Chapter 12
BPOV
As we walked into the waiting room, I was still thinking about Edward Cullen. How he had stiffened up when we bumped into one another and how he was talking through clenched teeth. I was also thinking about his eyes, how they were the exact same color as Dr. Cullen's and how was that possible if he was his foster son, when a voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Miss Swan, how may I help you?" The receptionist asked.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I am here for my appointment with Dr. Cullen." I tell her.
"Ok, I have your chart right here. Have a seat and he will be with you shortly." She tells me.
"Thank you." I say to her and turn around to go sit down with Jessica and Angela.
"Do you want us to come back with you?" Jessica asks me.
"Yeah, we can be your support system back there." Angela adds.
"No girls, you just stay out here. I feel pretty good about this visit." I tell them.
"Bella, you can come back now." The nurse tells me.
She takes me back, her name is Lizzy, and checks my weight, temperature, and blood pressure. All the while she carries on little conversation, except for asking me the more important questions.
"Have you had any problems lately?" She begins with the questions.
"No, I have felt fine." I tell her.
"You haven't had any dizzy spells, chest pain and/or trouble breathing?" She continues.
"No, nothing at all." I tell her as she writes all of this down in my chart.
"Ok, good. He will be in to see you in a few minutes." Lizzy says as she walks out of the room and shuts the door.
As I sit in the chair waiting for Dr. Cullen to come in, I start thinking about the band and how we need to get ready for a gig. For some reason, I suddenly remembered the last time we all had went to Seattle to a club and I had met this guy named Andy and he was the manager for the band that was playing there that night. We got to talking and I gave him a demo of our music. He said he would take a listen and get in touch with me. I guess he didn't like it, because I haven't heard from him and that was the last time I was here for a visit 6 months ago. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Bella, its Dr. Cullen. May I come in?" He asks opening the door slightly.
"Come on in, I'm sorry I was engrossed in my thoughts." I say to him as he shuts the door.
"How are you today?" I ask him trying to look him in his eyes.
"I'm doing well, thanks for asking. How are you feeling? Any problems?" He asks while looking through my chart.
"I'm doing well. I haven't had any spells or problems in the past few months. Did you get my records from Dr. McMahon?" I ask him as he writes in and flips through my chart. The whole time I was thinking, "Please just look at me so I can see your eyes."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that you are feeling well. Yes, I received Dr. McMahon's file a couple of days ago. Are you glad to be back in Forks? He asks me finally looking at me with those same golden eyes. How is that possible?
"Um, yes I am. Jessica and Angela put together a welcome home surprise party for me and then we've just been hanging out, shopping and doing the girlie thing. I've also been going to La Push to the beach and to spend time with Jacob, my best friend." I tell him as he examines me.
"I also think I ran into one of your sons' right before I came in here. Edward, I do believe is his name. I dropped my bag and as I picked it up and turned around to start walking again we bumped into each other. He seems very nice." As I say this to him he stiffens a little and then relaxes.
"Yes, that was probably him. Edward and his brothers were dropping off my wife's car because it had been in the shop getting some repair work done to it." He tells me.
"Well, everything sounds good. I've had a chance to look over Dr. McMahon's file and he is right about the hole coming back. I can hear the change in your heartbeat but it is doing it slowly at the moment." He begins to tell me with me staring at him.
"I'm not overly concerned at the moment. Surgery wouldn't be beneficial at this time or if ever. So, I want you to try and not get overly stressed, no heavy lifting and no getting to upset about anything. I do want you to go on about with your life doing whatever you want with the exceptions that I just made. However, if you start having any problems you are to come straight here or the hospital so that I can be paged." He finishes telling me.
"I understand and I agree, Dr. Cullen. Thank you so much for all that you are doing and/or going to be doing for me." I say as I get up ready to leave.
"You're welcome, Bella. I want to see you back in a month to run a new ultrasound to see if the hole has gotten any bigger." He tells me reaching for the door. As he opens the door and I look up to walk out, there he stands with his hand ready to knock just staring at me.
EPOV
I watched her from around the corner go into my father's office building. She looked back as Jessica and Angela went in and I think she saw me watching her but I'm not sure. What is it about this girl? Why am I all of the sudden feeling this way about her? Her scent is like nothing I have ever smelled before and it has such a pull on me. I had never wanted human blood so badly. And this protective feeling I all of the sudden have towards her, what the hell is that?
