AN: So here is Tony, and some Bella. Again, splitting chapters isn't my favorite thing to do, but I just was teetering out with how much to show from Tony's POV…I feel like Chicago needs to primarily be told from Edward's POV. So, enjoy.

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

ANTHONY POV

I'm in Chicago. CHICAGO. Mommys Chicago. Oh, I can't wait to see if its like the stories. Edward said that this is a short trip so I won't be able to see a lot of it, but I can't believe I am here!

When the aeroplane landed, everyone wanted to get off the plane fast. I wanted to be the first one off, but Mommy said I had to stay with Edward at all times, and he was packing up our bags and going so slowly. Finally, we were ready to go, and a nice Nana-like lady let us out of our seats so we could go.

"Now Tony, just like when we were in Seattle, I want you to hold my hand, ok? No letting go," Edward said. He was being silly because I already know the rules, but I just nodded my head. I'm just glad he wants to hold my hand now that he knows me better, and isn't Mean Edward anymore.

We walked through the airport, and there were so many people! Way more people than in Seattle. And everyone seemed to be running. I tugged on Edward's hand to get his attention. "Why is everyone going so fast? Are they allowed to run or is this place like the hosbital? Are they late for something?" I asked.

Edward replied, "Chicago is a popular place to visit. Often, people use it to connect for other flights, so people are probably hurrying to make sure their planes don't leave without them."

"Planes leave people behind?!" I yelled! I didn't know this. What if the plane leaves me behind and I never see Mommy again? I started to get teary. I wanted to be a big boy and all, but I was really missing her. Just like when she was there but sleeping and I couldn't see her.

I think Edward realized he messed up, because he pulled me to the side away from all the busy people and kneeled down in front of me. "Calm down buddy. We're ok. We aren't getting on another plane."

"But what about when we go bye bye? What if the plane leaves me here and I don't go home? Mommy needs me," I wailed, no longer being able to hold back the tears. Edward grabbed me into a hug and was shushing me.

"Buddy, the plane will not leave you behind. I will NEVER let that happen. You and me are together, and we will go home together. You're right, Mommy needs us. And when its time to go home, we will get here extra early and make sure we get to the plane with no problems. OK?"

He squeezed me tighter, and I really liked the hug. It was a nice big hug, just like the hug Sophie got from her Daddy. It made me think back to the Daddy checklist, and this was another thing I could say Edward did well. It made me feel safe and I stopped crying and looked up and him. "You promise?"

Edward held my eyes, and said, "I told you I would never lie to you. This is something that I absolutely promise. Now, are you ready to go find Emmett and Rosalie?"

Oh, I forgot about them. "Yes please!" I said, as I grabbed Edwards hand again, and began tugging him so we could get moving. It didn't take long to find Uncle Emmett because he is so big that he stands out. But, he also was holding a huge sign up. I asked Edward what it said, and he told me it said 'Welcome to Chicago Tony!' The sign made me feel special.

"Squirt! You're here! Finally. I thought you got lost up in the sky," Emmett joked, making his way over to us.

"I wasn't flying the plane Emmett. I'm not tall enough to be the driver. No I stayed with Edward and we did games and read books. I love flying on the aeroplane" I told him.

"Maybe you can fly and come visit us here in Chicago more often," he said, then turned and asked Edward, "So you survived?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair, and said "Being on my own I was nervous, but we managed quite well."

"Look at you! You're like a kid-whisperer now. My baby brother is growing up," Emmett joked. I didn't really understand what they were talking about. Big people are weird.

"Where's pretty Rose?" I asked, since I couldn't join in their big people conversation. Emmett told me she was waiting in the car, so we headed that way. "I'm so excited to be in Mommy's Chicago! Are we going to your house Edward? Is it a big house? Do you live with Uncle Emmett cuz he's your brother? Hey, can we get the deep pizza Mommy likes? Mommy says the crust is like the size of cake. Or maybe—"

"Whoa, Tony slow down. I can't answer your questions if you keep asking them," Edward chuckled.

"I'm just so excited. Mommy talks a lot about Chicago in the stories. I just want to know what's real and what's pretend."

"Well, I'm interested in hearing all about Mommy's Chicago," Edward said. "But first, are you hungry? It's almost lunch time. We can go get some of the deep-dish pizza now if you want."

"Oh yes please please please!"

