Chapter 7

Home and Heartstrings

I spent my entire life in Cullen House. I always knew I would be an obstetrician / gynecologist when I grew up. It was always my mothers and later on in life my dream to come back and help my mother Esme run the home. She had always went above and beyond for the girls and myself. This home was her passion. I saw my first baby born when I was 6. The scene scared me to death.

I couldn't get past all the screaming and blood to truly see the beauty of life. It wasn't till I was in high school that I truly appreciated the process. Being around these woman gave me a deeper respect for women in general. They taught me to be a gentleman and to be responsible . While my friends were laying everything with a heartbeat, I took the time to develop a relationship. I would never do the things that the women who came threw these doors had happen to them. My first sexual experience wasn't until I was 16 and I made sure I was well protected. I would have never intentionally burden someone my age with a child.

I took those lessons with me to college and medical school. My mother would always remind me that she raised me right and if she every heard that I was less then honorable to a woman, she would have my ass no matter how old I was. I was also very lucky that I had such a wonderful father growing up. He showed me how a man was suppose to love a woman, to be loyal and protective of her. They started Cullen house because my mother had once been a pregnant teen herself and was shunned by her family. She was sent away with nothing and became homeless. She ended up loosing her child because she didn't have proper care and a place to feel safe. My dad was the one who operated on her, when the miscarriage made her hemorrhage. She had to have a hysterectomy and any future children would never be possible.

My biological mother was one of the first women who came to Cullen House. She was 15 and frightened. Esme says that I look so much like her. We had the same eyes and hair color. My biological father was a friend of her dads. He was married with a family of his own. She quickly found out he never had an intentions of marrying her. Esme and Elizabeth became really close friends. When it became almost time for my birth, she told Esme that she should be the one to raise me. My mother loved me enough to let me go and have a solid chance at life.

Esme still talks to Elizabeth, She sends me birthday cards still and attended my high school, college and medical school graduations. She never tried to talk to me. She stayed in the back ground, content in just getting the experience. She eventually married and had another son Embry. Who is 10 years younger then I am. I keep in touch with phone calls and emails. We try to see each other at least once a year. It had been harder for us to stay in contact once I went off to college. I am glad I was finally coming home. I miss my mother terribly. Mom would call me every week, she would tell me a bit about some of the girls who came there.. She would never betray their trust. She just would give basic details and fill me in on her days. I was packing up my apartment, when she called me one night. Mom didn't seem like herself. I could tell she was a bit sad. I asked her what had her down and she said that she got a new girl in named Bella and that her situation had saddened her. She mentioned that her parents had sent her there and that she felt it was going to be a difficult adjustment for her.

The day I arrived home was one of the happiest days of my life. My mom had been so excited to have me home. The welcome home party was an added treat, but I wish mom didn't go all out for things like this. She was always having a party. Its didn't matter the occasion to her. She says life is full of celebrations and we must honor every one of them. I was spoiled with a Mexican themed dinner. Mrs. Cope and the ladies truly went out of their way.

The Moment I laid eyes on Isabella, I was curious and completely enamored by her. I knew from looking at her file that she was young, but certainly not the youngest we had ever had at Cullen house sadly. My mother had also taken a special interest in Isabella.. Bella , My mother would later tell me that she preferred . She said that Bella reminds her of the daughter she never had. The day I spent with her feeding the ducks was a turning point in my life. There were no doubt that she is portrait of pure beauty. I could tell by her body language that she had certainly been hurt. I also noticed she was slightly more relaxed with the other ladies and my mother. I wanted to know more about her.

The night that we had washed the dishes together, Bella had acted very differently . She was distracted and when she broke the glass in her hand, That was the first time I got to touch her. I held her hand on the guise of stopping the bleeding. I liked holding her hand. She was warm and we connected perfectly.

" Bella, what's wrong, I can tell something has you upset, its not healthy for you or the baby to put yourself under so much stress"

" My dad is on his way to see me"

" yeah, Mom mentioned he called earlier wanting to come for a visit, is there a reason why that would make you upset?, I thought maybe a familiar face would be good for you, help you adjust to being here"

" He's not coming as a dad, he's coming as a cop, I assure you"

" why did you do something?"

" No! , of course not, A friend of mine was arrested for something that I involved him in, I feel so guilty for it"

"Did you make your friend do something illegal?"

