THE GAME THAT CHANGED IT ALL

by Eternally Addicted

Lonesome and second-guessing his career as a baseball player, Edward never imagined that it would only take one foul ball to turn his world upside down. Would he embrace it, or would he strike out, never knowing true love? AH/CANNON COUPLES.

21. Used To Have It all Figured Out

Happy Saturday everyone. Lately a lot of new alerts and favorites have been added for this story and I want to thank all of you. I haven't forgot those of you who have been here from the get go and who review every chapter. You guys are the best and are what keeps me going!

Thank you to Hope4More who can always finish my thoughts when I can't and a special thanks to My Bella for her help as well. Both have awesome stories that I know you would love!

Of course I don't own anything related to Twilight it's character's or the St. Louis Cardinals.

I look around me,
And I want you to be there
'Cause I miss the things that we shared.
Look around you.
It's empty, and you're sad
'Cause you miss the love that we had.

You used to talk to me like
I was the only one around,
The only one around.

We used to have this figured out;
We used to breathe without a doubt.
When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see.
We used to have this under control.
We never thought.
We used to know.
At least there's you, and at least there's me.
Can we get this back?
Can we get this back to how it used to be? Yeah.
To how it used to be.
To how it used to be, yeah.
To how it used to be.

Used To by Chris Daughtry

BPOV

What have I done? Those words along with the sound of Edward's voice pleading with me to talk to him and to stay, kept ringing in my head. The feel and taste of our last kiss on my lips and the hurt I'd seen in his eyes as I looked into them for the final time…I never imagined that he'd try and stop me. It had been so hard to walk away after that; I hated myself for hurting him like this.

For the past three days I have sat holed up in Brook's guest bedroom crying and missing Edward. My cell phone and laptop were now full of messages from Alice and Angela. Alice must have seen or talked to Edward by now, as most of the messages were from her; only a few were from Angela. However, one person's messages were painfully absent. I thought to myself, Get real Bella, you just walked out on him and broke his heart. Did you really expect to hear from him now after what you've done? Why would he want anything to do with you ever again?

Even though I had called Angela before I'd left and told her I was taking an emergency leave of absence, I hadn't told her where I was going or even how long I would be gone. Because of this, I responded to one of her emails, letting her know that I was ok. I also let her know my parents knew where I was incase of an emergency and that I would try to let her know soon when I would be back.

Brook had insisted on calling my parents, but I made her promise not to tell anyone else until I was ready to deal with and face what I had done. I also asked her to tell them not to let anyone know where I was. I knew I was acting like a coward, but I couldn't find it in me to care right now. All I could think of was how much he must hate me now … it hurt to even say his name in my head.

I wished the gaping hole that had once been my heart would just swallow me and put me out of my misery. I couldn't eat most of the time without becoming nauseous, sometimes even vomiting, and sleep often overcame me no matter if I tried to fight it or not. I figured I now had some flu bug on top of everything else I was dealing with.

I deserved it though. After what I had done to Edward, I deserved every horrible emotion I was feeling and anything else that came my way. I only took comfort in the hope that since I hadn't heard at all from Edward that he had high tailed-it back to Florida and was busy playing baseball like he should be. The season would be starting soon – at least then I could see him without him knowing it.

On day five, Brook finally forced me to get out of bed and shower. She said I was welcome to stay as long as I needed to, but only if I started taking care of myself and functioning. She had made it a point to tell me that I had put myself in this position so I should stop wallowing in self pity and either accept what I had done or do something to fix it. That's Brook; she never was one to dance around anything. If she had something to say, she came right out with it. Of course she was right. I had done this to myself and sooner or later, I would have to face it and him.

Over the next few days, I tried to enjoy my time with her, though it was difficult to not think about how much I missed Edward.

I had been there over a week when we went shopping for some things she still needed for the twins. Every single time I would see something that I wanted to buy for Max or Lilly, I would feel a cramp in my heart, adding to the pain already there. It also made me think of Alice knowing that and how I probably would never get to see her and Jasper's baby.

Shopping with Brook for baby stuff also made me painfully aware of the magnitude of what I had done. Not only had I run away from Edward, but I also had run away from my future with him, Alice, the family I had grown to think of myself as belonging to.

All the things Edward and I had talked about for our future...getting married, the honeymoon on Grand Cayman Island, having babies. None of that would happen now. He had told me on the last day of our cruise that he would propose to me…all of that was gone.

I suddenly stopped, unable to move. The significance of it all crashed down on me, leaving my feet feeling like they were made of lead. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my breathing was coming in fast little spurts and jerks. A wave of dizziness overcame me and my head started to spin from the weight and force of it all. Adding to my discomfort was the sudden feeling of baking in my skin; I reached a hand up to wipe away the beads of sweat that had suddenly popped out on my forehead. I managed to get Brook's name past the lips that were turning numb as I reached a shaky hand out toward her … Blackness enveloped me before I could touch her.

Brook POV

Finally she was waking up. She had damn near taken us both down when she fainted.

"Jesus, Bella, you scared the shit out of me. You trying make me go into labor?"

"Huh, what?" she asked in her dazed stupor.

I could see her looking around, taking in her surroundings. She rubbed at her eyes, probably trying to get her bearings back, but I could tell she was still a bit out of it.

"Brook...why am I in the hospital, what happened?"

"You don't remember?" With her state of confusion, I was beginning to wonder if she had hit her head when she hit the floor.

"Um no, I remember I was looking at the baby clothes and I started to think about…oh God, not again."

Her breathing increased and she started to look like she was going to pass out again.

