Summary - "Bella is an average girl, struggling with her homosexuality and her life at home. Can the love of not one, but three vampires help show her that she shouldn't be afraid? A/B/R/V".
Author's Notes – Inspired by my dear friend Hollowgo.
Rating - Older Teen to Mature
By: WDG and Lash_Larue
The Garden of Four - Chapter Eleven – Shopping
A few weeks later, after spending a lot of her time in the hospital doing all of her school work that Alice would bring by, and many visits from her father, Alice, and the rest of the Cullen family, Bella was released from the hospital to go home. It was on her second day after coming back home that she woke up early in the morning to meet up with Alice and her sisters, and they headed to the mall.
Upon arriving, Bella began to have second thoughts, but it was too late. Alice parked the car and all of them piled out and were making their way inside, people stared at them, or more likely they stared at Alice and her sisters, because of their beauty.
"Let's start on the easy stuff first, Rose and Victoria, you go on ahead, Bella and I will catch up with you guys in the shoe section later, okay?", Alice said as she held Bella's hand and walked away while Rose and Victoria nodded and headed off in their own direction. "Now let's see, you will need some new jeans, some shirts, maybe even a few new jackets…." Bella groaned as she listened to Alice go on about all the stuff they would be getting. "Oh this looks like a good store to start in, come on Bella." Alice tugged on Bella's arm and dragged her into the store.
Bella keep walking until she bumped into Alice "Oh…sorry Alice, I didn't know you had stopped...hey, wait, why are we in the underwear section…" Bella blushed as she looked around to see what Alice was looking at, the girl was looking at the men's section in underwear before turning to look at Bella as if sizing her up.
"Your normal underwear seems like it's too tight on you, I guess it would be too. Considering what you're packing around in there and girl panties just aren't made for that. I thought we should get you some underwear that would be more appropriate for you, now here is the question, are you a boxers or briefs kind of girl, Bella, or would you be more comfortable in boxerbreifs?" Bella blushed before looking at the selection along the racks, looking away for a moment to see if anyone was around. She turned back and looked at the selection once more; Alice was right her panties were always kind of a tight fit and were uncomfortable to wear sometimes. Walking closer to the racks she looked over the boxers and she looked over the briefs before picking up a pack of boxer briefs and blushing as she handed them to Alice.
"Those…those look like they will fit me better."
Alice looked at Bella and smiled, and checking over the pack in her hand she saw that it only had four pair, grabbing a few more packs, she moved on to pick out some bras for Bella. After finding a few of them that would be comfortable for her they moved on, and grabbed a few packs of new socks as well. Checking out at the cash register had been weird for Bella because they had women's socks and bras but men's underwear. Alice was completely unfazed; not much embarrassed Alice.
Bella felt relieved when they left, the bags holding their purchases in hand. Alice dragged Bella along into another store, this one just for jeans, once again Bella could feel Alice's eyes on her, sizing her up before the pixie took off down the aisle and brought back an arm full of jeans. After getting a fitting room, Alice waited on the outside while Bella pulled on a pair before walking out in them. "Hmmmm those are nice jeans, but a little too tight, and a little too short, try on a different pair." Bella nodded and took Alice's advice. She went through what felt like a hundred pairs of jeans before leaving the store with a couple of pairs that fit nicely, along with some fancy dress pants. Soon they were doing the same thing in a shirt store, trying on clothes and discarding the ones that Alice and Bella didn't like.
After a while they sat down for lunch, well, Bella sat down for lunch and Alice just watched her eat, even though she had gotten a full lunch herself. Bella ate Alice's food as well as her own. After taking their bags out to the car they made their way back inside and went off in search of Rose and Victoria, finding the two of them sitting and trying on shoes, they made their way over to them. "Hey, you guys we found some great clothes for Bella to wear, hopefully they will last until we can go to a better mall or order some from online" said Alice.
"Or until I outgrow them," Bella thought nervously, but she kept quiet about it since nothing could be done about that.
Alice made her way over to a chair, and after sitting down she patted the spot next to her, and Bella sat down as well "So what have you guys found?"
Rose stood up and brought some boxes over to Alice and Bella. "We found her some nice boots, along with a couple of pairs of good shoes, we didn't go near the heel section, because we all know Bella couldn't walk two feet in those without falling or tripping. So here go ahead and start trying them on." Bella nodded and went to work untying the shoes she had on already, before grabbing a box of boots and taking one out of the box to try on.
