Edward was back and knocking at my window. It caught me by surprise.
"Is the front door broken?" I asked, confused. I slid the window open. It was dark out?
He grinned at me. "Carlisle says you keep tripping on the stairs. I thought I'd save you the hazzard."
"Did you just get back?" I looked at the clock. It was three in the blinking morning. I huffed tiredly then I smiled because he'd not just snuck in, he'd knocked; even if it was stupid in the morning, it felt huge that he'd knocked. What had taught him not to be a weirdo sneaking in to sniff me in my sleep? Was it the hospital Christmas tree incident? This was so much better. If I accomplished nothing else in this world this was enough.
He left the window open and held himself very stiffly when he got in. His breathing was off. He just kept taking little tentative tiny shaky breaths. Slowly he seemed to relax.
"If you need the window open for a while longer, let me grab an extra blanket," I offered.
He nodded. I curled up in bed with an extra quilt. I waited for him to say whatever he was going to say but he just kind of backed up into my rocking chair and quietly sat down. After a while the cold air started to make me cough, but I guess the window had been open long enough for him to get used to me. He slid it closed and got me my puffer.
"Sorry Bella, I just wanted to see that you were okay. You were still in the ICU when I left. Is it okay if I just stay a while and watch you sleep?"
"M'kay," I answered half asleep already. Edward went to close the door so he'd have time to escape if my dad woke up but I wanted the hall light. "Wait," I protested, unwilling to explain. He gave me a bit of a crooked smile and slipped a nightlight out of his pocket plugging it in first then he closed the door. Thoughtful scheming vampire. I smiled back a little embarrassed.
I closed my eyes and felt cool fingers running soothingly through my hair. So much for his rocking chair restraint. I fell asleep to the scent of Nana's shortbread.
When I woke up Edward was gone. I'm guessing he had school. The extra quilt had been folded and put away. I probably got hot and kicked it off when the room warmed back up. I dunno.
Esme showed up instead of Carlisle. If I had to guess I'd say he was off hunting. His eyes were pretty dark yesterday. Esme explained that she used to be a teacher and she was going to help me get caught up on my schoolwork. Okay, not enough educational content in my game I guess.
"Umm, Oky Doky Mrs. C but there are a few things I kind of need to do first," I muttered embarrassed. No housework whatsoever had been done since I got sick. I grabbed some of the mountain of laundry and I stumbled downstairs with it, sliding on my butt half the way. Stupid Bella version of grace. I sighed sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm okay. The stairs won that round. I'll get'em next time."
I stuffed some laundry in the wash then started on the dishes which were scattered over most of the house. By the time the dishes were done I was out of steam. Every surface on the downstairs level was covered in takeout boxes. I grabbed the recycling bin from the garage and a few garbage bags. I started to clean up but the effort was making me wheeze and the room was spinning. Cool fingers gently took the garbage bag from me. "Sorry, Mrs. C. the Chief's been busy and the last few days, visitors nonstop and…" At that point embarrassingly enough I fainted.
I woke up on the couch. "Bella dear, it's not your job to entertain your visitors and manage the house. Just focus on getting better."
I sighed, "Sorry Mrs C. If it's okay I think I'd like to just lie down for a bit."
After about an hour I stopped feeling like I was going to hurl if I moved or opened my eyes. I looked around. My homework was laid out on the coffee table in front of me and silently and swiftly the house had been restored to liveable. "Wow, Mrs. C I didn't even hear you do that. The house looks like it did before I got sick. That's pretty amazing."
She laughed lightly and sat beside me.
"Honestly we don't normally live like slobs. Thank you."
"I didn't do the vacuuming because I didn't want to disturb you and there are several more loads of laundry to do because the washing machine and dryer only go so fast."
"It's wonderful. Besides, I kind of like having a load of warm clothes dumped on me and quietly folding while Charlie has a game on. It's cosy. I fold it and put it in the basket then Charlie puts it away. He says I'm a hazard on the stairs."
"Carlisle warned me you were a hazard on the stairs too and I still let you fall down them in the first five minutes you were in my care," she noted, covering her mouth as if a little embarrassed for both of us.
I hugged her. Two arms thrown around the middle of her waist, my head snuggled against her middle as she was sitting beside me. She folded gentle arms around me.
Hug a stuffie, hug a tree, hug a rock, hug a vampire. Leave me alone. Hugs are important. Charlie gives me one armed hugs sometimes but I haven't had a true hug since before this all started.
I gave a bit of a shuddering breath but held back the tears as Esme hugged me a little tighter. I pulled away after a little while then making exactly no eye contact grabbed my math homework and started silently blazing through it. In Lexi land I won the state award for math, which is not actually as impressive as it sounds because everyone that performs at a certain level gets the award but anyway, of all my school work, math is the only thing I can do effortlessly. It's the only class I'm not behind in.
I reluctantly pulled the stack from the Government course towards me.
"What's your least favourite subject? I assume math is your favourite."
I nodded, "Math is easy. English is a mystery. I write English essays the same way you test to see if pasta is done. I throw stuff at a wall and see what sticks." Spanish is a lost cause. It doesn't count.
"What are you studying in English right now?"
"Well, I'm really behind. There was some stuff on Romeo and Juliet, stupid kissy faced suicidal idiots and then we started A Death in the Family."
"Not a fan of Romeo and Juliet," she teased with a smile.
"No and half the class melts into puddles of goo and starts making lovey dovey eyes at each other when we read it. Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley offered to act out the kissing scene. I tried to write an essay on everything I hate about Romeo and Juliette but the teacher did not like my outline."
