Chapter 21 – Be Careful What You Wish For…

The ambulance finally came, and Edward stayed with Esryl, so I could go to the hospital with my mom and Ethan. Mom was doing very well, and little Ethan was perfectly healthy at seven pounds even. I couldn't even imagine how much he would have weighed had mom carried him another three weeks.

The storm finally let up enough for Elliott to make it up to the hospital the next morning. He smiled proudly when I handed him his son. "Bella, I'm so proud of you and Edward," Elliott said, teary-eyed. "Thank you for everything, you're truly the most wonderful daughter I could've ever asked for," he said, kissing my cheek. Mom was fine, and Ethan was as well, so they were released later that evening, and we made our way home carefully through the snowy weather. When we arrived home, Edward had dinner ready.

"I'm impressed, Edward. This looks wonderful," Elliott complimented him. Edward smiled proudly, as we sat in the family room to eat together, so mom could be comfortable lying on the couch. She was still very tired, and so was Elliott, so after dinner, Edward and I took Ethan and Esryl, so they could go to bed and get some much-needed sleep.

Esryl was totally captivated by the new baby and wanted to be near to him as much as possible. Edward gave her a bath, while I cleaned up Ethan and got him ready for bed. We all piled up into my large bed, and Edward read to Esryl, while I fed Ethan. Mom had decided she didn't want to breastfeed again, just like with Esryl and me, so formula it was. Edward grinned, as I used Emmett's shower gift to my mom. It was a baby bottle that was shaped like an actual breast. Leave it to Emmett to find something like that.

Once Esryl was asleep, Edward nudged me and smiled. "I love this. I know they aren't our kids, but I don't care. I can't imagine not having them in my life now. I was looking forward to going away to college, but I don't think I can stand to go so far now," he said and kissed my head, as Ethan lay sleeping on my chest. Mom had received two basinets as gifts, so I had one in my room. I lay Ethan down and covered him up before slipping back into bed with Edward, Esryl snuggled between us.

"I know what you mean," I whispered. "I'm planning on staying close as well. Even though mom's been home on bed rest, I saw the stacks of paperwork she's been working on in her bedroom this whole time. I'd be willing to bet she's already planning for a temporary in-home nanny for Ethan until he's old enough to place in Esryl's daycare center when he turns six weeks," I said, worried. "She seems stressed about losing her job to the younger girl they were training, so I'm fully expecting her to be back to work by mid-January, even though she has twelve weeks of maternity leave."

"That's so sad, that she's not going to spend more time with him. I understand about the responsibilities of a career and all, but I know when I'm a dad, my kids are going to come first. I guess it's a good thing these guys have us," Edward sighed, as he brushed a ringlet off Esryl's forehead. "It's all going to work out fine, though. They'll always know they're loved and wanted."

The days leading up to Christmas turned into a game of hide and seek. Hiding presents from Esryl almost became a sport. The little detective had already uncovered a couple of hiding spots and had opened one present before I could get it away from her and hide it again, thus we'd had to become more creative. We had decided to wait and celebrate Christmas later, once Emmett, Alice, and Rose returned from Texas just after the New Year, so there was no big rush like usual. Of course, Elliott was insanely busy at work, poor guy, so he just gave Edward and me his credit card and begged us to do his Christmas shopping for him, which we did happily.

Mom seemed to be suffering from a serious bout of post-partum depression and spent most of her time in her home office with the door closed, doing paperwork and making phone calls for work. I was very worried about her, as was Elliott, since she didn't seem to have very much interest in Ethan, which left Edward and me on baby duty.

"I'm so sorry to put most of his care on you guys, especially during your break," Elliott apologized sadly. "The good news is, my threats of leaving the force finally did some good, and we're training a couple of new detectives now. So, I should be able to take some time off after the first of the year and spend it spoiling my kids. I hate that I'm missing out on so much of their younger days," he said, kissing Esryl and rubbing Ethan's little head affectionately. "Maybe that'll help a bit with your mom, too. I know I work way too many hours, and I'm going to fix that as soon as I can," he said wistfully, looking down at Ethan and Esryl. I knew he missed being home more, and I was glad to hear he was finally going to be able to do something about it.

New Year's Eve was tomorrow, and mom was still suffering from her fluctuating hormones and had been difficult to live with. Carlisle, Esme, my dad, and Sue had come over to visit and see Ethan, and Sue suggested that they all go out to a fancy party being held in one of the large hotels in downtown Portland New Year's Eve. Dad and Elliott had both gotten the night off, and since Carlisle had it off as well, they wanted to go out, all of them together, and celebrate. Mom didn't want to go, seeing as she had only just given birth to Ethan two weeks prior, and she was sure she still looked fat.

