On my 16th birthday I was given the greatest `gift of all: the opportunity of emancipation.
See when I was born, my mother gave me up for adoption right after I was born. I'm what you call a fire station baby. I was dropped off in a basket wrapped in a blanket with a note. I know, I know, it's total Harry Potter sounding shit. Another reason my friends sometimes refer to me as the Chosen One.
I decided after my 15 years of foster care and group homes that I was ready to be out and about on my own. I didn't need Mrs. Gibbons constant nagging, I didn't need to be sharing my rooms with children whom still regularly wet their beds, and I definitely didn't need to share a bathroom with pervy boys who tried to sneak in on me showering.
Once I made up my mind, I began the process of paperwork. There were wavers and forms and hearing out the ass just to get a judge to consider even in the slightest to let me become emancipated. My best friend Allison had already gone through the process 2 months ago and said it was a bitch and a half just to get them to give you an appointment. She went with me to get my paperwork and to all the various buildings around downtown. Seattle was a big city after all.
Finally when it came down to the last of the forms I was stumped. Allison and her boyfriend Jason had met me at Barnes & Noble and were helping me finish up.
"Honestly, Layla, I don't understand this one at all…" We were staring at a form stating that both parents of said child needed to sign over full custody of the child to the state of Washington terminating all parental rights. I didn't have parents, how the fuck to do I get this signed?
"Guys, I don't even have a fucking birth certificate! How do I get this signed?!" I was panic whispering waving the paper in the air exasperated. I had been at this for months now and it was like a nonstop avalanche of obstacles.
I rested my forehead on the table allowing my mass of curly brown hair to fan out around me. I was average in all honesty. I had chocolate hair that had a mind of its own, due to the ringlet curls that had practically matted. I was too skinny for most guy's tastes and pale. Not like the pretty alabaster skin, I was sickly pale. The only things I had going for me was my height, 5'9", and my eyes. They were a bright green that sometimes made me feel pretty.
Jason patted my arm, "Really, Lay, if your mom gave you up, that means you don't need her signature, just your pop's. We just have to figure out who that is…" Jason was a good guy. He was probably the only one out of our friend's non-orphan. He was tall, light sandy hair, blue eyes, million-dollar-smile, in other words: Allison scored a good one.
Allison looked sat me with pity. She was the beauty queen of the group. She was half Native American, with tan skin, dark hair, but piercing gray eyes. She was a total dork but the best friend you could ever imagine. She was sarcastic as hell, told it like it is, broke all the rules, and had the loyalty of soldier. In other words, she was my family. Her, Jason, and I were a family.
I sighed drinking my coffee, "I guess I have to go back to city hall and ask for my birth certificate." It was 2:35, if I caught the bus in time I just might be able to do this.
Allison and Jason nodded helping me shove the papers back into their folders as I placed the into my backpack and slipped on my jacket. "I'll see you guys later," I waved at them and I stuck my headphones into my ears.
I sat on the bus listening to AltNation, waiting for my stop to come. It was December here in Seattle, otherwise known as the frozen tundra. Even in skinny jeans, Bean boots, wool socks, a comfy army green sweater, and a heavy vintage biker jacket and hat I was freezing. I saw the stop coming up and made my way to the front of the bus.
As I departed, a man practically running, with his briefcase and scalding hot coffee crashed right into me. I fell on my ass as the hot coffee seeped in pass my sweater hitting bare skin. I cried out in pain as the man began to yell.
"Watch where the fuck you are going kid. I have a meeting and now because of your sorry good for nothing ass, I am late. And I don't have a coffee. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners street rat?!" he berated me as I sat on the icy sidewalk, scalding coffee burning me as the cold beneath me froze my ass.
The man was obviously a wealthy man. He had copper hair sporadically going in all directions, a navy suit, and pale skin. He turned on his heels dismissing me, as his black trench coat swung in my face. I pushed myself up off the sidewalk and wiped off my hands on my jeans. I looked down to see a brown coffee stain marring my favorite cozy sweater.
I can't afford another winter sweater I thought to myself as I turning into City Hall. I walked up to the window where I was met by a older woman with gray hair, "Hi ma'am, I was just wondering if I could get a copy of my birth certificate please?"
She peered over her glasses at me, "Yes dear, its $25 and I will need your name please."
I dug into my wallet finding that I had only $30 left in cash. I groaned knowing I wouldn't be able to buy coffee for a while. I handed her the money under a small slot I the counter, "Um Layla, Layla Zeppelin Hunter." I answered. She looked confused by my name as most did and began typing.
"I'll have it printed out right away dear," she responded and I smiled. I looked around the marble building and waited. Patience wasn't one of my virtues.
She handed me the paper and wished me a lovely day and I the same. I tucked the paper into my backpack and headed back to Allison and Jason's apartment. Since becoming emancipated, Allison and Jason moved in together after Jason's parents moved to Paris. His parents were art dealers and felt that he was old enough to take care of himself, only returning for holidays and big meetings back in the states.
