A/N Twilight & its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
First I want to thank ShelbySue who beta'd (is that the correct terminology?) this chapter for me…thank you so much : ) Hmm…sorry for the late update…the uploader was down... : (
BPOV
The drive from Seattle to Forks took an hour longer than it should have. I had to pull over to the side of the road to cry every couple of miles or so. My father was a fighter, no doubt, but he definitely was no spring chicken either. I called Carlisle when I stopped at a dirty rest stop half way to Port Angeles. He'd been sympathetic and told me Charlie was going to be okay and they were monitoring him closely. Then I called my mom to find out what time her flight was arriving.
A little before noon I stopped in Port Angeles to get some gas and lunch. I called Jake after I ate. "Hey there good looking," I said when he answered the phone.
"Hello beautiful. Are you home yet?"
"Not yet. I just stopped in Port Angeles to get some gas and grab a bite to eat. I'll be home in about an hour. I talked to my mom, her flight gets in at four, and I talked to Carlisle, Edward's father. He said the accident was pretty bad, but wouldn't say much more than that. He said we'd talk more about it when I got to the hospital. How's your day been?"
Jake sighed, "It's alright. I'm thinking about going downstairs and seeing if I can paint a bit. See if I can still meet out deadline."
"Oh God Jake I completely forgot about that," I cried. I had completely forgotten about out deadline to be finished with the paintings today.
"Bella its fine, don't worry about it. The show will still be there when you get back. And if Jared doesn't want to wait, then I'm sure another gallery would love to give me a show. It's not a big deal. Just worry about your dad."
"Okay. Well look, I'm gonna let you go. I'm gonna head out. I'll call you later."
"Alright Bella; be careful."
"I will Jake. Bye."
"Bye," he said.
I got to the hospital a little over an hour later. I stood on the sidewalk staring up at the brick building looming over me and took a deep breath. I hated the hospital; I spent an awful lot of time here when I was a teenager. I exhaled and entered the hospital. There was a patient information desk situated in the middle of the atrium. I approached the desk, a heavy set nurse smiled warmly at me. "Good afternoon sweetheart, how can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Chief Swan," I told her.
"Are you family?" she asked, shuffling the paperwork on the desk in front of her.
"Yes I'm his daughter, Bella."
Recognition illuminated her eyes, "Well yes you are. We used to see quite a bit of you when you were younger; such a clumsy thing. I see that hasn't changed much." She pointed at the bruise on my cheek and I blushed. Evil bitch, I thought nastily, I was a clumsy kid, so what?
The nurse typed Charlie's name into the computer then she looked at me, "Your dad's up on the fourth floor, room twenty three."
I thanked her and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. When I walked into Charlie's room, Carlisle was there.
"Hello Carlisle," I said setting my purse down on the pinky vinyl chair by the door. Carlisle looked up from the chart he'd been filling out. "Bella, how are you?" He rested a hand on my shoulder and gazed at me, pointing at my cheek he asked, "What happened to your face?"
"I fell. How's my dad?" I eyed Charlie nervously; he didn't look so good laying there hooked to all these beeping machines. Carlisle motioned me toward the hallway and began going over the details of the accident.
"Your dad had a heart attack while he was driving home from a friend's house, the police think he fainted during the attack because his car drifted into oncoming traffic. There was a logging truck coming right at him. The trucker tried to stop, but with all the snow and ice he just couldn't. Charlie was unresponsive when the EMT's brought him in, he woke up briefly, but the pain meds we've given him made him drowsy; so he's out for now. Now for his injuries; his legs, left arm as well as a couple of ribs are broken. He's going to need some physical therapy after his injuries heal, and he's going to have to see a cardiologist about that heart of his. But other than that, your dad is going to be fine."
"Thank your Carlisle," I said gratefully. He patted my shoulder, "Of course Bella. That's what family is for. Now if you'll excuse me."
I nodded and he made his way down the hall to another patient's room. I re-entered Charlie's room and pulled the pink chair closer to his bed.
