This chapter is not very long, but don't let that fool you. There's still important stuff that's happening. The interaction between Maria and Carlisle was fun to write, and I hope you all like it.
Oh, and I don't own Twilight. More people would've died if I did.
Anyway, more important stuff at the bottom!
April Showers
Though it didn't seem like it to Carlisle, Jasper was determined to not stay in bed all day. And just a few days after being released from the hospital, Jasper was trying to get around the house by himself. Carlisle had already called Marcus to let him know they wouldn't be coming back to Chicago for at least another month until Jasper was much more healed so he would be good to travel in the car instead of flying.
"All those rivals you have at the hospital for the chief surgeon position are probably going crazy trying to impress Marcus so he'll give them the job," Edward said when they talked about it over dinner that night.
"He didn't mention anything about that," Carlisle replied. "And I'm not really worried. I'll still have a job when we get back. And so will you. Marcus said he talked to Dr. Snow for you. Right now, we just have to work on putting all of this behind us."
After dinner, and after Tanya and Jasper took the girls down to the beach for a little while, Carlisle and Edward closed themselves up in the shower first and then the bedroom. With four other people in the house now, it was a little more difficult to find time to themselves, but Carlisle was bound and determined to have Edward to himself as often as he possibly could. Being in his old house was a little strange at first, especially with all the memories it stirred, but he adjusted quickly.
Their shower was hot and short, no thanks to the little feet they heard shuffling up the hallway and then back down the stairs as either Alice or Bella came into the house looking for something and then left again. From the bathroom, Carlisle shuffled Edward into his old bedroom, not bothering with towels or clothes as they fell onto the bed in each other's arms. In the back of his mind, Carlisle hoped the door to his room was locked, especially since this was not something either of them wanted the girls to see just yet — if ever.
"My cast comes off in three weeks," Edward whispered as they became entangled over the bed. "Don't think that when it does, I won't be repaying you for all of this."
Carlisle laughed softly, reveling in the way their skin rubbed together and wanting nothing more than to have this feeling for the rest of his life. "I'm counting on it," he agreed.
Of course, it helped that they were tucked safely in bed by the time Tanya and Jasper brought the girls inside to get them ready for bed. Carlisle was happier than he could say to realize that he could have everything he wanted after seventeen years of having to give up so much. His father finally understood that both his sons needed each other, and Jasper had accepted that there would be things he never understood but didn't need to. It was more than Carlisle could hope for to have the rest of his family back. With Edward and Tanya to help him with the girls and Michael, it was like nothing could go wrong again.
The rainy season started that week, and with most of the other kids in school, Alice and Bella spent most of their days making sea shell chimes, necklaces and working puzzles with Jasper when he wasn't resting, which Carlisle made him do at least once a day until it was time for his stitches to come out. In the afternoons, Leah and Seth would come get Alice and Bella to go exploring, and it was only reluctantly that Carlisle let them go. He knew how spotty it could be to trek through town when it was raining, and there were a few days when he had to keep Alice and Bella inside because of floods in town around the inlet from the bay. They were never happy about that, but they didn't argue with him at first.
A little more than a week after getting out the hospital, Jasper was ready to have his stitches out even though the staples holding him together would always be there, dissolving after a while when he no longer needed them. Carlisle and Edward drove him back to Charleston that day, leaving the girls and Michael with Sam and Charlie since Tanya had another date with Lucy. The two women were driving up to North Carolina for the day and probably wouldn't be back until well after dark.
The thought made Carlisle giddier than he'd been since the first time he and Edward had spent an entire day together, and it was all he could talk about as he drove down to Charleston with his husband and brother.
"Maybe they'll stay in Raleigh overnight before they come back to the house," he said, glancing at Edward who was sitting beside him. "We did that once, remember?"
"Of course, I remember," Edward replied as he laughed. "And I don't think I've ever seen you this happy over someone else being happy."
"Well, she deserves it," Carlisle said of Tanya. "When we were kids, she was always covering my ass. Seems like I owe her the kind of life I've worked hard to make for myself."
Edward still laughed, glancing at Jasper as he sat in the back seat smiling himself. "She really likes Lucy, and Lucy really likes her. You'd never know they were set up by an outside party."
