A/N:
I'm back! Yeah! I'm busy with the last chapter before the epilogue... I'm hoping you're still like the story after the cliffhanger of the last chapter!
Here we go! Enjoy!
Chapter twenty-three: Reunion
Previously
Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, three things happen at once. The kids' voices rang through the room, the front door slams open and a shot is fired.
Edward's age: 24 years old – Savannah's age: 6 years old
Bella's age: 24 years – Nathan's age: 4 years old
Bella's POV
Three hours.
That's how long ago it was when Amy told me that they found an address in Edward's car GPS.
The waiting makes me nervous and I'm going crazy wondering if Edward and the kids are alright. Standing up, I begin to pace around the living room.
"Bella, Sweetie." Esme comes to stand behind me and puts a hand on my arm. "Calm down. They will call when they have news."
Lindsay is the only cop that stayed behind and she gives me a small smile.
"I know, Esme," I whisper. "I just hope that everything will be all right."
"Come, sit down." She leads me to the sofa and pushes me to sit. "I will make you some tea." She walks out of the room and into the kitchen. I sigh and lay down.
Hopefully, today is the last day that we have to live with all the worry and pain the kidnapping caused.
"Are you okay?" Tanya asks. I look at her and give her small nod.
"I'm just hoping it won't take too long anymore."
"I know. I will be so glad to know that everyone is okay," she says.
"I hope so," I mumble and Tanya grimaces. Even after our talk this morning, I can still see the guilt in her eyes. "Stop feeling guilty."
She looks at me, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't help it, Bella."
"I know, but you have to remind yourself that Paul would have found another way to kidnap them."
"You always say that, Bella," Tanya argues. "But he had an opportunity to kidnap them, because I wasn't paying attention."
"Stop!" I scream, sitting up straight. "Yes, you weren't paying attention, but if you weren't taking money out for ice scream, the kids would have been screaming and crying."
She closes her eyes, sighing. "Maybe, but then they would still be here."
"Maybe you should call Lisa and go to her," I tell her. "When is the last time you saw her?"
Tanya grasps her hands. "The day before the kidnapping."
"See, you need to call her," I say. "Or better yet, go to her, it would do you good."
She gives me a small smile and stands up. "You're right. Thank you, Bella."
"You're welcome." I stand up to give her a hug. "Call me, okay!"
She nods and leaves the house, just at that moment Esme arrives with my tea.
"Where is she going?"
"To her girlfriend's," I answer, sitting back down. "She hasn't seen her for at least four days."
"Oh, that's great." She puts my cup down and sits down herself. "How are you?"
"I really don't know," I tell her truthfully. "Different emotions are flowing through my body."
"Everything will be okay."
"Esme, it's been almost four hours since Detective Moore left the house."
"No news is good news," Esme tries to cheer me up.
I only shrug. "I'm not so sure anymore."
The sound of the phone ringing puts everyone in the room on edge. I look at Esme, who looks as nervous as me and then at Lindsay, who is walking to the phone.
Edward's POV
Bang!
A gunshot! Who did I hit? I look around, my gun still pointing at Paul, but not as confident as before.
In the front door's opening I can see a couple of cops standing, including Gary Taylor. At the other side, I can see my kids with another team of cops behind them.
"Edward," Gary says slowly. "Drop the gun, please."
I look back at him and then back at Paul, who I apparently shot in the leg.
"He doesn't deserve to live." I look back up to the kids. Nathan is trying not to put weight on his leg and is supporting himself on Savannah. They both look scared at the scene in front of them.
"I know," the woman next to Gary says. "He will get his punishment, Edward."
The voice is very soothing and actually calms me a little, but when I look back at Paul, the anger reappears.
"He hurt my children," I reply trying to sort all the feelings that are running through me right now.
"We know," the girl says. "We know everything, but you have to think about them. Think about Bella."
Bella.
I start to lower my gun and look at the cop. "Is she okay?" I ask her.
She smiles and nods. "Worried about you and the kids."
I drop the gun.
"Loverboy, you will never be man enough for Isabella."
I look one last time at him. "For you I look like a pussy, but I don't hit the woman I love."
I walk to my kids and pick Nathan up. "Are you okay, big boy?" I ask him.
He only nods. The fear still evident in his eyes. I crouch down to Savannah's eye level and hug them both as hard as I can, trying to convey with that simple gesture that we are finally safe.
"Are we going back to Mommy, Daddy?"
I nod. "Yes, we are going back to Bella."
I stand up and take Savannah's hand and walk outside the horror house, leaving everything behind. I can hear someone following us.
"Edward." I halt my steps, turning around to see the female cop standing there.
"Yes?"
"There is an ambulance on the way; maybe you should let them check you and the kids out."
"Okay, Nathan has been shot in the leg," I tell her.
"I'm Amy Moore, the Detective that stayed at your girlfriend's house."
"Can we sit down?" I ask her, actually ignoring the fact that she just introduced herself.
"Come with me." She walks by and I follow her to a police car. "It isn't the most comfortable place, but it's just until the ambulance arrives."
"Can I call Bella?" I ask her.
She smiles at me and gives me her phone. "Here you go. I will give you some privacy."
She walks away and I start dialing my home number.
RL
The conversation was short-lived, because the ambulance showed up shortly after a colleague of Amy answered the phone. I asked for Bella, but before the girl could pass her the phone, Amy took the phone and told them that we were going to the hospital.
