All recognisable characters belong to SM. I just own the plot.
My ever reliable beta, A Jasper For Me, is still under the weather. That means this chapter is not beta'd. My apologies in advance for mistakes you'll encounter.
Thank you to Tarbecca for recommending this story in ADF's (A Different Forest) Fic Dive, sending me new set of readers. I really appreciate it.
And to all of you reading this story, kisses and hugs.
Six months later …
There was a collective oohs and aahhs when I entered the room, making me smile as I moved toward the bed. Jessica saw me carrying the newborn baby, but she didn't move from her position near the window, looking a little uncomfortable – perhaps from being this close to an infant. My mother, however, was another story. She seemed so eager to take the baby from me, making me give her a look that told her to back off. She got my message and reluctantly stepped away to allow me to move closer to Alice.
"Here you go, Ali," I whispered, placing the little bundle of joy in her arms. My sister, although exhausted, beamed and quickly received the bundled baby with both hands.
"He's beautiful," she gushed, completely mesmerized with her sleeping son.
"He looks just like Jasper," I added.
She nodded in agreement while she meticulously checked whether all the necessary body parts were complete. It was nice to see this side of her – calm and docile, but I had a feeling she would get back to work as soon as she could. She was a certified control freak, and it would be funny to see her try to balance her position as the VP for marketing of S and her new role as a mother.
Goodluck to her, I thought to myself, smiling as I envisioned Alice's bossy side being applied to raising her son.
Jasper decided to join in the cooing with his fiancé, putting an arm around his Alice's shoulder as he sat next to her on the bed.
"Jax. That's gonna be his name," Alice said. "Is that all right with you?" She looked at Jasper, and he nodded with a smile on his face.
"Jax is lovely name for an adorable baby!" my mother interjected, her excitement clear on her face. "Can I carry him now?"
"Mom, no," I answered for Alice. We needed to give my sister and her son a chance to bond, and my mother trying interrupt their time together was not good. "You can carry Jax … later."
She harrumphed, but quickly continued with her usual jovial self.
"I bet little Jax here would love all the things I bought for him. The onesies with those cute little sayings will look good on him. And the toys … I got a little of everything, you know ... just in case."
"Mom, he's only a day old. He can't play with all –"
"Oh, sush … he can," my mother insisted, cutting off Alice.
"I should have been with you when you shopped for Jax, Renee," Jessica said, moving a few steps forward from where she stood so she could see the baby, which was not much. She had on this sour smile on her face, making you think if she was really happy to see a baby or she was freaked out. "Then I wouldn't have a problem thinking about what to give him."
I almost laughed out loud at the expression on Jessica's face, but my mother's inability to read Jessica's mood stopped me.
"I could still help you, Jessica. We'll schedule this date."
"Yay," Jessica answered with very little enthusiasm, making a 'finger gun' hand toward her head and firing it. I glared at her, and she just made a face that told me to fuck off.
"You're going to have so much fun, Jess," I teased her, knowing she would be irritated. She stuck out her tongue at me.
"We will. I'll make sure of that." My mother was grinning, clearly imagining what additional stuff she could buy for her grandson.
I heard Jessica groan, and I giggled. Even if she did love shopping, babies scared her and shopping for one would no doubt be something of a nightmare. I was about to open my mouth again to say something to my friend when she glowered at me. It was so tempting to continue to tease her, but I took pity. Instead, I chose to joke with my mother.
"I think you brought half of our store's kids section in Ali's home, Mom."
"I just want my grandson to have the very best. Is that so bad?" she answered proudly. It looked to me my mother would be one overbearing grandmother.
"Not yet, but it will be if you continue with this manic shopping, Mom," Alice said, looking exhausted as she tried to balance her baby in her arms.
"I'm just trying to help, you know. Someday, you'll understand what I feel." My mother pouted, trying to guilt us into allowing her to spoil Jax. Alice looked like she was about to say something when a knock on the door interrupted us.
It was a nurse. She had with her a big basket full of what looked like clothes. She smiled and placed the package on the table, nodding at me as she left.
"Do you want me to check who it's from?" I asked my sister, and she nodded.
On closer inspection, one could see the ostentatious royal crest engraved on the basket. I recalled the Queen asking me about Alice and her pregnancy. Her interest in my family made me feel like I was somehow important to her. This nice gesture certainly came from her, and that made me smile. The basket contained baby clothes that were beautifully wrapped in thin expensive paper with gold trimmings on the side. Alice would love these.
I turned to show her the little bodysuit, and she smiled.
"Thank them for me, Bells," Alice. She seemed to have guessed the basket came from no other than one of the royals.
"I'm sure you'll get the chance to talk to them, Ali," I told her. "But if you won't, I'll talk to the Queen personally to send your thanks."
"Okay." The look of exhaustion was more pronounced now on my sister's face, and although I was certain she wouldn't be rude to order us to leave her, Jasper and her son alone, but she would appreciate it. I knew I would.
"Why don't we leave you guys alone now … so you two can do whatever you need to do here," I said, addressing Alice and Jasper. "I bet you need time with little Jax."
"Thank you," Alice mouthed at me, smiling gratefully at me.
I ushered Mom, who was reluctant to leave her daughter and grandson alone, outside the hospital room, while Jessica followed behind us. Before I could even step out of the door, Jasper called me.
