CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

After giving Black a piece of my mind, I stalked off down the hallway where both my father and Angela were waiting. I spared a quick glance at my father, and was taken aback by the look of disappointment on his face. What was his problem? With a shake of his head, he turned to address Angela.

"We're going to head up and tell the rest of the family the verdict. Care to join us? I can guarantee there is a rambunctious grandchild of mine who would love to see his beloved Miss Angela"

Angela let out a quiet chuckle, her hands resting on her protruding stomach to keep it from jostling. "I'd love to Dr. Cullen. Please, lead the way." My father turned to began our trek back to the ICU, but Angela didn't immediately follow. Instead, she turned to face me while addressing my father. "Actually Dr. Cullen, you go on ahead. I'll catch up with you soon." After looking between the two of us, my father simply shrugged his shoulders before continuing down the hallway alone.

I watched my father's retreating form, silently begging him to come back and save me from whatever I was about to endure, but he never did. It didn't take long for the conversation to begin. "Was that really necessary Edward?" Angela's voice sounded shrill in the silent hallway, causing me to flinch slightly.

I really didn't want to get into things with Angela now, especially since we had the go-ahead to administer the pill to Bella. Wanting to get this over with, and figuring it would be safer to play dumb here, I chose not to answer her question. Angela shook her head before focusing back on my face. "Do you remember the conversation we had the other day in the coffee shop? I believe I mentioned that it was time for you to grow-up and be there for Tony. Do you think egging his uncle on in some juvenile battle is the best way to go about things?"

"It wasn't juvenile—" I tried to argue, but was cut off by Angela huffing at me. Then, she started repeating my conversation with Black verbatim.

"I've got news for you buddy. Bring it. I am ready for you and your petty plans. I will bring you down, and believe me, I will enjoy every minute of it." Angela stared me down, her intense gaze mocking me. If her eyes could speak, they would be saying, 'Are you really going to fight this?'

Hearing my own words thrown back at me made me stop and realize just how idiotic I sounded. Bring it? Did I really go there? Black didn't do anything to provoke me, and yet I went on the offensive and attacked him. In my defense, I admit I'm suspicious of him; he was simply too agreeable back there, unlike the man I've come to know since returning to Forks. But I didn't have to show him all my cards by calling him out for it. Instead, I should have kept my thoughts to myself, and just watched him closer. No wonder my father and Angela were looking at me strangely. I came off as a paranoid bastard.

I guess my change of opinion showed up on my face, because Angela took that as a signal to continue our conversation. "Look Edward, I understand a lot of change has been thrust upon you right now. But it is up to you to take responsibility for your actions. And, if I could give you some advice?" she posed, waiting to see if I'd be receptive to her help. I could only nod. I could really use Angela on my side if things were going to change when Bella woke up.

"There's this English proverb I found while growing up that I try to live by. It goes, 'Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.' I think that's your biggest problem Edward. You're too quick to act and to speak. Things would be very different if you sat back and thought things through before spouting out things left and right."

I was skeptical of this suggestion. How would she know my life would be different? As if she could read my mind, Angela answered. "Think back to your last conversation with Bella that night in Chicago. She asked you about kids, and you gave her your opinion. But, if you stopped and looked at the situation, you might have realized what was going on between the lines."

"Read between the lines? Oh why didn't I think of that," I replied sarcastically. Of course a woman would come up with an idea like that. Guys don't read between the lines. You're lucky if we are even listening to you in the first place.

"Edward, I'm just saying that some things should have triggered you that this was an important conversation. Like, didn't that question come out of the blue? Why hadn't you guys talked about kids before? Why did Bella look excited to be around Alice's baby all day? What was Bella's opinion on kids? Maybe, if you thought these things through, you wouldn't have preached your thoughts so diligently; the conversation would have been more like a discussion including feelings and hopes for the future."

I ran my hand through my hair, giving me a moment to collect my thoughts before answering. "Okay, I get that you are saying that actions don't always match up with the words being spoken. But am I to assume that everything people say is just a cryptic message with some sort of hidden meaning? When do words actually stand for what they mean? I can't read between the lines for every conversation. It wouldn't be a conversation then; instead, it'd be an analysis of the person."

"Edward, you are making this far more complicated than it needs to be. Okay, so this conversation with Bella. You spoke your mind, and then your relationship took a turn for the worse. Didn't you ever go over that conversation, and think about these types of things? Tried to make sense of what just happened?"

"Of course I did," I was quick to answer. How could she even ask me that?

"No Edward you didn't. You thought about why Bella left you. How could she do this to you, especially with what you guys used to have. But you never took the time to think about where Bella was coming from. She told you she wanted kids. Fine, you guys differed in opinion. But Bella fleeing isn't normal behavior for her. While she hates confrontation, I've never seen her up and leave anything in all the time that I've known her."

