Chapter 14

I spend the rest of the day Saturday losing myself in my music, but instead of sitting down with my guitar, I end up in front of my piano. It's probably been years since I spent any significant amount of time on the piano. I don't know what brought me here today, but it does feel good to let the music flow through a different outlet.

After an hour or so of warming up with familiar pieces that I don't need sheet music for, I find myself working on a new composition. The notes in my head come easily and naturally, and though I know this will never be heard by anyone else, I still write it down.

I have books full of the piano compositions that I've written throughout the years. My mother always told me I could make a living composing piano pieces, and she was probably right. But once the band took off when I was twenty, that idea was pushed to the back burner.

By the time I decide to call it a day, I look at the clock and realize it's close to midnight. It's not unusual for me to miss the passing of time when I'm engrossed in my music, but what surprises me tonight is the lack of urge to do anything else.

Normally, I would have been craving a night out, looking for another bar or party and on the prowl for my next lay. Those thoughts didn't even cross my mind tonight while I was so focused on the music.

I do, however, take a long, hot shower before bed to relieve a little tension. Although I'd prefer to have a warm body take care of it for me, my hand will have to suffice for now.

When I wake up on Sunday morning, I know I'm going to have to swallow my pride and call Bella. Jenks did call me back yesterday and let me know that the birth certificate can be updated without the DNA test if Bella agrees, but short of getting her agreement, I'll need to have the test performed.

I would venture to guess that if she doesn't readily agree to update the birth certificate, there's not much chance that she'll agree to the DNA test easily either.

Resigned to try to play nice with Bella while making my own demands, I grab my cell phone and get comfortable on the couch to call her.

"Hello?" a high pitched voice answers.

I'm momentarily confused, knowing the voice isn't Bella's. "Um … Alice?"

She sighs. "Yes, Edward. It's Alice. What do you need?" Way to get right to the point.

"Hi, uh … I was calling to talk to Bella." Obviously, since I called her cell phone. But I don't need her best friend hating me any more than she already does, so I bite back that retort.

"She's unavailable right now," Alice responds, as if that's the final word on the matter.

"Okay, can you give me an idea of when she will be available?" I ask, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

"Probably not for a few days."

"A few days? I need to talk to her soon, Alice. This really can't wait."

"Well, unfortunately the world doesn't revolve around you, Edward. She's been through a lot in the last two days and really needs her rest right now."

"What do you mean? She was fine on Friday."

"A lot can happen in a day and a half," she huffs.

"Alice, can you please tell me what's going on? Is Charlie okay?"

"Charlie's fine."

"If you don't give me more details, I'm coming over there right now," I warn.

"I really don't think that's a good idea."

"And I really don't care what you think. That's my daughter, and if something's wrong with Bella, then I should be there to take care of her." Alice's evasiveness is really starting to worry me.

"Look, we really don't need an extra hassle right now—"

I cut her off. "Fine, then just let me in when I get there. I'll see you in twenty minutes." I end the call without giving her a chance to respond.

Running up to my room, I step into the first pair of jeans that I find and pull a sweater over my head. In no time at all, I'm out the door and on my way to Bella's house.

I really hope I'm overreacting and Alice is blowing something way out of proportion. Maybe she's just being evasive because Bella didn't want to talk to me. That would be understandable after the way we left things on Friday night.

I arrive at Bella's house faster than I should have, thankful that I didn't get pulled over for speeding. As soon as I'm out of the car, I'm at the door pounding on it with my fist.

Alice opens the door looking much less put together than usual.

"Where's Charlie?" I ask before she can say anything.

The door opens wider and she waves her hand in the direction of the living room. Stepping back, she lets me enter. I rush into the room and find a sleeping baby in the swing, which is gently swaying back and forth while soft music plays.

"I just got her back to sleep, so please don't wake her," Alice says quietly.

"Okay, you want to tell me what's going on then?" I ask, turning back to glare at Alice.

She gestures to the couch, so I take a seat and watch while she sits in the oversized chair to my left.

"After you left on Friday night," Alice starts quietly, and already I don't like where this is going. "Bella had some really bad pains and started bleeding more than normal. I finally convinced her to go to the hospital around two a.m., and it turned out that she had some retained placenta. She had to have a procedure to remove it and slow the bleeding, and they kept her until late last night."

I'm shocked by this, but then I vaguely remember her grabbing her stomach a few times before she kicked me out of the house. I hope our fight didn't contribute to her problem.

Alice continues to explain the situation. "Because of the procedure and the medications, she isn't allowed to nurse Charlie until tonight, but Charlie isn't really fond of that plan. She's having a hard time taking a bottle, so the last twenty-four hours have been really rough."

I let out a breath. "Bella's okay now?"

"For the most part. Physically, she's fine, but she needs some extra rest to recover."

"And what about Charlie?"

Alice shrugs. "She's taken the bare minimum from the bottle, so she's been pretty cranky. Hopefully once Bella can nurse her again, everything will be fine."

