This is different from the norm. In all of the stories that I've read or that I've seen, all of the characters are disgustingly perfect unless they are written with very clear flaws. This story is about love (um, duh! Look who's writing it. I'm the queen of romance), and finding it in the least likely place with the least likely person.
Now, this story is based in a hospital. My medical training comes from...WebMD. I'm not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. I'm a music teacher who has a wild imagination and a penchant for all things Twilight (and with this story, added in a mix of ER! I loved Luca Kovac...) Which brings me to my disclaimer: None of this is mine. I'm not, nor ever will be, Stephenie Meyer. If was, I'd be rolling in the dough from her insane imagination that gave us Bella and Edward. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Fourteen
EPOV
Bella came back to sit next to me after she went to talk to Jasper. She was shivering slightly and I could tell that her heart was stammering against her chest. I kissed her forehead while I glared at my idiot brother. His eyes were wide with shock. Alice also was glaring at him.
"Jasper, outside. Now," she spat. Jasper followed Alice like a lost puppy dog. He had apparently pissed off Alice one last time. Why he couldn't see all of the goodness in Bella was beyond me. My brother had always been slightly vain but this was ridiculous.
"They might take awhile," Rose said. "Why don't the four of us have a game? The losers buy dinner?"
"Deal," Bella said, smiling at my sister. She hopped up and quickly changed the names on the screen. We bowled through our entire game, with Emmett and Rose kicking our asses, when Alice came back into the bowling alley with tears streaming down her face. "Alice?"
Her face screwed up into a tighter grimace and she flung herself at Bella, sobbing hysterically. Okay, first Bella. Now Alice? My brother is so getting an ass-kicking.
"Alice, what's wrong?" Bella asked, rubbing her shoulders.
"We got into a huge fight in the parking lot. I told him that I couldn't handle his close-mindedness," she sniffled against Bella's shoulder. "I asked him why he was so standoffish with you and he said because you were a fat ass and not good enough for Edward. So, I slapped him and ended it. I thought he was different. I thought he was the one but he's not."
"Oh, Ali," Bella frowned, shooting me a look.
"You deserve someone so much better than my other brother, Alice," Rose said sternly. She also shot me a look. Her eyes were narrowed. Are you going to kick his ass or am I? She seemed to say. I smirked. I pointed to my shoulder and nodded. Rose's face softened and she wrapped her arms around both Bella and Alice.
"How about this," Bella suggested. "We pay our bill and we'll have a girl's night at your apartment, Alice. We'll watch some cheesy 80s movies, gorge ourselves on ice cream and plan your revenge on Jasper."
"Kay," she said, nuzzling against Bella's shoulder. "Can I get a ride?"
"Sure, sweetie. Edward will drive you," Rose answered. Emmett and I divided up the bill between the two of us. The girls collected the shoes and we headed out to my Volvo. Rose was talking quietly with Emmett and it appeared that he was going to follow me to Alice's apartment. Bella asked me after she put Alice in the backseat if I could bring her scrubs and such to the hospital tomorrow. I nodded and kissed her forehead, so proud of her.
Alice gave me watery directions to her apartment. It was pretty close to Bella and Angela's place. Once there, Rose and Bella grabbed Alice and they dragged her inside, trying to get her to smile. Emmett was leaning against my door frame. His normally friendly face in a grimace, ready to kick some ass. "Edward, I like you. But your brother, he's a fucktard."
"Yes, he is. Normally, he's pretty ditzy but never mean. I don't know what his deal is," I said, looking up at my friend.
"Can we kick his butt?" Emmett asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Um, yeah. He made my girl and her best friend cry. My brother is going down," I snorted. "You want to ride with me or follow?"
"Follow. I've got an early shift at the gym tomorrow," Emmett replied. I nodded and gave him directions to Jasper's apartment, in case we got lost. After a fifteen minute drive, Emmett and I were parked on the street. Jasper had given me his key and we used it to gain entry into his building. Emmett looked fucking scary as he rolled his head, readying himself for a fight. "Are going to go in there with fists flying or are we going to yell?"
"Yell, then fists," I answered as I put my glasses into my pocket. It was a tense elevator ride up to Jasper's floor. Once there, I found his apartment easily and let myself in. God, my brother is such a fucking bachelor. This is disgusting. His one bedroom, studio apartment looked like a fucking dorm room.
