Thank you to my PTB betas, Thir13enth and SecretlySeverus!
I'm sorry this wasn't up on Saturday morning (my time, anyway – near New York City). I've been having trouble uploading. I keep getting connection errors. Last week it took three days to get the chapter up. As soon as I finally emailed them that I was having trouble, it worked. Maybe I should just send the email first thing, just to be sure. I also post on The Writer's Coffee Shop and Twilighted, but Twilighted has their own validation process which takes a little time. If there's no weekly update here, feel free to check those sites.
Thank you to all who voted for me on "What's pwning you?" on Fictionators! My story was one of five top vote getters and was mentioned on their monthly podcast!
A particularly big thank you to everyone who "liked" face book hope for david 2012
David had his surgery on Thursday, July 26th and it went very well. Both his pancreas and spleen were removed. It was shorter than anticipated because it "went smoother than expected." I believe it was 12 hours rather than the 16 they expected. The first few days post-surgery will be very painful, and he has a very long road in front of him, but so far, so good! He's looking at a 1 – 2 week PICU stay followed by an additional 3 – 5 weeks in the hospital, and the entire recovery time is expected to be a year long. They've currently got over 1200 "likes". If you haven't already, please visit the site and hit that little "like" button! Let's see how high we can get it!
I'm so sorry I haven't been able been able to respond to reviews. I'm trying to get a Harry Potter fic finished. It's for a fest, so it's got a deadline – which I am completely freaking out about not making.
Plus, there's always that little 6ish lbs, 20 inches of pure cuteness I could just sit and stare at forever. We took him for his newborn pictures Friday night. The boy cried like I'd never heard him cry before. He's just like his father, doesn't like having his picture taken.
I'm being translated! Thank you to the lovely Verosmee Cullen, who has volunteered to translate my fic into Spanish! Chapter 1 is up. Me quedo, Tuyo.
Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Now, on with the story!
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"Tanya! Over here!"
Tanya looked in her sister's direction when she heard her name called from across the terminal, and her face lit up when she saw Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar smiling and waving at her. Although there was no one more important to her than Charlie now, she missed her family terribly–her sisters especially. After all, they had been together for a millennium and were not used to being apart for more than a few days, weeks at the most, and it had now been five months since they had last seen each other. Covering her mouth lightly with her hand and pretending to cough, she spoke much too quickly for human ears to hear. "I'm so happy to see you. I've missed you so much. I cannot thank you enough for coming."
"So this is Charlie. Can't wait to get to meet him. Irina's sorry she couldn't come. Laurent is having a tough time adjusting, and she needed to stay with him."
"Of course."
Tanya's initial focus was primarily on her sister, Kate, and it took a few seconds before she noticed the appraising look on Eleazar's face. A very low growl erupted from her chest, far too low for the humans around them to hear, but the three vampires a hundred yards away heard it clearly.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tanya. But you know what Alice said. It is going to happen. When it does, he is going to be very powerful. He's a shield, and a strong one."
Tanya took Charlie's arm and laid her head against his shoulder, smiling proudly up at him. She wasn't surprised. They suspected as much since Edward couldn't fully hear his thoughts, but it was nice having it confirmed.
Kate said, "We'll met up with the others and see you at the hotel later."
Charlie looked down at her about to say something, and she stretched up to kiss him. Her mate was a very private person, but he was getting used to her sudden public displays of affection.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"Does it need to be for anything? I love you, isn't that enough?"
As always when she told him she loved him, his heart jumped and sped up, and he felt… dazzled… like the luckiest man in the world. The first time she told him she loved him was one of the two happiest moments in his life, tied only with the first time he saw Bella when the nurse placed her in his arms.
They had been sitting curled up together on his couch with her head against his chest, and she'd been tracing patterns on the inside of his forearm with her fingertips when she had quietly breathed, "I love you, Charlie." The words had been spoken so softly, barely even a whisper, he hadn't been completely sure he'd really heard what he thought he'd heard. He was completely tense until he looked down into her face and saw the love and hope in her eyes. He felt so many things for her, and he wanted to tell her all of them, but he was never good with words and didn't know how. Looking into her eyes now, he said the same thing he'd said then, "I love you, too."
