Chapter 29: Feliz Navidad

"I think we got her too many toys," I said, staring at the mountain of Christmas gifts for Little One that Bella and I had to wrap. "Oh, and clothes."

Bella laughed, and I was tapped on the head with rolls of wrapping paper before she sat down beside me. "I'll take blame for the clothes, but we both know the toys were all you," she said.

I smirked, remembering our trip to the toy store. Yeah, I may have had some fun there, actually. Bella wound up embarrassed by me because, you know, I had to test some of the shit out for Little One. She wouldn't be able to use some of the toys right away — like the ladybug ride-on toy — but I highly doubted she'd care. There were tons of toys here that she could play with now.

I went a little overboard, but it was her first Christmas, after all.

"So, where the hell do we start?" I asked.

Bella bit her lip, thinking as she surveyed the pile. "The big toys first, I guess. We can put the clothes and smaller ones a few to a box. You know she's probably only going to care about the paper and bows, right?"

I laughed. "Knowing her, yeah."

I fucking sucked at wrapping, but thankfully, Little One wouldn't care about presentation. I was honestly looking forward to Christmas morning and helping her tear at the wrapping paper as she squealed in delight.

When we had taken her to see Santa at the hospital a few days ago, she decided that, like Charlie's mustache, Santa's beard needed to be pulled. The kid wasn't really afraid of strangers, like most babies were. She soaked up the attention they gave her, and Santa — or Tom, one of the orderlies — gave her plenty. It was hilarious as she babbled, making conversation with him. She waved as we left and yelled bye — her newest word.

Bella and I finished wrapping at one in the morning, and then put the gifts back in the closet out of sight. When she got in bed with me, I rolled over and pinned her down as my lips grazed over her neck, kissing her softly. We hadn't had much time together recently. I was back on night shifts one week out of the month, and her month had been filled with getting the kids in her class ready for some play. By the time she had been getting home and everything done around here, she was exhausted. Last week we were at Charlie's, helping him set up his tree since it was always something he and Bella had done together, so I missed being with her.

"I love you, Nibbles," I said, smirking as I pulled back and noticed her lip between her teeth.

She blushed, smiling. "I love you, too."

I kissed her lips, moving my hand up her top to her breast. She moaned, arching into my touch as I ran my thumb over her nipple. "I've missed you so fucking much," I whispered.

She placed her hands against my face, pulling me back to her eagerly. Apparently, she missed me, too. In a matter of moments, our clothes were off and I was parting her legs, thrusting my hips into hers. Her fingers dug into my back as she moaned for me to go faster, deeper.

Her body was perfect in every way, and I fucking loved the feel of her wrapped around me. It wasn't slow and romantic, but being together was so damn perfect. It didn't take long for her to come as my fingers rubbed her clit, and I wasn't far behind her.

She fell onto my chest, panting softly as I caressed her lower back. "I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow," she said. "We could just stay up all night, doing this." She lifted her head, and I found a beautiful smirk.

"I should be sick," I said, faking a cough.

She laughed, moving her lips against mine. "Well, I'm not too tired yet."

I flipped her over, pinning her down again as I ran my lips along her neck. "Me either."

. . . . .

Even though I had Christmas off, I had to work until midnight on Christmas eve. It. Sucked. Ass. We were completely dead and all the patients on the surgical floor were stable, so I had to go down and work in the ER. Normally, I wouldn't have minded it, but I missed spending the evening with Bella and Little One, even though my kid didn't know it was Christmastime.

Plus, the holidays seemed to bring out the drunks, so I had my hands full trying to stitch up some moron's head that didn't know what the fuck was going on. Yeah, I really wished I was at home.

"All right, I'm done," I said, pulling off my gloves and tossing them on the tray. "Let him sober up, and then get him out of here."

The nurse nodded. "Of course, Dr. Cullen."

I left the exam room for the nurses' station, finding cookies on the counter. Well, that helped a little. But they weren't Bella's, which were currently sitting in my kitchen. After writing up my orders and downing a cookie, I ran my hands over my face and sighed.

"It's different when you have a family at home waiting for you, isn't it?" Siobhan, one of the veteran nurses said. She had been here for . . . fuck, since I was a kid. "You were fine with working last Christmas."

I shrugged. "I miss my kid, I guess. I mean, she's probably asleep by now, but Bella was going to turn on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for her. I'm sure she laughed and clapped at the songs, even though she couldn't understand it."

She smiled, grabbing the cookie tin and handing it to me. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"What about you? Are you here all night?"

