A/N: I wanted to write a detailed story about what daily life would realistically be like for Edward, had he ended up staying with the Boggs. Just a warning, I view Edward as a human, even though he was created by The Inventor. As a human he has to bathe and go to the bathroom and has sexual urges and all of that. Don't read this if that bothers you.
Monday
Peg's Perspective
Today starts like any other week day. The alarm goes off at 6:45. Bill turns over and hits the snooze button, allowing himself ten more minutes of sleep. But once I'm up, I'm up. I might as well get started with the day. First order of business is to pull my robe on and get my glasses.
I allow myself ten minutes to freshen up and then I head down the hall. Kevin needs to wake up now, or he'll end up missing the bus.
I open the door and walk into the room that he and Edward share. Edward is sleeping peacefully on the bottom bunk, arms crossed over his chest. He's snoring lightly. Kevin, on the other hand, is sprawled over the top bunk, arm draped over the side of the bed. I notice that he's drooling on his pillow.
"Kevin, dear," I whisper, rubbing his shoulder. "It's time to wake up."
Kevin cracks his eyes open and groans. "Mommm, let me have ten more minutes!"
I can't help but crack a smile. Kevin gets more and more like Bill every day.
"No," I whisper, "You need to get up now or you'll miss the bus. And you'd better get to the bathroom before your sister or you won't be getting in at all."
Kevin sighs. "Fine."
Quietly, he climbs down from the top, careful not to wake Edward. He walked towards his dresser, picks out an outfit, some underwear and socks for the day, and heads towards the bathroom.
Kevin is in there for fifteen minutes before coming out completely dressed and ready for the day. Thankfully, he leaves the bathroom just as Kim is waking up. She prefers to wake up on her own, using an alarm clock. I hear it go off and a few minutes later, I hear her footsteps heading down the hall. She'll be getting ready for a while, perfecting herself for a day with her peers.
Meanwhile, I've started preparing breakfast. Nothing big. Toast and a banana or apple for everyone. The kids and Bill don't eat much on week day mornings, but we do try to eat together on weekends.
Kevin comes into the kitchen and sits down, and I place a plate of buttered toast and a piece of fruit near him, along with a glass of orange juice.
"Thanks," he says, picking at his food.
"Anything going on at school today?" I ask.
"Nothing much. I think we have an English quiz, but I studied."
"Good."
Kevin's actually a pretty good student. I trust him when he says that he studied for the exam. The next few minutes are spent in silence, Kevin eating his toast and me making more of it for the rest of the family.
Seven thirty rolls around and Kevin pushes his plate away, drains the last of his orange juice, and stands up.
"I'm gonna meet Mike Tucker down the street," he says, grabbing his book bag. "We'll walk to the bus together."
"Okay," I agree, "Give me a kiss before you go."
Kevin rolls his eyes, but complies, coming over and giving me a peck on the cheek.
"Love you mom," he says, right before he leaves. I tell him that I love him too.
00
It's a little while before Bill and Kim join me. Kim's high school starts later than Kevin's middle school, so she has more time, and Bill does not have to be at work until eight thirty. I serve them toast and fruit, with orange juice for Kim and coffee for Bill.
"Got a big meeting with the board of directors today," Bill says, sipping his coffee, "If all goes well we'll get our budget approved."
"Oh, good luck!" I reply, sincerely. Kim also voices her well wishes.
"Edward has that appointment with that surgeon today, right?" Bill then asks.
"Yes. I'll be taking him for a consultation around two."
"Good, good. Let me know how it goes. I'll likely be out of my meeting by three."
"I will."
There's silence as my husband and daughter eat. Eventually, I speak up again.
"Kim, are you coming home after school today?"
Kim sighs. "I'm going to Jim's after the pep rally."
"Alright, well try to be home by ten, will you? It is a school night after all."
Kim scowls. "I'll try, mother."
"Thanks."
It's not that I want to ruin Kim's fun. I was young once, too, and all. I just want to make sure that she gets enough sleep and does well in her classes.
Bill eyes the both of us, probably wondering if some argument is going to break out. When one doesn't, he finishes his coffee, and stands up.
