Chapter 14- Need You Now

Playlist:Need You Now-Lady Antebellum ( I love the accoustic version that is a bonus track with the cd), Next Plane Out-Celine Dion, To Say Goodbye-Joey+Rory, Bless The Broken Road-Rascal Flatts(the accoustic version on the Hannah Montana soundtrack is soooooo good, really shows off Gary's voice, I'm just saying)You've Made Me So Very Happy-Blood, Sweat & Tears

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Chapter 14- Need You Now

Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor, Reaching for the phone, 'cause I can't fight it anymore

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind, for me it happens all of the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now, Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control and I need you now

And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now

Another shot of whiskey, Can't stop looking at the door, Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind, for me it happens all of the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now, Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control and I need you now

And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now

Lady Antebellum-Need You Now

Edward's POV

I decided that today I would go out and learn the city. I needed to find a place to stay and think about the arrangements that I would need to make this work.

We haven't had a chance to discuss the fact that I was doing my residency in Seattle, so I wasn't sure what Bella thought about it. I wanted to call her tonight and talk things over with her. If I waited until sunset, then I could walk down to the park. Maybe she can watch the sun set with me while we talked. It always made me feel closer to her to be doing the same thing she was doing even if I wasn't in the exact location that she was. One time I called her while she was grocery shopping, so I went to the grocery store and wandered around while we talked. I know it sounds stupid but I felt like I was there with her. And that was enough.

I headed back to the department store and Jenny; she did such a great job with Bella's first present that I wanted her help with another gift for Bella. Hopefully this would give her something to look forward to. It may keep her from concentrating on the time we're away from each other.

With Bella's gift taken care of, I left the store looking for a place to stay when I came back. I went down to the hospital to see if they had any info posted for roommates in the lounge. I stopped by Dr. Johnston's office and let him know I was there to see about roommates.

"Dr. Johnston, how are you? I just wanted to stop by and see if I could find any info on a possible roommate. I need to get things in order so I can be ready to come back. Is there anything you need me to do while I'm here?" I offered.

"As a matter of fact, Masen, you can go down to personnel and fill out paperwork while you're here and that way you won't be bogged down with all of that stuff when you show up to work for me. How long are you going to be in the city?"

"Sir, I'm staying with a family friend until the end of the month, and then I'll go home to Forks again for a month before I come back here to work. I wanted to try to get settled with a place to stay so I can come back and start work. I kind of like to have all the other stuff already taken care of before I get here," I stated.

"Smart man, Masen. You'll do fine here. Head down the elevator and down to the ground floor that'll take you to personnel. Tell them you will start on August 1st and they'll get your name and all your info entered in. They'll give you all the info you need and may even be able to help you with a roommate; they can be quite helpful down there. Come see me on a day when you have time and we'll make a few rounds together, get to know each other. Tell your Dad I said hi for me, will you?" His pager went off and he was called away, so off I went to Personnel.

When I stepped off of the elevator, I saw a large sign for personnel and followed it to the double doors. I opened the double doors and walked up to the desk.

"May I help you, sir?" A bubble gum chewing blonde asked me.

"Certainly, Chief Johnston sent me down here; he asked me to let you know I would start on August 1st and needed to fill out all the paperwork." Her face lit up at my words and I stepped back expecting her to launch over the desk at me.

"Well, now this hospital might not be so miserable to come to with you here each day. What did you say your name is?" She smacked her gum at me.

"Masen, Edward Masen. Is there a lot of paperwork, should I take it home or just fill it out here?" I responded.

"No, Edward, you fill it out here. I'll move over and you can use the edge of my desk." She moved to the far left side of her desk so I would have plenty of room. I wasn't interested in sharing anything with her. She wore a tight spandex tube dress and bright pink lipstick; she looked like she stepped right out of the 80's. She was popping her gum the whole time I sat at her desk to fill out the paperwork.

I finished my paperwork and handed it back to her and stood to leave.

"Chief said you might know of anyone looking for a roommate, I need a place when I come back." I offered her a small smile hoping it would make her more willing to share any info she had.

"Sure, there is a bulletin board in the Resident's lounge that you could check. Take the elevator and go up one floor and take a right you'll see it then. And good luck, Edward Masen, if you ever need anything at all you call me. Here I'll enter my cell info on yours let me see it." She offered, holding out her hands waiting for me to hand her my phone. There was no way in hell I was getting into that situation ever again.

