Chapter 10

It had been a week since Carlisle diagnosed me with pneumonia. My fever had broken four days ago and I was finally allowed to rejoin the real world. Carlisle also told me that my wrist could come out of this brace in another week. I couldn't be more ecstatic over that. Throughout my week of spending time lounging around in bed and doing nothing I had grown extremely close to Edward. So close, in fact, that I was almost nervous of where this was leading. This was uncharted territory in my book and I didn't want to do anything to offend him or push him away. I considered Edward my best friend; my confidant but something told me that there was more to how I was feeling towards him than just platonic feelings. You don't get butterflies in your stomach when it comes to your best friend. And you most certainly do not get lightheaded just by breathing in the scent of your best friend. There was definitely something else there but I was too afraid to admit it.

Besides my brother and my dad he was the only other person I could fully trust. I was pulled out of my thoughts when the front door opened and closed. I walked out of the kitchen to greet whomever it was who had walked in the door. I was met with the sight of Edward, Emmet, and Jasper carrying what looked to be at least five bags apiece. A very bouncy Alice trailed the three of them of.

"Did you buy out the mall or something?" I asked as I stared flabbergasted at the numerous amounts of full shopping bags.

"Of course not silly, just half the mall." Alice replied nonchalantly. "You needed some new clothes so I took the liberty of picking some out for you." I couldn't tell if my eyes got any wider at the thought of all of those bags becoming part of my wardrobe.

"Don't worry little sister, Alice will eventually find someone else to shop for. Just give it some time." He came up and gave wrapped an arm around me. "By the way do you think you could do me a favor?" He asked me. I looked up at him hesitantly and nodded my head. "There's nothing to be afraid of munchkin I was just wondering if I could introduce you to my girlfriend, Rosalie. She's been wanting to meet you for a while but we wanted to wait and give you time to adjust." Emmett looked at me waiting for my response.

"Sure, Em, why not." I smiled at him. It couldn't be that hard to meet Rosalie, I handled meeting Jasper pretty well. I couldn't keep hiding away from the rest of civilization forever. Emmett was ecstatic and immediately whipped out his phone and dialed her number as he moved out of the room.

"You'll be fine. Rose is a great person and she'll love you." Edward replaced Emmett's place by my side and gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'm not too worried." I smiled back at him and he just chuckled.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something until she gets here? Calm any nerves that may choose to surface at some point…" He looked anxious as he asked me this. I felt my stomach tighten slightly at his face.

"I would love to Edward." He looked relieved at my answer and took my hand in his. I was becoming less and less scared of when Edward or Emmett or my dad would touch me. I was still a little shaky when it came to Carlisle but that's probably because I haven't spent a lot of time with him. We made our way to the great room and he sat me on the couch and wrapped me in a blanket before going over to their enormous DVD collection.

"What shall it be my lady? Romance? Drama? Comedy?" He was facing me while pointing to each section of their very organized DVD shelves. I thought about it for a moment before deciding on the perfect movie.

"Would you mind if we watched a chick flick?" I asked him blushing slightly.

"I want whatever it is you want." He stated.

"Can we watch 'The Proposal'? I haven't seen it and Alice said it was a really good movie and that Ryan Reynolds was cute." I felt my blush deepen and I bowed my head in semi-embarrassment. I heard a chuckle come from Edward who had turned around to search out the movies. He located the DVD and put it into the player before coming over to where I was seated on the couch. As the movie began I cuddled into Edward's side more seeking the warmth that his body always gave me. He obliged and wrapped his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to him. I inconspicuously inhaled his heavenly sent and felt my head start to swim and my heart rate begin to pick up. I was only half paying attention to the movie thanks to the divinely smelling gorgeous man sitting next to me.

We had made it about 30 minutes when we heard a doorbell ring. I heard Emmett's booming voice come from the foyer before his loud footsteps could be heard. He came into the great room pulling behind him a beautiful blonde woman. How had Emmett managed to snag someone like that? My mind could not comprehend that this was my brother's girlfriend.

"Bells, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Rosalie Hale. Rosie, baby, this is my baby sister Bella." He came and pulled me up from the couch gently being mindful of my still tender body and brought me over to the gorgeous blonde.

"It's so nice to finally get to put a face to the name. Emmett hasn't stopped talking about you." She pulled me into a warm hug. I tensed up briefly but felt myself relax in her grip.

"It's nice to finally meet you too. How ever did you fall for my big oaf of a brother?" I asked her not really thinking about what I was saying. She threw her head back and let out a musical laugh.

