Bella The Babysitter: Chapter 9

Bella the Babysitter

Chapter Nine

Bella Swan POV

Time had passed rather quickly. For almost four weeks straight I woke up every morning to a coo or cry from the baby in the next room and couldn't believe that I had finally found it. The job that was made for me. I never would have thought that being a nanny was something that would give me the utmost satisfaction but it did.

Sour bottles and soiled diapers were my daily challenges and I couldn't be more happier. Every time Lucas held his arms out for me to pick him up whether it be after he fell on his butt as he walked around the coffee table or first thing in the morning when I went in to get him my heart swelled. His toothless smile was the wallpaper on my cell phone and my laptop and an entire memory card to my old digital camera was dedicated to the cute little things he did on a daily basis.

As many ups there were, I also faced a few downs in the job but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

Edward and I got into a big argument about a month into my trial period, I had spent a month living out of suitcases and bags because I didn't know if he was going to hire me on or fire me. Esme had insisted that I didn't need to take any of the classes at the Y except for the CPR class so I had taken to reading up on the internet and any book I could find at the small local library Lucas and I visited often during our walks. After hearing and reading about the famous Baby Einstein videos, I found an awesome deal for them and bought them out of my own pocket as a gift for Lucas. He loved to sit in the only piece of furniture I brought from the apartment, a large red bean bag chair and watch the bright colors and things.

I had taken to cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner when Edward was working in his office because Esme had warned me that if I didn't interrupt that he would stay in there for a week without eating or bathing. Baby Einstein was an incredible help when I was cooking, all I had to do was lay Lucas in the bean bag and make sure he was snug and turn the TV on and I could clearly see him through the kitchen. I had just started sautéing some vegetables to go with the tofu stir fry I was preparing when Edward came out of his office looking haggard.

"Dinner will be done in a few minutes Edward." I said looking into the living room quickly.

"I can cook my own food you know." He snapped opening the can of redbull he had pulled out of the fridge and chugging it.

"I know, but I was cooking anyways so I figured I'd make enough for two." I said calmly as I switched the burner off and poured the vegetables in with the tofu.

"Well you get paid to watch and take care of the baby, not play around in the kitchen. Instead of playing or properly caring for him you sit him in front of that damn television."

"Excuse me?" I slammed the pot of food on the counter, some of the soy sauce splashed out and onto my hand but I wouldn't show that it burned the hell out of me.

"You heard me." He said before turning down the hall to head back to his office.

"Yeah I get paid to watch and take care of the baby. I've been here for a month and he's maybe sat in front of that television for two hours total. Those videos are good for him and I cleared it with Esme before I purchased them." I said hotly.

"I'm his father." Edward said whirling around and giving me a death glare. "You need to clear things with me not my mother. Television is bad for development."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked.

"Don't raise your voice to me." Edward snapped. "I'm your boss, you work for me."

"Technically I'm on trial Mr. Cullen." His face softened when I didn't use the casual and insisted upon Edward. "You haven't given me any inclination that I've been hired or not and from the way your acting it seems to me that you're just looking for a reason not to hire me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He defended but refused to look me in the eye.

"Yeah well let's make this easy. I'll be out by morning. Enjoy your meal, I've lost my appetite and it seems that I need to be packing my bags." I untied the apron I had put on and went straight up the stairs because I couldn't see Lucas like this.

Tears poured down my face as I threw all of my stuff in my bags. It might have only been a month since I had started but I already loved the little baby sitting down stairs in my ratty old bean bag chair oblivious to the fact that I wouldn't be seeing him ever again. I was angry that Edward would string me along like this if he knew he wasn't going to hire me as Lucas's nanny. I could have been looking for a job all this time.

I dressed for bed and laid down still upset that it was going to be the last time I slept in the bed.

Sometime later I still hadn't fallen asleep and I could hear something over the baby monitor that I had turned on constantly. Lucas was crying softly and I could hear Edward shush him till he quieted only for him to start wailing louder after a couple of seconds. I cried along with the baby knowing that I was going to miss the first thing I had been responsible for in my life.

After almost an hour I heard Edward sigh in frustration and the sound of the door shutting while Lucas continued to wail over the monitor. At first I thought that Edward was going to leave him by himself when he was so upset, but jumped when there was a small timid knock on my bedroom door.

I was planning on pretending to be asleep but hearing the baby cry called to me. I shuffled up and attempted to wipe my eyes patting my cheeks in an effort to calm down before I opened the door. Edward's tired eyes stared at me.

"I think he's sick." He choked out before rushing back to the nursery with me hot on his tail.

I pulled Lucas into my arms feeling his fever through the thin night clothes Edward had apparently changed him into. His little cheeks were blood red and his eyes were swimming with unshed tears. I placed my cheek against his forehead and hummed to him and his cries of pain dwindled down to a mere whimper before I turned any of my attention to Edward.

He was pacing the floor and gripping the ends of his hair frustratingly.

I spoke softly so I wouldn't upset Lucas. "We need to take him to the hospital."

We probably looked like we were nuts, the three of us. Walking into Forks hospital Edward wearing a stained plain white t-shirt and sleep pants with little scrabble pieces all over them and me in a cami-sol and a pair of knee length sweat pants and my knock off UGGs boots I bought at k-mart. Lucas was bundled up as if it were the middle of December and not the end of August. He had started shivering while Edward grabbed his keys and wallet so I bundled him up in a blanket with a knit cap I found in the bottom drawer of his dresser.

