Chapter 19 – Rotation

Thankfully, Alice's adventure this time was nothing more than going on a super long hike that lasted well past dark. Because we were unprepared, we only had our cell phones to light our way, however Alice insisted we did as much of it without them as possible. That was the adventure. Pitch black hiking – something I remembered doing at sixth grade camp as a child, but I never had a desire to do since. But, of course, halfway back down the trail, Alice stopped us for an activity that was nothing like any previous hike I had ever been on.

"Here?" I asked shocked. "Now? I can hardly see you."

"That's what makes it so fun," she said as she giggled against the skin on my neck. Her hands had already found their way down my pants, and despite the dark, unconventional, and awkward location, I forced myself to relax enough to catch up to her desires. I wanted to be anything and everything Bella and her alters needed me to be, and right then, Alice's needs for me couldn't have been clearer.

She leaned against a boulder, and must have been so wound up that she completely ignored the physical discomfort of the position. I worried about hurting her skin against the granite, but she'd only just yell at me to go harder and faster. It wasn't long before her boisterous demands morphed into crying out in pleasure.

And, because nothing with Alice could ever go simply or smoothly, of course we were heard by some straggling hikers.

"Fuck!" I huffed as the concerned voices rushed towards us. "They probably think I'm assaulting you," I grumbled.

We managed to quickly re-dress before they got to us, and Alice was able to convince the strangers that our noisy tryst was consensual.

"Never a dull moment," I grumbled after they finally left us alone.

Alice only giggled.

"Oh, you think all this is funny, do you?" I said, trying to sound cross, but chuckling at the end due to the adorable and sexy way her moonlit features couldn't stop smiling.

"Well, it was pretty funny. Do you think if I start screaming again, they'll come back?" she teased.

"Yes!" I laughed as I pulled her back into me and kissed her tenderly on her neck. "You know, someday you're going to get me arrested."

"You think?" she asked with faux innocence as she wrapped her arms around my waist so she could get two hands full of my ass cheeks. "But if you were in jail, I would lose my access to that pretty cock of yours."

"I guess you better start behaving then," I warned her playfully.

"Maybe you're right. We can't have you in jail. You may just get a little too close to your cellmate and find out you actually like dicks more than vaginas, and then I'd be really sorry. I can't grow a dick."

"Um… I don't see that happening, but even still, a little more self-control at certain times could only be a good thing."

"Alright, alright, you're right. I'll try to be good… at least for the rest of this hike. I can't promise anything beyond tonight."

"I'd never expect you to," I said honestly.

With Alice on her best behavior, we managed to find our way through the dark; although, I was fairly certain we were stalked by a mountain lion at one point along the way.

We spent the rest of the evening at home, joking and playing and making love until we were too exhausted to stay awake any longer. And just like that, with the rising sun came a new alter…

"What are we doing today?" I was questioned the moment my eyes peeked open. My head was bobbling up and down, and it wasn't until I actually looked up that I realized she was jumping on the bed next to me. Sure, I wouldn't put it past Alice to do such a thing, but I was fairly certain it was now time to babysit.

"Uh, good morning, Bree. We actually both have work today," I said, realizing it was now Monday, and despite the childlike alter still bouncing next to me, we both had adult responsibilities.

"Ahh man!" she whined. "But Alice got to go on an adventure. I want to have fun too. I hate going to the bookstore!"

"I'm sorry," I told her sincerely. "I know it sucks having to do grownup stuff, but if you're still around tonight, we can do something fun."

"Like what?" she asked with an adorable curious pout.

"I don't know. Maybe order pizza and watch a movie or something."

"Do I get to pick the movie?"

"Of course."

She huffed. "Fine. I'll go get dressed."

Bree went into Rosalie's room, and came out wearing a skintight, super short cocktail dress, so I had to send her back in to get re-dressed. Her next ensemble was a little more age approved, but the hoodie and ripped jeans were far from what Bella would qualify as work attire.

"What am I supposed to wear then?" she screeched while stomping her foot.

"Can I help you pick something out?" I asked carefully, hoping to not upset her.

"Fine!"

I led her back to my room and into the master closet where Bella kept her clothes. I didn't know much about women's fashion, but I figured a knee length skirt and button down blouse would be acceptable professional wear. After finding her bra and underwear, I placed it all on the bed and then excused myself so she could get dressed. When she emerged, however, she was also wearing Bella's slipper socks and her hiking boots.

"Uh.."

"Did I do it wrong again?" she whined. It wasn't until then that I noticed her skirt was also on sideways.

"No, you're fine. Let me just…." I slowly reached for her waistband and tried to tug it to the side so her skirt was on straight. Thankfully, my action didn't seem to freak her out in the slightest.

