Chapter 26: Blessed
Bella's POV
"Well, this is it." Carlisle said.
We walked into the hotel room, I was speechless. The room was very open with a king sized bed that was much to big for one person. The walls were a light blue with white carpeted floor. Sliding doors led out to the balcony which had a hot tub and a few lounge chairs to relax on. The balcony overlooked the city, I'm sure it was beautiful at night. There was a dozen roses in a vase on the table by the bed, I walked over and looked at the card.
To my beautiful wife and mother of my unborn child, I hope you enjoy the room I picked out. It's the nicest they have, and most expensive ;)
Love always, your loving husband,
Edward
I smiled.
"He really does know how to make you smile." Carlisle said.
"It's amazing, even when he's not here he manages to take my breath away." I said.
"It's amazing how a boy who had to deal with so much can end up the way he did. You wouldn't be able to tell he was a boy who was abused for most of his life when you first meet him." Carlisle said.
"I've been meaning to thank you." I said sitting on the bed.
"Whys that?" He asked sitting in front of me.
"For what you've done for him. If you hadn't stepped in and adopted him who knows what kind of life he would have had, or if he would even still be alive." I said.
"That's what you do for your children and the people you love." He said.
"But you didn't love him, you didn't even know him." I said.
"True, but I watched him continually come into the hospital for "falls" or "cuts" and he would look at me with his big green eyes and silently beg me to not send him home with his father. I had no choice though at the time, I didn't have proof that he was being abused." He explained.
"Until his father pretty much dragged him out of the hospital while screaming at him..." I whispered.
"Yep, and before he was even released. He proved his point more by getting abusive with hospital security. I knew I couldn't stand around and do nothing about it, so I got the cops involved and we started the long process of adopting him." He told me.
"Was Charlie one of the police officers?" I asked.
"You know, I think he may have been involved. I'm not positive though, it was a while ago." He laughed.
I smiled, I was about to continue the conversation when my phone went off.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey beautiful." Edward said.
"Hi." I smiled.
"What are you up too?" He asked.
I looked at Carlisle, should I be honest?
"Uh... Uh... Nothing." I said.
"You sure? You can tell me." He said.
"No, I don't want to upset you." I told him.
"Bella, love, what are you talking about? I won't get upset." He said.
I hesitated, Carlisle shrugged and motioned to try.
"Well, I was just thanking Carlisle for helping you escape the abuse of your biological father and for adopting him. We were just talking more about what it was like for you and... and I was just telling Carlisle how happy I am he did step in." I said treading lightly.
"Oh." He said.
"Are you mad? I know you don't like talking about it." I said.
"No, I mean I know you are still curious about that time of my life, and I tend to block it out so there is no better person to talk to then Carlisle." He said.
I was not expecting him to react like that! Normally he gets angry if I even try to question anyone about what happened.
"Are you at the hotel?" He asked.
"Yes, oh Edward it's amazing thank you." I said.
"Like I said, nothing is too good for my girls." He said.
"Girls? How do you know I am having a girl?" I asked rubbing my belly.
"I have a feeling." He smiled.
I laughed.
"Well listen, Andrea says it's best to keep conversations with the family short for now. So I will call you soon okay?" He asked.
"Edward?" I asked.
"Yeah?" He said.
"You-You wouldn't cheat on me, would you?" I asked.
"What? Of course not! Bella, I love you and only you. Plus, Andrea kind of has this high pitched "I'm a cheerleader, look at me!" voice. Irritating." He said.
"Oh thank god." I laughed.
"I love you." He said.
"Love you too." I said before hanging up.
"Was he mad?" Carlisle asked.
"No, he was actually okay with it." I told him.
"Great! Maybe therapy is working!" He said.
"I hope so. I am so ready to go home." I said.
"Well, you've been here for a month and a half, and it seems like therapy is working well so maybe you can here pretty quick!" He said.
"Has it been that long?" I asked.
"You were about four months when you came, now you are five and a half months so yeah." He said.
"Wow." I said.
We left the hotel to find some dinner, I was so glad to be out of the hospital and eating real food. I couldn't tell you how much I hated eating that "chicken broth" the hospital gave you, more like chicken water.
