Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

I'm so sorry for not updating this story for so long. Honestly, I'm still not sure how the story will go. I'll try to update for once in a while. Please don't hate me if I can't update soon.

Here is another chapter. Enjoy :)

Elizabeth Masen's mind was still on the clouds sometimes for the rest of Renee's visit. After they had lunch together, Renee decided to go home. So, Elizabeth got back to Edward's room alone. She was sitting on her usual seat. She stared at her son for who knows how long. She reached out her hand to take Edward's hand. She squeezed it and shook it, hoping some miracle that could wake him up. Her head was still buzzing. She was lost and confused. She sighed hard.

"Edward, tell mom what to do, honey," she whispered weakly.

"I don't know what to do. Is Isabella your girlfriend? Is she the girl that you were talking about that night? Honey, please answer me," she asked over and over again.

"Edward, Isabella's pregnant. Is that the reason she came here that night? Did she tell you that?" she knew that it was useless, but she just couldn't stop.

"Honey, is there any possibility that that child is your baby?" she asked desperately. "Edward, honey, please tell mom what to do," she practically begged in the end.

Elizabeth's mind was full of questions that was hard to be answered. There were so many things that she didn't understand. She didn't even know that her son had a girlfriend two weeks ago, but now she was contemplating about a grandchild. Too much thing had happened for the last few weeks. She tried to clear her mind. She had to find a way to get the answers. But, how could she find answers for all of those questions? Okay, she should start thinking.

Plan A, who could answer all of those questions beside Edward? Isabella, maybe. But, Elizabeth still wasn't sure that Isabella was the girl Edward talked about even though many things pointed to her direction. Then, who could gave her answers beside the two of them? Elizabeth was silent for a moment before her mind cleared. Jasper! He must have known some of the answers. He was Edward's best friend and flat mate, for God's sake. He must have known Edward's girlfriend at least. And of course, Alice must have known too. Elizabeth was considering asking them, but suddenly she remembered what Renee had said a few hours earlier. Alice wouldn't talk. She was Isabella's best friend first. And Elizabeth was pretty sure that Alice would never betray Isabella's trust. If Alice wouldn't answer to Isabella's own family, why would she answer Elizabeth? And Jasper must be the same.

Plan A was not going to work. Then, Plan B, where could she find answers? She was pretty sure that Edward never wrote journal. So, that was out of question. Edward's phone had been broken since the accident, so that was out too. What else? Elizabeth tried to think over and over again. Edward's bedroom was almost bare because he had brought his stuff to.. The apartment! Of course! There must be something that could be found at the apartment. Elizabeth tried to decide what to do. She had to go to Edward's apartment in Seattle. She had to get in the apartment, but she didn't have the key. There had been no key in Edward's possessions that was found at the accident scene. She could ask Jasper for the key, but then he would know what she was up to. Jasper would try to hide the things that were related to her research. Then, what?

Elizabeth was tense. She was trying too hard to think about a way to find answers. She tried to calm herself. Edward's bedroom. She had to search Edward's bedroom for the key. The key had to be there if Edward hadn't brought it when he got into the accident. She had to find the key!

Jasper stopped his car in front of Rose's Diner, his aunt's place. He opened the door for Alice and Bella. He was greeted by a waiter before he was offered a table. He refused it.

"I want to meet Rose McCarty. Is she here?" Jasper asked to the point.

"Oh, Mrs. McCarty is at her office," the waiter answered. "May I ask who you are?" he asked again.

"I'm her nephew, Jasper. She's expecting me," Jasper answered.

"Oh, okay. It's this way," the waiter escorted them to an empty corridor that was led to a door. There was a sign 'Authorized People Only' at the door. The waiter knocked the door until a voice told him he could come in. He peeked through the door and told Rose McCarty that her guests had come. He invited Jasper, Alice, and Bella to come in. The three of them stepped inside the room before the waiter closed the door behind them.

The office was not big. Just typical simple small office with a desk and cabinet files. There was a couch at the far corner near the window. A middle-aged woman was sitting behind the desk with a kind smile. Bella could see that the woman must have been very stunning in her young age. Bella still could see the traces of gorgeous blond hair and model-like figure when she was standing from her seat.

"Hello, Jasper," the older woman greeted her nephew while walking around the desk to meet him properly. She hugged Jasper warmly.

"Hey, Aunt Rose. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier," Jasper answered and hugged her back. "Oh yeah," he started after being released from the hug, "This is Alice, my girlfriend. And this is Bella, the friend I was talking about," Jasper introduced them to each other. "Alice, Bella, this is Aunt Rose. She is my mother's little sister," he explained.

Rose McCarty shook their hands one by one with a kind smile on her face. After the introduction, they sat down. Rose McCarty and Jasper sat at the two chairs that were placed close to the desk while Bella and Alice sat at the couch. "So," Rose McCarty started the conversation, "Jasper had told me a little about the problem here. Can any of you add something for his explanation?"

Bella glanced at Jasper before focusing her eyes at Rose McCarty. "I had a fight with my father and he kind of kicked me out. That's why I need a job and a place to stay," she tried to explain.

"Yes, Jasper had said as much," Rose McCarty agreed. "This is not a job interview, Bella. Well, not really. You can relax a little. My nephew asked a favor from me. I want to know the story behind it," she assured Bella. "Can you tell me about the fight?" she continued.

