A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. It inspired me so much I decided to knock this chapter out tonight. =) Thanks again for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story. You're all amazing.
EPOV
My father didn't pick up his cell phone, so I left a voicemail and drove home, not sure of what to do. I had to talk to someone neutral about this or I was going to go absolutely mad. I had arrived back home and my father still hadn't called back. Maybe I would go talk to Rose and Emmett tonight. As I walked down the hallway, I noticed a familiar man standing outside the door of my apartment. I stopped dead, completely in awe.
"Dad?" I asked, completely shocked. He turned around to give me a half smile.
"Edward." He said, nodding. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew about Renee. I unlocked the door and let him in first. He looked around in awe, it was the first time he'd seen the apartment.
"Wow, you two have certainly settled in quickly. I love what you've done with it," he said sincerely looking around. I smiled.
"Can I get you something to drink, dad?" I asked, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. My father shook his head.
"I think we need something a little stronger for this conversation," he said sadly, running a hand through his hair nervously. I nodded, and pulled out a handle of whiskey and two glasses, bringing them over to the couch. I set them on the coffee table, and my father poured us each a glass.
"Well, I assume you got my voicemail," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
"Yes, although I knew what was going on before you called," he shrugged his shoulders. I looked over at him in confusion.
"Renee had gone to see a close friend of mine that attended your engagement party. They ran into each other there, and he said she acted strange, and came over to ask me how she and I knew each other. Once I told him our relationship, he'd assumed that I knew about her diagnosis and let it slip. I looked into her medical charts shortly afterwards and called Renee, begging for her to allow us to treat her, but she adamantly refused. She hadn't told anyone, she just wants to let the disease take her, I guess."
"I don't understand how she can do this to Bella," I said angrily.
"It was incredibly selfish of her to put you in that position today, Edward. But, I talked to Dr. Hannigan and Dr. Whitekettle today, and I have an idea. It's going to be difficult though, because Bella is going to be hurt and angry, but it's better than allowing Renee to die without a word about this to Bella. At the moment, they're still performing Psych tests. If they declare her incompetent or insane in any capacity, Phil and Bella will be notified and they will have 72 hours to decide her medical care. But, I've spoken to two of the doctors in the cancer wing. Coincidentally, Bella's first assignment at her internship is to interview each of them for the article she's writing. She'll no doubt be wandering the hallways…" my father trailed off, and I jumped up in anger.
"You don't get it dad! Either way…I knew first and by law, I cannot say a damn thing! We could not survive this dad, she will be beyond upset. She's forgiven me in the past, but it's a very real possibility that this could be unforgiveable to her." The tears that I'd been holding back all day were finally leaking out of my eyes, and I couldn't stop them. My father stood, setting his drink back on the table and came over to me, hugging me tightly.
"We will get through this, Edward. We will figure this out together. There has to be a loophole, a way to be honest with her without breaking our doctor/patient confidentiality." My father said confidently.
"Dad, she means more to me than my medical career. I cannot screw this up. I have to tell her," I said honestly. At this moment, I didn't care about any of the codes or rules I was supposed to follow as a doctor. Hell, right at this moment, I did not want to be a doctor if I was going to feel like this after work every day. My cell phone rang then, and I saw that it was Dr. O'Neil. I breathed a sigh of relief, and I prayed that he had some good news for me that would ease the ache in my chest.
"Dr. Cullen," I said, trying my best to sound professional.
"Yes, it's Dr. O'Neil. Edward, I have some good news for you," I almost collapsed when he said this. I sank to the ground just in case.
"The psychologist has declared that Renee Dwyer is unable to make her own decisions regarding her physical state. Her husband has been notified and is on his way. Would you like me to call Bella?" I was so happy I was having trouble finding words. But my happiness quickly faded when I realized that this mess was only just beginning. My poor, sweet, innocent Bella would have to deal with her mothers sickness, and her mothers death.
"No, that's alright, Dr. O'Neil. I will notify her. Thank you for all your help. I owe you more than you know," I said sincerely.
"It was no problem Edward. You let me know if I can do anything further. She is being held in the cancer wing until her husband or your fiancée arrives. They will discuss with you her options."
"Thank you again," I said sincerely.
I ended the call and turned to my father, he was smiling sadly.
"I don't envy you for having to make that call, Edward. But break it to her gently, and please don't tell her anything over the phone. Have her come home, and we can tell her together. She isn't going to take this well," my father reminded me, pulling me back to reality. I nodded and pulled out my blackberry, dialing her number quickly. I held the phone to my ear and listened to it ring, my heart thudding in my ears. She answered quickly, and I was glad she put me out of my misery.
"Hey baby, is everything okay?" she asked, concerned. She knew that I wouldn't bother her at work. Not on her first day.
"Sweetheart, would it be a big problem for you to take off a little early today and come home? We need to talk." I said, trying to stay calm for her sake. I didn't want her upset, though I knew it was only a matter of time.
"Edward? What's wrong? You're scaring me." I took a deep breath. She was starting to panic.
"Sweetheart, I just need you to come home as soon as you can get away. Everything is going to be okay," I winced, as did my father. We both knew that this was a flat out lie.
"Alright, Edward. Let me go talk to Kristen, who is the person I'm writing this story with, and see if I can slip out a few hours early. I will call you when I'm in a cab on the way home, okay?" she said calmly. I was thankful that she knew me so well.
"That sounds perfect, thank you Bella. I'll see you soon. I love you,"
"I love you too Edward. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye". With that, she hung up the phone.