"You actually look like you're about back to normal, Renee," Sue told her honestly. It was true. My mom had always been obsessed with not getting fat, so she had been extremely careful and had barely gained any extra weight during her pregnancy. She had already started exercising and dieting again and had been able to bounce back very quickly in just the two weeks since Ethan had arrived. "It took me months after my two. It's just not fair," Sue teased, and my mom smiled a little.

"It's true, Renee! You know, you'll look wonderful in a chic little cocktail dress, and won't it be nice to be able to wear heels again!" Esme grinned, and my mom laughed, nodding in agreement, the idea of dressing up and going out perking her up considerably. Edward and I were happy to keep Esryl and Ethan, so they could go have some fun, and it would hopefully help get my mom out of her funk and improve her sour mood and quick temper before I wrung her neck.

The following day was cold and snowy again, so Edward and I had built a fire and were sitting in the living room, curled up together in front of the fireplace. We were listening to holiday music and enjoying the Christmas tree with Honey and the kids, when mom and Elliott came downstairs, ready to head out for the evening. Esryl was cuddled up in my arms almost asleep, and Edward had just finished feeding Ethan and was playing with him, trying to tire him out enough for bed.

"You look wonderful, Mom," I smiled. She looked beautiful in her black lace dress and matching heels. Elliott looked handsome all dressed up in a well-tailored black suit.

Mom sat down beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, kissing my cheek. "Thank you so much for babysitting tonight, sweetheart. I know I don't tell you often enough, but you're my rock, Bella. I never did apologize for leaving you behind all those years ago, and although it was for the best at the time, I missed you every single day. You've grown up to be an incredible woman, and I'm so glad you got to come back to live with me. I don't know what I would've done without you, especially these past three years. I certainly don't qualify for any mother-of-the-year awards, but there aren't enough awards to honor you for the daughter you've been to me. I love you so much, Isabella," my mom said sincerely.

"I've spent the past few days thinking and reevaluating my life. I looked at all the extra work I've been doing today, trying to keep up at my job, and I finally realized something. My job doesn't matter. My kids, my family, that's what matters. My priorities have been so screwed up, and I realize how selfish I've been, piling everything on you, Bella. It was wrong of me to do that, so with the new year, I'll be living my resolution to change all that and start anew.

"Elliott and I have talked, and I've decided that, as soon as the office opens Tuesday morning, I'm calling in my resignation effective immediately and putting the official written copy in the mail to corporate. I've taken you for granted for too long now, and it's more than past time I stepped up to be the mom from now on and let you be a normal high school senior.

"I've loved having my career and the satisfaction I've gotten from it, but I have two babies who need me more, and some grown-up kids I've neglected who deserve a real mom, so they can be young and live their own lives. It's high time I put you guys first instead of myself. So, starting Tuesday, I'm a stay-at-home mom.

"I know you'd originally wanted to go to a good Ivy League college and medical school to become a doctor, and you've worked so hard for your grades to be able to do that, so that's what you should do, honey. You and Edward both, you deserve the very best, and we want you to have it," my mom said, smiling now, and Elliott was nodding beside her in agreement.

"It's true, guys," Elliott said seriously. "You've both made us so proud, and you deserve the very best. Edward, I hope you'll go on to become a doctor like Carlisle, but if you decide on something else, I'll still be just as proud of you. And Bella, your future is so bright. Whatever you choose to do, I know you'll be the very best at it there is. I love you both so much," he said, hugging and kissing us both.

"We've talked extensively about this, and Renee is right. It's time we both put our family before our careers and took back our roles as parents to Ethan and Esryl, so you two can just be normal kids for a change. That's our New Year's resolution and promise to you both. To stop burdening you with our responsibilities."

I smiled and nodded, trying to hold back my tears. I had to remind myself they weren't my babies, only my siblings, and this was what my mom and Elliott should have been doing all along. However, it felt like I had been kicked in the chest.

Mom and Elliott headed out to pick up my dad, Sue, Carlisle, and Esme. Edward and I sat silently side by side once they had left, holding our siblings close, with Honey at our feet.

"Do you plan on going Ivy League?" Edward asked me quietly. I thought about it a moment and then just shrugged.

"I don't know now. Even with their declarations, I still can't imagine leaving these guys behind. I almost wish there wasn't a choice to be made, that it was all just…easy to figure out, cut and dried. What about you? Are you going to head out east for school after all?" I asked, biting my lip while trying not to cry.

"I doubt it, Bella," he said, smiling at our siblings. "Even if your mom does go through with this, I'm still too attached to them, and I want to stay close enough to be around for them. You know darned well you'll do the same," he said with an eyebrow raised. I nodded in agreement. He really did know me well.

We sat talking for a while, enjoying the music and the fire. Honey started pacing the house, though, seeming unsettled for some reason, and we couldn't figure out what was bothering her. She finally lay down, but she whimpered every now and then, which had me worried. She had never acted like this before.