"Yes, I am." She nodded. "My daughter and her little boy are spending Christmas with her in-laws, so it's not like I'm missing anything."

I knew her husband had died a few years ago, and I felt bad for her. She had always been so nice to me when I was younger and would come watch my dad work. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Besides, this way the younger nurses can spend time with their families. What time do you get out of here?"

I looked at my watch. "Midnight, so I only have two hours left."

"Well, that's good. You'll be there to help . . . Sofia, right?" she asked and I nodded. "You'll be there to help Sofia unwrap presents."

I laughed, remembering the pile. "We kind of spoiled her. It'll probably take a while for her to get through them, and then we still have to go to my parent's house tomorrow evening. Hey, have you seen her?"

She nodded. "Your dad brought her down a while back, but I'd love to see her again."

I took out my phone and showed off all the pictures and even videos I had of Little One. Siobhan loved them and laughed at me for some of the videos. While I was showing her, I got a text from Bella of Little One in her Christmas onesie — that Bella picked out, of course. She looked so fucking adorable in the Rudolph jumpsuit.

Eventually, the radio signaled an incoming patient, and I finally got to do something worthwhile. When I helped pull the stretch from the back of the ambulance, I realized it was a kid. A teenage girl who was hit by a drunk driver. I was never really one to be affected by my patients. I fucking hated losing them, but . . . this was different.

"Vitals?" I asked as we moved her through the hall toward one of the trauma room. They were called out and they weren't good.

"Owww," the girl cried, lifting her hand up.

I put my hand over hers, lowering it back down. "You're going to be all right," I said, running my thumb over the top of her hand. "I'm Dr. Cullen, and you're at Olympic Medical Center."

We got her into the trauma room and moved her over. We worked quickly, getting her on our monitors as I checked her over. She had a compound fracture to her tibia and what looked like internal bleeding — probably in her abdomen. Suddenly, she lost consciousness and the monitor signaled ventricular fibrillation.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I ran the code. After defibrillation her, I managed to get her back, but she was circling the drain.

"Call up for an OR now," I ordered, taking the portable ultrasound from a nurse and running the wand over the girl's abdomen. "Has anyone called her parents?"

"Yes, and her name's Bree," Siobhan said. "They're on their way."

I looked at the small screen, finding a large amount of blood in her upper left abdomen — spleen, it seemed. I'd have preferred a CT scan to confirm, but there wasn't time. Once we got the okay that the OR was ready, we took her straight up. I started her on a blood transfusion and other medications, but I had to open her up quickly to stop the bleeding, or she'd die.

It was fucking Christmas, and I wasn't letting that happen. She was a kid, for Christ's sake . . . like my kid.

I wound up in the OR for four hours, trying to repair all the damage the girl had sustained. I removed her spleen, repaired a liver laceration, and stitched up the multiple lacerations from the glass. I even stayed and helped as the orthopedic surgeon set her broken leg. She was honestly lucky to be alive, and I seriously prayed she'd stay that way.

After getting her situated in the ICU, I checked my phone and found it to be three in the morning. I had a missed text from Bella, asking where I was, so I texted back that'd I'd be home soon before going to find the girl's parent's.

I opened the door and pulled my scrub cap off, finding them alone in the room. The father held the mother close and it was clear they had been crying. Jesus Christ, this sucked, but at least I had good news.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanner?" I asked as their heads shot up. "I'm Dr. Cullen."

I shook their hands before sitting down next to them. "Is she . . .?" Mrs. Tanner asked.

I shook my head and smiled. "No, she's in recovery. Her injuries are severe, but the fact that she made it through surgery is a very good sign. There are some things we need to go over before you can see her, all right?"

They nodded, and Mr. Tanner said, "But she's going to survive, right?"

"I believe so, yes. Like I said, though, her injuries were severe."

I went on to recount what had happen when their daughter was brought in and what I did in surgery. After answering their questions — most of which were that we'd have to wait and see — I took them back to the ICU.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Mrs. Tanner said, throwing her arms around my neck. "You saved her life . . . it's a miracle."

I lightly patted her back before she returned to her husband. They went into the room, and I left them alone to go fill out the paperwork. By the time I left the hospital, it was almost six, and I was dead tired. But I felt good, too. I mean, I saved that girl's life. Her parents wouldn't remember Christmas as the day they lost their daughter.

. . . . .

When I got home, I went into Little One's room and found her sitting up in her crib. She smiled and put her hands out when she saw me, saying, "Dada."

