Full Moon – Chapter 10
Dizziness, thirst, headaches, and a lot of regret. That's what I woke up to on Friday morning. Why the hell did I decide to go on a drinking spree mid-week again? Grr…
"Someone woke up on a bad mood." Edward's voice isn't any louder than he usually speaks, but for some reason I feel like he's screaming at me, and I roll to my side, putting the pillow on top of my head, to muffle all sounds. "I assume you ain't too happy about your decision to drink wine and rum last night." He laughs, pissing me off a bit. I growl a little bit again, and he laughs again. "Here, drink this." I feel his cold hand helping me get up, and I let go of the pillow, adjusting myself in a sitting position, to grab whatever he's offering me. Thank God it's just some water and a pill. If he was offering some home-made hangover cure mix, I'd probably throw up on him. I take the pill and drink the whole cup of water, instantly feeling a little better. He offers me more but I refuse, not wanting to overwhelm my stomach.
"What time is it?" I asked, looking around to find my phone.
"Almost noon." He answered, handing me the device I was looking for. "I was going to wake you up for your class, but Alice offered to go and take notes for you, and she will teach you whatever you missed later." I growl a bit again, but I don't have the will or strength to fight him on that. I absolutely had no conditions to go to classes today.
"I'll thank her later. She didn't have to do it, but I am grateful." He smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat, which I knew he could hear, bringing a bigger smile to his face, and some blush to mine. I decide to not acknowledge it, and change subjects. "I need a shower." I start moving out of the bed, still a bit dizzy, and he helps me up, making sure I can stand on my own.
"I would prefer if you could wait just a little bit. This med is supposed to act fast; you will feel way better once it does, and I won't worry about you falling in the shower and having to burst through your door." He said, offering me a choice. I still wasn't fully used to this new Edward. The "before" Edward would just have held me back from getting up and ordering a bed rest. But this version of Edward, was actually giving me a choice. Which I really appreciated.
"I'm okay. Not my first rodeo. I will feel way better once I have taken a shower and eaten something." I tell him, smiling a bit. I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, before walking towards my wardrobe, to find something to wear. He sits down at my chair to watch me around. "What's your plan for today?" I try to make some conversation that has nothing to do with my hangover state, pointing out I don't want to talk about it.
"Nothing much. Esme has been doing some renovations in the house we got, so we usually just stay clear out of her way, unless we are helping. But she has it all in a pause for this weekend, so you can stop by and enjoy the time with us, without a lot of dust and paint fumes bothering you." He said, making my heart skip another bit and feel so warm. The way Esme always took care of everyone, even without them needing, and how she just added me to the family and to her cares, was something I missed a lot in the past three years. And something that makes me choke up a bit now, feeling the love emanating from her. I know Edward can hear that made me a bit emotional, but he doesn't comment on it, continuing the conversation. "I'm taking Rosalie shopping while you're at work, though." I laugh.
"Rosalie? How did you get dragged up into that?" I ask, turning to look at his face. The grin was still there, making me smile a bit back at him, although my mood still wasn't the best.
"I'm dragging her into it, actually. It's rare for her to be home these days, and when she is, she's spending time with Emmett. He's out hunting with Jasper today, while Alice is taking your classes, so I thought on inviting her for some sibling time, and she was happy to join." He shrugged.
"Sibling time. That's quite cute, Edward." I say, happy for him. Things seemed better in the Cullen household, now that I had made my conscious choice on my mortality, and they weren't fighting among each other over it. And that made me happy.
"And what are you shopping for, Mr. Cullen?" I asked, turning back to my clothes and finding something comfortable to wear. I didn't have to be at work until 2pm, and was not planning on dressing up for that already.
"A little curious, aren't we, Miss Swan?" He answered, dodging my question.
"I am allowed to be curious sometimes. You basically have everything you need in life already, and all the things you don't need too. Alice does your clothes shopping. You don't need to buy groceries. I am curious about what would you need to buy. And with Rosalie's assistance. I didn't mean to intrude, sorry." I apologize for my intrusion on his personal life, but standing my ground, I am a curious person, what can I say. He gets up and gets closer to me, super-fast, startling me for a bit.