Having gotten their bags, they made their way to the car rental counter. After blinking stupidly several times and finally remembering to breathe, the man behind the counter pulled up their reservation and led them to their car. Unable to keep his eyes off Tanya, he stumbled and fell over a curb. Rubbing his scraped knee and turning fire-engine red, he limped up to a car with the darkly tinted windows Tanya had specified. "Your car, Miss Cullen. I hope it will meet your requirements."
Charlie was staring slack-jawed at the car Tanya had reserved for them. He was about to protest that they didn't need such an expensive car, but when he looked at Tanya, her face was pinched in obvious pain, and her hand was on her throat. Charlie, immediately worried, put his arm around her, and she leaned against him.
"Tanya?"
Her only answer was a shake of her head.
The rental car agent was tripping over himself trying to be of assistance. "Can I get you anything, Miss Cullen? Would you like to sit down, Miss Cullen? Can I get you glass of water, Miss Cullen?"
Tanya swallowed with visible difficulty before putting her hand over her mouth and speaking in a pained rush, "No. Thank you."
Charlie was watching her in concern and barely spared a glance at the rental car agent as he took the keys from the man. "She'll be fine. She just needs some fresh air."
They quickly got in the car, and Charlie kept his eye on her as they drove out of the lot, but she appeared to be doing much better. Her face was no longer a mask of pain, and she was taking slow, deep breaths.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much better. Thank you."
He hated that she sounded ashamed when she answered him with downcast eyes. It wasn't her fault, and he wished her could tell her that. But he was getting better at picking up and understanding signals, and he could see she very definitely did not want to talk about it. There was a silence in the car that was awkward in a way that silence never had been between them before, and desperate to break it he tried to start a conversation. "So, what kind of car is this anyway?"
"It's an XJ8."
When he rubbed the back of his neck Tanya laughed her fluid, musical laugh, and just like that the awkwardness was gone. It was just the two of them again, easy, comfortable, and above all, right.
"It's a Jaguar," she elaborated.
Now it was Charlie's turn to suddenly feel sick, and he put both hands on the wheel at ten-and-two and kept a much better eye on the road. "Tanya, do you realize this car probably costs as much as my house?"
"Not to rent."
"That's not the point."
"What is?"
"I drive a twelve-year-old Chevy."
"Did you bring it with you?"
"Tanya…."
"Chaarrlie…."
Neither spoke for a moment but this silence was comfortable, not strained like earlier. They'd disagreed about money before, usually agreeing to disagree as neither wanted to argue. This time it was Tanya who broke first. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I can't help it if I like the best," reaching her hand over, she smiled flirtingly and laced their fingers together, "in everything. I have money, but it doesn't mean anything. I came into it. I didn't have to work for it. I wish you would let me spend a little of it on you."
"I don't need anything."
"It doesn't have to be a need. It's OK to just want something. Isn't there anything you want?"
He returned the light squeeze of her fingers. "Not anymore."
Tanya's lips spread in one of her radiant smiles, and his heart jumped again.
"And, besides, with the car it really was a necessity," Tanya went on to say. "It was the only car they could guarantee the tinted windows on."
Charlie nodded his head in agreement. If it was the only way to guarantee the tinted windows, then it really was a necessity. Tanya had explained to him that she, her sisters, and their cousin, Carlisle, all suffered from the same genetic condition caused by an inherited enzyme deficiency which results in extreme photosensitivity. She had tried to explain it to him, but having no medical knowledge or background, he didn't understand the technical medical terms she used.
That had been months ago, when they'd first met. Since then, he'd learned a lot more, and as far as he was concerned, the hows and the whys didn't matter. All he really needed to know was that sunlight filtered through clouds or darkly tinted windows she could tolerate–direct sunlight she couldn't.
