Chapter 25
EPOV
Apple pie. Warm apple pie. Bella's warm apple pie. Pie with Bella. Warm pie on Bella. Those were the thoughts going through my head as I tried to drown out Emmett's voice. I was glad he and Rosalie enjoyed the limo for the night, but I didn't need all the details. He insisted on telling me anyway.
Our night of bowling ended up being a pretty great time for everyone. It had the potential to be an epic fail during that little game Emmett insisted on playing. Lucky for me, it only went one round. Even luckier was the fact that my girl was the most awesome girlfriend I could ask for.
Aside from the fact that she had watched porn with some asshole that didn't deserve her, she was pretty innocent in a lot of other ways. She was my good girl. My good, sweet, beautiful, sexy, caring, and understanding girl who willingly overlooked my promiscuous past and still wanted me.
What did suck was missing my lunches with her all week. I knew I only had two more weeks with her at the office, but those two weeks were going to be so damn busy. It was always that way after a long Thanksgiving break, but Dad firmly believes that family comes before business and everyone deserved that time off.
The Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center would have been a really nice thing to take Bella to if it weren't for the half million other people crowding the streets. I would have still faced the madness if she had wanted to go. But again, I have the best girlfriend in the world, and she came up with something even better. A quiet evening in with my two favorite girls. There's no way Bella could ever understand how much her thoughts meant to me.
Saturday morning I woke up and checked the weather. Bella and I had talked on the phone after dinner and decided to take Bethy to the park if it was nice enough. I waited until after Bethy and I ate breakfast to call Bella.
Sounding full of energy, she answered the phone, "Hey, Edward! It looks like it's gonna be a nice day today. Still want to go to the park?"
I chuckled, happy that she was in a good mood, and replied, "Good morning to you too, baby! Sounds like you're in a good mood."
"I am! I had a good night last night. I got plenty of rest, and Jasper made some awesome omelets for breakfast this morning. Why didn't anyone tell me Jasper could cook? I've made tons of meals for him and he never said a word."
"Omelets are probably his best dish. They're one of the easiest things to cook on an electric skillet in a college dorm room. He also makes some tasty Ramen noodles too. Ask him to make you some one day," I joked. I love the sound of her giggling laughter.
"Good to know. So, did you and Jellybean have breakfast yet?" she asked.
"Yep. I didn't make any fantastic omelets, but Bethy prefers pancakes and sausage anyway. I'll let you choose what I pack for our picnic today though."
"Wow. Two hot guys fixing food for me in one day. I'm gonna get spoiled," she teased.
"You don't need Jasper. I'll spoil you all you want. Tell me what you want for lunch, Bella."
"Let Bethy choose. I'll eat whatever you pack. You guys surprise me," she said.
"If Bethy picks, it shouldn't be a surprise. Peanut butter and jelly…always. What time do you want us to pick you up?" I asked.
"I'm ready whenever you are," she said.
"Okay. We'll be over there in a little bit. See ya soon."
I hung up the phone and grabbed my daughter to help me put together the picnic lunch. She was so excited to hear that we were going to play in the park today and even more excited to learn that Izzybelwa was joining us.
I laid rows of bread out on the counter and had my assistant hand me the ingredients. "Peanut butter…" I requested.
"Peanut butter," she answered, lifting up the large jar.
"Jelly…"
"Jelwy," she giggled, passing me a squeezable grape jelly.
I paused after covering half the sandwiches and asked, "Do you think we should make half of them with strawberry?"
"Good idea, Daddy," she said in a serious tone, getting me a jar from the refrigerator.
I sealed each sandwich in a zip-loc bag and let her put them in the top half of the insulated cooler. "We should probably pack some fruit too. Apples or oranges?"
"Oranges!" she belted.
Laughing at her exuberance, I placed the oranges she handed me in the bottom half of the bag. "Hand me some bottled waters too…and a couple of juice boxes," I instructed, and she complied. I grabbed a couple of ice packs from the freezer and lined the cooler.
"What else do we need?" I asked.
"Chips!" she responded immediately.
I zipped up the bottom of the cooler, leaving the top open for her to add the snack size bags of chips I tossed to her.
"What about dessert, Daddy? Chocolate cupcakes?"
"We had chocolate cupcakes last night, baby. How about chocolate chip granola bars instead?" I asked, trying for something at least a little nutritious.
"Fine," she huffed exaggeratedly.
I chuckled and tucked three bars in the bag before zipping it up. "I think we're all done. Are you ready to go get Bella?"
The words were barely out of my mouth when she took off running to grab her coat.
"Slow down there, speedy," I said, helping her slip her arms through the right holes. "Where are your hat and gloves?"
She handed me her hat and scrunched up her little face, tapping her lip with her finger while she tried to remember where her gloves were. I secured the hat on her head and checked her coat pockets, looking for the missing gloves.
