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She hadn't wanted to go back to the hospital, but Rosie said they had to go pick up James. He was family, and they had to be there for him—that's what Rosie said. She understood that James was her uncle, that he had fought for her. She even cared about him; it was more that every time she found herself inside that hospital, her entire world had been turned around. First, and not in a bad way, she found herself surrounded by a family who loved her, who thought she was important. A family who gave her a name, but it was hard, letting them close, letting them take care of her.

All of them except Edward, of course. Letting him close had been easy. Too easy, maybe? He loved her, and not in the way her pancake man loved her, or Jasper loved her, but in the way they loved their wives. He was in love with her, which just confused her more. Why did he love her? She was a nobody, a nothing, yet he loved her. Yet, to him, she was someone, someone important, beautiful, worthy.

And the second reason she didn't want to go to the hospital, the biggest reason, was that because the last time she went to the hospital, she woke the next morning with her picture splashed all over the news. Not her picture, eight year old her. The girl she was before he . . . No, not he. The girl she was before Sam Uley crept into her bedroom and stole her away from the world. Marcus said it was important for her to name him, to keep him from having ownership over her, and she was trying. She was trying because Edward was in love with her, and she desperately wanted to love him the way he loved her.

"I could wait here," she suggested, shifting her eyes to Rosie, who sat behind the wheel of a red BMW.

"No, you can't," Rosie said, softly. "Nobody is going to hurt you, Bella. Nobody."

"Nobody will hurt me," she whispered, biting the inside of her lip as she shifted her eyes back to the front of the hospital. "And James fought for me."

"That's right." Rosie reached over, placing her hand on top of Bella's. "And now he needs us to take care of him."

She nodded again, though she still didn't make any effort to climb out of the car. Sighing, Rosie threw open her door and climbed out, hurrying around to the passenger side, opened the door, and knelt next to her. "I know you're scared, Bella, but everything is going to be okay, honey. I promise."

"I believe you," she lied. She believed Rosie would try to make sure everything was okay, but would she really be able to?

"No, you don't, and that's all right," Rosie said, trying to hide the hurt inside her as she held her hand out to her. "Now, let's go."

She sighed and placed her hand on top of Rosie's, allowing her sister to help her out of the car. As they made the walk across the parking lot and into the hospital, the most amazing thing happened. Nobody looked at her. They glanced in her direction, yet they turned almost instantly. Like they didn't see her, and it made her feel . . . better, more relaxed?

As they stopped at the elevator, Rosie tightened her grip on her hand, and pressed the arrow button. "You used to be scared of elevators," Rosie said, smiling as she turned and looked at Bella. "Do you remember?"

She shook her head. "Why? Why was I scared?"

Rosie winced. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you."

"Please," she begged.

"Okay, okay," Rosie giggled. "You used to think there were dragons under the elevators, and if they saw you cross over the gap between the floor and the elevator, they would eat you. Daddy used to have to pick you up and carry you into the elevator."

She gasped. "Are there really dragons under the elevators?"

"Of course not!" Rosie laughed, and when she shook her head, she said, "I promise."

The doors to the elevator slid open, and Rosie pulled on her hand, nudging her forward. Though she wasn't sure there really weren't dragons under the elevator, she took a big step and walked into the elevator, causing Rosie to snicker under her breath. The doors to the elevator opened and Rosie looped her arm in with hers as they made the walk down the hallway to James' room.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hand clutching his abdomen. He looked up, his eyes flickering from Rosie to her, a smile spreading.

"Hey," he murmured. "You okay, honey?"

She nodded, her eyes darting around the room before she stepped inside, standing just next to the door. "Are you okay?"

James grinned. "I'm getting there. Harder to bounce back when you're an old man, Bella."

She smiled.

"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" Rosie asked, hurrying over and wrapping her arm around him as he stood up.

"More than ready," he quipped, his hand still gripping his side. "The bed here sucks, and if I ever see lime green Jell-O again, I'll vomit. It won't be pretty. It will be green, because of all the lime green Jell-O they forced me to eat."

"Ew," she grimaced, the thought of him throwing up all over the place had her nauseous.

"See? Bella agrees," James laughed, though he winced again. "Gotta stop doing that."

"I know, but —"

At that moment, a woman, a doctor based on her white coat, hurried into the room. She had olive skin and long black hair, dark eyes, which made her uneasy. She looked like him . . . No, not him. She looked like Sam Uley, yet she didn't at the same time.

She stopped in the doorway, her eyes flickering to each of them. Maybe it was just her, but it seemed that the woman with the long dark black hair and black eyes, looked at her a little longer than she did anyone else.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said, slowly as she lifted the blue folder in her hands and gestured toward James. "I was just bringing Mr. Swan's discharge papers to him. Or to all of you, I guess."

"Thanks," James said, walking over to her and taking the folder.

She looked at Bella before she turned back to James. "Your follow-up appointment with your primary is in two days. Do not miss it, Mr. Swan."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, clearing his throat. "I'm good to go now, right?"

She nodded, and gestured toward the hallway. "Transport is waiting with your chair." She paused before she said, "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call. Any of you."

James nodded. "Thank you. Right now, my girls and I would like to go home."

As the woman turned and walked out of the room, a tall woman with long, straight blond hair with light hazel eyes stepped into the room with a wheelchair. Like the other, this one looked at each of them, but she didn't linger on her like the other one did.

"Mr. Swan, my name is Irina. I'm the Chief of Staff," she said. "It would be an honor to escort you and your family downstairs."

"Oh, um, okay," he said, looking over at Rosie, who shrugged. "Thanks?"