I smoothed her hair and held her hand while speaking softly, "Bella, come on you need to calm down. Take a couple deep breaths. If you don't, you're gonna hyperventilate and pass out again."

She listened and she was able to settle herself down.

"Can you tell me what has gotten you all worked up? Were you thinking about Edward?"

"Geez Brook, I wish it were that simple, but that doesn't even begin to cover it. I was thinking about Edward, Alice, his whole family… and how much of an idiot I am and how I have fucked things up and all that I have lost now. I'm just so afraid if he quits because of me that he'll resent me later and I couldn't handle that."

She was crying again and my heart broke for her. But even so I wanted to kick her in the ass for this. A small part of me understood how she felt. I would never want Cam to feel like he was in a position where he had to give up hockey for me. I had a gut feeling that there was a lot more to the story than what Bella had told me, but because she ran off so fast and didn't even give Edward a chance to get a word in, she couldn't have any idea what was really behind his decision.

I was hoping that maybe if I was a little tough on her that she would see what she had done and ultimately go home to put her relationship with Edward back together.

All my instincts were telling me there was a lot more to Edward's choice to walk a way from baseball than what Bella thought there was. Both times I'd seen him, the intensity he felt for the game was pretty clear. Baseball to him was like hockey to Cam; he lived and breathed his sport. Between watching Edward play and listening to him talk about the game, I was certain he hadn't made his decision lightly and I doubted he had made it without giving it a lot of thought.

When I talked to Cam about it, he agreed with me completely. He said that he would be positively stunned if Edward had quit just to be home with Bella. While she was sure to be a part of it, Cam was positive there was more. He also said that Bella was only hurting herself and Edward by not having the whole story.

One other thing I was certain of is that even if Bella had put herself in this mess, she was hurting just as bad as Edward is. There was no doubt in my mind that she still loved with all of her heart.

I had just gotten myself ready to share my thoughts with her and get her to call Edward when the doctor came in.

When Bella was first brought in, the doctor had blood drawn to run some tests. They said it could be something as simple as she overheated in the mall, or that maybe her blood sugar had dropped too low since she wasn't keeping much down and dehydration could play a part in it. It could be serious as well.

The doctor wanted to talk to her about the results so I excused myself and told Bella I was going to call Cam and give him an update on what was going on.

Once I was finished talking to Cam, I noticed the doctor walking out of Bella's room.

I opened the door and was shocked when I found Bella curled in a ball holding onto herself, while crying once again. I instantly thought they had found something wrong with her when they ran tests.

I sat down next to her on the bed and gently ran my hand through her hair.

"Bella honey, what's wrong, did they find something in one of the tests?"

EPOV

I tried not to let myself dwell on what had taken place over the past twenty four hours. Bella was gone and with her she had taken everything that mattered in my life with her. She had become my life, and now it, along with her, was gone.

I just didn't understand what had brought her to the choice she had made. Over and over again, I read the letter she wrote me, searching for her reasoning, and over and over again my hand crumpled it in pain and frustration only to smooth it out to read it again. The words haunted me:

"I love you too much to let you make such a tremendous life altering sacrifice just to be with me".

Well damn it, if she loved me so much why the fuck did she leave? She didn't even give me a chance to explain everything to her.

A few days later, I wasn't sure maybe three or four, I was still not coping well at all. I sat around the house willing the front door to open and for her to come rushing back through it, back into my arms. I hadn't shaved since leaving Florida, the stubble on my face now resembled the start of a scraggly beard. The shit itched too, but I didn't care.

I was surrounded by memories of her…here. Her scent still permeated the bed, and the closet was still full of her clothes. There were pictures of us at different points in our relationship all through the house… when her friend Brook was here…Thanksgiving in Arizona. She had looked so fucking sexy standing next to the rented black Mustang that I had actually thought about buying one just to see her in it whenever I wanted. There were also pictures from Christmas, and Daytona... the most painful reminders of us were those from the cruise.

There were pictures of us on the motorcycle riding around the island of Cozumel, at the lighthouse, and on the catamaran. But the ones of us on Grand Cayman Island…those were like a knife to my heart –the empty cavity where my heart used to be. That was gone with her too.

"Fuck!" I screamed as I tugged on my hair for the billionth time today.

We had talked about getting married. She had pretty much told me that she was just waiting for me to pop the question so she could say yes. I recalled the conversation we had that day on the island.

She had said, "It is so breathtaking here. I would love to come back her someday. I think this is my favorite place of the three we have been to."

"Would you like to go on another cruise or just come here to the Caymans?"

"Um I think I would like to come here to the Caymans. How about you?"

"I would love to come back here with you and I can think of the perfect time to do it.

"When?" she asked.

"On our honeymoon."

"You of course would still have to officially propose first."

"Oh I will."

I quickly realized that I had just heard the front door open and I listened intently. Could she have come back?

It didn't take me long to realize the sound of footsteps coming down the hall were not hers. How was it that I even knew what the hell her footsteps sounded like? Oh, because you were used to hearing her come home from work everyday.

I looked up from where I sat slumped over on a barstool at the kitchen counter.

"Oh my God! Edward, what's going on? You look like shit."

"Gee thanks, Alice. It's good to see you too."

"What the hell is going on Edward, Mom has been trying to get a hold of Bella and I called Rose because I know they have been spending a lot of time together since you and Emmett left. Rose said that you were home and hadn't heard from either one of you. Everyone has been calling the house and both of your cell phones. What the hell? Are you guys sick? Oh wait, do you have her tied to the bed or something? Where is she?"

She giggled after asking her last question.

