A/N: *blinks innocently* Idk where some of you get off calling me a brat. Humph. ;)
Edward wasn't kidding. Whatever bug she'd caught, brutal was a good word for it.
When her body was wracked by chills, there was no keeping her warm. She huddled into a tight ball, her arms wrapped around her legs as she shook violently. Her bones were made of ice and she ached.
"I don't have anymore blankets. I'm sorry."
She honestly didn't know if she was dreaming Edward's presence by her side. Coherency wasn't a concept she could grasp. She hardly knew when she was awake anyway. Time passed in between lulls of unconsciousness and fever dreams. Her lungs felt thick, her throat was raw, and every conscious moment seemed surreal, hazy.
At some point, chills gave way to fire. Bella vaguely remembered waking covered in a sheen of sweat. Under her mountain of blankets, Bella felt like a lobster in a pot that was suddenly boiling. For how feeble she felt, the blankets may have weighed two tons each.
"I'm just trying to help you," Edward's voice said near her ear. He lifted the heavy blankets away from her. "Please tell me if I'm making you uncomfortable."
Bella shook her head, whatever answer she had lost to a coughing fit.
"You gotta rub her back, Daddy." Benjamin spoke around an obvious yawn, and Bella had to wonder again if she was dreaming.
"Benji," Edward said with a sigh. "Why are you out of bed?"
Bella felt little hands on her back, so Benjamin must have gotten tired of waiting for Edward to help her. He gasped. "Daddy, she is so hot! Look. Her hair is wet."
"I know." Edward sounded worried.
"'m fine," Bella mumbled. Her jeans were stuck to her skin, but she didn't have the energy to even think about doing anything about that.
"I saw in a movie where the little girl was hot like this, and her mommy put her in a bath with her pajamas on."
"I don't think that's necessary, Benji. Why don't you go back to bed. I'll take care of Bella. I promise."
"What if you need help?" Bella felt lips at her forehead again, smaller this time and cool against her overheated skin. "Go back to sleep, Bella. My teacher says the best medicine for being sick is sleep."
"'Kay," Bella agreed. She managed to open her eyes enough to see Benji and Edward both looking at her with their concerned green eyes. Part of her wanted to be embarrassed - she must have looked like death warmed over - but most of her was anxious to follow the little boy's direction. Muscle fatigue made it difficult, but she raised a trembling hand, brushing her fingers down Benjamin's cheek. "I'll sleep if you sleep." She was slurring her s's.
He held out his pinky. "Deal."
Bella managed to hook her pinky around his and shake. She watched through blurry vision as Edward picked Benjamin up. "Drink some water if you can, Bella," he said gently, nodding at the glass on the nightstand before he left the room.
Dutiful, knowing it was best to keep hydrated, Bella struggled to sit up. She was shaky and miserable, her fingers trembling as she tried to get a grip on the glass.
"Hey. Let me help you." Edward returned from Benjamin's room just in time to see her almost fumble the glass. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tentatively wrapped his arm around her shoulders, supporting her. "Is this okay?"
Bella sighed - the sound wet with phlegm. "Yeah. I'll be embarrassed tomorrow. But isss okay for now." She was mumbling and exhausted. Her thoughts were so muddled, she still wasn't entirely sure she was awake.
"Don't be embarrassed," he said quietly, helping her hold the glass to her lips while she took a long drink. The water was cool on her parched throat. "I went through this with Benji. I know it's horrible."
"Ugh." Horrible was an understatement. Bella slumped against him, exhausted beyond measure by that small movement. "Thank you for this." Embarrassed or not, she was glad she wasn't alone. She'd always been self-reliant, but nothing brought out the need to be taken care of more than being sick.
"It's no problem." He was rubbing her back in slow, soft circles. Benjamin was right; it felt good. "Between you and Benji, you might have to return the favor for me in a few days," he teased.
Bella just hummed. His body heat was only making her hotter, but at the same time, his hands felt so good. The steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her ear was lulling her back to sleep.
~0~
When she woke again, Bella was freezing. Her body was curled in a tight ball, and her teeth were chattering. Her skin felt clammy, and the moisture was only making her colder. She blinked, trying to wake up her lethargic thoughts.
She was beneath only a sheet, and at some point, she'd lost her jeans. The buttons of her shirt were open.
It was daytime.
Groaning, she rolled over, trying to reorient herself.
Right. Edward's apartment. Edward's room. She was alone, and all the blankets had been kicked to the very bottom of the bed. She'd been so hot, she remembered.
It took some effort, but Bella managed to coax her achy body upright. She wrapped a few blankets around herself and stayed mostly still, waiting to warm up.
