I still don't own Twilight! Yeah, it's a huge shock to me, too. But I do own tickets to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn and the Twilight movie marathon that precedes it. Not to mention the amazing group of ladies I will be spending those eight hours with – 40 DAYS AND COUNTING!
Wow, the response to the first chapter completely overwhelmed me. You, my readers, are AMAZING! Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites, and pimping.
All my love & gratitude to my betas, ScottishRose1028 and PixieKat07. Many thanks to my amazing pre-reading team, AtHomeJo, OneBraveLamb, BilliCullen, and CullenCrazy01, for their amazing feedback and assistance!
Please check out my FFN profile for the amazing banners for this story created by the ever-talented Melee03. She is the BEST! And she tells me I'm supposed to pick a favorite one? Yeah, like I could!
Chapter 2
An incredibly uncomfortable sensation woke Bella Swan from the depths of her slumber. She reluctantly opened her eyes and squinted in the dim light as she tried to make sense of the way the room was turned, the tilted furniture, and the sideways lamp lying right in front of her. Another shooting pain in her neck made her realize that the lamp was not sideways—she was. She had fallen asleep studying. Again.
A low moan escaped her lips as she sat up on the couch, her hands rubbing the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders as she tried to work out the stiffness. A quick glance at the clock made her groan anew; she'd really needed to get through that review last night if she was going to be ready for her study group this afternoon. Accomplishing that goal apparently wasn't in the cards, as she had slept the entire night away and failed to complete her outline. She hoped for time between classes today to work on her section so that the other students in her group wouldn't suffer from her lack of preparation.
Not much longer now, she reminded herself as she slowly rose from the couch, finding other aches and pains in addition to the knot in her neck. The popping and cracking of joints as she stretched were more suited to an eighty-year old than her relatively young age of twenty-three, but then again, burning the midnight oil…more like the two a.m. oil…was bound to have an effect.
She padded quietly to the small kitchen and yawned as she started the coffee maker, knowing she was going to need the caffeine to make it through the day. She took a quick shower while the coffee brewed, going over her schedule for the day in her head as she dressed in comfortable jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt. School, study group, work…it was a never-ending cycle. But with each test she took and each course she passed, she was one step closer to her goal.
While other students agonized over choosing their majors in college, Bella had known since age five that she wanted to become a nurse. Her mother said she was a born caretaker. While other little girls took dance lessons and dreamed about becoming ballerinas, Bella rescued baby birds and nursed them back to health. No stray dog or cat ever went hungry when she was around. Human strays were adopted in very much the same manner; she was the first to befriend a new student in school or take a shy classmate under her wing. She was also the first to volunteer for a worthy cause, whether it was her time, effort or money, and very often all three. She had racked up an impressive number of volunteer hours during her high school career, all of which she knew would look great on her college applications.
Unfortunately her family's financial situation, along with the stiff competition for scholarship and grant money, had made going away to school an unattainable dream. Undeterred, Bella worked and attended the community college near her tiny hometown of Forks, Washington for two years before applying to nursing program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Once settled into the city, she continued to work to pay her expenses while carrying an almost full-time credit load. While it made for some long days and even longer nights, Bella stuck to her plan with determination.
The only real hiccup in those plans had come just a little over two years ago when she'd started dating Jasper Whitlock. They'd met at the bar where Bella waitressed and hit it off instantly, Jasper's laid-back, fun-loving attitude being just the thing Bella needed to balance out her constant work and school demands. Despite her nearly impossible schedule, she made time to spend with him and they fell into an easy, comfortable relationship.
The romance itself came to an abrupt if amicable end when Mary Alice Brandon wandered into the bar one evening, new in town and looking for a place to unwind. It was a quiet night overall and Bella spent quite a bit of time talking with Alice, enjoying her enthusiasm and friendliness. Only a blind person could have missed the spark between Jasper and Alice when Bella introduced them. In her usual straightforward manner, Bella later asked Jasper if he was attracted to Alice. While her ego took a hit when Jasper called Alice the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, her heart was surprisingly unaffected. They parted ways romantically, but promised to maintain the friendship they had built.
