Back to Reality

Chapter 13

Waking up the morning after Edward's birthday, the morning after we said 'I love you' and made love all night, for the first time in my life, I felt pure bliss. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming because at this point, my life seemed like it was a story out of a book.

I stretched my arms and hit the empty pillow next to me. Sitting up, I smiled when I saw a shirtless Edward, wearing a pair of low slung basketball shorts and leaning over the table on the porch. The way the fabric laid against his ass, I could tell he wasn't wearing any underwear. I slipped out of bed and quickly made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. On my way out, I grabbed the robe that was lying on the back of a chair and walked outside to greet him. I snaked my arms around his waist and placed a kiss in between his shoulder blades. He pulled my hands apart and turned around to face me.

"Good morning, beautiful," he smiled as he pressed his lips against mine.

"Mm, morning. What do you have here?" I asked, taking in the arrangement of food that was on the table.

"Breakfast. I figured you'd be hungry since we didn't really eat anything yesterday," he smirked.

As if on cue, my stomach let out an embarrassingly loud gurgle and I wrapped my arms around my stomach hoping to soften the noise; but Edward heard it loud and clear. He chuckled, holding a chair out for me and I sat down, both of us enjoying the sound of the falls in the background and each other's company.

Before we knew it, it was check out time which meant it was time to put the helmets back on and ride back to Seattle. Back to reality, to family and friends. We were going back feeling more confident in each other and in our relationship. Well, at least Edward was. I, on the other hand, was keeping something from him and I needed to tell him the truth. I told Edward that I wouldn't keep secrets from him anymore and with that I decided that I needed to tell him about my lunch with James.

He took us to his place to swap the motorcycle out for his car, and a quick trip to pick Alexis up from the Cullen's house turned into dinner and dessert. Leaving their place full and a bit sleepy, I wasn't sure I'd be able to stay awake long enough to tell Edward.

He parked the car in the driveway and walked around the front to open my door.

"I'm going to put her down for the night. Why don't you go take a nice warm shower and meet me in bed?" he suggested.

I gave him a slight nod and then walked into the house. During my shower, I tried to think of the best way to tell Edward about James. I knew that no matter what, he would be upset with me for not telling him right away. Feeling a little more relaxed, I turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my body. I walked over to Edward's dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer, retrieving a pair of lounge pants and a tank. Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs to grab a glass of water.

"Hey, I thought you were meeting me in bed." He smiled, walking into the kitchen.

"I needed a glass of water," I said, raising the glass to my lips.

"What's the matter? Ever since we left the lodge, you've been acting different," he asked, standing next to me.

"JamescametoseemeonThursday," I blurted out in one breath.

"Wait, what? James came to see you? What do you mean he came to see you?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes.

I watched his face closely. I could tell he was trying his best to keep his emotions hidden, but I saw his jaw clench shut.

"Yeah, on Thursday. I went to lunch and James was by my car."

"What did he want?"

"To apologize for what he did to me."

"How did he apologize?"

"I went to lunch with him..." I cringed.

I watched Edward's nostrils flare as his breathing quickened.

"He explained to me what his childhood was like, growing up with an abusive father and how he swore he'd never hit a woman. He said that the day he hit me, he lost it when he saw me hugging Seth. He thought he was going to lose me and he couldn't handle that. He thanked me for sending him to jail, telling me that he got the help that he needed. Now he's going through a list and repenting."

"Is that all?"

"That's all. I told him I accepted his apology and that was the end of it."

Edward dropped his head and shook it as he ran his hands through his hair.

"How could I not Edward?" I asked, pulling his hands away from his locks. "If accepting his apology helps bring him closure, to move on and become a better man; then why not? I feel no animosity toward him anymore and I don't need to harp on that part of my life, not when I have you. You helped me realize there are good men out there and maybe now James can become one of them for someone else."

Edward continued to shake his head, but at least now he was looking at me.

"I know I should have told you on Thursday, but I didn't want it to ruin our night. Besides, it wasn't a big deal, it's not like I'm going to see him again. But after this weekend, after everything we said to each other, I knew I had to tell you. Please say something," I pleaded, cupping his cheek.

"I'm not mad at you, Bella. I'm upset that you didn't tell me sooner, but I can see why you didn't." He wrapped his long fingers around my hand and brought it to his lips to place a kiss on my palm. "I know I've never met this guy, but I want you to be careful. Based on what you've told me about him, I don't think you've seen the last of him."