"Am I good now?" she questioned, full of attitude.

I considered asking her to change her footwear, but figured it wasn't worth it. "You look great. Does your dad usually help you get ready for work?" I questioned, unsure how she did it before living with me. That was my first work morning with Bree, but I assumed it wouldn't be my last, so any kind of hint on how to make it go smoother for the next time would have been helpful.

"My dad knows even less about big girl clothes than I do," she replied. "I usually just go however I want, and when one of them pulls me back in, they go and change."

"Oh, okay then," I said before leading her into the kitchen to feed her breakfast. "Cereal?"

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"Um, okay. Want me to make you eggs?" I offered.

"I want pancakes!"

"I don't have time to make pancakes this morning. We are running a little behind. How about Eggo waffles?"

"I want pancakes!" she shouted stubbornly.

"I don't have time!" I practically shouted back. I went to the fridge and grabbed Bella's usual choice breakfast. "Here is a yogurt and some granola. Eat."

"I don't like this stuff!" she cried.

"Yes, you do. You eat it all the time, you just don't remember," I argued.

"No, I don't. The big girls eat it. I hate this stuff. I want pancakes!"

When she threw herself on the floor and started an entire meltdown, I could do nothing but stare at her for a few moments. Stare, at my girlfriend throwing an absolute tantrum.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

It was jarring and surreal, but it was my currently reality and I needed get my shit together and figure out how to deal with it.

"Fine!" I yelled over the sound of her fit.

I hurried and grabbed all the crap for pancakes and made a super quick little batch. It didn't take long, but it certainly wasn't clean. At least it stopped her screaming, so at the moment, I really didn't care about leaving dirty dishes for the day.

She scarfed down her food just in time for her to leave, so I handed her the keys and her purse. Of course, it couldn't be that easy. "You do know how to get to the bookstore, right?" I questioned hesitantly.

She smiled and shook her head no. "I don't even know how to drive. My daddy usually drops me off places."

I let out a long hard breath. "Right."

Fuck.

Bella usually left before me in the mornings, but since I had to drop her off, I'd need to rush to get ready myself so neither of us were late. I threw on the first thing I could reach, slathered on my deodorant, and then shoved my feet into my shoes without untying them.

It wasn't until we were rushing out to the car that I realized we forgot one more detail. "Crap, your hair!" I shouted. Not only was her face somewhat dirty, but her hair was in a matted mess. "You don't do your own hair either?" I questioned.

She shrugged. "Never have before. It's ok, I can comb it like this," she said while running her fingers through her knots, only to get them stuck. "Ouch!"

"You know what, I have a comb in glovebox; I'll help you when we get to the store," I told her before reaching across her to grab her seatbelt. "We're running late," I reminded her in a rush.

When we finally made it to the bookstore, I attempted to detangle her knots, but I quickly broke the flimsy plastic comb. It was of no use, so I found a brown rubber band off the newspaper sitting on her desk, and I pulled her hair into a messy low ponytail. I reflexively kissed her cheek to say goodbye, but, of course, then I remembered her dirty face.

"How did you do this?" I asked her as I attempted to wipe it clean with my sleeve. It wasn't working, so I did the unthinkable… I fucking licked my finger and used my spit to clean her face. It was fucking ridiculous, but I didn't realize just how ridiculous the entire thing was until I was driving away from the bookstore towards my own job.

What the fuck kind of morning was that?

The rest of my morning was thankfully mundane, but by the afternoon my cell phone started dinging relentlessly. Twelve unread texts, seven voicemails, five missed phones calls, and two unanswered video chats – all within a thirty-minute span of time when I left my phone on the charger as I ran an errand at the opposite end of the hospital.

"Angela, I need to go. Can you cover for me?" I asked my co-worker in a rush.

"Of course."

I darted out to my car as I attempted to read my phone and run at the same time. A quick glance was all it took for me to get the drift. There was an issue with a customer, and Bree had another meltdown. The police were called, and now Rosalie was back and absolutely pissed as if it was somehow my fault. All the messages were from her. Just fucking great.

By the time I got there, I was grateful to see Charlie on the scene, but it looked as though he and Rose were still in a heated debate.

"It's bullshit! Who would leave a child in charge of the store like that?" I heard her shouting.

"Calm down before someone overhears you," Charlie tried hushing her.

Then Rose spotted me as I approached. "Oh, here is the so-called responsible adult now. What kind of fucking moron…"

"Rosalie, that is enough!" Charlie chided her. "Edward is not responsible for Bree in that way."

"He dropped her off at this fucking place alone!" she argued.

When I was finally given a moment to speak, I had to take a deep, calming breath since my heart was about to race out of my chest. "What happened?" I asked as calmly as possible.

