A/N: I'd like to thank my betas for helping me finalize the outline of these last several chapters, and polishing this chapter up like they do all the time: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. I also want to thank Irritable Grizzzly who loves me and this story enough to pre-read it to make sure I don't commit some ghastly fandom faux pas before I post it for your eyes to see.
BROKEN
By Lifehouse
The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out
The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded; I'm an open book instead
And I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life
I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there's the healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm still holdin'
I'm holdin' on, I'm still holdin'
I'm holdin' on I'm still holdin'
I'm barely holdin' on to you
"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us—and those around us—more effectively. Look for the Learning."
— Louisa May Alcott
"Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress."
— Job 30:24
Chapter 28 - TLC - Broken
The rest of the summer moved along quickly, and before Bella could shift gears, the Center was operating at full schedule again and she was registering online for Grad school at FSU. All that was left was a trip to campus to pay her tuition for the semester and she would be all set. She had been able to secure a couple of online classes, but there was one that she would have to actually travel to campus to attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Even though it was on the same nights as Edward's group meetings, he promised to make time to take her and pick her up, because he wouldn't hear of her going alone, and especially leaving campus at night without an escort.
Thus, they found themselves on a warm August morning headed to the University Center Building A to make payment so she could become an official FSU graduate student. Riding around in a police cruiser half the time no longer felt strange. She'd simply accepted it as normal. They were approaching the imposing structure that was Doak Campbell Stadium, and she became excited that she was finally going to begin work on her master's degree.
However, it had not escaped her mind, or Edward's, that someone was still out there, most likely healing from the gunshot wound sustained in July and lying in wait to wreak more havoc in their lives. Edward had been adamant that they not let their guard down for an instant, because it was usually in those moments that the culprit chose to strike. Bella was always mindful of this as they went about their daily lives.
As Edward maneuvered them into the parking lot, she admired the statue of Chief Osceola and remembered how excited Rosalie and Emmett had been when they found out she was becoming a Seminole.
"We should go ahead and get tickets for the first home game while we're here," Bella suggested. "Em and Rose want us all to tailgate with them when the season begins."
"Yeah, let's do that, and maybe tonight we can get stocked for the first Downtown Getdown." Edward pulled into a parking spot and smiled. "So, ready to pay up and begin your matriculation at Florida State?"
"I am. I think it's going to turn out to be a great choice."
"Well, let's do this then."
She waited for Edward to open the door for her. It was force of habit now, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Edward was certainly a man of today's world when it came to sex. However, when it came to women in his care, he was quite old-fashioned, while Bella was more independent. Existing as they did in weekend semi-cohabitation, and working together every day, they were finding out all kinds of things about each other that would have taken a couple in a regular dating relationship years to find out. While Edward had a rather formal relationship with his mother, Bella was very affectionate with her parents. Thankfully, they both were extremely neat, so they had practically no issues regarding organization. But while she was very frugal, he had no problem plunking down lots of money for big-ticket items he considered worth the price, while she haggled and would often make substitutions.
They held hands as they walked quickly toward the line forming in the registrar's office. A few female coeds blatantly checked out Edward. He was either oblivious or honoring her by not paying them any attention. He was probably used to the stares he got as a result of the uniform, but Bella was confident that, in his case, it was due to how good he looked, period. She inched closer to him, winding her arm around his waist, and he followed suit, thus sending the subtle message, "He's mine, girls—back off!"
The registration process went exceptionally fast, compared with Spelman. They were in and out within thirty minutes, but it probably would have been twenty-five if she hadn't found it necessary to argue with Edward about the payment of her tuition. He whipped out his credit card without hesitation when the clerk had given them the figure. Of course, she nipped that idea in the bud, very tactfully. As a compromise, she did allow him to pay for their football tickets.
With an hour and a half to spare before they were due at the Center, they stopped and paid a visit to Bella's Nana. Renee had informed Bella that she was in big trouble with her grandmother because she'd seen her only a couple of times since the Memorial Day barbeque, and that just wouldn't do for Nana Higginbotham. Nana lived in a quiet neighborhood near FAMU and refused to move. She said that it had been her home for more than fifty years and she wasn't budging.
