With great thanks to my amazing and extremely talented pre-reader, ladylibre on fanfiction.net—go read her wonderful stories if you haven’t yet had the pleasure!!
I don’t own Twilight and never shall….
Chapter 13
Several hours later, I woke to find Rose sitting at my desk, her laptop open as she consulted one of the thick medical tomes required for her major. Feeling rather stiff, I tried to shift my position in bed, but the attempt wrenched a groan from my lips.
Rose was at my side immediately. “How are you feeling?”
I frowned at her. “Guess.”
“Well, you slept two hours past your next dosage of pain meds, so that’s a good sign. But I figured you’d wake up feeling like crap.”
“You got that right,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
She helped me take the meds, use the toilet, and after settling me back into bed, informed me that I needed to eat. “I’m going downstairs to make you something light—it’s definitely time for you to eat something.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, knowing that she would ignore my protestations.
A few minutes after Rose went downstairs, my door cracked open and Alice slipped in. “How are you, sweetie?” she asked, her eyes huge as she took in my apparently battered appearance.
“I’ll survive. But I’m warning you, I’m an awful patient.”
Alice smiled slightly. “So I’ve heard.” Carefully she seated herself on the edge of my bed to avoid jostling me before fixing me with an Alice-worthy stare. “So what happened last night, Bella? I want deets.”
Groaning, I tried to sit up to face my tiny inquisitor. “Do we have to do this now?” I grumped. “I really don’t feel up to talking about it.” But I knew from Alice’s expression that I had no chance of escape.
Placing a pillow behind my back and helping me to adjust my position, she leaned closer, her eyes alight with curiosity. “Fine. But tell me this much: it was Edward who rescued you, right?”
Nodding slightly to protect my pounding head, I couldn’t resist a small smile at the thought of Edward’s ever-so-gallant rescue….
Sitting up straight again, Alice’s mouth formed an “O” shape. “Wow,” she breathed. “And don’t think I didn’t see that smile, Miss Isabella.”
“I’m not allowed to smile?” I teased.
“Not unless you dish on the reason for that smile.” Alice winked.
Sighing, I closed my eyes, gathering the energy I needed to tell my tale. It was pointless to deny Alice; she could be one persistent woman. “Did you see what happened?” I asked as I opened my eyes, bracing myself for the long story.
Alice shook her head. “Not until Edward leveled Mike, scooped you up, and carried you upstairs.” Her eyes became almost starry. “How romantic!”
“How painful, you mean,” I corrected her with a half-grimace, half-smile.
Alice glared at me until I capitulated. “Okay Alice, fine. I’m sure it was very romantic, but I wasn’t exactly able to enjoy the experience at the time.”
She grinned unrepentantly. “Well, it looked romantic from my point of view.” Her grin faded. “But then he just disappeared after bringing you up here, right? You haven’t seen him since?”
“Well….” I hemmed.
“So he came back? What did he say? What did he do?”
“Sssshhhh!” I warned, frowning. “Rose will be coming in here any minute.”
“She’s attempting to make you breakfast,” Alice reminded me with a grin. “Who knows how long that could take?”
“Why don’t you go help her then?” I hinted broadly.
“I will…after you tell me what happened.” I sighed again, and as she saw the resigned expression cross my face, she clapped her hands in anticipation.
That’s Alice….
“Okay, okay. Let’s see…” I was aware of the lessening of my pain as I warmed to my subject; finally the pain meds were helping. “I was only about half-conscious when I first heard Edward’s voice. I didn’t catch much of what he said to Mike—just enough to know that he was laying into him pretty well. His voice was so…thrilling and yet so calming at the same time. He just sounded—I don’t know—right.” I felt my cheeks heating up as I paused for a second, reimagining the scene in my mind. “Then he picked me up, and his arms and chest were really cold….I mean icy. And he carried me as if I weighed nothing. Once he put me down in here and saw that I had help, he disappeared. After we got back from the ER and Rose and Em settled me in, I fell asleep right away. But the pain medications—they gave me really weird dreams. I mean, totally bizarre and completely vivid dreams.”