Their hotel was about a half hour from the airport, and as soon as they checked in they went straight to Renee's house. Charlie didn't want to wait until morning to see his little girl.
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Renee was expecting them, watching out the window and waiting. When they pulled up in front of her house in their rental car, she went outside to welcome them, but when she saw first the car they arrived in then the woman her ex-husband had with him, she stopped in her tracks, too stunned to move.
Charlie had gotten out of the car and nodded his head to her in greeting before walking around the car and opening the door for a woman who could make supermodels cry. Bella had told her the woman was beautiful, but this was just ridiculous.
No human being had the right to be that beautiful.
Pulling herself together, Renee scolded herself. Yes, the woman was beautiful–OK, honestly, she was breathtaking–but Renee knew from what Charlie had told her that his girlfriend had some pretty serious health problems. She knew the poor woman not only suffered from a rare condition that not only left her a virtual prisoner trapped indoors for fear of the damage the sun could do and the intense pain it could cause–which meant coming to Phoenix was taking a rather large risk–but could also lead to liver disease in the future, but she was also anemic and had circulatory problems that made her hands and feet very cold to the touch. This woman may have the face of an angel, but she did not have her health.
Once the initial shock passed, it only took a few seconds of looking at this woman and her ex-husband together for Renee to see how much they loved each other. Renee might not love Charlie like she once did, but he was her daughter's father, and she would always care for him. It made Renee genuinely happy to see him happy.
Looking back now, Renee knew she had not even been close to being ready for marriage back then. She had been more in love with the idea of being in love and wanting to be a bride than she had been truly in love with Charlie and wanting to become a wife. She also understood now how badly she must've hurt him when she left. She hadn't been ready for marriage then, but he had been. Now, with Phil…. If Phil were ever to leave her like she left Charlie, Renee knew she'd never get over it.
This woman made Charlie happy, and that was all that really mattered. Even if she could make Venus herself spit nails.
Renee went up to Charlie and embraced him warmly before turning to Tanya and welcoming her. Tanya, in turn, thanked her for allowing them to come so late at night.
"I apologize for the late hour. I hope we aren't keeping you up."
"No. No, not at all. Please… please, come in. She's awake now, actually. It's… it's like caring for a baby. I sleep when she sleeps."
Charlie didn't need to be told twice, and Renee led him to Bella's room. She had told him what to expect, but nothing could've prepared him for the sight of his daughter. Bella's normally fair skin was sallow. Her hair looked like straw. There were such dark circles under her eyes that she looked like she'd been beaten. The weight she'd lost was visible in her face in her sunken cheeks.
Charlie inhaled sharply and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. His other hand held Tanya's tightly. He knelt next to the bed and held Bella's hand, talking to her and trying to get a response.
Renee knew he wouldn't, but she knew he needed to try. She still tried, too.
Tanya stepped back slightly, giving Charlie and the girl's mother space, while simultaneously carefully monitoring the girl's vital signs and making a detailed observation of her room per Carlisle's instructions. She smelled no drugs in the room or anywhere in the house, and there were no needle marks visible on what she could see of the girl's arms. She smelled no alcohol.
"Tanya? We're here. How is she?"
Tanya was relieved to hear Carlisle's voice as they slowly drove past the house. The only medical knowledge she had was what he had been able to tell her in the very brief time they'd had before leaving Seattle, but she knew enough to know that the girl needed help. Stepping back further away from the girl's bed, Tanya leaned against an old desk and answered him quietly and quickly. "There are no drugs or alcohol that I can smell. Her heart rate is slightly elevated, breathing is shallow. Her blood pressure is low. I haven't touched her, but her temperature does not appear to be above normal. She looks dehydrated and undernourished. She is awake, but she had no reaction to seeing Charlie. Her affect is flat.(1) Jasper, what is she feeling? Can you tell? Has Edward found her thoughts yet? What is she thinking? Does she know her father is here?"
