The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephenie Meyer, Summit Entertainment and anyone else who may legally claim ownership. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 6: Recovery
Carlisle used his newly acquired hospital privileges to complete the paperwork for Bella's release. Everything was all set for Bella's transition from hospital to home recovery. Esme was waiting. She had prepared a room with everything that could possibly be needed for Bella's recuperation.
Alice wheeled a sparkling new gurney into Bella's room. It was Carlisle who carefully lifted Bella onto it. It was he who rolled it through the halls, quietly joking with Bella throughout the walk to keep her mind off the prying eyes that would surely embarrass her. In a short time, they arrived at the brand new ambulance Alice had purchased. It was a fully equipped Advanced Life Support truck. It was Alice, in paramedic garb, who slid into the driver's seat once Carlisle and Bella were safely situated in the back. Carlisle rode beside Bella for the entire trip to their home in Forks. They could have kept Bella safe and comfortable in Carlisle's car for the journey, but with the extent of her injuries, an ambulance transfer was indicated. They had to keep up pretenses for the humans around them.
The Forks Emergency Medical Services would soon be benefitted by the anonymous donation of an Advanced Life Support ambulance. The hospital in Seattle had a new VIP suite, as well as a cash donation that would fund an entirely new building. It had taken quite a bit of dazzling, as Bella would have put it, and more money than an average person could imagine, but Carlisle had kept his promise. He had not left Bella's side except to scrub before observing her surgery and once during her last day in the Seattle hospital when she had insisted that he assist another doctor with a surgery. He had also managed to keep all the donations secret from Bella. He would explain it all to her if she ever realized what it had taken to get her the care he believed she deserved. He didn't think she would mind, considering how many people would be helped with the new ambulance in Forks and the new hospital building in Seattle. After all, the Cullens routinely made major anonymous donations. These were small in comparison.
Bella had been temporarily situated on a sofa in the Cullen home. Emmett was keeping her distracted while Alice and Carlisle discussed how best to get her settled in her new room.
Carlisle sternly cautioned Alice who was huffing in exasperation at him. "Alice, you cannot risk it with Bella."
"There isn't any risk, Carlisle. You know I managed when James attacked her, and I stayed with her for a long time when she got hurt on her birthday. In all the months since her birthday, I've been working on my resistance. I'm strong enough. I just spent days in a hospital full of bleeding humans. I can do this. Trust me."
"It's not a matter of trust, Alice." His voice betrayed his emotions. "For you to assist her in her bath, you will be directly exposed to her wound. Isabella's life is too precious to take even the smallest chance with."
"Carlisle, step outside the situation. It's me. I've gained complete resistance. I've seen the outcome. I am one hundred percent sure that everything will be fine. If it were anyone else, you wouldn't hesitate to trust me."
"It is not anyone else, Alice. It's Isa-"
"My sister, Carlisle," Alice interrupted him. "Bella is the closest person in the world to me next to Jasper. You know I wouldn't risk endangering her. You know if I feel in any way that I might slightly be beginning to possibly have trouble with it, I'll get out. I would never let Bella get hurt. And that is where my strength lies. There is just no way. She's safe with me," Alice said earnestly.
"I should have just had her taken to her father's house and hired a nurse and personal aide."
"Don't be ridiculous. Charlie would never have let you hire anyone, and you know it. It was hard enough to convince him that Bella needs to be here, where there's a doctor and medical equipment.
"If Bella had gone to Charlie's she would have had terrible nursing care. Her personal care would probably have been put in the hands of one of the women from the reservation. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but from what you've said over the years, their aseptic technique is nonexistent. Bella's injury leaves her highly susceptible to infection. If the poor nursing care didn't kill her, then her exposure to all sorts of germs would."
"Fine, Alice, you can help her in the bathroom, but protect her modesty. I will be in the room, in case your control begins to slip."
