AN: Still don't own The Twilight Saga or Edward...or Rob. But little do they know they own me. Hehehe.
Baskketcase, love ya! Best beta. Ever.
9. Reality, a Secret and Esme
-Alice-
Look at him, ugh! He makes me sick.
Why aren't we kicking his sorry ass again?
Oh, yeah, I don't feel like spending my night in county jail. I'm too pretty for that.
"God, I can't stand this any more, let's get out of here before I do something stupid," hissed Rose.
I grabbed my clutch and hopped of the stool, "Yeah, let's go. We'll deal with him later."
We walked out of the club with out being noticed by Mike. What a dumb ass, how could he cheat on Bella with that!
Bella.
I sat in Rosalie's car, "We should stop by Bella's, just to check on her."
"It's pretty late, Alice," she glanced at her phone and sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. She's probably wallowing around the house."
In no time we were at Bella's door. We heard some shuffling on the other side and the door opened.
Bella was standing there, broken. Her eyes were puffy and red, she was crying. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had on her old Brown University sweats pants.
I threw my arms around her, "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry."
A chocked sob escaped her lips, "I-It's okay, I'm okay."
Rosalie was tapping her heels on the floor, "No, you're not. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and out of those hideous sweats."
We pulled Bella into her bedroom. Rose washed her face with a clean hand towel and I pulled out a pair of white silk pajamas from her dresser.
"Go, change and then we talk," I handed her the clothes and pointed to the restroom.
She walked in and locked the door, I turned to Rose, "What are we going to say? You know she'll make up some lame excuse for him."
Rosalie rolled her eyes, "I know, I know. Jesus, I hate that man," she started pacing, "What else can we say that she hasn't heard?"
"Nothing," I muttered.
Rose stopped in front of Bella's nightstand, she picked up a couple of papers and turned to me, "I got it!"
I glanced at the bathroom door and then back at Rose, "What?"
"Edward!" she whispered, "Doesn't the hospital have some policies, you know, about dating co-workers...or some shit like that?"
"Hmm, I don't know, we can ask. But what about Edward?"
"Jesus, Alice, stay with me here. He's Mike's and Janice, or Jennies, or whatever the fuck her name is, he's their boss."
Ohhh...
She smiled at me, "Get it now? You think I was going to let him get away with him cheating on our best friend with out any repercussions? I think not," she scoffed.
I clapped and bounced around, "Let's call him!"
She placed one finger on her lips, "Shhh! It's late. His mom is going to drop his son off tomor...er, later on today. I'll talk to him when he picks Masen up."
Masen, what a beautiful name.
"Did Edward tell Bella about-, the bathroom door opened.
"Did Edward tell me what?" asked Bella.
Rose and I glanced at each other.
God, what did you guys do?" Bella sighed.
Nothing," I managed to squeak out.
"You're a horrible liar, Alice."
Rose pulled Bella's hand and sat her on the edge of the bed, "If Edward told you about his ex-wife," Rosalie lied smoothly.
Nice save Rose, nice.
"Oh. No he hasn't. And I'm not going to ask. That's his personal business. I don't care about his problems with Tanya." Bella crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
Rosalie smirked, "Ah, so her name is Tanya. That's a pretty name."
Bella rolled her eyes, "Pffftt."
I laughed, "Why, Mrs. Cullen-,"
"Hey!" Bella narrowed her eyes at me, "It's Ms. Swan."
"Pffftt, not according to the great state of Nevada. You are legally Mrs. Edward Cullen...M.D." I sang to her.
She threw a pillow at me, "Shut up, Alice!"
I ducked and avoided the pillow, "Wow, you also need to see a counselor for anger management. Geez, I should warm Edward, he might get bitched slap a couple of times in this marriage."
"ALICE! Don't you dare-,"
"Although, he might like it ruff," I laughed, she growled.
Rosalie snapped her fingers, "Okay, children, let's calm ourselves down. Back to the issue at hand," she looked at Bella, "what are you going to do about Mike?"
Bella's shoulders drooped, "I don't know."
Rose let out an exasperated sigh, "Bella, please, we've been through this before. This isn't the first time he's cheated on you. Remember his escapades with that on nurse, what's her name...Kate?"
"Yes, that's her name," she gnawed on her lip, "He said it was a mistake, that she was always perusing him. And besides, she doesn't work there anymore."