"Oh, I 'member!" she shouted, taking off to her playroom. "My baby's hands were cold so I let her use them," she explained when she returned, waving a pair of tiny pink gloves in the air.
I called Bella just as I was approaching her building, and she met us out front. "Ready for some fun in the park?" she asked as she hopped into the car. She reached over the seat and tickled Bethy's knee before she leaned over to give me a quick kiss.
We found parking pretty close to the park and set up our blanket near the playground. The weather was even nicer than expected, and it seemed there were quite a few other families who had the same idea as us.
Bethy gobbled down her sandwich and half of her chips before she asked if she could go play with the other kids in the park. I told her it was okay as long as she stayed where I could see her. She agreed and quickly ran over to introduce herself to a small group of little boys around her age.
Bella giggled and leaned her back against my chest while she started to peel an orange. "Your daughter's quite the little flirt. I wonder where she learned that," she teased, popping a slice of orange into my mouth.
"Miss Swan, what exactly are you suggesting?" I asked, pretending to be insulted, and wrapping my arms around her waist.
"Cut it out, Mr. Cullen," she replied, nudging me with her elbow. "I've seen the way you dazzle women with your charm."
"Dazzle them? I don't know about that," I laughed. "Besides, there's only one woman I'd like to dazzle, but she's way out of my league," I joked while tucking her hair behind her ear so I could see her face better.
A small smile played at the corner of her mouth. She took a bite of an orange slice and responded, "Out of your league, huh?"
I nuzzled into her neck and murmured, "Mmhmmm…she's definitely too good for me, but I just can't get her off my mind."
I started kissing my way down her neck. She giggled and leaned into my kisses. Before things could get too heated, the orange slices she was separating squirted juice in both or our faces. We both started laughing, and I moved to grab a napkin to clean us up.
I noticed Bethy and the little boys she was playing with were chasing each other around in circles. "Man, I hope all those boys have sweaty hands…" I said under my breath.
Bella laughed at me and said, "I think you have a few more years before you seriously have to worry about that."
Before I could lean back and get comfortable again, Bethy's scream had me catapulted off the blanket and rushing to her side. She was crying loudly; huge tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her dirt covered palms out, afraid to touch anything. I dusted off her hands carefully and noticed that they were barely scuffed. There was a small tear in the knee of her jeans where the bloody evidence of her injury peeked through. I scooped her up and brought her back over to the blanket.
Bella looked worried and asked, "What happened? Is she okay?"
Bethy was still sobbing, and the sound of her cries was tearing at my heart. "Bella, I'm sorry, but I think we're gonna have to go. Bethy hurt her knee. I'm going to have to get her home and clean her up." I kissed Bethy on top of her head, still holding her and swaying to try and calm her down. "It's gonna be okay, baby," I tried to assure her.
Bella stood up and reached for Bethy's leg to take a look at the damage. "Can I see it, sweetie?"
Bethy sucked in a few more sobs and nodded her head, looking down at her knee that was being carefully examined by Bella.
"Oh, it's not so bad. I think we can take care of it here if you'll let me help. Then we can still play some more. Those swings look like too much fun to pass up. Will you let me fix it for you?" she spoke tenderly.
Bethy wiped her eyes with her sleeve and answered in a shaky voice, "Okay."
"Come on. Let's sit down on the blanket and take care of this," Bella directed.
I wasn't sure how Bella planned on making it all better, but I knew she would never do anything to hurt Bethy. I followed Bella to the blanket and sat Bethy in between us. Bella carefully started rolling up Bethy's jeans to expose the cut. She grabbed a fresh bottle of water from the cooler and folded up a napkin before wetting it.
"Okay, this might be a little cold, but we've got to clean all the dirt off. I'll be really careful," she told Bethy. She slowly wiped around the wound and tossed the used napkin aside for a new one which she wet with the water bottle again. I watched as she dabbed softly at the bleeding site and blew cool air across my daughter's knee. Bethy watched without crying as Bella patted the area dry.
"Edward, hand me my purse, please," Bella requested. I reached over and grabbed the strap, pulling it closer to give it to Bella. She unzipped it and pulled out a small white pouch.
"I'm pretty clumsy, so I'm use to getting cuts and scrapes all the time," she explained, taking out a tube of antibiotic cream and smoothing a little over Bethy's scraped knee. Then she pulled out a band aid and placed it over the cut. "I think that should do it," she said, smiling at Bethy.
I bent over and kissed the top of the band aid before tugging her pant's leg back down. "Feel better?" I asked.
Bethy nodded her little head, but frowned when she looked down at her jeans. "What about my jeans, Daddy? I ruined them," she complained.
"Hey, people pay a lot of money to get that look!" Bella said, pointing to several of the designer made gashes in her own jeans.
Bethy giggled and said, "You would be a good mommy, Izzybelwa! My fwiend Katie says that all the good mommies always have band aids and snacks in their purse."
