"Bella how are you holding up?" Dr. Cullen asked her, she was on her way back to her room when she saw Carlisle in the hall. She clutched her book closer to her chest.
"Yeah I'm okay," Bella's crackly voice didn't get any better. Carlisle nodded and began to walk away when he got paged.
"I think Charlie is here," Carlisle told her, he must be friends to be on first name base with the chief of police but considering it was Forks the fact that everyone knows each other didn't surprise Bella. As she wandered to her room she found that Dr. Cullen was right, Charlie was sitting in the sofa chair, texting to someone.
"Hey Bella, I brought my lunch so we could eat together," Bella smiled at her father's cute actions. She glanced at the hospital food, which wasn't as bad as the ones she saw in Florida, and she sat down on the opposite chair. The silent ate together and these were one of the moments Bella could appreciate how much she was like her father. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence with mindless chatter like her mother does, he liked silence. "How was your first morning here in Forks?" Charlie questioned one they both finished eating.
"Yeah it was okay, I checked out the library and they had a couple books I am interested in. I also saw Alice?" She said wondering if her dad happened to know the chirpy girl.
"Ah, Alice Brandon? The little hyper kid of Forks Hospital. Tragic story she has," Bella knew her dad wasn't much of the one to gossip but for once she wished he was. Of course he stayed silent. "Have you met any of the other inpatient kids?" Charlie questioned, Bella shook her head now curious how many of them were here. "There is Alice who you have met, Emmett McCarty the troublemaker of the hospital, I've had to regularly give him talking-tos. Jasper Whitlock is a gentlemen, never had trouble with that boy. Rosalie while not the nicest person ever does have a tragic story and lastly Edward Cullen who despite growing up around here I've never really got to know him, quiet kid," Despite knowing all their names Bella wanted to know their medical stories. She had so many questions but didn't want to be rude. Like why was Alice here?
"Don't you have to be getting to work dad?" Bella glanced at the clock, Charlie looked up and began packing up his gear.
"I'll see you tonight Bells if I can," Bella smiled at his childhood nickname for her as he left her room. Bella had to swallow a couple of pills that was prescribed to her and take a couple puffs of her inhaler. She then curled up on the chair and began reading again. She had nearly read half the book already but considering she almost knew it by heart it wasn't surprising to her.
"I got wind that a new kid enter my domain," A large boy stood leaning against the door frame. He was huge, with lots of muscle for a sick boy, his face is kid-like but Bella knew exactly which boy this one is.
"Nice to meet you too Emmett," Bella snapped her book and smirked at his confused expression at her knowing his name. "My father was just telling me about you. Chief of Police Charlie Swan? I'm his daughter Bella Swan," Bella was surprised at herself.
"Ah, Charlie and I are well acquainted," Emmett chuckled a little. "May I enter, fair maiden?" Bella blushed at his comment but nodded anyway. He came and sat across from her, his steps slower than she imagined, maybe he was sicker than he came across. "Enlarged heart, too much sports. You know? What brought you here?"
"Cystic Fibrosis," Bella told him, he nodded and Bella gave off a couple coughs. She took a breath of the inhaler and only then did she see Emmett's heart monitor, they all had proof of their illnesses. "Did Alice tell you about me?" Bella asked the older boy, or she assumed older.
"Maybe, or maybe I'm a good spy," Emmett winked. "Have you figured out what little shrimpo Alice has?" Bella wondered did Emmett ever stop joking around.
"I'll take a guess at Eating Disorder but I never asked," Bella admitted, Emmett nodded, his face suddenly serious.
"Good thing you didn't ask, she doesn't take kindly to people asking," After the serious moment Emmett was back to joking. "My main man Jasper's in PT but you'll see him eventually, he is the one that tends to the garden in his freetime, you can ask him why,"
"How long have you been here?" Bella finally asks Emmett, he smiles a little more.