Carlisle reached for Edward's hand and kissed it gently. "Then maybe you've found a new calling," he said giggling. "I'd say we need to work on Jasper, but I think Maria already has us covered. Is she going to be at the hospital today?" he asked his brother.
"I don't know," Jasper said. "She's been working every other night so she can drive up to the house. I hope she's not starting to work herself ragged. It would probably be better if she stayed in Charleston during the week, but she won't listen to me when I tell her that."
That made Carlisle smile even wider, and it got him thinking. If Maria was that determined to be with Jasper now but keep her job in Charleston, maybe there was a way to help her see Jasper and still do something she obviously loved doing. Carlisle resolved then that if he saw Maria at the hospital, he would ask her probably the biggest favor he'd ever asked someone who wasn't related to him. If he didn't see her, he would ask if she was working and take it from there.
Since John had gone back to Chicago, a doctor who had looked after Jasper during his stay looked at his stitches and agreed it was time for them to come out. He also asked Jasper a lot of questions having to do with his pain management and how often he was resting during the day. Carlisle left Edward to finish the check-up, making his way to the nurses' station to find out about Maria since she hadn't made an appearance yet. The charge nurse directed him to the medicine floor, and he took the elevator, thinking the whole time what he was going to say even though he was sure he wouldn't have to say much if he said it right.
Carlisle found Maria coming out of a patient's room as soon as he stepped off the elevator, and when she looked up, she saw him and smiled, making her way to him.
"What are you doing up here?" she asked. "I thought Jasper's check-up was downstairs. I was just on my way to see if you were here."
"Well, I was looking for you," he said, taking her hand gently. "Can we go somewhere and talk?"
"Sure," she said instantly.
She told the charge nurse she was taking her break, and they walked to the lobby as it set empty.
"Is everything okay with Jasper?" she asked as they sat down.
"Yeah, it's great. He's healing a lot faster than the doctors said he would. Even John. He still gets tired, but not as much. Pretty soon, he'll be the one taking the girls to the beach instead of Tanya."
Maria smiled, obviously happy to hear what he was saying. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well," he said. "It's about you and Jasper, and about how I know you're working at night to come to the house to be with him. And it got me thinking."
Her smile faded a little as she sat up away from him. "It's not a problem is it?" she asked. "Because I'm just trying to help. And you're so busy with the girls and Michael. After what happened to Edward, I thought — "
"No, it's okay," he said quickly, shushing her. "It's more than okay. But it can't be easy, working all night and then driving to the house to sit with Jasper all day. It makes more sense for you to be with him all the time."
"All the time?" she asked as her forehead creased and her eyebrows furrowed. "What about my job? I can't pay my bills without a job. I mean, not that I wouldn't want to spend more time with Jasper, but how can I do that unless I can keep putting gas in my car and pay my insurance?"
"I can pay you," he said simply.
Her confusion increased, and Carlisle reached for her hands again.
"Jasper needs someone who can keep an eye on him more than I can," he said. "He still needs help getting around, and I can't always be there for him like I want. Neither can Tanya or Edward. I've been thinking about getting him a nurse anyway, but if you could stay with him, he'd have all the help he needs. You can stay at the house with him, and that would take care of the gas for your car. But I'd pay you the same you make here at the hospital since I'm still on paid leave from the hospital. It's sort of a perk of being a salaried surgeon."
At first, she shook her head. "Carlisle, you can't pay me what the hospital pays me," she said. "I've been working here for five years. I already make seventeen dollars an hour. And plus, I wouldn't let you pay me for taking care of Jasper. I do that because I want to. Are you really going to pay me when you need to pay the bills at the house instead?"
"Mrs. Cope still pays the bills for the house," he explained. "And I tried to give her money when I got here, and she wouldn't accept it. I have more than enough to compensate for you staying at the house with Jasper, and I want to do it. You deserve it more than some stranger who would have to learn all of Jasper's needs. You already know what he needs."
With her hands still in his, Maria leaned in closer. "Carlisle, you can't pay me to stay with Jasper. I won't let you. Plus, I haven't had a real vacation in over two years, so I have plenty of leave saved up too. I'll have to talk to my supervisor, but I'm sure she won't have a problem since I've been giving her a headache over this anyway. If I happen to use all of it, that's okay. It's worth it."
