A Naoi (9)

A/N: It's Friday. Time for some mobward action. Thank you to everyone who is giving love to this story. Big shout out to all those who consistently review every chapter. Y'all make my heart happy! Thanks always to Bitterharpy, 2 brown eyes, Maplestyle, SassyNoles, and AGoodWitch who preread this beast. Thanks to Mel C who takes my rambling and makes it readable. Love all you ladies! All right! We had some heat last chapter, let's see what transpires now.

The only time I had been more nervous to see a patient was the first time I ever did a surgery. I almost passed out, mostly because of the nerves and not eating all day for fear of throwing up. This man was important, and not just to his family but his "work" family too. I sighed and pulled the curtain, looking at his chart to see what fake name I would be using. I chuckled at Herman Holmes. That was clever. H. H. Holmes, America's first serial killer, was named Herman at birth.

"Hello, Herman," I said, because the nurse was in the room. Normally I didn't see patients that weren't getting surgery, but this was a special case. I just made sure that Bree went to lunch right before Eleazar arrived.

He smiled at the nurse as she finished securing his I.V., set the flow of the saline solution, and then left. "Bella," he said. It surprised me how nice he sounded, and he looked younger than his 50 years. "I like your hair up."

I smiled at him and something in him put me at ease, making me feel comfortable. "Are you flirting with me, sir?" I teased.

"I wouldn't dream of going up against the men currently battling for your affections, Bella."

"You never know, I could be into older men." I smiled at him and he chuckled, smiling back. "So, Herman, after you're done with these fluids, you should be ready. Other than the bump on your head, it looks like all you have is a case of low blood pressure. I'm not worried about a concussion, and we will prescribe you with medication to help increase that pressure."

"Thank you, Bella. I apologize if everyone overreacted. I told them I was fine."

"It's still good they had you seen by a doctor though, because without these meds it would have happened again. So, follow the instructions, okay?" I gave him a stern look.

"I promise."

"Are you up for visitors? I had to drive Mr. Cullen off with the threat of a security escort," I said, chuckling and shaking my head.

He laughed and nodded. "I wish I could've seen that. He can come in."

"Okay, I will go get him, get the discharge papers drawn up, and write you a prescription." I smiled at him again and left the room, heading to the waiting room. I walked over to where everyone was huddled. I looked at Mr. Cullen. "You have about ten minutes to see him before you guys can leave." I gestured for him to follow me.

Carlisle got up, kissed Esme on the temple, then followed me. As we walked, he turned to me. "Is he gonna be okay?"

I put my hands in my lab coat and curled my shoulders up to my ears. "Technically, I'm not supposed to give you his medical information, but he is fine. It was just low blood pressure." I stopped and gently grabbed Carlisle's arm to stop him. "I don't know if he will fight you on it, but someone should probably be with him tonight. I'm not worried about a concussion, but he got pretty banged up when he fell."

Carlisle nodded and chuckled. "He will fight me, but I will let him know it's not a suggestion, but a demand." He smiled at me, and I was reminded again of his son's smile. They were strikingly similar, but the cockiness that Edward had, Carlisle was missing. I'm sure he could be cocky, but it wasn't immediately noticeable. "Thank you for taking care of our family. I know you'll deflect and say it's your job, but it's obvious you care about every patient. That's why you became a doctor, right? That's why you decided to be a trauma surgeon, instead of a higher paid role like a neurosurgeon or thoracic surgeon."

I looked at him in surprise. How would he know this information? "How—"

"I wanted to be a doctor when I went to college. Life had different plans for me. I do know the difference between someone who has a God complex, and someone who generally cares. I'm sorry that I had to pull you into our world, but I wanted the best. One look at your background check told me that you were it."

"Honestly, even though there have been some regrets since you offered me the job, saying yes to you hasn't ever been one."

