A/N
I would like to say thank you to everyone for the amazing amount of love that Pie has received so quickly. I can't wait to have this journey with you.
I will only be posting once a week from here on out (not certain what day) just wanted to let Bella introduce herself.
xOx
After receiving the phone call from my dad's partner, James, that my dad had been shot and was in the hospital, I took a day to pack up and load my old Volkswagen Beetle with all the things I'd need for the summer, including my precious cat, Lux, and took off for Washington.
I had moved to Arizona with my mom to go to college at Northern Arizona University and had stayed in Flagstaff afterward, getting a job as a fifth grade teacher in a local elementary school. My mom opened her own little gift shop complete with homemade fudge. The woman was amazing and inspired me daily.
I hadn't seen my dad in almost a year, he usually took vacation time and came down to see me and take advantage of the warm air, sunny skies and golfing. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening this summer. No, instead I'd be coming back to Forks this summer and hanging out with him; taking care of the house and getting him to and from physical therapy and doctor appointments.
Two days on the road and I was finally driving past the Welcome To Forks sign. I'd had to pull a sweater on this afternoon as the temperature dropped. Outside it was foggy, grey and green, typical of the Pacific Northwest. Neither the scenery nor the weather bothered me much. I easily adapted to my surroundings, but I would definitely miss the warm summer weather I would have enjoyed back in Arizona.
Driving slowly through the sleepy main streets of town, memories rushed back with the force of a hurricane. We used to hang out at the local cafe, drinking lattes and eating scones in high school. My then best friend, Rosalie and I had been joined at the hip. She was the yin to my yang, the mac to my cheese. She was the fashion model with a heart of gold and the mouth of a sailor. I was the quiet, bullheaded, hippy chick, who'd much rather run barefoot through the mud in her skirt than walk a runway.
Rose and I still spoke weekly and emailed daily. She was living in Seattle now and ran a very successful interior design business and had been married for three years. She and her husband, Emmett, didn't have kids yet, but she definitely was interested in trying for one.
I had called Rose right after I got off the phone with James to let her know what had happened and that I'd be around for the summer. She and Emmett were going to come up to visit in a few weeks, after Charlie was home and feeling up to visitors.
I parked my over stuffed car at the hospital and breathed deeply. I pulled an old hairclip from my bag and twisted my long brown mess into a knot at the back of my head.
"You can do this." I pep talked myself as I gripped the steering wheel. I was just a little emotional about walking into the hospital knowing my dad was in there in a bed.
"Lux, you be a good boy." I smiled at the cat carrier where my sweet, lazy, fat man slept. I'd had to give him a small sedative earlier and it wouldn't be wearing off at least another hour. Poor Mister.
I grabbed my purse, locked up the car, cracking the windows and walked through the small sliding door. I looked around the quiet room and made my way to the registration desk where an older woman sat working at a computer.
"Hi, I was wondering if I could have the room number for a patient, Charlie Swan."
Without looking up the woman replied, "No visitors. Only family, sorry."
Wow.
"I am family, I'm his daughter."
The woman glanced up at me, her blue eyes like ice, her greying hair pulled back in a severe bun gave her the illusion of a facelift.
"Identification, please."
Holy crap, just a little bit of compassion would be nice. Apparently she took her job very seriously.
I pulled my wallet out digging for my driver's license and handed it over. She typed some information into her precious desktop computer and looked me over once.
"Good of you to show up."
Holy crap, this woman had something stuck in her ass.
"Yes, it took me a few days to pack all of my worldly possessions and drive from Arizona. It takes a little bit of time to gather your entire life into your car and move."
I glared at the woman, completely befuddled by her asinine behavior, as she printed out a nametag for me.
"Take this," she handed me my ID and the nametag, "I will buzz you through the double doors. Take the first right corridor, go past the nurses station on the right and your father is in room 220 on the left. The nurses will be informed that you are on the way back."
"Thank you." I dropped my license into my purse and slapped the nametag on my sweater. I was ever so grateful that she deemed me competent enough to make it to Charlie's room on my own and hadn't insisted on hand holding all the way there.
I went through the large double doors, past three offices and took the right hall. Before I could make it halfway to the nurse's station, I heard my name hollered from behind. Turning, I grinned.
"Oh my god, Lauren!"
The petite blond rushed toward me wearing a giant smile and purple scrubs, hugging me tightly when we met. Lauren had been the third Musketeer to Rose and I, though she had been a year behind us.
"I heard the crotchety old bitty announce your arrival and came as quickly as I could."
It was a relief of sorts that the receptionist was a hag to everyone and not just me.
"She was pleasant." I rolled my eyes and Lauren laughed as we walked down the hall.
"Your dad is doing great, Bella. He's going to need physical therapy for both his back and leg, but he's actually healing up very well and in great spirits. Especially since he found out you were on your way."
We stopped outside of Charlie's room and hugged once more, promising to get together for drinks and dinner one night before I knocked lightly and opened the door.