" No, I would never"

" If you didn't tell him to do anything illegal, then its not your fault"

" I shouldn't have called him that morning I was ra…., never mind"

She didn't have to finish her sentence. I knew.

Bella didn't come out of her room for activity. Alice, Rosalie and mom all went and checked on her. She just said she was tired. I fought with myself to check for myself. I knew she wasn't okay. It was something more. I could feel the fear rolling off of her.

Later that night, I had a feeling something wasn't right. I couldn't sleep. My mind was spinning with thoughts of Bella. I put on a t-shirt over my pajama pants and sat on the couch. I heard the creek of the last step from the bottom of the stairs. I watched her walk to the door and turn around. I was nervous that she had seen me. She didn't say anything and I knew her eyes hadn't quite adjusted to the dark. I heard her unlock the deadbolt and I knew she was going to run. There's no way I could let her leave. She was far away from home and alone. I couldn't bare to watch her leave. I decided to make my presence known when I lit a cigarette.

" Bella, Where are you going at 3 am"

"Edward, I have to leave, I cant be here when Charlie gets here later"

I stood up from the couch and walked towards her, It was taking everything in me not to grab her and hold her to me.

" Bella, Please don't leave, don't do that to me, It would kill me knowing you are out there somewhere and not knowing if your okay, Think of Esme, You would crush her"

It hurt my soul to hear her cry. I lightly touched her face and wiped her tears. I felt propelled to comfort her and I grabbed her and hugged her. I wanted to protect her and care for her. In a matter of days this small girl made my heart feel things that were so foreign to me.

" I Can't face Charlie, he wants to know why My friend Jake put James in the hospital, He doesn't know what James did, but Jake knew. I involved Jake by calling him to help me and now this is all my fault"

Bella started to ramble and I could tell she was on the verge of a panic attack

" Come sit on the couch, and talk to me. I'm here for you. You don't have to do things on your own"

When she got finished telling me what had happened to her. I was thankful I was here in Arizona and not Washington. I would have done the exact thing Jake had done. He was my new hero. I was glad she had someone to care about her, like I did. I wasn't going to fight the way I feel about her. I wanted to be her friend, and to protect her from all the things I could. I was angry and could feel my blood boil. James needed to be castrated with a dull knife.

" Bella, I promise you will never be hurt like that again, as long as my heart beats"

" Edward, you can't promise me that, I will leave after the baby is born and head to Dartmouth and I'll be alone. No one can save me from all the evil out there"

The thought of her leaving here when she had her baby panged my heart. I knew she had a plan for her future. I would be a fool to hinder that. She was still young and had her whole life ahead of her. I could feel her relax and her breathing slow. I knew as along as I had her with me I would do what I could.

I can and I will, I murmured against her head. When I was sure Bella was finally asleep, I carried her to her room and put her in the bed.

I tried to get some sleep and finally gave up around when the sunrise came through my window. I walked into the kitchen put on some coffee. Mrs. Cope and mom were in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. I pitched in and started mixing the batter for the blueberry waffles.

" How was your night Edward" Mom asked me

" To be honest I didn't get much sleep" I responded to her while incorporating the berries

"Mom , Can we talk in your office for a few minutes?"

We both walked in her office together and we sat in the chair

" Mom, Bella had a rough night . I couldn't sleep and walked into the living room and caught Bella trying to leave.

" Did she tell you why she was so upset, Does she not like it here? Did I do something?, Did any of the other girls do something? Edward, I love you, but if you done anything to hurt her. I will tear you a new ass son"

"NO! NO! MOM!, I would never hurt her. She is terrified of her dad coming today, he coming to question her on an incident involving a friend of hers, I'm not going to get into detail, but it has to do with why she's here"

" Well whatever it is, We are going to be there for her"

We walked out the study to see Emily, Alice, Rosalie and Victoria putting their dishes in the sink. Mom and I sat down to have our breakfast, we sat in silence for the next hour until the knock on the door. Mrs. Cope had answered the door

" Welcome to Cullen Home, may I help you"

" Yes, I'm Chief Charlie Swan, Isabella's father, I've come to see her"

"Oh of course, I'm Mrs. Cope, I am the part of the staff here, I will let Mrs. Cullen know you have arrived, please have a sit in the living room"

Mom went and met Chief Swan and let him know Bella was still resting and informed him of what happened last night. Mom let him know that I was the only one who knew the reason why. He followed her into the kitchen, where I was.