He nodded and I knew that glint in his eyes told me he had a good idea what—or rather who—my regrets were regarding. "I usually say my wife is too much of a romantic, Isabella, with her ideas, but I will implore you to have patience." He smiled, squeezed my shoulder in a fatherly move, and then turned to go behind the curtain to see Eleazar. I had to take a minute to regain my composure; that move from Carlisle was so unexpected and reminded me of my father so much that I wanted to cry. With Esme's compassionate nature and the pep talks from Carlisle, how he just got why I wanted to be a doctor, it felt like I had my parents back.

I ducked into the bathroom and gave myself a few minutes to let the tears come. They were my bosses, and they were a mafia family. I couldn't let myself forget this. No matter how nice they were, they did bad things, I just knew it. I wiped the tears away, rinsed my face with water, and then went back to do my job.

Ten minutes later, I was walking into Eleazar's room with his discharge papers and prescription. I went over the information on the paper about low blood pressure and syncope. I told him since he fainted, we had to take him out in a wheelchair, and Carlisle pushed him while Edward went to get the car. Once he pulled up to the curb and we got him situated in the car, Edward got out so his dad could get in the driver's seat. As Edward passed him, Carlisle grabbed his arm and distinctly said, "Take care of it. Today!" Edward nodded, and I pretended I didn't hear them. As everyone else got in the car, I told Eleazar that I hoped he got to feeling better, and they were off.

"When do you get off?" Edward asked me.

I looked at my watch. "Twenty minutes ago."

"Why are you still here then?" he asked, surprised.

"I was taking care of a patient. Just because my shift is supposed to be over, that doesn't mean my patients don't need me. Now I gotta finish Herman's chart."

"Okay, I gotta go take care of some stuff. You gonna be okay?"

"I know how to drive home. I'll be fine," I said, wondering why he was acting awkward.

He nodded and then took off toward the parking lot. I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I headed back to get my charting done and get out of there, utterly confused by that beautiful asshole.

~*~

On Friday, Rose and I went to Alice's house so that we could pick out dresses for the upcoming gala. Shortly after I got off work on Thursday, Demetri had called to ask me formally to be his date, and I agreed, of course. I was fine with going with him because he seemed like a really nice guy, and Alice told us we had to have a date, which meant that Edward would be bringing someone. I tried to shove down the feelings that stirred up in me. I wasn't jealous; I assured myself that it had to be something else.

"So, are there certain colors you are looking for?" Alice asked Rose, breaking me out of my musings.

"Well, I usually wear red, but since I'm no longer a blonde, I think I'm ready to branch out." She started playing with her hair.

"I'll wear whatever looks best," I said, looking at Alice.

Alice looked at both of us with her head cocked and pulled Rose up from where she was sitting. She dragged her along the massive row of dresses she had in her room. They stopped by the tag that showed they were looking at dresses in Rose's size. They both looked together, and I picked up my cell phone, scrolling through my apps. I checked my banking app to make sure some purchases had cleared and was confused by the number next to my available balance. There was at least three grand more than there should be. I jumped up off the bed and knew who was behind this.

"Alice?" I called.

Her head peeked out over the top of the sea of dresses. "Yeah?"

"Where is Edward?"

"I think he's at his house. He hasn't been here since yesterday afternoon. He talked to Dad and left. Why?"

"Because I need to go murder him."

"Can you do it after you pick a dress?"

I nodded and walked over to the tag that showed the stuff in my size. I saw a couple of dresses that I kind of liked, but I wasn't loving anything. Alice came over as I watched Rose go into Alice's bathroom with a couple dresses. "I'm not in love with any of these, Alice."

"Try these three," she said confidently. There was a red floor-length gown, a knee-length dark blue one, and a flowy blush pink one. "I think the red one will surprise you." She gave me a wink.

Rose tried on her dresses, picking a strapless light blue dress that looked textured by a lacey embroidery. It really was beautiful and screamed Rose.

