A/N: Thank you for your support of this story. I truly appreciate it.
UPDATE: Color me stupid! So sorry about the snafu...should never try to multi-task! So sorry, and thanks for letting me know what a moron I was. You're all lovely and I apologize for the confusion. Let's try this again, shall we?
SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.
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13.
"Momma? Chelsea's crying," I heard Jax call from the room they shared.
It was Monday of the week of Thanksgiving, and Edward was working one of his marathon shifts. Carlisle and Esme were out of town for a convention of shrinks, and Chelsea was staying with me. She'd been lethargic all evening, pushing her dinner around her plate and not eating at all, and when she asked if it was okay to go to bed when Jax did at 8:00, I was worried because she usually stayed up for a bit with me until Jax was asleep.
I tossed my sketch pad aside and ran upstairs to find Chelsea crying in her bed. I'd offered to fix up a spare room for her, but she wanted to share a room with Jax. "Honey, what's wrong?" I asked seeing her face crumpled in pain.
"My stomach hurts, Bella. I feel like I could throw up," she answered. Before I could get the trash can, she did. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed towels to clean up the mess as she sobbed. I felt her forehead and she was burning up. Something was wrong with her, and I had no idea what it was. She was crying, and Jax was crying and I was crying.
I ran to my room and grabbed the phone, calling Edward. I looked at the clock for a second and hoped he was on a break. "Aaaaah, Cullen," I heard him yawn through the line. He was apparently asleep, but at least I got him.
"Honey, it's me. I'm bringing Chels in because she's sick. She's got a fever, and she's throwing up. We'll be there as soon as I can get someone here to take care of Jax," I announced.
"McCarty's off. Call him to come over. Let him check her out first. If she needs to come in, he can stay with Jax. I'll be there in ten minutes," he announced. I quickly hung up and called Emmett.
"This better be fucking important," I heard over the line. If the situation wasn't so dire, I'd have laughed.
"Em, it's me. Look, Chelsea's at my house, and she's complaining about her stomach. She threw up, and she's running a fever. Can you come over? Edward's on his way," I answered.
"Be there in a minute," he answered and hung up. I helped Chelsea out of bed and took her to the bathroom where she threw up again. I began running her a cool tub to try to help with the fever, but before I could get her in it, I heard the banging on the front door.
"Sweetie, get undressed and climb into the tub. I'll be right back," I told her. I ran downstairs, puke stained clothes be damned, and opened the door to find Emmett and Rosalie at the door.
"Come in. I just told her to climb into a cool tub. She just puked again," I informed.
I was barely out of the way before Emmett ran upstairs. I heard Chelsea shriek, and I was certain he'd busted in on her in the bathroom. "Honey, it's okay. Believe it or not, I'm really a doctor regardless of the fact that I cheat at board games. Now, tell me where it hurts," I heard him ask as I climbed the stairs with Rosalie hot on my trail.
"Mom," I heard called from the bathroom and my heart stopped. Well, it felt like it did. I walked to the door and found her in panties with a towel across her chest lying on the bathroom floor.
"What sweetie? Dr. McCarty is here to see what's wrong. I'm right here," I told her as I sat down on the floor and pulled her head into my lap, smoothing her hair back. She seemed to relax and allow Emmett to examine her. When he pushed against her belly, she cringed and he remarked, "Okay, little one, we're going to the hospital. Bella, get her something to put on and hurry. We need to go."
The urgency in his voice was evident, and I quickly placed her head on a towel and went into the bedroom to see Rosalie cleaning up the mess. I grabbed a pair of pajamas from her overnight bag and raced back to the bathroom.
I helped her dress, and then Emmett carried her downstairs just as Edward showed up. "What's wrong?" Edward asked.
"Appendix, from what I can tell without an ultrasound," I heard. Emmett began spouting off a lot of medical stats that I didn't understand, and the two of them reached the conclusion that she needed to get to the hospital.
