A/N: Sorry this didn't go up on the weekend – I got distracted by The Sims…again. I've had to cut this off right as Bella and Edward arrive for the 4th of July celebrations or it would have gone on forever. Next chapter should be up in a day or two.
Happy reading!
Chapter 33
BPOV
I stepped off the flight and followed the crowd down the ramp and into the terminal, checking the baggage carousel number as I passed through the door. I turned to the left to head for carousel number four and was blindsided by a hug.
"Hi Bella!" I'd know that voice anywhere, even if I couldn't see. Alice.
"Alice! I told you I'd call you when I got in!" I said, not really annoyed.
"And I didn't listen to you because I wanted to make sure you were ok as soon as you got off the plane. Plus, Edward called and asked me to be here," she filled me in with a smile.
"Really?" My smile outshone hers a thousand fold. "I'm just going to give him a quick call, let him know I got here safe and sound."
Alice walked off to the baggage carousel to keep an eye out for my bag while I called Edward. He thanked me for his kisses and I promised to call once I was in bed.
I found Alice in the crowd and waited another half hour until my bag finally came around. Twenty minutes after that we were back at home. I pulled the cupcakes out of my luggage and waved them at Alice.
"Look what I brought back!" I teased.
"Are those Hershey's cupcakes?" she asked, almost drooling.
"Yep – what's it worth to ya?" I held them out of her reach.
"Ummm…fresh brewed French vanilla coffee?" she offered.
"Deal!" I followed her into the kitchen and transferred two of the cupcakes onto plates while Alice brewed the coffee. Just the smell made me smile so I had to fill her in on breakfast in the hotel.
I told her all about my trip, making sure I gave her a blow-by-blow description of dinner on the first night and Edward's opinion on my clothes.
"Ooh…come see!" she squealed when I was done, jumping up and leading me into the dining room. "It's 'Rose'!"
Laid out on the table were the counterparts to my 'Bella' range, made in red with black lace.
"They look amazing Ali – has Rosalie seen them yet?" I asked, running my fingers along the red nightgown with black trim.
"Nope! She had the fitting like yours but I'm keeping hers a secret until Friday – then she can have them for Emmett on Friday night!" Alice giggled.
"They seem to be a bit…racier…than mine? Lower and higher cut?" I observed.
"They are, but it embodies Rosalie, don't you think?" Alice asked with a devilish smirk.
"You're right. But I don't think she'll be worrying about a nightgown if Emmett…" I trailed off and slapped my hand over my mouth.
"Bella, is Emmett going to propose on Friday night?" Alice's voice was deadly calm and she was advancing on me like a predator.
All I could do was nod. "I promised I wouldn't tell, so technically I didn't," I warned her.
We broke into identical grins then and jumped around squealing like school girls.
"We have so much to do!" Alice declared. "You'll be at work so you won't have time to cook, but Rose and Esme and I can do it all…we'll just have to buy stuff. And we'll have to make sure there's extra champagne…and real glasses…and maybe some roses to decorate the picnic rugs with…."
She was off. She dug into the drawer for a notepad and pencil and started making a list.
"Do you mind if I go to bed, Al?" I chanced. "I have to be at work tomorrow and I'd like to call Edward before I go to sleep."
She waved her hand dismissively so I took that as I yes. I took a quick shower and unpacked, dressing in Edward's t-shirt for bed. I set my alarm for 6am then turned out the light and picked up my phone.
"Hey there," he said sleepily.
"Did I wake you?" I asked, looking at the clock. It was 11pm, making it 1 in the morning in Chicago.
"It's ok – you're worth it," he said.
"I just wanted to call and say good night, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow," I said softly.
"I can't wait to see you either honey," he mumbled back.
I chuckled at him and replied, "Ok, well I'll hang up now so you can go back to sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow night at the airport. I love you."
"Love you too," he breathed. I got the feeling he was already asleep again so I hung up and curled up to sleep.
Thursday morning
I woke as my alarm went off, the weatherman spouting that it was going to be fine and sunny. Sunny? Yeah right, I thought as I dragged myself to the shower.
By the time I was showered and dressed I could smell coffee in the kitchen. I walked in and was amazed to find Alice in her pyjamas, pouring two cups of coffee.
