Chapter 47 - Arrangements

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"I thought you'd be elated," Dr. Barnett smiled.

"You... want to discharge me?" Bella said uncertainly, not sure she'd heard him right or properly understood what he was saying.

The man nodded.

"I can leave? Today?"

Another nod. "Yes, I've agreed to release you on two conditions," he said, raising two of his fingers for emphasis. "Someone has to stay with you. That's the first thing. Preferably someone with medical training so that we can keep an eye on your blood pressure. Dr Cullen and his wife have offered to take you in and I feel confident in releasing you into their care. The other thing is that you need lots of rest and fluids. Bed rest is still mandatory. I'd say two weeks minimum."

"Two whole weeks?" Bella gaped. It wasn't the first time she'd heard of it, but the reality of it had not really sunk in, until then.

"Yes, during which time, I expect you back here for several checkups. The fetus growth and the fetal heart rate needs to be monitored closely. Don't worry, the Cullens will make all the arrangements. They'll take good care of you."

"I'm sure they will," Bella agreed, cringing inwardly at this. She just hated feeling dependant on or indebted to other people. "It's just that two weeks is a long time and I've already imposed on their hospitality longer than I should have. I just wish I could go home and sleep in my own bed."

"As your doctor, I very much advise you against flying right now. I thought this was an ideal solution when Dr. Cullen suggested it, but if you rather stay here at the hospital for a few more days…"

She weighed her options, unsurprisingly coming the conclusion that the prospect of spending another two weeks in hospital, or even just another day for that matter, sucked big time…

"No, it's okay. I don't want to hold up a bed that could be used for someone else," she told the doctor, resigning herself to the fact she wasn't going to back to her own place anytime soon.

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…

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Being stuck in a hospital bed sucked anyway you looked at it.

Not even a whole week had passed since she had arrived in that ambulance, but Bella was already sick of it. She hated the feeling of not being able to do anything but literally lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. She hated the sterile, white environment and overall gloominess. She hated the smell. And the food.

She couldn't wait to get back to some sort of normality. Only she never imagined normality would entail moving into Mrs. Cullen's downstairs study.

Apparently Esme had spent the whole morning rearranging furniture, or rather she had spent the whole morning giving orders to her sons, who then did all the heavy lifting for her. According to Edward this involved dragging a hugely heavy and ungainly monster of a bed down two flights of stairs and shuffling an equally heavy book case all the way up to the attic.

"It's a really comfortable bed and this way you don't have to be bothered with the stairs," Edward explained, as he wheeled Bella through the maze of corridors that had been her home for the last few days. "The kitchen is close by, you'll have the downstairs bathroom all for yourself and whenever you feel up for some company I can carry you into the living room."

"Carry me? Shouldn't you be giving your poor back some rest?"

"Fine, then Emmett can be the one carrying you around, for all I care," Edward, snapped, his mood was about as bright as the weather was gloomy. Bella got the feeling he hadn't slept well, if at all.

"I can walk on my own, thank you very much. This wheelchair is just hospital policy," she pointed out.

"You're on bed rest, remember?!"

"I'm allowed to go to the bathroom and I'm allowed to take showers, so a little easy walking around the house is obviously fine. It's good for the blood circulation, if nothing else."

"We'll see about that," Edward grunted as pushed the wheelchair out through the automatic doors and out into the car park.

They barely made it outside before a car that came rolling up beside them. "Here comes the cavalry," Edward alerted her. "I should warn you, they thought it would be a great idea to stop for lunch on the way home."

By 'them' he meant, Rosalie, who was behind the wheel and Emmett, who was bouncing up and down in the passenger seat like a yo-yo.

"I think this is Rose's roundabout way of apologizing and Emmett… well, you know Emmett, he just always think with his stomach. He claims you need to celebrate the fact that you're no longer being fed through a tube."

"Right, but getting fluids through an IV is hardly the same thing as being fed through a tube."

"I know, I've tried to explain it to him, but… Anyway, I've agreed that we can pick up some food as long as it's drive-through."

"Great, so Mickey D's then?"

"You'll have to settle for KFC. If you're not up for it, just say the words."

"No, that sounds delicious actually. I could kill for something greasy and heavily processed, right about now."

"Hey Swan, looking good!" Emmett flung the door open and jumped out of the car, slamming it shut behind him. "You realize the last time I saw you, you were jumping into my arms buck naked, clinging to my shirt like your life depended on it?"