"Bella, honey, we're going now. Can you change and meet us there? Will Rose stay with Jax?" Edward asked. Emmett nodded without question, and they were gone.
I ran upstairs and went to Jax's room to find Rosalie curled up with her in bed, both of them fast asleep. I went to my room and changed, and then went to the kitchen and left a note informing Rose what was going on. I drove to the hospital, somehow, and I prayed the whole time. We couldn't lose her…we'd just gotten to know her. Hell, Edward just found her. It wasn't fair at all.
##
I arrived at the hospital and parked my car in Esme's spot. She was gone, and I dared anyone to tow it. I raced into the ER and found Edward pacing in the waiting room, hair as wild as ever. "They won't let me in there. They actually fucking threw me out. That's my goddamn kid in there, and Jessica Stanley made me leave," he snapped at me.
I settled him in a chair, and I went to the desk and grabbed the phone, calling first Esme and Carlisle, then my parents. For all intents and purposes, we were an extended family, and we'd all need each other, so I had no problem calling them in the middle of the night, more or less.
I cornered Jessica and asked, "How is she?"
She looked at me and was about to give me bullshit about the fact that I wasn't family, but then a look came across her face, and it softened. "Dr. Wallace is in there with Dr. Thorne. He's the best surgeon here, Bella. They'll figure it out. I put a call into Dr. Whitlock, but he hasn't called back yet. I'm sorry I threw Dr. Cullen out, but he was in the way and he was just crazed. Can I get you guys anything?" she asked. Who knew she could actually be kind?
"No, we're fine. Just let me know anything, please?" I begged. She nodded and I walked back to the waiting room to find Edward sitting where I'd pushed him down. He was expressionless, and I could completely understand why. He'd just gotten his daughter back, and he was contemplating what he'd do if he lost her. I wasn't going to allow him to get down that road very far.
I sat down next to him and took his hands in mine. "Listen to me. There are two very good doctors in there with her. You have to have faith, honey," I told him. He merely bent over and placed his head in my lap as he had months before, but this time, he cried. I raked my nails across his scalp and held him as I cried my own tears of worry.
Ten minutes later found my parents sitting with us. Ten minutes after that found Jasper and Alice blowing in. Alice sat down on the other side of Edward and rubbed his back as Jasper scrambled to the exam room where Chelsea was settled. Esme and Carlisle had called and informed us they were getting the next flight back from San Francisco. The only thing left to do was wait.
And, we all sat and waited. And, we waited. And, we waited. Finally, Jessica came into the waiting room. "Bella, she wants to see you and Edward. The doctors are in with her," she remarked. He was up like a shot, pulling me with him.
When we breached the curtain, I noticed how small she seemed in the big hospital bed. She was just a wisp of a girl, and she was precious to a lot of people who she didn't even know loved her. She deserved the best care in the world, and I'd spend every penny I had to ensure it if he didn't have it to spend. It was a vow I made to everyone I loved, and she was one I loved.
"Daddy, Bella, will I be okay?" she asked. I could tell she was on some pain meds, and I didn't hesitate to sit down on the side of her bed and take her hands as Edward spoke with her doctors.
"Sweetie, you'll be fine. How do you feel?" I asked as I stroked her hands.
"Funny," she answered with a small giggle.
"Chelsea, honey, you'll be much better in a little while. I'm going to let your daddy stay with you, but if you need me, just tell Jessica," I announced when Edward sat down on the other side of the bed.
"Where's Jax?" she asked. Bless her heart, she was worried about Jax.
"She's at home with Rosalie, but she'll be here tomorrow. I don't think I could keep her away if I tried. I love you, you know. I'll just be right down the hall," I told her as I kissed her forehead. After that, I squeezed Edward's hand and left the two of them alone.
Five minutes later, Edward and Dr. Thorne came to the waiting room. I jumped up and hurried over to where they stood to hear what they were discussing. "She's on antibiotics and pain meds. I know you're aware of the potential complications, so we don't need to go over those. We can remove it by laparoscopy. Minimally invasive and much quicker than any other way. I'll take good care of her, I promise," Thorne told him.
