Love In A Bubble Chapter 2

EPOV

The Chief and I stare at the overhead TV without really watching. I side-glance in his direction, as he sits to my right in a beige padded chair with his feet on a stool. His Forks Police jacket hangs over the back. He crosses his arms and sighs, then confesses, "You know, in all my forty-six years, I've enjoyed watching baseball. This is the first game I don't give a rat's ass about."

I grin. "Guess we're in the same mindset, Chief. I can't seem to concentrate."

He gets up and paces in front of my bed. "I just don't know what's taking so long. She's been in surgery for hours."

"Dad had mentioned earlier that there was some internal bleeding. I'm sure they will thoroughly explore any and all obstructions," I answer.

"Bella's a strong girl for a petite person. She's all of five-foot-two," He chuckles. "And unfortunately, she inherited my stubbornness. She's every bit a fighter."

"Then, concentrate on that. This is a walk in the park for her." I smile, trying to believe my own bullshit.

Silence.

"Tell me about her," I quietly request.

He turns the chair to face my direction and sits with his elbows on his knees. "Bella's mother and I were divorced when she was ten; not a conventional parting. Renee hated Forks, 'the one-horse-town' she called it. Finally, when Bella was two, she said she was taking Bella and moving to San Francisco. That lasted all of two years. She came back to Forks to live with her mother." He shakes his head and groans. "Bella was only four and already so grown up. She understood about paying bills. "If you don't pay them on time, the electricity and water get shut off."

I nod. "I take it Renee wasn't great with responsibility?"

He chuckles. "Renee was the creative type. She went from one thing to the next and didn't go by rules and regulations. She'd follow a recipe, give up halfway and wing it." He tilts his head. "We ate at the diner a lot."

We laugh.

His face falls. "Bella was barely five when Renee took off. No word. Nothing. She took everything she owned and left."

"Didn't even say, 'goodbye.'"

I stare at him.

"Bella was heartbroken. Marie, her grandmother, did everything to help Bella get through it all. But how do you explain to a five-year-old that her mother didn't care about anyone but herself? She cried herself to sleep every night."

"What about you, Chief?" I ask.

"I waited the necessary time and legally got my divorce on grounds of desertion. The court awarded me full custody of Bella, but Marie was her caretaker. She was a great nurturer. I was lucky to have her, and we had a great arrangement until Marie's sister became ill and needed her help. She moved to Tallahassee and took Bella with her."

I nod. "You couldn't take care of her alone."

"I didn't trust anyone to watch her while I was at work. Every three months, I went to Florida for a long weekend. We talked every night whether I was home or at the station," he explains. "I didn't want her to feel I was leaving her, too."

I rub my neck. "That's a tough situation."

"Bella, finally came to live with me her junior year of high school. Marie had passed away in her sleep," he sadly conveys. "Bella showed up right after you went away to college."

I realize. "Ah, that's why we never met."

"So, what about you, Edward?" he asks.

"I went to UW for two years. You know that from Mom and Dad. I transferred to Juilliard when I figured out I wanted to go the music route. After I had graduated, I stayed in New York for a year and played small clubs with a friend. Wasn't me. I missed my family and Mom's cooking. So, I moved to Seattle thinking I could commute. Somehow, I needed to come home, Chief. I was just drawn back to Forks for some reason." I shrug. "You remember Jasper Whitlock?"

"Weren't you two thick as thieves in high school? Always had a guitar around his neck?" the Chief huffs.

"Yeah, he went to New York with me."

"Juilliard?" he questions with surprise.

I nod.

"Well, I'll be …" he trails off and chuckles, "Can't judge a book by its cover."

"Yeah, Jazz is a pretty decent musician. He plays every instrument," I boast.

"I'll be," he murmurs. "I caught him smoking on the pitcher's mound one night, drunk as a skunk. Drove him home and read him the riot act."

"I know, he told me. You scared the piss right out of him."

He laughs. "That boy stunk up my squad car."

I laugh.

"Yeah, Jasper and his girlfriend, Alice Brandon, are moving back here in a few weeks."

"I'm going to have to contend with the two of you, again?" He smirks.

"We have grown up, Chief. Jasper's my partner in the store. Other than selling musical instruments, CDs, and DVDs, we plan on teaching guitar and piano lessons. Maybe play in a few shows here and around town."

I look at the clock as another hour passes and still no word.

