Chapter Eight: Eyes Meet


Carlisle's POV

"Mom's going to be okay, right?" Edward asked as we sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Esme and I had just gathered up the courage to tell him and his insisted on coming with me. I looked at him, trying to find the words. I really had no idea, but how could I tell him that?

"They're going to do everything they can to make sure she gets better." I told him.

"So, in other words...you have no clue?" He asked. Edward was smart and very intuitive. I wasn't surprised when he figured out what I meant.

"Yeah, buddy." I sighed, bringing him into my side. "Cancer is...tricky and right now we just have to take it one step at a time. But, they really are doing all they can." I told him. "Your mother is a fighter, she isn't going to give up so easily."

"You're right." He smiled, going back to his Nintendo DS. The two of us waited for another half hour before Esme and her doctor came out.

"It hasn't spread anymore." She whispered so Edward wouldn't overhear. "That's a plus."

"Yeah, it is." I agreed, turning to her doctor.

"We're going to keep a close eye on it and go with the surgery according to schedule." He said before going back through the doors. The three of us headed out and since it was too late for Edward to go to school, we decided to take him out to lunch. Esme explained to him what was going to happen and what the surgery would be. He was being brave, but I knew that he was scarred to death.

The three of us spent the rest of the day together. We took Edward to the music store to buy him more piano books and a new lamp since the one he'd been using was as old as he was. Then, I brought Esme back to my apartment for the first time because Edward wanted to show her his room and he wanted to hang up his new poster we'd bought him today while we were out.

"It's really nice, Carlisle." Esme complimented as we stood in the living room, waiting for Edward to come back out from cleaning up his room. She looked around and I saw regret fill her eyes. She never wanted this, the divorce, me having my own apartment. It was the reason she'd never accepted my offer to come up when she picked Edward up on Sunday's. She never really wanted to accept any of it.

"Thanks," I smiled. "I have a lady come in twice a month." I laughed. I was never one to be clean.

"That would explain why it's so clean." She laughed, trying to push away the pain.

"Okay, mom. You gotta come see." Edward called from his room. I showed her to his room and the look on her face was priceless.

"This is nice, sweetie." She sighed, ruffling his hair. "It's...big."

"Dad gave me the master bedroom." He told her. "The other wasn't big enough for my keyboard."

"That was very nice of him," She smiled at me, and went over as he showed her all the things his keyboard could do. I didn't have enough space unfortunately to fit a grand piano like he had at the house here, but he settled for the keyboard.

We ordered pizza and while Esme didn't eat much, she put on a good show for Edward. He didn't need anymore worry right now, and she wasn't going to be the one to scare him anymore than he was. I walked them down to the car and smiled when I saw Emmett getting out of his car.

"Emmett!" Edward laughed as he ran over to hug him. They talked for a little bit before Esme warned Edward about having school the next day. Emmett followed me upstairs and I grabbed us a few beers. It had been so long since we'd done anything, just the two of us. It was almost like not having part of me with me.

"What's up?" I asked as I sat down at the table across from him.

"Anna's at the house." He shrugged."I thought I'd give the two of them privacy. Rose hasn't had much time for Anna since Ariana was born."

"That must be hard."

"Yeah, they keep in touch." He sighed. "But, I could tell they needed me to leave them alone. Talk about girl stuff."

"Girl stuff?" I laughed as I pictured Emmett dealing with 'girl stuff' when Ariana got older.

"Yeah, I think she might have a boyfriend...or is talking to someone." He laughed. "I know it has something to do with boy."

"Talking?" I asked.

"Yeah, like pre-dating I guess." He laughed. "So, guess who I think I ran into today."

"Emma Stone?" I asked.

"No, but I wish." He laughed. Emma Stone had always been our guilty pleasure and her movies were the ones we'd rent when it was just the two of us for movie night. "Bella," He told me and I choked on my beer.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but she matched the description you gave of her, plus...she was kinda lurking around your office."

"Oh,"

"Yeah, big brown eyes. Long, wavy brown hair. Pale complexion." He described. Yep, he'd met Bella. "And she mentioned that you were her professor...even though I didn't ask about what she was doing there."

"Yeah, that sounds like Bella."

"You were right," He smiled. "She's gorgeous." He smiled, and I blushed. Just thinking about her made me smile and I missed her today. Spending the day with Edward and even Esme was great, but I missed seeing her. "She looked lost without you."

"I'm going to call her," I told him. "But, it was just a really...shitty day."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Esme had a doctor's appointment and Edward insisted in going with her." I explained. "He told us he wants to be there through all of it."

"Brave kid," Emmett mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, but we don't want him there with us every time."

