DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction for which we will receive no compensation, especially since all characters belong to a different Stephenie. But this story helped save the babies, which we are all for.

Thanks to maplestyle :)

Connecticut was something else, wasn't it? Let's see what awaits them in Seattle...

Chapter 29

Bella woke up snuggled against Edward chest, warm and sated. With the curtains drawn, she had no idea what time it was and didn't care. As far as she was concerned, they could stay in this room for the rest of their lives. As long as room service kept the food and clean linens coming, she would have no complaints.

The unwelcome ring of a phone disturbed the silence, and Edward grumbled as he rolled over. Bella didn't recognize the ringtone, so it had to be his phone. She hated to wake him, seeing how peaceful he seemed in slumber. But a peek at the screen revealed a familiar prefix, and she nudged him.

"Edward?" He groaned in response, and Bella leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Hey. I think the hospital is calling you."

He huffed, reaching out blindly toward the nightstand. Bella chuckled, placing the phone in his hand. He grunted what sounded like "thank you" and rolled onto his back as he put the phone to his ear. "This is Dr. Cullen."

Bella couldn't hear what the caller was saying, but she could tell from Edward's changing expressions that the news wasn't welcome.

"Uh-huh..." He rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Yeah, that was my concern, too... No, you're right. It's worth a look." He glanced at the clock radio on the desk. "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can... No problem. I'm glad to do it." Edward ended the call and sat up. "Not the way I wanted to wake up this morning."

"What's wrong?"

"Dr. Mallory has a patient with hydrocephalus scheduled for a shunt insertion this afternoon. The patient had an MRI two weeks ago, and Mallory ordered one this morning. There might be something new on the second scan that would require a different surgical plan."

"Why did he call you?" Bella asked as Edward got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.

"I had a patient with a similar issue last month, so Mallory wanted my take on it." He raised his voice to be heard over the running water. "Figured it's the least I can do since he covered my patients while we were away."

Bella smiled at the "we" in his statement. "That makes sense."

Edward emerged from the bathroom. "I hate to cut this short..."

"You should go," Bella said from the bed. "It's the right thing to do."

"It shouldn't take long, so I could come back and..."

"That's okay. I'm gonna head home in a little bit. Rose is working, so I'll have time to unpack and unwind alone before my shift tonight."

Bella sat up and stretched, the sheet falling away as she arched her back. Edward watched her as he dressed, shamelessly enjoying the view of her bare body. She dropped her arms and looked at him, smirking at his staring. "You're tying your shoes wrong."

"Seeing you naked makes me forget I have feet."

She laughed, running her hands through her hair. "Mallory's waiting."

Edward walked toward her, his heart torn. He'd imagined them leaving much later, and the thought of her staying behind didn't sit well with him. "I'm picking you up."

"What?"

"For our shift." He sat on the bed. "I'm gonna pick you up tonight, and we're going to walk into that hospital together."

"Together?"

He laced their fingers and kissed the back of her hand. "Together."

She fluttered, her eyes dancing. "Crowley's gonna kill you."

"Crowley can kiss my ass."

"Crowley would kiss your ass."

"And that's the sound of you ruining the moment." He released her hand and stroked her cheek, leaning in to kiss her. "Thank you for a beautiful week."

"You're welcome." Edward tried to gather his things, and she waved him off. "Don't worry about that. Just take what you need, and you can get the rest from me tonight."

"Thanks." He hesitated at the door, pretending to check his pockets. Things between them had been amazing, and he was terrified that the second he left this room, their good luck would disappear, and reality would be waiting to dropkick them in the face.

"Hey." Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "It'll be fine. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

The pang in his heart disappeared, and he winked as he opened the door. "See you tonight."

***STYB***

Edward kept his head down as he walked into the hospital. He wasn't supposed to be here yet and had no intention of speaking to anyone but Mallory. The hoodie, baseball cap, and sunglasses would keep anyone from recognizing him, and if all went well, he might be able to squeeze in another round with Bella before they had to come back.

If his clothing weren't different enough, the smile on his face was a definite change. He couldn't believe how well the reunion had gone, couldn't believe Bella had survived his crazy family without going insane.

And couldn't believe that every time they made love was better than the last.

A rush of warmth flooded his body, and Edward stopped in the gift shop for some water and a snack. The sex was amazing and made him want to chain her to the bed and never let her leave. For all he knew, she might be into it. But in his heart, he knew it was more than that.

Bella learned about his father's death and didn't think less of him for the role he played in it. She forgave him for every terrible thing he'd said and done at the start of their relationship. Most shocking of all was her reaction to his reaction to seeing his ex-wife. She watched him tremble in Tanya's presence without judging or thinking less of him for it, instead responding with tenderness and compassion, treating him like a good friend.

Edward paid for his snacks and sat in the lobby, his mind stuck on rewind. Tanya had done the same thing or seemed to, cozying up to Edward after his father's funeral. Their relationship at Columbia started off platonic because Edward was too grief-stricken to do anything but study or sit in his room. Tanya was content to stay with Edward while her friends were out partying, making their quiet nights less depressing by bringing good food and her good humor. She accepted him as is, never pushing for more, so Edward falling in love with her was easy and inevitable.

