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Chapter Fifty

I followed Mr. Swan inside the house and watched as he locked the door behind him.

His mustache was intimidating enough. He didn't have to lock the deadbolt to make a point.

"Did Bells send you?" he asked without making another move.

"Uh." I shifted my feet. "No. She doesn't know I'm here."

Mr. Swan cocked an eyebrow and laughed humorlessly. "I can assure you she won't find this too funny, boy."

"I'm not trying to make her laugh, sir. I'm trying to help."

"And how exactly are you trying to help her?" he questioned as he walked past me down the hall.

"Renee is sick," I blurted out and he stopped in his tracks.

With his back facing me he asked, "What the hell do you think you know about Renee, huh?"

"Bella's been telling me about Renee and I think she may be bipolar. All the signs point to it. I did some research and-"

"You think she's bipolar?" His tone was harsh and I could sense he was on the verge of kicking me out.

His anger was something I could handle. It meant that he cared.

Or maybe it meant he was about to beat the crap out of me.

"I can't say I know she's sick. She needs to be properly diagnosed. That's where you come in," I explained as he walked away.

I stood awkwardly in the middle of the hallway, unsure of what to do or where to go.

He turned the corner and produced two beers, motioning for me to follow him. I grabbed the beer and followed him outside to his concrete slab of a back porch. We opened the bottles and I sat on a pile of bricks posing as a makeshift chair. I watched him gulp his beer, waiting for him to speak.

"Listen, son," he said and I refrained from rolling my eyes at his patronizing tone. "I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do here."

"I told you," I narrowed my eyes, "that I just want to help Bella. It's not right. Renee is unstable and I know for a fact you believe Bella is enabling her."

"Who the hell told you that?" Mr. Swan snapped.

"Bella did. She talks to me about everything."

"Really?" Mr. Swan snorted. "Why are you so interested in helping her?"

"Because I'm in love with her," I admitted easily. "She loves me, too, but she's not going to get Renee help on her own. She needs you."

Mr. Swan stared me down for a good minute. I was starting to get antsy under his gaze when he finally looked away.

"Bells doesn't need me."

"Yes, she does," I pushed. "If you suggest Renee get help-"

"I've already tried!" he screamed, causing me to flinch. "Now, I'm not trying to start trouble. Bella would come to me if she needed help."

That's when I really lost my shit.

"Really? Are we talking about the same Bella here?" Mr. Swan almost smiled, but stopped himself. "Bella doesn't ask anyone for help. She doesn't believe anyone owes her anything. It's one of the things I love about her. She's obviously selfless otherwise she wouldn't be putting up with this shit."

"Renee's always believed people owe her," Mr. Swan stated quietly, drinking his beer. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"For starters, I think you need to come down and visit Bella. Try talking to her. Check on Renee and see for yourself."

Mr. Swan peeled the label off his beer and asked, "That bad, huh?"

"I tried depositing a rent check Bella wrote me. I know for a fact it's not from her personal checking account; it's from Renee's."

"Did it bounce?" he asked and I nodded, finally taking a long swig of my beer. "Renee was always good at emptying bank accounts," he scoffed.

We were silent for a while before I looked at my watch. "I need to head back so I can pick up Bella."

"I understand and appreciate what you're trying to do for my daughter," Mr. Swan explained.

There had to have been a 'but' in there somewhere. His expression was too sullen for this conversation to end the way I wanted.

The way I expected.

Something inside me snapped.

"You're not going to try to help." I laughed humorlessly at my realization.

"It's not my place, son. It's not yours either."

"So that's it, huh?" I yelled, knocking my beer over as I stood. "You're just going to let Bella's life waste away because you're too lazy and scared to help out? To take responsibility for your own daughter and ex-wife?"

"That's not it!" Mr. Swan stepped closer to me, intimidating me with his tone and his glare. "You don't know what the hell I went through years ago! I tried, goddammit. I tried!"

"Not hard enough," I spat. "You didn't try hard enough and now look at her! She's probably worse than she was years ago!"

"Don't come in to my house and tell me how to live my life!"

"That's great. I'm glad you get to live your life while Bella is busy taking care of her mother who attempted suicide four years ago," I blurted out.

"No, she didn't," he said in shock.

"Yes, she did," I replied as I tried to calm down. "It happened when Bella went home to visit her over spring break."

I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to remember the exact time when things started spiraling downhill.

"Why didn't Bella tell me?"

"You know exactly why. She didn't want to worry you, I'm sure. She figured she could help Renee herself."

Mr. Swan just shook his head, trying to piece everything together as I explained exactly what happened and what Renee had been doing with the frequent moving, excessive purchases and mood swings.

"I don't..." he started.

"I'm not going to sit idly by and do nothing." I tightened my jaw and waited for his response.

But he didn't have one.

"I know you appreciate the gesture, but don't really want me getting involved..." I dropped my head. "I'm leaving for Texas over the weekend. I'll be gone for a few days at a trade show. I'll give you time to figure this out but if I don't hear from you once I get back to Forks next week, I'm going to have to go to Bella myself and figure this out."

I set my beer upright but left it on the pavement before giving him one last hopeful smile.

"It'd be easier with your help." I exhaled.

"She's lucky to have you," Mr. Swan said before I walked through the gate.

This time, I drove the speed limit back to Forks.

I was on the verge of a breakdown needed the extra time to pull myself together before I had to see Bella.


A/N: He tried. Thanks for reading.