After a few minutes, her shivers subsided. Really, she was feeling quite a bit better. She still felt like death, but at least it wasn't death warmed over.
It took some convincing, but she managed to get her shaky legs under her, and she ambled toward the hallway - and the bathroom - blearily, the thickest blanket she could find wrapped around her shoulders, covering her entire body.
When she got out in the hallway she paused, hearing voices that weren't Edward or Benjamin.
"Where is your backpack, Benjamin? You have plenty of homework to catch up on."
"Oh, whoops. It's in my room. I'll go get it," Benjamin said, and next thing Bella knew, he was running into the little hallway. He brightened when he saw her there. "Hi, Bella! Are you feeling better?"
"Bella? You have someone here?" The gruff voice asked.
"Amun," Edward said, but the other man was already moving toward the hallway. Bella didn't have enough time to duck into the bathroom before they both appeared.
The man - tall and severe looking as his voice suggested - stared at her with wide eyes.
"Um. Hi?" Bella said nervously.
The man's eyes narrowed, and he whirled on Edward. Bella gasped when he grabbed Edward by his shirt, shaking him. "You sonova bitch. I knew you were an ass. I knew it!"
Bella took a step toward them, but so did Benjamin. She reached for him, drawing him back as Amun continued to yell.
"Here you are again, taking advantage of little girls?"
Anger in his eyes, Edward shoved the other man away from him.
"You disgust me, you perverted-"
"Hey!" Bella cried, finally finding her voice. "Mister, I don't know what you think is going on, but I'm not a child." Whatever else she had to say was lost to a coughing fit.
"Amun, Daddy didn't do anything wrong," Benjamin took over. He sounded so confused, Bella's heart broke. "Bella took care of me, and then me and Daddy took care of her because she's sick."
The man looked from Benjamin back to Edward. His stance became less aggressive, but there was suspicion in his eyes as he gave Bella another once over. He scoffed. "You have a naked teenager in your house, and you want me to believe nothing untoward is happening here, in front of your son?"
"I'm not naked," Bella protested.
He gave her a look, as if challenging her to prove it. Bella grimaced, suddenly remembering she was wearing no pants and her shirt wasn't buttoned right.
"Benjamin, go put your things in the car," Amun said, his voice gentler now.
Benjamin looked between the two men uncertainly.
Taking a calming breath, Edward made an effort to smile at his son. "Go on, Benji. Your mom is waiting for you at home."
Bella squeezed the boy's shoulders through the blanket. She excused herself, retreating back to the bedroom, chastising herself for being so stupid. Her thoughts were thick, but now she just couldn't figure out what had possessed her to wander around the house without pants on. She hadn't been thinking at all.
She got into jeans as quickly as she could manage and buttoned up her shirt. There was no mirror around, which was probably a blessing, but she finger combed her hair as best she could manage.
When she was as ready as she was going to be, she hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. She heard quiet arguing. Peering out, she could see Edward and Amun were facing off in the hallway. Both their arms were crossed, their expressions hard.
"-it was only a matter of time before you were up to your old tricks," Amun was snarling. "What's your excuse this time? What lies have you fed that girl?"
"Look, who I have in my house is absolutely none of your business. Bella is a friend," Edward bit back.
"Maybe now Kebi will listen to me about you." The man was glowering, and Bella had never wanted to be by someone's side more than she wanted to stand by Edward in that moment. She just didn't want to make things worse. "Maybe now she'll let a judge decide if it should be her business."
Bella made a fist at her side, furious, but Edward just chuffed. "I've been a good father to Benjamin for longer than you've known him," he hissed. "No judge is going to take my boy away from me just because of your bullshit opinions."
"My opinions are bullshit?" Amun laughed humorlessly. "Your parents won't have anything to do with you - you think you would get a judge to sympathize?"
They both broke apart as Benjamin came barreling back into the house.
Amun chuckled and patted the boy on the back. "You are feeling better, aren't you?"
"I'm good," Benjamin answered. His expression was still somewhat subdued, and Bella wondered if he could feel the tension in the air. "Where's Bella? I want to say goodbye."
Bella opened the door to the bedroom all the way and, finally grinning, Benjamin flew toward her. He gave her a tight hug, and she hugged him back.
"Bye, Bella. I hope you feel better. Maybe next time we can have more fun instead of being sick."
"Sounds like a plan, little man."
Letting her go, Benjamin turned and jumped, wrapping his arms around Edward's neck and clinging tight. Bella's heart twisted when she saw how Edward hugged his little boy. She didn't know how he was doing this. It must have been the hardest thing in the world to have to hand his son over to a man who wanted to keep him away.
"Be good, Benji. I'll see you in a week, okay?"