As they pulled up in the cruiser, the neighbors were rightfully curious about a cop visiting Mrs. Higginbotham's home. In fact, Nana herself was surprised when she opened the door until she honed in on Bella. Her spritely grandmother's face lit up exponentially.
"Well, if it isn't my little niblet and her beau!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around her granddaughter.
Bella blushed a deep red that was almost burgundy and cringed when she heard Edward chuckling behind her.
"Oh, Nana, please forgive me for not coming by more often. We've been kind of preoccupied—"
Nana ushered them in quickly and closed the door. "Yes, your mother told me about that stalker trouble. I told Harold we would come by and see you this weekend if I hadn't heard from you before then."
"Harold?" Bella questioned.
Nana actually blushed then, and quickly turned her attention to Edward. "May I get you something, Edward? I baked blueberry muffins this morning, and I have fresh coffee."
"Do I look like a man who would turn down a fresh cup of coffee and a homemade muffin? Yes, please." He smiled graciously and then looked at Bella who was frowning. He raised his eyebrows in question as Nana scurried out of the room.
"Niblet, you want a muffin, too?" she yelled in parting.
"Yes, thanks, Nana!" Bella grabbed Edward's and whispered furiously. "Baby, I think Nana has a man friend."
"She's a widow and alone. She's entitled, right?" Edward asked sheepishly, hoping he was saying the right thing.
"I mean—well, yeah. It's just—it's been so long since my Grandfather died, and I didn't think she would ever—"
"Desire male companionship again?" Edward supplied. "Nana is an attractive woman for her age—Don't you think there are men out there that would love to meet someone like her."
"Yeah, but that's my Nana we're talking about. What if your mother all of a sudden started dating again?"
"Been there, done that, remember? But I think she deserves another chance at romance and happiness," he said sincerely. "Marcus was a jerk, but if my mother found someone who wasn't, I'd be happy for her."
"You say that now, but you just wait," Bella warned.
"Mother hasn't given any indication that she's heading in that direction, but if she does, I'd be supportive, as long as the man was good to her."
Nana came back in the room with a tray bearing three muffins, coffees, cream, and sugar. She set it on the coffee table.
"Sit down," Nana encouraged. "I'll serve you."
Bella waited until they all had their coffee and had settled down.
"Nana?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Is this Harold someone we know?" Bella took a bite of her muffin and a sip of coffee.
Nana set her cup on the table and smiled broadly at her granddaughter. "You've only known Deacon H. G. Wilson since you were a toddler."
"Deacon Wilson!" Bella exclaimed. "Oh, Nana—well, that's really—awesome. How long have you two been—"
"Harold began calling on me shortly after the Memorial Day barbeque at your parents' home." She looked at Edward. "You told me he was interested that day, but I just thought you were flattering an old lady."
Bella's mouth flew open, and she whipped her head around to look at Edward, who just kind of shrugged.
"No, the Deacon definitely had his eye on you, Mrs. Higginbotham," Edward said.
Nana smiled coquettishly. "Just call me Nana, Edward. All Bella's friends do."
They were in the car on the way to the Center when Bella lit into him. "Why didn't you tell me that the Deacon was interested in my Nana?"
"I'm sorry, it just slipped my mind, and I didn't want to spill the beans. Nana really wanted to tell you herself."
"You go to Bible study with Harold every Wednesday and sit with or near him and my Nana almost every Sunday in church, and it slipped your mind?" Then her eyes widened. "You were being their buffer, their go-between so my mother and I wouldn't figure it out, weren't you?"
Edward raked his hand through his hair nervously. "Well, they didn't want to tell anyone in the family until they were sure they were really compatible."
Her face crumpled in equal parts worry and anger, and her voice took on a hard edge. "So this thing is serious?"
"From every indication," he answered quickly. "Bella, please don't be mad at me. Harold's held a torch for Nana for a long time, and I think they're good together."
"I like Harold. He's been a friend of my dad's forever, but that's my Nana we're talking about." Bella scowled.
Apparently, Edward found her discomfort with her Nana dating again extremely humorous, because he laughed loudly. "Bella, these are two people who have lived, loved, were married and raised their own families. What do you really think is going to happen?"
Although she was ticked-off that he found the situation funny, his words were oddly soothing. "You're probably right," she conceded. "But he'd better be good to her."