I picked her up and held her close as I kissed her cheek. "You're never driving, Little One," I said, going to change her diaper since it was wet. Once I was done, I brought her over to the rocking chair and sat down. "Daddy's sorry he missed Christmas Eve, but he saved a girl's life tonight. Yeah, I did. And you know what? I thought about you. She was a kid. I mean, she was much older than you, but she was someone's little one, like you're mine."

She put her hands in my hair, laying her head on my shoulder as I patted her back. I heard her little yawn and smiled.

"Merry Christmas . . . I know you don't know what that means, but it's a special time of year. You get presents," I laughed softly. "We spend it with our family and let each other know that we love them. At least, that's how my mom explained it to me. You know how much you mean to me, right? You're everything to me and Mommy."

I looked up to find Bella in the doorway, smiling as she watched us. Little One was out cold again, so I stood up and laid her back down before wrapping my arm around Bella.

"I'm sorry I was late and didn't call," I said, kissing her.

"I heard." She lifted the baby monitor with a smirk.

"Well, at least this time I wasn't planning a surprise," I chuckled.

"Let's go to bed. Maybe she'll sleep for a few more hours."

I nodded, leaning down to kiss her once more before we walked across the hall. I kicked my shoes off and threw my scrub top into the laundry basket before laying down with her in bed. I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her as she laid her head on my chest.

"Rough night?" she asked, kissing my chest.

"Yeah, but it turned out as well as it could. It just sucked, you know? Christmas Eve and this sixteen year old gets hit by a drunk driver. Sometimes, I honestly fucking hate people."

"It's tragic, but at least you saved her life. I'm sure that's all her parents really care about right now."

I nodded. "Her mom called it a miracle. I really don't think I'd go that far, though."

She looked up at me and smiled. "You performed a Christmas miracle."

I pulled her back down and kissed the top of her head. "We're not calling it that."

"Well, I'm still proud of you. I'm glad you were there, even though we missed you."

"Me too. Now, I'm exhausted. Let's hope Little One doesn't decide to wake up in an hour, okay? Maybe she'll give me three . . . or four if she really loves me," I laughed.

"I love you." She lifted up again and kissed me. "Merry Christmas."

"I love you, too. Merry Christmas, beautiful."

. . . . .

Bella ensured my four hours of sleep by waking up with Little One. Besides, it wasn't like Little One knew she didn't get to open presents until almost eleven. Once I had a good amount of coffee in me, Bella took her to get dressed as I pulled the gifts out of the closet and put them under the tree we had decorated together.

"All right, we're good!" I called out, looking over the pile. Holy shit, we were going to be doing this for a while.

Bella came out into the living room with Little One, who was wearing a red dress. When Sofia looked at the shiny wrapping paper of the gifts, she smiled as her eyes grew wide. She may not have known what gifts were, but she fucking loved shiny things.

"This is all for you, sweet girl," Bella said, kissing her cheek. "It's Christmas!"

I held my hands out, and she passed Little One over so I could kiss her. We settled down on the floor and started with the biggest gift — a new play gym. I lifted up one end of the paper, and she grabbed it, helping me tear it off. I did most of the work while she played with the bows on the gifts.

We opened them all, but like we suspected, she preferred to play with the paper and bows and seemed uninterested in any of the toys. Bella took a shit load of pictures, of course, as Little One giggled and played, throwing the scraps in the air.

Eventually, she got bored, though, and I was quick to hand her one of her new toys. "Momma!" she said, handing Bella the toy.

Bella's face lit up as she took it, like it had every time Little One said it to her. It hadn't happened much, and only with me saying it first, so this was perfect. I just . . . I loved hearing her say it, probably as much as Bella did. We were a family, even if it wasn't legal yet. Maybe someday, though.

"But it's your toy, Sofia," Bella said, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's play with it together, okay?"

Bella helped her roll the toy car along the floor as I took over pictures. It didn't take long for Little One to move onto one of her other new toys, and then she got bored of those fast, too. After two hours of unwrapping and playing, I put Little One down for her nap, and then helped Bella clean up the mess.

"Hey, is it time for our gifts yet?" I asked, trying the trash bag of paper.

Bella smiled, nodding. "I couldn't wait for you to say that. I'll be right back."

As she headed into the bedroom, I grabbed the last box I had kept in the back of the hallway closet out. I swear to God, I actually came up with this on my own and it wasn't jewelry. Shocking, I know. When Bella came back, she sat down on the couch with me and passed me a small, flat box as I passed her mine.

"You first," she said, smirking. "Don't argue with me."

I laughed and tore through the paper, pulling the lid off of the white box underneath.

