Sorry for the delay on this chapter.

Many, many thanks to Ginginlee for being my fantastic beta, and to lizzylillyrose, Sammielynnsmom, and Morethanmyself for being my more than lovely prereaders!

Thanks also to SageA and Alexis who reviewed SW on Alexisthelemonhead(dot)blogspot(dot)com last week!

I love you all who are still reading, and especially those who are still reviewing & rec'ing. You guys have made this fic what it is, and I thank you for it!

Chapter 28

2010

I wasn't a child anymore. I was an adult, and I was expected to act like one. I was responsible to make decisions, even the hard ones, and as I sat in the enclosed, stuffy office, I was expected to make a life alternating choice on someone else's behalf. I didn't want to do it; I didn't want to sit here and weigh all the consequences, think about all the options. I wanted to push it off, hand it off to someone else, but unfortunately, I had to act like the adult that I was.

Damn-it.

"Okay, will you explain this option to me one more time?" I asked, once again confused as I dug my hands into my hair.

The lady who sat on the other end of the deep mahogany desk pointed to the sheet of paper that sat between us. "This is the best financial open with his insurance plan. It will pay for six weeks of rehabilitation in a separate facility, and then it will provide home care for three months."

"What am I supposed to do when those three months are up?" I asked, feeling as though we were just talking in circles.

The woman sighed heavily and sat back in her chair, the springs squeaking beneath her weight. "I can't make the decision for you, but if it was me, and this was my father, I would honestly consider placing him in a home where he could get constant care."

I didn't want it to come to that, but after Charlie suffered yet another heart-attack this morning, I knew that outcome was looking more and more like the right one; however, Charlie was too stubborn of a man to let that happen. But after today's surgery, I just didn't know what else to do. I wished Edward would have come to the meeting with me, but since he got to the hospital earlier that day, he felt worlds away.

"Why don't you spend some time thinking it over; we don't have to many any decisions right this moment," she spoke, trying to keep me calm.

I nodded my head and wiped the tear that sprung from my eye. "Okay, thank you."

Standing up from the desk, I gathered the papers with all the different options, tucking them into a folder that she provided and made my way back into the hallway of the hospital. It was going on four that afternoon, and Uncle Charlie would hopefully have been placed back into his room by now. It had only been two days, but I felt like they dragged out over a lifetime. I couldn't believe it had only been this morning that Riley was here, and my eyes closed on their own accord at the memory of him walking across the parking lot, walking out of my life, hopefully forever.

I had been a senior in college at Ohio State University when I ran into Riley on campus, not recognizing him when he first came up to me in the library. I was shocked to say the least, but I let him talk to me, let the last lingering syllables of his southern accent bring me back to a place that, by that point in my life, only rested in the deepest, darkest parts of my heart.

He was the one person who knew that Edward existed, that what Edward and I had was real. He had been there; he had witnessed it. To me, at twenty-one-years-old, it was the only thing that mattered. When I had finally had the nerve to ask about him, when we met up again a few days later at a coffee shop in the union, I was only left disappointed.

Riley had moved with his family to Columbus the summer of '88, one year after I had spent those few months in North Carolina. I wanted to ask why they hadn't kept in touch, but I didn't after Riley told me that Edward had changed after going off to college. He had said that Edward was just a different person, and part of me held onto that because, to me, that was the only explanation that lined up with what had happened between us.

I didn't date Riley right away; in fact, we were barely even friends in college. Even though we had been going to the same school, unknowingly, since our freshmen year, it was just too big of a campus to run into each other often. After those first few interactions, I didn't see him again until a couple weeks before graduation. I remembered that he seemed beyond nervous when he had asked me what my plans were after school ended, and I saw as his shoulders relaxed immensely when I told him I was staying in Columbus.

"Oh, really? Me, too," he had said. "Isn't it funny how things turn out?"

Yeah, hilarious, I recalled thinking at the time, choosing to not say it aloud in case he could pick up on my sarcasm.

Our friendship had developed from there, when his office was across the street from mine in downtown. He would ask me to meet him for lunch or coffee, and as the months went on and the seasons changed, he and I did, too.

I didn't marry him until I was twenty-seven. Ten years of my life I held onto the notion that somehow, someway, Edward would come back into my life. Was it fair to marry Riley when I knew that even though I loved him, I still loved him less? No, but I had spent thirteen years trying to build a marriage that in the end crumbled at our feet.