"No, you won't. You'll be outside the door listening to me. That way Bella doesn't need to know that you are anywhere near, so she'll feel comfortable. She doesn't need to be embarrassed by thinking that you can hear her going to the toilet, or that you can see her bathing. It's bad enough that another woman has to participate in her personal care. You'll hear signs early enough to intervene if you think I'm beginning to have trouble. Don't make Bella feel any more uncomfortable than she already will."
Alice didn't notice Carlisle's face fall at the thought that he might do something to make Bella feel uncomfortable.
"Carlisle, you almost growled at Jasper yesterday."
Carlisle's eyes snapped to Alice's. His voice softened with regret. "I've apologized to Jasper. There have been times lately when I haven't been myself. I don't understand it. I have no excuse for it."
"No, Carlisle. You haven't done anything wrong. You have reigned in your instincts and tempered them with your true nature, every time. You have nothing to apologize for and no need to regret anything. If your instincts start to override your true self, I'll let you know."
Carlisle's gave Alice a rueful smile. "Thank you, Alice."
"Yeah, well, hold that thought. You don't need to babysit me while I help Bella in the bathroom. I know my limits and my strengths. I won't endanger Bella. You don't need to worry or cause Bella any embarrassment."
Her last argument had him. He would do nothing to cause Bella unnecessary distress. "You're right, of course. Let me know if you need any help. I'll go to my study while you are in the bathroom."
Bella sat on a rounded chaise and leaned against the plush satin pillows that were propped on the half round back. She took the time to look about the room that Emmett had built and Esme had decorated for her. It was somehow stunning and peaceful at the same time. The paint on the walls was textured and the soft colors of the walls seemed to almost glow.
Alice responded to Bella's unasked questions about the room. "The paint is a flat ivory base with iridescent eggshell dragged through. The furniture is from Schnadig's Carleton lines."
Then Bella did ask a question. "Alice, this room wasn't an addition, there are rooms above and below. What was it before you guys made it over?"
"We used to call this room Esme's study, but she never used it. Her room is on the third floor, we call it her and Carlisle's room for appearance's sake, but he's never been in it." Alice's voice became teasing. "When he sleeps, just because he can the show-off, he sleeps on the couch in his study. His room is his study, like Jasper's room is his study. Of course, Jasper and I have a bedroom we use when we want to be alone together. Carlisle and Esme aren't together, so they don't need a bedroom to share for that kind of intimacy.
"This room really was made for you. It opens into Carlisle's study, that's why Esme chose the bedroom on the third floor. She wanted them both to have privacy. We only used this room for storage until Emmett made it over for you." Before Bella could ask any more questions, Alice disappeared into the en suite.
Bella ran her hand over the luxurious fabric as she looked around. The wall set diagonally at the foot of the chaise was made up of a row of immense French doors that opened onto a private balcony. Like Carlisle's study, they faced west and overlooked the majestic scenery that surrounded the Cullen home. She sighed, knowing it would be a while before she could go outside.
Directly across from the chaise where she sat was the door to Carlisle's study. It was flanked by two armchairs with the same inviting round lines. She allowed her eyes to travel around the rest of the room. The furniture was ivory and some of it was carved with intricate designs.
She noticed a tall simple chest of drawers near the bed. The bed's detailed headboard was as tall as she was standing. Against it was the largest gathering of pillows she had ever seen. The bedding was mostly the same ivory and eggshell as the rest of the room, but like the chaise and chair, it was accented with some deeper natural tones. The patterns and textures of the duvet and pillows were many and varied. Two rounded bedside tables stood sentinel, each holding a tall ivory lamp with a slightly darker shade. On the bench at the foot of the bed, lay a folded dark brown blanket that looked so soft she longed to touch it.
The dresser and its carved mirror were situated along a wall that ran diagonally from the left corner of the bed. That opposing wall had newly installed large doors on each side, one leading to the en suite, the other to the hallway. Between the doors sat a long rounded sofa that matched the chaise and arm chairs. The wall above the sofa was adorned with ivory framed art that she might have chosen herself.