"Why are you up so early?" I asked, sticking a bagel in the toaster.
"I have so much to do! I want to get Rose's stuff finished before tomorrow, I need to pick Carlisle and Esme up at the airport at two and I have to finish my shopping list for the food for tomorrow!" she said in a rush. "I'm off for a shower!"
I shook my head as she danced towards the bathroom, coffee cup in hand. I ate my bagel and threw together a salad for lunch, wrapping a cupcake to go with it.
Alice finished in the bathroom and I quickly cleaned my teeth. "Did you want a ride to work?" I asked, sticking my head into the dining room.
"Nope, I'll catch the bus, but thanks!" Alice replied around a mouthful of dressmaker's pins.
"Hey, how are you picking your parents up? You don't have a car," I stated.
"Jasper's," she answered with a shrug. "I'm going to walk to the hospital and pick it up, then pick them up and take them to their hotel. Their rental car will be there and I'll drop Jasper's back at the hospital and catch the bus home tonight," she finished with a smile.
"Okey day. I was thinking I might make a baked cheesecake tonight for tomorrow?" I offered.
"That would be awesome – we all know its Emmett's favourite," Alice answered with a grin.
I said goodbye a few minutes later and arrived at the hospital a few minutes before 8. The first two hours of my shift flew by while I got up to speed on the new patients and spent some time with each of my interns.
Jasper arrived at 10 and once he'd organised himself we snuck off for a coffee.
"So all is well in the land of Bella?" he teased with a smile.
"It's good…it's all good!" I shot back at him, laughing.
"I'm glad he makes you happy Bells," Jazz said sincerely. "You deserve someone who'll treat you right."
"If we weren't at work, I'd hug you right now Jazz," I said, blinking back tears. "But it'll have to wait until tonight."
We talked work while we finisher our coffees and then headed back up to the trauma ward. We went off in different directions for the rest of the morning, meeting up at 1 to eat lunch at the nurse's station with Eric.
"Someone has that 'new love' glow," he teased me as I stuck a forkful of salad in my mouth.
Jasper backed him up. "You really are glowing Bella."
I blushed and told them both to shut up. Jasper got called away by one of his interns then so I told Eric about Chicago. I recommended the observatory and the zoo if he ever went there.
The afternoon was quiet and after completing my final rounds for the day with my interns I headed off to find Jasper. He was in with an elderly patient, observing while Dr Roberts, one of his interns, changed a dressing on a bed sore the patient had developed. "Mallory has been neglecting the poor lady," Jasper whispered.
I told him I'd see him later at our place and left for the day. After parking the truck downstairs I got into the lift, only to have it stop on the ground floor. I grumbled to myself but stopped as Carlisle and Esme stepped in.
"Bella!" Esme greeted me, enveloping me in a motherly hug.
"Hi Esme," I replied hugging her back. Once she released me, Carlisle stepped in and gave me a quick squeeze.
"It's good to see you," he said. "Looks like Edward has been treating you right!"
I was saved any further embarrassment when the doors opened on our floor. I led the way down the hall and unlocked the door.
"Honey, I'm home!" I called out. "And I brought guests!"
Alice came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and hugged her parents and then me. "Why are you wearing an apron?" I whispered to her.
"Mum, dad, take a seat in the living room. Dinner's not to far away," Alice told her parents. She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me into the kitchen.
"I'm wearing an apron so it looks like the Indian I ordered in was cooked by me and not Babu down at the Taj," she said quietly.
I giggled and shook my head. "There's homemade butter chicken and Rogan josh in the freezer Alice – you should've told me you were having your parents over!"
"Go shower so you can eat with us," she directed me with a flick of her spatula.
I showered quickly and walked into the dining room just as Alice served up.
"What time is Edward flying in?" Carlisle asked.
"His flight arrives at eight, so we should be back here by nine," I replied.
"He's staying with the two of you again?" This time it was Esme with the question.
Alice cleared her throat daintily. "Can we not embarrass Bella any further please? She and Edward are happy together and that's all that matters."
