Really not mine.
Chapter 29
When they entered the parlour of the Cullen house, the three ladies were greeted with a very odd tableau.
Edward Cullen was passed out on the floor, his father trying to rouse him. Twin girls were laughing uproariously at the men's actions while crawling over their father's legs.
"Dear lord, what happened here?" Esme dropped to her knees to help revive her son. Mrs. Cope went off to the kitchen to fetch some tea, or even spirits to help wake him. Bella wrangled the girls away from Edward's lap in case they injure him further.
An exasperated Dr. Cullen ceased trying to wake his son and sat back on his heels.
"We were having a wonderful time until Katie took a tumble and bit her lip. She gave Edward a filthy look and then pouted. When he saw the blood on her mouth he fainted. The girls seemed to think it was hilarious and they started to climb all over him. It's only just happened and I don't know what to do."
The good Doctor never carried smelling salts as his wife was not an easy fainter.
Esme walked to the side table and poured a glass of water. She had a very peculiar look on her face when she returned. She put several fingers in the water and flicked them in her son's face. Edward started to moan and tried to turn his face away from the cold water drops.
When Edward opened his eyes he was greeted with a relieved look on his father's face and a mildly amused look on his mother's.
"What's wrong?" He mumbled. He tried to sit up but his mother pushed him back down.
"Stay still, Mrs. Cope is coming with tea. Just rest for a moment." Although he didn't understand, he listened to his mother.
Mrs. Cope wheeled her tea trolley in the room and poured Edward a cup.
"There now, sit up slowly, and drink this." Esme had to clear her throat before she could speak to her child.
"Don't you remember? You fainted when Katie bit her lip." His father said with little grace.
Esme could no longer contain herself, she burst into giggles. Her laughter started the rest of the women in the room into chortles themselves. The look of bewilderment on Edward's face only made them laugh harder.
Bella was able to stop laughing first, she didn't want to offend Edward by laughing at him.
"A grown man, a doctor, and you faint at the sight of blood." Esme could barely get the words out.
Edward started to pout.
"I don't faint at the sight of blood, Mother. Well, not everyone's blood. I just hadn't seen my daughter hurt before. The sight of it just made go queer." He was miffed at his mother's reaction, she wasn't supposed to make fun of him. He turned his face to look at his father. Carlisle gave up trying to be serious and grinned at his son.
Edward began to see the humour of the situation just in time for everyone to stop their laughter.
When his mother finally let him stand, he went over and retrieved Katie from Bella's hold. He checked her face for any serious injury but could not find any. He settled in a chair with Katie on his lap.
Carlisle asked after the ladies afternoon. Esme, fully recovered from her fit of giggles, regaled him with tales of high tea and park walks.
Bella held Beth close to her, enjoying her baby scent and soft curls, all but ignoring the others in the room.
What Bella did not notice but the elder Cullens did, was that Edward was hard pressed to keep his eyes off of Bella.
Esme startled Bella out of her contemplation and asked her help to return the tea trolley to the kitchen. On the way, Bella asked a question that had been plaguing her.
"Why didn't Dr. Cullen know what to do during the fainting episode? Isn't he a trained Doctor?"
Esme gave a very unladylike snort.
"He is a fully trained Doctor. He is a Doctor of Philosophy, a professor at the local University, retired, of course. That's is why I refuse to let anyone call him Doctor. It just feeds his ego too much and makes him insufferable." She winked at Bella conspiratorially.
AN: My apologies to any professor that may be offended. I just had to poke fun at Carlisle. Blame it on Monty Python, it's their song that got me going in this direction.