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too." Edward kissed the side of his son's head before he reluctantly set him down.
When they were gone, Edward exhaled with a growl and sat down heavily on the couch, his head in his hands.
"Edward," Bella whispered, stepping hesitantly forward. "I'm so sorry."
He raised his head. "For what? I told you Amun hated me. You didn't do anything wrong."
She sniffled, feeling a little woozy, and sat on the opposite end of the couch. "I'm sure I didn't make things easier."
"Believe me, he finds anything to pick at." Rubbing the back of his neck, he straightened up. "So far he's mostly bark... We'll see."
They were both silent for a minute. "Why is he so sure any judge would hate you?" she asked, her filter, like all her thoughts, sluggish.
Edward's breath left him in a big gust, and Bella retracted immediately. "I'm sorry. It's really none of my business."
"No, it's only fair you should know. I keep making it your business." He ran a hand over his eyes, and he suddenly looked very guilty. "To be entirely fair, in Amun's shoes, I'm not sure I would feel any differently about me."
Bella tilted her head, watching him as he searched for the words.
"Kebi was sixteen when Benjamin was conceived," he finally admitted, not looking at her. "She was seventeen when he was born."
Sixteen.
And if Edward was twenty-eight now, he'd been twenty or twenty-one then. It wasn't a huge age difference now, but then...
"I didn't know. I swear I didn't know," his voice was pleading. "It was an end of the year party, and it was my twenty-first birthday. The party was on campus." He stood, running his hands through his hair in an agitated motion. "As you might imagine, with all my friends around me, the school year over... I was drunk off my ass. We all were. Not that it's an excuse - there's no excuse - but everyone was having a good time." His shoulders slumped, his posture defeated.
Bella cleared her throat. Her heart was pounding hard, and her tongue felt tied. Still, he looked so damn guilty, her only instinct was to comfort him. She thought about the parties she'd been to on campus. "You wouldn't expect underage girls to be there."
He finally looked up at her. "I swear I didn't know," he repeated.
"I believe you."
He blinked and slowly stepped back toward the couch. When he sat again, he was quite a bit closer than he had been before. "To be honest, I don't remember much. I danced with a lot of girls that night. I remember my friends pushing me toward one of the bedrooms. Kebi... she's always maintained that she was more than willing. That night... I think she was rebelling. You remember I told you her parents are very controlling?" He frowned. "We enjoyed each others company, from what I can remember, obviously. But she was drunk, too."
Bella paused, thinking it all over. "Amun only sees the black and white of it," she surmised. "You were an adult, and Kebi was still a kid." She tapped her lips. "And I know I look younger than I am. Now he has 'proof' you're still preying on young girls."
Edward huffed and didn't say anything for a long moment. "He thinks the only reason Kebi has never gone to court with me is because I intimidated her."
"That's bullshit," Bella said, automatically furious again.
"Yeah."
Bella paused, again going over the conversation between Edward and Amun in her head. "And your parents?"
She'd wondered before why his parents didn't seem to be around or willing to take care of their grandson.
Edward breathed slowly in and out, staring straight forward. "It's a long story," he said quietly. "It's... I..." He bowed his head again, and Bella thought he looked like a lost little boy. "Let's just say they didn't approve of me knocking up a high school girl, and then when I dropped out of college to support my son..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
Bella scooted over, splaying her hand over Edward's back. She didn't want to hug him because she was sniffly and gross, but she gave what comfort she could. "You're a good man, Edward."
"Sometimes I wonder," he admitted softly.
"You are," she insisted, but before she could go on, she was again rocked by another coughing fit.
"Come on now, missy," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her up. "Back to bed with you."
"You really don't have to take care of me," Bella protested.
"Let me," he said, his tone sincere. "Really. I'm okay, Bella. I said I wanted to take care of you, and I meant it. As long as I'm not making you uncomfortable?"
Bella shook her head slowly. As surprising as it was - she probably looked as disgusting as she felt - she wasn't as uncomfortable with the idea of staying in his house, in his bed for a little longer.
"I have some things - sweats - that might be nicer to sleep in than yours jeans, if you want, and I'll make you some soup, okay?"
He seemed more eager now than before. Bella wondered if he needed to take care of someone after that debacle with Benjamin and Amun. She could understand that.
Rubbing her aching head, Bella realized it would probably benefit them both if she just let him dote on her.
She sighed. "That sounds really good," she said, and she let him lead her back to bed.
A/N: Soooooo. There's that.
Thank you to barburella and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the wonderful jessypt. I wrote her an angsty as hell Edward/Benjamin tale if you're interested.
But as for this little tale... how are we feeling? I'm pretty sure I'm going to write an EPOV of this chapter at some point.
