Chapter 17: Aftermath of The Accident 2
ESME POV
I sat in the rocking chair next to Bella and tried to read, though I must admit that I was watching Bella most of the time. It was kind of fascinating to watch her sleep, especially since she did talk in her sleep. She also looked so peaceful and even smaller than usual.
Every hour Carlisle came in to check on Bella, sometimes he woke her up to do some tests because of her concussion. Luckily she always fell asleep again as soon as Carlisle tucked her in. I stayed in the rocking chair the whole time since I didn't want to overwhelm her.
In the early morning I could hear Carlisle arguing with our other children. They wanted to stay with Bella instead of going to school. I was glad that Carlisle was the one who had to make them go to school today so I didn't have to argue with them. I was sure he understood why they wanted to stay home and would have loved to let them stay, but they missed too much school already due to our "camping trips" that they had to go to keep pretenses. Bella also needed her rest.
After about an hour of constant but thankfully rather quiet arguing the children had left for school.
It was 10am when Bella woke up. I was a little worried that she had slept so long but Carlisle assured me that she needed a lot of sleep to recover and that she was already exhausted before the accident.
I put my book away and asked her if she had slept okay and saw the confusion on Bellas face when she saw that I was sitting next to the bed. When I told her why I had stayed, tears welled in her eyes making me really concerned.
This shouldn't be something new for her. I went over to her and took her in my arms hoping to comfort her.
When she calmed down some I asked her about her head. I was glad that she didn't lie to me but it hurt to know that she was hurting. I would gladly take the pain for her if I could. Carlisle told me to never believe her when she said she was fine, saying she would probably say it often so that others wouldn't worry or ask more questions. She had done that already a few times when she was clearly not fine.
I showed her where Alice put her clothes before I went to Carlisle and ask him what I should make for breakfast.
He heard me approach and opened the door before I could even knock. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed me gently.
"I'll come downstairs with you honey"
We went to the kitchen together and prepared her breakfast. When we heard Bella on the steps, Carlisle left the kitchen to make sure Bella got down okay knowing just how clumsy she was. Luckily he did, because a few seconds later I heard her stumble and if it hadn't been for Carlisle, she would have fallen down again.
CARLISLE POV
"Careful Sweetheart" I said to Bella as I steadied her after her fall. She blushed a deep crimson making me smile.
I told her that breakfast was ready and lead her to the kitchen where we had prepared her food. I really hoped she would eat again without any argument. I also hoped that she would eat more than the days before, especially since she was sick yesterday. She needed some real food and more than just a few bites.
I sat down next to Bella as Esme put down her breakfast in front of her and kissed the top of her head before getting busy cleaning the kitchen in a slow pace. She knew I would make sure that Bella ate enough and didn't want to make Bella feel watched.
I pretended to read a newspaper though my mind and hearing was focused on Bella, I also shot her a view glances, making sure she didn't hide any food and actually ate it. I saw her avoiding the granola but eating some of the yoghurt and fruit.
After about half of it she asked me if she could stop. I sighed heavily. She really needed to eat more but I could see that she was still not feeling well and I didn't want to force her. So I Iet it go for now but told her we would have a talk about this tomorrow.
When she asked me where the others were and I told her they were still in school since it was Friday Bella got really upset that we hadn't woken her for school. Didn't she know that she can't go to school with a concussion? She should know.
She jumped up from her seat and would have fallen again if I hadn't steadied her. I told her that I had excused her from school because she needed to rest in order to heal and rubbed her shoulders gently hoping she would calm down again. Her little heart was racing.
"Its not like it would be the first time" Bella mumbled.
I asked her about it but she just said "nothing". I had already assumed that Bella has been injured a lot and that she wasn't cared for as she should have been when she was living with her mother. Not that her father would have cared for her if she was injured. What had happened yesterday was proof of that.
I frowned, worried about how bad it had really been but didn't probe for any more answers. I would get them soon enough and it was better not to stress Bella if it wasn't needed. Instead I told her that I would check her head again and asked her to go lay down to rest after.
"I don't want to lay down again. I just stood up." she whined, then froze and stopped walking. I was a little shocked by her childish behavior, though I was happy to see that she showed it. She still was a child and it would be expected for her to act that way. I had been worried before that she hadn't.
