CHAPTER TWELVE: WAITING
"What do you mean my family is coming?" Edward asked, seemingly snapping out of his haze.
"How am I supposed to know, that's all she said. '1.5 hours. Family is coming' ." I replied. I didn't need this. I didn't want them all here. Not when I had to see to Charlie.
"Edward." What beautiful, pleasurable pain it was to say his name. "I need you to head off your family. Their return is not what I need now, added to the fact that their return affects Sam and the pack. I nee-." I stopped. Alice could see the future, she would adapt to however the plans changed.
"Bella?" Edward asked tentatively. My body thrummed at the sound. Not yet, I told myself.
I got out my phone and started texting Alice back.
'Take them all back to your house, arrange for Carlisle to be ready to go to the hospital. I don't know if you can see if they'll let him.'
I put my phone away and took a deep breath. I could smell Sam and Edward. Wolf and Vampire. The two parts of my life so simply defined by those scents. Past, present and future. Edward & Vampires, painfully my past. Sam & the Pack, my salvation. Now my own Vampirism, my endless future stretched ahead of me, along with Charlies, the packs and now possibly, Edward and the rest of his family. I took another deep breath.
"Bella?" Edward enquired again. I turned to him, silently taking in every perfect angle of his face with my new powerful vision. It was like seeing the sun for the first time. "One thing at a time." I replied, causing him to knit his eyebrows together in confusion. I waved the comment away. "Just replying to my own internal monologue." I turned to Sam, irritation etched on his face, directed at Edward. "Sam, the Cullen's are coming back to Forks, back to their old house, so I assume the treaty goes back into affect. I've got to get back. Do you-." I was interrupted by my phone again. Alice.
'Charlie will come to the house as human. I'll let you decide the rest'
"Never mind. I'm going back, Sam, do I still have safe passage through the Rez if you're by my side?" I hoped I did. He looked at me, first turning his head, then finally his eyes. "What's the plan?" His voice was calm at least. " I need to get back to Charlie and I'm going to bring him to the Cullen's house, that's the best place for it."
"Are you sure? Isn't it better to do it at the hospital?" Sam suggested as he took a couple of steps towards me. I balked at him. "You'd think it would be, but I'm either going to inject or bite Charlie with my venom. It feels like you have liquid fire running through your veins, Sam. Every cell of a persons body is saturated by the venom, transformed and frozen. He will be in agony. Do you understand that? Think of the worst pain you've ever experienced and the Change is just...unbearably worse."
"I'm aware of that, Edward, but you are top of the shitlist for a lot of people. It's best if you stay away from the Rez. When Charlie is back at the house, maybe then you can try to speak to him, before he's changed and has the newborn strength to show you just how he feels about everything that happened between us." I told him gently. Even after all that had happened, I didn't want to see that flinching in his eyes. "Now, can we please go." I turned and finally started sprinting back towards Forks.
We arrived back at the Cullen's house in under an hour, with Edward very wisely keeping his distance from me during the run. Carlisle was the only person waiting outside to greet us.
I kept a healthy distance from him though. As much as it hurt for Edward to leave, it hurt me that the rest of them left me too. And Christ, I fucking missed them all. Even Rosalie. But I wasn't ready to cross the line of forgiveness just yet.
"Bella, It's so good to see you. It looks like you have taken to this life with exceptional grace, though I am intrigued to hear how you came into it, I understand there is a more pressing issue with your father?" he enquired softly. This was what I needed, gentle and direct.
"Hi Carlisle. The story of my change is linked with Charlie, and the short version is that he has an aneurysm that could go at any moment. I've spoken with him, explained everything and offered him a choice. Stay human and let the aneurysm take him or I could change him, and we could live out the rest of forever. I know Alice had you sign some paperwork that would basically excuse his absence from the force." I paused. This was the part I didn't want to admit to myself. "But I don't think I can change him. I don't want to risk losing control when I'm just two days into the change."
"That's understandable Bella, but I assume the treaty was reinstated the moment we set foot in this house again?" Carlisle gave Sam a questioning glance, who had changed back to human when we arrived.
"That's right. Though I have to ask, how much danger would there be to Charlie if Bella was the one to change him? Turning Charlie wouldn't exactly be my first choice, but Bella is practically the same as she was before being turned. She managed to convince us that he'll be the same once he's out of his newborn stage, that she'll keep him and others safe until he can control his thirst." Sam walked until he was 15 feet from us all. I noticed he was ever so slightly shaking. I guess he could handle being around just myself. Now with Edward, Carlisle and the scent of the others, he was struggling to keep his nature in check. But he was still here. I wondered how big the basket of muffins would have to be to thank him.
"The general rule is that a newborn is dominated by their thirst for at least a year. I changed Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett, and introduced them to an alternative food source, which they have all continued to follow. My approach was based on observing others' transformations, so I adhered to that timeline, even extending it before reintroducing them to human society. Bella, however, appears to have embraced vegetarianism on her own," Carlisle paused, his gaze assessing. "The unique aspect of Bella's situation is that she was cognizant of our kind and fully assimilated into our family before... our return." He offered a brief, regretful glance before proceeding. "She was also completely comfortable with us in our home. I'm considering whether her familiarity with us contributed to her swift adaptation, despite the years."
Silence enveloped us as Carlisle allowed Sam time to process his words. "I fully trust Bella, so if she turned around and said she felt confident in changing Charlie herself, I'd back her completely—"
"Carlisle, she's still a newborn, only days into the change!" Edward interrupted. A feral growl erupted from my throat towards him, while Carlisle shot him a withering look that only a father could muster.
"Son, you chose for us to leave, and you've been absent from Bella's life for a while now. Immortal or not, you've lost the right to speak for her as you once did. Remember that if you wish to make amends. Your decision affected more than just you. Bella has earned my trust, and supporting her is the least I can offer." Carlisle's words to Edward were firm, the closest I'd ever heard him come to reprimanding any of his children. Then, he turned and looked at me.
"Bella, I will do whatever you need me to do to help you. As will any of the family." he finished by bowing his head in my direction. Well, it's a start.
"Sam, I need Carlisle's help. I know I'm the one you gave permission to but would you please give him permission to change Charlie? I don't want to hurt him and Carlisle has the experience and control needed for such a thing." I pleaded. "And can he come with me to pick Charlie up? He'd be better at detecting any change that might affect Charlie on the way here."
Sam's face hardened. I know he didn't like this. I knew there was a part of his head and heart telling him this was a bad idea.
"Let me run to the Rez border and speak with the Elders. Give me an hour." He looked resigned as he said it.
"Alice, will Charlie be alive in an hour and half?" I asked, raising my voice only slightly above conversational. She flitted to the front door, carefully keeping her distance. From Sam or me, I didn't know.
"He'll be alive and asking after you." She said with a small smile before darting back inside.
"Thank you, Alice." I replied. " Sam, you've got a comfortable hour to go and speak to the Elders. Please. Just try to convince them. I love my Dad, I don't want to lose him." Tears thick in my throat, I turned away and stalked to the river that ran by the house and sat down on a large rock. I heard Sam shift and start to run back and Edward slowly move to sit near me. I could all but see the tensing singing through his body, poised with years of questions and apologies I didn't have the energy to deal with.
This was going to be a long hour.