Carlisle Cullen had always been proud of his family. He knew each of them had their own shortcomings, they did their own fair share of mistakes, but he was always proud of who they were now. Maybe this was why the anger and disappointment surrounding his whole body was foreign to him. Not because he never felt those emotions, but because it's never been directed to a member of his family before. Not to this extent. His foot pressed the gas harder, the car got even faster.
When Alice called and told him that Edward was going back, he was ecstatic. He always knew that he wouldn't last long, being pulled to your mate was a physical and mental consequence of finding them. He was the first one to notice that his youngest son had found his mate, and this is why he was not as worried as the others. He knew that Edward's body and soul would fight back. He thought he knew.
He sighed and pulled the car over when he got to two houses down the Swan's. What is he going to say? Bella didn't believe Alice and Emmett, who were the closest ones to her before. His chest hurt when he remembered what she said to Emmett. The mental image of a human taking a puppy they didn't want anymore to the forest and leaving it there and the image of Edward taking Bella to the forest, using all of insecurities and weaknesses to hurt her and leaving her there, were closer to each other than his liking and it broke his heart.
He thought that Edward explained to her, that he loved her very much and wanted her to be safe. He thought that Bella was also struggling but waiting for him. He thought that Edward told her, how the rest of the family loved her very much.
Carlisle still didn't know what to say when he knocked on their door. When Charlie answered, he just explained that he was there to see Bella.
He expected resistance from Charlie, considering how much they hurt his only daughter but it didn't come. Charlie merely shrugged and invited him in.
He still didn't know what to say when Bella came down.
He still didn't know what to say when he saw how much weight she had lost, how her already small frame appeared to get even smaller, how she didn't meet his eyes and kept her eyes on his shoulder. He didn't know what to say so he didn't. He just hugged her and despite the sudden freeze in her whole body and her shivering hands, he held her tight.