They were well into their marriage before her façade cracked. Initially she was proud of him and thrilled to become the wife of a doctor. But when his nights ran long and his free time disappeared, she became resentful, accusing him of neglecting her.

As their eleventh anniversary rolled around, he decided to change that. Tanya's favorite singer, whose name Edward intentionally forgot, was doing a brief and rare tour, and tickets were impossible to get. He'd managed to score a pair and planned to make a weekend of it. But he told Tanya he had to work through their anniversary and maybe they could do something the following weekend. The idea was for her to be surprised.

But when he came home early that day, the surprise was on him.

Edward scrubbed his face, his anger burning more coolly than it normally did when he thought about what she... no, what they did. He had no reason to see Tanya again, and Emmett was dead to him. But he couldn't regret it because Tanya's treachery led him to Seattle, and Seattle led him to Bella. The pain wasn't worth it, but he had found the silver lining in that clusterfuck of clouds.

"Damn," he muttered with a chuckle. "Swan is turning me into a sap."

He threw away his trash and headed upstairs to Mallory's office, taking the public stairs like a regular visitor. Pixie—er, Dr. Brandon was at the nurse's station smiling up at a blonde doctor who looked like a cranky Dr. Carlisle while Dr. Whitlock looked on. Edward recognized the annoyance on Whitlock's face—and the open infatuation in Brandon's—and he chuckled to himself when Whitlock stormed away without Brandon noticing.

Edward was halfway to Mallory's office when he thought to grab his patient's case file for reference. It was faster to take the employee stairs, so Edward scanned his ID to access the private stairwell. He heard familiar voices below him, and he quietly closed the door to avoid detection.

"Gross," Nurse Weber was saying. "I can't believe he asked you that."

"Well, Jake is an ass with a one-track mind, so I'm not surprised," Nurse Stanley said. "At least he's honest about who he is. Some of these interns are in complete denial."

"Don't start that again."

"Angela, come on." The girls stopped walking. "A month ago, Bella Swan was a nobody. A nice nobody, but no one knew she existed. Now she's gallivanting across the country to spend a week with him of all people? I told you his mother wasn't here five minutes before she demanded to meet her."

"That could mean anything," Angela said. "And how do you know they went away together?"

"Don't be naïve. They requested and used vacation time at the same time. And four days ago, when someone asked where Swan was, Crowley turned four shades of red and muttered something about killing Cullen if she didn't come back in one piece."

Angela sighed. "That's pretty incriminating."

"Listen, I'm not mad at Bella for getting hers, especially with someone as fuckhot as Dr. Cullen. And we spend most of our lives in this place, so hooking up at the hospital is basically part of the benefits package. But she's so nice, and he's so..."

"Not nice."

"Exactly. People are gonna judge her because he's an ass and side-eye her for dating her attending."

"He's not her attending," Angela pointed out. "He's an attending."

"An attending with a lot of influence and a bad reputation," Jessica said. "They might be consenting adults, but relationships like this are frowned upon for a reason. Even if he doesn't break her heart—and the chances of that are slim to none—this situation will only hurt Bella in the end. And she doesn't deserve that."

The door shut behind them, and the stairwell was quiet again. Edward waited a beat then continued to his office, Jessica's parting words burning his ears.

***STYB***

When Bella got home, she expected to jump right into unpacking. She unlocked her bedroom door, dropped her bags, and sat down. The next thing she knew, she woke up yawning about an hour before Edward would be there to pick her up. Maybe the time difference was catching up to her.

That or she was worn out from all the sex.

She showered and washed her hair, gathering the damp tresses into a quick braid. She ran downstairs to sort her clothes, folding the load of towels Rose left in the dryer. She dropped her sweaters in a cleaners-bound bag and shoved her empty luggage back in her closet. The shawl Elizabeth gave her was placed on a special hanger, and she hand-washed her lingerie before laying it on a rack in the bathroom to dry.

All except one piece. She stashed that one somewhere special.

The doorbell rang, and Bella yelped. She wished she would have had time to change her sheets, but she could do that tomorrow afternoon. She raced downstairs to open the door, her heart racing from exertion and excitement.

As she reached the door, she realized she left her workbag upstairs. She opened the door without greeting her guest and ran toward the stairs.

"Forgot something!" she yelled. "But I'll be right down."

Bella burst into her room to grab her bag then paused. Now that she had a boyfriend, she might not come home after her shift. She rolled up a pair of tights and an oversized sweater and stuck them in her bag with underwear and her travel bag of toiletries. She didn't want to be presumptuous, but it was better to be prepared than risk wearing today's clothes tomorrow. Walking into the hospital with Edward would make them the story of the month, and she didn't want the headline to be more scandalous than necessary.

Shouldering the bag, she cut out her light and locked her bedroom door before rushing downstairs. Edward hadn't complained, but she knew he hated to be late.

