hello! tis my birthday today. :D
i update today. :) obviously. lol. well..yeah. so. apparently, a girl like me doesnt know ehr months. i realized that i totally skipped the month of october in this story, and now that i realize it, im like *palmface*. man imstupid! :D lol sorry. so yeah. the only thing that changed was a bit of dialogue. just know that we're in the middle of october instead of november. sorry xD i had a moment.
and i forgot that Alice's last name is brandon in this its the BRANDON foundatio. sorry. i get mixed up alot. ill try not to do it again :)
anyway, herees chapter 9. can i get to 100 reviews please?
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CHAPTER 9 – The Sin of Visitation
Manhattan from the Sky - Kate Voegele
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BELLA POV
I stacked the brownies neatly into the basket, the sweet aroma of chocolate filling the air around me. It was mouthwatering, but I forced myself not to eat any. These were for Rosalie; she loved brownies.
I was just about to grab my things, when I noticed a picture frame sitting on the living room table. It was of me, Alice, and Rosalie in high school. We were best friends then, and now we still were. My gaze focused on Rosalie, who was beautiful even then. She was happy and perfect. No one would have ever suspected the girl would try to commit suicide.
Grimacing at the thought, I tucked a lock of brown hair behind my ear, forcing the tears back.
"Ready?" Alice called, appearing beside me in the kitchen. She sported a nice pair of skinny jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places, shiny black stilettos, and a long black coat.
I smiled at her and took off my apron, hanging it on the hook by the pantry door and reaching over to grab my purse and keys.
"Here, can you take this?" I asked Alice, handing her the basket of brownies.
We both smiled softly at each other before taking our seats in her yellow Porsche. The entire drive to the hospital, we sat in mere silence, except for the occasional question about the Brandon Foundation charity event from me or Alice.
The events from the night before were both frightening and intriguing. Frightening with Rosalie; intriguing with Edward there. But now it was the day after, and I wasn't going to be depressed or distracted. What Rosalie needed was support and optimism, so that was our motive.
Alice parked smoothly, immediately getting out of the car. I followed after her, slamming the door of the shotgun shut meanwhile carrying the basket of bakeries. It was quite sunny outside, although the wind was chilly.
We walked into the hospital, and after Alice spoke to the nurse, we made our way down the hall to Rosalie's room.
"Knock, knock," Alice said cheerfully, stepping inside and finding Rosalie lying on the bed with a fashion magazine.
"Hey," Rosalie called, her voice noticeably more energized than the night before. She set the magazine on her left, clasping her hands on her stomach and smiling at us.
"I brought brownies," I sang to her, dangling the basket in the air and ignoring the dark shadows under her eyes. "Prepare to gain weight!"
Rosalie laughed wearily, feigning a groan as she took the basket from me. "Damn, B, do you want me to end up hospitalized for diabetes?"
"Of course not," I said, laughing. "Just eat one before I feel idiotic."
Rosalie grinned at me. Her eyes weren't as swollen or red, but the evident shadows showed that she clearly had a rough night.
"What'd you eat for breakfast?" Alice asked casually, sitting down in the seat beside Rosalie's bed and flipping through the magazine.
At this, Rosalie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Hospital food," was her simple answer. She didn't talk after that, simply chewing on the little cakes contently while Alice read some article about Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus possibly getting back together.
How scandalous.
Rosalie sighed, ten minutes later, and looked at me apologetically. "Sorry, B," she said. "About the whole restaurant business. I know I missed this morning's shift –"
I laughed. "It's fine. I had nothing to do this morning, remember? It's Saturday."
Rosalie smiled gently. "Thanks for covering for me." Then she darted her gaze to Alice, looking around at us with a grateful look. "And, really, guys, thanks so much for your support. I don't know where I'd be, or what state I'd be in, or whether I'd be ali –"
She stopped mid-sentence, and Alice looked up from the magazine. The awkwardness was palpable.
I cleared my throat, forcing the conversation into a different subject. "Niley is a funny name," I said, nodding at Alice.
Rosalie snorted and rolled her eyes, and then Alice's tinkling laughter followed. We sank back into a more comfortable and girly atmosphere, beginning a rant about the celebrity gossip in the magazine.
At one point, a nurse came in to check up on Rosalie, but other than that, we were left to ourselves.