The room was finished with ivory shag scatter rugs that were so thick and inviting Bella wanted to take her sneakers off and wiggle her toes in them. At the absurdity of that thought, she giggled aloud. Every fabric and texture in the room begged to be touched. She marveled at how absolutely perfect she found the room. Her musings were interrupted as Alice breezed in and announced that it was bath time, effectively drawing Bella from her observations.
"Thank you, Carlisle." Bella smiled as Alice whisked away all evidence of the medical procedure. Carlisle had just finished tending to Bella's broken arm, as Alice had gotten it soaked when she helped her with her bath.
Her injury no longer needing his attention, Carlisle rolled his sleeves down and looked at Bella. In all his years, Carlisle Cullen would swear on his father's cross, that he had never faced such temptation. Not even upon his first awakening as a vampire did human blood call to him so. Nothing in his long existence compared to the overwhelming need that seemed to explode from his very soul.
Bella lay reclined on a mound of embroidered pillows, her mahogany hair spread out in softly curling clouds beneath her. Layers of plush white covers were drawn to her waist, but above them, her torso was revealed. She was completely covered, the soft white nightgown Alice had dressed Bella in could not, by the stretch of anyone's imagination, be called provocative. However, above that garment, her porcelain cheeks were stained with her blood's natural pink blush, and her eyes shone up at him. He wanted nothing more than to touch her hair, to caress her beckoning cheeks, to look deeply into her eyes, to lean in and capture her soft lips with his and kiss her. Her taste, he already knew, would be exquisite. He could tell this from her scent alone. He would bury his hands in her hair and taste her mouth, gently kissing, nipping, sampling. He would soothe her, and then he would deepen the kiss. He would see the acceptance in her eyes. He would lean more fully over her, pulling her to him. He would lose himself in her softness, her sweetness. He would kiss her and caress her. He would find himself on top of her, unable to resist pressing her deeper into the mattress with his body, feeling her soft...
"Carlisle?" Bella's voice broke through his traitorous thoughts.
He allowed his eyes to meet hers. "Isabella," he replied, his voice a seductive breath.
He missed her reaction to him as his gaze fell to her hand that was reaching for him. He took her uninjured hand that she had extended to him across her body. "Tell me, what was it like to break a bone in the sixteen hundreds? It must have been very different."
He shook himself free of his longing and chuckled. He settled himself more stably at her side facing her and spoke, surprised that his voice sounded normal. "It was never good to be injured or ill in those days. If it were a simple fracture, the bone might heal without complications, although, it would be unlikely for it to heal neatly. There would, in the best case, be loss of use of the limb in the normal way. If the bone broke through the skin, there would be blood loss. Ambroise Paré had only just discovered how to use ligatures to close arteries. It wasn't common practice. Cauterization would be used to seal off an amputation and stave off death from blood loss. Amputation would probably be the procedure used above a protruding or compound break. There really wasn't anything better. In many cases, an infection was almost guaranteed."
"And an infection was almost always a death sentence."
"That's true. In the early part of the century, William Harvey, of London." He smiled and allowed his full British accent to color his speech. "Came up with his theory of the circulatory system. It's considered to be the greatest advance in medical history. As a physician, I have to agree, but I found my medical practice impacted more by Sir Alexander Fleming's work."
"Penicillin," Bella stated with a smile.
"Have you been reading my medical books as well as the rest of my library?" Carlisle teased.
"Well, I couldn't resist Henry Gray, and after that, I was hooked," she teased back.
"Planning a career in medicine?" Carlisle asked.
"With the way, I react to the smell of blood, I don't think so."
"Ah, but it won't be so long before your reaction to the smell of blood changes dramatically."
She laughed. "But, then I should get a job at a Red Cross blood bank, so I could safely snack while I work."
