A/N- Sorry this chapter took so long to get out everyone. School has been very consuming these last few weeks and the server has been down for almost three days! I wrote this on Saturday but I wasn't able to upload it until today. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it and I will try and get the next chapter out sooner!
Disclaimer: It pretty much spells it out right there....
Chapter 8: Just what the Doctor Ordered
EPOV:
"Well Bella. Your test results are in and you have Thrombocytopenia."
"What?" Bella asked confused, her hand gripping mine tighter. I squeezed back smiling in relief.
"It's a blood disorder where your bone marrow doesn't produce enough platelets to clot your blood quickly enough. That why when you cut your leg there was so much blood. It also explains how easily you bruise." Carlisle answered calmly relief emanating from every pore of his being. My smile widened as I squeezed Bella's hand again, leaning in to kiss her on her beautiful lips enthusiastically. She was dazed by my response, so I smiled and leaned back.
"It's alright love! This is a good thing; it's very simple to take care of. Do you remember back in Phoenix when you had lost so much blood?" I told her, looking deep into her eyes to try and "dazzle away" her worries.
"Yes…" she said softly.
"Well, the doctors had to give you transfusions of blood to stabilize you. So now you are just going to be having them on a regular basis to keep your platelet level up." I explained in a level tone. I had to work to keep it that way, as I remembered how the transfusions had made my Bella smell. I shook my head; Bella tilted her head at me.
"What's wrong, Edward? Is there something you aren't telling me?" She asked nervously
"No love, everything is fine. I'm just so relieved that you are going to be ok!" I smiled at the end, my voice finally reflecting the level of enthusiasm I had felt when I first heard the news in Carlisle's mind. He smiled at me.
"I told you everything would be fine." Alice said condescendingly.
"You weren't so sanguine this morning." I reminded her, rolling my eyes, but never taking them off Bella. She was finally starting to relax, the worry lines in her brow lessening. I reached out and gently smoothed the last of them away; I felt her soften under my touch and smiled. I kissed her forehead, taking her in my arms.
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too." She turned to Carlisle. "Thank you so much, Carlisle." She walked over and hugged Carlisle with enthusiasm. I smiled enjoying seeing my love and my family get along so well. I gave Alice a high five and wrapped my arm securely around Bella's waist.
"Thank you so much, Carlisle, Alice. I think I'll take Bella home now. Can you talk to Charlie, please? We'll see you at the house later." Carlisle and Alice nodded. I pulled Bella out of the room quickly, excited to have some time for just us under happy circumstances. I smiled at the thought and grabbed Bella up in my arms to get us to the car all that quicker. I placed her in the passenger seat and secured her seat belt, running around the car to get in the driver's side.
"Do we have to go home?" My love pleaded. How could I refuse her when she pleaded like that?
"Not right now... Did you have another place in mind?" I asked curiously.
"I want to go to our meadow" she said enthusiastically, grabbing my hand and holding it to her cheek. I smiled
"Of course, love." I stepped on the gas and laughed out loud when Bella gasped and dropped my hand grabbing the sides of her seat. I loosened her death grip on the seat, bringing it to my lips; sampling the bouquet while resisting the wine, as I had once put it. I let up on the gas pedal a little bit, and sighed as Bella relaxed.
"Of all the things about me that could frighten you and you are scared by a little speed." She just glared at me, but squeezed my hand tighter, eyes widening as I revved the engine again. I smiled and turned my eyes back to the road however unnecessary it was. No matter how I wished it to be so, my self control was not perfect. I had to be careful, always careful around my love. I sighed and Bella turned toward me, her forehead creasing. "Love..." I whispered, stroking her cheek reassuringly. I slowed the car to a stop and leaned in to kiss her neck. I kissed up and down her neck, across her jaw, finally her lips. She relaxed almost immediately and I never wanted this moment to end. It always had to though, and as I felt Bella's hands move to my hair I slowly pulled away, kissing her palm to reassure her. She smiled sheepishly and I chuckled softly.
