Chapter Ten

October 2000 (continued)

"My God, Edward!" Carlisle ran to him and dropped down to feel for his pulse. "Damn it! He doesn't have a pulse!"

"What?!" Emmett said, dropping down onto his knees as well. "Jake, go call 911! Hurry!"

Carlisle looked at Emmett in apprehension. "I was a lifeguard. So was Jasper. We know CPR." Emmett said as he motioned for Carlisle to move so Jasper could get in. "Breaths or compressions?"

"Breaths." Jasper said, perching over Edward's face. "You don't wear out as quickly as I do."

Emmett nodded and Jasper started them off. After one set, Jasper checked Edward's pulse. "It's there, but it's thready."

"It's better than nothing." Emmett said. They kept a watch over him, making sure he was still breathing and his heart still beating until the paramedics arrived. It took them only moments to get Edward lifted onto a stretcher and rushed out to the waiting ambulance.

When they asked who wanted to ride with them, Jasper volunteered. "Call everyone," He said as he jumped into the ambulance. He tossed Emmett something, which Emmett deftly caught. "There's Edward's phone. You need to call his mom, I guess. I'll let them know at the hospital…"

Emmett nodded. "I'll call Bella and Alice too, since they're still around town."

"Okay…"

Jasper watched over Edward the whole way to the hospital. His pulse rate was very low, dangerously low. When they got there, Edward was rushed into the emergency room and Jasper was left with a handful of paperwork he couldn't answer. He did know that Edward suffered allergies to banana and kiwi, and his drug allergies were penicillin, but that was thanks to Jacob, who insisted he knew each and every one of his band mates allergies, just in case of something like this arising.

Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the guys arrived. "Have you heard anything?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper shook his head. "I don't expect to, not yet."

He nodded and they settled themselves in to wait. That was when the shrieks started. Apparently people were beginning to notice them. Luckily, the nurses were receptive, and after only a few autographs and pictures, they were taken to a small, private waiting room and were assured if anyone on the short list they'd been given, had arrived, they would be shown to where the band members waited.

An hour later, Phil, Bella, and Alice arrived. They'd been having lunch together. Bella came in and hugged Emmett immediately. He had become like a big brother to her already. Alice hugged Jasper. "Have you heard?"

The boys shook their heads. It was another few hours before two more joined their group. Edward's mom, Elizabeth, and his sister, Esme. "Carlisle," Esme said immediately.

"Esme!" He said in surprise, standing at once. "How are you? Where is Foster?"

She smiled, impressed he remembered not only her name, but also the name of her son. "I'm doing well, considering. Foster is fine, he's with his father and Lyn. She was on a photo shoot in Napa Valley, so it was just a drive to get here. Who was it we spoke to?"

"That would be me." Emmett said, standing as well. "Emmett McCarty."

She shook his hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, this is my step-mother, Elizabeth. Mom, this is Carlisle Cullen, Emmett McCarty…and I'm afraid I don't know the rest of your names yet."

The soft-spoken bronze haired woman shook everyone's hands as they all came up to her. "I'm so glad to meet some of Eddie's friends. He has quite a few now. So much more than when he was a child…" She trailed off softly.

Esme smiled. "Mom, you know that Ed just had issues getting away from his piano…" She turned to Phil. "Why haven't you let Edward play the piano yet? Aren't you his manager?"

Phil looked almost taken aback. "Yes, I am, but I didn't realize that he knew how to play…"

"He's only concert worthy!" Elizabeth said sharply, taking everyone by surprise.

Esme smiled at her step mother. "It was somewhat of a shock when he didn't go into Julliard. He was accepted, you know…"

A few mouths fell open, but Bella smiled softly. "I've heard him play."

"When?" Alice asked, surprised.

"He didn't know I was listening. It was while we were at the house. I had snuck downstairs for some milk. He was singing, working on a new song, a love song. I don't think he finished it yet though…"

"How do you and Edward know each other, dear? You're a song writer?" Elizabeth asked.