I shot her a thankful glance and changed the subject, asking Carlisle about his work in Utah. He gave us details about the case and the passion for his work really showed. Esme mentioned that she'd like to move back to Olympia permanently when the case was resolved, and Carlisle mentioned that he was thinking about coming back to Virginia Mason as head of neurosurgery. That news excited Alice because it meant her parents would move back to Seattle.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me to the fact that it was already 7:30. I excused myself and quickly brushed my teeth before heading to the airport.
Edward's flight arrived right on time and I was in his arms soon after he landed. We retrieved his suitcase and walked hand in hand to my truck.
"You look tired," I told him once we were in the cab. "I'm sorry I woke you this morning."
"That's not why I'm tired Bella. I had a long day with Tanya today and I'm just glad that I'm here with you now," he answered, leaning over and kissing me softly.
"I'm glad you're here too," I replied, starting the engine and reversing out of the parking space. "Your parents were at my place when I left – Alice invited them for dinner."
"I love them and all but I hope they're gone when we get back. I really just want to say hi to Alice, take a shower and sleep," he said, rubbing his eyes.
Edward got his wish as his parents had left by the time we got home. Alice attacked him with a fierce hug and only disentangled herself when Jasper came in the door a few minutes after us. Edward and Jasper shook hands and made small talk before Alice told him to go to bed.
I grabbed him a towel and he headed for the shower while I took his stuff into my room. Once he came back to the bedroom I went and cleaned my teeth and then changed into his t-shirt from the night before. He smiled at me as I slid into bed where he was dressed in cotton boxers and a white t-shirt. I quickly set my alarm and settled into his arms.
"Do you really have to go to work tomorrow?" he whispered into my hair.
I nodded against his chest. "I do, but Alice and Jazz have the day off so I'm sure they'll keep you occupied," I whispered back.
The next thing I knew my alarm had gone off and the weatherman was once again assuring me the day would be fine and sunny. I turned it off and shot out of bed, brewing coffee and mixing the ingredients for my baked cheesecake.
Alice came into the kitchen ten minutes later, just as I was putting the cheesecake in the oven. "Can you take this out for me when the timer goes off?" I asked her.
"Mmm hmm," she answered through her coffee.
I grabbed a cereal bar from the cupboard and took it with my half-finished coffee and a full mug for Edward back to my bedroom. I coaxed him awake with it and swallowed my cereal bar in three mouthfuls before taking off for a shower. When I made it back to the bedroom, Edward was laying on his back with his arms folded behind his head. "Penny for your thoughts," I teased.
"I was just waiting for my beautiful girlfriend to come back," he said with a gentle smile.
I crawled across my side of the bed to plant a kiss on his lips. "I have to go soon," I mumbled as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, deepening our kiss.
"Can I come visit later?" he asked, not loosening his grasp on my waist.
"I don't see why not – Alice and Jasper will probably come too," I told him. I snuggled into his arms for a few minutes before looking at the clock.
"If I don't go now I'm going to be late," I complained, stretching up and kissing him one more time before extracting myself from his hold and rolling off the bed. I quickly laced up my runners and bent over to kiss him goodbye.
"Bella? Aren't you forgetting something? Aren't I taking you to work?" he asked, swinging his legs out of the bed. Sneaky rat had dressed while I was in the shower and was now pulling a baseball cap over his bed hair. "Alice packed this for you," he continued, passing me a small bag of clothes. "She could see you were flustered over your cheesecake and had a feeling you'd forget the plans for today."
I kissed him on the cheek and walked to the kitchen to thank Alice. "Not a prob," she replied, hugging me. "Now get or you'll be late!"
It felt strange sitting in the passenger seat of my truck but I loved seeing Edward driving it. With a few directions he pulled in the parking lot at the hospital five minutes before 8. I leaned over and kissed him goodbye for the second time that morning.
"Love you," he called as I walked away.
"Love you too," I yelled back.
The morning flew by once again. Jasper's elderly lady with the bedsore had worsened during the night so I supervised a debridement. She seemed to be resting more comfortably after some pain meds so I made a note in her chart to keep her on them for a further 48 hours.
Two other patients were ready to be released so I stood back and watched while my interns did the final examinations and signed the paperwork once they were done.
Before I knew it, Jessica was calling me from the nurse's station. "Doctor Swan, you have a phone call," she yelled at me from the middle of the corridor.