"It's a rather funny story I'll have to share with you sometime." She smiled at me. Emmett wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. They were an adorable couple I had to admit and Emmett looked like he was absolutely smitten with this young lady beside him.

"Come and finish the movie with Edward and me. We just started it a little while ago so you haven't missed much. I grabbed Emmett's hand and led him further into the room before replacing myself back in Edward's embrace. He started the movie back up and I snuggled deeper into his side.

"Hey Rosie." He said as Emmett and Rosalie took their seats on a love seat next to us. She too snuggled into Emmett's side as he played with his hair. I smiled at the picture the two of them made. I was so happy that Emmett had found someone as beautiful as Rosalie as well as the fact that they seemed absolutely perfect for each other in every way. We finished the movie and as the end credits were rolling Emmett stood up and stretched out.

"Well, it's been a whole hour and a half since I last ate, anyone else hungry?" As if my stomach could understand every word that Emmett had just said it erupted into a loud growl that everyone in the house surely heard.

"Well, at least we know that you two are definitely related." Rose joked around. I found myself blushing yet again and I tried to bury my face into Edward's chest.

"Don't hide Bella, I think your blush is adorable." Edward whispered into my ear. I felt myself shiver from his warm breath on my ear and butterflies filled my stomach. What was happening to me? Edward was bringing out such foreign reactions in me. "Let's get you something to eat." He pulled me up off the couch and we trailed behind Rose and Emmett as they entered the kitchen. Esme already had something cooking on the stove and the smell of it was suddenly making me feel very ill. Before I knew what was happening I felt myself making a mad dash for the washroom. I heaved up the non-existent contents of my stomach into the toilet. Edward was following behind me during my run for the bathroom and quickly had a cool cloth to wipe against my forehead.

"Are you alright Bells?" He asked after I had seated myself onto the ground.

"I don't know, I guess the smell just didn't sit right with my stomach." He continued to pat the cloth across my head.

"Do you want some water?" He asked me. I just nodded my head too weak to respond in any other manner. He stood up briefly to fill up a cup with cool water before handing it to me. I noticed how badly my hands were shaking as I took a sip from the cup. "Do you think you can stand up and walk?"

"Yeah I feel better." Edward helped me to my feet and had me lean against him as we made our way back out into the living room.

"How about I go in the kitchen and bring you some crackers?" Edward asked as he brought the blanket over my tiny frame.

"That sounds fantastic." As Edward turned to leave a worried Emmett came running up to the couch.

"What happened munchkin? Are you okay?" He put his hand against my forehead feeling for any signs of a returning fever. "Should I call Carlisle?"

"Emmett, please calm down. I'm fine. I just felt sick…I don't know why…something about the kitchen? I don't know." I was running through what happened in my head again trying to see if I could remember why in the world I suddenly had to hurl my stomach out of my body.

"Are you sure? You're still really pale." Emmett continued to look worriedly at me as he grasped my hand in his.

"Emmett, I promise, I'm fine. I think I may just need to lie down for a while." He nodded and squeezed my hand gently.

"Okay, well you sit tight, I'm going to go back get my food and Rosie and we can sit out here and watch movies. Does that sound okay?" He asked me.

"That sounds great, Em, really. You don't need to spend time with me though. I'm sure Rosalie would want to do something more fun than just sitting around and watching movies with your kid sister."

"Don't be silly Bella. I would not want anything else than to sit around and hang out with my boyfriend and his little sister. Plus, it'll be a great way to get to know you more." Rosalie walked in at that moment carrying two plates of food. Following behind her was Edward with a plate of saltines and some sprite.

"Maybe this will help settle your stomach." Edward placed the plate and cup on the table in front of me and went to sit down by my feet pulling them into his lap. He started to rub them gently and part of me wanted to moan at how amazing that felt. I kept my reactions to myself though so I didn't scare anyone off.

I reached for a couple of crackers and nibbled on them as Emmett picked out one of his stupid overly action packed movies and put it in. Rosalie and I sighed in boredom within the first ten minutes of the movie. Finally, she turned towards me and started a conversation.

"So Bella, what grade are you in?" She asked.

"Actually, I just graduated. I was able to get out early in hopes of going to college but I was never able to make enough money to cover anything. Then, I ran away and well, now I'm here."

"You should come with us! We all go to the University of Washington. You could apply for the spring semester and everything!"

