Stolen Dreams
Disclaimer: Does anyone read these? Really? SM owns Twilight. No one owns the actual names Edward and Bella, though. Otherwise, millions of people would be in trouble.
A/N: For those that have asked, the new job is great. It doesn't leave me a lot of downtime, though. I'm tired. Like, really effing tired. But, hey, I'm gainfully employed. Thank you to everyone that took the time to read this week and to those that took the time to review. I appreciate you all. Thank you, Jen, for your excellent beta work. Mwah!
On with the show!
Chapter 32
The following week moved swiftly. On Monday, while I was at work, Ryan's bedroom furniture was delivered. Edward and Ryan had everything set up and the bed made with clean sheets by the time I arrived home, as well as having dinner ready for the three of us. I suspected that Edward hadn't gotten much work done, which was confirmed when he stayed up late on the computer.
Carlisle and Esme were more than willing to do the interview at their home on Saturday and asked us to come down on Friday night to go over everything. Tanya was going to fly in and meet us there, though she was staying at the Lodge instead of the Cullens' home like we were.
Zafrina would not give me any specifics as to what she, Ryan, and Jacob discussed in their sessions, but she did tell me that he was dealing with the situation as best as could be expected. She did express some concern over how the four adults were getting along and wanted to make sure we knew to keep all disagreements as far from Ryan as could.
Friday afternoon found us sitting in traffic on our way to Forks. A tractor-trailer had overturned on the highway and had been tying up traffic for the last two hours. So far, we'd been sitting in it for about thirty minutes, but that was twenty minutes too long for Edward. He was already edgy, and the constant stop and go, without ever reaching a speed of ten miles per hour, was wearing on him. I also had to admit that Ryan wasn't helping. He was bored and had therefore taken to reading all the street signs he could find. Once he'd exhausted those, he'd started pointing out all of the things he could see in the neighboring cars.
"Ryan, will you please stop?" Edward asked through gritted teeth.
"I'm bored," Ryan whined in return. "How long is it going to take to get there?"
Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering. I tried to stifle my giggles. "Read a book. Play with your DS. Do something. I don't know how long it's going to take. I thought they'd have the truck moved by now."
Ryan huffed, but dug around in his backpack and retrieved his DS. It didn't take long for him to be totally engaged in the battle he was waging on screen. The only sounds in the car were the beeps from Ryan's game and Edward's sighs of frustration. I fiddled with the radio, but quickly gave up when I discovered that the repetitive traffic reports and crappy music ratcheted up Edward's aggravation.
We slowly moved forward, inch by inch, until we hit the accident site. The left hand lane was the only one open, and there was a police officer directing traffic. From the looks of things and what we'd heard on the news reports, a semi had swerved to miss a car that was stalled in the middle of the road and had jack knifed, hitting the back of the car with the trailer and throwing it forward into three other cars. The trailer had tipped onto its side in the resulting chaos, hitting a few other cars in the process. I could see why the traffic jam had been so bad.
Fortunately, the road was completely clear on the other side, and we were able to make a lot of progress. We stopped at our favorite Wendy's and all ate in the car. As much as he seemed to enjoy the two weeks with us, Edward and I both could tell that Ryan was anxious to get home. It made me a little sad until he practically blew by Esme and Carlisle, with no more than cursory hugs. What he really wanted to do was call Michael and Trent.
Esme laughed lightly. "Oh, the days when parents were important," she pretended to lament.
I followed her into the kitchen, where she had some tea steeping and some scones cooling on the stove. I heard Carlisle and Edward talking and walking toward the den.
We each took a cup of tea and settled down at the kitchen table. Esme asked how the trip had gone from my perspective and told me in no uncertain terms that Ryan told them how great of a time he was having. "He's also very comfortable with Zafrina," she said. "I think she and Jacob make a good team."
"As long as he's comfortable talking to them and working out whatever issues he's experiencing, I'm happy," I said. "I have a feeling that things are going to ramp up for him for awhile, between the trial and this interview tomorrow."
"Yes, this interview tomorrow . . . Tanya's going to come in and let us know what questions to prepare for?" Esme asked, a hint of nerves peeking through.
