SM owns it, Dollybigmomma rocks it, I just write it. The same goes for the last chapter too.

Chapter 3 – Settling In

We made our way inside and I told Angie to put their stuff in Alice's room.

"Alice? Who is Alice? I don't want to take anyone's room. I don't want to put anyone out," Bella said nervously.

"Relax, Bella, Alice is my sister who lives out of state and occasionally comes to visit. I have three guestrooms, one for my brother, one for my sister, and one for my parents. They usually don't come all at once and most often end up staying in a hotel because they're all married and I don't like to hear what they do at night," I said feeling my face redden. "I think we'll be fine giving you and Ara your own rooms and then just keep one room for when someone visits."

Angie was already down the hall with Ben, and Bella looked nervous. When Angela reappeared, she saw her friend's reluctance and quickly jumped in.

"Don't worry, Bella. Alice will be thrill there's a woman looking after Edward. He just gave you that room because it has girl stuff in the bathroom already, right, Edward?"

I nodded yes. I actually thought she would like the more feminine room, but yeah, girl stuff in the bathroom worked, too. I'd had enough of this conversation. "So, Ara, ready for pizza?" I asked and she nodded yes eagerly. I took her little hand and led her to the dining room. I opened the china cabinet and pulled out some paper plates. My mother had been dying to give me a set of real china, but I swore I did not want any until I was married and we could pick them out as a couple. Besides, I didn't have anyone to do the dishes for me and I never had time. I had already ended up throwing away most of my glass dishes because the mold they had grown was toxic. There was a legitimate reason Ben had suggested I get a maid. I really did need one.

Bella was walking around looking at the place. "You can fit my whole apartment in your living room and still have extra room," she said.

"Um, okay?" Really, what did you say to that? "I was thinking we should decorate in there for Christmas, you know, get a tree or something. Would you mind taking care of that?" I asked and pulled out my credit card. "The keys to the Volvo are by the kitchen sink. That would most likely be the safest car for you to drive Ara around in. Do you have a license?" I asked just realizing I didn't know if she had one.

"Yes, I do actually."

"Good, I'll put you on the insurance in the morning," I said finishing up my pizza and then headed toward the hall. "Angie, can you make sure they get settled?" I asked.

She nodded yes eagerly and I escaped to my bedroom. I needed to calm down, and to try and figure out what the hell I had gotten myself into.

I woke the next morning to the smell of something good. I wasn't sure what it was, but I followed my nose, wondering in my morning haze what the neighbors were cooking and if they would share. I was surprised when my nose led me into my own kitchen. A dark-haired beauty was tending to something on my stove.

She turned and her face reddened before she quickly looked back at the food. "There's coffee."

I realized I was only in my boxers. "Oh, ah…Oh!" I said panicking, trying to cover my pale body with my much-too-small hands. She turned looking at me in question and then burst out laughing at my distress as I turned and ran from the kitchen.

I came back freshly showered and completely dressed. I even put on my overcoat for good measure. I felt like such an idiot. She smirked at me as I sat down.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she placed a cup of coffee in front of me and eyed my coat.

"I…um, sorry," I muttered into the cup.

"Momma!" I heard Arabella call.

I remembered everything after I ran embarrassed into my room. I would have to invest in some pajamas, thick ones that covered everything because that was just embarrassing. I was just relieved she didn't seem offended by me showing up in the kitchen in my underwear. How could I have been so stupid!

Bella returned with Ara skipping along with her. "Momma says I get to stay with her!" she squealed and jumped into my lap.

Bella looked worried that I would temper her daughter's excitement, but I hugged her and smiled. "Of course! She's shopping for Christmas decorations today. She can't do that without your help, can she? She has to get a whole tree full of stuff and lights for the windows and stocking for the fireplace…"

"Edward," Bella interrupted nervously, "Um, would you mind if we made some ornaments?"

I didn't know why she was so nervous. Didn't she know that all this Christmas stuff was for Ara? "I think that's a wonderful idea! Ara, are you going to help your mommy make decoration?"

"Yes!" she squealed.

"Oh, I'll bet Santa's going to love them. I happen to know he loves seeing homemade decorations. They're his favorite. Do you know why?" I asked.

She shook her head no, causing her little curls to bounce and me to smile.

"Because they're made with love and that's what Christmas is all about."