Alice entered the room laughing and pushing a cart that held a moderately sized flat screen TV and other devices. "Speaking of blood banks, I don't think either of you guys has seen this old cheesy movie." Alice plugged the electronics in and skipped over to the bed with a bowl of popcorn. She pulled Carlisle up and led him to sit on the other side of Bella's bed. With Carlisle now comfortably situated parallel to Bella, on her uninjured side, Alice rejoined their hands. She set the bowl of popcorn beside them, so Bella could eat, then moved away wordlessly and popped the DVD into the player. Satisfied, she busied herself around the room, flitting from place to place. She rearranged flowers and adjusted other items.
After a few minutes, the horror of the film Alice had started began to register.
"Dracula has a tan?" Bella asked.
"It does seem to be artificial," Carlisle replied skeptically.
Alice laughed as she headed out the door, leaving Bella and Carlisle alone and cringing as they watched Count Dracula being kicked out of his castle, so it could be used as a training camp for Nadia Comăneci. "Don't you dare take that DVD out, Carlisle!" Alice called over her shoulder. "Give it time, it's funny."
By mutual agreement, as soon as Alice was out of hearing range, Carlisle stood and turned off the DVD. As Carlisle killed the power, Bella struggled and finally managed to pick up her current reading selection, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. She tried to balance the large book with her good hand and open it to the first page. Even using her bent knee as an anchor it was nearly impossible.
"May I?" Carlisle asked.
"Um, sure," Bella replied, not quite knowing what the question was.
Carlisle took the book from her hand and sat back down by Bella's side. "I haven't had a chance to read my copy," he said. Before Bella had time to question him, his soft voice began reading the first chapter to her.
Carlisle knocked gently on the door of Bella's room after seeing Charlie out. "Did you have a good visit with your father?" he asked, coming into the room immediately upon being beckoned.
"It was perfect. I put the game on." She brandished the DVR remote in her good hand. "Charlie really got into the game. He ate everything Esme made for his lunch, and I took a nap. It was perfect for us." She grinned. "So, now that my healing sleep has been done, I'm all yours."
Carlisle had really intended to stay in his study. To give Bella space this afternoon, he was sure she must want time to herself, or to have some of her friend's visit. When he had suggested that, she reacted in a most unexpected way. She told him in no uncertain terms that there was no one she would rather spend the afternoon with than him. He was appalled at himself when her adamancy had turned to self-doubt. She had gone on a long ramble about how sorry she was for keeping him from the things that she was sure he would much rather be doing than wasting his days with her. It took quite a while, but eventually, they each believed that the other really meant it when they expressed a desire for the other's company.
Carlisle moved toward the chair Charlie had occupied, but changed his course when Bella awkwardly moved over in her bed and fished out the book they had been reading together. "You'll need to sit by me and help me hold the book," she said with a blush. "It is my turn to read, and with this." She held up her broken arm. "I can't manage on my own."
Carlisle flashed her a wicked smile before she could blink he was settled on the bed beside her, his legs straight out, his ankles crossed. Bella read aloud for over an hour while Carlisle's strong hand held the book up for her. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes soon after she began reading. He was lulled into the most blissful state by the sound of her voice and by the rhythm of her heartbeat. However, at the end of the chapter she was reading, he closed the book and placed it on the side table. "Did you say you slept through your father's visit?" He was astonished that this thought had only occurred to him when Bella's voice started to sound tired.
"Yes, why?" she asked.
"You said he ate lunch, did you eat anything?"
"Well, no, I don't tend to eat in my sleep." She laughed.
"I'm going to get you something to eat and drink. Do you need Alice while I'm gone?" he asked.
"I'm perfectly well enough-" She stopped speaking when his hand touched the bottom of her chin and gently encouraged her face to turn up to his.
"In this case, as your doctor, I think I should make that decision, don't you?"
Reluctantly, she agreed. "I suppose so."
