Chapter 30: Falling into Place

As I walked toward the waiting room, I tried to wrap my head around everything. One minute, everything was fine and we were about to open gifts, and then the next, I was performing chest compressions on Charlie. Bella's dad had a heart attack. A fucking heart attack on Christmas.

It just . . . it didn't seem real.

The moment I opened the door to the waiting room, Bella's head shot up. Her eyes were red and cheeks stained with tears as she clutched my mom's hand. "Edward?" she whispered, choking back a sob.

"He's on his way to the cath lab," I said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. "He's stabilized, but we don't know what kind of damage has been done to his heart. He's alive, Bella, and right now, that's what matters."

She threw her arms around my neck, holding onto me for dear life as she cried. I rubbed her back softly, kissing her cheek. "Daddy," she cried.

"He's going to be okay," I said. Fuck, I didn't know if he would be. He had a damn heart attack. If the cardiologist here couldn't open the blocked artery with angioplasty, then he'd be airlifted to Seattle for coronary artery bypass surgery. We just didn't have the resources for that. "It's okay, Bella."

Mom moved over on the couch and let me sit next to Bella, holding her to my chest as she calmed down. Once her sobs had eased, she asked, "What are they doing to him? Is your dad still with him?"

I nodded, running my hand through her hair. "Yeah, he's in the cath lab with him, but he's not doing the procedure. The cardiologist, Dr. Jones, is using a special x-ray and dye to look at his arteries, seeing if he can open the blockage with a balloon. If he can, he might put a stent in to hold it open, but there's a chance that the blockage may be too severe. If that's the case, they'll airlift him to Seattle for bypass surgery. Hopefully, it can be fixed in the cath lab. In the ER, they gave him some medications for his heart, which stabilized him for the time being."

"Could he die?"

"Um . . . I—"

"Let's not think like that, Bella," Mom said, reaching over and patting her leg. "He's in good hands."

I nodded. "Honestly, he's lucky he was with us. Treatment was started quickly."

"Oh God, what if he had been alone?" she cried. "He could be dead right now, and I wouldn't know. This is why I shouldn't have left him. I can't lose him like I lost my mom."

I held her closer as she continued to cry for a good while. While we waited to hear something, I got her coffee and called Rosalie to see how Little One was doing. When the ambulance had arrived, I'd with Charlie as Dad drove Bella and my mom, leaving Sofia with my sister and Emmett at my parent's house.

"Any news?" Rosalie asked after picking up.

I sighed, putting the lids on the coffee cups. "No, he's still in the cath lab. How's Sofia doing? Is she asleep?"

"Not yet. Emmett's giving her a bottle now. She's been fussy, and so has Ben."

"I'm sorry. If you can't get her to calm down and go to sleep, grab one of Mom's crappy books and read to her. Bella does that with hers and it works."

She laughed softly. "Crappy romance, huh?"

"Works every time. Don't ask me why."

"How's Bella?"

I slumped into one of the chairs in the lounge and ran my hand over my face. "A mess, of course. Mom's with her right now while I grab coffee. It's going to be a long night, especially if they have to transfer him. Bella will want to go to Seattle right away."

"Well, he's in my thoughts. He seems like a strong guy."

I nodded to myself. "Yeah, he is. I better get back. Call me if you need anything . . . and thanks, Rosalie."

"Don't worry about. Let me know what you find out."

After hanging up, I grabbed the three cups of coffee and walked back to the waiting room. Bella was now in the center of the couch, and Mom had her arm around her, talking to her softly. Mom had been great from the start of this, staying with Bella the whole time and telling her that Charlie would be okay. It made me realize that Bella truly was a part of this family. They welcomed her with open arms.

I passed them their cups and sat down again, taking Bella's hand. "It seems like this is taking a while," she said. "How much longer until we know something?"

I looked at my watch, finding an hour to have passed. "We should know something soon."

"I guess no news is good news," she sighed, laying her head against my arm. "God, I hope he's okay."

"He will be, Nibbles," I said, and for the first time since this started, Bella's lips curled into a small smile. I knew she secretly liked her nickname.

We just sat there, silently, for another half hour before Dad and Dr. Jones came into the waiting room. Their expressions revealed nothing, and Bella's hand tightened in mine as she said, "He's alive, right? Please? He has to be."

Dad nodded, pulling a chair over and sitting down near Mom. "He is," he said.

Dr. Jones went on to explain that the blockage was severe, but with the medications given and placing stents in Charlie's blocked coronary arteries, he believed he'd be all right, and that right now, bypass surgery wasn't necessary, but it could be someday.