"Hey, Daddy." My heart froze in my chest when I saw him laying in his hospital bed, one leg bent and hanging out of the blanket and wrapped in thick bandages, he was sitting up at an angle and smiled when he saw me.
"Bella!" He reached over and used a remote to turn the tv off. "You made it."
The man was in high spirits for having taken two bullets.
"You seem to be doing okay." I said as I sat in a chair next to his bed.
"I'm fine. Ready to go home, I'm sick of being in this place."
"It's only been three days, Dad, you need to relax and let your body heal. Are you drugged up?"
His dark hair stuck out at the side of his head and his mustache twitched. "Maybe a little bit."
I laughed at his dopey grin. "I kind of figured."
We sat and talked for about a half hour before another nurse came in and kicked me out.
"Patient needs his rest."
"Okay, Dad." I leaned in and hugged him gently, kissing his cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'm going to go unpack and clean up a bit."
"So good to have your here, Princess. I've missed you."
"I missed you too, Dad, I'll see you in the morning."
….
I unpacked my car, emptying clothes into the old wooden dresser and closet in the bedroom I'd grown up in. I found fresh sheets for the bed and a blanket packed away in the laundry room on a shelf.
Lux trotted along behind me mewing softly at his new home.
"I know, baby." I scooped the hefty fur ball into my arms. "We have to take good care of Charlie for a while, so this is where we'll be living for a bit." I began rubbing his tummy and his motor purr kicked in. Lux was a three-year-old, sixteen-pound, British Shorthair tabby. He looked exactly like the Cheshire cat, silly grin and all. He was my baby and spoiled beyond belief. I carried him and the clean linens back upstairs.
The bedroom itself hadn't changed much since I'd left. It was clean, obviously, but the curtains were still the same turquoise sheers that I had picked out in eleventh grade, some of my books still sat on the shelves with random knick knacks and a few posters remained.
By the time I had finished organizing my things in the small bathroom upstairs, and getting Lux set up, I was starving. The kitchen though was pretty bare, not surprising for my dad. I kind of figured I'd need to run to grocery store, so I put my purple flats back on, grabbed my keys and locked up the house.
I drove back through town, dusk settling around the small shops when I pulled into the grocery store. Tossing my bag over a shoulder, I locked my car and grabbed a cart on my way in. I hadn't been here in years and by the looks of things, not much had changed. New shelves, maybe some new paint, but other than that, it was like stepping right back in time.
I wheeled the cart down the produce aisle grabbing fresh spinach, carrots, onion, broccoli, I was craving a giant salad.
"'Scuse me?" A little voice tentatively spoke up.
I looked down at a smiling little girl, her brown hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail her bangs pushed off to one side.
"Hi. Can I help you?"
"Yes, please." She pointed one chubby finger toward the shelf with apples. "Can you get me one of those pink apples? My Daddy said I can have one but I can't reach it and he's going too slow and I only need one."
I felt my eyebrows raise and a smile spread across my face.
"Well, that certainly was a mouthful."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Bella." I smiled, "What's your name?"
"Piper Elliott."
"Well then, Piper Elliott, let's get you one of these delicious looking apples. I was just about to get myself a few as well."
"They are so yummy." She smiled again and I just wanted to scoop her up.
It wasn't too strange to see a kid wandering around alone in a store, Forks was small enough that by the time I was nine, my parents pretty much let me roam with my friends.
I grabbed up a large pink apple and crouched down next to her. "How's this one. It seems pretty perfect to me."
She nodded and sniffed at the fruit. "Mmmm smells so good I could eat it right now, but Daddy has to pay for it first." Her face was so serious I almost laughed.
"Well, the next time we run into each other, Piper Elliott, you'll have to let me know just how perfect it was."
The little girl's eyes widened and she nodded. "Yes, Bella. I will."
She turned and ran off hollering for her dad as she disappeared down an aisle.
Standing, I went ahead and grabbed a few of the apples for myself and then pushed the cart to the small breakfast aisle to find some oatmeal and maybe a box of blueberry pop-tarts, though if anyone asked, they were for my dad.
I had just hit the dairy case for some cheese and milk when I heard that sweet little voice again.
"There she is, Daddy. I told you, it's my friend, Bella."
Turning around my grin faltered when I came cart to cart with Edward Cullen.
So, you know the guy you crush on all through middle school and high school who never notices you beyond friend status? He had been two years ahead of me in school, and the typical bored bad boy in the small town. And I had been so love with him. Or the idea of him, I suppose.
He was so much more than I remembered him being. He'd left Forks the summer after he graduated and I'd only seen him once since then, when he came back to visit. We'd actually met up with a few mutual friends that summer to hang out. But once again, I was just a friend, fun to joke with, easy to talk to, but never quite on his radar.
His hair was much longer than it had been when we were younger, his jaw and chin held more than a days worth of dark coppery scruff but his eyes were still the same beautiful endless pools of green moss.
He was easily six foot two; he was big, but not bulky. No, he was all lean muscle and when he moved around his cart to stand closer, his minty soapy scent drifted toward me and my panties damn near went up in flames.
