A/N: Hi there Friends. Thanks for all the love, follows, and favs!
Okay, so…I'm sorry in advance for the heavy. I promise, good things come soon. I didn't expect things to unfold all at once like this, but they just seemed to work out that way.
Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.
EPOV
"Well that was entertaining!" my sister said brightly after she'd recovered from Emmett's abrupt exit. I was starting to feel a little guilty about finding his situation as amusing as I did initially.
"Did you help her with this Ali?" I asked, disappointment slightly coloring my voice. It wasn't that my brother was innocent or undeserving of some kind of retribution for his actions, but I could see how far reaching the effects of Rosalie's prank might be. I found myself feeling just a little bit sorry for him…just a little.
"No. I didn't know what she was doing. I just knew she'd gained access to his phone," Ali said, shrugging. "Don't look at me like that Edward! You don't know what he's turned into. He was ready to grab Bella's ass the second he encountered her. I didn't see the first instance, but I saw him reach for her ass at least once without her permission. If she hadn't stepped away from him, he would have had his grubbing paws all over her!"
I saw red as the scene she was describing played in my mind. One look at Bella's face told me all I needed to know. She'd left out a few details about her first encounter with my brother, most likely in an effort to spare my feelings.
"Fuck," I grumbled, roughly scrubbing my face with my hand.
"Besides," Ali continued. "That was nothing. Rose has all sorts of shit planned for him. She said she gave him a chance, but he was too stupid to back down and now she's at war with him."
"Shit," I said, pushing my plate away. "Ali, this could cause him problems for years. What if he gets his shit together and this keeps him from getting a job or being with a girl he truly cares for. People fuck up. Emmett fucks up a lot, but it doesn't mean he's a lost cause. He's young and angry right now, but in a few years he may be a very different person. I don't want him to be unable to put his past behind him if he wants to."
"Edward, I appreciate what you're saying, I really do," Ali said seriously. "But that man's past will be haunting him for years, whether he likes it or not. He's been disgusting toward anything with a vagina and a pulse for years now and he's made some enemies along the way." She pursed her lips and paused in thought for a moment. "Now, I'll ask Rose to tone it down, because against every feminist bone in my body, I sort of agree with you. But I doubt it'll do any good. She's out for blood. I can only guide her toward less permanent damage."
"Thank you Ali. That's all I ask for," I said. "It's not that I disagree with her efforts, I just worry about her methods, is all."
The doorbell rang and my sister hopped up and skipped out of the room to answer it. Bella reached over and ran her fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp, which had an instant calming effect.
"You're a good brother," she whispered. "I know you're worried about him. I think he's hiding a lot pain, but I don't think he's a lost cause."
"Thanks baby," I said leaning over for a kiss.
We heard laughter and voices echoing from the front room and I remembered that I had a bone to pick with Kate.
"Excuse me baby. I need to have a word with Ali's friend," I said rising from my chair and heading toward the sounds of airy laughter.
I found Ali with Kate and Irina. They were giggling as they walked toward my sister's studio.
"Kate can I have a word?" I asked. She looked up startled, probably surprised by my cold tone.
"Sure Edward. Ali, I'll be right in," Kate answered. Ali gave me a puzzled look, but didn't comment as she led Irina down the hall.
"Did you tell Tanya about seeing me here last week?"
She looked genuinely confused. "What? No. I barely speak to my sister. We don't really see eye to eye on pretty much anything. She's been staying with my parents in Chicago since her divorce last year. Why?"
"She showed up here earlier today, asking me to give her another chance and then spewing a bunch of hateful crap about me and Bella. What I can't figure out is how she knew I was here and seemed to know about my girlfriend. If you didn't tell her, who did?" I couldn't keep the accusatory tone from filling my voice.
"I swear I didn't tell her anything," she said earnestly. She bit her lower lip and was quiet for a moment before some recognition flashed in her eyes. "I told my mother, but she would never tell Tanya. She's still pissed about what my sister put you through. Mommy and Daddy cut her off after she refused to attend your mother's funeral. That was the last straw for them.
"They've barely been on speaking terms these last several years. If she hadn't been left in such dire straits by her ex, they would have left her to fend for herself. But he left her with a mountain of debt and drained their accounts before skipping town. They caught up with him eventually, but not the money."
"If your mother didn't tell her, how did she find out?" I asked, my patience wearing thin. I really didn't have any sympathy for Tanya's sob story, not that Kate sounded overly sympathetic as she related it, but I actually didn't care at all. I just wanted her to stay the fuck away from me and Bella.
"She must have overheard somehow," Kate said. "I was so happy to see you and then I met Bella last weekend, she's amazing by the way, love her. After that I couldn't wait to tell mom how well you were doing because my folks have been so worried about you. They hate that Tanya essentially severed all ties with you because of her bullshit behavior. They did try to contact you early on after everything, but they understood that you didn't want them in your life anymore."