"Well, off to work," he says, giving me a kiss. "See you later."
"Love you," I answer.
"Love you too!"
And with that, Bill is out the door.
Kim leaves soon after, when Jim and his friends come to pick her up.
00
So now, it's just me and Edward in the house.
Most days I let him sleep in. I am fairly sure that he is up late, though what he's doing, I'm not sure of. Thinking, I guess. I get the feeling that he stays up thinking. There's a lot going on these days, so I'm sure that there's a lot on his mind.
For one, we found a doctor in Central City who was willing to work with Edward. He'd seen us on television a few months earlier, on that talk show, and had reached out to us. I'd spoken to him over the phone, and his ideas did seem promising, so today Edward and I were going to make the hour drive to see him. If all went well, Edward could have real, working hands within the next few months.
Knowing that I had a good hour or two before Edward would show his face, I began to clean up the house, making sure that everything was in its place. I washed the bathroom floor and cleaned the kitchen counter. Took out the garbage, and washed the dishes from breakfast.
I was cleaning the sink itself when I heard Edward come into the room. A glance at the clock told me that it was now 10:30 AM.
"Good morning," I greet him, smiling. As usual, his hair is splayed in all directions. He has a case of perpetual bed-head, it seems.
He smiles back at me. "Good morning."
And so, our morning ritual begins.
00
It's good that the rest of the family isn't home for this, because I think both they, and Edward would be mortified if they knew how things usually worked. I mean, I think they understand certain aspects of Edward's situation. That he needs help with certain things, because he can't do them on his own. And I think that they know that I help him. At least, they know that I help him get dressed in his pajamas at night, and I'm sure that they know that I help him get dressed in the mornings.
I doubt that they often consider the other things that I do. Like helping Edward bathe, or use the bathroom.
"You can go ahead," I tell him, nodding at the bathroom door.
He nods, and heads over. I'm right behind him, and I reach out to open the door. Though he can pick locks, it's generally easier if I open door knobs for him.
Edward shuffles in, and I follow. I close the door partially before turning to him. Then, as clinically as possible, I help him pull down his pants and boxers. He's been wearing normal clothes since I finally managed to get him out of that leather suit. It was way too hot to keep on during the summer.
"I'll be right outside," I explain, as usual. He knows where I'll be, but I tell him anyway. "Just let me know when you're done."
"Okay."
I close the door and wait, thinking about what other errands need to get done this week and when would be best to do them. Janine down the street wants to have coffee on Thursday, so that will take up a few hours in the afternoon, and I remember Barbara asking about some of the Avon products, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
Soon enough Edward's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Peg?" he asks, softly. It's so soft that I would not hear it if it wasn't on my mind to do so.
"Coming," I answer. I push the door open and walk in.
Edward is still sitting on the toilet, gaze cast towards the tiled floor. I know that he dislikes this part of the day. Can't say I blame him, I'd be embarrassed having to have someone else help me like this.
Wordlessly, I gather some toilet paper, and he stands up. I gently wipe his bottom, not making any eye contact as I do. Seeing as how I raised two children, doing things like this don't bother me all that much, but it is a bit strange helping an adult.
I throw the toilet paper in the toilet and flush it.
"Ready for a bath, then?"
Edward nods, still staring at the floor.
I reach past him and turn on the hot water, and plug the drain.
"Alrighty. You know the drill."
Edward nods again, and lets his arms hang at his sides as I unbutton his pajama top. It's easier to use button downs than regular clothes, just because it's easier to slip them off and on.
Carefully as I can, I slide the sleeves off of his hands. I call them hands, not scissors. It doesn't seem right to consistently point out how different he is. He knows it already. He doesn't need a reminder.
Once the garment is off, I discard it, along with his pajama pants and boxers into the hamper.
"Go ahead," I urge.
Edward says nothing, but climbs into the bathtub, drawing his knees up to his chest when he does.
I sit on the edge of the tub, and grab a washcloth off the hook before dipping it in the water and adding some soap.
