A/N: Yo yo yo! Sorry again for the delay - I'm a terrible person. Actually, no I'm not. I'm just easily distracted and super busy getting ready for my mom and brother to come visit, and blah blah blah. I dont' know if I'm ever gonna be the kind of author who can update as regularly as others. But if you love me, you love every part of me - delays and all.

I don't own Twilight. Hell, I haven't even seen Eclipse yet!

Chapter 28

BPOV

I awoke a few hours later hearing the strangest sounds in my ear - a sort of churning and gurgling sound. After a moment of confusion, I realized that my head was lying on Carlisle's stomach, which was loudly announcing that it was hungry.

Careful not to disturb him, I slid out of my bed, quickly slipped on my cream-colored satin robe, and headed for the kitchen. I smiled as I passed the white teddy bear still sitting on the couch, but then had to stop and do a double-take. I hadn't noticed before, but apparently Carlisle had arranged it so that the bear was holding the TV remote in its paws and it looked like he was channel surfing or something.

How cute!

I made my way into the kitchen and began rummaging around for something to make for dinner. I found a bag of frozen mushroom ravioli with cream sauce, and all the ingredients to make a salad. It felt like such a small gesture compared to all he had done for me, but it felt nice to do something without assistance.

Soon, the pasta was simmering, the salad had been prepared, and I had even found a box of Oreo cookies - Double Stuf - in the pantry, just waiting to be eaten.

A gourmet meal, it wasn't - but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I knew Carlisle would still appreciate it.

I was just about to go wake him up, when he came padding into the kitchen, shirtless and wearing a pair of those low-slung, sexy hospital scrub pants.

Maybe we should just skip dinner.

"Something smells good," he smiled at me before giving me a quick kiss.

"It's just mushroom ravioli and a salad," I laughed. "No big deal."

"Awww, look at you - making me dinner when it's MY job to be taking care of you."

I rolled my eyes, but returned his kiss with one on the cheek. "Hardy har har. You act like I'm a quadriplegic or something."

"No such thing!" he protested, pulling the lid off the pan to take a whiff of the pasta. "I just don't want you trying to do too much too soon."

"Well, I won't know what I can or can't do until I try, right?" I blushed slightly as I remembered needing Carlisle's uhh, assistance earlier that afternoon.

He must have noticed, because he gave my nose a flick with his finger and said, "I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you. But just out of curiosity - how did you manage to chop up the lettuce? That couldn't have been an easy task."

"Are you serious?" I laughed. "Haven't you ever heard of salad in a bag? Did you think I took the time to shred the cabbage and carrots as well?"

"I guess I didn't think that one through." He grinned at me and stuffed a leaf into his mouth.

"And you call yourself a professor..." I teased.

After we were finished eating, Carlisle insisted on washing the dishes all on his own. I couldn't really argue with him, what with being disabled and all.

So while he was cleaning up, I used the opportunity to pop something special into the DVD player. I then stretched out on my couch and picked up the giant white teddy bear to give it a squeeze. To test it out, I rolled over onto my side and wrapped an arm around him, drawing him close to my chest. He was wonderfully soft and squishy. While it would never substitute for Carlisle, I figured it was perfectly acceptable to hug in his absence.

I smiled to myself and figured he needed a name. I thought through a few possibilites before it finally came to me. "I shall call you...Emmett," I announced.

"That sounds like a good name for a bear," Carlisle replied, walking into the living room.

"You think so?" I said, sitting up so he could sit down.

"Sure. Why not?" He slid in next to me, and I snuggled into his warm embrace. His hands gently caressed my arms and shoulders, and I turned to plant a kiss on his neck.

"Want to watch a DVD?" I asked.

"Sure."

I hit 'play' on the remote and waited for his reaction.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, hell no!" he cried.

"You promised!"

"No way, you let me out of that promise, remember?"

"Oh, come on - an episode or two of Gilmore Girls won't hurt you!"

"Let's not test that theory," he said dryly.

I turned and gave him my saddest puppy-dog eyes. "Please? It'll make my hands feel better..."

"That is just low."

I didn't respond, and instead allowed my lower lip to quiver ever so slightly.

"Stop it!"

But I wouldn't let up. I blinked back a few pretend tears and lowered my head.

"Fine!" Exasperated, he covered his face with his hands.

