A/N

Another chapter!! Flowers, chocolate and heaps of love to my beta queen, ChangedbyEdward, for her speedy, thorough and helpful editing talent!

My other partner in crime, LolaRosa, has written a beautiful one-shot for the "When Love Was New" contest. The story is called "Fated Love" and is wonderful….please go and check it out under her profile!

As always…S Meyers owns all…I just borrow!!!


Chapter 6

(Bella's POV)

Weeks flew by in a blur, filled with daily visits from my small support group that had grown to three. A nurse named Jennie, whom I recognized from the Forks Hospital, had started stopping in at the beginning and end of her shifts. I vaguely remembered her as being the one looking after me at the very beginning of my stay, but I didn't mention it and neither did she.

There had appeared to be some sort of private joke between Carlisle and Esme regarding Nurse Jennie and I had wanted to ask Esme but I didn't have the nerve. One morning after a particularly obvious chuckle between the two of them, Carlisle caught my inquisitive look. I was sure if his face could have been red with embarrassment, it would have been, and it was absolutely hilarious watching him make his hasty retreat from my room. Esme just laughed all the harder and then filled me in on how she had teased Carlisle about his nurse fantasy. Even though it was hilarious, I felt a little bad for him as well. It didn't stop me from laughing though.

True to her word, Esme had taken over making my meals and my obvious weight gain was proof. She made sure to find out all my favourite dishes and although I was feeling a little guilty, I appreciated not having to eat the hospital slop. The colour, or what little colour I had to start with, had returned to my face and the purple shadows under my eyes had faded to a subtle shade of lavender.

Carlisle was pleased with the progress I was making physically, but I knew he was anxious to start working through my other problems. I still was not able to discuss what had happened. The ache in my chest was still there, gnawing through anytime I allowed myself to think of Edward or what had happened that day.

I noticed another subtle change as well. I was no longer kept under lockdown during the day, which really didn't mean much since I had no plans to venture far in my lovely green hospital gown. Esme remedied that as well, arriving one morning with enough shopping bags to put Alice to shame, chalk full of jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts and other necessities.

She grinned when I came barrelling out of the bathroom towards her, hugging her marble-like frame.

"I feel human again!" Esme laughed at my choice of words.

"Oh my dear Bella, you have always looked human, but now you look to be amongst the living!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. "How about a walk outside?"

I glanced quickly towards the window and spotting the heavy, grey rain clouds pushing across the sky, nodded eagerly.

The nurses glanced at us warily as we headed out into the fenced yard behind the hospital. Carlisle was waiting for us on a bench and smiled as we approached. I fell in between the two and we took up a leisurely pace. It felt so good to be out of my room and breathing in the crisp, spring air. I looked around in amazement, seeing everything coming back to life and was grateful to be able to appreciate it.

As we turned back towards the hospital, my knees buckled. I heard Esme inhale deeply and Carlisle squeezed my hand in encouragement. Charlie stood as still as a statue, watching me walk towards him. When I was close enough to see the tears glistening as they rolled down his cheeks, I broke into a run, not stopping until I felt his strong arms tighten around me.

"Bells" was all he could choke out as he hugged me to his chest.

I looked up and raised my free hand to wipe his tears away. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

He didn't say anything, just kissed the top of my head and leaned back to look at me more closely. I motioned to a nearby bench and we walked towards it, never letting go of each other's hand. We sat in comfortable silence and I looked around to see that my loyal supporters were sitting at the far end of the walkway. It felt good to know that they were close if I needed them, but far enough away to give us a chance to talk privately.

The quiet between us started to take on awkwardness so I cleared my throat to break the silence. "So…have you, Billy and Harry been fishing lately?"

He looked at me strangely as if he was unsure how to answer and then shrugged. "A bit. Not as much lately 'cause Harry hasn't been doing too well. He says he's fine but I can tell his ticker's been botherin' him." He paused, "Billy and Jacob have been askin' for you. They said to say 'hello'."

I nodded, knowing that my father was already at a loss for words. I could feel him watching me, waiting for me to crumble. I shifted in my seat to look him square in the eye. "Dad, I want out of here."

A look of fear danced across his face and he looked down at the ground, trying to hide it from me. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Bells."

"I know you think I'm not ready and I understand what I have put you and Mom through, but I can't stay in here forever, Dad."

He ran his hand over his hair, exasperated. "What does Carlisle say about this?"

I glanced down towards them, knowing they were listening to every word, even though they appeared to be lost in their own conversation. "We haven't really talked about it yet. I am still working through everything, but the one thing I need you to know is that I am not ready to go back to Forks yet."

"So you want to go to Jacksonville, your mother will be pleased." I couldn't help but hear the hurt in his voice even though he tried to hide it.

"No, I don't want to go to Florida either. I was thinking of staying here, in Seattle."

"On your own?!" The calibre of his voice raised a few notches. "There is no way in hell that I am signing you out of here so that you can find some apartment to wallow away in. No, Bella!"

I closed my eyes briefly, willing a sense of calm to rise to the surface. "What if I had a roommate? Or if I found a family to board with?" I hesitated, only for a second. "Or what if I stay with Carlisle and Esme for awhile?"

"Did they put this idea in your head?"

I could see him wrestling to keep his temper in check and knew I probably shouldn't try to push things. "No, Dad, this is just something I've been tossing around in my head."

"And what happens when Edward comes back? He's already done enough damage, don't you think?"

