Bella

I was so relieved when Christmas break started. I finally had time to spend some time relaxing and really getting to know Katie. I was making dinner to celebrate our first night of break when my phone rang. Katie was humming softly, sitting at the kitchen island coloring.

The last few weeks, she'd spent a lot of time with Esme while we just waited for the new semester to enroll her in classes at the local elementary school. She and Esme got along really well, to everyone's relief, and Esme had started teaching her how to play the piano. Of course she had unbelievable amounts of natural talent. I was a little jealous to be honest.

"Hello?" I answered, tucking the phone between my chin and shoulder.

"Hey babe, it's me. I have something I need to talk to you about."

I frowned. "It can't wait until you get home in" I looked at the clock "half an hour?"

"Not really. Something's come up here and there's a bit of an emergency. They need me to take the night shift for the next couple of weeks. Four days on, two days off."

"What exactly is the night shift?"

He sighed. "Six pm to six am."

My immediate instinct was to say no. We'd be sleeping when the other was awake. I stepped out of the kitchen and sat in the dark dining room. "Is there any kind of pay increase?"

"Oh yeah. It's not much, but it's something. It'd be nice to have even if just for Christmas, you know?"

I chewed on my lower lip. "I'm not sure," I admitted. "I was really hoping we could have a few days to just hang out with Katie, all of us. But, if it'll be good for you, though, I guess go for it."

"We'll make that time, Bella. I promise. Are you sure about me taking it though? I don't have to."

I rolled my eyes. "I just said I wasn't. But, the extra money will be nice and it's not permanent, right? Plus, you made it sound like you didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. "

"I have some choice but no, it's not permanent."

"Ok. So, go for it. When do they want you to start?"

"Tomorrow."

I rubbed my temples. No break for us to bond as a family. "Well, ok. We'll see you when you get home."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

I flipped my phone closed and scowled at the table in front of me. I didn't want him working the night shift. We'd had Katie for just a few weeks now and even though everything was fine now, I was a little nervous about the holidays. My parents were coming up for Christmas and were excited to meet Katie, as were the Rileys and Cullens. Plus, I'd been looking forward to time with just Katie and Edward. We didn't seem to have a lot of downtime, just the three of us. I'd really been looking forward to this and I was angry he was taking it away.

By the time he got home, I'd calmed down enough to realize that he was doing it for us, not to us. He wanted to be the best doctor he could be and that meant working ridiculous hours sometimes. He told me once he didn't mind the long hours that much because that was that many people he could help. He just regretted the time away from me. And now Katie.

Edward came in an hour later, bringing the cold and some early snow with him. He pulled me into a hug and kissed me. "Smells great."

I smiled up at him. "Everything's almost ready. You can get the bread out of the oven."

"Aye aye, captain." He kissed me again and grabbed some hot pad holders. He ruffled Katie's hair as he passed. "Whatcha doin' Munchkin?"

She grinned up at him. "Coloring. Grandma gave me a coloring book and brand new crayons. I've never had new ones before. Aren't they pretty?"

"They are."

She jumped down and grabbed the bread basket, holding it while he put the garlic slices in it. She led the way to the table while I grabbed the lasagna and Edward grabbed the salad.

I served all of us and Katie dug in, eating a little slower but still hunched over her food. I took a sip of my wine and turned to Edward.

"So how long will you be working over night?"

"About four weeks I think."

I nodded and took a bite of lasagna. "Do you at least get to be off for Christmas?"

"I'm not sure. I'm trying, but since I'm a resident and am there to learn, it's unlikely."

"You're an employee first," I protested. "The resident part is just extra."

"It's all wrapped up together," he shrugged. "It'll work out in the long run, I promise."

I rolled my eyes and took another bite.

"I don't have to do it, Bella."

"Yes you do."

He sighed and sat back. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be happy and to continue to do well. If this will help, then do it."

He eyed me but didn't say anything else. We finished dinner without talking much to each other, mostly talking to Katie about her days with Esme and what she wanted for Christmas. I still hadn't gotten her anything.

While I was cleaning up from dinner, Edward went down to the basement with Katie. A few minutes later I heard a movie switch on. I went downstairs and studied them for a minute. She was curled up against his side, fingering his shirt as he watched the previews, a beer in one hand, the other draped around her protectively.

