
I'd like to thankJessica314(who wrote the Tale of Years Series) and Miki Mouse In Blue Jeans (who wrote Faith and Love), who probably have no idea that their work inspired me to come back to reading twilight fanfiction after several years. Without them this story would not exist. Also, thanks to Iced-Blood(a yugioh fanfic writer who wrote Paved with Good Intentions and its sequels) whose work inspired me to begin writing again about two years ago. My best friend also deserves some credit for humoring me and listening to me ramble about this story before I actually wrote it, so thankswebeta123.
-TheEagerScribbler
Historical Slang to know:
*Bunk: Nonsense. Someone people still use this word, but it's not as common as it used to be. It came from the first decade of 1900.
*To boondoggle: To cheat. This word is from the 1930s.
*A squeaker: A close game. This one is from the 1960s.
In Sickness
The first thing Bella did when she woke up this morning was sneeze.
"Love?" Edward stroked her hair back with concern filled eyes.
"Sorry. It's nothing."
She could tell from the furrow in his brow that he didn't believe her. He raised a hand to her brown and frowned in concentration. "You don't feel any warmer than usual."
Bella gently took his hand and moved it away from her face. "Stop being such a worry wart. It's probably nothing. Humans sometimes sneeze even when they're not sick. We can't all be impossibly perfect."
Edward visibly stiffened, and she realized that Charlie must have decided to come up stairs to make sure that she was awake. "I should go. Call me if you need anything." He was out the window in the blink of an eye leaving her in awe of him, like always.
A few seconds later there was a knock on the door. "You awake?"
"Yeah Dad, I'm awake."
"Kay then. Be sure to eat breakfast before you go. It's the most important meal of the day and all that. I'd love to see you off, but it's about time for me to leave." Charlie had said the same thing every morning since her arrival because he saw it as one of his fatherly duties.
She rushed through her morning routines as much she could, but she still felt kind of groggy. She must not have slept as well as she usually did. Edward could probably tell her all about her all about the embarrassing things that she said in her sleep last night.
By the time she arrived at school she wanted to turn right back around. Today was colder than usual and she so as not in the mood for rain. As it was the air perpetually smelled earthy in Forks from the amount of rain that it already got. Would it kill forks to be warm and cloudy for once? It really irritated her that nobody else seemed to care.
It was a miracle that Bella managed to get through two classes with only a few concerned glances from Edward, but she knew that he would be his usual over protective self during lunch. For a mythical creature, her boyfriend was oddly predictable.
Usually he bought whatever he thought other students seemed to like in order compensate for his inability to eat human food, but today he got whatever meat they were serving (Bella honestly couldn't tell what it was), a roll, broccoli, two oranges, and a carton of milk next on the tray.
They were the first ones at the table today. She took her place next to Edward and he slid the tray to her. "Please eat something. You're looking more pale than usual you sneezed this morning. You need your nutrition."
Bella eyed the lunch tray suspiciously. "I'm not sure that there's anything nutritious about mystery meat- I honestly think that I'm doing my body a favor by not eating it."
"Protein, vegetables, fruit, grains, and dairy. This includes most of the major food groups that humans need to be healthy, right?"
"Yes but-" she turned away and sneezed into her shoulder.
"Exactly. You're coming down with something and you need your strength."
Emmett and Rosalie took their seats across from them. "Wow, the human's feeling brave today. I've heard all sorts of things about that food," He leaned over conspiratorially. "Some people even think that meatloaf is made with spoiled meat and ground up human fingers." Bella wanted to gag.
Jasper arrived Alice in tow right at the moment she was going to get up and toss her food with . She plopped down next to Bella and glared at her brother. "God Emmett, you'd think that you were actually 18. Do you have to be so gross?"
Edward drew her closer. "Don't listen to him. That set of legislation was passed when I was a child. I can promise that no human limbs are to be found in your lunch. Please have just a few bites." He begged.
"I'm honestly not hungry, but I guess a few bites won't hurt." Bella complied because he seemed genuinely concerned. After taking a few bites of everything she threw away the rest. "Do you feel better now?" She asked.
"I would have preferred for you to eat all of it, but I suppose that will have to do." Bella sneezed again.