What was funny, I thought, was the fact that here I was…that the somehow, someway actually happened, and Edward was back in my life. Maybe if I would have fought harder, done more all those years ago, our paths would have been different, pain on everyone's end would have been spared, but life, unfortunately, doesn't have a re-do button. We just had to live with the consequences of our actions.

"Hi," I said softly as I walked back in Uncle Charlie's room. Edward was sitting in the chair beside the empty bed. Charlie still must have been in the recovery unit.

"Hi," he said back, his hand holding up his chin as his tired eyes hung heavily.

"You can go home, get some rest," I offered, feeling terrible for him.

He just shook his head. "How was the meeting?" he asked, rising to his feet and offering me the chair, which I declined.

"Miserable," I spoke honestly. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

He looked hesitant, like he wanted to take a step toward me, but he didn't. Instead, he dug his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground.

"Do you maybe want to go grab some coffee or something?" I tried to sound upbeat, my attempt to diffuse whatever tension that had sat between us since Riley showed up the day before.

"Bella, listen," he started, "we shouldn't do this here."

I took a second before I spoke to just look at him, trying to stay calm. "Do what here, Edward?" I couldn't help how clipped my tone was.

He sighed in defeat and motioned with his arms to the space between us. "This."

I took a step towards him, and he matched it with a small step back. He's walking away from me, I thought, panicking. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper.

When his eyes met mine, it looked like I could see inside his soul. "We both have things to take care of," he tried to deflect. "We can talk about us later. This isn't the time."

With a shaky voice, I dared to ask, "Is there still an us?"

This time, he took the step forward when I took the step back, and his silence answered me.

"What are you doing?" I asked again, anger rising. "What is wrong with you!"

His face turned to one of heated hatred, his eyes burning into my skin. "What is wrong with me?" he asked incredulously. "What am I doing?"

He shook his head, trying to clear whatever direction his thoughts were heading towards, and then he took a step around me and towards the door.

"Don't you dare walk out of here," I said loudly. "Don't walk away. Not again."

He turned with a resolute calm, his look of hatred turning into one of indifference. "You were right, Bella. We both made a lot of mistakes, and I guess we just have to deal with the consequences of them."

"This is about RILEY!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in the air. "You are leaving me because of him? Please tell me you're kidding. This is some big joke. April Fools, Bella! Surprise!"

His eyes travelled up and down my body, taking me all in. "This is about a lot more than Riley. We were in over our heads when we said we could do this and not suffer the repercussions. My God," he breathed out, "she was right!"

The mention of the word 'she' made my blood run cold. "Who was right, Edward?" I asked, my tone a lethal calm, knowing that he was referring to Rachel. And to think, I thought she was being sincere when she came to the hospital yesterday.

He took another step back and ran his hands through his hair. "We think we know each other so well because what? We spent one summer together?" He laughed sarcastically. "That was a lifetime ago!"

"Don't do this," I whispered.

"It's inevitable, Bella. We were kidding ourselves getting into something so quickly. When Riley walked in, when I saw him yesterday, do you know what I thought? Do you have any idea what ran through my head?"

Shaking, I wrapped my arms around me, moving my head back and forth.

"Here is a man," he continued, "who you met the same time as me. Here is a man who watched me love you, fall for you, break because of you, and what happened in the end? He got you, Bella. He got you. He knows you. He loved you for years. Hell, he married you. And what's worse, you married him."

"Wait," I interrupted, glaring at him. "Do you realize what a hypocrite you are being? What about Rachel! YOU MARRIED RACHEL! Of all the women in the world…"

"Yeah," he said, not missing a beat, his voice not rising to the level of anger mine had. "I married Rachel. I married someone else. And what? I walked out of a marriage with a woman that I knew, who knew me…"

"I know you!" I tried again.

"No," he said as he shook his head. "You don't."

"I love you." My voice broke, tears welling inside my eyes.

"There's too much here, Bella. Too many complications, situations that we need to deal with. I'm not saying that this is over...we just need space, both of us." He pointed to the bed for emphasis. "Your uncle needs you. My children need me. I need some time to figure things out."

"What about everything we went through this summer, Edward? God, don't you see that you're making the same mistake you said you made twenty-three years ago? Just a couple months ago you were crying on my bed, begging me not to leave you. What is this? What the hell has gotten into you?" By the end of my speech, tears were streaming down my face, my voice full of thickness of the impending sobs.

"It makes sense, Bella! We're trying to force ourselves to fit a mold, to fit a certain life. We're trying to construct our own happy ending. I was just a kid when I loved you! "

I took a step forward, only a couple feet separating us. "NO!" I argured. "Stop this! Why can't you see that all those years apart, that's when we were trying to fit a mold. Now, together, this is right, Edward. We are right! I don't know what Rachel said to you, or when you even saw her today, for that matter, but she's wrong. She's wrong. We are right. THIS IS RIGHT!

