Chapter 4
From Here To Paternity
The plane ride to Seattle can only be described as a nightmare of mental torture.
At first Edward had been secretly pleased when he learned that Alice had failed to book herself on the same flight, but by the time he was up in the air he would have done just about anything to have her there by his side to distract him. There were children literally everywhere he looked.… Crying babies… rowdy toddlers... snarky preteens… not to mention pregnant bellies all over the place!
Thankfully there was no turbulence to speak of, because neither his brain nor his stomach would have been able to handle it. He did not like flying much to begin with and getting through it cold sober, without as much as a tranquilizer in his system, was a pain in the arse.
Plugging his headphones into his ears, he cranked his IPod up to the max and shut his eyes to keep the anxiety under control. He half dozed, half drifted upon the sea of consciousness, while his mind kept processing the same thoughts over and over again.
Never in a million years would he have expected to find himself in a situation like this. Who was this woman? Why would she lie about something so easily verifiable as the paternity of a child? It made no sense. Hadn't he already dealt with his fair share of loonies?
All those questions were still swirling through his mind, when he reached his destination seven hours later.
.
….
.
"Welcome to Geisinger medical center. How may I help you?"
"Hi, I have an appointment with ... er...with someone, whom I can't recall the name of..." Edward groaned inwardly at his own stupidity as he dug through the contents of his coat pockets. "Hold on a sec, I have the information here somewhere. "
"What is your name, sir?" the female receptionist asked without looking up from her computer.
"My name is Edward Cullen and I'm here to have my blood drawn."
This time her head whipped up and for a moment he thought he saw sympathy, or maybe it was disgust, flicker across her face.
"Mr. Cullen, we have been expecting you. In fact, you have quite the waiting committee waiting for you."
"The police?" It was more a statement than a question. He had seen the cars parked up front. "Yeah, I figured that might be the case."
The receptionist shrugged, but said nothing to confirm or deny it. Instead she reached into a drawer and pulled out a clipboard and a pen. "There are forms to be filled out, but first let me show you to one of our private waiting rooms."
Edward wasn't too surprised when the 'private waiting' room turned out to be anything but private.
"Hi, Edward Cullen is it?" The question came from a tall, efficient-looking woman with a briefcase tucked under one arm. "We spoke on the phone. I'm social worker Maggie Thompson, and this is Officer Franklin."
A police badge was flashed and a man in a gray suit stepped forward, "George Franklin, Seattle police department. Thank you, Mr. Cullen, for flying in on such a short notice. "
"Not a problem. I came here straight from the airport. I want to get this sorted out as soon as possible. And please call me Edward. "
"Your co-operation is greatly appreciated, " the police man, officer Franklin, said as the two men shook hands. "I'd like to ask a few questions. If that's okay?"
"Um..," Edward hesitated. "Should I have a lawyer present for this?"
"No, that won't be necessary. You're not in any kind of legal trouble," Maggie Thompson explained as she motioned for Edward to take a seat in on one of the empty chairs in the waiting room. "This is standard procedure. We just need to gather as much information as possible."
"Okay, but I doubt I'll be able to give you the answers you are looking for, though."
"We'll see about that." The man in the gray suit flipped his notebook open and pulled up a seat. "Let's start with the letter that was found with the child. What's your take on it?"
"I have read it and reread a zillion times but I still can't make any sense out of it." Edward scratched the side of his nose as his eyes darted between officer Franklin and social worker Thompson. "I don't remember ever meeting this 'Kebi' woman or having a one night stand with her, or any other woman in the Seattle area for that matter."
"You were here, in Seattle, during the last two weeks of Mars 2007, though. Isn't that correct?" officer Franklin asked for clarification.
"I think so. I mean, I don't recall the exact dates…."
"I made some phone calls. According to the hotel records, you stayed at the Warwick Seattle Hotel for almost four weeks, from the 12th of March to the 5th of April 2007".
"Okay, that sounds about right," Edward nodded. "Look, I was in town to do a recording. I'm a musician and it was a strictly work-related trip … no parties, no girls, no hook ups or one-night stands… My sister and business partner can confirm this when she gets here tomorrow."
"So, the letter is bogus, is that what you're saying?"
"I'm as clueless as you are on this."
Officer Franklin, grunted and flipped a page in his notebook. "Your family has been rather fortunate when it comes to business and earnings. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried a stunt like this in hope of getting their hands on cash, or attention, or status."
Edward's forehead furrowed in a frown. "But if it's money she's after, then why would she hand over the child without asking for anything in return?"
"She could be biding her time. She'll have more to bargain with if the paternity test goes her wa-…"
"That won't happen. That child can't possibly be mine!"
"Because there were no parties, no girls, no hook ups or one-night stands during your stay in Seattle," officer Franklin concluded.
"Exactly!"
"And if we look beyond the given timeframe? Any bad break ups or scorned ex-girlfriends we should know about?"
"No."
"What about groupies?"
The question was not unexpected and, yet, Edward was somehow unprepared for it.
"Excuse me?" he asked, trying not to sound too defensive.
"You're a musician and with the way internet works these days you don't even have to tour to earn yourself a fanbase."
"I compose commercial jingles and television theme music. I doubt that counts as panty dropping material."
"According to our records, you have filed multiple police reports over the last year and a half. All of them stating that you were being stalked by an unknown woman. From what I understand several of those incidents occurred while you were onstage performing or backstage in between gigs. Isn't that correct?"
"Yes, but that situation has been resolved… permanently… I don't do club gigs anymore and the stalker has met her maker, which I'm sure those records of yours covers in depth." Once again his eyes darted between Officer Franklin and the social worker. "I have already told you I don't recall having a one night stand with this 'Kebi' woman or any other woman that could have resulted in a chi-.."
