Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing around with them.

Lots of thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty, and to anhanninen and xxluvCarlisleEsmexx for prereading.


EPOV

Mom might have wanted me to follow her upstairs, but somehow I managed to escape. It wasn't all that difficult since she was focused on showing Bella and Lucy around. I needed a few minutes to . . . think.

The kitchen smelled delicious, but Alice and Jasper were in there and I wasn't ready to face them. Going to my room wasn't an option with mom up there, so I wandered down the hallway, lost in my head.

I wasn't ready to say that Bella for sure wasn't a psychopath, but it was seeming less likely by the minute. She was quiet, unlike the rest of my crazy family, and I actually didn't mind her company. I Love Lucy wasn't my favorite show, but I still didn't change the channel. The show made Bella happy. I usually didn't care about things like that, but for some reason I did with her. After being so afraid and sad, she needed to laugh a little.

That littler girl – Lucy – still freaked me out, though. Why did she want to be around me so much? I didn't know how kids worked. I was surprised I hadn't broken her when she wanted to sit with me. She was so small. And cute . . . I guess. She knew what sound ducks made. I wondered if Seth or Brady could do that. It was a pretty cool skill.

"Edward."

I paused and looked up, seeing that I was in front of the door to Dad's office. I'd been too lost in my thoughts to even notice where I was going.

Dad motioned for me to come in the room as he sat his phone down, so I did, choosing a spot on the couch to sit.

"Where are Bella and Lucy?" he asked.

"Mom has them. Took them upstairs or something."

"Ah." He nodded. "She has a room all set up for them. I figured getting them clean and fed was a priority. Is Rose here yet?"

I shrugged. "I haven't seen her. What's taking her so long anyway?"

"I had to send her to the hospital to pick up the antibiotics," he explained, rubbing a hand over his face. "I want to treat Lucy as quickly as possible, but that requires IV meds. At least a dose or two anyway. I'll give her oral after that, but with the storm coming, it needs to be treated fast and effectively."

"How sick is she, Dad? Honestly."

"Honestly . . . she's not the worst case of pneumonia I've seen, but it's bad enough. Another couple of days and she would have been in serious danger."

That thought sobered me. Sure, she freaked me out a little, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She was just a little girl.

"And the medicine will help?" I asked, needing to be sure.

"Yes," he nodded, "it should work very well, as will good food, hydration, and rest. Hopefully she'll be good as new in a few days."

I nodded, leaning back against the couch.

"You seem worried."

I snorted at his observation but couldn't argue. He said nothing for a few minutes, and I was thankful for the silence. My head was still swimming from everything that had happened. All because of those bagels.

"Thank you."

"What?" I asked, looking over at Dad in shock. "What are you thanking me for?"

Leaning back in his chair, he smiled. "For being there for Bella and Lucy. You seem to be the one they're the most comfortable around, and I think they're going to need you a lot in the next few days. This house is large but can get crowded very quickly with the whole family staying."

"I didn't do anything to make them like me," I protested. "They just . . . do, I guess."

"But you aren't pushing them away," he said. "For that, your mother and I are both grateful. These girls mean a lot to her already, and I can see the same happening to me. I don't think they'll be gone when the storm's over."

...

The smell of food eventually drew both Dad and I to the kitchen.

Alice was helping Mom put bowls and plates on the table, but Bella and Lucy were nowhere to be seen.

"When do we eat?" I asked, sitting down at my usual spot at the table.

"As soon as everyone's here," Mom said, giving me a look. "Don't even think about touching anything before that. And I'm putting Bella and Lucy between you and me. Do you think that will be all right?"

I shrugged. "How should I know?"

Mom hummed and went back to putting things on the table, and Alice laughed. If they meant something by that, I had no idea what it was.

Since I wasn't allowed to eat anything yet, I didn't want to be in the kitchen, but before I could leave, the kitchen exploded. Not really, but by how much noise Emmett and the kids made, it sounded like it was going to. After hugging and kissing everyone, Emmett made his way through the mob and came over to stand beside my chair.