My head fell forward into the palms of my hands. Tugging at my hair once again, I took a deep breath and reached for the mangled piece of paper that was the letter Bella wrote me.

I held it out to Alice, only being barely able to utter the words. "She's gone."

Ali stared confused at the letter and then back at me for several minutes before softly asking, "What do you mean she's gone? Did she go to the store, work, what?"

"No," was all I could manage to say.

"No what, Edward? Rosalie said that you were home early from training camp and that she expected you and Bella to have a big announcement soon."

I yelled as my fist slammed the granite countertop, "Rosalie needs to learn to keep her big fucking mouth shut. If she had, I would have been able to explain everything to Bella first, before she had a chance to make assumptions and leave."

"Edward, you're scaring me with all this talk about Bella being gone and leaving. Please tell me what is going on."

"Scared? Welcome to my world. Read the letter."I pointed once again to the mangled piece of paper, my last lifeline to my love. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and greedily took a drink as Alice straightened out the paper and glanced at me wearily.

She read the letter quickly and looked up at me with tears in her eyes. She walked over to me, wrapped her arms around me and just stood there hugging me for I don't know how long.

Finally she pulled away and said to me, "Oh, Edward, I am so sorry. What happened? Can you tell me?"

I went through all the details with her, telling her about both of my conversations with Emmett, how I had made the team, and how I had come to the decision to walk away for good. I told her about Bella's breakdown before I left and how I had told Bella I would walk away right then if it would make her happy.

Alice nodded her head and listened to everything I told her trying to process it all. Shit I was still trying to process it all. When I got to the part about Bella thinking I was giving up baseball out of some obligation to her, because she was here alone, Alice put her hand up and stopped me.

"So wait a minute. Her letter makes sense now."

"I'm so glad you think so," I snapped at her.

"Listen to me, Edward. I think you just need to give her some time."

My pulse quickened at her declaration and my eyes glared at her. "Time for what Alice? So she can come back and pack up the rest of her shit and be gone again."

"No, my dear brother. Time to think and time to sort things out. From what you have told me about the conversation you had with her and with what's in her letter, she obviously feels responsible for you not playing any more."

"But that's..."

She interrupted me saying, "I know it's not true, Edward. But you need to give her some time to figure that out for herself. One thing I know for certain is that she loves you as much as you love her. There is no doubt about that. And in a way, what she's done shows that."

"How do you figure that?" I asked her.

"Because, Edward, can't you see? She knows how much your baseball career means to you. And I know she was very aware of how much you wanted to win a world series, and who besides you is more painfully aware of how disappointed you were with the way last season ended? Bella is. She knows all of this, Edward. I truly believe she somehow felt like she was at fault for you quitting and that if she were gone, you would go back and play. She would rather sacrifice her love for you than to have you not live out your dream of winning that world series ring you wanted so badly. On some level, Bella thinks she is helping you achieve that dream."

"Ok. Say your right, Alice, because honestly I think I get what you are saying. With what I said to her before I left and everything else, I can see how she might come to that conclusion and why she would feel that way. So what do I do now? There was so much more to my leaving baseball. Yes, she was part of the reason, but I did it more for me. I didn't want it anymore. I really didn't. How do I get her back? Plus, I don't like that she just took off without listening to what I had to say. What if in the future she jumps to conclusions again? I can't lose her over and over." I swallowed a lump in my throat and took another sip of my beer.

"Well you can start by shaving and taking a shower," Alice giggled.

"Real fucking funny, Ali."

"I'm serious. You think she wants you looking like that."

"Whatever." I wasn't in a mood to play games with her.

"Do you know where she is?" she asked.

"No. I went to her old house thinking she might go back there since it hasn't been rented out yet. But there is no sign that she has even been there. I called Angela and all she would say is that Bella called her the night she left and took an open ended-emergency leave of absence."

"Do you think Rose might know where she is?"

"I don't know Alice, and Rose is the last person I want to talk to right now."

"That's the second time you have said something pissy about Rose. What's up with that?"

The anger and hurt was evident in my voice when I answered my sister. "Well Alice it's like this, when I left Florida, Emmett was on the phone with Rose. Bella was on her way to Rose and Emmett's house. Emmett told Rose that I had quit and that I was going to propose to Bella. I had Em ask to not say anything to Bella. I wanted to be the one to tell her so that I could explain everything to her. Tell her all of my reasons for quitting, and then yes propose to her. But Rose told her. Bella said it herself."

"Did she tell her you were going to propose?"

"No,I don't think so." I never even considered that possibility. Had Bella left because she didn't want to get married? Was it because she wasn't ready?

"Ok, so first we have to figure out where she is," Alice announced. "Do you think she would go to her parents?"

"Well I really could only see her going there or to Minnesota to Brook's house," I replied.

"Hmm." My sister was up to something I could practically hear the gears in her head churning.

"Alice, what are you thinking? You have that same look you used to get when we were kids and you were scheming."

"Well I was just thinking that she must have told Angela something. Either where she was going or at least when she would be back. I can't imagine that she would just abandon her job. It means too much to her and she would never do that to Angela."

"Well yeah that does make sense. But I thought I meant a lot to her too, and she abandoned me. So what do you want me to do? Do we call her or go and see her?"

"You just leave it up to me, big brother. I know you are hurting right now. I will find out where Bella is for you."

"Alice, please don't piss anyone off. You know how important Bella is to me. She's everything, Ali, and when you find out where she is, I will be the one to contact her. Not you. Got it?"