His fever was so high that they took us straight back to an examination room and after a few tests they started pumping him with fluids to fight the severe ear infection he was suffering from. He wouldn't let me lay him on the bed so the nurse instructed me to sit on the bed and undress him down to his diaper. When he yelped in pain when they placed the IV, I cried with him because he was so helpless. It broke my heart that I couldn't do anything for him when he was clearly in so much pain.

Edward stepped outside to call his parents and let them know what was going on as soon as Lucas calmed down and fell into a fitful sleep. I played with the red hair on the top of the baby's head and rubbed his back soothingly to help him relax. I had just started dozing off when the door opened and Edward came back inside.

"Do you want me to take him?" He asked.

"No, it's fine. He's asleep."

"Are you sure? You don't look comfortable." He looked at the way I was sitting.

"My boots are making my feet sweat and I didn't have time to grab socks but I'll survive. He needs to rest and if this is how he's comfortable then it will be worth it."

"I could take them off for you." Edward offered.

"No, I haven't painted my toes in a while and I'm self conscious." I blushed.

"I've seen your toes Bella they're fine." he laughed. "But have it your way. Your feet probably smell anyways."

"Thanks anyways." I said softly remembering that the following morning I would be leaving them. "Um,
is it okay if I stay? Just until Lucas is better? You don't even have to pay me, I just want to make sure that he's okay."

"Bella, I was going to come apologize when I put Lucas down for bed. My computer had a glitch and I lost a ten thousand word document that's due the day after tomorrow. I'm sorry I took it out on you because you were the only one around." Edward said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I sort of thought you understood that you were hired. I mean it's been a month so I'll take the blame on that as well because I truly thought that you would get the hint. You're good for him. He's calm around you."

As if to add more fuel to Edward's words, Lucas gave a huge snort and turned over. He started drooling and sucking on the skin of my shoulder so I asked Edward to hand me my bag and pulled out Lucas's extra pacifier I kept on me at all times and popped it into his mouth.

"How could I not hire you Bella? You came into our home not knowing anything about babies and took on Lucas like a professional. You had a damn binky in your bag." Edward said softly as he patted Lucas's back, he then looked at me. "If I promise to take a damn chill pill and not take things out on you ,will you please stay?"

"On one condition." I said without missing a beat.

"Name it." he smirked.

"Please let Lucas keep his videos. They are good for babies, and will help him learn his shapes and colors and things. He really likes them and I don't let him watch them long just for a few minutes while I'm cooking. I literally take him everywhere with me Edward. When I do laundry he sits in the basket of fresh clothes. When I go to the bathroom, I sit him on a towel." I blushed at the last tidbit of information that slipped out of my mouth.

Edward chuckled to himself.

"You mean to tell me that I gave you one condition and you wanted something not for yourself, but for Luke? You're remarkable. Of course you can keep the DVD's like I said I was just being a dick, it was like a." he trailed off.

"Alice calls it man-period. PMS of the dicked dudes." Esme came in the door dressed fashionably followed by Carlisle who I'd met after working for Edward for about a week.

"Mom." Edward whined.

"Well you know what they say,.. Menstrual starts with M.E.N." Esme continued as she walked over to
the bed. "How is my grandson?"

"Double ear infection. It's so weird because he was fine earlier today while he was watching his Baby Einstein video while I was cooking." I shrugged.

"It's probably because he had his attention on something else. They are pretty sudden." Esme said rubbing the top of Lucas's head lovingly. "Did he show any symptoms? Like pulling his ears or anything?"

"No, we went on a walk today and I even had him in a wind breaker with the hood up because it was windy." I explained. "Are Alice and Jasper behind you? I need to ask her for some help with my move."

"No, Alice gets sick easy and Jasper can't really stand hospitals. She'll be around in a few days." Esme smiled. "So you finally got a clue?"

"Yeah, apparently I'm unobservant." I snorted.

Lucas was discharged as soon as his fever broke and Edward drove the three of us home. We were completely exhausted seeing as it was almost five in the morning. Lucas refused to let me lie him down so with Edward's permission I slept in my bed surrounded by pillows with his tiny warm body pressed against my chest. It took two and a half weeks for Lucas to be almost one hundred percent healthy.

Edward stayed home with the baby while I moved all of my things out of my old apartment and into the bedroom I had been using. We hadn't had another argument since and had fallen into a pretty amazing schedule. Lucas's first birthday was coming up fast so Alice and I had been planning everything for it to make it spectacular for him even though he probably wouldn't remember it. Edward
had given us free rein and we had something extravagant planned for the one year old.

That is until Edward came home from a meeting with a frown on his face as he set the table for dinner.

"So how did it go?"

"Shitty." he groaned. "I'm not going to be here for Luke's birthday."

"WHAT?" I yelled.

Lucas attempted to mimic me from his perch in the bean bag chair that was sitting on the floor by the table.

"I have to go to San Antonio to meet with a magazine executive. He might want to sign me on as a writer for his magazine. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't not go." Edward rubbed his eyes in an effort to shield his emotions from me. "But I can't miss this either. Vicky would hate me forever."

"You're not going to miss his birthday Edward." I said defiantly.

"What are you going to do? Dress up like me and meet with Ben Cheney?" Edward smirked.

"No, we'll throw Lucas's birthday when we get back. Luke and I will come with you." I placed the three cheese lasagna on the table and sat down serving our food before even throwing a glance at the man sitting across the table from me.