Oh, shit! That was the first time there had been any mention of Bella playing a mommy role. I hoped that it didn't freak her out. Bella was still young and just getting ready to start out in her career. I could tell how much she cared about Bethy, but I didn't want her to feel pressured even though Bethy's comment was made innocently.
Bella was rummaging through her purse for something so I thought I would make a joke to avoid any awkward tension. "Got any snacks in there?" I teased, tipping my head towards her purse.
Finally finding what she was looking for, she slipped a pair of sunglasses on before blushing and answered, "If you count peanut M&Ms and a half eaten bag of pretzels…then, yeah. I guess I do." She shyly held her purse open to display the items mentioned.
Damn. Instead of letting her off the hook, I think I just added proof to Bethy's theory that she would be a really great mommy.
I sat there, speechless and staring at her like an idiot. She reached out to take Bethy's hand, smiling and saying, "You ready for those swings now?"
Together they ran off towards the swing set. Bella lifted Bethy up and helped position her feet into the holes on the child swing, pulling the chair back and letting her soar once she was safely in place. Then she hopped onto the regular swing beside her and joined in. Both girls were laughing and pumping their legs to go higher and higher. Just like that, my sexy girlfriend reverted back to her five year old self. They were so much fun to watch together.
I was shaken from my dreamy gaze when Bella called out for me to help push them. I happily sauntered over and helped propel them higher, alternating pushes between my two girls. Once they tired of the swing, they rode down the slide a few times before we were ready to leave.
"Daddy, can Izzybelwa come to our house and see my room?" Bethy asked as we were getting in the car.
"Uh, sure. Bella, do you feel like hanging out at our place for a little while?" I asked, a little nervous, but totally looking forward to having her in my home.
Bella slid her sunglasses to the top of her head and looked at me when she answered, "I'd really like that, but I know that wasn't planned for today. If you're not ready for company, we can do it some other time."
"No," I quickly replied. "I mean, yes…I'd like you to come over. Look, I'm a little embarrassed that my kid had to be the one to invite you over. I should have already asked you a long time ago. I have thought about it. It's just that I'm not use to bringing anyone home with me…like, ever. My own family have only been there a handful of times…and not exactly by a social invitation. It's basically served as sort of a sanctuary for me and Bethy to live without the craziness of the rest of the world. But you…you're the good kind of crazy. I want you there." I gave her a wink, and she bit her bottom lip and nodded.
I drove into the underground parking garage and pulled in next to my Vanquish. When we got out of the car, I showed Bella the resident's elevator before leading her the opposite direction. "That's the elevator I usually use, but we'll go in through the lobby so I can introduce you to Ben. That way you'll be familiar with everything if you decide to drop by on your own sometime."
"Good evening, Mr. Cullen and Little Miss Cullen," Ben greeted as soon as we stepped in.
"Ah, good evening, Ben. It's good to see you. I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Bella. Ben Cheney, this is Isabella Swan." I introduced.
"Hi, Ben. It's nice to meet you," Bella said as they shook hands.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Swan," he answered.
On the way to the elevator, I stopped at the reception desk and told Mrs. Grace to add Bella's name to my permanent visitor's list. She entered it into the computer and had me enter my authorization code into the keypad. I introduced them to each other before leading her to the elevator. We stepped inside, and I introduced her to Felix before he turned the key and pressed the P button for us.
I took a deep breath before unlocking my door and ushering Bella inside. I stood back and let her take it all in before trying to show her around.
"Wow, Edward. This is…whoa. It's amazing!" she announced, turning her head to scan the open floor plan. She started to take a step forward, but stopped before she stepped onto the plush white carpet. She bent down and slipped off her shoes before continuing on.
"Well, you can pretty much see everything from here. Living room, dining room, kitchen," I said, motioning to each.
"Yeah," she scoffed playfully. She walked forward, ran her hands across the back of the cream colored Italian leather sofa, and went directly for the shiny, black, baby grand piano positioned in the middle of the raised floor alcove. She tentatively reached her hand out to stroke the keys, but pulled back before she touched it. She turned in a half circle, looking out the floor to ceiling windows that surrounded the room. Walking over to the glass and pressing her body as close as possible without marking it, she looked out at the sparkling city lights and commented, "The view is breathtaking."
I chuckled and said, "Bella, you don't have to be afraid to touch anything."
She spun around, looking a little embarrassed, but gestured to the piano, saying, "I knew you played guitar, but this too?"
I nodded and answered, "Since I was about three. It's the first musical instrument I learned how to play. On the piano I enjoy playing more classical style music, nothing like the rock music Jasper plays on the keyboard in the band. For that, I prefer a guitar."
She bit her lip and glanced over at the kitchen, then the dining room. She seemed reluctant to move, and I had no idea what she was thinking. I was beginning to freak out. It was only part of the condo and I was sure she was already overwhelmed.