I thought about what she said and I felt a little better about the situation. I had been so disappointed that Kate would pull something like that; it was a relief to be wrong. I'd always gotten along well with the Danali family and I'd never felt any bitterness toward anyone but Tanya after our split.
"Kate," I started awkwardly. "I…I'm sorry I accused you, but she was so awful and I was so angry at the thought of you doing something like that. Thank you for what you told me. Please tell you parents that I appreciate their concern. I wasn't avoiding contact with them after my mom died, I was avoiding contact with everyone. I just started acting like a human again recently thanks to Bella."
"Thanks Edward. That will mean a lot to them. They would love to hear from you when you're ready," she said kindly. "I better get in there before you sister has a fit about my absence."
I chuckled because she was right; I was surprised my sister had been this patient.
"Oh Kate?" I called as she turned to leave.
"Hmm?"
"Could you let me know if you hear anything about your sister being in town? I just want to avoid another run in like today. I'm not sure what she thought she was going to accomplish, but I don't really ever need a repeat performance."
"I'll be sure to let you know if I hear anything," she said as she left the room.
I walked back to the kitchen and found Bella at the table on her cell. She looked irritated. I was guessing some member of her family was on the other end of the call. My guess was confirmed a minute later when she spoke.
"Mother….Mother….." she said, trying to get a word in. I was sitting next to her now and I could hear the unending stream of words coming from her mother. "Renee!" Bella shouted finally.
"Well I wouldn't have to yell if you'd stop to listen occasionally," she huffed. "Can I speak now?...thank you." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "I understand that you leave town in the morning, but you've been here all weekend and are just calling me now at 5pm on Sunday night. I can't just drop everything and come to your hotel for dinner. I have class early in the morning and work to do tonight."
She paused listening. As she listened her face reddened in anger.
"I can't exactly make time for you if you don't tell me when to make time, can I? I'm sure your visit has been busy, but I actually had some time earlier this weekend and it would have been easier to visit then than it is now." She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose and drawing in a deep breath. "I'll compromise with you. I'll meet you at eight for desert and drinks. That'll give me time to finish some work, but I can't stay long."
She listened again, making eye contact with me she shrugged and smirked at me, letting me know she was okay. Her mother was such a bitch. I was surprised Bella was even thinking of going after how inconsiderate she'd been of Bella's time. But she spoke about her mother with the indulgent, forgiving nature of a parent rather than as her child. I was grateful that Renee lived so far away. Bella was far too forgiving of her.
She ended her call shortly after and her body immediately slumped against the chair behind her. The physical strain of dealing with Renee's bullshit was immediately evident in her posture.
"Baby, come here," I said, lifting her up and setting her on my lap.
She sagged heavily, leaning her head on my chest, but after a minute of my hand rubbing soft, slow circles on her back, she released the tension she'd been holding and snuggled against me.
"You okay, baby?" I asked.
"Yeah," she sighed. "She's just so horrible. She wasn't always like this." She pulled back and her sad eyes pleaded with me. "Really, she used to be so fun and sweet with me. She was always fucked up and flakey, but never hurtful toward me like she's been recently."
"When do you think she changed?" I asked.
Her brow furrowed and she gnawed on her lower lip. She was silent for a beat before she answered, "I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I guess it was about a year ago, when I went to visit her and Phil at Christmas. She was her normal, flighty, happy self mostly, but after that trip something seemed to change. We spoke less often, but I was busy so I'm not sure it was all her fault. When we did talk, she was colder and…I don't know sort of harsh with me. I don't understand…" she broke off sounding pained and confused. I tightened my arms around her and held her close to me.
"Well, I'm going with you tonight," I said.
"What? No. I'm not subjecting you to her crap," she argued.
"Uh, yeah, you've already been dealing with Emmett's shit for the last few days," I countered. Pulling her face up so she met my eyes, I brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Let me support you while you deal with her. She's not gonna scare me away, baby. Nothing could make me leave you, except for you asking me to go."
"Never gonna happen," she said softly.
"Good, then you're stuck with me for a good long while." I leaned down to brush her lips lightly with my own. "Run up and get ready. I'll clean this up while you get some work done."
She reached up, pressing her lips softly to mine. The heat of her tongue brushing against my own had me grabbing her hips and pulling her tightly against me. I groaned and reluctantly pulled her away.
"Sorry," she giggled before she hopped up off my lap and headed toward the door.
"No you're not," I called after her.
She just giggled in response, her hips swaying seductively as she exited the room. My girl was a fucking tease.
BPOV
"Ugh, why did I agree to this?" I asked, adjusting the itchy burgundy top Alice had stuck me in.
"You said you were okay with this, are you really?" Edward asked me. His eyes looked at me with such concern it made my chest ache. How had I gotten so lucky?