"You certainly are Charlie Swan's daughter," Edward said with an impish grin. She balled her hand into a fist and punched him playfully on his right shoulder.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, more out of surprise than pain. "That's called assault on a law enforcement officer, you know?"
She couldn't help but gloat. "Not if said officer is the assaulter's boyfriend. Florida Statute, Bella Swan 1.001."
"That is a law in your own mind," he teased. "And this from the daughter of Renee Swan, Esquire?"
"You're really pushing it, Cullen." The ominous warning was playful in tone.
He pulled into the Center parking lot and found a spot. "Shutting up now."
~888~
September ushered in a time of sheer joy that had Edward thinking that he could finally have a happy future. For most of his life, he'd resisted believing that he could have one, but Bella changed all that.
He was sitting in the armchair, ostensibly reading. In actuality, he was watching her sleep as he often did when he spent weekends at the condo. And as weekends go, this one had been perfect. They'd had their friends over for the Downtown Getdown on Friday night after an early dinner at Andrews. Then later enjoyed the festivities of the night, first on the streets, and finally from his balcony.
He had found himself regarding Bella closely all weekend, unsure what those stirrings had been, but finally coming to the conclusion that it was real. He could finally be happy as Dr. Levy and Bella had been trying so tirelessly to convince him. This wasn't a trick that would disappear behind the magician's cloth and leave him empty-handed again, much like the happiness he'd sought in his family life while he lived with his mother and her husband, or his father and his endless stream of girlfriends.
Now, he could see so many possibilities. What if he really stuck around for the long-haul and asked her to marry him? What if she said yes? What if they got married and had beautiful babies together that grew into little children who looked and acted like them? What if he really learned to love himself, thereby really learning how to love what Bella meant to him? These were frightening thoughts to have, but he couldn't stop them. She brought all this out of him, and more.
Deep down he still feared that she would come to her senses and realize what a barren wasteland of humanity he'd been, and still was on some level, despite all that she and Dr. Levy were doing to help rid him of his demons once and for all. The good doctor assured him that he was more than halfway there, but he was not convinced.
The intense sessions with Dr. Levy often left him drained and irritable, but it never discouraged Bella. His relationship, or lack thereof, with his father had always been a sore subject for him, and most of the time, she didn't push him to talk about it when his sessions were over. He'd promised that when he was comfortable enough he would talk to her about it, and this was only after she had called him on his avoidance. His macho bravado did not intimidate her.
Bella didn't fear going there with him, because she had grown up seeing how her parents handled conflict and assured him that it was a normal part of every relationship. In every other way, they were growing closer as a couple, despite what Dr. Levy was helping him dredge up emotionally. Also, he didn't pull away from her physically; he was just quieter and lost in his thoughts sometimes. She was content to let him be for the sake of his mental health, and he loved the hell out of her for it.
The primary thing that kept him from sleeping at night was his inability to catch the person or persons after him, so there was a dark cloud hanging over Bella and everyone else he cared about in the world. He felt like he'd been spinning his wheels since May without making any leeway in figuring out who was behind it. He'd decided that he would begin with his Tallahassee arrests and work backward, even back to when he was on the force in Terre Haute. Something had to turn up.
Climbing into the bed next to Bella, he felt her stir and gravitate toward him, and he enveloped her gratefully into his arms. She took a deep breath, and he looked down to see her eyes flutter open.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he murmured.
She snuggled closer to him with a sigh. "Mmm... it's okay. Give me a few seconds of quiet, and I'll drop off again."
He wound his arms tightly around her. "Maybe some of it will rub off on me."
"You haven't been sleeping well," she said in a soft accusatory tone. "Wanna talk about it?"
He wondered how she'd come to that conclusion, given that they only spent Friday and Saturday nights together. This Sunday night was a bonus, because all their drunken friends had crashed with them on Friday night and they'd convoyed over to the stadium early Saturday morning for the tailgate. Bella had always been extremely intuitive where he was concerned.
He nuzzled her hair and took in a deep whiff of her scent. "It's enough that one of us can't sleep. I just use this time to go over things concerning the investigation. Nothing you need to worry about."
She was wide-awake now, and he could feel her glare in the semi-darkness. "I always want to know, whether I worry or not, Edward. You've got to stop thinking I'm too fragile to hear the truth."