"Oh, gee, thanks for the reminder, I'd almost forgotten," Bella huffed, trying to sound annoyed, but I knew she was most likely smiling. "And jumping into your arms? Really? With a dislocated shoulder, I don't think so!"

"I see how it is. You're worried about Eddie, here," Emmett teased, and threw his arm around his brother's shoulder. "You shouldn't be. He's a big boy. Besides a little jealousy is only good for the relationship."

"Move your ass out of my way," Edward said, shoving his brother so he could get past. "Bella, let us get you inside the car. It's freezing cold out here."

"Wait, don't rush me, " she protested. "This is the first breath of fresh air I've had in days." She stood up, swaying a bit on her feet, which had them both ready to jump to her rescue. "Now, before we go anywhere, can we be serious for a minute. I just realized I haven't thanked either of you for helping me. I would have been buried under a pile of collapsed building debris, if it weren't for you."

Emmett only shrugged. "Don't mention it Swan."

Edward didn't say anything, he just nodded avoiding her eyes.

"I just wanted to say sorry for being difficult, and stubborn and just, well, thank you for saving my life… our lives." she added lightly touching the swell of her belly through the fabric of her clothes. As if on cue, her stomach growled, and she pressed her hand to it more firmly.

"Now don't just stand there, bust a move. I'm pregnant and I'm hungry. The least you can do is open the car door for me," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Look who's rushing now," Emmett teased with a smirk on his face.

Bella stuck my tongue out at him. "Mood swings, what can I say?"

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…

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A few hours later Bella found herself in bed with Esme fluttering around the room, fluffing pillows and fetching snacks and bringing water and making sure she had everything she could possibly need.

Her attentiveness was a bit over the top, even for Esme. Thankfully Alice had been otherwise engaged for the afternoon. Breathing space was highly underrated.

"I'm going to get fat if you keep waiting on me like this!" Bella groaned stuffing herself with another chocolate chip cookie, her third one in an embarrassingly short period of time.

"That's the point dear," Esme smiled, setting down a glass of milk on the bedside table. "We want this baby to grow big and healthy."

"I know, but don't you think that the-daddy-to-be is the one that should be putting forth an effort? I mean, I know he has Anthony chase after, but he should be capable of doing a little pillow fluffing too."

"Oh, I didn't think of it that way, but you're right. I think I'm gonna make myself disappear for a while."

"I don't want to sound ungrateful. I hope you don't feel like I'm pushing you away. It's just that…"

"Don't be silly," Esme said with a wave of her hand. "You should be spending time together, bonding over the baby."

"Precisely. I don't want to guilt him into caring, or force him to do anything he doesn't want to do. I just want him involved. I wasn't sure before, but I am now. Maybe it's too late, but at least late is better than never."

"Don't worry. I'm with you on this one," Esme reassured her. "I'll speak with Alice… and Rose too. We'll work something out."

"Eh thanks, but I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Bella said, eyeing her sidelong. "No scheming! We have enough trust issues to deal with as it is."

"No, I just meant we'll try and coordinate our week to give the two of you some alone time."

"Oh, that sounds great actually. Thank you!" she hesitated a moment, "I already owe you so much. I've said it various times and I'll continue saying it. Thank you."

"Don't worry. You're family now. That's why we do this for you. For you and Edward and the little one."

"Thank you," Bella repeated a third time and then hurried to change the subject. It looked like Esme was going in for a hug and she didn't think she could handle that. "Speaking of family…" she started. "I have another favor to ask of you."

"Alright, let's hear it."

"I hate to ask this, but it's about Charlie," Bella admitted. "My father," she amended after a moment of thought. "I was suppose to go to Florida later this week. I always spend a few days around New Years with him every year. We celebrate Christmas and birthdays and all his favorite holidays, all in one weekend. I bring him his favorite food and we watch football. Last year we even went down to the fishing pier and watched the locals catch fish. Some years it's great fun, other years he doesn't even remember who I am."

"I'm sorry. It must be hard for you living so far away from him. I don't know if you're aware, but Carlisle always check up on him whenever he has a medical conference in the area."