"Sorry about that!" she exclaimed as she reached the living room. "I was so busy answering the door that I..." Bella stopped mid-sentence, realizing the room was empty and her front door was closed.

"Edward?" Bella put down her bag and walked toward the kitchen. She made it down the hall and heard the front door open. Rushing back to the living room, she found Edward closing the door behind him. "There you are!"

"Wanted to put my luggage in the car," he said.

"Oh. Well, hi!" She skipped over to him and kissed him. Edward didn't resist, but when he didn't return her kiss, she pulled back. "What's wrong?"

Edward looked away, and Bella feared the worst. "Oh, no. Did Mallory's patient die?"

"Huh? No, she's fine. Her scans were different but not enough to warrant a new treatment plan. Mallory should be finished her surgery by now."

"That's good. But something else is bothering you."

Edward rubbed his hands on his pants then stuffed them in his pockets. Bella didn't like that he refused to look at her, and she didn't know how long she could take the silence.

"Why don't we get going?" she suggested, grabbing her bag. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's totally..."

"Bella, no. I... I don't think that's wise."

"Like I said, I won't force you to talk to me, but you know you can tell me anyth—"

"I mean, I don't think we should go together."

"Oh. Okay." She hid her disappointment by pulling out her phone. "Rose has my car, but I can call an Uber because my account isn't suspended," she added cheekily.

"No. I mean, yes, you should call an Uber, but that's..." He rubbed his face. "That's not what I'm saying."

"You said we shouldn't go together."

"Yes, but I meant..." He closed his eyes then looked at her. "I meant we shouldn't be together."

She blinked at him. "You mean we shouldn't be seen together at the hospital."

"Bella—"

"No, you mean we shouldn't go public with this because it's new." Bella's gut twisted, and she set her bag on the ground. "Because you can't mean what I think you mean."

"Bella, I—"

"What happened at the hospital?"

He looked away. "Nothing."

"Who did you talk to?"

"No one."

"Did Rose or Jake say something? Did Crowley find you and—"

"I didn't speak with anyone other than Dr. Mallory."

"Then where is this coming from?"

"I just think it's better if we go back to the way things were before this little arrangement started."

Bella reared back as if he'd slapped her. "Little arrangement?"

"Yes. We knew what this was when we started, and we knew how it would end."

Bella clamped her lips shut to keep traitorous tears from springing to her eyes. "Did you drug me?"

"What?!"

"Before we left Seattle, did you drug me?"

"No! What... what the hell kind of question is that?"

"That means I didn't imagine it. I didn't imagine you kissing my tears and holding me in your arms. I didn't imagine you sighing my name as you made love to me over and over again. And I didn't imagine you saying to me this very morning that you wanted us to walk into that hospital together."

"What do you think people would say if that happened?" he snapped. "What would they think about a first-year who spent a week away with her attending?"

"I wouldn't care because my personal life is none of their business."

"But your professional reputation is. And I hardly think your superiors, whose respect you need to earn, would ignore your colleagues calling you an enterprising whore who slept her way to the top."

Bella gaped at him, reality hitting her square in the chest. The longer she stared at his blank expression, the clearer things became. A riot of emotions erupted in her heart, but white-hot anger rose to the surface, and she wanted to hit him. She wanted to punch him in his stupid face for getting her hopes then dashing them like the asshole he'd always been.

But he didn't deserve to see her anger, her tears, or any other sign that he'd gotten to her. He deserved a swift kick to the nads with a steel-toe boot, but she would give him nothing.

Not another fucking thing.

These thoughts passed through Bella's mind in a matter of seconds, but her facial expression didn't change. Edward's expression, however, had lost its indifference and now seemed concerned, uncertain, and a little scared.

"Bella?" he asked. "Are you..."

"You should be on your way, Dr. Cullen," Bella said coolly.

"What?"

"You have a patient from Seattle General coming in for a vertebroplasty and—"

"Bella, I—"

"As our business has concluded, I will not be on your service for some time. I would like to cosign your request that we return to the state of our former acquaintance. Without the insults, of course."

He sighed. "I'm not trying to..."

"I know exactly what you're trying to do." She met his gaze, gratified when he shrank back. "But I also know who I am, what I want, and what I deserve. You and your bullshit are not on that list."

"I don't think..."

"I need to get to work, so..." She waved a hand toward her front door, letting him fill in the blanks. Pulling out her phone, she hummed as she opened her Uber app. A frown formed between her brows as she checked current wait times. "Let me try Lyft..."

Bella continued talking to herself as if Edward didn't exist, and all he could do was stare at her. When she walked out of the room, murmuring about needing an umbrella, Edward sighed and let himself out.

And as the darkening sky opened up above him, he didn't bother rushing to his car.

*peeking from behind our hands* Y'all still with us?

Story recs: Christmas has come early this year, kids, because Belladonna and TheFictionFreak have started another story, "Clean Sneak," with another E/B pair we think you'll love! (ladylibre aims not to faint her way through this one but makes no promises).Thanks for hanging in there with us, lovelies. We'll see you in two weeks with more! XO