"Yeah," I sighed. "I should have known she'd make me wait, though." I looked down at my phone again. "Five more minutes and we're leaving." I took another sip of my tea. Edward was having a beer, but I had twenty more pages of data to analyze before tomorrow so I was sticking to caffeinated beverages tonight. We were sitting next to each other on the bench seat of a table in a homey little restaurant inside the Charles Hotel. We'd been here for about twenty minutes and I was starting to wonder if Renee was going to stand us up.
"Isabella!" my mother's cheery voice cried. "It's so good to see you!"
She sounded so sweet and sincere it kind of threw me for a minute. This was how she used to sound when she spoke to me, before things had changed with us. I looked up to see her standing before us in a tight fitting black dress that was slightly larger than a retro bathing suit. It was so different from her typical hippy style and far less flattering.
She was eyeing Edward speculatively. "Won't you introduce me to your friend," she said with a coy smirk. Oh fuck no! She was trying to get her flirt on with Edward. Well this was bound to be awkward and embarrassing. She thrust her hand out toward him, striking a dramatic pose like she was in a Bob Fosse musical. I suppressed my laughter, but just barely. "I'm Renee. And you are…?"
Edward looked at me askance before accepting her hand. "I'm Edward, Bella's boyfriend."
"Really," my mother said breathily, sinking into the chair across from Edward. "Bella never mentioned a boyfriend. You really should have said something sweetie. I would have made more time to get to know your man." What the fuck? And sweetie? Dear lord, it was like she was playing a character in one of her community theater productions: the sweet, affectionate mother…with full cleavage on display. Gross.
I looked over at Edward. His face seemed impassive, but his eyes were hard; he was trying to hide his anger.
"So, I see you're just as much fun as ever, Bella," my mother said dryly. "I mean tea dear? What are you? Ninety?" she giggled and looked over at Edward, dropping her hand not so casually on his forearm. His eyes immediately fell to her offending hand. "She never has been one for relaxing or letting loose. But you probably know all about that by now." She smirked at my boyfriend, completely oblivious to the anger rolling off of him. He extracted his arm from under hers and slipped it beneath the table onto my leg.
"Can I get you a drink or the desert menu?" our waiter asked, thankfully interrupting her idiocy.
"I'll have a vodka tonic and no thank you on desert," she said dismissively.
He looked over at us, "Would you like anything else?"
"Actually, we'll share the apple, cranberry crisp please and can I have another cup of tea," I requested, ignoring my mother's exaggerated eye roll.
"I'll take another as well," Edward said, gesturing to his nearly empty pint glass.
After the waiter had left I tried my best to gain control over the conversation before my mother made an even bigger spectacle of herself. "So have you and Phil had a nice visit?" I asked.
"Yes, we have!" she gushed. "Phil's been working mostly, but I met a really fun couple the night we checked in, two sweet gay guys who are here from New York visiting friends. Well, they showed me all around the city yesterday! We went shopping and ate at this cute little café; it was so much fun. Then today I spent at the spa mostly. Phil would have joined us, but he has a dinner meeting at the Capital Grill and won't be back until late."
"Wow, sounds great," I deadpanned. She'd spent her entire visit with strangers instead of calling me. I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but Edward must have heard it. He gave my leg a reassuring squeeze under the table. I looked over at him gratefully and gave him a soft smile to let him know I was okay.
"Well, I'm sorry to miss seeing Phil. Please give him my love," I said, genuinely sad to have missed a chance at catching up with my stepfather. He was a really sweet guy, actually and funnily enough he was a few years younger than Edward. I think he was thirty-four.
Renee's voice turned icy, "I'll be sure to let him know you said hi."
I felt Edward stiffen beside me. I couldn't make sense of her reaction, but I instinctively leaned against his side and his arm slid around my shoulder protectively.
"Bella! Hi there pretty girl! I'm so glad I made it back before you had to leave!" I heard Phil's deep voice as he approached the table. I looked up to see a bright smile on his face as I stood to give him a hug. The contrast between greeting him and my own mother was so striking. He hugged me tightly and whispered, "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"
I sat back down and answered, "I've been really well, thanks Phil. It's great to see you too." It was nice that someone in my family was happy to see me.
"Phil, this is Edward, my boyfriend," I said. Phil looked up surprised, but reached over to shake his hand.
"Good to meet you. I'm married to Bella's mom," Phil explained unnecessarily. Turning back to me he said, "I didn't know you were dating anyone. Your mom never said anything."
"I just found out dear," she said tightly. The tension between them was palpable. And new. I'd never seen them be anything, but affectionate toward each other. Something had clearly changed between them since I'd seen them last.
"Here's your apple crisp and your drinks," the waiter said as he placed things on the table. "Can I get anything for you sir?" he asked Phil.
"Uh, yeah. I'll take a Glenfiddich, neat," he answered.