"I'm going make lots with love and some for you, too! Curly's going to help me. She really likes it here. It's warm and there's lots of food," she said eyeing the plate her mother set down next to us.

I looked up at Bella to see her eyes water before she turned and walked quickly out of the room.

"I'm glad you like it, Ara. Now, you eat up so you'll have lots of energy for shopping today."

I walked into the kitchen to find Bella wiping her face with a paper towel. She turned around and smiled at me. I was at a loss for what to say so I just said the first thing that popped into my mind. "Ara is so cute. I hope you don't mind if Santa buys her a couple of gifts for her and Curly."

She looked down and shook her head no.

I didn't want her to be upset, but I didn't know how to fix it. "Um, I have a large SUV that we can use to pick up a tree this evening. Barring any complications with my patients, I should be home around seven o'clock tonight. Is that too late?" I asked.

She smiled at me sadly. "That'll be fine since I don't have to take Ara to daycare anymore."

I just nodded, not sure what to say. Was that a good thing?

"Well, I've got to get going. I have kids to look after," I said and paused. "Oh, and I did add you to the insurance policy and called the credit card company this morning. You're fine to use it and yours will be in the mail in a few days," I said and slipped out before she could say anything.

I was going past Ara and felt I should say goodbye, which was a new odd feeling for me. I wasn't used to saying goodbye to people at my place.

"I'll see you later, Ara," I said smiling as she gulped down a chunk of pancake. I wondered briefly if Bella knew the Heimlich maneuver.

"Don't forget Curly!" she called to me holding up her doll.

"Sorry, what was I thinking? Goodbye, Curly."

Ara cut me off. "She wants a kiss!" I smiled knowing she was just projecting her need for attention onto the doll. I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head and then kissed the doll.

"She tastes like syrup, does Curly like pancakes?" I asked.

"She loves them! They're her favorite!"

"They're my favorite, too. I hope we have them again soon."

"I'll tell Momma," Ara whispered to me.

"That'd be great, thanks," I said and started for the door. "I'll see you ladies later!" I called to them and just as I turned away, I saw Bella watching me. I blushed, a little embarrassed. I always felt most comfortable around children, but other adults found my interaction with them odd. I nodded goodbye to her and quickly slipped out.

I hurried to work and lost myself in my patients. Timmy was trying to sneak treats again and I asked the nurse to make a tray of sugar-free Jell-O just for him. I would run to the grocery store and pick up some sugar-free cookies during lunch. It was best to feed his craving instead of ignoring them. It would just lead to him sneaking off to find a snack somewhere else.

Jessica Stanley, his caseworker, showed up today and asked to speak to me. She looked upset, so I quickly took her to my office and offered her a box of tissues. "Dr. Cullen, I know you wanted Timmy placed before Christmas, and I know it's important for him to have a home right now, but there just isn't one. Everyone is full to capacity and I asked my supervisor if we couldn't just tack him on to one of the other homes anyway because he isn't actually going to be staying there, but he refused. I don't know what to do. I don't have the heart to tell him no one is going to want to have him for Christmas."

She was openly crying now and I had to admit, I kind of felt like crying, too. I loved little Timmy like my own, but I was never home. I couldn't just leave him home alone…

I suddenly got a very bad idea. My eyes widened in excitement. I wondered if Bella would be willing to agree to it.

"Ms. Stanley, give me a moment to, ah, just a moment," I said as I fumbled for my phone.

It took a few rings, but then a winded Bella answered the phone. "Dr. Cullen's residence," she said formally.

"Ms. Bella, would you be willing to come down to the hospital for lunch? I need to speak with you on a very important matter."

She was still panting as she said, "Yeah, sure."

"Are you well? You're breathing kind of hard."

"Oh, sorry, I was vacuuming and didn't hear the phone and had to run to get it."

"I have a vacuum?" I asked surprised. I didn't ever remember using one.

"You do now," she said with a smile in her voice.

"Oh, well, thank you. I'm sure the place needs it. So, lunch at the hospital around noon? That's in about twenty minutes. Will that be alright? You can use the doctors' parking. There's a tag on the Volvo."

"Okay, I'll be there soon," she said hanging up.

"Who is Ms. Bella?" Ms. Stanley asked.

"She's my maid, or cook, or housekeeper. She and her daughter live with me and take care of my place."