I took her hand, "That doesn't make it right, Bella. And what about now? What excuse are you going to come up with to cover his mess?"
She pulled her hand away from mine, "I do not make up excuses for him, Alice. And this time...this time...can I really blame him? I cheated on him first! For God's sakes, I married another man!"
Rosalie got in her face, "You were drunk, Bella! I know that doesn't make it okay, but you had no clue what you were doing. Neither did we! But here," Rose pulled out her cell and fumbled with the screen, "Look at this, does he look like he has no clue what he's doing!?
"Does he?" Bella was quiet, "I didn't think so. He knows exactly what he's doing and whats worst is that you are going to swallow all his shit excuses and apologies, IF he apologizes. And that just sucks, Bella. Because you are slowly digging your own fucking hole and we can't do shit about it!
Wow, Rose really laid it out for her.
Bella started crying, "I'm sorry."
Rose shook her head, "I don't want to hear you're sorry, Bella. I want you to do something about it," her voice was gentle now, "God, Bella, we love you. Alice and you are my family, I would do anything for the two of you. You don't think it hurts us to see you like this? Telling you over and over again that Mike is no good for you?"
"Mike is good-,"
Rose cut Bella off, "No, he might have been once upon a time. But people change Bella...and not always for the best. Please, please, open your eyes! Step out of your little world! Destiny has thrown you a perfect opportunity to cut all ties from Mike. Please, if not for you then for us, take it."
Bella put her head down, "I don't know, Rose. I'm scared."
I pulled Bella close to me, "Scared of what? Scared of Mike?"
She nodded.
Rose's face got red, "Is that bruise on your face from him?"
Bella looked up at her, "Oh, um...n-no, I-,"
"Please, STOP COVERING FOR HIM! You are a shit liar, Bella. I know when you lie. Did. Mike. Hit. You!?" Rosalie yelled.
Bella took in a ragged breath and whispered, "Yes."
"Oh, Bella," I hugged her tightly while she sobbed.
"I'm going to kill him, I'm going to stick my five inch heels so far up his ass-,"
Bella got up and was frantic, "No, no, Rose. You can't, he'll get mad and come after me."
Rose and I gasped in horror.
"Pack your shit. Now," Rose got up and started pulling clothes from her dresser.
"I can't Rose, he'll find me. Just let me deal with it okay."
Rose froze for a sec then slowly turned, "You can't deal with this Bella, you haven't been dealing with this. Look, you had your chance, okay? Alice and I stepped back and watched you make plenty of stupid mistakes in regards to Mike, your education, and your career. That ends today. Please, don't argue and start picking up your shit."
Bella tentatively got up and retrieved her suitcase.
I helped her pack her clothes and lock-up. We jumped in the car and drove to Rose's appartment.
This is going to be a long night...day.
-Mike-
Ugh, my head.
What time is it?
I picked up my cell phone, 4:55 am.
I stretched out and rolled off the bed. I spanked Jessica's ass a couple of times to wake her up.
"Get up Jessica, you need to leave."
She stirred and moaned, "Hmm, what time is it?"
"4:55, I need to get ready for work and you need to go home."
She sat up, "Oh, Mike, last night was amazing."
I smirked at her, "You weren't so bad yourself."
"Huh," she smiled, "the way you screamed my name tells me I was a bit more then that."
"What can I say, I like them wild," I wagged my brows.
She brought her knees to her chest, "Is Bella wild?"
I grabbed a fresh pair of scrubs from my dresser, "No, Bella is very...vanilla."
I walked to my bathroom and started the shower, I felt Jessica's arms snake around my waist. She placed kisses along my spine.
"I need to get ready Jessica, you should go."
"Mike, why are you with Bella?" she ran her hands down my stomach, "It's clear to me you don't like her, she doesn't satisfy your needs. So why bother? I can take care of all your needs, every single fantasy."
Her long fingers wrapped around my now hard dick.
I moaned, "Because Jessica, you are the type of women we keep in a lovely apartment waiting for us with a glass of wine and nothing on. Bella is the type of women we take to family reunions, Sunday mass and company parties, who cooks and cleans for us."
She stroking me up and down, "I think I'm a little of both, the perfect combination. I can cook your favorite meals...naked. I could give you the best blow job of you life before we go visit your parents, I will screw your brains out before mass and as for company parties...well, I would only speak praises of you."