I ran around the car at vampire speed, and opened the door, helping Bella out with one hand. I lifted her to my back, allowing her to wrap her legs and arms around me securely before taking off towards our meadow. How exhilarating it was to run! I was so happy that Bella could now share this happiness with me, rather than the sickness it had first inspired. We reached the meadow in just a matter of seconds. It only took a second to disengage her arms and legs from me. I cradled her in my arms, and lay down in the center of the meadow. We just stared at each other for awhile, reveling in the moment of peace.
"What are we going to do now?" Bella whispered to me as the sun started to go down. "Not about this thrombo-whatever, I guess I can deal with" she gulped "transfusions every so often. "Do we need to go to my house to talk to Charlie, or can we just head straight over to your house for the rest of the day?"
"Well." I started thinking it through a moment. "Carlisle said that he would speak to Charlie, so I would think it would be ok for us to head straight over to my house. Today starts Emmett's punishment." I reminded her, smiling at the thought.
"Yes!!!" Bella bubbled with excitement. How I loved to see my angel happy. I smiled crookedly and laughed with her, standing up and swinging her round and round. When I stopped she started to fall over, so I scooped her up in my arms and kissed her on the lips vigorously but briefly.
"Are you ready to go then?" I asked happily raising my eyebrow.
"Yes, of course! I can't wait to see Emmett's face!" I laughed at how excited she was. I had never seen Bella so happy. It made me burst with pride, so much that I leaned down and pressed my lips to her as hard as I could without hurting her. She responded with close to the same level of enthusiasm (her human mind wasn't capable of this level of emotion. It would break her fragile body). This thrilled me beyond reason, but I exulted in the moment, once again pulling away slightly when her fingers braided into my hair. I held her out from my body slightly, staring into her eyes and sighing at the beauty I saw there. I kissed her forehead stroking my fingers along her cheek.
Then I swung her gently to my back, waiting only a few second for her to get a grip on me. I took off like a bullet out of a gun, reveling in the feelings; the feeling of the wind in the hair, the ground speeding away under my feet, the warmth of Bella's body against mine, her breath on my neck. They were the best feelings I could imagine, I never wanted them to end. All too soon we were back at my car. I strapped her in the passenger seat, and ran around to the driver's side, climbing in agilely. I smiled at Bella as I stepped on the gas; she rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand. I chuckled and kissed her hand, letting up on the gas a little bit. I wanted to extend every bit of time I had with her, and this was no exception. She smiled wider as she watched the speedometer go down.
Alice and Jasper were waiting for us on the front porch steps, they both looked excited and happy though Jaspers thoughts were slightly excited, seeing as his punishment was also about to start now that Bella was here. I laughed silently as I ran around the car to grab Bella out again.
"Hey, you two!" Alice chimed at us.
"Congratulations, Bella. I'm very happy to hear that you are ok." Jasper said in a gentlemanly fashion. I raised my eyebrow at him and he nodded. Alice dragged Jasper out to meet us, hugging Bella enthusiastically and then eyeing Jasper meaningfully. Jasper stepped forward and hugged Bella lightly; a brotherly hug was what he was thinking. I laughed quietly, wrapping my arms around Bella's waist, directing her towards the house.
"Are they ready to start?" I asked Alice.
"Not quite. But Bella and I have time to get Jasper dressed!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands. Bella and I both laughed, Jasper smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, shaking it in denial.
"Oh good! I almost forgot about that." Bella said in disbelief. I laughed and kissed her neck, I loved watching her expressions. Alice took Bella's hand, and gave me the look. I reluctantly released my love watching as my favorite sister carried her upstairs to torture Jasper. Jasper gave me a last pleading look; I shook my head without once ounce of regret. He sighed and followed Alice quickly up the stairs. I laughed and then strode into the front room.
"Good afternoon, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie." I said, nodding to each in turn.
"Hello Edward" Carlisle said, smiling at my expression, his earlier relief still in full swing.
"Hello dear. I'm so glad to hear the good news." Esme said sweetly embracing me lovingly before stepping back to Carlisle's side.
"Edward." Rosalie said, nodding. Her thoughts conveyed only slightly more emotion. There was an excited edge to her thoughts, and I could hear the slight relief at the news of Bella's test results. I smiled and nodded at her. Then I sat at my piano and played quietly, until Bella, Jasper and Alice came down the stairs...