"God, he's a slob," Emmett hissed.
"Yeah, he is," I shuddered. "I don't even want to know what he has growing in the fridge."
"It smells like a moldy sweat sock in here," Emmett grumbled. "Let's find him, kick his ass and then go home to shower." I arched a brow at my friend. "Not together, moron."
"I know that," I chuckled. It wasn't until we both shut up that we heard quiet sniffling in the bedroom. "Good, he's crying. He knows he fucked up."
"Does that mean we don't get to pummel his ass?"
"We'll see, Emmett," I replied. I walked to his bedroom door and shoved it open. Jasper was on his bed, his head buried on his pillow. "You know you brought this on yourself, asshole."
"Go away, Edward," he said sadly. "I know I fucked up. I get it."
"Apparently you don't," Emmett growled. Jasper's head shot up at Emmett's voice. "First you fuck with Bella, who is the nicest girl on the planet. Then, you hurt Alice? You are really dumb, man."
"Jasper, I just don't get it. Why do you feel it necessary to belittle my girlfriend? She's been dealt a shit hand of cards and you are just adding to it," I seethed. My voice was calm but my temper was slowly bubbling to the surface.
"What do you see in her, Edward? A girl you can control? A girl you can fix?" Jasper snapped, hopping up from the bed. He got in my face and glared at me. I reared back my hand and punched him squarely in the jaw. His head whipped back and he stumbled, his eyes wide with shock. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Jasper, listen carefully," I snarled. "Your attitude is fucked up. It ruined your relationship with Alice. I will not allow your prejudice for MY GIRL ruin my relationship with her. Bella is smart, beautiful, funny and loving. She's everything I will ever want in a woman. If you can't respect that, then, you may have lost a brother."
"And a sister, too," Emmett chimed in. "Rose is disgusted with your behavior."
"Thanks, Emmett," I said. "You never used to be this closed minded, Jasper. Now, you have to deal with the consequences of your actions." I turned on my heel and left his bedroom. "With the attitude you have, you're going to live a very lonely life. I hope you're happy."
"Edward?" Jasper whimpered.
"Unless you are going to apologize and mean it, I'll listen. If not, I'm going and I will not talk to you until you've finally grown up. I'm not going to choose between my brother and my girlfriend. I'm going to choose her since she's the epitome of goodness of the world."
"What about my graduation from school?"
"Give my ticket to a bum on the street." I left Jasper's apartment. Emmett must have gotten a cheap shot on him as I heard Jasper groan loudly. Emmett and I nodded before we went our separate ways to our cars.
xx APFL xx
The next morning, I met up with Bella in the locker room. She looked tired. Alice was very upset and spent most of the night crying over the end of her relationship with Jasper. I told her briefly that Emmett and I chatted with Jasper after we separated. Bella arched a brow. I just kissed her sweetly as I handed her scrubs. I had only a few minutes to spare before my meeting with Dr. Volturi and the other department heads. We were getting a new trauma surgeon. Someone that I know will upset Bella.
Dr. Jacob Black is joining the staff at County.
When I got the email, I wanted to scream. The man who had taken my girl's innocence without a second thought was joining the team and he was going to be working in the ER. When he wasn't performing trauma surgeries, he would be one of the ER attendings. It was a major step-down from his previous position at Northwestern Memorial. However, there was an issue with a patient's wife and a lawsuit. Jacob was given a choice of losing his license or being transferred to a different hospital with a major paycut/demotion. Luckily for us, he chose the latter. As a part of his demotion, Jacob was on two year's probation before he could apply for a tenure track position. He'd be under the constant scrutiny of me and Dr. Sanchez, along with my father as well.
After I gave Bella her scrubs, I swung by my office and grabbed a pad of paper. I jogged up the stairs to the large conference room where our meeting would be taking place with Dr. Volturi, my dad and me. We also had the head of the legal department invited as well since Jacob was coming to us with some legal stipulations. In the conference room, Dr. Volturi asked me to sit to his right. My dad was seated at his left. The only people missing were Dr. Black and Frank, our guy from legal.