"First of all, Edward, I know how important she is to you. Don't you think that I, along with the rest of our family, see how you are with her? How the two of you perfectly complete one another? I've never seen two people have the kind of connection that you and Bella have. You guys were clearly meant for each other and I will do what I can to help you get her back. In the mean time, you need to take care of yourself so she has something to come back to. Not bottling up all of your emotions and taking it out on yourself."

"It's just so hard, you know? I can hardly eat or sleep. Everything reminds me of her." I couldn't meet Alice's eyes as I peeled at the label on the beer bottle.

"I know it's hard. You still gonna let mom come and have the renovations done?"

"Damn it! I forgot all about that," I exclaimed.

"You already paid for it all, right? So you may as well have it done. Besides when Bella comes back, you would just have to set it all up again," Alice said confidently.

"How can you be so sure that she will, Alice?" I wanted to believe her. I needed it to be the truth.

"I just know it. I can feel it. When have I ever been wrong?" She was annoying, but she tended to be right.

"Ok, Alice. Now go, so I can take care of myself as you so eloquently put it."

"Oh, when is that press conference of yours?" she inquired as she grabbed her coat and purse.

"Monday. Why?"

"You'll see."

She gave me a big hug and then was off to play Alice the "Detective". I decided I might as well go shower. I walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light. Looking in the mirror I thought to myself, Damn Cullen you do look like shit. Over grown facial hair, bags and dark circles under my eyes…

I didn't feel like putting forth the effort to do a real shave so I used the electric razor and trimmed it down to just more than a five o'clock shadow. Then I jumped in the shower and I had to admit to myself how good the hot water felt. Now I just had to keep it together and hope that Alice could find out where Bella was staying. I promised myself that I'd do whatever I had to do to get her back—to get my life back.

BPOV

The doctor came into my room at the hospital and Brook left to call Cam.

She introduced herself as Dr. Kellie Lockhart, one of the attending physicians in the ER at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital. She then asked if I would mind if she did another quick exam and then she would talk to me about my test results. I agreed.

She re-checked my blood pressure, pulse, listened to my lungs and so on. When she was finished, she said everything looked good and matched with what the resident doctor had found.

"Ok, so if everything looks good, can you tell me what happened? Why I passed out?" I asked as I nervously fidgeted with the end of the bed sheet.

"Well, Ms. Swan, I think you have a couple of things going on. I'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

"Ok," I stated hesitantly.

"First, do you mind if I call you by your first name?"

"Um, that's fine. You can call me Bella." I fidgeted nervously, while keeping an eye on her facial expressions.

She smiled slightly to calm me. "Have you been eating and drinking properly?"

I stammered with my answer."I…uh… No, not really?"

"You mind if I ask why?" she asked with her pen poised to write more in my chart.

"Well I've been nauseous, and sometimes even vomiting. I think it's from stress." I choked on the last word.

Dr. Lockhart then asked, "How long has this been going on?"

I watched as she made notations of everything I said to her on my chart. "The nausea has been for about 2 weeks now and the vomiting is just this past week."

The next question she asked me really caught me off guard. "Bella, can you tell me when you had your last period?"

"I'm not sure of the exact date, but it was right after Thanksgiving. I take Seasonale birth control pills and I am due to have my next one soon."

"Did you forget to take any of your pills at anytime during this cycle?"

"Uh yeah, there were a couple of days in early February that I was really busy at work and forgot and took them late."

I continued to watch her write stuff down. "Doctor, what is wrong with me?"

"Just a couple more questions, then I will answer all of yours." She smiled warmly at me, but it did little to calm my fears.

"Ok," I stated meekly.

"When you missed the pills, did you use any other form of birth control and is there anything going on in your life that you would cause you to be overly stressed? If so, were you thinking about this situation before you fainted?" She looked up at me waiting for my answer.

"My answer to the first one is no, we didn't. I guess I forgot that too. As far as being stressed, yes, I have recently been under a great deal of stress. As I said before, I thought that the stress is the reason for my upset stomach."

She took a few more minutes to write a few things down in my chart and then she pulled out of her pocket this round cardboard thing that was made up of two circles that lined up to point out a month and date. Without saying a word, she fiddled with the circles and then scratched something down on my chart. She put her pen away and stood up to face me.

"Bella, first I would like to address why you passed out. I believe you had an anxiety attack. Some people refer to them as panic attacks, or stress attacks, but they are really all the same thing. I think whatever it is that is causing you to stress right now, compounded by the fact that you had low blood sugar and were slightly dehydrated is what caused you to faint. You may have also become a bit overheated from walking through the mall and that just added to everything else."

"Secondly, according to the test results we have received and the dates you have given me, I estimate you to be about six weeks pregnant. I would like to have a technician come in and do an ultrasound before we release you to give us a more accurate date. Normally we figure the due date by using the date of your last period, however, due to your chosen method of birth control and the date of your last period being sometime last November, using it would be very inaccurate. We will also give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Do you have any questions for me?"

I was completely blindsided by the news I had received. I had so many emotions running through me I honestly didn't know what to think or to feel. I barely pulled myself together long enough to ask the doctor a few questions. I asked her if the small amount of champagne I had while on the cruise or the fact that I had continued taking my birth control pills until this point would have caused any harm to the baby.

She said that there was always a chance, but from what they had seen in similar circumstances she didn't expect that there would be. Dr. Lockhart also said that the ultrasound would help alleviate some of those fears. Right before she went to walk out of the room to call radiology for the ultrasound, I stopped her.

"One more question, Dr. Lockhart." She paused in the doorway and stepped back in, letting the door close behind her.

"Yes, Bella?" She moved closer to the bed, noticing how all this new information was affecting me.