Bella blushed. "Yes, I am. Edward and I have co-written a song for their new album. We've become friends."

"You do know he is affianced…?" Elizabeth said coldly.

"Yes, I've met Tanya. She's a lovely person." Bella said with almost as much ice.

Elizabeth started to say something else, but just then, the doctor walked in. "Mrs. Masen?"

"Yes?" She asked, standing. "I'm Edward's mother."

The doctor looked grave. "We've determined what is wrong with him. Perhaps we could speak in private?"

Elizabeth said, "Of course," just as Esme said, "We're all practically family. I'm his sister. Please, go ahead and tell us."

The doctor nodded. "Let's all sit, shall we?" Everyone resumed their seats and the doctor began once more. "Edward has a Congenial Heart Defect. I would say it was a surprise that it wasn't diagnosed, however, it can be easy to miss if you aren't looking for it."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Esme asked.

The doctor wiped his glasses on his lab coat. "Let me explain. As blood leaves each chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve. There are four valves in your heart. They make sure that blood flows in only one direction through your heart.

Congenital valve defects are valves not formed correctly before birth. Valves may be the wrong size, have malformed leaflets or have leaflets that are not attached to the annulus correctly. This most often affects the aortic or pulmonic valve."

"And what does Edward have?" Elizabeth asked.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm still waiting for him to undergo some more tests. We've only just diagnosed this. We've had to medicate him to get his heart regulated. This is something he's had. The only reason it's gotten worse is the fact that he must have had some sort of bacterial infection. It caused Endocarditis, which is inflammation and infection around the heart. Has he been complaining about anything lately?"

"We all had a bout with the flu a month or so ago. The five of us in such close proximity…we all got it." Carlisle told him. "Fevers, chills, coughs, sore throats, we were all sick."

The doctor nodded. "I'm not surprised. That could have been the trigger. The symptoms of a valve issue are normally chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting. Some people may have no symptoms at all and others have severe symptoms, even beginning shortly after birth."

"What can be done to correct it?" Phil asked.

The doctor sighed. "In some children and adults, a non-surgical, invasive procedure, called balloon valvotomy, may be used to treat aortic stenosis. More often than not, treatment involves surgical repair or replacement of the aortic valveor congenital heart disease surgery."

The women gasped appropriately and Carlisle said, "So, what's going to happen next? When will we know what he needs?"

"Honestly? At this stage of the game? We need to focus on getting his infection cleared up. After that, we'll have to play it by ear."

He stood then and they all shook his hand. "Thank you, Doctor." Esme said as he walked out. She turned to her mother. "I guess I'll call Charles and let him know. You know Lyn will want to be here."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, and I need to call Ed. He'll want to know what's going on. I do hope he can take time away from his schedule to be here…"

Here for his own son's heart trouble? One would think, Bella thought flatly. "You should call Tanya as well. I'm sure she'd want to know." What are you doing? You don't want her here! You know that innocent shit has got to be fake…

"Why, thank you, Bella dear. Of course. Perhaps she can fly in with Ed." And with that, Elizabeth walked out of the room. Esme followed close on her heels.

"I'm going to catch some air." Carlisle said, stepping out as well. He followed a short distance behind Esme. He wasn't sure what it was about this woman that called to him, but he just had a feeling she was supposed to be his. Like, fate had screwed up or something.

He held back and waited, watching her as she made the phone call. Her face grew grim and tears threatened before she turned angry. He saw her snap the phone shut and sigh as she slumped down onto the bench. She blew out a breath. He walked out and sat next to her. "Are you alright?"

She sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. My husband. He doesn't want to drive in tonight, he wants to wait until the morning. Lynessa, however, my strong willed, temperamental, spoiled princess of a sister is demanding he bring her here tonight. Everyone knows of her hero worship of Edward. So, he's not a particularly happy individual at the moment."

"So, he's coming in tonight?" Carlisle asked.

