Chapter 4: Kaure
I would have preferred to wear a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, several of which I had managed to sneak into my suitcase after Alice had packed for me, but Edward had told Thiago we had dinner plans so we dressed up as if we going to a nice restaurant. Though I wouldn't want her to know it, I was secretly thankful that Alice had insisted on flying into Washington to help me pack for this trip or I might have ended up shopping for an appropriate dress for tonight.
We made our way back to the mainland and then took a cab to a medical supply store. Edward wanted a black bag filled with medical instruments. Most were just props such as the stethoscope and thermometer, while others might be potentially useful. He had called ahead to place his order, and they had it ready to pick up when we walked in. We then went back to the dock, arriving shortly before seven in the evening. We asked our cab driver for recommendations of some nice restaurants, so we would be prepared if asked where we had eaten.
Thiago was already there waiting for us, so Edward got out to speak with him briefly. We then had the cab driver follow his truck to his house. His truck reminded me a bit of the one Charlie bought me when I first moved to Forks, at least in age.
We passed through the edge of the city and were soon headed into a more rural area. We turned down a dirt road and eventually stopped at a very modest but neatly kept home. Edward paid the driver, including a generous tip, and asked him to wait for us, and then we exited the cab. I noticed Edward stifling a grin as Thiago stepped out of his truck and turned to greet us.
"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen..." Thiago began, looking a bit uncomfortable. "My mother is a bit superstitious - she believes the old legends of our ancestors, the Ticuna Indians. If she says or does anything...odd...please overlook her."
"Don't worry," Edward assured him, smiling. "We've met her before. She is a very kind woman. We won't be offended by any superstitions. Have you told her we are coming?"
"Yes, I called her from work earlier today. She said she remembered you from when you were here ten years ago." I wondered what he was thinking. Had that helped convince him of our inflated ages or would he begin wondering if the superstitions were true?
We followed Thiago up to the house, and he opened the door and led us inside. Kaure was standing on the far side of the room, her back to the wall. She looked frightened when she saw Edward walking in behind her son, and she crossed herself. When she saw me, her eyes grew even wider and she crossed herself again. Thiago looked down briefly, embarrassed, then looked up at us apologetically.
"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, this is my mother, Kaure. Mom, do you remember the Cullens?"
"Yes, I remember you." She summoned the courage to address us directly. "Dr. Cullen, you haven't changed a bit. And Mrs. Cullen, you are even more beautiful than I remembered." She had not missed the physical changes to my face and body.
"You are too kind," I told her with a slight smile.
"It is good to see you again," Edward added. "We were concerned when Thiago told us your other son is ill. I'd like to see what we can do to get him diagnosed and treated sooner - I know waiting lists can be long."
Kaure nodded but still looked frightened.
"Dr. Cullen, my brother Henrique is this way." Thiago led Edward to an adjacent room, where Henrique was resting in bed.
I had hoped to have Edward present when I talked to Kaure, since his Portuguese was much better than mine and his mind-reading could have been useful. But Thiago was not as "aware" as his mother, and we had best keep it that way. I would need to talk to Kaure while Thiago was distracted in the other room.
"Kaure," I began, speaking quietly enough that Thiago would not overhear. "I want to thank you for all you did for us the last time we were here. I know you were worried about me. I noticed how you kept coming up with excuses to check on me to make sure I was okay. You were very brave." I smiled, hoping my broken Portuguese was understandable. I had easily memorized every word in the language along with its meaning, but I wasn't as sure about how to put the words together. "I also appreciated your concern about my pregnancy. I can't tell you how helpful it was that you shared your legends with us - I am forever indebted to you. We have a beautiful little girl now. Would you like to see some pictures of our daughter?"
She looked - stunned and confused. She had not expected that both I and our child could have survived. She also looked rather scared, but her curiosity was winning out. "Your daughter... Yes, I would love to see pictures." She kept staring at me. "Did he - Are you like him now?"
"I would have died otherwise; I wouldn't let him terminate the pregnancy."