"He was very lucky, Bella," Dad said. "Treatment was started quickly, which minimized the damage to his heart. That's not to say he's out of the woods, though. He's being monitored closely in the ICU and if we feel he's in any danger, we'll transfer him to Seattle."

She nodded, sniffling. "But you think he's going to be okay, right?"

"I believe so, yes," Dr. Jones said. "But this is a wake-up call. He needs to change his diet and lifestyle to prevent more blockages. If this happens again, he may not be so lucky and could have a massive heart attack."

"I'll make sure he follows whatever he has to."

"Good. Anymore questions?"

Bella went on to ask everything she could think of, and then turned to me and asked if there was anything she missed. Once she had all the answers Dr. Jones and Dad could give, we waited until we got word that Charlie was settled in the ICU before heading up there.

It was just Bella and me, and I held her hand tightly as she squeezed mine, trying to compose herself. "You saved his life," she whispered as we rode the elevator.

"No, I didn't. Dr. Jones did."

She shook her head. "It was your hands on his chest, Edward, not your dad's or Emmett's. I saw you basically jump on him, not letting him go a second without blood pumping through his body. Dr. Jones may have fixed the blockage, but you saved his life by doing that. I . . . I was frozen, but you just reacted. Thank you."

I pulled her into my chest, kissing her forehead as I held her tightly. "I'm sorry you're going through this, but you're not alone. I'm here, Bella."

She nodded. "I know, and I can't even explain how much it means to me to have you."

When the doors opened, I led her down the hall and into the ICU to the room Charlie was in. It was ten at night and visiting hours were technically over, but with Dad's position and me being a surgeon here, an exception was made so that Bella could be with her father as long as she wanted.

When I slid open the glass door, I felt Bella fall into me, holding me even tighter as she gasped. That was her dad on that bed, not just another patient. Fuck, it was even hard for me to see, so I couldn't imagine how she felt. I led her over to the bed and pulled the chair closer for her, helping her sit down.

She took his hand on top of the blanket and squeezed. "Daddy," she whispered, beginning to cry once more as I looked over at the monitor, checking his vitals.

They were decent, but could have been better. I looked down at him finally, noting his color wasn't much better. He was on oxygen, of course, and had the usual wires and IV lines attached. I had seen this before — more times than I could count, actually — but it just seemed . . . different.

"Please, don't die," Bella said, wiping her tears. "You can't. You promised you'd never leave me, remember? When I was four? You said I'd never be alone again, like I was after Mom died. Whydidn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

He was sound asleep, so he couldn't respond, but I wanted to know that, too. He was in a house full of doctors, for Christ's sake. One mention of the symptoms he was having and we would have known. He wouldn't have about fucking died on my parent's floor. Bella wouldn't be here, bawling her eyes out and begging him not to die.

That honestly made me angry. I couldn't handle seeing her like this. She had always been so strong with me, but right now, she was a daughter, crying for her dad. I pulled another chair over and took her free hand again, offering silent support.

What the hell could I say that hadn't already been said? Dr. Jones and Dad were adamant that he'd be all right and that this weren't as serious as it could have been, but to her, this was one of the worst things that could happen. Massive heart attack or not, it was fucking serious.

"I love you, Daddy," she said, laying her head down on the edge of the bed.

. . . . .

Bella and I spent the night in Charlie's room. Dad and Mom had left around eleven, though Dad would be back in the morning to check on Charlie. I gave Mom our apartment keys to get some clothes and things for Little One, since I couldn't leave Bella right now. She said not to worry about Sofia tonight, but I did, of course.

Right now, though, she didn't need me. Bella did. Mom would take care of her tonight, and then I'd figure something out tomorrow.

Charlie didn't really wake up in the middle of the night, which wasn't unusual. After all he had been through, he needed rest. He did groan a few times, moving slightly in his sleep. Bella's head would shoot up, watching him intently each time.

Around three, she finally drifted to sleep in the chair, and I put a blanket over her, lifting her feet onto the bed so that she wasn't as uncomfortable. I'd have to see about getting a more comfortable chair for her. Unlike her, I couldn't fucking sleep worth shit, even though I was exhausted. I was constantly checking Charlie's vitals and speaking to his nurse whenever she came in.

Everything seemed to be fine, and even though I was exhausted, I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I got up and walked out of the room, just needing to clear my head. When I walked past one ICU room — the room my patient that I saved last night was in — I heard crying.

Well, that wasn't good.

"Shouldn't you check on her?" I asked, turning to the nurse who was sitting at her desk.

