chapter 6- my own creations
it was during the spanish influenzia epidemic, whilst working in chicago that i met the masens. elizabeth, edward and their son, edward junior. edward senior died first. i hated pretending to sleep while people died, i thought i could have done so much more for edward senior and for his family.
" doctor, do everything you can to save my son." , elizabeth said to me.
" i will do everything in my power." , i assured her.
" do what YOU can do, what no one else can do." , she stared at me. her words frightened me, i was terrified and sure she knew my secret. she died not long later. i debated in my mind whether or not i should do what was done to me. edward had the face that i would have liked my son to have... i didnt even know how to do it! i decided to try, no one would miss young edward jr. i settled for re-creating my own wounds. i was acting on a whim, the wish for a companion overpowering my judgement and reason. elizabeth's words had given me the permission i needed, my mind was made up. so i stole him and carried him over the rooftops to my home, where i explained to him what was going to happen.
" i am going to save your life edward, your mothers dieing wish was for me to do this. it will hurt a little but i promise you will feel better when its over." , i told him, though i wasnt sure if he understood. i took a deep breath- though i didnt need it- and bit his neck. i wasnt sure what it would feel like, it was difficult to stop but somehow i managed. i sat at his bedside, watching the agony on his face- feeling very guilty- until the transformation was complete, it was more lingering than neccessary, but i didnt know that. i explained what had happened to him when he was more aware of his surroundings and i felt like i had the son i'd always wished for. i would do a better job than my father. i hoped.
"edward, i am going to teach you to hunt." , he looked horrified. seeing the look on his face i quickly added. " edward, i am going to teach you to hunt animals, i do not feed on humans, ive never killed one. well, except you i should say. though i didnt drink from you. any way... i hope you will join me in becoming a vegetarian so to speak, we will feed on only the blood of animals. if that is ok with you ofcourse." he nodded, not taking his eyes off mine.
edward seemed to trust me so easily, he believed everything i told him and asked no questions. and then he told me he could hear my thoughts. it was a shock at first, but then i remembered that my good friend aro could do something similar, he could hear every thought a person had ever had at a touch, and marcus could feel the strength of a relationship between two people. i now remembered that many vampires had their own individual gift.
it was a while before edward could be allowed to be around humans, but we got there in the end. edward slipped up a couple of times, it was only to be expected, as my own self control is not perfect, even after all these years, and edward was only a few years old.
in the summer of 1921, some drunken men brought a woman who had attempted suicide into the morgue, i had to check her up to see if there was anything i could do. it was non other than Esme Anne Platt, whom i had treated more than a decade ago. she was unable to cope when she lost her week old son, Edward Thomas and had attempted to take her own life. i could hear a heart beat, so i knew there was a possibility.i changed her into a vampire and she joined Edward and I.