I've got a few chapters of this with my beta, who is working through both these fics and MatM, so as I get them back I will post them. But the cushion means I can figure out where to take this next section with a little breathing room.
Thank you all for the reviews, I enjoy reading them as they come in, especially on a writing day like today, and to my girls, who support me and clean up my words. Mizzdee does the honors on these, and ACW talks me off the ledge while I'm writing a Carlisle and Esme only a mother could love, because we're all a little mad at them right now. I promise they will get put in their place.
Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 28
I woke up to Bella tugging on my hand, looking up to see detectives from yesterday standing in the room. I sat up as they addressed Bella.
"Ms. Swan, it is good to see you awake. I'm Detective Santiago, and this is my partner, Detective Tanner, we're here to ask you some questions about your attack."
Bella looked between the detectives and then reached out for me again, asking without words for my support, which I gave by holding her hand.
"Thank you for your cooperation yesterday, Mr. Cullen. We were able to get your information from your phone company for those messages and corroborated that you were traveling to New York at the time of the attack," Detective Tanner said.
"Was Edward a suspect?" she asked, the shock clear in her voice.
"It is standard procedure to rule out those closest to you and then move from there. We were able to get some DNA evidence from your rings that must have caught your attacker during the struggle, but so far we haven't matched it to anyone in the system. What would really help would be to know what happened leading up to the attack so we can see what that might help us to discover. Because as of right now none of your credit cards have been charged, and your cell phone is off. Not even the Volvo has shown up, so we are looking at very little evidence," Detective Santiago explained.
I listened as she described the attack for them while they took down her statement, describing the men she hadn't really been able to see and then telling them about the jewelry that they hadn't known was missing. Once they gave her the police report and left, she turned to me with tears in her eyes.
"Edward, I'm so sorry. All those beautiful gifts you've given me, and your car…you loved that thing enough to drive it across country instead of selling it in Chicago and starting new."
I was a little shocked that she was more worried about those possessions than her safety, but I quickly set about making her feel better. "Bella, I'll get a new car, and if you want me to re-buy those gifts, I will gladly do it. Or I can get you new things to replace them?"
"No, I loved the meaning behind those gifts. I just feel bad that you have to spend the money twice," she said.
"I will gladly spend the money to see you happy. I'll call Garrett and see if he wants to grab lunch and do some shopping with me. I know that he'll be worried about you, and it will give you a chance to visit with your family while they're here," I offered.
"I'd like that. I don't know how long my dad will be able to stay away from work, and Leah has a lot to get done before she goes to training for her next deployment," she told me.
"All right. I will find out when they're coming by and then I'll call Garrett," I said. A knock at the door caught our attention.
"Hope we're not too early?" Sue asked.
"Not at all, I was going to pick up some things so you could visit with Bella for a while, so I will just call my friend Garrett and see if he wants to come along." I got up and kissed her forehead, vacating the chair so Sue or Charlie could sit there. I looked to see if Leah was behind Charlie after he entered, but Charlie answered the unasked question.
"We gave that girl who was at your house a break so she could go to Angela's place and then come visit later. Leah is watching your kids."
"Heaven help, Rosalie," Bella teased.
Stepping out of the room, I pulled out my phone and dialed Garrett's number.
"Hey, Edward, how was your trip to the Windy City?" Garrett asked.
"Fine, but that's not why I'm calling. I need some help and I don't have a car so I was hoping you were free."
"Sure, Boss. Want me to pick you up at the house?"
"No, I'm out at New York Hospital Queens, in Flushing," I explained.
"Shit, is everything okay with Bella and the kids?" His concern was genuine, something I appreciated about Garrett. He was a jokester, but he was also a loyal friend when I needed him.
"It will be. I'll explain everything on the way, but right now I need to find out where we're starting this search. Call me when you get here and I'll meet you outside."
While I waited for Garrett to make the trip out, I called home and spoke to Leah, telling her that I was going to be sending a locksmith out to take care of the front door since Bella's keys were stolen and then made the call to the locksmith, explaining what was needed and that Leah was authorized to sign for it.