I threw my arms around him and pressed my head against his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You'll like it, I swear!"

"I seriously doubt that, but let's hurry up and get this over with."

I giggled and hit 'play' again to select the first episode, and then gave him a big wet one on the lips.

He shook his head at me. "You're terrible, you know that, right?"

I picked up his arm and wrapped it over my shoulders. "I know, but you love me anyway."

He sighed dramatically as the opening scene of "Concert Interruptus" began to play.

Ahh, sweet, sweet victory.

Three episodes later, I figured Carlisle had had enough.

I hit the 'stop' button and turned to look him in the eyes.

"So...whaddya think?"

He ran his fingers through his thick blond hair and wrinkled his nose. "It's never going to replace Monday Night Football, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"See! I told you so!" I said triumphantly.

"No, you said I'd like it - there's a difference."

"You'll learn to love it."

"Don't bet on it."

I leaned in and kissed him softly. "We'll see."

He smiled and rolled his eyes at me, but gave me a kiss in return, snatching the remote out of my lap. "Can we watch some real TV now?"

"Whatever you want, babe." I giggled.

He started flipping through the channels, pausing every now and then to see if the program was acceptable before settling on an old episode of House.

We had just made it to the 2nd commercial break when my cell phone began to ring.

Alarmed, I looked at Carlisle with wide eyes.

"Edward," we said at the same time.

My pulse began to quicken as I stood up to get to my phone, which was still in my bedroom. Angela sure worked fast.

I reluctantly pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

"Oh, thank God!" I yelled. "Carlisle, it's just my mom!"

He yelled something back that I couldn't quite make out, but it sounded sort of like, "Praise Jesus!"

I flipped the phone open.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, sweetheart! How are you? I haven't talked to you in awhile."

"I know. I'm fine, but ummm...actually, I do have some things to tell you..."

I really should have talked to my mom sooner, but she had always been a worrier - making any small incident into a bigger deal than it needed to be. So although I left out the parts about Carlisle, she was understandably upset to hear about my accident and that Angela and I were not on good terms.

"Honey, who's taking care of you? You can't possibly be able to do everything on your own."

"I'm fine, mom. Really. Don't worry about me." I tried to reassure her.

"Maybe I should come out there - I don't like the idea of you being all alone."

"I just said I'm fine."

But she wasn't listening. "I could probably catch a red-eye tonight," she continued.

"You don't have to do that!" I protested quickly.

"It's no problem, really. Phil could probably use a little time to himself, anyway."

I took a deep breath. "Mom, I should tell you something else."

That caught her off-guard. "Okay..." she said after a short pause.

"You don't need to come out to take care of me, because I'm already being taken care of by...someone else."

Another pause. "Who?"

"A...'friend.'"

"A 'friend,'" she repeated. "What kind of 'friend?'"

Crap. My mom knew me far too well to know when I was lying. "Well, I guess he's not a friend, exactly."

"And how long has 'he' NOT been a friend?" she prodded.

"A couple weeks?" I hemmed. "A little less, maybe?"

"I see."

"I'm sorry - I should have told you about him sooner, but it's been...complicated." My voice sounded rushed, even to me.

"I take it, it's serious, then?"

"For me - yes."

"And for him?"

"I think so."

She didn't say anything for a moment. "Well, then I guess if you're happy, I'm happy for you, sweetheart. But I do wish you'd told me - you know how I hate feeling out of the loop. So...how did the two of you meet?"

I smiled as I remembered our first encounter. "I was working at the library when I ran into him. Literally, ran into him."

Peals of my mother's laughter rang through the phone. I'd always loved the sound of her laugh. "That sounds like your m.o., alright. Who knew that it'd land you a man?"

I giggled with her. "I know, right?"

"So, what's he like?"

"He's amazing, mom. He's funny, caring, thoughtful, smart, romantic, criminally handsome...he's everything I've ever wanted." If I'd have been talking to my mom in person, she would have seen the crimson hue now spreading through my cheeks. I knew she was going to grill me about Carlisle. She'd done so with any guy that we had discussed - from Edward to any passing "date" I might have had in the past.

"What's he studying? Is he an English major like you?"

It was my turn to pause. I sat down on my bed and began absently playing with a leftover rose petal.

"Well, he was a music major, but he uh, graduated."

"A music major - wow. Is he in a band?"