"You love me," I continued. "You've loved me almost your whole life. I see that. I know that."

His eyes refused to meet mine, staying on the floor of the hospital.

"Don't listen to her lies, Edward. Don't let Riley keep you from being with me. We'll work it out; we'll figure it out together!" I could barely keep myself standing, feeling as though the weight of the world was pressing down on my shoulders. "I need you…"

He closed the distance between us and took my face in the palm of his hand, lifting my eyes to his. "You don't need me. Right now you need to focus on Charlie, Seth." He paused, his eyes going back and forth between mine as he stood there. "We were fooling ourselves."

It sounded like he was trying to convince himself, and that was what broke my heart the most. I knew he didn't believe these things that he was saying. I knew that he was confused, hurt, going through a lot. Charlie was like a father to him. He was going through as much as I, except his divorced was just finalized. He jumped right into something with me, thinking I could solve his problems for him. And he was right in one aspect…I couldn't fix him.

I shut my eyes to just feel the skin of his hand on my face. As much as I wanted to wrap my arms around him, I couldn't.

It finally hit me that even though I loved Edward, we still needed to act like adults. If we didn't do things differently, we would have the same ending we did when we were kids. Whatever Edward was going through, he needed to process it, deal with it. If he wanted to leave me, I had to let him walk away.

The only thing that would be different, the one thing I could do to change this, what I didn't do when I was seventeen…

I would stay.

I wouldn't be giving up as easy as he was. I would fight for this.

Because after two decades of trying to fit our lives in a mold, of trying to forget about the boy who changed my life, I wasn't walking away. We deserved to be happy.

We deserved to be with each other.

So when Edward let go of my face, when he took a step back and looked at me with pure devastation, and when he walked out of the room, I didn't stop him.

I couldn't force him into any conclusions, and he needed to figure this one out on his own.

O.o

The days passing were slow, agonizing. It was like I just did enough to keep breathing.

Breathe in; breathe out. Repeat. Don't cry; deep breaths. Sit on hands to stop their shaking. Drink some water. Smile for Seth. Smile for Uncle Charlie. Don't cry. Breathe in; breathe out.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Just…keep…breathing…

"What is it, baby?" Uncle Charlie asked from his bed, watching me as I looked out the window.

I turned around and gave him a sad smile. "Nothing's wrong, old man. Just keep getting better."

"Who, me?" He lifted his weak, shaking arm and pointed to himself. "I'm as healthy as a horse."

I sat down in the chair beside him and took his other hand, avoiding where the IV was inserted. "I would've seriously hurt you if you died on me, ya hear? No more of that heart attack bullshit."

He knew that adding a bit of humor was the only way either one of this was going to deal with his declining health, and I was glad that he let me have that bit of solace. "Wouldn't even dream of it, baby. Besides, what would you do without my aged wisdom and guidance?"

"Who the hell knows?" I replied, dropping my head to the bed and chuckling half-heartedly.

"So where is he?"

"Seth's working at your place," I answered, avoiding his real question.

"Bella…"

"I don't want to talk about it, Uncle Charlie."

I felt as his other hand patted the top of my head, smoothing my hair back. "He came by earlier today when you were sleeping."

I shot my head up. "What?"

It had been four days since we had talked, four days of silence, of letting him have his space.

"I don't even think he saw me when he first came in here. His eyes just shot to you in the corner and stayed there for a few seconds. He looked just as broken as you do, honey."

"I don't look broken," I attempted to argue, even though he was spot on. I looked awful.

"I think he's just confused, darlin'. The man's life turned upside down when you came back into it. He just needs a bit of time to tilt it back, figure out where you fit into the picture, where he is in the picture."

Even though I was resolved on where I stood where Edward was concerned a few days ago, my thoughts were quickly shifting. "That's bullshit, Charlie. We had all summer together. He knows that I love him. He knows me. I don't know why he pulled away or what got into him. Surely it had to have been more than Riley."

Charlie scoffed at his name. "Please don't murmur that god-awful sound again."

I gave him a pointed look. "Come on…"

"Bella, Edward's human just like the rest of us. He isn't some perfect creature that has all of earth's answers. Let him be human. Let him figure this out. You gotta let him choose you, baby." He took my hand in both of his. "He will. I promise he will choose you."

