Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Turn to Stone
By: nikkipattinson
Chapter 24 – Change of Venue
I haven't slept a wink. I can't take my eyes off the beauty in my arms. I'm afraid that if I close my eyes she'll disappear. Her mahogany hair is splayed across the pillow. Her perfect face is relaxed and she appears more of an angel than ever before. Her lips are slightly parted. I've resisted the urge to kiss those lips all night. She sighs and rolls into my chest. I hold her close to me and kiss her hair. I miss the smell of strawberries that has been replaced by my own shampoo. I make a mental note to buy strawberry shampoo on the chance that she may honor me with her overnight presence again. A soft moan emanates from her; I smile. I don't want this to ever end.
It's almost ten o'clock. I have nothing but leftover Thai and Italian in the house to feed her. This is not acceptable. I gently remove her from my arms, making sure that I don't wake her. I scribble a quick note: If you awake before I return, know that I love you and I will be back soon with breakfast. E. I place the note on my pillow and dress quickly. I rush downstairs and jump into my car. I need to get to the bakery before they start to put out the food for lunch.
When I get there, I realize that I have no idea what she'd like. I buy one of everything they have. It takes three very large boxes to contain everything. The cashier gives me a strange look. I laugh to myself; I hope Bella's hungry. I load my purchases in the car and race back home. I don't want her to wake up without me there. I know that it was a lot for her to not be in her own home at night. I know that she did it for me. She did it because I needed her. If she only knew how much I need her. I think I needed her before I even knew her. I've been waiting for her my whole life.
I put the boxes on the bar and start the coffee. I get out a large serving platter that my mother bought me years ago as a house warming present. I remember thinking how unnecessary it was at the time. What does a bachelor need with a serving platter? I may even have said as much to her. She insisted that I would find a need for it. I guess she was right. I arrange the pastries on the platter. I walk back upstairs and peek in the door of my room. Bella is still sleeping. I place the platter on the dresser and go back downstairs to get the coffee. I fix mine the way I like it: two packs of Equal and a splash of non-fat milk. Again, I'm perplexed. I don't know how she takes her coffee. I'm trying to decide what to do, when I hear her on the stairs. Shit, I so wanted to give her breakfast in bed.
I turn to see her standing in the entrance of the kitchen with the platter of pastries. I blush, "Good morning," I say. "I was trying to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but the coffee tripped me up."
"I was wondering if I was to expect guests for breakfast... in the bedroom. This is a lot of food, Edward. I hope that you didn't get this all for me," she says with a grin.
"I didn't know what you'd like, so I bought one of everything. Is there anything there that you want? I can go back out and get anything you'd like."
"I'm sure that something here will be fine. You really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I would have been fine with a bowl of cereal." I look at her sheepishly. "You don't have cereal in the house, do you?" I shake my head. "You only have leftover Italian in the house, don't you?"
"And Thai," I say.
"Do you have any food in the house?" she asks as she places the platter on the counter and crosses to the pantry. She opens it to find several bottles of cranberry juice, a bottle of ketchup, a jar of mayonnaise, and a box of saltines. She moves to the cabinets only to discover them filled with dishes, dust, and an empty granola bar box. She stops in front of the refrigerator. She turns to look at me. I'm watching her with an embarrassed grin. I motion for her to go ahead and open it. Inside is a bottle of ketchup, a jar of mayonnaise, a carton of orange juice, a jug of milk, and the leftover food from the previous two days. She closes the door and turns to face me. "We're going to the grocery store."
"I don't eat here that often, Bella," I explain.
"It's not for you, it's for me. There are certain things that must be here if I'm going to be spending time here with you. I have culinary needs, Edward. After we eat, we're going to the grocery store. This is ridiculous." She takes the mug from my hand and looks around the counters. "No sugar?" she asks. I shake my head and cross to the counter by the sink. I reach behind the coffee pot and retrieve the Equal packets. She sighs and takes three. I watch her fix her coffee. She likes it sweet and creamy. I make a mental note. She plucks a Pear Danish from the tray and begins to eat. I retrieve a plate for her. "I need a sheet of paper and a pen," she says. I go to my office and return with a pad and a pen. She asks me what the expiration date is on the milk. I check and tell her. I'm smiling like an idiot at her. She looks up and asks, "What?"
"You're taking care of me," I say, still smiling like an idiot. "It's nice."
She crosses the kitchen and wraps her arms around my waist. "I told you I would." I lean down to kiss her. She wrinkles her nose.