It was futile. He gave in without a fight. "The investigation has stalled. Beauvoir's been eluding me, and I have no leads. Whoever it is probably has had a chance to recuperate from that wound and is plotting another attack, and I have nothing."
"You'll figure it out soon. This is someone who's probably planned this out very carefully and knows exactly how to stay under the radar." She caressed his face. "He'll make a mistake soon, and then you'll be able to trip him up and bring him down."
He smiled and kissed her. "You've got a lot of confidence in me. Thanks for restoring mine."
"That's part of my job," she said with a sassy grin. "Now, what can I do to help you get to sleep?"
His eyes brightened and he kissed her again, deeper this time. She responded by moaning and wrapping her leg around him, hitching up her thigh until they were entwined. When the kiss was broken, Bella showered him with soft kisses and caresses until, not fifteen minutes later, he drifted off, calmed by the warmth of her loving touch.
~888~
Bella and her volunteer team had a meeting first thing Monday before the children came in. As she and Edward were looking out the window of her office while the volunteers were arriving, they saw Demetri getting out of the passenger side of his car. He was being chauffeured by a petite blonde whose face they couldn't see well, but they assumed was his fiancée, Jan. She quickly drove away, and Demetri fell in step with Sean as they entered the common room. Edward left to begin his perimeter sweeps as she went into the common room to join her volunteers.
Everyone seemed really excited that the school year had started and they were bonding with the kids again. When she retreated to her office after the meeting, Demetri tapped on her door. He looked a little gaunt, like he'd lost weight while he'd been away taking care of his mother. She smiled and gestured for him to come in.
"I've been meaning to ask, but there's been so much going on. How is your mother doing?" She was rifling through her briefcase for the weekly lesson plans she'd printed out the day before.
Demetri seemed tentative, but he came in and sat in one the chairs in front of her desk. "Mom's a trouper," he said. "She had a bout with thyroid cancer. Her doctors assure us it's highly treatable, and she'll be fine eventually."
She located the lesson plans placed them on her desk, and then gave him her full attention. "But I can see that it's taken a toll on you," she said sincerely. "Are you sure you're ready to come back to this?"
He made a dismissive gesture. "This is nothing, and I've taken a leave from my day job for a while, so I'm good."
"Great. Please give your parents my best when you talk to them again, okay?"
"Will do," he promised, and then his smile faded. "There was a guy down the street at the King Store on the corner who was asking about Edward."
Bella's heart began to beat double-time. "Really? Did you tell Edward about this?"
"Not yet," he said. "I haven't seen him today, but just in case I miss him, I wanted you to pass the word on to him. I know we've been on high-alert here for quite some time."
"Did he give you a name?"
"No," Demetri said. "Sorry, I should have thought to ask."
"You remember what he was driving?"
"A gold Ford Fusion—looked like a rental. He had an Enterprise key ring in his hand."
"Can you describe him? Edward's going to ask."
"Um, yeah. He was about average height, average build, dark hair, dark skin... Native American maybe."
"Have you seen him around before?" Bella pressed.
"Not that I can recall. It just jumped out at me that he was asking about Edward, considering the altercations you guys have had recently. Mrs. Williams mentioned the last one to me when I returned, so I thought you guys would want to know." He stood up.
"I'll call Edward. He needs to hear this, so don't be surprised if he pulls you out of your session to ask you some questions. I think we can manage without you."
Just then, Alice poked her head in the door. "Should I come back later?" she asked, looking quizzically between them.
"I was just leaving. I'll be happy to tell Edward anything he needs to know," Demetri said in parting and disappeared through the door.
Alice looked bewildered. "What will he be happy to tell Edward?"
"Someone was asking about him at the King Store," Bella said.
Alice sat gingerly in a chair in front of Bella's desk. Although she wasn't visibly showing much, she carried herself delicately like a woman who was bigger with child. Bella giggled. "Good morning, Mom. Baby Whitlock, how's Mommy been treating you?"
Alice answered for the baby. "Mommy's been trying to feed her little baby, but the nausea is just... ugh." Her cheeks ballooned out with the breath she expelled.
"It'll get better soon, won't it?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, that's what my doctor keeps saying, but I can't even stand the smell of food anymore, and that is... not cool!"