" What's this I hear about Bella trying to leave last night?" The chief questioned as he sat at the breakfast nook

" Sir, I'm going to respect Bella's wishes and I wont go into detail, but to make a long story short, She panicked when she found out the reason you were coming for a visit. I understand you have to ask her some questions, but as her Doctor, I will not allow you to upset her and compromise her health and that of her baby."

He started to say something when Rosalie stomped in the room. How still managed to wear 5 inch heels and heavily pregnant is beyond me

"What happened last night?" Rosalie asked

" She's afraid of facing Charlie and tried to leave " answered Edward

"I've never done anything to hurt her, I don't know why she would be scared of me" Charlie said a little louder

" Mr. Swan , she's just scared, because of the reason you're here, if you would have come here on unofficial police business, She wouldn't have tried to run" I said not trying to hold in my anger

" I love Bella, always have Dr. Cullen. I just want to know why her friend is facing a 15 year prison sentence for essentially trying to kill a man"

I heard Rosalie snort " A man, that's funny"

" When everyone is ready, I'll meet you in Esme's office" Bella said as she walked into the kitchen. I was surprised to see her. She then walked out and left us all staring at each other.

" Well I guess we better go into the office" Mom sighed

Mom and Rosalie sat beside her on the couch, surrounding her with female support. I knew if anyone could relate to what Bella was feeling, It was Rosalie. I sat across from Bella. I could see her relax when she locked eyes with me. I knew she had to do this, but my heart ached for her no less.

Charlie shifted in his seat and started to speak

" Bella, I just want you to understand why I have to be here, Jacob refuses to cooperate with us, Billy is upset he's son is in jail. I need to know what put him in such a rage that he broke 4 of James Newton's ribs, fractured his skull, and a compound fracture to his right arm. The man is rough shape. He's had massive internal bleeding. All we know is that James came in the garage to get his car worked on and Jacob flipped out and beat him with a tire iron. We questioned him and all he would say it was for his bells and he doesn't regret it. No one but Billy and I know that he calls you Bells, so I have to ask, what happened to make him so angry, This behavior isn't him at all"

Bella took a huge breath and started to respond

" Dad, I feel so bad about Jake being in jail, I was stupid to think this was going to stay a secret. I want you to know that I never meant to disobey you that night. I wanted a chance to let loose and be a teenager. I had always done what was expected of me and never once gave you and Renee a ounce of trouble"

I could see mom and Rosalie give her an encouraging embrace to help her continue. I could see the tears starting to redden her eyes. I knew she had to get this out the open, so that she could start the process of healing.

" Prom Night I was so excited to be going, even if it was with Jacob. I had a great time with Angela and Lauren. It felt good to be so carefree. After it was over Lauren suggested we go to Michael Newton's after party at his house. Jacob said he had to go home, cause he had to work early that morning. We had the limo drop him off. When we got to Mike's Lauren and I split up. I started drinking a bit. James tried to hit on me and I declined his advances. A little while later, I couldn't fine Lauren and the limo was gone. I had no way to get home."

" Bella, you could have called one of us to get you, I always thought we had the type of relationship that you could have come to me for anything" Charlie said

" I wasn't supposed to be at that party, I definitely wasn't supposed to be drinking. If I called you everyone would have gotten busted for drinking. James wasn't drinking and I asked him to give me a ride home"

Bella whispered to Rosalie and I watched Rosalie whispered something back to her. I knew she was going to have the trouble with the next part.

"I got in the car with …. James, I must have dozed off a bit. I didn't wake up until I felt him pulling me …out his car. He…. Dragged me to the edge of the woods near the La push cliffs. He beat me pretty bad and…. Raped me.

Then I heard Charlie cry out. I had never heard a man cry the way he had. On the outside Chief Swan was the ideal tough guy, The one who very seldom showed his emotions. He was a doer, he fixed problems. This time Charlie couldn't fix this one. This was much bigger then a broken foot or skinned knees.

" Oh My God, no" The chief started sobbing.

I could see Bella loosing her resolve and wanting to comfort her father. But she had remained strong and finished telling him

" I was hit and knocked out, I am judging it was a few hours. My clothes were tore up, but he dumped my purse. I called Jacob to come get me. I told him what happened. He cleaned me up and nursed all my wounds. We made up a story that I stayed at his house with his sister and he brought me home and a few weeks later I find out I'm pregnant and now I'm here"

Chief Swan grabbed Bella and cocooned her, he wanted to take away her hurt so badly. I wanted to myself.