"Can I be in the OR?" Edward asked. I could see, by the look on Dr. Thorne's face, that there was no way that was going to happen. Hell, I wasn't even sure what they were doing to her, but knowing Edward, if anything went wrong, he'd go berserk and that wouldn't be good for Chelsea.
"Cullen, you know you can't, but Whitlock will be in there. Anyway, I'll be out in no time. Have a little faith. Sit down in chairs with Black, and let her hold your hand. I'll see you in a few minutes," Dr. Thorne instructed. When he was gone, I pulled Edward over to the chairs and sat down holding his hand, just as Dr. Thorne had suggested, and we began the wait.
My parents made small talk with me about the jobs I had after the first of the year. I could see Edward was trying to pay attention, but every time someone came into the waiting room, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What the fuck is taking so long?" Edward asked as he paced the room. It had been forty-minutes since Dr. Thorne had left the waiting room, and while I wasn't exactly sure how long the surgery took, I was pretty sure it was longer than the thirty minutes that had likely transpired.
Emmett came in and sat down, and he and Alice began a game of hang-man. Of course, the words they were using were of the swear variety, so I was very happy Jax was nowhere around. When Emmett blurted out "cocksucker," my father choked on his coffee. Edward actually laughed at that one.
One hour and five minutes from when Dr. Thorne had initially walked into the waiting room, he returned followed by Jasper, who had a very big smile on his face. "Surgery was successful. She's in recovery for a while, and then we'll get her settled on seven. If Bella hadn't called you when she did and you hadn't brought her in as quickly as you had, it might have burst and you know what problems that would have brought. But luckily, it didn't happen. Good call, Bella," Jasper announced. I was so grateful, I couldn't help but cry. Edward hugged me, and I could feel the tension release from his body.
"Come on, you can come back. Bella, you should go ahead and go home. You won't be able to see her tonight. I'm going to stay tonight, so would you mind dropping Alice off at home?" Jasper asked. I saw Edward nodding in agreement, and I decided that they were probably right. I wasn't family, so of course I wouldn't be able to see her, and I did need to get home so Rosalie could go home.
I kissed Edward's cheek, and he quickly rushed off with Jasper. I walked over to the chairs and hugged my parents, thanking them for coming and then I grabbed my purse and jacket to leave. "Blacksheep, good job of getting me over there when you did. You're a great Mom, you know," Emmett complimented as he hugged me and we all walked out together.
I said an extra-long prayer of thanks that night before I climbed into bed with Jax. I needed to feel her next to me for some reason, and nothing could calm me more than her slow breaths. I was very glad that Chelsea was okay, and it just made me want to hold onto my daughter even tighter.
The next morning after breakfast, I called Peter and rescheduled an appointment he and I had for lunch to drinks that afternoon, and I kept Jax home from school. I'd explained to her that Chelsea was okay, but she was stubbornly insisting to see for herself. I knew I'd play hell getting her into the room to visit, but I hoped that maybe Jasper could smooth the way.
Just as we were about to leave, Jax called, "Wait!" and took off back upstairs. She came back a minute later with her favorite stuffed toy, the star of "Blue's Clues," Blue, in tow.
"Why are you bringing him? We'll be home tonight," I asked. She slept with the stupid dog every night, and I couldn't understand why she was bringing him along. More than once, I'd had to turn my car around and go back to my parents' house to pick him up because we'd forgotten him when I picked her up at midnight during my time at the hospital.
"He can stay wiff Chelsea," Jax offered. I was quite touched, but I was also worried what would happen at bedtime without him.
"Honey, that's very sweet, but maybe take her another animal so you have Blue to sleep with tonight," I reasoned. I had no intentions of trying to get into the hospital at 8:30 that night to get him back so Jax could go to sleep.