Alice frowned, puzzled. “What do dreams have to do with Edward?”
“Everything. You remember my freewrite—wait, of course you do since you designed my costume based on it.” I glanced at her curiously. “Did you borrow my notebook so that you could design the dress?”
“Nope.” She grinned, popping the “p” slightly. “As I read your story that day, I envisioned you in a midnight-blue gown, and that’s what I designed for you.”
I sat up straighter against the pillows with excitement. “Alice, the dress you made was exactly the same as the one I wore in my daydream. And I mean exactly—down to the trim on the flounces.” I paused, mentally comparing the dress in my dream to the dress Alice made me. My voice dropped to a whisper, awestruck. “Even the hairstyle you created for me was identical to my imagination.”
Alice’s large eyes were gargantuan with shock. “No way,” she breathed.
“Yes,” I nodded, my voice as soft with wonder as hers. “Alice, the entire costume was exactly the same as the one I wore in my daydream. And then….” I paused, trying to gather my words as a wave of drowsiness, thanks to my faithful meds, swept through me. Blinking, I fought against the sleepiness; I still had so much to talk about now that the pain had abated. And retelling the story to a good friend lightened the weight of self-blame that I had been carrying since the party had gone awry.
“There’s more?” Alice clapped her hands again as if I had just announced an impromptu trip to Disneyland.
“As I said, the pain medications make me really sleepy, and they also seem to affect my dreams. So anyway, I dreamed that Edward and I were back at the ball—just as if I had picked up dreaming precisely where my freewrite had stopped. I was wearing the midnight blue dress again, and he waltzed me across the dance floor. And…” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “Edward really knows how to dance!”
While Alice celebrated this news, I sighed, reluctant to relate the negative part of my dream. After all, I would much rather dwell on how it felt to waltz in Edward’s arms. But I had to tell her—and I did—about Mike’s rude interruption and Edward rescuing me…again.
“Wow, so he’s saved you twice so far. That’s so…wow,” whispered Alice, awestruck.
“I know.”
She leaned over me so that we were practically nose to nose. “So how do you feel about Edward now?”
I felt my cheeks heating with a blush. “I-I’m not sure. Obviously all of this—his even being here, much less rescuing me—is unbelievable. Yet it feels….” I paused, searching for the right word.
“Are you—“ Alice interrupted, but Rosalie startled us both as she kicked open the door, a tray of food in her hands.
“Breakfast!” she announced proudly. Alice helped me to sit up further, and Rose set the tray before me: scrambled eggs (half-cooked), toast (half-burned), an overripe banana (already peeled and cut into several chunks), and a cup of tea.
Grasping the tea cup with my good hand, I thanked Rose and sipped the tea—which fortunately had been brewed fairly well. “Aaahhh,” I sighed contentedly. “Thanks, Rose.”
“No problem!” she grinned. “You definitely need to eat something after all you’ve gone through.”
The eggs were definitely inedible, so I started nibbling on the least-burnt areas of toast which had been slathered in butter and jam (thank goodness!), Alice and Rosalie watching every bite I took. I fidgeted under their unrelenting gaze.
“Um, can we stop the staring?” I asked uncomfortably.
Alice stood up. “I have a project due Monday, so I need to get to work. I’ll be just down the hall, though, and I’ll keep my door open. Just call if you need me, okay?”
“Thanks, Alice.”
Rosalie sat back down at my desk and busied herself with her work while I tried to figure out what to do with the eggs. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by not eating them, but I also knew I would gag if I tried to eat; I couldn’t stand runny eggs. And I had no way to stash the unfortunate eggs since she would be the one helping me in and out of bed. Sighing, I decided to fudge the truth as I finished the last piece of banana.
“I can’t eat another bite, Rose. I’m sorry,” I stated, pushing the tray slightly toward her.
