End of Chapter 9

I went into my room, and pulled my hair back in a ponytail, and then wrapped my hair up with one of my favorite 'do rags' as my mom called them. I was very thankful for the scrubs at this moment. They were comfortable and easy to move around in. No wonder medical professionals wear these. They must be easy to clean too I thought hopefully as I had a nasty job ahead of me. I cleaned up the puke in the bathroom first, since that was the more disgusting of the chores. I was glad it was all on the tile, and I didn't have to clean the rug. Once that was clean, I went to work cleaning up the popcorn that was still scattered around the living room. Just as I was finishing the vacuuming, I heard a knock at the door. I turned off the vacuum, and walked over to the front door and opened it.

There standing on my porch was Edward.

Chapter 10: Ain't No Sunshine (EPOV)

When I woke up Friday morning, I practically jumped out of bed. For the first time, in a long time, I felt happy. Yesterday was such a perfect day. It was like the Bella I had met on the first day of school materialized after a long absence. The girl I met on that first day who was witty and smart. The broken, distant girl who had been in her place for the last few months was no where to be seen. She also allowed me, consciously or not, to see the soft Bella. The one who is brought to tears by the view of a beautiful landscape. The one who allows herself to be trusting enough to fall asleep on a friends couch, and know she will be kept safe.

Our practice run yesterday went great. I paid close attention to her during our display to see which things triggered her nervousness. I would try today, in class, to shield her from those moments. There were moments though, where Carlisle or Japser asked her questions about the history and methods of analyzing the digs that her eyes lit up and she elaborated with such enthusiasm that I, too, got lost listening to her talk. She would make a good teacher I thought as I would listen to her and interest, even Alice, in dinosaurs. With work, and maybe just experience, she could overcome her stage fright. She was too amazing to be crippled by it.

Thinking about Bella, I couldn't wait to get to school to see her. I know I told her I wanted to be friends, and I love being her friend, but part of me knew this was eventually going to be so much more. Her mind and her humor alone would suck me in, but the fact that she was so heartbreakingly beautiful only sealed the deal for me. Even in her plain moments she emitted such a silent sense of grace. Though when she was on her feet, graceful was far from the truth. I laughed thinking of her stumbling about. I swear she could trip on air.

I showered and dressed, and hurried downstairs to get something to eat. My mother was in the kitchen when I turned the corner. She looked up at me, and I could see the remaining hints of redness around her eyes like she had been crying recently.

"Mom," I asked softly, "is everything OK?"

"Oh, it is fine, dear," she said turning around and rinsing out her coffee cup in the sink. "By the way, your dad would like for you to call him this morning before you head out to school."

"He's not here?" I asked. Now that I thought about it, I didn't remember hearing him come home last night. Something must have happened with that patient he wanted to check on after dropping Bella off at home.

"No," she said quietly, "he's still at the hospital."

"Edward, come on!" Emmett yelled from the front door.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

"Edward," my mom said, "please don't forget to call your dad."

"Yeah, I'll call him," I said to her as I grabbed a blueberry muffin off the counter, and headed out the door.

Alice and Emmett were already in the car, when I climbed in. Alice was immediately prattling on about something Jasper had said last night. I tuned her out after two minutes, and tossed Emmett my iPod so he could find something to listen to other than Alice. He docked it, and the Foo Fighters started blaring out over her story. She sat back in a huff in the back seat as Emmett and I bumped fists. I was so thankful in that moment that Emmett was not another sister. It took both of us to handle Alice.

Once I pulled into the lot at school, I quickly scanned the lot for Bella's truck. She wasn't here yet. Emmett and Alice got out of the car, and started talking to the Hales who had just pulled in next to us. I got out, and decided to wait and get our presentation materials out after lunch, since biology was right after. I didn't feel like lugging them around all day. I leaned up against the car, and kept watch on the drive that lead into the parking lot. I looked down at my watch. Two minutes until the bell rang. Where was she? Bella was never late. Maybe her piece of shit truck finally gave up the ghost? I decided to call her. The phone kicked straight into voicemail. I decided to leave a message.

"Bella, this is Edward. Where are you? Did your ancient beast finally disintegrate? Give me a call or text me if you need me to come and pick you up."

With that, the bell rang.

"Where's Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know," I said still looking towards the drive. "I just tried to call her, and it went straight to voicemail."

"She'll be here," Alice said. "Come on, before we are all late."

