Chapter: 7


I make my way to the children's playground garden to pick Bella and Bree up. Bella had taken Bree there so I could finish readying her room for the start of the transplant process. Since odds are that she'll be staying in one of the large isolation rooms for the next few months. I wanted to make it as comfortable as I could for her.

I frown when I get close to the door, and I start to hear raised voices.

"Come on, Bells, I'm a man, and men need a certain amount of sex, and you weren't putting out. What was I supposed to do, suffer? I mean it wasn't a big deal, she was there. She offered herself to me and she's really sexy. The things she flaunted for me, no red-blooded male would've turned down," the unknown male voice says.

"Jake, that's a terrible reason to have cheated on me. Besides, just how stupid do you think I am?"

I look around the corner to see Bella standing there with Bree and the tall male looming over them.

"We were on a break, so it's not like I really even cheated on you. Come on, we're good together. Our fans love us as a couple and you know that you can't let the fans down, now can you?" the jerk I assume is Jacob Black says.

"Ed, boo-boo," Bree says and the jerk gives her a disgusted look.

"Bell's get rid of the rug rat so we can talk, she's annoying me."

"Jake, that's ... that's ..." Bella stutters.

I hold back a growl and walk fully into the garden area making myself known. "... a sick, stupid, evil and rotten thing to say," I continue as I walk to Bella. The big jerk turns and looks me up and down.

"Oh, so your new boy works here as a porter then?"

I roll my eyes at him and put my arms around Bella and Bree.

"He's a doctor, Jake, and he's my friend," Bella says with a sigh.

"Oh, well, I see. Hey, Doc, I'd have this one checked out before you do anything with her, after all she had a STD when she was seventeen. Once a skanky whore always a skanky whore," Jacob the jerk says with a smile.

I roll my hand into a fist as he puts on his dark sunglasses.

"You will regret this, Bells. Mark my words. I will make sure of it," he says lowly. At that the jerk puts his nose in the air and walks out of the garden area.

"So, that's Jacob Black?" I ask still looking at the door through which he exited.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't know why he's here," Bella says quietly and looks down at her feet and then to Bree.

"Nap, Mama," Bree says giving Bella a big toothy grin.

Bella smiles weakly at Bree. "Sure baby girl. Edward, can we go lay this princess down, she's sleepy."

I clear my throat and say, "yeah, but we have to scrub in. The sterilization is done and everything is moved in there," I say before leading them to Bree's new room.

I show Bella how to do the cleaning process before entering. Once Bella has showered herself and is in sterile clothes, she helps the nurse finish washing up Bree. Once Bree is clean and wrapped in a fluffy white towel, Bella enters the sterile room holding Bree. Bella takes her over to the changing table and dresses Bree into her brand new, sterile pajamas. Once Bree is all done being dressed, Bella holds her and walks around the room.

"Look what Edward did for you, baby girl. Do you like your new room?"

Bree looks around the room and begins to blow bubbles. "Nap, nap, Mama," she cries and cuddles against Bella's chest.

I lightly kiss Bella's head and give her a hug. "It's just because this is all new and she's not familiar with it yet," I say softy to Bella. "She'll be all right, I swear, Angel, she'll be okay once she gets used to the new room."

Bella nods at me and goes to put Bree down in her crib, but Bree clings to Bella. I chuckle when Bella sighs and sits down on the big, wooden rocking chair with Bree on her lap.

"She has you wrapped around her fingers already," I say as I watch Bella slowly rock Bree to sleep. Once Bree's in a deep sleep, I carefully pick Bree up and place her in the crib for Bella.

"It was a yeast infection, which I got from having sex with him."

I frown and turn to look at her, but see she's looking at the floor. "What?" I ask, unsure what she is talking about.

"The STD he says I had—it was a yeast infection."

I move to her, sit down on the rocker, and pull her into my lap. I sigh seeing that she's still looking at the ground. I turn her face to make her look at me.

"You don't have to tell me this," I tell her and she gives me a weak smile.