She smiled. “Well, you did pretty well. Protein would have been a good idea, but we’ll figure out something for you to eat a little later.”
I thanked her as she removed the tray but accepted her offer of another cup of tea. I just about applauded when Rose returned with tray laden this time with my special teapot wrapped in its quilted cozy to keep the tea hot.
“Thank you, Rose—that’s exactly what I wanted,” I grinned as she refilled my cup and handed it to me.
Tea is definitely the nectar of the gods—especially when it’s the real stuff: actual British tea. I’d die of thirst before I stooped to drinking that Lipton crap. Just…ew.
Drowsiness began to overcome me despite the caffeine in the tea, so after enjoying another cup, Rose adjusted my pillows so that I could lie down and let myself drift off.
When I awoke, Rose was gone, but Emmett had taken her place, his huge form dwarfing my little writing desk as he typed on his laptop.
“Hey,” I greeted him thickly.
Grinning widely as only Emmett could, he came over to my bedside, asked me how I was doing, escorted me to the bathroom door (I was able to use the facilities without assistance this time, thank goodness!), and helped me back into bed. It was now late afternoon, and after another dose of pain meds, I quickly fell asleep again.
A large hand on my shoulder shocked me out of a very deep sleep, and I reacted badly to the contact. Half-awake, images of Mike’s hands on me, hurting me, loomed in my mind. As loudly as I could, I screamed, fighting madly against the warm hands touching me.
“Bella! Bella, wake up! You’re fine, darlin’!” Jasper nearly shouted.
It took a moment for my panic to subside, but finally my eyes focused on Jasper who was standing beside my bed, silently taking in my reaction with a frown of deep concern.
I really couldn’t blame him; at this point, I must have seemed like a nutcase. From head to toe I was shaking uncontrollably, my throat throbbing uncomfortably after the force of my scream.
“Bella, honey, are you all right?” he asked, finally approaching me again.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I think so.”
“I am so sorry—I was trying to wake you so you could eat your dinner,” he indicated a tray set on my desk. “I didn’t think that you would wake up like this, but I should have after all you’ve been through.” Jasper shook his head, avoiding my eyes.
“No, I’m sorry, Jasper. You just startled me; that’s all.”
Gently he helped me to sit up before putting the tray in front of me: chicken noodle soup (Campbell’s) and a grilled cheese sandwich that was browned perfectly. My stomach growled in anticipation, loudly enough that Jasper heard it and laughed.
“I guess you’re really hungry.”
“I guess I am,” I agreed, picking up half of the sandwich and moaning in pleasure at the melted cheddar and jack cheeses on sourdough bread. “This is perfection. Who made it?”
“Not Rose,” he grinned. “Actually, this is my creation. I can’t cook much, but grilled cheese is my specialty.
“Thanks, Jasper.”
He nodded in reply. Instead of leaving, however, he grabbed my desk chair and brought it to my bedside as I dipped a corner of the sandwich into the soup, obviously enjoying my meal. I was so engrossed in eating (and trying to avoid dripping soup all over myself) that I had not noticed Jasper’s serious expression as he watched me eat.
“Bella,” he finally said as I slurped the last noodles just as I used to when a child. I looked up, surprised by the worry in his eyes.
“Bella,” he repeated, looking uncomfortable. “Who is Edward?”
I felt my eyes nearly bug out of my head. “W-what?” I asked, trying to buy time to think.
“You heard me,” he answered softly.
“Why do you ask?” My brain was racing through possible options. Do I tell Jasper the truth? Do I refuse to answer? Do I deny knowing Edward at all? Do I lie about who he really is?
“When I awoke you, you screamed the name ‘Edward.’”
“Oh.” Avoiding his penetrating gaze, my mind rushed through several possibilities as his question required an answer of some kind.
I just wasn’t sure what to tell him.
“You don’t seem surprised,” he observed quietly.