We headed to this place Uncle Emmet said had the best pizza in Chicago. I could not believe my eyes when the deep pizza came to the table. It was really tall, like someone stacked lots of pizzas on top of each other. And it was cheesy. Rose took a picture of me next to it so I could show Mommy I tried it.

"So Tony, what did Mommy tell you about Chicago?" Edward asked.

"Lots of things. She told me about the park that has the bean in it that's like a mirror. Mommy liked to go to the park on sunny days and read and enjoy not the rain. And she said that there's the place where baseball happens. Poppa Charlie liked the Mariners, but Mommy said Chicago had two teams to root for. And then there's the wheel at the Peer where you can go up high! She said there's lots of rides and games there."

"So far all of those things are real, and not pretend," said Edward. I could not believe it! I wanted to see it all. "Unfortunately buddy, this is a short trip, so we can't see all those things. Maybe we can pick one of them, and we can plan on having another adventure another time. It will give you an excuse to come back. Maybe Mommy can even come next time," he said. I think he was worried I was going to get upset but I was just excited to see new things. And if I got to come back, that would be even better.

After thinking it over, I told him I wanted to see the bean, because it reminded me of the boy who planted the magic beans and a stalk grew high up into the sky. So, it was decided that we would first go see Edwards house, then head to the bean.

"Can we go see where you doctor too?" I asked Edward, as we were paying for the food. He looked surprised, but then smiled, "Sure buddy, if you want. I remember I told you I would show you the children's playroom there."

It didn't take long to get to Edwards house. Well, I learned it wasn't a house, but he lived in a really tall building, and he lived at the top of the building, so we got to ride the moving box up many floors. On the way up, he explained that he lived there alone, not with Emmett or Rose. That made me sad. But then I remembered Edward was coming back home with me, and then maybe he wouldn't be so alone.

Edward's place was kinda boring. There wasn't a lot of color, and he didn't have many pictures. He definitely didn't have any toys. He had a lot of books though. And a TV, so it wasn't all too bad. He told me to sit and watch some cartoons while he and Emmett planned some things out. I asked him if I could call Mommy, so he set me up on the couch, and waited for the phone to connect. He said since Mommy couldn't really talk, he was going to call the nurses to see if they could help get Mommy on the phone, and then I could do most of the talking. That was fine by me since I had so much to share. And so that's what I did. I told her about the plane, and the sign at the airport, and the pizza, and how we were at Edwards now, but going to see the magic bean next. It sounded like Mommy was sniffling. I hope she wasn't getting sick. After talking to Mommy, I was feeling a little sad so I laid down on the sofa, and rested my eyes. I needed to save my energy for all the funner stuff that was next.

BELLA'S POV:

He's fine Bella, I told myself as I listened to him ramble on and on about his time spent away from me. He was so happy to be in Chicago and I was glad he was enjoying himself. A small part of me died inside just at how happy he was. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want him to be miserable. But I was missing him something fierce, and it barely sounded like he missed me at all. I've had nights away from him before, but not like this. In this situation, he was out of state, too far away, and with his….father.

Not that I didn't trust Edward. He was a doctor and truthfully Tony was in great hands in case of an emergency, yet I wasn't sure how much I wanted the two of them spending time together, especially after Tony's question before he left.

The daddy question. We were doing just fine, just the two of us. Why now? I mean, I figured we had another year or two before he started questioning things. How convenient that it happened now. When he showed up. Maybe the universe was out to get me.

I was roused from my inner thoughts when I heard Tony yawn in the phone. I forgot how tiring traveling can be, and that's before you factor in the time difference. "Sto-op. Tony," I said, trying to get his attention. "Nap. Ti-me."

"Mommy going to sleep now?" He asked. Silly boy, I meant for him, but I could use this to my advantage.

"Yes. You nap. Too."

"Okay Mommy. I love you so much to the moon and back and all around the world. And I miss you. I wish you were here."

The magic words. Just the reassurance I needed. "Night. Ony. Call La-ter."

Try as I might, I couldn't seem to shut my brain off after the phone call. Not that it mattered, since barely an hour later, my door opened, and in walked my latest problem. Deep breath Bella. You did nothing wrong here, I told myself.

Not giving him time to start the conversation, I grabbed my white board, and wrote, "You stop Sam in time?"

"Hello to you too Bella. I'm fine. Jess? She's great too. She went to grab coffee and will be back in two minutes," He snarked, pretending I asked different questions. I underlined my previous question to show him I couldn't be deterred.