"I know, but I want to. I was seventeen, and well Jake was showing me that he was interested. I knew that he didn't really want a girlfriend, but I still hung on to that hope. We had both drank a lot at a party after an award show. We ended up back at his place. One thing led to another and he told me he was clean. He claimed he couldn't have sex with a condom, because he was allergic and he mentioned that it was not good that way anyway." She stops for a few seconds and laughs.

"Allergic to them, he's such a huge liar. It was a few days later—I was sore and itchy, so I went to the doctor. The doctor said it was yeast infection. I felt immediately obligated to tell Jake, and of course, he went off the deep end about it."

"He doesn't seem like the understanding type, and he may have been the person who gave it to you," I say with a nod.

"He was my first and the only one I've ever been with. I've only had sex that one time and well ... I don't know, that should've told me the kind of person he was ... but I guess I was naïve."

I pull her to my chest and kiss her head again. "It was not your fault, Bella. He clearly took advantage of a young woman, and he should've known better. Just so we are clear, you have nothing to be ashamed about. You did the right thing by going to the doctor and telling him that you had something wrong, which is more than what he did."

I watch as Bella paces the floor, she has been doing this for the best part of an hour. Bella, Rose, Tanya and my parents are in the waiting room, at the Johnson County Courthouse waiting to be called in. As Bella passes me I pull her onto my lap and start to rub her back, hoping to calm her down a little before we get called in.

"I'm not going to get her, I can feel it," Bella whispers against my neck.

I let out a long breath and Bella looks up at me. "If, and I do mean, IF, that happens, I will find a way. Just so you know when I put my mind to do something, I always get it done."

Bella chuckles a little before putting her head back down on my shoulder.

"Close your eyes, Angel and just relax," I whisper to her. I watch her as she curls up on me and closes her eyes. I softly kiss her head and I look at the others who are all staring at me. My eyes land on Rose who seems to have a small, gloating-type smile on her face. The smile is an oddity, since she normally glares at me when I'm this close to Bella.

There's a knock on the door which makes Bella jump and we all turn looking at it as two people walk in. Bella jumps off my lap and goes to them. It's when she opens her arms to hug them at the same time that it dawns on me who they are.

"Mom, Dad you made it," Bella says as she kisses them each on the cheek.

"Of course, honey, I told you we wouldn't miss this," Renee, Bella's mom says.

"Hi, Renee, Charlie," Rose says as she, too, gets up and hugs them.

"Mom, Dad, this is Edward Cullen, he's my friend and also Bree's doctor. These are his parents, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. Lastly, I'd like to introduce you to Tanya, who you've both spoken to over the phone," Bella says as she points to each of us.

"Everyone, these are my parents, Renee and Charlie Swan."

We all shake hands, but Charlie's eyes remain on me.

"It nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Swan," Tanya says shaking their hands and smiling at them.

"You're just friends?" Charlie asks Bella, pointing to me, and Bella nods again before frowning at her dad. "Hmm, well you look a little close to be just friends," he says again, as Bella and I both frown this time. Charlie points out our interlocked fingers, which is how we always hold hands.

"Oh, we always hold hands, Dad," Bella says as the others in the room chuckle a little.

"So tell me, how is my little baby chick doing?" Renee asks with a huge smile.

"She's doing really well and the transplant process seems to be going the right way. Alice, Edward's sister, and Jasper are sitting with her today while we're here," Bella says as her parents sit down.

"That's great dear, I can't wait to see her and hold her," Renee says.

There's another knock on the door, this time it's Emmett who walks in with a load of bags in his hands.

"Monkey," Rose says happily as she jumps up and hurries over to him. They start to deeply kiss, and Emmett's hand makes it way down to Rose's ass. I go to tell him off, but my mom beats me to it.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen, you stop that hand right now. You're in a County Courthouse with your mother sitting right in front of you. If I wanted to see porn, I would buy it and you would not be starring in it."