"I know and I'm going to be careful, I promise."

"I know you can handle yourself, but I can't help the protective side in me when it comes to you."

I rose up on my toes and kissed his lips softly.

"I like that you want to protect me, Edward, I do. But I'm not the young and naive woman I was in college."

Edward snorted.

"Hey, don't laugh at me," I chastised, smacking him on the arm. "I may have my moments, but for the most part, I'm not. However I do promise that I will come to you if anything else happens."

"That's all I ask, please keep me in the loop."

"I love you, Edward."

I really love telling him that.

"I love you, too. Come on let's get to bed."

With a quick peck we headed upstairs to bed, and as my limbs tangled with his, I fell asleep easily.

Over the next month, Edward, Alexis and I fell into a routine. If I spent the night at his place, he'd drop us off before heading to the hospital. If he worked a night shift then I would take Alexis to and from daycare, feed her and put her to bed. The nights that he had to work nights were rough and I found it difficult to get a good night's sleep without him lying next to me. There was one week where Edward had to work nights all week and after the third night of sleeping alone, I allowed Alexis to sleep in bed with me and she was beyond excited to have a sleepover.

Things on the James front were quiet as well. He hadn't approached me since that day in June, but that didn't mean I hadn't seen him around. At least once or twice a week, I'd see him in the neighborhood working on someone's lawn, even Edward's. If he saw me drive or walk by, he'd wave and smile; but that was the extent of it. He'd kept his distance and I was thankful for that.

I did, however, find myself feeling bad for James whenever I saw him sweating and working hard in the hot sun. He really did have a promising future ahead of him, not that cutting peoples' lawns wasn't a great job, but he had planned to become a psychiatrist. All that changed when he went to jail.

And you're the reason he went there, the guilt in me commented.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a little girl pulling at my arm.

"Bella, can I ride my bike?" Alexis asked, looking up at me with those big blue eyes.

It was Saturday morning, she and I were hanging out at the house; Edward had to go into work and wouldn't be home until sometime this evening.

"Sure, Lex, but you need to go put on tennis shoes first. You cannot ride your bike in flip flops," I told her.

"Ah, nuts. Okay, I be back." Alexis ran upstairs while I walked to the garage door and waited for her to come back down.

She rushed down the stairs quickly. I thought she was going to pull a 'me' by slipping and falling, but luckily she made it down safely. We walked into the garage and I pulled her bike down off the rack while she put on her helmet. I opened the garage and the light shined in, forcing both of us to raise our arms to shield our eyes.

 

"Come on, Bella," Alexis hollered, already riding out of the garage.

"Okay, Lex, wait for me."

I caught up to Alexis as she turned onto the sidewalk. It was an unusually hot day in August. Just stepping out into the sun, I felt the perspiration already formulating on my forehead. As I walked behind her, I heard the melody to a Taylor Swift song, which was Alexis' favorite at the moment.

"She wear shore kirts, I wear t-shirts
She cheer catain and I on the bleachers
Dreamin bout day when wake up and fine
That what you lookin for is been here all time"

I smiled to myself as I sang along softly with her, repeating the same part over and over. I watched as her head bopped from side to side in rhythm to the melody that was playing in her head. I had to admit, for a four year old, she could hold a beat, she just needed to learn more of the lyrics.

We had hit the end of Edward's neighborhood and were halfway back to his house when Alexis stopped her bike and turned around to look at me.

"Bella, can we wace?"

"You want me to race you on the bike? What am I supposed to be doing?"

She looked down at my shoes and then back up at me. "Wun, duh!"

"Oh well, duh, is right. I should have known that. Okay, on the count of three we go. Are you ready?"

I looked over at her and she nodded her head.

"One...two...three."

I watched Alexis get off to a slow start; she had to build up the speed with the training wheels on her bike slowing her down. I waited until she hit the third driveway before I started a slow and steady jog. I could easily catch up to her, but she enjoyed the satisfaction of being in the lead. I was slowly, but surely catching up to her and I let her know it, too.

"I'm gaining on you, Lexi. You better go faster," I'd say to her in a sing song voice.

I would get close enough to tickle her back then slow down again. Alexis would squeal, turn around to see where I was and then peddle faster. It really was funny to watch; our own variation of a cat and mouse chase.

"You can't catch me, Bella! I gonna beat you!" she exclaimed as she turned to look at me.