I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the shower with me, "Do you think you're my equal?"
Her tongue trailed down my chest to my navel, "Of course."
I grabbed her hair and pulled her up, "Wrong answer, that's why I chose Bella."
I crushed my lips to hers.
I guess we are going to be a few minutes late for work.
-Edward-
"Be good, okay?" I ruffled his wild bronze mess, "I'll pick you up after work."
Masen woke up early this morning and climbed into my bed. He was a bit nervous about his first day of daycare.
"Okay, daddy," his bright green eyes shined even in the dark, "I'll be good."
I bent down and kissed his forehead, "Stay here and watch your cartoons until Nana comes and gets you."
He nodded and flopped onto the bed and picked up the remote control changing the channel. I guess CNN is not a favorite amongst four year old's. I stepped out of my room and walked down the stairs, the theme song to Sponge Bob Square Pants blared from my room.
That will wake up Mom.
I poured some coffee in the thermal and grabbed a plain bagel.
So much for healthy.
I need to get up earlier to make some breakfast.
I walked out and climbed in the car and drove to the hospital ready for day two.
A short time later I was walking into my office, Dr. Black was not coming in today. He had some meetings and paperwork to deal with before he could leave the hospital. The piles of charts were still sitting on top of the desk. I sighed, sat down and opened the first one.
After reviewing a few charts I noticed that some of the lab results were not in the chart. That's a big problem. I also found minor infractions, small but if we were audited, the hospital would get slapped with a hefty fine. And they always seem to go straight for the ER charts, this isn't good. I need to gather everyone for a meeting, soon. These kind of mistakes cannot be made. We were switching everything to computerized charts and mistakes like these would be easily missed.
A few minutes later there was a knock on my door, "Come in."
"Good morning, Dr. Cullen," Dr. Meyer, the noc shift charge doctor, walked in with a couple of flow sheets.
"Good morning, Dr. Meyer. Are all those for me?" I smiled at her.
"Yup, we had a busy night. Monday night football, 49er's vs. Raiders at Candlestick."
"Ah, I see. Well, lets get to it," she sat down and we started reviewing each patient's chief complaint.
Thirty minutes later we wrapped up and I walked into the meeting room.
"Good morning everyone," I smiled and sat down at the end of the table.
"Morning, Dr. Cullen," they said.
I looked at our call sheet and saw two people were missing, "Has anyone hear from Dr. Newton or Dr. Stanley?
I glanced at my watch, they were twenty minutes late.
Unacceptable.
They all shook their heads and I sighed, "Very well, lets start without them."
I reviewed the condition of each patient, assigned zones and answered a few questions. I was ready to dismiss the team when the two stray a way's decided to show-up.
They entered the room quickly and took a seat quietly. Hmm, both late and they both arrived at the same time?
I need to keep my eye on them.
"Dr. Newton, Dr. Stanley, so nice of you to join us. I would like to speak to both of you in private, the rest of you are excused."
Everyone else scurried off, I kept my eyes on both Jessica and Mike. They were nervous.
I waited until everyone was gone before I spoke, "Time in this hospital is valuable, sometimes it's the difference between life and death. With that in mind I would have, at the very least, expected a phone call. I know Dr. Black does not tolerate tardiness and neither do I. Dr. Stanley, your written warning will be waiting for your signature on your desk, sign it and take it to HR."
She slightly narrowed her eyes, "Yes, Dr. Cullen."
I resisted rolling my eyes, "And Dr. Newton, this will be your first incident, you will need to talk to the Chief Officer."
He just nodded, "Can we review the flow sheets now? Time is valuable, remember?"
I wasn't going to play his stupid game so I went ahead and gave them the run down and assigned them the two zones left, isolation rooms. They both made a face but didn't argue. Smart of them not to. They got up and went to work.
I walked back to my office and got to work as well, reviewing charts...fun.
I need a night out with the guys.
-Rosalie-
God, I'm so tired!
We stood up with Bella until four in the morning...four in the morning!
But it was so worth it, she was finally opening her eyes to the crazy that's Mike. I took a quick cat nap and got ready for work. Alice, of course, was not at all phased from the lack of sleep. She was chipper as ever this morning. I swear, sometimes I think the girl shoots-up.
I was in the reception area waiting for Masen. Today was his first day and I want to make sure he was comfortable. I did this to all the new kids, it can be a little intimidating and scary to be in a new environment with strangers.