She had a point. Bella was a 'take the bull by the horns' type of girl. When something was difficult, Bella would approach it in a determined and confident way; she never ran away. She might be the klutziest person I know, but she was also one of the bravest. Why didn't I think of this before?

"I don't know Edward," Angela answered what I thought was a silent question. I really need to work on my mind filter because one of these days it's going to betray me. "But instead of being proactive these last four years, you've just sat back and waited for something to happen. Well newsflash buddy, nothing did. Or at least nothing you knew about did."

This conversation was really frustrating. Not because I didn't want to hear what Angela had to say, but because I didn't know what to do with this information. Letting my insecurities get the best of me, I stared down at my feet before addressing Angela once again. "Well….what do I do now? I'm back in Forks. The girl I love is in a hospital bed upstairs. My son is sitting in the waiting room having no idea that he's surrounded by family, or better yet his father. And Black antagonizes me left and right. I swear he is up to something. It seem like the worlds against me right now Angela. I don't know what to do from here."

There was nothing but silence after I finished my spiel. 'And this, ladies and gentlemen is why men don't ask for help', I thought to myself. After a sufficient amount of time passed, I looked up to see what Angela's problem was. What I was met with was a shocked expression on Angela's face. Her eyes were so wide, I was afraid they might pop out of her head.

I immediately went into doctor mode. "What? What's wrong? Are you feeling okay? Is it something to do with the baby?" My spouting out questions at Angela must have shaken her up, because she changed her posture and her body became more relaxed.

"No, no sorry Edward. I'm fine. I was just a little taken aback by what you said."

"What, a guy can't ask for help these days? I'm sorry. Just forget what I said—"but I was interrupted by Angela saying "NO" rather loudly.

"No. Edward, it's not that. I'm glad you asked for help. What surprised me was that…It's just….you….you called Tony your son. The last time we spoke, you…you refused to do that," she said in almost a whisper, referring to our coffeehouse showdown that happened earlier this week.

Did I? I thought back over what I said. My son is sitting in the waiting room…huh, I guess I did. That was the first time I acknowledged Tony as my son out loud. Before today, I had only been testing it out in my head; and even then, I was having difficulties admitting he was anything more than Bella's child. I'm surprised at how easily it just came out today. No wonder Angela almost had a heart attack.

I nervously ran my hand through my hair again, and grabbed onto the back of my neck. "Uh, yea. Well, I've had some time to process some stuff. And Tony mentioned 'Mommy's Edward', so I decided it was time to let asshole Edward go, and become the Edward Bella knew and…loved." Angela stared long and hard at me before nodding at what I had to offer. Then she started to turn away from me. Had I said something wrong?

"I think we're done here for today Edward. Thanks for dealing with an overly-hormonal woman. Now, I really want to see Tony; we've missed him in daycare. Show me the way? Please?"

I thought my impromptu meeting with Angela had taken up a good chunk of time, so imagine my surprise when we bumped into my father along our way to the family. He claimed that he kept getting stopped by nurses and doctors that were once his colleagues and that he simply got caught up in getting reacquainted with them. I could tell he was lying though; he hung back wanting to see if Angela had reamed me a good one. Either way, I didn't care. At least we all could be together to give the family the good news. I really wanted to see their reactions.

I was excited as the waiting room drew closer and closer. I must have picked up my pace because I arrived before my two traveling companions. Upon entering, everyone in the waiting room looked up at me, and I couldn't hold the information in any longer. Thus I shouted the news for all to hear. "Looks like we have a winner people."

The atmosphere in the room immediately changed from one of apprehension to one of jubilance. The family rushed upon us, demanding a detailed account of what went down in that conference room. Not wanting to spare them any details, I filled them in on everything. Well, almost everything. I happened to leave out the Black/Cullen confrontation that happened afterwards. No reason to thwart everyone's moods with that little tidbit.

In my peripheral vision, I saw my mother escort Tony over to Angela. Once Tony realized who the lucky visitor was, he took off running to get to his beloved teacher that much quicker. As the two embraced, I couldn't help but feel a little twinge of jealousy in the pit of my stomach at how close the two of them were. Angela technically wasn't family, and yet she was some of the only family Tony knew. Despite the fact that he's currently surrounded by his own blood, we were the strangers to him. It wasn't his fault; he didn't know any better. And it's not like I want to scream from the rooftops that I was his father, but still, I wouldn't mind for our relationship to progress just like it did yesterday with the chocolate factory.