After trying on several different styles, Bella left with two new pairs of dark tan boots and two pairs of shoes. All the girls left the stores behind now, ready to head home, and after loading up the car they took off down the road. Bella feel asleep along the way. Rose and Victoria helped Alice carry all of Bella's stuff into Bella's house and hang all the stuff up, or put it away in drawers or wherever else it seemed to belong. Both of them then left, running home with vampire speed while Alice smiled and carried a sleeping Bella up the stairs.
As Alice was backing out she saw Charlie pulling in, and she stopped and rolled her window down so that she could talk to him. "Hey Chief Swan, Bella's already upstairs and in the bed asleep, so try to be quiet, okay? We had fun, but she got kind of worn out."
Charlie nodded and said, "Thank you Alice, for taking her out today. And for the last time, squirt, quit calling me Chief Swan. I have told you, it's Charlie now, so stop trying to make me feel old, will you? You be safe on your way home, now, you hear?"
Alice nodded, pulled out into the street, and began her drive home.
"I like that kid," Charlie said out loud as he watched her drive away, "Bells could do a lot worse. And God knows having a Doctor as her girlfriend's dad won't hurt a damn thing." Chuckling at his own joke, Charlie went into his house.
"How did Bella hold up today?" Carlisle asked when Alice joined the family.
"Pretty good, I made sure she had plenty of lunch. She zonked out on the way home though, I got her all tucked in before Charlie got home," she told him.
"That's only to be expected, she's been laid up for a long time, and she's still going through a lot of changes even though her injuries are well healed now. Once she comes into her full powers she'll heal much faster, of course," Carlisle told them.
"And how long before Charlie starts noticing things?" Edward asked.
"Soon, I would think," Carlisle answered, "I can't be certain about the time of course; even if she weren't different it would be impossible to be sure. I need to talk to Charlie, let him know what to expect."
"You must also come up with a reason for her to be here every moon period," Esme reminded him. Carlisle sighed.
"Tell him the truth," Jasper suggested, and everyone looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Not the werewolf part, come on! I mean come up with some medical mumbo jumbo about how you need to periodically monitor her for a few days each month to keep an eye on her endocrine situation. Charlie is going to be worried when she starts getting taller and stops tripping over her own feet. He'll buy it, and it's true, you do need to monitor her every month. It's always best to lie using the truth when it's possible," Jasper explained.
"He's right," Emmet agreed.
"Way to go Jas!" Victoria said, holding up her hand for a high five.
"An excellent idea, Jasper," Carlisle admitted, visibly relieved.
"And don't make it three days every time," Rose suggested, "make it four or five sometimes, that way it will be harder for Charlie to connect it to the phase of the moon."
"The Quileute's are gonna know, though," Victoria reminded them all; "I bet they hear her when she transforms the first time. And even if they don't, sooner or later they're gonna know there's a new wolf in town."
"Hopefully a big bad one," Alice added, and her sharp teeth shone as she grinned.
Charlie looked up at the knock on his office door and waved Carlisle in.
"Hi Carlisle, what's up? Need a ticket fixed or something?" He asked, drawing a chuckle from his visitor.
"No, I would have brought doughnuts for something like that," he answered, getting a laugh from Charlie in return.
"What can I do for you then?"
"It's about Bella, Charlie," and the laughter left Charlie's face instantly.
"Is something wrong?" he asked anxiously.
"No, not wrong exactly, and I don't think that she's in any danger. But there are some unusual things going on with her," Carlisle explained cautiously.
"What kind of things?"
"Bella's body is still reacting strongly to her injuries, even though they have healed very well. Of course you know that when we are seriously injured the body takes steps to protect the most vital organs."
"Yeah, I remember something about that from school," Charlie told him.
"Usually the body will sacrifice a badly damaged limb to preserve the heart or the brain by sort of disconnecting it, shutting down the blood supply and things like that. In essence, the body gives up on the damaged part."
"Is Bella going to lose her arm?" Charlie asked grimly.
"Heavens no! Nothing like that, I assure you. You see, Bella's body didn't give up. Bella's body declared war on the injuries, I've never seen anything quite like it, to tell you the truth," Carlisle explained.