"I'm sorry" she hurried to say and I could smell the salty tears that welled up in her eyes. She was shocked by her own behavior and it seemed that she was scared of what she had done.
I crouched down in front of her and took her hands in mine. I understood that she was tired of resting and didn't see her behavior as a problem. In fact I was relieved. She seems to be becoming a lot more comfortable here and doesn't think about everything she says or does before she does it. I tried to assure her of that but she just started sobbing uncontrollably.
I picked her up gently and sat down on the sofa with her on my lap and rocked her, hoping it would calm her down. Esme came in soon after and sat down next to us. She looked at Bella with pain in her eyes.
In our eyes Bella was our daughter and it hurt us that she was hurting.
It took a few minutes until Bella started to calm down, but when she did, she looked up into my eyes and I could see that she was in pain so I asked Esme to get my doctors bag, then sat Bella in her lap so that I could take a better look at her.
Esme put her arms around Bella softly and kissed the top of her head as Bella relaxed into her arms. Despite the circumstances I had to smile at the picture in front of me. I was grateful that we were gifted with another precious child. A human one at that.
I carefully removed the bandaid on Bellas forehead and looked at the wound and stitches. It looked like it was healing alright so I cleaned it again before I covered it up.
Next, I carefully felt around her head to feel her bump and make sure nothing else was hurting. She winced a little making me grimace. Thankfully I was done a few seconds later and gave her some pain medication.
I knew she didn't want to go to sleep again so I asked her If she'd like to snuggle into Esme so that she could read to Bella since I knew Esme wouldn't mind and I wanted Bella to rest. She nodded eagerly so I got the book from the day before, then gave it to Esme asked Bella to drink a little and covered her up with a blanket before I made my way to my office so that I could do some paperwork.
Up in my office I updated some patients files and read trough some others that my colleges had sent me, asking for my opinion. For once it was hard to concentrate on my job since all of my thoughts were on my injured human child who's health worried me more and more, not just her physical health. Her reactions to her acting out and the fact that she had gone to school injured probably more than once seemed to confirm my suspicions of her being abused or at least neglected.
Still in thoughts I got down to the kitchen a while later to cook some rice and vegetables for her. She needed some carbs in her body and this time I would insist that she not only eat the vegetables.
Esme led Bella to the kitchen and I could hear her heart racing when she saw what I had cooked and even more when I told her that I expected her to eat at least half of her portion of both the vegetables and the rice. It would still be too little seeing as I only put a small portion in front of her but it would still be more than the days before.
I sat down next to her as she ate pretending to read the newspaper again. I could see her fighting with the food after not even a fourth of the bowl.
She forced down a few more bites but looked like she would get sick if she ate any more. Knowing that this would make matters worse I told her that she could stop. Bella looked really grateful at that. This would take more work than I initially thought and I was afraid that I would have to use a feeding tube if Bella wouldn't manage to gain some weight herself. I really didn't want to have to do that so I would only use that as very last resort.
I put the rest of the food away and got a new book to read as Esme took Bella to the living room again. I sat down with them knowing the other children would be home soon as I could hear their cars on our driveway.
I started reading to Bella who was sitting on Esme's lap. After two pages the door opened and the others came in greeting Bella. Emmet gently lifted Bella and hugged her which made her giggle before sitting her down again. We all loved it when Bella laughed or giggled. It was such a beautiful sound.
Our children sat down next to and around us and asked Bella about how she was feeling and what she did today. She told them that she was ‚fine' and told them about the book Esme had read to her earlier and they told her about how boring school was without her and that the others were gossiping about Tylers accident a lot.
After that I gave her some more pain medication as Jasper told me so low that Bella wouldn't hear that she was in a lot of pain again and her last dose had been a few hours prior, we told Bella some of our past until it was time for her to eat dinner.
She didn't eat as much as I hoped she would but I was just glad that she had eaten a few meals today and hadn't gotten sick again. After dinner I made her go to bed. It was still early evening but she looked exhausted and she needed sleep to get better fast.
Hoping to make it easier for her to go to sleep Esme and I stayed with her and read to her until she fell asleep.
Luckily she didn't have any nightmares throughout the night and slept peacefully. Esme and I shared our concerns during the night while we heard Jasper and Emmet play on their Wii downstairs and the girls talked about fashion in Alices room. Edward was probably reading again.
Saturday morning I got out of the room silently as not to wake Bella went to my office to see if I had gotten any more mails from the hospital.