Washing Edward's hair is out of the question. We tried it, once, in the hopes that with enough conditioner I could untangle the knots, but that had ended with Edward nearly crying and me feeling extremely frustrated. If he ever wanted his hair to be combed, we'd have to cut it off and let it grow back out.
I move to wash his face, first. Edward closes his eyes so he doesn't get any soap in them, and the process goes quickly. If it wasn't for the scars, Edward would truly have a beautiful complexion.
Next, I move on to his body. Edward is very careful to keep his hands out of the water, lest the metal begin to rust. This is why he doesn't take showers, too.
Gently, I rub the washcloth against his back, getting some soap on him and washing it off. His back is the only place that does not seem to be scarred.
Next come his arms. Again, as gently as possible, I wash them, too. Now comes the really awkward part. He knows what it is.
"Do I have to?" he whispers. I can see him blushing.
"You have to keep clean," is all I reply. Because it's true, really. People need to keep all their parts clean.
He nods, but again refuses to look at me. Then he lets his legs down, allowing me access to the front of his body.
I wash his neck, chest, and stomach, noting that there seems to be another new cut above his belly button today. I briefly wonder how that happened, and make an effort not to get soap on it because it will sting.
Then I reach down, and, again, as clinically as possible, wash his private area.
It doesn't take me long to do. Maybe fifteen seconds. Still, he usually ends up having a reaction, as I tend to put it. This time is no different. This time, though, he asks about it. He's never done that before.
"Peg?"
"Yes?" I've started washing his legs, now.
"Why does that…" he trails off, but I understand what he's talking about.
I sigh. "Well… it's normal. It happens to all men sometimes."
"Oh. It happens at night, too, sometimes."
"That's normal. It's…" I try to think of how to explain this, knowing that Edward has very limited knowledge on sex and reproduction. "It happens when a man is aroused. Often if he is attracted to a woman, or if he touches himself, or if someone else touches him."
"Oh."
"Bill can tell you more about it."
"Okay."
He's silent for the rest of the bath. When we're done, I help him up, and drain the water. I wrap a towel around him when he gets out, and I help him dry off. Since Edward is so thin, it is easy enough to tie the towel around his waist. I then help him brush his teeth. It's another thing that he can't do on his own.
After that we then head down the hall towards Edward and Kevin's bedroom.
"What do you want to wear today?" I open the drawers to show him his clothes. He studies them for a moment, before speaking.
"Blue jeans I guess. And a black shirt."
"Sure." I pull out the jeans, along with a short sleeved black button down shirt. A pair of boxers and socks, as well.
"Sit down," I instruct him.
Edward shuffles over to the bottom bunk and takes a seat. He removes the towel, allowing me to help him get his boxers up. After that, it only takes a few minutes to get him dressed.
00
Now that he's clothed, Edward seems much more comfortable. He follows me back into the kitchen.
"Breakfast time," I tell him. "What would you like?" Since we have time to eat, I usually try to make him whatever he wants.
Edward shrugs. "Oatmeal, please?"
"Sure."
I pull out two packets of brown sugar flavored oatmeal along with a banana. I add milk and cut the fruit up, making the meal just the way I know Edward likes it. When I'm done, I take a seat next to him.
This is one meal that Edward cannot eat by himself, so I pick up the spoon to feed him.
"Open up."
Edward complies, opening his mouth. He closes it as soon as I put the spoon in, and swallows after I remove it. We repeat the process until the bowl is finished.
"Thank you," he says, meekly, as I put the bowl in the sink.
"It's no problem."
There's still an hour to go before we have to leave for the consultation, so I offer Edward the chance to go outside for a bit. The boy needs all the fresh air he can get. He agrees, and goes out back to trim the bushes. Meanwhile, I enjoy the time I have by myself, reading a book in the living room.
00
The hour goes by quickly and I find myself putting my book down and going out into the yard. Edward is trimming a bush near the fence, making it look like a bunny rabbit.
"Oh, isn't that nice!" I exclaim, looking his work over. He really is talented.
Edward smiles. "Thank you."
"Well, I came to get you because we have to get going now."
"Okay."