“Um, no.” I paused, thinking rapidly, then made my decision. “You know the ‘mystery guy’ who rescued me from Mike last night?”
He nodded.
“That’s Edward.” I forced a smile while readying myself for the Inquisition Number Two. But this line of questioning would be far more serious than Alice’s excited curiosity.
Jasper regarded me calmly, but I could practically see his thoughts trying to fit together as he responded, “I’ve never seen him before. When did you meet him?”
“Just after I moved in here.”
“Did you invite him to the party?”
“Not really, but he knew about it and that he was welcome to attend if he wanted to,” I hedged, trying to tell the truth yet not reveal anything about who and what Edward really was. “Obviously I was glad he came; his timing was perfect.”
Jasper laughed. “I’ll say.” Then he became more serious again. “I’m surprised that he hasn’t come by to check on you.”
I fidgeted uncomfortably. “I’m sure he’ll stop by when he can.”
His eyes narrowed. “Does anyone else know him?”
“Alice does,” I reluctantly admitted, worried that he would bombard her with questions about Edward. She hated keeping secrets from Jasper, and although she had tried to tell him about her feelings and premonitions over the summer, he hadn’t really believed her. “She knows that Edward is a good guy.”
I looked up and felt a rush of relief as Jasper’s expression cleared at my last admission. “Well, if Alice approves of this Edward guy, then I do, too. Alice has a sixth sense about people’s motivations, so if he passed muster with her, I’m good.”
I laughed softly, thrilled at not having to reveal who and what Edward really was.
“I know. She’s amazing,” I agreed.
“Yes, she is.” Jasper stood, returned my chair to its place, and took my tray downstairs, leaving my door ajar.
Then right before my eyes, the door slowly swung closed, latching almost silently.
Edward materialized, his hand on the door knob. “Is this okay?” he asked softly.
“Yes—definitely.” Then I frowned. “Is it safe for you to be here?”
He nodded, walking to my bed and sitting on the edge, reaching to take my hand in his cold one. “The two who know medicine….” He trailed off.
“Rosalie and Emmett.”
“Yes, they left a while ago. And the one who was just here….”
“Jasper.”
“He and Alice are in their room. I’m listening for them.”
“Okay,” I agreed happily, tightening my hand around his.
His green eyes were warm but his expression serious as he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling better. The pain meds still make me kind of sleepy, but they’re definitely helping.” I stretched tentatively, thrilled that the pain had almost completely subsided. “I need to go to class tomorrow though.”
Releasing my hand with a sudden movement, Edward’s brows rushed together into a frown as he leapt to his feet. “You cannot possibly!”
“SShhh!” I warned, indicating my door, reminding him that Jasper and Alice were just down the hall.
His eyes closed tightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, Edward began pacing back and forth alongside my bed.
I tried to reason with him. “Not only do I have classes and an exam tomorrow, but I also have a very important meeting with someone with whom I’m doing a project that we hope to publish. There is no way that I can miss school tomorrow, Edward.”
“Isabella, you shouldn’t—“ he started to say, but I heard a door slam against the wall down the hall. Edward faded away, but I noticed the rocking chair move slightly as if he were seating himself.
My door flew open, and a furious pixie stood on the threshold, trembling with strong emotion.
“Hi Alice,” I greeted her timidly.
“Don’t even!” she fumed, stomping into the room and looming over my bed. “You seem to forget that I get flashes of—and—YOU!!” she spluttered, practically incoherent. “Just—just—NO!—No way, Bella Swan!! You are most certainly NOT going to school tomorrow! And you especially are not meeting with that—that—slimebucket James!”
Before I could even form a word, she spun around. “Where’s Edward?” she hissed in a stage whisper. “He needs to talk some sense into you! Edward, are you here? Show yourself!”
Edward materialized in the rocking chair in response to her demand, his eyes alight with mischief. “Yes?”
Alice jumped as if electrocuted. “Oh my god! No way!” she gasped, one hand flying to her chest in shock.
