Chapter 26: The Conferences and Concerts
Author's Note: I own nothing. I just like to play with the characters that were created by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 26: The Conferences and Concerts
"Bella, I'm heading to the hospital. I'm working a double, filling for Dr. Gerandy," Edward called from the kitchen.
"Okay, baby. Don't forget, I have parent teacher conferences tonight. I should be home by ten or so," I yelled from the bedroom. I heard Edward's footsteps climb the stairs and he entered the bedroom.
"Make sure that you have someone walk out with you to the car, okay?" Edward said with an adorable grimace. "I don't like you being out so late."
"Edward, I'll be fine," I sighed, putting my hands on his strong shoulders. "But, I'll make sure that Jake or Emmett walk out with me. Does that make you happy?"
"Yes," he said, kissing my lips sweetly. "I love you, so much my beautiful girl."
"I know, Dr. Masen," I said returning his kiss. "I absolutely adore you."
"We are so fucking nauseating," he chuckled. "I love it. Have a good day and text me if you need anything."
"Will do, handsome. Go save some lives with soup spoon," I replied, squeezing his ass in his delicious scrubs.
"Bella, you are too funny with the utensils," he said as he kissed my lips roughly. "See you when I get home, around eleven."
"Bye, baby," I said as I extricated myself from his embrace. Edward winked and danced out of the bedroom. I finished getting ready, putting on the black suit from Taylor's funeral and a blue blouse. I put on a strand of pearls along with the matching earrings, my ring that Edward gave me for my birthday and a pair of black heels. I took a furtive glance at the clock and I needed to get going. I hopped into my car and drove to school, going through the motions of school for the half day. The kids were mentally checked out, not that I cared. I didn't introduce new things today. I just reviewed and had the students watch a video related to the field trip that we were going on in two weeks. Mrs. Cope gave me the go ahead to take my team to the backstage tour of the opera and then to the student matinee later on in the year. I was going to do a unit on the 'librettos' and the stories of operas. Then with my accelerated students, we were going to put on an opera in class, with Alice's help. Hopefully, before she goes on maternity leave.
After the half day with the students, I went out to lunch with Emmett, Jake, Alice and Angela. We spent some time talking about the impending parent teacher conferences. I felt for Alice and Angela. They had very few conferences. I think Angela told me she had four conferences the last time. Our team had conferences jam packed the entire day, with only an hour for dinner around five. Thankfully, when we had a ton of conferences, the night went by quickly.
We returned from lunch and settled in for our conferences. Before we knew it, dinner time rolled around and we ate in the staff lounge. I took the time to contact Edward. I called him and left a message on his voicemail. He probably was busy and couldn't pick up the phone. After dinner, we headed back to our rooms and sat through the rest of the conferences. We only had one troublesome conference. The parents were upset with the grade that their daughter was getting in language arts. Unfortunately, she was not one of my students. She was one of Rose's. But I remember us discussing her as a team when Mr. Drum was a part of the team. He didn't like this child and apparently took it out on her with her grades. We had to call in administration. Mrs. Cope gave the family a reasonable compromise. Ironically, it was the exact same thing I recommended, but dismissed because I was just a teacher. The family finally left and I told Mrs. Cope about my suggestion and she just smiled knowingly. She said that everything will change when I'm the boss. I arched a brow and she just snorted.
Mrs. Cope is definitely molding me into her. Not that I'm complaining…it's a huge pay raise.
We finished our first night of parent teacher conferences and we headed out to our cars. I made sure that I walked with Emmett. He questioned my motives, but still walked with me. I gave him a hug and drove home. I was surprised when I saw Edward's Volvo in the driveway. He was supposed to be working until eleven. It was only a little after nine. I walked into the house and called out. "Hello?"
"In the kitchen," Edward said flatly. I moved to the kitchen and saw Edward sitting on the stool on the island, twirling a bottle of water. "Hi, beautiful girl," he said sadly. This looks sadly familiar…
"What's wrong, Edward?" I asked, my heart dropping to my toes.