"I did, and she just wants to be left alone," she said. "I think she's having issues dealing with it, you know?"

"How's she doing? Physically, I mean. May I have her chart?"

"You're not working, though."

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "Yeah, I know, but she's my patient. My name's on her chart."

She grabbed it out of the holder, passing it over the counter to me. "Here you go, but if you go in there, she's probably going to tell you to get the fuck out. Little girl's got a mouth on her."

"Seems like my kind of girl then," I chuckled softly.

I flipped open her chart, looking over her lab results and notes. She was doing pretty well for twenty-four hours post-op. Great, actually. She was young and healthy, though, so that helped her along.

Closing the chart, the walked across the hall and pulled the sliding glass door open the rest of the way. The room was dim, but Bree had the small light above her head on. Fuck, she looked . . .terrible because of her injuries. The left side of her face had been cut up badly from glass shards, so I had put over thirty sutures there alone. The bruising was now obvious, leaving her looking like she had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson.

"Bree, are you all right?" I asked.

She looked over at me, lifting her hand to gently wipe her tears. "Go away," she said.

I took a few more steps in. "Do you recognize me? I'm Dr. Cullen, and I treated you last night."

"I'm fine, okay? I don't need a doctor right now."

"I didn't say you did. You're crying, and I don't like when my patients cry. Anyway, I just . . . figured I'd come check on you."

She sniffled, lowering her eyes to the blanket over her lap. "I'm in pain and I'm mutilated. I'm already on meds, so you can't help with the pain, and you're the one who butchered my stomach, so I don't think you can do anything about that, either."

"That incision is perfect, thank you very much." I smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

Her lips curled up slightly. "I'd disagree."

I pulled a chair closer, sitting down beside her. "Well, it is. It'll heal beautifully because I'm amazing."

She looked at me incredulously. "Wow, you're cocky."

I laughed. "So I've been told. And as for pain, you're on a morphine drip, so I can't give you anything better. Have you pressed the button?"

She shook her head. "Last time I did that, I was asleep for seven hours."

"You need to be sleeping, so you should probably press it."

"I just . . . I don't know. I'm pissed off, I guess. I'm so fucking angry."

I nodded. "Of course you are."

I would be too if some drunk bastard ran a red light and hit me.

"I know I should be thankful that I'm alive, but . . . look at me," she cried. "I was pretty, and now my face is hideous."

I put my hand over hers, questioning myself as I did it. She was crying, and I fucking hated that. "You're not hideous. You're beautiful. I'd like to say that you won't have any scars, but . . . I can't. But, there are creams to reduce the scars."

"And my leg! I was a runner, Dr. Cullen. I need a scholarship in track and field to go to college, and now I have fucking screws and plates holding it together. I-I . . . w-why?"

Her heart monitor beeped quicker as she sobbed. Honestly, I didn't know what the hell to say except, "I'm sorry" and "I don't know why" but that really wasn't worth much. So, I just sat there, holding her hand.

"I hate him," she said after a few moments. "That asshole walked away with barely a scratch, but not me."

"He'll be punished."

She wiped her tears, looking back up at me. "You can go. I know you have to work."

"No, I'm not working tonight. My girlfriend's father had a heart attack this evening, so I'm here with them."

"Is he going to be okay?"

I nodded. "I believe so. It was just . . . shocking. He's not that old and it fucking happened on Christmas."

"That . . . blows. I'm sorry."

I smiled softly, pulling my hand away. "I guess it was a pretty shitty Christmas, huh?"

"Seriously. I, um . . . I think I'm going to press the button now. Thanks for listening to me."

"You're welcome. I'll check on you tomorrow."

. . . . .

When I got back to Charlie's room, Bella was still asleep, as was Charlie. I sat back down, dozing off for a while. I was woken up by Bella, shaking my shoulder at seven in the morning. She had coffee in her hand for me, smiling softly.

"Hey, how's Charlie?" I asked.

She shrugged as I took the cup. "Still asleep, but he's been groaning, so maybe he's waking up soon?"

I nodded. "Probably. How are you?"

She sat back down in her chair, sighing. "I don't know. I think I'm all cried out. I'm just scared for him, you know? He's going to have to change his lifestyle, and he hates change. I'm afraid he won't, and then I'll lose him."

I took her hand, lifting it to my lips. "He'll change, Bella."

"Change?" Charlie mumbled, turning his head toward us. "Wha-what's going on? Where am I?"

I scooted closer as Bella leapt from her seat, throwing her arms over him as he groaned in pain. "Daddy! Oh, God."