I slap my hand over my face not sure what embarrasses me more, Emmett's behavior or my mom's lack of filter.

"I really love your family," Bella says in my ear with a chuckle. I shake my head at her.

"Sorry, Mom," Emmett says.

"Oh, you guys must be Charlie and Renee, Bella's parents, right? Hi, I'm Emmett, Edward's big brother and I come with food and drink," Emmett says cheerfully.

We all, apart from Bella, dig into the food and drinks that Emmett brought. "Come on, Angel, you need to eat something."

Bella shakes her head and takes a deep breath.

"If you don't eat, I won't let you spend the night with Bree," I say and Bella glares at me. We fall into a stare off, which I win. I smile when she huffs picking up a sandwich and a can of pop.

We've just finished when there's yet another knock on the door. "The Judge will see you soon. I'll be back in a few minutes to take you to the Judge's chambers. Go ahead and collect your things, I'll be right back," the lady says.

We all nod and I feel Bella starting to shake. I clasp her face and look deep in to her eyes. "Hey now, Angel, slow your roll, it will be okay, I swear it will be. I am here for you," I say kissing her head and again I feel everyone staring at us.

"Bella, I really think Edward's right. You and Bree have built a really good relationship and that means more than a lot of other things," Tanya says softly.

As the woman walks back into the room, Bella nods and we all follow her out.

The Judge hears statements from Tanya, Rose, Mr. and Mrs. Swan, and me, before talking to Bella. It feels like we've all been in this room with him for hours when he lets out a long sigh.

"Miss Swan, you appear to be a well-educated, caring, young woman. There is no doubt that you have the means to care for this child and I don't doubt you love this little girl and she loves you. You have been doing a great job with her and I am sure you will make a great mother."

I feel my heart starting to race and I take a hold of Bella's hand. I just know there's a but coming, I can feel it.

"However," he carries on which is just a fancy way of saying but. "You're only nineteen, and as of late you've been in the papers and news these past few weeks. I do know that this is not your fault, and you seem unlike many famous people these days. You come across like you have your feet on the ground and your head screwed on straight. With that being said, I am more than sure if this was to go ahead, you and the little girl will be even more in the news. Where I do feel you and your PR," he says with a point toward Rose, "would keep her safe; I still struggle with this. The main thing that is holding me back is your age and lack of a steady relationship. Now, I'm not saying that to be a good parent you need two parents, but I do feel that this little girl would best benefit from having both a male and female role model."

My heart starts to pound and I feel the need to do something, anything to make this right for Bella.

"Yes, Doctor Cullen," I hear the Judge say, and I frown realizing my hand is in the air. I look to Bella, then at Tanya who just nods at me.

"We're getting married," I burst out, and then swallow as I have no idea where that came from. I shake my head and then smile. "Bella and I have been dating for a while now. I asked Bella a few nights ago when Bree got to stay over at my place, to marry me. With everything that has been going on the past few days, we haven't been given the chance to tell anyone."

The Judge tilts his head. "So, who will be Bree's doctor then going forward, if this is the case, it would be unethical for you to remain her physician of record."

"With the permission of the University Board of Directors, I have hired a doctor who I attended school and interned with in Ohio. Dr. Tia Kebi will be arriving this afternoon, and her post at the hospital starts on Monday morning. Dr. Kebi is a pediatric oncologist, and I brought her to the University hospital because she specializes in bone cancers. As a doctor and as a parent, I could think of no other person than Tia to treat Bree."

"So this will be a joint application then?"

I swallow again. "No ... yes ..."

The Judge just looks at me.

"Your honor, I love Bree, she means more to me than just my patient. But, I also know that this is something Bella has wanted to do and I don't want to step on her toes. I was planning on adopting Bree after we get married."

"Yes, it should be a joint application," Bella says still a little stunned.

"I take this was the love interest that you had noted on the forms?" the Judge looks up and asks Tanya.