"Horrid day," he whispered.
"Another car accident?"
"No. A young woman was brought in today. She was around your age. Maybe a little younger. She was beaten within an inch of her life," Edward said softly. "She was pregnant."
"Was it Jessica?" I asked, sitting down next to Edward. "Jessica Stanley?"
"Yes," Edward muttered.
"Did she lose the baby?"
"No. We managed to stabilize her and prevent pre-term labor. However, she's never going to wake up. She was hit in the head with a wrench or some other metal tool," Edward said, caressing my cheek. "She's brain dead. We're keeping her on life support until the baby can be safely extracted. We've started pumping her with steroids just in case, but it is too early."
"How? When?" I squeaked.
"Her neighbor heard her screams when she was attacked. He called 911. Unfortunately, the sirens spooked whoever did this to her. They were gone by the time the police and EMTs arrived," Edward said. "The neighbor said that he saw Mike run from the address."
"He did this? He beat up Jessica and…and…nearly kill their baby?" I sobbed.
Edward got up from the stool and scooped me in his arms. "Shhhh, Bella. You're safe. I'm never going to let him get close to you," he comforted as he held me against his chest. "Never, baby." I sobbed against Edward's chest as he embraced me, clutching me with his strong arms. I felt him cry, sob with me. I didn't even realize when Edward picked me up and carried me up to our bedroom. We made love that night, soft and sweet. We needed to connect with each other. Our love making was reverent and deep. Deeper than anything that we had ever done in previous times. After we made love, we fell asleep, tangled in each other arms.
xx AFS xx
The alarm went off too early. Edward grumbled and he held me tighter against his naked body. "Don't want to let you go," he said into my neck. "Play hooky and have a naked day with me."
"Edward, I can't. I have four hours of parent teacher conferences," I said, kissing his shoulder. "I also have a meeting with my advisor this afternoon. I'm almost done with my practicum. I just need to turn in my binder and then I'm done. Woo hoo!"
"What time is your meeting?" Edward asked as he rolled us so I was underneath his body. He nestled himself between my legs and I could feel his erection press into my hip. He inched forward, bringing his cock closer to my entrance. His hands traced down my sides, gently cupping my breasts. "Time?"
"Um," I mumbled intelligently as Edward kissed me, sliding into my body. "Fuck."
"That's not a time, beautiful girl," he said as he slowly thrust in and out of my body.
"One," I breathed as pulled his face to mine, plunging my tongue into his mouth. Edward's movements quickened as he nipped at my lips and kneaded my breasts. With his thumbs he flicked my nipples and I groaned as he brought me closer to the brink. "Edward…Harder."
"Your wish is my command, beautiful girl," he growled seductively. His hips pistoned against mine and I could feel my muscles flutter around his cock. Edward's lips worked with mine and he put one of my legs over his shoulders. He worked faster and I moaned against his mouth. "God, I love the sounds you make, Bella. So fucking hot," he mumbled as he reached between us and pinched my clit. I groaned at his ministrations and he rubbed my clit with his dexterous fingers. "Let go, baby. Come for me. I need to feel you come around my cock," he purred. "Now, Isabella."
There's my full name, in the throes of passion. I think I just squirted a little bit…fuuuuuuuuuuck!
I threw my head back and let out a delightful scream. My muscles clamped around him and the friction was perfect. Just like him. Edward pounded into me until he found his release and he collapsed on top of me. We lay like that, panting and connected. "What was that for?" I laughed. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I needed to feel you, Bella," he breathed, his body glowing with a sheen of sweat.
"We did a lot of feeling last night," I said.
"I'll never get tired of feeling you, beautiful girl," he whispered before he kissed me reverently. He was still inside me and our kisses perked up his cock. He growled and he moved slightly.
"Edward, I really have to go to work," I said, rubbing Edward's back and shoulders with my fingertips. "As much as I would love to play hooky and have a naked day with you, it's not feasible today."
"But it is feasible, right?" he asked, his face lighting up like a kid's on Christmas Day.
