~ Forks, Washington - August 17, 2004 ~
Emmett and Rose arrived at the house just after sunrise. It was good to have someone to talk to about what happened and my subsequent conversation with Charlie Swan. They were both very supportive of my actions and impressed with the local police chief.
On the lighter side of things, Emmett lamented that it seemed that I was the only one in the family that ever got to do anything exciting. He was especially intrigued at what it felt like to be shot. I told him that it just felt like being stung, but he just couldn't fathom it. Emmett wondered if the Chief wouldn't mind taking a shot at him just so he could feel it for himself.
As Rose and Emmett settled into their room, which meant breaking in the new bed, I headed back to my cottage to get ready for seeing Charlie again and for dealing with his decision.
I was expected at the hospital at 10:00am to discharge Charlie and take him home. I arrived early so I could check on Mark. The Chief had let the staff know that I was to be admitted to Mark's or his room regardless of the hour. From their thoughts, the staff would be happy once Charlie had been sent home.
Mark was doing as well as could be expected. Having a concussion, the nurses had to wake him up every hour to check on him. This made the normally easy going Mark almost as grumpy as the Chief.
After my visit with Mark, I went to the Chief's room. Dr. Gerandy was now on duty and was going over Charlie's discharge orders. The Chief was not happy. Rest and limitations on his movement were ordered, plus a cocktail of pain medicine. With Mark in the hospital and Charlie ordered to rest, that left only Brad Chambers, Fork's junior deputy, to man the Police desk. The County Sheriff's Office would be sending an officer over to help out, but Charlie hated leaving the people of Forks in their hands. Brad was capable, but his wife just had a baby a month ago. Charlie had been trying to give Brad some flexibility in his schedule so he could be around the house when Jeanie, his wife, needed him most.
Then there was his daughter's visit. Charlie had several things planned for her time here. Being ordered to rest would change their plans, plus he wasn't looking forward to Bella finding out about what happened at the barn. He envisioned ten days of Bella worrying about him and hounding him to be more cautious. Charlie did not like to be mothered.
Finally, Charlie was upset over the press coverage the barn incident had received. The local and state media had already asked to interview him and Mark. In their eyes Charlie was a hero, who, after being shot, fought through the pain and subdued the criminal. Knowing otherwise weighed heavily on him. Charlie had never wanted attention or to be spotlighted for his service. It was a job he loved and he did it for the community he loved. Seeking praise for doing it well was not on the Chief's radar. For Charlie, living with the lie about what actually happened would be harder than him than dealing with the supernatural status of my family.
After some introductions with Dr. Gerandy, who had met Carlisle on his last visit, the Chief and I were left alone.
"Right on time, I see." Charlie quipped. "Help me get my shirt on and then let's get the hell out of here."
Thirty minutes later, the Chief and I were finally on our way. He sat quietly in my SUV as we pulled out of the parking lot. He was tired and bit strung out. All night he had been plagued with dreams of vampires and arrests gone wrong. He also had more questions, but he was willing to hold off on asking them.
"I want to swing by the station," he said in a commanding tone. Charlie was going to be smart about his recovery, but he was also determined to do what he could to help out at the station.
Our eyes met for a second and I gave him a nod. "Sure thing, Charlie," I replied with smile. He had been waiting for me to object, but he now understood. I was not Charlie's babysitter and he was grown man. If he wanted to return to a limited set of duties, I wouldn't stand in the way.
"My brother and sister, Emmett and Rosalie, arrived this morning," I said to break the silence.
"Were they coming to help you move?" He asked
"If need be, yes. But they just wanted to be here in case I needed some family around." I replied.
The Chief thought this over. Caring and consideration were not traits he would've previously associated mythical vampires. He was starting to accept that we were a true family, despite what our physical makeup may be.
"Edward, I don't know who will be at the station, so I will just come out and say it now. I don't see any reason why you or your family has to leave at this time. I am concerned about a great many things we spoke about, but I am going to trust you and your family, at least for the time being."
"Thank you, Charlie" I replied.
"However, I do have a few conditions." He added. I nodded for him to continue.
"First, I want to meet all of your family. I want to look them in the eye and hear from each one of them that they will do everything in their power to not harm a human life."
"That won't be problem, in fact, I think you will find my family more than willing to get to know you." Images of Emmett asking the Chief to shoot him brought a slight smile to my face.
"Good. Next, I want to understand this treaty you have with Billy's tribe. I suspect he has been keeping some secrets from me. I am going to have a sit down with him, and then I want you both to bury the hatchet. I don't need some supernatural grudge match spilling into my town."
"I agree. If I may, it would probably be best to wait for when Carlisle arrives later in the week. He is the head of our family and I would like him to be there."
Charlie nodded. He liked the respect I showed for Carlisle. "I can live with that." he replied. "Also, no keeping secrets from me. I am not saying you haven't been truthful, but I suspect last night you left out some things. I am okay with that. However, if I ask a question, I expect a direct, honest answer."
The Chief paused, he was not comfortable with what he was to demand next, but it was the only way for him to mitigate the risk of my family living amongst Fork's unsuspecting citizens. "Edward, my priority is keeping this town safe. I doubt I could stop any of your kind if I wanted to. So, if need be, I expect your family to help protect this community from others of your kind. I know you can't guarantee the absolute safety of everyone, just like I can't. But whatever is within your power, I expect you to do."
"We will agree to all of that." I answered. "We understand the risk our presence creates. We also know that we have a responsibility because of that risk."
I pulled into the police station and parked. "Anything else?" I asked.
"Actually, there is." Charlie reached into his pocket to wrap his fingers around the bullet that was shot at me. He looked away unsure how to ask his next question. His thoughts then stunned me. After everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, I never expected what was to come next. It filled me with both fear and joy.
"Edward, there is no way I'm going to be able to sit in a car for eights hours to make the trip to and from Seattle to pick up my daughter today." Charlie paused and swallowed. "Can you go and pick her up for me?"