I walked up to the desk and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Bells, we're here for lunch. Meet us in the cafeteria?" It was Alice.
"I'll be down in five, just need to take care of something here first," I replied before hanging up.
I walked quickly to the resident's office. I hadn't seen anyone today but I didn't care who was on. I knocked and pushed the door open to find Dr Hussey asleep on the desk.
"Doctor Hussey?" I asked quietly.
His head snapped up. "Sorry Doctor Swan, did you say something?" he asked, looking sheepish.
"I can come back," I offered.
"No, no, it's all right. My youngest daughter is teething so no-one is getting any sleep," he explained, standing up and stretching. "What can I do for you?"
"I actually need you to supervise while I have a go at a nurse," I said.
"Lead the way," he sighed, smiling to let me know he wasn't frustrated with me.
"Jessica?" We walked up to the nurse's station. As usual, I got a grunt in response. "Jessica, I need to talk to you about your behaviour just now," I tried again. She muttered something under her breath.
"What was that Ms Stanley? We didn't hear you," Dr Hussey shot at her.
Jessica's head snapped up and she went bright red. "Doctor Hussey! I didn't realise you were standing there!" she stammered.
"Doctor Swan was speaking to you," he admonished her.
"You were saying?" she asked, turning her face towards me.
"A few minutes ago, you took a call for me, yes?" I questioned her.
"Yes," she sighed.
"Look, cut the attitude and this will be a whole lot easier, ok?" I snapped.
She reeled back like she'd been slapped.
I continued, "Rather than taking a message, or walking down the corridor to get me, you yelled along the corridor, yes?"
"Yes," she mumbled.
"Do you really think that was appropriate, given that we work in trauma?" I was hitting my stride now.
Jessica shrugged. "I guess not."
"Doctor Swan, did you need to meet someone? I can handle this if you'd like to go," Dr Hussey said to me.
"Are you sure?" I didn't want to leave him with my mess.
"Ms Stanley has been chastised for this before – I'll handle it," he said quietly, turning his back.
"Thanks," I said, walking off to the cafeteria.
I spent half an hour with Alice, Jasper and Edward, catching a few evil glances from Lauren Mallory. "The sex doctors are in," Jasper quipped. "Well, at least one of them!"
I grabbed a coffee for myself and one for Dr Hussey before I headed back up to the trauma floor, making a show of kissing Edward goodbye just as Lauren walked past. I ended up sharing an elevator with her.
"That's some man candy you've got there," she commented with a sneer.
"At least he can keep his pants on in the workplace," I replied airily, stepping of the elevator and heading for the resident's office again.
I knocked and carefully opened the door. "Doctor Swan, just the person I wanted to see. I'm filling in another warning sheet for Ms Stanley…is that coffee?" Dr Hussey almost jumped out of his chair.
"I don't know that it works for teething babies, but I hear it does wonders for tired doctors," I joked, handing over the tall cup.
"You're a saint," he said, taking a deep drink. We spent the next fifteen minutes nutting out the right wording for the warning and the left the office.
"Two men in one day, Doctor Swan? And people say I'm the hospital bike," Lauren said behind me. I turned to face her and broke into a huge grin, because walking up behind her was Dr Johns.
"Doctor Mallory!" he expounded. "My office! Now!"
She jumped a good two feet in the air and scurried off. Hussey and I had a good laugh before he headed off to the Director of Nursing's office to hand over his paperwork about Jessica.
The afternoon was quiet. We had two new admissions that were handled by Lauren's interns with my supervision as she hadn't returned. Given that their teacher was sub-par, I was impressed with both their bedside manner and knowledge and skills.
At 5:30 I rounded up my interns along with Lauren's and rounded for the last time that day, signing off on a few medication orders before dismissing everyone right on six.
I sent Edward a quick text, letting him know I was just about to take a shower and I'd be down in 10 minutes. I threw myself in the shower, dressed and ran down five flights of stairs instead of waiting for the lift. I threw myself into the passenger seat of my truck and leaned over to give Edward a quick kiss.
"Directions?" he said.
I directed him to the parking garage nearest the park we were planning on watching the fireworks from. He parked and we jumped out, locking the truck and headed for the celebrations.