"I promise you. We will have a day of nakedness," I retorted. "Now up. You're squishing my bladder and unless you want to see a puddle, you might want to move." Edward scrambled off me and I darted to the bathroom, taking care of my business. I then hopped into the shower, only to have one Dr. Edward Masen join me, trying to get frisky in the marble shower. I gently swatted his hands away and gave him a glare. He pouted and begged for another go around. "Jeez, Edward! You are so touchy feely today. What's the deal?"
"I'm freaking out, Bella. Honestly. I saw what Mike did to Jessica and I'm afraid I'm going to lose you," he said, tears welling in his emerald eyes. "I can't lose you. I refuse to lose you."
"Edward, you're not going to lose me," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You're stuck with me, for as long as you'll have me."
"Forever, Bella," he whispered.
"Edward, I do need to work. I'll be home after my meeting. Two at the latest," I said, kissing his chest. I finished my shower, with Edward's help and got dressed. I wore some black dress pants and pale pink sweater set. As I got dressed, Edward made breakfast. I shoveled down the omelet that he made for me and I darted out of the house after I gave him a searing kiss. "Love you, Dr. Masen!"
"Love you, more, Ms. Swan."
Parent teacher conferences for this morning were extraordinarily boring. Half of the conferences that were scheduled didn't show up and the other half were good students. After we were done, I went out to lunch with Alice and Emmett at Emmett's apartment, visiting Rosalie. She was recovering from her first skin graft surgery and she was currently bedridden. She hated it, but was in good spirits. Rose said that she is going to try to be back to work by the second semester. She will need a wheelchair, but she needed to get back to work. I told her that her kids will love to have her back. Hell, I would love to have her back. The parade of horrendous subs was endless.
When we finished lunch, I drove to the campus and went to my advisor's office. I plopped down and waited to meet with her. I sat outside of her office for about ten minutes when she sauntered up and unlocked the door. "Come in, Ms. Swan," she smiled.
"Thanks, Dr. Knutsen," I said as I followed her into the office. I sat down in one of the stiff chairs and looked around her tiny office. It was filled with a ton of books and pictures. "I have my binder for you."
"Excellent. The first half of your work was excellent," she said. "I look forward to your final product. Have you taken the administrator's exam for the state?"
"I did and the comps for the university," I answered. "Passed with flying colors."
"That's wonderful, Ms. Swan. Have you thought about your future as an administrator?" Dr. Knutsen asked.
"I have. I've worked with my principal, Mrs. Sherrie Cope, and she thinks that I have a promising career as an administrator," I smiled. "I've taken up some administrative duties at my school, in addition to my practicum assignments."
"That's great to hear," Dr. Knutsen said with a friendly smile.
"I was wondering if I could get a letter of recommendation?"
"Of course. I'll type something up and send it to you once I'm done grading your practicum binder," Dr. Knutsen answered. "If you ever need a reference, don't hesitate to put me down. It's been a pleasure working with you."
"You too, Dr. Knutsen," I replied.
"Moira. I'm no longer your advisor. We're colleagues now," she winked. "Your grades will be sent to you before Thanksgiving, along with your letter of recommendation." She stood up and reached out to shake my hand. I placed my binder on her desk. I briskly shook her hand and left her office. I walked to my car and drove back home. As I was driving, I noticed a black Acura following me. When I turned, the Acura turned. I took a roundabout way home and the Acura still followed me. My heart was stammering in my chest as I pulled into the driveway. The Acura drove past my home. I ran to check the license plate, but the car didn't have one and the windows were blacked out. I couldn't see inside. I turned on my heel and nearly sprinted into the house.
"Edward? Edward? Where are you?" I screamed frantically.
He ran out of his office, his eyes in a panic. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Someone followed me. They followed me from the university and drove right past the house. A black Acura," I said. My body was shaking and my heart was pounding.
"Did you get a license plate?"
"No. No license plate," I said, looking into Edward's eyes. "Could it be Mike?"