Jake sighed, but responded, "I told him you were awake, and the decision was now back in your hands so yes, he stopped pushing the paperwork."

"Thank you," I wrote, and gave him a smile to show that I truly appreciated this.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Its only a few more days and everything will go back to normal once you break outta this joint," he said.

"Can't wait. You know how much I just LOVE hospitals."

Jess came in, and passed drinks around. It was nice to see her and catch up. Well, listen to her mainly since I didn't have too much to share. Or at least that was what I was trying to have them believe. Things were going smoothly, until Jake asked, "So where's little man? The Cullen's planning to bring him by sometime today? Certainly, they are taking advantage of the situation. Now that you can see him, he should be here."

Before I could answer, Jess cut in, "Jake, he's going to daycare during the day to try and keep him on as normal of a schedule as possible. Esme mentioned that the other day, remember?

"No, I don't remember, Jess. And why are you talking to the enemy? I know Sam said be cordial, but you don't have to kiss ass."

Figuring I put it off long enough, I said, "Not. There." But they weren't listening to me. Seems that Jess was beyond her boiling point, and finally snapped and the two were bickering. As the volume got louder, my favorite nurse came in to put a stop to it.

"You. Again. How many times do I need to ask you to refrain from causing a scene? This is now the third scene. And Edward isn't even here, so no one to blame but you this time. Are you seriously trying to get kicked out?" Nurse Olivia asked.

That shut Jake up quick. And this was news to me. I heard about the hotel room brawl from Emmett, but I didn't realize there had been more. Sending a glare his way, Jake just avoided eye contact with me.

"Now, I was waiting for Bella's phone call to be over with before I attended to her. Which she is, so if you kindly step outside, the sooner I check her vitals, the sooner you can return." Simply request, right? Wrong.

"What phone call?" Jake asked.

Sighing, I looked him in the eye, and said, "Ony."

"Tony? They can't even bring him to the hospital to see you? You only get a lousy call? Seriously Bella. Tony needs to come home to us. We wouldn't keep him from you," Jake ranted.

"Ony. Chic-ago."

Silence filled the room. Realizing the tension, Nurse Olivia excused herself, but not before asking Jake to try and keep him voice down.

After we were alone, Jake started pacing the room. He was angry. You could tell by the throbbing vein in his neck, and his flaring nostrils. Jess and I shared a look, and waited for him to calm down.

"I believe I misunderstood you Bella. You couldn't possibly mean that Tony. Little man. Your son, is in another state. Good one though. What meds are you tripping on these days?" he asked.

Knowing I couldn't verbalize all that I wanted to say, I reached for the white board, and wrote, "He is in Chicago. It was only for a day, so I didn't think it would hurt anything."

"Are you kidding me right now Bella? You let them take him?" Jake roared. "This is getting out of hand Bella. They shouldn't even be here, and now you're letting them take him away. Whose to say they even bring him back. Are you mental?"

"Jake, they are going to bring him back. They aren't that stupid."

"And how do you know? You kept him from them for 4 years Bella. You don't think they have a case against you? You willingly just handed him over to them. They could easily file for temporary custody considering you can't take care of him yourself."

"Wont. Stop Jake."

"No! I won't stop. Am I the only one thinking straight around here?" he crowed.

"Jake, this whole situation is hard. There is no right or wrong way to handle things. It was a small request. I thought about it long and hard and didn't see the harm."

"You didn't see the harm? You sent your son off with his absentee father! And what's to keep him from telling Tony?

I shook my head. "Wont"

"Oh, you know this for sure Bella? Been in close contact with him these past few years that I didn't know about? Know his character oh-so-well?" Jake sneered. Jess placed a hand on his shoulder, whether to restrain him, or comfort him, I didn't know. "You know nothing. How could you let him do this? How could you do this without talking to me first?"

"Why would I? He is my son. MINE. I make the decisions, regardless if you agree with them."

"Maybe you aren't in the right mind to be making decisions because obviously you are not acting in Tony's best interest."

"And you know what is in Tony's best interest?"

Jake scoffed, "At least I've been there for him."

"I never gave him a chance to be Jake. I'm starting to see that I wasn't being very fair here."

"Seriously? First Tony, and now you. He's brainwashing you! He flashes those pretty eyes your way, and suddenly you're back at his beck and call? Have you no respect for yourself Bella?"

"Jake, while I appreciate your concern, stay out of it. There is nothing going on with Edward and I. But now that he is back in the picture, we need to figure out how to co-parent. Isn't it easier to do that if we are getting along?"