"Is it possible that the pregnancy can cause you to not think rationally?" I prayed she would say yes; it might explain the stupid behavior. That same behavior that had caused me to high-tail it to MN., leave the man I love.

She grabbed my hand and started laughing. "From my own experience, yes. Let's just say, it takes a strong man to deal with your moods...especially that first trimester. The hormonal changes taking place in your body can affect your moods, thoughts, and emotions in ways you never thought possible. It will get better and now that you know the reason, you can deal with it together, as a team."

I gave a tight smile, one that I am sure she didn't understand. She just patted my shoulder in reassurance and left to order the test.

Alone once again, I was overcome by my emotions. I was scared, shocked, worried, and many other things. I was also happier than I ever would have thought I'd be in this situation. No matter what I had done, I loved Edward and that meant I loved this child that was growing inside of me.

Tears began to fall down my face as I thought about how this should not be happening this way. Edward and I should be finding this out together. The doctor's last words, as a team...,kept replaying over and over in my head.

I heard the door open but all I could do was lay there and continue to cry. I heard Brook say, "Bella honey, what's wrong, did they find something in one of the tests?"

She ran her hand through my hair in an attempt to soothe me. I was just about to answer her when Dr. Lockhart stepped into the room again and said that the ultrasound tech would be in just shortly.

"Bella, why are you getting an ultrasound? Is there something wrong?" The look of fear in Brook's eyes was unmistakable.

I looked up at her from where I was laying on the hospital bed and said the only thing I could think of at the time. "Why did you get an ultrasound?"

I could see the moment of realization on her face. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and asked, "Oh my god, are you pregnant?"

All I could do was nod to her as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"What are you going to do?" The shock was obvious in her voice.

"Um...I'm going to have a baby," I stuttered with watered smile.

"Yes I know that! But what are you going to do about Edward? He deserves to know he is he's going to be a father. He has a right to know, Bella. You can't keep this from him."

Just then the ultrasound tech came into the room wheeling the ultrasound machine. She had me lay flat on the bed and she situated the gown I was wearing and the blanket to expose all of my lower abdomen and pelvic area. With a smile on her face, she told me to brace myself since the gel-like goop she was about to squirt on me was going to be cold.

I told her I was ready and she was right! The stuff was so cold I nearly peed on myself. And let me tell ya, with all the fluids they were pumping into me through my IV, it wouldn't have taken much for that to happen.

The tech moved the ultrasound device over my pelvic area and next thing I knew, I was seeing my baby on the screen. It didn't look much like a baby at this point, but that didn't matter. I could also hear a whooshing sound that sort of reminded me of a washing machine.

Brook squeezed my hand and said, "That's the baby's heartbeat."

I was speechless as the tears ran nonstop down my face.

When the tech was finished, she wiped the goop off of me and told me that she would give the information to the doctor and she would be in to go over it with me.

Dr. Lockhart came back in right away and told us that the ultrasound confirmed that I was about six weeks pregnant and everything looked as it should at this point in the pregnancy. She then told me I had a due date in November.

After writing me a prescription for prenatal vitamins, she told me that I needed to try and keep my stress under control; it was not good for me or the baby. She also gave me some tips to help with the morning sickness. I then had to sign the release papers and was given a copy. After that, she said I was free to go once the nurse removed my IV. She also reminded me that I needed to begin getting prenatal care right away.

With the IV finally out, I quickly got dressed and we were on our way back to Brook's house. The ride to her house was silent for the most part. I could tell that she wanted to ask me a million questions, but I think she was giving me some time to process everything and I was grateful for it.

Once we were back at her house, it was just the two of us; Cam had a hockey game.

Neither one of us really felt like cooking, and for the first time in the last few days, I was actually feeling a bit hungry. So we both settled for a bowl of lucky charms cereal.

After our cereal we curled up on opposite ends of her sofa to watch the hockey game. She asked me if I wanted to talk and I told her not tonight, that tomorrow I would talk to her.

We finished watching the game and then we both went to bed.

EPOV

The past three days had been extremely hard to get through. Between missing Bella, going crazy wondering where she was, and if she was even missing me, or if she was ok, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on with her other than her running off on me. It took everything I had to not constantly call Alice to see if she had found Bella yet.

It was Saturday now and she had been gone for eight days. Tomorrow evening, my mom was going to be here and I dreaded having to explain to her that Bella was gone.

When Alice had dropped by earlier in the week, she'd made me see some things that I hadn't before. The biggest one being that when I had started to doubt my desire to play baseball any more, I should have talked to Bella about it immediately. I hadn't been trying to keep anything from her, I had just wanted to be sure. When I had talked to Emmett that Monday night, I had already pretty much made up my mind.

Knowing that I had been a bit of a slob in the past week, I decided to clean up around the house and do some laundry since my mom was coming tomorrow and the contractors for the remodeling jobs would be here on Monday. I knew that if I didn't do it, my mother would feel like she had to and I didn't want that.

Alice POV

It had been a few days since I had seen Edward. I'd talked to him a few times to see how he was doing and aside from going crazy with worry over Bella being gone, he seemed to be doing ok.

I had left messages for Angela several times, but the secretary told me that she had been really busy due to Bella's absence.

By Saturday morning, I decided since I couldn't get a hold of Angela, I was just going to call Bella's parents. My gut instincts told me that if she wasn't there, they knew where she was.

I walked into my home office and opening the top drawer, I pulled out my address book. Sticking my finger under the S tab, I quickly found their phone number.

I dialed the number as I walked back to the living room and waited for the phone to be answered. On the second ring it was.

"Swan residence", Renee said as she answered her phone.