His thumb slid smoothly across her cheek as he withdrew his hand. He sent a text as he stood. His phone beeped almost instantly after he hit send. He smiled at the display. "Alice knew when you'd need her and she's almost here."
Moments later Alice bounced into the room. "Come on, Bella, I'll help you to use the bathroom." She came to a halt as she looked at Bella. "What happened to your hair?" she asked.
Bella's hand went to her sleep tousled hair. "I fell asleep when Charlie was here this morning."
"We'll have to fix that."
"Do not listen to her, Isabella," Carlisle gently admonished. "You look perfect." The sincerity of his compliment could not be missed. Bella blushed. "And now, even more so. I hadn't thought it possible."
"All right, Carlisle," Alice said in her most no-nonsense tone. "You need to make something for Bella to eat. Take your time. I'm going to help Bella to the bathroom, and I think now would be a good time for her to have a bath, too. Then, I'll do something with her hair. I don't want to see you back here in any less than forty-five minutes." Neither Carlisle nor Bella dared argue with Alice.
When Carlisle returned with a healthy meal for Bella it was to find her in a newly changed bed, wearing a modest peignoir of the finest silk, chiffon, and French lace. Her skin still had a pink glow from the warmth of her bath, and her hair had been brushed until it flowed in dark curling waves over her shoulders. He was transfixed. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly parted. He realized that her bath must have been tiring in her weakened state. Before he could ask her how she felt, Alice breezed in from the en suite with an armful of towels.
"Ew, I don't know how you can eat that stuff, Bella," she said as she wrinkled her pixie nose.
Bella laughed. "I think it smells wonderful"
Carlisle displayed her plate with a playful flourish. "Quinoa pilaf with herbed grilled chicken and asparagus."
"Wow, thank you, Carlisle." She gave him an appreciative smile as he set the tray down. He saw a flush of pleasure light Bella's face as she noticed the cluster of white Jonquils lying on the top of her tray. He was filled with an unexpected swell of happiness as he watched her delicately touch their pale yellow centers.
"Jonquils!" Alice exclaimed. Bella looked at her questioningly. Alice's studied innocence as she left the room perplexed her.
Carlisle ignored Alice in the face of his desire to see Bella taste his offering. Cooking was something he'd begun relearning when she had entered their lives.
When Bella finished her meal, Esme came in to gather up the tray. "Bella dear, how are you feeling?"
"Spoiled," Bella said with a smile.
Carlisle handed her a glass of water and some pills.
"You see what I mean?" she asked Esme. "I have an acclaimed surgeon giving me my medication. Not everyone can say that."
"True." Esme laughed. "Is there anything I can get you? I can bring you a laptop or some books and magazines."
"No thank you, Esme, I'm fine really." Bella blushed under all the attention.
Esme's voice became tentative. "There's something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" Bella had never heard Esme unsure of herself.
"I realized that while you are recovering there's no one to take care of your father. He told me he ate pizza for dinner last night and the night before that. He's eating cold pizza for lunch and I doubt he's even bothering with a proper breakfast." Esme's speech was rushed, but still slow enough for Bella to understand. "He's working long hours and he needs to visit with you. He has to keep up a whole house and do his laundry too. I'm sure he's very lonely doing all that in his empty house." Esme paused to let Bella's mind form a picture of her helpless father.
"I need to get home, so I can help..." Bella began, only to have Esme jump in.
"No! Bella, you need to rest and recover. You need to take the time to heal properly." Esme rushed to assure her. "I was just wondering if you thought your father would mind if I helped him out while you're recovering. I know he's a proud man and will want to say no, but this is something I'd really like to do. Can you tell me how to get him to accept my help?" Esme asked uncertainly. "That is if you don't mind if I help him out for a while," she added.
"No. No, of course, I don't mind. It's really nice of you to think of him." Bella was thoughtful. "Why don't I ask him for you? I'm injured, I don't think he'll say no to me if he thinks it will make me rest easier, knowing he's being taken care of."