"He is just using Tony to get close to you again Bella. Anybody could see that from a mile away. And you're just setting both Tony and yourself up to get hurt."

"Well, if that's the case, then you can tell me 'you told me so' later. But for right now, I'm going to try and be civil with him."

"Fine, be civil. But you didn't have to let him take your son to another fucking state Bella."

"Enough. I made the decision. Its over. He'll be back tomorrow."

"You hope,"Jake muttered under his breath.

"How are you handling all this Bella?" Jess inquired.

"Its difficult. Tony seems to be having the time of his life, and its hard to hear how happy he is. I'm being overly emotional, and I don't know how much of that is because of this situation, or because I'm still recovering from this huge ordeal."

"Well, I think it was very brave of you to make this decision," Jess said honestly. I appreciated having her support.

"Brave? More like stupid," interjected Jake.

"Stop. Jake." I said.

"No, I'm sorry, but no. I won't stop. This is all just so ridiculous. Here I was thinking we didn't have to move forward with Sam now that you're awake, but maybe your too impaired. Rational Bella would never agree to this."

"Jake," Jess stated, but he held up his hand to stop her. "No Jess. This was the last straw. Excuse me, while I try to salvage this situation before you lose your son forever." And with that, he stormed out of the room. Jess stared at me a moment longer before following her husband out of the room.

I knew Jake was going to be mad. That was a no-brainer. But was he seriously threatening me? What right did he have? Tony was my son. No one was going to take him away, not Edward, not Jake, no one. Right? The weight of everything going on seemed to be crushing onto me. I heard alarms going off in my room, and I didn't even realize I was having a panic attack, until I recognized Nurse Olivia trying to get me to calm down.

"Relax Bella. Breathe. In and out. Come on, you need to slow that heart rate down, hon. Comm'on, I really don't want to have to sedate you. In and Out. In and Out," she cooed.

It took some time, but I was finally able to get my breathing under control. But I knew the problem wasn't fixed, and I needed to do something before this got more out of hand. Grabbing Olivia's hand to get her attention, I said, "Get. Carl-isle."

Minutes later, Carlisle came into the room, looking frantic. "What's wrong? The Nurse said you needed me right away? Is everything okay?"

I really hadn't spent much time with Carlisle since waking up, so I could understand why his mind immediately went to worse-case scenarios. "Okay. Need Talk."

Carlisle came and sat in the chair by my bed. "Alright, what's going on?"

Grabbing the white board, I wrote, "What is necessary to deem someone medically incompetent?"

With a look of confusion, Carlisle inquired, "Why do you ask?"

"Please," I stated, not wanting to get into all the details. I just needed facts of how serious this threat was.

"Well, deciding whether someone is legally competent to make decisions regarding their own treatment requires an assessment of their mental capacity. We need to see if the person is capable of making rational decisions, or if they can act responsibly. If the sick person can still make some decisions and communicate, it might be possible for them to appoint a person to handle their affairs. This is usually done by signing a power of attorney. However, if the sick person can no longer understand and make decisions, a guardianship may be necessary." Pausing, he asked again, "Why do you ask?"

Sighing, I wrote, "Jake thinks I am not thinking straight. He wants to declare I'm incompetent so he can make decisions for me regarding Tony. But he can't claim I'm incompetent just because I'm making decisions he doesn't agree with, right?"

Carlisle took my hand in his, and said, "Bella, I firmly believe you are competent. His threat has no backing; He's just upset right now."

"But how certain are you Carlisle? I can't risk Tony here."

"If you are truly concerned, we can be proactive. Get an assessment done by the staff here of your mental capacities so if you're competence is called into question, you can prove the claims are false."

"Yes. Please."

"Okay, I will go find Dr. Denali, and see where we go from here."

"Tank. You," I said, feeling like I truly could breathe again.

Carlisle gave me a familiar smirk; one I was so accustomed to receiving from Edward years ago. Like father, like son. "Don't thank me Bella. You're family. We stick together."

With that, Carlisle went off to find the doctor. I was touched by his statement. Even after I abandoned them all, and kept Tony away from them, they still considered me family. It was bittersweet. And yet, I couldn't help but lament over the fact that my supposed family was doing this to me. For now, all I could do was wait and see. Maybe he'd be more rational when he calmed down. Yeah right, I thought, before finally submitting to that nap I told Tony it was time to take.