A/N: Yay! It's been really long, but I have finally finished writing Carlisle's story, up to the end of Twilight! Expect maybe one or two chapters of in between, and then on to New Moon! FYI, this chapter has not been edited beyond a simple spell check run so PLEASE don't sweat the small mistakes. I will totally edit them all.

Thanks to all my faithful readers who are the most awesome people on this site! You all rock! Thanks for getting me this far!

As always, I will remind you to Read, Review, and Pass it On! But really, the Review is the most important. I gotta know what you guys think!

-Wish

Chapter 38: Everything Will Work Out

Arriving at the hospital, Bella was transferred from the ambulance to the Emergency Room, and I was asked to wait patiently. Not five minutes later, Edward and Alice arrived. Edward was muttering something about parking spots as he sat down.

"Any news yet?" he asked.

"You know there isn't," I replied. "Besides, we only arrived a few minutes ago."

Edward paced as Alice sat next to me in the plastic chairs of the Phoenix hospital waiting room. We waited a long time. I watched the minute hand move around the clock face twice, until an ER doctor came out and called for "anybody with Bella Swan?".

"We are," I said, getting up. Alice and Edward were right behind me, Edward wringing his hands and Alice looking off into the distance, attempting to see her future. The both seemed to settle as we approached the doctor.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen," I introduced myself. "This is my son, Edward, and my daughter, Alice. We're friends of Bella's family." It was a partial truth. Chief Swan certainly didn't seem to have any animosity towards us, though I wasn't sure whether or not he would consider us friends.

"Bella is in critical, but stable condition," the doctor said. "She's lost a lot of blood, so we had to give her a few transfusions. Right now she is still unconscious. She has a broken leg, four broken ribs, multiple contusions, and several cracks in her skull."

"Is she still hemorrhaging?" I asked.

"We are controlling it. As long as Bella wakes up within the next week, she should be okay. The head wound itself doesn't look too serious. Although I am worried about the cracks and the trauma, it's the blood loss and unconsciousness we are most worried about. I will let you know when we are more certain."

I forced myself to nod and thank the doctor before returning to my seat. I wanted to be there, helping Bella myself. I wanted to be able to tell Edward that everything would be fine. But I wasn't sure.

I called Charlie Swan as soon as I returned to my bag. His distress was evident, even before I told him his daughter was in the hospital. It seems his worse fears had been realized, that Bella would get hurt after she left. His frantic questions only paused when I told him Bella was in "critical but stable" condition and that she should be okay. But he began to worry again when I told him they'd given her blood transfusions to replace that which she'd lost in the "accident". I promised him I'd stay until either he or Renee could get there. I also told him I'd call if anything else happened. He hung up with a "thank you, Dr. Cullen," and a promise that one of them would arrive as soon as possible.

~*~

As soon as Bella was allowed visitors, Edward didn't leave Bella's side, even after visiting hours were long over. Alice and I moved to a hotel closer to the hospital, but Edward never came to it. I watched Edward destroy himself over Bella's state and wished there was some way I could help. I'd already assured him mentally and vocally that none of this was his fault; that he'd saved Bella, but Edward seemed to ignore me.

When Renee arrived in Phoenix the next day, Edward was forced to share Bella's bed side with someone else. It was in the hospital that I first met Bella's mother, and was struck by how different mother and daughter were, personality wise. Renee seemed a bit hare-brained, while Bella always seemed collected. It was almost as if Renee was the teenager and Bella was the parent. Theirs seemed to be a very odd relationship, one I was curious about.

Bella had been trying to tell Alice about some sort of tape as we were treating her, after James's attack. Before burning the ballet studio, Jasper and Emmett had found the camera and the tape James had made of his torturing Bella. It had been sickening to watch, but there were certain parts that were educational. The mystery of Alice's past had finally been revealed. She was Mary Alice Brandon. She'd been a mental patient, which could explain why she didn't remember anything but black. Mental patients, particularly schizophrenic patients, were kept in almost constant dark and loneliness.

The tape had affected Alice in ways I have yet to understand. She was spending more time around Jasper. There was talk of the two of them going on a road trip to do some digging into Alice's past.

Bella finally woke on Friday, almost three days after the faked accident. Suspicion had been removed from us as our alibis were solidified. The police were calling this one an "unfortunate accident", which was good for us. It meant they wouldn't dig any further. They'd gotten our statements and Bella wouldn't sue. Case closed.

We stayed in Phoenix until Bella was able to fly. It meant an extended leave from the Forks hospital for me, but the Head of Medicine didn't have a problem with that. I worked longer than most of the other doctors there anyway.

Once Bella returned home, things became interesting. Charlie genuinely seemed grateful to me for being there and looking out for Bella. And he seemed happy about Alice too, though I wasn't sure why. He didn't even seem to be angry at Bella for leaving or for all the hateful, damaging words she'd spewed at him the night she left. No. All Charlie's anger, and most of his blame, fell on Edward.

Edward said Charlie blames him for somehow hurting Bella and causing her to leave and then eventually end up in a hospital. He set down new rules upon Bella's return that Edward frequently found irritating. Rules like curfews and specific times Edward was allowed to visit Bella at home. Edward came home, annoyed at having to wait for the few hours until he could return to Bella. I didn't even bother warning him against breaking Charlie's rules. I knew that, especially after what happened to Bella in Phoenix, Edward would ignore me.

So, I was surprised when Edward told me he was taking Bella to prom. But most of all, I was surprised that Charlie had said it was okay. I was optimistic that maybe this would be a step towards Charlie accepting Edward. Above anything, my son deserved to be accepted. He deserved to be with Bella. He'd waited so long already.

As I watched Bella leave with Edward, dressed up by Alice in a blue, designer gown with only one dress shoe (her other leg was in a cast) my mind fell to the memory of a conversation I'd had with my own angel, the first time Bella had visited our home.

"Carlisle, he loves her. Some how, everything will work out."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around my angel, hugging her close to my chest and breathing in her sweet, cinnamon brown sugar scent. Esme turned in my arms and looked up at me, quizzically.

"I think you were right," I told her. "I think, everything just might, work out." I leaned down and gave her a tender kiss. Now I was the hopeless romantic!