That vow—and Jasper and Alice's fledgling relationship—was tested when Bella discovered a few weeks later that she was pregnant. Although Jasper had offered to 'do the right thing', Bella never seriously considered getting back together with him. She didn't want to be anyone's obligation. She cared for him and he for her, but she had known for some time that they were never meant to stay together. Alice, however, had taken the news of Bella's pregnancy particularly hard and the tentative friendship they had struck disappeared. For Jasper's sake, the two women now co-existed as peacefully as they could.
Presently the sound of a quiet giggle broke into her thoughts and Bella smiled despite her weariness. It only took her seven steps to cross the tiny living room of her apartment and peek in through the doorway of the bedroom. Standing there in the crib in footie pajamas printed with monkeys and bananas was Hailey Johanna Whitlock Swan. She watched the doorway, her big brown eyes lighting up and a delighted smile crossing her face as she spied Bella. "Mama, Mama, Mama!" Hailey called in her lilting soprano voice.
"'Morning Hailey Jo," Bella said, rushing in to scoop up her daughter and press kisses to her sleep pinkened cheeks. Hailey giggled again and snuggled her head beneath Bella's chin, her fluffy blonde curls tickling Bella's nose. "Did you sleep well?"
"Hawey sweep," the little girl confirmed, pointing to her crib. And Bella was grateful that Hailey did sleep now. The little girl had suffered from colic and acid reflux as an infant and hadn't started sleeping through the night until she was almost a year old. Those twelve months had truly been the longest of Bella's relatively short, sleep-deprived life.
Now eighteen-months old, Hailey had started stringing short sentences together in the last few weeks and Bella felt absurdly proud when her daughter showed these signs of progress. She had always been ahead of the curve, rolling over, crawling and walking earlier than most children in her age group at daycare. She had been keeping Bella on her toes since the day she started moving. She was incredibly bright and verbal and although Jasper worried about her lisp the doctor assured them it was quite normal for a child her age. Not to mention that Bella and almost everyone else in Hailey's life found her speech patterns absolutely adorable.
Bella stripped Hailey out of her sleeper and changed her diaper, making a mental note to talk to the babysitter again about potty training so she could eliminate the ungodly expense of diapers from her budget. Bella set Hailey on the floor in front of the closet they shared and asked, "What do you want to wear today, Sweet Pea?" Her daughter had very strong opinions about most things and had recently turned that focus to her wardrobe. While Bella was able to guide her to make sure the clothing was weather- and season-appropriate, Hailey chose her own outfits now.
Hailey placed her index finger on her chin as she thought, and Bella grinned at the gesture she'd seen Jasper do countless times. "Dwess, Mama," Hailey finally said, as though the decision was not the same exact one she made every day. Nearly all of the clothes in Hailey's wardrobe were dresses. Hailey chose a brown dress with pink polka dots, her red striped tights, and her white summer sandals. Bella giggled to herself, thinking of the fit that Alice would have when she saw Hailey's outfit. It wouldn't have been Bella's first choice either, but she was quickly learning to choose her battles with her headstrong toddler. However, as a fashion merchandiser for one of Seattle's department stores, Alice had complained more than once about Hailey's "unique" fashion, even commenting in front of Jasper's parents that Hailey definitely had Bella's sense of style…or lack thereof. As usual, Bella had bit her tongue in favor of keeping the peace.
Bella followed the toddler to the bathroom, where Hailey wiggled on the stool as Bella tried to fix her hair. "'Ta-wulls, Mama!" Hailey requested, choosing one green ribbon and one purple ribbon from the basket on the vanity. Bella brushed her daughter's silky curls and carefully arranged them into twin ponytails, around which she tied the mismatched ribbons. Hailey smiled brightly when they were finished and turned to Bella, lifting her arms to her. "Sugar, Mama," Hailey demanded, puckering her little pink lips for a smooch.