…
I was at the outside pool the hotel had laying on a lounge chair next to Carlisle. I had a dark blue bikini on with my sunglasses trying to get a nice tan instead of my normal pale skin. I kept hearing whispers and every time I looked at the two girls they looked away. I shook my head and closed my eyes again ignoring them.
"She has two scars." I heard one whisper.
"Yeah, one on her chest and one on her stomach." The other said.
I took a deep breath.
"Ignore them." Carlisle said.
"Trying too." I said.
They stopped for a minute.
"They look like bullet wounds." One said.
I squeezed my eyes shut, but the memory still came.
BANG! BANG!
"BELLA!"
"How do you suppose it happened?" They wondered.
"Oh god Bella! Stay with me! Rose go find help!"
I shook my head trying to relax my breathing.
"I don't know, robbery maybe." One said.
"Or a kidnapping situation." The other guessed.
"BANG BANG! BANG BANG!"
I jumped up gasping for air.
"Bella!" Carlisle said getting up.
I gasped for air looking around for the source of the gun like sounds, it was two kids playing with toy guns.
Carlisle pulled me into a hug, "It's okay, I've got you. Your safe."
"She's going to be okay right mom?!"
"She's going to be fine."
I closed my eyes as Carlisle stroked my hair softly, I couldn't see it but he was giving the girls the biggest death glare ever.
A Couple Hours Later
"Feeling better?" Carlisle asked handing me my tea.
"Yeah, thank you." I said.
He sat down next to me on the balcony.
"Guess the days of bikini wearing is over." I sighed.
"I'm sorry Bella." He said.
"Don't be, I knew I couldn't escape the stares forever." I said.
"Have you talked to Edward?" He asked.
"Yeah, he told me to go put those girls in their places." I said laughing a little.
There was a few moments of silence.
"That happened almost a year ago, why am I still getting stares and questions about my scars?" I asked.
"I hate to say this Bella, but something tells me you will always get stares and questions." He sighed.
"I just want this all to go away, I want everything that happened with Jim to go away, I want the DID to go away, I just want a normal life again." I said shaking my head.
"I want that too, but they won't go away. Stressing over it will just make it worse, think of the baby you are carrying." He said.
I looked down at my bump, I put my hand on my stomach and smiled.
He patted my arm and walked away.
A few minutes later my phone rang again, it was Edward.
"Hey." I said.
"Hi." He said.
"What's going on? I just talked to you." I said.
"Just missing you I guess." He said.
"I miss you too, did you get my picture?" I asked.
"Yes! You are growing so fast!" He said.
Who knew just one sentence could bring the tears.
"Bella?" He asked when I didn't answer.
I covered my mouth to cover a sob.
"Bella? Are you there?" He said.
"I'm here." I said my voice cracking.
"Aw, Bella! Don't cry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" He said.
"I'm sorry! I just miss you! I hate how you are missing all of this! Doctor appointments, ultra sounds, seeing me grow! Your missing it all!" I cried.
"I know, I'm sorry love. I truly am, believe me when I tell you that I want nothing more then to be with you during this time." He told me.
"I can't do this without you Edward!" I cried getting more worked up.
"Bella, you need to calm down okay? Think of the baby!" He said.
"I am thinking of the baby! How you are missing this whole thing!" I snapped.
"Bella, I will be there to see the end. That's all that matters okay? I am not leaving you to raise our daughter or son alone okay?" He explained.
"No! You see all these happy couples enjoying the experience of the first pregnancy and they are happy and they are measuring the belly, and setting up the nursery, and making a baby book!" I said.
"And we can still do that!" He said.
"You don't understand!" I screamed getting Carlisle's attention from inside.
"Bella I do! You just aren't seeing that I do! You need to calm down." He said.
"Stop telling me to calm down!" I snapped.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He said.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm being all emotional." I said.
"You have every right to be emotional." He told me.
I sighed.
"Listen, you'll be home soon okay?" He said.
"Okay." I said.
"And we'll create a baby book, set up the nursery, everything you want." He said.
"Measuring the belly?" I asked.
"We will measure the crap out of your belly." He said.
I giggled.
"Was that a laugh?! Did Bella just laugh?!" He gasped.
"Shut up." I laughed.
"I have to go now Bella, I love you." He said.
"I love you too." I said.
I hung up the phone and sighed.