I reluctantly followed everyone into the building and to first period. All through the morning, I searched for Bella's face in the crowds of students in between classes. I didn't spot her once, but I never really see her in between classes in the morning. I would have to ask Alice if she ever made it to first period, at lunch. Hopefully, Bella would be at lunch. Third period, I went to the library, where we had been meeting. Maybe Mrs. Conner had seen her. They seemed to be close. When I got there, there was a strange woman standing behind the library desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I said. "Is Mrs. Conner here today?"

"No," she said with a sad smile, "I'm sorry, but she won't be in for the rest of the school year. Her mother passes away on Wednesday, and she is taking time off to take care of her father. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, ma'am," I said softly. "Thank-you." She gave me a smile, and I turned to find a seat. I sunk into a chair at the table in the far corner that Bella and I usually sat at. Where was she? I hope she isn't so nervous she is making herself sick. I hope she doesn't bail on me! No, she wouldn't do that. She was fine last night. What happened between now and today? Maybe she is visiting Mrs. Conner? Would the funeral be today? Maybe she is there, and will be in later in the morning. If she was going to that, I wish she would have told me. I would have gone with her. I decided to text her.

B- Where r u girl? Did you hear about Mrs. C? Is that why u r not here? -E

The bell marking the end of the period rang, and my phone still sat silently on the table. I snatched it up, and put it into my pocket. One more period before lunch, and I could finally get some answers. Fourth period was English. I wished I had this class first period with Bella and Alice. As I walked into the classroom today, Mrs. Sweet gave me a sad, understanding smile. What was that about? Did she know where Bella was? Did she see Bella this morning, and something was wrong? I was going to go crazy before this day was out.

The period seemed to drag on forever, especially with Mrs. Sweet giving me those same damn sad knowing looks all period. When the bell finally rang, I practically ran to the lunchroom. I don't know why I did that, because now I had to just sit and wait for my siblings to get here. By the time the rounded the corner, my leg was bouncing like a jonzing crackhead. I was yelling out to Alice before she could even sit down at the table.

"Was Bella in English this morning?" I pressed Alice as soon as she was in hearing distance that shouting wasn't required.

"No," she said. "I haven't seen her at all today."

"Me either," everyone else seemed to add in as they found their seats at our table.

"She wasn't in the library third period either," I said. "The substitute librarian said that Mrs. Conner's mother died. Bella seemed to be close to her. Maybe she went to the funeral this morning."

"No, man," Jasper said. "My mom is in card club with Mrs. Conner. I heard her talking to my dad this morning about going to the funeral on Saturday."

"Damn," I muttered. "Where could she be then?"

"Do you think she freaked out about your presentation and is faking sick at home?" Emmett asked trying not to smile.

"No," I said. "Bella cares about her GPA almost as much as I do. She wouldn't risk ruining her A in biology. Did Mrs. Sweet say anything this morning about why Bella wasn't in English?"

"No," Alice said, "but she did keep giving me this weird look all morning."

"She was doing the same thing to me!" I yelled pointing and nodding at Alice. "What is that about?"

"I have no idea," Alice said thinking. "Does she think we know why Bella isn't here? It was almost like she was giving a smile like we shared some common knowledge about something. Why would she think that? I guess people know we are kind of friends with her. Small town thing, and all."

"I don't know, Alice," I said running my hand through my hair, and laying my forehead down on the edge of the table. "It is almost time for biology. She hasn't returned my voicemail or my text. I am getting worried."

Alice reached across the table and patted my head. I looked up at her and she gave me her soft smile.

"I'm sure she's OK, Edward," she said giving me a knowing look. I sighed and nodded, and with that the bell rang like a death toll. Time to face the music with Mr. Banner without my partner.

I walked down the hallway to the biology classroom. When I entered, Mr. Banner turned to look at me.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen," he said rubbing his hand over his face. "I'm sorry to hear about Ms. Swan's predicament. Of course, they told us at the beginning of the year this might happen. Perfectly understandable. I went through the same thing with my brother a few years back."

"What is going on with Bella, Mr. Banner?" I asked stunned with the amount of information he just gave me that told me absolutely nothing.

"Oh...I assumed since your dad called this morning..." he said surprised.

"My dad called this morning? About Bella?" I asked.

"Um...yes," he said. "I assumed you knew...maybe not...not my place to say, then," he stammered. "Anyways, you and Ms. Swan will be doing your presentation at the end of class on Monday."

With that he started concentrating very hard on the papers on his desk, and I realized he wasn't going to give me any more information. I walked quietly back to my table...our table. It suddenly felt very lonely sitting here without Bella. My chest began to feel heavy with the fear of what was going on. What had Mr. Banner said they had known about something since the beginning of the year. His brother had gone through the same thing. As my brain was trying to process all of this information, my mind was vaguely aware of my other classmates giving their presentations. Luckily, Mr. Banner seemed to be feeling some sort of kindred spirit thing with me today, and he didn't give me any shit for being lost in my thoughts and not paying attention.