"I sleep wiff Barbie. She'll give him back," Jax explained. I merely shrugged and led her out to the car.
Fifteen minutes later, after stopping at the gift shop in the hospital and picking up a few story books and an activity book for Chelsea and a balloon or two, we walked off the elevator on seven. I was relieved to see Nancy standing at the desk talking to Dr. Wallace. I approached the desk and waited as he explained some orders to her and then left with a smile for me and Jax.
"Hello Black girls. How are you both today?" Nancy asked with her ever-present smile. I wondered if she had a twin because she seemed to work on every floor.
"What are you doing working up here? I seem to see you on every floor," I joked.
"I'm a floater. I only work part-time or as needed. Lauren called in sick today, so here I am. Let me guess who you're here to see," she teased as she walked around the counter and squatted down in front of Jax.
"Chelsea," Jax announced, holding onto the balloons she'd insisted we get for Chelsea. I thought they were probably more for Jax, but I didn't say anything.
"Well, I can't let you go in because you're too little, but I actually need to use the restroom, so I'm going to be away from the desk for a few minutes. The restrooms are in the opposite direction of Room 707 where little Miss Cullen is resting comfortably," Nancy announced. She squeezed Jax's arm and then stood up and walked away. I quickly ushered Jax down the hall and heard Jasper and Edward talking when we went inside the room.
Jax wasted no time making her presence known. "Redward, we sneaked in," she whispered loudly. I saw Edward look her way and smile, holding his arms out for her, which of course only prompted her to bolt toward him.
"How's my girl?" he asked as he hugged her tightly.
"She's there," Jax responded as she pointed to the bed where Chelsea was resting. Jasper was checking Chelsea's incision as we walked in, and he smiled at me and winked.
"You're my girl, too," Edward told her. Jax wiggled down from his lap and walked to the bed handing Blue to Chelsea.
"What's Blue doing here?" Chelsea asked as Jasper situated the blankets up over her again. I saw that she still had the IV in her arm, and the thought of the needle made me cringe.
"He sleep wiff you so you not scared," Jax explained. I noticed she was holding onto those balloons with a death grip.
"Um, Jax, what else did you bring her?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Oh," Jax laughed. She handed the balloons strings to Chelsea and started to scramble up on the bed, but not before Edward was able to grab her.
"Sweetie, you can't get in bed with her because she has a hurt tummy, but you can sit here in this big chair and talk to her," he instructed. I knew the visit would be short because Jax had absolutely no patience in her ass.
"Thank you, Jax," Chelsea responded. I walked over to the bed and took them from her, tying them to the knob on the nightstand next to her bed. I leaned over and kissed her forehead and smoothed her beautiful hair from her face.
"How are you, honey?" I asked. She looked very small in the bed, and she was a little pale. I prayed infection didn't set in. I'd looked up the complications on the internet when I got home the night before and saw that it was a possibility.
"I'm sore, but I feel better. Thank you for taking care of me," she told me as I held her hand.
"Oh, any time, sweetie. Here, I thought you might be bored. I know your dad isn't as fun to talk to as your friends at school," I teased as I handed her the books. She laughed, and then grabbed her stomach, obviously in pain.
"Here. Put this on your tummy and hold it tight when you laugh or cough. It'll help. Bella, thanks for taking Alice home last night. Now, since you're here, why don't you talk Edward into going downstairs and showering and getting food? He hasn't left the room since we got her settled last night, and he stinks. I'll take Jaxie with me down to the playroom, even though I don't see her here because it's against hospital policy for her to be in here, and you can sit with Chelsea and keep her company. If everything continues as well as it has been, she'll get to go home just in time for Thanksgiving," Jasper announced. I was very happy to hear that.
"I don't stink," Edward protested as he raised his arms and sniffed under each one. I saw Chelsea clutching the pillow and I couldn't help but laugh with her.
"You talk in your sleep, Daddy. He was calling out for you almost all night, Bella. I couldn't get any rest," Chelsea confessed.
