Chapter 52 – Visitors
Bella
Mom and I headed out to catch a few of the after-Christmas sales, while Edward and dad set about shoveling the sidewalks. The promise of masses of screaming basketball fans that evening had dad pumped, and he was anxious to burn off a little of his energy. However, Edward tried vigorously to talk him out of it. Dad had a desk job these days and was not used to heavy physical activity anymore. He was like me, though. When he decided he was going to do something, there was no deterring him, so Edward reluctantly acquiesced and let him help.
Shopping with mom was almost as much of an exercise in stamina as shopping with Alice. The difference was, mom could become enamored with the most peculiar items, which could be amusing and occasionally embarrassing. She ended up with a dagger-shaped ice scraper, a scarf-hat-poncho combo that had kitty ears and paws attached, and a huge, droopy-eyed garden toad statue.
Mom insisted the statue was a perfect caricature of the mean old lady who lived next door to them. Old Mrs. Porakova would always scowl at mom when she would trim their hedges. If some of the debris happened to fall on the old lady's side of the picket fence, she would become incensed. I couldn't hold in my laughter, as mom started making faces and imitating obnoxious frog noises and behaviors in the middle of the store, earning incredulous stares from other nearby shoppers. Only my mom…
We were heading to our next store to find heaven only knew what when my phone rang. I saw it was Edward and accepted the call. "Hello, handsome," I said, smiling as mom winked at me. I wasn't smiling for long.
"Bella, it's your dad. He's had a heart attack." Edward was frantic on the other end of the phone. I could hear the fear in his voice, as the paramedics in the background worked on my dad. "Meet us at Valley Medical Center, we're leaving now."
I spun around in the parking lot like a stunt driver, heading for the freeway. Mom's eyes were wide, and her voice became tiny, as she whispered, "My Charlie."
We were there in a matter of minutes thanks to my driving. I never was a fast driver, but right then, I didn't hold back. When we arrived, Edward met us at the entrance. The paramedics had already taken dad back into the ER.
"How bad is it?" mom asked calmly, but I could tell she was about to lose it. Edward motioned us to a row of chairs and explained what had happened. He had tried to get dad to sit down, but dad was just so happy, chattering away while he shoveled. Then, he suddenly stopped and went to sit on the porch, where he threw up, and then he passed out.
Mom just sat there, tears streaming down her face. When she finally spoke, she had regained her composure and got a look of determination on her face.
"He won't die. He can't die. How would I manage without him if he dies, Bella?" She was trembling now, and a new wave of tears started, as she realized the love of her life could leave her. Edward went to check on dad, while mom and I waited, holding on to each other for dear life, and we prayed. Grammy had promised God was good, and He listened, so I was doing everything in my power to get Him to hear me now.
I looked at mom closely, really closely, seeing her clearly for the first time in a long time. I had never noticed the wrinkles, deep set and plentiful now around her eyes, or how thin and delicate her skin had become. Her hair, still shiny and soft, was streaked with grays I had never realized she had. To me, she was always the perky, happy mom who never slowed down and was eternally young and vibrant. The woman before me was frail, slightly helpless, and needed her husband more than ever. How would she possibly survive without him? I pulled her into my arms, like so many of the children I had protected while doing my job, and I held her, determined to make sure she was never alone.
Edward came out a while later and sat down silently next to me. His shoulders looked heavy, and his eyes were red, like he had been crying.
"Edward…?"
"He's still alive, but it's been touch and go. The next twenty-four hours will be critical. He had a massive heart attack, Bella. The only thing that saved him was me quickly doing CPR on him and the paramedics getting there so fast. I'll never curse my cell phone again."
Edward wrapped my mom in his arms and held her while she sobbed. It was going to be a long night for all of us, so I took out my phone and called Alice and Rose to let them know what was going on. They were both with Jasper and Emmett, and all four of them arrived at the hospital within half an hour, bringing food and coffee for everyone. Rose and Alice surrounded me with hugs, offering words of encouragement and prayers. Edward encouraged mom to eat something, promising her that her strength would help dad if he could see her looking well. He also insisted I eat something to keep my strength up for mom.
The night seemed to stretch on endlessly, and at some point, I must have fallen asleep. I found myself sitting on a dock in the sunshine, gazing out over the water of the lake Poppa and I used to go fishing and rock collecting at when I was small. I looked over to find him sitting next to me, a peaceful smile on his face, while he joined me in my gazing.
"He's going to be fine, you know," Poppa said. "A little weak for a bit, but he's not due here for a while yet. He still has to give you away…plus, there's a curly-haired set of grandkids who need to learn how to properly bait a hook."
I grinned at him. "A set?" I asked, amused.
"Twins. Boy and a girl. The boy looks just like you, but the girl looks just like Edward's mother. Don't tell Grammy I said this, but that Elizabeth's quite the looker!" he grinned and winked at me. I looked back out over the water, as the idea sank in, making me smile. Twins. I was going to have twins. I turned to ask more questions, but Poppa had gotten up and was walking away. He turned to me and waved, blowing me a kiss. "I love you, kiddo," he grinned, but his next words caused a shiver to run up my spine. "Remember, Bella, stay out of those stairwells."