"Can I show Izzybelwa my rooms?" Bethy piped in.
"Of course. You show Bella your rooms, and then I'll show her around the rest of the place," I answered.
Bella followed Bethy to her room and gushed over how pretty it was, which made Bethy jump around in happiness. Bella told her how much she always wanted a beautiful canopy bed like that when she was a little girl.
Next, Bethy showed Bella her playroom, and I let them spend a few extra minutes in there before offering to show her the rest.
"Oh, I remember him," Bella said, giving Blue Bunny a hug before putting him down and following me.
I pointed out the hall bathroom, flicking the light on and letting her peek in. Moving on, I showed her the fitness room which contained several different pieces of equipment and some free weights.
"Ah, I wondered how you kept that body in such great shape," she teased.
"Thanks," I laughed. "There's a gym downstairs and at work, but with having Bethy, it's easier to just have my own. And this is my…library? Or office, maybe?" I said, showing her the room filled with bookcases, a large desk, and my computer.
"Nice," she commented, poking her head in through the doorway.
"And, uh…this is my bedroom. Last stop on the tour." I stepped through the door, leading her by the hand behind me. "There's also another bathroom through there," I added, pointing to the door on the other side of the room.
She walked around the king sized bed, heading toward the bathroom. She flipped on the bathroom light and gasped, eyes huge as she said, "Holy mother! That is one hell of a bathtub. This whole bathroom is bigger than my bedroom. And look at that shower!"
For the first time in my life, I felt embarrassed by my obvious wealth. I knew Bella wasn't use to a lavish lifestyle. She deserved to have it all, but somehow I knew she wouldn't want to indulge herself even if she could afford it.
Uncomfortably, I asked, "Do you want to go back out and watch TV or something?"
She narrowed her eyes at me and asked, "Trying to hide something from me, Mr. Cullen?"
I smirked and answered, "No, of course not. Spend all the time you want in my bedroom. Please."
She blushed and sat down on the edge of the bed, testing it with a few bounces before asking, "So, is this where you're laying when you call to say goodnight to me?"
"Usually. Either there or on the couch," I admitted.
She got up and started moving around the room again, looking over the Cds stacked by my stereo. She picked up the acoustic guitar from the stand in the corner and strummed a few cords before placing it gently back. I guess she thought it was safe to touch that instrument. Little did she know, that particular guitar cost more than the piano in the other room.
She finally made her way back to the entrance after eying all the items on my dresser.
"Finished snooping around?" I teased.
"I wasn't snooping. Did you see me open up any of your drawers?" she asked in return. "But if I did…what would I find?"
"Absolutely nothing interesting. What would I find in your drawers?" I countered.
She blushed again and said, "Okay. Let's go watch TV."
Bethy put on the new Cars movie and piled on the couch next to us. Halfway through the movie I ordered dinner. After dinner, Bethy started yawning, and I decided we'd better drive Bella home before it got much later.
The next day, Bella joined us for dinner at Mom and Dad's, but everyone called it an early evening since it was going to be another busy week at work.
It was Bella's last week at the Cullen Corporation. Regrettably, I was not able to join her for any of our lunches again. I did make sure to keep Friday's slot open because Rosalie planned a surprise farewell lunch for Bella in one of the conference rooms.
Rosalie had the lunch catered by the deli down the street that Bella was so fond of. My Dad, Emmett, Rosalie, and myself surprised her with a few parting gifts. Dad gave her a really nice, leather bound journal. Em and Rose gave her an expensive pen set and a gift certificate to the deli. I gave her a high tech digital recorder, figuring she would need it for note taking or conducting interviews at her new job. Bella obviously didn't expect any gifts, and she was overcome with emotions as she thanked everyone and said a tearful goodbye to her old job.
I missed the hell out of Bella on Saturday. She had promised Alice they would spend the day decorating their apartment for the holidays. Since it was their first Christmas there, it would involve half a day of shopping for a tree and decorations, then the rest of the day putting it put up. Bella invited me and Bethy over to help, but it also happened to be the day that my mom and Rosalie were coming over to help Bethy and I decorate our apartment.
Thank goodness for Sundays and the Cullen family dinner tradition. That was the only time I saw Bella the whole weekend. She made it to dinner and hung out for a little while afterward before she needed to get home and prepare to start her new job the next day.
Mondays have never been my favorite day of the week, but this particular Monday really sucked. Going into work and seeing a strange woman sitting where Bella should have been was only the beginning of my nightmare.
"Mr. Cullen, I'd like to introduce you to your new assistant, Miss Gianna Ricci," Rosalie introduced in her most professional voice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cullen," the woman that should have been Bella spoke, standing and extending her hand to me.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Ricci," I answered, shaking her hand quickly with barely a glance in her direction. I know I probably came off a little rude, but seeing someone else at Bella's desk bothered me more than I thought it would.
