Bella Swan
"Esme! Carlisle, I didn't know you were coming, too!" I hugged Edward's parents tightly. I invited them inside my small apartment which was already filled to the brim with all my friends.
"Well, I figured Esme needed help getting all her bags to the hotel. Plus, I wanted to see my beautiful kids," he said as he wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulder.
"Speaking of your kids, don't I get a hug?" Edward teased his mother. She smiled sheepishly and hugged him tightly, placing a small kiss on his forehead.
"How are you, dear?" She asked him sweetly.
"I'm good." Edward smiled in my direction and I couldn't help but smile myself.
"So, why don't you introduce us to your friends?" Carlisle said happily.
"Oh, sorry! I'm rude... This is Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett." I pointed each of them out in turn.
"Alice is Bella's roommate and Jasper is mine. They're how we met," Edward said as he placed a gentle hand on the small of my back.
"And, what? We're chop liver?" Emmett said sarcastically, making Rosalie roll her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Edward said in an equally sarcastic tone. "And, this is the fantastic Rose. She just happens to be one of my favorite personal shoppers."
"Hey! What about me?" Alice pouted.
"I said one of, you're the other," he reassured her, making her grin brightly.
Emmett rolled his eyes and chunked a pillow from the couch in Edward's direction. Edward caught it with a laugh and threw it back the way it came, hitting Emmett smack in the head. I couldn't help but giggle at their display.
"Okay, children, if you're done..."
"Sorry." Edward grinned sheepishly as he adjusted his glasses. He placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "So, Dad, how long are you staying?"
"Just a couple of days, but I'll be coming back down often to visit."
Edward's phone began to go off and his expression changed. I didn't recognize the ringtone so I didn't know who it was. His mouth was a hard line and his forehead was creased so I knew it couldn't be that good.
"If you'll excuse me I have to go take this phone call. Bella, is it okay if I borrow your bedroom for a minute?"
"Go ahead." I squeezed his shoulder, feeling concerned. I could tell by his parent's expressions that they were too.
As Edward went down the hall I heard him answer the phone. "Hello? Yes, it is..." But I couldn't hear any more than that because he shut the door behind him.
"Is everything okay, dear?" Esme asked quietly.
"I think so," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"So, what do you guys have planned for tonight?" Alice said politely, sitting back on the couch so she could look at us.
"First, I'd like to see the house. Then I think we're going to head back to the hotel for a bit. Oh, yes, I'd like to invite you all to dinner tonight, if that's alright?" Carlisle wrapped his arm around his wife.
"Oh! I wasn't trying to invite myself to anything..." Alice blushed which surprised me. She was rarely so shy.
Esme chuckled, "dear, we know. We were planning on inviting all of Bella and Edward's friend out for dinner anyway. We'd like to know about all the wonderful people they talk about."
"Are you sure?" Jasper asked. I could tell by the look on Emmett's face he wasn't going to argue with free food.
"Of course. We can go anywhere you like." Esme smiled sweetly.
"Oh, oh-oh! Can we go to Buffalo wild wings? Please, please, please?" Emmett asked, practically bounced in his seat.
"Stop begging like a dog." Rosalie shoved his shoulder hard.
"That's fine with me if it's okay with the rest of you," Carlisle said with a large smile. I could tell he liked the idea of sitting around, drinking beer, watching sports, and eating deep fried chicken covered in an even more unhealthy sauce. I was surprised he was as thin as he was. He ate like his son.
All the girls shrugged and Jasper agreed. I didn't mind either way. I had never been to one before. I was sure Edward would agree. I was starting to get worried about him. He had been in my room for a while.
Edward Cullen
My light mood fell as soon as my phone started to ring. I made my way back to Bella's room quickly.
"Hello?"
"Is this Edward Cullen?" The voice asked lightly.
"Yes, it is."
"This is Jessica calling for Dr. Stanley. We'd like to let you know that you got your test results in and would like to make an appointment to discuss them," the girl stated quickly.
"Is there any way you can just tell me over the phone?" I asked.
"Sir, we prefer not to," she said with a sigh.
"I'd like to speak to Dr. Stanley, if at all possible."
"Yes, sir," the girl sighed again. I could tell I was getting on her nerves but I didn't care. "Let me put you on hold for a moment please."
The on-hold music was possibly the most aggravating sound I had ever heard as I paced back and forth in the tiny space. I could hear my friends and family talking and laughing, enjoying themselves. I wish I could be in the there and not in here, alone and scared as hell of what I was about to learn.
"Stanley," the doctor stated as he took me off hold. I was so deep in thought it surprised me.
"Yes, Dr. Stanley, this is Edward Cullen."
"What can I do for you?"
"I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me my results right now. I don't think I can wait for an appointment," I told him honestly.
"Jessica told you we prefer to do that in person, correct?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. We can still schedule one to go over the results. I just don't think I'll be able to focus until I know," I said firmly. "Please," I said a little more softly.