"Good morning, Lily," I smiled at the little girl with the cute pig tales.
If I could pick my ideal child, it would be Lily. Her golden locks were always combed perfectly and her dress always remained spotless, even after finger painting. She had ice-blue eyes and pink cheeks. She was our little princess around here.
"Good morning, Ms. Hale," she gave me a toothy smile.
Her mother always dropped her off at the door and ran back to the elevators, I guess the life of a high rate lawyer wasn't easy.
Lily stayed by my side and was giving me the rundown of the tea party she had with her stuffed animals when a beautiful little boy walked through the door.
I knew this was Masen, he looked exactly like Edward. Messy bronze hair, porcelain skin, pink dimpled cheeks, and big sparkling green eyes. Edwards mini-me.
I got down to his eye level, "Hi, you must be Masen."
His little shoulder pulled back and he stretched out a hand, answering in a angelic voice, "Yes ma'am, Masen Anthony Cullen."
How sweet!
I shook his hand, "Well, it's very nice to meet you Masen," the woman behind him was smiling, "And who is this lovely lady you brought with you?"
He gave me the biggest brightest smile, "This is my Nana, Esme Cullen."
I got up and shook his Nana's hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Rosalie Hale."
"It's a pleasure, Edward told me all about your daycare here. He was very impressed."
"I'm pleased to hear that, would you like a tour?"
"Actually, I was hopping to stick around for a couple of minutes...or hours. It's just, I haven't seen a lot of my grand-baby and his Papa and I are leaving in a couple of days. I promise I wont interrupt, I'll stay out of your way."
I love these kind of family members, "Oh, no, there's no problem. Feel free to stay as long as you want. We encourage family to participate in our activities whenever they can."
She smiled, "Thank you."
From the corner of my eye I could see Lily and Masen sneaking quick looks at each other.
"Lily, why don't you take Masen to the lockers and help him find one that is empty."
She kicked the carpet with her toe and glanced up at me, "The one next to mine is empty."
Esme and I giggled.
"Okay, show him where it is so he can put his stuff away."
Masen smiled at Esme and took Lily's hand, they both ran into the play-room.
Aw, they're so cute!
Esme helped out a lot, reading book, playing board games, helping with the finger painting, and with the cleaning. I could tell she loved children and she cherished Masen. She makes me want to give her one of those coffee mugs that say #1 Grandma on the side.
At noon most of the kids were taking their naps, a full stomach will do that to them. We dimmed the lights for the kids and I invited Esme to have lunch in my office. I had some Mediterranean food delivered. She accepted the invitation and we engaged in comfortable conversation.
She soon brought up Bella, "Edward told us about your friend last night when he got home from work. He told us everything, from Vegas to the whole Mike confrontation."
I sipped my diet coke, "Please, don't think badly of Bella. The whole Vegas thing was not like her...at all. She's always been the responsible one. We pushed her to loosen up for once. And she did, we just didn't take good care of her. She really is a very sweet girl. And in regards to Mike..."
Esme placed her hand over mine, "Please tell me about her. Edward has been through so much, I don't want him to get hurt."
The plea in her eyes was almost painful.
What did Tanya do to him?
I nodded and started telling her all about Bella, her parents, their death, Mike, college, her books, his infidelity, and even the abuse. Maybe she would be able to help in some way. I mean, she is Bella's mother-in-law.
Okay, okay, so I dished Bella's business...sue me.
"Oh, dear, is she okay? Does Edward know?" she looked genuinely concern for Bella.
"She's staying at my appartment for a while, just to be safe. We haven't told Edward. Mike doesn't even know she's staying with me yet, but when he does..."
"You should tell Edward, he will help. This is his wife after all," she smiled at the last part.
I laughed, "Yeah, I guess she is."
There was a knock on my door, "It's open," I called out.
The door opened and Bella came in, "God, Alice is driving me nut's. She keeps calling every ten minutes and I swear-," she looked at Esme, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a guest. I'll come back lat-,"
"No, come in Bella," I looked at Esme then back at Bella, "grab a plate, have you had lunch yet?"
She glanced at Esme again, "No, I haven't, that's why I came by to see if you wanted to grab something. But I can come back later."
I shook my head, "Go to the kitchen and grab a plate young lady."
She kept glancing at Esme, "O-okay."
