EPOV

"Psss! Edward!"

I heard sharp whisperings from somewhere outside of my dreamland. I woke up slowly and rolled over on the new fold-out couch to see Carlisle crouched by the front door of the living room.

"Dad?"

I wondered if this was all in my imagination, but then I remembered that the letter he sent two weeks ago did say he would probably be home today. Then I also remembered the cashier's check for twenty-five grand. I hopped out of bed as he motioned for me to lay low. Apparently, he didn't want to be seen by anyone else. I crept slowly by Emmett's obnoxious snores.

We exited the house and I immediately regretted not putting any pants on. I was standing in the yard with nothing but my boxers as the sun – which was rarely ever out at all – was beginning to rise over the small, usually cloudy, little town. I was waiting for some poor little old lady to walk by and be offended at my more than partial nudity.

"What is it?" I asked. "Why are we sneaking around?"

"That's a valid question," he said, nodding his head. "Well, I figured you got the check? I mean, I can see by the furniture and all…"

"Yeah," I nodded. "We just got it yesterday, actually. It was buried under all the neglected bills."

"Hmm," he said, "I see."

"That makes me wonder, dad, about the bills and all…"

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to be able to afford to pay them?"

"I'm working on that right now. I have a really interesting job. I've kind of hit it big, if you know what I mean."

"No," I said, "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. Tell me, please, how you got so much cash."

"That's just the first of it!" he smiled brightly. "There's plenty more where that came from."

"How? What are you doing? You said selling toothbrushes didn't work out, so what couldn't you wait to tell us all about your new job?"

"Well, see son, now that's the thing. I'm going to tell the family something different than what I'm telling you. It's just that I don't think they can handle the truth, you know?"

I shrugged my shoulders. The truth was that I didn't know; not a single thing. I was still waiting to hear it all from him, and I hoped this conversation was going somewhere with that idea. It worried me that he seemed to be anxious and coy.

"Edward, I'm in a line of business I'm not actually proud of. That's why I work out of town. I'm going to have to lie to the others. But I'll let you in on a little part of what I do."

"Okay," I said, hoping he would just spill the beans already.

"I… I'm… I do things that would usually make a descent man like myself blush. But these are rough times for the family; you know that! And… it's just… it's just that I know how money was always the glue that kept our family together. It's not like we ever shared anything about ourselves with one another. We were all just so busy with our own little worlds, you know."

"I know, I know," I hurried him. I already knew all of this. Why was he still being so hesitant?

"I am a desperate man, son. Desperate, I tell you! I just want to make that clear before I expose myself for the terrible person I've become."

"Dad," I tried to console, but wondered if it would do him any good.

"No, Edward. Let me have my self-pity. I'm afraid it's what's replaced my dignity these days. So now, on with the disgusting tidbits of my job."

I stood there in the morning light as people began to drive by and stare at us. I'm sure we looked more than half mad; especially when my father dropped down on his knees and began to sob into my boxers.

"Just don't judge me too harshly, son."

"I won't dad. I promise," I said, trying to brush him away.

I tried to help him up but he wouldn't budge. He hardly noticed that I dragged him across the lawn and into the back yard.

"I've done things you wouldn't approve of, son."

"It's okay, dad," I whispered, hoping he might take the hint to lower his voice too.

"And I appreciate your taking care of everyone while I've been gone. I just know you've done all you can do. How's your job at the Royal Burger working out anyway?"

I rolled my eyes because I knew he was still trying to delay giving me information.

"I don't work at the Royal Burger anymore," I explained.

"No?"

"No. I work down at the station."

"The station?"

"Yes. I work at the police station."

He took a large gulp and turned pale.

"Oh, I see," he said. "You know," he looked at his watch, "I think it's actually time for me to get going. I have to go, Edward. I'll see you soon. I'll try to drop in next time I'm in town."

"You didn't drop by the last time you were in town. I saw the envelope, you know. It's postmarked from right down the street, dad."