"I don't know, but we need to find out. Let's call the cops and tell them what happened," Edward said soothingly. He tried to pull away, but I kept my arms around his waist. I sobbed into his chest. "Baby, I won't let anyone hurt you."
"You can't guarantee that," I said brokenly.
"No, I can't guarantee it, but I'll try my hardest to make sure that no one will touch you," he said as he held me. "Come on, let's go to the police station."
"Edward, no. I am probably just spooked. I'm fine," I answered. "If I see the car again, then I'll go to the police."
"Bella…"
"No. I will not let him control me," I said, looking into Edward's emerald eyes. "He controlled me all through our marriage and now he's controlling me. Not anymore. If I see the car again, then I'll go to the cops. I promise."
xx AFS xx
A few weeks passed and there was no further incident with the black Acura. I threw myself headlong into work, trying to quash my overwhelming feeling of being watched. Whenever I left work, I made sure I had someone with me. Edward sometimes followed me on his way from the hospital. He was just as leery as I was.
Alice reminded me that I was her administrator for her holiday concert when I was over at the Cullens' home for Thanksgiving. I grumbled and nodded my assent. A few days after Thanksgiving, it was the day of Alice's holiday concert for her choir students. I stayed after school and helped her set up the gym with her army of choir monkeys. After that, Alice drove us to get some dinner. She finally traded in her yellow Beetle for a more adult Audi SUV. She was extolling the cars virtues for the entire ride to the fast food joint that we got our dinner from. We finished our dinner and I headed back to my room to change. I put on a pair of jeans to help Alice set up the gym. I wanted to look professional for the concert and so I put on my black power pant suit. Alice definitely got her money's worth with this puppy.
I picked up a walkie talkie and headed to the gym fifteen minutes before the start of the concert. I pretty was there to ensure that the school didn't burn down and to remind the parents and students of appropriate behavior. The choir walked in with their robes and stood on the risers. I walked up to one of the microphones and explained the expectations for the concert and bidding the audience to enjoy themselves.
The concert went off without a hitch. Alice was a consummate professional with her students and with her students' parents. Unlike the band concert, all of the students were picked up and gone by the time the gym was torn down and the risers were put away. Once the gym was rearranged, I told Alice to go home. She was dragging and her feet were looking mighty swollen. She didn't fight me and she scampered out to her new SUV.
I did a once-over of the school, making sure that no students were hiding in the bathrooms and that all of the classrooms were locked. I then poked my head into the custodian's office, saying good night to Kim, the night custodian. I grabbed my clothes, bag and keys and headed out to my car. Much to my chagrin, it had started snowing.
I hate fucking snow.
I dusted off my beastly car and climbed into the freezing interior. I started the SUV and waited for it to warm up before I started to drive back home. I finally got the car to the temperature that was not freezing and I slowly moved my car out of the parking lot. I drove at a snail's pace, not wanting to get into a car accident.
As I was stopped at a stoplight, a car pulled up behind me. They got very close to rear-ending me. I tensed up. I was still on edge about the whole car following thing. Once the light turned green, I took off with my 'friend' on my tail.
"Yeesh, if I'm going too slow for you, go around me, you jackass," I grumbled out loud. I accelerated and my friend kept pace with me. I was watching the light in the distance. It turned yellow and I tapped the brakes. I managed to stop and not get rear-ended. We ended playing this 'cat and mouse' routine for the next few lights. Then he flashed his brights at me and I could see him get closer to the rear of my car. "Holy shit, he's going to hit me."
The car behind me tapped my bumper and backed off. I switched lane. The car followed me and hit my bumper again. My heart was pounding, stammering, out of control. I kept looking in the rearview mirror and tried to maintain my eyes on the road ahead of me. He finally backed off and I took a deep breath. To my left, a blur of shiny metal and red lights flew past me and stopped right in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes and t-boned the car. My head hit the steering column of the car and my vision faded. The next thing I knew, I was out.
A/N: Another cliffie…sorry…leave me love and I'll update faster! MUAH!