"But you don't have to do that," he argued. "And I'm not doing it just so I won't feel bad about keeping you from your job. I told you I've been thinking about this for a little while. Does it matter who's paying you so long as you're helping someone who needs you?"
"Thought about this for how long?" she asked. "Today, when Jasper mentioned to you that I was still working strange hours?"
He sat back, surprised.
"We kind of had an argument about it the other day," she admitted. "Clearly, he's said something to convince you to do this. So I'll do it. But you're not paying me. I'll have to finish my shift today, and I'll come up tonight. Don't tell Jasper. I'll tell him myself. You should probably get back to him before he wonders where you are."
"Well," Carlisle said. "I guess that takes care of that."
Maria laughed, and then he did. After a minute, she stood up and pulled him to his feet. "I'll admit that you can drive a hard bargain," she said. "But if it's meant to be that I get another job, it'll be because I've found a new hospital to work in. And Jasper and I will be fine. He won't like it, but we'll be fine."
Carlisle nodded. "All right. I guess I'll see you tonight. Just be careful."
"I will," she agreed as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
He left her in the lobby to get back to where Jasper's check-up was still going, a little confused as to what had just happened but sure that everything would work itself out eventually. Maria was right about one thing though. Jasper wouldn't like this.
The doctor was just finishing up with Jasper when Carlisle got back, and Edward stood up to meet him, speaking softly as Jasper pulled his shirt back on.
"You disappeared for a little while," he said. "Where did you go?"
Carlisle shrugged. "Just asking a nurse upstairs about getting someone to help with Jasper at the house. It's nothing major."
It didn't look like Edward believed him, but he didn't say anything.
Once Jasper was ready to go, they all left the hospital to get lunch, but Jasper didn't eat a lot, uneasy after moving around so much during his check-up. They had his food packed up to take home and then got on the road. Jasper fell asleep on the way, and Edward picked that moment to speak to Carlisle.
"You're planning something," he said softly. "What's going on?"
"I'm not planning anything," Carlisle replied with a light laugh. "I told you. I just talked to a nurse about getting some help with Jasper."
"And are they going to send someone?"
Carlisle nodded. "Of course. I didn't even have to do anything special for them. They said they'd be at the house tonight."
After a glance in Edward's direction, Carlisle noticed that he was still suspicious. He reached for Edward's hand.
"Don't worry," he said. "Everything will be fine."
"With a stranger in the house? What if they see us . . . well, you know? What if they don't like it? Won't that be bad for Jasper's recovery?"
"It's not a stranger," Carlisle insisted. "It's someone we know, and they already know about us. They know what Jasper needs, and nothing will get in the way of that."
Edward's brow furrowed a little deeper, and Carlisle could see he was even more confused, probably working it out in his head. But Carlisle didn't say anything else, holding on to Edward's hand and turning his attention back to the road. He glanced at Jasper every now and then until they were almost home, hoping this was the right thing to do.
After it had been raining all morning, the sun finally came out when Carlisle pulled up to the house. Alice, Seth and Jacob were all running down the front steps of the house dressed for the beach, and about a minute later, Leah came out with Bella on her back.
"You kids be careful," Carlisle shouted at them as they ran from the house.
Only Leah glanced back and smiled.
Carlisle helped Jasper upstairs to his room while Edward went to check on Esme and Michael, meeting Mary Anne on the stairs as she wore her own swim suit. She smiled at them but kept on her way down the stairs.
"It doesn't take much," Jasper said as they made it to his room and then deposited him on the bed. "I always started getting cabin fever right around this time. Then by July, it was too hot to even go outside."
"Well, at least you'll get some rest before they come back," Carlisle said of Alice and Bella.
Jasper smiled a little too forcefully, groaning as he leaned back against the headboard.
"Do you need anything?"
Jasper shook his head. "I'm fine. All that jostling from the car to the doctor and then back. It just takes so much energy. Hopefully, it won't last much longer."
"Well, you still need lots of rest. So now that you've eaten a little and the girls are out of the house, you're going to get some sleep. I'll check on you later."
He didn't give Jasper time to argue, rising slowly and then leaving the room to go back downstairs. In just a few hours, maybe Maria would be at the house, and after Jasper accepted that she was going to help him, he'd be able to get some more rest.