The apartment was huge. They had six bedrooms, a full kitchen, dinning room, balcony, tv room, theater, small gym. The place was a palace as long as both of them kept their grades up. I was only allowed to spend the night twice a week but already had a room of my own with a perfect view of the space needle.
I greeted the doorman, a gray-haired man named Nigel, whom was always someone pleasant to see, he tipped his hat at me, "Good evening Ms. Hunter, what happened to your sweater?" he asked.
I waved and smiled, "Nice to see you, Nigel. Some crabby businessman who needs a good kick in the ass." I responded and made my way to the elevator bank.
After being greeted by the smell of chocolate chip pancakes, I dropped all of my stuff on the counter as Allison poured batter onto the skillet, "So did'ya get it?" she asked.
"Yup," I responded popping the 'P'.
Jason walked out of the TV room and into the kitchen, "What's it say?" and leaned on his elbows and nodded towards my backpack. I shrugged picking a grape off of the vine that was in a bowl on the counter.
"I don't know, I don't want to look. Spoil the illusion you know?" I said sitting in a barstool as Allison placed a stack of pancakes in front of me. She was such a Suzie Homemaker already.
"Look, Layla, you have to. It's not like he's some knight in shinning armor, he's a guy that didn't come for you, I'm sorry that he didn't' but there is no illusion to shatter. No smoke and mirrors. He missed out on raising one hell of a person but you shouldn't praise him."
I nodded shoveling a piece of pancake into my mouth, "Will you hand me my backpack, Jason?"
He walked over to me handing me the bag and I fished out my folder I had tucked it into. Allison and Jason stood in front of me watching me read over the document:
NAME: FIRST: Olivia MIDDLE: Alice LAST: Swan
*SECONDARY NAME: FIRST: Layla MIDDLE: Zeppelin LAST: Hunter
SEX: Female
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/25/1994
PLACE OF BIRTH: La Push, Washington, United States, Native America Indian Reservation
TIME OF BIRTH: 11:47 PM
WEIGHT: 9lbs. 7 oz.
LENGTH: 27 in.
MOTHER: FIRST: Isabella MIDDLE: Marie LAST: Swan
AGE OF MOTHER: 15
FATHER: FIRST: Edward MIDDLE: Anthony Mason LAST: Cullen
AGE OF FATHER: 16
LEGITAMITE: NO
I couldn't believe it. It was all here. I could finally put names to the imaginary faces. I never knew where I was born, when I was born, what my parents names were. And finally I knew.
"So, who's mom and pop?" Allison asked.
It took me a minute to register her speaking to me, "Oh, um, Isabella Swan, and uh, Edward Cullen…" I answered. Allison made a move to grab the paper to look but jerked it back; I couldn't let go of something like this. It was the filler to the holes in my past.
Jason left and came back with his laptop, "Well let's Google this son of a bitch," he began typing and just kept starting at the names one the paper. Isabella Marie Swan, she sounded nice, like a homemaker mom that stayed at home to watch the perfect and pristine house, while he sounded very commanding and strong.
"Well looks like pop here is a successful doctor here in Seattle, works at Seattle Grace as chief of surgery. He specializes in cardiology and went to Harvard for undergrad then Hopkins for med school. You're daddy is smart fucking guy there, Lay." He nodded and he began typing again.
I sat in my stool taking it all in. I could find him. I could track him down and I could get his signature and be free. Yeah it was nice to have a name to go with the future face I would see, but he didn't want me and I didn't want him. I wanted to be able to control my life without having a fucking foster family. I would live with Jason and Allison and go to school. Be my own person for once.
"Well, I'll see about it in the morning I guess." I looked at my watch, 7:30 pm. I still had a lot of homework to do and shower. I made my way down the hall to my room, did my homework, showered, and let myself drift off into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning I turned to look at the Needle and was met with rain. I slipped on skinny jeans and my thrift store bean boots, threw on sweater and swiped on some mascara and headed out the door. I made my way to the bus stop and slip on my ear buds as I was met with a pearljam song. I hummed along until I was greeted with the sight of Seattle Grace hospital.
I exited and made my way to the lobby. I walked up to the first white lab coat I had seen and tapped them on the shoulder, "Excuse me, do you know where I can find Dr. Edward Cullen?" I asked.
The man turned around. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and a very noticeable southern drawl, "Yes ma'am, well I can tell you where his office is but no promises he's in there. He may be in surgery."
I smiled, "I can just wait in his office I guess," I shrugged. I could wait a while, it was Saturday, I didn't have school so who cared.
He nodded, "I was just about to drop something off for him, I'll show you the way," he held his hand out for me to shake, "I'm Dr. Jasper Hale by the way, Pediatrics."
I shook his hands, "Layla Hunter," he motioned for me to follow him and we walked up the stairs, past a breezeway and into a hallway were an all glass office sat. the door was shut with the nameplate displaying Dr. Edward Cullen MD. Chief of Surgery was plastered.
Jasper opened the door and slid a folder onto his desk. "If I see him, I'll let him know you're in here. Nice to meet you Ms. Hunter." He waved and left the door open. I took my phone out of my backpack and began to mess around on twitter, instagram, and pinterest.