"Miss Hale, I'm expecting a conference call from Mr. Watson. Patch him directly through to my office as soon as he calls," I addressed Rosalie in the same professional manner she had used. With a new employee in the office, things weren't as casual as they had become when Bella was here.
The conference call with Mr. Watson took longer than I had hoped, and left me with some unexpected extra work.
At 10:02 exactly, I received a call from my father that sent chills down my spine and nearly stopped my heart.
"Edward, I'm on my way down to pick you up right now. There's been an accident. We need to get to the hospital right away," my father rushed to say.
"What? What kind of accident? Dad, who's in the hospital?"
"Son, the hospital just called to inform me that your mother was in a car accident. She's unconscious right now. They found her emergency contact information in her wallet. Edward…Bethy was in the car with her. She's okay, but they didn't know who she was or who to call about her. I told them I was her grandfather and that I would bring you with me..."
The rest of his words faded out as I dropped the phone from my ear. I rushed towards the elevator and was met with my dad's ashen appearance when the doors slid open.
He quickly spoke several words to Rosalie as I was entering the elevator, but all I could focus on was getting to my daughter and mother as fast as possible. I don't even remember leaving the building or getting into my father's car. A couple thoughts were spinning repeatedly in my heat. My daughter must be so scared…being pulled from a car wreck, not knowing what was going on with her grandmother, and surrounded by strangers who didn't know how to help her. And Mom…oh, my god…she's not even conscious. She has to be okay. Nothing can happen to her. It just can't!
I didn't even realize I had my phone up to my ear until I heard Bella's voicemail pick up. Without thinking, I left some sort of message before hanging up. Minutes later, my father and I were sprinting through the emergency entrance at the hospital. Dad checked in with the lady at the front desk while I looked frantically around the waiting area for a familiar face.
"Edward, I'm going to go check on your mom. They'll take you to Bethy, and you can come find me after you have her taken care of," Dad instructed me.
I shook my head, trying to process what was going on around me.
"Mr. Cullen…Mr. Cullen?" a voice broke through my foggy brain. "Please follow me. Your daughter is waiting for you at one of the nurse's stations in the back."
As I rounded the corner, familiar little whimpers were music to my ears. Not because Bethy was crying, but because it meant she was alive and close by. And because it meant I would be reunited with her in a matter of mere seconds.
"Daddy!" she cried out as soon as she saw me.
"Oh, baby! It's okay. I'm right here. Daddy's here," I responded, rushing to hold her tightly in my arms.
"D-daddy, I d-didn't know w-what to d-do! Nana w-wouldn't wake up," she sniffled. "I was s-so scared, and they won't take me to her."
"It's okay, baby. Daddy's got you. We'll go find her real soon," I assured her, holding her close to my chest and planting kiss after kiss on the top of her head. Turning to one of the nurses, I asked, "Is my daughter okay to leave now?"
"Yes, she's fine. The doctor has already checked her out. There are no injuries, and she's free to go. There are a few forms you need to fill out at the discharge desk before you leave," she answered.
I followed the nurse to the discharge station with Bethy in my arms. I filled out the necessary forms and had someone escort us to the private trauma waiting room where my father was.
He was pacing back and forth, gripping his hair with one hand and wiping his eyes with the other.
"Dad, have you seen Mom yet? Have you heard anything?" I asked.
He stalled his pacing and answered in a shaky breath, "Yes. They let me in to see her for just a minute. She's…" He paused, just then noticing Bethy in my arms. "Come here, little one," he said, pulling her into his arms. "How are you doing? I bet you were really scared."
Bethy nodded her head and whispered, "I was soooo scared, Pop-Pop. Is Nana going to be okay?"
He forced a small smile for her sake and replied, "Your Nana is brave and strong. She'll be okay. She'll probably have to stay here for a while to rest, but she wouldn't want you to be worrying about her. She's sleeping right now, and the doctor's are getting a nice room set up for her so she will be more comfortable. We probably won't be able to go in to see her for a while though."
Bethy nodded again and wrapped her little arms around his neck to give him a hug. Just then, the door flew open and Emmett rushed in, followed by a panicked looking Rosalie. Close behind them were Jasper and Alice, both showing looks of concern.
"Dad, what's going on? How's Mom?" Emmett asked.
Dad glanced down at Bethy, and Alice volunteered herself and Jasper to take her down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. At first Bethy didn't want to go, but I assured her that we would all be waiting right here for her. I also asked her to bring me back a cookie, which helped her decide to go.
Once they were out of the room, Dad guided us towards the chairs to have a seat while he explained, "She's still unconscious. Her whole left side is bruised and swollen. They have her hooked up to a bunch of machines right now. They couldn't tell me how serious it was yet, but they'll definitely be admitting her into the hospital. They took her upstairs for a CT scan and to run some tests. I think the biggest concern right now is the possibility of internal bleeding or brain damage. All we can do is wait right now."