"She was supposed to be here tonight. Her flight got in about an hour after we'd planned to leave, and she's flying back tomorrow. There was a horrible accident, though, and I suspect that has delayed her," I reported.
She nodded, and her eyes drifted to the ceiling near where Ryan's room lay a floor above. "Is he ready for this, Bella?"
I shrugged. "I don't know that any of us are, but we're going to have to be."
Our conversation turned to lighter matters, and I was about to suggest that we think about turning in, when the doorbell rang. Both Esme and I hurried to the door, wary of who would be calling at the late hour.
Carlisle snapped it open, prepared to find an overzealous media hound on the other side, only to come face to face with a very disheveled Tanya.
"I am so sorry that I'm late. I caught an earlier flight in so I would have some time to set up and got into an accident on my way here," she said in a rush.
"Did you get caught up in that tractor-trailer traffic as well?" Edward asked, taking the bag she was carrying from her.
Tanya made a face. "No, I was the tractor-trailer accident. The car it hit plowed into my rental car. Thank God for rental insurance. It took awhile to get the accident cleared and to get me into another vehicle, but I made it."
"Oh, my God. Are you okay?" I asked, ushering her into the house.
We moved into the den, which was the most comfortable room, and settled her into a plushy chair. Esme appeared with a fresh cup of tea over my shoulder and handed it to Tanya. Tanya's hands only trembled slightly.
"I suppose. My neck is sore, and I'm going to have a nasty seat belt bruise. My air bag didn't deploy, so I was saved the face burns. The EMTs cleared me at the scene," she hastened to add when Carlisle looked concerned.
"Is your overnight bag still in the car?" he asked.
She nodded. "I wanted to come here first before you went to bed. I haven't checked in yet."
"I'd like you to stay here tonight instead," he offered. He could tell she was preparing to refuse, so he added, "It would give me some peace of mind in case your injuries become intolerable. I'm sure you will also be more sore in the morning."
"Thank you," she accepted graciously.
Edward promptly left the room and went out to get Tanya's bag while Esme prepared a room for her. Any discussion of the interview would have to wait until morning.
I helped Tanya into the bathroom, as the stiffness was starting to set in, and Esme and I got her settled in.
"The camera crew will be here at ten o'clock in the morning," she warned us. "Everyone will need to be ready to go then. I also would like at least an hour beforehand to go over the questions they've submitted to me."
"So, we'll all meet in the kitchen, ready to go, at eight-thirty?" I suggested.
Tanya nodded and set an alarm on her cell phone. She thanked us both, her voice quiet, and climbed into bed.
Esme and I left the room and returned to the den, where Carlisle and Edward were waiting.
"Is she okay?" Edward asked, his brow creased in concern.
"I think so. She'll be sore tomorrow, though," I answered.
Edward nodded and took my hand. "I think we're going to head to bed," he said. They told us goodnight, and we walked toward the room that we had stayed in previously. Knowing that it was going to be an early morning, I got ready for bed quickly and set an alarm. Edward crawled in next to me and wrapped his arms around me.
I wondered if Tanya felt odd sleeping in the same house as Edward when he was sleeping with me, but as I drifted off, I found that I was too content in his embrace to care.
When the alarm went off the next morning, Edward and I both hastened to get up and get ready for the day. He put on his uniform, and I dressed in one of my business suits. Carlisle and Esme were also well-dressed for the day, and the anxiety in the kitchen was palpable.
"Where's Ryan?" I asked, not seeing him at the table. Since Esme had already started on breakfast, this was an unusual occurrence.
She huffed and pursed her lips in aggravation. "He doesn't want to get dressed."
I turned on my heel and went straight to his room. "Ryan, what are doing?" I asked when I found him sitting on his bed in his underwear with his door wide open.
"I don't like that shirt," he groused, crossing his arms over his chest.
It was a plain white button down. Esme had set out a nice tie to go with it and a nice set of khaki dress pants. "What's wrong with it?" I asked.
"It's itchy," he complained. "I want to wear the blue one." He pointed to a blue plaid button down hanging on his closet door.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Ryan, you need to wear what Esme set out for you."
