Day 15
.
She'd just wanted to decompress with Edward after the intense afternoon spent with her parents. She suggested they lay on the bed, instead of their usual seated position. She could still feel his warmth behind her, his strong arm tucked around her waist. They'd both drifted off until it was time for their evening temp check. Dinner was quiet, and they watched old episodes of The X-Files, again snuggled up on the bed. She'd left around midnight.
Without Edward to distract her, her mind swirled around the frustrating conversation with her mother and Emmett. How, while stuck in quarantine, was she going to get evidence that Emmett had been unfaithful? Her father was right, you can't try a man on a feeling. She'd still break up with him, no matter what her mother said, but it would be nice to have both parents on her side. If her mother didn't accept that Emmett was no good, she'd be dragging him out like a dog with a favorite chew toy, every time she got Bella alone.
She didn't really want to just cuddle with Edward. Lying in his arms she wanted nothing more than to turn around and press herself against him, to feel what they'd be like together. She allowed herself a few extra-long hugs before she left for her room. Scrubs didn't hide much; he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She'd inspected her room the first day, and had found the trio of condoms tucked in with the tampons. She was sorely tempted to use them, but she needed to make sure Emmett knew they were over before she did. In her heart she knew Emmett had been unfaithful, but that didn't mean she'd sink to his level.
The night guard's shift was up, she could hear Angela's voice out in the hall. A few minutes later there was a knock.
"Come in." Bella had given up on sleeping around four, so she was already showered, dressed and sitting at her computer looking for inspiration on how to catch a cheater.
"Dr. Swan, I heard you had a late night."
"Angela, I told you to call me Bella."
The guard stood in the attention posture. "Not when I have official information, ma'am."
Bella turned in her chair to face her. "What would that be?"
"In reviewing the documents pertaining to your quarantine, it is required that you remain within this facility for a period of no less than 21 days unless medically required, that you present yourself at least two times a day for medical evaluation or more often as to be determined by the medical officer in charge. It is required that you maintain no less than a ten foot distance from any non-quarantined person, unless such person is wearing protective clothing. You may communicate using only the electronic devices and means as are issued to you."
"I know that."
Angela cocked a single eyebrow.
Bella threw her hands in the air, "Angela, what's your point?"
"And you're the doctor." Angela glanced back towards the empty hallway. "Doesn't say where you have to sleep."
Bella covered her grin with her hand as Angela stepped out. She wondered if Ben was sharing the same news with Edward. Who knew Cupid wore combat boots?
.
-21 days-Day 15—
It was almost lunchtime and Bella still wasn't there. He'd made good progress on the Sandcrawler, which was the only reason he wasn't shaking down Ben for information. He needed to thank Alice for the set, which he suspected was meant to be his Christmas present, but he just wanted to get the last track on—
"Mr. Cullen, Dr. Swan to see you."
Dropping the piece in his hand he stood up and stretched his arms out. She was pressed up against him before the door closed.
He couldn't resist a kiss to the top of her head as he hugged her. "I was wondering where you were."
"I've been busy."
"What, did Alice send you a Sandcrawler too?"
"No, the Death Star."
"What?" He pushed her back, still holding onto her shoulders. "Do you want any help with that, I did mine last year—"
"I'm kidding, I don't have a Death Star stashed in my room. You Lego people are too easy." She giggled as she walked over to the bed and sat down. She waved back at his piles of pieces. "You can carry on, I don't want to interrupt you."
He flopped down next to her, then pulled her over into his lap. "I'd rather carry on with you."
She'd been so quiet yesterday, he was glad to see her a little lighter this morning. He kept his hands piously around her waist, but his lips had other ideas. Her hair was in its usual pony tail, revealing her smooth, delicious looking neck. He began at her shoulder, and layered one kiss over the edge of the last, making his way up to her ear. She squirmed in his arms, her ass putting pressure on his already hard cock. She sighed his name. She said it again, a little louder.
"Edward!" She leaned forward, breaking contact with his lips. "I need to do something before we can…do…that." She twisted in his lap and stroked her fingers over his mouth. "And I really want to do that."
Please, he thought, please don't let her say we need to be out of here before we do that.
He kept his hips still, when all his body wanted to do was push further into her. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself enough to ask, "What do you need to do?"