"Yes, your honor, it is clear to everyone that they care deeply for each other. I knew that they were developing something that cannot only stand the test of time, but outshines most long relationships. Together, they have worked through whatever has been thrown their way."

I look to Tanya in surprise over her words. I look around and see that everyone else seems to be nodding in agreement with what Tanya said.

"Okay, in that case I will grant temporary custody of the minor child Bree Doe to Dr. Edward Cullen and Miss Isabella Swan. We will meet again in six months to finalize the actual adoption process. I will see you all then," he says as he signs his name on the bottom of a form in front of him. We all stand and make our way out of his chambers into the hallway.

I look to Bella who's still in a bit of shock. I quickly pull her down the hallway to the room we were sitting in before. "Angel, talk to me," I say looking in to her eyes.

She looks up at me with her big brown eyes. "We ... we're getting married?"

I chuckle and feel my face getting hot. "It just came out," I say a little sheepishly.

"But, what if you find someone who you want to marry? I can't keep you from that ..."

I cover her lips with my hand. "Okay, here it is. Bella, I like you, a lot. From the second I laid eyes on you, I've liked you. There was this attraction that I felt the first time I saw you. As I've come to know you it has only grown. I'm not sure what it is I feel for you or where it will lead, but I have a great time with you and I want to spend more time with you. I love it when you spend the night at my place. I love waking up to you using me as a pillow or my covers. I know if we get married, it will be good. Just like Jasper says, we will have a lifetime together; a lifetime to get to know each other better and fall in love."

I hold my hand up and walk over to the bag of discarded pop bottles we left. I smile and pull off the ring under the screw on lid of the only bottle of water there was, which was mine. I walk back to Bella and take her left hand in mine and drop to my knee in front of her.

"So will you, Isabella Maria Swan, agree to be my wife?" I ask, and Bella shakes her head as she chuckles at me.

"Your whole family is some kind of craziness, but yeah, sign me up, and for the record, I really like you, too."

I stand up and put the little plastic ring on her finger and then kiss her lips. As soon as our lips touch, it's like a fire was lit inside of me. We both pull back and I can see that she feels it, too. The desire we have is clear in her eyes as I'm sure it's in mine. She smiles almost shyly at me looking into my eyes, and I know she sees it, too. My eyes drop to her lips, after hers drop to mine. We both move closer together and as our lips touch again the door busts open.

"Wow, Bro, so you're getting married," Emmett yells.

Bella pulls back and stands flat on the floor, and I pull her against my side.

"It looks that way," I say as the others all come in.

"Cullen?" Rose says loudly coming up to me.

I brace myself waiting on her to start beating the crap out of me, but the crazy woman pulls me to her and hugs me instead.

"You know if you break her heart, I'm going to play football with you balls," she says giving said balls a little flick on the sly.

"I won't," I cough as my mom comes over to me and hugs me.

"Oh, I can't believe one of my baby is finally getting married and making me a grandma. I thought I would never see this day."

I let out a sigh but I hug her back, and she pulls Bella into our hug, too. When she finally lets go, my father gives my arm a tap, and then he hugs me, too.

"Thank you so much, Bella. I really mean it; thank you for taking him on," my mom says and I roll my eyes as everyone else chuckles.

"Just friends ... huh?" I hear and I look at Charlie as he glares at me. "You know you're supposed to ask the girl's father first?" I nod and bite my lip.

"Knock it off, Dad, you never asked grandpa. Please just support me in this."

Charlie sighs and then nods. "Well at least it's not that worm, Black. Thank God for small miracles," he says, and I smile hearing that her dad dislikes the jerk, too.

"That was something that was never going to happen," Rose states making everyone laugh.

"Well, thanks everyone for coming, but I'm going to go to see Bree now," Bella says. I watch as my mom and dad, start pulling Renee and Charlie with them.

"Bella, honey," Renee says when we all get outside. "Esme and Carlisle have invited us for dinner. Dad and I will come and see you and Bree tomorrow. Congratulations, both of you," Renee says winking at the end.