"Shh, Bells. It's all right."

She pulled back, but then hugged him again. "You had a heart attack, Daddy," she said, sitting back down and holding his hand. "You almost died. Edward had to give you CPR."

He looked past her to me. "Thank you, son. Just . . . thank you."

I smiled, nodding. "Of course. You scared the hell out of us, Charlie."

I went on to tell him what all had been done and what Dr. Jones had said — how he was lucky that the blockage wasn't too severe. He accepted the news solemnly, listening intently as I explained what I could.

"You have to change, Dad," Bella said. "Eat better, exercise, and take the medications the doctor prescribes. If you don't, you could need heart surgery or even die. I can't lose you like I lost Mom. Please, do what they say."

He lifted his hand, running his thumb over her cheek. "I will, Bells. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

She smiled as he wiped her tears away. "Good, and I'll move back in for as long as you need me to. I'll take care of you and teach you how to cook."

What? Did she . . . did she realize what the fuck she just said? Moving to Forks? I probably had a horrified look on my face because we hadn't talked about this. I mean, I realized she'd probably go stay with him for a week or two, but not move. What about her job? What about her life? Our life?

Fuck, was I being selfish? Probably, but . . . I'd lose her, and I wasn't going to let that happen.

"You should rest, Charlie," I said. "Dr. Jones will be in later to explain more."

He nodded. "Sounds good. Bella, why don't you and Edward get out of here for a while? I think I'm being watched by enough people, and you need a break."

She stood up, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Okay, but we'll be back soon. I love you."

"Love you, too. Thanks again, Edward, and tell your dad thanks."

I nodded. "Of course. I'm sure he'll be by later, too."

Bella and I left his room, holding hands. We decided to go to a diner across the street for breakfast. I was glad that her mood was better and she had stopped crying. Seriously. That fucking destroyed me.

Her beautiful eyes should never be that sad.

Honestly, I didn't know how the fuck this was going to work, but since I didn't want to be without her, I had to go for it. Once we sat down and ordered at the diner, I took her hand over the table and cleared my throat, briefly wondering if this was actually a good idea.

"Even after your dad is better, you won't want to be this far from him," I said. "I mean, it's only forty-five minutes, but in an emergency, that'd seem like forever. So, I uh . . . think you should stay in Forks. Well, we should. You, me, and Little One. Like, live there."

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. "Move to Forks? All of us?"

I nodded. "I can commute. I mean, when I'm on-call I'd have to stay here, but during the week I could commute. Or I could see about Forks Community Hospital. It's not . . . the biggest or anything, but I'm sure they could use a general surgeon. I don't know anything exactly yet, but I know you. I know your dad means the world to you, and after this, it'd kill you to be away from him. You'd be worried constantly. I might also be a little selfish in this, I guess. I love you, and I don't want to live without you, even just until he's back on his feet. I love you, and Sofia loves you, so I want us to be together. It's a big step, but—"

She stopped my rambling with a grin forming on her lips. "You'd move for me?"

"Well, yeah. I'd do anything for you."

"It's big, Edward. It's a big decision and rushing it really isn't a good idea."

"No, but we can talk about it. Charlie won't be released for a few more days, and I know you'll go home with him, but by then, we'll probably have reached a decision. My mind is made up on one thing, Bella, and that's that I don't want to be without you. I don't want Little One to be without you, either. We're a family now, remember?"

"We are, and I don't want to be without you either. But I would come back. It might be a while, but I'd be back."

"Maybe a new start is a good thing, though. I moved to Port Angeles because I didn't get the job I wanted and this one was here for me. Now, maybe I should make my own way. I'm not going to take over for my dad, so what's stopping me?"

"I'm just . . . overwhelmed right now. It seems so fast. You've made up your mind, it seems."

I shrugged. "Not really. There's a lot to think about, but I think this could be a good idea. A fresh start, just you, me, and Sofia."

"Your parents live here, though."

"True, but I'm not all they have, unlike your dad. Just think about it, okay?"

She smiled, squeezing my hand. "I don't have to. I'd love to move back to Forks. A job might be an issue, but I'll figure it out. I'm just worried about you wanting this. I mean really wanting it, Edward. I will come back if we don't move. I'd love to be closer to my dad, especially after this, but I'd be okay with staying here."

"We could buy a house. You know, one with a big backyard and a swing set for Little One." I smiled, seeing it in my mind.

"Is this a decision we should make this quickly? Really?"