BPOV:
Alice had dragged me upstairs, Jasper coming up behind us momentarily.
"So Bella, we only have seven days, we have to make the most of this opportunity and hope that our fashion sense will rub off on him" I snorted at her emphasis on the word "our". We both knew that she was the only one with true fashion sense and would have the final say on Jasper's outfit.
"What do you have in mind Alice?" I asked patiently.
"Well... As I said we have to make the most of this... So I've planned four outfits per day."
"FOUR!!!!!" Jasper practically yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Yes, four." Alice said calmly glaring rays of death at her true love. He quickly calmed down, flattening his hands to his side, almost standing at attention. I had to laugh... It was just so funny the effect that Alice had on him. I had always thought of Jasper as the most frightening of the Cullen's, so it was truly something for someone to affect him so. Alice smiled at me, and then swiftly glared at Jasper again. She danced to her desk and picked up a large stack of paper.
"I have made a plan for the next seven days, detailing every part of the outfits, down to the hair and make-up."
"Make-up?" Jasper asked quietly horrified. Alice snarled at him, but even I was slightly confused at this part.
"Trust me Bella." She said slightly aggravated, catching sight of my expression.
"I do." I said earnestly. How could I not trust her fashion sense?
"Oh good, let's get to work then. Here's this morning's outfit." She said excitedly handing me the first three pages from the stack. It read: dark wash jeans, black button up shirt (collar flipped up), silver Rolex, leather thong bracelet with "I love Alice" charm (I snorted when I read that), but I was surprised to see make-up: Bella's choice, and hair: Bella's choice.
"Wow…." That's all I could say.
"Well, what do you think?" Alice asked anxiously, leaning toward me on her tiptoes.
"I really get to choose his make-up and hair?" I asked suspiciously.
"Yes of course!" Alice said in relief. "Let's get started!" she pushed Jasper into their closet and came out 2 seconds later, Jasper dressed, a martyred look on his face. "You turn, Bella." She chimed at me. I rubbed my hands together in anticipation and Alice laughed musically.
"I think Jasper needs a lime green Mohawk, some red blush, some black lipstick, and—,"
"Wait Bella, I'll do the Mohawk, you deserve retribution, and Jazz looks good with blush, but I draw the line there, no black lipstick! My man is not a Goth!" Alice was vehement. I stumbled back a step.
"Ok... I'm sorry." I whispered. She pulled Jasper into the bathroom, smiling lightly at me. They came out five minutes later, Jasper styling a lime green Mohawk, and some light blush. I giggled and walked over to hug them.
"Thanks guys!"
"Let's get downstairs to start Emmett's punishment." Alice quickly said, pulling both me and Jasper down the stairs. I saw Edward at the piano, and herd my lullaby. I teared up, frozen at the base of the stairs as I saw my angel turn to look at me.
EPOV:
I turned at the sound of Jaspers degraded thoughts, but my eyes saw only my love. My Bella, frozen with emotion at the stairs, tears glistening in her eyes. Agony swelled through every part of my being, I ran as quickly as possible to her, scooping her up in my arms, and anxiously stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead repeatedly.
"What's wrong, love?" I pleaded anxiously.
"It just so beautiful, Edward," She said through teary eyes. I kissed her head in relief, smiling crookedly. Thank goodness, I prayed silently. I sat us down on the couch, still stroking my loves' cheek. I looked away from her eyes for just a second, to see the rest of my family looking at the stairs. I followed their gaze to see Emmett, head hung, escorted by a gleeful Rosalie down the stairs. My smile widened. Bella, catching my excitement, looked towards the stairs just as they reached the end of it. She smiled back at me.
We all stood up as Emmett and Rosalie entered the room. Alice had placed a chair in the center of the room, Rosalie placed Emmett in that chair, and then we all sat on respective couches.
"Now that the whole family is assembled, under good circumstances," Carlisle began. "It is time for Emmett to start his punishments. Rosalie?" Rosalie walked five feet away and drew an imaginary line. "Bella? Are you hungry?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"Um... sure." Bella said, slightly confused.