"What's also not cool is the fact that we're still calling your child Baby Whitlock. As meticulous as you and Jasper are, this child should have had a name before it was conceived, at the very least a choice for both genders. Even Uncle Edward—" Alice promptly burst into tears.
Bella jumped up out of her chair and went around to comfort her friend. "Hey, Ali, what's wrong? Please tell me this is just hormones or something." She just cried harder. Bella was torn between closing her office door to the common room and comforting Alice when Edward's face appeared in the window of the outside door. She gestured for him to go around to the other door, hoping that Demetri would catch up to him before he came in to find Alice in such a state.
"Stay right here," she said and sprinted over to the door to the common room, closed it, and let the blinds down.
She went immediately back to Alice who grabbed her around her waist and sobbed full-out against her torso. Bella was trapped, so she just relaxed and let Alice wet her blue linen blouse with her tears before she could hand her the tissues she'd grabbed as she got back to her desk. She rubbed Alice's back and used gentle words to soothe her until finally she was able to talk again. Bella sat in the chair next to her.
"J-Jasper wants to name our baby after his grandfather," she said with a slight stutter.
"And this is bad because?"
"He just happens to have the same name as some Confederate war hero."
"What's his grandfather's name?"
"B-Beauregard," Alice sobbed.
Bella wanted to grimace, but she kept it together and smiled. She handed Alice the tissues. "But Alice, it could be a girl."
"He wants to name her after my father's mother in that case."
"And what was her name?"
"Mil...dred," she cried. "See Bella, no matter what we have, I can just see kids teasing my child mercilessly when he or she grows up."
"Alice, you need to let Jasper know how you feel about this."
"I've tried, but he's been so happy. I didn't want to spoil it by hating both of the names he suggested."
"Well, what would you suggest in the alternative?"
"I like Jason and Sophie."
Bella took both her hands in her own and looked her squarely in the eyes. "Then tell him. And ask him for a couple more contemporary suggestions. If his input is important to both of you maybe you could pick one name and he could pick the other or something."
Alice thought about it a few seconds; then she smiled for the first time since her outburst. "That sounds like a good compromise." She dabbed her eyes and wiped her nose after taking a deep shuddering breath. "Thanks, Bella. You give some of the best advice."
"You're welcome," she said with relief. "What are friends for?"
"I know, right?" Alice said. "Which reminds me—"
"Uh, oh. How are those hormones, now? Will this require tissues, too?"
"Very funny," Alice said, hiccupping. "What were you going to say about Uncle Edward earlier?"
"Oh, just that even he's very excited about this baby. He was looking at tiny soccer uniforms when we were at Target the other day."
Alice's eyes watered up again. "That's so sweet..."
"Yeah, well, I'll tell you what's not so sweet," she said.
"What?"
"He's watching all the FIFA games he Tivo'd during the World Cup this summer. It's driving me crazy. Vuvuzelas should be outlawed."
"Yeah, I remember when Edward watched a couple of games out at our house with Jasper, and I made them watch in Jasper's office. Guess my hormones were kicking in 'round about then." She laughed. "They couldn't believe I'd gotten so upset about it."
"Well, I don't have your excuse, but I love the man. And it's the one thing he loves enough to ignore me... a little. So, compromise?" Bella smiled.
"I'll talk to Jasper when he gets home tonight. I think he'll be okay with what you suggested."
There was a knock at the door, and Bella smiled. She was pretty sure it was Edward. "Come in!"
He poked his head in with his face scrunched up in concern. "Is everything all right in here?"
"Sure, come on in, Officer Cullen. We're almost done here." Bella adopted her use of his professional name, never sure if there were prying ears listening. Alice and Maria were the only volunteers who knew for certain that she and Edward were dating, so she didn't want to make things awkward around the Center any more than necessary. Edward came in and closed the door, and Bella ran over and wound herself around him, and found his lips for an afternoon kiss.
Alice stood up. "You two are worse than Jasper and me."
"That's impossible," Edward said. "Nobody is worse than you and Jasper."
She pondered that for a moment and then got excited. "You're probably right. Even now with the pregnancy and all, Jasper hasn't slowed down. He thinks it's really sexy—"
When Edward put his fingers in his ears and began making unintelligible noises, Bella frowned and cut her off. "You know, Alice. That's really a little TMI."
She folded her arms. "You two just wait. Let's see how you handle it when you're going at it like bunnies."