Bella called about ten minutes later to inform me that she was in a cab on her way home. Five minutes after that, she burst into the apartment, and her look of concern escalated to full-scale panic when she saw Carlisle sitting on our couch. She looked to me for answers. I pulled her into my arms and led her into the living room. I sat her down on the loveseat that was adjacent to the couch where my father was sitting. I kept her in my arms.
"Bella, I promise to tell you the story, but in order for me to do that, I have to start at the beginning to give you a little background. Just please be patient with me, and wait until I have completely finished telling you the story before you respond, okay?" She nodded in agreement. I looked to my father, who encouraged me to begin with a nod.
How do you tell your fiancée that her mother is dying?
"I went into work today and was put on duty in the cancer wing of the hospital. I was reviewing a few charts to prepare for rounds when one of the nurses handed me another chart, informing me that she had a patient on the floor that had requested me specifically. It was weird to me, because I am an intern, it's rare for me to be stationed in the same place for more than a day. I was curious, so I checked the chart, and was completely taken aback by the name. It was Renee, Bella," I said Renee's name slowly, pausing the story to be sure Bella was following. She looked scared and confused, so I continued. Well, at least I tried to continue. Was it my place to inform Bella of her mother? I looked to my father, hoping he'd know what I was asking. He nodded.
"Bella, baby, your mother has cancer. She's had it for awhile now…" she didn't let me get any further.
"No!" she yelled, jumping up off the couch and out of my arms. I winced. I knew I was not breaking this to her right, but what was the right way? She ran out of the room and into our bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I looked at my father, but he didn't look alarmed. He sighed.
"Edward, you did the best you could. Give her a few minutes, and then go talk to her. I'm going to head to the hospital and see about running a few tests, and I'll wait for Phil. The four of us will have a conference about how to proceed. I have rights at this hospital, so I'll talk to Dr. O'Neil and Dr. Whitekettle about handling Phil and Bella. I know them so they will be more comfortable discussing Renee with me." He told me calmly. I was glad one of us was able to stay calm. He rested his hand on my shoulder on his way out as I walked him to the door.
"You did a good job today, son. I'm very proud of you." He said with pride. I couldn't help but smile.
"Thanks dad. And thank you for thinking ahead to fly out here to be with us. I can't tell you how much it means. To both of us." He nodded, smiling sadly.
"Your mother will be here later. Bella will need her." He said confidently. I hugged my father tightly.
"Thank you so much, dad."
"You're welcome. Go take care of Bella now. I'll see you two soon. And Edward? Be kind to her. If she snaps, don't take it personally." He said sadly. I nodded.
Once he'd left, I went to our bedroom, but stood in front of the door again and a sick sensation of déjà vu flooded over me. I shook the memories of this morning out of my head and knocked once before entering the room. The sight of Bella broke my heart. She was curled up in our bed in the fetal position crying. I rushed to her side, sitting beside her. I pulled her into my arms the best that I could and held her tightly, listening to her sobs slowly subside.
"Edward…what did I do? What did I deserve to have both my parents in such bad shape? I don't understand…" she sobbed into my chest, clutching my shirt in her tiny fists. I tightened my grip around her.
"Bella, you did not do anything. Things like this happen. Life happens." I assured her. I'd forgotten for a moment that I hadn't actually told her that her mother had been refusing treatment.
"Did you see her file, Edward?" she asked, calmer now. She said up slightly in my arms, and I moved so that we were more comfortable. I had my back against the headboard, and Bella was between my legs, sitting against my chest.
"I did." I confirmed, not wanting to say anymore.
"Please tell me," she pleaded with me, turning in my arms so that she could look into my eyes. "Edward I know it must be bad if your father is here. Please just tell me. Put me out of my misery." She begged, tears spilling down her face again. I took a deep breath.
I had to do this. Rip off the band-aid.
"Love, your mother has been very sick for a long time," I told her, cupping her face in my hands, keeping my eyes locked on hers. "she knew back when Charlie was sick, and was too afraid to tell anyone. She didn't want to take the attention away from Charlie. Phil doesn't even know." Her eyes widened at that.
"How did she manage-?" she asked, unable to finish the question.
"She didn't. She's refused treatment". I said quickly. Her jaw dropped, eyes growing wide. She didn't cry like I expected, she was furious.
"What?! What the hell do you mean she's been refusing treatment?! It has been YEARS Edward. YEARS. How the hell is that possible?" She'd broken away from my hold and was pacing around our bedroom. I took a deep breath.
"Love, when I found out, I went to speak to my boss. After speaking with her, I knew I couldn't just tell you, I'd need to get around the confidentiality laws. I didn't want to keep this from you. I explained the situation, and he had a psych consult done. They've determined that she is not in the mental state to make this decision for herself, so they've notified you and Phil. The doctors ran some tests and Carlisle is looking over the results of those now. The four of us are going to have a meeting to discuss possible next steps. The point is, you and Phil will decide her course of treatment, not her." I told her, hoping that might comfort her. It didn't. She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head, trying to rid herself of the tears that were threatening to spill. I wanted to take her back into my arms, but I stayed where I was on the bed. I knew that she needed to process this. It was a lot to take in.
"She lied to me, Edward," she whispered in agony, slipping to the floor. I climbed out of bed to sit beside her.
"I know, love," I soothed, kissing her forehead. She looked up at me then.
"Thank you for telling me the truth, Edward. I know you wanted to edit, but just…thank you." She said sincerely. I nodded and took her hand.
"Alright, let's go down to the hospital and figure this out. Phil should be here soon."
I knew that no matter happened next, Bella and I would have each other.