Looking up Volvo dealerships, I found a large one on Long Island, and it was only fifteen minutes from a little shopping center that had a Tiffany's and a Michael Kors boutique so it seemed a good choice. When Garrett got to the hospital, I gave him the information for the car dealership first, knowing that would be the biggest trial for the day.
Getting into his car, I told him the story of what happened to Bella and how I found out, straight through to Esme and Carlisle's firing of Bella.
"That's insane, Edward. But you can't worry about them right now, focus on Bella and her recovery and the new life you're building together. They can't hold onto this anger forever and they'll come around. Just don't force it."
Agreeing with him, we headed to the dealership, which was exactly what I needed. Pulling into the parking lot, I'd barely made it in the door before a young woman greeted me. When I explained that I was looking to get an XC90, she showed me to the models they had on the floor before going to get a salesman.
John walked up a few minutes later, asking what exactly I was looking for. "I had a 2010 XC90, but my fiancée was carjacked yesterday and they got away with the car. I loved that car and would really like to get the new model."
Smiling, he brought me over to one of the XC90s and started showing me the different features that were optional, trying to gauge what packages were important to me. It took a while to weed through what was actually needed and to select the lighter blue metallic color instead of the black that my old SUV had been.
With the add-ons they didn't have anything on premises, but John was able to find one in Virginia. "They'll need to add on a few things, but it can be here by next weekend. I'm sorry that it will take that long, but with the transport on that particular model in that color it's the best I can do. If you went with the dark blue or the silver it would be midweek, but that's your decision."
"Next weekend is fine, John. I work during the week and it isn't far from my house at all so I normally walk the distance, and my fiancée is in a cast, so I doubt she'll be driving right away."
"All right, let's just get the paperwork together and we'll have the order put in for that car." John gestured towards his desk.
"You love saying that, don't you?" Garrett asked as we wandered over.
"Saying what?" I asked as we sat down. John was busy pulling everything up for the contract, so we had a few minutes to bullshit.
"My fiancée," he said dreamily, his tone mocking.
"I'll like it better when I'm calling her wife." I winked. "Trust me, when you get knocked on your ass by love, you'll be the same way. By the time I was twenty-five, Tanya was about to be pregnant with Jasper."
"Yeah, well, you scooped up the best prospect in Manhattan. I waded through my fair share of vapid girls in college and when I first got the job at Clearwater. I'm ready for a woman who can carry on a conversation that doesn't revolve around 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' and all that crap. Find me someone I can spoil a little without expecting it because I make good money, and who is passionate about something real. That's what I want, and until I meet that, I'm not going to wade through every bar in the Village to a chorus of 'Woo's' from a bunch of chicks who got white-girl wasted on a Wednesday with nothing to celebrate."
"That's a pretty impassioned speech," I commented.
"It's how I feel," he responded.
John finished up and got me everything to sign, sending me on my way. Remembering that I needed to contact the insurance company, I made that call as Garrett drove to the Americana Manhasset. I was still on the phone with the agent when we pulled up, explaining that we had a copy of the police report on the carjacking and that it was my fiancée driving at the time.
"If you can fax us the police report we can complete the claim and the waiting period for the car to be found is two weeks. We can set you up with a rental car until then if you like," the agent said.
"I've actually already begun the process of buying a new car, so that won't be necessary. The detectives we've spoken to seem to have little faith that they'll find either the car, or the men that did this, so I wanted to order the car as soon as possible since it will take a week to get here."
"Very well, send us that information and we will get back to you if we need anything else."
Stepping out of the car, I looked up at the impressive façade of the shopping center. "And I thought Manhattan was bad, holy shit is this place designed for the uber rich."
"Welcome to the Gold Coast," Garrett teased as we stepped into Tiffany's.
The saleswoman there was very helpful, finding the rings and necklace I needed quickly, but as she was collecting the items something else caught my eye. A large link charm bracelet that was delicate enough not to draw too much attention, but substantial enough to not break because the links were tiny.
"See something else, Mr. Cullen?" the woman asked.
"Yes, can I get that bracelet and can I see any New York related charms?"
Looking at the selection, I chose an apple and had her add it to the beginning of the bracelet. With everything boxed up, I paid and then asked where the Michael Kors shop was.
