Esme's POV
I was sitting at home, alone. My children had all gone out hunting and had taken Renesmee with them. It was her first time hunting so they would be gone for a while. Carlisle was at a night shift, and wouldn't be home for another hour. I had cleaned the house top to bottom and now had nothing to do. I was thinking if something I could do to keep me occupied for an hour. The only thing I could think of was the attic. I decided I would go up there and do some digging around. I pulled the ladder down and pushed open the door. I climbed up and turned on a light. There was so much up here. Over the past 80 years the family had collected a variety of things. I looked at all of the boxes and one in particular caught my attention. it was an extremely rough looking crate, that was nailed shut and had various things written on it. Fragile. Personal. Do Not Open. But it was the words 'Esme's Things' that grabbed every piece of attention that I had. I was curious. I only vaguely remembered seeing that box before. Which was strange because vampires never forget. I had to know what was in it. I picked it up and dragged it down that ladder. It was fairly heavy. I wondered what on earth was in this crate. I set it down in the middle of our family room. I didn't feel like looking for a hammer so I dug my fingers under the nails and pulled them free. I ever so carefully lifted the lid and peered inside. There was all sorts of things. Small boxes filled with my childhood toys and clothes. Boxes filled with pictures and books. But at the bottom of the crate there were two larger boxes. One of which said 'baby' on them, and one that seemed to be unmarked. I pulled both of them out. I couldn't decide which one I would open first. I settled on the box that said 'baby'. I lifted the lid and found so many items. Then the memories came flooding back. All of them at once. So overwhelming, it hurt. I could see so many things. My ex-husband, my parents, my precious baby boy. And then me, standing on that cliff. A voice brought me back to reality,
"Esme!" Carlisle said frantically. I gasped as if I needed the air. Carlisle's hands cupped my face. "Esme. Are you alright?" he asked. He sat down next to me on the couch.
"I'm... fine" I said. I really didn't want to get him worked up.
"No, your not fine. What's going on?" he asked, letting go of my face. I had to tell him.
"I...I found this. This box... in the attic, and... it j-just brought back...p-painful...memories" I said. I began to cry as I finished my sentence. Tearless sobs shook my body. Carlisle wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. I hid my face and sobbed harder. Carlisle rubbed my back,
"Ssshhhh," he said, "It'll be ok," I sobbed for about ten minutes before I looked up at him. He gave me a small smile, and I was able to sit back up. I picked up the 'baby' box again and set it between Carlisle and I. I reached in and pulled out a blue baby blanket. I remembered it. It was the blanket I had knit for William, only three days before he was born. I unfolded it, and a bottle, and a blue hospital hat fell out. I picked them up and looked at them as Carlisle took the blanket. He seemed to be examining it.
"Who made this? Its so adorable" he said,
"I did. I knit it for William, shortly before he was born," I said, trying my hardest not to break down again. I took the blanket from Carlisle and wrapped up the other item. I put them back in the box. I put my head in my hands and felt the urge to cry. But I tried not to. I looked up and pushed my brown hair out of my face before grabbing an envelope that was also in the box. It was sealed. I stuck my finger under the edge and ripped it open. Several picture flew out and landed on the carpet. I picked them up and looked at them, Carlisle moved the box onto the floor and moved closer. I studied the black and white pictures. One of them was a picture of me in my cousins living room. I was extremely pregnant and looked so happy. Another picture was me in the hospital holding my baby boy. I dropped all the other pictures and focused in on that one picture. It was enough to sent me over the edge again. I dropped the picture in my lap, and my head fell to my hands. It hurt so much to remember him. Carlisle's arms slipped around me again, as my sobs faded,
"William" I murmured to myself, even though Carlisle would still hear me. I calmed myself down again after a few minutes. I picked up the pictures and placed them back in the envelope. Then back in the box. I set the 'baby' box aside and picked up the other large box. I opened it, and it was filled with pictures, and letters, and journals. My mind snapped. It had to be here somewhere. I shuffled through everything and pulled out another envelope. It was exactly in the same condition as it had been over 90 years ago. The front of the envelope had one thing written on the front. Carlisle. In delicate cursive. My own. I handed it to my husband, but he shook his head,
"Read it to me," he insisted. I tore open the envelope and unfold the paper. I began:
Dear Carlisle,
I just wanted to say, thank-you. Not just for fixing my leg, but for the kindness. You were, by far, the kindest person I've ever met. No person has ever shown so much interest in me. I thought I was just another patient. Clearly not. I would like to know, as to why this was so. If you are ever in the area, please do stop by. I would love some answers regarding my curiosity. Hope I hear from you shortly.
Love,
Esme
P.s - I send my kindest regards to Edward. How is he?
Attached to the bottom of the letter was a picture of me in my cast, smiling. I looked over at Carlisle who was looking back at me with curious eyes.
"What?" I asked,
"That was lovely. Why did I never receive it?" he asked,
"I was going to send it... but my father said it was foolish" I told him, "My father had been stubborn and thought it was a waste of money to sent a simple thank-you note to a doctor who would even remember who I was by the next day"
"But I didn't forget you, I thought of you everyday" he said, kissing me on the cheek. I folded up the letter and put it back in the box. Carlisle picked up one of my journals, and tried to open it but there was a tiny lock on the outside,
"Where's the key?" he asked, looking at me,
"At my home. In my room. In Columbus." I said, smiling. He laughed.
"Do you mind if I break the lock?" he asked.
"Not on that diary" I said snatching it from him.
"Why not?"
"Because" I said, rubbing of some of the old dust, and some word were revealed. I showed them to him.
"Thoughts on Carlisle," he read aloud, then turned to me. "What are you hiding?" he asked playfully, reaching for the book. I jumped up out of his reach,
"Deep secrets that you cannot know about" I teased. Carlisle jumped up and I ran away, "If you want to know, you'll have to catch me!" I yelled as I ran around the house with him on my tail. As I ran out the front door, my family moved out of the way. They were back from there hunting trip, but I was having to much fun to stop and greet them. I ran out onto the dirt, and turned to see if Carlisle was catching up. All of a sudden a pair of arms grabbed me from the front and pulled me to the ground. I land next to Carlisle in the dirt.
"Caught you," He said, he stood up and helped me up. He pulled me in and our lips locked. I could here Renesmee mutter "Ew" and we broke apart. We went back inside with the children.
"What were you two doing?" Edward asked.
"Your father tried to read my old diaries," I said. We sat down on the couch, and the rest of the family gathered in the living room too. We spent the rest of the day looking through all of my childhood stuff. Just enjoying our time together. My past was behind me, and though I'll never forget it, I'm happy to have the family I have today.