"Hey Dad, it's me, Bella," I said, reaching for Charlie's hand. "You know if you wanted to see me that bad you should've just called; I would have came. You didn't have to go and get yourself all jacked up. And what did I tell you about eating all that junk food, its called junk food for a reason." I wiped a tear away and took a deep breath.
Charlie's eyelids fluttered, and he groaned. "Dad?" I stood up quickly and grasped his face.
"Bells? What are you doing here?" he asked groggily.
"Dad, you had a heart attack and broke both your legs, where else would I be?"
"Damn. That explains why I feel like I got hit by a truck." He smiled weakly at me.
"You feel like you got hit by a truck because you were hit by a truck." Tears leaked from my eyes. "I was so worried about you," I said softly. I sat back down, grabbing Charlie's hand. He looked at me, his gaze stopped on my cheek, "Isabella Marie Swan, what the hell happened to your face?" he wheezed, his voice borderline angry. "Did Edward do that to you?"
"What! No, Dad. I fell trying to get my suitcase out of the trunk of my car. The driveway was icy and the suitcase was stuck. I pulled it to hard and fell face first into the bumper. Now relax before you have another heart attack."
"If I find out that Cullen kid hit you I'll break his scrawny ass in half," Charlie muttered under his breath, then yawned. "Gosh, I'm sorry Bells, I'm so tired," his eye lids drooped shut.
"It's okay Dad. Get some rest; I'll be here when you wake up again." I sat back in the vinyl chair and watched as he slept.
"Dad?" I said softly. No answer. "So much is going on Dad. Edward is cheating on me, I'm cheating on him. I left him but he doesn't know it yet. I'm staying with Alice for now. And I'm working for a painter, he paints these beautiful pictures. You should see them Dad, they're amazing." I stared at Charlie's sleeping face and sighed. "He's amazing," I added wistfully.
"Maybe after you get better you can come out to Seattle and see his work. Oh and Mom's flying out. She'll be here in a couple hours, so you better put your brave face on."
I sat back and stared at the monitor attached to Charlie's heart. Beep, beep, beep, it chirped. I watched the lines go up and down on the monitor; the combination of jagged lines and constant beeps was hypnotizing.
I must have dozed of for a while because the next thing I heard was the squeak of soft soled shoes and the crinkling of plastic. I opened my eyes and stared at the Hispanic nurse standing by Charlie's bed.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you, just changing the Chief's banana bag."
I stifled a yawn, "It's okay. I should be waking up anyways." She smiled at me. "Is this your dad?" she asked as she marked Charlie's chart, I nodded. "He's a fine man, I hope he has a speedy recovery," she said and set the chart in the plastic bin on the end of Charlie's bed.
"Thank you," I said as she left and glanced at my watch. Almost five thirty, Renee should be here any minute. I dug my cell phone out of my bag and called Jake, he answered almost immediately.
"It's bad Jake. Both of his legs, his left arm and a couple of ribs are all broken. But at least he's stable now, and awake. When he saw the cut on my cheek he damn near walked out of here to go back to Seattle and kill Edward. I had to explain to him that I fell on the ice. He didn't believe me until I told him how I fell. Did you get any painting done?"
On the other end of the phone Jake sighed. "No. I tried to finish the picture we'd been working on the other day. The only thing I did was ruin it."
"Aw Jake, I'm sorry. Keep trying, you'll get it," I urged, he'd have to learn to do it on his own, who knew how long I'd be here for.
"I will Bella, I'll try again tomorrow."
"Do that don't let my being gone stop you; you're a talented artist, you don't need me to paint. Think about what inspired you to paint in the first place and run with it. Oh, I gotta run, my mom just got here. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Alright beautiful, I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye Jake."
Renee saw me and rushed down the hall, her pink crocs squeaking on the floor.
"Bella!" she cried.
"Hi Mom," I said and hugged her. "How's your father? Oh my! What happened to your face?" I winced; I was going to have to get a shirt made that said, "I fell," with an arrow pointing up.