"Earth to Edward." My brothers are yelling at me bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Huh, What?" I say kind of dazed.
"You alright?" They ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get to the house." I tell them reaching in my pocket for my keys but they are not there.
"Shit, I must've left my keys in dad's office when I was getting moms out of my pocket." I tell them.
"Wait here and I will go and get them." I say turning to go back to dad's office.
I look around to see if anyone is around and when I see that there isn't, I run at non-human speed back to the office. I am after all, the fastest one in the family. The receptionist is on the phone when I walk in and I have to wait for her to get off. I look around as I wait to tell her that I need to get into my dad's office for my keys and I see Jessica and Angela waiting in chairs. Great, this means Bella is the patient dad is with. I hope I can just get my keys and leave because I don't know if I can control myself again if I was to run into her again.
"Hi, Edward. What can I do for you?" The receptionist asks me.
"Hi, I forgot my keys in my dad's office." I tell her.
"Go on back. I think he is with a patient but his office should be unlocked." She tells me.
I make my way to his office, so far so good, and try the door. Damn it, it's locked. So, here are my options: I can either wait here for him and risk running into Bella or go find him to get his key and get out of here before I do run into her. I think I'll just go and find him. As I walk down the hall, I hear him telling a patient goodbye, hopefully it's not Bella. So, I decide to knock on the door. Just as I raise my hand to knock, the door opens and I'm hit once again with that sweet, intoxicating scent. I look up to see Bella standing directly in front of me. Instantly, I hold my breath and just stare at her.
CPOV
"Well Bella, I want to see you back in a month to run a new ultrasound to see if the hole has gotten any bigger." I tell her getting up off of my chair.
"Ok, Dr. Cullen. Thank you for everything." She tells me getting up as well. It has been kind of strange the way she keeps staring at my eyes. She must be comparing them to Edward's.
As I open the door for her, she freezes and just stares. I look up to see if she is alright and there stands the very son she had been talking about. (Edward, are you alright?)
"Edward son, what are you doing here? I ask him trying to get him to relax. He was awfully stiff and holding his breath I could tell.
"I left my keys in your office but the doors locked and I need the key. I heard you telling your patient goodbye, so I thought it would be safe to knock on the door." He tells me still staring at Bella and using very little of his air supply. (Try to get control of yourself son. She is leaving.)
"Oh, well sure. Give me just a minute and I will meet you down there." I tell him reaching into my pocket to get the key for him.
"Where are my manners? Bella, this is my son Edward. Edward, this is Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter. (Just be polite and we will talk in my office)." I tell him handing him my key.
"Nice to meet you, Edward." Bella says relaxing a little.
"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Bella." He tells her in return but he is not relaxing.
"Well, thanks again Dr. Cullen. I'll see you in a month unless something changes." She tells me walking out the door past my statue of a son.
"Goodbye Edward. Maybe we will run into each other again soon." She tells my son before walking away.
"Goodbye Bella. I would like that." He says turning to watch her walk away and then he lets out a breath and turns to look at me.
"Come on; let's go to my office where we can talk in private." I tell him.
As I shut the door, I turn to see him looking out the window (What is he looking at? I hope he is alright.).
"I'm fine dad and I was looking to see if she has left the building yet." He answered my thoughts. Sometimes that gift of his comes in handy but other times it doesn't, especially when I'm thinking naughty things about his mom. I smile to myself.
"Ugh, dad that's just gross." He tells me making a face.
"Sorry. So, what's up? Why did you stiffen and hold your breath when you saw her?" I ask.
"Did you not smell her? She smells exquisite. I had to do the same thing earlier when we bumped into each other. I had awful thoughts. I was thinking about how I could kill everyone and then her without her noticing what was going on. And now I feel a pull to her and I'm having all these weird feelings of lust, protection, and maybe even love. I've only seen her twice. How are any of those feelings possible?" He finally stops talking for a split second and then he starts right back up.
"And she is human, she can't know about us but I still want her and I'm trying to figure out how to do that." He finally stops talking.
"Well, Edward. If that is how you fell then maybe you shouldn't fight it. I did smell her but she didn't smell any different to me than any other human. You know that I had that same kind of reaction with your mother and I didn't fight it all those years ago." I tell him trying to get him to remember how hard of a time that was for me.
"Yes, I remember. But mom was dying of cancer and you gave her the option to become like us. I couldn't ever do that to Bella. You know how I feel about what we are and what I think about our souls. I could never damn a person's soul just because I want them or love them." I tell my father.