"Very good sir," the waiter said as he left.
"So, how's school going?" Phil asked me.
"Good. I've been working in Banner's lab as well as on my own research. I met with my thesis advisor last week and she had a lot of positive feedback for me along with some challenging questions that I think are really helping me take my research to the next level. I'm hopeful that I'll be completing my work in the next year, but it could be longer depending on my research outcomes." Phil was one of the few people I was close with who had shown a genuine interest in my studies. He was always encouraging and engaged.
"Well it sounds like your work is really progressing. I'm happy to hear it, pretty girl." He turned to Edward. "So how did you meet our girl Bella here?"
Edward raised an eyebrow at Phil, I wasn't sure what he was responding to. "Uh, I used to live in Forks. We met when Bella was visiting her father for Christmas."
"Huh, so are you out here visiting? Or did you move out here permanently?" Phil asked.
"I moved out here. My sister lives nearby. I share a house with her," he answered, sipping his beer.
"That's nice of her to take you in like that," Phil said with on odd edge in his voice.
"Well, it is my house, but it was nice of her to agree to let me move in. I mean, she's been living there on her own for a couple of years now," he answered.
"The house is yours?" I asked. "I thought it was Ali's?"
Edward looked over at me and shrugged. "Nah, the Cambridge house is mine. Ali owns the condo in New York." It seemed like he stopped himself from saying something else, but I can't be sure.
"What is it you do, Ed?" Phil asked, finishing his scotch and signaling the waiter for another one. "You're a little old to be a student, aren't you?"
"I'm a musician," he answered simply, not reacting to Phil's increasingly harsh tone. I never expected him to get all protective on me, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Like Jasper had before him, Phil wanted to make my boyfriend squirm a bit. Edward seemed unconcerned so I only squeezed his hand for support. He turned his hand over where it rested on my leg, entwining our fingers and squeezing my hand in response.
"Sounds really lucrative," Phil mused. "You support yourself on that do you?"
"Yes," he answered unaffectedly.
"hmm…I'd think someone your age would be doing something a bit more stable by now. Isn't the music industry notoriously fickle? What's your backup plan for later, when you need a real job? When you need to support a family?"
"Phil!" I cried shocked at his tone. His question was so absurd I wanted to laugh and would have if he wasn't being such an ass to the man I love. "Jesus. Lay the hell off. I promise that Edward is quite capable of fending for himself financially."
A small smirk played at Edwards lips. "I do alright. I assure you, should Bella need or want it, I am more than prepared to take care of her financially," he said. "However, I think anyone who's spent more than ten minutes with my girl would know that she is independent, nearly to a fault, and can more than take care of herself."
Rather than looking appeased by this, Phil only looked more irritated by this response. My mother was being uncharacteristically quiet. I had been so distracted by the tension between the men at the table that I hadn't noticed before. Looking over at her, I saw her eyes lit with anger as she stared at her husband. She must have felt my gazes because her angry eyes flashed to me, not softening at all as she stared me down. My heart sank at her expression. I wasn't sure we could overcome whatever had put that hateful expression in her eyes.
~oo0O0oo~
"Well that was a delightful evening," I said as I freed myself from the itchy blouse that had plagued me all night. It had been a quiet, pensive walk home for both of us. I think we were both a bit shell shocked from the intensity of our encounter with my mom and Phil.
"I'll say." Edward laughed. "I was a total hit with the stepdad, who must be younger than me, by the way."
"Yep. Old man," I snarked, pulling him close, pressing my bare chest to his. "Truly, though, I'm so sorry for both Renee and Phil. They were just horrible to you. Thank you for enduring that for me." I kissed the soft skin of his chest. All I wanted to do was fall into bed with him, but I had a mountain of work to do and it couldn't be put off any longer.
"Don't apologize for other people's bad behavior, Love. You aren't responsible for how they act," he said, running his fingers through my hair softly. He looked like he wanted to say more on the subject, but instead he excused himself, "I know you have to work baby. I'll be in the music room so I don't distract you." He gave me a sweet, but too chaste kiss before grabbing a sweatshirt and leaving me to work.
I heard the soft sounds of him composing at the piano as I worked at the small desk in the bedroom. A few hours later, when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I set my alarm and slipped into bed. I fell asleep to the sounds of a lovely haunting melody floating in from down the hall.
~oo0O0oo~
I woke up with a start. I couldn't quite bring my dream into focus, but I remembered being frightened and angry and panicked. My heart was still pounding. I felt Edward's warm arm draped over me protectively and his breath on my neck. I never thought that I would enjoy sleeping with someone like this. I always figured it would get uncomfortable after a while, but I found that I loved how he held me close as he slept. Like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go.