"I need to find proof that Emmett has been…unfaithful, so I can end things with him. I really just came in here for a break, I've been on the computer all morning I just don't where to find—"
He couldn't help himself but laugh. He had her solution, right at his fingertips, it couldn't be easier.
She slapped his shoulder. "It's not funny, my mother is really upset with me, and she thinks I'm making a big mistake."
He slid his hands to her hands and held them firmly. "I don't think what he did to you is funny. I have what you need, but I don't want you to get mad."
"Why would I get mad if you have what I need?"
What would Alice say, what would Alice say? There had to be a way to phrase this so it didn't sound like he'd been looking into her creepy boyfriend without her permission. Even though that's exactly what he'd been doing. Alice would know…that's it! Eureka!
"My sister really wants to meet you." Edward lifted Bella by the hips and deposited her onto the blanket. He turned on the laptop and brought it back to the bed. "I told you she's pregnant, she has a million questions." He figured if he filled the space while he waited for Alice to answer his request, Bella wouldn't get a chance to question why he was introducing her to his sister in the middle of their discussion. "Yeah, they're so excited, they started trying last year and frankly, a brother doesn't want to hear that his baby sister is 'trying' if you know what I mean, Hey Alice!"
"Hey Wardo, you calling to thank me for the awesome, woe, is that who I think it is? Is that Bella?"
He angled the screen so his sister could see Bella better. "Alice, let me introduce you to the lovely Doctor Bella Swan."
"Oh, oh, oh, I've been dying to meet you! You'll have to come to dinner when you guys get out. Seriously, I can't drink anymore, obviously," She pointed to her lap, "but believe me, I'm still a good time."
Bella looked confused, so Edward filled in. "Allie, could you explain to Bella what you used to do for the private investigator? I think you could help her."
"Oh sure! I investigated people's online lives, social media, buying patterns, stuff like that. It's amazing what you can find out."
He felt a little bad as he left the women to talk while he continued to assemble the base of the Sandcrawler. At some point he'd have to come clean that he already saw the information Alice would now 'uncover' for Bella. He completed the section, then turned the page in the instruction guide for the next part when Bella called to him.
"Your sister wants to talk to you."
He crab walked back to the bed and sat thigh to thigh with Bella. "What's up Allie?"
"I sent you a link to a video. When you get off with me, I want you to watch it. With Bella." With a smirk she blew him a kiss and signed off.
Bella shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what Alice was talking about. It was way too fast for Alice to pretend to dig up the dirt on Emmett; what was she playing at? He knew that little smirk she'd ended the call with, he'd seen it many times, usually just before he'd find pudding in his shoes or his backpack filled with bricks. He had no choice but to follow through.
The link brought them to a web news site. The still image was a dark haired woman holding a microphone. The room in the background looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. He clicked.
"Investigative reporter Yasmin Patel here, looking into the shameful manner the United States government has been treating the medical workers who have heroically put their lives in jeopardy to protect us from the imminent plague of Ebola Hemorrhagic fever. The forced 21 day quarantine," a picture flashed of the brick entrance to Fort Monmouth with a camouflage painted jeep in front, "has wreaked havoc in the lives of those brave volunteers and their families. We're in the living room of Tanya Denali, fiancé of one of the detained heroes."
He gasped. "She's not, she was never—"
Bella slapped her hand over his mouth. "I'm listening."
Tanya spoke, her sparkling ring displayed as two fingers of her left hand pressed against her bright red lips. "It's been so hard. I can't see my poor baby, he's probably starving." Her eyes flicked to the side. "And I'm sure his civil rights are being abused. I mean, I had to go to my cousin's wedding without him and he really wanted to go."
The reporter asked another question, but he couldn't hear for the howls coming out of Bella.
"Oh, I thought Emmett was bad, but you got yourself one peach of a fiancé there." She pinched his cheeks. "Poor baby."
.
AN: Thanks to jane210 for pointing out my failure to properly list the characters, which explains why this wasn't coming up in search engines. Thanks also to the facebook group and Nicfic (sp)-sorry, I lost the paper I scribbled this info on, so I don't have the names right, but thank you to everyone who has spread the word about this story. oxoxo2old