"It's on the back side of the next grouping of stores. It's the corner store so you can't miss it," she explained as I thanked her and left.
Michael Kors was another store where I was immediately stopped and asked what I needed. Telling them about Bella's watch first, the girls shuffled off to find it while I looked at the purses. I had always bought Bella things from Tiffany, but the muted tones of these bags might be something she would appreciate. Finding one that was stitched with a diamond pattern that made it look quilted, I asked the girl who got me the watch if they had a matching wallet and when she showed it to me, and I added both to my purchase.
We also stopped by a Verizon store, and I was able to get her the Galaxy S5 with a new number on my plan, but since it had to go through insurance, the phone was being shipped to the house on Monday.
With everything taken care of, I was ready to head back to Bella. It had been a long morning and afternoon away, so after conceding to eat with Garrett since hospital food was notoriously bad, we headed to the hospital so I could show Bella her new gifts.
"Tell Bella to take care and I'll see her soon," Garrett said as he drove off to enjoy the rest of his weekend.
Calling Sue before going in, she told me they'd gotten tickets for Monday night, since Charlie and Leah had to get back home. I told them that if for some reason Bella wasn't home by then I'd take good care of her and let them know as soon as she was released.
I entered her room only to see Angela, Ben, and Samantha getting ready to leave. I thanked Sam for helping with the kids, and then settled into my chair to tell Bella about her family flying out Monday and show her the things I'd bought.
"Everything else I bought from Tiffany is to replace what was stolen or taken into evidence, but this I saw and thought it would be something fun."
She cracked open the box with the charm bracelet in it, smiling down at it. "I thought we could start with the city where we fell in love, and I could get you charms for special occasions."
"I love it, Edward," she said.
"Okay, now this was something I saw when I was shopping for your watch, and I thought you might like a change."
She continued to smile as she opened the purse and I explained the phone I ordered and the locksmith that had already been to the house. We talked about her cancelling her cards and then I told her about the car, adding in details about my day with Garrett until she was laughing so hard her ribs hurt.
Bella somehow managed to convince me to go home tonight after her scan results came back. A few hours later the doctors sounded sure that she would be fine to go home tomorrow, barring anything coming up on her last set of scans, so I reluctantly left and hailed a cab that was willing to drive all the way into Manhattan.
I got home and saw Leah sitting in the living room, thanking her for everything she'd done that day as she handed me the keys. "By the way, the guy gave you a military discount since I'm a marine. Seems he's ex-army, so after we got to talking he was more than happy to help."
"Thanks, Leah," I said. I knew that Bella hadn't ordered dressers for us, so I went online and found the website I'd told her about and ordered a pair of standing dressers that would fit in the space that could be delivered on Tuesday. I knew the men would put them in place and I could either ask Charlie to help me move the old one, or have her tip the guys well to put it in the basement.
With that last task taken care of, I let Major out for his last potty break and then checked on the kids before turning in myself.
Bella had been right, the night spent in my bed had done wonders, even if I wasn't pleased about not being with her. I woke up refreshed and waited for Jared to call and say he was outside, because I had a few questions to ask him.
"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," Jared said as he opened the door.
"Morning, Jared," I said. I waited until he was on his way to the hospital before I asked. "Did my brother or sister-in-law call to change the arrangements for driving the kids to school?"
"The only change they made was that the kids should be dropped off at home instead of here, but it's still me driving all four of them. Why? Was there something else that needed to be arranged?"
"No, they took care of it that was all I wanted to know." Happy that at least the kids would still see each other, it was something, no matter how small a concession.
The morning was hectic with the various hospital staff checking Bella, but thankfully she was released and I was able to call Jared from where he'd been parked since two when I had asked him to be on call for her release.
Jared expressed his joy that Bella was safe and doing better as we headed back to the city. I got her up to the front door and as soon as Bella was sitting on the couch the family swarmed around her. You couldn't make out what was being said as the kids were talking over everyone else, but a sound from the stairs silenced the room.
"You said dinner was at five-thirty, right?" Rosalie asked Sue.
"Yes, Rosalie, you're right on time."
Dinner was stilted, Rosalie and I purposely ignoring each other, but after dinner Bella seemed intent of ending the standoff.