It was almost six when Maria pulled up in the driveway. Carlisle watched from the front windows, noticing that she was wearing regular clothes like normal, but now, she was carrying a few bags along with her laptop case. In the late afternoon light, she looked about as relaxed and ready for a long night as he'd ever seen her, and he would've believed it too if he didn't know she worked at the hospital that day.
She smiled when she saw him, hurrying up the steps to the porch and then stepping into the house since the door was standing open.
"Hey! Who's in charge of this open house?"
Carlisle laughed as he came out of the living room, meeting her in the foyer and taking her bags. "You're just in time for dinner," he said moving to the stairs to take her up to Jasper's room. "Maybe you can get your patient ready to eat."
"Maybe," she agreed. "First, we need to make sure he knows what we're doing. Once he's accepted that, we'll start thinking everything else."
"Fair enough," Carlisle said with a nod.
Jasper was reading a book to Bella when they stepped into his room, and the two remained oblivious until Maria cleared her throat softly. Bella smiled and then Jasper did.
"I was wondering when you were going to be here," Jasper said, noticing the bags and then frowning. "What's with all the bags?"
Maria glanced at Carlisle, sighing and moving to sit on the bed. "Carlisle and I were talking earlier while you were having your check-up. He needs help with you around the house, and I'm more useful here than I am at work. Plus, I talked to my supervisor, and she agreed it was better for me to focus on you until you're better before I go back to work full-time."
Jasper was clearly unhappy about what she's saying, closing Bella's book and nudging her away to fold his arms over his chest. "But you need to work," he said. "I told you I didn't want you to compromise that because of me, and you love your job."
Maria looked at Carlisle again. "I do love my job," she said, turning her attention back to Jasper. "But I want to spend more time with you. Carlisle was thinking about getting a nurse anyway, and this way, he won't have to get a strange woman in here who has no business taking care of you the way I should be. No matter how long it takes, I'm going to be here until you can get out of bed without hurting — at least not because of your injuries."
That last part made Jasper blush a little, and he glanced at Carlisle for a second or two before looking at Bella.
"Sweetie, why don't you go with Uncle Carlisle so Maria and I can talk, okay?"
She pouted but didn't argue, stepping down with her book and moving to Carlisle's side as he put Maria's bags in the floor. Carlisle picked Bella up and stepped out to give Jasper and Maria some privacy.
"Is everything okay?" Bella asked as Carlisle carried her downstairs.
He squeezed her and kissed her cheek. "Of course, baby. Let's go see about dinner, okay?"
She sighed and nodded, grasping onto his shoulders.
It took about fifteen minutes, but Jasper and Maria came down from his room in time for Sam and Edward to get everything on the table for dinner. Neither of them was smiling, but Jasper held onto Maria all the same, allowing her to walk him into the dining room to sit down before she sat down next to him. Nothing was said. Everyone just went on like it was normal.
Maria's first week in the house full-time, Jasper remained stubborn as ever, only letting her help him down the stairs and outside to the beach. But she was just as stubborn as him, making him rest twice a day and fixing his lunch every day so he would eat inside at least once. She shared the attic with Tanya to sleep, but she was always making breakfast before anyone else was up, including Bella, who got up early four times a week to go to her swimming lessons.
Lucy ended up coming by the house on those mornings, driving to the pool house with Bella and Tanya and coming back to the house afterward to help with the kids any way she could. Carlisle could already see how much they liked spending time together, if nothing else because they were so alike in mannerisms and attitude. Bella liked having Lucy at the house too, even telling Carlisle about how she wanted to go to the pool house when she didn't even have lessons. It took a long time after that for Carlisle to explain that for right now, she needed to just do it for fun. He liked that she enjoyed it, but they weren't going to live in this town for the rest of her life, and it might not be as easy to continue her lessons once they went back to Chicago.
At the beginning of Maria's second week, as it began raining more often and kept the kids inside longer during the day, Jasper started giving in to Maria's demands a little more since she saw how much he wanted to spend with the girls but still needed his rest. He stopped having to take his pain medication as often, getting around the house easier than he had the week previous. Bella sat with him a little more than Alice even though they both spent a lot of time talking to him and telling him all the things they were seeing while exploring the town with Leah, Seth and Jacob.