Why had dad called about Bella this morning? He drove her home last night. Did something happen on the way home? Mom had said that he was STILL at the hospital this morning. Oh God! What if she is hurt! Shit! Dad had wanted me to call him this morning! I had completely forgotten on the way to school. I was too distracted thinking of Bella. I needed to call him. The clock slowly ticked by the hour, and when the bell rang I sprinted out into the hallway pulling my phone from my pocket and quickly dialing my dad's cell phone.

"Hello," I heard my dad say.

"Hi, dad, it's Edward," I said. "Sorry I didn't call this morning. What is going on?"

"Something happened when I got Bella home last night," he said with a sigh. "She's fine, but we had to bring her dad into the hospital. He is being released as we speak, and I am driving them home. Bella's had a rough night, and she could probably use a friend once she gets home. Do you have plans for after school?"

"I do now!" I almost yelled. "Are you with her now? How is she? How is Chief Swan? What happened?"

"She is hanging in there," he said. "She is a strong young woman, but she takes so much on herself."

"Can I leave school now, and meet you guys at her house?" I asked.

"No, but I called the school earlier," he said. "Have you talked to Mr. Banner? He said it was no problem for you and Bella to do your presentation on Monday."

"Yeah. Thanks, dad," I said.

"I've got to go now," he said. "They should be ready to go."

"Good-bye, dad," I said.

I seriously thought about skipping Spanish even though my dad had just directly told me I could not leave school early. I got to Spanish class, and sat down next to Emmett feeling anxious. I told him about Bella not being in biology, and what Mr. Banner had said. I told him about my phone conversation with our dad. We continued on in hushed tones through Spanish trying to figure out what was going on. What piece of this puzzle we were missing. With five minutes left before the bell, I asked Emmett if he and Alice could catch a ride home with the Hales. He assured me that they would find a way home as I discreetly started packing up my bag so I was ready to bolt when the bell rang.

The way I took off out of the door when the bell rang, you would have thought it was the starting pistol of a race. I was in my car and speeding out of the lot before anyone else had even exited the building. I raced down the street and around the bend to where the Swan house was. Carlisle's car wasn't there, and I wondered if they had been delayed at the hospital. I pulled up in front of the house, and was unbuckling my seatbelt at the same time I was turning the ignition off. I tore out of my car, and leapt up the steps to her front door, and knocked. I heard the sound of a vacuum being shut off, and foot steps walking towards the door. Then the front door opened, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Bella standing before me.

It took me a moment to register that she was wearing scrubs from Forks Hospital. She must have spent the night there with Charlie. I am sure my dad had something to do with getting her a change of clothes. Her hair was pulled back behind a do rag, and she looked exhausted. We both just stood there staring at each other not knowing what to do or say. I couldn't take it any longer, and took two large steps to her, and pulled her into my arms. She sunk into them, and began to cry.

"Oh, Edward," she sobbed, and reached her arms around me and pulled me close. I held her tight in my arms, and reached back with my foot to close the front door, which still stood open. She was shaking so badly now, I was afraid she was going to collapse. Without giving it another thought, I leaned down, and swept her up into my arms, and walked us into her living room. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and buried her face into my shoulder. I sat down on the couch, and cradled her in my arms as she continued to cry. I rubbed soothing circles on her back, as I whispered how everything was going to be alright. That I was here. I am not sure how long we sat like that, but I wasn't going to force anything. She needed someone to hold her, so that is what I did. Eventually, her crying quieted, and she looked up at me through puffy eyes.

"Your dad called you," she said, not asked.

"No," I said. "I called him."

"Why?"

"Mr. Banner let it slip that my dad had called in your absence," I said.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Bella," I said shocked. "What the hell are you sorry for?"

"For missing our presentation. For not telling you everything from the beginning. For ruining your shirt!" She said pointing to the large wet spot that was now my left shoulder. I looked at my shirt and then up to her, and we both started laughing. Once we regained our composure, I held Bella to me again.

"Stop being sorry, Bella, and just tell me what is going on," I said as I ran my fingers through her hair. She took a deep breath, and sat up looking me in the eye.

"Charlie has pancreatic cancer," she said. My breath hitched. Being the son of a cancer doctor, I knew how very deadly it was. It was rarely diagnosed early enough to be treatable.

"How long have you known?" I asked afraid of the answer.