There was a slight hesitation before Carlisle spoke again. It was only a second, but it was enough to catch her attention and worry her. He said, "Since he's never heard her voice, Edward was following your mind to guide him to hers. He's waiting at the hotel. We'll meet you there once Charlie is asleep."
"Carlisle? What is it? Jasper? What's wrong? What've you felt? What has Edward heard?"
It was no good, though. They didn't answer, and she heard their car drive away.
Resisting the urge to growl in frustration, Tanya forced herself to wait quietly until the girl drifted back to sleep so she could suggest to Charlie that they return to their hotel and let her mother get some sleep, too.
Seeing his daughter like that had been very hard on her mate, and she drove them the short distance back to their hotel in silence, knowing he would talk to her when he was ready. Back in the privacy of their room, Charlie sat down with his head in his hands. She sat on the arm of the chair and ran her fingertips lightly up and down his back, reassuring him that she was there but giving him the space he needed.
She still saw the insecurity in his eyes sometimes, the fear that she would leave him. Of course the idea was ludicrous. She was a vampire, and he was her mate. She would never leave him. But he didn't know anything about that. He couldn't know anything about that, not yet, for everyone's protection. The greatest fear she had ever known was that Charlie would tell her to stay away from him when he found out the truth. He had been completely honest with her and believed she had been completely honest with him. How would he react when he found out otherwise?
She was terrified that the dogs would break the treaty and tell him. There was no way that could end well. They would paint her as a monster, an evil predator, an abomination. It didn't matter to them that she had chosen centuries ago to live solely off of animal blood. They wouldn't even bother to tell him that. If he learned the truth from them, she would lose him. He would never want to see her again. She would do what he asked and leave him alone, but she would never be far. She would always be there, hidden somewhere nearby watching over him, protecting him, just like she always was when she couldn't be with him, and hoping beyond hope that he would one day forgive her.
She had to be the one to tell him; it had to be his choice whether to join her, and he had to know the whole truth before he made that decision.
After fourteen minutes, he leaned back in the chair, and she very gently squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles before squeezing her hand in return.
"We waited too long. We shouldn't have waited so long. We should've done something sooner."
"Love, please don't be so hard on yourself. Remember, four weeks ago, no one knew it would go on this long."
"This is a good place, right? Carlisle's sure?"
"It's the best."
Charlie nodded his head, and they sat quietly together for some time longer before he got up for some human time in the bathroom. Tanya could hear her family in the room directly above them, but they were deliberately speaking only of other things. Frustrated and growing steadily more and more worried, she had no choice but to wait until Charlie was asleep to find out what they had learned. If they were unwilling to tell her what they had learned while she was with Charlie, it could only be something bad.
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In the room upstairs, Jasper was still shaken by the incredible intensity of emotion he had felt from the girl. Tanya had told them the girl's affect was flat, but that was not what he had felt from her at all. The fact that Edward was so on edge was not helping matters.
"Edward, if you pull at your hair anymore, you're likely to rip it out," Alice said.
Not even his sister's mental picture of him with matching bald spots on each side of his head for eternity could distract Edward. His only reaction was to get up and return to his anxious pacing.
Maybe I'm too far away? But I can hear Tanya and the mother just fine. The girl would have to take after her father. But what if she doesn't take after Charlie? What if she's been hurt so badly…. Growling fiercely, Edward refused to let himself consider that possibility. Maybe I need to get closer? But I can't get closer.
A second low growl rumbled in Edward's chest as he continued to berate himself. Everyone was watching him intently, and Emmett, Eleazar, and Kate were on their feet and surrounding him before the sound of his growls faded away. Emmett and Eleazar were crouched and ready to spring at him, and Kate's hands were a fraction of an inch away from him, ready to shock him to the ground at the first sign he might try to leave the room.
"Edward! Enough already, you're making everyone crazy which is making me crazy!" Jasper yelled.
Alice said, "Everyone, relax. He's not even considering going after the girl. Jaz is right, Edward. It's not your fault she's a shield like her father any more than it is she's your singer."