“You asked him to appear,” I shrugged, exchanging an amused glance with Edward.
“Yeah, b-but….” Watching chatty Alice at a loss for words was hilarious; I managed to refrain from laughing at her only because I knew how much my ribs would hate me.
“I think we both need to persuade Isabella to remain at home and rest tomorrow,” Edward stated smoothly, immediately quelling my amusement.
“I gave you my reasons for needing to go to school—and all of them are important,” I protested grumpily, rubbing at my tired eyes. “And I’m sick of sleeping so much. I’m absolutely useless here. I just want to get back to normal.” I tried to ignore the whining note in my voice.
“But Bella, you were in the hospital less than twenty-four hours ago,” Alice argued. “You need to rest after the trauma you went through. And yes, you’ve slept all day…because your body needed it. And returning to ‘normal’ may take a little while. You need to be patient.”
“She’s quite correct, Isabella. You are experiencing nightmares, and you definitely need to rest from your injuries. Healing requires time…and rest. Sleep is the best thing for you right now.”
“What? Have you become a doctor, too?” I asked Edward acerbically.
He grinned. “Well, I was preparing for medical school when—“
“No way!” I interrupted. “Not another medical student!”
“They have you surrounded, Bella,” Alice observed, trying hard not to smile in triumph. “And speaking of which, according to Rose’s most recent text, your other two medical students will be pulling up in the driveway any minute.”
“And that’s my cue to leave…or at least disappear,” Edward stated smoothly. “And I would be quite surprised if your medical friends disagreed with my advice for continued rest.” I wanted to wipe the smug grin from his face even as his eyes twinkled at me.
“He’s right, you know,” Alice added unnecessarily.
“Ugh!” I slumped back into my pillows, feeling definitely disgruntled; their obvious amusement at my dramatics didn’t help my mood in the least.
As I heard the front door open and close below us, I watched Edward stroll to the corner of my room, fold his arms over his chest, and give me a wink as he faded from sight. I growled at him, realizing he meant to stay and watch the upcoming scene. Alice plopped onto the edge of my bed just as Rose walked in.
“How’s the patient?” she grinned.
“Extremely grumpy,” Alice answered for me before I had a chance to open my mouth.
“Alice doesn’t seem to think I’m able to attend classes tomorrow. But I have an exam and I also have to meet James to start our research project,” I tattled, glaring at Alice.
“See? Evidence of said grumpiness.” Alice indicated me with her hands posed as if she were showing off a prize.
Rose’s smile quickly morphed into a frown, one that probably matched my own. Rather than starting an argument, she yelled down the hall for Emmett.
He popped into my room, seeming too big to fit through the doorframe from my perspective in bed. “You making trouble already, princess?” he asked me, grinning as usual.
“Yes!” Rose and Alice answered, and I could have sworn that I heard Edward’s soft affirmative answer join theirs as I rolled my eyes.
“Let me guess…Miss Perfect Student wants to go to school tomorrow?” Em asked, winking at me.
Frowning at his light tone, I repeated my reasons for attending classes. “Hmmm,” he answered meditatively. “I can tell that the ladies here want you to stay home and rest.”
Rose and Alice nodded practically in unison; it was rather scary.
“So does Edward,” Alice chimed in.
Rose and Emmett both turned to her, shocked. “When did Bella’s knight in shining armor weigh in on the decision?” Emmett asked.
“He called just before you got home,” Alice covered her near-blunder smoothly before I could start thinking of possible ways to explain her knowing Edward’s opinion.
As long as Em doesn’t check my cell and see that I haven’t received any calls, I thought.
“Well, I think that makes the verdict unanimous,” Emmett stated. “Princess, you’re staying home tomorrow.”
“B-but—“ I began to splutter before Emmett interrupted me.
“We’ll re-evaluate tomorrow at this time. You’d better make some phone calls and e-mails there, princess!” he grinned.
In response, I grabbed one of my throw pillows and took aim, hitting him squarely in the stomach, ignoring the twinge from my battered rib cage.
