Midday Clouds - The Charlie Swan Story

Chapter 14 (New Moon 3)

I noticed that Bells had left the door to her room ajar. I wasn't usually one to enter her space without permission, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to peek in from the hallway. I spotted a paperback copy of Romeo and Juliet sitting lazily on her bedside table. I didn't know whether it was for English class or for light reading, but I couldn't help but draw the painfully obvious parallels between that tragic love story and the borderline toxic relationship my daughter had been fostering over the past few months.

It's a hard thing, to talk to teenagers about the dangers of loving so passionately, so intensely, that everything else in life seems to fall to the wayside. It takes a bit of growing up to realize that Romeo and Juliet is more of a cautionary tale than one of romance. But hell, I couldn't very well judge the kids for falling so hard for each other – I'd done something similar with my old highschool flame, Sue Uley.

It wasn't until we'd graduated that we realized just how unhealthy it was to dedicate our entire beings to one another, and, after some tough conversations, we'd gone our separate ways; me to fall for Renee and Sue to marry my good friend Harry Clearwater.

I genuinely believe that both of our eventual marriages were aided by the fiery romance we'd shared as teenagers (and the glaring hindsight it provided), but at the time there was absolutely no way we'd have been able to take that step back and consider just how overwhelmingly all-encompassing we'd fallen into our love... to the detriment of family, friends, schoolwork, and so much more.

Looking back now, Sue and I can laugh about how love sick the two of us had been, how downright head over heels in the worst way possible we were as kids. I hoped that one day (and, ideally, soon) Bella would have the wherewithal to be able to see just how unhealthy her and Edwards obsession with each other really was... before things got taken too far.

Romeo and Juliet ended up as young corpses, after all. There's a reason that love story is classified as a "tragedy," and I hoped to hell that Bells could understand why.

I heard a vehicle pull up and looked out of the window. Bella and Edward were standing beside her truck, having what appeared to be a rather intense conversation. They kissed, and Bella headed inside while her boyfriend just started walking down the street. I knew that the Cullens lived a good few miles down the road, and wondered if the boy planned to walk the whole way. I hurried downstairs to my usual spot on the couch, thinking that maybe Bells might want to hang out for a bit.

"Bell?"

"Hey, Dad," she said, coming around the corner. She was holding her arm in a weird way, and wearing a different shirt than the one she'd left in.

"How was it?" I asked, sensing that something was up.

"Alice went overboard. Flowers, cake, candles, presents, the whole bit."

"What did they get you?" I hoped to hell that it didn't completely overshadow my own gift.

"A stereo for my truck," she said. I was shocked. Something like that would cost at least 5x the camera I'd gotten her. Figures that the Cullen's would spare no expense, but still.

"Wow," was all I managed to say in response.

"Yeah - Well I'm calling it a night."

"I'll see you in the morning," was all I could think to say after her abrupt departure from the living room.

She waved at me from the bottom of the stairs: "See ya." I could tell that there was something wrong with the way she moved her hand.

"What happened to your arm?" I finally asked.

"I tripped. It's nothing."

"Bella..." I said, worry engulfing me over what may have happened.

"Goodnight, dad," was all she said before fleeing up the stairs. I heard her door shut definitively a few moments later.

It wasn't hard for me to put two and two together. Bella was clumsy, sure, but not that clumsy, and that was the second time in half a year that she'd "tripped" and hurt herself while around Edward.

I trusted Carlisle, I did, but a small part of me worried that the man would put his son's clean record before his own morality. If he really was covering for Edward's abuses of my daughter, well... there'd definitely be some hell to pay.

The signs were all there: The toxic over-attachement, the cold eyes, the need to spend every waking moment together, the injuries, the half-baked excuses – domestic abuse is a serious issue in this country, and while it doesn't take a cop to see the signs, I sure as hell knew the damning statistics due to my time on the force.

I knew I'd have to have a serious conversation with Bella about this. I knew it was one that she wouldn't want to have. And on her damn birthday, of all days. I wanted to believe that she truly had just tripped today, and accidentally fallen down those stairs all those months ago, but I also knew that the inherent bias of trusting a white, male, potential abuser only made matters worse. No, I had to operate under the assumption that Bells really was in a bad situation.

I quietly picked up the phone, and dialed a number I'd committed to memory months prior.

"Carlisle," I said, as the familiar voice answered the line.

"Hey, Chief Swan, how's it going? Did Bella get home safe?"

"Well, you see, that's what I'm calling about. She got home a few minutes ago, but there was something up with her arm that I'd like to ask you a few questions about." Even at home, even this late at night, it was easy to revert back to Chief Swan. Over the past decade it felt like he and Charlie had slowly merged into one.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry Charlie, I should have called. Bella fell during the celebrations and cut her arm on a piece of glass. It was no trouble, really – I stitched it up quite quickly and we were back to dinner in no time! You know Bella, she promised me not to worry you by calling, but I now realize in retrospect that I should have anyway. As a father to father courtesy, of course. I hope you know that you can have full confidence in me in the future."

I let the man speak his course. I found that when someone was lying, they would usually talk more than they needed to, and, if you knew what to listen for, the truth might eventually slip out.

"You know, that's the second time Bells has fallen and cut herself on glass around your family, Carlisle," I stated, letting the silence sink in.

"I know, Charlie, I'm sorry. We'll all make sure to keep a closer eye on her when she's over here."

"I'll be keeping an eye out, myself," I said, trying to put things as delicately as possible while still making sure to get the message across. "You just make sure that everything is taken care of on your side of things. Would hate to have to come over there to make sure of it. That your house is all... up to code, as it were."

"Understood, Charlie. None of us want any more hurt to come to Bella, and we do feel terrible that this happened on her birthday. We want nothing but the best for her."

"I should hope so," I said. "And hey, on an unrelated note – you just keep an eye on that boy of yours. Bells seems to have grown quite fond of him over the past few months, as I'm sure you've seen, and she's quite... fragile, when it comes to the romance side of things. I trust that you've raised a boy who wouldn't go breaking hearts, but you know how kids can be."

"I do Charlie, I do, and I will. My apologies again for not talking to you sooner about tonight."

"Yeah, well, just do better next time, is all. Goodnight, Carlisle," I said, hanging up the phone before hearing his own goodbye.

Well, that was one tough conversation down, two more to go. 

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