My Hero

Chapter Twenty Two

Bella's POV

I didn't really know what I had been so worried about; everybody was so incredibly welcoming that I immediately felt really comfortable. Carlisle introduced me to everyone and they all actually seemed genuinely pleased with me being there; they were like my new family. Especially with Emmett; he was like an annoying little brother. In a good way, I suppose.

They led me indoors and watched with amused faces as I marvelled at the interior. Everything was just so big. I'd never experienced anything like this in my life; I was used to living in dingy, small houses and living with the bare essentials.

My mouth remained in a little O shape, until Carlisle snapped me out of my trance by waving his hand in front of my face. I smiled and looked around at the groups of people standing by me. They seemed expectant, so I mumbled something about the house being lovely. They all smiled at me.

"You must be very rich to afford all of this," I breathed, still staring. "I didn't know the hospital paid wages that high," I said to Carlisle, "Unless you're getting special bonuses or something."

I saw Carlisle exchange a look with Edward, who seemed to be concentrating very hard at something and was frowning in my direction. Carlisle then glanced towards me.

"Well, there are some bonuses from the job," he admitted and I heard Emmett splutter. I looked towards him and saw him visibly shaking with laughter, so I gave him an annoyed look.

"I'm sorry C-Carlisle," he laughed. "You're just so cheesy sometimes."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow, while Rosalie nudged Emmett in the ribs with quite some force. I winced for him.

"Anyway, Bella," a quiet voice suddenly murmured and I saw Esme, Carlisle's ex-wife, looking towards me. I immediately felt a surge of worry; I was surprised that she hadn't attacked me with something yet. Then again, she didn't seem like the jealous type during the time of my scan. The memory caught me by surprise but I held back the pain.

"How are you feeling?" She hesitated before adding, "Carlisle told us what happened. I'm really so sorry, Bella. No one should have to deal with that."

I smiled at her kindness and whispered, "I'm... I'm fine. Thank you."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Emmett loudly clapped his hands together and grinned at me. The menacingly crazy look in his eyes scared me, but I told myself that I was just imagining it. At least I hoped I was...

"Wanna watch us playing some ball, Bella?" he asked, and I peeked at Carlisle for help; he simply shrugged.

"Please define 'ball' for me, Emmett?" I replied warily.

"Well... it's round, it bounces.." he said mockingly and I waved an arm at him.

"Ha ha, very funny," I grumbled, a grin making its way onto my face. "You know what I meant."

He smirked "Yeah, I meant..."

"Emmett," Carlisle intervened, "I think it's best if Bella has some food and a rest first, before you unleash yourself on her."

I laughed at his words, yet was still eternally grateful. Thinking about it, I did feel exceptionally tired.

"Do we actually have a bed for Bella, though?" Emmett asked, causing another frown to appear on my forehead. If this carried on, I was going to need some serious wrinkle cream. Or even some botox, knowing Emmett.

Edward suddenly laughed and everybody turned towards him, including myself. He shook his head and spluttered, "Sorry, carry on." I saw Rosalie roll her beautiful eyes at him and Edward stared back innocently.

"You really shouldn't be so nosey, Edward," she scalded, then muttered something quiet which I couldn't hear.

"I couldn't help it," I caught him replying, before adding, "It's a horrible thing, though, jealousy."

"You think I'm jealous... of you?" she snorted. "Have you seen what I look like?" Her hands shot to her immaculate hair.

"Yes," Edward replied scornfully. "I see you in every single mirror in the house, several times a day."

Jasper suddenly cleared his throat and murmured, "In case you'd both forgotten, we have a visitor..."

They both glanced towards me and smiled apologetically. Rosalie muttered, "Sorry. Sometimes I can't control the way in which I speak to Edward, what with him being an annoying piece of..."

Esme cleared her throat and I grinned at the look on Carlisle's face.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he sighed, shaking his head. "They can be a little immature sometimes. You wouldn't think they were teenagers." His eyes flickered towards them and I smiled in response.

"Anyway," Carlisle continued, sounding a little exhausted. "Where were we?"

"You were talking about taking Bella to bed," Emmett replied.

I felt my cheeks blazing from the sudden heat and wanted to place my head in my hands. I could see that he was laughing again and would quite happily hit him across the face if he didn't look so strong. I peeked up at Carlisle who was staring at Emmett in disbelief.

