On his way back home, Carlisle took his time contemplating how he should approach the little girl currently residing in his home and hoping to explain what they would have to do in a few days.
He'd begun looking over the funeral arrangements for Charlie and Renee Swan as soon as he'd decided to take Bella in. Unfortunately, there were no extended family members nor close friends to invite; however, the police force in Forks offered to honor Charlie for his service, thinking he'd died while trying to protect his family from a wild animal.
It was the least Bella's parents deserved regardless of how they treated their daughter, Carlisle thought to himself as he walked through the front door of his home.
He immediately heard the sound of hushed voices and the television playing in the living room. That was new, considering normally his children were rather rambunctious around this hour. Walking down the hall, he stops as he noticed both his sons and Esme sitting in the living room, with a sleeping Bella curled up on the couch, tucked underneath a fleece blanket. Her head was resting on Jasper's lap as he gently patted her back while silently reading his book. Emmett sat on the other side of the couch as he picked up the teddy bear that slipped out of her dangling hand before securing it under her arm again.
Leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, Carlisle couldn't help but watch them in silent awe. Crossing his arms, he found himself smiling tenderly at the sight of his two sons taking care of Bella and staying by her side.
"She fell asleep almost instantly after she ate," Esme said as she walked into Carlisle's open arms and embraced him. "She's been with the boys all morning."
"I'm surprised she's so close to them."
Esme nodded, "Today was...a little easier, I think. She let me help her get ready, and we spoke for a bit. And she willingly sat beside Jasper."
"I just know she's going to be a tiny fireball," Emmett admits in a low murmur to not wake the girl and smiles at his father.
"Only with you, it seems," Jasper added as he looked down to Bella, "might've rubbed her the wrong way with all that laughing. Don't think she likes to be mocked."
"I'm glad to hear you're all getting along," Carlisle nodded before looking to Bella's shoulder, "She hasn't complained about any pain?"
Jasper shook his head, "I've been monitoring her emotions, and I'm not getting anything right now."
"Good, if it changes drastically, it could most likely be due to the pain." Looking at his watch, Carlisle contemplated between waking Bella up for her antibiotic and daily change of bandages on her shoulder and letting her sleep a little longer. But seeing how peaceful she was right now, not a frown or a tear seen on her face, Carlisle decided to let her sleep a little longer. Turning to Esme, he says, "The funeral arrangements..."
Esme's smile fell from her lips, looking over her shoulder, "We should tell her soon then. When is it?"
"In a few days," Carlisle noticed the way Jasper's amber eyes shifted to look at him before resuming his comforting touch on Bella's back as she shifted closer to him. "We'll have to keep a close eye on her if she decides to come to the funeral. I don't want to risk putting her in danger if the nomad is still in Forks."
"Emmett and I can patrol the town tonight. Make sure they aren't here, and if they are..." Rosalie offered, walking into the living room. Having just gotten out of the shower, she smelled of her favorite shampoo, the scent of lilies, and honey filling the room. Her long blonde hair was still slightly wet and fell over her shoulders in luscious waves. Her golden eyes were solely focused on the little girl before she noticed Emmett was standing up, making his way over to his wife and engulfing her in a tight embrace.
"We'll rip them to shreds," Emmett said confidently as he rested his head atop Rosalie's, smiling wide when he noticed Carlisle's small, wary smile.
"I do not doubt that you will," Carlisle sighed before excusing himself to take a much-needed shower of his own and was thankful when Esme decided to join him. Helping him wash away all his worries with gentle caresses and tender kisses.
A soft murmur broke Rosalie out of her train of thought, looking up from the magazine she'd been skimming over mindlessly and straightening in the love seat when she noticed the little human was moving underneath the covers. Holding her breath, Rosalie kept a neutral gaze as she heard Bella mumble more incoherent words in her sleep, her head sinking further into the pillow Jasper had provided before slipping out from under her. He didn't want to make her cold, lying on his lap for as long as she'd been and needing to hunt for the second time since Bella arrived so as not to try his luck. Rosalie had to admit that her brother was doing a surprising job of controlling his thirst, being the newest "vegetarian" in the family and all.
"Wait..." Bella mumbled once more, this time her voice sounding a little distressed as she flinched, her arm hanging off the side of the couch. Despite what she'd told Carlisle, Rosalie couldn't help but scoot up in her seat as she noticed Bella's body slowly rolling closer to the edge of the cushions.
