12 years later

BPOV

September 13th what would have been my 30th birthday tomorrow, 12 years since the birthday party the Cullens. I could say the name now without flinching. I had the day off from my emergency room doctor duties. Seattle University Hospital always gave you your birthday off. I wasn't fond of this rule, since I didn't like to celebrate my birthday. I usually just stayed home & didn't do anything.

This birthday started out the same, I left my shift at the ER around 4:30pm. I got to my apartment that I shared with my daughter Reneesme. I found out I was pregnant a few hours after Edward and the Cullens had left me. Reneesme knew all about the Cullens and some things about Edward, but I hadn't told her too much since I had trouble talking about him. She knew how much of a mess I was, but understood why I didn't want to talk about him. She was a great listener and didn't try to get more from me than I wanted to tell, but knew the day would come eventually.

When I got home around 5 pm, I unlocked the door to our apartment & turned the light on; I saw all the balloons that had "Happy Birthday" on them. They did make me smile. Of course Reneesme hadn't listened to me about not getting me balloons or anything for my birthday, but then again when did anyone listen.

I made my way to my room, changed out of my scrubs and headed to the kitchen to start Reneesme dinner; she would be getting home from the library soon. She was pretending to be a sophomore at the local high school. I tried to give her a normal life. After how normal is normal for a half human, half vampire.

As I was fixing her dinner I had a vision of Edward. This was odd, I don't usually think of him. I had a rule that I wouldn't allow myself to have visions of him in the last 12 years. Why now? The vision started with me stepping out into the baseball clearing & that's when I saw him standing in the shadow of the trees. I started to walk towards him, I had questions that I wanted answers to. As I walked forward and called his name, Edward disappeared. That was the extent of my vision.

I realized it was getting late. I texted Reneesme asking what time she would be home. I was starting to get worried this wasn't like her. Just as I hit the send button, I heard her keys in the door. She called for me. "Mom, I'm home."

"In the kitchen" I announced. "I started your dinner. Mac and Cheese. It's almost done."

"Smells good. How was work?" thoughtful of Reneesme. She usually preferred hunting, but ate human food too.

"Work was ok, nothing too serious. Flu is starting to rear its ugly head though." I sighed.

"Well, I'll be careful and try not to get it then." She smirked. I set her plate in front of her and sat while she ate. She told me about her school day. She had said there wasn't really anything interesting going on.

I took the dinner plate in the sink with the rest of the dishes. Reneesme helped with the dishes, I washed while she dried. It reminded me of the old days, living with Charlie. I went and sat on our couch and tried reading this book that was all the rage these days. Reneesme had read this book and said that there three more that followed. I doubted I would have time to read them all. She had read them all several times. She was definitely my daughter. I use to read Wuthering Heights, like that when I was in high school. High School that made me think of my vision of him. I couldn't stop thinking about that vision. I just couldn't understand why I had that vision now. I had tried to move past Edward. I didn't date. I dated my work as most of my colleagues would say; I would pick up extra shifts or covered for them if they needed.

I saw the book on the coffee table. The title on it said "Forbidden". It was about young love, but by the end of the first chapter, I wasn't sure about it. Just as I was about to start the second chapter, the phone rang.

Of course, it was the hospital, Nurse Jackie asked "Dr. Swan, do you mind coming in on your birthday?" She apologized for asking me to come in on my birthday.

"Not a problem, I can be there in a half hour. I just need to change into some scrubs." I told her.

Great I wouldn't have to stay home on my birthday. I smiled. I left Reneesme a note. She knew if she needed me to just page me. I arrived back at the hospital by 7pm.

Nurse Jackie saw me walk in. "I'm sorry you had to come in on your birthday, Dr. Swan.", she said.

"It's fine. I don't celebrate my birthday anyway." I stated.

Jackie continued, "Dr. Forrester asked me to call you since Dr. Snow called out sick. He wanted an experienced ER doctor be here for the new doc, someone to show him around. He thought you would be best for the job, since you are the best teaching doctor here."

"I'm flattered by that. I will be more than happy to work with this doctor. What is his name?" I asked.

"I believe Dr. Forrester said his name is Dr. Mullen or maybe it's Fuller. I'm honestly not sure which it is. I'm sorry", she said.