"That was supposed to stay between you and me, young lady. Fine, if you're all going to talk about me, I'm going to leave. I'll be back in a little bit. Come on Jax, I'll walk with you down to the playroom and we can see if there's anyone in there that you can play with for a few minutes," Edward snipped as he picked Jax up from her chair and carried her out of the room.
I saw her lean closer to you and take a big sniff. She pinched her fingers on the end of her nose and announced, "You do stink." Jasper and I couldn't help but crack up. Ah, from the mouths of babes…
"I'll be back later. Try to get some sleep, sweetie. Bella, I'll talk to you later. I'll stay down there with her until you're ready to go. I've got a patient down there I need to check on anyway. Bye, ladies," Jasper called as he left the room.
I sat down in the chair next to the bed and looked at her. "So, I can run by your house later and pick up some things before I drop Jax at her grandma's house. Is there anything in particular you need?" I asked.
"Just some clean clothes to come home in. I'm sorry I called you Mom last night. I was really scared, and it just slipped out," Chelsea replied. I looked at her and saw her cheeks turn red, and I knew she was embarrassed.
"Oh, now, don't you worry about that. I know you were scared. I was scared as well. I'm just glad you're okay, honey. It didn't bother me that you called me Mom," I assured. It scared me because I knew she must have been in a lot of pain if it slipped out, but it certainly didn't bother me.
"That's what Daddy said when I told him. I know you're not my mom, but sometimes it feels like it to me," she confessed. I wanted to tell her that sometimes it felt like that to me as well, but I honestly didn't know what to say to her.
Luckily, as I was about to answer, Esme and Carlisle came flying into the room, looking very haggard. "Oh, there's my sweet granddaughter. How are you, honey?" Esme asked. I quickly got out of the way so they could be near their granddaughter and moved to the end of the bed. Carlisle was on one side, and Esme was on the other.
"I'm fine. Bella just made Daddy go take a shower and get something to eat. He slept here last night. I might get to go home tomorrow night," Chelsea announced.
Esme looked at me, and I shrugged. I heard Jasper say in time for Thanksgiving, but I didn't know if that meant Wednesday night or Thursday morning. It then occurred to me that I didn't know what kind of plans the Cullens had for Thanksgiving because Esme and Carlisle were supposed to be in San Francisco, and Edward was supposed to be working. I was cooking dinner for Mom, Dad, Jax and Chelsea. Since the Cullens were home, I felt that I should extend the invitation to them because there wouldn't be time for Esme to shop and prepare dinner for her family.
"Um, look, I know its last minute and my place is small, but you and Carlisle are more than welcome to join us for Thanksgiving. Edward's on duty, I believe, but we can make do," I invited.
"We can do it at my place. It's bigger, and actually, my colleagues are all pitching in to cover my shifts until Monday when I work my last seventy-two. I'd be more than happy to host everyone if someone else will cook. I don't think I'm ready to tackle a turkey," Edward announced as he breezed into the room looking much better than when he'd left.
He hugged his parents and walked over to where I was standing. "Thank you for staying with her while I showered. Now, about Thanksgiving," he began.
I didn't want to have a discussion in front of Chelsea and his parents. I appreciated that he was offering his place, but I didn't know if I was comfortable cooking there, and the fact that I'd have to put the turkey in very early in the morning meant that either I had to get Jax up at 3:00 AM and haul it all over there, or we'd have to spend Wednesday night there.
He'd slept on my couch numerous times, but Jax was a lot younger than Chelsea and she didn't really pay attention to things like that. From what I'd witnessed, Chelsea was quite astute on surveying situations, and I didn't think it was appropriate for her to see me spend the night there.
"Um, let's talk about this outside. I actually need to rescue Jasper and take Jax to my mom's house. I've got errands to run this afternoon, and may I have the key to your place so that I can get Chelsea some clothes to wear home tomorrow night?" I asked.