"Are you tired at all?" Alice asked suddenly, looking guilty. "Seriously, Rose, if you need rest or something, we can leave…"
Rosalie's eyes widened. "No!" she nearly screamed, gripping tightly onto each of our hands. "No, don't leave! I want you guys here," she said hastily, her beautiful blue eyes pleading for us to understand.
Alice giggled, kissing our best friend's forehead. "Okay, Rose," she said cheerfully. Then she looked at Rosalie with a stern expression. "But if you ever feel tired…"
Rosalie waved her hand in the air, rolling her eyes and turning back to the basket of brownies again.
She took a bite out of one, nibbled silently, and then swallowed. Abruptly, she looked up at Alice and me, a sad look painting her beautiful features.
"Has James been calling me?"
Alice and I sent each other a look. Honestly, I wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad thing. The entire night, there wasn't a single call from James. Not on the home phone, or Rosalie's cell phone, which was idle the whole time. It was either that, or she had it on silent. But regardless, we had no communication with James whatsoever.
"No," Alice said, shaking her head.
Rosalie sighed, throwing her head back against the pillow in relief. "I don't know what I should do, you guys."
Alice and I glanced at each other when Rosalie wasn't looking.
"We think you should tell James," I said softly.
Rosalie sat up quickly, her eyes bulging. "What?"
Alice quickly came to the rescue. "Well, it isn't fair for him, Rose. Imagine if you—"
Rosalie held her hand up, a pained expression on her beautiful face. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the voices out of her head. After a couple moments, she finally said, "You guys are right. I just…I don't think I can do that."
"Why not?" Alice asked, frowning.
Rosalie grimaced. "I love James. I don't think I could live without him. If I did tell him, he would leave me."
Alice and I didn't say anything, and the lingering truth floated in the tense atmosphere. We sort of sat there, looking around at each other nervously. Alice and I thought that Rosalie should just tell James the truth, and whether or not he decided to leave her was his choice. But a relationship of deception was risky and worthless. All three of us knew that.
-B-r-e-a-k-i-n-g-D-a-w-n-
"Hey, Bella," Victoria said, looking up form her desk with a wise, kind smile.
"Hello," I greeted wholeheartedly.
"Thank you for coming," she said. "Rosalie isn't here…so, thanks for taking her shift."
I smiled at her. "It's fine. I got this, anyway."
Victoria chuckled, patting my shoulder. "Good. And how is she, by the way?"
I smiled. "She's doing well. The doctor said she would be able to leave later tonight. It's barely noon, though, so we've got several hours."
Victoria smiled. "Alright."
We exchanged a couple more words, and then I pulled out my pad and pen to take orders.
Thirty minutes later, I was just delivering an order before I noticed a tall, russet-skinned man with coal black eyes sitting at one of the tables.
Before I knew it, I was laughing and making my way over there.
"Jacob Black," I said, glaring playfully at him.
Jacob looked up from the menu, relief gracing his features. I had to admit - he looked handsome in a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his body. (La Bella Italia was formal only at night...when Edward was performing. During the day, it was just a casual restaurant.) "It's about time you saw me," he teased in a deep, husky voice. "I've been sitting here for twenty minutes denying every pretty lady who's tried to take my order."
I giggled. "Great. I'm here now. So, you come for lunch, too?"
Jacob grinned boyishly, and he suddenly looked like an eighteen-year-old kid, rather than a twenty-four-year-old man. "Only when you're here!" he sang, half-joking. "Now, I want a turkey club sandwich with just a hint of mayonnaise."
I laughed as I wrote down his order. "I'm so special," I said, rolling my eyes.
Jacob grinned. "Sure, sure. And I want a cup of coffee." He handed me the menu, a dark eyebrow quirked at me. "Get me my food, woman!"
I snorted, saluting him playfully. "You got it."
Just as I turned to leave, a hand caught my elbow.
I spun around, and Jacob was staring at me intently, the traces of humor from before completely gone. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't glaring either. It was just a serious, intense stare. Though nowhere near as intense as Edward's.
"Bells," he began softly, releasing my arm with a thoughtful yet concerned expression. "Is she okay?"
He knew I knew exactly who he was talking about. I smiled and nodded weakly, though truthfully.
"She's fine," I replied. "She's sleeping now, though. The doctor wants to make sure she doesn't get so unstable again."