"Would you?" Esme asked, glowing. "I can start by making him a nice breakfast before he goes to work tomorrow. He seemed to like the lunch I made today." Her enthusiasm was endearing.
"Sure, that'd be great." Bella smiled.
Esme rushed to Bella and kissed her cheek. "Carlisle will keep you company dear, I need to go to the market. I want to start practicing making eggs, so I'll get it just right at your father's tomorrow. Does he like his eggs scrambled or fried?" Before Bella could answer, she continued. "Maybe he'd rather have an omelet. What does he like in his omelet? Or would he rather have something more decadent, like Eggs Benedict?"
"I'm sure he'll love whatever you make for him, Esme. He's not a fussy eater," Bella informed her indulgently.
Carlisle smiled as he listened to Bella talk her father into allowing Esme to help out while she convalesced. He could hear both sides of the conversation clearly, and he knew by Charlie's tone that his original refusal had only been what he thought he should do. It was obvious that he wanted Esme to, at the very least, cook for him.
"Esme really loves to take care of people," Bella noted when she ended the call.
"She does," Carlisle agreed.
"She's nothing like Renee. If I didn't take care of my mom, she'd have been lost. She's got Phil now, and he does a pretty good job. I used to shop, cook, take care of the house, and make sure she got to the places she needed to go." Bella laughed. "And find her things for her. She'd lose her head if it wasn't attached. Phil may not be much of a cook, except on a grill, but he sees to it that she's fed and he remembers her appointments. He makes sure that she has what she needs."
"How young were you, when you began doing all of this?"
"My mom came with me to shop until I was about eight. But, I did need to remind her to shop, and I made the lists before we left."
"That was a lot to for a child to shoulder."
"No, not at all." Bella laughed. "Renee always used to say that I was born middle aged. We were a good fit because she really didn't grow up."
"Esme's been like a mother to me since she joined our family. That's the closest I've experienced to having a mother. My mother died giving birth to me."
"What was it like, growing up without a mother?"
"I did have an adult female in my life. She was my mother's sister. Her name was Thomasin." He smiled at Bella's expression. "It was not an odd name for the time, although unlike other names of my human years, its popularity did die out."
"What was she like?"
"Our relationship could be a bit strained at times, but overall it was quite good. She was a midwife. My father thought her work to be very close to witchcraft. He didn't allow her to attend my birth. I think he blamed himself for my mother's death and that only increased his dislike of her sister. Deep down, I think he knew Thomasin might have saved my mother. It was only out of respect for my mother's memory, and the love she had had for her sister, that he didn't persecute Thomasin. I believe Edward told you of my father's zeal in wiping out vampires, and indeed anyone he deemed an evildoer." Bella nodded. "Well, he considered Thomasin evil because she could help and in some cases heal, the sick. I was not allowed to visit her. So, being an obedient son, I visited at every opportunity." He gave Bella a mischievous wink, eliciting soft laughter from her.
"Were your visits with her good?"
"For the most part. I had the opportunity to visit her about once a week when my father would sequester himself away to practice preaching that week's sermon. Thomasin did love me, although she held no love for my father. She made that clear. In fairness, he never hid his hatred for her." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "My memories are a bit dim, but they aren't gone. She used to let me help her mix her medicines. I especially loved it when I got to use the mortar and pestle." He smiled. "Of course, I had to weed her herb garden first. I would accompany her to visit the poor and sick. I would carry her tools and medicines. I would assist if she needed me to, as well. Sometimes, it took four hands to administer care. She aided those who were beneath my father in social standing. They weren't amongst my father's congregation, so I was never found out. It could be onerous at times, but there was always a treat to any chore with her. One of my favorite treats was when she would take me with her to forage for some of the rarer plants in the surrounding areas."
"Is that why you became a doctor?"
