Chapter Six
Edward held his phone against his ear and paced the hallway outside his bedroom. He stopped to peek inside the room and watched Bella sleeping in his bed.
"Edward, does she have any other symptoms?"
"No. Not as far as I can tell - just these dizzy spells that throw her to the ground."
Carlisle Cullen retired from his medical practice last year, but just because he closed his office didn't mean he wasn't still a doctor.
"She could be pregnant. Sometimes pregnancy hormones can make a woman dizzy."
Edward stopped pacing and leaned up against the wall.
"Pregnant?"
"Is she in a relationship?"
"No. She said she just got out of one."
"Have her do a pregnancy test. The first trimester is very important, so she should get to a doctor if the test is positive."
"I'll tell her."
"Okay. Take care son, and we'll see you next week. Here's your mother again."
His parents called once a week. The call was usually quick, just updating them on mundane business stuff. But today he had a lengthy conversation with about his personal life and she agreed with him. It was time to move on. He obviously felt something for Bella and he needed to explore those feelings.
"Edward, we have to board the ship again. Is there anything else or are we good until your father and I get home?"
"We're good. Thanks."
"Okay. Send my love to Jazz and Emmett and give them hugs for me."
Edward rolled his eyes. He would most definitely not do that.
He pushed the end button on his phone, turned to walk back into his room and ran into Bella.
"Bella, what are you doing out of bed?"
"I'm not pregnant. And for the record, I don't appreciate you sharing my problems with your parents."
He rubbed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. You're sure you don't want to do a pregnancy test just to be sure?"
"I'm not pregnant."
"I guess you would know, right?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood between them. She was right. He shouldn't be sharing her personal issues with his parents. "I'm just worried about you. I only asked my father because he's a doctor."
She sucked in her bottom lip and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Thanks, but I'm not sick or pregnant."
"You're welcome. Hey, that short rest has given you color back in your cheeks."
Bella blushed and turned away.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really. Look, Edward, I started to tell you something before I fell asleep and I want to finish, but I want Harry to be there."
"Why?"
"What I have to tell you is complicated."
"Well that doesn't sound ominous at all."
She snickered. "What time does Harry leave the snack bar?"
Edward glanced at his watch. "In an hour."
"Meet me at Harry and Sue's camper in an hour."
Bella hurried down the hall to the stairs, not giving him the chance to catch up. His heart sank when she never even looked back at him.
Edward walked slowly down the stairs, meeting Emmett on the second floor landing. He followed his brother down to the kitchen. Neither one of them spoke a word until after Emmett downed a bottle of orange juice.
"Was that Bella?"
"Yeah."
"She was in your room?"
Emmett smirked and tried to fist bump him.
"I didn't bring her home for that. She's sick."
"What's she got?"
"I don't know. Did her friends mention anything about her being sick?"
"No. Then again, Rose and I didn't do a lot of talking, if you know what I mean." Emmett winked and Edward's stomach rolled.
"Come on, Edward. Don't give me that condescending look. All we did was make out."
"I don't care what you do, just treat her right. Not only is Rose Bella's friend, she's a guest. I don't want to listen to another lecture from Dad about breaking the hearts of the girls who stay here."
"Is that who you were talking to on the phone?"
"Yeah, they're coming home next week."
Emmett finished his orange juice and went back to the fridge. He pulled out some deli meat, tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. After he placed all of that on the counter, he went to the bread box and grabbed two rolls.
"So, you like her?"
Edward shrugged. "What I know about her, I like. She said she knows Harry and Sue."
Emmett piled the sliced turkey on the roll and slathered on the mayo. "The Clearwaters?"
"Yeah. She said she's known them since she was a kid."
"Small world, huh?"
"That's what I said."
Emmett stuffed a few tomato slices in between the meat and the lettuce then took a huge bite. "They're all from Washington."
"Yeah." Edward winced. "Do you have to talk with your mouth full?"
Emmett grinned and chewed. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Rose said they've been besties since school."
"Did she say anything else about Bella?"
"Nah. Alice said they were worried about her, though. Something about a break-up and having to leave her family."
"Bella had to leave her family?"
Emmett nodded as finished that sandwich and started on the second one. He polished off that one in three bites then went back to the fridge.
"Make sure you clean your mess."
The last Edward wanted was to come back in the house and see perfectly good food spoil because Emmett was too lazy to put it back.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
He walked over to his brother and gave him a bear hug, making sure to squeeze him as hard as he could, just to get a rise out of him.
He and Emmett were about the same height, but Emmett had more brawn and promptly pushed Edward away.
"What the fuck, Edward!"
"That's from Mom."
Edward grinned and left.