Jacob breathed a sigh of relief, a small grin finally gracing his features again. "That's fantastic, Bells," he said buoyantly. "I told you she'd be fine!"
I laughed, playfully swatting his hard, muscular shoulder. "Yeah."
Jacob smiled gently, leaning up slightly to whisper loud enough for only me to hear.
"I want you to take your mind off Rosalie," he said, his hot breath tickling my ear. It didn't have the same effect as Edward's whenever he murmured into my ear. Not that it matters… "I know you're worried about her deep down, though you hide it fairly well. Why don't you come bowling with me next Friday?" he offered, raising an eyebrow at me. "Me and a couple of friends are heading to the bowling alley downtown. Come?"
Catching the nervous, uncomfortable look on my face, Jacob chuckled.
"As friends, of course," he said. "I wouldn't put you in such a state."
I laughed, nodding before I knew it. "Alright, Jake." I stuck my tongue at him playfully, turning around to finally deliver the order.
I left later in the afternoon, around two, to head back home. When I stepped into our luxurious apartment, I noticed a note taped onto the stainless steel refrigerator door.
As I approached it, I recognized Alice's swirly, bubbly writing.
Out for lunch with Jasper. Love you!
-Ali
I laughed, tearing the note off the fridge and throwing it away. I was home alone, with nothing to do. Except that Shakespeare essay...and the Hamlet essay…and that other essay about some guy whose name I couldn't remember…
I sighed, plopping down on the floor of the living room, glumly opening my laptop and spreading out each prompt. I worked for an hour before finally deciding I just couldn't focus.
My mind kept drifting to other places, such as Rosalie. Was she okay? Should I be there with her? She seemed to be in good care. Yet, I wanted to go there with her, to watch over her myself. I worried for her more than I admitted. The image of seeing her limp on the floor was forever in my memory. I'd known this girl since high school – it hurt too much to lose her.
And then it switched to Edward. His attractiveness, how sweet he was, how mysterious, how talented. I also thought of the way he stared at Alice. It wasn't as if he was attracted to her or anything – at least I didn't think so – but it was such a peculiar look. It was as if he was trying to figure something out. I couldn't place my finger on it.
My thoughts switched back and forth between Rosalie and Edward, and eventually it started moving to Alice Brandon.
I'd met Alice my freshman year of high school. We had the same English class together, and we ended up sitting next to each other the first day of high school. We became best friends as the years went by, but even then, I didn't feel fully connected to her. Alice was fantastic, of course. She was sweet and loving, eccentric and bubbly. But it felt like something was missing, a piece of the puzzle lost and missing.
The strange thing was that Alice always claimed she couldn't remember her childhood.
"The only thing I know is that I've been adopted throughout my entire life," Alice said one day in our sophomore year. "I always wondered why I couldn't remember my childhood, and I thought it was because I just had terrible memory."
I remember watching her curiously, trying to fit everything together but coming to no avail.
"But then I realized I couldn't remember any of my life before my most recent adoptive parents," Alice had said absently, staring at her food glumly. I'd felt guilty for making her lose her appetite, but I simply nodded, fully intent with my mouth shut. "When I asked Kate about it," Alice murmured, "she simply said I had been through a trauma, and it would be better if I didn't remember it. I wasn't satisfied, but I knew Kate would never lie to me. So I just kept quiet," Alice finished quietly.
I zoned back to reality, replaying the conversation in my head over and over. It just didn't make sense. None of it did. Alice, and a trauma? Alice was so bubbly, though. Usually people who have been severely hurt or damaged have bad dreams or something…
The phone rang, and I jumped four feet into the air before rushing over to it.
"Hello?" I murmured into the receiver, trying to slow my racing heart.
"Bella? Is that you?" said a deep voice.
"Oh, hey, James."
I heard his husky chuckle. "Hello. Have you talked to Rosalie lately? She hasn't been responding to my calls."
I bit my lip, anxiously eyeing Rosalie's cell phone, which lay on the countertop beside her purse.
"U-umm…" I began nervously. An internal debate was brewing. Should I tell him? Should I not? "When did you start calling?"
"Sometime this morning," James replied.
"She's in New York," I said, tapping my foot impatiently.