I tried mine on too, and Alice was right about the red dress. It had a deep v plunge and had lace accents. There were two pieces on the side that were just lace, but the dress still covered everything. The bottom was tighter and then flared out, giving a partial mermaid tail look.

Once we all picked out shoes and clutches, Alice called an end to the torture and she and I went to dinner. Rose turned it down because Emmett was taking her out. Once we sat down, Alice started the interrogation.

"So, what did my caveman brother do this time?"

I knew that Alice and Edward were really close, so I was uncomfortable telling her what was going on. "Nothing."

She seemed to pick up on my nervousness and sighed. "Bella, I love my brother, but I know he's not perfect. He's a chauvinistic, stubborn, overprotective asshole often, but I forgive him because I know it comes from a good place. You won't make me mad or hate you for anything you tell me, because believe me, I get it."

I shredded my napkin. "He wired $3500 into my bank account."

"So." She dipped a chip in the salsa at our table.

I picked up a chip and did the same, popping it into my mouth. "So, I told him I didn't want handouts."

"Yeah, but you helped Eleazar." She slurped her drink through her straw. "That's probably what it was for."

I picked up the menu and started looking through it. "Okay, but it makes little sense, Ali. There was an agreed upon income that they would pay me once the clinic opened. Plus, helping Eleazar was at the hospital. I got paid from the hospital for that. This was more than he usually gives me." I tossed my menu on the table, already knowing what I was getting.

"Eleazar is particularly important to my dad. Consider him a best friend and counselor all in one. He is the only one who can call my dad out on his shit and live to tell the tale—well my mom can too. But he also helps him when there is a decision to be made. They met about you for an hour. You got El's approval, so you got my dad's. My dad hired you, so I'm sure he told Edward how much to pay you."

"How do you know all this?" I was more exasperated that she was sitting here talking about all this so nonchalantly.

"Oh, please, I'm so much more than a mafia princess," she said in a hushed voice.

I was shocked because it was the first time that someone came out and point blank admitted it. They danced around it and alluded to it, but they never just came out and said it.

"Did you seriously not know?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I assumed, but it was never said outright or confirmed. I mean anyone would guess you guys aren't just the average American family."

"Well, I mean, we are Irish Americans, but yeah, I get what you're saying. My family members aren't bad people, Bella. Surely, you can tell that. Don't get caught up on the label. My family doesn't deal in the human trafficking and drug bullshit, and yes, they still do illegal things, but so does everyone else. Isn't speeding, smoking, drinking underage, and normal everyday stuff illegal?"

I thought over everything she had said as the server came and took our order. I mean, I thought I knew what the Cullens were involved in, but the truth was, I had no clue, and hadn't I just thought the other night that they were friendly people? It was hard to cast aside what I thought I knew and replace it with what I now knew. I smiled at Alice and finally nodded, agreeing with her. "I just wish he'd give me a heads up."

"Does the hospital?"

"What?"

"I mean, you're on direct deposit, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, do they shoot you a text whenever they deposit your money?"

"No, but Alice, this is hardly a normal job."

"I know that, Bella, but honestly I'm just trying to make you see it from Edward's point of view. In his mind, he didn't do anything wrong, just paid you for the job you did. Not everything needs to be a fight. I know exactly how you feel, and you didn't grow up in this life. I was about fifteen when I finally figured out what was going on around me, and I will share with you the advice my mom gave me that has saved me so much emotionally. Pick your battles. Think about the things you definitely can't stay quiet on and let your voice be heard, be loud, throw a fit, whatever, but everything else just let go. You are coming into a world full of men who don't like to be questioned, but when it's important they will listen. They respect your opinion, so make sure that continues to be true."

I knew she was right, and I knew that if I continued to bitch about inconsequential shit just to be a brat, it would be detrimental, not helpful. I had to agree with her and just find a way to sift through what I could handle and what I couldn't stay quiet about. After that, our conversation changed to more normal topics. I found out that we had a lot more in common, and I was starting to like her more and more.