He didn't have to finish the sentence, because at that precise moment, the door behind them swung open.
"Mr. Cullen, we're ready for you now," a nurse announced from the doorway.
Edward wasn't sure he should feel relieved by the interruption or not. '
Out of the frying pan, into the fire…
.
...
.
"I really hate needles." Edward confessed to the calm, middle-aged looking nurse, as he followed her through a maze of corridors.
"The doctor will take good care of you," she assured him with a smile as she opened the door into the examination room.
"Dr Reed, your next appointment is here."
"Excellent, come on in Mr. Cullen," the physician rose from her chair and extended her hand
"I'm Dana Reed," she introduced herself, but Edward didn't see the outstretched hand; all he saw was the toddler seated on the table in the middle of the room. A small, fragile little figure with a head full of tousled light brown hair. A little boy, so thin and frail it looked as if a puff of wind would blow him over.
It was the face that threw Edward the most. The color of the eyes were lighter… gray almost and the nose was different, but the shape of the mouth, the chin, the eyes, the slant of the cheekbones, was the same as what he saw in the mirror every morning.
"Whoa…is that…is that the kid?" Edward stuttered, grabbing onto a nearby chair for support as his legs turned to jelly beneath him. "I mean, I didn't realize HE was going to be here."
"I was under the impression you were okay with meeting the boy, that you had requested it even. But if this bothers you, I can have the nurse take him outside until we are done here."
"No, it's okay," Edward said faintly. "I did ask to see him, I just didn't think it would happen until after the test was conducted, that's all."
"You sure you're alright with this, Mr. Cullen?"
Edward nodded. "It's okay…" he repeated with another quick glance towards the table where the child was seated. The boy had a stuffed animal in his lap and a stethoscope around his neck and was seemingly too engrossed with playing to notice any of the commotion around him.
"As you know, Mr. Cullen, it takes at least two DNA samples to conduct a paternity test. In this case I'll need one sample from the alleged father and one from the child," the doctor explained as she snapped a new pair rubber gloves onto her hands. "It won't take long and you won't feel a thing."
"I certainly hope so, because I for one don't like N-E-E-D-L-E-S," He spelled out that last word and suppressed a shudder. "I would imagine the same thing goes for most children, right?"
"Right, that's why the actual DNA test doesn't require any blood work these days. Instead of a needle I'll use a Q-Tip sized swab to collect a sample of cells from the inside surface of the cheek. It couldn't be easier. "
"As long as it's a legally accepted method, I'm satisfied."
"It is. Take a seat and I'll talk you through it," the doctor suggested motioning to a stool next to examination table. "I can assure you that, when collected properly, epithelial cells are just as accurate as blood. I need you to swallow and then open your mouth wide for me. Think of it as a really quick dentist appointment, minus the pain of course."
Swallowing nervously Edward opened his mouth and shut his eyes, preparing for the worst. If there was anything he hated more than needles it was going to the dentist.
"Now hold still for a moment." Dr Reed instructed as she with gentle hands began rubbing a swab against the inside of Edward's cheek. She used two swabs, one for each side of his mouth.
"We're done. Good job."
"That's it?"
"That's it. Now we seal the samples and tag them," the doctor explained, placing each of the wooden swabs into a brown, envelope looking containers. "…and then send it off to the lab."
Satisfied with the procedure, Dr Reed changed into a fresh pair of rubber gloves and retrieved a new set of swabs before turning towards little Anthony.
"Come on, your turn kiddo. Can you open your mouth wide for me?"
Needle or no needle, the child didn't like the idea of being poked and probed. Despite his tiny frame he had a good set of lungs and wasn't afraid to use them. The high pitched wail that followed was more disturbing than a fire alarm and twice as loud.
When neither coaxing nor gentle words seemed to have any effect Dr. Reed reverted to subtle bribery.
"Look what I have!" Reaching into the front pocket of her white lab coat she pulled out a red-and-white-striped lollipop.
"Isa c..c..candy?" the little boy hiccuped in between sobs.
"It's candy on a stick." Dr Reed nodded, "It's a lollipop, a very special lollipop."
"Is speso?"
"Yep. It's special because only big boys can have it," Dr. Reed told the child ins dead serious voice. "Mr. Cullen why don't you hold this for me?"
"I have?" Anthony reached for the polka striped sucker just as she passed it on to Edward.
"Nope, I'm not sure you're big enough," she shook her head, with a wink in Edward's direction. "Anthony, if you want it, you'll have to open your mouth wide and show me your tongue. Can you do that for me?"
The little boy heaved a deep sigh and put his hands on his little hips, "Why?"
"Because I need to know if your mouth is big enough. It's a really big lollipop and we wouldn't want it to get stuck in there, now would we?"
"Kay... I sow I big…. no stuck," Anthony nodded slowly and wiped his eyes with the hem of his t-shirt.
"Mr. Cullen, some distraction would be nice. Why don't you show the boy how it's done."
"Eh…sure. Go like this." Edward demonstrated by opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue. Anthony giggled and opened wide to copy the grimace.
The minute the boy stuck his tongue out Dr Reed was there to swab with the Q-Tip.
"The candy trick never fails," she chuckled as she sealed and tagged the second DNA sample.
"Looks like my work here is done. We should have the results in 3 to 5 business days."
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AN:
Merry xmas! I'll see you in the New Year with chapters aplenty!
There is a thread for this story over at twilighted feel free to stop by anytime and say hi!