Thanks to Fran for beta'ing and Gabby for pre-reading.
Chapter 16
Edward drove to work feeling content. It wasn't from spending the night with a woman he was beginning to care about deeply, or the fact that the summer sun was shining through the windows of his Tesla. It was the feeling of his shoulder's becoming lighter. They weren't completely free of burdens, but after his long talk with Bella last night, it was better. It had been so long since he had talked to anyone about his nephew.
Thinking about Peter was difficult.
He couldn't help but shoulder the blame for what he didn't know. Was there anything he could have done? He would have given up anything if he had known what was going to happen. He didn't care too much about family, but Peter stuck to his side like glue.
'A mini-me,' his mother used to say.
Getting away had been a true breath of fresh air, and unloading to a friend was another fresh gulp. But no matter how much air he got; he could not shake the guilt. Not until Peter was found…safe and alive.
Snapshots of the conversation from the previous night flashed into his head. Edward felt his fists tighten on the steering wheel, and he pressed harder onto the gas pedal.
Garrett. Kate.
Did they hurt him? Did they think he was still alive…somewhere?
It had been ages since he talked to his brother or his wife. He couldn't fathom it. Their lies and his stupidity were the cause of all this.
Like clockwork, his phone began to ring on his way to work. He tapped a button on the screen of his car display.
"Anything?" He greeted.
"No, Edward. You know that. I don't know how many times we have to…No. There is nothing new. There hasn't been for months." His father's voice solemnly came through the speaker, "that's not why I'm calling."
"Then why are you calling? I've got a shift in twenty minutes."
"I'll get right to it then, Edward; your mother wants you to come home. I do too." Carlisle stated.
"Yeah, you're only ones." Edward huffed.
"Now, you know that's not true." Carlisle chastised his son.
"When's the last time you talked to Alice or Jazz?" Edward said, rolling his eyes. He was at the hospital now, pulling into a space.
"A few weeks ago, but that's not the point. They don't hate you like you seem to think they do. Alice even said she would have done the same if she were capable."
"I'm sure she would."
"Now, no need for smart comments. This entire situation has caused stress for us all, and it continues to do so. Three, four months is a long time to live in guilt, Edward. We are passed putting the blame on anyone." Carlisle chided.
"I know exactly who to blame." Edward seethed.
"Now, now. When's the last time you talked to Garrett?"
"Two months. Not planning on changing that."
"Edward…we think we should be together as a family again; it's been too long. I've talked to the Chief at Northwestern…we could get you in as soon as next week. They're always looking for talented trauma doctors."
"No, Dad. I'm happy here. Besides, I turned them down a long time ago. There's nothing left for me in Chicago…"
"Nothing? And what about Peter? Your mother? You're so hopeful for him…" His father's voice slipped but corrected itself.
"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. Chicago just isn't right for me anymore. It wasn't before everything happened."
"Edward…"
"Uh, Dad. I have to go. I hear sirens, and I need to change." Edward said quickly, stabbing the end call button with his finger.
He took several deep breaths, trying desperately to control the rage. Eventually, he got out of the car, slammed the door shut, and quickly walked towards the doors of the hospital.
He was eager for the distractions.
"Charlotte…" Bella said cautiously, moving towards her daughter and yanking her away from the strange child until they were pressed against the back door. Her eyes were wide with shock as she was ripped across the room. "Charlotte…" Bella said cautiously, moving towards her daughter, before yanking her away from the unfamiliar child.
"Mommy...you have to—" Charlotte, her eyes wide with shock, starting to squirm.
"Stay back, Charlotte," Bella whispered, glancing at her sternly before looking back toward the boy.
"Who are you? How did you get in here? How…" Bella trailed off; her saucer-like eyes trained on the small blonde boy.
"Mom!" Charlotte said louder, trying to tug away from her grip.
"Charlotte, I said be quiet." Bella snapped.
"I'll ask you again…how did you get into the house?" The cold tone in her voice made the boy stagger back in fear.
"Mom, his name is Peter," Charlotte said, breaking free of her mother's grip.
The shock of her daughter's words caused Bella's blood to run cold as she turned to look at the struggling girl in her arms.
"What did you say?"
"His name is Peter…Peter Cu—" Charlotte was cut off by the blonde boy throwing a look of disapproval at her.
"How do you know that?" Bella asked, stepping away from Charlotte to get a better look at her. Charlotte crossed the kitchen to stand next to Peter.
"He's my friend, Mom. I've been telling you about him for days." Charlotte confessed.
"This is your friend? How did you get in here?" Bella questioned sharply.
"Mom, I let him in. He's my friend!" Charlotte cried.
"Is she telling the truth? Did she let you in? How long have you been here?" Bella asked the boy before catching a detail she had forgotten. "I saw you yesterday…at the birthday party. I thought you were one of my nephew's friends."
"Uh…yeah. I was…hungry. Charlotte wasn't sure the next time she would be able to sneak food for me." Peter said softly, staring at the floor. He was too frightened to make eye contact.
"Where did you come from? Charlotte, why in the hell would you let a stranger in our house? Kid or not…does your safety mean nothing to you? What if he was dangerous!"
"Mommy, he's not dangerous. He's been here since before you got hurt. I'm pretty sure if he was dangerous, we would be hurt by now." Charlotte said matter-of-factly.