" I am so sorry baby, I love you more then my own life, I never wanted you to think you couldn't have come to me with anything, I should have known something was wrong when you started acting different, I just thought you were nervous because you were moving away to college, I promise if it's the last thing I ever do as your dad, I will make James pay for what he's done to you."

" Dad, It's bad enough that Jacob is in jail because of me, I don't need you getting into trouble also. I'm just glad I finally told you. It takes a lot off my mind. James cant get to me anymore. I'm here, He knows nothing of the pregnancy. I'm still going with the plan, stay here, have the baby, and by next year I will be in Dartmouth."

Rosalie , Mom and I decided they needed this time together so we left the office so they could have their privacy.

******(*)********(*)*******(*)*******(*)********(*)*******(*)

Bella and Charlie went out to dinner. Our own dinner at home was a solemn one, especially for Rosalie, Mom and I. The others could tell something was off with us and were quiet also. After Dinner Victoria complaining of not feeling so well, She was in her last trimester and had gestational diabetes. I took her into the exam room and checked her sugar and blood pressure. It was little more elevated then I would have liked. I told her she needed to rest and that I would be back up later to check up on her.

My mind was still preoccupied with Bella and her situation. Everyone here was effected by Bella. Rosalie shared a bond with her, Mom saw her as a daughter, Alice had someone to make t-shirts with and was an excellent sport when she wanted to do fashion shows. Emily enjoyed being read to by Bella and Victoria finally had someone who could beat her at yahtzee. I had to admit she made me feel things for her. I was so carefree with her. She cold make me laugh and be myself. This house is much more pleasant with her in it. I know she was going to leave her in awhile, I wasn't sure how I felt about that yet. I knew I would miss her and so would these ladies.

Charlie had stayed long enough to tell everyone bye and let me know to take good care of his daughter. I was worried for a second that he could sense my affection for his daughter

After Activity, I went to Victoria's room to check up on her. The blood pressure had gone back down to a safe zone and I was walking out her room when I heard Bella walk up the stairs. I stood by her door cause I wanted to tell her Goodnight and I was proud of her today. She stopped a few feet from me

Then she took a few more steps towards me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I loved the way she felt against me, it felt almost like we were melting into one another.

" I am so proud of you sweetheart, you are one of the strongest women I have ever met"

Then she did the last thing I expected her to do. She kissed me. The feeling of her lips on mine were heaven and hell at the same time. They were soft and I couldn't help myself when I sucked her bottom lip in. I knew we had to stop when I heard her moan. This was wrong. She had just had a traumatic day and I was her doctor, not to mention she was still a minor. I moved away from her and she looked at me with a blank expression

" Why did you do that Bella?"

" I wanted to say thank you for everything you had done, if it wasn't for you, I don't think I would have had the courage to tell my dad everything. And the first time I was ever kissed was that night and it wasn't by choice and I wanted my next kiss to be by my choice. I understand it may be inappropriate Edward, cause of my age and the fact that you're my doctor, besides your going to be seeing a lot of my hooha, shouldn't I at least get a kiss first" She starting laughing. I loved hearing it.

I had to laugh also, It was pretty funny and she did have a point. It was hard to remain professional with her and that scared me a bit. Even though I was attracted to her I had to keep a boundary between us.

" Bella, I want to be your friend and you make me feel things, but I have to be a professional with you. My mother would have my ass if she thought for a second that I was taking advantage of you"

" I promise Dr. Cullen, The next time that you kiss me, you will do it"

She then walked in her door and I was left dumbfounded by the whole exchange and perplexed by the tingling sensation on my lips. I went to sleep with a smile on my face

An: I know this chapter is way past due. Sorry I got caught up in reading The Plan by Quant Um Fizzx. if you read it then you will understand why it consumed my life for days and days. Also the holidays threw me back. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I want to give a big THANK YOU to The Twilight awards(.) com and Robrator for the amazing new banner I won for their Banner giveaway. I will upload a link on my profile soon. I also appreciate all the reviews, alerts and faves. They make my day, trulyJ

If you are on FB my Profile name is InsertFangshere. I have the banner on that page also.

Next Chapter: Renee 's letter to Bella…