Looking over at the clock I saw that it was past six. Knowing I'd never get back to sleep at this point, I decided to get up and fix breakfast so I'd have something to calm me down. I slid out from the comfort of Edward's arms, threw on a sweatshirt of his that I found lying nearby, and padded quietly downstairs to the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later I was sipping my second cup of coffee and adding another waffle to my growing stack when I heard the front door close. Emmett sauntered in, looking worn and as vulnerable as I'd ever seen him. Wordlessly he sat at the counter across from me. I stacked a couple of waffles on a plate along with some bacon and fruit salad and set the plate in front of him. He looked up at me, shocked and held my gaze for a moment before digging into his food.
After a few bites he looked up at me and said, "Thanks, this is really good."
"No problem," I answered.
After we ate in silence for a while longer he asked, "So any particular reason you're up, alone, cooking a mountain of food at the crack of dawn?"
I shrugged. "I cook when I'm stressed or anxious. It calms me down. I find it meditative. Some people run to clear their minds, I cook."
"Huh," he grunted. "I think I'm gonna like havin' you around."
I flipped off the waffle iron and stacked a bit more food on my plate before joining him at the counter.
"So what has you down here so early looking like your dog just died?" I asked.
He shoveled some fruit into his mouth and shrugged. I didn't think he was going to answer so I just kept eating quietly. At least I'd tried.
"I had a fight with Edward last night…well another fight with him. He's such an ass, you know." He looked over at me and smiled sheepishly, "I guess you probably disagree with me, but he's been gone a long time. He can't just come back here and try to tell me what to do. All he does is tell me what a fuck up he thinks I am."
I pursed my lips and thought of how to reply. "He's just worried about you and I think he's pretty angry at himself for not being here for you or Ali when you needed him, but Emmett he loves you and he wants to try to fix this. Don't be dismissive of that. At least he cares…"
He looked at me thoughtfully for a minute, chewing his mouthful of food. "What? Your family doesn't care about you? That's fucked up." He said around a new bite of bacon.
"Uh, yeah. It is fucked up, if I'm being honest. That's sort of how I met Edward. I was hiding from my family at the local watering hole in Forks, avoiding the awkward dance of us all pretending we're a normal family…"
"Wait! Did you just say Forks?" He asked suddenly.
I looked over at him confused for a minute. Oh! "Yeah, my dad's from there. I was visiting him for Christmas."
"You're Becca! The science nerd from Forks!" he shouted, likely waking Ali up.
I smiled impishly at him, "No, Emmett, I'm Bella the science nerd. It's not my fault you don't always listen to what people are saying." I sipped my coffee nonchalantly while he struggled with this new revelation.
"Wait, so this is why all of you crazy bit—"he started, but I interrupted him by chucking a strawberry against his forehead.
"…sorry." He said wiping the juice from his head with the back of his hand. "I mean why you and Rose and Ali were making fun of me. You all think I'm a fuckin moron." He grumbled slightly at the end.
"Emmett, I don't think you're a moron. I do however, think you can be an asshole. You tried to grab my ass before you said two words to me and you basically see women as something to fuck rather than people. Why are you being normal with me now? Why aren't you saying douchey things to me now?"
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I dunno, you're being nice to me. You fed me and you sort of remind me of my mom a bit. She used to listen to me like this without getting pissed at the stupid shit I said."
I was overwhelmed by what he'd said. I could see how hard it was for him to open up like this. He looked terrified. I reached over and clasped his hand in mine.
"I think you should consider talking to someone about all this. You can talk to me anytime, but someone outside of the family would be able to give you an impartial perspective."
"What like a shrink?" he asked sounding skeptical and more than a little offended.
"Well, yeah. Edward has an appointment today to meet with someone for the first time," I explained. I knew Edward wouldn't mind me sharing this with Emmett. He was truly worried about his brother and would do anything to help him. "You should just think about it. You seem to me, and I know I just met you, but you seem like you're carrying a lot of hurt and anger. I don't think you've really let yourself deal with all your grief and your anger at your brother. And for the record, I don't think your anger is entirely unwarranted, I just think you need to have compassion for your brother and try to see things from his point of view as well. He loves you and if he's on your case about stuff it's because he's worried about you."
Emmett made a grunting noise and pushed his stool away from the counter. "I'll think about it Bella, but I wouldn't hold my breath. He's…god he just pisses me off so much. I can't help wanting to do shit to piss him off right back. And I don't think I'll be talking to any shrink any time soon, sorry."
He started toward the door, but turned at the last minute and said, "Thanks for the food…and for listening."
I started cleaning up my mess after he'd left. I don't know what I expected, but I hadn't expected him to sit and have a civil conversation with me. That had been a surprise. I mulled over our talk as I finished storing the food for Ali and Edward, who wouldn't be getting up for a couple of hours I was guessing. Back upstairs, I showered and dressed for class. I had an eight thirty lecture and I didn't have my bike so I'd be taking the T, which was a bit unpredictable. I left a short note for Edward and kissed him lightly before I left.