"Perhaps it was part of the reason. Thomasin taught me a very radical way of thinking, at least for males. She didn't like the male attitude towards women. And she especially didn't like the male attitude towards childbirth. Childbirth was a major part of being a woman in those days. She spent most of our time together teaching me the opposite of what my father preached. It still amazes me that some women would believe it when men preached to them that they were mere chattel. That they were, at the very core of their being, evil just because they were female."
"That must have been hard for you. Hearing one thing from your father while being shown another perspective by your aunt."
"It certainly gave me something to think about. When I was a bit older, thirteen or thereabouts, Thomasin would put me in a dress, pearls, and bonnet and take me with her if she had to attend a birth. I'd been long since breeched, so I didn't like it much; however, Thomasin insisted. I was masqueraded as a girl because boys weren't allowed to attend births. She wanted me to see what really went on. The reality of the dangers, the need for care to be given to the mothers, and the miracle of new life. I think I must have been the only boy, perhaps even the only male, in the country to see what childbirth was really like. It was what made me realize men like my father, most men, treated women the way they did because they felt threatened by them. It was tending to the sick and watching new life come into the world that made me believe that all people must be equal in God's eyes."
"Even vampires." It wasn't a question.
"Well-"
"No, Carlisle. I don't want to hear that you only hope that's how it is. That is how it is. No God could have a hand in bringing you into a life and then suddenly abandon you because you were bitten by a vampire. It's venom in your system, not evil."
"I was hunting that vampire."
"Because of your father, and your society, expected it of you. It wasn't in your heart. You were only doing what you had to do, weren't you?"
"You so very perceptive, Isabella." His eyes softened as they met hers. "Yes, when my father sent me to search out evil and destroy it, I avoided having to destroy his perceived evil at every opportunity. Although I never wanted to be a part of it, there was a piece of me that was glad when I was put in charge. You see, I could fail, or at the very least I could allow people to escape."
"I bet you were surprised when you met an actual vampire."
"After days of pain, I was confused and appalled. At first, I thought I had made a mistake, that my father had been right. As time passed, I realized that although I was a vampire, I needn't do evil. I don't remember the moment of epiphany if there was a single moment. I came to understand that no matter whom we are, what challenges we are given, it's still our choice to act for good or not." Carlisle was lost in thought for a moment when he felt Bella's warm hand slide gently into his own. Her fingers intertwined with his. As if they had a will of their own, his fingers reciprocated the hold. He gazed at their joined hands for a moment, then lifted his eyes to hers.
Smiling in remembrance Bella said, "You have done so much with what you were given. No one could have done better, Carlisle."
Carlisle smiled shyly. "Well, in any case, I'd prefer it if you didn't let this get out."
"What, that you aren't a second class citizen because you're a vampire?"
"No." Carlisle's laugh was contagious and Bella laughed with him. "I'd rather the others, especially Emmett, not know that as a teenager my aunt dressed me in women's clothes and jewels."
"I wouldn't have mentioned it. Emmett would enjoy knowing that, though, wouldn't he?"
"Hmm," Carlisle agreed. "He'd enjoy it a great deal, at my expense. I can see him now following me around with a frilly dress and bonnet."
Bella deepened her voice in an imitation of Emmett. "Carlisle, I ironed your dress for work."
They dissolved in mirth, coming to rest a mere breath from each other on Bella's pillows. Their laughter died as they looked into each other's eyes. The rest of the world seemed to slip away. There was only their awareness of each other.
"Guys!" The bed bounced as Emmett launched himself into the room and onto the floor in front of the TV cart Alice had left. "I got the Bond From Russia With Love game. I'll play it in here so you can see it first, Bella."
Bella was struggling not to laugh so hard that she hurt herself. Carlisle snaked his arms around her and supported her incision so she could laugh freely with him.
Emmett popped in the game and turned to look at them. "What?"
Bella was very glad for Carlisle's support as they surrendered to their laughter.