"No!" he yelled. "I don't want to!"
He was melting down. The pressure of the situation, the anxiety of the coming interview, it was all making itself known in this one moment. And Tanya was walking down the hall behind me.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, poking her head in the room. She held her back stiffly, but smiled nonetheless.
"Yes, we're just having a wardrobe disagreement," I informed her, trying to tamp down my irritation at her intrusion.
"Oh?" she said, smiling. "That outfit will work perfectly. What's wrong with it?" She looked at me as if I was the one that was causing the drama and not the mostly naked kid on the bed.
"There's nothing wrong with it. He just doesn't want to wear it," I said, gritting my teeth.
"I want to wear my blue shirt," Ryan piped up, directing both of our attentions back to it with his eyes.
Tanya's nose crinkled, and she shook her head. "Not on TV, you don't," she said. "You'll look like a big blueberry. You want people to see how handsome you are, not to be staring at your shirt the whole time."
Ryan grumbled, but grabbed the clothes and stomped to the bathroom. When the snick of the door closing sounded behind him, Tanya turned to me and gave me a pained smile.
"Good morning. Sorry if I stepped on your toes." She seemed so genuine and in enough pain for both of us that I had a hard time nurturing my ire.
"It's fine. I wouldn't have thought of that, and I know it's your field. I think he's just really overwhelmed today." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Are you feeling okay this morning?"
She chuckled ruefully. "Dr. Cullen gave me some muscle relaxers a bit ago because I couldn't get up. I might get a little loopy here in a bit."
I laughed. "In that case, we'd better get this started."
Tanya looped her arm through mine, and we walked together down the stairs after I yelled to Ryan to come eat breakfast as soon as he was dressed.
Esme had all the food on the table, and the men were already eating. At least, they looked like they were eating, but I noticed that the amount of food on Edward's plate wasn't diminishing like it normally would. Tanya sat down at the table and took some food onto her own plate while I filled a glass of juice and a mug of coffee for myself. Ryan bounded into the room, dressed in the correct clothes, although his shirt wasn't tucked in. Esme and I looked at each other and silently agreed to let it go for now.
"Okay, here's the deal," Tanya began. "The 60 Minutes producers sent me these questions, and I went over them with both Aron and Tia. Bella and Edward, they are going to ask you to relive Ryan's birth for them. You may give as much detail as you want, but I am encouraging you to mention these points: Edward, you were not allowed in the delivery room. Bella, you had no one with you and were given a placebo in place of pain medication. Neither of you ever signed anything. Feel free to throw Gerandy under the bus. That's what we want. Don't bad mouth him or expound on your feelings at this point; just tell the public what he did.
"Esme and Carlisle, they are going to ask you about the adoption process. Be as clear and concise as you can be. I know that it was a stressful time in your lives, as well, but we want the public to see that there was no wrong-doing on your part, either. We don't want them to turn this into a conspiracy. Tia and Aron both assured me that other than a meeting between lawyers, this was handled as a normal closed adoption would be." Tanya paused to take a breath. "We want the public to know that you had nothing to do with Ryan's kidnapping.
"They will also ask about how Ryan was found again. Avoid talking about any arguing that happened during this time. We want to present everyone here as you are: four loving parents trying to do what's best for a little boy. Nothing in this broadcast will affect the custody case in anyway, unless one of you starts a brawl on national television. All we are trying to do is get sympathy on our side so that when Gerandy is tried, the jurors already have some of this in their minds, as well as to get the real story out there," Tanya advised.
"Ryan, you are going to be asked how you feel about what Dr. Gerandy did. Be honest. I nixed all questions that have to do with Ryan's living arrangements and what he prefers. This isn't the venue for that. Lesley Stahl is going to be the one to do the interview. She has several Emmys and is a very accomplished journalist. This is going to be a story on its own, but it will also feature as part of a larger special she's developing on black market baby selling in the United States. Do you have any questions?" Tanya asked as she passed around a sheet with the specific questions for us all to see.
"How long will this take?" Esme asked.
