A/N… Posting a little early but not by much. I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 21

EDWARD

"I should be mad about this, but I'm not," I heard from the side of my bed.

Opening my eyes, I saw Charlie standing there with a smirk and a slow shake of his head. Bella was still snuggled in on my side and sound asleep. My shoulder throbbed with a touch of pain, but nothing could've pried her off me, not even her father.

"Don't wake her," he whispered, sitting down in the chair. "It's still early. And hell, she hasn't slept much. I was just checking on both of you."

"I'm okay. They'll probably release me later. How's Jasper?"

"Hanging in there. He's just stubborn enough to probably pull through fine," he answered, rubbing his face wearily. "You didn't know he was coming." He stated it, but it sounded like a question of verification at the same time.

"No, sir. I swear."

Nodding like he'd assumed as much, he sighed deeply, but his eyes raked over his daughter with warmth and love and maybe a touch of worry.

When he met my gaze, he stood up. "At least I know she's safe with you," he muttered softly. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to do when it came to Common Ground. With James dead, I'm guessing we're clear to move back, but…" He trailed off, pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I'd like to be there when we all go. If that's okay," I replied, keeping my voice low. "I'm… I won't be on duty until they clear me, but I'd feel better if I had the building cleared before we all go back."

"I agree. And you'll be on medical leave for a few weeks, I imagine."

Nodding, I said, "Yes, sir. And I promised her that I'd help with the shop. It was… It'll be a mess when we do get back in there. The night of your attack, they wrecked it all – kitchen, front counter, her office. And then we just sealed it up."

"Damn," he said through a sigh. "Okay. We'll go when you're ready."

"Thank you."

He huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "No, son. Thank you." He gestured toward Bella, who was still sleeping soundly. "With all of this, she would've worried herself sick trying to take care of Jasper and Alice and me. And now you. You got her to stop, to rest."

Smiling a little, I nodded. "It wasn't without a touch of resistance."

Charlie grinned. "I bet. Good luck with that."

I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. My girl was stubborn, but I didn't mind so much. However, my laughter shook Bella enough to cause her to stir.

Charlie raised his hands. When it seemed like she was going to stay asleep, he said, "When you're both up and about, just… They may take the baby early. Alice's cramping is back, and her blood pressure and blood sugar have gone haywire. They're hoping they can slow her down because she's early. Not by much, but early still."

Frowning, I nodded. "Okay. I'll let her know."

Studying the man in front of me, I saw where Bella had gotten her loyalty and ease. At the moment, Charlie had three "kids" who needed him, and he was in. All in. Jasper wasn't his by blood, but he'd more than once called him his son. He treated Alice with the same amount of love, protection, and care as he did Bella. And with Bella, he was a partner for her. Alice had told me that the only person who never took from Bella was Charlie, and that was the damned truth.

"Let her sleep," he whispered, leaving the room.

I had to have nodded off again, but I woke up when Bella stirred. She started to slip off the bed, trying not to jostle me too much. I held her tight with my uninjured arm before she could get away.

"Don't run."

Her brow furrowed adorably. "I shouldn't have slept so long. I need to check on Jasper and Alice…and my dad."

"Your dad was here. Earlier," I told her, nodding a little. "He said that Jasper's the same, but Alice's cramping is back. They may take the baby. They're watching her."

"Shit," she hissed, wriggling down off the bed. She used the bathroom and came back to my bedside. "The hell do we do? We don't have anything set up for that baby. Everything was back at Dad's. The crib isn't even put together…" She trailed off, pulling her hair into a long ponytail. "And you're still…" She gestured toward all the IVs and my bandage.

I could see panic and worry start to edge its way into her mood. There was an indecisiveness when it came to leaving me alone or going to check on them.

"C'mere," I whispered, cupping her chin. "Stop worrying about me, beautiful. As soon as they say the word, I'm out of this damn bed. I'll help you. I'm here for you." I kissed her lips. "I won't be working for a bit, so I'm at your beck and call. We'll get ready. I promise."

