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Difficult Dinners

The day after Angela's funeral Billy called and asked if he and Jacob could stop by. A part of me didn't want them to because I was still a mess and wasn't really up to it, but a bigger part of me understood that they were our friends and they were worried about me. With that in mind I agreed, and my dad told them they we welcome to join us for dinner.

It was still early in the afternoon so I had some to time to rest and calm myself before they came over. I rested my head on my pillow and closed my eyes.

It was warm, the sun was beating on my face and I was sitting on a swing, gently rocking back and forth.

"Hi Bella," came a voice from beside me. I turned and saw Angela sitting on a swing next to mine. I wanted to weep with joy at the sight of her, so alive and happy.

"I miss you so much," I managed to choke out.

"I know," she replied, "I miss you too."

We were quiet for a minute, and out of nowhere she clutched her stomach and groaned in pain. I looked down and saw with horror that blood was rapidly spreading out from under her hands, staining her shirt in vicious red tentacles. I jumped off my swing and reached out to help her, but she was gone.

Vanished.

As if she was never there.

Then suddenly a shrill noise filled the air.

My eyes popped open and my hand groped wildly for the ringing phone that was sitting on the nightstand next to my bed.

"Hello?" I managed to wheeze out when I finally located and pressed the talk button.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward's voice asked from the other end of the phone.

"Edward," I sighed in relief.

"Bella, what happened?" he asked.

"I was having a dream when the phone woke me up," I explained.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, knowing full well what my dreams consisted of lately.

"It was another dream where Angela was hurt and I couldn't help her," I said as tears filled my eyes. My eyes were starting to get raw and sore from all the crying I had been doing over the past week, but I was still powerless to control when or how often it happened.

"I'm so sorry Bella," he said.

"It's okay," I lied. We both knew it wasn't.

"I was actually calling to see how you were holding up after yesterday," Edward said.

"Not good," I said quietly, "It was really hard."

"I'm so sorry Bella," Edward said again, "I wish I could have been there. I mean, I didn't know Angela that well, but I would have liked to have been there for you."

"Thank you Edward," I said, "I saw Alice there."

"Yeah, she wanted to pay her respects," Edward said, "She thought Angela was a really good person."

"She really was," I agreed as I used my blanket to wipe my eyes.

"I do have some good news," Edward said.

"What?" I asked eagerly, desperate to hear something good for a change.

"I get to go home tomorrow," Edward said, and I could hear the joy in his voice.

"That's great Edward," I said, "You must be so excited."

"I am," he said, "I am so ready to sleep in my own bed and to eat food that tastes decent."

"What are you looking forward to eating the most?" I asked, liking this lighter topic of conversation.

"My mom's lasagna," Edward replied.

"You're lucky your mom makes food that is actually edible," I said jealously.

"What?"

"When I got home my mom made me soup," I explained.

"Was it that bad?" Edward asked.

"It was green, chunky, and tasted like vomit," I said with a shudder.

"That sounds disgusting," Edward said.

"It was," I said, "Luckily, I only had to take one bite and then she left the room."

"What did you do with the rest of it?" Edward asked.

"My dad dumped it out in the bathroom, once my mom had gone back downstairs," I explained.

"Well, that's good. I am glad you didn't have to eat too much of it," Edward said, and I was sure I could hear him smiling.

"Me too," I replied with a small smile.

"Does she always cook like that?" Edward asked.

"Yep, that is why I started doing most of the cooking?" I replied.

"I don't blame you," Edward said.

"Edward," I said as I felt the smile on my face grow just a little bit.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" he asked.

"When I answered the phone I was a mess, and now there is actually a smile on my face," I explained, "You did that. So, thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, "I am glad I could cheer you up."

"Me too, I really needed this to help me get through tonight," I said.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"My dad's friend Billy is coming over with his son, Jacob," I said, "I really wasn't up for it, but now I think I can handle it."

"Well, like I said, I am glad I could help," Edward said, "It's pretty late, I should probably let you go so you can get ready."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon," I said.

"Bye," he said.

"Bye," I replied before hanging up the phone.

I checked the clock and saw that I still had a little bit of time before the Blacks arrived. I struggled to get up, and once I was, I made my way to my dresser. I wasn't planning on changing because that was too much work with my arm, but I did grab my brush and run it through my hair. After that I went into the bathroom and got a washcloth wet with cold water. I put it on my red puffy eyes hoping it would take away some of the redness. It helped a little and made me look mostly presentable.

Once I was ready I carefully walked down the stairs to join my parents as they waited for the Blacks. My dad was sitting on the couch watching baseball, so I went and sat down next to him. I looked around for my mom, and was horrified to see that she was in the kitchen.

"Dad, what is mom doing in the kitchen?" I whispered so she wouldn't hear us.