Rose gripped Emmett's arm tightly as tears streamed down her face. I stood and took over Dad's pacing, practically ripping my own hair out by the roots. Emmett embraced Dad in a hug and asked, "Do you know what happened? How bad was the accident?"
"I don't know all the details, son. The only thing they told me was that someone ran through a red light at an intersection and crushed the driver's side of your mom's car," Dad answered, clenching his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead while we all waited helplessly.
There was a small knock at the door, and an older gentleman opened it and peeked inside. "Are you the Cullen family?' he asked. When we all nodded he stepped inside and continued, "I'm Chaplain White. I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I also have a bit of news. The doctor should be in soon to speak to you, but I thought I'd let you know that Mrs. Cullen is finished with her round of tests and everything looks better than they expected. I'll let the doctor fill you in on the medical stuff, but I did hear that there was no internal bleeding which is a very good sign."
"Thank you so much for the update," Dad voiced.
"I know the waiting can sometimes be the hardest part. Like I said, the doctor should be in soon. They're getting her settled into a room right now. I'm here to help if you need anything. Just ask the receptionist and she'll have me paged," he said before shaking our hands and leaving us alone to wait some more.
The first thing I thought when he introduced himself was no, no, no…not good. They don't send the chaplain in unless it's really bad, right? But, he seemed to have pretty good news so, hopefully, I was wrong.
BPOV
The main goal for Monday was basically to familiarize myself with the inner workings of my new job. I had my cubicle set up, and my boss led me around to give me a tour. He pointed out the divisions I would be interacting with and ran through the process of getting my assignments and meeting the deadline for turning in my completed work. It was a much tighter schedule than I was use to. News is only news when it's new. There was an urgency to get everything to the presses as soon as possible.
After my boss left me to my own devises, I switched my cell phone back on and it chirped with several missed calls. There was one call from Edward, one from Rosalie, and two from Alice. I hit the button for my voicemail and heard Edward's broken voice come through. "Bella…I need you." I disconnected immediately, getting ready to return his call when my phone rang.
"Bella, Jasper and I are on our way to the hospital. Esme and Bethy were in a car accident. Edward and his dad are already there. Rose called Jasper to let him know. Her and Emmett are headed there now too. I don't know if you can leave, but…"
I interrupted Alice, saying, "I'll be there as soon as I can. Do you know if they're okay?"
"From what I understand, Bethy is fine, but Esme is in more serious condition. We're almost there. We'll see you soon," she answered.
I grabbed my purse, letting someone know I was leaving because of an emergency. I rushed toward the hospital without returning Edward's call. He needed me, and I needed to get to him as fast as possible.
When I arrived in front of the hospital, I didn't know where to go from there. I pulled out my phone and called Edward. As soon as he picked up, I rushed to ask, "Where are you?"
"Bella. I'm at the hospital. My mom and Bethy were in a car accident," he started explaining.
"I'm here, Edward. What room are you in?"
He explained how to find the waiting room they were in, and I hurried through the hospital doors to find it. The sight that awaited me brought tears to my eyes. Edward looked worried and tired. I could tell he had been tugging at his hair. Emmett's eyes were red and glassy as he sat slumped forward. Rosalie was sitting by his side, rubbing his back and wiping at her own tears with a wad of tissue.
The sight that completely broke me was Carlisle. He was sitting in a chair, facing the door with a blank stare on his face. His eyes were red rimmed. His hair was a mess. He looked completely and totally lost. I knew in an instant that, without Esme, everyone in this room would be devastated and their lives would never be the same again. She was the glue that held this family together.
Edward was the first to notice my presence. He walked over and held me in a silent embrace. I waited until he relaxed slightly before explaining, "I'm so sorry. I had my phone off, but I came as soon as I found out. How is Esme? Where's Bethy? Alice said she was okay."
"They're getting Mom settled into a room, and we're waiting for the doctor to come in and let us know something. Alice and Jasper took Bethy down to the cafeteria. She's not hurt, just shaken up emotionally over what happened," he quietly explained.
Rose got up and gave me a hug, crying into my shoulder. When a doctor walked through the door, she went back to her place by Emmett's side while everyone else sat up straighter to hear the news from the doctor. I reached over to take Edward's hand, and he held on tightly, accepting my support.
"I'm Dr. Amun. I've been Mrs. Cullen's doctor since she was brought in this morning. I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long, but we needed to run a few tests to determine the extent of her injuries. We had to keep her sedated while we performed all the necessary examinations, so she's still not conscious. We do expect her to wake up on her own, but it probably won't be until sometime during the night. There is good news. The EEG showed normal brain activity and the CT scan didn't reveal any significant injuries. We were very concerned that there may have been some internal bleeding, but that has since been ruled out. We had to spend some time removing broken glass from her scalp, and there was one site on her neck that needed stitches. She was very lucky though. The shard of glass missed a major artery by a centimeter. She has a small fracture near her wrist which we will be setting with a cast within the hour. Other than that, most of her injuries are just very bad bruising. Of course, she will still be very tender and sore for several days. Initially, she will be in some degree of pain, but we're delivering pain relievers through her IV right now."