"What?" I ask.
"I have morning breath," she says and blushes. "I need a toothbrush." She starts to write it on the pad. I stop her and tell her that I'll be right back. I may not have food in the house, but I do have an extra toothbrush.
I return with the toothbrush. She looks puzzled. "The dentist gave it to me last month. I didn't need it so I threw it in a drawer in the bathroom. It's yours if you want it. You can just leave it here... for next time." I so want there to be a next time. She smiles and tells me thanks. She goes back to her list. I look over her shoulder. The first two things on the list make me laugh. "So, Crunch Berries and Diet Dr. Pepper are culinary needs?"
"They are in Bella World." She continues to scribble things on the list. She finishes the Danish and takes a Cherry Almond Croissant from the tray. "These are fabulous. Which bakery?"
"It's Bakery Nouveau. They're very good. I usually stop by there and get a Sugar Brioche for me and a Chocolate Chip Brioche for Cynthia on Monday mornings."
"Which ones are those?" I point them out to her. "What's that?" she asks pointing to another one on the tray.
"Cynthia calls that one Pure Heaven, but I think the technical name is Twice Baked Chocolate Croissant." Her eyes widen. "Go ahead and try it. Who else is here to eat it? Hell, take a bite of everything, if you want." She giggles as she picks up the croissant and takes a bite. Her eyes roll back in her head as she chews. "That's the exact same reaction that Cynthia has to it. Must be good."
"You've never tried this?" she says with disbelief.
"I'm not big on chocolate."
"You have to try this," she says as she holds it out to me. I shake my head. "Seriously, you have to try it. It's amazing." I take a small bite. It's not bad; a little too much chocolate for my taste, but not bad. She looks at me expectantly. I smile and take the Sugar Brioche from the tray. "You get the same thing every time, don't you?" I take a bite and nod. "You're hopeless," she says, shaking her head.
~*~*~*~
Bella wants to stop by her apartment to change clothes before we go to Target and the grocery store. She has agreed to help me replace some of the mirrors in the house and seems to think that Target is the best place for this. We'll see. I still think that Home Depot would be better.
We pull into the complex and I rush around to get Bella's door. She has it open and is halfway out of the car before I can get there. "I would really like to get that door for you, love. You always get out so fast."
"It's fine, Edward, I can open a car door."
"But you shouldn't have to open it. Please, Bella, it means a lot to me. Let me treat you like you deserve to be treated."
"And how is that exactly?"
"Like a lady; like a precious jewel; you should be treated like you are the most important thing in the car. Let me get the door." She stares at me for a long time. I finally break the silence. "My mother taught me to do it like that, Bella. It's how it's supposed to be. It's not chauvinistic; it's chivalrous." She looks at me skeptically. "Please?" She sighs and finally nods her approval. "Thank you," I say as I extend my hand to her. She takes it and walks to the door of her apartment. She then does the strangest thing; she knocks three times on the door before inserting her key and noisily unlocking the door.
I'm puzzled and must look so, because she turns to me and says, "Trust me; just barging in when Jasper's truck is in the lot is not a good idea." Ah, I see. We walk inside. Thankfully, Jasper is sitting on the couch and is not in a compromising position with Alice.
"Hey, Bells. How was ya night?" Jasper drawls as he gets up from the couch. "Hey, Ed," he smirks and shakes my hand. I'm going to kill Emmett.
"Bella?" Alice's high voice calls from the back of the apartment. She comes out of a room with a laundry basket on her hip. She immediately drops it and rushes to Bella's side. "Are you okay? Did you sleep? Do you need to talk about anything?" She emphasizes that last word.
Bella shakes her head and laughs. "I'm fine. Edward took very good care of me. He remembered to feed me and everything. And, yes, I slept. I don't need to talk right now; I need to change into clean clothes. Edward and I are going to Target to buy mirrors." She starts toward her room.
"You're going where to buy what?" Alice asks.
"Bella is going to help me replace the mirrors in my townhouse. She says that Target is the place for this. I think Home Depot would be better." Jasper nods his head at me.
Alice rolls her eyes. "You're all wrong. We're going to Pottery Barn. Give us five minutes to get ready." She grabs Bella by the arm and drags her into the bathroom.
"Ya might as well have a seat. This is gonna be the longest five minutes of your life," Jasper says as he settles back onto the couch. I follow him. He's flipping channels when he speaks again. "So, how did last night go?"