"Empathic, too, are you now, Alice?" Edward snapped.
"I don't need to be empathic, Edward. I have eyes, and I know you."
Emmett, Eleazar, and Kate relaxed and returned to their seats, still watchful. Edward looked at Esme as she said, "Alice is right, Edward. We all put too much pressure on you both. We expect you to hear everything and see everything."
Edward closed his eyes in frustration. None of them understood. He didn't care that he couldn't hear someone's mind. He couldn't fully hear Charlie's either. It was that he couldn't hear this girl's mind that was making him crazy. He wanted to know what was in this girl's thoughts more than he had ever wanted to know anything. He had to help her. But he couldn't help her if he couldn't hear her thoughts. She wasn't a shield like her father. Her shield was much different. With Charlie, he could at least hear something. With the girl, there was absolutely nothing. There was just empty space where her mind should be. It was like there were three people in the room, not the four that there really were. The fear he'd been refusing to consider overwhelmed him. What if she wasn't a shield at all? What if whatever was wrong… What if after whatever had happened to her, there was just nothing left for him to hear? The image he'd seen in Tanya's mind of the girl lying in her bed was stuck in his head. The difference between that image and the one he'd seen in Fido's mind of the strong, vibrant, healthy girl telling him off only a few months ago was so stark, he could scarcely believe they were both of the same girl. The only comparison he could find in his experience was the difference he saw in Carlisle's memories of him as a human, between their first meeting in June and that last night in the hospital in October, when he'd held his sick cousin on his lap before he fell victim to that horrible epidemic.
But the girl wasn't physically sick. Not judging by the evidence of Tanya's senses. Her temperature was not elevated. Her lungs were clear. The girl, at least, could breathe.
Edward's hands clenched into fists. If there was someone responsible for this…. If someone had done something to her–hurt her–he would have one more person's blood on his hands.
Edward again growled in frustration. He needed to help this girl, and the one and only thing he could do to help her, he couldn't do. He was completely useless to her. How many times had he wished he could turn the voices off? How many minds had he heard that he wished he hadn't? Now, the one timehe really needed to hear someone, there was nothing. The one person whose thoughts he really wanted to know was the one person who could keep him out. If it wasn't so maddening, it would be funny.
Finally, Charlie fell asleep, and Tanya ran up the stairs to the room where her family was waiting so fast, any humans in the stairwell or hallway would've seen nothing but a blur. Alice stood beside the open door to their room. In Tanya's hurry, Alice had seen her tear it from its hinges.
"Well?"
Tanya's eyes darted from Edward to Jasper to Alice to Carlisle and back again before settling on Jasper. He seemed reluctant to speak.
"More than anything, she's in pain. She's in a severe state of depression, and she's in tremendous emotional pain. I've never felt so much pain from a human. It's no wonder she's unresponsive. It's too much pain for her to deal with. It's more than any human would be able to deal with it. Her mind and body are acting in self-defense, trying to protect her from the pain. It's not… a normal level of emotional pain for a human…. The only way I could describe how much pain she is in is what I would feel if anything were to happen to Alice." He paused and sighed, and when he spoke again his voice was full of regret. "I'm sorry, Tanya, Kate, forgive me, but the pain I felt from the girl is the same as I feel from you when you think of your mother."
Tanya stood frozen to the spot. Her eyes were wide with grief for her mate's daughter. Kate came to her and put her arm around her in silent support. After several moments she turned her eyes to Edward. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. They'd been counting on him, and he was letting them down. The girl, Bella, had been counting on him, and he was letting her down.
"Nothing."
"She's a shield? Like Charlie? You can't hear her?"
"No. I can't hear her… but it's not like with Charlie. With him, there is something, just not everything. With the girl, there is nothing." Edward couldn't stand how useless he felt. The only thought in his head–the only thought that was his own anyway–was the image of the girl lying in her bed he had seen in Tanya's mind when she'd first entered her room. This girl was unknowingly depending on him, counting on him, and he was failing her.
