Author's Note: I hope you enjoy the chapter and yay for it being on time! It's still not beta'd, but I did have an offer for a pre-reader that I'll be hitting up this week. Life has been a little crazy this weekend and I'm catching up on all the comments, reviews and PMs. Thank you so much for reading and thank you to those who have reviewed.
~*~*~NOW~*~*~
"She needs her rest," Abigail said to me with a little more force.
"Okay," I muttered. Abigail slowly shut the door behind me as I took the steps one by one, my head a cloud of fog with more questions than answers. As I reached the bottom floor I turned towards the living room with Abigail on my heels.
"No one told me to expect you," she started to explain. "I would have let you in if I knew who you were. Normally Cathy is here during the daytime, but she's sick so I'm filling in."
I stared at her blankly for longer than was probably acceptable.
"You didn't know she was sick?" she asked and I shook my head. "I see. Would you like me to call your father?"
"No," I answered. If anyone was going to call someone it was going to be me.
"I sit with her, with Esme," she corrected, "even when she sleeps. I'll be upstairs if you need me, but please try to keep things quiet. She really needs to sleep today."
I nodded and Abigail disappeared as quickly as she appeared.
Who to call first was all I could think about. I could go after my dad, but what state of mind was he even in and why wasn't he at her side? Alice, I could call Alice but she was the one sibling I wasn't fighting with. Emmett, I was calling Emmett.
"Hey, Edward," he answered after a few rings. I did my best to steady my voice and stay quiet, as per Abigail's instructions.
"Hi," I said to test my tone. I sounded normal, at least, I thought I sounded normal. "I was just wondering, do you think mom is going to do her usual Thanksgiving party? I was thinking about taking time then to come home." I lied so easily it shocked me, but I guess when you'd been living a lie for years it came easily. Maybe too easily? But I needed to figure out if Emmett was intentionally not telling me something or maybe, in some far away universe, he thought I knew and just didn't come home?
"Probably," he answered, "You know how mom loves the holidays."
"I do, but do you think she'd be up for it? Mom and dad aren't getting any younger," I asked just to be sure of my suspicions.
"I know that," he replied but the tone of his voice changed. "Anyhow is that all you needed? I'm about to head into the store and can call you back in a bit."
"I mean, I guess, but before you do, would you mind telling me why our mom is lying in bed with an IV in her arm?" I could feel my temper rise and it took all I had not to yell. I wanted to yell. I wanted to kick and scream and yell and throw things, but that wouldn't abide by Abigail's keep it down rule so I didn't. Instead I showed my hand and my brother went silent.
After an uncomfortably long silence he finally asked, "Where are you?"
"Mom and dad's living room," I answered coolly. "Ya know, the one in Forks, surrounded by pictures of us and really ugly floral couches we all hate but don't tell mom are ugly. You told me to come home, remember?"
"I'll be there in ten minutes," he rushed off the phone and hung up on me.
"What the fuck," I said to no one but myself.
As the clock ticked the seconds away from the other side of the room, I kept my phone out and shot off a quick e-mail to Dr. Garrett.
Arrived home safely. Found my mom in bed, sick, with a full time nurse. No one told me. Can I talk to you sooner than Tuesday?
Edward Cullen
After putting my phone away I started to pace back and forth as I recalled my last phone conversation with my mom. She didn't sound different. She certainly didn't sound sick. Would I have noticed if she sounded sick? I mean, I was sure I would have noticed a drastic change, but she sounded normal. She sounded like mom.
The woman upstairs did not sound like the same one I talked to a week ago. That woman looked sick. Sicker than sick, I didn't need to be a doctor to see her pale skin and gaunt limbs. Surely someone would have called if she was terminal, right?
The clock continued to mock me for a few more minutes before Emmett came through the door. I noticed he didn't even bother to knock and before I could even open my mouth he was standing before me.
"What theā¦" I started but he immediately cut me off.
"I wanted to tell you," he explained. "Mom and dad said it was best not to, but for the record, I argued against that option. So did Alice and even Rose."
"I don't understand," I practically whispered. I knew I was distanced from my family and I knew part of that was my fault, but this was big. Clearly, this was big?
"It's beginning stage breast cancer," Emmett started telling me before I could ask what was wrong. "The doctors are hopeful that they caught it early enough, but the chemo is really rough on her. She went this morning. She does three times a week for the next two weekends, then they start cutting it down."
"Mom looks like she's dying." I didn't even recognize that tears were falling from my eyes until they hit my hand. "Why didn't anyone call me?"
"Mom and dad thought it was best to let you deal with your divorce without this. The doctors are hopeful, her prognosis is good, and they didn't want you to worry. She hasn't been eating as much because of the meds, she's lost a lot of weight," Emmett went on.
"I would have come home immediately," I told him as I collapsed onto the ugly floral couch no one likes.
"I know," he agreed, "That is why I told you to come home."
Again, I love deadlines so you'll have Chapter 12 by September 14th, 2018! I do not have a fanfiction social media account, but I am always open to PMs or if you leave a question in a review I'll tend to answer unless it's a spoiler. I know this isn't your standard E&B fic and I thank you for taking the chance on this! Once I officially wrap Open I do have a not so standard E&B fic that will follow and a Ooey, Gooey Cheesy Make Your Teeth Hurt Sweet E&B fic planned too.
Also, don't forget to check out the Babies at the Border Fiction Compilation. I will have a full length version of Breaking the Faith in it! You have until October 3rd to get involved so don't delay. You can find the group on that social media Zuckerberg created while he was at Yale ;p If you appreciate spoilers as much as I do, chapter 1 is on my FFN account and a special sneak from another area is teased in the group!
See y'all next week!