"I didn't mean you couldn't ask. I was just joking. We are going shopping for a new piano. We usually have one in each house we own, and since this is a new place, we don't have one yet. I really love playing, and so does Rosalie, so I thought it was fair she helped me choosing one." He said, reaching for my hand and kissing it, before kissing my forehead. "You don't ever need to apologize to me. And you can ask me anything, any time. I have nothing to hide from you."
"Okay." I answer him, smiling. "And that's nice of you, to take her with you to choose it. I can't imagine Alice is too excited you are doing that without her, though." I laugh, finally choosing something comfortable but nice to wear, and closing my wardrobe.
"She's helping Esme with other matters in the house this afternoon, once your classes are done, so she was plenty busy not to worry about what Rose and I are doing."
"House renovations do sound like something Alice would be full hands on." I let go of his hand, using mine to hold the back of his head, signalizing I wanted a kiss, and he was happy to oblige. It was just a quick peck, just enough to make my heart race and him smile. "I need my human minute now." I tell him, as I'm catching my breath again.
"Do you want to go out for lunch after? Or I can go grab something for you while you're in the shower." He offered. I think a bit before answering.
"We can go out for it, if you don't mind. Some fresh air would do me good."
"Deal, I'll go call Rosalie and solidify our plans, and I'll meet you downstairs, by the car." He spoke. I knew he was giving me privacy for my human minute, and I really loved that. I thanked him, and he left.
I took a quick shower, washing my hair, and used the bathroom. I felt way better, as I knew I would, so I put on my nice comfy clothes, and dried my hair quickly, putting it up on a messy bun. It only took me around 25 minutes to be ready and downstairs, to meet up with Edward for lunch.
He was waiting on me, standing by the passenger door of a car, learning against it. I had never seen this car, and that took me back for a second. For some reason, I was expecting Edward to be using his silver Volvo, but he was not. Which made me realize I hadn't seen his Volvo. When he brought me back home from the hospital, he was using Carlisle's car. Weird.
"This is new." I said, pointing to the black Jeep Renegade he was leaning against. It was a really nice car.
"The Volvo is still in Forks. I didn't feel like driving it after… you know. So, I had to get something new when I got back with the family. I had absolutely no idea of what I wanted to get; I just knew I did not want a Volvo. So, Emmett chose this. It was nice enough, fast enough, discrete enough. So, why not?" He said opening the door for me, and helping me get into the car, that was way taller than mine. He walked in a human pace to the other side, and joined me in the car.
"I like it. Better than the Volvo, I should say." I point out, looking around inside the car, and taking it all in. It smelled like Edward, and I approved. "It fits you." He smiled.
"Emmett will like to hear that. He kept saying it was broody like me, but at the same time, it had some good bones and class. I honestly didn't care much for whatever he was saying or choosing, but I'm glad you like it. It's a nice car to drive." He said, turning it on and reaching for my hand. I held his, and he planted another kiss on it. A gesture he seemed to become fond of, since his return. I wasn't complaining. "What do you want to eat?" He asked, starting to drive.
"Honestly, I want a burger. Big, fat, filled with bacon and a lot of cheese, burger." I said, making him laugh. "Don't blame a woman for needing hangover food."
"I'm not blaming you for anything, I promise. If it didn't smell disgusting and tasted like cement for me, I'd probably crave the same thing." I believe him, it was definitely the best choice anyone could make in this moment. "Do you have a place in mind for it?"
"Yes. Actually, if you let me drive, I can take us there." I try, really wanting to test drive his new car. Well, new for me, I guess. I don't know for how long he has had it. He laughed, shaking his head.
"You really like the car, don't you?" He asked, ignoring my comment and starting to take us out of the parking lot.
"We can go to Josie's. It's a couple blocks down left, after you reach the west Science building." I tell him, and he promptly changes the direction, going towards where I pointed. We drive in silence for a bit, just holding hands and enjoying each other's company, and then something that has been on my mind randomly lately, makes an appearance, and I decide to ask. "Edward?" I try to get his attention.
"Yes?" He turns to me for a second, showing he was paying attention.
"How come Rosalie can be assigned as someone's doctor, and take full on 48 hours shifts at the hospital, and be the doctor on call, if she's still studying?" Edward looks at me, very confused for a second, probably trying to understand where the question came from, but he doesn't question it.