She nodded, reaching up to rake her fingers through my hair. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I'm… I know what your job entails, Edward. I'm not stupid, but so much could've gone way fucking wrong," she whispered, shaking her head a little. "All I could think when Garrett called Emmett was that I should've told you how I felt about you before you walked out the door. I don't want to live with that regret."

I tilted my head at her, trailing my fingers along her sweet, smooth cheek. "You told me last night."

She huffed a laugh, and it made me smile. "Sort of," she said, sighing deeply. "Is it too soon to say I love you?"

"No."

"Good."

I brought her in for another kiss, pulling back to whisper, "I love you too."

I rarely said those words outside of family. The last girl was Tanya, and while the type of love shifted into something nonromantic, I rarely said it to her. I didn't say them to Maggie because it would've been a lie. And maybe I was keeping her at arm's length.

It was my mother who said those words all the time. Before school, over the phone, laughingly, teasingly, tucking me in at night – she said them repeatedly. "Love you, kid," she'd say. And Aunt Esme was exactly the same.

"Good, then try not to scare the shit out of me again," Bella said with a sweet giggle.

"I'll do my best." I kissed her again, seeing a nurse come into the room. "Go, beautiful. Check on everyone. If my uncle springs me, then I'll come find you."

Bella leaned in to kiss me once more. "Thanks for letting me sleep," she whispered.

Chuckling, I nodded, barely paying attention to the nurse checking on the machines around me and writing her name on the white board. I caught the name in my peripheral vision, my head spinning away from Bella to see Maggie.

"How are you feeling, Edward?" she asked softly.

"Maggie," I greeted, nodding once. "I'm sore, but I'm okay."

Her usually curly hair was wound up into a bun, and she'd put on a little weight, which actually looked good on her. Her expression was unreadable, though. On her left hand was a pretty ring with a decent-sized diamond on it.

"They've cleared you, but they want to look at your wound before you check out," she said, her eyes flickering to Bella, who'd never been shy.

"Hey, I'm Edward's girlfriend. Bella," she said, holding out her hand, and my ex shook it. "It's good to meet you."

"You, too," Maggie replied, smiling a little as she pulled on rubber gloves.

"You're okay if I head upstairs to check on Alice and Jasper?" Bella asked me, raising an eyebrow Maggie couldn't see.

"Yes." I nodded, a little freaked out that they were in the same room, though honestly, Tanya scared me more than Maggie.

She leaned in to kiss me, whispering, "You sure? You don't need me to stay?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

I wanted to tell her that Maggie ended things with me, and back then, I hadn't even been mad about it. Looking at those deep, soulful eyes of Bella's, though, I knew I'd be a ruined man should we end.

"I'll either be in ICU or maternity."

"Yes, ma'am."

Bella left the room, and I looked to Maggie, who focused on my bandage.

"It's good to see you, Edward. What happened?"

"I was shot issuing a warrant."

She nodded, carefully removing the gauze and tape. "Narcotics?"

"No, I transferred to Homicide." I flinched when she touched the area around the wound.

"It looks good. No swelling, no infection, no bleeding." She taped it back up and started to remove the IVs and lines. "You'll want to keep it covered and try not to get it wet. Your uncle will probably give you a preventative antibiotic."

I nodded again. "Okay."

She pulled her gloves off once I was untethered to machines, dropping them into the garbage can. "I'm sure you'll be out of here before lunch."

"Thanks." I pointed to her ring. "Congrats, by the way."

She smiled, but it seemed a bit forced. "Thanks. He's an x-ray tech downstairs. We've been together for about a year now." She met my gaze. "You look better. Not so angry anymore. You look calm and happy. I'm glad."

I grimaced her way. "Sorry about that, but it wasn't on you to fix me, Maggie."

"I know. And you'd have never let me, anyway." She smiled sadly. "And it's okay. It worked out, I think."