"What if he doesn't?" I asked, my voice soft as my eyes once again glassed over with the threat of tears.

He looked at me as if he was seeing straight through me, as if my heart and my soul were clear to see. "He has to. It might have taken twenty plus years to get back here, but when fate has a plan, there isn't any getting around it."

"I wish I had your resolution. You didn't see him the other day. You didn't watch him walk out."

"You didn't see him when he looked at you sleeping. You didn't watch as he crumbled right before me," he countered back. "You didn't see him look at you as if you were the only thing that ever held meaning in his life."

I rolled my eyes at his last comment. "Now you're just sounding cliché."

He shrugged as he sat back on his bed. "Think what you want, Bella. But I've seen that man fall in love with you once, and it looked just about the same when you came back. Only this time there was a lifetime's worth of pain, suffering, lessons, and truth that went into the picture. A love is a lot stronger and holds a lot more worth when you know what it's like to lose it."

My head was beginning to pound, trying to hear out everything he was saying. I swore he was too wise for his own good. "I honestly don't know how you didn't find someone to love," I said without thinking, wishing I could take it back as soon as I said it.

But he didn't seem offended. Instead, he lifted my chin so I would look at him. "Oh, but I did, baby. I really did."

And that was all it took for the tears to pool over. That was the answer to my earlier decision about where he would live when he got out of the hospital. It was all too clear now. He was family. I could never leave him…this was my dad we were talking about.

"I love you so much, Uncle Charlie," I choked out as I leaned over the bed and hugged him tightly.

I felt as he held me with all his might, his weak arms finding strength in that moment. "I love you. I love you, always," he chanted softly, repeating his words over and over.

O.o

Seth's car pulled up to the front doors of the hospital, and he got out and opened the door for me so I could climb in.

"How are you holdin' up?" he asked when he got back into his side, putting the car in drive and pulling out.

I offered him a smile before I turned to look out the window. "He's doing better."

I saw from the corner of my eye as he shook his head. "I wasn't asking about Mr. Swan, Bella."

I couldn't help but give him a real smile as I turned back to look at him, my head resting tiredly on the back of the seat. "I do love you, kid."

"Yeah," he said as he looked out at the street before us. "I kind of love you, too. You know, if you're into that sort of thing."

I laughed and punched his leg. "You better love me. I'm the best thing since sliced bread."

"I guess you're okay." He turned his head for a second and gave me a toothy smile. "But really…"

"Oh God," I groaned out. "Who told you?" I was really hoping to keep Edward's and my drama from affecting our family.

"Give me a little credit here, old maid. I do live with the guy."

"Yeah?" I asked softly. "Is he okay?"

He laughed out. "Bella, that man is anything but okay. And man, that witch of a woman was over yesterday. I don't know how he was married to her for as long as he was."

"Seth, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh, sure…" he responded, sounding thrown off by my change in topics.

"Are you okay?" I made sure that my eyes met his when he glanced at me. I wanted him to know that I was being completely serious. If anyone's life had just turned upside down, it was his.

He took a minute to answer, fidgeting in his seat and looking out the window. "Um," he started. "Yeah, Bella. You know, I really am."

He spared me a smile, but it quickly fell as he looked back out at the road.

"It's okay to miss them," I said softly.

He didn't respond.

"Do you want to go see them?" I asked as I played with my hands in my lap. I wasn't sure what I wanted his answer to be. Was I trying to replace them? Was I trying to be what his mother wasn't? It wasn't right of me to do that, I knew, but deep down, I wanted him as my own. I wanted what wasn't mine.

He looked uncomfortable, and I felt bad bringing it up, but it needed to be discussed.

"I miss the idea of them. I miss what my dad used to be," he answered, refusing to look my way. "I wish it was different."

I took in a deep breath. "Yeah," I voiced. "Me, too."

"Do you think they'll ever change?" His tone sounded hopeful, and I wanted to have that hope for him, but I just couldn't.

"Jacob and Vanessa are in a bad place right now," I started out hesitantly, "but they will always love you. They just don't know how to show it, how to take care of you."

"Damn-it, Bella. They're adults! They're supposed to have their shit together!" he shouted, punching the steering wheel.

"Trust me, when I was your age, I thought adults had it all together, too. People just don't grow up sometimes."

He pulled at his hair in frustration, as I saw his body literally vibrate with anger.

"Was he like that back then? Did you know him when you were my age?"

"Your dad?" I asked, even though I knew that was who he was referring to. "I only met him a few times. Seth, if you have questions about him, Edward is the one to ask. They grew up together."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I tried asking him."