"Don't worry," my dad said as he put his arm around me, "She is heating up a hot dish that one of the neighbors brought by."

"Oh, okay" I said in relief. I rested my head on his shoulder and we watched baseball in silence for a few minutes.

"Where's Phil?" I asked when I realized he wasn't there.

"He went back to the hotel; he figured it would be weird for him to have dinner with my best friend," my dad explained.

"He is probably right," I said. The doorbell rang then and mom hurried out of the kitchen to answer the door while my dad helped me off the couch so we could greet our guests.

"Hi, Billy. Hi, Jacob," my mom said as she opened the door. "Come on in."

"Hello Renee," Billy said as he rolled his wheelchair into the house. Billy had been in a really bad car accident years before, and not only did he lose his wife, he also lost the use of his legs and has been in a wheelchair ever since.

"Hi," Jacob said quietly as he followed Billy into the house. Billy stopped in front of me and my dad. He looked at me with such love and concern that it nearly brought tears to my eyes again. Billy has always been like a second father to me, and I could tell he was worried.

"Hi Billy," I said as he reached out and took my uninjured hand.

"Hi sweetheart," he said, "how are you doing?"

"I've been better," I said honestly.

"I'm sorry about your friend Angela," Billy said.

"Thank you," I said hoarsely as I fought back tears.

"Are you guys hungry?" my mom asked, and I was grateful for the subject change.

"Yes," Jacob and Billy answered in unison. We made our way into the kitchen, and much to my dismay Jacob eagerly took the seat next to mine. We waited as my mom scooped the hot dish onto our plates, then once everyone was served we dug in. It was a tater tot hot dish and it was delicious. I silently said thanks to whichever neighbor brought it, because they saved us from eating my mom's cooking for one night.

"Renee, did you make this?" Billy asked, and I had to stop myself from laughing at the shock in his voice. I turned towards my dad and knew he was having the same problem.

"No, one of the neighbors brought it over," mom said, oblivious to our situation.

"It's really good," Jacob said.

"Yes, it is," my mom agreed. Once we were done eating my dad and Billy said they would help my mom take care of the dishes, so Jacob and I went and sat in the living room. We sat in awkward silence for a while as we both tried to think of something to say. I noticed Jacob staring at my arm, and after another minute he finally spoke up.

"How is your arm?" he asked as he continued to stare.

"It's okay," I replied, "It hurts, but I have pain meds I can take."

"What was it like, getting shot?" Jacob asked.

"It was horrible, painful, and terrifying," I snapped.

"Sorry. We can talk about something else," Jacob said quietly and I instantly felt bad for snapping at him.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I shouldn't have reacted like that; it's just not something I like to talk about."

"It's okay, I shouldn't have asked," he said.

"You're the first person who has asked me that, so it I guess it kind of took me off guard," I said, "I try hard not to think about that day."

"I understand. But it's pretty heroic, what you did. I mean, taking a bullet to for someone," he said, looking at me in a way that made me very uncomfortable.

"Thanks," I mumbled and turned on the TV in hopes of changing the subject again. Luckily, baseball was still on so Jacob was quickly absorbed.

After a few minutes I looked over to the kitchen because our parents should have been done already. I saw them sitting at the table talking, and I knew it was going to be awhile before they joined us again.

Normally I have no problem staying awake to watch baseball, but it wasn't long before I zoned out, yawning. I still didn't have all my strength and tired easily. Jacob must have noticed, because he shifted towards me and turned to face me.

"Are you tired, Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little," I replied.

"I can help you to your room if you want," he said, a little too eagerly.

"No, that is okay," I replied as I tried to stand up. It took a minute but once I was up I went into the kitchen. The conversation cut off as soon as I walked in which clearly meant they had been talking about me.

"Hi sweetie," my mom said.

"Uh, hi," I said, "Um, I am really tired, so I think I am going to head to bed."

"Alright," my mom said, "Do you want me to come with you and help you change?" I nodded and she stood up and came over to where I was standing.

"Good night Bells," my dad said.

"Night Dad," I replied, "Good night Billy, it was good to see you."

"It was good to see you too," Billy said with a smile, "Sleep tight."

I smiled and my mom and I left the room. After saying a quick goodbye to Jacob we went up stairs. Once I was in my pajamas I climbed into bed and sighed. Dinner may have had its difficult moments, but all in all it went better than I thought it would. I closed my eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

Thanks to my beta Jenn! Thanks also to: Chilly Howdy, Angelus Draco, lilmissfireball, Fanficaddict99, jansails, the captains wife, BernieR, lynard69, sandy4321, michigangal0223, sujari6, SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, debslmac, Flavia Ribeiro, Iluvecookies, boo1414, ellaryne for taking the time to leave a review.

Thank you guys for being patient. I have two more chapters that are ready to be posted so the next one will be up tomorrow!

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