"You know, it's really hard to shop for you," she said. "So, I didn't."

I moved the tissues paper and found a picture frame. There wasn't a picture in it, though. Instead, there were a set of hand and footprints.

"I know they're not her newborn prints or anything, but I thought you might still like this," she said.

I smiled, running my fingers over the glass. "I love it, Bella. It's perfect."

"Yeah?"

I looked up and nodded. "Yes. I think it's . . . an amazing and thoughtful gift."

She smiled as I moved to kiss her softly. "Sofia wasn't a fan of sitting still so I could do this," she laughed. "She smudged the first two, actually."

I chuckled. "I believe that. Thank you for this. I love you."

"I love you, too, and you're very welcome. I know it's not much, but I really didn't know what to get you. I thought you could hang this in the bedroom or something."

"I will." I nodded. "Now, it's your turn. I'm pretty proud of myself, by the way. I didn't ask my mom."

She ran her hands over the medium size gift box, laughing softly as she carefully opened the paper. "I'm sure it's wonderful."

Once the paper was off, she looked at the box. "It's a willow tree figurine," I said. "I saw it and instantly thought of you. You like this kind of stuff, right?"

She smiled, nodding as she opened the box and pulled the figurine out. It was a mother holding a baby . . . Bellaholding Sofia, in my mind. Maybe it was lame, but it just reminded me of them. "I love it," she said, gently brushing her finger tips over it.

"I know it isn't much, but I guess I wanted to give you something that reminded me of you and Sofia. I say it all the time . . . that you're her mom, but this shows it. It's lame, isn't it?"

She shook her head, lifting her eyes to mine. They had tears in them. "It's not lame. It's meaningful. I honestly didn't expect something like this from you," she laughed softly.

"What? Something with actual meaning?" I chuckled.

She shrugged. "I know your gifts have meaning, but this . . . it means so much more than a piece of jewelry. I love it, Edward. Thank you."

She laid the box and figurine beside her before wrapping her arms around my neck, holding me tightly. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

. . . . .

"So, you're sure your parents don't mind me coming?" Charlie asked, sitting next to me as I drove to my parents' house.

Since Bella wanted to spend Christmas with her dad and we had already told my parents we'd come to their house, an invitation was quickly extended to Charlie. He hadn't met my parents before, but to be honest, I wasn't really nervous, but I fucking prayed they got along. I mean, Bella and I planned to spend the rest of our lives together, so I really needed them to.

"Of course not," I said. " They're excited to meet you."

Mom was thrilled with the idea, actually. She couldn't wait to meet Bella's father. She was already calling him family, even. I was just worried she'd be a little much for Charlie. She was the sweetest woman in the world, but she could come on pretty strong.

"Oh . . . good," he said, pulling at the tie around his neck.

Yeah, the dude was actually wearing a tie. It looked a little weird to me, but I guess he just wanted to look good? I wasn't sure, but I about laughed when I saw it earlier. Since he didn't know where they lived and my parent's house was so fucking hard to find, he met us at the apartment and just rode with us.

Little One clearly remembered him from the two times they had met. Well, she remembered the pornstache at least. She quickly put her arms out for him when he came into the apartment and had been attached to him as we waited for Bella to get ready. Charlie seemed to have warmed up to the idea of Bella as a mother. Then again, it was Little One, so it wasn't like he could resist. He played with her the whole time we waited for Bella, bouncing her on his knee as she giggled and babbled.

"Well, this is it," I said, stopping the SUV in front of my parent's house. Mom took Christmas seriously, so the house was lit up with a billion white lights and a massive wreath on the door. There were even fake reindeer in the yard. Not kidding.

Charlie mumbled something along the lines of "holy shit" as he took in the big house. I was suddenly worried that he'd think my parents were some stuck up, obnoxious assholes. I mean, I could understand why, but they were the complete opposite of that.

"Carlisle and Esme are great, Dad," Bella said, stepping out of a car with him as I grabbed Little One's car seat and the diaper bag. "They're some of the nicest people in the world, and I think you'll like them."

Charlie nodded. "I'm sure they are, Bells. As long as they're good to you, I'll like them."

Once we walked into the house, Mom and Dad were quick to greet us. I was actually a little proud of Mom for not hugging Charlie right off the bat. The introductions seemed to go well, and Charlie passed my dad the bottle of wine he brought.

"I hope it's good," Charlie said.

Dad smiled, patting his shoulder. "Looks great. Thank you."