Bella looked hesitant and Rose McCarty could see that.

"Bella, I don't mind if you don't want to tell me about the fight," Rose McCarty said. "But, that means you want to be treated professionally and you can't stay at my place. I can hire if you're qualified, but I can't let you stay with me," she explained. "Jasper asked for a favor, that's why I wanted to treat you as a friend. And as a friend, I expect you to tell me the problem. I think we need to get to know each other if you want to be my friend," she finished her explanation and waited for Bella to absorb that.

"Okay," Bella sighed. "I'm pregnant and my father didn't agree with me having this child without the father," she started her explanation.

"Oh," Rose McCarty gasped. She was silent for a minute before turning to Jasper. "Jasper, Alice, why don't you have a little snack. I think I need to talk to Bella alone," she asked him.

Jasper turned to Bella to make certain that Bella was okay with that. Bella nodded her head to Jasper and Alice that she would be okay. Jasper and Alice nodded their heads back before excused themselves from the room. After they walked out and closed the door, Rose McCarty moved to the place next to Bella that Alice had left. She reached out her hand and put it on top of Bella's hands.

"What happened, Bella?" she asked kindly. "Can you tell me from the beginning? You weren't raped, were you?" she asked with concerned eyes.

"No, oh my god, no. I wasn't raped," Bella replied instantly. "It's my child with my boyfriend," Bella continued.

"Oh. Okay. And where is he now? Did he leave you?" Rose McCarty asked with slight anger thinking about that possibility.

"No, he didn't," Bella said with firm voice. She really didn't want Edward to be misunderstood. He was a really good guy. Bella took a deep breath before continued her explanation. "He got into an accident. He's in comma right now."

"Oh my God," Rose McCarty gasped. "Are you okay?" she asked with concerned voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It has been almost two weeks," Bella answered sadly. "I can't tell my dad yet about Edward. That's his name, by the way. We were dating secretly because my dad doesn't like his daughters dating."

Rose McCarty nodded her head. "I understand. That must have been a really big surprise when your father heard about the pregnancy," she said understandingly.

Bella nodded. "I didn't regret it, Mrs. McCarty. I want this baby. I love Edward and I'm sure that I'll love this baby as much as I love him."

"I understand," Rose McCarty said kindly. "And please just call me Rose or Aunt Rose like Jasper," she added. "Well, except when you talk to other employees, of course," Rose reminded her.

Bella smiled. "Of course, Rose," she agreed.

Rose smiled kindly. "Jasper never told you about my story, didn't he?" she guessed.

Bella frowned a little. "No, not really," she answered. "He just said that you can't have children and you have a history that could make you understand my situation," she explained.

"What a clever boy," Rose said chuckling thinking about her nephew. "He didn't tell my secret, but he told you enough," she added. "Well, it's not exactly a secret. I just don't really like talking about it." Rose turned her eyes to look at Bella. "You see, Bella, I was raped once when I was eighteen years old," she started quietly.

Bella gasped. She didn't know what to say though, so she just stared at Rose with surprised expression.

"I was pregnant because of that. However, something went wrong and I lost the child. Because of the harassment when I was raped, and also because of the miscarriage, my womb is damaged. That was why I couldn't have children. Thankfully, I met my husband, Emmet. He's really a miracle that came for me. He can accept who I am," Rose explained.

"I'm sorry," Bella mumbled. She didn't know what to say anymore than that.

Rose smiled sadly. "It's okay. It's been a long time, and I have so much time to accept my own condition," she said. "Now, back to your problem. I can hire you at this diner," she added happily.

Bella widened her eyes. "Don't you need to see me work first? I don't want you to feel forced to accept me," she mumbled guiltily.

Rose smiled. "I know I can trust you, Bella. Jasper's good at reading characters and I trust him. I know that at least, I can teach you how to work here. It won't be too difficult. When do you want to move here?" she explained.

Bella still looked worried. She didn't want to be a burden to Rose, but she couldn't exactly refuse the help. She took a deep breath. She had to think about the baby too, so she decided to make her mind. "Okay. Thank you very much, Rose," she finally replied.

Rose smiled. "Good. Here is my phone number. Just call me when you want to move your things to my house. So, Emmet or I can be there to let you in," she said, giving Bella a card that contained the diner's number, her house's number, and her cell phone number.

Bella stared at her with worry expression. She didn't know Emmet at all. She never even met him. She would feel bad to intrude at his house without getting to know him first. It seemed like Rose could see the worry in Bella's eyes. "Don't worry about Emmet. I already talked to him about this and he's happy to help. He really has a big heart. He liked to help people, especially friends. Maybe Jasper can help you to move in, so at least he can introduce you to Emmet," Rose suggested kindly.

"Thank you so much, Rose. I don't know how to thank you enough for giving me this chance," Bella replied with tearful eyes.

Rose nodded. "Jasper is like a son to me. So, I'm glad I can help his friend."

A/N: So, what do you think? Please don't forget to review in the box below.. Thank you for all the reviews.. And I'm really sorry that it's not a long chapter. I still have to figure out where this story goes.. I can't promise to update often.. Really sorry..