"It was fine." It was better than fine. It was the best night of my life!
"No nightmares?" he asks.
"No, I didn't have any nightmares." How does he know about my nightmares?
"Not you; Bella. She didn't have any nightmares?"
"No. She has nightmares?" What is he talking about!?
"Most every night. She wakes up screamin' sometimes. Alice was real afraid for 'er. I don't think she slept much last night herself. So, Bella slept well?"
I'm beyond confused. She barely moved or made a sound all night. "Like a baby, all night. She didn't even stir when I went out to get breakfast. She was very peaceful. I had no idea. What does she dream?"
"Well, she used to dream about the rape a lot. Those were very bad for 'er. I didn't know what she was dreamin' about until Alice told me last night. I just knew that she'd cry out and Alice would have to hold 'er to calm 'er down. Last week she dreamt about you a lot. She'd see ya lyin' in the floor bleedin'."
"What?" How could she dream that? How could she know?
"She said ya were lyin' in the floor covered in glass and bleedin'. She couldn't get to ya. Ya wouldn't move or open ya eyes when she hollered at ya. It scared 'er to death. Pissed off Alice that she was dreamin' about ya. Alice thought she should hate ya. I can't say that I didn't feel the same way." He mutes the television and turns to me. "When ya ran outta here on that Friday how was she?"
"Honestly, Jasper, and I know it's going to sound horrible, I don't remember her being that upset. She seemed confused. Truthfully, I was confused. I can't apologize to her enough. I shouldn't have run out like that." I should have been man enough to stay and talk to her about everything. I wish I could go back and relive that night; do it differently.
"Ya know that Alice stayed with me that night, right?" I nod. "When I brought Alice home the next day, she opened the door into Bella's leg. The girl had apparently collapsed in the floor. She was curled into the fetal position. She was barely responsive. I had to carry 'er to the couch and she just fell over when I got 'er here. We had to help 'er into the bed. I wanted to call an ambulance; she looked near death to me. She didn't eat anythin' for days. We were really scared that we'd lost 'er." I slump over and drop my face into my hands. I feel Jasper's hand on my back. "I ain't tellin' ya this to make ya feel any guiltier than you already do. Ya just need to know what ya leavin' 'er does. I told 'er and now I'm tellin' you; ya'll are a part of each other. Ya can't do that agin."
I look up into his eyes. "I swear to you, Jasper, I will never leave her again," I say.
"Ya say it to me, but have ya said it to her. This ain't gonna be easy. There are troublin' times ahead for all of us. Ya need to be in it for the long haul or not in it at all. She won't survive another separation." He never breaks eye contact. He's serious and he wants me to understand just how serious. I get it.
"I won't either. I know that you guys don't believe it, but being away from her hurt me too," I sigh. "I just didn't know how to face her."
"You coulda called," he says flatly. He's probably right, but....
"I couldn't. I didn't know what to say to her. I thought she'd be better off without me. I was willing to suffer to make sure that she wasn't exposed to my world." I'm like a virus that has no cure. I'm toxic. "I'll never be good enough for her, Jasper. I'll never deserve her. But I'll live the rest of my life trying to make her the happiest woman in the world so that maybe she'll forget that I'm a lowlife that is not good enough to be the dirt on the bottom of her shoes."
"Well, at least ya know," Jasper says with a laugh. He slaps me on the back. "I'll let Alice know that she doesn't have to tell ya that ya ain't good enough. She'd planned on lettin' ya know just how not good enough ya are. I don't think she can make ya feel any worse than ya already do."
I chuckle a little myself. "No, I don't think anyone can make me feel any worse than I do for hurting Bella. If I live to be a hundred years old, I'll never be able to make it up to her. But I swear to you that I will try to my last breath."
"I know ya will, Ed." I cringe. I hate to be called that. "So, who's ya money on today? I think the Titans have a good shot." He's flipped to ESPN and is watching football. I smile. I will never figure this guy out. He goes from all seriousness to football without missing a beat.
Forty-five minutes later, the girls emerge from the bathroom. Jasper nudges me and rolls his eyes. I immediately stand to greet Bella. She looks beautiful, as always. I smile. I am one lucky, lucky man. I walk toward her and take her hands. "You are exquisite."
"Hey, couch potato," Alice says to Jasper. "How do I look?"
His eyes never leave the football game, but Jasper still says, "Like a million bucks, baby, which is probably about how much the shoes ya have on cost."
