A/N: Hello, all! I present to you the last regular chapter of this story.
We made it to 400 reviews, you guys! I cannot thank you enough for your support, encouragement, and love for my Older/Doctorward. He really appreciates it ;)
A quick thanks to Dazzled Eyes22 and Melissa for their help, and I'll let you get on with reading… I'm saving the big thank you's for next time!
As I slowly awakened, the memories from last night were firmly embedded in my mind. I must have looked like a loon, smiling for no apparent reason and lying in bed without a stitch on, but nothing could bring me down this morning. Remembering about the reason for my unbridled happiness, I stretched out my arms to look for her.
My eyes opened, rather reluctantly, when my hand was met with nothing but cool sheets. Worried, I sat up quickly, and looked around, but didn't find her in the room. I put on my discarded pants, and walked out.
Panic started bubbling in my chest when I couldn't find Bella anywhere inside the cabin. I looked out the window, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was standing out in the porch, leaning against the rail. Dressed in nothing but my T-shirt and her panties with her mahogany hair shining softly in the early morning sunshine, she looked ethereal, almost unreal in her mesmerizing beauty, and for a moment, I just stood there, wondering how the hell I'd gotten so lucky as to call her mine.
When I saw her rub her palms together, I pulled myself out of my reverie. I grabbed a blanket as well as a shirt for myself, and headed outside.
She didn't seem to hear my footsteps as I walked up to her without a word. She jumped slightly when I placed the shawl around her shoulders. I pressed my lips to the soft skin behind her ear, as she relaxed back against my chest.
"Everything okay?" I murmured.
"Mmmm," she sighed. "Perfect."
"I got worried when I woke up and you weren't there."
She turned her head halfway to kiss me. "Where was I going to go? I'm sorry, though. I just woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I came out here to admire the view. I guess I lost track of time."
I sucked her earlobe into my mouth, and nipped it gently. "I can understand that. It's easy to lose yourself when you have something so extraordinarily beautiful to look at," I whispered against the shell of her ear.
"Edward," she moaned lightly, rubbing her hands over my forearms that encircled her waist.
With a few soft, light kisses, I pulled away. I needed to ask her something, instead of getting carried away. I turned her around to face me. "Are you okay?"
She smiled shyly, as her cheeks bloomed with color. "Yeah. I'm perfect. Just a little sore." She bit her lip.
"I'm sorry." Though I knew it was to be expected, that didn't make it any easier to know that she was hurting the slightest bit.
She giggled, swatting my chest. "I'm not. Last night was… wonderful."
I caressed her cheeks with my thumbs. "It was."
"Thank you for bringing me here. This weekend has been… the best one of my life. I wish we had more time here. Just the two of us." She sighed.
"I love you," I whispered, leaning closer.
"I love you, too," she replied softly, meeting my lips with hers.
After she turned back, we stood there for a while, absorbing the tranquility of the scene as the sun rose higher up in the sky with its rays glinting off the frozen lake.
When I heard Bella's teeth clattering, and felt shivers travelling down my spine, we decided to head inside. We ordered in breakfast, and Aro himself accompanied the server who brought it to our room.
He wanted to know if bellissimo Isabella had been satisfied with the preparations last night. When she thanked him with a beautiful smile, he clapped his hands in glee.
After he left us alone, we gorged on the croissants and omelets he'd brought for us, while we chatted. It pleased me no end that last night had had no change on the dynamics of our relationship. We could still talk freely and enjoy each other's company, without any awkwardness.
"What time do we have to leave?" Bella asked me once we had finished eating.
"Check out is at 2pm, so we can have lunch before leaving. That should give us enough time to get back home by the evening. You have classes tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "Real life beckons."
"Well, we still have a few hours, and we haven't showered yet," I suggested.
"I know we haven't showered yet," she teased and winked, indicating that she had definitely caught my drift.
I grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and pulled it off quickly. "Maybe we should rectify that? I promise I'll be good. We can do… other things."
I stepped toward her, and she backed away with a grin. "What other things?"