Irina smiled. "Carlisle Cullen is a dear friend. He called, told me you were being released, and asked if I would personally ensure your safety."

"Well that was nice of him," James muttered, before he walked over and sat in the chair. "I guess we're ready."

As Irina pushed James toward the elevator, she couldn't stop from reaching out, placing her hand in his shoulder. James looked over, smiling as he covered her hand with his. If there were dragons under the elevator, James would fight them off for her. The same way he fought Sam Uley for her.

—SfH—

They took James to her pancake man's house, which made her happy. Rosie said their apartment was too small for all of them, so for a few days at least, they would stay with Carlisle and Esme. She didn't want to hurt Rosie, but she liked the bedroom at her pancake man's more than the room at Rosie's. Plus, Esme would make them pancakes, and she really wanted more pancakes.

When they walked into the house, she was surprised to find Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper waiting with Maggie and Marcus. They stood up, their eyes flickering to each other before they turned and looked at her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Edward murmured, walking over to her, placing his hands on either side of her face. "You're okay."

"I'm okay," she whispered, though her eyes flickered back to Maggie. "Did you bring me Hope? Is she here?"

"No, honey," Maggie said, putting her hands up. "Remember how I told you it would be a little while before you could see her again."

She nodded, though she couldn't hide her disappointment. "Because she has a new mommy and daddy, who love her very much."

"That's right," she said, frowning as she nodded. "Why don't you sit down?"

Biting the inside of her lip, she looked at Edward, who gave her a subtle nod before sliding his arm around her waist and leading her over to the couch, sitting with her next to him. Marcus smiled, though he didn't say anything as he leaned against the back of the couch.

Maggie closed her eyes for a moment before she sat on the edge of the coffee table, picking up a manila envelope and placing it on her lap. "Bella, honey, Ben and Angela Cheney, the couple who adopted Hope, would like to meet you."

"They would?" she asked, and Maggie nodded. "Why?"

"Because they know you're Hope's mother, and they would like to meet you, get to know you, but it's one hundred percent your choice on if you want to meet them. Do you understand?"

"If I don't meet them, will I ever be able to see Hope?" she asked.

"I don't know, honey. I mean, I'm working on the paperwork to request visitation with Hope, supervised visitation of course, but there's a chance that Ben and Angela would be willing to work with us on visitation, if they could meet you."

"When would Hope come live with me?" she asked. "She's my baby. She should live with me, right?"

"That's the goal, but it's tricky."

Marcus scooted over and sat on the coffee table next to Maggie. "Bella, do you understand why Hope can't come live with you right now?"

"Because Sam Uley stole me away," she whispered, feeling Edward tighten his arm around her.

"That's right," Marcus said, smiling. "And Hope, she was taken from you, right?"

She frowned and nodded.

"And when she was found, Ben and Angela Cheney became her family," he added, tilting his head to the side. "Just like Carlisle, Jasper, Esme, Edward, and everyone else became your family, when they found you, right?"

She shifted her eyes from Edward to James to Rosie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, to Carlisle and Esme. "Do they make her pancakes?" she asked, looking back at Marcus. "Like they make me pancakes?"

Though she was serious, everyone, including Marcus, laughed. "Yes, Bella, I'm sure they make her pancakes, too. Probably without syrup, too, since it's messy and Hope is so little."

She bit the inside of her lip. "And they want to meet me?"

Marcus nodded.

"And if I meet them, they will let me see her?"

"Maybe," Maggie said, running her fingers along the edge of the manila envelope before she picked it up and held it out to her. "They thought you might want these."

"What are they?" she asked, taking it. It was heavier than she expected.

"Open it," Maggie urged.

She shifted her eyes up to Edward before she turned it over, prying the back flap open and reaching in. As she pulled out the stack of photographs, tears flooded her eyes, falling down her face.

Her Hope, her baby. She was just as beautiful as she remembered. Her head was full of feathery black hair and she had big black eyes, pouty lips, and creamy, perfectly tan skin. She was tiny and delicate, fragile and flawless. She started at the first one, Hope inside the hospital. Then Hope in a baby carrier, Hope laying on a blanket, Hope with Blue.

"That's Blue," she cried, bringing her hand up to her lips, shifting her eyes to Rosie. "She has Blue. I thought I lost Blue, but she has her, Rosie. She has Blue!"

"Can I see?" Rosie whimpered, gesturing toward the picture.

She nodded, and Rosie walked over and sat next to her. She took the picture from her, holding it in front of her as she leaned her head on her shoulder.

"Oh, Bella, she looks like you."

"She does?"

Rosie nodded. "She has your eyes, your smile, your nose," she laughed, smiling. "She's beautiful, just like you."

She flipped through the rest of the pictures, passing them one by one to Rosie. Hope sitting up, Hope crawling, smiling, laughing, walking. Hope celebrating her birthday, Christmas, Easter. She longed to hear the sound of her laughter, watch her running, playing, just being happy. She wanted Hope, and she would take any part of her she could have, no matter how hard it became.

"Okay," she whispered, placing the photographs back in the manila envelope and looking between Maggie and Marcus. "I'll meet with them."

And before anyone could stop her, she clutched the envelope against her chest and scrambled to her feet, hurried upstairs to the bedroom, hiding once more in the closet. In each picture, Hope was bigger than the one before. She knew she wouldn't still be the same tiny baby she held against her chest, but she wasn't expecting Hope to be . . . a person. A real, little person. Hope was growing up without her, and she was still the same fragile, pathetic girl Sam Uley locked in a box.

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