"Congrats on being alive, dude," he said, punching my shoulder. "I thought for sure Mom would have killed you hours ago."

"I haven't fu . . . dged anything up yet," I quickly caught myself, noticing one of the boys staring at me. Brady maybe.

Emmett laughed. "Yeah, well, obviously you get pretty close sometimes. How are your girls?"

"My girls? They aren't mine."

"Whatever you say. So how are they?"

"Okay I guess," I said, reaching up to scratch the back of my neck. "Dad thinks Lucy has pneumonia."

"That's pretty serious, right?" Em actually sounded concerned.

"Yeah. But Dad says the drugs he had Rose get will help fast. So that's good . . . or . . . whatever."

He nodded and picked Brady up, kissing him all over his face. Brady tried to get away as he laughed but wasn't successful. The sounds he was making attracted Seth, and then the three of them were laughing and tickling and kissing, and I wasn't sure what to think. Was this how I was supposed to act with a kid? Lucy seemed to like me and I didn't do all of that. Not knowing what else to do, I looked away, letting them having their . . . moment.

When I looked around the rest of the room, I spotted Bella and Lucy in the doorway. I knew the look on her face well because I was pretty sure that's the face I made around my whole family. The face of fear.

I stared at her, waiting for her to notice me. When she did, I patted the seat next to me, and she quickly came over and sat down.

"Welcome to the Cullen family," I said wryly.

She swallowed. "You have a big family."

"You mean loud family?"

"That too," she agreed. "Are we late for lunch?"

I shook my head. "Mom wouldn't let us eat until everyone got here, but Rose and Em haven't been here long."

Mom, Dad, and Rose were still talking, so I tried clearing my throat a few times to get their attention. Nothing worked, but the longer we waited, the closer Bella scooted her chair toward mine. I glanced over at her, and that look was back on her face. The one that told me she wanted to hide or run away.

"Mom?" I finally called, then repeated it louder. "Mom, can we eat now?"

She finally stopped talking and looked over at me. Seeing Bella, she smiled and grabbed a plate of sandwiches, bringing them over to the table.

"Of course we can eat now." She came around and sat beside Bella, everyone else following her lead. "Did you have everything you needed, darling?" she asked Bella.

Bella nodded quickly. "Oh yes," she whispered. "It was more than enough. Thank you."

Mom smiled, not surprisingly. Bella was obviously her favorite today.

No one moved to fix their plates. They all decided to stare at Bella and Lucy instead, but even I knew they didn't like that. Well, Lucy seemed almost asleep but I knew Bella didn't like it. So I took one for the team and reached for the sandwich plate, grabbing three before offering it to Bella. After she took two, I shoved the plate toward Emmett. He caught on and took it from me, and we did the same with the soup.

Once everyone had food, the staring stopped, but the loudness returned. This time, I didn't mind as much. The food was too good for me to care about anything other than eating until I couldn't eat anymore. I deserved it after the day I'd had.

When I was finished, I scooted my chair back from the table.

"Not yet, Edward," Mom said, not even looking at me. "Wait for everyone else to finish."

"Actually Esme, I need Edward to do something for me," Dad interrupted from across the table.

Mom didn't have anything to say to argue with him, so I stood and walked over to Dad.

"See the bag over there?" he asked, pointing to the counter. I looked over, spotting the bag and nodding. "Take that up to Bella's room. Rose thinks that'll be the best place."

I had no clue what he was talking about, but I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to get away from everyone. Sure, I loved them but in small doses.

Grabbing the bag, I headed upstairs. After laying it on the bed, I went to my room to change clothes. My bed was calling my name so as soon as I was comfortable, I lay down and closed my eyes. I could hardly believe that it had been about eight hours since I left my bed this morning. Eight hours later and we had two strange girls staying with us, possibly for a long time, knowing my mother.

Maybe I should have taken the day off, then all of this could have been avoided. But at least I didn't have to wake early for the next few days. I enjoyed my job. Numbers were one of the few things that made sense to me. But I kept telling Mom it would be a better idea to open the office at ten am. Or take the winter off for vacation. She was not on board with my plan, but I'd never stop trying to convince her.