Bella smiled at yet another habit Hailey had picked up from her father and kissed her daughter before sweeping her up into her arms and carrying her to the kitchen. She placed Hailey in her booster seat with a picture book and grabbed herself a cup of coffee before turning to the refrigerator to see what she could make for breakfast. A quick perusal of the nearly empty shelves had Bella wondering when she would be able to work a grocery trip into her already jam-packed schedule…and penny-stretched budget. Her checkbook was still reeling from having to purchase her books a few weeks ago and although Jasper paid some child support, it was only a minimal amount due to their shared custody arrangement. She poured some milk into Hailey's sippy cup and removed the last couple of eggs and a small block of cheese from the refrigerator. "How about some eggs and toast for breakfast?"
"Eggs, eggs, eggs!," the little girl chanted, her little fists pounding the table.
"Use your manners, Hailey. 'Eggs please'," Bella reminded her.
"Eggs pwees," Hailey mimicked.
Bella placed Hailey's sippy cup in front of her before setting to work on their breakfast. She made sure that Hailey had enough to eat before helping herself to what was left of the eggs and pouring herself another cup of coffee. She tried to sneak in some additional study time before they had to leave, but Hailey had other plans, playing one of her favorite question games with her picture book.
"Whazzih?" Hailey asked Bella, pointing to a picture in her book.
"Giraffe," Bella answered, smiling when Hailey attempted to repeat the word after her.
"Whazzih?" Hailey asked again, pointing to another picture. And so it went, over and over again, Hailey's vocabulary expanding by leaps and bounds as Bella identified the pictures. She clutched the book tightly as Bella buckled her into her car seat and went through the pictures as they drove toward the university, repeating, sometimes with comical results, the names of some of the objects in her picture book.
Bella pulled up to the university daycare center, feeling the familiar tug-of-war of guilt and excitement she always did at dropping Hailey off. She hated leaving her little girl, but knew that her efforts towards her education were only going to benefit the both of them in the long run. And she really did love her classes, learning and spending time with her peers…not to mention having conversation that consisted of more than "whazzih?"
After a short goodbye filled with hugs and more 'sugar', Bella moved her vehicle to a nearby student lot and trudged off to her first class, a microbiology lab that had been kicking her ass all semester. She hoped she'd consumed enough caffeine this morning to keep her awake, because nodding off would not be good for her grade.
She made it through her lab and her genetics class, taking a quick moment to eat the sandwich she'd brought from home before meeting her study group. It turned out she wasn't the only one who hadn't completed their outline the night before and although it assuaged her guilt somewhat, she was frustrated to be even more behind. Midterms weren't too far off and she needed a stellar mark in this class to have any hope of scholarship money next semester.
"Hey Bella, I'm done with my sections, so if you'd like I would be happy to help you work on your outline," Eric Yorkie, one of the brightest students in their class, offered shyly, his ears turning red as they often did when he spoke with her.
Bella knew that Eric had a bit of a crush on her and while some girls in their class had urged her to use that to her advantage, Bella refused to do so. "I appreciate the offer, Eric, but I'll never learn it if I have you do it, will I?"
"I suppose not," Eric said, a touch of disappointment coloring his tone. "But you'll let me know if I can help?"
"Of course," Bella agreed, smiling at him and bringing another blush to his cheeks.
Bella's phone buzzed on the table, the alarm reminding her that it was nearly time for her to leave for work. She packed up her books and notes and bid farewell to her study group, promising to email the completed outline for her chapter as soon as she could get it done.