We weren't far from Edward's and I had slowed my pace to a fast walk as I hit the down slope of the hill. The sun was excruciatingly hot and I was in need of water...or I could just be out of shape; but I was going with the it's hot and I needed water explanation. I saw the lawn guys packing up for the day and I thought it was smart on their part. It wasn't even noon yet; the heat was only going to get worse.

I looked ahead to see Alexis moving at her top speed and staring back at me with a huge grin on her face. She knew she won and she was proud of herself. I smiled and waved at her and that's when things seemed to get a bit hazy.

I saw them stacked across the sidewalk. Why anyone would leave them there in the first place is beyond me? Alexis was already trying to make her way around the bags of mulch before I could say anything but with the training wheels, the added speed from the hill and the difference in height between the sidewalk and grass, the bike couldn't take it. It fell over with Alexis still on it. My heart raced as I watched her put her left hand out to brace herself and heard the hard, painful smack on the asphalt followed by her screams.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Alexis screamed out in pain. "Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

I'd heard Alexis scream once before and that was when she'd hit her head at the Cullen's house; that scream was nothing compared to this one. That scream was...my head hurts, but I was more scared by what happened than anything else. This scream sounded like she was in a lot of pain; a pain that only came from breaking something. Something I was all too familiar with.

I ran as fast as I could to Alexis but my feet felt as if there were cement blocks attached to them, slowing me down. My heart was racing a mile a minute and my brain was trying to go into panic mode, but I had to remind myself to stay calm. I was so focused on trying to remain calm that I didn't even notice that someone was already attending to Alexis.

"Shhh, it's okay. Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Bellllllllllaaaaaa!" she cried. "I-I...w-want...B-Bella!"

I tripped over the curb as I made my way to Alexis; I felt the road rash burn on my knees, but my mind couldn't focus on that pain. Right now, it was all about Alexis and finding out what hurt. Her upper body lay on the side of the road and her bottom half was on the curb.

"It's okay, Lexi, I'm here. What hurts, sweetheart?"

"Bella, i-i-it hurts!"

"I know, Alexis, but I don't want to move you until you tell me what's wrong."

"Isabella, we should move the bike," James suggested.

"Lexi, do your legs hurt?"

"It...s-s-stuck," she muttered out between her short breathes.

"Okay. Lexi, we're going to get the bike off you."

James stood up and slowly moved the bike then he crouched back down and looked over her legs.

"What else hurts, Lex?"

"My arm...f-f-feels....funny."

She screamed as she lifted it up to show me. Her arm was a little wavy and it definitely looked broken.

"Oh, gosh. Alright, Lex, we're going to see Daddy at the hospital. He's going to make it all better." I leaned back on my hind legs in a crouching position and scooped her up in my arms. "I need you to keep your arm on your stomach, Lex. Don't move it from there."

I carried her back to the house and I heard James following us with her bike. As I walked up the driveway, I realized that my car wasn't here, it was at my place. Edward had picked me up for a date two nights ago and I hadn't been back since.

"Shit!" I cursed.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"I don't have a car to take her to the hospital. I could call Ali," I mumbled, mainly to myself.

"Why don't you let me drive you? I have my truck right over there," he explained, pointing to a Ford F-150 parked across the street.

"I don't know..."

Hmm...how would Edward react to James bringing us to the hospital?

"Come on, Isabella, you need a ride to the hospital and I have a car."

"No, I know. It's just that..."

"It really hurts, Bella," Alexis whined.

"Okay, I just need to run inside and get a couple things and we'll be right out."

"Let me put her in the car for you," he offered, holding his arms out to take Alexis.

"No, no, I want Bella," she said, gripping my shirt with her bad arm. "Owwww!"

"I'll keep her with me," I said, pulling her closer to my body. "Just go start your car."

I ran back inside with Alexis still in my arms, setting her on the counter as I grabbed my cell phone, purse and keys. Before picking her back up, I took off her helmet and wiped her nose. We sat in the back of James' truck and I had Alexis cradled in my left side, subconsciously knowing that she should have been in a booster seat, but that really wasn't an option at the moment.

On the way there, I called the nurses' station and told them to page Edward, that it was an emergency. Lauren answered the phone so I wasn't sure if he'd actually be waiting. I could only hope so every time Alexis repeated how much her arm hurt.

James pulled up to the entrance and I jumped out of the car. Alexis scooted herself over and that's when I noticed the blood streaming down her arm and her leg, smudged on my hands and smeared on James' leather seat.