"It did." I agreed completely, but I wasn't so sure if she was trying to convince me or herself.

She didn't sound like it had worked out, but she deserved more than what I'd been able to give her at the time. She'd done what was best for herself by ending things with me for dragging her along; there may have even been a bit of hope that I'd beg her not to break up or come running back to her, but I didn't. I'd let her go. And honestly, I didn't have it in me to worry about any of it – her regret, her sour grapes, her staring. I had enough on my plate, and I had Bella, who for some inane reason loved me. Despite all my personality issues, Bella loved me, and I couldn't be happier.

I glanced up when my aunt and uncle stepped into the room. "Please tell me you're springing me from this damned room. I've got shit to do."

Uncle Carlisle grinned. "As a matter of fact, yes."

Maggie snorted a little but stepped forward. "The wound looks good. No infection. And I removed the IVs, Dr. Cullen."

"Thank you, Maggie." He turned to me. "You're almost free, son. Hang on," he teased, picking up my chart.

Aunt Esme chuckled, setting a bag down on the bed. "Here. I went home to get you some clothes. And feed Sid."

"Oh, good. Thank you. For both things."

"Take care of yourself, Edward," Maggie said, giving a wave and a smile before leaving the room.

"You, too."

Aunt Esme looked to me. "She seems to have moved on," she stated, tapping her ring.

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. "Yes. As she should."

"Mmm," she hummed in agreement. "Speaking of moving on… Where's Bella? She was in here when I stopped to check on you a few hours ago."

"Subtle." I chuckled at her grin, shaking my head at how much like my mother she truly was. "She's checking on Alice. They might take the baby early?" I said, but it came out as a question to my uncle.

He sighed deeply, his brow furrowing. "I'd hoped not, but I'll look into it after I check on Jasper."

I pulled the clothes out of the bag with one hand, but my aunt stopped me. "Let me help you, kiddo." When I started to protest, she said, "You know, I've changed your diapers, given you bubble baths, and even handled a cold or two. I think I can handle helping you get dressed."

Grinning down at my feet, I nodded. "Okay."

She helped me clean up as best I could in the bathroom without taking a full shower. I found that without the sling, I could do a few things with both hands, but not much. Socks and shoes were a bitch. By the time she held a button-down shirt for me to slip my arm into, I was gritting my teeth and sweat had broken out on my brow.

"Shit," I hissed, squeezing my eyes closed.

"Give it a few days, son," Uncle Carlisle said, gently checking my wound without completely removing the bandage again. "The bullet hit muscle, so that needs to repair. The stitches are holding fine."

Nodding, I let out a long breath through my mouth as I rolled the sleeves up one arm, and my aunt helped with the other before adjusting the sling. "I have too much to do for this bullshit."

He chuckled. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone. We take for granted a lot of things. Mobility is one of them. What do you have to do?"

"Bella's worried that the baby will come early, and because we were all away, nothing's been set up. Charlie's ready to go back to Common Ground, but I swore to Bella I'd help with all of the clean-up. But I can't let them go back until the building's been checked and cleared."

"Edward," Aunt Esme called softly as she packed all my things into a bag, handing me my phone. "One thing at a time. And we'll help you. We'll help them."

"You don't—"

"We want to help." She walked to me to cup my face in both hands. "Anyone who makes you smile as much as Bella is now a part of my family. Understand, son? If she's important to you, then she's important to us. Along with everyone who comes with her."

Swallowing nervously, I nodded, glancing between them and seeing only love and support and calmness. "She's definitely important. She's…everything."

"Then let's go check on our girl, hmm?" she asked, reaching up to rake a hand through my hair.

"Let's start at ICU," I suggested, following them into the corridor. "I'd like to see Jasper."

~oOo~

BELLA

"I'm scared," Alice whispered, tears welling up in her bright-blue eyes. "What if…"

"I know," I soothed her, brushing her hair back from her face.