"Why don't you drop your clothes and let me show you, baby?" I jumped toward her and she ran off with a squeal. I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder just before entering the bathroom.
Needless to say, I spent the next hour showing her what "other things" I had planned for us to do together.
~ % ~
We spent a couple of hours curled up in front of the fireplace, and talked about everything, yet nothing in particular. I mentioned Emmett's and Rosalie's decision of going ahead with a surrogate.
"Rosalie can't have kids?" Bella asked softly, her voice despondent.
I kissed her forehead. "No. They've consulted several doctors, and she's been through innumerable tests, but no one could find any anomaly. She has gotten pregnant four times. The last time was by IVF, but she hasn't been able to carry past the first trimester. Emmett finally managed to convince her to go the unconventional way."
"I guess I can understand that," she whispered. "It must have been so hard on him to watch her hopes come crashing down all those times. It's so strange. Rose is such a strong person, and she's had to deal with-" She shook her head, and broke off. "I'm sure they'll make great parents. I can imagine Rose having to discipline both the child and Emmett when they play pranks together." She giggled, and I smiled.
We stayed there, wrapped in each other's arms for as long as we could, getting up only when we absolutely had to leave. It amazed me how much we still didn't know about each other. The way she'd gesticulate with both hands when she was excited, or how her fingers would twist, untwist, and curl back between mine as we talked… these were the little traits that made her my Bella. While I knew all the major things about her, it was the little things that revealed themselves whenever we spent time together.
I must have been quiet for too long because Bella turned, and asked me if I was okay. I explained what I had been thinking about, and the soft, adoring kiss she gave me told me she felt the same way.
Packing up didn't take long at all, and soon, we were making our way out. I locked up, while Bella looked wistfully at the cottage.
My arms encircled her frame, and I pulled her closer. "We'll come back whenever you want, okay?"
She smiled. "When real life gets messy or busy, this could be our getaway spot to spend some time with nothing else on our minds, but each other."
"Sounds like an excellent plan, Miss Swan." I leaned in to kiss her, and she reciprocated happily.
We walked hand-in-hand to the reception, where we were met once again by none other than Aro. After a through assurance that we had a great time, and the promise to return, we were finally able to say goodbye to him, but not before he placed a kiss on Bella's hand.
I grumbled silently, or so I thought, because Bella giggled at my ramblings.
"He just… rubbed me the wrong way," I protested. It did nothing but make her kiss my cheek, and laugh harder at my expense.
~ % ~
It was past five when I parked the car outside Bella's dorm. I grabbed her bag, and we made our way up the stairs.
"I hope Alice's okay. Tomorrow's the big day," she said.
"I'll just drop you off, and leave, so you can talk to her properly."
She stopped, turning to face me. "Is it crazy that I don't want you to leave? We've just spent two days together, and it still makes me sad to know that I won't spend the night curled up in your arms."
I slung the strap over my shoulder to free my hand, and pulled her closer. "I feel the same way." I shrugged. "I am crazy about you, so I think that's a fair assessment. Besides, I thought we'd already booked neighboring cots at the loony bin?"
She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck, rising to stand on her toes. "Well, I happen to echo that sentiment, so it seems we're good. I love you," she whispered against my lips.
I would never tire of hearing her say those words.
"I love you too." I brushed my lips against hers. It was soft, simple, and chaste, but enough to express our feelings. With our foreheads pressed together, we stayed in our secluded bubble for just a few more seconds, before Bella pulled out her key to unlock the door.
The door flew open before she could even enter the key in the lock.
"Welcome home!"
I watched, wide-eyed, as a woman with honey-blond hair locked her arms around my girlfriend's neck with a huge smile.
"How have you been, baby? You've been holding out on me!" She disentangled herself from the still shell-shocked Bella. I almost shrank back as she raked her grey eyes over me appreciatively. "Really holding out on me. Come on in."
When she faced me with a bright smile, I recognized her. Bella had shown me a few old pictures, but even if I hadn't seen them, the likeness of their features would have alerted me that this was none other than Renee Dwyer.