I couldn't fully decipher the look on her face, but it looked like disappointment.

"What did you have in mind, Dr. Cullen?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking of adopting Timmy myself, then you wouldn't have to worry about placing him all the time," I said nervously.

"And you need Ms. Bella for this why?" she asked curious.

"Well, she stays at home with her daughter and I thought maybe if Timmy was in a controlled environment where there were no temptations…I mean it would be a lot to ask a foster family with lots of other kids to completely remove all sugar from their house, but I think I could do it. I also don't mind stocking the hospital with sugar-free cookies for him to snack on, so why not do it at home?"

Her mouth was hanging open. "Dr. Cullen, I'm not sure that would work. It sounds lovely, but adopting takes a lot more time and work. You're a single man that works many hours a week..."

"But what if Bella could nanny for me? I mean that was what I was going to ask her," I begged. "He would get lots of personal attention. Please, Ms. Stanley. Just look into it for me."

"Do you mind if I join you for lunch? I'd like to meet this potential nanny."

"That would be fine," I said standing up and heading down to the front of the hospital. Ara saw me and came running up to me, jumping into my arms. "You're here! Did you know this is where I met Santa?"

"I believe it. He and I hang out a lot here together. I told you we were good friends."

Bella walked up and took Ara from me. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. Ms. Bella, this is Ms. Jessica Stanley, she's the CPS caseworker for one of my patients."

Bella looked at me nervously. I hoped she didn't think I was trying to get her daughter taken from her.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Stanley," she said politely.

I walked them to the cafeteria and when I saw Angie, I called her over. She said hello to Ms. Stanley and hugged Bella and Ara and offered to take Ara for a walk.

"Would you mind running to the store and picking up some sugar-free cookies for Timmy?" I asked pulling out my wallet.

"I've got it, Edward. I'm sure Ara and I can handle it." She and Ara left, leaving a very uncomfortable silence at the table.

Ms. Stanley thankfully started. "Ms. Bella, Edward called because one of my kids doesn't have a home for Christmas," she looked at me carefully.

"It's Timmy," I said, "He's the one I sat with at the Christmas party."

"Oh," Bella looked confused.

"The reason Edward hasn't adopted him earlier is he didn't have time to care for a child. He was never home. He's told me that he now employs you and was hoping that you would be willing to help with the care of little Timmy."

Bella's eyes darted back and forth between me and Ms. Stanley. "Like a nanny," I added, "Would you mind adding nanny to your list of duties?"

"I…um..."

"Before you answer, if I'm able to adopt him, when I bring him home, there can be no sugar in the house. He can absolutely not have any sugar at all. His little body just does not process it. The minor amounts he gets from fruits and vegetables are all he can take. Any refined sugar puts him in a coma, that's why he's stuck in the hospital right now. Not because he's sick, but because the risk of him being in a home with sugar would just be too much for him to handle."

"So, I would have to clear out any and all sugar and buy all sugar-free stuff?" she asked and I nodded my head yes. "How old is Timmy?" she asked.

"Six, he'll be seven in February," Ms. Stanley answered.

"What about schooling? He can't go to a public school; there's too high a risk some kid would 'share' some candy with him," Bella said worried.

"He has tutors," Ms. Stanley said.

"And he'll still have tutors so you won't have to worry about that," I said quickly.

"Okay."

"Okay? Okay as in you're on board with taking care of him?" I asked hopeful.

Bella nodded her head and smiled. "I'm home all day anyway. I'm sure Ara would love to have a friend to play with."

I bounced in my seat, clapping my hands like my little sister, Alice. "Wonderful! Ms. Stanley, what do I need to get this done by Christmas?"

Ms. Stanley stood up smiling. "A miracle, but I'll bust my buns to make it happen. I have your cell phone number. Be sure to answer it and I'll fax over the list of what's needed for a home study. I suggest you hire someone to come in and do it." She slid a card over to me, "This guy is awesome. I've never had to come back twice to any house he's worked on. He's the way to go if you want to pass inspection with flying colors."

"Thank you so much," I said excitedly. After Ms. Stanley left, I said a quick prayer. If ever there was a season for miracles, this one was it.

A/N Thanks for reading. If you haven't checked out Set Fire to the Rain, by LoveRob, you should.