Now, I'm waiting for some news about Nathan's leg. Bella still hasn't arrived yet. I can't wait to have her in my arms and our kids with us. It's been a long couple of days.
"Mr. Cullen." I look up coming out from my thoughts to see the doctor standing in front of me. "The bullet wound your son suffered has been cleaned and stitched up. He will be okay, but he has to rest."
"Can I see him?"
The doctor nods. "Follow me, please."
I follow him through some hallways and he stops in front of a closed door. "We will bring your daughter soon."
I nod and step inside the room. "Daddy!" Nathan's voice calls out with a cheerfulness that warms my heart.
"Hey, buddy." I hug him close. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, where is Mommy?" he asks.
"I hope she will be here soon," I tell him.
The door opens and we both look up to see who it is. It's a nurse with Savannah.
"The doctor wants to speak with you and your wife," nurse Cooper, according to her nametag, says.
"Uhm, I don't know when my wife will be here," I tell her honestly.
"According to Detective Moore your wife is on her way. She will be here soon." She smiles before leaving the room.
When she leaves, Savannah runs to us.
"Is the bad guy gone, Daddy?" she cries clutching me to her.
"The police took him with them and he will be locked up for a very long time."
"So he will not hurt Nathan anymore?"
I hug her closer to me. "He will not hurt anyone."
"Where are they?!"
I look up hearing the most beautiful voice in the world outside the door, who sounds very worried.
"I'm Bella Swan and my son Nathan, my daughter Savannah, and boyfriend are here. I want to know where they are."
"Mommy!" Savannah stands up and runs to Bella. She turns around and opens her arms to catch our girl.
"Savannah, sweetheart." She hugs her very close. "I'm glad to finally have you back. I was so worried."
I walk up to them and when Bella sees me, she stands up with Savannah still in her arms.
She gives me small smile while I hug them both. "I'm so glad that you're finally here, love."
"Where is Nathan?" she asks me the question I feared the most. I think my facial expression told her the worst, because she started screaming.
"No, it can't be. Please tell me it isn't true," she says while shaking her head.
It's clear she is thinking that Nathan didn't survive and I have to change.
"Bella, stop!" I tell her. "He's with a doctor."
She looks up, tears streaming over down her cheeks. "He's okay." And I can see her breathing coming back to normal. But how do you tell your girl that her boy has a bullet wound in his leg.
"Mr. Cullen." I turn around to see a doctor walking up to us. "Is that Nathan's mother?"
I nod. "Yes, my girlfriend, Bella Swan."
"Nathan was brought to a room and he is okay," he explains. "The bullet was removed from his leg successfully, but he has to rest at least a couple of weeks. I think that he can leave the hospital tomorrow."
"Bullet?"Bella questions, worried.
"He was shot in the leg and we had to remove the bullet before we stitched it."
Bella only nods, before looking at me.
I look guilty at her. "I was fighting with Paul to protect them when he pulled the trigger. Nathan was hit in the leg. I'm sorry."
She hugs me closer. "It wasn't your fault. You tried to protect them as best as you could!"
"You can see your son, if you wish," the doctor tells us. We both nod and follow him to Nathan's room.
"Mommy." He smiles when he sees Bella.
"Nathan." Bella runs to the bed and hugs our boy. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too."
I have to smile at the scene in front of me, but the events of the last week had made me think about everything.
I could have lost both my kids and the love of my life. I can't lose them, no matter what, they all belong with me. I'm sure of that now more than ever.
Bella's POV
He is okay. That's all that is running through my mind.
I'm sitting on Nathan's hospital bed, reminiscing over everything that has happened. The phone call was from Edward, but just before I could get to the phone, he had to hang up.
Lindsay, who answered the phone, told me that they were going to the hospital for a checkup. Something in her eyes told me that there was more going on than what she was letting on. Once we arrived at the hospital and I had Savannah safe in my arms and Edward next to me, I discovered what was wrong. My little boy was missing. When I asked where he was and I saw the pained look on my boyfriend's face, I thought the worst.
A doctor told us that everything was fine with Nathan. The bullet in his leg was removed and he had to rest and stay in the hospital till tomorrow. I look around the room.
Savannah is sleeping on the only couch and Edward is sitting across the room against the wall.
"That can't be comfortable," I say to him.
He only shrugs. "I'll live."
I can still see the guilt in his eyes. I stand up from the bed and walk up to him. Crouching down, I take his hands and look him straight in the eyes.
"You did what you could, babe," I say. "Paul is the one who shot Nathan, not you."
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Just before the cops entered the house, I was pointing the gun at him. I didn't care about anything around me, except killing Paul. The kids were standing a few feet from me. I could have killed them without meaning to."
He is crying by the end of his confession, but I can't blame him. If I was in his shoes, I would have done the same thing. I hug him, whispering soft words of comfort and understanding in his ear.
"Don't feel guilty," I say. "You did what you thought was best."
Edward pushes me away from him, so he can look into my eyes. The emotions I can see in his eyes are telling me more than what thousands of words would. Though there is one emotion I can't decipher.
"Bella," Edward starts. "I almost lost you and the kids and I hate those feelings. I hope I will never feel them again. I thought a lot since everything ended and I want to ask you something... there is something I want to ask you."
"Ask away," I whisper carefully, not entirely sure what to expect.
"Isabella Swan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Savannah's mother, and would you accept that I become Nathan's father?"
A/N:
Okay... After the last cliffhanger, I hope you will like this one!
I hope to update soon...
Leave a nice review!
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