Edward is so easy to get along with. Despite the extra work I have to do to help him, I really think he is easier to deal with than my biological kids.
We walk towards the car, and I open the door to the passenger side. I get in the driver's seat, turn the ignition, and we're on the road.
As we drive, we listen to the Oldies station on the radio. I notice that Edward seems to like songs by The Beach Boys. He bobs his head slightly to the music.
"Do you like 'Barbara Ann'?" I ask, once the song ends.
Edward nods. "It's catchy."
So, I make a mental note to see if any of my Beach Boys records are at my mother's house. If I could get the record player to work, Edward might enjoy them.
It's an hour before we hit the entrance to Central City. Now I need to look at the map, to see exactly where to go. I pull over, take it out of the glove compartment, and take a look. The hospital is only three blocks away. We make it there with half an hour to spare.
00
Edward is very quiet on the walk in, and elevator ride up to the doctor's office. He seems to be standing closer to me, which is Edward's way of being clingy. He must be nervous. I take hold of his forearm as we walk out, wanting to reassure him.
"It'll be okay. The doctor is a very nice man."
Edward simply nods, but makes no attempt to move any further from me. I guess he'll have to see for himself.
Unfortunately, things start to go wrong as soon as we enter the waiting room. It's filled with other patients, and half of them are staring at Edward. No one speaks, but I can tell what they are thinking. That he's some freak. I'm sure that Edward can sense their feelings, too.
Quickly as I can, I take the forms that we need to fill out from the receptionist, and find us two seats in the back of the room.
"Ignore them," I tell Edward, once we're sitting. "Don't let them get to you."
"I'll try," Edward whispers back.
Right then, the man who was sitting two seats away from us got up and moved. It was clear why he did. Edward says nothing, but I can hear him sigh.
At least the receptionist seems to have some pity on him. As soon as I finish filling out the forms, she shows us to a private room where we can wait.
"Doctor Hansen will be here in a few minutes," she says, smiling at Edward. "You guys can sit on those chairs over there."
"Thank you," he replies, politely as always.
The woman leaves and I can feel the tension lift slightly. It's amazing how much a kind smile can do. Edward seems less nervous overall.
"Now," I start, "When the doctor comes in, you just answer his questions honestly, okay? And if you don't understand then tell him, and we'll help you."
"Okay."
"And the doctor is very nice. I spoke to him myself a few times. So don't be nervous, alright?"
"Okay," Edward agrees, again.
00
Doctor Timothy F. Hansen enters the room less than ten minutes later.
He looks different than I thought he'd look. He's younger than I'd expected. I'd imagined a middle aged man with gray hair, but the doctor can't be older than his early thirties, and he has dark brown hair. He's quite handsome, actually.
"Hi," Dr. Hansen says, "I'm Dr. Hansen. And you must be Peg and Edward."
"Yes," we both answer at once.
"Okay. Edward, do you mind getting up on the exam table? I have a few questions to ask you and a few short tests to run."
Edward looks at me, and I tell him to go ahead. He stands up and slowly walks towards the table. Thankfully he is tall enough to get up without having to use his hands to lean back on. Not that he'd be able to do that.
"Alright, good," the doctor says. "First off, how old are you?"
Edward opens his mouth, but doesn't have an answer. I don't think he knows exactly how old he is.
So, I answer for him. "We believe that Edward was... created within the last five years, but that he he is supposed to be in his early twenties." It's strange saying that. Edward is a young man, but he technically never went through adolescence. Not physically, at least.
The doctor writes this down.
"Okay. Now...And this is a weird question, but please bear with me. Peg tells me that you were 'created'. Do you have working human organs? A heart? Lungs? Intestines?"
"I-I think so," Edward replies. "I have a pulse, I think. And I breathe."
"Do you sleep and eat?"
"Yes."
"Do you need to sleep and eat?"
"Doctor Hansen, I don't mean to cause offense," I cut in, "But Edward is human, just like you or I. We just want to find a way to help him with his hands."
"I know, I know. I'm just trying to determine how he came to be. I need to be sure that it is safe to perform an operation on him."