"Edward, I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

He looked at me with surprise. "Ok. I'm going to stay up as late as I can."

I looked down at Katie. "Make sure she gets to bed no later than 9, ok?"

He nodded but he wasn't paying any attention to me anymore.

I sighed and headed upstairs to our bedroom. I stripped down to my camisole and panties and crawled into bed. It was the first time in a long time I'd gone to bed before him when he was home.

Edward

It took some getting used to, but I really started to enjoy the night shift. It was quieter, sure, but there were also some interesting cases.

Bella was quietly angry with me for about a week. I knew she felt like I'd deserted her since our schedules were now pretty opposite, but she finally came around, admitting she knew why I was doing it and that it was a good option for right now. The weird hours did pretty much kill our sex life. I was exhausted when I got home and would fall into bed and sleep for hours while Bella and Katie would do stuff around the house, crafts and reading and things like that. I'd roll out of bed, shower, grab a bite to eat and head back to the hospital. On days I was off, we'd spend some time as a family but a few times I got called in to work someone else's shift. I missed the personal time with Bella but hopefully, this was just a season of our lives, not a new reality.

The subject of Christmas came up at a staff meeting and just like I'd feared, I was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Luckily, I was off on Christmas day between 6 am and 6 pm, so I'd get to open presents and have Christmas dinner with the family. It was just going to make for a long couple of days.

"You're working Christmas?" Bella looked up at me disappointed.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah. I'll be around during the day though."

She snorted. "Yeah, asleep. You're going to sleep through Katie's first Christmas with us aren't you?"

"No," I said defensively. "I'll stay awake."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, for about thirty minutes."

"Give me some credit, ok? I'll drink a couple gallons of coffee and be fine."

She turned away from me and pulled her hair back. "I'll believe it when I see it," she retorted. She leaned down and kissed me lightly. "I'll see you later. I'm off to do some shopping then picking Mom and Dad up at the airport. Try to be presentable when we get back around 3, ok?"

I nodded and watched her walk out of the bedroom. I sighed and rolled over, pulling her pillow to my chest. I was asleep before the back door shut.

Bella

I shivered as the cold air blew over me. Katie crowded close to me as we waited to cross into the terminal. She'd talked to my parents on the phone a few times but was still anxious about meeting them in person.

"Are you sure they'll like me?"

I laughed and squeezed her hand as we hurried across the street. "Of course they will. They love kids."

She nodded but still looked uncertain. I grinned as we entered the warmth of the terminal. I looked up at the computer monitors and pulled her towards the baggage claim. It wouldn't be too long before they were coming out and if I knew Mom, she'd have a shit-ton of stuff. I staked a position at the entrance to best meet them.

Katie's nervousness abated as we watched the other people from the flight. I gave her a dollar and she ran to grab a luggage cart. I watched her carefully until she was back, her cheeks pink with excitement.

I grinned when I saw Dad's face searching the crowds from a group coming through the revolving door.

"Dad!" I shouted, moving through the crowds to get to him. He beamed and caught me in a hug.

"How's my baby girl?" he grinned, kissing me.

"I'm good. How was your flight?" I released him and gave Mom a big hug. I hadn't seen them in nearly six months and I missed them more than I realized. It was always like that.

Mom chuckled. "Not too bad. The weather in Austin isn't nearly this cold though. We'll have to pull our coats out of our suitcases before we go anywhere."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty frosty out there. We're supposed to get more snow soon."

Dad stopped and smiled down at Katie. "You must be Katie. I'm Charlie."

"Hi," she said, suddenly shy. I stood next to her and pointed to my mom.

"That's Renee."

Mom knelt down on Katie's level. "Hi. I'm so happy to meet you, Katie."

Katie smiled and stepped forward, giving Mom a hug. She then turned and hugged Dad. "Can I call you Grandma and Grandpa, too?"

"If you would like, that would be wonderful."

Dad grabbed the handle on the cart and led the four of us to the baggage claim. We chatted easily while we waited on the luggage.

"So is Edward going to be there when we get home?"

