Where the Heart Lies

Chapter 6

Edward

There wasn't many times in my life that I wished to change something, but right now was one of those moments. I wish I could go back to meeting Bella earlier with our children. I should have fought harder to keep her safe. If it wasn't for me seeing her, she wouldn't have left the motel and gone back to her dad's house. I blame myself for the fragile woman lying before me. It's been the hardest week for me with the constant people coming up to me asking if I needed anything or if I wanted any help. All I wanted was for Bella to wake up.

"Edward, any changes," Charlie asks as he walks into the room with his two little mini' me's.

"No, nothing new," I mutter as I turn to see my new favorite women in my life.

"Daddy, Grandpa Charlie says he's going to take us fishing," Emmalin says with a huge grin. I can tell her sister isn't as happy about that though. Carlie had been more reserved than Emmalin. She was the softer spoken twin where I have noticed Emmalin speaks her mind.

"Should I be worried?" I question as Carlie climbs up into my lap.

"I don't want to go, daddy please don't make me go," he cries as I pull her closer to me. Carlie has also been the more emotional daughter. She has some meltdowns that kills me each time she has one. I feel bad knowing that Bella probably had a certain routine with them, but for now they are with the whole family.

"Shh! Carlie you don't have to go if you don't want to," I say in a soft reassuring voice. I see Charlie out of the corner of my eye giving me a good parenting look. It took another ten minutes before Carlie settles down, but by then she is fast asleep. Emmalin has climbed up beside her sister on the second bed in the room to watch t.v. as I turned away from them to focus once again on Bella.

I hadn't gone back to work just yet at the Hospital either. I had a lot of time saved up for vacation so I decided to use it up. I had gone 5 years without knowing where Bella was, and I had promised myself that if I got the chance to have her again I wouldn't be the one to walk away. I would wait for her. I would wait an eternity if I had to.

"Edward," Charlie says as he shakes my shoulder slightly.

"Charlie, sorry I must have fallen asleep," I say as I can see the darkness through the window.

"The girls went home with your dad, I'm going to head out," he says as he moves toward the door. "You did a great job with Carlie earlier today," he says as he exits the room.

"Well, we're alone yet again. Bella I wish you'd wake up. You have been sleeping for two weeks. It has been the longest two weeks of my life. I love our daughters so much. I don't know why it was such a big deal to me. I wish you had waited around to see my reaction, it would have saved us some of this heartbreak." I whisper softly to her as I move some loose strands of her hair away from her eyes.

*****XOXOXO******

Bella

I wasn't totally aware of how long I had been dreaming, but the flow of voices kept the damn nightmares away. I heard everyone talking about me or to me. Edward was spending the majority of his time with me. I could hear spinets of my lovely girls talking, but nothing to major. I did hear Carlie break down, it hurt to not be able to hold her close and let her cry on my shoulder. She gets worked up over the tiniest little thing. I swear she wears her emotions on her sleeves.

Emmalin could hold her own against the big bad bully if she needed to, but her sister wouldn't be able to. They were the polar opposite of each other which made loving them mean so much more than what it should. I loved hearing the little conversations they had with Edward, he was sure becoming the father I always knew he could be if given the chance.

I had just heard his little declaration to me, and it made my heart skip a beat. It gave me hope to think he still wanted me, that he was willing to wait for me. I mean he really didn't as he was dating Jessica when I came back, but his family told me how he was after I disappeared. Yes. I think there was a part of him that still loved me, but I wasn't sure if it was enough.

It seemed like the days just faded from one to the next. I don't know how long I had been out, but it was painful to me to hear all of my friends and family speak to me. I had hurt each of them differently, but it was Edward that broke me the most. He was just so damn forgiving telling me things might never be the same, but we could make new memories together. He would tell be how the girls were changing right before his eyes. It was different to hear him talking about the twins than when everyone else did, because to him it was very personal. He knew just what to say to get me.

He surprised me one night with what he had to say, "Bella, I have to say that even though you left me high and dry. I feel so blessed to have the second chance to make things right. The night you almost died was a wakeup call for me. I knew once I saw you were hurt, I never had gotten over you. It made me fall in love with you all over again when I learned you left me in control of your health. I prayed each moment that I would never be put on the spot of pulling the plug or not, but I knew you had faith in me. I have faith in us, so please wake up, you're missing so much," he stops as I feel his hand squeeze mine. I give it a light squeeze back.

"I'm here," I whisper ever so softly as I squeeze his hand once again.

"Thank God!" he exclaims as he kisses my lips. I want to wrap my arms around him, but they don't want to move.

"I missed you," I whisper as I open my eyes slowly taking in his rugged look. He had a full grown beard, but I could clearly see the emerald green eyes looking right into mine.

"I missed you as well, Bella you gave us quite a scare," he says with a small smile. Yes, things weren't perfect but we would make a new beginning.

****XOXOXOX*****

Jessica

I thought I had gotten rid of that bitch for once and for all, but no she's like a bad case of lice. She just won't die. I have put too much effort in everything over the years for her to go and ruin it now. Why the hell did she have to come home for anyway, it's not like she ever did to begin with.

I thought I got rid of her back when Alice threw that party. I remember slipping the drugs into both of their drinks, but when they disappeared together I thought I had ruined my plan. Yet, I was so glad when Alice came to me and said Bella had left town without saying goodbye to her. It took some time, but I was able to get in with the family. However Rosalie never did trust me, she made it her mission to keep an eye on me all the time.

I waited for Edward to get over that slimly bitch only to go right into focusing on his degree. I was upset, but decided if he was going to become a doctor I would become a nurse. I would have chance encounters with him over the years, and then finally after a long shift he asked if I wanted to have coffee with him. I was so excited that nothing else mattered around me.

It wasn't until Rosalie noticed me picking up more hours at the hospital did she think I was up to something. She turned Alice against me and them I was no longer welcomed over to the Cullen house without Edward. It made me more determined to get him to propose and merry me, but no the bitch came home and brought her stupid kids with her. I can't believe he even feel for the crap about them being his. Ugh!

I knew I was losing him the moment he saw her in the grocery store. I knew it before he even spoke the words to me. The look on his face said it all when he saw that it was his precious Bella that had bumped into the cart. I think though what sealed the deal was how much her crappy brats looked like him. He was stunned to say the least when she walked right by him without an afterthought.

Now, standing outside her room seeing how devoted he is to her makes me mad. Why hadn't she died in the fire? Everything had been done exactly right, there shouldn't have been any survivors, but she had saved the brats and even herself. I needed to find a new way to get rid of her because there was no way she was getting her claws into my man once again. I turn to head to the elevators when I see him, my answer to my problems. Yes, he was once a problem for Edward and Bella.

Jacob Black would be the answer to my problem, but the question now is how to get him on board with what I planned to do.