"I need to sleep and eat," Edward replied, seemingly unphased by the question.
"Okay. Good. Now, do you have any feeling in your blades?"
I cringe at the usage of that word, but Edward does not seem to mind. I think he must accept how he is to an extent. Probably more so than I do.
"I can control them, but I don't feel any sensation."
"Hmm. Interesting. Do you mind holding your scissors out for me? I'd like to do a test."
Edward complies, and the doctor takes out a small hammer. The type that is used to test people's reflexes. He taps one of Edward's blades with it. Edward doesn't move his hand whatsoever.
"Hmm, okay." The doctor hits him a bit harder. Still, no movement.
"Alright, then." The doctor puts the hammer down. "Just.. let me see your right arm."
Edward holds out his right arm, allowing the doctor to touch him.
The doctor runs his fingers along Edward's forearm, and down his wrist, tapping him at various spots.
"Can you feel that?" he asks, as he taps the part of Edward's wrist closest to where his scissors start.
"Yes."
"So you have feeling up until about here. Until the scissors start. Alright. Okay. I think the next step is to perform an upper extremity arterial, which means that I'm going to do an ultrasound on your arms. It won't hurt. That way, I can get an idea of exactly how far they go, and we can work from there. If what I'm thinking is correct, perhaps we can fit you with a suitable prosthetic. You may not have feeling in it, but you could move your fingers and be able to function more normally. What do you think about that?"
For the first time in a very long time, I see Edward's eyes light up.
"Really?" he asks. It's too good to believe.
"I'll have to see the results of the arterial, but if it's possible, would you want something like that? Again, you would not have feeling, just functionality."
"That would be wonderful. No one would stare at me!"
Edward is smiling, now. The doctor and I smile back.
"So, can you come back on Wednesday? We can perform the test here."
"We sure can," I agree.
"Great. Schedule an appointment with Ramona out front, and I'll see you guys then. It was great meeting you, Edward. And you too, Peg."
Edward thanks the doctor and walks towards the door.
"Go ahead," I tell him. "I just have one more question for the doctor."
Edward nods, and goes outside.
Now that we're alone, I ask the question that's been on my mind since Dr. Hansen had first contacted me.
"Doctor, I'm just concerned... about the cost of all of this. We can only afford so much."
To my surprise, the doctor smiled, and shook his head.
"This is a once in a lifetime case. I'll offer you a deal – if Edward gives consent for me to use his case in a published report, I'll do the surgery for free."
"Really?" Now it's my turn to feel disbelief.
"Absolutely."
"My goodness. Well, I'll need to talk to Edward, and we'll let you know."
"Good, good. I'll see you Wednesday, then."
"Yes. Thank you again."
With that, I also leave. We make an appointment for eleven on Wednesday, and head out.
00
By the time we get back home, Bill and Kevin have already arrived. I can see Bill's car in the driveway, and that Kevin is occupied with his friend Mike. The two are in the back yard, playing catch with a baseball.
I notice that Edward is looking at them as we walk towards the house and think that it might be a good opportunity to get a few minutes alone with Bill, to talk about the day's events.
"Do you want to go watch them?" I ask.
Edward nods, and I open the gate to the back to let him in.
"Kevin, Mike, Edward's going to watch, okay?" I call out.
I hear them reply "Okay" and I head inside. Mike is a good kid. A bit of a trouble maker, but all boys his age are. I know that he'll be nice to Edward, at least.
When I walk in, I can see Bill sitting on the sofa, going through the mail.
"Hello Bill," I say, smiling at him.
He glances up at me and smiles back. "Hello darling."
At the same time, we both as the question that's on our minds: "How'd it go today?"
We both laugh, and I offer to let Bill speak first.
"Well," he begins, "We got some good news and bad news. The good news is that the board of directors agreed to give us funding. The bad news is that it's 20,000$ less than we'd asked for, so we'll have to see about outside donations."
"Well… that's better than nothing, I guess," I answer.
Bill smiles again. "It is. How did it go with the surgeon today?"
"Good. He's a nice man. He thinks that Edward can have prosthetics. He wouldn't have feeling in his hands, but he could use them to an extent."