"What did you say, Charlotte Marie?" Bella's eyes widened.
"He ran away from home. He's been here since Jess was here last."
"Charlotte…what? That was…" She felt faint.
Bella stumbled back to the table, pulling a chair out to catch herself before her daughter's revelation caused her to black out.
"Please don't be mad at Charlotte. I can leave. I will leave. I was going to leave." Peter said stuttering. He was afraid of what Bella was going to do now that she knew their secret. Was she going to hurt Charlotte? He didn't think so—they were nothing like his parents, but he was still scared. He fought the urge to step in front of the woman to protect her.
"No, you're not leaving." Bella raised her head and stared at the boy. She felt like she knew him from somewhere else. Her head was spinning, so she paid little attention to it, "Charlotte, we need to call the police."
"No, we don't—" Her daughter started.
"Charlotte, we need to call the police. Think about his family. God, his mother must be worried sick. I can't even think. We need to call them and get this sorted. You can't be far from home." Bella said, looking at both children.
"No, Mommy, please." Charlotte began to yell.
"Peter, I need you to tell me some things. How did my daughter find you? How long have you been here exactly? What's your full name? Do you know your telephone number? Where are your parents? Why did you run away from home? I need more to tell the cops." Bella fired questions at the boy as if they were at a batting cage.
"Mommy, please!"
"Uh…I…" Peter was cut off by the rumbling of his stomach. Bella sighed. Realizing she wasn't going to get answers like this. She could tell the boy was frightened, and Charlotte was whining at the top of her lungs.
"Mommy, please…"
"Charlotte, you need to be quiet. Now. And listen. Here's what is happening. You've got to be hungry, kid. There is plenty to eat on the living room table… and then we can look over…Peter to make sure he's all right. Then, we are sitting down and figuring everything out. Peter, give me a number to call. I need to leave a message for someone." Bella spoke in a sharp tone. Neither kid dared not listen to every word she said.
Peter mumbled the numbers, looking down at the ground. Charlotte cried out loud again behind him.
Eight-four-seven, two-four-two, nine-one-nine-eight.
"Now, Charlotte, go sit in the living room. There are plates there. Eat. Peter, you too, please." Bella said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
She wasn't sure how long the encounter had taken, but with cooking and preparing for what she thought was going to be a normal day spending time with her daughter, she had no idea of the time. She shook her head and began to scroll through her phone, mostly Facebook notifications and tagged photos from the party yesterday, but there were a few messages from Edward—typical 'good mornings' and complains about working. The last one said he was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow and he would call her later.
She bit her lip. Their perfect night together seemed so far away. In only moments, her life seems to have flipped upside down.
She needed to get to the bottom of this.
What on earth would possess Charlotte to let someone inside their house? They'd had the stranger danger talk a thousand times. Perhaps, she thought another child didn't apply? She is too outgoing for her own good.
Damn it.
Bella huffed.
It looked vaguely familiar, but she brushed it off. It wasn't an area code she recognized off the top of her head. As she dialed the number, she stared out the window, deep in thought. She paid little attention to the screen of her phone.
How had this happened? Why did the boy run away from home? How far did he run? If she didn't recognize the area code…
The line rang twice.
She studied a tree in the backyard when a click on the other end signaled an answer.
She took a breath, preparing to be met with the voice of a desperate mother, clutching the phone in her hand, praying every call was the one that would tell her good news about her child. She tried to picture herself in the position of the person on the other end of the line but was met with a frozen chill running down her spine at the thought.
Or was it the voice that answered that caused it?
"Bella? Is everything okay? Did I leave something? You caught me in the break room, but I can't really talk right now—"
Edward's voice rang over line.
"Bella?"
"Uh…I'm sorry, I hit the wrong button. I didn't mean to call you."
"That's alright, everything okay?"
"Uh…yeah, hey I have to go. I'll…uh…call you later." Bella stuttered; her heart raced.
"Oka—" she hung up quickly, cutting him off.
This had to be a mistake. She must have hit a recent call on accident when she wasn't looking at the phone.
That had to be it.
She shook her head, her loose hair swayed on her shoulders. Idiot.
Eight-four-seven, two-four-two, nine-one-nine-eight.
She repeated the number to herself as she typed it in.
Paying close attention to her the screen of her iPhone, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
A cute, smirking photo of a certain redheaded doctor she'd snapped at Charlotte's birthday party stared back at her. The photo she set for Edward's contact photo.
She double checked the numbers.
The shiver down her spine returned when she realized they matched.
A/N: I have some time to be writing this week so I will try to get Chapter 17 out as soon as I can. Some real-life stuff with my health has gotten in the way for a while, but it's on its way to getting figured out. I am also starting my first semester of graduate school next week!
In the meantime…
My Christmas short story "Oh Reindeer" was nominated for Top Ten Fics Completed in December on TwiFanFictionRecs! Head over to that website to vote once a day until the 31st of January if you enjoyed it! I'd appreciate it!
I have a FB group called "Mariescullen Fanfiction" where I post teasers, manips, and photos for chapters, and even pictures of my dog. Please feel free to join if you're on that platform.
Lots of cool stuff coming this year J
Sending prayers and positive thoughts to Lizzie and any of my other Australian readers.
Happy New Year and see you soon!