"Hello Mrs. Swan, this is Alice Whitlock, Edward's sister."

"Oh hi, Alice. How are you? Please, you should know by now that you can call me Renee."

"I'm doing pretty well, Renee." I paused for a minute as I debated how to ask her. Finally making up my mind, I decided to just go for it. "Um, Renee, I need to ask a tremendous favor of you," I stated nervously.

"Let me guess…you want to know if Bella is here."

"Yes I do. Before you say anything, I am hoping you'll hear me out first. Will you do that?"

"Yes, that would be the fair thing to do." I had hoped that I would be able to tell how receptive she would be to telling where Bella is by the tone in her voice, but she was covering far too well for that. Her voice remained calm and unwavering.

"First, thank you for hearing me out. I don't know how much you know about why Bella left Edward but I think I can shed some light on that. I also truly believe that Bella is completely lacking all the information she needs to know and that once she has it, she will go back to Edward. I know that he's going out of his mind missing her and I am sure she is doing the same without him. So please, Renee, tell me if she's there."

Renee was quiet on the other end of the line for a moment. If not for hearing the TV in her house I would have thought she had hung up on me.

Taking a deep breath in, she let it out and then said, "So what you are telling me is that she left over a misunderstanding? If this is true, can you elaborate more on it for me before I give you any information on her whereabouts? I'm not doubting what you are telling me, I just have to be sure telling you where she is, is what's best for Bella."

"Yes I can elaborate for you. I understand why you need to know. I also want to say that I am positive they still love each other very much. I feel that they belong together and Bella even said in the letter she wrote him that she would always love him."

I then went on to tell her everything that Edward had told me. I explained how Bella thought Edward had quit baseball to be with her and while that was part of the reason, it was not the deciding factor. She asked me what I intended to do once I knew where Bella was. I told her I had a plan that I thought would bring Bella home, but I had to know where she was first to set it up.

"Ok Alice, I am going to go against my better judgment and my daughter's wishes and I am going to tell you where she is at. I know how stupidly self-sacrificing Bella can be at times and if what you're saying is true, then this is one of those times and it needs to be rectified. I am pretty positive that you wouldn't lie to me, so I will tell you where she is. Bella is at Brook's house in Minnesota."

"Thank you so much, Renee. I promise you won't regret this."

"It's very simple, Alice. I love my daughter and want her to be happy and I have never seen her more happy than when she is with Edward. Do you mind telling me what you plan to do?"

I explained to her that Edward and the Cardinals were holding a press conference Monday morning to officially announce his retirement. I told her that it was highly likely that he would be asked questions as to why he chose now to retire and he would answer them.

I also told her that I was going to call Brook and ask her to make sure that Bella watches the press conference. My thought was that if she does and she hears him explain why he retired then she would realize the mistake she has had made and come home. Renee agreed that once Bella knew everything it would likely change her mind. But she also said Bella could be stubborn and even if she knew she was wrong, Edward might have to go after her.

I thanked Renee for her help and she made sure I had the correct phone number for Brook. She asked me to keep her up-to-date and then we said our goodbyes.

Next I debated with myself on whether to call Edward and let him know that I knew Bella's whereabouts, or if I should call Brook to see if she would be helpful with getting these two back together.

As I sat there with my thoughts, I heard Jasper come home. He walked into the living room to where I was sitting on the end of our couch. He bent over and kissed the top of my head before sitting down next to me.

He must have instantly sensed my mood because he asked, "What has that beautiful face of yours so full of concern?"

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do next. I called Renee today."

"Renee...as in Bella's mother Renee?"

"Yup," I said popping the 'p' on the end of the word.

"So what did you say to her? Is Bella with them?"

"No, she's at Brook's house, but that is where I actually thought she would be anyway."

"If you were so sure that Bella was with Brook, why did you call her mom?"

"Well for one, I didn't have Brook's phone number. I only had Charlie and Renee's because Bella had given it to me before her and Edward went to Arizona for Thanksgiving. Reason two would be just to make sure Bella was indeed with Brook. I don't think Bella was thinking very rationally when she left so there was a chance she might go to her parent's place."

"I can see all the gears in that pretty head of yours spinning out of control, Darlin', so what are you planning to do?" he asked as his hand rubbed over the baby bump I was starting to get. He knew me so well I could swear he often knew how I felt about things even before I did.

"I have a plan and as long as Brook is onboard I believe it will work. I am just trying to decide if I call her first or do I call Edward now and let him know that I have found Bella?"

Jazz picked me up effortlessly and turned me so that I was sitting on his lap sideways. I gave him a brief kiss before I started explaining the details of my plan and why I thought it would work. He agreed that it might be the push Bella needed to get her back here. But he also said that we needed to be prepared for the fact that Bella may be afraid to come back now. He then asked me why I was hesitating on telling Edward.

"It's real simple actually I know my brother, Jasper, and I know that if I tell him today he will be on the first plane to Minneapolis to get Bella and bring her home."

"OK, so what's wrong with that?" he asked me with a confused look on his face.

"I guess there is nothing wrong with it, but I think it will be easier for them if Bella is able to work things out on her own and come back instead of Edward running off after her. If I wait until tomorrow evening to tell him, he will at least wait until after the press conference. By then, she will have so much more information and can begin to see things in a different light before Edward would show up there. But I am going to try and get him to sit tight I really think it would be best if Bella came back on her own."

"Well I guess I see your reasoning. Just promise me you will be careful. I don't want you stressing too much. It's not good for you or the baby. I also know how close you and Bella have become and I know you are going to be hurt almost as much as Edward if this doesn't work out."