"I don't know Rosalie. I can't afford something like that. Plus, I doubt I would even get in." I shook my head at her and hung my head down.

"Bells, if you want to go to school, you know dad is going to pay for it right? He wants nothing more than for you to pursue your education. And if you managed to graduate early, then you must be really smart. I can't believe I missed your big day. You should've sent dad and me an announcement." Emmett replied.

"I couldn't ask dad to do that. College is a lot of money. If I ever go, I'm going to pay for it myself."

"Bella, you should come. I think you would do really well. There are scholarships that can help and the school gives them out too. Just think about it at least?" Edward was the one coaxing me into this idea now.

"I'll think about it." How could I say no to those beautiful green pools that he called eyes? It wasn't fair just how much control he had over me without even knowing it. What more if he did? I shuddered slightly at that thought. We all went back to watching the movie. Rosalie made some more small talk during the movie and I was slowly discovering that I liked her a lot. At some point in the middle of our second movie Alice and Jasper joined us. Alice was like Rose and I and decided to join our conversation instead of pay any real attention to the movie.

"Shhh, I can't hear a damn word they're saying." Emmett shouted at us. He threw a bit of his popcorn at us, which prompted us to talk louder.

"Hey, can we make a shopping trip soon?" Alice suggested. I groaned. How could Alice want to make ANOTHER shopping trip?

"Alice, you just bought out the mall earlier today! How could you possibly want to spend anymore money?" I thought about all of the new clothes that Alice had bought for me earlier this afternoon. I hadn't even seen what she bought yet I was absolutely dreading them.

"You can never have too many clothes. Besides, we don't have to shop for just clothes. We can shop for shoes or jewelry or accessories." Alice listed things off on her hands, one item to a finger. I sighed and shook my head. There would be no bargaining with this little demonic bundle of energy.

"It's okay Bella, you don't' need to go if you don't want to. Not everyone has the shopping stamina like this one." Rose chucked her finger in Alice's direction. In turn Alice stuck her tongue out and sent her a glare.

"Way to be mature Alice, way to be mature." Rose shook her head a slight grin giving away her playfulness. Eventually we finished the second movie and instead of putting on a third we just sat around and talked for a while. Edward had gone upstairs near the end of the second movie to bring down some of his schoolwork so he could multitask. We had just started playing a game of cards when both Carlisle and Charlie walked inside the house.

"Hey guys." Carlisle greeted as he hung up his coat and put his briefcase down by the door. "How is everyone today?" He came and sat down on the leather recliner. Charlie came and sat down next to me. He lifted my head and placed it in his lap. There was a chorus of "I'm fine's" and "It's been fabulous."

"How are you today Bella? Have you been feeling okay?" He turned his attention full on to Bella.

"I'm fine." I lied.

"She's not fine, she threw up earlier." Emmett told Carlisle. I sent him a glare.

"How are you feeling now?" He got up and walked over to me checking my forehead for a sign of a return of my fever.

"Really, Carlisle, I feel fine. The nausea just came and went." Carlisle had a pensive look on his face as he contemplated all the possibilities.

"If you feel sick again anytime, let me know alright?" I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"Are you sure you are feeling okay Bells?" My dad asked me as he continued to stroke my hair gently. I nodded and smiled up at him in reassurance. "Bells, if it's alright with you I was thinking of heading back home tomorrow." I felt my somewhat happy mood fall. The idea of leaving this house saddened me greatly. It would be weird not having so many people around at all times. "Usually Emmett stays here because it's easier to get to school in the mornings so…if you wanted to and if it's okay with Carlisle and Esme, you could stay here too. I'm sure you'd be more comfortable here than just living with your old man." He chuckled to himself. "Besides Emmett and I usually come here for dinner every night since neither of us can cook." I felt a small smile tug at my lips. "It's just easier for me to sleep at home because it's closer to the station."

"Are you sure dad? I can come home with you." I asked him.

"Bells, you'll always have a room in our house but I think it'd be better if you lived here just because it's closer to Forks High School and you'd be with kids your age."

"Uh, speaking of school dad…well, I don't go to high school anymore." I informed him. I forgot that he hadn't known about the fact that I graduated early back home in an attempt to get away from Phil.

"What do you mean you're not going to school? Of course you are. You've got to finish out high school!" His face was one of shock as he looked down at me.

"I know Dad really I do. I've already finished high school. I just graduated this spring." I informed him. Confusion marred his features as he took in this new piece of information.

"Graduated? How could you have graduated? You're turning 18 in a few weeks." He still looked majorly confused.