"What would you like, love? Emmett will cook to order anything you like." Her face brightened as my reminder sunk in.
"I think Lasagna sounds really good." She said excitedly.
"Emmett?" I prompted. He rose from his chair and walked sullenly to the kitchen.
"Alice, Jasper? Please supervise" Carlisle asked. They nodded and rose from the loveseat, heading to the kitchen.
"Well love, what would you like to do while we wait?" I asked.
"Will you play for me?" My angel asked me, snuggling into my chest. I didn't understand, so I put my hand under her cheek and pulled it up so that I could read her face. All I saw was genuine want in her face. My brow furrowed as I carried her to the piano. I sat her in my lap and started playing her lullaby. She stroked my cheek with her warm soft hand. I could sense her worry, but I was too occupied by the curiosity her reaction earlier had brought about in me. I turned to her as I began Esme's favorite.
"Tell me what you're thinking please." I asked quietly, purposefully smoldering my eyes. Her eyes glazed over and she leaned into my side. I stopped playing to put an arm around her; I didn't want her falling off the bench.
"Order up," Emmett called from the kitchen. I picked Bella up again, running her into the dining room and placing her in a chair at the table. Alice set up the service, and Emmett brought in a steaming plate of lasagna. I crinkled my nose at the smell, but I could see that it made Bella happy so I tried to smile. She ate it with transparent pleasure, causing me to smile widely. When she was done Emmett took the plate, smiling slightly at Bella.
"Emmett is at your disposal, Bella. What would you like to do?" I prompted.
"Well..." Bella said catching my mood immediately. "He's at Jacob disposal, too," my eyes hardened slightly at the mention of the mutt. "I think we should let him know about his prize!" She giggled at the end, tracing my shirt with her hand until she found the pocket with my phone in it. She dialed quickly and invited Jacob over. I smiled as Bella defended Emmett when Jacob called him a bloodsucker. I played with her hair for the rest of the conversation.
"Well, obviously Jacob can't come here, so we're going to meet at my house in an hour." She told me. I nodded, glancing at Emmett.
"Emmett, why don't you go change into your maid costume" I suggested wryly. He shrugged heading for the stairs. "Alice, would you be so kind as to assist him?" I asked her. Bella giggled as Alice danced up the stairs behind him. I stared into Bella's eyes, watching the excitement play out in her eyes. Her eyes glazed silently and she leaned into me. I smiled, lost in her eyes... Then Alice was tapping me on the shoulder.
"We're ready, Edward!" she chimed at me. I laughed, grabbing Bella about the waist, and leading her to my car. Alice and Emmett got in the backseat. I drove at a reasonable speed to Bella's house, excited and disgusted at the thought of the following events ran through my head. When we arrived Jacob hadn't yet and I was relieved slightly. I ran around at human speed to get Bella out of the car, and we all walked into Bella's house. Charlie was on the couch.
"Hey kids! Oh wow... Hi Alice! And, ummm, Emmett. How was your day?"
"It was fine, dad" Bella answered quickly steering us toward the kitchen.
"It was interesting, Charlie. I trust Carlisle got a hold of you?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes he did, thank you, Edward. Your father is a great man; I owe him Bella many times over." Charlie said with genuine appreciation. I nodded and then followed Bella into the kitchen. We had all sat down, when I heard the roar of Jacobs car, and sighed. Bella looked up at me in confusion. Then understanding washed over her face, and she blushed.
"Jacobs here..." she said quietly. The doorbell rang and we all got up slowly to answer the door.
"Hey, Bells!" Jacob greeted my love excitedly. "Le—Cullens" Jacob stared to say catching himself. "Now what shall we do?" he contemplated, grinning mischievously. I snarled as his thoughts registered in my mind...
Duh-Duh-Dun!!!!
A/N- Well, wow that's a long chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! And yes there will be more on Bella's blood disorder no worries. I just wanted to make sure that part of Emmett's punishment got in this chapter since you all have been so patient. So let's hear some review!!! I hope to get the next chapter out quicker than these last two have come out. Thanks!! – My Vampire Sparkles