Oh God.

I could finally smell the salt and metal mixture and I started to feel woozy. I dropped Alexis back on the seat and nearly collapsed myself, but I felt a pair of strong arms holding me up. The only problem was they weren't the familiar strong arms I knew and loved to be wrapped in.

"Isabella, are you okay? Isabella?"

"I need to get Lexi inside," I mumbled.

"I'll take her for you," he suggested.

"No, Bella, no," Alexis whined.

"Lex, it's going to be okay. We just need to make it through those doors. Try not to move too much," I told her.

I took a deep breath of fresh air and then scooped her into my arms. James wrapped an arm around my waist for support and guided me to the doors. We approached the nurses' station and I asked for Edward.

"He's busy with a patient, ma'am," Lauren sneered. "Just sign the child in."

"Stop acting as if you don't know who we are, Lauren. I think he'd like to know that his daughter is here and needs to be checked out."

"You don't get special treatment just because you're his girlfriend. You have to sit and wait just like everyone else."

"Look, Lauren," I said, bitterly, "I don't think you get it. Edward's daughter is in the hospital, not to see her dad for a fun visit. She is here because she fell off her bike and broke her arm. Now get him out here now!"

I could feel the moisture pooling in my bottom lids. Everything that had happened within the last thirty minutes was finally hitting me. A tear slipped down my cheek and I felt the pad of small thumb wipe it away. I looked at Alexis and she gave me a weak smile.

"It's okay, Bella. I gonna be aight."

"What in the world is going on out here?" Edward asked, coming out of an exam room.

"Oh, Edward, thank God," I sighed.

"Bella? Lexi? What are you doing here?" He quickly made his way to us, confused.

"Daddy, I hurt," Alexis said, pointing to her arm.

"What happened?" Edward gently took Alexis' arm in his hands and examined it briefly.

"She was riding her bike and we were racing. We were almost back to the house when she came across a pile of bagged mulch in the middle of the sidewalk. She went to go around them through the grass, but something happened and she fell over hitting the pavement and she braced herself with her hand and she says that her arm feels funny and it's all wavy and funky looking. Plus, it's cut up as well as her leg and oh God, Edward, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Bella, calm down," he comforted, rubbing his hand up and down the side of my arm. "Come on let's get you checked out, Lexi."

Edward picked her up and took her to an exam room. He stopped in the doorway before going in, "Are you coming, Bella?"

"I think I'm going to sit out here for a little bit, regroup."

I watched the side of his mouth give way to a small smile as he shook his head. "Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"I won't."

I ran my hand through my hair, a habit I've picked up from Edward, and walked over to one of the empty chairs. I had forgotten that James was even there until he sat down next to me. The tears were still falling slowly down my cheeks.

"We should get the blood off of you," I heard him say.

"I'm fine," I said, waving him away.

"Isabella, it's not just your hand that has blood on it; your knees are pretty banged up. Let me get you a first aid kit."

James stood up and came back a couple of minutes later with a red box. He pulled the plastic chair next to me out of the row and positioned it in front of me. He took a seat then opened the box pulling out a package of alcoholic wipes.

"I'm going to clean up your knees first," he said, lifting my right leg into his lap. "Now, this will sting a little."

He ripped the package open and pulled out the wet cloth. He lightly dabbed it on the road burn and I hissed from the stinging pain.

"Sorry," he grimaced.

Thankfully, the stinging went away the more he dabbed. Once all the blood was gone, James gently smoothed on some ointment then he placed a gauze pad over the cut and tapped it down. He put my right leg down and did the exact same thing to my left.

The whole time, I watched as he took such tender care of me. It reminded me of the better times I had with him and it made me realize that he really had changed. He is no longer that James; the one who left me in my apartment battered and in pain.

"There you go," he smiled, placing my left leg on the floor. "Now, let's clean this blood off your arm."

He took out another wipe and got all the blood off. He let his hand linger on my upper arm as he looked into my eyes. He raised his other hand to my cheek and brushed the tears away with the tip of his forefinger.

"Thank you, James," I whispered.

"Isabella, I..." he started, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"Ahem."

I looked up to see Edward standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw tense, and I could see the anger building in his eyes.

"How is she doing, Edward?" I asked, jumping out of my seat.

"Fine. We have an ice pack on it right now; we just have to wait for a little bit to get her arm x-rayed. Things are a little backed up over there. I came out here to check on you. How are you doing?" he inquired, clasping his long fingers around my hand.