"I... I..." he stuttered, shaking his head, and I couldn't help smiling; he was so adorable when he stammered. "Bella?" he said, turning towards me. "Are... are you hungry?"

I heard snorts from Emmett and Edward and glared playfully at them again. Something told me that living here was going to be very embarrassing at times.

"Um... no, I'm alright at the moment, thank you," I replied. "But I'm quite tired," I added, peeking at Emmett. "Dealing with him is very hard work."

He responded with a cheeky wink.

"Yes," Carlisle murmured. "I know the feeling." The tone of his voice gave the impression that he had suffered several similar experiences before involving Emmett. I felt pity towards him, but knew he wasn't taking it all too seriously.

"I've put away all of your stuff in your new room, Bella," Alice suddenly said, skipping by my side. "I think it will be perfect for you."

I smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you." I wasn't even going to ask how she had got into my house.

After wishing the others goodbye, Carlisle led me towards the bedroom, and I felt a strange surge of anticipation in my stomach. Perhaps I shouldn't have worded it in quite that way...

Carlisle's POV

"Well this looks... cosy," Bella commented, as I led her towards the room Alice had set up just hours earlier.

I closed the door behind us and smiled. "Yes, we all want to make you feel at home."

She sat down on the large bed, placing her crutches beside her, and stared around in what could only be described as awe. I took a seat beside her and we sat in silence. I started listening to her steady breathing as she continued looking in interest. Alice had found several cupboards for Bella's belongings, but there were still many bookcases around the room which she was marvelling at. I eventually followed her gaze to a book which was lying open on the desk.

"Ah yes," I smiled, and she turned to stare at me curiously. "That book is one of my favourites."

I reached to pick up the book, flicking absently through the pages. "I think I've read it nearly a hundred times."

She laughed, such a beautiful sound that was rare nowadays.

"It's my favourite book, too," she said quietly. "My copy's incredibly battered from how many times I've read it."

She smiled to herself and I placed the book back on the desk. There was another short silence, but Bella soon spoke.

"Is this your study or something?" she asked and I nodded.

"I hardly ever use it, so we decided to let you sleep in here. Alice was busy moving a few things around earlier." I explained, hastily adding, "If that's alright with you... is it comfortable enough? I-"

"It's perfect," she answered. "More than I could have asked for. Thank you."

There was suddenly a very loud noise from downstairs and I could distinctly hear the voices of Rosalie and Edward. I groaned; why couldn't they ever behave?

"What was that?" Bella asked with wide eyes and I just shook my head.

"Probably Rosalie and Edward," I sighed. "Most of the time I find it's best not to ask."

She smiled but I recognised the worried look which soon made it's way onto her face. I waited patiently for her to speak.

"Do... do they really want me here?" she asked. "It's just... within ten minutes of me being here, there was an argument..."

"Bella, don't worry about it. They are all very excited to have you here. And those two always argue, anyway. That argument was nothing compared to before..." I sighed. "Rosalie has taken a dislike to Edward ever since she lost her make up to him during a bet."

"What does he want her make up for?" she asked and I grinned.

"I'm hoping that it was just to make Rosalie exceptionally angry," I began. "But if you see Edward sneakily putting on some lipstick, please feel free to inform me."

She laughed. "I'll keep a look out. What was the bet about, anyway?"

"Rosalie thought that she could beat Edward at chess," I said, smiling at the memory. "She was soon proved wrong."

"And how long ago was this?" Bella persisted and I replied, "About six months ago."

"Gosh, she can hold a grudge for quite some time," she commented and I nodded. "It's best to stay in Rosalie's good books." She looked temporarily worried before I said, "But she likes you, though. Don't worry."

She exhaled with relief. We sat smiling for a while, before I broke the silence.

"Are you settling in here, then?" I asked. "Does it seem alright for you?"

"I'm extremely grateful for all of this Carlisle, and... and I'm really enjoying myself," she grinned.

"Good," I grinned back, standing up now. "Just tell me whenever anything's wrong."

"I will," she replied quietly, and I stood by the door.

"Will you be alright in here?" I asked once more, hovering and reluctant to leave.

"Carlisle, please don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Thank you."