Bella seemed to be in a daze as we walked inside. Alice was waiting in the living room. Her mood seemed drastically better as she bounced on her toes.
"Welcome back, guys! Did you have a good time?" She grinned, though her eyes scanned us nervously.
"Yeah, it was great," I replied, since Bella seemed determined to remain silent. I placed our bags to one side, while Renee continued to talk and hang on to Bella, undeterred by her daughter's silence.
My eyes were intent on my girlfriend, and despite the distance between us, I could see the storm brewing in her eyes.
"Phil had a meeting that ran long, and I thought, "Hey! Why don't I go see Bella now?" You know how those meeting bore me." She sighed heavily. "Oh, baby, I almost forgot! We had the best time last night! Phil has booked the honeymoon suite for our trip, and they decorated it with rose petals, and got us this delicious champagne- I'll have to write down its name- Oh! It was beautiful. I guess I can forgive him for working so long today, since he spent all of yesterday and last night with me. Then, I come here to see you, and imagine my surprise when Alice told me that you had gone away with your boyfriend! I didn't even know you were seeing someone! Oh, why would you hide that fine specimen of a man from me, Isabella? What else are you not telling your mother? Thank God, Alice told me that you were due to return soon, so I decided to wait for you right here." She turned to Alice. "We had a great time chatting, didn't we, sweetheart? Oh, we did!"
"Oh, totally," Alice replied in a chipper voice, but Renee didn't notice the sarcasm. I wondered if I could count just how many times Renee had exclaimed in the past one minute.
Despite my distraction, my eyes were still fixed on Bella's. I knew what was coming, so I winced at seeing her expression morph a second before she let out an exclamation of her own.
"Stop it!" she yelled, and Renee's mouth fell open comically, before snapping shut. Bella seemed to ignore her, and turned to me. "What is it with our parents that they think they can drop in anywhere and at any time?"
I was pretty sure she didn't even realize that she was still yelling. I walked up to her, and took her hands in mine, bringing her to the couch. Once she sat, I squeezed her hands.
"Relax," I whispered, and to my surprise, she did. She took in a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly and tried to calm down.
Once she had regained some of her composure, she turned to her mother, who was now sitting down, but was looking at us with wide eyes.
"Mom," Bella began slowly. "Firstly, I'm happy that you and Phil had a good Valentine's Day, but you don't need to share all the details with me. Secondly, when you drop in unannounced, you can't expect me to be here to see you. And finally, you don't know about Edward because you hardly call me, and when you do, it mostly involves you talking, while I sit there and listen. I tried to tell you about our relationship, but you were too busy. That is why you haven't heard about my fine specimen of a man."
Alice bit her lip, holding in her laughter, while I blushed, for the first time in years.
"Alice," Bella said slowly. Her voice was now even. "Thank you for entertaining my mother. I'll take it from here."
"Of course, Bella. Actually, I need to leave. I have to meet my group for one final rehearsal of the presentation in half an hour." She grabbed her bag and coat. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. There's lasagna in the oven. Renee, it was a pleasure. See you later." She waved us goodbye, still biting her lip, and left.
Renee shook herself out of her stupor. "Now, that was completely uncalled for, Bella. I was just excited to share the details with you!"
"Like you ever listen when I'm trying to do the same," Bella muttered low enough that her mother couldn't hear her.
Trying to get the conversation onto a more peaceful track, I spoke up. "Mrs. Dwyer, it's nice to meet you. I'm Edward Cullen, Bella's boyfriend."
She grinned. "Please, darling, call me Renee. Delighted to meet you, Edward. Although, it would have been even better if my daughter had introduced us before you guys got serious enough to go away together for a weekend."
Bella threw up her hands and stood. She gave me a tired look before marching off to the kitchen.
I gave Renee a calm smile. "I believe she tried, Renee. Remember the time you called to inform her that you would be visiting with Phil? We'd just started seeing each other then. Bella was about to tell you, but I guess you had somewhere else to be. It's better late than never, though, right?"