He checked on Jasper at the store. Everything there was fine so he climbed in the golf cart and drove down to the Clearwater's site.
They had a nice rig - a newer fifth wheel camper with a diesel dual-wheel pick-up, to travel in comfort. Harry and Sue loved the Pacific Northwest, but they both enjoyed seeing the rest of the country.
Sue sat outside in the screened in porch in a wicker rocking chair, reading.
"Edward, hi."
"Bella asked me to meet her here."
"It's fine. Come in."
He walked in and she handed him a glass of iced tea.
"What's new?"
"Not much. I talked to my parents. They're having a great time."
They made small talk, while Edward shook his leg up and down, anxiously waiting for Bella to show up, unable to imagine what this whole thing was about.
Harry's bellowing laughter echoed through the trees as he and Bella walked up to the camper interrupting Sue's diatribe about her daughter Leah and her choice of boyfriends. Thank God. Sue was a nice lady, but she could talk your ear off.
Bella came in first and Edward's stomach tightened. She was so pretty, from her warm, brown eyes to her chestnut hair. He stood and offered her his chair.
She refused it, choosing to stand next to Harry instead. He watched as her facial expression went from happy to very serious.
"Edward, before we start, I want you to know, I'm not in agreement with Bella on this."
"With what?"
Edward's heart sped up.
"With the discussion we're about to have," Bella shot Harry a sharp look.
"I don't understand," Edward shook his head.
"Have a seat. You're going to want to be sitting for this," Bella said.
"Whatever it is, just say it," he said, sitting back down.
Bella began to pace and biting her lip again.
"My dizzy spells aren't because I'm sick. They're because I imprinted on you. Because I'm part wolf and part human."
Edward released the breath he'd been holding. All he heard was, imprinted, wolf and human.
"Come again?" he said, hoping he didn't hear her correctly.
Bella came over and kneeled down in front of him. She placed her hands on his thighs and stared into his eyes.
"I'm part wolf. I know it sounds insane, but just hear me out, okay?"
He nodded. What choice did he have?
Bella explained that her biological father was from a tribe of Indians who had the genetic makeup to morph into wolves. The imprinting thing was somehow part of that gene.
"Edward, please say something." Bella's lip quivered like she was about to cry.
He glanced over at Harry and Sue. "This is how you know each other?"
Harry nodded. "Bella's biological father is my older brother."
"So you're a wolf too?"
"Yes. I imprinted on Sue when I was much younger."
Edward looked over at Sue. "And how did you react when he told you?"
"I grew up in the tribe. I don't have the gene, but it wasn't a shock to me. Edward, imprinting isn't a bad thing. It sounds crazy, but it's not bad."
She turned to Harry and they both smiled.
Bella's hands were so hot they were making his thighs sweat.
"Why weren't you in agreement with Bella telling me this?"
"Because Bella's genes are different from the rest of us. Her mother wasn't part of the tribe and Michael never shifted into a wolf. There are many unanswered questions."
"Like what?"
"Like if Bella's imprinting is the same as the rest of ours. We imprint for life, unless the imprintee rejects us."
He glanced down at Bella again. "I'm the imprintee?"
"You're my imprintee," she smiled brightly.
His head spun. If Harry wasn't such a trusted friend, he'd call them all insane.
"So what does this all mean?"
Harry and Bella exchanged glances.
"The ball is your court now, Edward," Harry said. "Bella has imprinted on you. In normal wolves it means she'll be yours forever, unless you decide you don't want her."
"Because being a wolf is so normal, right?" he said, and immediately regretted his sarcastic comment.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.
His eyes met Bella's.
"So I have to marry you?"
Bella laughed. "No. Not unless you want to."
"You're dizzy spells?"
"It's what you do to me."
She blushed and his stomach tightened again. He couldn't deny he had feelings for her, but all this imprinting talk made it sound so permanent and he definitely wasn't ready for that.
"Bella, I think Edward needs some time to think about this," Sue said.
Bella stood. Her eyes softened and she looked disappointed but nodded in agreement with Sue.
"I'm sorry I had to spring this on you. Imprinting makes me want to be around you constantly. I thought you should I'm not stalking you. It's just that I can't help it."
He knew she was sincere, but Sue was right. He needed time to digest all of this.
"If I have questions, who should I ask?"
Harry came forward. "Any of us can help you."
Edward nodded and lifted his gaze back to Bella. He wanted to touch her, to let her know he wasn't outright refusing her. He also didn't want to lead her on, so he left without saying or doing anything.
He drove the golf cart back home. On the desktop computer in the living room, he typed imprinting in the search bar and watched the results come up on the screen.
He'd do his own research. If he still had unanswered questions, he'd go back to Harry. For now, he'd stay away from Bella.