Bella's phone buzzed again on her way to work, a text from Alice telling her that she had picked up Hailey from daycare and thanking her for the "super" outfit she was wearing. Bella gritted her teeth, annoyed that Alice had been the one to pick up Hailey…again. She was going to have to talk to Jasper about making sure that their daughter's days with him were actually spent with him and not just Alice. A part of her knew she should be grateful that Alice had so willingly accepted Hailey, but a larger part of her resented the fact that Alice tended to just take over without asking.
Bella pulled into the parking lot of Eclipse, the bar/restaurant where she waitressed. It was fairly deserted this time of day, but they pulled in a great happy hour crowd that morphed into a sports-watching and pool-playing crowd not too long after the dinner hour, as well as traffic spilling over from the nearby hotels. While they didn't offer an extensive menu, the burgers and other traditional fare kept the customers coming back and Bella had a group of regulars that tipped fairly well.
Bella slipped behind the bar, grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist as she reviewed the schedule before her shift started. An older woman with strawberry blonde hair looked up and smiled at her from behind the cash register. "Oh, hey Bella, how was your day?"
"Busy, but productive," Bella told Tanya, returning her smile. She loved working here for Tanya and her husband, James. At first the couple seemed very gruff and intimidating, but they had been wonderful to her with her school schedule and even more so with her unexpected pregnancy. Tanya and James even babysat Hailey when Bella had plans.
Not that she went out all that frequently. She had precious little time between her daughter, school and work to even attempt a social life. She was more than a little nervous about putting herself out there again, especially with Hailey in her life. Discovering that she was pregnant had been a sobering experience for Bella, only twenty at the time and with a world of plans ahead of her. She had been pretty carefree in her relationships before then, enjoying the company of whomever she was seeing with few restrictions. But with the birth of her daughter, Bella had sworn off casual physical relationships that she knew had no real chance for a future. She owed her daughter a better life than the revolving door of boyfriends that her mother Renee had exposed her to growing up.
Of course, that didn't stop Tanya from pushing Bella to start dating again. She would often point out attractive men at the bar, or give her email address to single friends, but Bella was quite proficient at dodging such setups. It was the one time she was grateful for the excuse of her busy schedule.
"Bella! I need you to check this recipe for me!" called James from the doorway of the kitchen. While James teased his wife that Bella had more refined taste buds to sample his culinary creations, Bella had once overheard them discussing her financial situation and coming up with ways to make sure she and Hailey were eating properly. Though she was embarrassed, she knew she couldn't afford to turn down their generosity and simply pretended she didn't know what they were really doing.
Bella ducked into the kitchen, where she chatted with James for a few minutes and suggested a spice or two for the dish before praising it as the best meal of her day. James refilled her bowl and slipped a thick piece of crusty French bread on her plate before turning back to the grill. Bella felt tears in her eyes and worked at swallowing around the lump in her throat. She was so lucky to have the friends she did.
It turned out to be a busy night and Bella spent most of it on her feet, hopping from one table to the next. A group of drunken fraternity boys tried to get a little to handsy with her, but James swooped down and saved her. Unfortunately for her, the ring-leader held a grudge and only tipped her two dollars on a fifty-eight dollar tab. Bella sighed; men like that were the reason she wasn't dating at all. Who had the patience to deal with those kind of games?
Before she knew it, the end of Bella's shift had arrived and she was gathering her things to head home. James appeared by her elbow as if by magic, and they walked out to her car—even though the bar wasn't in the worst part of town, it wasn't exactly the best either. James never let her walk out alone.
Back in her apartment, Bella dropped to the couch with an exhausted sigh. The clock read three minutes after midnight and she realized she'd been sitting in this exact same spot twenty-four hours ago. Fighting off the bone-deep weariness, she pulled her textbook from her bag and started reading, knowing the outline wouldn't write itself. For Hailey and herself, she would do this. Any sacrifice was worth it.
So, what do you think of our heroine? She may not have been what you were expecting...or at least I hope so! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so if there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review! I do try to answer each and every one and I absolutely LOVE hearing from you!
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Thanks for taking the time to read!