"I didn't know I wanted this, but now that I'm picturing it in my mind, I can just see it. Can't you?"

She nibbled on her lip, nodding. "Actually, yes. Just . . . one thing, okay?"

"Name it."

"Don't propose just yet," she laughed. "I think we've had enough life-changing things for one day."

I lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles. "My proposal won't be a spur of the moment thing. Trust me." I winked.

. . . . .

After going back to the hospital and spending more time with Charlie once Dr. Jones and Dad had arrived, I left to go see Little One. Dad let me take his car, and fuck, I'd give Tanya up for this. I probably shouldn't have been enjoying the Mercedes as much as I was, but after all the shit last night, pressing my foot on the accelerator a little harder than I should have felt pretty damn good.

It also got me to my parent's house in record time.

When I walked into the house, Mom and Little One were on the floor in the living room, playing. Mom was trying to teach her patty cake . . . and failing, since Little One wouldn't keep her hands up.

"Dada!" she squealed, crawling to me to close the gap.

I quickly picked her up, lifting her above me as she giggled. I lowered her to kiss her forehead, but then lifted her up again. She fucking loved that. "I've missed you, Little One," I said, walking over to the couch where Mom now was.

"Thanks," I said, kissing Mom's cheek. "How was she?"

"Pretty good, but she was still awake when your dad and I got back last night. I think she knew that something was going on. How's Charlie doing?"

I shrugged. "All right. He's no worse, and that's what matters. His O2 sats are still low, so they're keeping him on oxygen for the time being. Bella didn't want to leave, but I wanted to check on Sofia. I'll go back later with some clothes for her."

Since it was time for her bottle, I put Little One in the bouncer my parents had and went with Mom into the kitchen. We talked a little more about Charlie and the expectations Dr. Jones had, but when she asked about what was going to happen once he went home, I didn't know what to say.

I mean, it was basically decided that we'd move, but the timing hadn't been talked about. Also, I worried Mom would be upset about me leaving. Forks really wasn't that far, but it certainly wasn't a ten minute drive.

"Bella's going to stay with him for a little while," I said, checking the bottle temperature and finding it to be perfect.

"How long?" she asked, following me back into the living room.

"Um . . . I'm not entirely sure. A few weeks, at least."

I picked Sofia up, bringing her over to the couch and sitting her in my lap. She basically held the bottle by herself, with me just barely touching it.

"You're avoiding looking at me, Edward," Mom said.

Fuck, I was, so I glanced up. She had that look. The one that told me she knew I was hiding something.

I sighed, sitting back. "I think . . . I mean, there's talk of Bella and me moving to Forks sometime soon. I kind of started the talk, actually. It's just that I know her, Mom. I know her dad was all she had growing up, and the thought of losing him kills her. Living so far away from him after this would just make her worry, you know?"

She surprised me by smiling. "Forks is about forty-five minutes away, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You're not . . . upset?"

"Will I miss having you so close? Of course, but it's not like you're going back to New York. I think it could be good for you, but I still get to see you and my granddaughter often, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then . . . I say do it, but only if you're sure. Do you really want to make that kind of commitment to Bella?"

"More than anything."

She smiled, reaching up to caress my cheek. "Then do whatever you have to for her. You are going to marry her, right? Because it's not that I'm opposed to how you're living, but . . . I'd like to see my baby boy get married."

I laughed, nodding. "I want to marry her, and I already know when I want to ask her."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope, not yet, at least," I said, adjusting Little One in my lap, so that she had her back against my stomach. She just sat there, oblivious to anything but her formula.

"You know, I'm still amazed at how different you are. You're a dad and committed to the woman you love. There was a time when I thought that I'd lost the boy I raised."

My brow creased as I cocked my head. "Lost me?"

"Honey, I hated knowing how you were. I've always loved you, but I didn't like how you were. Bella and Sofia have brought out the man I raised you to be. I want you to be happy, no matter what. And if moving will make you happy, then I want you to. I'll help however you need me to."

"So you'll give Dad my resignation, if I can get a job in Forks?"

"Ha!" she laughed. "Oh, no, that's all you, but I think he'll take it better than you think. He thought you might find another job after he decided he wanted to pass his job down to Emmett. By the way, I told him to tell you in private, just so you know."

"I doubt I'd have reacted any better, but thanks. I'm kind of glad I didn't get it now. It's funny how things I thought I wanted — just a few months ago, even — are things I'm fucking thrilled I don't have."

"Fu-gah," Little One said, pulling the bottle out of her mouth and looking up at me.

Shit.

And she had to do it in front of Mom, too.