"You should have called me, Alice," I say through gritted teeth, trying to control my anger.

She shakes her head. "I'm not getting involved in this. Whatever happened is between you and Bella. She didn't want me to call you, so I didn't."

"But this is my daughter, and someone should have let me know if something like this was going on."

"I'm sorry, Edward, but you're going to have to discuss this with Bella."

I nod, understanding that Alice is in a bad position, but I can't help thinking that she's the one that created this mess. If she hadn't shown Bella the article, everything would have been fine. Although I know there's a chance Bella could have seen it on her own, and then we would be right back in this situation.

"Is she awake?"

"Yeah, I told her you were on your way over," Alice replies. "Just do me a favor, Edward. Please don't upset her right now. She really needs a chance to recover from this."

I nod and stand up, not waiting for an invitation to go upstairs.

As soon as I reach Bella's door, I knock gently and turn the knob when I hear her soft voice invite me in.

What I see when I open the door almost startles me. The strong, independent woman that I've come to know now looks completely drained. Her usual rosy cheeks are void of color, and her eyes have lost their typical sparkle. Her hair is in a messy bun on the top of her head.

She's propped up against the headboard and puts a book down on the nightstand as I step into the room.

"Hi," I offer quietly.

"Hi," she says with no emotion, but I see the anger in her eyes.

"Alice told me what happened," I start.

"You shouldn't be here," she insists.

"Bella," I say with a sigh, taking another step into the room. "Can we just put everything aside for a little while? I didn't come here to argue with you. Just let me help for now, and we'll deal with everything else later, okay?"

"I really don't think that's a good idea."

I grab my hair and pull it in frustration. "Why are you so stubborn?" I ask angrily, but quickly realize that I need to change my tone. "Weren't you the one who said if Charlie had a father that was willing to be part of her life, that was a good thing? Well, I'm here, and I'm trying. Just let me help."

I study her appearance and the stubborn set of her arms crossed over her chest, knowing that she still wants to kick me out. Maybe she's right and I shouldn't be here. It's not like I know the first thing about taking care of a baby. Then an idea strikes me.

"If you don't trust me, how about my mom? She could help out with the baby. I mean, come on … Alice looks like she hasn't slept in days, and you need to rest so you can recover."

Her posture softens a bit, so I can tell I'm getting to her.

"Please, Bella. I promise we'll deal with our differences later. Just please let me help."

She sags back against the headboard and turns her face up to the ceiling.

"Fine, Edward," she concedes in a weak voice. "You can stay … and you can call your mom."

I let out a breath in relief. I know we'll still have a lot to work through, but hopefully that can take a backburner for now since it's so obvious that she needs help.

"Okay," I rush out. "I'll go call her."

I'm probably more relieved than she is that I thought to offer my mother's help, considering I was offering help that I didn't know how to give.

I head downstairs and bypass the living room when I see Alice asleep on the couch. I dial my mother as soon as I reach the den. As expected, she's willing to help and tells me that she'll be over in an hour after she throws together some food to bring with her.

I thank her profusely before hanging up and then plop down on the couch with a sigh.

I sit and wonder how my intent for today changed so drastically. When I called Bella an hour ago, I expected to argue with her and make demands of my own. But, finding out that she'd been in the hospital and then seeing Alice looking just as exhausted made me realize that I had to do something to help.

Bella really has no one. No husband to change diapers in the middle of the night, no mother to dote on her new grandchild and buy everything she needs, no sisters or brothers to act as proud aunts and uncles.

I've already made up my mind that I'll be a father to Charlie, so now it's time to start acting like one.

As if she's reading my mind, I hear Charlie begin to cry from the other room.

I slip my phone into my back pocket and walk down the hall, finding Alice barely stirring even with Charlie's high pitched noises right next to her. I look at the baby in the swing and realize that I don't even know how to turn the damn thing off.

"Alice … Alice," I say, shaking her arm gently.

She groans and slowly opens her eyes. "Oh," she exclaims when she registers Charlie's cries.

"I'll get her. I just don't know how to work the swing," I admit.

She sighs and slumps back into the couch. "Just turn the dial on the top," she mumbles.

I do as instructed and hear the motor of the swing go off. It keeps swaying, so I use my hand to stop it, and then I unbuckle Charlie and take her out.

The smell hits me as soon as I lift my daughter up. "Um …"

"Diapers and a changing table are in the den," Alice instructs sleepily, but I swear I hear her snicker at the end of her statement.

I look at Charlie, still crying in my arms, and then back at Alice, whose eyes are already closed again.

Well, here we go.

A/N: Anyone ready to see if Edward can figure out how to change a diaper?

I love all of the reviews for the last chapter! I'm totally amazed at the passion you all feel for either Edward's side or Bella's. It was great to see such a variety of comments. Remember, if you're not signed in, I can't respond to your review, and I've been having some fun chats with several of you! We even debated a bit on Facebook, so come find me there, too. Link in my profile.

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