I guided Renee toward a row of hard plastic chairs along the wall and told her what Carlisle had said. She dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissues.
"Mom?" I said and tried to phrase the next part of my question delicately. "How come you're here?"
Renee looked taken aback. "Didn't your father tell you?" she asked.
"No, he hasn't told me anything. What was he supposed to tell me?" Now I was the one who was confused.
"Phil and I are getting divorced. We've been separated almost a year now. Your father and I have, well…reconnected, if you will. We are going to give it another go."
"Wow Mom, that's- well that's really great," I said, totally stunned. Talk about bombshells, I so didn't see that coming. Renee shrugged and smiled.
"Where's Edward?" she asked, looking around.
"Your guess is as good as mine," I told her. I didn't exactly talk to him and I sure didn't want him here.
"He didn't come with you?" she asked, disgust coloring her voice.
I shook my head no. "I drove up by myself. Alice offered to have a car bring me, but I didn't want to be stuck here without a car."
"You know the Chevy's still at the house. Dad kept it; still runs too. He's turned it into a sort of project. Restoring it to its former glory."
That surprised me, my father was a sports fan; not a mechanic. "Hmm. Never would have pegged Dad as the grease monkey type."
"Well that's your dad for you; full of surprises. I'm going to see your dad, will you be okay?"
"Yea mom, go ahead. I've got to make some calls." Renee and I both stood, she walked off toward Charlie's room and I walked toward the end of the hall.
I dialed Alice's cell. "How's Charlie's?" she asked after I said hello.
"He'll be okay," I told her.
"That's good. How long are you staying in Forks?"
"As long as I need to. Charlie's going to need physical therapy after his breaks heal. It will probably be a while."
"Did you talk to Jacob yet?"
"Not yet. There are some details that I need to work out here first. I don't want to bother him until I know for sure what I'm doing."
"Well I have some kinda bad news," Alice said despondently.
I groaned. "Lay it on me."
"Edward suspects something."
"What do you mean?" I asked. Great, dumbass picks the night I'm not home to be a good boyfriend.
"He kept trying to get a hold of you yesterday. I don't know how late he called here; I was at Jasper's, but when I talked to him this morning he was pissed that he couldn't get a hold of you. Not here and not on your cell. I told him maybe you left your cell in the car and were asleep, but I don't think he bought it. Sorry Bella."
"Fuck him," I said loudly; a nurse in SpongeBob SquarePants scrubs shot me a dirty look, 'sorry' I mouthed at her. "Fuck him," I said, quieter this time, "Let him get pissed over not being able to reach me. I don't really care."
"I know, but you know how men are."
"Yea I know. It doesn't really matter any more Al, but thanks for covering for me."
We talked a bit more, and then hung up. I walked back down the hall and peeking to Charlie's room. Renee was sitting in the pink chair holding a sleeping Charlie's hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. I could see her lips moving, but couldn't hear what she was saying. I sat down on the row of hard plastic chairs and waited. I watched the Hispanic nurse go back in to Charlie's room, and a few minutes later, a red-eyed Renee came out followed by the nurse.
"Visiting hours are over," she told me.
"Did you rent a car?" I asked as we exited the hospital.
"No, I took a taxi." We walked through the twilight toward where I'd parked the Volvo earlier this afternoon. More snow had fallen since I arrived earlier today. All of Forks was covered in a fresh white blanket of powdery snow.
"Sure you want to leave sunny, warm Jacksonville for this?" I asked as we got into the car. Renee snorted, "I've missed this. Jacksonville is all sun, all the time. Did you know that it was 86 degrees there yesterday?"
I gaped at her and slowed for a red light. "In November?" I asked incredulously. Renee gave a slight nod of her head. "Yes, the day before that it was 62. It's the most ridiculous weather. You have shorts next to sweaters and you never know what you'll need. The whole damn state is bi-polar or something."
I laughed, "Bi-polar? Really Mom?"
Renee waved her hand. "No matter. Forks is constant, when it's supposed to be cold, it is. There's none of that flip floppy weather thing going on here."