"Around two hours, probably. They will tape the entire conversation, but only about ten to fifteen minutes will air, maybe less," Tanya answered. "The entire interview—edited, of course—will probably be posted on their website, and a transcript may be made available to other news outlets. Lesley will spend a little time getting to know each of you, as well, for supplemental information. Edward, she already has your service records, so be prepared for questions about that. Carlisle, I'm sure she has information on your career, as well as Bella's. Ryan's school records are publically available, so I imagine she has all of that, too."
"Is anything in our lives sacred anymore?" Edward groused. He hadn't slept well and was a little grumpy.
"Nope." Tanya's answer was plain and simple. "For now, you are public figures. Get used to it."
That didn't seem to please Edward, but he didn't say anything, so I let it be. We finished eating what little we were going to get down, and I helped Esme put away anything that could be eaten again later. Just as she shut the refrigerator door for the last time, the doorbell rang. Carlisle and Tanya went to get it, knowing that it would be the 60 Minutes crew.
Lesley Stahl was an attractive woman on television, but her personality made her that much more endearing. She politely asked Esme where a good place for the hair and make-up lady to set up would be and took great care to not disturb too many things in the Cullens' home.
Once the camera crew was underway in getting set up, she ushered us all into the kitchen. "I'm sure Ms. Fielding has explained how things are going to work today. I want to spend a few moments with each of you, just to get to know you a little better. I also know that she has shown you the approved list of questions. I will do my best not to stray from that; however, sometimes during the course of the interview, an extra follow up question will come up. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Just let me know, and we'll edit it out."
Her eyes took in each of our faces as she pondered something. "I'd like to start with Ryan, if that's okay with you. This part will not be taped. It is just to make you all more real to the public."
Edward and I looked to the Cullens and nodded our approval.
"That would be fine," Carlisle said a bit stiffly. "If you'd like, you can use my office." He rose and led them from the room.
Esme, Edward, Tanya, and I fidgeted. The make-up lady used that moment to come into the room and introduce herself. She told us that she was going to get us ready for the cameras, starting with me. Fortunately, it didn't take long, and she only made my make-up slightly darker than I already had it so the lights wouldn't wash me out. I did get to watch her put make-up on Edward, though, and both Esme and I giggled at his expressions.
"What?" he cried. "It feels weird. I have no idea why you do this to yourselves every day. It smells terrible!"
That only set off more laughter, the make-up lady included.
Carlisle and Ryan returned as Edward was finishing up and motioned for me to go on to his study. I squeezed Edward's hand on my way out the door and walked quickly back there before I lost my nerve completely.
Lesley was perched on one of the guest chairs and told me to have a seat in the other. "Don't look so nervous," she chuckled. "It's not the Inquisition. I just want to get to know a little more about you."
"Go ahead." I smiled anxiously.
She asked me about my schooling, my career, and my family. It was all surface information. I could only surmise that she was saving the harder questions for the camera. In less than ten minutes, I was leaving and sending Esme, who was already ready, into the office in my stead.
Edward went back next. Ryan and I went into the living room and watched as the television crew set up their lights and cameras around the room. Ryan was uncharacteristically quiet and clingy. He held onto my hand and tucked himself into my side.
"You okay, Ry?" I asked quietly so no one could hear but him.
He shrugged, his eyes still wide and staring ahead. "Yeah, it's just weird, you know? What if I say something wrong?"
I turned and knelt down next to him, forcing his eyes to meet mine. "Listen to me, Ryan. We want you to tell the truth and say what you feel. As long as you are truthful, you can't say anything wrong." That was a simplistic way of putting things, yes, but on the fly, I couldn't think of another way to reassure him. I didn't have time to say more, as Lesley and her producer, whose name I couldn't remember, came up behind us and ushered us into the living room.
After directing us where to sit and explaining their process again, Lesley took her seat on the edge of the wingback chair from the guest room. What followed were the most tense two hours I'd experienced in years, possibly since Ryan's birth. It was even worse than the custody hearing just weeks before.
"Ms. Swan, tell me about your life when you discovered you were pregnant with Ryan."
"Major Masen, what were your plans? How did you intend to support your growing family? Did you plan to stay together?"
"Describe for me the circumstances surrounding Ryan's birth."