"Well, it's just something to think about. You know I never change anyone that has any other options. But for some people their options are running out and this may be the last one they have other than death." I tell him looking him in the eyes trying to get him to understand what I was saying because I can't break patient confidentiality.
"Are you telling me she is going to die? I know there is something wrong with her or she wouldn't be coming to see you. And I wouldn't be asking because normally I would just read her mind but I can't read hers. What's wrong with her?" He asks me starting to panic. (He can't read her mind? That's interesting.)
"No, it is not interesting that I can't read her mind. It is driving me crazy. I have never been unable to read someone's mind but I can't read hers. I need to know what is wrong with her, dad." He says starting to lose it.
"Son, you know I can't tell you. That would be breaking doctor/patient confidentiality and that is against the law. That is something you are going to have to find out on your own." I tell him.
"Fine." He says frustrated and turns to look out the window again.
"Son, if this is meant to be then it will be and there will be no stopping it. Now, I have another patient to see. Stay as long as you like but I bet your brothers are getting antsy. I'll see you at home." I tell him picking up the chart for my next patient off of my desk.
"Bye dad and thanks." He tells me but doesn't turn around.
"Anytime son. I love you." I say as I shut the door.
EPOV
As my father shut the door to his office, I just stood there staring out the window, thinking about how I couldn't help but watch her walk down the hall as my father and I made our way to his office, how I wished she would have turned around, and thinking about everything he had just said to me. I knew he was right about her and if it was meant to be then it would be. I had seen it with him and mom, Rose and Emmett, and Jasper and Alice when they all had found one another. But how could I condemn someone to this life when I was still so sure that I was damned. And what was that about her options running out? What is wrong with her? How could anything be wrong with a beautiful person like that? I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost missed watching her walk out of the building with Jessica and Angela. God, she is so beautiful and I want nothing more than to be with her but how can I?
Frustrated, I turn and grab my keys off my dad's desk when a folder catches my eye. It is her chart. I stood there just looking at it trying to make the decision on whether or not to open it and find out what is wrong with her or to just leave and ease drop on other peoples thoughts to find out which would take too much time. I want to know now. What was it my dad had just said? That he couldn't tell me what was wrong with her and that I was going to have to find out on my own. I guess this is his way of helping me and not betraying her at the same time. Thanks dad, I think to myself. So, I sit down at his desk, open her chart and begin reading. I'm totally shocked by what it says about her. She has a hole in her heart and a heart murmur. The hole in her heart has come back even though she had surgery to have a graph put over it. This particular type of problem is not like the normal holes where people are born with them and they get smaller over time. Hers gets larger as she grows and at this rate of growth she will most probably die in the next 2 years if she doesn't have any complications. I was just sitting there staring at the chart feeling sick to my stomach. How can this be? She doesn't deserve this. I was still in shock when my phone rang. It was Emmett.
"Hello" I answer.
"Did you find your keys in dad's office?" He asks.
"Yes, I'll be there in a minute." I tell him.
"Are you ok? You sound weird." He asks me.
"Yes and No. I'm on my way." I hang up the phone.
I close the chart and lock my father's office back up as I leave. As I walk through the waiting room, I can still smell her sweet scent. I was thankful for the fresh air when I got outside. As I arrived back at the car, Emmett and Jasper were just staring at me.
"What's wrong Edward? I can feel the sadness and tension radiating from you?" Jasper asks.
"Yeah, you sounded funny on the phone. Is dad alright?" Emmett asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Yes, he is fine and I don't want to talk about it." I tell them while I unlock the car.
"Just get in and let's go home." I say starting the car.
BPOV
As I walked down the hall back to the waiting room, I could feel his eyes on me but I dare not turn around and look. I thought that if I did that I might explode and run straight to him. What was wrong with me? I just bumped into him today and was formally introduced. Yet, I feel like I have heard that beautiful voice before now and seen that pale, white hand before but I can't just remember where. "Get a grip, Bella." I said to myself as I walked into the waiting room.
"Bella, how did it go?" Both of the girls ask at the same time pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Fine. He's not overly concerned at the moment and wants me to not do any heavy lifting, avoid stress and he doesn't want me getting upset. He wants to see me back in a month." I tell them as we walk out in the afternoon air.