"Well, Einstein, you dropped Bree off here alone, and surprise, surprise, she had issues," Rosalie hissed. "You're just lucky Bella's dad is a cop, otherwise we'd be in jail right now."

"She struck a customer," Charlie explained.

"Holy shit!" I spat. "What the fuck led to that?"

"The rancid woman grabbed her because she said she was acting crazy, so Bree retaliated," Rose explained. "I'm proud of her, frankly. The kid should protect herself. But, it should have never happened. You should have stayed with her."

"Stayed with her?" I asked incredulously. "I have to work too, Rosalie. I can't just not show up. I need my job. We need my job. Remember that fancy apartment you invaded? Yeah, it's expensive. Besides, I know Bree has worked here alone before. I was under the impression she knew what to do. Why the hell didn't you come out sooner if she wasn't supposed to be here alone?"

"She was having a tantrum," she replied as if the answer was obvious. "I know you don't have much experience with children, but they are hard to reach when they're raging like that. I tried to get out sooner. I couldn't."

"Okay, but Edward is right," Charlie interjected. "Bree has worked here alone before without issue. Being upset with him is senseless."

"We have only let her work here when we already got ourselves ready, and everything set up here for the day, and things are going slow. We never let her open the store herself without knowing how busy it's going to be."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that," I apologized.

"Well, how could you know that?" Charlie sympathized. "This was just an unfortunate incident of miscommunication. It's bound to happen. It will all get easier with time and experience."

Rosalie huffed. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have assumed you magically knew how to take care of Bree. The truth is, she shouldn't have even been out today. It was Tanya's turn. She hesitated, and then Bree pushed her way in front. She will be reprimanded."

"What do you mean, it was Tanya's turn?" I asked confused. "I never knew you guys took turns."

"It's a new arrangement," she explained. "We never have been on any type of schedule, but I've gotten tired of all the internal bickering that's been going on in the theater lately."

"Why are you all fighting more now than before?" I questioned.

"Oh, I don't know, probably because of you!" she said bitterly. "Now that Alice is in love with you, and Tanya has some silly crush, and even Bree wants to hang with you, they've all become so pushy. The only solution I could think of is for us to be on a rotation – unless, that is, I need to step in and protect them like I had to do today. We've also all agreed to try to accommodate each other."

"Meaning?"

"I have no idea why I'm even wasting time explaining all this to you," she mumbled under her breath. "But whatever. So, if there is a party that Bella can't handle, Alice gets to go, regardless of who's turn it actually is. Stuff like that will make us detour from our regular rotation."

"Wow, that sounds like a good plan," Charlie commented. "I wish y'all would have come up with it sooner. Would have saved a lot of stress over the years."

"You're telling me," she agreed.

"So, you said Tanya hesitated when it was her turn to come out this morning?" I asked, looking for a little clarification.

"Oh, you know her. She has such a big crush on you, but then she starts freaking herself out and worrying that you don't like her back. She said you wouldn't fuck her, or something."

"Uh…"

"Well, that's my cue to go," Charlie said awkwardly. "Is there anything else you need before I leave?" he asked Rose.

She scowled at him. "I never need anything from anyone. It was Bree who needed you. It seems I'm the only one of us who actually knows how to take care of myself."

"Alright then. I'll see you later," he said before making a quick exit.

"So, I'm assuming the woman Bree assaulted left already?" I asked, since I didn't see anyone else hanging around.

"Oh, Bree didn't hurt her. It was more like a shove because that woman put her hands on her first. Charlie argued with her that they were both at fault, so the bitch left."

"Well, good. So, um, you have everything handled around here now?"

"I always do," she said full of annoyance.

"And, are you planning to stay for a while, or will you be letting Tanya take her turn now?" I asked, hoping to mentally prepare myself for what to expect that evening.

"She lost her turn when she froze like a deer in the headlights. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'll be the one coming home tonight."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you don't bother me anymore, Rosalie."

"Sure, I don't."

"You don't. I mean, the others are more pleasant to be around, but I have nothing against you. When it's your turn to be out, I'm not going to complain one bit. Just curious though, how does Bella fit in to your tentative rotation schedule?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Bella likes to pretend she hates when we come out, but the truth is, there is only so much of the world she can handle at a time until her stress and anxiety force her to take a break. Whenever that happens, we will be there, ready to take our turn."

"So, you don't know when she will be back?"

"She regains her strength while she is inside. She will come back whenever she is ready. Your mommy dearest really did a number on her. It may be a while before she recovers. Could be a week or so. Maybe less, but probably more."