"Wouldn't let him?" She stared at me, her eyes wide and full of questions. I didn't need Edward's abilities to know that she would be wondering how I could have stopped him from doing anything he wanted, and why I wouldn't have wanted such a pregnancy terminated.
"He loves me," I explained. "He originally planned to take your advice because he feared for my safety, but he would never do anything against my will." Well, maybe he would have in order to keep me alive, but I'd had Rosalie on my side. "And I knew our child was going to be special. I loved her from the first little nudge inside the womb." I smiled as I pulled the album from my purse. "Here are some pictures from the past few years." The pictures were actually newborn through age three, but appeared to be more like two months through age nine. I had carefully excluded pictures that contained family members Kaure had not met. I approached her slowly so as not to startle her, and handed it to her.
She seemed to relax a little upon realizing the child did not look at all like a monster. "She is just lovely!" she exclaimed. She turned through the album at a leisurely pace, and as she admired the photographs I could hear Edward in the next room consulting with Carlisle on the phone. Renesmee could win over anyone. Just seeing her baby pictures was enough to wrap anyone around her little finger.
Kaure handed the album back to me and smiled hesitantly. "Thank you for stopping by. I had wondered what had become of you." She glanced to the other room, where Edward was still examining Henrique, the cell phone to his ear. "Thiago said your husband will be able to help my son?"
"We will certainly try. We can't promise any miracles. But we will do our best to see that he gets proper medical care."
"Your husband really has medical training? Thiago said he specializes in Internal Medicine." She, understandably, looked rather skeptical.
"Yes." I smiled. "From a rather prestigious school, actually. He is quite knowledgeable, he just lacks experience working with patients. He's not a practicing physician like his father."
Her brow furrowed, probably contemplating the idea that Carlisle, whom she had likely met a number of times since he and Esme vacationed here often, could be a practicing physician. Or possibly she might be wondering how he could be Edward's father, when Carlisle didn't look much older than Edward.
I heard Edward on the phone again, making arrangements with a local specialist Carlisle had recommended. Edward and Thiago would be coming back into this room soon. "I noticed Thiago didn't seem to be afraid of us. Have you told him what we are? Does he know about our earlier encounter?"
"Yes, I have, but he doesn't seem to believe any of it. Kids these days have little respect for our tribal history. He regards our legends as superstitious stories, and he thinks I am a silly old woman with a vivid imagination."
"It is better that way," I told her. "I assure you, you are in no danger from my husband or me. Or from the rest of our family. But there are... others... who do not live as we do - who might harm you if they learned you had too much knowledge. Please trust me when I tell you that Thiago is safer believing the legends are just stories."
She shuddered and then nodded slowly, seeming to grasp what I was telling her - at least to some extent.
Edward and Thiago walked back into the room. Kaure looked up at Edward expectantly.
"I can't make a definitive diagnosis without proper equipment here, but my father and I suspect your son may have a tumor putting pressure on his brain. It may well be operable, but we do need to get him in to see a specialist as soon as possible and have some tests run." He handed Thiago a piece of paper on which he had written down the name, address, and phone number Carlisle had given him over the phone. "I have arranged an appointment for Henrique tomorrow morning at 6am. Dr. Ramos had no openings during normal business hours but he has agreed to come in early to see Henrique, as a favor to my father. Will you able to get him there that early?"
"I can get him there," Thiago stammered, looking at the writing on the paper, "but this is a private hospital." His face fell. "There is no way we could afford it - our government health coverage does not apply there. Private physicians here in Brazil are quite expensive, and I'm sure he would expect cash payment in advance."
"All the necessary arrangements have already been made. It will not cost you anything. And if he needs surgery or other treatments, those have been covered as well."
Kaure and Thiago were both overwhelmed with gratitude, and proceeded to thank us profusely. I felt quite certain they would have been hesitant to accept any other gift, but they would accept our charity to save their beloved Henrique.
"It's the least we could do," I told Kaure. "I sincerely hope Dr. Ramos is able to help him, and that he is better soon."
