Chapter 4: Questions and Answers
As Edward drove, I let my mind wander more than before. Thinking of Renee and Phil always left me depressed. They had a daughter. I wondered why Alice hadn't seen anything until it was almost too late.
Edward held one of my hands as he drove, as if he could read my mind. Which sometimes, he could.
He opened the door for me at the hospital, and we found Carlisle's office without any nurses bothering us. Carlisle was looking at some X-Rays, and frowning.
When he saw us though, he smiled a little, and placed the X-Rays on his desk; walking over.
"How is she doing?" I asked. He held up one hand.
"All in good time." He pulled some lab results out of his lab coat and held them up.
'Did you know your half sister is anemic?" He asked. I shook my head.
"We are extremely lucky that she didn't start bleeding. Anemic blood is more appetizing for some reason, and I have yet to figure out why."
"As for your other question, follow me." He strode out of his office, and I followed, Edward keeping pace noiselessly. We stopped outside of a small room. He turned to face me.
'Now, she hasn't woken up yet, and she quite a mess." Carlisle warned.
I just shook my head a little. With a sigh, he opened the door.
LILY POV
I felt like I was floating, falling. But memories of James, with his blood red eyes, kept me from falling softly.
I was plummeting, memories flashing past me, the moonlit playground, my camera, falling to the ground, getting pulled out of the slide, James snapping my wrists…
I thought I heard voices, and I clung to that. Get me out of this nightmare!
"She is having nightmares…" A velvety voice said.
"You can read her mind?" Bella's surprised voice chimed.
And Bella. Could that really be her?
"Yes. It seems you get the shield trait from Charlie." Edward said.
I winced internally as James laughed at me, trying to get free from the chain.
"What am I going to say to her? Hi! It's Bella. I'm not really dead, and you are going to have to fake your own death, cause you can never see your parents again!?" Bella said, her voice filled with anguish.
"And what about that stupid necklace? You know the Volturi will look for it! How am I going to protect her?" Bella was pacing now, I could hear her footsteps.
Memories faded back away into my mind as I focused more on her than James.
"We can work it out." A kind charming voice said.
"Can we Carlisle? Can we?" Bella said.
I blinked. Bright fluorescents swam into view.
'Oh, shit." I croaked.
Bella was next to me in a second, looking slightly apprehensive.
I looked down at myself. Casts rose up like mountains under the blankets covering me. My head spun.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Disoriented, confused, angry, scared, and in pain." I said after a minute. Velvet voice chuckled.
"Whoa, more vampires." I said, looking at him.
Even kind-voice cracked a smile.
"My name is Carlisle, and I'm your doctor too, and Edward and Bella's 'father.'" He said, smiling.
"I would shake your hand, but…" I looked at my wrists. He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, really. I'm happy that you're awake though." He pulled a pen-light out of his pocket and shined it in my eye.
As Dr. Carlisle ran his test, velvet voice stepped forward.
"I'm Edward, Bella's husband." He said politely. I nodded, and stopped instantly. It made my head feel like a gong.
"I am so sorry Lily." Bella said sadly.
"I-well, I'm alive, I'm doped up on drugs, and you're going to explain everything right now, so why does it matter?" I said.
She looked torn.
"Well, everything James said is true. I'm a vampire, my entire family is, even my child." She said.
"Whoa, hold on. You have a BABY?" I asked. She bit her lip.
"Well, she's not really a baby. Physically, yes, but mentally, she is about a third grader."
All I could do was stare.
"Anyway…" I started. "When do you think I can go back to Jacksonville?" Bella shared a quick glance with Edward.
"I…I don't think that's possible." She said softly. I took a deep breath.
"Don't think that I'm just keeping you here! When I first came here, I didn't want to stay, I didn't even want to be here. It's for your own safety, and for Phil and Renee's." she said, her voice getting louder as she continued.
"It's…ok. Really. I understand." I said.
BELLA POV
The understandings in her eyes made me want to break down and cry. If I was human, I would be.
"If you can't talk about that without getting all worked up, explain this infernal necklace to Me." she tucked her chin, gesturing to the necklace.
A smile flitted across my face.
"Right. That necklace supposedly has the power to resurrect killed vampires, and it must, because James came back." Edward tensed, and a growl rumbled in his chest.
"Oh god, you mean he's done this to someone else?" she gasped, looking terrified.
"Me. Back when I was human, a long time ago." I said. Those hazy human memories threatened to come back, so I pushed them away.
"Do you know how it works? It must have something to do with the ashes." She flinched at the memory.
"We have no idea. I suggest we leave you alone now, so you can get some rest." Carlisle was back, and to my surprise, and shame, I hadn't realized he had gone.
She sighed in mock drama. "Fine. If that's what my vampire doctor commands." Lily said, making a small flourish with her casted right hand.
"Yes. Get some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow." I said, standing up. We said our goodbyes, and Edward led me out of my new-found-half-sisters room.
"I think that went rather well." He said, as we got in the car.
I gave him a look.
"As well as it could have gone. Wait for her to heal some more, then you can explain everything. I'm sure Carlisle will be plagued with questions too." Edward said while he drove.
"And her thoughts? Is she relatively calm, or will I have to keep her locked up in an insane asylum?"
He flinched, just a little. Probably thinking of Alice. I hope.
"She has a lot of questions, and a lot of bad memories. But I think she will be ok. All we can do is wait." He took one of my hands again as we exited the car.
The whole family was waiting in the living room when we came home, minus Carlisle and now, Lily of course.
"And the news?" Alice asked. I could tell from Jasper's position that she felt guilty for not warning us sooner.
"She is fine. You should all come tomorrow with me to see her." I said.
"Yes, she didn't seem scared at all, kind of like someone I used to know." Edward gave me a sideways glance.
'Yes, that may be, but you needed it. Mr. I was a 107 year old virgin." Emmett said from the couch.