Rolling over, I closed my eyes, feeling myself get closer to sleep. Just as I was about to drift off, there was a knock at my door.

"Edward, can you come help me?" Rose asked.

I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face as I rolled out of bed. I found Rosalie at my door with Bella and Lucy behind her.

"What do you need me for?"

"I'm about to start Lucy's IV, and Bella wants you to sit with us."

"Please?" Bella said softly, gripping Lucy tightly.

There was no way I could say no when she asked like that, so I followed them down the hall. As Rosalie set everything up, Bella sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing her leg over and over.

"I promise I'll be quick," Rose assured her. "Did you have any questions? Ask me anything you want."

"Will it hurt her?"

"It might, but it's only a few seconds and then it shouldn't hurt anymore. I'm hoping to find a good spot in her hand so it won't keep her from playing or doing anything like that."

"How many times have you done this?" I asked from my spot against the wall. I wasn't sure I trusted my sister in law to not hurt Lucy.

Rosalie laughed, shaking her head. "Too many times to count. And patients used to say I was the best, so I'm hoping Miss Lucy will think so, too. All right, let's get everyone comfortable."

She had Bella scoot back so she was sitting against all the pillows on the bed. I thought Lucy was asleep with her head against Bella's shoulder, but as soon as Bella turned her around, I saw I was wrong. Lucy was wide awake and looked like she wanted to run away, just like her mom. But when she saw me, she reached out and called my name.

"Do you want Edward to sit with you, sweetheart?" Rose asked, looking over at me. "I'm sure he would, and he can hold your other hand."

I rolled my eyes, not appreciating being volunteered for something, but I still went to sit beside them. It was awkward sitting beside Bella on a bed. I wasn't sure what to do with my arms or how close to sit, but when Lucy reached for my hand, I let her take it. And when Bella reached for my other hand, I did the same. I had no idea why, but it just seemed right. Hopefully it was the right thing to do. I didn't need any other screw ups for the day.

"Okay, sweetheart," Rose said, pulling her hair back in a stretchy rubber band thing before grabbing Lucy's hand. "Let's get the magic lotion off and we'll get this over real fast."

"Magic lotion?" I blurted. "What the hel . . . heck is that?"

"Magic lotion makes owwies not hurt," Rosalie explained as she used a little pad to wipe off the white goop on Lucy's hand. "That's why it's magic."

"Magic," I murmured to myself, shaking my head. What happened to health care? Now doctors and nurses were using magic? That was kind of fucked up.

"Can you look at Edward for me?" I squeezed her little hand and got her to do what Rose wanted. "Talk to her, Edward," Rose whispered. "Distract her."

"Talk about what?" I looked at Bella, and she just shrugged. Looking to Lucy, I saw that her eyes were wide and her lip was wiggling. Shit, that had to be bad. "Uhhh . . . hi, Lucy. Um. What do you want to talk about?"

She didn't answer and whimpered instead as Rose tied something around her arm. I wanted to ask what it was, but when I stopped talking to Lucy, Rose gave me a look. She'd been around Mom too much.

"Um. Oh, I bought you something at the store today," I said, remembering the doll I hadn't showed her yet. "It's a Nora or Dora or something like that. It's a doll?"

Bella gasped. "Really? You didn't have to buy her anything."

"I saw it and thought she might like it." I shrugged. "It's downstairs, though. I'll go get it when this is over."

I was ready for it to be over. All of us were ready for it to be over. I tried again to distract Lucy, but my talk about stocks did nothing to stop her from screaming when Rose poked her with the needle. I winced, fighting the urge to cover my ears. I'd probably have a headache later. Her cries I'd heard in the alley were nothing compared to this, but she stayed still long enough for Rose to finish.

"It's all done, sweet girl," Rose promised softly. "All done. I'm so sorry I had to do that to you. But that's it. No more owwies for Lucy."

"Mama," Lucy cried. "Mama, no no no."