She pursed her lips, assessing me carefully. "Better late than never."
Having tackled her mother for the moment, I excused myself to check on Bella. I found her standing in front of the microwave, watching the lasagna heat up with her lower lip firmly ensconced within her teeth.
She sighed when I hugged her. "She's so…."
I squeezed her waist. "I see that. It's just dinner, though. We'll get through it."
"I hope so."
"I love you," I murmured, pressing my lips to her hair, and she returned the sentiment.
I set the table, and Bella brought out the food. Renee watched us silently all the while.
The silence lasted several minutes into the meal, so I figured I'd bite the bullet, and started to make small talk with Renee. She launched excitedly into the story of her husband's career, and the agency that was now interested in signing him. Bella choked and coughed when Renee informed us that if all went well, they were looking at a possible move to NYC. I squeezed Bella's hand, silently telling her that we would cross that bridge only if we got to it.
"Tell me about you, Edward."
"Well, I'm a neurosurgeon…" I started, only to be interrupted by Renee.
"You're a doctor?" she gasped, and I could have sworn her interest in me went up several notches right before my eyes.
"Yes, he is," Bella told her succinctly. "A very talented one."
I cleared my throat, moving on, and answered a few other questions about myself. I didn't mind having the spotlight on myself as long as it kept Renee from saying something else that would hurt Bella.
The rest of the meal passed much more smoothly. I managed to bring Bella into the conversation when Renee asked about how we met. Her curiosity seemed to improve her listening skills drastically. I was glad to see Bella finally smile when she recalled our happy memories.
Once we'd finished eating, Bella started to clear up the dishes. I was about to follow her into the kitchen, when Renee stopped me with a hand on my arm.
"You're serious about her, aren't you?"
I looked at her straight. "Yes. I'm in love with your daughter."
She smiled slightly. "Does she know that?"
I nodded.
"That's… that's good, I guess. At your age, of course, you'd be looking to settle down and-"
"With all due respect, Renee, this has nothing to do with my age. I know I would have fallen head over heels for Bella no matter what point I was at in my life. I'm very lucky that she feels the same way. As far as settling down goes, I need nothing more than Bella's love and her company. I know that she's just getting started, and all I want is to be there with her to love her, support her and cheer her on as she fulfils all her dreams."
"And that is exactly what she needs," she sighed. "Bella has always been my little middle-aged child, and I've never known how to… be with her. What you said today, about me not listening to her, I don't even realize I'm doing it." She smiled sadly. "My decision to move in with my mother after we left Forks distanced us, because she spent so much time with her Nana. Sometimes, I wonder if things would have been different had we moved into a place of our own."
I bit the inside of my cheek to silence the strong urge to defend Bella and her Nana. Renee was the one more interested in getting herself a new man instead of spending time with her daughter. I couldn't understand how she could blame anyone but herself for the cracks in their relationship. I wasn't sure it was my place to say this to her, though.
"But then… I see her now, so smart and I know she's meant to do bigger things in life. I know I couldn't have made her what she is today if I had been on my own, and I can't bring myself to regret anything."
I could hear the sound of the faucet running, but I wondered if Bella was listening in. I hoped she was. I didn't know why Renee was disclosing her feelings to me instead of speaking to her daughter, but if I had to guess, I would say that she was probably hoping that I would carry the message for her. Maybe she felt uncomfortable sharing her deepest thoughts after having ignored Bella for so long or maybe she could see the depth of my feelings for Bella, realized that I was here to stay, and wanted to make me understand her side of the story.
I had no idea what exactly went on in her mind, but Bella's happiness would always be my priority. I was quite sure that if Renee was genuinely willing to take a step toward repairing their relationship, Bella would welcome her efforts.
"For what it's worth," I said lightly. "I'm glad for Bella's interest in medicine, as that was what brought her to me in the first place."
She chuckled. "Well, it all turned out okay, then."