"Did anyone else read the letter?" he asked.

"No. I was the only one. In fact, I put the entire check…"

"Good," he said. "Don't let them read it. If they ask where I got the money, tell them I won it."

"Won it?"

"Gambling."

"Dad- that will never work. Mom would never buy that."

"No?" he argued. "She would never believe I'd be gone weeks at a time either, but here we are."

"Why don't you just come home? It sounds like you despise whatever it is you're doing and you can just quit. We can use the money to start over; to just rebuild."

"I can't," he sobbed. "There is too much money to be had out there in this industry. I have to have more. You don't understand, Edward: that's why I was such a sham of a doctor. I became greedy and didn't listen to what my patients needed. I recommended surgery after surgery that they just didn't need! I've paid for that and lost my good name and career and now I have to find another way to make the money!"

"Dad," I reasoned while pulling him up from off the ground and brushing him off, "You don't have to make a lot of money. Just find reasonable work with reasonable pay. So what if you're never a doctor again and so what if this is the house where we live? So what?"

He began to tear up and maybe for a second he saw some shred of reason?

"No," he said suddenly. "It's kind of you to not mind how much I make or where I live; however, I'm convinced that the rest of the family won't feel that way."

"You don't know how they'd feel. You've never stopped to ask them how they feel! It's thinking crazy like this that got us into this whole fix in the first place. You didn't have to keep up appearances like that! We could have invested the money we still had after you lost your practice! And, you never would have lost it in the first place if you weren't so desperate for money the way you were then and the way you are now. You need to slow down and really take a good look at your family, Carlisle! You need to be the one to take care of us!"

"I am taking care of my family!" he said hotly. "Why do you think I'd do something I despise myself for so much, Edward? Why do you think I'd do that, huh?"

"Because you don't understand that your family loves you regardless and that we all need you here."

His anger dissipated and his eyes turned red and glossy.

"I will be here. Soon. I just need to take care of some unfinished business first. This isn't the kind of thing someone can just walk away from. After Sunday morning, then we'll be set. Our family will be set for life after this big one comes through! You'll see! I'll be home by Monday night and this will all be over. Then we can afford to just get the heck out of this place and go wherever we'll want to go. In fact, we'll have to move, I think. I wouldn't want to have any run-ins, you know?"

He sounded so paranoid now and out of hand.

"Dad," I pleaded, "Just stay. Just stay home today. Just stay here and don't go back."

"I'll be back very soon!" he said, trying to smile. "I'll be back before you even know it. Then we can just move on."

He turned to leave. I let him go. I knew there was nothing that I could say or do to convince him to stay.

…

"Wake up boys!" Esme called from the kitchen.

I had gone back in the house after the whole thing with Carlisle went down. I managed to fall back asleep, even though it was near impossible with Emmett's monstrous snores.

"Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes. Will one of you please go wake your sister up? Come on, come on, you lazy daisies! How is it you are even capable of sleeping in until nine-thirty?"

I shuffled to the floor and folded the couch back up so that it appeared to be just a couch. I went to Alice's door and gave it a tap.

"Come in," she said.

I opened the door and saw my sister, who was already dressed and ready for the day. Her hair was done, her makeup was on and she was wearing one of her new outfits that she picked out last night. When she flashed her lovely smile it was almost like stepping back in a time machine and seeing her the way she was before.

"Alice!" I said. "What are you up to today?"

"You know, I've never actually been around this town," she said. "I was hoping I could take a tour of it."

"There's not a lot to see," I explained, "But I'll drive you around so you can see that for yourself. Where would you like to go?"

"Well," she said, blushing, "I've never been by your work or anything. Is, um, is Jasper working there today?"

"I think he is," I said with a knowing smile. "Let's eat breakfast and I'll swing you by to say hi. I need to take Emmett to get a gym membership too."

"And maybe we can do a little more shopping?"

"Don't press your luck, Alice," I laughed.