Disclaimer I do not own Twilight. All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. All songs used in this story belong to the writers, studios, and artists. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 2 – Saying Goodbye
This was our last night in New Hampshire. Before I went to bed, I decided to walk through the rooms one last time.
The furniture, TVs and personal things we wanted for the island, had been packed into a container, and sent to the shipping company a few weeks ago so our stuff would arrive soon after we get there. Our family was nice enough to send most of their clothes ahead in the container, leaving the majority of space in the cargo hold of the plane for the cribs and all the other baby things we would need immediately to set up their nursery and the astronomical amount of clothes we need for them. It didn't help that Alice saw them as living dolls and spend her night creating outfits for them. I think she's planning to start a designer label, featuring baby and children clothes. For safe keeping, Esme's antiques were put into storage. The remainder of the furniture was covered with dust sheets.
As I walked through the rooms, I thought of all the fun we had here. The Valentine's party Alice hosted in the living room because it was not safe for me to attend any of the annual parties hosted by the organizations at the college, the Celine Dion concert we had because I couldn't travel to Vegas to see her show, the evenings of dancing Edward and I introduced the family to, to while away the evening hours, the christening party we had with my parents after we came back from the church and so many more joyous occasions.
I recalled our yoga classes in the den, to keep me flexible and to help me relax during my pregnancy. My fingers trailed along the cold fireplace as I recalled the romantic hours Edward and I had spent in front of the fire during the winter.
In the kitchen, I smiled at the memory of the day Edward first made me homemade juice and Emmett decided to taste it, spitting juice and venom all over the kitchen, because it tasted "yucky". I could almost smell and taste the delicious meals everyone made to keep me, and the babies well fed with the most nutritious and tasty dished as they watched in amazement when I ate one dish after marveling that such a tiny human could consume so much food.
In the nursery, I climbed unto the window seat. I remembered how it had become my sanctuary in my more emotional moments during my pregnancy. I thought of my pregnancy journal and how I had chronicled all the things that happened during my pregnancy along with my personal thoughts, which I had planned to leave with a letter I had written my unborn babies so if I didn't survive their birth, Edward could find it and read it to them when they got old enough to ask for mommy - I wanted them to know how much I loved them already. I also attached an MP3 file with "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.
My darling children,
I'm sorry I'm not here to see you, or to hold you, but you should know, that I'll always be looking down at you and you would always carry me in your hearts. Your daddy and I were extremely excited when we found out we were going to be parents, and although I will not be here to help him take care of you, I know he will do a terrific job. I know this because since I've met him, he had been taking care of me and all during my pregnancy, he has been the most attentive husband and daddy. He has the potential to be the perfect daddy.
You are our little miracles, and I've done my best to follow doctor's orders (both your daddy and grandpa) to ensure you grow big and healthy. The first time I heard you little hearts beating was one of the happiest days of my life. Every week I carried you safely has been a personal victory for me because I was determined to keep you safe inside me for as long as possible.
Many days, while curled up in your nursery, I dreamed of seeing your first smiles, hearing your first words, watching you take your first steps, and I could almost visualize those milestones.
I want you to live life to the fullest and at every milestone, think of me looking down on you, and how proud I am. Being a mom for the past few month, have thought me so much more about life, and unconditional love. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to nurture you. You have made my life worthwhile and I have not regretted my decision to have you, and I would do it all again.
God bless you.
Mommy
XOXOXOX
I quickly wiped away a tear at that recollection, then continued with my nostalgic tour.
In the adjoining bathroom, I looked at Alice's latest creation. True to her word - when she bought the washable paints and crayons for the babies - every night, she drew a new mural to engage their attention during bath times, and it's not just her, the whole family works like a well-oiled machine, taking turns to bathe, power, lotion, diaper and dress the little angels. I don't know what Edward and I would have done without our family. During the times I thought I would not survive the birth, I consoled myself with the knowledge that Edward would have lots of support to help him through my loss and the care of the babies. I knew he thought he wouldn't live without me, but I hoped the responsibility of taking care of our kids, would have been enough incentive for him to go on. Plus, there was always that spark of hope, that Edward would do anything to keep me from dying; that's the reason why he had his venom in a special syringe in the hospital room during the delivery. The plan was to plunge his venom directly into my heart. Thank God everything worked itself out; my body had been changing all through the pregnancy, so it healed itself during and after the birth. I would have loved to be a vampire like Edward, but I love being a half-breed even more. I get the best of both worlds; I'm strong and fast, but I still have a heartbeat, I could eat my favorite foods, and I could sleep – I would have missed sleeping because it would have meant no more erotic dreams.