"I promise, honey. I know that they were meant to be together just as much as you and I. She has to come home sooner or later and eventually I think they would find their way back to one another anyhow. Heck most of her stuff is still at Edward's. I'm just trying to make it easier for them both. I hate to think of the hurting that they are both going through. Even if Bella left him, I can't imagine this has been easy for her."

"You're such a good woman, Mrs. Whitlock. No wonder I love you so much." We kissed for a few minutes, before he went to start the grill for our dinner.

I picked the phone back up and dialed Brook's number. The phone rang several times before the answering machine picked up. I was just about done leaving the message when the phone was suddenly answered.

"Hello, Alice." She sounded a bit out of breath as she spoke.

"Brook is that you? Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I was just putting a load of laundry in and couldn't get to the phone fast enough. Being that I waddle more than I walk these days, and of course running or even moving anything close to fast is just about out of the question."

"So that's what I have to look forward to in a few months?"

"I am afraid it is. Um, I guess I don't really need to ask why you're calling do I?"

"Not really. How is she?"

"She is a complete mess, Alice. I keep trying to convince her to call Edward, to let him explain why he is quitting baseball instead of her jumping to conclusions and to tell him about—"

"Tell him about what, Brook? What's going on with Bella?"

"It's not my place to tell you, Alice."

"Brook, please! If something is wrong, I think Edward should know about it. He is going crazy with worry and missing her. He can't handle not knowing where she is. They belong together and I hope that you agree with me on that. In fact, that's why I called you. I have a plan to help them work this all out. So please tell me what is going on with her." I was begging her at this point.

.

"First, you tell me your plan. If I agree with you that it might work, then I will tell you. But I am telling you now, Alice, no one can know except you. You definitely can not tell Edward. He has to hear it from her."

"Oh my god! Brook, is she sick or hurt? Is this serious?" I was worried now.

"Tell me your plan first."

She left me no choice so I went over all the details with her. Once I was finished explaining it, she agreed with me one hundred percent. She said that she and Cam both knew there was so much more to Edward's decision.

I then put her on the spot. "I spilled my plan, now it's your turn. Where is she anyway? How have we talked so long and she hasn't heard any of it?"

"She's taking a nap last time I checked on her."

"You make it sound like she's been sick or something, Brook. Please tell me what's going on. If something is wrong, I will have Edward on the next plane up there! Screw the plan thing."

"She has been sick, but not in the way you are thinking. Are you sitting down, Alice?"

"Well then just what are you talking about? Is she okay or not?" I all but shrieked into the phone.

"Sit down," Brook ordered.

"Ok damn it! I'm sitting!"

"Bella is pregnant. She found out yesterday. We were at the mall shopping since I needed to get some stuff for the twins and she agreed to go with me. Of course I really didn't leave her much choice. I was tired of seeing her holed up in my guest room. From what she explained to me, she was looking at baby clothes and little girl's things and she got overwhelmed thinking about your niece and nephew and how much more than just Edward she left behind. She got so upset that she had a panic attack and passed out. We ended up at the hospital, and after running some tests they discovered that she is about six weeks along."

"Wow!" I blew out in a gust, but then my mind started to run in overdrive at the news. "Edward is going to be beyond thrilled. But wasn't she on the pill?"

"Yeah she was, but she said that there were a couple of times she forgot or was late taking it."

"You know what, Brook? This just tells me even more that they are meant to be together."

"I told her the exact same thing, Alice. But now she is afraid that if she goes back to him, he will think it's only because of the baby."

"Did she tell you what happened at my parent's house at Christmas, and how disappointed Edward was when it was revealed that it was me who's pregnant?"

"Yeah she did. She said her heart broke for him so much that she wished it was her too, but not just because he wanted it, she wanted it too. She told me about how now more than ever she wanted everything with Edward and that she couldn't wait to get married and have his baby. We talked on the phone about it right before they went on their trip and again last night."

"Well I think fate has just intervened to give them everything they both want."

"Shit! I think I hear her coming down the stairs. I will make sure she sees his press conference Monday morning and I will do everything I can to get her on a plane that afternoon. If I have to hit her over the head with a damn shovel then I will."

"Thank you, Brook. They are going to thank us big time for this. If anything comes up, let me know."

"I will. Bye, Alice. Thanks for calling, and we'll make this work."

After I hung up from her, I went to help Jasper with dinner. I told him Brook was onboard with the plan and that hopefully Bella would be back in St. Louis by Monday night. I didn't tell him Bella's news though. I knew from what we had just experienced from telling our family, Bella and Edward would want to do it themselves.

EPOV

Sunday night found me sitting with my laptop while watching TV and going over what I would say at my press conference the next morning. My mom was stuck in Washington due to a huge storm system and I had put the remodeling guys off until Wednesday.

Alice had been by earlier to tell me where Bella was staying and to give me a run down of her plan to get Bella to come home on her own. I didn't want to wait for Bella to come home, and I was quite upset with Alice for not telling me as soon as she'd found out Bella was at Brook's house.

My sister knew me well though. If she had told me yesterday, I would have been on the first plane up there. She assured me that after talking to Brook, she was certain that with a little time and patience Bella would come back to me on her own. I prayed that she was right.

BPOV

Monday morning I woke up feeling better than I had in the last few days. I discovered that if I kept something small in my stomach at all times it went a long way in helping it stay down. Plus, if I felt nauseous I would lay down until it passed.

I took a shower and once I was dressed, I could smell breakfast cooking downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, I noticed Brook sitting at the table with her feet propped up on a small foot rest. Cam was behind the counter cooking breakfast for her. I looked up at the clock and noticed it was nearly nine o'clock. There was a small TV in their kitchen and Cam had ESPN on.