Alice and Rosalie came in soon after saying goodbye before they went shopping. I also heard them in Esme and my room saying goodbye to Esme silently and probably placing a kiss on Bellas head gently so they wouldn't wake her.
Around 8am I heard Bella getting up and got downstairs to make her some oatmeal for breakfast. When Bella came down with Esme she didn't look too happy about it but didn't argue with me. She ate a few spoon fulls and then told me that she was full and would get sick if she ate any more. She really hadn't eaten a lot and she didn't look like she did yesterday when she said it, but she did look a little uncomfortable.
I didn't completely believe her and eyed her suspiciously but she looked at me pleadingly and I hoped that with enough time she would start eating more by herself if we didn't force her now so I allowed her to stop and took her to my office for our talk.
She curled up on the sofa and I put a chair in front of her for me to sit on. Bella seemed really uncomfortable but I had to talk to her about her eating habits.
I told her about how not eating and drinking enough could be dangerous as her body needed the energy to function properly. I explained to her how her heart would be damaged if she continued to deprive her body of the calories and nutrients that her body needed.
Next I explained to her how much would be normal for a child her size and age and made sure that she knew that as long as she was with us, she would be expected to take care of her body by eating what we made her and that I expected her to do that at home, too. I would make sure to weigh her every week so I would know if she did what I had asked and could intervene if she lost any more weight. I didn't threaten her with the feeding tube knowing she would probably lose trust in us if I did so. I could still talk to her about it if this wouldn't work.
I assured her that she could always come to one of us if she wanted or needed someone to talk to.
She agreed reluctantly and I was sure she already planned on not doing what I asked of her. I sighed heavily and took her in my arms before we went down. "We all love you sweetheart. We just want you to be happy and healthy." I whispered in her ear. "I love you all, too." She whispered back as a single tear slid down her face. I wiped it away and told her to go have some fun with the boys.
Bella played chess with Jasper, she didn't beat him but she played a really good game especially since her component was Jasper. He also sat with her when she ate lunch and told me quietly so that Bella wouldn't notice that she felt really uncomfortable and guilty but that her emotions changed when she saw him looking at her.
Theres not much I can do much about it right now as she doesn't talk to me about that right now but I was hoping this knowledge would help me help her later on.
When she was done, Edward took her to his piano with him and settled her on his lap playing a few songs for her. He seemed so much happier since she was around but he was really careful around her. He didn't seem to trust himself around her since she was so small and fragile and he saw himself as a monster, a little less now that Bella has told him what she thought about that issue.
Bella relaxed in Edwards arms completely and seemed content, a big smile on her face.
Emmet also wanted to do something with her so he asked her to play video games with her again.
In the evening Alice and Rosalie came home from their shopping trip. They put their stuff away and snuggled some clothes that they had bought for Bella into her part of our closet without her noticing, knowing she would be overwhelmed and didn't like it much when others spent money on her.
When they were done we all watched a movie together while Bella ate some of her dinner before she had to go to bed.
Sunday morning Bella looked a lot more rested and she wasn't as pale anymore. I looked at her cut again and then at her hands that she had injured a few days before. The scrapes looked a lot better and had closed up so I removed the bandage.
I sat with her at breakfast and this time I didn't let her go until she had finished half of it. I didn't give in top her pleading this time. Bella was really tense the whole time and I could see her fighting with her food and her emotions. I knew she didn't want me to see but I was glad I did, even if it made me sad and it hurt knowing that such a normal and important thing seemed to be so hard for her. I lifted her from her seat and sat her on my lap, rubbing her back, hoping it would make it easier for her.
When she was finally done Jasper took her to the living room to work on their history project, trying to distract her and cheer her up a little and Alice came to the kitchen to talk to me and Esme.
"We can't go to school tomorrow because it will be sunny until around 2:30pm. What will you do with Bella? I don't see anything bad happening to Bella if she goes to school alone but my visions aren't so clear when it comes to her. She'll be so lonely there and non of us could protect her if anything does happen… I'm not really sure if she should really go alone", she told us hastily.
Esme and I looked at Alice then each other. "I really don't feel comfortable with Bella going to school alone. Especially after what already happened with Jackson and then her accident in the parking lot, but I don't think we have the right to forbid her to go. We aren't her legal guardians." I told Esme.