She then leaned surprisingly close to me and whispered in my ear, "Is Dr. Ramos like you and your husband?"
My throat burned, and I held my breath and stepped back slightly as I looked up at Edward for the answer. I knew he would have heard the question both mentally and audibly. I seriously doubted there were any other vampires on the planet with Carlisle's control, or with his desire to help humans, but what did I know? Edward kept his gaze on Thiago, who was talking to him, but shook his head almost imperceptibly - it would have been imperceptible for the humans in the room, anyway.
"No, he's a regular doctor." I assured her softly, while Thiago continued thanking Edward.
Edward suddenly looked over at Kaure and spoke sharply. "Were you expecting more company?"
Kaure just looked confused.
Edward whispered in my ear at vampire speed. "There are some men on their way here to confront us. They're armed with garlic, aloe vera, holy water, and wooden stakes. Just follow my lead."
I listened and realized I could hear some vehicles approaching. The humans would be able to hear them in about two seconds.
Kaure suddenly seemed to remember something and began to panic as she finally answered Edward's question. "No. I - I didn't mean for them to come. I had no idea they would do this." She ran to open a closet door. "You can hide in the closet."
Thiago was staring at his mother like she had just grown three extra heads. "Mother, you're being ridiculous! Dr. and Mrs. Cullen do not need to hide in a closet!" He glanced out the window and saw the vehicles that had just pulled in to the driveway. "Why are the tribal elders here?"
Kaure spoke softly and apologetically. "I saw Inara today at the market and mentioned the Cullens were coming over. I never expected her to go to the elders."
"I'm terribly sorry about this," Thiago told us. "This is so embarrassing."
"It's okay," Edward assured him. "I don't mind meeting your elders."
"You don't understand," Thiago insisted. "They think you are Libishomen. A vampire." He shook his head at the absurdity. "Our elders still take our people's legends and superstitions very seriously."
"It's really okay," Edward assured him again, smiling. "I'm not offended by your people's legends. Your mother told me what she thought I was when I met her before. Why don't you just introduce us and explain to them why my wife and I are here?"
Thiago went to the door and opened it before the elders had a chance to knock. Six men entered the room. Two of them appeared to be very elderly and frail. The other four ranged in age from about forty to sixty. Each of them carried what appeared to be a ceremonial walking stick, and they wore garlic and aloe vera around their necks. One carried a pitcher of water. Thiago introduced us and explained to them that Edward was a doctor vacationing at one of the properties serviced by his company, who had been so kind as to come to check on Henrique. He started to explain how he had arranged for Henrique to see a specialist the very next day, but he didn't get to finish.
The tallest, strongest-looking one of the group stepped forward and interrupted Thiago by questioning Kaure. "Is this the same one you saw on the island before?" He gestured toward Edward.
"Yes, but - "
"That's all we need to know!" The man thundered. "Come stand behind us. We'll protect you."
Kaure remained frozen in place, backed against the wall a just few feet to Edward's right.
The man with the pitcher of holy water took a step forward and slung the water at Edward. He could easily have sidestepped it but chose not to. Perhaps if they see that holy water does not scare him or harm him or make him go away, they might decide we are human? The water hit its intended target - his face - and also soaked the front of his suit. He managed to maintain a friendly smile. In fact, he looked a bit amused.
Then I saw two of the younger men coming toward me. "They're rescuing you. Libishomen are all male," Edward whispered to me at vampire speed, water still dripping down his face. They thought I was human? I allowed them to pull me toward them, away from Edward, and closer to the front door. They may have intended to take me out to one of their vehicles to complete the rescue, but the men had each grabbed one of my arms to pull me away, and I was wearing a sleeveless dress. The implications of my cold, hard, unnaturally pale arms seemed to register with both of the men simultaneously. They recoiled from touching me. One of them screamed in surprise, while the other announced, "She's one of them!"
I walked back to stand by Edward. I took his hand, and told the men, "I don't know what you're talking about, but Edward is my husband. No one here needs protecting. We only came as a favor to Kaure, to help her son."