"He was diagnosed this summer. They think they caught it early enough to eradicate it. Your dad got him into a clinical trial. He started treatment soon after school started. That is why I have been so tired. That is why I kept pushing you away. I get my dad settled in the morning, I go to school, I come home to take care of my dad. His treatments are on Wednesday. That is why I was in Port Angeles that day. THAT is why I couldn't practice our presentation." She finished.

I thought about what I had said to her that day, and was mortified. I was an ass. I was the biggest jackass on the face of this planet. Hell, she should slap me again. I wish she would. I told her so, and she laughed. She told me how she wanted to tell me the truth, but how she felt it was a betrayal of her dad. How he didn't want people to know, and how proud he was. I told her I understood.

"I hope this confessional means that you have had a change of heart about letting me in," I said sheepishly. "I want to be your friend, Bella. I want to be here for you. If you allow me to tell my family, and Rosalie and Jasper, I am sure they will all tell you the same thing."

"That is what your dad said to me this morning," she said looking down at her hands.

"See," I said, "genius runs in my family." She snorted, and met my smile with one of her own.

"Please tell me what I can do to help," I begged trying to harness Alice's puppy dog eyes.

"You are a dangerous, man, Edward Cullen," she said looking away blushing, and she turned back once she thought her cheeks had returned to a normal shade. She smiled at me, and stood up. "I'll tell you what I need."

"Anything," I said.

"I'm going to go upstairs and check on my dad, and make sure he has enough water, and see if he wants anything to eat. Then, I am going to take a shower, and change out of these scrubs, because as much as I love them, I cleaned up puke in them and I feel nasty," she said.

"Those are all things you are going to do," I started, but she held up her hand to stop me.

"My dear friend, Edward, is going to call and order us a mushroom pizza for dinner, if that sounds suitable to his palette, and is going to let me snuggle up with him on this couch while we work our way through my favorite movies," she said it confidently, but her eyes held the fear of me saying 'no' and walking away. I stood up, took her right hand in mine kissing it, and looked up into her eyes.

"As you wish," I said with a crooked smile. Her eyes lit up.

"We'll start with that one!" She said with eager eyes.

"Off with you!" I said pointing up the stairs, and I gave her a swat. She giggled, and ran up the stairs, as I headed to the phone in the kitchen to order the pizza.

An hour later, we were filled up on pizza and sitting on the couch watching The Princess Bride. I hardly watched the movie, for I was more captivated watching Bella watch the movie. I was in awe as she silently mouthed every single line from the movie. Even though she knew all the words and had obviously seen this MANY times, she still laughed at all the funny parts, jumped when the bolder smashed by Wesley/Dread Pirate Robert's head, and silently cried as Wesley gave his speech about true love at the bottom of the hill. As they turned to enter the Fire Swamp, she turned and caught me staring. I shrugged and said a quiet sorry. She blushed.

"Yeah," she said, "I've seen this a few times."

"You hide it well," I tried to say with a straight face, but couldn't help but laugh. She reached behind herself, and went to hit me with the throw pillow she found there. I caught it, and pulled her to me and began tickling her. When she was on the verge of breathlessness, I stopped and she playfully smacked my arm.

"You jerk," she said as she gasped for breath.

"This coming from the person who was assaulting me with housewares," I said with my best affronted tone.

We started laughing again, and it was then I became very much aware of the fact that she was still laying on top of me. I think she did too, because her laughing slowed, and she looked down at me with those deep chocolate eyes. It was then that I felt this low hum of a current that seemed to be encasing us, and I felt her breathing getting as heavy as my own. I knew what I wanted to do, but I was supposed to be here as her friend tonight. So, I turned myself so my back was to the couch while at the same time sliding her in front of me with her back to me. I grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch, and wrapped it around us. She snuggled into me, and pulled my right arm down to use as a pillow. I let my left arm wrap around her waist. Her breathing was still heavy at first, but after a while, I noticed that her breathing had slowed down to a rhythmic pattern. I tilted forward to see that she was asleep. I pulled her closer to me, and nestled my face in her hair.

I decided then and there, that I would do everything that was in my power to see that Bella had this type of peace every night. She would never feel loneliness again.

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A/N: OK...so it is after midnight, and technically Friday, but it is a really long chapter!

My thanks, once again, to roxymar. I had two versions of the start of this chapter written out, and she helped me choose. She was the lucky girl, because she happened to be online when I was freaking out. I hope you guys liked which one she chose. It was the angstier of the two. :-)

For the life of me, I could not remember if the name of the English teacher was ever given in the books, so I used the name of my favorite high school English teacher. She rocked the house! Much love to you, Mrs. Sweet!

I told you guys that reviews equal faster typing! Come on! Let's test the theory again!