"You know-" I hesitated. "All you have to do is call her once in a while, and listen to her when she tells you about her life. That's all she wants. She misses you, but she's afraid to call because every time you tell her you're busy, she feels…"
Renee bit her lip, looking so much like her daughter in that moment that I had to stifle a smile. "I didn't even realize, or think… She's always been so self-sufficient that I never-"
"That she is," I agreed. "But what girl doesn't want to vent to her mother about college, friends, or hell, her boyfriend?"
"Maybe… maybe I could do that now," she said hopefully, and I smiled at her encouragingly.
Her phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it. I made a beeline toward the kitchen.
"That was… something," Bella remarked, turning to face me.
"I knew you were listening." I smirked.
She stretched her arm, and I quickly entwined our fingers. "Do you think she's serious about mending fences?"
"Looks like it," I whispered. "It's up to her to make the first move, but after that, the ball is in your court, baby. What you want to do is entirely up to you, and I will always have your back." I kissed her softly.
"Thank you," she breathed, leaning in to press her face into my chest.
I held her tightly until the clank of heels heralded Renee's arrival. We finished the clean up quickly, and headed out to the living room. We chatted for a little while, and I was happy to see Renee making an effort to know more about Bella's life. Obviously, it was too soon to tell whether she would stick to her promise, but I knew Bella would be very happy to have her in her life.
And that was all that mattered to me.
~ % ~
"How is Julia doing?" I asked Emmett, referring to the woman who was now carrying his and Rosalie's baby. "And Rose?"
He smiled widely. "We accompanied Julia to her check-up yesterday, and everything looks just fine. It's far too early right now, but we're hoping for the best. Rosie is… well, there are some moments where she looks at Julia wistfully, and I know where her mind goes. I just try my best to be there to remind her that at the end of this, we'll have our little one in our arms, and that's all it takes to bring the light back to her eyes. It's a fine line we're walking, trying to be optimistic after so many unsuccessful attempts, but thankfully, Julia doesn't mind our fussing too much."
"That's great, Em."
Jasper walked in before I could say anything further. It was the first time we were seeing him after his conversation with Alice, so Em and I straightened up and looked at him expectantly. He sighed, plopping down on a chair, and gave us the highlights of what went on between him and Alice yesterday.
"Friends, huh?"
"Yeah," Jasper sighed. "Alice said she can't trust me just yet, and maybe we went about things the wrong way earlier. It was all too fast. She wants to take it slow this time around, get to know each other properly without any pressure or expectations, and then decide if we're compatible enough to get into a committed relationship. I know I should be grateful she's willing to give me a second chance, and believe me, I am. Still, I can't help but think that this sucks, and I'm the sole person responsible for it. I had it all with her, and if I hadn't been so stupid… "
"It's in the past, Jas. You know better now," I said, clapping his shoulder. "And she's right. This way, you'll have a stronger foundation to build your relationship upon. Right, Em?"
"Absolutely!" Emmett agreed.
"If she even wants to give it a shot. This time, I'll be honest with her, and show her the real me, but there's no guarantee that she'll even like what she sees," Jasper fretted.
"Take it one day at a time," Emmett suggested. "Follow her lead, and don't overthink it. Just be her friend, be honest, and leave the decision-making to her. She's worth the effort, isn't she?"
"Of course!"
"Then charm the pants, uh… socks off her!" Emmett whooped, and Jasper smacked the back of his head.
I left them to their devices, and headed off to OR 2 for my scheduled surgeries. It was several hours later that I made my way back toward the lounge. I tilted my head sideways, cracking the stiff joints, when my phone rang.
I smiled when I saw the display. "Hey, baby."
"Hi, handsome. I was thinking, is there any way you can keep those scrubs on for a few more hours? They do flatter your… form, shall we say?"
My eyes widened at her bold words. They were so unlike her, but made me ecstatic nonetheless that she felt comfortable enough to say them to me.
Then I realized that she'd said 'those' scrubs.
I swerved around, and there she was.
"Hey, you!" She walked right into my arms with a big smile, and planted her mouth on mine.