"Can I talk to you for a minute, Bella?" he asked.
I motioned for Jessica to accompany my mother outside.
"So … what do you wanna talk about?"
"I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of Jax earlier," Jasper said, rising from where he sat beside Alice.
"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.
"I was so busy worrying about Alice earlier, I left my son totally in your hands," he said. "And I appreciate it."
"I didn't do anything great, Jasper. I was just looking after the welfare of my nephew."
"What do you mean you didn't do anything?" he asked incredulously, "You're a busy woman but you took time to take care of my son like a mother bear guarding her cub. It was nice to hear you hover while the nurses weighed and measured him."
"I just wanted to make sure he was safe," I argued, trying to let him see it wasn't really a big thing … what I did.
"Do you know you have the same OC tendencies as your sister?" He had a big grin on his face, winking at me.
"What the hell, Jas?" Alice muttered, " I do not have any type of tendencies!"
Alice was not only obsessive compulsive but she was also a tyrant, and from the look on Jasper's face he thought of me the same way.
"I'm not like your fiancé, Dr. Whitlock."
"But you are, Dr. Swan," he insisted. "You basically scared all the nurses in the nursery."
"I did not!"
"You sound just like your sister," he said, smiling. "I rest my case."
Alice elbowed him but he successfully dodged it.
"Don't mind him, Bella." Alice sat a little straighter, moving her son a little so she could talk to him like he could already understand. "Aunt Bella was just doing what I told her to do, wasn't she little Jax?"
My sister was paranoid that someone might inject her son with something she didn't approve of. She had requested, no demanded actually, that I didn't leave my eyes away from Jax while he was in the hands of the nurses in the nursery. It was a good thing no one argued about my unexpected presence there. It was unusual for a doctor who wasn't assigned in the nursery to be allowed to stay for long periods of time, but I was. Not even Dr. Brock reprimanded me while I watched Jax.
My family's money and influence made all these special treatments – a wing of the hospital was closed off, not to mention the added security placed for our safety – possible. I didn't want to dwell on how my association with Edward could have influenced it as well.
"Have you considered pediatrics for your residency, Bella?" Jasper asked, and I stared at him surprised. I didn't know where he was going with this, but I wasn't comfortable talking about my profession with anyone just yet.
"You're good with kids from the looks of it."
His observation made me feel good, somehow reinforcing what I felt about going into pediatrics. A few weeks ago, the results of the medical licensure examination were released, and I was now officially a doctor. Any plans I had needed to be discussed with Edward.
"I-I –"
"You don't have to explain, Bells. Just ignore Jasper," Alice interrupted me, smiling when I gave her a grateful smile. "He's just nosy."
"No, I'm curious, that's all." He started to add something but when Alice glared at him, he shut up and smiled at me in apology.
"I think Mom's waiting for me outside," I started, pointing my thumb towards the door. "If you guys don't have anything else to say, I'll just go."
"Well, thank you again for all the help."
I nodded and quickly made my escape. My plans or non-plans were still up in the air, and talking about it to anyone other than my boyfriend was something I didn't want to do. Edward was the one person who should know everything about me first.
I was walking towards the lobby, lost in thought when I saw who was in front of me. I stopped dead on my tracks, confused and excited at the same time.
Edward, who I thought was a few hundred miles away taking up a few environmental science classes, was talking intently with my parents. I hadn't seen him in two weeks, and my longing for his presence increased as I stared at him.
He hadn't noticed me yet, and I took that chance to ogle him. He was casually dressed – jeans, blue dress shirt and sneakers, but the scruff I could see from where I stood made my heartbeat escalate.
I missed him so much.
I moved forward, my eyes focused on him. He might have felt my gaze on him because he suddenly turned. His face lit up, and I grinned.
I closed the distance between us, my heart thudding loudly in my chest, my skin tingling from the intensity of his gaze.
"Hi." My voice sounded like I ran a mile, but I didn't care. He was here and that was all my mind could register. "I thought you were in Florida?"
"I was, but I wanted to come. So here I am." His crooked grin was so beautiful I couldn't stop myself from moving closer.
"I'm glad," I whispered, smiling up at him.
He pulled me into his arms, and I reached up to kiss him. My arms automatically went around his neck, letting him know how much I missed him.
"How long are you going to stay?" I asked, trying not to sound so desperate.
He leaned down my neck so he was kissing the pulse point on my neck. "Long enough to enjoy you."
I felt his hands on my butt, and suddenly I squeaked, feeling like this moment was some kind of déjà vu of a couple of months ago. He laughed, and I pulled slightly away, feeling shy all of a sudden.
I had forgotten we were in public. I sighed, and turned around to check on my parents. My mother was a good foot away, but the knowing smile she was sending our way was a little suspicious. Even my father, who was in his wheelchair, made a movement I knew was a wave. Jessica was nowhere to be found.
"What was that all about?" I asked, glancing at Edward in confusion. There was something dubious in my mother not hovering over Edward and me.
"Nothing," he answered, his tone told me he was hiding something.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just shrugged, ushering me toward my parents.
I would eventually get it out of him. I know I would.
One more chapter to go, peeps.
Thank you for reading!
P.S. I have a new story posted - The Anthem of the Swan. (Rockerward) It's an angsty fic, not like this one. You might want to check it out.
xoxo