Tanya's breath shuddered as she asked, "Alice?"
"I'm sorry, Tanya. I just don't know. It's like…. If she was just sleeping normally, I could tell when she'd wake up because it's not something that's pending a decision. Like with the weather. I can't see when she'll come out of this because she has to decide to come out of it, and she hasn't."
Or can't, Edward silently filled in to himself.
"Carlisle?"
"Not having examined the girl personally, I can only guess, but if she's experienced some traumatic event that no one is aware of, and her mind is trying to protect itself from the pain, I can only hope she'll come out of it when she's ready. Until then there may not be anything anyone can do. I'm sorry."
"So… there is nothing we can do? Charlie has to watch his daughter…. Watch her what? Lose her mind? Waste away? And there is nothing I can do? All this…. My dragging you all down here was for nothing?"
Carlisle tried to reassure her, "You didn't drag us anywhere, Tanya. We all came willingly–"
"Tanya, Charlie's going to wake up in six minutes," Alice interrupted.
Carlisle looked at Tanya. Even though she was roughly some three times his age, she looked very young right now–young, lost, and afraid–and he felt as paternal toward her in that moment as he did his own children. "Go back to him. We'll talk again later."
She nodded her head and turned to leave without saying another word. Carlisle called to her as she was in the stairwell. "Tanya, remember, this really is one of the best psychiatric hospitals in the country. They have a great deal of experience, and I have every confidence they will help the girl. She just needs to be ready for their help."
The next morning the sun shone brightly on Phoenix, not that you would know that from the inside of Renee's house. It was nearly pitch black inside. "I'm afraid we just have vertical blinds on the windows. They let a lot of sun in even when they're closed. I tacked up towels and dark colored plastic garbage bags. I hope that's enough?"
Tanya was pulling off the thin, white cotton gloves she'd worn. Charlie had been a little over zealous in protecting her from the sun. She was covered from head to toe with at least two layers of fabric, and he had taken her parasol comment to heart and had held an umbrella over her as they walked from the car to the house. "It's more than enough. Thank you, Renee. That was very considerate."
All three were very nervous, standing around and looking everywhere but at each other, not knowing what to say or how to begin. Bella had an intake appointment in less than two hours. It was just a formality really; everyone knew she would be admitted.
Renee offered, "Can I offer you anything? Have you eaten? Can I get you some coffee?"
"No. Thank you."
"Tanya? Are you sure?"
"I'm fine. Thank you, Renee."
"Phil's awful sorry he couldn't be here."
"Where's the team?"
"Pennsylvania this week."
After another interval of awkward silence, Charlie spoke, "We might as well get started. Do you have her bag?"
Renee nodded her head, unable to speak for several seconds. She took a deep breath. "Outside her door. Thank you, both. I don't think I could've packed her things myself."
The three silently made their way to Bella's room. She was lying on her other side this morning, and Renee had gotten her into new pajamas and brushed her hair, but otherwise she looked exactly the same. Charlie set Bella's suitcase down on top of her desk and opened it.
Renee's voice shook as she spoke, "Her t-shirts are in the top dresser drawer."
Tanya took the top three t-shirts out and handed them to Charlie while Renee was getting Bella's underwear and night shirts.
"I've been reading to her, but we finished the books she had out just yesterday. I think she keeps more of her books in the bottom drawers of her desk."
Charlie had just reached down and opened the bottom drawer when there was a sudden, loud shout, "NO!"
Instantly, three heads snapped to the bed. Bella was sitting straight up and looking at them like a deer caught in headlights. She suddenly jumped up, but after not being out of bed for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time and barely eating for four weeks, the sudden movement was too much, and she swayed on her feet. Charlie's arms were around her instantly, and he guided her to her desk chair.
"Water… and sugar… she needs water and sugar," he said.
Renee's voice trembled. "Vitamin Water, in the fridge."