She nodded. "They should be here in a few hours. Lyn promised she would finish the shoot."

"She sounds rather responsible to be…how old is she?"

"She's fifteen. Well, fifteen and a quarter, as she likes to say. She's so ready to be grown." Esme sighed. "But, of course, who can blame her?"

"She's a pageant queen?"

Esme nodded again. "And now she's doing modeling and acting. She's beautiful."

Carlisle heard the slight wistfulness in Esme's voice. He picked up her hand without thinking and said, "So are you."

She blushed beautifully and smiled, lighting up her whole face. "Stop, you're just saying that."

"No," He said softly. "I'm not. You're one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen."

Her smile stayed as she said playfully, "That's only because you haven't seen my sister."

"Why would I be interested in looking at a girl when I could look at a woman instead?"

"A married woman," She pointed out.

He nodded, chastised and reigned it back in. "Yes, you are." He kissed her hand again. "I think we should go back up now, yes?"

She sighed and nodded. "You're right." They stood and headed back into the hospital.

Hours passed and the doctor reappeared in their private waiting area. "Well, I have the news. It's Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease."

Elizabeth looked faint. "What does that mean?"

"Instead of the normal three leaflets, or cusps, the bicuspid aortic valve has only two. Without the third lefelet, the valve may be stenotic, which means that it has stiff valves that can not open or close properly."

"Is this common?" Esme asked.

The doctor shook his head. "Only about two percent of the population has it."

"So, what is it that Edward will require, what kind of treatment?" Phil asked, his mind going to the concerts scheduled.

The doctor's face grew slightly grim. "Well, there's good news and bad news on this front. The bad news is, I'm afraid he'll have to have the surgery."

The women all gasped. "You mean…he'll have a scar on his chest?" Elizabeth asked.

Esme rolled her eyes. "Mother, I believe there are worst things than having a scar."

The doctor chuckled lightly. "Yes. But in the good news aspect, we will be able to perform the minimally invasive procedure."

"Which means?" Esme asked.

"Minimally invasive heart surgery is performed through a small incision, often using specialized surgical instruments. The incision is about two to four inches instead of the six to eight inch incision required for traditional surgery."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Bella said softly.

The doctor shook his head. "It's really not. We're going to get the endocarditis under control and then we'll schedule the surgery. Edward's being brought up to a room and you can all go in to see him, a few at a time, once he's situated."

"Thank you, Doctor, for explaining everything."

He shook Esme's hand. "You're more than welcome." He stepped out once more and they all breathed a sigh of relief. At least what was wrong with Edward could be fixed. That was a blessing.

"I'm hungry," Emmett complained. "We need something to eat."

Bella and Alice giggled. "Emmett, you're always hungry!" Alice said.

"What can I say? I'm a growing boy."

Bella's lip quirked. "And how, Mr. Superstar, are you going to go down to the hospital cafeteria when you're so recognizable and people are already starting to stalk the hospital?"

"Shit. Are they really?" Emmett asked, then, when he heard Elizabeth sniff in his direction, he said, "Pardon my French, ladies. How am I supposed to eat?"

"We'll go, won't we, Bella?" Alice offered.

"Yes, and I'll go with you." Esme offered. "You fine gentlemen are entirely too recognizable."

"Let us know, Jakey, if the doctor comes back in and gives us the green light to see Edward, okay?" Bella asked.

He blushed slightly at the nick-name, but nodded. "Can do, Bells."

She smiled and gave him a short wink before walking out of the room. She caught up with Alice and Esme at the elevator. Alice had gotten directions to the cafeteria. "So…" Alice said as they stepped onto the lift, "What about your writing session with Mike and the guys?"

"Oh! Crap!" Bella groaned. "Well, I guess they'll just have to do without me."

Esme's eyebrow rose. "And why is that?"

Bella blushed. "Edward's my friend."

"Mmm-hmm." Esme stated. "I see that."