"It's kind of a grey area, technically. Rosalie is resident, and she is passing as a second-year resident. We weren't planning on having contact with anyone we knew from Forks or other places we lived, so she's passing as a few years older than she should be by now. We will probably have to leave some details out when we talk to your dad or anyone in Forks, because she's supposed to be finishing college, not working already. Anyway, there's a lot of levels when you are a resident, she has a couple people she answers to, and she's only supposed to do work on different procedures, and attending patients, with a supervisor accompanying." He started, stating everything slowly, as if he was trying to make sure I was following up. I signaled for him to continue, and he did. "Since the hospital she's working is very small, extremely understaffed, and Carlisle is the one in charge of residents in general, the rules were bent a bit. She still can only attend extreme procedures when accompanied by a higher up, but she can deal with small emergencies by herself, as long the higher ups are aware, and in easy reach if necessary." He stopped again, and I could see the engines turning in his head.
"Whatever you are overthinking, just let it out. I can follow up." I told him, and he smiled.
"I wasn't worried about you being able or not to follow up." He pointed out jokingly, but then he got serious again. "I know you are asking because of the night you went in, and she was the one taking care of you. And I just don't want to bring out the conversation if you don't feel like talking about it."
"I was the one that started the subject, it's fine. I'm just curious cause she said she was the doctor in charge of me, but it's weird that a resident is the one in charge."
"As I said, the hospital is severely understaffed. Carlisle actually wanted me to get some documents done and apply there too, cause they could really use the help, but I wasn't in the right mind. The night you came in, Rosalie was working with a supervisor, but he is not part of the Women's Health department. Rosalie was actually the only one in that area, working that night. There are only a couple people in that department in general in the hospital, reason why she takes so many shifts. That night a different doctor was there and supervising, but she was the closest to a specialist in the area as they could get, so she was assigned as your main health provider. It's not usually the protocol, they would normally call a general health specialist or something like that, but she recognized you, and she did not let anyone tell her she wasn't going the be the one in charge. Rosalie can be extremely persuasive and scary at the same time. If you think my 'dazzling' is powerful, you haven't seen Rose in action." He laughed, and I laughed too.
"That sounds like Rose." I agreed with him.
"She was really worried about you, you know." He said, making me look at him again. "She could smell your blood from the moment you entered the hospital. She recognized you right away, before seeing your face, although she kept telling herself it was probably someone that just smelled similar. Once you fainted and they had to do an emergency assessment of what was going on, and she realized what was happening, I doubt a single person in this planet would have been able to get her away from you. She went on full doctor mode, but also big sister mode at the same time. She might never admit it, but she was scared. For you, obviously, but also for me. She knew if she lost you right there, in her hands, she would never forgive herself for letting my mate die. She would never let that happen." He brought our hands, that were still interlocked together on top my leg, to his lips, giving mine, another kiss.
"When did you find out?" I asked, trying to get the full story out of him. We had never talked about it.
"That you were in the hospital? After she was sure you were okay. She asked the nurses to call Carlisle in, he was home that night, while you were still being monitored. She was worried she had done something wrong, although we all know she couldn't have, and she just wanted some guidance." He took a break, as we parked the car at the restaurant's parking lot. But neither of us made a move to leave the vehicle. "I was home, but the hospital calling to get Carlisle in wasn't something new or surprising, it happens all the time, so I thought nothing of it. Alice wasn't home, she and Jasper were out in some sort of couple get away, no phones, nothing, so I didn't see her vision of you in her mind at all, until we met the next day at the hospital."
"Alice went to the hospital?" I asked, confused. I didn't see her until I got home.
"Yeah, she went straight there after her vision, but she was a couple hours late." He told me. "Carlisle went in, Rosalie told him everything she knew, he checked on you, signed all documents that needed a higher up approval, and then they decided he was the one that was going to call me." He took a break, before continued. "When I got his call, I was little bit worried. Carlisle doesn't usually call us while he's at work, unless it's something urgent. I honestly thought he needed help trying to figure out a patient that couldn't communicate, and he needed my mind reading abilities. He didn't tell me what he needed. He asked me to meet him at the parking lot, and I did." Another kiss on my hand.