I nodded. "Okay, but I do have to warn you, she is getting stronger," I told her gently. "She held on through that entire lunch like a champ. If she can put up with an ambush like that, I'm guessing she is already much stronger than you think she is. She could be back sooner rather than later, and then it might be a long while before she needs any of you again. There may even come a time when she doesn't really need to escape the world at all anymore."

"She will always need us," Rosalie disagreed.

"Well, in case you're right about that, we do need to come up with some other plan for Bree," I suggested. "I can't always take off work, and clearly Charlie has to work too, so what else can we do to make sure this incident doesn't happen again?"

"What do you suggest?" she asked annoyed.

"I don't know, what about hiring someone."

"Like, a nanny?" she asked condescendingly.

"No, I mean an employee to help out around here. Bella is overwhelmed with this store. She shouldn't have to work six days a week anyway. Hell, if there were multiple employees, you guys could keep the store open seven days a week with them working on rotation…. kind of like how you and the other alters are doing it now. If other people could be trained to run this store, or even just one person, you guys wouldn't have to be here all the time. That way, when Bree is out, we don't have to worry because someone else will be here to run everything."

"Bella doesn't like people knowing the truth about us," Rosalie disagreed. "And they'd have to know if they were working so closely with us here."

"You really don't think there is anyone out there you can trust? None of you know anyone at all…. Wait, I think I might know someone."

"You just happen to know someone looking for part-time work that you trust enough with our store and our mental health?" she asked, doubtful.

"Yeah, I think I do. My buddy, Garrett, who works as an orderly at the hospital. His wife is a stay-at-home mom, but now their kid is in school, so she is bored out of her mind. She seems really cool, from what he's said about her; she even once worked at an elementary school library. She actually has been looking for a job, but nowhere in this small ass town is hiring right now."

"That's all well and good, but how is she going to be with our disorder?" Rose asked.

"I've never actually met her before, but I do know Garrett occasionally works on the psyche floor, and he has always spoken very respectfully about the patients there. I think they're good people. I'd trust them with this, for sure."

"Fine. I guess it doesn't hurt to talk to her…but you better let me do the interview."

"Why's that? If anything, it should wait for Bella."

"Bella will never agree to this, but if she is already hired, Bella will feel too guilty about letting her go and have to accept the help. I think you're right about needing an employee and going over Bella's head is the only way to accomplish that."

"Fuck, I think you're right," I said with a huff.

I hated not consulting Bella on something so major, but she was certainly going to wear herself out with that store, or Bree was going to get themselves into trouble. She absolutely needed someone to be there when she couldn't be; I could only hope she actually accepted the help and didn't hate me for my part in it.

I immediately contacted Garrett and asked him to meet me for lunch. After explaining everything to him, he was shocked, but certainly not turned off. He very much thought his wife, Kate, would be interested, so we arranged the interview.

In order for it to work, it all needed to move rather quickly before Bella returned, and thankfully, it did. That evening at home, Rose and I actually had another long civil conversation about that day's events. We just reaffirmed that we were making the right decision, and the following day, Kate went to the store to interview…

"Well?" I asked Rose when we met at home after work.

"Well what?" she played dumb.

"Come on, you know what. How was Kate?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why are you so eager about this? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a thing for this broad."

"I never even met her before. What I have a thing for, is the idea of having a little help down at the store. So, how did it go?"

She stared at me expressionlessly for a moment, and then she broke. "Okay fine! You were right, Kate is awesome. She starts tomorrow."

"Really?" I nearly shouted. I was far more excited about it than either of us would have predicted. "That's so awesome! I'm really proud of you, Rosalie. Hopefully this will be the start of a little less stress on all of you."

"And you'll just get all the credit, won't you?" she said bitterly. "Edward swoops in and saves the day again. Woo fucking hoo. You know, at some point, you're going to realize that we don't need a man to always fix everything for us."

"I didn't fix it, Rose, you did. And it's not a gender thing, it's an awesome thing," I told her enthusiastically, refusing to allow her sour attitude dampen the good news.

"Well, since you're so fucking excited about it, Perfect Barbie Kate, and her husband, Hospital Orderly Ken Doll, want us to meet them for dinner tonight to celebrate. Apparently, he doesn't have jackasses for parents the way you do, and they offered to babysit their kid for the evening."

"Really? That sounds fun. But, are you ok with that?" I asked unsure.

"I have to be, right? Bella isn't ready to come back yet, and we both know Alice will just make a fool of us with her crazy antics. So, I guess I'm putting my fake friendly face on and doing my best Bella impression tonight."

"Please don't be mean to them, Rose. Having Kate at the store could be really good for all of us."

"I know, I know."

I wasn't too worried about Rosalie for that outing. She wasn't a child, and she knew how to play nice when she wanted to. However, me being unconcerned about her, left me fully unprepared for the unexpected way she did behave, which had me questioning everything…