"She's a fighter, huh?" Charlie asked, feeling proud of her.
"She certainly is. You need to be aware of some things, though. Her system is throwing everything into the fight, Charlie, Bella is growing. She is going to get taller, I'm not sure how much, and her muscle density is increasing. But she'll still be Bella, don't worry about that."
"Well that doesn't sound so bad," Charlie said hopefully.
"No, and I don't think it will be, but because this is so unusual, I want to monitor her closely for a few days each month. Keep a constant watch and make records, just to be safe," Carlisle told him.
"Oh, well I guess that makes sense, I don't want to take any chances with her if I can help it. Are we talking hospital, here? I'll need to check my insurance coverage and stuff..."
"Typically, yes, it would involve hospitalization, but I'd rather not do that with her, Charlie. Hospitals are unpleasant places, and there is always the chance of her picking up an infection there, and I rather imagine that she is simply sick of hospitals by now. I think Bella would be safer and more comfortable if she were at my house for this," he suggested.
"Your house? You have all that equipment at your house?"
"Not exactly, not yet. It would be a simple matter to do though."
"Carlisle, there is no way I can pay for all that stuff."
"You won't have to," Carlisle told him, "I can write all of the equipment off as a research expense. Bella is an unusual girl, Charlie, but there are other kids facing similar challenges, and I might learn some very important things from Bella, things that would help other people."
"I don't like the idea of Bells being some sort of a guinea pig," Charlie told him.
"Nor do I, she's not going to be experimented on, not in any way. Just monitored to be certain that her body is not damaging itself, I give you my word on that. Bella is very important to all of us, Charlie, even aside from how much Alice cares for her. I realize that I am asking you to trust me with the most precious thing you have, and I don't blame you for being cautious, it's your job as her father." That made Charlie feel better.
"How long will this go on?"
"I hope just a few months, four or five, most likely." Charlie chewed his lip as he thought, it made sense in a way, he knew Bella didn't like hospitals any more than he did, but...
"What sort of monitoring?"
"Heart, respiration, brain activity, and blood samples every four hours. She'll be wired up pretty good, but nothing invasive and she'll have privacy there that she could never get in the hospital."
"Does Bella know about this?"
"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about it first. I know I would want the same consideration if the situation were reversed. If Bella consents I'd like you to be there the first time too, Charlie, just to set your mind at ease. I should also tell you that Esme is a fully qualified nurse; she will be the one actually caring for Bella through the nights. We can of course do this at the hospital if you are uncomfortable about it, and there will be no cost to you either way." Carlisle was counting heavily on Alice's vision of Charlie accepting this proposal, there was no way in the world that Bella Swan could go to a regular hospital again, and Carlisle had in fact ordered all of the medical equipment that he could imagine needing to care for Bella at his home. Esme and the "kids" were busy even now preparing a room for her.
That did it for Charlie; he could tell that Carlisle meant what he was saying. It was hard to lie to a good cop, and Charlie was a good one.
"If its okay with her then its okay with me," Charlie told him, "she's pretty grown up now, she has to have a say in this."
"I completely agree. I'll ask her when she comes over to study with Alice this afternoon. Alice's grades have gone up since they've been studying together you know," Carlisle told him.
"Yeah, Bella's have too. Damn, I guess they really are studying," he said with a grin.
"With Esme there, I can promise you that they are, say, why don't you come out Sunday and watch the game? I'll have to go in to work at halftime, but Esme and the kids will be there."
"Sounds great Carlisle, and thanks for what you're doing for Bella. I haven't had her back for very long and I kind of like having her around. I just hope her mother doesn't change her mind and take her back."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Charlie. Anyway she'll be eighteen soon, her mother can't interfere then." There was also no way in the world that Bella Swan was ever going to be endangered by her mother again. Of course in a few months not very many humans would even be able to injure her seriously.
"Hey, that's right! Thanks again Carlisle, I'll be there before kickoff." Charlie and Carlisle stood and shook hands, and Carlisle left for the hospital.
"Chief!" yelled the dispatcher. "We've got a big wreck out where 13 and 73 cross!"
"Damn it," muttered Charlie as he reached for his jacket.
End of Chapter Eleven
Well here is chapter eleven hope ya'll like it. Its not much i known but hopefully it should do for now until the next update. Until then see ya'll.