Seeing that the holy water was ineffective and realizing that they were dealing with two vampires rather than just one, the men went for their last line of defense. They removed the ornamental handles on their walking sticks to reveal sharp points underneath. They stood in a semicircle in front of us and pointed their wooden stakes in our direction.
Thiago stepped between us and the extended weapons. "This is absurd! How dare you treat guests in our home in this manner! I insist you leave at once!"
Edward told Thiago, "I want you to take your mother to Henrique's room and close the door. I can work this out with these gentlemen. I need you to protect your mother so no one gets hurt."
Thiago didn't appear to be complying, so I leaned over his shoulder from behind in an effort to dazzle him by breathing in his face as I said, "Go. Protect your mother." He grabbed Kaure's hand and towed her off to Henrique's room and closed the door.
Edward began confiscating the stakes, which were still pointed at us. I had been wondering if they were planning to throw them at us or run at us with them. When I saw what Edward was doing, I helped out by grabbing the three closest to me. Together, we had removed the weapons in less than half a second. To the humans, it probably seemed as if they had simply disappeared from their hands and appeared in ours with the handles reattached.
The six men looked at us, stunned and unarmed. They had been defenseless all along, but they now recognized exactly how defenseless they were.
Edward addressed them, speaking low enough that Kaure and her two sons would not hear from the other room. "Your legends of our kind are based in fact. Joham was indeed one to be feared." Their eyes widened at recognition of the name. "However, not all of our kind are like Joham. There are differences among us just as there are differences among you. I do not prey upon women like Joham. The beautiful woman Kaure saw me with before was my wife." He nodded towards me and took my hand in his. "My wife and I pose no threat to your people and we wish you no harm. If we wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. We came here to thank Kaure for some helpful information she provided us the last time we were here, and we plan to see that Henrique receives proper medical attention for his condition. That is our only business here." He held up the three walking sticks in his right hand. "We're going to give these back to you now. We will call Kaure and Thiago back in here so they can see we have worked things out, and you are then going to leave. You will not speak of our conversation to Thiago or Henrique. They do not know what we are, and it is safer for them that way. Do we have an agreement?"
The largest man, who appeared to be the leader, nodded his head in acceptance of these terms. He seemed to be speaking for all of them.
Edward then moved to the smallest, frailest, oldest-looking man at vampire speed, locked eyes with him, and repeated a bit more menacingly, "Do we have an agreement?" Apparently this man's thoughts had been at odds with the leader's.
The man acquiesced, nodding his head silently.
"Good." Edward flashed them a big smile, showing off his razor-sharp teeth.
We handed the walking sticks back to them.
I went to Henrique's door and knocked softly. "You can come back out now. Everything's okay."
Kaure and Thiago stepped back into the room, looking around hesitantly.
"We apologize again for the misunderstanding," the leader told us. "We'll be going now." They turned and left quickly.
Thiago closed the door behind them, then turned to us and began apologizing again. I could tell he was absolutely mortified at what had happened. "I am so sorry! We had no idea they were coming. I am so embarrassed. I can't believe they threatened you with wooden stakes! How did you calm them down? I am so sorry, I should have stayed in here and tried to protect you. I don't know what came over me. I should have left Mother with Henrique and came back out to help you."
I knew exactly what had come over him, but I managed not to smile.
"We just explained why we were here," Edward told him. "We spoke to them calmly and they listened. Thank you for keeping Kaure in the other room. You did exactly what was needed. I was worried they were going to hit one of you by mistake. Those sticks looked rather sharp."
"Yes, they did," answered Thiago. "You were both very brave to stand up to them."
"We've dealt with worse." I muttered, mostly to myself, but they may have heard me.
"They weren't really going to hurt us," Edward told them. "I think they just wanted to scare us. Once they listened to what we had to say, they agreed pretty quickly it was all a misunderstanding."
"I'm still embarrassed." Thiago repeated.
