Chapter 25

Hope

I'm so sorry about the delay, but if you're interested in the reason my sorry excuse is at the bottom of the chapter.

As always I own nothing, but I do enjoy the time I spend in her world.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta Dollybigmomma, people she is the reason my story is so seamless, thanks Dolly!

You might need a tissue for part of this chapter, I know I did.

EDWARD

With the mini-drama of Esme's paternity over with, Carlisle was able to explain to both my daughters how he was going to make Esme better. I had never been more grateful for my uncle than I was at this moment.

He had always gone out of his way and his field of expertise to make life easier for others. He sure made my beautiful mother's last days with us as pain-free as possible, making sure not only her physical pain was managed, but her emotional pain was dealt with as well. As only he could do, he gave her not only the strength to deal with the cancer, but he was also my rock throughout her years of suffering.

I had been truly blessed, and speaking of blessings, my daughters were both out of danger and on the road to recovery, although Esme's would take a bit longer.

Flashback

"Pawpaw, are you sure my blood is the same as Mae's?"

"Well, Miss Elizabeth, not only am I one hundred percent sure, but your daddy has made sure my tests were all correct. Now, why don't you let your Nana take you down to my office for a little bit so I can talk to Esme's mommy about things? I'm sure if you're a really good, quiet girl on the way down, your Nana will let you pick out a treasure from the treasure chest."

"Oh, can I really, Nana?" She was really trying to hold herself still, but we all knew it was an impossible feat for Miss Elizabeth Ann Masen.

"Sure, baby, why don't you say goodbye to your daddy first."

"Bye, Daddy, make sure you keep Mae safe for me. Oh, and give her a big kiss and hug when she wakes up. I love you, too, Daddy, so much." She waved as she walked away hand in hand with my aunt.

I turned to address Carlisle, but stopped short when I noticed the tears in Bella's eyes.

"Hey, beautiful, why the…" Before I could finish my question, Bella had attached herself around my waist and proceeded to soak my shirt.

"I'm just scared, Edward."

"Hey, it's going to be alright. We have a much better chance of beating this now."

"I know, but they're both in for some pain along the way, and the chemo is going to be so harsh on Esme. I hate that our babies will be hurting at all. That thought just kills me."

"Me, too, but…I'm here for you, Bella, if you'll let me be. We'll get through this together."

And we did. The administration of the chemo was rough and Esme's condition took a turn for the worse for a while. It was touch and go a few times, but our daughter was a fighter. There were many sleepless, tearful nights as we clung to each other and watched our baby girl's struggle to survive. She was so weak and small, so helpless. I vowed to God then and there to never let her down again and always be the father she needed, and hopefully, Bella would let me be there for her, too.

When it came time for the transplant, Bella and I prayed together, along with the rest of our families in one giant prayer session, asking for God's grace on our children's behalves. I knew from the peace I felt after we were done that our girls would be fine.

End Flashback

So here we were, waiting for Esme's test results to see how her little body had responded to the transplant. In all my life, I had never been so nervous before. Our lives would change with just one little piece of paper and I hoped and prayed it would be for the better.

"Edward…hello, paging Dr. Masen…Edward!"

Ouch, what the hell! "Did you just pinch me?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes. Where did you go just now?"

"I'm sorry, Bella, please forgive me?" I looked directly into her beautiful chocolate eyes and tried with all my macho might to not burst into tears. I knew she was trying to be strong for Esme, and if I let my emotions get the best of me, it would definitely open the flood gates for her as well.

"Hey now, you remember what we promised each other?" she asked as she softly cupped my face with both of her hands.

"I know, but it's just that I started to think about all the times I missed out on her little life and it just mushroomed from there. I'm going to make you a promise right here and now, Bella. I will never, and I mean never, be absent from our daughter's life again. I want to be a part of everything she goes through, and I mean it. And when Carlisle comes through those doors and tells us the news, good or not so good, well, be prepared for a lot of changes, because I intend to make you both a part of mine and Elizabeth's lives."

I heard a tiny gasp leave Bella's mouth, and when I looked at her face, I could see her blush before she had the chance to hide it from me. Before I could shove my other foot into my mouth, I heard a throat clearing and I jerked my head up to see the smirk my uncle had plastered on his face.

CARLISLE

I knew it was wrong to listen in on a private conversation, but my heart told me to wait and let him get this out of his system. His aunt and I had suspected for quite some time now that Edward was falling in love with Bella. We discussed it again this morning at breakfast and decided that if he didn't act on his feelings soon, we would just have to meddle into his love life, after little Esme was in the clear and on the road to recovery. So I knew the sooner I gave them the good news, the sooner we could stir things up a bit.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I know you're both waiting on pins and needled for the results. Well, I'm very pleased to inform you that the transplant appears to have been a huge success. Esme is now on the mend and her WBC is almost back to normal. So it looks like the transplant was the right answer, but you know as well as I do, Edward, that she'll still need to wear the face mask until she's back to one hundred percent."

As I watched both of them shed tears of joy, I knew that they were going to be fine.

"Well, I think we need to go let a couple of little girls know the good news. Not to mention the rest of the family who have taken up residency in the waiting room."

As we walked down the hall toward Esme's room, I noticed that both of them had smiles on their faces and they were as close as they could possibly get without one of them wrapping themselves around the other's body. When we entered the room, they continued with the contact as they made their way over to the bed. I was brought out of my observation by the sweet sound of two giggling little girls, as they had also noticed the joined hands of their parents.

BELLA

I could feel my face flaming and I knew it was bright red, even without seeing or touching it. Edward's words were so passionate. I knew he meant it all, every last word. I could only hope that he was truly committed to our Esme. She had never really lacked for a father figure, as she had my dad and all of her uncles from the reservation, but I knew it wasn't the same. Hopefully, Edward's presence in her life would be a good thing. I knew we both wanted what was best for her, regardless of our own issues. As her mother, I knew my wants and needs were secondary to hers, and so I would make sure she was happy. My child had and always would come first in my life.

I knew most people looked at my daughter as a mistake, but I had never seen her that way. She had brought so much love and happiness into my life, and now she had added an entire family to the line-up. Edward Masen and his daughter, Elizabeth, were so ensconced into our lives that it would be painful if we ever had to part from them. Since the moment I had met Elizabeth, I had begun to love her as my own and wanted her in our lives as much for myself as for Esme. It was so obvious even to a perfect stranger that those two little girls were joined at the hip, and now she was a part of my heart as well. Now that Edward had accepted and embraced the role of father to my little Jewel, our lives would never be the same.

It had been obvious from our first meeting that Edward and I had some kind of connection and it had just continued to strengthen with each passing day we spent together. Now, as I looked into Edward's eyes, something clicked into place and I couldn't help but smile. I wasn't sure what it was, but I think by his answering smile and tightening of his hand on mine that just maybe, he had felt it, too.

AN:

I am so sorry you have all been put on my back burner. But real life was not going away no matter how hard I tried. If you remember I took up knitting for making my Christmas gifts this year and then my daughter decided that she needed me to knit a shawl for a friends wedding so I was going crazy knitting a 65 inch mohair shawl in less then two week. Well I'm proud to say I did it, but my hands paid the price from all my knitting and typing was not going to happen. So now that my hands and my mind have recouped I am feeling now is the time to get back in the swing of things.

Look for BIG changes for our little family.

TickledPink