"You're going to go with her to all of her doctor's appointments?" He asked. "That isn't up to you anymore,"

"I know, but...she was the only girl I've ever really loved, Emmett." I told him. "She's Edward's mother and...I do love her. I may not be in love with her like I was, but I'm not going to make her go by herself."

"No, but her brother or father could go with her."

"I know, but I want to do this for her." I shrugged. "As much as I can be."


The next day I made it a point to get to campus early to do everything I was supposed to get done the previous day. The day went a lot smoother than I thought and even Maddie didn't annoy me like always. I was extremely happy when Bella knocked on my door as I was packing up.

"Hey," I said, pulling her into my office.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah, it was just a rough day yesterday." I sighed. I'd called her and told her where I was once Emmett had left. She'd listened as I told her about telling Edward, and repeatedly told me everything was going to work out. I was so grateful to have her in my life, or I'd be completely lost. "Edward was really good about it, though."

"I know, you told me." She smiled, pressing my hand to my cheek. "But, how did you do?"

"As...as well as I could." I smiled, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. "I'm not in love with her anymore. That...that ended when she cheated on me." I said, trying to keep it together. "But, when I think about what it would be like if I were to lose her...makes me sick. I...can't, Bella."

"Can't what?"

"Deal with that." I sighed, finally losing it. "I can't lose her...I can't watch Edward grow up without his mom. I can't, Bella."

"You may not have to." She soothed, rubbing my back. "It's...it's..."

"What?"

"I can't make any promises, but there's a strong chance you won't have to say goodbye." She whispered. "You have to stay positive, Carlisle."

"How can I?" I asked. "How can I even think about being positive with the only girl I've ever really loved...might not make it to her fortieth birthday?"

"That's something you have to figure out for yourself." She shrugged, tightening her grip. Slowly, my shakes slowed down and eventually came to a stop."You need to eat something," She suggested.

"I'm fine," I lied as my stomach began to growl.

"How about I go get us something to eat?" She asked, standing up and giving me a peck on the cheek.

"I can't, it's Friday." I told her. Edward was going to be dropped off in an hour and I still had to get something for him to eat. It had been a while since I went shopping and we ate through the rest of my supply while he was there for break. "But, you're welcome to come with me."

"Go...go with you?" She asked, her face turning white.

"Yes." I laughed. "I need to go grocery shopping and then try to make something for Edward."

"It's your time with him," She reminded me. "It's fine. I'll hang out with Alice."

"Bella, please come with me." I basically begged. "I would love for you to come."

"I...I can't." She replied, giving me an apologetic. She tried to give me a kiss goodbye, but I knew her a little better than that.

"Don't come over, that's fine." I told her. "But, at least give me a real reason and don't just say because, Bella."

"Because," She sighed. "It's just sex."

"Just...sex?"I asked.

"Our relationship." She told me. "We're just having sex. That's all. If I go with you back to your place...go with you to meet your son..."

"Bella, if this was...just sex...I wouldn't have told you all that I did." I reminded her. "I wouldn't have cried on your shoulder the other day. I wouldn't be asking you back to my place to meet Edward."

"But..."

"It's not...just sex...anymore, Bella." I whispered. "And, I don't think it ever was."

"Wow," She sighed as a smile crept on her face.


Bella and I stopped at the store on our way home and as we got back into my car, I could tell how anxious she was. This was a lot to take in. She was about to meet Edward. The most important person in my life, and his approval meant everything to me. When we were just fooling around, I was okay that he didn't know about her. But, now that I began to have real feelings for her, he needed to meet her.

I didn't want to admit this, but if he didn't like her, things between us couldn't go any further.

"My apartment is far enough away from campus." I reassured her. "No one from school lives near me."

"Okay," She sighed, looking out the window. I pulled into the parking lot and opened the trunk to get the groceries. I led her upstairs and unlocked the door. She stayed where she was as I brought some of the bags inside, and just stood at the door.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" I asked. "Because, the eggs are going to go bad."

"Oh, right." She laughed nervously as she walked inside. As we were putting the groceries away, I got a message saying Esme and Edward were almost there. I excused myself and went downstairs to meet them outside. I didn't want Bella being there to be a complete surprise. They pulled in just as I got downstairs.

"Hi, dad." Edward greeted as he pulled his bag out of the trunk. "What are you doing down here?"

"Just thought I'd meet you outside." I shrugged. I didn't want to say anything in front of Esme yet. "Here, I'll take him up." I offered. She looked like she'd had a long day.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I'll see you Sunday, bud."

"Bye, mom." He said as he hugged her. "So, dad, why are you really down here?"

'You're too smart, you know that?" I laughed as I took his duffle bag. "So, ummm..."

"Dad?" Edward asked. "You don't like have cancer too, do you?" He asked, his face growing pale.

"No! No, Edward. I don't."

"Good,"

"Someone else is going to be here tonight."