Ten minutes past and Frank showed up. Still no Jacob Black.
Twenty minutes.
Thirty.
Forty-five minutes later, Jacob came into the room, wearing a smug grin and a $3000 suit.
"You're late, Dr. Black," Dr. Volturi said with a snarl. "This is not boding well for your performance."
"I apologize, Dr. Volturi. I was stuck in traffic," he said. He sounded like a snake oil salesman. There was something I didn't trust about him and it wasn't because of what he did to my girl. He was just not a nice guy.
"Here's a suggestion. Leave your home earlier, Dr. Black," Dr. Volturi snapped. "Now, we know what happened at your previous employer. You should have taken the first option, sir. Your probation here at County will not be a cakewalk, I assure you. Your tardiness doesn't bode well for you either. Now, let me introduce you to two of the doctors who will be evaluating you. There is a third, but he's away at a conference and couldn't make this meeting. To my left is our head of surgery, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He will be appraising your surgical techniques, rapport with the patients and interactions with the surgical staff. To my right is the associate head of emergency medicine, Dr. Edward Cullen. You will have to see him prior to dispensing any drugs to your patients..."
"What? How am I supposed to care for my patients if I can't give out prescribed medications?" Jacob growled.
"Because you nearly caused the wife of your patient to die from giving her medication that gave her an extreme allergic reaction," Dr. Volturi said sternly. "Your judgment was obviously clouded since you gave it to her after you had sex with her. Now, if you can't abide by these rules, you can turn around and leave."
"Fine," Dr. Black grumbled.
"Back to your responsibilities in the ER. Dr. Cullen and the other head of emergency medicine, Dr. Eleazar Sanchez, will monitor your technique in the ER. You will need to find Dr. Cullen or Dr. Sanchez to distribute controlled substance medications. Ibuprofen and standard meds, they're okay but vicodin or medications of the like, you'll need to get one of the department heads. In addition to that, you will be evaluated on your rapport with the staff and patients. After six months, if there are no infractions on your record, the stipulation on the drugs will be lifted. Any questions?"
"Does the drug stipulation occur while I'm running a code or in the surgical bay?" Jacob asked.
"If you're running a code in the ER, you will have another attending with you," Dr. Volturi explained. "In surgery, your medication prescriptions will be closely monitored by Dr. Cullen."
"So, I'm being babysat?"
"Yes, Dr. Black. You chose this option and we will not make it easy for you. You fucked up and now you have to pay for that mistake. Do I make myself clear?" Dr. Volturi snarled.
"Crystal, Dr. Volturi," Jacob said sullenly.
"Good. Now, you have paperwork to fill out, a drug test to take and a few reminder courses on ethics to take prior to your leaving today, Dr. Black. You will start tomorrow in the ER at seven in the morning. Do not be late. Each minute you're late is fifty dollars out of your paycheck. Dr. Cullen will be keeping track." Dr. Volturi stood up and left the room.
"You better pray to God, Dr. Black," my father said coldly. "This will not be easy. You've betrayed the trust of your former employer and now you've got some major ground to rebuild. Trust me when I say that you will not be seeing the inside of a surgical bay for a long time. It's a privilege. I'd rather have my son who's getting his doctorate in history come into surgery than you. You'll be lancing boils, washing bums and doing grunt work in my other son's ER." Jacob's head snapped up. "That's right. Edward is my son and will be watching you closely." Maniacally, my dad smiled and stood up. "Have a good day, Dr. Black."
I stood up as well, staring at the man who hurt my Bella. "Human resources is the next floor up. Good luck filling out your paperwork and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, Dr. Black," I said, my voice devoid of all emotion.
"Am I going to be doing what your dad said?" he asked, grabbing my arm.
"Dr. Black, the nurses will love you. You will be on bed pan duty. In fact, the nurses will have more power over you. You may be an 'attending' but you're starting from scratch. You will have to ask for everything. INCLUDING ibuprofen. Every order will need to be checked over by me or Dr. Sanchez. If we're unavailable, then you will find another attending, such as Dr. Denali. The hoops you have to jump through will be similar to when you were an intern. If not more stringent. I'll see you tomorrow, sir." I stood up and left the room, shutting the door on a cursing Dr. Jacob Black.