"I know," James sighed. "Do you think you could try calling her? She hasn't been picking up." Then he gave a low growl of frustration. "She probably found out that I—" There was a long silence, and then James coughed loudly. "Maybe she'll respond when you call," he said, completely off from what he'd said before.
I frowned and nodded slowly, but then I realized he couldn't see me. "Okay," I said softly, fighting the urge to hit the Off button. "I'll…get back to you later."
"Thanks. Goodbye, Bella."
He hung up a split second before I said goodbye.
I debated for a second, and then dropped the phone, ignoring the loud clatter it made on the counter.
I tripped on my way over to the living room, where my purse and keys lay. Swiping those up, I quickly checked my hair in the oven window and rushed out the door, only to collide roughly with a hard figure.
"Oomph!" it cried in a deep, masculine voice.
"Oh, crap, sorry!" I gasped, only to stumble over my own two feet.
Large hands found my waist, steadying me just before my face could come in contact with the ground.
"In a rush?" a musical voice said.
I squeaked loudly, jumping away from Edward as if he had morphed into an alien.
"Edward?" I gasped, quickly smoothing out my jacket and jeans and blushing profusely. I was sure I looked like I'd just gotten run over by a truck. "What are you doing here?"
Edward Cullen stood there, in the doorway of my apartment, in a navy blue polo that hugged his chest, as well as some nice, sexy skinny jeans. And no, he didn't look gay. In fact, he looked quite handsome. And to add to that, his messy, bronze-colored hair was in lovely disarray, his pale face surprised yet slightly embarrassed.
"I'm not sure…" he responded sheepishly, fisting his hair nervously. I thought I saw his cheeks turn a little pink. "I, uh, was driving around town, and my car brought me here… so…"
His words made me blush for some reason.
"Oh," I said lamely, my cheeks still flaming. "Well, I'm just about to head to the hospital…"
His eyes widened in recognition, and he smiled at me softly, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, okay," Edward said quietly. "Well, I guess I'll go then."
"No!" I nearly shouted, taking a small step towards him. "I mean, you can come if you want." God, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Could this get any more embarrassing?
Edward seemed to be thinking the came thing, for he chuckled nervously, his pale fingers curling around the bronze locks of his hair. "Sure," he said. "If that's okay with you," he added quickly.
I could feel my blush fading, so I daringly smiled up at him, nodding confidently. "Let's go."
We stepped into the deserted hallway, the door of the apartment locking with a small click. As I began to walk, I realized there were no footsteps behind me. Frowning, I turned around to find Edward standing there with a peculiar look on his face.
"What?" I asked, trying to discreetly look at my backside. Was there a stain on my butt or something? Was my shirt backwards? Or worse. Could he see the lining of my underwear? My cheeks flamed at the thought.
Edward laughed nervously, looking at the floor. "Could we take my Volvo?"
"Why can't we take my truck?" I asked, pouting.
"Well…I prefer cars that go over two miles an hour…"
I snorted, rolling my eyes. Then I continued to walk down the hallway with Edward following silently behind.
-T-w-i-l-i-g-h-t-
"Would you relax?" I exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel with an annoyed expression. "You should be happy the truck even moves."
Edward groaned, and even the groan was as silky and musical as his voice. He started banging his head against the window again.
"Quit that!" I complained. "The door could fly off its hinges!"
Edward stopped, though he looked up at me with an "are you serious?" look. "See? This is why we should have taken my Volvo," he said sourly.
"So you can keep banging your head against the window?"
"Yep."
I rolled my eyes. "Are you trying to get us killed?"
"No. I'm simply expressing my concerns."
I huffed, pressing on the gas pedal as the light turned to green.
I was driving for about three seconds before he started drumming his fingers on his lap.
"Would you stop that?" I asked irritably, eyeing him out of the corner of my eye.
"Stop what?" he retorted.
"Quit drumming your fingers."
"It's an innocent gesture, Bella."
"Whatever, Edward."
Edward crossed his arms, a slight scowl on his beautiful face as he started bouncing his leg up and down.
"You are really impatient, you know," I said icily.
Edward snorted. "Really? I hadn't noticed."
I glared at him from the corner of my eye, and Edward gave a low growl, staring grumpily out the window as a black Sedan sped by.
"Drive faster, Bella," he muttered. "I can walk faster than this."
I huffed, and five minutes later, Edward and I were arguing. Loudly, I might add.