Without saying a word Tanya hurried, human-paced hurrying anyway, to the kitchen just as her phone vibrated in her pocket. "Hello, Alice."
"She's awake!"
"Yes, I know. But why? Not that it's not wonderful, but why now? Why all of a sudden? Will it last? For how long? What do we do now?"
"I don't know why. I can't see humans as well as I can see vampires, especially humans I've never met, so I tried looking at Charlie's and your future. I saw her wake up as soon as Charlie went to get her books. Carlisle is on his way. I'll talk to you later."
Tanya said good bye and slipped her phone in her pocket just before she entered Bella's room again. "Charlie."
Charlie turned to her, and she handed him the open bottle.
"Here, Bells. Drink this."
"Not too fast. Small sips," Tanya added.
Bella held the bottle of vitamin water like a toddler might hold their teddy bear. She sat huddled over, curling in on herself, and her eyes turned to the voice she didn't recognize seemingly against her will. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked up at Tanya. "Who are you?"
Her voice was raspy from weeks of disuse, but it was music to her parents' ears. Renee fell to the ground next to Bella's chair, dropped her head on her daughter's lap, and burst into tears. Charlie let out a slow breath that he felt like he had been holding in for a month and leaned against the desk, feeling like his legs might give out.
Tanya smiled down at her. "Hello, Bella. My name is Tanya. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Tanya could hear Carlisle pull up in front of the house. "Tanya, Jasper and I are outside."
She looked to Charlie and lightly touched his back, saying, "I'll give you some privacy."
Carlisle said, "She should eat something. Something small to start. She needs frequent, small meals. We need to regulate her blood sugar. Bland food to start. I'm not a nutritionist, but try a scrambled egg. The protein will help her."
Before leaving the room, Tanya asked, "Renee, why don't I make Bella something to eat? A scrambled egg, maybe?"
Renee wasn't able to answer her, but Tanya glanced again at Charlie, who nodded his head.
"Bella, Charlie said you liked the muffins over Easter. How about I make you some this afternoon?"
Bella didn't respond. She closed her eyes and sighed brokenly, curling further in on herself.
Once alone in the kitchen, Tanya panicked. She'd never made scrambled eggs for Charlie, and she had no idea how to do it. Really, she had no idea how to cook, period. All she could do was follow instructions from a cook book, but she didn't have a cook book. Just as she was about to look and see if Renee had one that would hopefully have instructions on how to scramble an egg, her phone rang again. "Hello again, Alice."
"I Googled it…." Alice proceeded to walk Tanya through scrambling an egg, and between Carlisle's input as to what she should add to increase the nutritional value, and Alice's instructions as to what she could add, (I understand apples, blueberries, and broccoli are nutritious, but the Food Network doesn't have any scrambled egg with apples, blueberries, and broccoli recipes,) Tanya managed to successfully scramble her first egg.
As she was placing the frying pan in the sink she heard Emmett crack a joke in the background. "How many vampires does it take to scramble an egg?"
Taking the plate back to Bella's room, Tanya's hand was almost on the door when her phone rang again. "What now, Alice?"
"A fork. She needs a fork. Humans use a fork to eat eggs."
Thanking Alice again and thanking whatever higher power might be listening for her clairvoyant cousin, Tanya returned to the kitchen again for the forgotten fork.
"Here we are, scrambled eggs for protein with shredded cheese for calcium and mushrooms for the B vitamins, copper, selenium, and potassium."
Charlie looked at her oddly and shook his head as she handed him the plate, but Renee didn't look away from her daughter.
"Too much information. Humans don't recite the nutritional value of their food. They just eat it," Carlisle said.
Tanya suppressed a groan. Interacting with humans was so much easier when it was just her and her mate.
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"There, Edward. She's out of bed, and she's eating. Will you chill now?"
Edward rubbed his eyes, barely sparing Alice a glance. It wasn't possible for him to feel physically tired, but he was learning just how capable he was of feeling completely emotionally rung out.
"I have a question."