I had to agree, the weather was always pretty predictable. I pulled into the driveway next to my old Chevy truck. I guess Charlie's cruiser had been towed off to car heaven, aka the junk yard, after the accident.
"God I hope dad hasn't changed the locks," I told Renee as I flipped through my key ring searching for the house key.
"I have a key," Renee said holding it up for me to see. Okay showoff, I thought and followed her up the walk.
The house was dark and we walked into the foyer, Renee flicked on lights as she walked farther into the house. I looked around.
It's been about a year since I've been home, but nothing ever seems to change here; the house seemed frozen in time.
Come to think of it, not much had changed in ten years, the same faded green couch sat in the living room; a procession of school pictures still lined the mantle. Even the mismatched kitchen chairs were the same. Still mismatched, still circling the heavy oak table in the kitchen.
I suddenly felt seventeen again, felt like the new girl in Forks; felt my life sliding toward some unseen change just like it did when I first moved back here.
Ten years ago the change had been falling in love with Edward, now it was falling out of love with him. I'd finally come full circle. I walked up the stairs and stood in the doorway of my room.
Nothing changed here either. The cluster of pictures above my bed had faded a bit, but still, there they hung. I marveled at how young we all looked; Edward and Alice, Jessica and Mike and Angela, Ben and Eric. I wondered what had happen to them all.
I sat down on the edge of my bed and spied my ancient CD player sitting on the table on the other side of the bed. I reached for it, leaning across the bed, and popped the top open. Inside was a pink CD, Bella's Mix was written across it in black sharpie.
I snapped the lid closed and pushed the play button and laughed as an Nsync song started playing. Each song was increasingly more sappy and lovely than the last. Renee stood in the doorway laughing at the grimace on my face.
"You were so in love," she said wistfully. "Your father would call me nearly everyday asking for advice. He just swore that boy was going to break your heard. He kind of hoped he would so you'd stop playing that god awful music. He said it drove him nuts." Renee smiled sadly, "It upsets me that I wasn't here for it; your first love."
She came and sat next to me on the edge of the bed. I laid my head on her shoulder, "It's okay Mom. You didn't miss much." I motioned toward the CD player, "Unless teeny pop love songs are your thing."
She grimaced. "Tell me what's going on with Edward." I laid back and stared at the ceiling. Renee lay next to me; the CD player continued playing in the background while I told my mother about my suspicion of Edward's infidelity as well as my own betrayal. Renee tsk'd and clucked her tongue. "Shame on the both of you," she scolded. "What would his mother say if she knew?"
I shrugged, the bed shook under us. "Beats me. He barely gives me the time of day."
"Well then you break it off when you go back to Seattle. You only get this one life Isabella, and you don't spend it being miserable. If this Jacob fellow makes you happy, and it sounds like he does, then that's the way of it."
"But mom-"
Renee grasped my arm, "There are no 'buts,' besides the one you're sitting on, sweetie."
Before I went to bed that night I called Jake. He sounded depressed when he answered the phone.
"Hi," I said, lying on my bed staring at the ceiling.
"Hi," he replied, "how's your dad?"
"He's okay. I told you he woke up and tried to leave to go lay a beating on Edward, right?"
Across the line, Jake chuckled. "Yea, you told me. How's your mom?"
I sighed, my heart heavy, "She's good. Her and my dad are getting back together."
"That's nice. How are you holding up?"
"I'm exhausted. Physically and emotionally. I wish I could be lying in bed with you right now."
Jake sighed. "Me too; I miss you."
A solitary tear slid down the side of my face. "I miss you too." I was quiet for a while, just laying there listening to the sound of his breathing. I started to nod off when Jake said my name.
"Bella?" he said softly.
"Hmm?"
"Come back to me," he whispered.
"I will," I mumbled sleepily. And with that, I drifted off to sleep.
Reviews are better than cheesy teen pop love songs from the late ninety's
& in case you cared the title, Be Here Now is by Ray LaMontagne