Carlisle walked out on the patio.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, everything is perfect." I told him smiling.
He offered me his hand and helped me up. There was a knock on the door.
Carlisle held up his hand motioning that he would get it.
"Renee?" He said.
Renee walked in with a bag of groceries.
"I thought you guys would need some food." She whispered.
"Thank you Renee." Carlisle said.
"Bella." She said pretty much in tears.
I looked at her not sure what to say.
"Bella, honey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for stressing you out so much." She said walking over to me.
I still didn't know what to say to her, what do you say to a women who stressed you out so much that it put you in a hospital?
"I didn't mean too! I feel bad that you are forced to stay at a hotel." She said.
"I'm not forced mom. I agreed to this! I agreed to let Edward pay for a hotel for the remainder of my time here!" I said.
She looked hurt for a split second, "Oh."
"Mom, I still love you. I do, and I don't mean to hurt your feelings. But I have to do what's best for my baby right now. You understand that, don't you?!"
"Of course I understand that! Being pregnant with you opened my eyes up to the fact that there wasn't just me anymore. I had another life to take care of!" She said.
"Then please don't be upset, please don't be mad that I am choosing to stay here. You can come visit and we could go to lunch! I could even come over to the house to visit! But being there constantly, living there, it was stressing me out! You were treating me like a baby! You wouldn't let me walk for very long distances, you wouldn't let me put away groceries, you would even talk to me like I was till a child!" I told her.
"Because you still are my baby Bella!" She said.
"I understand that! But I'm not a baby anymore mom! Yes, I'm pregnant, and there may be things I can't do or shouldn't be doing but I have Edward for that! He's there to remind me of things, he's so protective! Even a million miles away! And before you go into 'Edward's replacing me' he's not! No one could replace you but I feel like Edward is over protective enough, and then I have you arguing with Phil over what's right and what's wrong for me! Don't ruin your marriage over this mom, please!" I begged.
"Oh honey! I won't ruin my marriage! I know I over reacted, and I know you aren't trying to replace me with Edward, but I have a hard time grasping the concept of not having to worry about you all the time. I have Edward's help, and the rest of the Cullens help for that! I just worry with Edward's DID-"
"Here we go! How many times have I gone over this?! He's getting help mom!" I said.
"I just worry, what if he has... an episode with the baby?" She asked.
I looked at Carlisle with my eyes popping out of my head.
"Renee, I understand your concern over this, I do, but Edward's improving dramatically." Carlisle spoke up.
"I get that, but there is still that chance." She said not budging.
"Oh my god!" I screamed.
They both looked at me like something was wrong.
"Mom! STOP! Just stop! He loves me, and he loves this baby!" I said putting my hand on my growing belly.
"I know he does-"
"But your worried he might lose control, or something like that." I mocked her.
"I see you are set in your ways Bella, so I'll just leave." She said.
I looked at her like she had three heads.
"Why are you being like this?! You were fine! We were having an adult discussion! Now you bring up all this crap again?! The reason this all started?!" I yelled.
"I'm just trying to understand this Bella!" She screamed at me.
We went back and forth for another five to ten minutes before I gasped and put a hand on my stomach.
"Bella?" Carlisle asked.
"I'm fine." I said, my face showing otherwise.
"I think it's time to leave Renee." Carlisle said, going into protective father mode.
"Fine. I'm sorry Bella, I really am." She said.
I just ignored her, she nodded and left.
"Okay sit down." Carlisle said.
I sat on the bed and took deep breaths.
"Why does she keep doing this?" I asked.
"She's just trying to understand everything, and she feels like she doesn't have a say in your life anymore. It's hard on parents when they don't have control over their kids lives anymore." He explained.
"Was it hard for you and Esme?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, good gracious. Alice, when she was a teenager, she would party. She REFUSED to listen to us, so we had to sit back and let her make her own mistakes, of course we stepped in if it got really bad and dangerous. It was hard though." He told me.
I laughed.
I was enjoying my time with Carlisle, we were bonding more. He leaned over and kissed my forehead, I smiled, I was truly blessed.
Sorry it takes so long for chapters! But I find myself taking breaks more, and then I'll get ideas and go for a long time writing, and then take another break on the chapter! But here's another chapter! Renee doesn't seem to be grasping the "don't stress Bella out" concept! Review! =]