"I know, I also know that you've been sending him Christmas cards every year since he moved to Florida." Bella felt herself choke up as he said it, but she pushed the feeling away. "I don't want him to be lonely on New Years Eve. It's the fireworks, they get him all worked up, and not in a good way. It doesn't matter if it's New Years or Fourth of July, or any other celebration, it's always the same." She closed her eyes for a minute and took a couple of deep breaths before she continued.

"The nursing home is great, but there is only so much they can do. If no one's there to keep him company, they'll medicate him heavily to get him through the fireworks. I hate it. I try to be there when I can and if I can't make it, I always ask around until I can find a nurse willing to pick up an extra shift and sit with him."

"You want me to make some calls?" Esme guessed.

"It's awfully short notice. Too short I'm afraid. I've already emailed the administrator of the nursing home. I had Seth help me with it yesterday, but so far no luck."

"We might need to look outside the nursing home this time," Esme suggested. "I'm sure Carlisle has some contacts. I'll look into it for you."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Charlie seems to have given himself a bit of a reputation lately. He sort of, kind of, decked an orderly. "

"Oh my… What happened?"

"He's not violent or anything. He just… he responds better to reasoning than force. You need to know his history when dealing with him. It's not a good idea to talk back to him when he's in his 'Chief Swan' mood and is reading you your Miranda rights. The orderly tried to force his way into the room and Charlie threw a punch at him, probably thinking he was intervening an ongoing burglary or something "

"Oh, honey," Esme grimaced, trying but failing to keep a straight face. "That's terrible. I realize I shouldn't laugh, but knowing Charlie I'm sure he gave plenty of warning before he did anything else."

"I don't know, he's awfully short tempered these days. It gets worse. The orderly he took out was a young, fit, college kid. The poor guy required emergency hospital treatment for his broken nose. Thankfully he decided not to press charges once I agreed to pay for his hospital care."

"So we need to find someone with good sense of humor and a gentle, but firm approach?"

"A female. I can't see him hitting a woman… ever…"

"I'll do my best. In fact I'm quite confident I can find a solution to this, so don't you worry. I want you to relax. Eat the rest of your cookies and then... Take. A. Nap," Esme patted her shoulder.

"I will," Bella promised sincerely, touching the other woman's hand briefly in gratitude.

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…

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The sound of a creaking door had Bella's eyes fluttering open.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Edward asked, as he peeked inside the room.

"No, I wasn't asleep, I was just resting my eyes, that's all."

"Are you sure"

"Yes Edward, I'm sure"

"Then why didn't you answer me when I knocked."

"Just drop it," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Either come in or not, but close the door."

"I've got Tony with me." Edward pushed the door open wider, revealing the grumpy looking toddler perched on his hip. "I should warn you, he's not in a good mood."

"I can see that," she commented, taking in the red rimmed eyes and upturned mouth. "So let me guess, he's driving you crazy and now you're counting on me to take pity on you."

"Something like that," Edwards lips twitched in a faint grin, and she couldn't resist, she smiled back. Her heart skipped a bit. "I thought you could help me cheer him up, but if you are resting… We can always come back later."

"No, it's fine I've gotten plenty of rest this afternoon. What about you? Have you gotten any sleep at all lately?"

Edward looked up and smiled sheepishly, the dark circles under his eyes were almost as dark in color as the purple bruise on the left side of his head. "You know me. I sleep a few hours here and there."

"Am I allowed to ask about them? The nightmares, I mean."

"Not now," he shook his head and hoisted child more firmly against his hip. "He's kind of heavy, do you mind if I…." he trailed off with a sweeping gesture at the various books, magazines, and papers littering her bed.

"No, go ahead, sit down. Just push those piles off to the side. I don't need any of that stuff right now."

"You are working on something?" Edward frowned disapprovingly, as she moved her laptop to the bedside table. "You're suppose to rest."

She shook her head. "I was just catching up on some things. I'm actually waiting for Seth to get in touch with me about something and seeing as you still have my phone I had no other option than emailing him…. Here, let me take him," she said reaching for the boy.

"Wait don't… " Edward started only to be interrupted by a whiny high, pitched noise, when Anthony threw his arms around fathers neck. "…stress him."

"Did I scare him?" Bella pulled her arm back like she had been stung.

"No, he's fine… Clingy, but fine," Edward replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed, pulling the child into his lap. "He's just confused with all these new faces around. He's probably a bit wary of you, seeing as he hasn't seen much of you over the last few days so."