As I made my way into Harvard Square at half past seven I dialed Rose.
"Hey Chica!" she answered on the first ring.
"Hi Ro. How's the war effort going?" I asked.
"Oh so fucking well! I can't even tell you. He really should choose better passwords for his devices, not to mention his accounts. That boy's gonna get himself in trouble!"
"Sounds like he already has," I laughed. "Seriously, Ro. I know he's an ass, but don't be too hard on him. He's more vulnerable than you might realize and he's been through a lot in the last few years."
"B, I won't be cruel." At my snort or derision she continued. "Okay maybe the STI email to everyone he knows was a bit harsh, but I promise everything else has been and will be harmless, just irritating to him. Have you heard his new ring tone yet? It's amazing. I've been setting a new one each morning and this is my favorite so far." She was absolutely giddy.
"No, Ro, what is it?" I asked, crossing Church Street toward the T entrance.
"It's fucking brilliant that's what it is," she laughed causing me to roll my eyes at her. "It's Garfunkle and Oats…"
"You didn't!" I gasped, instantly knowing what she'd done.
She was laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone. "For the douche, for the douche, For the motherfuckin douche!*" she sang, still giggling.
"Oh dear lord Rosalie Hale. You are gonna drive that boy insane," I grumped.
"Oh please. He can take it," she argued. "He's a big boy. He can handle a little gentle teasing."
"Uh huh," I said. "Just be careful you don't push things too far. I gotta go Ro. I'll call you later."
"Okay. See ya girlie."
"Bye," I ended our call. I hoped she knew what she was doing and that she didn't cause more harm than good with Emmett. But there was no stopping Rosalie Hale once she was on the warpath. I sent a short text to Edward as I walked down the stairs toward the platform. I asked him to ease up on his brother a bit today and promised to explain later. As I pressed send I felt my foot miss the next step. My arms pin-wheeled as I tried to grab the railing, but all my hands found was air as my body lurched forward, tumbling down toward the subway platform below.
EPOV
I had been up too late working on the main theme for the Volturi film. Completely losing track of time, it was nearly three when I slid into bed behind Bella. She was out cold as I snuggled up to her. I awoke to a cold bed and a note on her pillow. It was nearly noon and I had an appointment at two with my new therapist. She worked in the same practice as Ali's therapist. I was a bit nervous, but I knew it was a step I had to take to get well for my family and for Bella.
I reached into my nightstand and pulled out the little green box that I'd been hiding there since I'd returned from Washington. I flipped it open and looked down at the set of platinum rings nestled there. I knew it was too soon. I'd wait a couple more months, maybe she would catch up to me by then. But I really need her to be mine in every way possible. I was hers so completely; I wanted it to be legally binding. I'd already changed my will making her the beneficiary in the case of my death, but it didn't feel like enough. Being her boyfriend was wonderful, but seemed inadequate. I wanted to be her husband. I wanted her to be Bella Cullen more than anything. But she was only twenty-one and we'd known each other such a short time, she needed more time. So I would wait.
I tucked the box back into my drawer and picked up my phone. I'd missed a few calls and texts. The first text was from Bella telling me to lay off Emmett, that she wanted to talk to me about him tonight. Huh. The second text was from Rose. I sat up as soon as I read the panicked words. Not waiting to listen to the voicemails, I quickly dialed Rose's number.
"Edward! Thank God! Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours!" Rose sounded frantic.
"What happened Rose? Is Bella okay?" I asked, trying not to freak the fuck out.
"I don't know. They won't let me see her. I got here as quick as I could. I'm her emergency contact." She explained. "But as soon as Renee got here she kicked me out and won't let me in and won't tell me anything. Edward when I left her she was unconscious and she looked so pale and small. Why won't they tell me what's going on?" She started sobbing.
"What hospital are you at? I'll be right there." I said, my voice eerily calm. I jotted down her directions and jumped out of bed, throwing on the first thing I found. It was the sweatshirt that I was wearing last night and it smelled like Bella. My heart was beating wildly as I shoved on my boots and grabbed my wallet, phone and keys from the nightstand. I raced down stairs and nearly ran head first into my brother on the 2nd floor landing.
"Woah, Dude, where's the fucking fire?" he asked. Catching the look on my face he said, "Seriously. What's wrong? Is Ali okay?"
"It's Bella.." choked out. His eyes went wide.
He grabbed my keys and said, "Come on, I'm driving. Where is she?"
"She's at Mass General. Emmett she fell…" I tried to keep myself from falling apart totally. "If she fell in Cambridge it had to be really bad for them to bring her into Boston to get treated." I fell into my seat in a daze. It was the first time I was glad for my brother's insane driving. He always dreamed of being a nascar driver, but settled for spending an insane amount on expensive cars and speeding tickets instead.