"Don't be. I told you superstitions wouldn't bother us and I meant it. Seriously, don't worry about it. Everything's fine." Edward insisted.
"Edward, I think we'd best be going now if we're going to make it in time for the show." I was glad that little stressful situation was over. We had accomplished our mission, thanking Kaure and arranging medical care for her son, and I was ready to get back to our island.
"Yes, we'd better get moving if we don't want to be late." He played along with my story. He gave Thiago his e-mail address so they could keep us updated on Henrique, then we wished them well and headed back out to our taxi, which was still waiting for us.
We could hear Kaure and Thiago talking inside the house as we walked to the cab, got in, and fastened our seat belts.
"Mother, I can't believe you had the elders come and harass the doctor and his wife like that!"
"I assure you, son, I didn't know they were coming. I had just mentioned to Inara about being nervous that the Cullens were coming here tonight. I never dreamed she would send the elders over here to confront them."
"Well, it's fortunate the Cullens were so understanding and forgiving. They were nearly killed right here in our living room, and yet they're still helping us!"
"I know. I can't believe we have an appointment for tomorrow morning! Maybe we will finally be able to get some answers."
"Yes. If it's a brain tumor that sounds pretty serious, but at least we can start getting him proper treatment. That couple is so generous. I wonder why they seem to feel so indebted to you."
"I took her some food when they were here before, when she first learned she was pregnant. I guess she remembered that." She paused. "They must be incredibly wealthy to be able to fund treatment in a private hospital. They acted like it was nothing to them."
"Of course they're wealthy. Their family owns an island." He paused. "You surely don't still believe the stories about them that you told me when I was younger? Even the tribal elders who believe all those legends admitted it was a misunderstanding."
"No, you are right, I guess I let my imagination run wild sometimes. I shouldn't have even talked to Inara. Mrs. Cullen showed me pictures of their daughter. It is very obviously their child, and she doesn't look like a monster at all."
Edward and I exchanged smiles.
"I guess my hint got through to her," I told him. "I tried to let her know it would be best to keep Thiago in the dark. I thought he was going to realize the truth when those tribal elders showed up. You handled that situation unbelievably well." I looked at him admiringly.
"Hearing their thoughts definitely helped. They were comparing us to Joham, wondering why our eyes weren't red. I was surprised their legends included his name. I could tell that if I acknowledged the truth of their legends while assuring them we were different, and provided them an easy escape, they would take it. Once they realized they had no effective weapons, they were all really wanting to just leave; well, except for the oldest man. But none of them wanted to appear weak in front of the others."
"What was the old guy thinking?"
"He was thinking of trying again to use the stake if we gave it back to him. He had good intentions - he really wanted to rescue Kaure and her sons - but I didn't want him to cause a scene or damage Kaure's house."
We asked the taxi driver to take us to the address Edward had just given Thiago. We had a stack of cash to drop off at the business office, and needed to make arrangements for any future charges to be billed to one of our non-traceable credit cards.
I thought back to the first part of our visit, and the look on Kaure's face when she saw the first picture of Nessie. "I hope Kaure understood everything I said when I was thanking her - I had hoped you would be around to help with the speaking. My Portuguese is still not the best."
"You did an excellent job on your own, love," he assured me. "I knew you would be fine." He paused. "So Kaure enjoyed the album of Renesmee, did she?" Edward asked with a grin, as our taxi took us back out toward the main road.
"She certainly seemed to. I think Renesmee can win anyone over. I don't think anyone could look at those baby pictures and not love her instantly."
He smiled my favorite crooked smile. "Mind if I take a look? I'm curious which ones you selected."
"Sure." I pulled the album from my purse and watched as he turned through it. My heart swelled with love, with pride, as I remembered our sweet baby and thought about how she has grown into such a lovely young woman. Of course, I had always known there was no way a child of Edward's could ever have been less than perfect. Even though she was not the green-eyed boy I had seen in my dreams when I first conceived her, I had known before she was born that she would be beautiful inside and out, just as her father was. I knew from that first nudge how much I loved her and how happy we would be when she was in our arms.