"Oh, no… He seemed fine yesterday at the hospital, though."

"Yeah, and he talks about you all the time, so I don't think it's anything personal."

"Aw, he talks about me. What does he say?" she asked, then she remembered she had a half eaten cookie on the nightstand, which she wasted no time in retrieving and quickly offering to the boy.

"Well, he's told everyone at breakfast this morning that you have a shark in your belly."

"A shark, really?"

Tony inched closer and snatched the cookie from her hand. He backed away again, but before he could devour the delicious treat, Edward intervened, taking it from him. "What do you say, Anthony? I know your Nana has though you what to say when someone gives you cookies."

"I have? Is mine," the boy pushed his lip out in a full pout.

"It's yours, if you say 'thank you' and 'please'."

"Fanks pees."

"Close enough, give the boy his cookie," Bella smiled. "Or better yet, let me give him the cookie. I'm the one working on getting on his good side again."

"Make me out to be bad cop why don't you," Edward joked. "Look Tony, Bella is being awfully nice, sharing her cookie with you, maybe you should give her a hug," he suggested, breaking the reminder of the cookie in two pieces, so that they each could give the boy a piece. Needless to say, Anthony was eager to get his hands on the inviting, perfectly golden brown baked goods, but not too keen on letting himself be hugged. Oh well, there is no competing with chocolate when it comes to a two year old.

Bella waited until he had licked the last traces of chocolate off his fingers, before she tried to engage the boy in conversation. "You have a shark in your belly, what's up with that?" she asked tickling his belly.

"Dunno, is full," he shrugged, looking at his father for a reaction.

"Mom asked him if he wanted another sandwich and he said he was full because he had a shark in his belly like his Bella."

"He said that? That's cute."

"He did, he called you 'my Bewa'. It was cute for about ten seconds then he threw his spoon across the table and laughed like a lunatic for about ten minutes. Not so cute…"

"Kids say and do the strangest things. They should come with a translator…. and a manual," Bella frowned, her train of thoughts interrupted by a low, vibrating sound. "Hey, is that you or Tony buzzing? "

"What?"

"Don't you hear it? It sounds like a phone, or is it one of Tony's new toys?"

"No, that's a phone, alright," Edward sighed and disentangled the child from his lap. Digging around in the depths of his jeans pockets, he pulled out, not one but two, phones.

"Your phone, actually. I keep forgetting I have this," he said, just as it buzzed again and the screen lit up with the little envelope symbol.

"Finally," Bella made a palm-up 'give it to me' gesture. "That's Seth right?"

Edward ignored her outstretched hand. "If he goes by 'Wolfman' then yes, it's Clearwater." He tapped theicon, bringing up the message. "You were right."

"About what?"

"No, that's what it says. 'You were right'. He wants you to call him when you have a moment."

"When I have a moment? He wants me to call when I have a moment," she shook her head, snatching the phone out of his hands. "I hate being laid up in bed with nothing to do. I've only been waiting for him to contact me since I woke up this morning."

"Right, I'll just leave you to it, then." Edward frowned and rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Tony, come here!" he ordered, reaching for the child, but of course the boy had other ideas. He was far more interested in hiding inside the tunnel that had formed under the blanket that was resting over Bella's knees, than listening to his father.

Edward grabbed him by his feet and tugged. Tony answered by wailing loudly.

"Stop that! If the boy wants to stay he can stay," Bella declared while she pulled up her contact list, searching for the right number. "You can both stay, I am certain you will want to hear this, "she added, and looked Edward in the eye while she hit dial and waited for the call to go through.

Tony was still voicing his displeasure with inarticulate growls and Edward didn't look entirely happy either, "Do you really think tha-…"

"Hush, you two" Bella interrupted, pressing the phone closer to her ear.

"Hi, Seth! Sorry about the noise. So, I was right, eh?! It is a license plate, isn't it?"

"I knew it! Look, I'm going to put you on speaker phone. Is that's okay? Edward is here with me."

"Don't call him that. His little clone is here too, so watch your language."

"Hold on, let me find the right button. I'm one- handed for the moment, remember. "

She did some fumbling around and then they heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, before finally Seth's distinctive voice came through for them all to hear. "I'm surprised they let you out, you being crippled and all."

"Who, the hospital?" Bella asked, unamused by his silliness. "It could have something to do with the fact that Dr. C is the Chief of Surgery."