"Maybe you should leave early and get some rest." Edward suggested.
Alice stared out into space for a moment with that vacant stare that told Bella that she was having a vision and then rolled her eyes when it was over. "Honestly Edward, she'll be fine. There's only three hours of left of school. As soon as she gets home she can relax."
"Are you sure that I can't convince you to go home?" She couldn't afford to miss anymore school after those days she took off to grieve Edward's absence when he left her and the resulting trip to Italy. "I'm sure."
For the rest of the day she felt like a bug under a microscope under her boyfriend's worried glances. Her nose started running at one point and she could swear that he went slightly faster than a human was capable of without getting out of breath to grab her a tissue. She had never seen him slip like that before.
When class was over they walked to Edward's car with his arm wrapped tightly around her. "What about my car?"
"Alice already has your keys. She'll drive it home for you."
Bella could swear that they were still in her pockets, but patting them twice each told her that Alice really had managed to swipe them. "Don't tell me you're all trained pickpockets. Is there anything that you can't do?"
He managed a smirk despite his worry. "You would be amazed at how easy it is to distract people. Not much gets past you, though." He teased. "Except for my sister."
"Alice is a force of nature. She doesn't count."
"Does that mean that your record remains unblemished?" He chuckled.
"Of course,."
Before Bella realized it she was in the seat with the buckle strapped around her in Edward's Volvo. Early on in their relationship she might have put on more of a fight, but she secretly loved his car because it smelled like Edward, and the scent made her feel wrapped up in a feeling of warmth.
They had been in the car for about 10 minutes when Bella sneezed again. Edward handed her a handkerchief. "Here." It was beautifully embroidered made Bella wonder why he had given her a tissue earlier instead of this.
"A Gentleman should always carry a handkerchief in his pocket. Rosalie took up embroidery as a newborn in order to learn how to control her strength so I have several that I have started carrying since I met you. I would have given you one earlier but I didn't want to attract more attention from our classmates." Moments like this made Bella wonder if he was lying when he said that he couldn't read her mind.
"Thanks." Bella gratefully accepted the proffered handkerchief and wondered if it was safe to put it in the washing machine.
"Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" Edward asked yet again.
"For Heaven's sake Edward, I'm fine! It's just a cold!" She snapped.
Edward reached out an arm and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry love, it's just that humans are so fragile. I don't like seeing you suffer."
How could she be annoyed when her boyfriend was being so sickeningly sweet? Bella grabbed his right hand because it was the one that was not on the steering wheel and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?"
"I've been told that's the precise reason why I get on my siblings' nerves." No doubt he was thinking of a certain blond haired sister, but he was too kind to actually say anything mean about any of his family, especially his sisters.
"If anything was wrong, don't you think I'd tell you?" Bella asked seriously.
"No. I know you Bella, and I think you'd try to spare me the worry. Perhaps you wouldn't lie, but you would most likely downplay your problems."
She opened her mouth to protest but couldn't-he had her number. That's exactly what usually did. By this point in her life it was no longer a conscious decision. She had spent so long taking care of Renee that she had become used to downplaying her own problems and anxieties in order to avoid worrying her. Now she did it to Edward too, and the realization startled her. Had she ever lied?
"Tell me what you're thinking." Edward asked when the car grew silent except for the white noise coming from the car.
"It's nothing." He glanced at her pointedly.
"It's just…" What was she trying to say? "I don't mean to hide things from you. This really is nothing. At worst, it's a cold."
"I'm not accusing you of anything Bella. I only mean that you sometimes prioritize other people over your own wellbeing."
The car's engine suddenly shut off. "We're here."
Edward got out of the car and opened the door for her. "Thanks." Bella got out of the car and tripped two steps away. He caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Only you could spend all day around vampires and still remain the greatest threat to your own health."
"I tripped. That's hardly life threatening behavior."
"You could trip into a moving car." He teased, "Or into the stove, or in the shower... humans are so fragile..." there it was again.
"If I promise to not trip into any hot objects or moving vehicles will you let me go inside? It's freezing out here."
Edward swept her up in his arms and carried her inside, gently placing her on he bed and tucked her in. "Thanks, but I was actually-" He lightly kissed her on the lips to silence her.
