Taken In By The Cullens

Chapter Ten

Many hours passed by before it was finally two O clock in the afternoon. Esme, Renesmee, and Carlisle were getting ready to leave for the hospital; the others were going to stay home, not wanting to overwhelm the teenage patient. "Are we going to tell Maddie about us?" Alice asked, "or not?" it was what they were all wondering; the room fell silent until Carlisle spoke up "we'll try to keep the secret to ourselves" he decided "but...if it becomes too difficult, we'll tell her....somehow". It was agreed. After saying goodbye, the three left the house and hopped into the car; they were more than excited!! Renesmee could barely sit still!! "What if Maddie doesn't like living with us?" she suddenly asked, her worry painting her face, as well as staining her voice; her grandparents shared a glance before Carlisle's eyes returned to the rode "...I'm sure she will sweetie" Esme reassured "it might take her some time to get used to it but overall, she'll surely love it". The smiles returned as silence took over the car. Eventually, they reached the hospital and made their way into the building, walking through the many hallways until they arrived at the ward - they approached the teenage girl's room, knocking before entering. "Hey Maddie" they greeted happily; the fifteen-year-old turned around as she was stood next to her bed, holding onto it for support "hey guys". Renesmee made a B-line for her friend and gently embraced her as see Esme asked if she was alright "I guess" the girl shrugged "I only really badly hurt when I move sharply or quickly" Maddie explained "the meds are doing their thing". Guessing it was time to go, Maddie grabbed her bag from the head of her bed - her social worker had dropped it off that morning; Carlisle looked around for more bags but....there were none. "Is this all you've got Maddie?" he asked earning a nod as she explained that John wasn't a fan of spending money on her; Renesmee decided to get rid of the sad memory atmosphere "well Rosalie and Alice with change that soon enough" she promised with a chuckle. Those two were crazed shoppers, especially when it came to clothes. Maddie was going to become their new barbie doll.

The nurse - Kayley - checked the patient once last time before discharging her; Esme filled out the paperwork as quickly as possible. Once it was all done, Carlisle carried Maddie's bag whilst his wife and granddaughter stayed close so that they could easily assist her if needed; they finally reached the car - Maddie and her friend got into the back whilst the adults hopped into the front. The ride was quiet as the radio played in the background. As they drove towards the grand house, Maddie smiled as she took in the incredible surroundings "that'll never get old" she mumbled to herself; they pulled up in the driveway and jumped out of the Jeep....well the injured girl slid out with some help of course. Entering the house, Esme declared that they were back which triggered the rest of her family to come rushing into the living room; Alice instantly embraced her young friend, careful of her injuries, soon followed by Bella. "Hey kid" Emmitt asked as he gave her a quick and loose bear hug "how are you feeling?" he asked; Maddie shrugged as they parted "better than yesterday I guess". Jasper, easily guessing what everyone else was thinking, suggested they show Maddie to her new bedroom; the whole Cullen/Hale clam suddenly became extremely excited, surprising the healing girl as she rose a brow. Carefully, they led her through the house - Edward and Emmitt helped her up the two flights of annoying stairs - until they reached the door which was decorated with Jasper's heart felt gift - it was a beautiful sign that read 'Maddie's Room'. "Here we are" Rosalie grinned "take a look" she pushed; Mac chuckled at the eagerness but did as she was told, opening the door to reveal her new bedroom. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen before!! Wide eyes, the teenager looked around the room - there was even a window seat and door that led to a bathroom!! All she could ever do whenever she was at this house was stare at her surroundings...and it was her second time being in this house.

"Whoa" was all she could say before turning back towards the excitedly waiting family who all remained by the door "is this really my room?" she asked in complete disbelief; her question earned a multiple of nods. "I don't see anyone else moving in, do you?" Bella jokingly replied; her daughter followed with a question of her own "do you like it?" she asked nervously "we were up the entire night getting it already for you". Smiling, Maddie hugged her friend to ease away her nerves "of course I like it" she reassured "I love it in fact!!" she laughed happily before turning to the others "thank you so much". Allowing the teenager time to unpack and settle in, the Cullen's and Hale's left the attic to continue with their day; Renesmee stayed with her friend of course. "This is gonna be great!!" the half vampire exclaimed as she jumped and sat onto the edge of the back; Maddie chuckled as she threw her now empty bag into the wardrobe, agreeing with the words she was hearing. They were more than happy. Renesmee decided to give her new house mate the grand tour, showing her all the upstairs before they carefully made their way to the ground floor; they entered the living room. "And you already know what this room is" Renesmee finished, catching her family's attention; they all smiled "giving Maddie a house tour Nessie?" Emmitt asked fondly. Nodding, the two young girls sat down on the sofa "well Maddie, welcome to your new home" Carlisle smiled "if you ever need anything, anything at all, don't be scared to come to any of us and ask" he reassured, earning a multiple of agreeing nods; the youngest teenager hesitantly nodded herself as she returned the smile "thank you for... for taking me in" she spoke softly "it...it means a lot". No one was missing a heartwarming smile....that was until a surprising question was asked by the healing girl "so....what are my chores?". Sharing a look with the group, Esme chose to take it upon herself to answer the unpredicted question "em....well just keep your room tidy, clean up any mess you make and put your dirty laundry in the laundry room - I'll sort the rest out" she smiled; it appeared it was time for Maddie to be surprised by what she was hearing "really?!" it was as if she didn't trust her ears at that moment in time "that's it?!" she asked earning a multiple of slow nods of confirmation. The family all shared a glance of worry; they assumed John Smith had also forced his charge to manage all of the chores and housework.

Turning on the TV, the group turned silent as they focused on the large screen. Maddie, however, felt all her exhaustion from the busy day catch up and take over her mind and body; she fell asleep in the middle of an episode of 'The Steve Wilko's Show'. As soon as the others noticed, the room was full of smiles "aww" Alice cooed "she looks so cute when she sleeps, so peaceful" she spoke quietly as to not wake the teenager; her boyfriend stood from his seat beside the pixie haired vampire "I'll carry her up to bed" he stated. Gently and carefully, the man slid his arms under Maddie's knees and back before easily lifting her up into his arms before making his way up the stairs and into her room; Jasper lay the feel sleeping girl down onto her new bed and pulled the covers up to her chin - he left the room after turning on the star gazing light that Emmitt had bought her during their shopping trip the night before. As he returned to the living room and sat beside his girlfriend, Jasper spoke a worry that he had just discovered "Maddie is far too light to be healthy" he stated; Carlisle sighed as he already knew this "her social worker gave me a folder of everything to do with Maddie, from statements to events to common knowledge" he explained "...but she said to only ready it when Maddie herself says she's ready for us to know". Nodding in understanding, Renesmee rose a brow to prove she was still slightly confused "so....it's like a folder full of her life since joining the care system?" she asked earning a nod from her mother; Esme smiled as she patted her husband's arm "we'll talk to her about it tomorrow".