We had just put the kids to bed when someone rang the doorbell. Honey raised her head, and a low growl rumbled from her before she stood up and began barking.

"Who'd be visiting at this hour of night?" Edward asked, and I shrugged, as we both went to the door. Edward opened it to find two uniformed officers standing on the porch.

"Is this the home of Renee Annette Masen and Elliott Alexander Masen?" one of the officers asked, and Edward and I both nodded and introduced ourselves as their children.

"We regret to inform you that there's been a fatality accident," the other officer said solemnly. "Elliott and Renee Masen, and Charlie and Sue Swan, were killed in car wreck this evening about two miles from here."

"What?" I gasped. "How?"

"I'm so sorry, kids, but they were hit head-on by an impaired driver. The Masens were killed instantly in the front, and the Swans died at the scene in the backseat, because the vehicle they were in was rammed into another car following too closely behind them. Unfortunately, that driver didn't make it, either. The two passengers in the middle seats, Dr. and Mrs. Carlisle Cullen, are in critical condition and have been transported to the ER at Hillsboro Medical."

"We're so sorry for your loss, kids," the first officer said, sounding choked up. "Charlie Swan and Elliott Masen were much loved and well-respected members of the force."

Edward and I clung to each other in shock, hardly able to comprehend what they were saying. Mom and Elliott were dead, as well as my dad and Sue? And Carlisle and Esme were in critical condition?

I sank to the entryway floor sobbing.

Another woman came up behind the officers and introduced herself as Vivian Michaels, saying that she was from Social Services.

"I understand from the deceased men's colleagues that Elliott and Renee Masen had two minor children?" she asked, and I was on the verge of panicking, afraid that she was going to try and take Esryl and Ethan.

"You can't take them!" I said, terrified.

Edward pulled me up and whispered in my ear to pull myself together, so we didn't appear incapable of caring for our brother and sister. He introduced us to the woman, while I took a deep breath and straightened myself up, wiping my eyes. "Our parents left Bella as sole guardian of our younger siblings should anything happen to them. We're both over eighteen and perfectly capable of caring for them. There's no need for Social Service to get involved," Edward said calmly, although I could see his hands trembling.

"That may be true, but we do need to make certain the minors in question are in capable hands," Ms. Michaels said, walking past us into the house without invitation.

"They're sleeping right now," Edward informed her. I could tell by his posture he wasn't particularly fond of her.

"I won't disturb them, but I will need to see them. I'll also need to get some information from the two of you, and a caseworker will be assigned to you on behalf of the two minors," she said coldly and pulled out some forms.

Edward answered Ms. Michaels' questions, managing to keep a handle on his grief long enough to be coherent. I sat beside him, clinging to him and trying to hold myself together as well. When she asked to see Esryl and Ethan, I led her back to the bedrooms, while Edward went to the kitchen for a bottle. Esryl was sound asleep, but Ethan was starting to stir. It was time to feed him, and Ms. Michaels watched me very closely, as I went to pick him up.

"He's so tiny," she said quietly.

"He is, but he's very loved and well taken care of," Edward told her, as he came into the bedroom with a bottle, setting it into the warmer. I sat in the recliner with Ethan, and Edward handed me a burp cloth and then pulled out a fresh diaper and the wipes, readying the changing table, while the bottle warmed on the dresser. He tested the formula then handed it to me. Ethan was a healthy eater and was more than ready, latching on and sucking vigorously, while I rocked and hummed to him, trying very hard not to start sobbing again. I was still in shock, and I resented this woman greatly for standing there emotionlessly, looking like she was ready for me to do something that would justify her snatching the baby from my arms.

Ethan finished his bottle, so I burped him then passed him to Edward, who changed his diaper easily with practiced patience, since our little brother was a squirmy little thing who didn't like having his bum bared. I stood and let Edward sit down in the recliner with him, rocking and humming to him, and Ethan was back to sleep in moments. Edward settled him back into his bassinet and then turned to Ms. Michaels. "Satisfied? We've got this, so there's no need to be concerned. They're in good hands with us."

"Very well, my condolences to you and your family." She finally turned to leave, but then she stopped. "Expect a visit from Mrs. Audrey Turner first thing tomorrow morning. She'll be the one assigned to your case," she said before leaving. Edward and I held our composure until we were able to close the door behind her.

"We have to call our brothers and sisters," I said shakily, looking out the window, finally able to breathe easier once I was sure she was gone. How were we going to tell them that our parents were dead?

The first call I made, though, was to the SHAGNICs. Our siblings wouldn't be home until late tomorrow, but our friends would all be here within the hour, offering help and giving love and support, doing whatever we needed to get through this.

And right now, we would need all of that we could get.