"You need to rest if you want to prevent your cold from getting worse."
There was no use fighting Edward on this because he was arguably the most stubborn person that she knew (although Jake was a very close second). She sighed and asked, "That doesn't necessarily mean that I need to rest in bed, does it?"
"What did you have in mind? We don't want to make your father ill."
"My father isn't home right now. I was hoping to be able to go downstairs and pop in a DVD."
"Bella, disease spreads. Maybe I can persuade you that this is the far better alternative." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Unlike your father, I can't get sick. And maybe this is selfish, but I like not having to share you with anyone."
In theory she hated what he was saying about not being able to go down stairs, but in practice she could not find it in herself to mind that much. She'd take any excuse to be close to Edward. "Well, I suppose that you have a point...but-" she had just settled herself in Edward's arms when she started to cough. He felt her forehead again for the umpteenth time that day.
"You feel a little warm...That's it, I'm taking you to Carlisle."
"Carlisle doesn't even work today!"
He grinned weakly, "I know-I'm taking you home. I thought you'd be more comfortable." Bella thought that she could be comfortable anywhere if she had Edward to lean on. "I'll have Esme talk to Charlie. She's good at defusing anger," he expression sobered.
He snatched her up before she could object and jumped out the window like some comic book villain. He carried her all of the way to the car before gently setting her in the driver's side and buckling her up. "I'm probably one of the safest drivers in existence but it's still a good habit to be in, and I don't particularly want to be stopped by Charlie should he see us."
"This is all so-"
"Completely necessary." He finished for me. "You don't understand how quickly these things can evolve into something else. When you woke up this morning you had the occasional sneeze, now you have a fever and a cough. Emmett frequently tells me that I overreact, but would you do me the honor of humoring me just this once? Maybe I really am acting over protective, but the thought of losing you makes me borderline irrational, and I don't think that you appreciate how exceedingly rare it for anything but blood to have that sort of effect on a vampire."
"Alright, I promise not to complain." He eyed her suspiciously, knowing her too well to expect her not to protest at all. "Fine, I promise to keep the complaining to a minimum."
"That's all I ask."
The ride there was actually the most fun that she had had in a long time. Edward went through great lengths to distract her from her cold, although she suspected that it was partially for her benefit as well as his. They spent the whole drive talking, and Edward was particularly animated when telling stories about some of his family's misadventures as young vampires. She could swear that she even saw him relax.
"So, you know that Emmett is physically the strongest of all of us right?" Bella nodded. "His strength gave us a whole new set of problems to deal with. I don't think that anyone realized what we were getting ourselves into until he tried to sit down on a chair and wound up falling through it! He completely demolished the chair and ruined that section of Esme's hardwood floors."
"I bet Esme wasn't happy."
Edward smirked. "She wasn't exactly thrilled, but we all ruin our share of things in the beginning. She truthfully found the whole situation hysterical. She found her largest, most mature looking son sitting on the ground with his legs splayed like a confused, oversized toddler."
That made Bella chuckle a bit. "I hope that you didn't tell Emmett that."
"Of course I didn't bring it up at the time-that would have been terribly rude! Now that it's been some time I occasionally bring it up when he makes fun of the rest of us for being a little over cautious. Sometimes he isn't cautious enough."
You would think that they were actually related by the way they teased each other. "I try to be the bigger person, considering that I'm technically fourteen years older than him by human and vampire standards, but sometimes he deserves it." She couldn't disagree with that. Emmett was truly a lovable person, but sometimes he could get a little too carried away. Bella had no idea that Emmett was born while Edward was still human.
"Do you think-" Bella coughed. "Do you think that's why he teases you so much compared to the others?"
"I suppose that may be part of the reason. I think that the reason is partially that he feels as though I'm the most appropriate person to tease. He'll tease you, Alice, and Jasper some, but we were all brought up in a time where there's a certain way that you treat a lady. You'll notice that he does it just enough to be a minor irritation because that's how he shows affection."
"What about Jasper?"