"Where are you going?" I asked when she moved to the elevator.
"To talk to Rosalie, because this is ridiculous. I understand you're upset, but you can't throw up a wall where she's concerned."
I waited impatiently for Bella to return, and when she did, she asked, "After we put the kids to bed, can we talk?"
It was a few hours later before we got the chance, but as soon as we were in our own bed, I asked, "What's wrong, Bella?"
"I had an interesting conversation with Rosalie tonight and I wanted to tell you about it, but I don't want you to get upset."
"What did she say?" I questioned.
"Your divorce brought up some issues for her and I don't think she ever discussed them with the therapist you hired in Chicago. The women's wellness center where my doctors are have a few psychologists and I think maybe we should try to get her in there to talk to one of them. It will be easier for her since it is all female patients, and if we have her start going to one of the general practitioners there as well as a gynecologist-"
The mention of a gynecologist had me seeing red. "You expect me to condone her relationship with this little bastard? Didn't you say he went to a different school?"
"The patch looked like the one for Regis, which is a Catholic high school uptown, but that isn't the point. I know you don't want to hear this, but she's growing up and you should talk to Tanya about it. If she's having sex, you aren't going to stop her, but you can keep her safe. Even if she isn't having sex, she's at the age where it can help her with other feminine issues."
Remembering a conversation with Tanya that I'd brushed off at the time, I relented. "Tanya may have mentioned something about it a few weeks ago, but I wasn't ready for it yet, but now…I don't want to be a grandpa at thirty-six, you know?"
"Okay, so I'll take her down there when I can get an appointment for her to see them all in one day," she said.
"What else did she say?"
"Before I tell you that, I had an idea, so please think about it for a minute," she said and I sighed.
"Why are you acting like I'm unreasonable?" I asked.
"I don't think that, but this is my first time actively acting like a parent in this house, because you put that ring on my finger and I'm going to be a stepmom someday, so I want to ease you into me trying to co-parent."
"That reminds me, I need to get your ring back out so you can put it on," I said hoping to delay the more serious part of this conversation.
"Since I'm moving into this room, I was thinking of maybe turning Alice's room into my office, so it's all on this floor."
"Where would Alice go?" he questioned.
"I thought she could take Rosalie's room, and Rosalie could have the loft up on the fourth floor."
"You want to reward her bad behavior?" I didn't think it was a good idea to give her more space and freedom when she hadn't earned it yet, but I was willing to listen to Bella's thought process.
"No, but she shares a floor with her nine year-old brother right now, with a playroom as the common area. I was thinking if we give her a little freedom within the house and she doesn't abuse it, then you can show her that you are trying to give her a chance to show she's an adult. If she's helping me the next six to eight weeks while I'm in this cast, it would be a nice reward, and it could be my birthday present for her. That's coming up in May, right?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "Okay, if it means that much to you, and she's willing to help with the redecorating, then I'll go along with it. But it has to be you, because Esme isn't going to be much help."
"Esme can't even look at me. They don't know we're engaged because they didn't stay long enough to find out, and she's pissed enough that I don't think they'll come to the wedding, or let the girls be a part of it. It's hard, after being in their lives for the last three years." It hurt to hear how much their treatment of her was costing them, because they had been her family for so long.
"They'll come around in time, Love," I whispered. "Was there anything else?"
"I know why Rosalie is so angry about the divorce," she said.
"What did she tell you?"
"She thinks you married Tanya because she was pregnant with her, and that you didn't really love them."
"How can I be so bad of a father that none of my children know that they mean the world to me?" I was lost. I thought I had shown them how much I cared, but both Jasper and now Rosalie were clueless to how much I loved them.
"I think you just need to be more open with them. You've been trying to be strong for them for so long that they don't get to see the softer side. Talk to her without it turning into a screaming match. There aren't secrets between you anymore, so hopefully you two can finally start being father and daughter again, instead of adversaries." Bella's way of seeing things was so refreshing and it was true, I had to find a way to be Rosalie's dad again, learning what she liked so we could share them.
"I love you, Bella. Thank you for putting up with all of this bullshit. I promise that it will get better," I swore.
"I know it will," she said, settling carefully into bed so she could fall asleep.