She's going to fall if she keeps moving...
Cursing under her breath, the woman stands up with an annoyed look permanently engraved in her beautiful face as she crosses the room and stares at the little girl for a long moment. There was an underlying ache in her chest as she looked at Bella's heart-shaped face; the rosy cheeks of a child new to the world were still there despite the crease between her delicate brows.
"Mom..." Bella sighed just as her head tilted off the side of the pillow.
Alarmed as she watched the little girl's body gradually slumped off the couch, Roslie's hands reached out to catch her before she could fall off completely. Her palm cups her cheek, feeling the warmth that could only belong to a human as it seeped into her cold skin. Rosalie grew tense at the odd sensation that was now unnatural in her world. The feeling of being completely fragile, beautifully imperfect, and warm all at once - human.
As careful as she could be, Rosalie gently eased Bella back onto the pillow and laid her as close to the back of the couch as possible, hoping to prevent her from falling off again. Kneeling beside the coffee table, tucking her legs underneath her, Rosalie pulled the fleece blanket over the little girl. Taking a deep breath, she brushed the strands of hair that fell over Bella's cheek.
Swallowing the sting of venom that filled the back of her throat the same way the rise of tears did, Rosalie rested her head against the arm of the couch and watched Bella settled back into a peaceful sleep nuzzling her head against the pillow.
A child...
Bella was only a child, yet she would be subjected to the very world Rosalie hated existing in. How could they do this? How can Carlisle and Esme be alright with possibly losing her if the Volturi ever found out? She shivered as images of Bella's life coming to an abrupt end at the hands of Aro proved to be all too real.
Aro had ended the lives of innocents and traitors alike so many times, and he would do so again, without question. If that ever happened to Bella-
"Rose?" Emmett whispered, curious to see if Bella was awake when he heard her voice from his bedroom and pleasantly surprised to see his wife so close to Bella...until he noticed the sadness around her that often followed Rosalie during her darkest days. During the days where she could do nothing other than detest her lifeless existence as she's plagued with unwanted memories of Roy.
"She's so small. Her head barely weighs anything against my hand," Rosalie admitted, her voice hollow as she ran her hand through her hair, "one wrong move on our part, and she could die so quickly."
The sound of Bella's breathing and her heartbeat ruled the house now. Everyone was highly aware of it; if the slightest change were made, at least one of the Cullens would check in on the girl.
"Why are you thinking about that?" Emmett questioned as he walked over to Rosalie, a frown on his face as it replaced the smile he'd been sharing with her until he realized she was purposefully not looking at him. Sinking onto the floor with her, Emmett curls his hand underneath her chin and wills Rosalie to look at him. The moment he noticed the venom lining her eyes, his heart sank, "Rosalie...babe, what's going on?"
"I can't do this, Em. I can't grow attached to her and lose her when the Volturi find out. I can't-"
Realization dawned on Emmett then as Rosalie's deepest desires in life came to fruition once more. Bella was a child. A child that Rosalie would have given anything to have with him, and seeing her up close, feeling the same things he and the others felt...it gave Rosalie the one thing she hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope.
"I knew you'd love her as soon as you saw her," Emmett grinned, placing a gentle kiss on her quivering lips moments before she smacked his chest hard. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his wife and turned to look at Bella as she did. "It'll be okay. She's got all of us now. We'll protect her."
"Shut up." Rosalie bit her lip and held onto her husband, absorbing his sincerity and yet knowing that no matter what, she couldn't allow herself to show care for the child. To protect her battered heart...
Carlisle's voice danced around her like a song being played softly in the distance, "Bella?" Her round eyes fluttered open, and the man's smiling face greeted her, his irises warming into a honey hue, "It's time to wake up, love."
Carlisle was very beautiful too, she thought to herself. She rubbed her eyes with a yawn, "I'm tired."
"I'm sorry for waking you. But you're not going to be able to sleep tonight." Carlisle took a seat on the free cushion at her feet as he watched Bella sit up, swaying slightly as she attempted to shrug away the fatigue.
Looking around, Bella furrowed her brows, "Where did Jaz and...Mett go?" The way she said the boys' names made Carlisle smile with endearment. Slowly he reached his hand out and smoothed out her hair atop of her head. Noticing the way, Bella tensed for a second before turning to face him with curious eyes and relaxed into his touch, leaning back against the pillows as she did.