Carlisle watched his brother with the girls when they read or did puzzles, and it was clear to him that they'd both become completely accustomed to Jasper's presence. It surprised Carlisle that not a month and a half ago, he wouldn't have dreamed of letting his brother anywhere near the girls. So much had changed in such a short amount of time, and it didn't seem like it would stop any time soon.
The flood warnings became more frequent as it continued to rain nearly every day, and the inlet in town deepened and churned harder than it had in years. While this should've kept most of the kids from town inside, it did nothing to dissuade both Jacob and Seth from wanting to explore more than ever. For the first few days though, Carlisle made Alice and Bella stay at home.
"It's supposed to rain all week," he told them after they begged all morning to go out with their friends. "Charlie's already said it's too dangerous."
"But we're just going to be as far out as the bridge," Alice whined. "And Leah said she would come with us. Please, Uncle Carlie."
"No," he said with as much finality as he could. "It's not safe. You two are staying at the house until it stops raining. That's it. Now go help Edward and Maria clean up the living room."
Both Alice and Bella frowned so deeply that their faces almost touched their chests when they hung their heads and left the kitchen where he was cleaning up their dishes.
Carlisle sighed heavily as he watched them, loading the dishwasher and then putting up the dishes that were already clean.
He remembered when he'd been a kid that he'd wanted to do the same thing, but his mother hadn't let him do something so dangerous. Carlisle had to do what he thought was right, and letting the girls out in this weather wasn't right. If he could, he would call Charlie and have the police chief tell them himself. But Charlie was busy with road blocks and washed out gravel roads outside town. The last thing he needed was having to drive back into town to explain to two little girls how foolish they were being.
Once the dishwasher was going, Carlisle left the kitchen and moved into the dining room where Jasper and the girls were now putting out a new puzzle on the table. His brother looked up just once to make sure everything was okay, and Carlisle nodded a couple of times before moving into the living room where Edward was now laying on the couch almost asleep.
Gently, Carlisle knelt onto the couch between Edward's legs and then leaned over him, waiting until he opened his eyes to smile and lean down to kiss him.
"Hi," Carlisle whispered as he leaned back.
Edward smiled and laughed softly. "Hi. Alice and Bella still begging to go outside?"
Carlisle nodded. "Of course. I think they're bored, and I think they want to spend more time with Leah and Seth and Jacob than us. We must not be any fun anymore."
"Well, of course not," Edward said quietly, reaching for Carlisle's waist to pull him closer. "We're grown-ups. And they have to listen to us when we tell them stuff. It's what we do. Are you going to lay down with me, or am I going to have to force you onto the couch?"
Carlisle laughed too and lay down gently, shifting around so they would both be comfortable and lifting his hands to Edward's face. "I miss Chicago," he said. "Is that bad?"
"No," Edward said, shaking his head. "It's your home."
"You're my home," Carlisle insisted. "But things aren't familiar here. And I would much rather be dealing with snow than a flooded-out inlet threatening the whole town. I'll just be glad when we get back to our house where I can have you in our bed far enough away to make you scream every time I — "
"Watch it," Edward said, giggling. "We're still in a house full of kids. Keep all those thoughts for later. My cast comes off tomorrow. The month's almost over, and pretty soon, we'll have every opportunity to do what we want. Right now, all I want is for you to hold me, okay, baby?"
Carlisle laughed too. "I will hold you for as long as you want me."
"Always," Edward whispered against his lips, kissing him just once and then relaxing again to go back to sleep.
Carlisle held Edward as tightly as he could, wanting so much to give Edward everything he wanted and needed and hoping he would be able to in the very near future.
Right now, it was just a matter of getting everyone he loved back to a place where they were all safe from the weather and the kids trying to lure them out into it. And coaxing a little more quality time out of his husband.
Maybe. We'll have to see about that.
And there are only two more chapters left, so I guess it's time to answer a few questions. First, and foremost, a sequel? No. I think I've pretty much covered everything I wanted to. I do however have side stories for other characters, but this is a hard question to answer, because I have no idea when those stories will get written. By the time this story is finished, I want to have moved on, and I hope everyone else can too.
That's all for right now, and I'll see you next time!