"Shhh." Bella rocked her slightly, placing her cheek on the top of Lucy's head. I didn't miss the tears that fell from her eyes, and for some reason, it made my chest hurt. "It's all over, baby girl. It's all over. Now you can feel better like Dr. Carlisle said. Right?" she asked Rose hesitantly.

"That's right," Rose confirmed. She taped a few tubes down and removed the gloves she'd been wearing. "I'm about to start this medicine, and it should make her feel so much better."

"Thank you," Bella whispered, lifting her head and wiping her face. "What should we do while the medicine is . . . going?"

"Whatever you want. Someone can help you carry the bag and tubing downstairs and you can sit with us. Or you can stay up here where it's quiet and watch some TV. That's why we did this in here, so you'd both be more comfortable. Do you need anything before I go check on my boys?"

"Could we maybe get something to drink? Please, if it's not too much."

"I'll do it," I quickly volunteered. This was getting too awkward for me and getting something seemed like a good excuse.

I was tempted to take my time on my way to the kitchen, but for some reason I didn't. Mom was already pouring a glass of milk when I walked into the room, and she looked up and smiled sadly at me.

"I thought they could use an afternoon snack. Is sweet Lucy all right? I heard her."

"Rose hurt her," I blurted. "The magic didn't work or something." Mom gave me a strange look, but I didn't even want to try to figure it out. I was too tired for that. "Where's my bag from the store?"

"Over there, dear," Mom said, pointing toward the pantry door. "I just washed the cup so the only thing in it is the doll."

I nodded, going over to grab the bag. I pulled the doll out and ripped the tag off, turning it around in my hands. It was probably the strangest toy I'd ever seen, but if it would make Lucy stop screaming, it was worth it.

Mom scrambled around the kitchen, placing stuff on a tray before handing it to me. "Here. Some cookies and milk for them, and tell Bella she's welcome to anything else at any time."

"Do I get cookies, too?" I asked as I put the doll beside the milk and took the tray from her.

"Maybe," she answered and then turned her back to me. Apparently that was all I was getting.

With a huff, I headed back upstairs. Bella's door was cracked, so I opened it slowly. She and Lucy were where I'd left them on the bed, but Rose was nowhere to be seen. They were probably glad about that. Rosalie and her magic shit that didn't even work. I hoped Mom was going to lecture her about that. I hadn't even done anything that bad today.

"What's all of that?" Bella asked as I sat the tray beside her.

"Milk and cookies," I explained. "And Mom said you can have whatever else you want."

"Thank you," she said softly, looking up at me. I nodded, her eye contact quickly making me nervous, and looked back to the tray.

"Uh . . . I think Lucy's milk is in that funny cup. I got it at the store earlier," I rambled. "Is it okay? I'm sure we have other cups, too. Oh and here's this doll, if she wants it."

I glanced up to see Bella smile and nudge her kid.

"Look, Luce. Edward has something for you."

Lucy turned her head on Bella's shoulder, smiling as she saw me.

"Eddard!" She reached her hand out toward me and, not knowing what to do, I handed her the doll.

"Here. It's that Hispanic girl you like. Nora or Lora or –"

"Dora," she said, smiling bigger as she hugged the doll to her.

I reached up and rubbed my chest, not liking how my chest felt tight. Maybe dinner gave me indigestion. Or Lucy really was creepy and was putting a spell on me. Creepy fucking big eyes.

"Tell Edward thank you," Bella instructed her. She repeated it and giggled, and I had to smile back at her. The giggle was way better than her screams.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it." I quickly walked to the door, not wanting to get stuck again. "See you later."

"Thank you again," Bella said, smiling. "For everything."

"Bye bye, Eddard," Lucy added.

I closed the door behind me, rubbing my chest again. Yeah. I definitely needed some antacids.


A/N: Thank you guys so much for the continued support. Your sweet words are a huge encouragement. =)

The next update will be posted in a little over two weeks. I'm going out of town and I have a wedding to attend, so look for the next chapter on a Monday or Tuesday.

I'm on twitter as KelleyRachelle if you want to follow, and sometimes I remember to post teasers.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!