"That's wonderful!"
"It is. But then I asked about payment."
The smile drops off of Bill's face. "What'd he say?"
"He said that he would do the procedure free of charge, if he could publish an article about Edward's case."
"I see. I suppose we'll have to talk to Edward about that, then."
"Yes. He wants us to come back on Wednesday for another appointment."
"Alright. Well, it's better news that I thought there'd be. I was afraid that there'd be nothing they could do."
"We still have to see how the next test goes, but the doctor is hopeful."
"Good, good."
We sit together for a few more minutes, until I get up to make dinner.
00
Our evening meal is pretty good. I invited Mike to join us, and he did, and he livened up the conversation a bit. Mike's father is in the navy, and is out at sea. He told us about all the places that his father said he'd visited. Far off lands like Thailand and Japan. Edward, Bill, and Kevin all listen intently. Meanwhile, I'm busy trying to get Edward to eat the pasta I made. He seems to wrapped up in Mike's story to care about food, though.
Finally, Mike ends his tales with a statement about how one day he hopes to be an officer like his father. Like most boys, Mike idolizes his old man.
Dinner ends soon after that. I collect the plates as everyone gets up, and I start to do the dishes. As I begin to wash them, I notice that Edward is still sitting at the table. He's staring at the clock.
"Is everything okay?" I ask, putting the dish down.
"What time is Kim coming home?" he asks, softly.
"I told her that she needs to be home by ten o'clock."
"Oh."
I know that Edward has some type of crush on Kim. However, Kim has been dating Jim for quite a while. About two years now. I doubt that she'd leave him for Edward.
"She's with Jim?" Edward then asks.
"Yes, nothing new."
"Oh."
Edward sits there, still staring, for several more minutes, until I speak up.
"Edward, I think that Bill is watching television, if you'd like to go join him." I don't mind Edward's presence, but he needs to get his mind off of Kim.
Edward gets the hint.
"Alright."
Edward leaves, and I resume doing my chore.
00
Around eight, I take Mike back home. He only lives down the street but I give him a ride any way.
Kevin goes to sleep around nine, and Bill goes to bed around nine thirty. Since we have half an hour until Kim gets home, I use the chance to start our nightly routine without anyone else around.
"Edward," I say, drawing Edward's attention away from the television. "We should go get started."
Edward frowns, but agrees. He stands up, and slowly walks towards the bathroom. I follow behind, and once again help him get his pants and boxers down. This time, at least, I only have to help him pull them back up. He even managed to flush the toilet on his own.
The next step is brushing his teeth again. I put some toothpaste on his toothbrush, and hold it up. He opens his mouth and I do my best to make sure that I am thorough. When I'm done, I fill a plastic cup up with water, and hold it to his lips. I don't need to tell him what to do with it. He swishes it in his mouth and spits it in the sink.
Now, we're almost done.
"I'll go get you something to sleep in so we don't wake Kevin. You just stay right here."
"Okay." Edward literally stays in the same spot, not moving at all. He does that, sometimes. He takes things very literally.
I pull a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out of Edward's dresser, along with another set of boxers. It's a warm evening, so regular PJs might make him too hot.
"Here we go," I tell Edward, once I'm back in the bathroom.
It doesn't take long at all to get Edward out of his street clothes and into the shorts and shirt. When I'm done, I look him over. The whole outfit is too big on him. It's some of Bill's old clothes, but it works fine for sleeping.
"Okay. Ready for sleep?"
It takes Edward a few seconds to reply with an "I guess so."
I get the idea that he wants to stay up and wait for Kim to come home, but I'm not sure if that's a great idea. A lot of times she just wants to go off to her room and be left alone, so she probably wouldn't want to deal with him anyway.
My last act is helping Edward into bed. He lies down, and I pull the covers up to his chest, trying to make sure he is comfortable. Like I do for Kevin (not that he'd ever admit it), I give Edward a kiss goodnight. I've come to feel like he is one of my children, so I treat him just like I treat the others.
Then I leave, and go back to the living room to wait for Kim to come home.