"Yeah, Bella, Emmett and I are going to go, too. We'll see both of you tomorrow."

We watch them all leave and make our way to my car. We just get to the car, when Tanya pulls up next to us.

"Congratulations, Bella and Edward. I'm going to get the paperwork drawn up and I'll drop it off to you in a few days." She gives us both a wave before she starts to drive off.

Bella and I arrive at the hospital and we both get washed up and changed before walking into Bree's room. Alice is standing there waiting for us with her hands on her hips.

"So, you can marry someone you just met and I can't? That's ... well that's just sexist," she says and I shake my head.

"We have known each other for over a month now," I say knowing that's not much better.

Alice rolls her eyes. "Well lucky for you, I think you're both perfect for each other. Edward, you could learn from me, you see this is how a true, caring, family member shows support to their family members."

I shake my head at Alice's dramatics and she pulls me in for a hug.

"Congratulations, both of you, on both of your news," Alice says with a smile which drops when she looks at Bella's hand.

"Why do you have a plastic water bottle ring on your finger?"

"Edward gave it to me when he asked me to marry him," Bella says with a smile as she looks at it.

"Oh jeez, only my brother!" she says shaking her head. "Ladies and gentlemen the last of the great romantics," Alice snorts looking at Jasper who seems to just be watching us.

"What? I love it, it's unique," Bella says

"So is my brother," Alice replies right away.

"Okay, Jasper, could you take my sister home so that I can spend some time with Bree and Bella?"

Jasper chuckles but nods. "I can do that; come on, Ally come and meet the great Charlie and Renee. They're going to love you," he says as he waves and pulls Alice along with him. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. When I open them again I see that Bella is up by Bree's crib. I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her.

"She going be ours right? We'll get to take her home, once she's better?"

I smile hearing Bella say we, and not just her. I kiss her head and she leans more against me. "Yes, we will Angel," I say.

I move her hair away from her neck and place another kiss there as I look down at Bree. I smile happily, I'm glad to have both of my girls so close to me.

~IIDY~

The next morning we are woken up by Mrs. Cope coming into the room.

"Sorry to bother you so early, but I think both of you need to come and see this," she says.

"I nod and move out from under Bella, and then help her up as we follow Mrs. Cope to my office. I let us in and Mrs. Cope puts down some newspapers.

I sit down and pull Bella on my lap as we both look at the newspaper headline in shock.

Isa Has A Love Child! BUT, Who is The Baby-Daddy?

Nineteen-year-old, Isa is pictured above with what looks like a child around a year and a half old. This is the first time anyone has seen her with the child and it was first thought to have belonged to Isa's new unknown love interest. But, there is a video of the three of them out that went viral on YouTube. In the video, you can clearly hear the little girl saying Ed, when addressing the man, and she calls Isa, Mama.

We have been contacted by a source that is close to Jacob Black, who Isa would have been dating at time she would have been pregnant with the little girl. The source said that Jacob is very upset and knows about the little girl. The source also said that Jacob wanted to show her off to the world, that he was a proud dad, but Isa never allows it. So far it seems as if Isa has managed to keep the child hidden from everyone. From the source we found out that Isa is claiming that the baby is not his. The source said this is possible since Jacob said Isa had given him an STD. Isa claimed that she got the STD through other means, and she wasn't cheating. When Isa and Jacob split up the last time, Jacob started to seek legal advice through the father of his speculated romantic interest Leah. The source revealed this is the only reason Jacob was around Leah, and there was no relationship between them. When the attorney contacted Isa, she claimed the child was not Jacob's. Jacob's attorney has demanded a DNA test, and upon Jacob's asking, is giving Isa two weeks to be forthcoming. We have another source claiming that so far there have been ten males that have had a DNA test done to see if they are the child's father. One of the men is none other than Jasper Whitlock, who had his testing done at the lab in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Jasper has also been seen with Isa over the past few weeks.