I spent the morning in my office, addressing some ordering issues and working on the schedule for the next two months. Shortly before my time on the floor was supposed to begin, I texted Bella to meet me in my office. She knocked on the door and slipped inside. "Hey, Dr. Tattward."
"Stop it," I chuckled. "Come sit with me on the couch, sweet girl."
"What's up?" she asked as she sat down next to me. "How was your meeting?"
"Um, interesting, Bella," I sighed. "We're getting a new trauma surgeon who is going to be working in the ER."
"Okay," she said, arching a brow. "And this is a bad thing because?"
I breathed heavily and stared at her. Bella's eyes were questioning and her lip was getting abused by her teeth. I reached up and released it, swiping my thumb over it. "The new doctor is someone you know."
"Who?"
Please don't freak out. "Jacob Black," I whispered, staring at her. Her brown eyes widened and she pulled away. She hopped up from the couch and began pacing. "Bella?"
"Give me a minute," she said. Her movements were jerky and nervous. After ten minutes of her pacing, she sat back down and looked at me. "I'm fine. When does he start?"
"Tomorrow," I answered.
"Is this what you read on your email last night?" she asked.
"Yeah. Originally, I wasn't supposed to be at the meeting. Eleazar was supposed to be. However, he's out and I was asked to step in at the last minute," I replied. "Are you mad at me?"
"No. I knew something was up and that you'd tell me when you were ready," she answered, snuggling to my side. "I'm freaking out that Jacob is going to be working here. But, I'll be fine."
"If he gives you any shit, you need to tell me, Bella. He's here because he fucked up at his last hospital and well, you've got more power than him," I chuckled. "He's going to be the ER bitch for awhile."
"Nice. I get to put him in his place?" Bella laughed.
"Sure, sweet girl," I smiled, kissing her neck. "Just don't abuse the new harassment policy."
"I promise," she replied, giving me a sweet giggle.
xx APFL xx
The next morning, I was at the hospital bright and early. It sucked since I worked from twelve to nine in the ER. I was at the hospital for over twelve hours yesterday and the last thing I wanted to do was be here early. But, I had to be there for the start of Jacob's shift. Bella would be in later this morning. I watched the clock like a hawk. It was getting dangerously close to seven and no Jacob.
Alice walked through the doors and she looked a little worse for wear. Her normally bright violet eyes were dim and her cheeks were sunken in. "Alice," I frowned.
"I'm okay, Edward," she said.
"Sure you are. And I'm a girl," I teased, opening my arms to her. She fell into them and sniffled quietly against my chest. "It's his loss, Ali."
"I know. But, I can't be with a person who doesn't love and respect my friends," she replied, wiping her cheeks of her tears. "I still can't believe you're related. You're so nice and sweet and Jasper, I don't know what happened to him. He started off all loving and such but once you and Bella got more 'hot and heavy,' he turned into a douche."
"I don't know what happened to him either, Alice. Until he grows up, he's getting the silent treatment from me and from Rose. I've already told my parents that I wouldn't be in attendance at this graduation. They weren't happy but when I explained why, they understood. We were not raised to act like that." As I was speaking, Jacob snuck in, hiding behind his briefcase. "That's three hundred bucks, Black. You're late."
"Fuck!" he hissed. He dropped his briefcase and glared at me. "It's only six minutes, Edward!"
"Dr. Cullen," I said as stood taller. Alice laughed and darted toward the locker room. "It's Dr. Cullen. Dr. Volturi told you that if you were late, it would be fifty bucks for each minute."
"Fine," he grumbled. "Where do I stow this?"
"Locker room, Dr. Black," I replied.
"I don't get an office?"
"Please. You're a grunt right now," I snorted. "Locker number forty-two is available. Be careful, though. The lock sticks." Jacob stomped away and slammed the door open to the locker room. I snickered and began gathering cases that Jacob would take. Betsy, the talon lady, was back and she needed a shower. We also had some elderly patients that needed some grooming issues addressed: cutting of toenails, removal of warts, cleansing of bedsores, and yeast infections that needed to be addressed. Nothing is as gross as looking at yeast-ridden ninety-year old snatch.