“Ooof!” he gasped dramatically. “Impaled by a lacy pillow! Oh, the aaaa-gonyyyyy!!” Arms flailing, he fell back against the wall next to my doorframe, the whole house shaking with the impact.
“Come on, you goof. Leave Bella alone to contact her professors,” Rose stood from where she had seated herself at the end of my bed and offered to get my laptop out of my bag…which I gladly accepted.
I hadn’t noticed everyone leaving my room until I looked up to see Edward seated beside me.
“Lost in thought, pretty girl?” he asked, smiling gently.
“Don’t try flattery at this point, you traitor,” I grumbled, opening my laptop.
“What is that?” Edward pointed to the open laptop as I logged in. “I saw your friends with similar objects today.” He leaned forward, peering at the keyboard. “Oh, it’s rather like one of those new typing machines, isn’t it? But it’s different, too. No paper?”
“This, my early-twentieth-century friend, is known as a laptop computer, ‘laptop’ for short. Yes, it’s paperless, but we can put on paper what we have on this screen with a machine called a printer. I also can send electronic mail—‘e-mail’ for short—to my friends, and, in this case, my professors at the university.”
“Electronic?”
I thought for a moment, trying to define the term. “Kind of like telephone or telegraph but without wires.”
“Do I dare ask how it works?”
“Nope. I couldn’t tell you,” I grinned.
As we spoke, I logged into my university e-mail account, copied my professors’ and TAs’ e-mail addresses, and typed a quick letter explaining that I had been hospitalized and hoped to be back in classes on Wednesday. Before I sent the e-mail, I showed the screen to Edward, pointing out the various e-mail addresses and my message before I clicked “send.”
“There. My electronic mail has been sent.” I explained the instantaneous nature of e-mail to an astounded Edward. Just as I started to launch into a rather garbled explanation of the Internet, my phone rang.
Flipping open my ancient cell, I groaned when I saw the identity of the caller.
“What is it?” Edward asked, concerned. “Are you in pain again?”
Shaking my head, I took the call. “Hi, Dad.”
I heard my dad clear his voice. “Hey, Bells. How are you doing?”
Taking a deep breath, I dove in. “Not so well, Dad. You see….”
-0-0-0-0-0-
It took an exhausting forty-five minutes for me to explain the situation with Mike and Jessica, my move, and the incident at the party, all of which I had kept him in the dark regarding because I knew he’d worry too much. I also tried to minimize my injuries as I talked my dad out of his insistence of taking the red-eye to Chicago tonight. And then I filled him in about my new roommates—their majors, their relationships, etc.
At least my new situation met his approval, knowing that I was basically living with two med students and two strong guys in committed relationships. Not that his apparent enthusiasm would prevent him from running background checks on all four of them, however….
Alice pranced in at one point, wordlessly holding out her hand for my phone. I handed it over, and she started chatting with Charlie. Within two minutes she had him wrapped around her little finger. At last she handed me back the phone after inviting my dad to Thanksgiving dinner here in Chicago.
“Hi, Dad.”
“I think I like that Alice. She seems like a nice girl.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty wonderful,” I answered, winking at Alice who had seated herself at the end of my bed. Edward wasn’t in sight, but I could feel his presence in the room, and I was sure from Alice’s glance at the rocking chair that she was aware of him as well. “Will you come out to Thanksgiving, Dad? We’d love to have you. And you can see my new place. You’ll love it!” I went on to describe the lovely old home, partially because I really didn’t want to go home for Thanksgiving; it was too hard to be at home for the holidays without Mom. Plus, I didn’t want to leave Edward when we were still learning so much about one another. And I did want my dad to meet all my roomies.
“I’ll think about it, Bells, and I’ll let you know in a couple of days.”
“Okay, Dad. I need to take my meds and get to sleep.”
“You do that. And let me know if you need anything. I can be there on the redeye before morning, you know….”