"Em, I can't lose her. I'd fuckin die…" I looked at him and his face was so full of concern it surprised me. It reminded me of the sweet kid he'd been years ago, always looking out for Ali and following me around like a shadow.
"Don't freak out until you know what's going on. Fill me in, what do you know?"
"Rose said she fell at the Harvard square train station. She fell down half a flight of stairs early this morning. She got to the hospital and Bella was unconscious. She said she saw her for about five minutes and was waiting for the doctor, when Renee, Bella's horrible mother arrived, kicking her out and now she doesn't even know what's going on at all."
"Her mom won't even let Rose know how she's doing?"
"No she's a fucking bitch. I don't know what her fucking problem is, but I doubt she's gonna let me see her either."
"Fuck. That's messed up," Emmett punched the steering wheel in frustration. "What is with this traffic? It's the middle of the fuckin day!"
I seethed at the idea of Renee keeping Bella away from the people who loved her. Who the fuck was she to make this choice? She was barely a part of Bella's life. Rose was her sister. Rose should be allowed to take care of her and talk to the doctors. I knew I was a new part of Bella's life, but Rose had been looking out for Bella for years. This was all kinds of wrong.
Finally we pulled up outside the hospital.
"Go on up. I'll find parking and find you inside." Emmett said. "What floor?'"
"There's a family waiting room on the first floor," I answered, already exiting the car. "Rose and Jasper are waiting there since Renee isn't letting her up to the ICU."
I hopped out and ran inside, following signs for the waiting room Rose had texted me about. I pulled open the door and frantically began looking around for Rose. I found her in the back corner with red, swollen eyes. Jasper was beside her and their hands were clutched tightly together. They were speaking quietly with their heads bent close together. The moment looked so intimate I was afraid to interrupt them.
"Rose. Any news?" I said, out of breath from running.
She looked up and shook her head. "I keep calling Renee, but she won't answer. I tried Charlie, but I can't get ahold of him either. This fuckin' sucks. I want to know how she is. I just want to know if she's okay. I understand that they won't let us see her, but why won't they tell us what the hell is goin' on?" Her voice was raised and accented, her eyes were wild as she got to her feet and started pacing.
"Fuck!" I cursed quietly. "There has to be something we can do." I pulled out my phone and dialed Marcus, my lawyer.
"Hello Edward. What can I help you with?" He answered, right to business as always.
I quickly explained the situation. He asked me a few questions and then asked to speak to Rose. She looked confused, but took the phone. After she answered a few of his questions she returned my phone to me.
"Can you do anything? We just want to know if she's okay." I begged. "We don't want any medical details or anything, though we'd love to know more."
"I'll see what I can do Edward, but I'm sorry to say that while she's in the ICU it's a lot easier for her mother to isolate her like this. If they move her to another ward and her condition is downgraded, I may be able to get you in to see her, providing they aren't guarding her 24/7 or anything."
"Okay, thank you. I'm gonna call in a few favors, exhaust all avenues." I said, slightly defeated. "She's everything to me Marcus. I need to know that she's okay."
"I understand. Hang in there Edward," he said earnestly. "I'll be in touch soon."
Rose looked at me with hopeful eyes. "Anything."
I shook my head and her face fell. "Not unless she gets downgraded to another ward. The ICU has stricter policies than most of the hospital. Let me see what else I can figure out."
I pulled out my phone and started sorting through my contacts. Dad had been friends with people on the boards of many hospitals, but it had been so long since I'd been in touch with anyone. I wasn't sure who to call.
"Dude, any news?" my brother asked, plopping down in the chair beside me.
"No, Marcus said they won't tell us anything while she's in the ICU, but we may be able to see her if she's moved to a regular room." I answered, slightly distracted as I scrolled through the names on my phone. "Any ideas of who Dad might have known at MGH? Anyone on the board that could help us?"
My brother's face lit up. "Actually, I might know someone. Let me call him."
He pulled out his phone and walked away to make his call.
"Jasper, does Ali know what's going on? I'm surprised she's not here," I said turning to him.
"Yeah, she was here, but she ran out to get us some food," he answered. "She was gonna go look for you, but when you called Rose she changed her plan. I think she was going crazy sitting in this tiny room. She already went up there to try to work her charm, but the nurses wouldn't let her in because she's not family. Renee refused to come out to talk to her so she ended up back here."
"Do you think Renee might talk to me? Should I go up and try?" I asked.
"Couldn't hurt," Jasper answered.
I nodded solemnly and he gave me directions to the ICU. I headed out of the waiting room and found the right bank of elevators. Up on the 11th floor, the long grey hallway was quiet as I followed the signs to the nurses' station.
"Excuse me," I asked an older nurse sitting behind the desk. "I just found out that my girlfriend was brought in after a bad fall."
She looked over at me sympathetically. "What's her name?" she asked, but I had a feeling she already expected it from the look on her face.