Bella had no idea how relieved Carlisle was to see that she accepted his touch, nor did she do so with Emmett and Jasper. Progress...
"They went out for a bit. Are you hungry?"
Bella shook her head.
"Do you mind if I change the bandage on your shoulder again? And then you can go back to sleep," he asked, and when she agreed, Carlisle stood up and watched as Bella slowly tilted her head up and hesitantly held her hands out. His heart swelled when he realized what she wanted, "Do you want me to carry you?"
Bella's cheeks warmed to a pink tint as she nodded, her eyes waiting for rejection as she often did whenever her mother claimed to be too tired to carry her or that she was too heavy now. But Carlisle did none of that. Instead, he hesitantly hoisted her up into his arms and held her close to his chest as she wrapped her little arms around his neck.
He moved slowly through the house, gently patting her back comfortingly as he listened to Bella's heart beating a little faster. Her fingers idly playing with the ends of his blonde hair on the nape of his neck, and he bet she didn't notice as she seemed to grow increasingly nervous when they walked upstairs to his study.
"Carlisle?" Bella said his name warily as she watched the kind doctor searching through his black bag on his mahogany desk before pulling out a roll of bandages.
"Yes, Bella?" Looking up, Carlisle noticed how the little girl bit her lip nervously, fidgeting in the chair in front of his desk. Walking around it, he sat on the chair opposite her and asked, "What is it?"
"...W-what is a...nuisance?" She struggled to find the word, but when she did, Bella flinched at the same word the man in the forest said.
"Where did you hear that word, Bella?" Carlisle probed, curious and worried to know the answer since he assumed she probably heard it a few times from one of her parents.
Bella shrugged, keeping her attention on Carlisle's shirt rather than his face, "That's what the man said I was. So I am a nuisance?"
Carlisle clenched his jaw but hid the concern in his gaze before she looked up at him with shining eyes. He contemplated what he should say but decided to ask the most important questions right now, "What did this man look like, Bella?"
"He had...red eyes?" She asked nervously, scared that she may have said something stupid.
Carlisle rested his forearms against his knees and nodded encouragingly, "What else do you remember about him?"
"He had hair like you or Jaz."
Blonde hair...red eyes...
"Good job. Thank you for telling me," Carlisle nodded.
"Carlisle? What does that mean? Being a nuisance?"
He thought about it and decided to shield the little girl from the harsh word either the nomad spewed or her parents. Instead, he gently picked her up and walked towards the ceiling to floor window in his study. He watched her closely as Bella's attention shifted to the full moon in the night sky, the stars shining in her brown eyes, "You are not a nuisance. You're wonderful, Bella," he waited patiently until she looked at him. Carlisle kissed the top of Bella's head, "Wonderful, never doubt that. Okay?"
Though she didn't quite comprehend what his words meant, Bella felt a warm emotion in her chest begin to bloom, and for the first time since her parents died, she didn't feel lonely. She felt...loved. The loss of her parents was still present, an emptiness remaining in her heart like a missing puzzle piece that was lost forever in the abyss.
But she didn't feel completely alone right now as Carlisle held her in a gentle embrace, swaying back and forth until she felt herself being lulled to sleep again. Then, resting her cheek against his chest, feeling colder and colder the longer she was in his arms, Bella murmured, "Okay...Carlisle?"
"Yes, Bella?"
"...I miss my Mommy and Daddy."
Carlisle felt a soft sting in the back of his eyes when he felt Bella's tears land against his blue button-up shirt, but he did the only thing he could do right now. He comforted her and hoped she could feel his sincerity, "I know, love. I know..."
He kissed her head once more and waited until Bella's breathing evened out and her body grew limp before carrying her upstairs. Then, gently laying her down in her bed, Carlisle tucked the little girl underneath the covers before preparing himself for what he would find downstairs.
Because he knew his family had all heard Bella's words, and none were happy in the slightest with the knowledge of the nomad and what he'd done to Bella and her family.
The moment Carlisle wandered into the dining room where the rest of his family was, including Edward now despite the pained look on his face, he knew there would be a storm unleashing within the household. And Emmett was the exact proof he needed for his assumption to become a reality when the largest member of the family growled, "We're definitely hunting that bastard down now."
Thanks for reading x
Next chapter, Bella will officially meet the rest of the family!