"I could smell you on him, as soon as I saw him. And he knew that. He tried his best to debrief everything that had happened as quickly as possible, making sure he was holding me back, cause I was ready to barge into that hospital and find you, make sure you were okay. I don't think I actually processed anything that he had said, I just knew you were alive, hurt, but alive, and you were steps away from me, and I couldn't get to you." From the look on his face, I knew that if he could cry, he would be crying right now. It was my time to pull our hands to myself, and give his, a kiss, getting a smile back from him. "He took me in to see you, although Rose wasn't too happy about that. She gave in for the moment you were unconscious. She gave me a couple hours to just sit by your side, hold your hand, take in the fact you where there, and you were okay, and that you were safe. And then she kicked me out of the room." I laughed.
"Why did she do that?" I asked, still laughing.
"None of us knew how you would react when you woke up and saw us there. You passed out as soon as you saw her, we had no clue of what would happen if you saw me. For all I knew, you hated me and you would never want to see my face again, and Rosalie was not about to let me ignore your wishes, if that was the case. She kept me out once she realized you were waking up, but I never left the hallway. I stood by your door the whole time. If you didn't want to see me, I was invisible to you. But I almost lost you, and I just needed the reassurance you were okay. And I stood there for it." Before I could say anything, my stomach growled loudly, making us both laugh. "Common, let's get you that burger." He said, leaving the car.
I met him outside, and before we could go in, I gave him a quick kiss, saying thank you. I didn't need to elaborate; he knew the reason why.
Lunch was actually quite fun. Edward ordered some nacho fries and a coke for himself, while I got myself the same soda and my bacon cheeseburger. He kept feeding me the fries while no one was watching, and I ended up drinking both our sodas, making me extremely full, but a very happy woman. We chatted about lighter subjects, and Edward asked me about graduation in Forks, and how things were with Charlie and Renee. I didn't stop myself from realizing that this was probably our first date out, since the Summer before they left Forks. And it was the best one yet, excluding our room picknick. I was sad when he told me it was already 1:25pm, and I needed to go home to get ready for work. He paid the bill, ignoring my protests, and escorted us back to the car.
"What time do you leave today?" He asked, once he parked back in my parking lot.
"6pm. Like every other day." I answered him, organizing my things to leave the car. "What time will you be back from piano shopping with Rosalie?"
"Sometime before that, hopefully. Is 7:30pm okay? For me to pick you up for the weekend." He asked, surprising me a bit.
"You don't need to pick me up, Edward. I just need the address, and Waze will take me there. I have safe car now, you know, I can drive." I answered, making him smile.
"I do approve the new car. And I know you can drive. But it is a longer drive than you are probably imagining. And it's a lot of off-road driving, in places where Waze might get confused. I would feel better if you allowed me to drive, and teach you the way, so you can go by yourself any time you feel like it." He spoke. I took a moment to ponder it, and then decided to try once more.
"I will let you take me, if you allow me to drive on the way back on Sunday." I really wanted to test his car. He laughed, shaking his head.
"Okay, you have a deal, Miss Swan." He inclined over the seats to give me a kiss. "Working on a lawyer office is making you an even more dangerous negotiator."
"I will take that as a compliment." I answered, opening my door to leave.
"Always a compliment." He agreed. "Make sure to drink a lot of water today, and take the meds with you, in case you need another one. And if you need someone to bail you out of work, just decide it, and I'm sure Alice will figure a way out for you. I will meet you here at 7:30pm."
"7:30pm. Deal. Love you." I said, looking at him, now already out of the car.
"I love you too, Bella." He said, smiling at me. I felt my heart skip a beat, and some blush coming back to my face, and he laughed. "And I love that, very much."
"Shut up and drive, Edward. You don't want to leave Rosalie waiting." I said, closing the door. The last thing I saw was him laughing, before he actually drove off.
I only had a few minutes to change and get ready for work, so I put on my clothes and just pulled my hair up in a bun, grabbing my stuff and my car keys, leaving not even 15 minutes after. I arrived with a few minutes to spare, so I decided to stop by the coffee shop and grab some coffee for everyone in the office, something I liked to do every Friday afternoon, as everyone was tired from the week, and could use a little push for the last 4h. But once I got in the office, I realized there was not enough coffee in the world that would help our day go any better. Fuck. There goes my good mood from lunch with Edward.
It's way past 7:30pm when I arrive home. I did call Edward and warned him I would be late, but it wasn't surprising that he was waiting for me in my room when I arrived.
"Are you okay?" He asked, grabbing my bag and giving me a hug. I probably looked worse than I thought, because he sounded worried.