"Did it not go over well?" I asked, not thinking Edward would refuse Seth the questions that he had.

"Edward hates my dad." He looked over at me as if it were obvious.

"I know."

"Do you know why?"

"Honestly, honey, I don't really remember. It was a long time ago."

He just nodded and accepted my answer for face value. "I'm just glad you and Edward aren't like that."

"Oh, kid, if you think Edward and I have our shit figured out, you are surely mistaken." I offered him a humorless chuckle, shaking my head back and forth.

He glanced at me, giving me a look of assurance. "That's not what I meant."

I waited for him to continue.

"I don't know," he said, as if he suddenly felt awkward. "I just trust you guys."

I couldn't call Seth my own; I wasn't his mother…but I knew then, in that moment as his shoulders relaxed and his tone was even…that was enough. I was enough for him. Even in some of my most broken moments, I was there. He trusted me.

And that was something I would never let change.

O.o

It was going on six that night when Seth and I pulled up to Charlie's house. I had only been home once since he had his heart attack, and it felt weird walking through the front door. It felt like something was missing, as if it wasn't a home if Charlie wasn't in it.

"Hey, Bella," Seth called from the kitchen right as I was about to take the first step up the stairs to go shower.

"Yeah, kid?" I called, waiting at the bottom of the staircase for him to answer me.

"Um, wanna come here for a second?"

I sighed heavily and moved my tired body into the next room.

"What is it?" I asked from the doorway, leaning against the wall frame.

He held up a white sheet of paper, reading it again before holding it out to me. "I think this is for you."

With my interest suddenly piqued, I pushed off the wall and took the few steps towards him, grabbing the note from his hands.

Whenever you read this, I'll be there waiting for you.

-Edward

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I thought out loud and looked up at Seth.

He just shrugged his shoulders, offering no guidance whatsoever.

"Psh," I scoffed. "What good are ya, kid?"

"Hey!" He laughed. "This is your baby-mama-drama, not mine."

After I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous comment, I read the note again.

"Where is 'there'?" I asked more to myself, but of course Seth had to answer.

"I don't know. Do y'all have a secret hangout spot or something?"

My heart stopped.

"What did you say?" I looked up, trying to hear his words differently… Edward and I haven't gone there together since our last night in 1987.

"A secret spot? You know…where the magic happens…" He wiggled his eyebrows, and if he wasn't across the counter, I would have punched him.

"You're too young to know about any magic shenanigans…" I hinted, to which he just laughed.

"Yeah, okay, Bella. Well, when you get back from 1950, maybe you can figure out what he is referring to."

I sighed heavily, already knowing the answer.

"You think he'll still be there after I shower?" I said, half kidding, looking up at him hopefully.

"Do you want to chance it?" He returned my look with a raised brow.

"Damn-it," I voiced, grabbing the keys to my Prius and heading towards the door. "You're on your own for dinner!" I called out from the doorway.

"I'll live!" he yelled back, and that was all I heard before I took off down the porch steps and through the front yard.

I remembered my drive from when I had visited there earlier this summer. Honestly, the route was probably engraved into my mind, burned there from our visits there all those years ago.

This time, though, I didn't know what would be waiting for me. I wasn't sure what he would say, if he really was there at all. When did he even leave the note? How long would he wait there for me before he left?

And it really came down to the question…was I worth waiting for?

After this many years, I really, really hoped so.

I tried to control my breathing as I stopped at the red lights, made the right turns, drove not-at-all patiently through the streets. I couldn't tell you which song was playing on the radio; I didn't even remember making half the turns I did.

All I could focus on was my breathing; all I could think about was him.

If he wanted me. If what we went through was worth it. If I would ever be enough for him.

I made the last turn that I needed, going down the gravel road, watching as the sun hung low in the sky, the summer nearing its end as the days got shorter and shorter. My chest was tight as I put the car in park.

But when I looked out at the field – our field – and I saw him against our tree, waiting for me...there for me...

I just knew.

Our lives weren't storybook perfect. We would never have a conclusive, constant happy-ever-after.

But he was here. Really, he had been here for two decades, waiting for me to return. And when I climbed out of my car and walked over to where he stood, to where we stood all those years ago, I was certain...

There was where I was supposed to be all along.

…

END NOTES

Don't fret your little hearts out; their story isn't over yet.

Oh, and if you have time, I was nominated for two Tomato Soup Awards (best beta and SW's best Charlie). I would really appreciate your vote!

Lots of questions answered in this chapter…what did you think? Please review! :)