"Better. It just kind of all hit when Lauren was being a bitch and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm really sorry," I apologized, averting my eyes to the vinyl floor.

"Hey," he said, lifting my chin. "Things like this happen to kids all the time. She's going to be okay."

"Wow, you sure have changed a lot since the last time Lexi hurt herself," I commented.

"Yeah, well, she's getting older and more adventurous so it's bound to happen. Plus, it helps that I'm in doctor mode and not daddy mode," he smirked.

Thinking of Edward in doctor mode, a soft moan slipped out of my mouth. He chuckled and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Bella, did you just moan in the hospital waiting room?"

His hot breath on my neck didn't make things any better. I gnawed on my bottom lip and nodded slightly.

"You would pick the most inopportune time."

I could feel the smile on his lips as he continued to whisper and the blush appeared on my cheeks.

"Ahem."

Edward stood up straight at the interruption and I turned to throw daggers at that person.

"Isabella, do you need me to stick around?" James asked.

"Uh," I stuttered.

Shit, I keep forgetting James is here.

"No, I should be fine, you can go. Thank you for driving us, I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," he smiled.

"I'm assuming that you are James?" Edward said, taking a step forward to block James' view of me.

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Edward."

James held his hand out for Edward to shake, which he did. Their two hands connected and their muscles flexed in their forearms, both trying to show off their strength. I rolled my eyes at their caveman ways.

"I've heard so much about you," James added.

"Oh, really?" Edward raised a questioning brow urging James to continue.

As the men showed their machoness, I tuned them out, getting distracted by newborn twins sleeping in their carriers.

They are so adorable, but I can't imagine what it feels like to carry two. They say one is hard enough, but two, wow.

"Yes, Isabella and I had lunch last week," he explained.

"Dr. Cullen, Alexis is asking for you and Bella," the red haired nurse called from the hallway.

"We'll be right there, Victoria," Edward told her. "Excuse us, James."

Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall to Alexis' room. I was confused as to what was going on. I looked at his face; his jaw was tight once again. He was holding onto my hand a little too tight.

"Edward, you're hurting my hand," I winced in pain.

He released it and offered a weak smile.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

He's mad, shit. What the hell happened?

"Come here," I grabbed onto his coat and pulled him into an empty exam room, closing the door behind him. "What did I miss?"

"What is he doing here?"

"He drove us here. My car is at my place, remember. I was going to call Ali, but he offered and I was just so worried about Lexi and wanted to get her here as fast as I could. So I didn't refuse. I knew you wouldn't be happy, but he was the best option at the time," I explained, placing my hands against his chest.

"No, I'm not happy. He can't be trusted, Bella. That shit that he pulled out there proves that," he raised his voice, pointing to the door. I took a step back, giving him some space. "He's trying to start a fight between us. He thought that you didn't tell me about the lunch and figured I'd get pissed that you're meeting your ex and not telling me."

"But why would he want to start a fight between us?" I questioned.

"Because," Edward sighed. "He still has feelings for you. I saw the way he was looking at you out there. Even after all that time apart, he's still not over you."

"Are you jealous?" I asked, trying to hide the smirk that wanted to take over.

"No, I'm not jealous, Bella, that guy has nothing on me. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt because I'm not going to let him get close enough." I shook my head.

"He's already too close, love, don't you get it?" he asked, placing his hand on my cheek. "I don't like that he knows where to find you and I don't like that he was near Alexis today. I have a really bad feeling about that guy."

"He's not the same, Edward."

"You told me you were no longer that naive, college girl that you once were, but I'm not so sure. You need to take off those rose colored glasses. He's reeling you in just like he did back then."

"Whatever, Edward. I don't want to talk about this anymore right now. We should go see how Alexis is doing."

I made a move towards the door, but Edward grabbed my elbow and pulled me back towards him.

"Why are you defending him?"

"I'm not."

"You are and you know it. I want to know why."

"Dr. Cullen," a woman's voice called through the door. "Your daughter is on her way to radiology. I thought you'd like to know."

"Thank you, Victoria."

I moved towards the door again and Edward didn't stop me this time.

"This conversation isn't over, Bella," he told me, agitated.

I turned my head and saw him pinching the bridge of his nose. I could feel the water pool once again, but I wouldn't let it escape.

Stupid fucking time of the month making me so emotional.

