A/N: Hey guys! So I know I should be working on my other stories. But I heard this song today by Darryl Worley called "If Something Should Happen," and came up with this great idea! I hope everyone likes it! I read over it one last time before I posted it and it actually made me tear up a little! lol....Thanks Morgan for being there for everything!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters. SMeyer does. But I do own the idea for this one-shot.
"Edward, what's going on? We never go out for beer and wings on a Tuesday night!" Jasper laughed as we sat down at a table at our favorite wing place in Port Angeles.
"Yeah, we always go on Friday nights. That's Guys Night. What's up man?" Emmett asked me. I wasn't too sure how to begin.
"Why don't we get some hot wings and a pitcher first? I'll explain after that," I told them, the waitress coming to take our order at that moment. I ordered a pitcher of beer with three mugs and fifty hot wings for the three of us to share. We always ordered fifty every time we came here. Emmett can eat about thirty just to himself!
"Alright, the beer and food is here. Now what's going on Eddie? You're freaking us out!" Emmett bellowed, pouring the three of us a beer. Jasper took a big gulp of his before leaning on his elbows, waiting for me to talk.
"Guys, we go way back right? I mean, Emmett you lived next door to me since we were born. And Jazz, you came into the mix when we were six. You two are my best friends, you know that right?" I asked, wringing my hands.
"Yeah. You're not gonna hug us are you?" Jasper laughed as Emmett grabbed a hot wing.
"Emmett, Jasper, Bella and I went to see a doctor last week. I have a brain tumor, they're going in on the 25th to see if they can remove it safely or not," I said slowly. Emmett's hot wing was halfway to his mouth as I finished my sentence, it falling to the table. Jasper just sat there staring at me, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"You're fucking joking right?" Emmett blurted. I hung my head, refusing to cry anymore. Bella and I had done enough of that in the last week.
"I wish I was guys. But no, I'm not joking. I'm scared Em, real scared."
"But it's not cancer right? I mean, you're gonna be okay aren't you?" Jasper asked, the beer and hot wings long forgotten.
"I'm not sure guys. They don't know if it's benign or malignant. They won't know until they go in."
"Jesus fucking Christ. You couldn't have picked a little more private place to tell us this Eddie?" Emmett questioned, glancing around the room.
"Guys, as my best friends, I need to ask a favor of you," I started, eyeing them. I pretended not to notice Emmett's eyes welling up with tears. Or Jasper not looking directly at me.
"Of course, anything!" Emmett said, blinking rapidly to rid himself of tears.
"If this doesn't go well, if something should happen to me, can yall go by every once in a while and see Bella? You two could always keep her laughing; she's gonna need that. And have Rose and Alice take her shopping or to the movies or whatever. It's gonna take the four of you to get her back on her feet."
"Edward, don't do this. You're gonna be fine!" Emmett protested.
"I knew you would say that. You both probably think I'm crazy," I began before Emmett interrupted me.
"You're damn right I think you're crazy! How can you even talk like this?" he demanded.
"Emmett, let him talk," Jasper quietly said, always the one to stop our bickering.
"Thanks," I whispered, "Emmett, I have to be realistic about this. The tumor might be cancer. I might not live through this. And I need to know that my family will be taken care of if I die."
"Your family? You mean Masen too don't you?" Jasper asked softly, talking about my son. I smiled at the thought of him. I nodded my head, not wanting my son, Masen Charles Cullen to be without that male father figure in his life. I couldn't bear the thought of it.
"Emmett, he's gonna be ten in November and he wants to play quarterback this fall. I'm supposed to coach his team but I don't know if I'll still be able to. Promise me you'll be there to catch a pass from time to time?" I asked Emmett, the sports fanatic of the three of us.
Emmett just nodded his head, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Instead of letting that tear bring me down, I turned to Jasper.
"Jazz, take him camping with you and your boys. He'll love it. And don't let Alice tell him no when he wants to bait his own fishing line. She always thinks he's too young even though Grandpa Charlie taught him how to when he was four!" I said, Jasper laughing silently.
"Edward, please," Emmett pleaded in a whisper. As big and burly and manly as Emmett always tried to be, he is an extremely sensitive, loyal, and close friend.
"No , I won't stop Emmett. I need you two to be prepared in case something does happen. I need you to be there for him. He's gonna have questions as he grows up and I need you to be there to answer him."
"Of course Edward," Jasper agreed, tears coming to his eyes as well.