About 25 minutes passed and I heart a soft knock on the doorframe, when I turned around I was shocked….
"Excuse me, I'm Dr. Cullen, did we have an appointment?" he asked. This was the man, the man who walked into me and yelled at me yesterday. He was the man who berated me in front of strangers and burned me. It was him.
He seemed to not recognize me, "Uh, hi, no we didn't, actually it's kind of a funny story why I'm here." I nervously laughed at the end.
Edward stepped around his desk and took a seat smoothing out his stripped tie and looked over at me, "Really Ms. Hunter, I don't have a lot of time. I'm a busy man with lives at stake."
I nodded, "right, um see I am trying to get emancipated and to do so I have to have the signatures of both of my parents to terminated parental rights, so if you can just sign this, I will be out of your way and out of your hair," I said sliding his the form.
His face froze. He didn't move a muscle or an eyelid. His whole body was like a statue. I waved my hands in his face, "heeeeellllloooo!"
He blinked rapidly and then stared at me, "Look this is a funny joke, who set you up to this? Jasper? Emmet? Oh my god, Rose. She was always wanting to get me back…" I just looked at him.
"Uh, no, sorry, no joke here. I get that this is a shock to you but really, just sign the damn thing and I'm gone. We can pretend like this never happened and I don't exist," I said nodding back to the paper.
He looked at me confused, "Ms. Hunter, I am positive that I am not your father. I have no children and I would know if I did so. This is all one misunderstanding. I am not your father, and that's all I have to say."
He stood up and was making his way to the door to ask me to leave when I blurted out, "Isabella Swan!" I stuttered. "My birth certificate, it lists an Isabella Swan as my mother…"
The air was charged; he stared at me in shock once again and looked around the office. He shut the door and hurried to his desk, "Your mother is Isabella Swan?" he asked.
I nodded, "I was given up for adoption but I recently got ahold of my birth certificate, there was one in my basked but it got lost in the shuffle of me moving. I wen to city hall yesterday and got my copy, Isabella Swan is listed as my mother and you as my father. Apparently I'm from La Push?" I rambled. I knotted my fingers in my lap and kept looking down not wanting to see his face.
He finally cleared his throat, "I'll um, be right back." He darted out of the office at full speed.
EPOV:
She didn't do it. She told me she had taken fucking care of it. That I had NOTHING to worry about.
And yet I sit here with someone sitting in my office claiming to be something I had been told was handled.
I needed Emmett. I needed jasper. I needed Rose. I needed someone who understood what was going on. I ran down to ped's but Jasper had just scrubbed in, so I ran to ortho but Em was busy. I prayed to God Rose wasn't in delivery and was about to cry tears of joy when I saw her sitting behind the desk charting.
"Rose!" I screamed and waved her over.
She looked up at me, worried with how odd I must have looked: winded, sweating, pale, and nervous. I was Edward fucking Cullen, I was never nervous.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Edward?" she asked and she walked up to me.
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a storage closet, "Rose, do you remember when we were 16, and I nailed Bella Swan after James and I made that bet?" I asked. She had to remember, everyone at Forks High that year had to remember. Bella, the resident prude and somehow best friend of my little sister Alice, was the centerpiece to the ultimate bet. Nail the swan girl and I get Jame's jeep.
She huffed, "Are you fucking kidding me, Edward. You pulled me aside at work to reminisce on your glory days?! Yes I fucking remember what you did to that poor girl. And no we are not talking about it!" she went for the door but I stopped her.
"Rose, there's something I never told anyone after the bet…" I trailed off.
She glared at me, "What Cullen, did you take pictures of her naked too?"
I grabbed her shoulders and braced myself, "she um, she came to me after the bet…" I sighed trying to push out the rest of the sentence I had never told anyone in 16 years, "she came to me after we got back from spring break. She said she was pregnant and it was mine." I rushed out.
Rose stiffened and starred at me, "What do you mean she was pregnant and it was yours," she clipped, her nostrils flaring.
I dropped my head and pulled at my hair with both my hands, "look Rose, she came to me and told me the baby was mine. I told her I couldn't have a kid. I had Harvard and med school, I couldn't have a kid. I gave her $300 and told her to take care of it." I sat down on the floor and put my head in my hands.
"Are you fucking kidding me Edward?!" Rosalie screeched. She was red at the face and fuming. "Do you know how many teenage girls I have coming in alone, delivering a baby alone because the father 'couldn't have a kid'?! So help me God Edward Cullen there better be a reason you are telling me this."
I looked down, "Bella didn't take care of it, Rose. She went through with the pregnancy. She had the kid. It's not even a fucking kid anymore. I have a sixteen year old in my office asking me to sign my rights to her over." I pulled at my hair again. "What do I do, Rose?" I asked sounding pitiful.
"Oh my God. You have a kid?! Edward, you have a sixteen year old kid!" It finally sunk in with Rosalie where I was going with this and she pulled me up by my scrubs. "Show her to me."
I looked up at her like she had grown three heads.