Okay, so we're going to embark on a journey. A darker journey, one that will be around a different kind of Edward, a snarky, bossy Bella and a new Esme. It will be a drabble-ish type fic. The chapters will be between 1000 to 2000 words. Updates will come on Mondays and Fridays with teasers on Tuesdays and Saturdays on my blog. The link for the blog will be on my profile. The story is planned, but not pre-written.
Chapter Twenty
EPOV
Esme drove us to the dilapidated nursing home on the outskirts of Seattle. It was a county facility that barely took care of my mother's needs. However, Esme found it and managed to get her into the facility. It smelled like urine and feces as soon as you walked in. The residents were abused almost daily by the caregivers. I'd seen more bruises on my mother than I care to admit. There was even a time when she was restrained in her bed, wearing a filthy adult diaper and covered with bedsores.
I raised holy hell over that.
The administrator that was in charge during that time was fired and it got better for a few months with a new leader, but they left and someone else, who didn't care about these people, let the old ways return. Things were mildly better now, but it was still not the place I would have chosen for my mother.
When you're fourteen and your life implodes, you have very little in the way of choices.
"Can we stop at McDonald's and pick up a Happy Meal for her?" I asked.
"Do you have money?" Esme sneered.
I checked my wallet, seeing another huge tip from Bella. "I do," I replied. I took out a twenty, putting my wallet back into my pocket before Esme saw how much I truly had.
"The third richest women in the world only tipped you a twenty?" Esme scoffed. "What a miser! You must have really been disappointing if that's all she gave you. Do I need to call her and ask for a progress report?"
"No, you won't. She gave me a hundred bucks," I said.
"Did you pay Jared?" she spat, turning into a McDonald's.
"I would have paid him when he picked me up," I replied, trying to keep the bite out of my voice. "But, you picked me up instead, Esme."
She huffed, parking the car. "I don't understand why I bother with you," she growled. "Go get your mother her fattening food. I'll be in the car." She waved me away and I jogged into the restaurant. I ordered my mom a Happy Meal with a small vanilla shake. Her roommate pilfered my mom's food since she ate so slowly. She needed the calories. I also got a hamburger for myself, stuffing it in my face before going back out to Esme's car. She peeled out of the parking lot, nearly causing an accident. I almost lost my hasty lunch but managed to stay calm.
We arrived at the nursing home. Esme and I walked in. She waited in the dingy lobby while I checked in with the nurse on duty. She was an older woman, one of the few nurses who actually took care of the residents. "Hello, Carmen," I smiled.
"Mr. Masen! You are a sight for sore eyes," she beamed. "It's been almost a month since I've last seen you!"
"I know, it's been too long. I was away for business," I lied. "How is she?"
"Eh," Carmen replied, getting up from her seat. She was short and very round, waddling down the grimy hallway. "She's getting over a cold. It's going around the home. She's congested and coughing. I'm keeping my eyes on her, to make sure it doesn't turn into something more serious. The doc doesn't come by as often as she should." She opened the door. My mom's roommate was rooting through my mother's clothes. "Agnes! Get your paws off Elizabeth's belongings. We've warned you time and time again about taking things that aren't yours!"
"They're mine!" Agnes snarled, clutching one of my father's plaid shirts. Carmen walked over and removed the shirt from Agnes's hands. "NO!" she screamed, fighting with Carmen. "MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!" Carmen guided the writhing, screaming woman out of the room. Another nurse helped her, giving me some privacy with my mother.
I sat down on the edge of the bed. My mom was laying on her side, humming quietly. Her once vibrant red hair was now dull and littered with greys. Her skin was sallow and she was a ghost of her former self. She was dressed in another shirt that belonged to my father and some loose pants. "Hey, Momma," I whispered, brushing her hair away from her cheek. "How are you?"
"Hmmmm," she replied, wrinkling her face.
"I got you something to eat, Momma," I murmured, sitting on the faded recliner. "Do you want some French fries?"