I turned the handle and walked out into the hall, looking down towards Alexis' room and then to the waiting area. I wasn't sure where I wanted to be at that moment. My heart wanted to be in that room, waiting for Alexis to return; I wanted to take care of the little girl that I loved like she was my own, but my head wanted some time to think. I knew I wasn't being rational in there and there really was no excuse for my behavior towards the end; the only thing I could think of blaming was my monthly friend for making me so irritable.

"If you want to wait in her room, you can. It's just right there," he offered, pointing to a closed door three rooms away. "I have to go check up front, see how things are going. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

I nodded my head and walked towards the room. I took a seat in the empty chair and waited for Alexis to return. While I waited, I texted Jake to see if he could come pick us up. I figured he was at the shop and it wasn't far from here.

"Bella, you're still here." Alexis smiled, as a brunette nurse wheeled her back in the room

"Yes, I'm still here, Lex. I wouldn't leave you. How was it getting your arm x-rayed?" I asked getting up to sit next to her on the bed.

"Weird. They put dis heavy thing on me, tol me to sit still and it make dis funny noise."

"Yeah, that heavy thing is to protect you. What's going to happen now?"

"I dun know," she shrugged. "Can I watch TV?"

"Sure, sweetie." I grabbed the remote and hit the power button. The channel was on Disney and "Monsters Inc" was playing.

"Bella, you lie wit me?"

"Of course." I smiled, getting comfortable next to her.

"I scare you?"

"Only a little."

"I not mean to," she said, running her good hand through my hair.

"I know."

"I love you, Bella."

I smiled hearing her say that; it filled my heart with joy.

"I love you, too, Lex."

Thirty minutes later, Edward walked back in with Alexis' x-rays. He put three of them on that thing on the wall and turned on the light.

"Well like we thought, Lexi, your arm is broken. You're going to have to get a cast, but we have to wait a couple of days for the swelling to go down before we can do that. Today, we are going to put your bones back in place, but we need to numb your arm, so Nurse Victoria here is going to put a needle in your hand. Can you be a big girl as Victoria does this?"

"Yes," she said, nodding her head.

I stood up and stepped out of Victoria's way. I leaned against the wall and watched as she worked and found the vein right away, then taping it down. I kept stealing glances at Edward and he kept his attention on Victoria inserting the needle. A few minutes later, the orthopedic doctor walked through the door.

"Hello, Edward." She grinned, standing next to him. "I hear we have a special patient today."

"Yes, Dawn, this is my daughter Alexis," he explained, handing the chart to her. "She broke her arm while riding her bike."

"Ow, that must have hurt. Hi, Alexis. I'm Dr. Dawn; I'm going to put your bones back into place. How does that sound?"

Alexis shrugged her shoulders. "Okay."

Dawn waited a few more minutes to make sure the lidocaine was in full effect. Dawn picked up the broken arm and it flopped around like a rubber chicken. It reminded me of that scene in Harry Potter when Gilderoy Lockhart tried to fix Harry's arm and instead took all the bones out. Dawn bent Alexis' arm in various directions to make sure the bones set just right. I was amazed at how brave Alexis was being. She didn't pay Dawn any attention; she was engrossed in watching Boo kick some monster butt. Dawn then checked the alignment with a portable CT scanner and gave her a temporary splint.

"Alright, that will do for now. I'm going to need to see her again in about six to ten days, Edward, for a real cast."

"Thanks, Dawn, I appreciate it." He smiled.

"No problem. I'm going to give you a prescription for the pain as well."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that."

"You were very good, Alexis. Thank you for being so brave."

"Uh huh," she said without diverting her attention from the television.

"Monsters Inc is on, didn't mean to interrupt," Dawn apologized with a soft laugh as she shook her head. "I'll leave the prescription up front, Edward."

"Alright. Lexi, are you ready to go home?"

"In a minute, when dis over."

"I'll be back," I excused myself and walked down the hall.

"Bella, wait, where are you going?" he asked, catching up to me.

"I need to see if Jake is here; he's coming to pick us up."

"Hey, Bella, I thought I heard your voice," Jake greeted us as he rounded the corner. "Hey, Edward, how's the kid?"

"Hi, Jacob, she's doing quite well, she's being a trooper."

"She must be hanging out with this tough cookie too much," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Are you ready to go, Bella-Bell?"