"Thank you so much for taking good care of her. And for letting us know how she's doing. Will we be able to see her soon?" Carlisle asked.
"It will still be a little while, but yes. I'll send someone in as soon as visitors are allowed. She'll be in the ICU for at least twenty four hours for close observation and until she wakes up. After that, we'll move her to a regular room until she's well enough to go home. My guess is four to seven days, depending on how well her mobility is and how well she manages with the pain," the doctor explained.
Everyone thanked him again, and he left to go back to check on Esme. The relief in the room was palpable. Everyone was still worried about her and anxious to see her, but their worst fears were laid to rest.
"Do you want to go find Bethy or get some coffee or something?" I asked Edward.
"No, they'll bring her back in here when they're done. I'd rather go get some fresh air. Walk with me?" he replied.
Together we walked through the hospital corridors and out to a small garden. Deep breaths of crisp cool air filled our lungs while the sunlight warmed our faces. The nearby bench was already occupied by another couple so we walked the path to a short, brick, retaining wall. Edward lifted me up and sat me on the wall, positioning himself to stand between my legs, facing me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned into me.
"Thank you for coming here. I was about to loose my mind. I felt so useless, just sitting around waiting and depending on a bunch of strangers to save my mom. I'm glad you came. How did you know?"
"Well, I had my phone turned off while my boss was going over some things with me. When I turned it back on, I got your message. Before I could call you back, Alice called and filled me in. I got here as quick as I could, but I'm sorry I didn't answer when you called," I explained.
Edward's forehead crinkled and he bit his lip while he contemplated. Suddenly his eyes went wide as he realized something. "Oh, god! It was your first day at your new job! I didn't even think. I shouldn't have called…actually, I didn't even realize I had called until I got your voicemail, but you didn't have to leave work on your first day. I hope it didn't cause a problem," he said worriedly.
"There's no way I'd be anywhere else right now. Even if you hadn't called, I would have found out from Alice. But I'm glad you called. Anytime you need me…for any reason…I expect you to call me. And you can expect me to be there for you. That's how it works," I told him.
"Thank you," he mouthed before crashing his lips to mine. His kisses were both frenzied and passionate. His strong arms crushed me tightly to him. For a moment I wasn't sure what he needed from me until I realized he was desperately trying to find something…to cling to some emotion that stabilized him and took away the uncertainty he had been swimming in the past few hours.
I slid my hands down both his forearms, squeezing a little to let him know I was there with him. I traced the features of his face with my thumbs while we continued to kiss. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, smoothing them across his scalp and slowing our kisses as he calmed.
"Baby, if I could take the smallest amount of hurt and worry for you, I would do anything you needed. Tell me what I can do to help," I whispered by his ear.
"You just being here helps…a lot," he replied.
I continued stroking through his hair and let him hold me until he relaxed and pulled back, thanking me again.
"We should probably head back inside. Bethy might be waiting for you," I said.
"You're right. God, I don't know what to do, Bella. I just can't leave the hospital until I know my mom's gonna be okay…until she wakes up and I can see her. But I still have to take care of my daughter and I don't want her to sit around here, worrying with the rest of us," he admitted.
"Why don't you let me take Bethy home with me. Alice and I can have a little slumber party with her to keep her mind off things. She'll be fine. You can pick her up in the morning or just call me if you want me to bring her back up here. I don't have anything to do for work until tomorrow evening," I offered.
"Bella…I can't ask you…" he started to say.
"You didn't ask. I offered, and it's not a burden at all. We'll have fun together, and you need a break to be here for your mom. I think your dad could use some support too."
Edward agreed, and we went back in to find Bethy. She was in the waiting room with everyone else. I pulled Alice aside and told her the plan, to which she readily agreed. We presented the idea to Bethy, and it didn't take too much convincing to get her to come with us. Edward gave us all a hug and kiss goodbye, telling us he would call to check in later.
The hospital loaned us a car seat, and Alice and Bethy rode with me back to our apartment. When we got there, I pulled the toy tote into the living room so she could play and watch TV while I cooked some dinner.
After we ate, I decided it would be a good idea to make get well cards for Esme. I knew Bethy was worried, and this way she could feel like she was doing something to help her Nana. Alice brought an array of craft supplies to the dining table, and all three of us created our own colorful cards. I think we got as much glue, glitter, and marker ink on us as we did on the cards.