"Alright, but you do have to make an appointment with Jessica after we're done here. We have a lot to go over."
"Yes, sir. That's fine," I said quickly, wanting him to get to the damn point.
"Edward, everything came back with positive results. You are good to go for the surgery," he said brightly. The words hung in the air for a moment.
"Oh, okay," I said as I sat down on Bella's bed. I had to keep myself from slipping to the floor. I was in shock. I knew this is what would happen but I was not sure if it had really sunk in yet. This hit me hard and I didn't know why. "Thank you," I muttered, trying to be polite.
"No problems. We can get you in here soon to go over all the details and set up the day for your surgery. I'm assuming you'd like to do it after finals?"
"Yes," I said absently.
"Good, good. That'll be easy enough to set up. I'm going to transfer you back to Jessica now. You have a great day and we'll see you soon."
"Thank you again, doctor," I said. My mouth went dry and my head was starting to spin. I didn't know if I was excited or scared. Maybe I was both.
I made the appointment for two weeks later, again on a Friday. I wondered absently if I could beg my father to stay to come with me. Bella was comforting to have around but he would understand more about what this man was talking about. I closed the phone and placed in my pocket.
I sat for a moment, trying to make the dizzy spell passed. There was a gentle tapping on the door.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said quickly and stood up. I wasn't ready to tell Bella yet. I knew she would be supportive no matter what. So would my friends and family.
I heard the door open and Bella's soft footsteps. Her arms wrapped loosely around my waist.
"You look upset. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm not upset," I told her honestly. I was... excited, I think. I gave her a small smile before pressing my lips to hers. She seemed stiff at first but relaxed into the kiss.
"Well, I hope you don't mind, but we've made plans for tonight."
"Oh, really?" I said lightly, trying to reassure her that nothing was wrong.
"Apparently we're going to get buffalo wings with the whole gang, at your parent's insistence." Her fingers danced across my chest, sending a pleasurable chill down my spine. She noticed and giggled, "sorry."
I took her hand. "Nothing to be sorry about." I brought it to my lips and kissed it lightly.
"Promise you're okay?" She asked again quietly.
"Yes, I promise. Now, come on. I know my mom wants to see the house."
Bella Swan
"Oh my goodness! It's so cute!" Esme cried as she stepped out of the rental car. I beamed at her happily. I was honestly worried about her reaction. Cute wasn't exactly the way I would have described it, perhaps homey was a better term but I would take it.
"The second I saw it I knew it was home," I admitted to her.
"Oh, Bella! I'm so glad you have good taste." She hugged me tightly before rushing up the two stairs.
"Hey! She did pick out me, didn't she?" Edward joked. Carlisle wrapped an arm around his shoulder and tugged him along.
"That is true," he teased, poking his son in the ribs. "They both have very good taste."
Esme clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at her husband but I could tell she enjoyed it. She peeked through the bay window.
I was glad Edward and I had cleaned up from our weekend before. We put the bed and linens away at my apartment but left the table there so Esme could use it if she needed to. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door. I stood to the side so Edward's mom could walk in first.
"Oh, Bella..." is all she muttered.
"Do you like it?" Edward asked as he walked from his father grip. He found my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I think this is a perfect home for a couple starting out." Carlisle walked over and gave me a quick hug. He patted Edward on the shoulder before rushing off to catch up with his wife.
"Look at the size of these closets!" I heard Esme cry from the master bedroom. Edward chuckled and rested his head on my shoulder.
"I think we might have to find a new place," he whispered.
I pulled back, confused. "Why?"
"Because I think they might move in here instead," he teased. I giggled and kissed his forehead.
"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen," I whispered back.
Esme came rushing back in, Carlisle strolling behind with his hands in his pockets. He was shaking his head, looking very amused. "Oh, I have so many ideas! I cannot wait to get started! Oh!" She looked flustered and was nearly dancing in place. "This is going to be so much fun!"
"She reminds me of Alice," I whispered into Edward's ear, causing him to chuckle.
"Kids, you put this on yourselves. Are you sure you're going to able to control her?" Carlisle eyed his wife playfully.
She swatted his chest. "I'm not that bad! Bella, dear, don't worry, we're going to do this together. I want to make sure this is a place you feel warm and safe in. I haven't been this excited about something like this in years. I had some ideas but I didn't know I was going to have such a good starting point."
"I'm not really sure what you can improve upon. It's so lovely to begin with," I sighed.
She giggled, a wicked little grin on her face. "Oh, you'll see. Trust me, by the time we're through with this place you won't want to leave the house."
"You've unleashed a monster," Carlisle laughed. "Come on, let's get these kids back to the apartment so we can get all your bags to the hotel."