She opened her eyes. They were now a dull green. All of the life in them had long since died once we buried my father. She squinted at me. "Where's Edward? I need to talk to Edward. Where's my husband?" she asked, gripping my arm with surprising strength for someone so weak-looking.
"He's out for a bit, Momma. He'll come to see you soon," I choked out, hating that I lied to her. "I brought you some food, Mom. Let's sit you up." She groaned and I helped her to a more comfortable position to eat. I sat with her for an hour as she nibbled on her cheeseburger, fries and apple chips. I knew that Esme was probably getting antsy, but I hadn't seen my mother in almost a month.
She finished her food. I threw away the rubbish. She looked around, shifting uncomfortably. "Where's Edward? I need to talk to Edward. Where's my husband?" she whimpered, sounding almost panicked.
"Mom," I said, taking her hands in mine. "Calm down, please?"
"NO! WHERE IS EDWARD?" she screamed. She kicked at me, pushing me off the bed. Her screams had alerted Carmen and the other nurse. Carmen gave me a sympathetic smile as she injected a sedative into my mother's bloodstream. We both knew that if she was violent like this, the only way to calm her was to sedate her. It was a standing order on her chart. My mom slumped and the other nurse covered her with a blanket.
"Come outside, Mr. Masen," Carmen muttered. I followed her and I felt my heart clench painfully. "Your mother's Alzheimer's is getting worse. She doesn't remember your father's accident. She still thinks that he's still alive. When I show her a picture of you, she immediately assumes it's your dad. She has moments of lucidity, but she sobs uncontrollably, remembering that she's a widow."
"What can I do?" I asked, looking back at the huddled up little ball that was my mother. "Carmen, she's all I have."
"I know that money is tight, Mr. Masen, but her care here is not …" Carmen frowned.
"This is all I can afford. I lost everything," I sniffled, wiping my cheek. "When my father died, he didn't have a life insurance policy and my mom wasn't working. We received some money from his pension, but when the business went belly-up, so did the money. The cost of the funeral, my mom's medical fees and everything else, it was too much. I had to declare bankruptcy. I didn't even know what I was signing."
"How old were you?" Carmen asked.
"I had just turned seventeen," I shrugged. "We moved to Seattle after that." And my nightmare began. I looked at the sweet woman who took care of my mom. I reached into my wallet, pulling out some money. "I just got a small bonus from my boss. Can you use this to help with her care?"
"I'll do what I can, Mr. Masen. For now, I'm working with Annette to get Agnes moved from your mother's room. She's getting violent and I think she's the cause of some of the bruises on your mom," Carmen said, rubbing my arms. She pocketed the money, walking with me to the lobby. Esme was fuming. "I'll call you if anything changes. Don't be a stranger, Edward."
"I won't. Thank you for everything, Carmen," I said. She nodded, waddling back toward my mother's room. Sullenly, I walked back to the lobby where Esme was waiting for me. I turned to face Esme, whose face was bright red with anger. "I'm sorry that took so long, Esme."
She gritted her teeth, glaring at me. "You wasted my time. Now? I'll waste yours. The next two days will be spent in the chamber," she spat. "Let's go." She narrowed her eyes. "Say you love me, Edward."
"I love you, Esme," I responded woodenly. She didn't believe me and I felt a sharp slap across the face. Mistress was pissed and I was going to experience her full wrath.
Fuck. My. Life.
A/N: So, we know about Edward's mother. She has early onset Alzheimer's triggered by the death of her husband. Does Bella know? No. Not yet. Will Edward tell her? We'll see. Only time will tell. Now, pictures of the dilapidated nursing home are on my blog, along with a picture of Elizabeth Masen in her prime. Link for that is in my profile. You can also find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation and twitter: tufano79.
Up next we'll be a transition type chapter, leading up to Jake and Seth's nuptials in Napa. We'll be jumping ahead roughly a month. Leave me some! ;-)