Bella's eyes grew wide and Esme patted her hand. "Look, I love Tanya, she's been in the family for years. I remember when she was born and her dad and my dad were talking about her and Edward growing up and getting married. But I knew from the time they were twelve that it would be nothing more. Tanya…well, let's just say that she isn't in love with Edward, she's just doing her job, holding to her familial duties. Edward needs to get his head out of his ass and realize what's going on."

Bella's mouth fell open. "Wh-what are you telling me?"

"Bide your time. That's all. Just…don't give up, okay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bella answered. Do I?

Esme smiled. "I understand. Just remember that, okay?"

Bella nodded, confused. Of course, Edward got her engine going. He made her want, but that was all, wasn't it? Just a passing fancy. She didn't want Edward more than just to look at, did she? Of course not. He was a man whore, cheating, lying, no good…but he did have good in him. It was just buried under all the crap. She sighed. Maybe one day.

Another hour passed. They fed and watered the men and Esme noticed the now late hour. "Shouldn't Charles have been here by now?"

"Perhaps Lyn got side-tracked. You know how those photographers love her." Elizabeth said, unconcerned.

"You shouldn't encourage their advances, Mother. She's but a child, even if she does have the body of a woman. You need to be cautious. They might take advantage…"

"And that is why we left her in Charles' capable hands. He'll look after her."

Esme rubbed the large bruise that was hidden under her sweater. I just hope he doesn't look after her like he does me. She shivered. Of course he wouldn't. First, he wouldn't want anyone to know, and second of all, Lyn would beat his ass. Thank God Edward had insisted she take karate classes when we were all younger. If only I hadn't been more of a lady, I wouldn't be putting up with what Charles gives me now. She sighed.

"I think I'll just call him and see how they're coming…" Gauge and see how angry he is at having to look after the baby and a bratty teenager. Why did Mother insist I leave Foster with him? Why did I listen to her? Why can't I for once stand up for myself? Be more assertive, like Lyn?

Just then, Tanya burst into the room, followed by Edward Senior. "How is he? How is he? What's going on?"

Oh, God, Esme thought. I need some ibuprofen. "Mother, can you fill her in while I go call Charles?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Of course."

Esme smiled at her father. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hello, dear." He said with a kiss to her forehead. She breathed him in. Her father may not have been the most attentive person in the world, but he was kind, or rather, didn't beat anyone. It was comforting. Edward was more like their father than he knew. Granted, he ruled their house, and Edward in particular, with an iron fist, but that fist had never struck her. "Where's my grandson?"

"I'm wondering that as well. I'm on my way to find what's keeping Charles, Foster, and Lynessa."

He nodded. "Good. I've missed the little tike about the house."

"Which one?" She asked playfully.

He let out a chortle, and Carlisle gasped. He acted so different without Edward there and he began to wonder if how he acted around Edward was all an act. "Both of them, actually." He turned to Elizabeth and became all business. "Now, what is wrong with my son?"

Esme slipped out of the room then and breathed a sigh of relief. Her stepmother was so trying to be around. Elizabeth was a wonderful person, but she was irritating as hell. She walked with purpose, not bothering with the elevator as she walked down the few flights of stairs to stretch her legs. She failed to notice the figure following her.

She stepped out into the smoking area, wishing like hell she had a cigarette. One of her guiltiest of pleasures, she'd stopped when she found out she was pregnant with Foster. No one never knew of her indulgence. But right now, she craved the tar and nicotine, settling for the second-hand smoke she got. She took in a few breaths before she dialed the number.

She waited and waited and waited, and finally on the fourth ring, the phone was answered. "Hello?"

Her stomach dropped. "Who is this? Where is Charles?"

"And who might you be?" The person asked.

"His wife."

"Oh. Mrs. Evanson. My name is Rick. I'm a paramedic…"

She felt her knees go weak. "Wh-what happened?" She lifted her head and saw Carlisle standing there before her.

"Ma'am?" The voice on the line said. "There's been an accident."