Thanks to Mary, Kitty, and Donna for all their amazing help. I'm stunned... you guys are more than awesome. I wish I could thank you all in person, but I can't. How about some Dr. C advise on the elf situation?

Day 20

Bella...

"You don't have to come with us," I reminded Dr. C at the ungodly time of 5am the next morning. We'll be just fine, right Mrs. Cope?"

Dr. C smiled and shook his head. "I want to come."

"But it's your day off," I said and he nodded. "You're a pretty special guy, Dr. C."

"Some patients stick with you, Bella," he said softly and he pushed Mrs. Cope out of her room one last time. "Your father was one of them and of everyone I've not been able to save, he is the one that pained me the most."

"You really don't know how thankful I am for what you did," I told him as we manoeuvred the wheelchair into the elevator. "Because of you, the nurses, and everyone else who tried to save him, I got the chance to say goodbye."

Mrs. Cope was being moved by Ambulance, and because of Dr. C's connections, they let me ride in the back with her. Within five minutes of leaving the hospital, Mrs. Cope fell asleep and left me to occupy myself for the next few hours.

The past few days hadn't been a complete bust. I may have lost my job, but I was hopeful that I could use the experience to push myself into doing something I loved. I'd started sketching ideas of toys again and I was going to put my work out there and see what happened.

I'd been unable to sleep the previous night, and I'd tossed and turned all night unable to think about anything else but Edward. I'd wanted to tell him that I was the elf, but I had no idea how he'd react. The drive made me tired and I felt my eyes start to droop and the next thing I knew Dr. C was standing in the back of the ambulance, laughing at me.

"Ops," I giggled, noticing the sketches had fallen onto the floor.

Dr. C bent down to help pick them up and I saw him looking at them. "You did these?" he asked, almost shocked.

"Yeah," I said, embarrassed. "I used to work for a company that designed toys and I had some ideas of my own. I guess, since Tanya fired me, I thought about trying to get into that kind of work. Not that I have any experience but still, it's worth a shot, right?"

"Can I keep these?" he asked and I frowned. "I might know someone who can point you in the right direction, Bella. Let me show him these and see what he thinks. I'll have them back to you by Christmas I promise."

"You'd do that?" I grinned.

"Of course," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You deserve a chance to do something you love."

"You Cullen men are quite something, huh, Dr. C?" I winked and he laughed.

"My wife is dying to meet you," he told me. "She hears nothing but good things from me and she's seen the way my son lights up when he talks about you. Expect an invite to our house for dinner soon."

"Should I be afraid?"

"Very afraid, Esme always wanted a daughter." He laughed again and helped me out of the ambulance.

We waited for the team of people at the rehabilitation centre to help Mrs. Cope into her chair again and then followed behind them to her new room. We spent several hours making sure my favourite patient was settled in and had everything she needed.

"She loves the classics," I told one of the staff. "Until she can manage it herself you will read to her, right?"

After being assured several times that they would, Dr. C suggested we leave. He offered to bring me back to visit soon and even said it would be nice if Alice came along.

"Oh good god," I laughed. "She'd be in her element with all these ladies to give manicures to."

I couldn't help but cry a little when we left and Dr. C patiently waited for me to get a grip before trying to start conversation. The more he talked the more I saw his son in him.

"Edward is like you so much, Dr. C," I said affectionately.

"In some ways I suppose, but if you met my wife you'd see more of Edward in her eyes," he said sweetly. "And he'd probably kill me for telling you this, but he's a mommy's boy."

I laughed. "Yeah, I get that impression."

"He's there now," he continued to say. "I called Esme on the drive over here and she said he was in his own bed and had spent most of the night worrying about the elf."

Why would he worry about the elf?

"The elf?" I asked and he hesitated. "You know about the elf?"

"Yes he told me… wait… do you know about the elf?" he asked nervously and I shrugged. "You do know about the elf."

