A New Cullen Sister

Chapter 15

A week had passed since Amelia's first outdoor excursion. Carlisle and Esme had taken her out twice more. Their experiences with Amelia in that regard made them appreciate the ability to be outside at their own free will even more. Sometimes she would walk around the hospital garden with Carlisle or Esme, sometimes she'd just sit down and appreciate the fresh air that surrounded her. She picked up a little bit of weight, and started eating a little bit more each day.

The coughing fits remained violent, but the latest lab results showed that the fungal infection had all but disappeared from her lungs. She'd have to be careful, but living with a coven of vampires had some perks – she was unlikely to get sick from them as they never got sick. Her lung function had increased to 28%, though it was unlikely to reach 30% and everyone was okay with that. On Wednesday evening, Dr Anderson had some news for the Cullen family.

"So Amelia, tonight is your last night with us," she informed the teen. Amelia dropped her pencil in shock. She had been busy composing the little tune that was stuck in her head, adding a little bit here and there. She gaped at Dr Anderson for a little while longer.

"You're kidding me, right?" was all she managed, when she finally had the words to speak.

"No my dear, I am most definitely not," she replied, smiling tenderly at her young patient.

"Surprise!" hollered Sam as she walked in to the room, carrying a cake with 'We will miss you' iced on it. The rest of the night nursing staff followed her. Amelia started laughing in excitement, clapping her hands in glee. Each of the staff members came to give her a hug, before cutting the cake.

Carlisle and Esme stood to the side, watching their daughter interacting animatedly with the staff members that had grown to know her over the course of her lengthy hospital stay. As night staff, they knew her the best – her quirks, her ups and downs, her weird little habits, and her generally cheerful demeanour no matter how little sleep she had had.

They were the ones who listened night after night to her ragged breathing, the ones who checked up on her when they were worried, the ones who pulled strings at 3am for a theatre when she was sick, the ones who calmed her down after a nightmare, and dried her eyes when the reality of her declining health hit her with meteor-like strength. They had grown to be her family when she had no one, and kept her spirits up. Their youngest patient was leaving, and they knew in their hearts that she wasn't coming back.

The little party disbanded quickly, with the promise of goodbye hugs in the morning before she was discharged for the first, and sadly last, time from their care. Afterwards, Amelia started gathering her things, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"What's bothering you, sweetheart?" asked Carlisle. Esme looked up from where she was folding Amelia's dressing gown. A single tear rolled down Amelia's cheek. Carlisle crossed the room at vampire speed and held open his arms. His newest daughter stepped into them willingly.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to be out of here," she began.

"You're going to miss everyone?" guessed Carlisle.

"They were the family I never had for the last four and a half months. They were there when I had no one. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to the people whom I have grown so fond of."

"They care about you too, sweetheart. They are going to miss you greatly. I've been told several times what a delightful patient you have been," said Esme gently. Amelia nodded then pulled herself together. Carlisle let her go, and she sat down on her bed.

"Shall we finish packing for you?" queried Esme.

"It's fine, you don't have to do that."

"At vampire speed, it will not take long."

Amelia sighed, then nodded. Esme wasn't joking. Her belongings sat in a small suitcase in less than three minutes. Clothes for the next day had been left out. All that remained to be packed were her toiletries, which were to be added the next day.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow, and the next couple of days?" queried Amelia, after thanking her parents for making her life easier.

"You'll be discharged hopefully midmorning and then we can do whatever you feel like for the day. Our flight leaves at 8am on Friday morning, so we need to be there by 7am latest. I'm hoping to be there by around 6.30am because we will board before everyone else. It's a 7 hour direct flight, so we will land at noon in Seattle and drive to Forks. Saturday and Sunday we will play by ear, and on Monday, you will start school again," said Carlisle.

"I'm going to fly to Washington?" exclaimed Amelia in delight.

"You are indeed," replied Esme, smiling affectionately at her daughter.

"Awesome!"

---

Alice and Renesmee were busy stocking Amelia's bathroom with supplies. Alice had decided on a purple colour theme for Amelia's room. Purple curtains hung in her room. Her new bedspread was white with purple flowers embroidered on it and she had matching scatter cushions. Alice had continued with the purple theme by incorporating lavender into her bathroom. She was quite pleased with her handiwork. After hanging up the new towels in Amelia's bathroom, purple of course, Alice skipped out to admire the main bedroom once again. Her wave of inspiration the previous weekend had paid off, and she foresaw her newest sister loving it.

Emmett and Jasper walked into Amelia's room, carrying the medical equipment that Carlisle had ordered. A twenty metre long oxygen line was not going to get Amelia very far in the mansion that was the Cullen household, especially considering that Amelia's room was in the topmost, furthermost corner of the house. It may not have been the most practical room for Amelia as a human, but Alice was thinking of the bigger picture, in other words, immortality. And for the sake of any human that may enter their house, her bedroom was right next to her parents' room so that they might hear her should she need them in the middle of the night. Carlisle's office was also on that floor, located on the other side of the master bedroom.

Thanking them, Alice took care of the equipment, heaven forbid Emmett put the oxygen concentrator in the wrong place. On the middle floor, Edward was doing something similar. Each floor had its own oxygen concentrator so that Amelia could walk around whichever floor she pleased. Edward's bedroom was now a music room and was also Renesmee's favourite place in the whole house, excluding any room that her grandmother was standing in. A small, upright piano stood in the corner. Sheet music was arranged alphabetically, according to composer, along one wall. There were a few music stands in the corner. Amelia's violin lay in one of the other corners. Alice had yet to move it up to her bedroom.

Alice and Jasper's room stood next to it, Rosalie and Emmett's on the other side. Downstairs, the lounge and TV room each received their own concentrators. Leah and Seth had reorganised the spacious kitchen to accommodate the mini pharmacy that kept Amelia alive. Carlisle had already sent the two page long script of Amelia's medication to the hospital pharmacy. The poor pharmacist had nearly fainted when he saw just how much medication Amelia required and ordered it in from Seattle.

When Edward had gone to fetch the medication, the pharmacist had presented him with a pill organiser and explained the benefits of it. With perfect memory recall, it seemed a waste in a house full of vampires, but to humour the pharmacist, who proceeded to launch into a long speech about the importance of taking the medication timeously, he accepted it gratefully, and even asked for a spare for his school-going sister. According to Alice, Amelia was going to be thankful for it when she started school again. Bella had then organised the medication in the order in which it needed to be taken – some of Amelia's meds were restricted to the morning, some afternoons, dinner-time or bedtime, and some more than once per day. She had then made use of the pill box, decanting the correct medications into the appropriate box, and then placing it in the cupboard until Amelia arrived.

At last, the house was ready for its newest occupant, now all they had to do was wait for her to arrive.