"Didn't think of that. So Cullen, I guess this means you'll be playing nurse for the next couple of days."

"Yeah well, she's supposed to rest and recover, not work and recover, so cut to the chase, Clearwater," Edward gruffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's this talk about a license plate? You've got two minutes to say what you need to say."

"My, my. It sounds like someone's grumpy today. Do you have a pen ready, Swan?"

"Erm …Yep." She said grabbing a pen from her nightstand, shoving it at Edward.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Anthony unashamedly discarding his tiny sweatpants, throwing them on the floor along with his socks. That boy sure loved running around naked. "Hold on one second, Seth," she frowned and grabbed a handful of the boys shirt pulling him into a one-armed hug. He shrieked and squirmed, of course, but finally settled down once she gave him Alice's old IPod a to play with.

"Break that kiddo and there are some rather nasty consequences, ones no sane person will risk," Edward told the child in a way too serious voice. "Your Auntie Alice is a scary chick."

"I'll second that!" came Seth's voice from the phone.

"Al?" Anthony questioned, looking very confused. "I no see."

"That's right, Alice isn't here right now. I'm sure you'll see her again later tonight. Now simmer down and come cuddle with me, while I talk to your daddy and our friend."

"Yes, mommy," Seth cackled with undisguised glee. "So, are we good to go. Got those Cullen boys under control?"

She looked over at Edward, who looked visibly annoyed, which didn't surprise her. "Yeah, go ahead, tell us what you've got."

"Right, here goes… The car, a 1967 Ford Mustang, with an aqua metallic exterior, has only had two owners and was originally registered to a Geosappe Nahuel."

"Wait, can you spell the name for us."

"Sure it's G-E-O-S-A-P-P-E N-A-H-U-E-L."

"Did you get that Edward."

"Where do you expect me to write this? On my hand? This would be so much easier if you gave me a paper or something to write on. Not to mention a pen that actually works."

"Wow, you really are grumpy today," Bella responded, with a shake of her head. "There should be both a pen and a notebook in that stack of stuff you helped me clear from the bed just five minutes ago. Look on the table on your left."

Edward grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but did as he was told. After rummaging around for a for a bit, he found what he needed and sat back down again.

"Alright, go on Seth," Bella urged, once he was satisfied that the name had been properly penned down.

"The original owner had the car in his possession for 35 years, but in 2002 the ownership was transferred to a to a sixteen year old Maria Giovanna, G-I-O-V-A-N-N-A, Nahuel. A granddaughter, I'd imagine. Does the name sound familiar?"

Bella looked at Edward, who was shaking his head.

"Edward says, no… I need to look in my notes before I say anything. I could be wrong, but I think I might have seen it somewhere. It's not the most common of names."

"The granddaughter had a personalized license plate made in 2006. The car is still in her possession to this date."

"I don't recall a license plate. Why is the plate important?" Edward asked. "Also, I don't get what makes you so sure this is 'the' car. There must be zillions of them, still rolling the streets today. Ford Mustang is only one of the most popular cars in automotive history."

"Oh, Swan didn't tell you?" Seth mused. "You're right, there are zillions of them, but there is only one aqua green Ford Mustang with the license plate 'KEBI' that was rolling around the streets of Seattle three years ago. Coincidence? I don't think so."

"Is it still here in the area?" Bella asked while Edward looked a little bit nauseated.

"Don't know yet. This Maria woman is Seattle based… or she was three years ago anyway. The last known address looks like an on-campus housing at UW, she might have moved on since then. I'm on my way to check it out right now, unless you have a better idea, Swan?!"

"No, that sounds like a good plan. Anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Okay. I'll run a search on the name and see what else I can dig up from the details you've given me."

"You work on that… I mean, you REST on that," he laughed at his own word-play. "Sorry, Cullen. You got her up the duff, you keep her zen and bed-bound."

"Trust me, I'm planning on doing just that… Starting now." Snatching the phone out of Bella's hand, Edward quickly disconnected the call before Seth could say another word.

"Mature, Edward. Real mature."

"What? He was talking a lot of smack. I did you a favor."

"If you really want to do me a favor, you can go make sure nothing happens to Tony."

"What?!"

"Your son is no longer in the room and the door is open. I'd risk a guess he is heading for the kitchen."

"That sneaky little bugger!"

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