Edward laughed, and Bella turned beet red. Edward recovered first. "So, are you done? I'd like to have a few minutes alone with my girlfriend before the children descend upon the place."
"Okay, but hey, Bella, could I borrow your car for a few days since you're not really using it? We dropped mine off at the dealership this morning. We're trading it in for a safer, more child-friendly vehicle, but it won't be coming in for a few more days. My husband, the proud papa, had to have everything meet his specifications." Alice rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smirk.
"Sure," Bella said. "We'll have to take you to get it because it's still parked at my apartment. Edward's been starting it up and taking it around the block, so it should be fine for you to drive."
"Thanks," Alice said. "I'll see you two out there in ten." She flounced out the door, closing it quickly behind her.
~888~
It is usually in hindsight that you are able to think back and pinpoint the exact moment in time that your life changes so profoundly. At the very least, you can identify an event that begins the spiral that moves your life through the most difficult trials you can imagine. It was the simple act of a friend doing a friend a favor that catapulted them into a situation that would set everything else in motion.
Edward called in to Captain Black who sent a relief over for him since he'd be gone for about an hour, dropping Alice off to pick up Bella's car and then taking Bella home to the condo. He was happy to take his two favorite girls wherever they needed to go. Alice told them hilarious stories about the other names in Jasper's family they'd considered for the baby but nixed for various reasons. One was Horatio, which made Edward promptly think about Horatio Hornblower. Another was Ambrose, and the very worst, Jubal. The names for a girl weren't any better. The other choices were Louella, Eminnie, and Esther.
"There's probably not a single living human in the twenty-first century that has either of those names. Our child would be a laughingstock from pre-school through college. Better yet, none of the children he or she would associate with would be able to pronounce the name Beauregard," Alice fumed. "Edward, would you please talk to Jasper for me?"
Bella interjected, "Wait, I thought you were going to talk to your husband about a compromise."
"I just don't want to hurt his feelings, but he might consider it if Edward were to gently broach the subject."
"I don't know, Alice," Edward hedged. "That seems like something you two might want to hash out between you. You know Jasper would do anything for you, and if you let him know how much you dislike those names, I think he'd be willing to pick something a little more contemporary. Maybe even Jasper Beauregard Whitlock." Edward struggled valiantly to keep a straight face when he said it and hoped Alice didn't notice his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Bella reached over and pinched his thigh—hard—shaking her head imperceptibly. He winced.
"Even Jasper Whitlock, Jr. would be great. I'd have a big Jazz and a little Jazz," Alice said with a sigh.
"And what new father could say no that that?" Bella looked back at Alice in the backseat and flashed her most convincing smile.
Edward quickly seconded that. "I know if it were me, I'd be blown away. I mean the idea of a little person bearing your name." Bella looked at him with equal parts love and utter surprise. Damn, he'd surprised himself with that one. For a moment, he'd forgotten there was an Edward Cullen, Sr. Sensing his sudden discomfort, Bella rubbed his thigh where she'd pinched it as he pulled in front of the leasing office.
"I'll just get Alice settled," he said rather nervously to Bella. "Be right back."
Taking Bella's key from his pocket, he unlocked the door for Alice, leaned in, and started the engine and the A/C.
"It's hotter than an oven in there. Give it a few seconds," he said to his diminutive cousin.
Alice smiled and gave him a big hug. "Thanks, Edward, for listening to my ranting about baby names and understanding and letting me use Bella's car."
Edward grinned. "You're welcome, and I'll pass your thanks on to Bella."
Alice looked at Bella sitting patiently in Edward's cruiser and waved. Bella waved back. "I can see you two with a couple of beautiful little rug rats running around someday."
"Really now?" Alice was really beginning to make him squirm, but secretly he loved it. "We'll just see about that. You just have this one so we can test drive it and see how we like it."
"You've gotta make her a Cullen first," Alice said mischievously.
"I'm well aware of the order of things," he said as he helped her into the driver's seat, then deftly changed the subject. "Tell Jasper I have a few more World Cup games on Tivo that he needs to watch with me."
"Okay, but he'll be coming to your place to get his vuvuzela fix. Bye, Edward."
"We'll trail you out as far as Capital Circle, and then you're on your own. Bye." He closed the door for her and quickly got back into his cruiser.