"I'm fine. Pissed. Have a headache. Just extremely tired and irritated with life." I answered, giving in into the hug. It helped a bit, not much though. "Everything that could go wrong on our open cases, went wrong today. One of Jensen's clients decided to run away, the weekend before his trial was to start. We all went on full research mode, trying to figure out if there is something we can do to help him once he's caught. He plead not guilty, and now he's running away, so it's just not okay. And Mr. Jensen is just on the worst mood ever, screaming at everything and everyone as if it's our fault. And then, to add to our hell day, we lost a big case today, and the firm lost a lot of money because of it. It's the 5th case we lose in 3 days, people are worried the name of the firm is going down, and that people might start getting fired, and it's just stressful. I don't love this job, but I need it, and I don't know what to do if I lose it." I vented. I try to let go of his embrace growling a bit, thinking about the fact I had to start packing for our weekend at his place, but he held me back.
"We can stay here tonight, if you want. We can go to the house in the morning, I'm sure my family will be okay with that. I have a feeling you need some human minutes, some good food, and rest tonight. And I doubt Emmett or Alice will allow you some of those when you are around." He offered, and I almost cried in relief. I love his family, I really do, but I just needed some me time. I could feel the anxiety creeping in, and the stress that wouldn't leave until a good relaxing bath and some chocolate. I definitely didn't need to be social right now. I relax a big against his chest, agreeing with my head, and he gave me a quick kiss on top of my head before letting me go. "I'll go out and buy you some supplies, while you take a long bubble bath and just chill for a bit, does that sound okay?"
"That sounds perfect." I answered, honestly, thanking him with a kiss.
"Anything in particular you want?" He asked, moving towards the door. I think for a bit, and he sees I'm trying to decide if I should ask for it or not. "The sky is the limit, Bella. Just tell me what you want and I'll figure it out." I decide to say it, and if he can't get it, then I'm fine with that.
"Honestly, I wanted some real poutine and some Dairy Queen milkshake. But I don't know anywhere around here that makes those." I said, letting my hair down and trying to find something comfy to wear. "Last time I had poutine I had to go almost 3 hours away to find some, so you don't need to do that. It's just what I felt like eating right now." I said, shrugging. I wasn't expecting him to do it, but I also knew he would get it out of me anyway, so might as well share.
"I can do that. You take your bath and I'll figure out something, deal?" He asked, smiling. I decide not to fight him on it, it would be pointless, and I really wanted poutine and DQ. I agree with my head, and he gives me a kiss on the forehead before leaving.
I let out a low growl once I'm away from him. His presence is very calming and relaxing for me, and once he's away I'm back feeling all the stress and rage I was feeling before. I really need a job that matches me better, cause this law thing, isn't for me.
I go towards the bathroom, and turn on the tap to fill out the bathtub, realizing I don't have any bath bombs or bubbles I can use to help improve my mood, I starting taking my clothes off, about to start crying over stress and tiredness, and the lack of bath bombs, when my phone rings. I go back into my room, to grab my phone. It's Alice.
"Hey there sunshine. No tears needed. I got you some great bath bombs, candles, and some other fun things earlier today, it's on the bottom drawer in your bathroom cabinet. You should use at least one of EVERY thing that is there, trust me, you will feel much better." She said, as soon as I grabbed the phone.
"Thank you, Allie." I said walking towards the bathroom cabinet and opening the bottom drawer. A lot of cute candles are stacked in there, and more bath bombs I could possibly use in a bathtub. An iPod with speakers attached to it can also be found, and… "ALICE!" I screamed at her, once I saw the last object in the drawer.
"Don't fight me on it. Just trust me. You will feel as good as new after, and you will be thanking me tomorrow. Now I'll let you go and focus my visions around Jasper, and you have your night off. Love ya!" She said, turning off the phone before I could scream at her again. Or just thank her forever.
Mid candles, bath bombs, an iPod, and a collection of nice soaps and moisturizers, was a water proof rabbit vibrator. I grab it and analyze my options, but there isn't much to think over. Edward will be away for quite a while, if he's getting me that poutine, and Alice did promise me it would make my day better. So, why not? You are taking a bath anyway, might as well just get wet. Pun intended.
I unpack and wash the toy, as instructed by the girls the other day, then I check for batteries, and I see it's fully charged. I turn it on to check settings, and the intensity surprises me a lot. This is going to be fun…