She was sweaty and flushed. Machines beeped and flashed around her. All the stress had taken its toll on her and the baby.

"I'm not ready!"

"You are. We'll get you ready," I vowed calmly, because we had no choice. Edward had said he'd help, and my dad wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, so we'd get ready, even if it was rushed and one thing at a time.

"No, I mean…I'm not ready."

Grinning, I kissed her forehead and then sat in the chair. "You are, and I kinda think my brother is, too. He may struggle at first, but we'll all be there for you and this little boy."

"He hasn't woken up."

"No, but they're expecting him to at some point today."

"And Edward?"

"He's okay. He's sore, but he'll be fine," I told her. "In fact, he promised to help you, too."

"Yeah?"

Smiling, I shook my head. "Yes. Alice, please calm down."

"Okay, okay," she whispered, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing. "He really likes you, Bells." She opened her eyes to meet my gaze. "He's good people. He's been through as much shit as the rest of us, but he's good people. And I want you to be happy. I want you to stop taking care of the rest of us and go be you. Go be a couple, go on dates, and snuggle in front of the TV. Stop worrying about everyone but yourself."

My eyes stung with tears. "I don't know how to not take care of my family, Ali."

"There's a difference between being there for us and taking care of us," she argued, squeezing my hand.

"I know." I took a deep breath and let it out, nodding a little. "Maybe when everyone I love is back home and out of this hospital, I'll be able to relax. Hmm?"

She looked to me. "It's not that simple, is it? Just getting out of here won't magically make everything okay." When my brow furrowed in question, she went on. "As much as I love Jasper, I don't trust him. Just because he's sober doesn't mean that he won't go back. And just because Maria's dead doesn't mean he won't ever cheat on me again."

I got up from the chair and sat on the edge of her bed. "You're right. All of that is true." I gently rubbed her baby belly. "Just because this little guy is coming doesn't mean that you and my brother don't have some work ahead of you. And don't think I won't tell him the same thing. You don't have to pick up where you left off. You can start over. The baby comes first, and Jasper needs to learn that."

She blinked at me, nodding a bit.

We looked up when Esme stepped into the room. "Hey, girls." She sat down in the chair. "Carlisle is heading to Jasper's room. I'll sit with Alice for a bit if you want to go up there. Edward's with him; he's been released."

I looked to Alice. "I want you to relax. Chill the hell out," I ordered her. "You're stressin' my nephew out. I'm not a happy aunt."

Alice cracked a weary smile. "Got it."

Esme chuckled at me and squeezed my hand before I left the room. I made my way up to ICU, and I found my dad and Edward just outside Jasper's room. It was nice to see Edward out of that hospital bed, even with the sling for his arm. He'd dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt the same damn color as his eyes, so when he turned to face me, I just about forgot where I was and what I was supposed to be doing.

"Hey, baby girl," Dad greeted, gesturing toward the room. "Carlisle's in with Jasper now."

"Everything okay?"

"He's breathing on his own, and he's stayed stable all night," Edward said, setting a hand on my shoulder. "Uncle Carlisle seems to think he'll wake up soon. If you want to go in, you can. We were just giving him space."

Nodding, I started forward, but Dad stopped me. "Wait. How's Alice?"

"Trying to stay calm, but she's overthinking all the things. Esme's with her now."

He nodded, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as I walked by him and into Jasper's room. Aside from a brief glimpse of him the night before, I hadn't actually been in the same room as my brother since we took him to court. They'd sentenced him eleven months in county jail – just under a year, which kept him local and not shipped off to a state prison.

By the time Alice had shown up pregnant at Common Ground, he'd been away for six of those eleven months. And after all we'd been through, I hadn't spoken face-to-face with Jasper for eight long months.

Looking at him in that hospital bed, I felt several things. I was proud of him for fighting to get clean and stay clean. I was mad at him for putting himself in harm's way because he thought he owed me something. I hurt for him because his face was a pale, bruised mess, with cuts above his eye and a split lip in two places. And I was worried for him because things weren't simple.