"Oh, sure. I'll be right back," he announced. I walked over to Chelsea and kissed her cheek and told her I'd see her later, and then I hugged Esme and Carlisle good-bye, with a promise to get back to them regarding location, and Edward and I walked out of the room.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, guiding us to the playroom. We collected Jax, and made our way to the elevator. "So, why don't you want to cook at my place? You designed the damn thing, so I assumed it was something along the lines of what you'd want if you remodeled your kitchen at your place," he assessed.
He was spot on with that shit. "Um, well, yeah, but…let's wait until we get outside," I responded as more people got onto the elevator on six. He reached down, picked up Jax, and tickled her until she squealed, much to the dismay of the other passengers in the elevator.
"Do I smell better?" Edward teased her. She took a big sniff of him and nodded. The three of us laughed, and then we got off in the lobby. Edward walked us to my car, and he situated Jax in the backseat in her booster. When he closed the door after kissing her cheek, he turned to look at me.
"So?" he asked.
"Look, I need to get the turkey in the oven very early, and I don't want to have to get Jax up at 3:00 AM and cart her and all the food over to your house so I can cook there. We can all eat at my place. It'll be a tight fit, but we can make do," I answered. I saw him scrunch up his face, and then a broad smile broke out in its place.
"Aren't you supposed to be at a meeting with my competition?" he asked cockily. The jackass knew I'd had to have cancelled my meeting with Peter to be at the hospital at that particular time.
"Cute. Actually, after I drop Jax off at Mom's house, I'm having a drink with Peter to go over some plans, and then I'll come back and drop off Chelsea's clean clothes for her. I'll leave the key in her bag if you'll give it to me," I responded sharply.
He reached into the pocket of his white lab coat and handed me a key. "Here ya go. Keep it. Now, regarding Thanksgiving, you and Jax can stay the weekend with us. Look, I shouldn't be moving Chelsea around after I get her home tomorrow night, and I'm not the most exciting company for her, as you mentioned yourself. You and Jax can come over tomorrow night and spend the night. I'll stop by before I take Chelsea home and pick up the groceries and take them home with me, and then you and Jax come over for dinner. I'll make something.
"Then, over the weekend, you and Chelsea can look at paint and all that other stuff that you have so she can decide how she wants her room to look. I see it as a great weekend for all of us, plus, our families get along well, so I think they'll all enjoy themselves," he reasoned.
He was right. After he had Chelsea settled at home, he shouldn't be moving her around, so I had no choice but to agree. "Fine. I'll have everything ready to go, and you drop by and pick it up. I'll bring dinner with me, so don't worry about cooking. I'm going to venture a guess that you don't have too many groceries at your place anyway since you haven't been home much since you got back from Italy," I explained.
"You're right on that account. Have you discussed Mexico with Alice? I thought maybe you and I could go out on New Year's Eve. Mom and Dad stay home as a rule, and I'm sure they'd love to have the girls overnight," he suggested. Hmm…a date on New Year's? It had been a very long time since I'd had a date on New Year's.
"We'll see," I answered. I pecked him on the cheek and started to get into the car when he stopped me.
"Thank you so much for everything, Bella. You have no idea how grateful I am that you called me last night and took care of my daughter. You're a remarkable woman, and I love you," he responded before he kissed me gently on the mouth. Nothing like the make-out sessions we'd had on the parking lot when I worked there, but it was sweet and loving, just the same.
When we pulled apart, I was breathless and he was smug. Not at all a surprise. "Bye," I responded as I climbed into the car. I drove away watching him standing next to the parking spot where I'd been parked with that damn sexy smirk on his face.
I picked up my cell and punched in Alice's speed dial number. When she answered, I asked, "Miss Brandon, do you have plans for New Year's?"
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E/N: Thank you for reading. I've put up two one-shots on that were contributions to FGB events. They're under my penname. I hope you'll check them out.
Till next time…xoxo