I walked into our bedroom and was bombarded by the images that flashed through my head. Besides all the days and nights Edward and I spent in our bed, my favorites were celebrating special occasions, especially his enthusiastic response when I wore my Raggedy Anne outfit, our anniversary when he gave me a bag filled with charms representing all the milestones in our relationship, and my last Valentine's surprise for Edward, when Rosalie and Alice helped me turn our bedroom into an exotic room from a Moroccan palace with all the silk hangings, throw pillows and other accents. Which reminds me, I need to buy more chocolate body paint.
I looked at the bed with our four beautiful babies, and I got choked up with emotions. It always amazed me that I was able to carry all four of them for so long. I hoped they wouldn't grow too fast because I want to enjoy each stage of their development. After their first week, they started to gurgle, coo, and hum. Then they began to squeal and laugh. Everyone took pleasure in cooing and gurgling and laughing back at them. They also hold our gazes and look around the room if they hear Edward or me. From my pregnancy, we knew they loved music, so Edward made a few recordings and played the CD for them every day. They also like the CD our siblings bought them after the birth when Alice and the others went berserk and bought out a flower shop with every baby arrangement and gift basket available. Edward and I try to talk normally to them, but sometimes, like our siblings, we resort to baby talk. I remembered their first toothless grins – all four of them. It felt as if my heart stopped beating for a few seconds as I watched each one. Now I can't get enough of their smiles. Our family feels the same way about our little miracle babies. It's amazing to see my vampire family interaction with the tiny babies. We knew they were stronger than newborns, and they never actually seemed like preemies, but we were not taking chances with them, so we treat them just like fragile human babies.
I still breast feed, but Carlisle had some blood left over from my pregnancy and the delivery, so we decided to give the blood to the babies. They enjoyed it and like me, the blood gave them extra energy, but we agreed to refrain from giving them anymore for a while because there was a noticeable increase in their daily growth when Carlisle measured them the next day. As long as I keep producing milk the way I do, we don't have to worry about introducing anything new to their diet yet. I pumped my milk more often so the whole family could join in on feeding times instead of me having to nurse them while the women in the family looked on.
I relaxed enough, to let the babies sleep in the nursery a week after their birth – we let them sleep two to a crib. I knew someone would be watching over them while they slept because even when they take naps during the day, at least one person was in the room with them. That expensive surveillance system in the nursery turned out to be a waste of money. The only thing it was used for, is for Emmett to download endless hours of footage which he adds to his home movie collection.
Edward tucked me in next to the babies, and sang my lullaby so I could fall asleep faster. The babies were sleeping in our bed because their cribs had been dismantled during the day, packed in the old fashioned steamer trunks Esme found from an antique dealer, and sent ahead to the airport with all the bigger items. While the children and I slept, Edward and the rest of the family would pack up our personal things – only leaving out what we would need for the trip.
This house, like the house in Forks, our cottage and Charlie's house will always be special because of the memories we created, but this house will always be extra special to me. This is where Edward and I created our babies. This is where our little angels were born. What could be more special? The island will always be memorable in its own way because of our honeymoon, and taking the babies there will create new memories so I have no regrets. One door closes, another one opens.
We were taken to the airport in a limousine which took us right to the steps of the plane. We were greeted like celebrity by the pilot, who introduced us to the co-pilot. We trooped unto the plane while Carlisle discussed cruising altitude and flight time and weather conditions with the pilot. Most of the cargo was sent ahead so there was only a few suitcases for the ground crew to load.
"You have got to be kidding me." I said. I turned around in all directions, taking in the luxurious cabin. I knew we were taking a chartered flight, but I assumed it would still look like the inside of a regular plane.
When we spoke about chartering a plane for the tip, it made sense. I remembered how long the flight was for our honeymoon and it would be worst travelling with the babies. It was less conspicuous than eight vampires and four babies sitting around the waiting area of a regular flight – after all, we were not looking to draw attention to ourselves, or publicize the fact that we were travelling to South America. The advantages of chartering a flight included the time we would save by having a direct flight instead of changing planes, the convenience of choosing our departure time, and the almost unlimited amount of cargo we could travel with.
The opulent cabin interior looked more like a den in a million dollar mansion than a cabin in a plane. It was totally different from the inside of the small Carlisle charted to bring us home from Seattle on New Year's.
"Welcome to Cullen Airlines. My name is Alice Brandon, and this is Rosalie Hale. We will be your flight attendants today. Please let us know if there is anything we could do to enhance your flying experience."
Alice walked around pointing out the exits, talking about buckling your seat belts – for this she sat in one of the chairs and demonstrated how easy it was. She also spoke about the safety features on the plane like a real flight attendant. Then she started describing the luxurious interior. Like that needed any explaining.