Edward Cullen
Three hours later everyone I loved or cared about was surrounding me. The restaurant that Emmett picked was extremely noisy. I was surprised that my mother agreed to this but she seemed to be having a good time as well.
The waiter came to the table, introducing herself brightly before asking for our drink order. After my father order, some kind of beer, Jasper and Emmett followed suit while the rest of us either ordered sweet tea or sodas.
After a lot of discussions, everyone just decided to order two hundred wings to share among the group in 4 different flavors, teriyaki, honey BBQ, hot BBQ and the hottest flavor they had which was blazing, along with a couple baskets each of onion rings and potato wedges. I wondered to myself if it was normal to order that many wings in one sitting.
"Dad, when are you going to learn that even though you like spicy stuff that it doesn't like you back?" I teased him.
"I've brought my medicine," he said with as much dignity as he could muster. It was amazing that a man who knew the risks of eating poorly still did. I shook my head and decided to leave him alone.
"So, what have you kids been up to?" My mother said cheerfully, obviously ready to change the subject too.
I pressed my lips together, not knowing what to say. I wondered if I should tell them then or not. Everyone was there and I would only have to explain it once. I hadn't warned Bella yet though. I wondered briefly if she would be upset with me if I just came out with it. I wasn't ready to talk about it when we were alone.
"School, mainly. I think for all of us," Bella answered. I loved how comfortable she was with my parents. She was such a part of my family now, in every way. I took a deep breath and decided to go with it.
"I want to tell you guys something and I don't want you to freak out, okay?" I started out with. I knew that wasn't the best opening line to go with. I put my hands under the table so no one would notice them shaking.
"Sure, okay?" My father said cautiously.
"You can tell us anything. Is everything okay?" My mother asked.
"Oh, it's nothing bad, I promise," I answered quickly to soothe her fears. I was still going over in my head what I wanted to say and I still didn't know how.
"Edward?" Bella asked softly, her voice confused. I felt her hand glide over mine, taking it into her own.
"Um, well... I had an appointment with a doctor about my eyes. He decided to run some tests to see if I qualified for this surgery... " I paused, listening for a reaction.
"And?" My father asked quietly like he was afraid to scare me off.
"The phone call I received this morning was from my doctor. He said everything is good to go. I'm going to go back in a couple weeks so we can go over some information and set up a date for the surgery," I stated nervously. My voice was trembling.
There was dead silence at the table for several seconds and I shifted uncomfortably.
Alice broke the silence first. "What will the surgery do?"
"It will reattach my retinas," I answered simply.
"Which means?" Alice pressed.
"It means he possibly is going to be able to see again," my mother said in a happy voice. I heard the chair scratching on the floor and then her tiny arms around my neck. "I thought you didn't want to have the surgery done. What changed your mind?"
"I've kind of gotten over my fear and realized that it's worth the risks now. There are so many things I want to do and see that I just can't now," I told her honestly.
"That's amazing!" Rose said sweetly.
"What are they going to do?" Emmett asked. "I mean, to your eyeballs?"
I chuckled, "stuff you don't want to learn about at the dinner table."
"Oh..." He mumbled, obviously put off by my words. I'm sure he would question me later.
I realized that both Bella and my father were quiet through this entire thing. I turned to Bella first. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just happy and surprised. Scared, nervous, worried," she listed off her emotions to me.
I leaned my lips to her ear and whispered, "always?"
"Always," she responded with a little kiss.
"Dad?" I asked, waiting for her reaction. "What do you think?"
"I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll be here when I have the surgery."
"Of course! Edward, I've been waiting for you to really consider it. I'm really proud of you for taking charge in this matter and looking into it yourself. I know how you hate doctors." Another chair scratched against the floor and I felt my father kiss the top of my head. "You're a good boy and I'm very proud of you. I will help you every step of the way."
"Alright, who's ready to eat?" The bright young waitress said, breaking the little tension that we had. My parents finally let go of me and went back to their seats.
"Yes!" Emmett said as he clapped his hands together.
"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be a big mess?" Bella muttered. I chuckled to myself.
"I hope they have a lot of napkins in this place. Em's going to need them," I told her before taking a bite of a wing.
"Edward?" Bella said cautiously.
"What?"
She started to giggle and I felt something cloth like brush across my face."You already have sauce on your nose."
"Oh, well, Thank you, Mommy," I said sarcastically with a sigh. Bella giggled a little bit louder and leaned into me.
"Mommy? Oh really?" Emmett said devilishly.
"Shut up, Emmett!" Three of us, Bella, Rose, and me, said at the same time, causing the entire table to start laughing. Even my parents, even if they didn't know entirely why we were scolding our friend. If he called me daddy in front of my mother I was going to whack him with my cane. Rosalie thankfully kept him in place for me.
I was glad that the table didn't linger on me. I don't know why I was scared because I had no reason to be. I had good friends and a good family to help me no matter what happens in the future.
He's having surgery! Who's nervous?
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