Flashback

Part 2

1916

It was more than a year after my father had started taking treatments from the Doctor. Carlisle would come to our house once a week to give medicine to him and would then stay to visit with my mother and me. He had given us new hope and his abnormal actions had become a normal thing in our life.

My father, however, was not getting better, though he wasn't getting worse, so he continued to get a treatment regularly.

One day, I was waiting for Carlisle to come, but he didn't.

"Mother." I said, coming into the house.

"Your mother isn't here." Said the maid that was nearest to me. "She went out for a ride about an hour ago. I would suspect her back any minute."

"Thank you." I said and walked back out to the front yard to wait for Carlisle.

Another hour passed and Carlisle still didn't come and neither did my mother. "Where are they?" I wondered. "I should go out and look for my mother at least." I saddled my favorite horse and started down the road.

About a mile down the road, I saw two bodies on the ground. As I got closer, I realized one of them was Carlisle's and the other. . . was my mother. I cried out in fear, afraid that they were both dead.

"Carlisle!" I shouted and jumped off the horse right next to them.

"I'm fine." He said, "But I don't think your mother is."

"What happened?" I asked, bending down closer to my mother.

"I was running late today and was coming down the road and found her, just lying here."

"Where's her horse?" I asked.

"She must have fallen off." He confirmed. "I didn't think a simple slip could have done this."

"We need to get her home." I said.

"No." he said. "She needs medical attention. She probably has many broken bones."

"Fine." I gave in. "We can put her on my horse." He nodded and started to pick her up off the ground. I brought the horse over and we laid her over the back. Then, we started off as fast as we dared.

At the hospital, Carlisle took her to the examination table and then sent a nurse out to me.

"Doctor Cullen advises you to go home, Master Mason. You shouldn't keep your household worried. You can come back first thing in the morning."

I thought about it for a while. I didn't want to leave her, but I should go back and tell all the maids what had happened.

"All right." I decided. "If anything changes send a message to me, no matter what time it is."

"Yes." She replied and went back to help Carlisle. I got on my horse and rode home.

1918

A year and a half passed and my mother did get better, though not completely. She was always weak and stayed inside most of the time. She also had trouble walking, but was, never the less, her strong willed self. Father was still continuing his treatment, but was getting worse. In a couple days, Carlisle would take him to the hospital, where he would stay the remainder of his life. Mother was very upset and didn't want to let him go, but knew she must.

Since this year was my seventeenth birthday, I was old enough to marry and my mother was pushing the subject constantly.

"What about that the Crawell girl, Molly I believe her name is. She's very pretty and likes you."

"Mother." I said and shook my head in disgust.

"Now, now." Elizabeth." Carlisle would say. "You mustn't push him to do things he doesn't want to."

"No." she replied sarcastically. "I shouldn't. So he can end up like you Carlisle Cullen. Twenty six and even a girlfriend?"

"My case is different." He said. "My profession does not allow time for a spouse, no matter how much I would enjoy one." I tired to hold back the urge to laugh, but it was too strong. I started to laugh uncontrollably.

"And what is so funny, Edward?" she asked.

"You two argue like an old married couple." I managed between laughing gasps. Then they both started to laugh as well.

"You are right." My mother said, looking at Carlisle. He nodded in agreement. I thought I saw something of longing in his eyes, but wasn't sure. Then he closed his eyes again and started to laugh again.

I hadn't noticed, but there were footsteps coming down the hall, rapidly. One of the maids that looked after my father, Lucy I believe her name was, came rushing in.

"Doctor." She gasped. "Doctor we need you right away." He nodded and quickly got up.

"Stay here Elizabeth." He commanded and rushed down the hall.

"Go and help him." She ordered me and I followed him.

When I got to my fathers room, he was struggling for breath, but too weak to fight hard enough. And then the gasping stopped and he was still. Carlisle sighed and when he saw me, gasped in surprise.

"Edward." He tried to say but I ran out of the room and out of the house, to the stream where I went to think. Carlisle arrived a minute later.

"Edward. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I said, throwing rocks into the stream to watch the ripples they made. He came up behind me and sat down next to me. "What did he die of?"

"He had a heart condition Edward, you knew that."

"No, I mean what did he really die of? I know it wasn't his heart; there was no way he could have turned that bad that quickly."

He exhaled deeply and then continued, "Have you heard of the sudden influenza outbreak?"

"Yes, but if he had had that, he would have been showing signs of it."

"This is only a theory, but I think he might have had the early stages of it. If he had, it would have just been too much for his body to handle."

"But then-" I began to feel dizzy.

"Edward, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes." I said. "As I was saying, he would have-" A sudden sickness came into my stomach and I threw up. I swayed back and forth and almost fell into the water, but Carlisle caught me.

"Edward! Edward! Can you hear me?" He shouted. I tried to answer him, but was to weak. He picked me up and started carrying me to the house. But I lost consciousness before we got there.