"I know. I graduated early in an attempt to get away from Phil. I was going to try and get to college so I started working and saving up money but it just wasn't enough." I told him.

"Wow and you didn't tell me you were graduating. We would have come down! That's a huge moment!" He looked sad at the fact that he had missed his little girl's graduation.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't let you see me the way I was. I didn't know what Phil would do." I whispered. He just pulled me in for a hug telling me that it was okay. He also pushed the idea of attending the University of Washington with Emmett and the rest of the gang. He, like Emmett had said, even offered to pay for my education but I quickly turned him down. He promptly told me that he was paying for it and that was final.

Esme came down from her study a little while later and joined the family in the great room. She had apparently already started dinner without any of us knowing. After a few more minutes of conversation all of us made our way into the kitchen. I noticed Edward eyeing me carefully as we took our seats around the table. Charlie brought a plate over to me and placed it on the placemat in front of me. That's when it hit me. The sudden wave of nausea was too powerful and I felt like I was having a déjà vu moment. I quickly bolted from my place at the table and too the bathroom and dry heaved. Edward, Charlie, Emmett and Carlisle all followed behind me and watch the scene unfold.

"Bella, I want to run some tests on you. I think I may know what's going on but I don't want to cause any panic when it is not needed." I simply nodded my head as Edward again wiped a cool cloth across my sweaty forehead. Emmett handed me a glass of water and had me drink it all before he would take it back.

"I'm going to carry you upstairs alright?" Edward whispered in my ear.

"Okay." That was the only word I was able to croak out. I felt so weak. My whole body felt as if it was made of lead. I snuggled my head into the crook of Edward's neck and inhaled his scent hoping it would make me feel better. He placed me gently down on the bed and I suddenly felt very alone without his warmth. As if he could read my mind however he came around and stretched out on the other side of my bed. Carlisle, my brother and dad trailed in behind us. Carlisle had magically gotten a few plastic vials and a needle and tourniquet.

"I'm just going to draw a few vials of blood to send over to lab." I nodded my head and buried my face into Edward chest gripping at his shirt tightly. I felt the prick from the needle and felt lightheaded as Carlisle removed a few vials of my blood.

"Okay Bella, all done. I want you to get as much rest as possible until we get these test results back." I wanted to scream in frustration.

"You're not confining me to this bed again are you? I don't think I could take another few days of being bed ridden."

"No, you can get up and move around but keep activity to a minimum. No major marathons or anything for right now." I smiled at that statement.

"Sorry Alice I guess that means I can't go shopping with you. We all know that shopping with you is a marathon in itself." She huffed and pulled on Jasper's arm to go back downstairs. I inwardly grinned at my triumph.

"We'll leave you to get some rest Bella." Carlisle and Esme and my brother and dad all exited the room after saying their good nights. All that was left was Edward and I.

"Do you want me to stay? I can go back to my room if you want." I grabbed his hand and shook my head.

"Edward you keep my nightmares at bay. I don't know what it is but when you stay with me, they don't come. It's like your some sort of dream shield for me." He smiled down at me and tucked me into his embrace. As we had grown closer of the past week, I had become more comfortable with his touch. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to, I don't want you to feel like you have to." I realized how selfish I was being and wanted to make sure he knew he didn't have to stay with me.

"Nonsense Bella. I'm always here for you no matter what. I'll be your 'dream shield' any day." I chuckled at how ridiculous my idea sounded but it was all I could think of to describe what he did for me.

"Can you hum to me? The song that you always do?" He nodded and his beautiful voice filled the room. I quickly found my eyelids beginning to droop and soon enough I was encompassed by darkness.

A/N: Let me just say that you readers are so awesome! I came home from a performance after I had posted this chapter and my inbox was full of alerts for reviews, story alerts, and favorite stories. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much to everyone. I am so grateful for all of your reviews and your feedback; it really means so much to me. I especially loved whitneyrosecullen's review/tangent. We'll just have to wait and see if Bella's dream comes true or not...you never know! Thank you guys so much. I do appreciate your feedback a lot.

Well this isn't so much of a filler chapter as the others were but I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless. It took me a lot longer to write and for some reason I just couldn't find a good place to stop at. Sorry if it seems that this chapter goes on forever. I know I say this at the end of every new chapter but please do let me know how you like it. I do read everything you have to say. Thanks again to all of you, you really brightened my evening even more when I saw how full my inbox was. Enjoy!

~Jess