A New Cullen Sister

Chapter 45

"So how does it feel to be 16?" asked Esme as she wrapped Amelia's hair in a towel and left the teenager to soak in the bathtub. Amelia blinked lazily and scrunched up her nose.

"No different to 15, I guess," she replied, "I thought that there might be some sort of fanfare or whatever. Pretty boring really. I feel loads better today though, like I have more energy again."

"Well I hope it lasts," said Esme as she sat down and leaned her back against the wall.

"Me too," replied Amelia. She coughed violently, then leaned forward to pull out the plug from the bottom of the bathtub.

"Too steamy?" asked Esme, standing up and handing her daughter a towel. Amelia wrapped it around herself and climbed out of the bathtub, shivering at the sudden change in temperature.

"A little bit, yes. It's the hot steam that bothers me. It really doesn't help the congestion. The extractor fan in my bathroom at home makes it a lot easier to breathe. The cold really helps me though," she commented, drying herself as quickly as she could. Esme wrapped her up in her dressing gown and helped her back to her bedroom, before helping her change into her favourite, and mercifully clean, pyjamas. They had a Winnie the Pooh iron-on patch on the front of the baby pink pyjama top; the bottoms were made of the same pale pink fabric that had smaller versions of the iron-on patch printed all over it.

Esme finished off the effect by wrapping Amelia back up in her gown. Amelia put some thick socks on and stuck her feet into some Ugg-like slippers lined with fleece. Amelia either sweated profusely or turned into an ice cube – there was no in between. She was currently on a heavy dose of corticosteroids which made her feel very hot most of the time, but today it was not too bad. She would probably warm up later and then find herself stripping down to the barest minimum. If she was near a vampire, she intended on using their air conditioning capabilities.

"These pyjamas smell amazing," Amelia commented, holding the top up to her nose and sniffing it.

"Do you like it? I'll buy that brand of detergent again and wash your blankets in it."

"Thanks Mom. There is just something about clean, nice-smelling pyjamas," she yawned.

"I agree," chuckled Esme, "although perhaps we ought to put you in something else, because it seems like you are about to fall asleep on me."

"It's a soothing smell," said Amelia defensively, crossing her arms so that Esme couldn't attempt to wrestle her clothing off. Esme smiled fondly at the teenager. Alair walked into the room and winked at the teenager, before attaching her nasal cannula to the portable concentrator.

"Come, Bella Mia, it's time for your party," stated the caramel-haired woman, extending her hand to her daughter. Amelia took it. "There's no need to break down the door, Emmett. We are coming," she muttered, knowing her son could hear her from where he was positioned – pacing up and down the corridor outside the ICU. The pair made their way slowly to the entrance of the ICU and left.

"Squirt!" crowed Emmett, delighted to see his littlest sister.

"Emmy-bear!" grinned Amelia, going towards her big brother and hugging him closely, "I missed you!"

"I missed you more, littlest squirt. Don't do that again. I had to take off my t-shirt in the middle of winter to cool you down. Ugh."

"I apologise sincerely, though I suspect the human females who bore witness to your state of shirtlessness didn't object one bit."

"That they definitely did not do," called Rosalie, who had just entered the corridor. She walked up to her little sister and hugged her too, "happy birthday, Mia."