I helped Bethy get a bath and gave her one of my t-shirts to wear as a nightgown. Alice and I showed Bethy how we set up for a slumber party when we were kids, moving the living room furniture back and piling sleeping bags and pillows on the floor. Alice popped some popcorn while I helped Bethy choose a movie to watch. We didn't have any kid's movies, so I found something on pay-per-view she would like.
Just as we all sunk into our sleeping bags, with Bethy in the middle, Edward called to check in. I talked to him for just a minute, assuring him that Bethy was fine and having him tell me nothing had changed at the hospital yet.
I gave Bethy the phone and watched her animatedly explain what we had done all evening. She was proud and excited to tell him about our homemade cards and filled him in on our sleeping bags and the movie we were getting ready to watch. Her call ended with an 'I love you' and a bunch of noisy air kisses.
Towards the end of the movie, Bethy tugged on my shirt sleeve and asked, "Izzybelwa, can I sleep in your bed wif you?"
I answered, "Sure, Jellybean. We don't have to sleep on the floor if you don't want to."
She gave Alice a hug goodnight, and I carried her into my room and got her tucked into my bed before sliding in beside her. She snuggled up close to me with her little hand clasped around mine and said "Goodnight, Izzybelwa."
"Sweet dreams, Jellybean," I said in return before we both drifted off to sleep.
Sometime around three o'clock in the morning, I was woken by a soft kiss on my temple. I opened my eyes to a pair of tired green ones looking back at me.
"Hey," I mumbled.
"Shh," he whispered, acknowledging his sleeping daughter with the tilt of his head.
I got up and followed him into the living room, sitting down of the couch beside him. "Is everything okay with Esme?"
"Yeah, she woke up about an hour ago. She seemed fine. She was worried about Bethy. I told her she was happy and safe here with you. That made her feel better. I think she was in a bit of pain, so they gave her some more meds which helped her fall back to sleep. Dad's staying there with her. I'm going to stop by there in the morning, after I drop Bethy off at school. I still need to take care of some business at work before I can spend more time there. Emmett and I will have our hands full, since Dad has decided to take off until Mom is back home and able to take care of herself again."
"Well, I don't have to work until later in the evening. I can pick Bethy up from school if you need me to. That way you can do what you need to do at the office. You can pick Bethy up before I have to go to work and take her to visit Esme. She made a card for her. Well, we all did, actually. Bethy can deliver them for us." I offered.
"Thanks, Bella. I really appreciate it," he said while yawning.
"It's no problem. Really. I can help you out all week if you need me to. My job doesn't hold me to an office or set working hours. Whenever I need to go out for an assignment, I can drop Bethy off with you or Rose. Get some sleep, and we'll work everything out in the morning," I told him.
Edward nodded and stretched out on the couch. I gave him a pillow and draped a blanket over him seconds before his eyes fell shut.
I went back to bed with Jellybean and woke up before everyone else to make breakfast. I made pancakes and sausage because I remembered Edward telling me that Bethy like that. When she woke up, she ran straight to her sleeping dad on the couch and tackled him with a delighted squeal.
Edward accepted my offer of help, but made me promise to let him know if it became too much for me. I suggested letting Bethy hang out with me for the day so he could head straight to work. He didn't want to disrupt her schedule, so instead, he had me follow him to her preschool and introduced me to the teacher, adding my name to Bethy's pick up list.
Edward decided that it would be easier for me to watch Bethy at his place since everything she needed was already there. He gave me a spare key to his apartment and kissed me goodbye before he headed off to work.
I spent the day taking care of some chores around the house after I stopped by the Times to make sure everything was okay after my abrupt departure the day before. At three o'clock I was at Bethy's school, signing her out and taking her home.
It felt a little weird letting myself in to Edward's home, especially since he wasn't there and I had only been there once before. It only took Jellybean minutes to fall into her normal after school routine. While she played, I searched through Edward's kitchen and found something simple to make for dinner.
The spaghetti noodles were almost done, and the garlic bread was coming out of the oven when Edward walked through the door.
"Mmm, smells good," Edward commented, nuzzling into my neck as he hugged me from behind.
"I figured you liked spaghetti since it was in your cabinet, and I wanted you two to have something to eat before you went back to the hospital," I said.
"Oh, I was talking about you, but the food smells good too. You didn't have to cook, but thank you," he answered.
We ate dinner together, and I went to work when they left to go visit Esme. The rest of the week followed the same domestic pattern we had fallen into. Edward was exhausted, trying to juggle work, hospital visits, Bethy, and me. I understood and helped out as much as I could.
My new job wasn't as great as I expected, but it did allow me the freedom to enjoy my new favorite part of the day…taking care of Edward and Bethy. I just wish it had been better circumstances that pushed us into this. I also hoped Edward wouldn't regret our relationship being pushed forward too quickly. It would be hard on me to take it back a few notches if he did, but I had to hope that we were moving in the right direction.