"Oh?" He asked. "Emmett?"

"No, not Emmett." I laughed. "Her name is Bella."

"Her name is Bella?" He asked. "You brought a...a girl home?"

"She's more than just a girl, Edward." I told him. "I care about Bella a lot."

"So you brought your girlfriend home?" He asked. He didn't seem upset, just a little confused. This was new to him. Hell it was new to him. Esme had dates since the seporation, but he never met the guy, and I never brought a girl back with me after a date either.

"She's not my girlfriend...exactly." I told him. "Not yet anyway."

"You must like her though." He smiled. "I mean, why else would you have brought her back here." He laughed as he opened the door to go back inside. He was okay. This was going to work...hopefully. My hands began to shake as I turned the doorknob to my apartment and Edward only laughed at me. I opened the door and Bella was chopping up the lettuce we bought for the salad.

She looked up and smiled at us. I could tell she was even more nervous than before, but put the knife down and walked over to us.

"Dad, she's pretty." Edward whispered as she wiped her hands on a towel. "Hi,"

"Hey," She smiled, looking from Edward to me and back to him. "I'm Bella."

"Edward." He introduced. "What are we having for dinner?" He asked, turning to me. All of my nerves washed away. He was okay with her being here. I knew things would be different when we sat down and began eating, but for now. Everything was okay.

"Chicken and mashed potato's and the grown-ups are going to have a salad." I told him as we walked back into the kitchen.

"Cool." He sighed, sitting up in one of the high stools at the counter. "Can I have a Mountain Dew?"

"You can have one now or at dinner." I told him. Pop was so sugary and I remember when I drank it as a kid, I was up for hours. We limited him to two a day and I knew he always had one after school.

"Fine, dinner." He sighed. "Can I haver water?"

"You know where it is." I laughed. Bella and I finished making dinner and sat down at the small dining room table I had in the living room.

"So, Edward," Bella began as we started eating. "Your dad tells me you play the piano."

"I do." He loved talking about his piano and music.

"Who's your favorite composer?" She asked and I knew they were going to get along just fine.

"Mozart of course." He laughed. "But, Beethoven is a close second."

"I like Handel best." She told him. "I don't know, his music just...speaks to me."

"Do you play?" He asked excitedly.

"No." She shook her head. "I wish I did. But, I never really had time."

"You never had time to learn?"

"Nope." She said. "I was studying."

"All the time?" He asked.

"Yeah, it took a lot of work to get into NYU." She said, getting my attention. Edward didn't know Bella was a student yet.

"You went to NYU?" He asked. "My dad works there. Huh, small world."

"No, Edward, I still go there." She told him and I just closed my eyes. Why would she tell him this.

"You're a student?" He asked, his eyes bugging out of his head. "Whoa, good job, dad."

"Thank you son." I laughed. Realizing I got too worked up about it, I changed the subject back to Mozart and Beethoven. Edward and Bella got along really well and he even offered to help with the dishes instead of going back to him room to play his keyboard.

"Do you have a piano here?" Bella asked as she finished drying a plate.

"No, but I have a keyboard in my room." He said, jumping out of the chair. "Come on!" He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his room. I threw the towel down and went into his room as he began playing. Bella smiled the entire time he was playing and I knew he was loving it.

"That was beautiful, Edward." She gushed once it was over. "What was that?"

"The Forgotten by Green Day." He smiled. "I just finished learning it before coming over here."

"Shall we add another check?" I asked, grabbing a marker and walking over to his poster. When he began playing, I told him every five songs you learn I'd buy him an ice creme. It was more of an encouragement than a bribe, even though Esme told me I was bribing him. Now, we just did a chart so he could be proud, so every song he finished, he got a check.

"A check?" Bella asked, following me over to the giant poster board. There were hundreds of checks on it, and that wasn't his only one. It was from this year alone.

"I get a check for each song I learn to play." Edward explained. "My dad used it to bribe me to practice when I was little, but we kept it going after he realized I didn't need bribed."

"Hey, I did not bribe you." I defended. "I encouraged you by getting you ice creme."

"That's a bribe, Carlisle." She laughed as I checked the line for Rock Songs Learned and handed him the marker back. "Well, I should probably be going."

"Going?" Edward asked, looking like a lost puppy. "Do you have to?"

"Yeah, do you have to?" I mocked.

"Well, it's going to be getting dark soon and I don't really wanna get a cab in the dark."

"Get a cab?"I asked. "No, I'l drive you home when you're ready."

"Are you sure?"

"He's positive." Edward answered for me. "You wanna watch a movie?"

"What do you have?" She asked as he pulled her out to the living room. I watched as the two of them sat in front of the cabinet when I kept the movies and smiled. My kid liked her. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I had all the time I wanted with her. I sighed in relief as I went to help pick out a movie.