"I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"
"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
27
The scariest thing about opening yourself up to love was always the risk that it opened you up to lose it. With a bit of sage advice, I had seen reason to overcome that fear. I had no doubt in my mind or in my heart that Edward Cullen was worth any risk. I hadn't been more certain of anything in as long as I could remember. Aside from finding this kind of love for the first time, the old familiar feeling of hope began to filter through me.
It was a normal afternoon in the McCarty household. Emmett was doing a half-day at work of meetings and paperwork that he couldn't manage from the home office he had created. Ben and I had been for a walk to the park in the stroller, where he had toddled about in the grass with me. He was now lying under his baby gym with his thumb in his mouth. He'd snoozed on the walk back, but his stillness indicated his afternoon nap was still in the cards. There was a little more Rose coming out in his features now. The eyes especially.
Alice and Jasper were going to have him to stay for the night tomorrow, and Emmett was going to join Edward and me for a much-needed night out. We were planning on some great Italian and a few red wines without worry of getting home to the little man.
I loved watching Edward with Ben. I couldn't help but wonder if I would see him with our own baby one day, though I was still hesitant to get too far ahead of myself. I'd come a long way.
Before I scooped him up to head up to bed, I went to get him his sippy cup from the kitchen. My cell rang and I jogged back to it, the display reading "Charlie."
"Hi Dad, how's your shift going?"
"Hi baby, it's okay, thanks. Honey, listen, I just got a strange message from some guys over in another precinct who reckon I might know someone involved in a call-out they had just had. I haven't got ahold of them yet to find out what the story is," he said, his voice sounding off.
I assumed he was checking in on all of us. My mind flew to Alice, then images of Emmett and Jasper. Please, no.
"Bells, is your mother in town at the moment?" he continued.
"No. Well, not that I would know," I said, thinking of my mother's habit of coming to town and leaving again without seeing us.
"They said something about a Motel 6," he continued.
"It's probably just a coincidence with the name or something, but I'll call anyway," I said. I wasn't as worried now that he'd mentioned her, not really seeing the likelihood of this coming to anything. For all I knew, she was in Phoenix.
The first person I called when I hung up from Charlie was Alice. I had to be sure she was safe. Her phone went to voicemail, though I knew she had a meeting this afternoon. I sent her a text in case she could reply to that.
Are you & Jas safe? Is Renee in town?
Renee's phone went unanswered, as per usual. I didn't leave a message. I reached Emmett in his office, who immediately asked after his boy. I didn't worry him with Charlie's strange story; instead I just told him I'd see him home for Ben's bath time later that evening.
Alice replied as there was a knock at the door.
Both safe, sunshine. Haven't spoken to her in a week.
I looked up from the message as I opened the door to a middle-aged man and a slightly younger lady. They may have said who they were, but all I registered was that they had their police hats on, which meant official business. The man was talking.
"Miss? Is this the McCarty residence? We're looking for Isabella Swan," he said with a gravelly voice.
"I'm Isabella," I replied, confusion evident in my tone.
"Miss Swan, I'm terribly sorry, but we need you to come to the hospital…"