"He teases me instead of Jasper because between the two of us, a fight between us would be more even than a fight between Jasper. When Emmett's actually trying he can be quite formidable. Emmett isn't much for strategy, which means that sometimes even being able to read his mind doesn't help. Jasper on the other hand is a skilled strategic fighter. Instinct is no match for strategy. Jasper is more challenging to me, but he doesn't often want to fight because he it holds a very strong negative association for him." Edward's mood shifted again. Bella tried to drag him out of it the best that she could because the shift was partially her fault.
"Do you have any more good stories that I could use as ammunition against Emmett? I still owe him for teasing me about my hand."
In a flash the car had stopped and Edward had opened the door for her. "I can tell you more on the way back to your house. For now, we should see Carlisle."
He took her arm and walked her to the door. "You luck is already wearing a bit thin. Let's not test it. Should there be a sudden shift in your health I want to be here to catch you." How did he not realize that he was beginning to sound increasingly more paranoid with every passing minute?
Carlisle greeted us at the door. "Hello Bella."
How did Carlisle know to expect them? She hadn't seen Edward pull out a phone. "Hi Carlisle! I'm sorry for all this!" Bella sneezed.
"It's no trouble. This is what I do for a living, after all." His eyes shined with humor at his subtle joke. "Why don't you sit on the couch? You might feel more comfortable there. You're not so bad that you require bed rest yet," he said with a quick glance at Edward. I realized that last bit was for his benefit, not mine.
"Sure." She shrugged and sat down on the cushy couch. Since Bella and Edward started dating the Cullens had bought a new couch, and this one was far more comfortable. She hoped that they didn't buy it just because they had a new human in their lives.
He sat down next me and asked me to face him. "Can you tell me your symptoms?"
Edward perched himself on the arm of the chair in order to sit on her other side. "When I last checked her temperature, she had a fever, a cough, a runny nose, and sneezing."
An icy hand went to her forehead. "You feel slightly warmer than usual, but it's nothing serious." He rummaged through an ancient looking leather medical bag to find one of those notes that doctors usually shined in your ears, nose, and throat. He saw her eyes move towards the bag and smiled reassuringly. "I imagine that you haven't a bag like this before- doctors rarely make house calls anymore. The light is fairly old by modern medical standards, but in this case it's useful-my eyes are better than a human's, but I think that it would be prudent to make sure that I don't miss anything."
The examination was over quickly. "It's just the common cold. If it turns into the flu please stay home from school and talk to a medical professional. People these days are so busy that they ignore their own wellbeing unless a condition is lethal. I would suggest that you make sure to eat nutritious food, stay hydrated, and get a good night's sleep. Over the counter medications should be more than enough to help you manage your symptoms until you're better." Carlisle briefly looked at Edward, and Edward simply nodded in response and went off to the kitchen. The water faucet began to run. He must have been fixing her a cup of water.
"I apologize for my son. I realize that he tends to overreact."
"Neither of you have anything to apologize for! I know that he means well." Both of them clearly did. It was written all over Carlisle's repentant expression.
He smiled indulgently, as if she was one of his children too, and Bella felt a rush of affection for the vampire. "Thank you for being so understanding of our family's quirks. Please understand that while we try to change with the times, changing is difficult for us. To a certain degree we will always be influenced by the time in which we were turned. Edward was turned as he died of the Spanish flu during the epidemic of 1917. It's only natural that he would worry for your health when you come down with an illness." How could she have been so oblivious. He had told her how he died when they first met, so it wasn't like she didn't know. Of course someone who died during a flu epidemic would be worried when someone they cared about got sick.
Bella knew what she had to do. She went into the kitchen and took the glass of water from Edward.
"Thanks." She kissed him on the cheek. "I promise to take better care of myself. I never meant to worry you."
He kissed her back. "I'm sorry too. I've been acting like a lunatic."
"I can't blame you for worrying. I should realized why you'd worry."
"Fever, cough, sore throat, chills, and body aches." He suddenly said. "You have three of the five symptoms of the Spanish Flu. Today it's preventable with a vaccine and can be treated effectively with anti-viral drugs and other modern medications, but back then we didn't understand where it came from or how to prevent it. A few decades ago I discovered that there were vaccines in development, but they weren't effective because we didn't know that the flu was caused by a virus instead of bacteria. We've come so far, but still...even with all those things you can still get sick. Did you know that today that virus is still circulating and people still get sick from it?" After a beat of silence, he gently hugged her. "Do have any idea how maddening it is to know that the person that you're in love with is vulnerable to thing that killed your entire family and many friends?"