I nodded and played with Katie's hair. "Yeah, but he's working tonight so it'll be just the four of us for dinner."

"Well, let's still go out. I don't want you to have to cook anything."

I laughed. "I already started dinner, Mom. It's really fine."

"What is it? Maybe we want to go out anyway."

I nudged Dad in the side. "I made Chicken Paprika and we'll roast some broccoli for a side."

"I vote we stay in then. That's my favorite."

Mom grinned and looked down at Katie. "What's your favorite, Katie?"

"Anything Bella makes is my favorite. She's a good cook."

Mom laughed. "That's good."

"Katie's a really good eater," I said proudly, like I had anything to do with it.

Edward

I was halfway down the stairs when I heard the backdoor open and Charlie's booming voice. I hurried down the last few steps and into the kitchen.

"Renee, Charlie," I greeted them with a smile. They could sometimes be a little much to take, but for a few days every few months, I did it for Bella. She saw my parents every week for me.

Renee engulfed me in a hug and Charlie grinned at me. "Edward. How's work?"

"Oh, you know, blood and guts and all that." I shook his hand and he clapped me on the shoulder. He wasn't really an affectionate man except for when it came to Bella and Renee, so a shoulder clap was as good as a bear hug.

Bella eyed my attire. "Are you heading in early?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, I got called a little while ago. There was some huge accident and they need all hands on deck."

Her shoulders slumped slightly but she nodded. "Well, go save lives," she said with fake brightness. She put her arms around my neck and gave me a light kiss. I felt a little loss at the lack of the usual passion in the kiss but she never felt comfortable doing that in front of people, let alone parents. I held her tightly against me, kissing her ear.

"I'll make it up to you, I swear," I whispered.

She laughed softly and nodded, kissing my jaw. "I love you, you knucklehead."

I grinned and gave Katie a quick squeeze. "See you all tomorrow."

Working reception in the ER was like a roller coaster. Sometimes it was duller than fuck and other times I hardly had time to catch my breath. When I got there, it was tense and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. I hurried to the locker room to leave my coat and grab my stethoscope. It was a nice one that my parents had bought for me when I graduated med school and I loved it.

"Hey sexy."

I looked up and smiled at Bridget. She was another resident working in the ER and was so fucking hot it made me ache a little. I loved Bella and would never do anything to jeopardize that relationship, but damn. "Hey Bridge. How was your day?"

"Lonely without you, lover boy." She grinned at me. "Did your in-laws make it in?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but just. I only got to say hi before rushing up here."

She grinned coyly. "You should introduce me sometime. I'm basically you're other wife. We just don't fuck, not that I'm not willing. You look like you could use a little release."

My face warmed a little. "I'm perfectly content with Bella and she seems quite satisfied." I pulled on my scrub coat and name tag while Bridget leaned against the counter and stirred her coffee.

She studied me. "I still think you've got enough to go around, Cullen. I'm always available, just so you know."

I shook my head. "Not interested, Bridget, but…I guess thanks for the offer?"

She shrugged. "Just food for thought."

I grimaced and headed out into the ER to check if there was anything I could do while we waited.

"So, are you two fucking or what?"

I rolled my eyes as I slid into my chair behind the desk. "No."

The receptionist, Brent, raised his eyebrows at me. "Yeah, sure. I don't believe that anyone who had a chance at that would turn it down."

"Well, I've been told I'm quite unbelievable." I looked up at Bridget as she sauntered past.

He snorted. "She practically salivates every time you walk by. She wants you. You should totally pay her a visit in the on-call room sometime."

"I'm married."

"So?"

"So, I love Bella and I don't cheat."

He shook his head. "Idiot."

"You just don't understand because you've never loved anyone like I love Bella. There's nothing that'll come between us, certainly not my dick."

He started to say something else but the doors banged open and the first of the accident victims arrived. We didn't stop for what felt like hours as we tended to them. Sometimes, working the ER made me irrationally scared. It was all I could do not to go home and hug Bella over my dinner break. I didn't even really care about sex, I just wanted to hold her to reassure myself she was ok, that we were ok.

"See you tomorrow, Cullen," Bridget grinned at me as she punched out around 4 am.

I nodded and stretched out on the couch, hoping for a quick nap.