My chest tightened at the mention of his name, but I fought to keep my emotions in check. "You can't protect me forever, Dad. Yes, I got hurt and I didn't cope with the situation well, not at all really, but I'm here. I survived." I kicked at a stone with my shoe, taking a deep breath before I continued. "If Edward comes back then I will learn to deal with that, too."


(Carlisle's POV)

Once I was sure that Bella was back on even ground with her father, Esme and I made our way over towards them. I wanted to speak with Charlie privately so Esme asked Bella to go inside with her. After Charlie promised to stop in and say goodbye before heading back to Forks, she squeezed his hand affectionately and they made their way back inside the hospital.

I sat down on the bench beside Charlie and waited.

"Carlisle, I want to thank you for all you and Esme have done for Bells. To be honest, I never thought this would work out."

I leaned back against the back of the bench and nodded. "I knew you had your doubts. I am just glad that we were able to help. She really has come a long way in a short time. She's working very hard to make herself well."

Charlie sighed. "And now you think I should let her leave this place."

I knew what Bella had told him, but I had to word it in a way that Charlie would accept. "I believe that she could accomplish more in a different environment, yes."

He sighed again and kicked at a rock on the pavement. I stifled a grin as I was once again reminded of how much the father and daughter were alike.

"I want what is best for Bella, Carlisle. I know she wants out of here and that she isn't ready to come home and I can understand why." He paused. "There are too many memories there. Did you ever find it strange how connected those two became so suddenly?"

His question caught me by surprise. I knew how much he blamed Edward for Bella's breakdown but I had always assumed that he had brushed what they had felt for each other off as "puppy love" and mostly one-sided on Bella's part.

"They were very connected, Charlie, and as much as I do not condone how Edward handled things, there is no doubt in my mind of the love those two share."

If he noticed that I spoke in the present tense, he didn't let on. "I don't know what Bells has told you about her mother and me," his voice was no more than a whisper, "but when Renee left I thought I knew heartbreak. It didn't hold a candle to this." He stood and shrugged his shoulders as if he were trying to shake the memories off. "I never want to see my little girl go through that again."

"Neither do I, Charlie." I stood and we started towards the hospital entrance. "So, how do you want to continue?"

"Bella mentioned boarding somewhere here in Seattle." He cleared his throat. "She even mentioned possibly staying with you and Esme."

"We would love to have her stay with us, Charlie. You know how we feel about her and it would be a good way for me to continue to monitor her progress. She still has a bit to go before she is 100 percent."

"And what happens when Edward returns?"

I turned to face him, father to father. "I will deal with Edward when the time comes. You have my word, Charlie. He will never cause Bella to suffer again."

I replayed the afternoon's events in my head and smiled at the memory of Bella's face lighting up when I informed her that Charlie had agreed to a discharge. I held off telling her the news until after he left, and was happy I had done so, as I am unsure how her father would have reacted to her excitement.

We planned a weekend visit first with the option of returning to the hospital on the off-chance that the change was too much for her all at once. Bella had initially scoffed at the idea, but once I stressed how important it was for her to gradually ease herself back into her day-to-day life, she agreed that it was probably for the best.


Esme and I headed for the forest as soon as we had returned home, giving chase to several deer until we had caught the scent of a bobcat, which Esme had enjoyed immensely. Sated, we lay together, gazing at the stars and discussing Bella's upcoming move and what it would mean for our family. Although we hadn't discussed the move with Bella previous to her meeting with her father, it was something we had truly hoped for. We had prepared Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett of what was most likely going to happen and unsurprisingly, they had all been quite pleased with the possibility. Even Rosalie had surprised us by asking if there was anything that she and Emmett could do to help.

We decided it would most likely be best for Bella if the family gradually returned home, rather than everyone returning at once, so we tentatively planned for Alice and Jasper to come in a month's time with Rose and Emmett returning shortly after summer solstice.

Only one detail remained undiscussed and not one of us was sure on how to proceed. So much had happened since that fateful September day and I had no idea how to even broach the subject with Edward. It was actually pretty difficult when I was unsure how to even find him.

I toyed with the laptop that sat in front of me, trying to compose an e-mail in my mind. I could hear Esme faintly humming in an upstairs bedroom, most likely putting the final touches on Bella's bedroom and it eased the tension of my current task. I was unsure whether or not Edward was even accessing his e-mail but I hoped that he had kept this one form of communication open when he had severed everything else. I understood that he could not be with us but surely he would have left us one way to contact him.

The blinking cursor emitted a steady beat, taunting me as I struggled with the various emotions that evolved from the simple thought of writing an e-mail. Sighing, and with a glance of the photo of Edward and Bella that Esme had brought for my desk, I began to write.

Greetings Edward,

I hope that this e-mail finds you well. Esme and I have been quite concerned that we have not heard from you. Your brothers and sisters have not had any contact from you either and although we know you are unable to be with us at this time, we would appreciate some word from you so that we know you are alright.

There are some matters that I need to discuss with you as soon as you feel you are able to call. I realize that you are suffering from some of the choices you have made and want you to know that you are not the only one who has regrets.

Please contact me when you feel you are able – even a quick e-mail to put Esme's mind at ease.

Deepest regards,

Carlisle

I hit the send button before I had the chance to change my mind and then stood and turned out the light on my desk and headed for the stairs to find my wife. It would be awhile before we would have the house to ourselves again so I planned to make the most of what remained of the night.


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