Ten minutes later, Jacob came out to the circulation desk. He had a scowl on his face. "Okay, sunshine," I quipped. "Here are your cases for today." I handed him a stack of charts, ten deep. "Most of them shouldn't require medication. Just some tender loving care. If you do need meds, come find me and I'll sign off on it."
"Really?" Jacob snarled as he flipped through the stack of charts. "This is bullshit."
"No. It's humbling," I said. "Oh, and be careful around this one. She pinches." I turned on my heel and picked up a chart from the desk. It was a young woman who suspected she was pregnant. I quickly read through the history and saw that she hadn't had a period in a couple of months. She was also experiencing some swelling in her lower belly. On my way to the patient, I swiped Lauren, the nurse assigned to her and we entered the examination room. "Miss Decatur?"
"Yes?" she asked. She was young, barely twenty-five. Her hair was long and blonde with inquisitive hazel eyes.
"Hello. My name is Dr. Cullen," I said as I held out my hand. "You already know Nurse Mallory. Anyhow, it says here that you think that you might be pregnant."
"Yeah," she blushed. "I mean, I'm not sure."
"Have you had unprotected sex recently?" I asked.
"Once. I got drunk at a party and ended up in bed with my ex-boyfriend," she shuddered. "But it was nearly six months ago. My symptoms started a couple of weeks ago."
"Lauren, can you run a pregnancy test?" I asked.
"Sure," she replied. "Blood test?"
I nodded. Lauren left the room and I began my examination. I chatted with her and learned that she was a teacher in the Chicago Public School district. However, she was looking to move out to the suburbs to be closer to her family. Her dad was suffering from dementia and was fading rapidly. Lauren returned a few minutes later and she drew the blood for the pregnancy test. I signed off on the order and asked some more probing questions. The more she talked, the more it didn't sound like a pregnancy. She wasn't displaying symptoms of morning sickness. She just felt full. I felt around her belly and what I felt was not what a pregnancy should feel like.
"Dr. Cullen, I have the test results," Lauren said.
"Excuse me, Miss Decatur," I said with a warm smile.
"Please, call me Stephanie," she replied.
I nodded and left the examination room. Lauren and I went into an adjacent examination room that was empty. "What's the result?"
"Not pregnant," Lauren explained. "Her blood doesn't have the pregnancy hormone in it."
"Do we have enough blood to check to see if she has ovarian cancer?" I asked. Lauren nodded. "Run it. Also, get an ultrasound machine. I'm feeling something in her abdomen. I'm guessing it's a tumor. I want to see how big it is." Lauren left and I asked Stephanie to remove her clothing after I gave her a gown. She asked about the test results and I said they were inconclusive. We were running further tests. It would take a few hours to run the tests for the cancer antigen, so I had her sit tight, covering her with a warm blanket.
Before I grabbed a new chart, I checked on Jacob. He was currently in curtain area one trimming some fungus-infected toes of an older man. The man was bitching about Jacob's technique, saying that he would get an in-grown toenail with the way he was cutting.
Bella arrived around nine and she was chatting with Alice at the circulation desk. I snuck up behind her, bumping her with my hip. She stumbled and glowered at me playfully. "Not nice, Cullen."
"Sorry," I said, giving her a crooked grin. "So, how was it being at home?"
"Lonely," she replied, jutting out her lip. "Angela had to work an overnight. I should have just stayed with you." I tweaked her lip and hugged her to my side.
"You know my offer stands for you to stay with me permanently," I replied. She wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth. "I know...too soon."
"Bingo," she responded.
"Is James gone?"
"Yeah. His apartment is empty and I could hear the management scouring it from stem to stern. I don't even want to know what was growing in there," Bella shuddered. "So, how's our new doc doing?"
"Oh, he's pissed," Alice giggled. "He thinks that Edward is the devil incarnate. He calls him 'Lucifer.'"
"He's a prick who needs to be shot down a few pegs," I said, quirking a brow. "And I'll live up to my nickname. If think this is bad. Wait until I have catalogue and alphabetize all of the old charts that have yet to be entered into the computer."
"Edward, that's what the clerk's for," Bella snorted.
"The Dog doesn't need to know that," I replied, grinning deviously. "That'll be tomorrow if there are no grunt cases."
"Dr. Cullen, I have the results for Miss Decatur," Lauren said.