"Maybe," I said cautiously. "What do you know about the elf?"

"I don't know if I should be talking about it with... you… because you're you… and the elf is… the elf." I smirked and Dr. C noticed. "Do you know who the elf is?"

"It depends," I said anxiously. "Are you going to tell Edward?"

He frowned and said, "It depends on what you tell me. I mean how can I say I won't tell him if I don't know what you're going to tell me. What if he found out that you told me but I told you I wouldn't tell him and then he found out and was mad at me for not telling him what you told me?"

"What?" I shook my head. "Too many tells and told in that sentence, Dr. C. I'll put it to you this way—I know who the elf is and what I'm asking is, do you want to know, or should Edward know first?"

"I do want to know who the elf is, but as the identity of the elf is somewhat of an issue for my son, I think that he should know first." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Although…"

"Oh jeez," I laughed. "Dr. C, you're making this very difficult. What's although?"

"Although, hearing who the elf is from the girl he's fallen madly in love with might not be such a good idea. One or both of you could end up hurt."

"Excuse me?" I asked and Dr. C's eyes widened in panic. "What was that again?"

"Um… I think I need to stay quiet for the rest of the drive. I may be making too much mess for my son to clear up." He started whistling and looking everywhere but at me.

"Dr. C?" I asked and he sighed.

"It was me," I said quietly, feeling my cheeks flush.

"It was you, what?"

"I was the elf." I felt like such a tramp. I was telling Edward's dad that I'd played tonsil tennis in a closet with his son without even asking for his name. "I'm the slutty elf."

"You're the elf?" he said in shock. "You're the elf… and you're you… you're the elf and still you?"

"Last time I checked, yep." I laughed nervously. "I wanted to tell him so many times but there was Tanya… and then when I was going to tell him he went all weird on me and I haven't heard from him since. Do you think he knows and that's why he's avoiding me?"

"I don't think so… I don't know why he would be?" He shook his head. "It really is a small world."

"You're telling me." I sighed. "Edward was Santa, Tanya's boyfriend, and your son… that's a hell of a lot of coincidences."

"Or just fates way of making things happen."

"Fate?" I asked doubtfully.

"You don't believe in fate?" he asked, surprised.

"How can life be down to fate? Surely it's down to chances and opportunities?"

"It's a lot of coincidences don't you think? Why couldn't you have been destined to meet Edward and give him that final push to end things with Tanya? Why couldn't it have been destiny that Edward's feelings for you got you fired and finally able to take a chance to do something that you enjoy?" Dr. C shrugged. "I'm not so sure that can be down to simple coincidence."

Fate? Destiny? It all sounded a little too much like a bad Christmas movie for my liking.

"And my father?" I asked sadly. "If what you say is true, then my father—the only person I had in the world, was destined to die like that?"

"And look at the person you became because of it, Bella? Would any ordinary girls sit for hours with strangers just so they had someone like you and Alice do? Would just any ordinary girls volunteer to dress up in a ridiculous costume to give out presents to kids? You met Alice and then Rose because of that tragedy and you're all bonded by it. I think I'd call that destiny, wouldn't you?"

"That's really deep, Dr. C." I smiled and he shrugged.

"I'm not a religious man, Bella, but I've seen people who should never have lived walk out of hospital and I've seen men like you're father who had everything to live for taken cruelly. I refuse to believe it's all for nothing and whatever it is, I think for certain it brought you to my son."

"And you'd be okay with that? With your son and the slutty elf?" I asked doubtfully and Dr. C laughed.

"I think he referred to you as the bearded elf not the slutty elf," he joked. "But to answer your question—without a shadow of a doubt yes."

"Then I guess I just need to tell, Edward." I took a deep breath and Dr. C squeezed my shoulder. "What will he say? I mean what do I do if he's mad that I didn't tell him?"

"Just have a little faith."

Go Dr. C!

More to come tomorrow! Seriously, how close are we to Christmas already!

xoxox