I met Carlisle's gaze, and he smiled softly. "He's strong. He's held steady all night. And no complications so far. No blood in his urine, he's breathing on his own, and his oxygen levels are where they should be." He set the chart down. "I expect him to wake up soon."

"Thanks, Carlisle," I whispered, stepping closer and picking up Jasper's hand as Carlisle left the room.

I could hear him talking to Dad and Edward, but I focused on my brother. His hand in mine brought back memories of us as kids. Jasper would walk me to school, fight the bullies, teach me to ride a bike. We grew up together. We argued over toys and video games and what movies to watch. We'd plotted against our parents to find out what we were getting for Christmas.

We both were shattered when Renee left Charlie, essentially splitting us up. We were fucking devastated when Mom died, which caused Jasper's addictions to skyrocket.

At some point, the three-year difference between us changed. I was the responsible one, the one keeping him from killing himself, the one who'd feed him when he had nowhere else to go.

"There's a part of me that wants to smother you with a pillow," I muttered, squeezing his limp hand. "Or maybe just bash your face with it." I frowned at him, shaking my head. "I don't… I don't know what to feel with you, big brother. I'm mad at you for putting yourself in a dangerous fucking situation, but then… If you hadn't gone, would I still have… Would Edward still be standing right outside this room? I don't know. I just…" I sighed deeply, swallowing around the lump forming in my throat.

I went quiet for a moment, gently trailing my fingers over the knuckles of his hand. There were a few bruises there too, and a cut here and there. He really had to have beaten the shit out of James.

"You need to be okay," I told him, locking my gaze on his face. "You're gonna be a daddy, and he's coming whether you're ready or not. It doesn't matter if you and Alice can't make it, but it matters a helluva fucking lot that you're there for this kid.

"You asked me on the phone what would make me happy," I whispered, blinking back tears. "It's pretty simple. Wanna hear it?" I looked back at his hand in mine. "I want my nephew to be healthy and loved. I want you to stay clean and step up. I want Common Ground open again with Dad running the show until he doesn't want to do it anymore. And I want Edward to always come home safe to me. That's it. That's all." I huffed a sniffly laugh. "That's not asking too much right?"

Tears ran unchecked down my face. "I love him, big brother, and I don't know whether to hug you or shake the shit out of you for what you did. Maybe both. Probably both. And the pillow upside your head. We'll see."

The beeps changed in rhythm on his machines, and his hand moved in mine. My gaze shot to his face, and I could see the blue of his eyes. His brow furrowed as he looked to me when I stood up.

"B-Bells…" he rasped, trying to take the oxygen tube from his face.

"Hey, don't talk," I told him, stopping his hand and glancing over my shoulder when Carlisle stepped back into the room.

"Jasper, I'm Dr. Cullen," he said calmingly. "Try not to move too much. You're going to be sore and maybe a little confused."

A nurse came into the room, asking me to step out, and I backed out of the room straight into Edward, who immediately wrapped his good arm around me.

"He's awake," I whispered, glancing back at him.

"Good. That's good, baby," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. "Your dad was called to maternity. Alice is in labor."

I huffed a heavy breath, meeting his gaze. "Yeah, anything else want to happen all at once?"

He grinned, kissing my forehead. "C'mon. I promised Charlie I'd make sure you ate something and then take you to him when you were done."

I could see by the expression on his face that I wouldn't win this argument.

"Plus, I need to make a few calls, beautiful. And I can't do that up here."

"Okay. What calls?"

"It's time to get back into Common Ground, but I'm calling in a few favors to do so." He linked our fingers together. "It's time to go home, beautiful."

~oOo~

A/N… I've just started the next chapter for this fic. I'm pretty hopeful that it'll be done by Tuesday. And I've also started the epilogue to When Angels Fall, so that will come some time soon.

My goal is to update Common Ground next Tuesday, but we'll see. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)