"You're so adorable, Uncle Edward," Bella teased and leaned over to give him a kiss.
He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth as she was pulling away and mumbled, "I've got your Uncle Edward." Bella laughed as she re-buckled her seatbelt. Edward followed suit, and they pulled out of the parking lot behind Alice. The car jerked a bit when she stopped at the exit, but Edward attributed it to her not being familiar with Bella's car. Then she pulled out onto Esplanade Way, driving the customary thirty miles-per-hour speed limit in residential zones. At the stop sign at the corner of Esplanade and Blair Stone, Alice barely stopped, and Edward could see that she seemed to be struggling with controlling the car. He picked up his cell and dialed her.
"Hey, that was a stop sign—"
"Edward, something is wrong with the car. The brakes aren't holding," Alice said frantically.
A cold chill traversed his spine. "Okay, Alice... stay calm and take your foot off the gas."
He heard Bella, who was looking on in horror, begin to pray as he kept pace with Alice. He hit his lights and his siren and began to race ahead of her. She was nearing the light at Capital Circle, and mercifully, traffic was stopped in the north-south direction. "Don't turn on Capital Circle," Edward yelled. "Stay straight on Blair Stone!"
"Okay," Alice cried. "Now what?"
"I'll go around and try to get in front of you so I can stop you, okay?" He sped past Alice driving Bella's red Mazda and positioned his car in front of her. Unfortunately, Blair Stone was pretty much downhill from that point, and there were two cars in the right lane ahead. Edward used his speaker. "Pull over!" he demanded, and the two cars complied. He continued to speed as Alice inched closer to him.
"Alice, I'm going to slow down and allow you to touch my bumper, okay?"
"O-okay," she said. They could both hear that she was audibly crying now. Bella began to cry, too. It was almost too much for Edward to take, but he knew he had to keep his cool to save Alice and her unborn child. He felt honored that Alice wanted him to be the baby's uncle as opposed to its second cousin. Then he thought for a fleeting second how it was amazing what stupid, mundane things you think of during a crisis.
As he began to slow, he hit his talkie and engaged Dispatch. "This is Officer Edward Cullen, traveling west on Blair Stone Road. I have a runaway vehicle in progress, possible vehicle tampering. Please send back-up. Attempting to stop the vehicle. Driver is an expectant mother. I'll need EMTs and a fire engine en route."
They blew through the stop light at Blair Stone and Paul Russell, which was thankfully only a three-way stop, and he continued to slow. He addressed Alice again. "I'm going to slow even further, Al," he said. "When you hit my bumper, it might engage the airbag, if it does and you have reaction time, sink a little lower in the seat, so your stomach won't take as much impact, okay?"
"O—ooh, Edward, I'm scared..."
"I am, too, sweetheart," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. Bella had her head in her hands and was still praying, but silently now. "We need to stop before we get to Orange Avenue, if we can. Are you ready?"
"Y-yes," Alice said almost too softly for him to hear. He slowed a bit more. He wanted to keep slowing, but a car jumped out into the lane in front of him, and he had to put on his brakes quicker than he'd intended. He barely got a chance to throw his arm across Bella's chest as Alice rammed into him at about forty-five miles-per-hour. From the rearview mirror, he could see the airbag deploying, but he had to bring them to a safe stop as quickly as he could before he could get to Alice.
It seemed to take forever to stop. He felt like he was in some surreal horror film as he heard his tires, and the tires on Alice's car, finally screeching to a halt. He put on his emergency brake, hopped out of the car, and ran back to where Alice was pinned, unmoving beneath the air bag. She was so tiny behind it and almost totally obscured by the bulging safety device. He tried to get the door open, but it was locked. He growled angrily in frustration, but then he felt Bella's hand touch his. He didn't even remember her getting out of the car.
"I think I have the extra keys in my purse," she said as she ran back around to the passenger side of the cruiser to retrieve them. She came back moments later, quickly unlocking the door with the keyless entry device. Edward pulled the door open, took a knife from his utility belt, and cut away the airbag. They could see Alice clearly slumped down in the seat, her head lolling to the side lifelessly. Edward put his face and ear up to her mouth to feel if she was breathing. He felt her wrist for a pulse. It was erratic and her breathing was weak. He quickly unfastened her seatbelt. A fire engine and several other emergency vehicles were approaching from the distance.