"Hey, Ali. Do you have a job?"

She shook her head. "No, while I was still going through school, Jazzy and I had to put all our wedding plans on hold. I just graduated so I thought maybe getting a job in a clinic would still give me the time I needed so that we could start planning again, but all the clinics want experience, so I'm kinda stuck."

"Come work for me. I want you to be a nurse for my practice."

"Oh my god, are you serious, B? I would love to come work with you. I hope Dad okays it."

"Mr. Cullen told me that I could set up my team as I see fit. I want you as part of my team, simple."

Alice got an enormous smile on her face and got up to give me a huge hug. Yep, she definitely followed in her mother's footsteps with the hugging. I returned the hug and Alice went back to her side of the booth. We talked about working together and other topics while we ate. When we were done, I got in the car with her because I had left my vehicle at her house. I noticed that Edward's Aston was in the driveway and I scrunched my nose up. When we walked in the front door, there was some sort of commotion going on. What we heard made me and Alice look at each other in surprise.

"I swear to god, Demetri, keep talking and I will put your teeth down your throat." It was Edward, and I have never heard him use that tone. His voice was deeper and sounded almost hoarse. I heard Demetri and then the sound of a fist slamming into the wall. I rushed past Alice and went running to the room I heard the talking coming from.

Edward was holding Demetri up against the wall by the throat. I stopped short at the anger on Edward's face. This was something that I couldn't stay quiet about. If this turned physical, which it would, I would have to patch whoever up.

"Edward!" I yelled.

Edward was distracted, looking back at me. Demetri took this momentary distraction to push Edward from him and straighten his clothes. I got a really good look at Edward. Glazed eyes, slow lazy smile, unsure steps. The asshole was drunk.

"Bella. We were just talking about you, weren't we, Demetri," Edward said, looking back at Demetri. Demetri shook his head.

I had to give it to him. His words weren't slurring, and he wasn't stumbling yet.

Suddenly, I was pissed. I had seen enough people in the ER fighting for their lives after getting hit by drunk drivers. "Did you drive here like this?"

"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed.

"You're drunk. Did you drive here drunk?"

"I'm not drunk. Well, I wasn't when I got here."

I looked around Edward to Demetri. He just shrugged. "I don't know, Bell. I just got here."

"Don't call her that. Her name is Bella," he said, twining his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him.

Demetri made a move to stop him, but I held my hand up. "I got this, it's really okay, but you should probably leave before this gets worse."

Demetri nodded curtly, and then before he left the room, looked back at me unsure. I smiled and nodded at him. He left the room, and Edward, noticing that I wasn't fighting him, started kissing along my neck. I pushed him away from my neck with no effort, trying to be gentle, so as not to knock him over. Alice came into the room and looked at us, surprised.

"Please help me. Your brother is drunk as hell and is about to crash. He's gonna knock me over without your help."

Alice came over to his other side and draped his arm over her neck, and we slowly made our way up the stairs with him. He was taller than both of us, by a lot, but the fact that he was about to pass out helped us. We led him to his bed, and Alice peaced out the minute he lay down. I chuckled and took off his shoes, helped him out of his suit jacket, and took his tie off. I was about to get up and leave the room when he grabbed my hand. "Please, don't go."

"Edward, you're drunk and I can't stay here all night while you sleep it off."

"Please, just don't go."

I sighed, knowing for sure that I was absolutely going to regret this in the morning, I nodded. I texted Rose about what was going on. I took my tennis shoes off, pulled my hoodie off, and lay down in front of Edward. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. With his front against my back and his warmth encompassing me, it was extremely easy to fall asleep quickly.

A/N: So, who was surprised she agreed to stay. I think she is as well. How do you feel about Carlisle now? Who wants to see Edward beat Demetri's ass? Who likes Demetri? How do you feel about Alice. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts. This story is pre-written but only up to Ch 18, so if y'all hound me I may post early, otherwise I will see you lovelies next Friday!