Chapter 6: Taking Flight.
Bella's days blurred, between homework and physical therapy appointments, she was surprised when Charlie broke the companionable silence one evening with his question. "So Bells you think your ready for school?"
Bella's head popped up, her neck protested the quick movement. The sensitive scar tissue that laced up from her collarbone to the bottom of her jaw burned in protest from the sudden movement.
"What?" she asked stunned, Charlie shifted in his recliner his hands fiddling with the newspaper that he was reading. Bella listened to the crinkle of paper as he nervously folded it upon itself.
"Well the holiday is coming up and isn't your first day on Tuesday?" Immediately Bella started counting the days in her head. "Yep, it will be my first official day in the halls of Forks High School" she answered.
"Are you sure you're ready Bells?" he settled the paper on the end table, "We could always wait until the beginning of the next school year." He stated quietly.
From the moment his daughter was born, Charlie's over protective nature extended over his infant daughter. When his wife had left him, he had a hard time in allowing her to leave. Charlie knew Renee wasn't happy in their marriage. The only thing they ever truly agreed upon was Isabella.
Charlie's heart quite literally shattered when Renee moved to Phoenix. He worried about Bella, knowing she had inherited his propensity for clumsiness. He withdrew from her world, allowing her to have a childhood without his somewhat overbearing and overprotective nature.
Charlie wary of feeling too much, had never completely healed from having his heartbroken. He was gruff in nature, quiet by demeanor but loved fiercely. So when Bella called and asked to come back to Forks, he knew he could not say no.
Too wary of the hurt that could be inflicted upon his daughter in the institution called high school; he was reluctant to allow her to leave the relative safety of his home. Charlie desperately wanted her to say no, to allow more time for her to heal from both her emotional scars and her physical disabilities. The mere thought of other student's jostling her in the hallways sent his tender heart in to palpitations.
When Charlie asked Bella if she was ready for school, he knew that the right answer to the rest of the world was, 'yes' but secretly he hoped that she would decline and continue to be homeschooled for the rest of her academic career.
Pausing for a beat, he watched her tilt her head at the question posed, the sound of quiet desperation hidden carefully within his words. She thought about it for the length of a heartbeat then said, "Yeah, I guess I am." She whispered softly.
Once again Charlie's heart tore a little. All he could do was gruffly acknowledge that she was going to face the world without her daddy protecting her. "I'll give you a lift in the morning." He answered. "Best head off to bed now."
With that he picked up his paper again and pretended to read the news.
~*~