"Sorry, I'm about to change phones, I hate this Blackberry. Maybe you could write it down for me and when I get my new phone I can enter it then?" I hoped she would take that explanation.

"Sure, I'm Jessica Stanley, here is my home number, cell number, and my parents place just in case you can't reach me. I would love to show you around Seattle when you come back to work. Why don't you give me a call?" She pouted her lips and leaned closer to me across the desk, practically shoving her boobs into my face.

Just then a small blond woman busted into the office, and we both turned and looked at her.

"Are you Edward Masen?" She directed at me.

"Yes, I am." I stepped towards the new person and away from Cyndi Lauper.

"Chief sent me down to find you. He wanted you to meet a few people while you are here and he mumbled something about needing a roommate. I don't know just follow me." She turned and marched out of Personnel so I followed her. Cyndi Lauper cleared her throat and then waved at me when I turned to look at her again. I just kept following my new best friend.

"Thanks, I appreciate you finding me. I was just about to have to agree to marry your friend back there. She sure is a persistent little thing, isn't she?" She was marching way ahead of me but I still got the feeling that she was assessing me. I was simply trying to keep up and thank her at the same time. We were rushing so fast through the hospital that I had no chance to take in what we were passing or keep my sense of direction.

Suddenly my rescuer stopped and turned on her heels to face me. "She's no friend of mine. Stay away from her if you know what's good for you. She'll eat you up and spit you out. She's been around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. The Chief's right there at the end of the hall, I gotta run." And with those few words, she took off in the other direction.

I felt strange after our run through the hospital and even stranger after our talk. Shaking off the strange feelings, I headed towards Dr. Johnston to see what he had in store for me.

"Ah, great. Edward, come on over. I would like to introduce you to several people." He took the time to introduce me to James, Laurent and Riley. He left us talking in the halls.

"Edward, it's nice to meet you. The chief told us that you are looking for a place to stay. We're living in a house together and one of our roommates is leaving. So that would leave one very tiny room open if you're interested," James offered.

"That's great. I would love it." Suddenly glad that I came to the hospital, even if parts of the visit were strange.

"Don't get too excited, the room is only big enough for a small bed and one dresser. Not enough room for a closet, so does that change your mind?" Laurent questioned.

"If I can lie down and sleep in the room, then I'm good. I will only be using it part of the time anyway. I'll drive back to Forks whenever I can. I won't be ready to move in until the end of next month. Can I go ahead and give you some rent now to hold it for me?"

James nodded and smiled, while Laurent stood off to the side clapping his hands. We spent a few minutes exchanging phone numbers and rent money.

I walked out of the hospital feeling like I was ready to take on the world. Who knows what combination of things made me feel this way, but I knew without question that the main reason was Bella. Nothing made sense without Bella. The part of my brain that processed thought was wise enough to know that I couldn't make it on my own. She was everything good in my life and she made my strange life make sense.

I wanted to see Bella, no needed to see Bella. Tell her what I felt for her; explain in details how important she is to me. So I rushed to my temporary home formulating a plan on how to see Bella.

Dr. Ward called out for me to come in when I knocked on his office door. I entered and sat in my usual comfy chair, feeling so calm in this office and ready for the debate that I assumed was ahead of me.

"Dr. Ward, I want to see Bella. I know we discussed being here for about a month and I'm willing to stay for the rest of the time with you. But I have to see her and tell her all of the things I have figured out while I'm here, away from her. I know Bella and she tends to worry a lot. I want to assure her everything is fine and let her see that we, as a couple, are great. I need to know that the progress I'm making here is helping her as well as me. I need to see her, please." Setting back and resting my hands on my legs, suddenly now nervous at what his response would be.

"Edward, that's a great idea. Can I make a suggestion? Call Bella and invite her here. I think it would be best for you to stay in Seattle, in other words, not go home to Forks. I don't think you're ready for all the questions from your family. You're doing great and making wonderful progress, but not that good yet. Besides, the two of you will be here alone and that is a better environment for talking, if you know what I mean," he shrugged and his face broke into a large grin.

"I don't know how comfortable Bella would be staying with me in your house. I think I'll make us a reservation at a hotel, if that's okay?" I hesitated, not sure how he would feel about that.

"Edward, why do you doubt your decision? That's a great idea." He took his glasses off and leaned forward on his elbows.

"I don't know, I guess I don't want to rush too fast and mess anything up." I felt my hand brush through my hair, a sure sign that I was nervous.