What could Bella possibly say to comfort him? He wouldn't change her, and somehow, she thought that mentioning it would only distress him more. Usually Edward was Bella's rock, but it was time for her to be his. "I may be human, but we live in a town with a population that's a little more than twice the size of my old high school and I'm a healthy person with access to modern medicine and the best and most experienced doctor on the planet. Combined with my slightly over protective boyfriend that should be enough to tip the odds even in my favor. I'm not going anywhere unless you really decide that you're tired of me."
Ok, that was the wrong thing to say. Suddenly Edward looked like he was in pain. Upon seeing the concern on my face, he reassured me. "That will never happen. I think that we can both agree that trying to live without each other was a disaster for everyone involved."
Esme came in with the rest of the family. "Sorry we're a little late dear. We decided to go grocery shopping for Bella on the way back from our short hiking trip. We brought some orange juice. Isn't that what they say that humans should drink when they're not feeling well?"
"Hello Honey." Carlisle kissed his wife on the cheek. "The orange juice is exactly what Bella needs."
"Hi guys!" Bella gave them a little wave. Rosalie simply walked up to her room without saying a word to Bella, but the rest were as welcoming as ever.
"Hi Bella!" Alice walked over to Bella and hugged her. "How are you feeling?" Bella could feel Alice evaluating her health with a critical eye.
"Carlisle says it's just a cold." Alice nodded and handed her a glass that she never even saw her pour juice in. "Here ya go. It was in the refrigerated section, so it should still be cool."
Sometimes the vampire speed still caught her off guard. "Uh, thanks." She took a small sip, and then quickly realized how thirsty she had been and quickly finished the whole glass. Jasper walked in and carefully set some vitamin C drops on the table behind Bella. "We thought that you might need this." Before she could say anything else he left. That was Jasper for you. He meant well, but he had been even more skittish around her than before ever since they had moved back to Forks after the incident in Italy.
"Hi Bella. It's nice to see that Edward hasn't smothered you with his over protectiveness yet!" He greeted her with a high five and then he then ran upstairs and was back before Bella was able to fully process the fact that he had left. In his hands was a board game. "Hey Edward, do you think that you could stop being a mother hen long enough to lose to me in a game of allies and Axis? The rest of us were thinking about playing if you felt into it. Of course, we'd understand if you decided that you were too much of a wuss to go up against me and Jasper."
"You should play Edward. Bella's never seen us play before, and it's about time that knock his ego down a notch or two." Carlisle winked at his second son, who stuck his tongue at his father like an actual teenage boy.
"You're on! Now you have to do it Edward!"
He looked at Bella for permission. "If you want to play you should. Go beat the pants off of your brothers. I have a feeling that this should be interesting to watch."
"Besides, now you'll get to fulfill your fantasy of fighting in the Great War!" Emmett continued.
"This isn't even the right war!"
"I don't know why we even let Edward play. He's going to lose, even his cheating won't be enough to save him." Jasper teased.
"He can't help that he can read minds."
Suddenly Bella became aware of how devious Jasper could be. "Don't worry. There are ways that a vampire can trick a mind reader. It just takes a little cleverness."
"Is she going to be okay?" Emmett suddenly asked. For a moment she thought that he was going to comment on her cold but his comment went a different direction. "Should we get some tissues for when Bella has to watch Edward lose?"
"I'm fine. I'm only worried that someone's going to get their feelings hurt when they lose," Bella said with a mischievous smile directed at Emmett.
Edward countered Jasper as he started setting up the board."You think just because you were an officer in an obsolete war you can beat us here?" Ooh, those were fighting words!
Alice plopped down at the kitchen table and opened her mouth, but Jasper silenced her with a finger. She must have seen the upcoming conversation because she quickly agreed to not help anyone. "That's why they don't like me to play. It's hard to have a decent competition when you can see the future," she explained. None of her childhood cartoons had ever shown this downside to being a psychic. "Don't worry, I haven't had any visions about the game-I just know them. This one's going to be a squeaker. They always are."