Mrs. C helped me find a less angry twelve year old way to analyse Shakespeare. The resulting essay was definitely Lexi and not Bella but it was 'good Lexi' and not 'I don't know what the heck I'm doing Lexi.' It was a discussion of the importance of communication and family with respect to mental health as addressed by Romeo and Juliette. She made me re-write it twelve times but by the end I didn't feel I was turning in something that was just pandering to what I think Twilight's Bella believed but it felt like it at least approached her level of literary skill. (Probably not. I'm twelve.)
Other than actually explaining the basics of how to write an essay which I didn't really know having skipped from grade seven to eleven, Mrs. C helped by frequently reminding me that Romeo and Juliette was a tragedy so hating the story was respecting what the playwright had been trying to communicate. Most people told me I should love Romeo and Juliette because it was a classic. That just made me angry and frustrated.
I'd run out of steam again and my stomach made a little gurgling complaint. I looked at the clock. Oops we'd gotten carried away. It was two o'clock. My medicine was late and I'd worked through lunch. I got up and grabbed the medicine and read the label. "I think I should call Carlisle and ask him what I should do. I was supposed to take this at lunch and then again at three but now it's two."
"I'll call him," Esme offered. I ate the last banana. It was official I'd now eaten all the food in the house that wasn't fish(there was a stockpile of that), condiments or expired. I swear, Charlie and I are usually better at taking care of ourselves. While Esme talked to Carlisle, I planned out a grocery list.
"He said to take one now and delay the second dose until four then resume your normal schedule. Is that all you're going to eat, a banana?"
"Not really in the mood for fish soup with ketchup and mustard on the side. I'm making a grocery list for the Chief. How about you and me take Big Red to the coffee shop. I can get a soup and a cheese biscuit and you can hold a warm coffee for a while," I offered. "I would love to get out of the house for a little while and Big Red will rust into a solid block if he doesn't get driven soon."
"I'd prefer a cup of herbal tea but it sounds lovely," Esme agreed, helping me on with my coat.
"Does tea smell better than coffee?" I asked.
"Working in health care Carlisle has developed an affinity for the smell of coffee but I prefer herbal tea. Adding milk or sugar spoils either scent," she explained.
"I like a mild Sencha. If I'm at home I'll make ginger tea with honey sometimes but it only tastes right with fresh ginger so I don't order it at restaurants."
We pulled out of the driveway and with a mischievous grin I commented. "Mrs. C if you really want to get a rise out of Edward or Rosalie you should tell them how much fun it is to drive the big red truck. I promise you at least an hour long rant on how it's a loud smelly rust bucket with horrible gas mileage. It's fun. This does remind me I need to get my ID replaced. It's all at the bottom of the bay."
We'd just gotten home and taken off our coats and boots when Edward showed up. Mrs. Clearwater comes by at six. Esme smiled at Edward whose eyes were pleading with her.
She pretended to ignore those puppy dog eyes for a few moments to tidy some of the school work we'd done before finally having mercy on him. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't forget to keep an eye on the time. Your medicine's due at four. And Edward? Watch her on those stairs. She's a hazard."
I couldn't help it, I giggled. "Bye, Mrs. C! Thanks."
I'm sure all the romantic's at school would be disappointed in us but Edward just helped me get a little less behind in Biology then I fell asleep on him. He woke me at four on the dot for my medicine and I zonked out on him again. When I woke up he was playing with my hair and he looked calmly blissful.
"Sorry if I'm not much company right now."
"I'm over a hundred years old and I don't remember ever having someone warm and soft fall asleep in the comfort of my lap. It was an unexpected treasure."
Okay, I think he just melted the romantics into a puddle of goo again. All I'd been thinking about was that my neck had a bit of a crick in it and I think I drooled on him. I guess I wouldn't want to face eternity without warm hugs. Poor guy. I gave him the biggest bear hug I could manage. He pulled away and backed up in a panic.
"Sorry." He apologised. "It's hard being really close to you, particularly when you move suddenly. I need a lot of self control to not…"
"Bite?" I filled in a little bluntly.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry if I misinterpreted. It sounded like you really needed a hug. Tom Scott surveyed over a million people. Apparently hugs are the number five best thing in existence, beat out air and water by a long shot." Okay that was ramblingly random I realised after I'd said it. Did Youtube exist back in 2005? I'm pretty sure I was an interesting shade of crimson right now.
The doorbell went, saving us from further mortification. It was Sue Clearwater and she had with her the most hated thing of all the respiratory therapy vest. I may or may not have growled at the thing.
I had a little time to myself that day after Sue left before Charlie came home. He'd had to work late. Thinking of Esme, thinking of my own mom in another world far away and played P!nk's mother, daughter song that she'd written during the pandemic "Cover Me in Sunshine". I'm sure my mom misses me as much as I miss her.
I put everything away before I got ready for bed, sure I'd left no evidence. Just the same when Edward came knocking on my window the first question he asked was "Why were you crying?"
"Oh please don't ask. I just stopped crying," I answered.
Edward considered that for a bit in silence. "Did you need a hug?"
Edward must be girl stupid. Do you know what happens when you sincerely ask a girl who's been crying that question? You know, don't you? I started to cry again...
Stupid vampire boy.
He sat on my bed and thought about it for a little while then in slow motion, holding his breath, he came and hugged me.
Oky Doky, announcement. I finished writing this story so completion is guaranteed, all that's left is lots of editing as I have no beta.
This story has had a huge identity crisis. (About 50 000 words of write, discard, write, discard ARRGH! That's doubling the length of the finished story!) It is one of the reasons why I keep trying to re-write the summary. I'm still not convinced the summary matches the story. *pouty face*
Frustrated writers of the world unite!
On another note as it's March Break I have a little extra free time. Don't expect this every week. Next week I'm going back to Wednesday only but this shall be a double post week.