"In and out, my heart used to be able to work well enough when I was a kid, then when I was a young teen I needed heart valve replacement surgery. Now we are waiting on a heart, this time I've been here for about two months. What about your hospital adventures?"
"The doctor in Florida was nothing like Dr. Cullen. He ignored my requests for stronger medication, I was rarely an inpatient there at most 2 weeks at a time," Bella told him, his phone went off then.
"Now it's my PT time, see you around Swan," Emmett announced as he left her room. She was left alone for awhile and she soon resumed back to her book.
"Bella?" Carlisle knocked at the teenagers doorframe. She looked up from her book, her face confused. "Your last CT scan was six months so I set one up. Is that okay?" Bella nodded and stood to get changed into the stupid hospital gown. Walking across the hospital trailing Dr. Cullen in the revealing gown, isn't Bella's definition of comfortable. As they both passed the window that led to the garden she saw was she assumed was Jasper Whitlock, a blonde head of hair but a body held up by crutches. The two of them wandered towards the CT room. "How was your day so far?" Carlisle questioned her.
"I checked out the library," Bella told him simply and he smiled.
"Maybe you saw my son, that's normally where he hangs out," Bella shook her head but now was confused on who Dr. Cullen's son was. "Oh I heard you got a visit from Mr, McCarty," Carlisle chuckled, Bella laughed a little too.
"Yeah, he was a bit forward, very nice though," Bella commented to the Doctor.
"His enlarged heart comes out in his personality and his cheekiness, that kid has caused me so much trouble," Carlisle laughed, they entered the CT room and Bella laid on the cold table, she never really minded the scans but they always took way longer than they had to, like just take a picture of her non-functioning lungs and get out of there.
"Okay stay still Bella," Carlisle told her, they waited as the machine did it's thing. She hated it but soon it was done and she was allowed out. The two of them headed back to her room and Carlisle checked the medication she was on once again. "Seriously Bella, if you find anything wrong with the medication or the treatment just ask me please. It's your treatment and I don't want you to be worried over it," Dr. Cullen told her, she smiled at his kindness but kept quiet. "I'll see you around, try to make friends with the other kids, they are always looking for people to bother," Carlisle joked as he left the room.
Bella was left alone and she listened to what Carlisle said and wandered out towards the garden where she hoped Jasper might be. As she walked out there was no sign of Emmett or Alice, or anyone other than nurses. As she got to the door of the garden, she could still see the blonde hair there, he seemed to be watering the flowers. As she opened the door he turned to face her but he gestured for her to enter.
"I'm assuming you're Jasper," Bella commented and the boy nodded.
"I'm assuming you're Bella Swan then," Jasper spoke after a pause, his voice slow and his texan accent quite obvious. He continued his work and didn't say much. Bella wondered in the moment how a boy like this could be friends with Emmett. "Osteosarcoma, what about you?" Despite being vague Bella could understand him.
"Cystic Fibrosis," Bella commented but she fingered the pretty flowers that Jasper was tending to. "Why do you take care of the garden?" There was silence and Bella worried she said something that offended him.
"It reminds me of home," Jasper said quietly, Bella presumed he meant Texas.
"How long have you stayed here?" Bella finally asked him after minutes of silence between them. He paused his movements.
"Too long," He simple answered, then Bella felt bad. This was their lives, shaped by their illnesses and changed by doctors. "Physical Therapy sucks, my leg hurts and my body aches from trying to hard," Jasper openly told her, she wondered why he told her. "We might be shaped by our illnesses, but it doesn't define us. Well in a physical way because I don't have a leg but it's me who picks how I react to it and how I pick myself up," She knew he was the quiet intelligent type. "We have dinner now but tomorrow morning you should join us for some fake school, it's causal and no scrubs allowed so.." Jasper politely invited her.
"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow then," Bella stared off as he left the garden, Bella then entered back into the hospitals and back towards her room.
(Thanks for reading another chapter guys! Leave a review or a PM if you have questions)
~ Isabele A Harts