"Edward, maybe we shouldn't move her," Bella suggested. "I think the ambulance is almost here."
"My cousin is unconscious in this fucking car, and I damn well am going to move her!" he snapped. Bella flinched as if he'd struck her. It broke his heart that he was so harsh with the woman he loved more than life, but Alice needed him right now. Moving the released seatbelts and the deflated airbag as much as he could, he cradled Alice in his arms and lifted her out of the car. A Leon County EMS truck pulled up just as he did so. A giant of an EMT tech and his partner, a pint-sized blonde no bigger than Alice, jumped out and approached them.
~888~
Bella watched as the giant spoke first. "Officer, I'm sure you know the drill. Why are you lifting a clearly unconscious woman from a vehicle without our assistance? You could be doing her more harm than good."
Bella stepped between them, because she knew Edward was in no mood to be reprimanded by this guy. "Officer Cullen is the patient's cousin," she explained. The tech pursed his lips and gave his partner a "can you believe this shit?" look.
"Let's just get her on a gurney, Felix," his partner said and headed for the back of the bus. Felix looked at Edward who was still cradling his tiny cousin. Then he gave Bella a "whatever" shrug and followed his partner around the back of the ambulance where they brought the gurney and their emergency kit back to the front of the vehicle.
Bella addressed the giant again, who was kind of checking her out unabashedly with a sweeping gaze. She was glad Edward was not lucid, or this EMT might have tripped his hair-trigger temper even further. "Felix? Alice is about twelve weeks pregnant. Please do all you can to help her."
Felix regarded her evenly. "We'll do that if you can get Officer Catatonic to release her."
"Okay, give me a minute," she said and headed to where Edward was standing against the back of her car with Alice clutched firmly in his arms. He was cradling her like an infant, and Bella could see a little blood dripping from her mouth. "Edward... sweetheart," Bella said. "You've got to let the techs take care of Alice now, okay?"
Edwards's eyes snapped to hers. It was as if he could understand that she was saying but wasn't quite comprehending it. She stepped closer to him. "Baby, please let Felix and his partner do their job." She took his elbow. "Come on, Edward. Let's get Alice on the gurney so the EMTs can help her."
Edward finally began walking toward the stretcher. Felix and his partner met him halfway, and they eased Alice out of his arms and onto the gurney. Bella took Edward's hand and stepped back from the stretcher to allow the EMTs to work on Alice. She slid her arms around Edward and hugged him. "She's going to be all right, Edward."
A couple of Edward's comrades in blue and about a half-dozen firefighters descended on them then, and it was chaos. The EMTs made swift work of getting Alice stabilized and ready to be transported to the hospital.
"Felix, please take her to TMH," Bella yelled. "Her father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, is on staff there." Felix nodded grimly, and he and his partner rolled Alice to the back of the ambulance. Bella was torn. She needed to ride with Alice to the hospital but was afraid to leave Edward alone. He was clearly in shock. Then she saw Seth.
"Seth, thank God you're here. Please stay with Edward," she said quickly. "I'm going to ride with Alice to the hospital."
"You got it," Seth answered quickly. "I'll make sure he gets to the hospital after the responding officers debrief him."
Bella quickly grabbed her purse and Alice's and ran to the back of the ambulance where Felix was strapping Alice in for transport. She tapped on the door, and he swung it open.
"Is it okay if I ride over with her?" Bella asked. "She's my best friend, and I need to call her husband."
Felix reached down to give Bella a hand. "Suit yourself."
The snarky giant pulled her up effortlessly, and then she was in the back of the ambulance with Alice. Felix hopped down. "I told the hospital dispatcher to contact Dr. Cullen. He'll probably be in the ER waiting."
"Thanks," Bella said. Felix closed the door and went around to the driver's side. "Keri, take care of Alice and her friend back there. I'll drive."
Bella took Alice's clammy hand in hers and began to pray again in earnest as the ambulance sped through rush-hour traffic on the busy streets of Tallahassee.
~888~
E/N: Readers, what do you think? Are Alice and Baby Whitlock going to be okay? How is Jasper going to handle this? How will this affect Uncle Edward? Tune in next chapter to find out. But in the mean time, hit review and share your thoughts.