"Excuse me, ladies," I said. I followed Lauren and she handed me the paperwork. Damn it. "Do you have the ultrasound machine?"
"It's right outside of her room," Lauren said with a sad smile. "I've also taken the liberty to call oncology and the OB floor. They have consults on the way down."
"Thanks, Lauren," I replied. "Did she come here on her own?"
"She wasn't with anyone," Lauren answered. "But, her family is dealing with her dad."
"Right. Get a social worker down here," I suggested. Lauren made the call and fifteen minutes later, a social worker was on standby. With a heavy heart, we walked into Lauren's room. She was playing on her cell phone when we walked in. "Stephanie, we have the test results."
"Seeing as you aren't smiling, it's pretty safe to assume that I'm not pregnant," Stephanie said quietly.
"No. You're not," I sighed, taking her hand in mine. "Stephanie, we ran further tests when your pregnancy test came back with inconclusive results."
"If I'm not pregnant, then why haven't I had a period in three months and what's this bump?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.
"The bump is most like a tumor. I have an ultrasound machine to verify my findings. And the reason why you haven't had a period in three months is probably due to that tumor," I replied. "Stephanie, I wish I had better news but it appears that you have ovarian cancer."
"What?" she cried, fat tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm only twenty-five."
"I'm so sorry," I said as my heart broke for this young woman. "The woman with me, Dr. Sullivan, is one of the oncologists here at the hospital and she can answer your questions. But first we need to do the ultrasound." Stephanie sniffled and nodded. Dr. Sullivan and I readied the ultrasound machine and Lauren lowered the blinds. Ten minutes later, Dr. Sullivan catalogued a tumor on Stephanie's left ovary that was roughly the size of a three month old fetus. Stephanie was admitted to the hospital to have the tumor removed and biopsied. I handed her my card before I left and assured her that if she wanted to talk or ask questions, that she could contact me. Stephanie woodenly nodded and gave me a thankful smile for my kindness.
The orderlies rolled Stephanie out of the ER and upstairs to the surgical floor. Desperately, I wanted my girl. I turned on my heel and went in search for her. I found her working with Dr. Denali with a child. She was patient and smiling with the scared little girl who was getting a spinal tap. I was watching her lovingly when I felt a presence behind me.
"You know her?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah," I answered, quickly putting my guard up. "We work in the same ER, Black. Of course I know her. Do you?"
"In college," he smirked. "I was bet a thousand bucks that I could get her into bed. Let's just say I won that bet easily."
My hands fisted up and I turned to him. "So, she was just a bet to you? You had no feelings for her?"
"Nah. A little too much padding for my taste," he snickered. "Apparently, she's gotten some more padding, too. Fuck, I pity her husband or boyfriend. That's some heavy lifting."
"Careful, Black. We have a strict harassment policy and you're bordering on the edge," I seethed. "You don't want a letter in your file on the first day, do you?"
"No, I don't but damn. Who would want her?" Jacob snickered.
"Me," I snapped. I turned on my heel and walked to my office. I sent Bella a text, asking her to come to my office when she was done with her spinal tap.
While I waited for Bella, I pulled up the personnel file for Jacob Black on my computer. He had graduated top of his class at University of Chicago and was offered positions all over the country but decided to stay local since his father was ill with diabetes. He rose through the ranks at Northwestern Memorial becoming the youngest cardiothoracic surgeon on staff. He revolutionized several new techniques and was published in several medical journals. In his file, there was also a detailed description of what happened at Northwestern and the reason for his termination. In addition to being a fantastic surgeon, he was a class-A prick. The issue with the wife of his patient was the straw that broke the camel's back. He'd been too loose with patients, their families and his zipper.
He had nearly four write-ups in his file for lewd and lascivious behavior while on the clock with patients and/or staff members. Now, while it's my dream to have Bella on every single surface in this ER, it's another to actually do it. It's unprofessional to act so inappropriately on the job. Off the job, well that's another thing. I mean, remember Bella and the couch when she said she loved you?
"Knock, knock," came Bella's sweet voice. She poked her head in my office. "You wanted to see me?"
