What's Forever

Chapter 42

"I'm in no rush, Ava is important to me too and I want you to do whatever you need, whatever both of you need. If you never turn, it wouldn't matter to me, as long as I get to live my life by your side."

"Maybe when she's around five, we can explain to her ... I mean, if we press on the importance of keeping the secret, I want a future with you." I told him.

"It's not something we have to talk about right now." he insisted.

"Emmett Cullen, promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If anything were to happen to me, anything that puts me at risk of losing my life, you'll do it. If it's in your ability to stop it, you won't let me die."

"Why are we talking about this, Val? Nothing is going to happen to you." he said and I heard a hitch in his voice.

"Just promise me."

"I promise. Now please, change the subject."

"I've got a shift today, later on." I told him.

"You work all week?" he sighed in relief.

"Tuesday through Friday, 12-12."

"So, how about we just chill here, I'll take care of Ava. What day are you going to the reservation?"

"I don't know, I think on Saturday."

"Then we can go to Port Angeles on Sunday and have a date day, the three of us." he smiled.

"That sounds like ... what?" I asked when he tensed.

"Bella's here." he said.

"You don't have to leave, she knows that you and I are in contact. I just didn't tell her that you were coming back soon. She thinks you're with the family."

"She knows that we're in ... what did she say?" he worriedly asked.

"She's still hurt but I don't think she'll be getting over that any time soon. She's starting to get mad now, that's good."

"How is that good, Val?"

"Your brother left her alone in the woods, he chose to walk away from her. Getting mad is better than wallowing in self-pity and feeling like she needs him to survive."

"I guess ... ugh, he really messed this up."

"Alright, piccola, let's ..."

"Gimme!" he quickly stated.

"Emmett ..."

"I know how to get rid of her gases, I can be soft." he pouted.

"Okay, don't break my baby."

"Val!"

The indignation on his face was absolutely hilarious, he really is something else. After I covered myself up and grabbed her burp cloth, I walked downstairs when I heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey, Bella."

"Val ... I ... he ... I don't know what I'm doing." she said, storming into the living room.

"What? Bella, what happened? Are you okay?"

"He's plaguing my dreams and now when I'm awake."

"What do you mean?"

"I found some bikes, dirt bikes and it seemed like a good idea ..."

"Dirt bikes? In what mind is ..."

"That's besides the point, I took them to Jake to see if he could fix them and I saw him." she whispered at the end.

"Saw who?"

"Edward, it's like he just plopped himself in my mind and I want him to go away." she stated.

"Bella, sit down." I said, pushing her into the armchair.

"Val, I need to forget him." she said, her brown eyes brimming with tears.

"I already told you that's not going to happen one day to the next. You can't force yourself to forget him because the memories will push that much harder to remain present in your mind."

"What do I do?"

"Will you go talk to someone? Obviously, there are certain things that would have to be kept secret, but Bella, sweetie, you need to talk to someone certified. I only know what I was told and our situations are very different."

"I ... do you really think that will help?" she sniffled.

"It helped me, I really do think it can help you. Having someone professional help you isn't a bad thing and it doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It means you're strong enough to recognize that you need help." I insisted.

"I'm not strong." she said as her tears fell.

"You are, Bella, yes you are. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for because look at where you are right now. You're gaining control over your life again and only you can do that. You have to make the choice to be better and you are, you have." I said, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

"Thank you, Valentina."

"Of course." I said, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"Can you ... can you help me ... make an appointment?" she asked.

"Of course."

I went upstairs to grab my phone and found Emmett standing in my room glaring outside, I can only imagine how difficult this is. When I went downstairs, Bella was looking at her phone and I smiled when I saw her delete Edward's contact information. We called the therapist at the hospital and made her an appointment for Thursday after school.

"Emmett's here, isn't he?" she asked.

"What makes you ask that?"

"You smell like him." she smiled softly.

"He's upstairs." I told her.

"He's a really good guy, is he with Ava?"

"Yeah, whenever he comes around he carries her all day if I let him."

"I never thought about being a mother, it isn't something that I dreamed about. I don't think I'd be a good mother." she said.

"Nobody does, that's not something you just know." I said. "I was so scared when I got pregnant, it wasn't planned and I wasn't ready but then again, I don't really think it's something that you're ever ready for."

"I bet he's a good dad."

"He's the best. I assumed that Ava would grow up without a father figure in her life because dating really wasn't on my radar but Emmett is a hard man to ignore." I smiled.

"Don't take him for granted, Val."

"We won't ... we won't."

"I'm sorry for storming in like that." she sniffled again, wiping her tears away.

"We've already talked about this. My doors are always open to you, no matter the time or the circumstances."

"You've got a shift today, right?"

"Yeah, at 12."

"Can we get lunch?" she whispered.

"Sure, let me change into my scrubs and ..."

"Emmett ..." Bella said.

"I'm so sorry." he muttered.

"It's not your fault. It's so good to see you." she said, running over to hug him.

He switched Ava so that he could comfortably hold Ava in one hand and wrapped the other around Bella's shoulders. She openly cried now, just latching onto him.

"I thought I was going crazy." she muttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"When Ed ... when he left, he said it would be like you all never existed in my life. At first, I thought I invented the whole thing. That all of you were just a figment of my imagination and then Valentina came around and I felt a little vindicated but looking at him ... looking at you, I feel like some of the cracks in my sanity are healing." she said, letting out several deep breaths.