"Piper said she made a friend named Bella, I had to come see if it was the same friend I had growing up."
His lips curved, his voice was deep and rich, touching parts of me that even as a woman, I didn't know existed.
"Guilty as charged." I smiled at Piper and waved my fingers at her. "Hello again, friend."
"Hi, Bella." She grinned and did a little hopping dance.
"So I take it you're here to see your dad?" Drawing my attention back to him, I nodded.
"Yeh, I packed up all my stuff and moved back into my old room."
Edward's eyes widened for a split second before he regained control of his features.
"You moved back to Forks?"
"Well, just for the summer, to help Charlie get back on his feet. I have a job back in Arizona."
"I see." His broad shoulders shifted slightly under the long sleeved henley he wore. And he wore it brilliantly.
I pushed my black rimmed glasses back up my nose and startled when a little hand grabbed mine.
"Bella, you come play at the park with me tomorrow." Her hopeful smile melted my heart.
"Oh, well, I don't know, Piper Elliott, I mean, I have to go see my daddy and he's in the hospital right now because he got hurt."
"Oh. My Grampa is a doctor. He will watch your daddy."
"I totally forgot that your dad worked at the hospital." I said, glancing up at Edward.
"Yeh, he's still there, that's how I heard about your dad." Edward looked down at his daughter who was still holding my fingers.
It dawned on me right then that I was ogling a married guy while his cute little kid stood there with us. Oh well, some things couldn't be helped and it wasn't like I was groping him or asking him for his number. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little shaky inside over the fact that Edward had a kid and a wife.
"Well, I should let you two get back to your shopping. I'm sure my friend, Piper Elliott is starving." I winked at the little girl and she smiled.
"It was really good to see you, Bella. I'm sure we'll bump into each other again."
"Bella can come to the park with us. We can get Fozzy." Piper pushed at the subject, looking up at me, "Do you like dogs?"
"I do like dogs. I bet yours is super cute."
This made her giggle. "He's not mine. He's Uncah Sam's."
"Sam? Like, Sam Uley?"
"Yeh, he's right up the road from his mom's place."
"No way." I thought Sam would have stayed in Seattle, apparently I was wrong. He and I were really close through high school. Rose had always said that she thought Sam was in love with me, but nothing ever came of it, we were too good as friends. "I'm going to have to look him up."
"I'm sure he'd like that."
"I'll see you around, Piper Elliott. I'm glad we bumped into each other, hope you like the apple."
"Bye, Bella." She waved at me and Edward smiled again.
"I'll be seeing you, Bells."
"Bye, Edward."
A little part of me, the fourteen year old me, started dancing, the twenty seven year old me, smacked her upside the head to remind her that he was definitely off the market.
His daughter was the spitting image of him though, minus her dark hair. She had the same mannerisms, same smile, and the same depth to her eyes. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it when I was helping her with the apple earlier. My hands were a little shaky as I grabbed a container of almond milk.
"Whew. Well, that's that, Bella." I said aloud to the carton of eggs I held.
Stick a fork in the daydream; it's over.
…..
I got up early the next morning after sleeping like a log. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept so soundly. Lux mewed in my face, head bopping my forehead.
Laughing I petted at his fur. "I'm up, Luxy Loo. Let's go eat."
The cat jumped off my bed and walked straight out of the bedroom door.
After filling Lux's food dish, I grabbed a pop-tart and poured a cup of coffee before sitting down with my phone to make a list of things that I needed to get done that day; the first being going back to the hospital to see my dad. I also really wanted to look Sam up and last night had texted with Lauren about getting together Friday night for drinks if things were okay with my dad.
Around ten the doorbell rang, I was grateful for having showered and dressed early on.
"Bella! Edward told me you were here."
"Hi, Mrs. Cullen." I opened the door further, "Please come in."
"If you keep calling me Mrs. Cullen I'm going to turn around and leave and the homemade cookies come with me."
Laughing, she hugged me with one arm, holding a small tray with goodies in the other.
"It's good to see you, Esme."
"See, I knew the threat of cookies would change your mind real fast."
Esme and I sat and chatted for a while, we made plans to have lunch the following day at her house. She said that she would have Piper for the day and the little girl was ecstatic to make lunch for her new friend.
"I take it her mom works all day?"
Esme smiled sadly. "I'm not sure. She left a long time ago."
"Oh. Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory."
Esme patted my hand and smiled. "You didn't know, and it's probably best that you have a little idea before you spend the afternoon with Pie. Edward doesn't talk about it much. He's a great father to that little girl, she doesn't want for a thing."
"She's something else for sure." I smiled remembering our meeting the night before.
"Well, I'll let you get on with your day. I know you wanted to head over and see your dad. Please let him know that if he needs anything, we are around, same goes for you, Bella. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate."
"Thank you, Esme. I'll be sure to pass along the message to my dad as well. And thank you again for the cookies and the company this morning, I look forward to lunch with you and Piper tomorrow."
I waved goodbye to Esme, kissed on Lux and grabbed my purse to head out for the day.