"Ms. Swan, how did you feel when you were told your son was dead?"
Before I was able to answer that one, I forced the cameras to stop rolling while I regained control of my emotions. Really? How did she think I felt? In the interest of giving the public a fair look into our life, I answered before I was completely composed.
"It was the most gut-wrenching experience of my life. I couldn't understand how it had happened. I'd been feeling him move all day. I'd heard his heartbeat on the monitors while I was in labor, but Dr. Gerandy was firm when he told me that the umbilical cord had wrapped around Ryan's neck in the birth canal and they were unable to revive him. All I could do was cry. Nothing would bring my son back," I said.
Then, she asked about our separation: what precipitated it and how we grew apart. When she listed off our accomplishments, even I had to admit that they sounded impressive. I hadn't even realized that Edward had been awarded the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Service Medal. She made him sound like the hero he was.
After going through the details of our reunification, which she barely touched on, she focused on how we'd found Ryan again.
"Why were you in Forks?"
"What were you doing that morning?"
"How did you recognize him?"
For the last one, I laughed and looked at Ryan. "It would be hard not to see Edward in him," I answered.
Lesley smiled and noted that they were going to flash a picture of ten-year-old Edward next to Ryan's last school photo on the screen so that the audience would understand.
From there, she turned to Carlisle and Esme and asked about what led them to adoption and their own experience. I had heard it before, of course, but while I listened to them telling their story, my mind wandered back to those early days when I'd suspected I was expecting, before I'd told Edward.
I'd researched adoption. We hadn't really been ready for a child, I'd known that, but I'd also known that there was no way I could get rid of something that was a part of Edward and me. What I'd read filtered through my memories, and I compared it to research that I'd done on my own time since Ryan had come back into our lives. Both my memories and their story confirmed that other than meeting with an attorney representing me, their experience was just as it should have been. Lesley also touched on their emotional states at the time, and Carlisle conceded that had they not just lost their own child—again—that he might have had the presence of mind to insist on meeting me.
"Ryan, how did you feel about finding out that your birth parents wanted you and still wanted to be involved in your life?" Lesley asked.
Ryan started a bit, clearly not expecting that his turn had come. "It felt great," he told her. "I'm very lucky to have two sets of parents that love and want me."
"How do you feel about what Dr. Gerandy did? His actions gave you to the Cullens," she said slyly.
Ryan, fortunately, was a smart kid. "I'm glad that I was given to the Cullens instead of another family. They are great parents. What Dr. Gerandy did, though, was wrong. I had parents that loved and wanted me, and he had no right to take me away from them."
"What do you think should happen to him, Ryan?" Lesley asked.
"He should go to jail," Ryan said firmly. "He took me away from my family, so it's only right that he should be taken away from his."
Shortly after those words of wisdom, Lesley wrapped up the interview and thanked us for talking to her. She promised to let Tanya know the date the program would be aired, as well, and reiterated that it was the first part of a series on kidnapping for profit in America.
We stood by and watched as the camera crew expertly stowed their equipment and replaced all of the furniture to its correct location. Much more quickly than they'd come in, the 60 Minutes crew was gone.
"Thank you, Tanya," I said when she reappeared in front of me with her luggage. "Are you going to be okay to get home?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She hugged me. "I'll let you know if they need anything else. If you find that you have to do anything else with the local press, let me know and I'll get someone local to set it up with the right people."
"Thank you."
Edward hugged her, and I was surprised at how little the sight bothered me now. She turned and shook hands with both Esme and Carlisle and rubbed her hand through Ryan's hair, mussing it and making him laugh. We watched her to her car and let out a sigh of relief as she drove away. It was as though with her exit, the stress of the day went with her.
"Is anyone else hungry?" Carlisle asked. "Because I'm starving. Let's go to the diner." He jingled the keys to Esme's van.
We all looked at each other and laughed. Edward held out his hand, and we all left the house—as a family.
Did the interview go like you thought it would? I'm curious as to your reactions. Thanks for reading!
I didn't really have much time to read anything new this week—heck, I've got piles of updates in my inbox. Send me your favorites this week . . .