Already hearing the question in Emmett's head, Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and was just about to tell his family to not ask. He could hear the grin in both Emmett's voice and his mind.
"What Emmett?"
Too late, Edward thought to himself.
"Well, I don't understand how she could have not gotten out of bed for four weeks. I mean, she's human. She couldn't have held it that whole time. She'd have had to go. Know what I mean?"
Typical Emmett. Not surprisingly there was a chorus of "Emmett, really," from the women and chortling from the men.
Oh, come on, little brother. You know it was funny. Lighten up and laugh a little. She is getting better after all. Isn't that what you wanted?
"I'm older than you, Emmett."
Don't think so, little brother. My twenty to your seventeen. You'd think with all those Master's degrees you've got you would've grasped grade school math by now. Greater than, less than. It's not hard. Don't worry, when we get home I'll make flash cards to help you.
In spite of his mood, Edward smiled at Emmett's antics. "Thanks, Em."
There you go. There it is. The elusive Edward Cullen smile. And poor Jessica Stanley is missing it, oh, if only she were here.
"Oh, good Lord. Emmett, please don't mention that insipid girl's name. Her head is so empty, I'm surprised what limited thoughts she does have don't echo."
"Edward, that's impolite."
"Sorry, Mom."
Emmett wasn't ready to let up now that he had gotten Edward to crack a smile.
I bet that empty head of hers could come up with a thought or two involving you and that Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom.
"Emmett! Please!"
No, no, no… She'd be thinking 'Edward! Please!'
"Emmett, leave your brother alone."
"Sorry, Mom."
Emmett smirked at Edward. Momma's boy.
Sitting next to Emmett, Rosalie spoke up for almost the first time since they'd arrived in Phoenix. "So, what happens now? Can we go home now? I hate it here. We're like prisoners."
Edward felt a chill run up his spine at the thought of leaving. But really, what reason was there for them to stay? They had already done what they could. Or rather, Alice and Jasper had already done what they could. He hadn't been able to do anything to help the girl.
Not. One. Single. Thing.
Esme answered Rosalie, "I suppose we'll see what Carlisle says when he and Jasper get back. There doesn't seem to be a reason to stay, and I'm sure everyone has something to get back to. Carlisle needs to get back to the hospital, and I have my farmhouse renovation."
Everyone's thoughts turned to what they had left behind. Rosalie had just acquired a 1930 Packard DeLuxe Eight Phaeton that was in sad shape, and she was looking forward to returning it to its original glory. Rosalie loved cars, especially luxury cars from the 1930's.
Edward tried very hard to stay as far away from Jasper's thoughts as possible. His mind had been filled all day with thoughts of what he wanted to do with Alice when they got back home.
All Edward wanted was to be by himself, to get away from all the voices in his head and just think, but he couldn't be by himself until he got home. Even knowing that, for some inexplicable reason every cell in his body seemed to want to root itself here and not leave. He didn't know why, but he knew he did not want to leave Phoenix. The feeling that he didn't know something he was supposed to know, something he needed to know was stronger than ever, but it wasn't quite as maddening here. He felt closer to learning what it was here, and he knew that when he went back to Forks, he would be getting farther away from it again.
Unable to tolerate the thought of that, he tried to distract himself and joined the conversation his family was having. They were discussing Charlie and the girl. He asked, "Why do we do that?"
"Do what?"
"Why do we always call her the girl? Her name is Bella."
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(1) Affect, in this case, refers to emotional expressiveness. People with flat affect may not show the normal signs of emotion, may appear apathetic, may speak in a monotone, and may not change the expression of their emotions in response to varying situations as we expect them to. They may also appear nonresponsive to the emotions of others. When a person is described as having flat affect, this does not always imply that that he or she does not experience emotion internally. While someone who displays flat affect may not feel emotion, use of the term does not require this to be true.
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Hope you liked it! The next two chapters are two of my favorites. They're more like one really long chapter that I had to break somewhere. That break may have resulted in a bit of a cliff hanger….
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See you next Saturday!