"Bella will like that. She always wears those earbuds listening to something."

"Tell me more about her," I plead.

He becomes thoughtful. "She loves to read and spends hours with her head in a book. She's not into the fru-fru, love novels, either. She likes a good mystery whodunit. She has a degree in literature with a minor in business. The idea of a bookstore makes sense for her while she writes her great American novel."

"Bella wants to be a writer?" I ask.

"Is a writer. She has a series of children's books that were published in her junior year. One of her professors at UW took an interest and helped her."

"That's pretty amazing." I lean forward. "What else does she like to do?"

"Well, you talk about your mom's cooking; Bella could give her a run for her money. Marie taught her the run of the kitchen. When she came home, she cooked dinner every night and never complained about it. I had some issues with high blood pressure and she made me dishes that tasted amazing. My diner days were over. She became my caretaker. Bella would set her cell on a schedule for my pills. She either gave them to me or called me to take them."

"Did she date a lot in high school?"

He laughs. "Half the boys were afraid of me. Who would date the daughter of the Chief?"

"You carried a big rifle?" I kid.

He pats his chest. "More like a Glock 22."

I swallow. "I see that could be quite intimidating."

"Bella has always had a good head on her shoulders. She flatly told me to behave myself when she went out on a date. I'd flash my holster and she'd flash me a death stare. We finally came to a compromise."

I shyly ask, "Is she dating anyone now?"

He examines my face and frowns. "No."

He quickly turns the tables. "Are you?"

I frown. "No."

He smiles. "Good."

I smile. "Before the accident happened, I saw Bella to my right. She's a beautiful girl, Chief."

"Yes, she is. Her mother was breathtakingly beautiful on the outside, but Bella has it inside and out," he says with great pride and sighs.

"I still see her truck hitting the railing and going over the embankment. I feel very responsible," I confess.

The Chief scolds me, ""Don't think that way, Edward. This was not your fault. That drunken asshole put you and Bella in here." He huffs, "I wish we'd hear something." He stands, looks at his watch and heads for the door. "Be right back."

I lean my head back on the pillows. Well, I feel like the Chief gave me the go-ahead to date his daughter. We're just going to have to get to know one another.

The Chief hastily walks back into the room with Bella's surgeon. The doctor reaches for my hand and we shake.

He introduces himself, "I'm Dr. Robert Rennella, Bella's surgeon, Edward."

I shake his hand and ask, "Dr. Rennella, how is she?"

"Well, as I was telling Charlie, Bella had some bleeding and swelling in the back of her head. We needed to explore each section carefully, making sure we stopped any intrusion.

When the brain swells because of such trauma, the fluid pushes up against the skull. We're uncomfortable that it is pushing down on the brain stem. It can cause damage to the Reticular Activating System, RAS, a part of the brain that's responsible for arousal and awareness. Her blood pressure was rather high and we needed to stabilize it before proceeding with surgery."

"Then, it was stop and go?" I ask.

He answers, "Yes, that's why we were delayed." He looks at the Chief. "We took all precautions, Charlie. Now, we have to wait this out. There was a lot of swelling and I can truly ascertain that this is the cause of the coma. Once the swelling subsides, Bella will awaken. We found no tissue damage and her EEG was clear. So, it's a wait and see. She'll let us know."

The Chief asks, "Is she in any pain?"

"Well, that's the best part about a coma. She's nonreactive and won't feel any pain. This is a protective, involuntary response of the body to guard itself against any harm," he explains. "She may awaken and be quite unclear."

The Chief shows panic in his eyes. "Amnesia?"

"Again, it's possible while the swelling remains. Let's not cross that bridge until we get to it. Okay?" He reassures the Chief and pats his shoulder. "She'll be in recovery for another hour. For precautionary measures, I'm setting her up in ICU. She's breathing on her own, but we will monitor her brain movement and blood pressure."

"Will I be able to see her then?" he shakily asks.

"Charlie, once we get her in the room, you can visit. I'm a big believer in stimuli. So, you talk to her and she will hear on some level."

"Great. I would like it if Edward could see her as well." The Chief nods at me.

"I'll tell the nurse's station that only you and Edward can visit her."

"Thanks, Rob. I appreciate that."

Dr. Rennella smiles and exits my room.

The Chief turns to me. "You'll go up with me?"

"Sure, if you'll push my wheelchair." I smile.