"Isabella Swan. Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay." My voice broke as the words left my throat. I didn't care that I was emotional, that tears were falling down my face. I needed to know. This woman knew what was going on with Bella.
The woman stared at me hard for a moment, as if she was deciding something. She glanced around her and leaned her body over the counter toward me. "Her mother won't let anyone in and she doesn't want anyone informed of her status." She glanced behind her again before continuing. "Something's not right here. I can't tell you much…I'd get fired for telling you anything, but…" she stopped, considering for a minute.
"She has some extensive but, non-life-threatening injuries. However, she's being kept here because she has yet to regain full consciousness. Until she does we won't know the full extent of her injuries. She woke up briefly when she was first brought in, but was confused. It's a good sign that she regained consciousness, but a secondary injury can be a serious risk at this point. She lost consciousness again after about twenty minutes and she was never fully alert.
"Scans have indicated that the swelling in her brain isn't severe enough to warrant intervention, but we're watching her closely. Her eyes are responding well to stimulus which is a good sign.
"I can't tell you anymore. I shouldn't have said this much, but you are the fourth devastated looking person to come up here and her mother has barely looked up from her magazines since she arrived. She doesn't act like any mother I've seen up here, and believe me I've seen my share of suffering in these walls."
"Thank you…"
"Sharon," she supplied.
"Thank you so much Sharon." I grasped her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. I felt tears threatening to fall from my eyes again. "Bella means so much to all of us and the woman in that room is practically a stranger to her these days. I promise, when she wakes up, I'm marrying that girl as soon as she'll have me, so no one can ever do this to us again."
Sharon gave me a sad smile. "Go, before she comes out here again. Send someone back in a few hours to see her. If she's not here anymore they'll tell you. They won't tell you where they moved her, but they'll likely move her to the 7th floor in this building if her condition improves. Check down there."
I nodded and thanked her again before heading back with what little news I had. At least it was something though. Bella was alive and okay for the moment. I wanted more than anything to be in that room with her, holding her hand and telling her over and over again how much I love her, how much we all love her. The fact that my Bella was hurting and I couldn't be with her was killing me. I would never forgive Renee for her petty cruelty.
Bella's real family was huddled around a table near where I'd left them. Ali had returned and she'd covered the table with takeout containers. No one seemed particularly hungry, but Ali had obviously been desperate for occupation.
"Anything?" Rose asked when she noticed me approaching.
I quickly filled them in on what I'd learned. Everyone looked slightly relieved. It wasn't exactly good news, but it was better to know than to be left wondering.
"Has anyone called Angela?" I asked.
"I did," said Rose. "I'll call and give her an update. Thank you, Edward. I was about ready to punch Renee in the face so I could steal a peek at Bella's chart." She gave me a weak smile and headed to a quiet corner of the room so she could make her call.
Ali slid into the seat next to me. "How you holding up?" she asked quietly.
"Uh…I think I'm in shock really. Until I see her none of this seems real, you know?" I felt her hand on my cheek and I realized I was crying again. The last time I cried this much was when Mom died. I pushed the morbid thought from my mind. Losing Bella was not an option. She had to pull through this.
Rose returned to the table and cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "I just talked to Ange. Apparently she waddled over to the police station and ripped the chief a new one. His flight is already in the air. He'll land in Boston at about eight tonight and he promised her that he'd get us in to see Bella."
"God, what did she say to him?" I wondered.
"She told him what he needed to hear: the blunt, unvarnished truth," Rose said. "She told him that he and Renee were some of the worst parents imaginable to Bella. She said we were her real family and that we should be allowed to see her. She also told him about Jacob, what that fuckup did to our girl. She all but accused him of turning a blind eye to his daughter being abused. She said he looked like he was going to throw up by the time she'd finished screaming at him. This all took place on Main Street in front of the Fork's police station. That girl doesn't pull punches when she's pissed."
"Damn. I don't know this chick, but she sounds fucking amazing," my brother said. "What the fuck did this guy Jacob do? I'm gonna kick his ass."
Rose looked at Emmett with confusion. I was surprised by his reaction too. I wasn't sure what had happened to make my brother care for Bella, but something had shifted between them. I'd been too distracted before to notice it, but he seemed protective of her like he was of Ali.
"We'll talk about it later Em, if Bella says it's okay," I explained. He nodded, but he still looked ready to hunt down Jacob.
"Well, by nine, hopefully, we'll be in with Bella," Ali said, leaning into my side and hugging me around the waist. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. I was glad Bella's friends and my siblings were here with me. The waiting was painful, but it all seemed more bearable somehow when surrounded by people who were just as concerned for Bella as I was.
A/N: *Garfunkle and Oats' song "This Party Took a Turn for the Douche"
Fic Rec: Loving the sexy, geeky WIP fic "Incognito" By: ericastwilight