“Yes, Dad, I know. Thanks anyway, but I’m fine here, surrounded and definitely outnumbered by medical students.” I grinned toward the rocker, silently acknowledging the third med student in the house.
“If you’re sure….”
“Dad, I’m fine. Or I will be in a couple of days. They wouldn’t let me even think about going to class to—“
“Isabella Marie! You weren’t seriously planning to attend school tomorrow?”
“Well, yeah. But I got rapidly outvoted. It was unanimous.”
“Good. Take the whole week off, Bells. Your health is more important than your grades.”
I rolled my eyes. “How about I promise that I won’t go back until I have the medical students’ complete approval? Will that do?”
His voice was gruffer than usual. “It will have to, I suppose. I would prefer an actual doctor’s approval though.”
“Do you want it in writing? I can fax it to you….”
“Funny, Isabella.” Okay—if he was full-first naming me, he wasn’t amused.
“Take care of yourself, Dad. Eat salads and green stuff for me—promise?”
“Fine. And you stay put until those med students—and preferably an actual doctor, too—give you the okay to return to school.”
I sighed. “Promise. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, kid. Sleep well.”
“With these meds I don’t have a choice.”
He huffed into the phone. “Goodnight, Bells.”
“Goodnight, Dad.” I pressed the “off” button and folded my phone, placing it back on my table.
“Telephones certainly have changed in the last century as well,” Edward observed from the rocker without bothering to materialize.
“As well as what?” Alice asked, turning to face the apparently empty chair. “And that cell phone is ancient. I’ll show you my iPhone sometime, Edward, so that you can see a real phone.”
I ignored Edward’s soft laughter as I replied to Alice’s question. “I introduced Edward to my laptop and the concept of e-mail.”
“Your technology is fascinating,” Edward commented.
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” I grinned in his direction.
“I saw Rose warming some milk for you to take with your pills,” Alice reported. “I think she may actually have managed not to scorch it. So goodnight, Bella.” She gave me a gentle hug then waved at the rocker. “Goodnight, Edward.”
“Goodnight,” came Edward’s disembodied voice from the corner.
Just as Alice opened my bedroom door, Rose entered and, after checking my various injuries and bandages, she gave me a dose of pain meds, staying until I drained the warm milk which was apparently to help me sleep.
“Sleep all night if you can. If you wake up and need more meds or something, just call my cell, and one of us will come down and give you another dose.”
“I hate to bother you—” I started, but Rose swiftly interrupted.
“It’s no bother. If you sleep well, you’ll heal faster and be back in class sooner. Okay?”
I nodded reluctantly.
“Good girl. Sleep well.”
“You, too,” I answered, stifling a yawn.
Rose chuckled. “Yeah, you’ll be out before I open my bedroom door.”
“Probably,” I agreed faintly as she closed my door behind her.
“I should also let you sleep,” Edward’s gentle voice was drawing closer as he apparently moved toward me.
“Come lie down with me for a minute?”
He paused for a long moment; perhaps I had shocked his Victorian values with my suggestion. But his deep voice replied, “Very well.” As I felt him settle next to me on top of the quilt, he pulled me into his side as I rested my head against his cold chest.
Then his soft voice spoke again. “It was interesting hearing you talk to your father tonight. Sometimes you seemed more like the parent than he did although I appreciate his desire to protect you.”
I smiled into his chest. “My parents both needed some parenting from me. Theirs is an interesting story, actually. Quite unconventional, even for my time period.”
“Will you tell me about them, if you’re not too tired.”
“Sure.” I agreed, snuggling into his coldness as if it were the most normal thing I had ever done.
“My mother was a free spirit, a well-known artist in the Pacific Northwest while my dad was the gruff, logical police chief of our small town.
“When I was about two years old, Renee started to get restless, saying that small town life in Forks, Washington, was sucking the creative juices out of her. She ended up leaving with me, deciding to stay with her mother in San Diego. After giving my mom a chance to cool down, Charlie drove down to Southern California to come after us to talk—really talk—to Renee.