"Look at all that space!" he exclaimed exasperatedly, gesturing wildly at the road before us. We both ignored the people driving by, who were giving us worried stares. "That Corolla is gonna cut you off if you don't move!" He started pointing all over the place, yelling demands and orders.
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" I shrieked, slamming the gas pedal. "And quit telling me what to do! I took a driver's test, you know."
"Well, maybe you should take it again!" Edward said acidly. "Switch to the other lane!"
"Why?!"
"Hurry! Before that kid – aw, look! If you had changed lanes –"
"This lane is perfectly fine!" I hissed. "In fact, it's better."
A car honked behind us, and Edward's bitter laugh filled the car. "Drive, drive!" he said, waving his arms wildly.
"I am! But it's not like the car is going any faster!"
Edward threw his hands up in the air. "Wow. See? My Volvo would have been a much better choice. Dammit!" he said. "That lady just cut you off."
My foot moved from the brake, and I scowled, narrowing my eyes at the car in front of me. "At least I don't drive like an effing maniac."
"At least I can drive faster than negative twenty miles per hour."
"Shut up!"
"Make me!"
A piercing silence filled the air as I pulled to a red light, just a turn away from the hospital parking lot.
Edward resumed banging his head against the window, and I crossed my arms across my chest, trying to control my unsteady breathing.
"Stop it," I whined, a second later.
"What is it?" he asked, still making an obnoxious noise with the head-banging.
"You're so annoying."
"Am I?" he inquired, a smirk forming on his lips.
I grimaced. "My car, my rules."
Edward obediently stopped and crossed his arms, staring straight ahead with an aggravated expression. "And this all leads back to the fact that we should have taken my Volvo."
"Yes, 'cause it oozes sex appeal," I said sarcastically.
Edward gave a loud, sardonic laugh. "Finally! Someone who understands me!"
The light switched from red to green, and I slammed on the gas pedal, causing Edward to jerk forward and then back against the seat. "Dammit!" he cursed, rubbing his shoulder where the seatbelt held him back.
"Yeah!" I sang victoriously, turning into the parking lot with a smug smile on my face. "Now you know how I feel."
Edward scowled as I slipped smoothly into a parking space, that conceited smile still planted on my face. He unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the car at the same time I did. As I slammed the door shut, he threw his arms in the air and yelled, "Freedom at last!"
I swatted his shoulder, and we walked into the hospital, huffing and scowling at each other.
I barely acknowledged the nurse as "102" escaped my lips.
But the next words she said surprised me.
"Someone is already visiting her at the moment," she said kindly, her eyes darting back and forth between Edward and me. I noticed her linger on Edward longer than necessary.
I frowned. "Oh, alright," I said. Maybe it was Alice and Jasper.
The nurse smiled and said, "But you can wait outside."
I looked up at Edward, and he nodded stoically. I took the short moment to admire the straight, perfect angle of his nose. Then I turned back to the nurse, who was ogling at Edward again. He barely acknowledged her, staring straight ahead with an annoyed expression. Probably from the car ride.
After signing some papers, we made our way around the hospital to stop outside Rosalie's hospital room. There was a low buzz of voices inside, one slightly high, which I recognized as Rosalie's, and a deep one I wasn't familiar with.
And then I heard sobbing. It was faint, but it wasn't violent or angry at all. The sobs I heard were quiet and defeated. A feeling of dread filled my stomach, and without a second thought, I pushed open the door to Rosalie's room.
Rosalie looked in my direction, as well as the big, burly man I recognized from the nightclub.
Gasps filled the room.
"Bella?" Rosalie squeaked, furiously rubbing her eyes.
"Rose?"
The big burly man jumped out of his seat beside Rosalie's bed, glaring daggers at a spot behind me. "Edward?"
Edward tensed. "...Emmett?"
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DUN DUN DUN. :O
lol so yeh. i totally forgot how a hospital visitation procedure works, so just go by that for now. also, i thought the car ride was kinda funny. edwards so cute haha. anyway, yep. end of chapter :)
QUESTION: what do you think should happen between james and rose? should she tell him? or...shall they figure out the TRUE path? :P
and one more thing. there are huge hints in this chapter. before, it was strange with edward's personality and his whole dream scheme. now bellas onto something! are you?!?! :P
okay. just review please :D