"This picture always reminded me of you." Edward had stopped on a picture of her at age 2, where she was about the size of an average six-year-old. She was sitting at the dining room table, her feet dangling from a seldom-used chair, as she looked up from a book of poetry she had been reading, her big brown eyes wide at having been interrupted from her book for a picture to be snapped.
"Why is that?" I wondered aloud. "Because we both enjoy reading?"
"Well, that too, but there's a picture of you when you were about the same size, sitting at a table holding a book. It's almost the same pose, and of course you had those same big brown eyes."
I did not recall any such picture of myself. I was not even in possession of any childhood photos of myself - Charlie and Renée still had all of those. I tried to sift through my human memories but I was still coming up blank. Renée had taken so many pictures of me, I don't think I could possibly have remembered all of them even when I was still human. I probably hadn't even looked through those pictures since I was around twelve or thirteen years old. "I don't remember any picture of myself like that. How can you remember - when did you ever see it? I don't remember ever showing you my old pictures."
"Well, love, I had to find something to do to entertain myself during those long days alone in your mom's apartment in sunny Jacksonville. Remember when we went on the weekend trip to visit your mom so we could use the airline tickets Esme gave you for your birthday?"
I did remember that trip. I probably would have been upset and embarrassed if I had known about his snooping at the time, but now I actually felt glad he had looked through them. At least one of us carried the memories. "I'd like to get copies made of all those pictures. I don't remember much about the pictures but I know Renée has albums and albums of them. I'm sure Renesmee would find them interesting, and I'd just like to have them. I don't want to forget my human past."
"That's a great idea. I'm sure she wouldn't mind bringing them on her next visit. We could scan them and make our own albums." He looked over at me cautiously. "So you aren't upset that I snooped while you were out with your mom?" He looked worried and ready to apologize. So adorable. Even if I had been upset I would have forgiven him after one look at that face. I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
"No, I'm glad one of us remembers them. My memories of my childhood are pretty sparse. I remember nearly every human day that involved you, because I've repeated those memories in my mind so many times, and I remember some special occasions and events from when I was younger, but I think I've lost most of the details on my day-to-day life as a child. I don't blame you for wanting to look at the pictures - I understand you just wanted to know more about me, just like I want to know everything about you. I really wish I could see pictures of you as a child. I'm sure you were adorable." I looked up at him, smiling as I tried to imagine what he would have looked like as a three or four year old, then looked back down in disappointment as I remembered I had already asked him about such pictures once before. "It's really too bad you don't have any."
He didn't immediately respond, but just sat there looking thoughtful.
"You said you don't have any pictures of yourself as a child. Right?"
"It's true I don't have any. Not with me, not at our house. But... there might be some stored away in my house in Chicago. I've never looked for them, but I remember my mother had a box in her closet where she kept pictures."
"You've never looked for them?" I was incredulous but lowered my voice to make sure the cab driver couldn't hear. "You've been a vampire for nearly a century and it never occurred to you go to get your pictures? Do you think they would still be there? No one ever cleaned out the closets?" I was thrilled at the idea I might get to see pictures of a young Edward after all. "Can we look for them sometime? I'd really enjoy seeing what you looked like as a human."
"I've thought of the pictures from time to time but there would be pictures of my parents in there too. I had considered looking for them and taking them with me when I first moved from Chicago with Carlisle, but the idea of looking at pictures of my parents when they had just died was too painful for me at the time. In fact, I remember there was a large painting of the three of us that used to hang in our living room, and the first time I went back into my house as a vampire, I became irate when I saw it. I think it was a combination of missing my parents and struggling to deal with what I had become. I'm sure you remember the mood swings from your newborn days - they were much worse for me. When Carlisle realized what was triggering my tantrum he took the picture down and hid it so that I would calm down. He was worried I would destroy it in my irrational newborn anger and regret it later. I've only visited the house a few times since then, but I didn't really think of the pictures when I was there. What human memories I have left have dimmed over the years and it's not as painful now to think of my parents - but on some level I think I've avoided ever looking through those pictures because they might stir up the memories again. They might bring the pain back into focus."