The seating arrangements consisted of overstuffed reclining cream leather armchairs in groups of four, around beautiful tables with a glossy wooden finish; one table was folded up as an example of how you could fold up the four edges to make the tables smaller – giving you more room to relax. I guess that's their idea of a folding tray table. Under the windows on both sides of the plane were comfy looking sofas made from the same cream leather. The same wood was used as paneling under the windows and all around the plane. The wooden finish gave the luxurious space, the look of a home. To finish the home effect, small oriental rugs were scattered around the space. A splash of color was added from the burgundy blankets which were artfully draped on the sofas and for added comfort or just another homey touch, there were brown and gold throw pillows on the sofas and some of the armchairs. We would be flying in comfort and style.
Alice pointed to a wall or panel at the back of the cabin which was covered in the same beautiful, shinny wood. The top of which sported a large flat screen TV.
"For your entertainment, we offer an assortment of movies and a video game system with a variety of games and wireless controls." She pointed at the panel and opened two doors built almost seamlessly into the panel under the TV.
"This is fantastic!" I exclaimed. "It's perfect for us."
"The company could design the space with seats in rows like a traditional airline or you could request something else. It depends on how many people are traveling and whether you're flying on a business trip or for entertainment or VIP groups." She explained.
"Now follow me."
Esme and Rosalie took the babies and settled on one of the sofas while the rest of us, followed her behind the panel into a fully equipped galley; with a stainless steel sink and wooden cabinets. Like the cabinets under the TV, the beautiful finish hid a microwave and a fridge.
"Come, let me show you upstairs," Alice said, tugging my hands, so I could follow her. On the other side of the cabin, there was a bathroom and a staircase.
The stairs were on the other side of the cabin – behind the cockpit.
"This is the restroom." She pointed to a door next to the stairs.
Again, the same feeling of a home continued with the interior design. There was a chest in a little nook which was made from cream colored marble. The door had a green design similar to an opened peacock tail, but on closer inspection, it was more like a bunch of aloe vera spread out like a fan. This was done in tiny green tiles, on a cream background with a burgundy finish around the edges – almost the same color as the blankets. On top of this beautiful piece was an intricately carved sculpture of a horse. The sculpture was done to look like the horse was in a trot. On the other side, was a planter done in a similar design to the chest, but instead of the design on the front, the plants were trained to droop over the edge. Other tropical plants were planted, including Birds of Paradise flowers. The rail on the staircase was done in glass and brass. The glass was etched with an ivy pattern; bring the entire corner into harmony.
Upstairs had a bedroom with a bed covered with a cream bedspread and fluffy pillows, and two leather chairs, and a rug like the ones in the cabin. Most of the bedroom was covered in the glossy wood, including the little ledge under the windows. The bed was right next to the windows, so you could lay in bed and watch the clouds float by. I smiled at the idea of being in bed at 30,000 feet in the sky.
"Hey little brother, you could join the mile high club, and unlike most people who do it in a tiny bathroom, you have a bed," Emmett said and thumped Edward on the back as he raised his eyebrows in that way of his. I blushed. I had hoped that being a vampire would put an end to this embarrassing display, but since I'm still half human, that blush will probably haunt me for a long time.
"The bathroom is through this door."
Alice opened the door to reveal a bathroom unlike any bathroom you'll see on a regular plane. The focal point was a pedestal sink, and a cushioned leather seat cover over the toilet. The wooden wall, cabinets and closet doors, added to the feel of home. And again, behind what looked like a closet, was a tiny shower. I loved the way they used the wood to hide some of the features. It was fun watching Alice open the doors to reveal the treasures hidden inside.
We heard the pilot on the intercom telling us to take our seats and prepare for takeoff, so we returned to the cabin and buckled in until we reached cruising altitude and the pilot announced it was safe to move around the cabin.
The girls and I went upstairs to feed and change the kids while the guys got ready to play games, and Carlisle settled down with a medical book. We took the babies back downstairs because they were still wide awake after their feeding. I think they caught the excitement from everyone. They remained awake all day; their heads turned in all directions as they took in all the activities around them. Finally, Edward insisted we go upstairs to rest. We placed the babies across the bed with their heads under the windows – it was dark outside, but we pulled down the shades so they wouldn't get distracted by the flashing lights on the wing. Edward and I spooned at the foot of the bed and the pillows acted like a barrier at the head so they couldn't rolls off. I wasn't worried about that happening because I knew with Edward's quick reflexes he'd be able to catch them before they get to the edge of the bed, much less the floor. Edward sang a lullaby he made for the babies, and Jasper helped by sitting in one of the chairs and calming us all down. After the babies fell asleep, he discretely left the bedroom.
A/N:
The song and lyrics can be found on YouTube.
Idea for cabin interior taken from the following sights: -
Cabin, kitchen, staircase & bedroom: - (w w w).(private-jets).(org/pictures/)
Bathroom: - (izmoscrop).com (/aircraft-manufacturers/airbus/)
I'll try to start a Google site for this story and add pictures like I did for LAFS