I crushed the petal between my fingers. "Not exactly. He teaches music - he's, he's a professor here."

"A professor?" she said, confused. "You're dating a professor?"

"Yes," I almost whispered.

"But isn't that...against the rules or something?"

"Mom, he's not MY professor, and it's not like it's a felony or anything."

"That's not the point, Bella. Most schools have policies about this kind of thing. You have to be careful - I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know. I don't want to see Carlisle get hurt either."

"Carlisle? Is that his name?"

"Uh huh."

"And just how old is Carlisle?"

I furrowed my brow. It occurred to me that I never had asked him how old he was. "I'm actually not sure. In his 30's, I think."

My mother let out a breath. "Well, that's a relief!"

"A relief?"

"Well, when you said he was a professor and that his name was Carlisle, I started imagining a 300 year old British man with a daddy complex."

"Mo-om!" I groaned. "Gross!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it!"

"I think you know me better than that!"

"But still...so anyway, what does this Carlisle look like?"

"A movie star. He's blond with blue eyes, and has a smile that makes me weak in my knees. He's tall, but not too tall - VERY physically fit..." I trailed off.

"Are you being safe?"

I nearly choked. "What?"

"Are you being safe?"

"I, I don't even know how to respond to that."

"Bella, you aren't a little girl anymore. If you feel that you're mature enough to date older men in their 30's, then you should be mature enough to let me know that I don't need to worry about the decisions you're making."

"Fine," I sighed. "Yes, mom. I am being safe. You put me on the pill when I turned 16, remember? Now can we please drop it?"

Thankfully, she did drop it after that. We chatted for a little while longer about things like my next doctor's appointment and stuff going on in my mother's life. Before we hung up though, she warned me to be careful one more time.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, sweetheart."

"I know, and I appreciate it. I'll try to keep you more informed from now on."

"Thanks, hon. Have a good night, and I'll talk to you later."

"Sounds good. Goodnight, mom."

"Bye, sweetie."

I snapped the phone shut and flopped backwards onto my bed. I loved my mother, I really did - but sometimes, it was exhausting to talk to her. I know she had these ideas of us being best friends, hence the whole "safety" talk. In fact, we'd first had "the talk" when I was 12 years old. I had been mortified to hear the words "penis" and "vagina" coming out of her mouth, but in hindsight, I was glad that she had been so open about the topic. I knew I could tell her anything; it's just that I usually didn't want to.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock on my door jamb, and I looked up to see Emmett's head poking around and waving a paw at me.

"Can I come in?" a high-pitched voice asked.

"Of course." I had to laugh as Carlisle walked Emmett through the air toward me. "My two favorite boys," I said holding my arms up.

Carlisle placed Emmett on one side of my body and lay down next to me on the other. I wrapped my arms around both of them and smiled.

"Everything okay?" Carlisle asked, his voice back to normal.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I pretty much told my mom everything. She took it...rather well."

He draped one of his arms across my abdomen and gave me a squeeze. "What did she say?"

"She said she was happy for me...and, of course, to be careful."

"Did you tell her about Angela?"

"I didn't tell her what our fight was about, if that's what you're asking. But she knows that things aren't good between us." I rolled onto my side so that I was facing him. "Carlisle, we have to think of a plan. I don't want to wait for Angela to make a move before we decide what to do."

He frowned in thought for a moment. "I guess you're right, and I don't really want to wait either. But let's not waste tonight planning it - Angela isn't going to be able to do anything this quickly." I felt him reach between our bodies until he found the soft ties of my robe. "I want tonight to be just about us." His voice grew quiet as he began to do undo the belt, exposing my soft flesh to him.

I wanted to argue. Tell him that we shouldn't put this off. But I caught a flash of something in his eyes that stopped me. They were full of desire and hunger, I was sure, but for a fleeting moment, there was something else there as well. Was it resignation or sadness? I couldn't be sure, but it made me slightly nervous.

I didn't really have time to think about it though as I closed my eyes and began to disintegrate under his touch.

A/N: For those of you who have asked whether or not I will ever do a chapter from Carlisle's POV, please head over to my profile to take a quick poll. Thanks!

Oh, and big ups to StormDragonfly and uhyesplease for all their help. I forgot to thank them in the last chapter - probably because I ate paint chips as a small child.