I felt guilty; I had been selfish once again. I put my arm around him, as best as I could with both of us restrained by unnecessary seat belts, and stroked the side of his face with my other hand. "I'm so sorry, I should have thought of that. Of course those pictures would be painful for you. I shouldn't have even asked about them. I - " He gently placed one finger over my lips and I stopped speaking, but continued to stare into his eyes.
"I wasn't finished, love. I've only answered the first two of your five questions. Those were the reasons I've never gone back to look for the pictures. I do expect they should still be there. The house has not been occupied in nearly a hundred years, but I don't believe anyone has ever broken in and stolen anything. Everything has been in place any time I've visited, though I've never checked specifically for the pictures, and I now have a rather high tech security system in place. And no, I've never cleaned out my parents' closet."
"But we don't have to - " I interrupted again, only to have his finger reappear over my lips. I kissed his finger and took his hand in mine. "Sorry, I'll let you finish."
"Thank you." He smiled. "I still need to answer your last question. I would like to look at them with you. They will probably stir up some memories, but I can handle anything with you at my side." I managed not to interrupt again, but looked at him questioningly as he continued. "I want to share them with you. I know how much I enjoyed looking at your pictures, learning about what your life was like before I knew you, and I want to give you that same enjoyment learning about my human life."
I waited, making sure he was finished this time. "Are you sure? I don't want to make to do something that causes painful memories to resurface."
"I'm sure," he assured me. "And you're not making me do it. This is something I want. I want to share all of me with you, and this is a part I haven't shared yet." He paused. "Honestly, I do want to see them myself now, too. I wonder how much I've forgotten. I've procrastinated nearly a century, but I think I'm ready now. As long as you're there with me I can handle whatever emotions get triggered."
"If you're sure. I'll admit I'm dying to see them but if it gets too difficult for you we will stop, okay?"
"Really, I'll be okay. I'm thinking we can plan to stop in Chicago on our way to Dartmouth. If we drive it will be on our way anyway, and if we decide to fly we can plan a stopover there. I'd like to spend a full day there, and I can show you some other places in the area too, like the cemetery where my parents are buried, and where I went to school, and where the hospital used to be."
"I would love to spend a day in Chicago. I've always wanted to see your human home. I'm sure Nessie would like to see it too, and Jake. We'll give them a tour of the house, then get them a hotel room so they can have some private time and get some sleep, while we look through the pictures or do whatever else you feel like doing while we're at the house."
"Sounds good." We pulled into a parking lot just then - we had arrived at the hospital. I waited in the cab while Edward went in and finalized the arrangements for Henrique's medical care.
Back on island, we decided to go for a leisurely walk on the beach before returning to the house. There was a full moon, and the beauty of the island was stunning. We tossed our shoes onto the front steps of the house and walked barefoot in the sand, hand in hand, enjoying the romantic atmosphere of the island.
"Bella?"
"Yes?"
"Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?"
"Hmmmm... This particular dress? No, I don't think so."
We stopped walking as he turned to look at me. "Well, that was abominably rude of me. Please allow me to correct the oversight: You look absolutely ravishing." He began gently kissing along the side of my neck, one arm around my waist while his other hand slid slowly up my bare arm before slipping beneath the strap of my dress and onto my upper back.
"Somehow I knew this moonlit walk on the beach wouldn't last very long."
He looked up, puzzled. "Are you disappointed? We can walk as long as you like."
"No, don't be absurd, Edward. I was just thinking this walk isn't going to last much longer because you look quite stunning yourself in that fancy designer suit, and I'm not going to be able to keep my hands off you much longer." I caressed his face gently, tracing over each of his perfect features. Then I ran my fingers through his hair, using both hands, and linked my fingers together behind his neck. "You are one sexy vampire."
A brilliant smile flashed across his face, and he swept me into his arms and resumed kissing my neck as we flew into the house.