"Well, that's good and you better listen to him." They both tell me and I start laughing at them as we walked towards the car. I all of the sudden felt like someone was looking at me again and I turned to see who it was but no one was there. Weird!
As we pulled up to my house, we said our goodbyes and I headed into the house to make dinner. Dad hasn't made it home yet, I hope everything is alright. I decide to make steak and potatoes with rolls for dinner, one of his favorites, he will like that. I sit down on the couch and turn on the TV while dinner is cooking in the oven. I decided to go through the mail while I wait as well. Bills, junk mail, a letter from mom, and an envelope addressed to me from Seattle, I wonder who this is from. I open the envelope first and it's an invitation along with a note from Andy. The note reads:
Dear Bella,
I hope this note finds you doing well. I do apologize for it taking so long for me to get back with you. I have listened to your demo and would like for you and your band to come to Seattle the weekend of July 4th if at all possible. I would like to talk to y'all about getting started with a record deal and possibly have y'all play one night while you are here. I have enclosed an invitation for all of you and some friends to attend the show Parmalee will be playing at a club while y'all are here. I've also enclosed my business card with my phone number and email on it so you can let me know. Talk it over with the others and your parents and let me know ASAP. Let all of your parents know that all expenses will be paid. Hope to hear from you soon. Andy
Holy Crap! I re-read it just to make sure I wasn't imagining the whole thing because I had just been thinking about him earlier. I jump up and call Jessica, Angela, Mike, and Eric and tell them about it. They are all excited and are going to talk to their parents tonight as well and call me back. I call Jacob to tell him the good news and to ask if he would like to go with us. He said he would talk to Billy and let me know later. I read mom's letter to find out that everything is going good in Florida, she misses me, hopes that I come for a visit soon, and that she is thinking about going to culinary school. I'm happy for her. The timer goes off on the oven and as I'm removing dinner from the oven, I hear dad's cruiser pull up. I hope he goes for this.
"Bells, I'm home." He yells as he comes in.
"I'm in the kitchen, dad." I yell back.
"Something sure smells good." He says as he walks into the kitchen kissing me on the head.
"It's steak and potatoes and rolls. One of your favorites." I tell him setting the food on the table.
"So, how did your appointment go?" He asks while fixing his plate.
"Well, he said I'm fine. The hole hasn't gotten much bigger and he is not concerned at the moment. He doesn't want me doing any heavy lifting, getting stressed or getting upset. If I start having problems I am to see him immediately or go to the hospital so that he can be paged. He wants to see me in a month to do an ultrasound." I tell him fixing my plate while he listens very carefully to what I am telling him.
"Well, that's a relief. I was really worried that it had gotten bigger and you will do as he says." He tells me with a sound of relief in his voice. We eat in silence for a little bit while I get up the nerve to tell him about the note from Andy.
"Dad, I got a couple of letters in the mail today and some bills showed up." I tell him.
"Who were the letters from?" He asked.
"Mom and Andy." I answer waiting for the questions to begin.
"Andy? The guy you met last time you were here in Seattle?" He asked looking puzzled.
"Yep, that's him. He wants me and the band to come to Seattle the weekend of July 4th to talk about a possible record deal and maybe playing a show while we are there. He said that all expenses will be paid." I tell him watching his facial expressions carefully. I see excitement and worry, so I let him read the note for himself. He sits there quietly for a little bit studying my face especially my eyes. He's always been able to read my eyes and tell what I'm feeling and what I'm thinking.
"Dad, I've already told the others and they are asking their parents tonight and I called Jacob to see if he would want to go and he is going to ask Billy. I thought that maybe if Jacob was there it would make you feel better." I tell him as he just sits there.
"Bells, I don't like the idea of all of you being in Seattle without some kind of protection and you being that far away if something was to happen and I couldn't get to you." He begins and puts up his hand to hush me as I start to protest.
"However, I know how important this is to you and the band and you have always wanted this. So, if he can provide y'all with bodyguards as well then I see no reason in why you can't go. I'm really excited for you sweetheart. And I will talk to the other kids parents and get them to let them go as well." He smiles at me while telling me this.
"Thanks dad, that's great!" I tell him getting up to give him a big hug.
We finish up dinner, clean up the kitchen and I talk to everyone to find out if they can go. Dad had to talk to their parents of course but in the end they said they could go. Jacob called later that evening to let me know that Billy said he could go too. Looks like I need to get in touch with Andy because we are going to Seattle.