I gave his waist a little squeeze; it had been a couple of weeks since I'd seen or talked to him. Before Edward, Jake was the only man, besides my father, who I could count on to be there when I needed him. I'd seemed to forgotten how quickly my mood can change for the better when I was around him. He had always been my personal sun, making me feel warm and good whenever I was within his gravitational pull.

"Yes, I just need to get Lex. I'll be back."

I let go and walked back down the hall to Alexis' room. She was just getting out of the bed as I walked in and she ran over to me the moment she saw me and I picked her up carefully.

"Ugh, that sling makes you twenty pounds heavier," I teased, feigning to drop her.

"No, it doesn't," she laughed.

We walked back down the hall and Edward and Jacob were huddled together talking. By the look on Jacob's face, I knew Edward must be telling him about James.

Great, not only do I have Edward lecturing me, I'm going to have Jake as well.

"Jakey-Poo!" Alexis yelled and I smiled at the nickname she picked up for him.

"What's up, Lex? Look at you with all that padding on your arm. What did you do?" he asked, taking her from me.

Alexis proceeded to tell him all about her accident as we walked outside. Again, Edward grabbed onto my elbow to pull me back a bit.

I'm really getting annoyed with him doing that.

"You're mad at me, but I had good intentions."

"I'm not mad at you, Edward. I'm just irritated, you had no right to tell Jake," I growled.

"I told you, I don't trust him; I'm just taking a precaution. Plus, I figured if you won't listen to me, you'll listen to him. He actually knows the guy; he's seen what he can do."

"That's not the point. You can't just butt in like that." I stomped my foot like a child

"I can and I will when something in your life affects my daughter and you don't care."

When Edward said those words, it felt like he slapped me in the face. Did he honestly think I'd let James hurt Alexis or even come near her, again? Today was an accident.

I gawked at him and shook my head. I had nothing else I wanted to say to him. He infuriated me so much that the tears started to fall before I could even stop them.

"Shit," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now, I'm the bad guy."

I ignored his comment and turned on my foot to walk to Jacob's truck.

"Bella!"

Edward caught up to me and grasped my elbow. Instead of letting him stop me this time, I jerked it away.

"Dammit, stop grabbing me!" I yelled, gaining some unwanted attention.

"Well, you won't listen any other way."

I wiped the traitorous tears away. I tried to ignore them, but they were blurring my vision.

"Well, he got what he wanted...we're fighting," he said, throwing his hands up. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was watching this whole scene play out, very pleased with himself right now."

"That's just sick, Edward."

"Don't you get it? He is sick and twisted and conniving. He's trying to worm his way back into your life by playing this hero."

"He's not in my life, don't you get it. He only drove us here and it was by default, goddammit."

"That's twice now, Bella." He pointed out using his fingers. "Twice, that he has shown up out of nowhere. It's too close."

"What do you want me to do about it? It's not like I invited him back into my life. He wanted to apologize, he did, I accepted and said good bye."

"Stop being nice to him."

"I can't be mean for no reason, Edward."

"Well, you sure could have fooled me."

"Why are you picking a fight with me? Right here, right now, in public?"

"You think I want to fight with you? You think I'm enjoying this? God, Bella," he retorted, followed by a deep growl. "I'm going back inside before I say anything more I know I'll regret."

"Wait, do you still want me there?" I asked quietly, grabbing onto his hand.

"Where, Bella?"

"At your place? If not, I'll take Lexi to mine and you could pick her up after work."

Edward stood in front of me, his forefinger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose. He was trying to reign in his emotions; to think rationally. I could tell, just by looking at him and seeing the vein in his forehead pulsate, that I had pushed him too far. I tried to ease the tension by lightly running my thumb over the back of his hand.

"It's probably for the best if you take her to your place," he muttered, pulling his hand out of my grasp. "I'll call when I'm on my way."

Jacob's truck pulled up next to us and waited. I stood there, somewhat in shock by Edward's response. He reached for the door handle and opened the door when he realized I wasn't going to move. I stepped up into the vehicle and he closed the door once I was safely inside. I buckled myself in then turned to look out the window. He was standing there rubbing his forehead

Jacob hit the gas and we drove away. I rested my head against the window. My head was pounding, my mind was reeling...this was our first huge fight. Before I had the chance to replay the days' events, Jacob started in.

"What the hell are you thinking, Bella?" Jacob asked, hitting the steering wheel.

"Not now, Jake, please. My head hurts; I don't want to fight with you, too."

"Well, that's too bad sweetheart because you and I are going to have this talk."