I nodded and got up, walking to the couch. Before I sat down, I pulled Bella into my arms and crushed her to my chest. "I love you, sweet girl," I murmured against her hair.
"I love you, too, Edward," she said, wrapping her arms around my chest. "What's wrong? You're awfully clingy. Not that I care. I love your cuddles and your hugs, but you seem on edge."
"Rough morning with The Dog, then a sad case and finally more drama with The Dog," I replied, inhaling her hair. Her sweet vanilla, lavender and strawberry scent calmed me instantly. And made me hard.
"The Dog is Jacob, right?" Bella asked as she dragged me to my couch, sitting us on it. She was curled up, staring at me but she was too far away. I dragged her closer and moved her to my lap. "Jesus, Edward. You are so clingy."
"I need to feel you," I said, frowning slightly. "And yes, The Dog is Jacob."
"Okay, save the gossip on the pooch for later. Tell me about the case," she said, playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. I told her about Stephanie and her pregnancy scare that ended up being ovarian cancer. Bella, being as empathetic as she is, started to tear up for the poor girl and she gasped at the size of the tumor in her abdomen. "What's her prognosis?"
"I don't know. She's going upstairs to get the tumor excised and biopsied," I said sadly. "However, more than likely, she'll have to have a hysterectomy and she will have to go through rounds of chemo and radiation."
"Poor thing," Bella sniffled. "Too young to lose her womanhood."
"I know," I sighed. "I bet when she woke up this morning, she was thinking she was going to be a mom and now, she's never going to have that opportunity, biologically, that is."
"Do you want children, Edward?" Bella asked, her eyes staring into mine.
"When I got married to Tanya, I was hoping to have three by now," I chuckled. "Obviously, that didn't happen. But, yes, I'd love to have kids. You?"
"Me, too," she answered, tucking her head under my chin. "How many?"
"As many as God deems us to have," I answered, holding her to my chest.
"You want to have kids with me?" she asked, totally shocked at the prospect.
"I want it all with you, Bella," I said, cupping her chin and staring into her deep brown eyes. "What I felt with my ex-wife is NOTHING compared to what I feel with you. Yes, we had a rough patch, but with the help of Michele and our couple's counselor, we've gotten stronger as a couple and as individuals. However, you've grown the most, Bella. If I had told you that Jacob was coming to County a few months ago..."
"I would have shut down," she sighed. "Now, I have the strength to face him."
"Bella, I want to tell you something that Jacob muttered to me while you were working with Dr. Denali with the spinal tap kid," I said, my cheeks flushing a furious red. "I don't want to hold anything back and I want you to be aware that Jacob recognized you."
"I gathered as much," she said, kissing my cheek. "What else?"
"Please don't be mad at me," I whispered. "I'm just repeating what he said but you should know the truth."
"Tell me, Edward. Rip it off. Like a band-aid," she said, her face grim.
"Back in college, your experience was just a bet," I murmured. "A friend bet him a thousand bucks to get you into bed and obviously, Jacob got it." Bella stared at me and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, sweet girl."
"No, I'm fine. I knew it was too good to be true with him. I mean, really," she scoffed. "While I'm hurt at what he did to me, it was ten years ago. I've moved on and let's just say that I've traded up."
"Damn right, you did," I snorted. "Bella, I would never, EVER hurt you like Jacob did. It took all of my restraint to not pummel him for what he did ten years ago."
"I'm glad you didn't hurt him," Bella said, kissing my lips. "I don't want to bail you out of jail. Did he say anything else?"
"He said he pitied the man that you were with," I growled. "Asking who would want you and I said that I would. Bella, I love you so much and that will never change. I promise you that."
"I know," she said, giving me a deep kiss. "Edward, you've been nothing but wonderful to me and I know that you would never intentionally hurt me. I love you so much and I'm so lucky to have you."
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" I quipped, looking around her, picking up her hair and searching for my meek girl. She rolled her eyes and smacked my chest. "I'm kidding. I've loved the changes you've made and what's more important is that you made them for yourself."
"With a little impetus from you," Bella smirked. "But for the most part, I've been making these changes for myself." She leaned in and brushed her lips against mine. It started off soft but grew in intensity and feeling. "I love you, Edward." Her mouth moved down my jaw and she gently suckled my ear. "So much."