“The bottom line was that my parents loved each other, and both were willing to make concessions to keep our family together. The result of their long talk was that my mother and I went home with Charlie, making a road trip out of the long trek back to Washington. I love thumbing through the photo albums of that trip, seeing them so young and happy together, one of them usually holding me, all big eyes and wild curls.”
Edward laughed lightly at this last image, and I continued.
“They were so young—Renee was barely nineteen when she had me, and Charlie was only a year older. When we arrived back in Forks, my dad set to work immediately to convert the garage into an art studio for my mother although we didn’t have much money. Charlie even built her easel himself so that Renee could take drawing and painting courses at the community college.
“Their separation could have signaled the end of our family, but instead my parents worked hard to make each other happy and loved every minute of their eighteen years together.”
“Why do you call your parents by their Christian names?” Edward asked softly, his hand playing gently with my hair.
“My mother was an unconventional artist, and she insisted that I call them by their first names rather than by the ‘ancient names of repression.’”
I felt rather than saw Edward scowl. “Repression?”
“Long story. And a history lesson on feminism.”
“Very well,” he agreed. “Continue?”
“When Renee became ill, something died in Charlie’s eyes. He helped her fight her disease, but our life was consumed by cancer, chemo, radiation, more chemo, then alternative therapies—anything that offered the slimmest hope—but nothing worked more than temporarily. The day that Renee died, Charlie died, too, in a way. There has been no life in his eyes since—no joy, no happiness. Even for me, he could barely summon a smile.
“And that first year, he drank. A lot. He was careful not to do it on the job, but at home he would pour glass after glass of bourbon until he slept solidly for the remainder of the night. Finally about a year after Renee’s death, Charlie finally seemed to understand how much his drinking was affecting me, and together we threw out every bottle of alcohol. Charlie made me a promise that night.
“And,” I finished softly, “as far as I know, he has never broken that promise to me.”
Edward hugged me closer, and I felt his icy lips on my forehead. “I’m so sorry, Isabella.”
“I am, too,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. “I miss Renee so much, Edward. So much. She was such an amazing, vibrant person. Every morning she would go out on the back steps and greet the day just arriving, no matter the weather…which was usually dismal and rainy. The weather didn’t matter; she would raise her face to the sun, whether it was behind clouds or not, and welcome the new day with such joy.”
“She seems like an incredible woman,” he said quietly.
“She was.” I turned to him. “What was your mother like?”
I heard and felt him sigh. “I don’t remember much, I’m afraid. Mostly brief images—I can’t place most of them, unfortunately. I remember her smile…her assistance in helping me with my tie…her teaching me to play the piano….”
My head jerked off his chest as I looked into his face. “Yours, too? My mom also taught me to play. Her favorite was ragtime.” I settled back against him happily as he laughed quietly, jiggling my head on his chest.
“I was the one who played ragtime; my mother preferred Mozart and Bach.” I could hear the smile in his voice as I yawned widely.
“Will you hum something for me?” I asked, the milk and meds finally doing their job. I wasn’t sure what he started humming, but it was lovely and it brought me peaceful dreams and a very good night’s sleep.
Once again, it’s been too long between chapters. With my own chronic illnesses and pain, my 19 year-old son in a wheelchair as well, and my father-in-law (who lives an hour away and has Parkinson’s) needing round-the-clock care that is usually provided by my husband, not to mention my teaching schedule, life has been super busy; I’m rarely in bed before 2:00 AM.
But I’m trying to draft as much of this story as I can during my spring break (the week before and the week after Easter) for Camp NaNoWriMo with the goal of 30,000 words written by April 30. We’ll see how much I can get done.
Thank you so much for reading and for leaving such lovely comments; although I don’t often have the time to respond, I read and save every one of them in a special file. Thank you!!! :D
Love to you all,
Cassandra :)
xxxooo