Chapter 14:
Kim watched the autumn leaves collect at her feet. A year. It had been a year since she left home and reunited with Edward. What a strange coincidence that it would also be the day of their wedding. How very strange indeed…
She felt like going she was going crazy. She hadn't seen Edward for almost three days! Jonathon had taken him to "teach him the ways of marriage" and prepare him for the wedding. Kim could only remember Edward's penetrating dark eyes, stuck in her memory. She wanted so badly to hug him! But she had to wait until tonight.
There were no rehearsals for the wedding. It wasn't like too many people were coming, anyway. Only her family, Jonathon, and the people from work (who pretty much invited themselves). Kim was preparing for anything unexpected.
"Kim! It's time!"
Kim looked back at her mother, who was standing at the apartment doorway, with a package in her hands. Peg wasn't lying when she had said she aged quicker because of worry. Her hair was almost completely silver, her face had some new creases near her eyes and mouth, and her hands had grown wrinkly and cold. Kim felt like weeping each time she saw her mother.
"Well? Kim, are you coming?"
Kim got up and entered her apartment. She stopped when she saw the wedding dress her mother had made her, sitting on a headless mannequin.
The dress was almost an exact replica of the white dress she wore on the first night she kissed him; the first night she told him she loved him. The only difference was that the skirt reached the floor instead of her knees, and there were no blood stains on it.
"Mom…thank you…" she said with tears rolling to the wooden floor.
Before Peg could reply, Kim had already started putting the dress on.
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"Well, Jonathon, I must say-this is extraordinary. When I decided to let you use my private laboratory, a dead patient's hands, and my patience, I thought that disaster would strike. But, if I do say so myself, I think you've just opened another door in the field of medical arts."
A tall man with gray eyes and a large, toothy grin looked at Edward on the other side of the room. When they had first met, he was scared out of his wits. Standing before him was a monstrosity with metal blades for hands. Now, before his eyes was a beautiful young man, with the hands of an artist.
"Thank you, Dr. Stein. It was an honor having you watch this." Jonathon did a small bow, and then turned his head to Edward, who was now happily reciting his wedding vows to a mannequin head.
The surgery that took place a few days ago was tedious, not to mention risky. Dr. Stein, an old friend from many years ago who provided Jonathon with all the equipment and "privacy", watched the entire process, making sure to film it as well. Edward was never robbed of his consciousness. Since he could not feel a thing he decided to stay awake the whole time. Jonathon had clearly remembered Edward watching his every move with pure fascination. The surgery took hours, but soon the hands were installed. They were beautiful hands too, belonging to a street artist and sculptor from Paris who had gone to New York in the hopes of getting some rare disease cured. Only, by the time a cure was found, the man had died rather tragically.
Edward had to go one day without moving his arms, to let the new hands heal, and even then he was quietly excited as Jonathon and Dr. Stein took turns reading him the awfully dull book of "The Rules of Marriage", full of facts that Edward's original inventor had already gone over with him.
"I guess they were wrong about your 'radical ideas'", Dr. Stein brought Jonathon out of his daydreams.
"Well, I don't know about that…"
"I'm going to show someone this tape, Jonathon."
"What? But you promised…"
"I know, I know-this was supposed to be a secret…but think about it. Imagine what a story this could be! A man created by an inventor, left alone and uncompleted because of the inventor's death, then completed by the inventor's brother. Imagine! You could get a job again. Heck, you could probably even get something more than that…"
"More than that?"
"Fame! Fortune! This is genius!"
"Well I-"
Jonathon was interrupted by a loud crashing noise. He and Dr. Stein turned their heads to see the mannequin head in pieces on the floor.
"I'm…I'm sorry." Edward said in embarrassment.
"It's alright. I'll clean it up, no problem." Jonathon searched the room until he found a small broom and dustpan.
"Um…can I?"
"Can you what?"
"Clean it up?"
Jonathon handed over the cleaning tools to Edward, who excitedly grasped them and started cleaning. It was pleasant to see him adapting so well. With a little more practice no person would ever be able to tell that Edward had never had human hands before.
"He looks so happy, doesn't he?"
"Don't switch the subject, Jonathon. Are you going to let me show this to the world or not?"
"I…I-"
"Do you have any idea how selfish it would be to keep this to yourself? God only knows how many people could use human hands! Plus, don't you think people are going to wonder just how Edward suddenly got hands?"
"Okay, alright, fine. I'll do it. But now, if you'll kindly excuse me, I need to help Edward get ready for his big day."
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A single violin played the Pachelbel Canon.
Kim had a smile so big it was clearly visible through her veil. But she was growing crazy inside. Where was he? She felt she would go completely berserk if he did not arrive in the next five minutes.
Suddenly the music started playing. It was her cue to start walking down the aisle. Her father, who hadn't aged as much after her departure, grabbed her arm and they started taking the long walk.
Kim was tempted to lift her veil. She couldn't see that well, and all she could see of Edward was his tall figure clothed in black. But she felt like…he was missing something.
In fact, she didn't even want to wear a veil, but Jonathon had asked her to. God knows why, how could Edward actually remove it for her? Unless…
She suddenly felt herself trip when stepping up to the altar. But someone had grabbed her and lifted her back up. Whoever did it, Kim could tell by their trembling hands they sure were nervous.
And then that white blindness ceased to exist. She could see clearly now, she could see Edward, and then…
His hands.
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Ooh suspense! Sorry, this is probably my worst chaapter yet. Next one will be really cute I promise!
It's just that I know very little about weddings. Obviously I'm not married, and I've never attended a wedding, so I base this off of movies and things like that.
I'll try my best, though, since so many of you were excited about this part. I'm only about a 1/4 done with the wedding scene.