This news reporter hopes that the little girl gets to find out who her daddy is, sometime soon. Who is your money on? Go online and vote now at and vote today.

I look at the pictures. There is a video screen cap, from the three of us at the park. There's another of Bella and Jasper together at Alice's dinner party. Finally, there is a photo of Bella and Jacob in the pediatric playground and garden.

I feel my fist roll up which relaxes instantly when I hear Bella sob. I pull her to me and she says she's sorry over and over again.

"Hush now, my Angel, this is not your fault. I swear I'm going make him pay if he has anything to do with this. I will make him pay," I say as I hold her to me.

"There seems to be some private information being given over Bree's case and care. I'll be getting to the bottom of this. Some of these things are only accessible by the doctors and nursing staff. Do you have any idea what nurse may've done this?" Mrs. Cope asks clearly angry.

I shake my head at her. "I have no idea," I say as Bella, too, shakes her head.

"Well, I'll get to the bottom of it, be sure of that. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. More so, after the good news you had yesterday about Bree. Oh, and by the way, congratulations to you both," Mrs. Cope says pointing at Bella's hand.

I smile lightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Cope," Bella says.

"Okay then, oh, and will Dr. Kebi be starting to work with Miss Bree right away?"

"Yes, she will start working with Bree and Angela first thing Monday morning. Until then, the attending from the Adult Oncology ward, Dr. Nomad, will be watching over her case."

"Yes, doctor, and one last thing, what should I say if anyone asks about the two of you?"

"Just tell them that I am marrying the most beautiful, caring woman in the world."

Mrs. Cope smiles and nods before she walks out.

"So what do we do now?" I ask.

Bella looks at me, the sadness on her face breaks my heart. I wipe away her tears and she lets out a breath.

"I know who to call," Bella says digging her phone out of her back pocket. She barely puts the phone to her ear and she hangs up.

In a matter of time Rose is in my office making phone call after phone call. Bella is quiet looking out the window. I honestly don't know how to help her. When I go to comfort her, she walks out of my office. I glance at Rose and nod letting her know I am going after her. Bella is a fast walker and I almost have to run to catch up to her.

"Where're you going?" I ask. She turns to look at me and I see she's crying.

"We aren't doing this," she says as I stare at her not understanding her words.

"We aren't doing what?"

"This—us—getting married or anything like that. I was stupid to think I could raise Bree in such a life," she says as I scowl at her.

"Hey, you of all people should know that is shit, it'll blow over," I tell her holding her chin in my hand. "I want this. I want this so much. Are you really going to let one article get in the way of your happiness?"

"You don't know how crazy this could get," she says trying not to raise her voice.

"I don't care!" I say throwing my hands in the air. "I want this. I want you to be my wife and I want Bree to be my daughter. I'm excited and hopeful. Don't run away."

She stands there and stares at me as tears fall from her eyes. It's like she's trying to make sure I'm telling her the truth. I move to her and she puts her head down. I kiss the top of her head before pulling her close.

"Don't you want to marry for love?" she asks me as I chuckle.

"Why are you making up stupid excuses? We are doing this! I want this and I'm not going to say it again. Take me or leave me, but I'm not going to stand here and play games," I tell her getting angry.

"I do want this," she says waving her hand in between us. "But I want to be able to keep the two of you safe from this crazy life."

"This is something I know will always be around, but I don't care. Rose is fighting hard for you—for us. We have so many awesome people in our lives that I have no doubts. Stop being scared," I tell her as she looks to her toes.

"You swear you can handle this?" she asks me looking up to my face.

"I can, but I think the question is, can you?" I ask as she laughs.

"I know I can," she says as if I'm the one that started this fight.

"Fine, then we are doing this." Bella stands there and I can tell she is trying not to laugh, but it doesn't seem to be working.

"I think this was our first fight," she says making me smile.

"I guess so," I say shaking my head at her.

I knew Bella was scared and it was understandable. This was going to be a journey for the both of us, and I knew my first stop.


A/N: I love how sweet he is.