"Edward, your decision making skills are fine. One mistake doesn't make you incapable of making good decisions. You and Bella love each other. Don't doubt that or allow what happened in the past to cloud what you need to do in the future. If you do, it will certainly cause problems. Call her, Edward, and invite her out here. Make a reservation at a fancy hotel and treat her special. Trust me, women love that, and then tell her what you feel. Don't hold back and for heaven's sake, please don't over think anything. It'll turn you inside out, just feel. Okay?" He sat back and replaced his glasses, but still smiling.

"Okay, I'm going to call her." I rushed from the room. I couldn't wait to call Bella and beg her to come to Seattle for the weekend. I dialed as I rushed up the steps to my room.

"Edward, what's up?" She sounded excited.

"Baby, I couldn't wait to call you; I have a huge surprise and I hope you'll like it." My voice sounded high and fast. I felt like a two year old hopped up on too much sugar. I was bouncing with nervous energy.

"Well, you gonna make me guess or are you gonna just tell me?" She laughed at me, obviously noticing my excitement.

"No, I'll tell you. I want you to come to Seattle for the weekend with me. I'll make us a reservation at a fancy hotel and we can spend the weekend just being together. I talked with Dr. Ward today and he thinks it's a great idea. So, will you come?"

"Oh, Edward, I would love to. I can't wait to get there to see you. I think I'll talk to Charlotte and see if I can leave early tomorrow. The lawyers for Charlie's estate have called me several times, trying to get me to come to Seattle and sign some papers. I guess this would be the perfect opportunity for me to take care of that." My happiness suddenly fell flat.

Bella had been part of our family for so long that I forgot the total number of years. I do remember when she came to live here in Forks and how she missed her mother. I watched as her and Charlie became a real father and daughter, not just two people living in the same house. I also remember the night when Charlie was killed while helping a car stranded on the highway. He pulled over to help a woman change her tire in the rain of course. He changed the tire and sent the woman on her way. As he walked back to his cruiser, he was struck by another car. He died instantly without any pain, for which I was grateful, and no realization that he would never see Bella again. Chief Swan was a good man. He loved his daughter, his job and the town of Forks.

Bella was spending the night with us. Carlisle took the call from the deputy investigating the accident. Carlisle called Alice and Bella downstairs and told them both what happened. Alice held Bella all night and rocked her when she cried. I wasn't that close to Bella then, but it still hurt to watch her go through the pain. It brought back the memories of when my parents died and that pain rose to the front of my brain. I could feel the disbelief wash through me again. After all these years, it was still hard to remember that my parents were actually gone.

Before I knew it, we were all sitting in the living room huddled around Bella sharing her pain and hopefully helping her realize she still had family. The next year I started dating Tanya, so I really wasn't sure how well Bella coped with the Chief's death. She seemed fine on the outside, but I was proof that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Bella, is everything okay? Why do you need to see the lawyer?" I wanted to be there for her and allow her to learn to lean on me.

"It's fine, Edward. When I turned twenty-five, I inherited all of Charlie's estate. He set it up so that I got enough to live on and pay for college until I was twenty-five. And then I got the rest of it, so I just need to sign the final papers. I have really been putting it off for several weeks but now I think I can do it. Will you go with me?" Her voice sounded hesitant and maybe a little embarrassed.

"Of course, I will; you call them and make the arrangements. Call me back when you're done. I'll call the hotel, which one do you want to stay in?" Hoping that she would divert her attention to choosing one, instead of on the call she was about to make.

"You pick, whichever one is fine with me. I give you free reign," she chuckled but it sounded humorless.

"You realize that allows me to spend whatever I want, right?" I thought the cost issue would make her care, but I was wrong.

"You spend whatever you want Edward; I just want to see you. I don't care about the room. I promise." Her voice lifted and softened when she mentioned seeing me. So I believed her words.

"I love you, baby. I'm glad you're coming to Seattle with me." I was happy again, just the thought of seeing her again lifting my spirits.

"Love you too, Edward. I'll call you back when I'm done talking with the lawyer and Charlotte. I still have to see if I can take time off."

I called and made reservations for a suite. Rushing around my room, I packed what I would need to spend the weekend with Bella. If she could get time off, she would be here in less than twenty-four hours.

The thoughts of what Bella would go through at the lawyer's office scared me. I hoped that Bella would allow me to be there for her and help her.

I left Dr. Ward's house and went back to the store. I wanted to leave a special present for Bella waiting at the hotel. I had lots to do before she got here.