"It's ok; just page me when they arrive." I told her.

I went into the lounge to put my things away in my locker and grab a cup of coffee. I sat down at the table, and thought about my vision of Edward. I was interrupted by the page for me. "Dr. Swan to the ER, Dr. Swan to the ER."

I placed my bookmark and walked out of the lounge to the sign in desk in the ER. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the new doctor. I was sure I was hallucinating. No I couldn't be hallucinating. I remember driving to work & could hear the monitors all beeping around me. I continued to the desk. I decided I wouldn't let them know I knew the new doctor.

Dr. Forrester introduced us "Dr. Isabella Swan, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

All I could think was act like you don't know him. "Welcome to Seattle University Dr. Cullen. It's nice to meet you." I pretended.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Swan." Carlisle said. I could tell he wasn't going to let on that he knew me too. For this I was grateful.

"Dr. Swan will show you around & be your "guide" for today." Dr. Forrester told Carlisle.

Why was this happening today of all days? Why was I so eager to work today? I was not happy that this was happening to say the least, but I was a different person now than I was 12 years ago. I was definitely a stronger person; I wasn't the meek and mild anymore. I could hold my head up and not let this get the better of me. I'd been through a lot in the past 12 years.

Dr. Forrester brought me back to reality. "Dr. Swan, Dr. Cullen is yours for the day."

"Ok, Dr. Cullen are you ready? I'll start by showing you the lounge where you can put your things. Just follow me" I continued.

"You can take the first empty locker there. I'll just write your name on a piece of tape for the front of your locker, until they get your name tag." I told Carlisle.

"Thank you, Bella. I would've asked to have another doctor show me the ropes, if I'd known that you were going to be the one to show me the ropes today." Carlisle apologized.

There was an awkward silence between us. I didn't know what to say.

Carlisle broke it first. "Bella, I didn't know when they paged "Dr. Swan" to the desk, that you would walk up."

"Carlisle, it is fine. I have no problem with this, yet anyway. Is the rest of the family living here too?"

"Yes."

"Please do not let them know that I work here. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I don't know if I could keep from being angry at him."

"Bella, you do know he left to protect you."

"To protect me? Carlisle, he told me he didn't want me anymore. His words to me were "I don't want you." So he left because he didn't want me anymore not to protect me."

"That's what he told you?"

"Yes."

"Why that little…" Carlisle was fuming.

"Carlisle let's get started." I suggested. I didn't want to talk about this here.

We started down the hall, where we kept the medicine, then to the first two trauma rooms. As I showed him around then we were back to the lounge. The ER was slow today, which was unusual. Unfortunately, that left time for Carlisle and I to talk. Which I wasn't sure I wanted to do.

Again Carlisle broke the silence first. "Bella please let me tell Alice that you work here."

"Carlisle, I don't think that's a good idea. As much as I've missed Alice, I can't let myself into that world again. I'm still in love with Edward, but I honestly don't know if I can take that kind of pain again. The pain was almost too much to bear the first round. If it happened again, I don't know how I would survive. I wouldn't have survived if not for Jacob. He was my best friend and helped me through my darkest days after your family left, when my mother died a few short months later and after my transformation. It took me a long time to be able to put my life back together. "

"I'm sorry to hear that your mother passed. If you don't mind my asking, how did she die?"

"She was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from a baseball game that Phil was playing in."

I tried not to think about that night I received that call from Charlie, I couldn't breathe when I thought about it. I know I didn't have to breathe anymore, but I still felt like I would hyperventilate just thinking about my mother.

"Well, Carlisle, it seems our shift is done." I announced.

"Well, then I'm going to go home. You are sure that you don't want this mentioned to anyone?"

"I would rather you didn't for now. I'm not ready and I have to think of Reneesme." I replied.

"Reneesme?" Carlisle was puzzled. He had no idea he was a grandfather.

"Carlisle, Reneesme is Edward and my daughter. I found out hours after you all had left. I would rather not talk about right now. If I share this with you, I will want to share it all at once with the entire family with one exception. Right now, I don't want Edward to know about her yet. "I explained.

Now, I had some thinking to do about Reneesme and the Cullens. How was I going to tell her that her father's family was here in Seattle?