Author's Note: Hello friends and welcome back to the madness that is my brain. It has been, well let's not count, a while since this story has updated and I would like to apologize for that. No one wants to hear my excuses, but I'll tell you this. When I started writing Open I had a full outline of what I was doing, what each chapter would touch on and an approximate length of how long it would be. Then life happened and I lost all of it. Angry with myself for not having a backup I tried and tried to write what I remembered, but it didn't come. I can safely say that isn't the case anymore. I'm ready to finish this beast because I have a new story that has been beginning to come out for years but I pushed it back because Open wasn't finished.
I do not have a twitter account anymore but I am always available via PM. I also changed my FFN e-mail so their e-mails stopped going into a SPAM folder.
This chapter has not been beta'd because I don't have one. Everyone who I used to write with have left the fandom or we've lost contact so if you know a beta or two and want to help me, hit me up via PM.
All errors are my own, these characters are not.
Enjoy!
~*~*~NOW~*~*~
I started going over the list of things I needed to bring in my head. My laptop, my tablet, my thumb drives, my phone, extension cord, extra chargers and the list went on from there. That was before I even considered what to pack for clothes and shoes. It had been so long since the last time I went home I had to think about what the weather would even be like this time of year.
I needed to leave for the airport and I didn't feel ready. Dr. Garrett seemed to have more faith in me than I did right now. How could I face my family? More importantly, how did I face my brother? The last time he saw me he didn't even want me around his children. And Rosalie, how did I look her in the eye? Would either of them even see me while I was home?
To avoid placing any burden on my family I called the local hotel and booked a room. I had to make Lucy Newton swear on a Bible that she would not let a single soul know that I was coming and made up some excuse about surprising my parents to ensure she'd do it. Forks was so small, everyone knew everyone…literally. After I landed in Seattle I'd pick up a rental car and check into the hotel before I planned on showing up at my parent's house.
I went back and forth between surprising them and giving them a heads up, but decided to surprise them because if something was going on, I wanted to know what it was. Emmett had told me to come home, but he didn't say he wanted to see me, he just said I needed to be there. So many thoughts swirled around my head that I had to suppress a lot of fear and anxiety surrounding this trip.
The flight was long but I was fortunate to catch a red eye so I didn't have to wait during a layover. I booked in business class so I had the extra space to stretch out, do some work and get a decently hot meal on the trip. The flight attendant was nice, but a little flirtier than I would have preferred. Though my divorce with Lauren was still in process, part of me considered wearing my wedding ring just so I could point and shake my head. But, I knew I couldn't do it. The next ring I wore, if I were ever going to wear one again, wouldn't just be an 'I'm out' card, it'd be forever.
The drive to Forks was uneventful and exhausting. As the miles ticked away and I got closer and closer the fear and anxiety I was pushing down started to bubble up. I hadn't asked Dr. Garrett if I could call during our off-session time, but I wanted to bring that up when we talked. Two times a week face-to-face seemed like enough time, but that was when I wasn't stressed out at max level. Somehow two times a week didn't seem like enough anymore.
"Hi Lucy," I greeted as I walked through the doors at the Forks Inn. She looked up from her computer with a bright smile. Her brother and I graduated from high school together but she was still in middle school so I knew of her, but didn't really know her well.
"Welcome home, Edward," she said with a sing song voice. What I remembered of Lucy was that she was the opposite of her brother. Mike was a dick, a cocky little asshole most people couldn't stand. But his sister was always happy and outgoing. She got along with my sister Alice and last I knew they were still close friends. Lucy was even in her wedding.
"You didn't tell anyone right?" I asked as I fumbled to pull out my credit card.
"Not a soul, as you told me too. But do you know how hard that was?" Her smile didn't fade but her eyebrow cocked up to emphasis her words.
"I know, like I said, I appreciate it," I replied to placate her.
After a few minutes she handed me my key and let me go on my way. When I called to book the reservation I told her I needed a bed with office space so I got the biggest suite Forks Inn had to offer. It wasn't tourist season so the hotel was pretty empty and I kind of liked that.
It took me an hour to unpack. Normally I'd live out of a suitcase when I traveled, but three weeks was a long time to be fumbling through suitcases and toiletry bags. Once I was finished laying everything out for work I glanced at the clock and realized it was getting very close to dinner time. I considered driving somewhere to pick up food but quickly resigned myself to head straight to my parents' house.
Lucy wasn't at her desk when I walked through the lobby to get back to my car. I was grateful because I wasn't sure if I could mask the feelings I was working so hard to control. Fear plagued my thoughts about what could be so wrong I was needed home, excitement because it had been nearly a year since I had seen anyone and dread as I waited to hear the words, "I told you so."
Deep down I knew they were right, all of them, from the very start were one hundred percent right but I wasn't ready to hear it yet. Maybe I'd bring that up to Dr. Garrett on Tuesday because if anything, that was causing me the most stress.
The windy road up to the parents' house was already covered in fall leaves, the trees swayed back and forth in the breeze and I noticed a temperature dip from the time I checked in to when I left an hour later. I was definitely back in Washington.
I didn't see my dad's car in the driveway when I parked, but I did see a car I didn't recognize. It was an older model Honda and I didn't think it belonged to either of my siblings. But, my parents did have a housekeeper so maybe it belonged to her.
When we moved to Forks, my parents bought a large house on the outskirts of town. It was covered with tall glass windows so you really felt like you were living in the forest. My mom set up her library on the third floor because it had the best view.
Before I got too lost in my head I lifted my hand up to the doorbell. It was one thing to fly across the country unannounced, it was another to just walk in. I waited for what seemed like a long time before a woman opened the door. She seemed to be about my age, but she was wearing scrubs. Did housekeepers wear scrubs? I didn't think so, but then I noticed her badge.
Abigail Calvin, RN
"Can I help you?" she asked as my eyes snapped up to her.
"I'm here…" my voice broke as the fear I kept pushing aside took over every inch of my body.
"Sir," I heard her but I walked past her and to the stairs. I heard her yelling at me but I ignored her as I climbed to the second floor of the house.
Without stopping to think I flung open the door to my parents' bedroom. I nearly fell to my knees at the sight of my mother, pale and frail lying in bed with her eyes closed. An IV stand next to her bedside and a tray of untouched food on her nightstand.
"Mom," I heard myself say right as Abigail caught up to me.
"Sir, I don't know who you are but she is sleeping," she admonished quietly with looks that could slice right through me. "Who are you?"
"Edward," I answered with what little breath I still had. "I'm her son. What the hell happened?"
Too many thoughts swirled around my head at one time and all I could catch was bits and pieces.
First, my mom was sick. My mom was really fucking sick and no one told me.
Second, I wasn't leaving this house until I figured out why no one fucking bothered to call me. And where the hell was my dad?
And third, I'd need a session with Dr. Garrett ASAP, this could not wait until Tuesday.
I have become a slave to deadlines in my real life so by Friday, September 7th you will have Chapter 11. I promise.
Secondly, you may or may not have gotten a notification from me last night with my teaser chapter of Breaking the Faith: Extended Version. This teaser goes along with my fic donation to the Babies at the Border Fiction Compilation. If you have any questions or need help getting involved, please reach out to me via PM and I'll be happy to help! My submission hovers around 24K words and is the story I always wanted Breaking Faith (which I have pulled) to be.