"What's a squeaker?"
"Oops, sorry, we're usually careful about what we say when we're out school, but when it's just us we sometimes let ourselves slip a little. 'A squeaker' is a slightly outdated term for a close game."
"Wasn't that one big in the the '70s?" Jasper asked, trying to think back. Bella imagined that keeping slang straight must be difficult when you have an eternity to learn new words.
"It was the '60s actually." Alice corrected.
"Enough of the academics. We're here to play!" Emmett groaned.
"Be nice Emmett. Bella asked a legitimate question and Jasper was trying to help." Carlisle gently scolded.
"Stalling's what that is." Emmett mumbled.
Esme took the other seat next to Bella. "Don't worry, saying those things helps to engage them in the game. They don't mean any of it. It's how the men only take about an hour per turn because they spend some of their time arguing and bantering-it must sound boring, but it's really quite fun to watch, although the games between the women take only a fraction of the time we don't get distracted as easily."
"Don't let her fool you Bella. The women are far more competitive than we are." Carlisle warned Bella. She giggled a bit at that.
"I'd believe that." Now she had the sudden desperate need to watch Esme play Allies and Axis. She seemed so gentle, but even she needed some sort of outlet.
"You boys start playing and I'll fix Bella a snack. Bella dear, you really should sit down. You are ill, after all. You should be resting." She could hardly argue with that when a doctor was sitting in the room so she sat down, shut up, drank her orange juice, and ate her snack as she watch the spectacle that they had somehow managed to turn a board game into.
Apparently Allies and Axis was a family event like baseball. Even Rosalie came to watch, although she kept her distance from Bella, occasionally whispering something in Emmett's ear. It turned to be a fun afternoon, and it took her mind off her cold. Even better, it took Edward's mind off her cold. Bella watched as Edward began to relax and let himself get into the game. Being stuck resting wasn't so bad if it put everyone at ease and she got to spend time with her favorite people.
Sometime during their game Carlisle turned towards Bella and winked while Emmett was in the middle of trying to accuse Edward of cheating. That was when she realized that he had set up this whole thing on purpose because he had anticipated Edward's reaction to her cold.
"Come on, that's bunk and you know it!" Edward protested. I've been thinking of other things until you actually make your move and you and Jasper have both done an admirable job of fooling me in your thoughts. I know better than to trust anything in your heads!"
"How do we know that you're not boondoggling us?"
"Seriously? First of all, I'm not boondoggling anyone! Secondly, nobody's used that word in how long?"
It was official. Carlisle was now her favorite Cullen. Maybe she could make it up to Edward later.
"Remind me to thank Carlisle." Bella whispered to Esme.
"He knows." She whispered back.
Author's Note:
Hi guys! I've been working on this piece bit by bit for a while I've really enjoyed working on it. The initial concept came into being to address some of my problems with vampire stories. For example, no one treats vampires like the pasts holds any weight. They never accidentally slip and use dated slang and references and the events of the past never seem to come back to haunt them. Edward died of a flu epidemic. Even though he is well aware of advances in medicine that have happened since then I think that when it comes to Bella he can't help but worry. Maybe I only think about these things because I like history. Anyway, it turned out to be a slightly more lighthearted piece than I anticipated. Hopefully you'll still like how it turned out!
Sources: I've had to do a little research for this story to do it justice. First, if you google H1N1 you will find symptoms and treatment listed by google. If you google Spanish flu pandemic 1918 you will find a Wikipedia article and a ton of other articles on the Spanish flu. Lastly, for slang I used A Historical Dictionary of American Slang which you can find online by simply googling the name. You can enter years as search parameters and find slang terms used during those years.
***For the sake of clarity, I'd like to mention that Allies and Axis is a real game. It takes a long time to finish, and believe me when I say that an hour per turn is actually considered pretty short. With that being said, if you're good at strategy and know a bunch of other people that are too I hear it's a lot of fun.
Thanks so much for reading. I'd appreciate it if you could also review and give me some feedback!
-TheEagerScribbler