She turned and walked out.
I looked at Esme, "She doesn't know about Masen yet, Edward hasn't told her."
Esme sighed, "Why not?" she looked back at the door, "She is beautiful."
"Yes, she is. She look's like her mother."
Bella walked back in with a plate, silverware, and a cup of juice. She put some food on her plate and sat down.
"Bella, this is Esme. Esme this is my best friend, Bella."
They shook hands and greeted each other.
I"'m sorry, but do I know you from somewhere? You look...so familiar," asked Bella.
Esme chuckled, "I'm afraid not, but I think you know my son."
Oh, Esme is laying out all the cards.
My kind of girl.
"Your son?" Bella questioned.
"Yes, Edward Cullen."
Bella chocked on her juice, "I'm sorry, what?"
Esme smiled, "Edward is my son."
Bella looked at me for a sec before turning to Esme, "Oh, um...what, ah...um, h-has Edward told you about me?"
Esme nodded.
"What did he tell you?" Bella asked carefully.
"Everything, Vegas, the marriage, the annulment which, by the way my, husband would like you to re-think, and...Mike."
Bella was speechless.
"Bella? I snapped my finger to get her attention.
She looked at me, "Huh?"
"Esme thinks we should tell Edward about Mike, tell him everything."
Bella's jaw dropped, "Rosalie Hale, you did not tell Edward's mother about that!"
Esme placed a hand on Bella's shoulder, "I asked her to tell me everything. Edward had his suspicions but-,"
"Edward had suspicions?" Bella covered her face with her hands, "God, this is so embarrassing."
Esme pulled Bella's hands off her face, "No, it's not. This happens to many women all over the world."
"I just never thought I would be one of those women. I'm smart and was raised in a happy home. My father never laid a hand on my mother or me."
"Bella," Esme spoke in a gentle voice, "This happens to all kinds of women, background does not matter."
Bella slumped in her seat, "I don't know what to do. I feel so lost, helpless. It's like he has this power over me. I know it sounds stupid, but he does."
"Bella," I said, "It doesn't sound stupid, you did give him power over you. But that's going to stop. Remember our conversation from last night. We start new, today. That Bella is gone, this new Bella has full control of herself."
Esme told us a story about one of her friends, she was in a similar situation that Bella is in. Unfortunately because she didn't seek out help and refused Esme's, she ended up in the Seattle cemetery. She was brutally murdered by her boyfriend.
"She was a nurse at the hospital Carlisle works and he was a high school principal. She never thought he would go so far until it was too late. I don't want you to be one of those statistics, Bella."
Bella simply nodded, she was dazed. This could very well be her and she knew it.
Esme looked at her watch, "Well, I should be going. I want to pass by the book store and pick up a few books from a author I just met."
Bella snapped out of it, "Oh, you don't have to do that. I could get them for you."
Esme waved her hand, "Nonsense, I want to purchase them," Bella smiled, "I would love to have lunch with you before we head back to Seattle."
"Yes, I would like that."
"I'll call you, does Edward have your phone number?"
"Yes."
"Very well, bye Rosalie and thank you for everything," she walked around the desk and gave me a hug.
I love Edward's mom.
She walked back to Bella and kissed her cheek and hugged her, "I'll see you soon, if you need anything, anything at all, you call me."
"Thank you, Esme."
She picked up her purse and was off. The second the door closed Bella was on my ass.
"How do you know her? What was she doing here? What did you tell her? Does Edward know that you know her? Have you met his Dad? God Rose, why didn't you tell me you knew them!?"
Before I could answer any of her questions Masen walked into my office.
"Ms. Hale, did my Nana leave?"
Bella gaped at Masen and them looked at me for an explanation.
"Yes, Masen, she left just now but your daddy will be here in a few hours, okay?"
He simply nodded and smiled at Bella, "Hi."
Bella, despite her shock, smiled back, "Hi, um...I'm Bella."
He pulled his hand out of his pocket for her to shake, "Nice to meet you Ms. Bella. I'm Masen, Masen Cullen."
Bella let out a squeak but shook his hand.
"Masen, why don't you pick out a book for story time."
"Okay," he ran out of the office into the library.
Bella turned to me, "That's Edward's son!?"
Oh boy. What do we think of Esme and Masen? Was everyone as grossed out by Mike and Jessica's love-fest as I was writing it? Penny for your thoughts?