"You're right. It should probably be Bellas decision. If Alice doesn't see anything bad happening and she wants to go we should probably let her. I don't want her to feel like we keep her caged up. I just hope she doesn't want to go. You could probably tell Charlie that Bella needs one more day of rest because of her concussion." Esme agreed.
"Lets talk to her about it later and make sure she knows she doesn't have to go. And if she wants to go we'll make sure one of us drives her to school and picks her up again." I told Esme.
She nodded, though I could see that she felt as uneasy as I with the idea of Bella going to school alone.
We let Bella and Jasper work on their project until lunch. After lunch Esme and I took her to the living room to talk about the next day.
"Sweetheart, we have to talk to you about tomorrow" I started. "What about tomorrow, I can go back to school, right?" She asked, seeming a little panicked.
"Well, we need to talk about that. You can go back to school but the others can't go tomorrow as it will be sunny. We wanted to ask you if you wanted to go or if I should write you a doctors note, we know its not easy for you there and the others help you."I offered her, praying that she would not want to go back alone.
She thought about it for a few seconds then answered "I'd like to go to school, I've managed fine in Phoenix and I can't skip school with the others every time it is sunny. Besides, Jackson is still suspended, so I should be fine."
Esme and I looked at each other worriedly, then looked back at Bella. "Are you sure? You really don't need to." Esme asked then, hoping to change her mind.
"I'm sure. Thank you." She answered.
"Well, if you're sure… But one of us will pick you up at home and drive you to school in the morning and then pick you up again in the afternoon." I told her and she nodded. I got one of the spare phones and handed it to her.
"I can't take this, its too much" Bella said, looking at me uncomfortably. "Sweetheart, it's one of our spare phones. We won't need it and we'll feel better if you have means to contact us if you need to. Please take it, it would make us less worried." I insisted and she hesitantly took it.
"Thank you" she whispered as she hugged us both.
The rest of the day we all played some board games together and everyone had fun. At 6pm I made Bella have dinner and sat with her until she was done with half of her portion. She didn't plead as much asking if she could stop as she did at breakfast and lunch, knowing I wouldn't give in.
After dinner it was time for her to go and she hugged everyone tightly. I could see her fighting back tears and wished that we could just keep her. I knew we would see her again tomorrow but everyone would miss her until then and I didn't want to bring her back to her father who didn't seem to care about his daughter.
Bella thanked us for what we had done for her and we just told her that she didn't need to thank us for caring for her, that we loved having her over. Esme seemed to be near tears, too, as Bella hugged her goodbye.
I led her outside and helped her into her seat, then drove her to Charlies. I couldn't even think about this place as her home. This wasn't a home for her, just a roof over her head. I reminded her of eating regularly and asked her to call us if she needed anything, no matter the time.
When we arrived I led her to the door which she opened and then helped her out of her shoes and jacket making her blush.
Charlie came to the door, having heard her arrive.
"Thank you Dr Cullen. I hope she didn't bother you being over so much. I'm sure you have better things to do than take care of a kid." He said when he saw us. I could feel rage building up within me and fought hard to keep my emotions in check. Bella was never a bother to us and he shouldn't feel as if his own daughter is a bother. He should love and care for her.
"She's no bother at all Charlie. We already feel like she is part of our family, like we have another daughter, we'd keep her if we could." I told him honestly making Bella and him start at me in shock.
I hugged her goodbye and kissed the top of her head, then told her that one of us would pick her up around 7:40am tomorrow. I made her promise to eat breakfast and text or call us if she needed anything.
"We all love you sweetheart. And I promise you that you are never a bother to us, you can come to us for anything, okay?" I said before I left and hugged her again tightly.
"Thank you. I love you all, too." She said and waved me goodbye. I made my way to the car all the way wanting to run back and take Bella with me again, but I knew I couldn't.
Back home I took Esme and my other children into my arms.
"Will she be okay?" Rosalie asked quietly as I hugged her. "We'll make sure of it sweetheart" I said softly into her and rubbed her back. It was seldom that Rosalie cared for anyone and came to me for comfort and it made me smile that Rosalie and the others have accepted and loved Bella from the start.
We talked some more and agreed to go hunting together the next day after Esme drove Bella to school and then everyone made their way to their rooms for some alone time with their mates, while Edward sat down on his piano with some noise cancelling headphones probably composing.