"Forever," I whispered, holding her tightly.
However, her pocket was ringing. "Crap," she hissed, picking up the phone. "I don't recognize the number."
"Do you want me to answer it?" I asked. She nodded and handed me the phone. "Hello?"
"I'm sorry...I was looking for an Isabella Swan?" came a male voice.
"Who is this?" I asked.
"Assistant State's Attorney Roger Phelps," he replied. "We have some news about her father."
"Hold on," I said. "It's an attorney, Roger Phelps. He's got news about Charlie."
"Put him on speaker," Bella said. I pressed the speaker button. "Yes, Mr. Phelps?"
"Ms. Swan? I'm calling to inform you that your father was released on bail earlier this morning," he said. "You do have a restraining order against him and that's in effect until your trial. If he comes within five hundred feet of you, call the police and he'll be thrown back in jail."
"How did he get out, Mr. Phelps? How did he get the money?" Bella asked, her voice tight with anger.
"The money was paid via money order through Mr. Swan's bank," Roger explained. "How he got it was not disseminated to me. I'm sorry. However, you needed to be notified that your father has been released. He's been placed on house arrest, only to go out for employment and physical therapy."
"My dad is unemployed, Mr. Phelps," Bella explained.
"Apparently, he was hired as a super in his apartment building by Sam Uley. Do you have any more questions, Ms. Swan?"
"No, thank you," she whispered.
"Have a good day, Ms. Swan." Mr. Phelps hung up the phone. Bella held the phone in her hand, staring at it blankly.
"Bella? Talk to me, love," I said as I held her close.
"I need one of my pills," she said, her voice sounding strangled.
"I've got some in my medicine cabinet in my office," I said calmly, moving her off my lap. I swiped a xanax for her and handed it to her. She took the pill dry and grimaced as it went down. "Do you want to go home?"
"No, I'm fine," she choked out.
"Do you want to talk to Michele?" I pressed.
"Can I get some time to myself?" she asked, looking at me. "Take my lunch break now."
"Sure, sweet girl. Do you want anything?"
"Can I use some paper? I need to journal and it's sitting at home," she sighed. I nodded and handed her a pad of paper. "I'll be out in a half hour."
"Okay, Bella," I said as I brushed her hair back. "If you need anything..."
"I'll call you. I just need to process this, Edward," she said, looking up at me. Her eyes were glazed over with tears but she wasn't hysterical. "I love you, baby. I promise...I'm not pulling away."
"Can I kiss you before I go back on the floor?" I asked. She smiled and a few tears slipped from her eyes, but she nodded. I kissed her lips softly before kissing her forehead. "I'm proud of you, Bella."
"Thank you," she whispered. "Go. I'm fine. I promise." I pulled away and walked to the door. She began writing on the pad of paper. I stared at her for a few moments, watching her as she intently scribbled down her thoughts. Her brown eyes looked up at me and she arched a brow. "I'm not going to break down. Go!"
"I'm going," I snorted. "I love you..."
"I love you more, Edward. Thank you for giving me the time and space to process," she said gratefully. I left my office but something didn't sit right. The fact that Charlie got out on bail was a far stretch. He couldn't pay his medical bills but a $250,000 bond?
Jenkies, something fishy is going on here...
A/N: Raise your hand if you think someone paid Charlie's bond for him? If you think someone paid his bond, who did it? What do you think Charlie's going to do? So many unanswered questions...Also, what do you think about Jasper (Assper...tee hee!)? I was so ready to reach through the screen and kick his ass for making Alice cry. And his behavior toward Bella is LOW! He's on his own now and let's see if this wakes his immature ass up.
Anyhow, up next will be Bella's reaction to Charlie's release. She is too calm but she's bubbling underneath that calm exterior. It'll come out in the oddest of places (Emmett, be wary of our girl...she's coming to you at your gym!) Also, Bella and Jacob will have words. She's going to confront him about his bullshit move ten years ago.
Pictures of Jasper's apartment are on my blog (Link in my profile). Check out my Facebook page: Tufano79's Fanfiction Appreciation. Finally, find me on Twitter: tufano79. Leave me some loving! It's better than Edward coming to your rescue and standing up for you! Okay, not so much but work with me here! LOL!