"Mmmm," I sighed, sucking on her lower lip before pulling away reluctantly. "Now this is a very pleasant surprise."
She licked her lips, raking her leering eyes up and down my body. "Indeed."
I barked out a surprised laugh. "What has gotten into you today?"
"Well, someone informed Rosalie about the tense dinner we had last night, and about Alice being upset after talking to Jasper today, leading Rose to come over and take Ali and I out for a whole lot of pampering at the spa." She cocked an eyebrow. "We had a wonderful day, and I figured that someone deserves a little reward for being so thoughtful, so here I am."
I pulled her into the lounge - which, fortunately, was empty. "Well, you are the best kind of reward that he could have asked for," I whispered against her neck, pulling the supple skin into my mouth.
"I'm glad you think so," she gasped, knotting her fingers in my hair. She pulled my face back up, and our lips came together, sucking, gliding, nipping, and tasting again and again and again. We broke apart after a few minutes, pressing our foreheads together as we breathed heavily.
"You ready to go?" she asked me with a coy smile.
"Absolutely."
Before we could leave, my pager chimed.
"ER? I'm not on call," I muttered. "I'm sorry, baby."
"It's okay, Edward. I'll wait."
I asked her to come with me, hoping it would be something minor, and then we could leave. When I got there, the nurse indicated that a patient had requested to see me. Still confused, I made my way to the bed she indicated, and pulled the curtain back, only to be greeted by a squeal.
"Dr. Cullen!"
"Katie! What are you doing here?"
She held up her plastered arm and grimaced. "I fell."
Jenny smiled. "Hey, Edward. Sorry to bother you, but Katie was really insistent about seeing you."
"Princess Belle!" Katie almost shouted, waving eagerly at Bella.
"Looks like I've been replaced now," I chuckled as Bella made her way over to the bed. Katie started chatting up a storm, and Bella indulged her happily.
"She hasn't been having any neurological problems, has she?" I asked Jenny.
"No, she's been absolutely fine," she replied with a smile. "She just took a tumble down the stairs while chasing her friend. Sometimes, this girl just likes to scare the hell out of me."
I shook my head, relieved. "Well, now that you're here anyway, I'll give her an exam, just in case."
"Thank you."
I checked Katie's reflexes, and like Jenny said, she was just fine. It had been nothing but a missed step. All the while, she continued regaling Bella with stories of the other princesses, and why Belle was her favorite. I smiled as I saw Bella nod and giggle at all the right places, not the least bit bored with Katie's antics.
It was crazy how drastically my life had turned around in a matter of three months. In this very hospital, Bella crashed back into my life over a year after I'd lost all hope of ever seeing her again. The circumstances couldn't have been more terrible, but she pulled through, and now here we were.
Lost as I was in my thoughts, I was startled when she came to stand at my side. An orthopedic resident was talking to Jenny, giving her instructions about their follow-up visits.
"Shall we?" Bella asked, taking my hand.
I nodded, and we bid goodbye to Katie.
"You have a promise to keep, Miss Swan," I reminded her as we walked out of the building.
"I fully intend to follow through, Dr. Cullen." She winked, and kissed my cheek. She lifted her pace, tugging me quicker, and I followed with a grin.
In her friendship, I recovered my lost faith.
In her forgiveness, I found hope.
In her love, I discovered my happiness.
As she turned to look at me with an impish smile, in her sparkling eyes, I saw my future.
I couldn't wait to find out how beautiful it was going to be.
A/N: There you have it. Lots of things went on in this chapter. I thought about splitting it into two, but then decided to lay it on you all together. I hope you didn't mind and that you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!
Next up – the epilogue.
Gah, I can't believe this is almost over! It started off as a surprise to thank my readers who voted and made it possible for me to get my first fandom award, and now here we are!
On that note, I have been informed that I have moved on to the Second Round of the TWIFIC FANDOM AWARDS! That has never happened before, so yep… I'm pretty excited! Polls open this Sunday, November 15. Leave me a vote, wouldn't ya?
See you all next week!