Chapter One
Something lost and something gained
Just a few months ago I was a normal 18 year girl looking forward to leaving home and going off to college. My mom had cured her empty nest syndrome by having another child. I don't know if she planned the pregnancy or not. Renee had married Phil 5 years ago. She and my dad got divorced when I was four and mom and I moved to Florida. She met Phil when I was eleven and they dated for a few years before they got married. He was a great husband to my mom and he never tried to be my father, but we got along ok. He is what my mom needed and I'm glad they found each other. My dad is Charlie Swan he was the chief of Police for a small town in Washington by the name of Forks. I still saw him every summer, every other Christmas and Thanksgiving and on spring break. Sometimes he would come out and see me in Florida. I have a great relationship with him. Although I never really liked Forks I was always happy to go see him. I have a great job and have been saving my money since I got this job at 15. My mom thought I was too young to have a job at the time, although in the end I think she was happy I ended up taking the job. I work for a man by the name of Lucas Dell. He is an insurance adjuster and I write his estimates for him. Its good money and the best part is I can take it with me where ever I go and work from home. I had already decided that when I went off the college I was going to continue to work for him.
I was going to go back to Florida early this summer because my mom was due a week before I was to leave for school. I was happy that the baby would be here by the time I left so that I didn't feel so guilty for leaving my mom. I knew this year was going to be hard on her and I was glad that the baby would soften the blow a little. When Renee and Phil first got married I thought it may have been better for me to move in with Charlie so that mom and Phil could have some alone newlywed time. Mom however pitched a fit and begged me to stay. I did and it all worked out in the end.
I went to Charlie's like I normal did in the summer. It was a week before I was supposed to go back to Florida when I got the worst phone call of my life. The Ryder Trauma Center in Miami was calling me because I was listed as the next of kin for Renee and Phil. The trauma center said that they had been in a very bad car accident and both of them were in critical condition. They also said the baby was alive and they may have to remove him if Renee gets any worse. I was freaking out and Charlie booked me and him a flight to Miami. I told him he didn't have to come with me but he wouldn't listen. He said that I may be an adult now but that he was still my dad and he knew that I would need someone to lean on right now. It took and eleven hour flight and another hour drive to get to the trauma center. By the time we got there Phil had already died and they were in still in surgery with mom. They tried to explain it to me what they was wrong with her and what they were trying to do to save her but it didn't sound very optimistic. I asked about the baby and the charge nurse told me that he was taken out during the Renee's surgery and that he seemed to be doing fine. I asked if I could see him and the nurse smiled and took me to see my baby brother. I wasn't sure what to call him, mom and Phil said they would name him once they saw him. Six hours later the surgeon came down and told me they had lost her on the table. I wasn't sure what to think or do at that moment. I clung to my baby brother and cried while Charlie rubbed my back and whispered how it was going to be ok and that he was there for me.
The next couple of days seemed to go by in slow motion for me. I made the funeral arrangements for my mom and Phil. Little Anthony Phillip Dwyer got to come home the day of the funeral. He was doing great, he was only a week early so they considered him full term. It took a couple of extra days to get him released to me because I had to fill out and get approved to be his guardian. Even though I his only relative I had just turned eighteen. After I proved that I could support him they released him to me. My dad had offered to take him so that I could go to college. I won't lie and say that it wasn't a tempting offer but I just couldn't be separated from him from little Tony right now. I somehow needed him just as he needed me.
I had already had most of my stuff packed and ready to move all the way to California to go to college. I was renting a two bedroom apartment seven blocks from campus. It wasn't hard to pack up Tony's stuff. Renee had already purchased everything he would need and most of it hadn't even been taken out of the box yet. I had hired movers to pick up our stuff and take it to the apartment we were moving into.
I decided to sell mom and Phil's house and cars. I didn't think I could ever come back here to live. They had left me and Tony everything in their will. The house sold really quickly and I was happy that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. Charlie had stayed with me a Tony these last three weeks and I was glad that he chose to stay. I couldn't have dealt with everything on my own. He was flying out with us although when we switched plains in Denver we were going to go back to Forks and Tony and I were going to go the rest of the way only. Charlie had offered to go all the way with us but I knew this was something I had to do on my own.