I took one last look at her and closed the door behind me. I couldn't exactly follow her wishes; I was already worrying about her every second of the day, wondering how bad her suffering was after going through what she had.

As I made my way down the stairs I saw Edward idling down the bottom and he turned as I approached him. He looked at me warily and I smiled.

"Is Bella alright?" he asked and I nodded.

"Carlisle," he murmured quietly, "Try not to worry about her too much. Her thoughts were telling me that she's very comfortable here. She's actually finding it rather amusing at times. And, now I think about it, she didn't really spend too much time thinking about her past. I think she's trying desperately to move on and enjoy herself."

I smiled faintly. "That's good to know. Thank you, son."

He returned the smile. "She will be fine with us, Carlisle, I think she's incredibly happy." He turned to join the others, but murmured, "And, she's very fond of you."

He left me with a wink and I followed to speak to the others, trying not to think too hard about his last comment.

Bella's POV

I was so overwhelmed by everyone's kindness that, once Carlisle had left the room, I shed a few silent tears of gratitude. My new life was really beginning here... and I couldn't wait.

I closed my eyes with this thought in my head and slept peacefully for the first time in months.

As I slowly opened my eyes the next morning, I was surprised to see a small figure sitting on the edge of my bed. When my eyes eventually focused, I realised that it was Alice, and slowly sat up, smiling at her.

"Morning Bella," she chanted. "How are you feeling?"

I stretched my arms, hearing my joints cracking. "I feel really good actually. This bed is so comfortable."

She looked smug. "I picked it out myself. I have high standards." She twiddled her thumbs for a moment before bouncing towards me. "Now, I got a little carried away while sorting out the room and decided to purchase some new clothes for you... if that's alright?"

I stared at her; how could I possibly object? She didn't give me a chance, though, because she gently pulled me by the arm and sat me on the edge of the bed, being careful with my broken leg. She showed me a large wardrobe and slowly opened the doors, revealing hundreds of perfectly arranged outfits, ready for me to wear. I stood there silently, taking all this in.

"Alice..." I breathed. "This... these are expensive! Why..."

She held up her tiny hand. "Please, Bella, it's really fine. Besides, after what you've been through, you deserve it."

I smiled slightly, staring at my bare feet.

"Now," she declared, "let's see what we can do..."

Carlisle handed me a bowl of cereal a few minutes later and commented on my new clothes, which consisted of a tight dark blue jumper and black jeans.

"You look wonderful, Bella," he smiled and I thanked him, stunned at Alice's ability to choose clothes. I'd never worn anything this nice in my life.

"All courtesy of Alice," I grinned. "But is she going to be my own personal alarm clock every single day?"

Carlisle looked confused so I explained.

"I was woken this morning by her and forced out of my bed to change into these clothes," I told him and he chuckled.

"Not that I'm complaining," I hastily added as Alice walked into the room, looking suspiciously like she had just heard my entire conversation. She grinned, grabbing some toast and skipping out of the room. I proceeded to finish my cereal, shaking my head. These people amazed me.

2 months later

As the time passed by without me really noticed it, I was surprised when Carlisle told me that I could remove the cast on my leg.

"It should be completely healed now," he smiled. "Does it hurt anymore?"

I shook my head. "I'd forgotten it was broken, to be honest."

He chuckled and began gently sorting me out. I tried not to shiver everytime his fingers brushed on my bare skin.

I slowly stood up and walked across the room, exceptionally pleased that I could walk without assistance. My life seemed to be slowly getting better and better.

"So..." Emmett spoke, looking around at everyone who was seated in the lounge. "What are we doing today?"

I immediately felt a sense of worry, though it quickly vanished to be replaced by a wave of calm. I looked around the room and Jasper smiled at me for some reason. I returned it politely.

"I think," Alice began, standing up, "we should play baseball."

I widened my eyes in alarm. The very thought of me handling a baseball bat seemed to point towards disaster. Everyone's eyes seemed to land on mine and my cheeks painted with colour.

"Um... well... I... I haven't actually played that," I shrugged, trying to dissuade them. "Maybe s-something else?"

Edward intervened rather loudly, much to my relief. "Yes, I don't think we should play baseball today. How about bowling?"

My face lit up; bowling was just about my favourite sport and I couldn't honestly remember the last time I'd been. Carlisle noticed my happiness and smiled widely.

"Bowling it is."