I chuckled a little and said to Brook, "He just can't get enough sports can he?"

"No he can't, especially on game days. He wants to hear everything they are saying about his team as well as the one they are playing."

"I guess that makes sense. Edward used to do that occasionally too."

Cam then asked me if I was hungry and felt up to eating. I told him I did and I sat down next to Brook at the table.

After a few minutes, Brook put down the magazine she was looking through and removing her feet from the small stool she turned to face me and asked, "So speaking of Edward, have you thought anymore about going home or at least telling him about the baby?"

"Um yeah, that's about all I have been able to think about, besides the fact that there is a baby."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well I don't really think it's something that I should tell him over the phone. So I guess my only real choice is to go back home. But that just scares the shit out of me, Brook."

"Why?"

"I know Edward, and I know how long he has wanted a family of his own. I told you how disappointed he was when it wasn't me pregnant before. Although now I guess I was pregnant then as well, we just didn't know it. But I'm scared this baby will only reinforce his choice to stay out of baseball. I don't even know if he is in St. Louis or if he went back to the team, back to Florida."

Just as Cam placed a plate of food in front of Brook and I, he pointed to the TV and said, "I think you are about to get your answer to that question and many more."

I turned to look at the television and said "Huh, what?" before I saw Edward and some of the men from the Cardinals organization sitting at a table with microphones, looking like they were about to hold a press conference.

I felt a deep pang in my chest as I watched him on the TV. To most he would look fine, but I could see the deep wrinkle in his forehead as well as the tired and sad look in his eyes. When he ran his hand through his hair, I wanted to reach out and do the same. I ached to be in his arms again.

The three of us sat there and listened to everything the Cardinals had to say as well as the statement that Edward gave about his retirement. He wasn't going to continue playing. It didn't matter whether I was there or not. He was retiring now.

I hadn't really noticed when the tears started flowing silently down my face, but as I listened to the questions that were asked by the reporters and I heard the answers that he gave, I became painfully aware of just how much of a mistake I had made. I should have known that Edward was too smart to make a rash decision about something as important as his career.

As soon as the press conference was over, I immediately stood up and put my plate in the sink.

"What are you going to do now? Do you want to go to the grocery store with me?" Brook asked.

"Um no, but you could call the airlines for me and see when the next flight to St. Louis is." I replied.

I looked up at her and she had an earsplitting grin on her face. "You're going home?" she questioned.

I nodded my head in reply. "Yeah, I have made such a huge mess. I can't believe what an idiot I've been. I need to see if I can fix it and if he will forgive me."

"Oh, Bella, I am sure he will forgive you. Go start packing. I'll be up to help you after I call the airline."

We hugged for a few minutes and I then went to pack. I just prayed I hadn't hurt Edward so deeply that he wouldn't forgive me.

Alice POV

I was at Edward's house waiting for him to get home from his press conference. I sat there playing on his computer when I heard my cell phone ring. I dug in my purse for it and upon finding it I saw that it was Brook calling. Here we go! Moment of truth!

"Hey, Brook. Did she see the press conference?"

"Yes she did and it worked just like you said it would. I don't know how you knew, but you did and that's what's important. I think she was already headed in the direction of going back, but seeing the press conference has made it impossible for her to wait. She will be getting on a plane in about three hours. It's nearly eleven thirty now, her plane departs at three and it's about an hour and a half long flight. So make sure he is home between five and six. She should be there right around that time."

"I will do that. He hasn't been going anywhere so that shouldn't be a problem. Thank you so much for your help, Brook."

"You are quite welcome, Alice."

We talked for a few minutes about both of our pregnancies and how excited we were and how it was going to be even more fun now that Bella was pregnant too. She gave me Bella's flight number and told me what airline she would be on. We both had to go as Bella called for her to come upstairs at nearly the same time Edward walked through his door.

Edward and I talked for a few minutes and I told him that Bella had seen his press conference. I didn't tell him she was on her way home. I wanted him to be surprised. I talked him into taking me out to lunch, telling him that his pregnant sister was hungry. I kept him busy talking about anything and everything, trying to pass the time until Bella got home.

When he finally insisted on going home after lunch, we drove back to his house. I figured he would be ok for the few hours he had left before she got there.

I told him to hang in there that I had a feeling she would be home soon, and he just needed to give her time to sort things out on her own. He seemed content with doing that. He was quiet but I could tell he didn't like waiting.

So a couple of hours later when my phone rang at home and a frantic Edward was on the other end saying that he couldn't take it anymore, he was going after her, I was desperate to calm him down.

"Look Edward, calm down. You need to give Bella time to work through her emotions. She just saw your press conference this morning for Pete's sake. Give her some time to digest everything she heard. I am sure she is probably completely overwhelmed, having just learned that everything about why she thought you quit baseball is wrong. Be patient. She loves you. She will not be able to stay away for forever."

I had just started to relax and feel I'd convinced him to sit tight when he growled into the phone. "No, Alice, I've waited long enough. I already booked a flight on American. I am going to get her now!"

I jumped up off the couch from where I had been sitting next to Jasper. "I need your help baby," I exclaimed.

"What's wrong Alice?"

"We have to get to the airport and make sure Edward doesn't get on a plane. If he does, he'll miss Bella. His is taking off just before hers is due to land!"

With that we both got our coats and headed for the airport. I just hoped we could get there in time. Thank god Edward had said what airline he'd booked his flight on.

I know I left ya hanging. Sorry!