"Emmett, you and Jasper can be the ones to give him his first beer when he's older too. Tell him stories of the three of us growing up together; like when you two stole beer from your dad's fridge and got me drunk when we were thirteen. Or the time when Rose, Alice, and Bella went camping with us for the first time and we scared the living shit out of them with the scary stories!" I said, making them laugh at the memories.
"How about when Charlie and Carlisle sat you down after you proposed to Bella the first time and asked if you were on drugs?" Jasper asked with a small smile.
"I was in love with her! Still am!" I smiled back.
"Eddie, we were ten!" Emmett said loudly with a bellowing laugh that made me laugh with him.
"Edward, you know you're gonna be okay right?" Jasper asked after our laughter died down, taking a sip of his forgotten beer.
"I hope I am. I hope I see Masen grow up and get married, maybe have some kids. I hope Bella and I, and you and Rose and Alice all grow old together. I want to be able to make fun of Emmett when he can't throw Rose over his shoulder and carry her around when she's pissed. Or watch Alice yell at Jasper because he wears black and brown together and that's just 'unacceptable!'" I joked, saying that last word in a high pitch to mimic Alice.
Jasper and Emmett laughed at my antics before becoming silent and serious again.
"Honestly guys, I already told you, we don't know what's gonna happen yet. But I want to be prepared. If it is my time to leave, can you watch over them for me?" I asked them, my eyes on the table.
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THREE MONTHS LATER
EmPOV
Yeah…Edward didn't make it. The tumor was malignant and had not only covered two thirds of his brain, but had also traveled its way down his spine. There was nothing the doctors could do. They tried chemo and radiation. It didn't work. It was too late. Two weeks ago he laid in his bed in the hospital, Masen and Bella sitting on both sides of him. Rose, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, and I were all gathered in the room. He had told everyone in the room how much he loved them. He told Bella and Masen that he would see them again one day. He reassured Esme, Carlisle, and Charlie that he wasn't in pain anymore, to not worry. He told Alice and Rosalie not to cry anymore, that he would be okay. Then he looked at me and Jasper and said the words I would never forget.
"Watch over them for me; you promised," he muttered right before he closed his eyes for the last time.
The funeral just ended. Everyone gathered at Esme and Carlisle's house. Bella hasn't left Edward's childhood room since we got here. Everyone has been taking turns sitting with her. Charlie was first, but he doesn't do too well with emotions so he went back downstairs rather quickly. Esme and Carlisle tried after him but couldn't get through to her. Rose and Alice were with her for about an hour before she asked to be alone. Jasper checked on her a few minutes ago but Bella didn't want to see anyone. I decided to give it a go. When I walked up the stairs I saw Masen standing a few feet from his father's old room.
"Hey buddy, what are you doing up here?" I asked him, crouching down to his level. My two little girls, Grace and Sara were playing down in the playroom with Jasper and Alice's two boys, Jack and Austin. I was surprised Masen wasn't with them. He's normally inseparable from those four.
"I was gonna go play in Daddy's room but Mama's in there crying," he mumbled, shuffling his feet.
"Yeah, I know Masen. She's sad that Daddy had to go to heaven and be with Jesus. You remember Nana Esme telling you that story about Jesus and the angels?" I asked him, placing my hands on his shoulders.
"Yes. I remember. I miss him," he whispered.
"Me too buddy, me too. Hey, I have an idea. When me, Uncle Jazz, and your dad were growing up, we always used to drag our sleeping bags and tent to the backyard and camp out. You wanna go camping Masen?"
I didn't know what else to do. Whenever my girls were sad or cried, I just promised them a new doll or Barbie. I didn't know how to handle sad little boys. But I must have done something right because his face lit up like it was Christmas.
"Yes Uncle Em. And can Jack and Austin and Uncle Jazz camp too?" he asked anxiously.
"Sure! And maybe tomorrow we can go fishing out at the lake and then throw the football around. Would you like that?"
"Thank you Uncle Em! I'm gonna go tell Jack and Austin right now!" he shrieked, running down the stairs in a rush. I watched him go before I stood up, turning to see Bella standing in the doorway of Edward's old room, clutching an old forgotten t-shirt of his, tears staining her face.
"Thank you Emmett. That would mean the world to Edward," she whispered. I walked towards her and gathered her up in my arms, placing a brotherly kiss to her temple.
"It's not a problem Bells. I promised Eddie I'd watch over you two."