"Dinner isn't quite ready, so why don't you go with Carlisle into the den?" Mom asked, taking the wine. "They're watching some football game, I believe."

Charlie nodded and followed Dad into the den — where I heard Emmett suddenly cheer — as I followed Mom and Bella into the kitchen with Little One. I wanted to go ahead and give her the mush she liked so much, so I could eat like a normal person for once.

"I'd like to say Sofia helped me make the pies, but she was preoccupied with throwing cheerios," Bella laughed, putting the pies she made in the fridge.

"Ha!" Rosalie laughed, flipping through a magazine as she sat at the counter. "Did you step on them? Because Ben likes to throw them where he just knows I'll step on them."

"Oh, yes, it was a mess!" she said. "I made Edward clean it up, though."

I put Little One down in the high chair and opened her disgusting food up. "Sofia's decided everything needs to be thrown," I said. "Bella lost an ornament that way."

Mom came over and kissed Sofia's cheek as she laughed. "I'm going to enjoy these stories, sweet girl. Your daddy deserves all of it for what he put me through."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, rolling my eyes as I spooned out a glob of the goop for Little One.

She was finished just as dinner was ready, so we headed into the dining room. Rosalie had a playpen set up for Ben in there, so I just sat Little One in it with him. He was big for a nineteen month old, so I watched them closely in case he hurt her. He didn't, of course. Instead, he actually shared his toys with her. She wasn't too keen on sharing with him, though. He just brushed it off and picked up another one.

Obviously, he was more like Emmett.

The conversation flowed easily between Charlie and my parents. They seemed to be getting along fine, but I noticed Charlie wasn't very talkative. But that was just how he was, I guess. Still, something didn't seem quite right. He kept pulling at his tie around his neck, loosening the knot. He seemed . . . paler, too. Odd.

"This is delicious, Esme," he said, smiling somewhat. "Thank you again for inviting me."

Mom grinned. "Of course! We just love Bella. She's such a sweetheart, and we're so happy to finally meet you."

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said, blushing as Little One started wailing. "I'm done, so I'll get her, Edward."

She leaned down, kissing me before grabbing Sofia out of the playpen. "Thanks."

Once we had finished dinner, we had dessert and then headed into the living room for a while. I got on the floor with Ben and Little One, playing with them both. It had been a nice evening, and I was really fucking happy that my parents and Charlie got along. I actually kind of liked the whole 'family get together' thing for once. It was nice.

Also, Rosalie hadn't been a bitch. Total bonus.

. . . . .

"Hey, we're about to open gifts," I said, walking into the kitchen where Charlie went. "Did you find the Tums?"

He looked up at me, and I noticed he was sweating and even paler. "I, um . . ."

I walked over to where he was, gripping the counter for support. "Charlie? Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Just . . . uh, help me sit down?"

My eyes grew wide with worry. Shit, he really didn't look good. He had said he had heartburn, so Mom told him where to find the Tums, but this didn't look like just heartburn. I put my arm around him, and he slowly walked with me over to one of the chairs. Once he was sat down, I pressed my fingers to his neck. Fuck, his pulse was racing. "Dad!" I yelled. "Charlie, are you having chest pains?"

He nodded. "Heartburn."

"Do you have any heart conditions? Are you taking anything?"

He shook his head. "My, uh . . . arm hurts, Edward."

"Son, what's going on?" Dad asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Get aspirin and call 911 . . . I think he's having a heart attack."

Charlie let his head fall back as I watched him pant — shortness of breath. Fuck, another symptom. Dad hurried to the cabinet, grabbing the bottle out before coming back over to us as he yelled for Emmett.

"Charlie, I need you to chew this, all right?" Dad asked, pushing the pills into his mouth.

The door swung open again, but it wasn't just Emmett who came through. Everyone fucking piled into the kitchen as Dad barked orders for someone to call an ambulance and to get out. I checked Charlie's pulse again, finding it to be the same as he chewed the pills. Goddamn it. He had probably been in pain all evening, which was why he seemed off. I should have fucking realized it.

"Daddy!" Bella said as Mom pulled on her arm, stopping her from coming closer. She held Little One to her chest and looked down right terrified.

"Bella, he'll be fine," I said, praying I wasn't lying. "Take Sofia into the other room, okay? Get your coat on."

"I-I can't . . . breathe," Charlie mumbled, reaching out and grabbing my arm. Suddenly, he slumped to the side, losing consciousness as Dad and I lowered him to the floor.

My hands were over his sternum before I could even think, starting compressions as protocol ran through my mind. Shit, this wasn't happening. It . . . it couldn't be.