"If you don't turn that television off and get over here in the next ten seconds, I'm going to hit you in the head with one of these million dollar shoes," she threatens him. He turns off the TV and gets up.
Glaring at me he says, "Ya just hafta make me look bad, don't ya?" Then he smiles. "Ya look good enough to eat, darling'," he says as he takes Alice's hand and spins her in a circle. "Turn around here and let me get a good look at ya. Oo-ee, ya look finer than fried chicken at the Sunday social."
Alice slaps him on the arm. "Now you're going overboard. Pull back a little on the Southern-ism."
"I only do it to make ya smile," he says as he leans down to give her a peck on the cheek. "So, we're bein' subjected to the Pottery Barn today? What else do we have planned?"
"The grocery store," Bella says. "Edward has less than no food at his house. We need to stock his pantry, Alice."
"Let's not forget that it's pizza and chick flick night," Alice reminds us.
"I have a DVD player and the pizza guy does deliver to my part of town on occasion. Why don't we do all of our errands and then have the Sunday Night Ritual at my place?" I suggest.
Alice's eyebrows wrinkle together. "I don't know. We've always done it here."
"We did it here because I couldn't leave before. I was too scared," Bella says. She slides under my arm and wraps her arm around me. "I'm not going to be scared anymore. I'm going to be brave. I'm going to be strong. I'm going to win. I think we should do pizza and a movie at Edward's tonight."
Tears well up in Alice's eyes. "Okay, sweetie; whatever you want. Let's go before the stores close."
We all head out the door and then the debate begins; whose car will we take. Alice's is thrown out immediately as too small. I insist that I need my car, but in the end we decide that Jasper's truck is probably the best choice. He has what he refers to as a "Country Cadillac." To say that it is large is an understatement. It's a four door, full size Chevrolet 2500 with all the bells and whistles. It even has something that Alice calls "toasty buns" (Bella explains that the front seats have heaters in them.). We can probably get everything we need in the back, including the groceries, because there is a huge toolbox bolted into the bed that Jasper says is empty and perfect for "grocery haulin'." Jasper has to help Alice's little butt into the front seat. I help Bella into the backseat and go around to get in on the other side.
We get to Pottery Barn and I have to give Alice credit; she's probably right about this being the place to buy the mirrors. She helps me pick two to go over the dressers in the bedrooms as well as one to go in the hallway upstairs. Bella finds one with an ornate frame to go in the entrance of the townhouse. I pay for them and Jasper and I load them into the back of the truck.
The grocery store is next. Bella grabs a cart and she and Alice head out with her list. Jasper and I lag behind. This is definitely Bella's expedition. I appreciate that she's taking care of me, but I really don't think I need all that much. I don't eat at the house that often and when I do, it's usually takeout. But it seems to make her happy to take care of me and I intend to make her the happiest woman in the world, so I don't complain. We put the groceries in the truck toolbox and start for my townhouse. When we get there, Jasper and I unload the groceries into the kitchen for the ladies to put away. I tell Bella just to put everything where she thinks it should go.
Jasper and I get the mirrors from the truck. We carefully carry the first one up the stairs to the guest bedroom. We go back out and get the rest of the mirrors inside. I go back downstairs to retrieve my tool box so that we can hang the mirrors before Jasper and I have to go back out to get the movie and the pizzas.
"You're little girlfriend has good taste," I say as I come back into the guest room with the toolbox. "These look great. I probably should have let her help me with the ones for the bathrooms. I just went online and ordered them from the Home Depot."
"Don't let 'er hear that you did that. She'll have a conniption fit. She hates Home Depot," Jasper says as he gets a hammer out of the toolbox. He and I hang the mirrors over the dressers in the bedrooms. Bella comes upstairs and gets a small rubber mallet to hang the small mirror in the entrance way. I finish up by hanging the one in the hallway upstairs. Now I have no choice, but to look at myself. I rub my chin; I need to shave. I look down at my hands and sigh. I'll have to come up with a story to explain why I have three stitches in my right hand and four in my left. I turn my face to the left and then to the right. I'm too pale and I've lost some weight in the last week. I'm still studying myself when I feel arms wrap around my waist.
"What are you looking at?" Bella asks.
"The man in the mirror," I answer.
"Like what you see?" she asks.
"Not yet," I say as I turn to envelope her in my arms, "but I want to try to. Will you help me?"