I figured maybe once everything settled down, the two of us could maybe get a bite to eat. Maybe get some more of that white pizza we both apparently love. Now that I have officially recognized him as my son, I should step up and be his father; regardless if he knows it or not. If the only male influence in his life right now is Black, then Tony's going to need all the guidance I can give him.

Taking a closer look around the room, I saw that everyone had pretty much coupled off. My mother and father spoke quietly in their own little corner. Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap while the two of them looked down upon their daughter playing with the lego's in the room. Rosalie was laughing at something my goofball of a brother had said. And Tony was still with Angela, talking animatedly about god only knows. In that moment, my heart took a beating. I was alone; I was alone, and it was because of my own doing. Scoping the room once again, I decided no one would miss me if I were to sneak off to spend some time with my love.

However, my plan to spend quality time was thwarted. Inside her room, I found Dr. Denali looking over Bella's chart while talking to a nurse I had seen during my frequent visits with our patient. Upon hearing my entrance, Dr. Denali turned around, and greeted me with a smile. "Edward, I figured it wouldn't take you long to find your way back here. I was just filling Olivia in on our plans with Ms. Swan. Since Isabella is already on pain medications and such, we figured we would administer the sleeping pill at the same time so we can keep everything within the same timeframe. Her next dose is in less than an hour, so it's almost game time."

"That's great, the sooner the better. Thank you Dr. Denali for giving this procedure a fair chance. It has instilled a new sense of hope in my family, and we're all praying for its success." After getting my praise out, I hesitated briefly before asking the question I really wanted an answer to. "Can I….do you think…can I stay overnight here? I would like to…like to see the changes for myself. Plus, it would save me a trip if there was another 3am phone call," I jested, hoping to lighten the mood some.

Dr. Denali let out a sigh, before answering, "Edward, you know the rules. Only family members can stay in the rooms." The crestfallen look on my face must have earned me some brownie points, because he quickly amended his earlier decision. "But I think we may be able to pull it off due to your medical background. We'll advertise it as you are one of the active doctors on her case. I don't think the nighttime nurses would give you a hard time then, don't you agree Olivia?"

I turned to look at the nurse in the room, and saw that the doctor and she were having some sort of silent conversation between themselves. I could only hope it was an 'I am your mentor, you will do as I say' conversation. Eventually, the nurse turned to look at me, and said, "I think we may be able to swing that. Worse comes to worse, you can have short visits with Bella throughout the night, but would have to report back to the waiting room between visits."

Not exactly my first choice, but I'll take what I can get. "Thank you, I greatly appreciate this."

After a few more readings from her machines, the two left me alone with my Bella. I decided that the news of the sleeping pill should come from me. Sitting upon my trusty chair, I leaned forward to have a hushed conversation with her.

"Hello my sweet. It's been awhile, huh?" I teased. "God, I've missed those beautiful brown eyes. I've dreamt of them over the years, but they were nothing like the real deal. Now all we need is for you to wake up. There's a whole bunch of people looking forward to spending some time with you. All you need to do is grace us with your presence."

I caressed her cheek with my thumb, and before moving my finger to her lips. Though dry, they still looked very kissable. Can you kiss an unresponsive person? Is that ethical? Letting that idea slip from my brain, I went to her end table where a water pitcher rested, and wet a paper towel so I could blot her lips. I don't know if she could feel the difference, but I could only hope that it would make her feel more comfortable.

"Alice found this study that was done on comatose patients where you give them a sleeping pill. Since they were technically already sleeping, the pill had the opposite effects on them. Dr. Denali, he thought it was a good idea, and so did the rest of the family. We had a vote. Angela and the Blacks came to the meeting as well, so rest assured that your best interest was looked after. The nurses are going to start you on the medicine later today."

Leaning even closer, I brought her hand up to my lips and laid a kiss there. "Please Bella, we need for this to work. So do whatever you can to break free from whatever world you're trapped in. Come back to us. Come back to Tony. Come back to me."

And with that parting note, I leaned forward and laid a chaste kiss upon my sleeping beauty's lips, almost like an inclination of what she would be coming back too. Her heart rate sped up significantly, sending out an alarm to the nurses' station outside. Nurse Olivia ran in, looking at me with a perplexed expression, mentally asking me what happened. I just shrugged, not wanting her to know I stole a kiss from her patient. After monitoring all her other vitals, Olivia left me alone once again with my Bella.

After a moment of silence, I leaned in a whispered in Bella's ear. "At least your heart still races because of me." Taking her hand, I placed it on my chest so she could feel my beating organ.

"You have the same effect on me darling, and that wasn't even a good kiss. For our next kiss, I want you ready and willing. So, don't keep me waiting." And with a parting kiss to the forehead, I left the room to go find Tony, and ask him about that piece of pizza.