ASL Chapter 6
The Shocking Truth
EPOV:
"What do you mean you're my wife? How can you…? It's not possible."
"It is possible Edward. It's true." Dad spoke softly to me. Then Mom handed me a photo album, that a quick glance showed that it was opened to a picture of a wedding. I looked at every one of them standing there in my room watching me intently. They were silently waiting for me to really look at the picture. They were waiting to see what my reaction was going to be. I hesitated before finally getting the courage to take a closer look at the album. I didn't really want to see it, but curiosity got the better of me.
I looked down at the book in my hand. I saw my parents. They were standing next to the two women that were here earlier. I guess they really were…I mean are my sisters. Then, in the middle of the photo, I saw myself. I was standing next to this Tanya woman. I was wearing a tux and she was the bride. I couldn't take any more so I slammed the book shut and closed my eyes.
"How old am I again?"
"You just turned twenty nine." Mom handed me the compact she now held in her hand. I opened it and took in the sight of my face for the first time. There were some cuts on my face. But beyond that I really didn't look like me. The face in the mirror was too old to be mine. I reached up and touched my face. It was so unreal.
"Maybe that is enough for now. Let's let him absorb the information he has been given," Dr. Snow suggested and Dad agreed.
"We should get home to Ethan anyway so Alice can go home and rest."
That wasn't alright with me though. I wanted answers and they really hadn't given me enough. If they weren't going to volunteer any information then I was going to demand some. "Why does Alice need rest? Is she ok? She…she wasn't in the car when I wrecked it, was she? Who is this Jasper you told her" I pointed at Tanya again, "was with my sister? Please? I have so many damn questions and no one is giving me any answers!"
"Edward, please, you need to calm down. You were alone in the car. Alice is fine" I nodded and closed my eyes again.
"If she is fine then why does she need to rest then?"
"She just had a baby. He's only three weeks old."
"Can I see her again? And Rose?"
"Maybe tomorrow, son. Right now you need to rest." I nodded and closed my eyes once more. It was so overwhelming. For the few answers they had given me, it only produced a million more questions in my head. But there was one in particular that was nagging at me. My dad started talking before I could bring it up and I considered just letting it drop for now, but I really needed to know the answer.
"Tanya, are you staying or do you need a ride home?"
"I don't know." She turned to me, "Edward, would it upset you if I stayed?" I didn't open my eyes but I shook my head no in response. "I have my car anyway if you change your mind."
They were all saying their goodbyes and making plans to come back in the morning when I opened my eyes again, and before I lost my opportunity I asked, "Who's Ethan?" They all froze. I don't think that any of them was even breathing at that point. After a very long minute, Dr. Snow nodded at Tanya. "You said you had to get home to him. Who is he?"
She walked over to me. Sat on the edge of my bed, held my hand and whispered, "He's our three-year-old son." I closed my eyes and tried to come up with a memory. Anything. I didn't care how small or inconsequential the memory might seem to some, I just wanted to be able to remember something about them, but I just couldn't. It was just too much to find out that I had a wife and son that I did not know. I became too overwhelmed and started to cry while this woman, who was nothing more than a stranger to me, held me and comforted me.
Dad ushered Mom and Dr. Snow out of the room, leaving me alone with Tanya. I pulled back from her, but she never let go of my hand as she took her other hand and smoothed the hair away from my face.I wanted to ask her everything. I wanted to know how we met and how long we have been married, but I did not have the courage to do so.
"Can you get me a drink of water, please?" I asked her after I had finally stopped crying. She nodded and left the room with the pitcher while I sat there with that photo album in my lap. In it was held permanent reminders of precious memories that I had lost, but I could not get myself to open it and look at any of it.
Tanya returned a few minutes later with not only a pitcher of water but a can of Dr. Pepper. That had always been my favorite. She handed me the pop and a glass of water before she turned to walk away. I grabbed her hand before she could get far and I pulled her closer to me and touched the wedding rings on her fingers. No matter how hard I tried I could not remember any of it. Then I looked at my hand, "Where is mine?"
"It is in my purse. The ER had to remove them for safety reasons."
"Ok." Not sure about whether or not I should be asking her to give it back for me to put on. I trusted that my parents would never lie or joke with me about something like this, but how was I supposed to grasp the concept that I was married to a complete stranger? I had no idea what to do with that information.
"You can look at that if you want," she pointed to the photo album in my lap, "I have more albums and videos. You had me document everything you missed out on during your internship and residency."
"So I become a doctor like I always planned?"
"Yes."
"Not for long though if I don't remember going through medical school."
"You'll get your memories back soon Edward, I am positive about it."
"At least one of us is. Do you have a picture of him that I can see?"
She pulled a picture out of her purse and handed it to me. It was me and a little boy that was me in miniature. The boy...Ethan was sitting on my lap. He looked just like me. But there was something that caught my eye. In the background was that guy that was here earlier and some strange guy I had not seen here yet. "Who are they?" I asked, pointing to the guys.
"The bigger one is Emmett. He is married to your sister Rose. And that other guy is Alice's husband, Jasper." I looked at our hands that were joined again and then I looked at her. I wanted so much to remember everything. I married this woman so I must have loved her. I mean I must love her. Then there was my son.
"What is he like? What's his middle name?"
"His full name is Ethan Edward Cullen and he is a lot like you. In fact, he tries so hard to do everything that he sees you doing." I nodded again.
"And he is an only child?"
"Yes. But he is very close to Aliceand Jasper's oldest, Kara. I was watching her while Alice worked."
"You don't work?"
"No. We both wanted me to stay home with him and any other kids we had." A weird look passed over her face when she talked about other kids but I didn't ask about it. She seemed like a really sweet lady who had been through too much lately.
I held onto the picture but I closed my eyes and tried to shut off my brain. I was trying not to ask anything else, as I was sure that I was not going to be able to handle any more bomb-shells tonight. I opened my eyes and looked over to Tanya, who was sitting in the chair next to my bed watching me, "Can you turn on the TV? I don't want to think about anything else tonight."
"I can do that," she responded and walked over to the TV to plug it in.
"Why was it unplugged?"
"Oh, the doctors didn't want you to accidentally hear something that would upset you before we had the chance to talk to you." That made sense to me. She curled up in the chair and drifted off to sleep again while I sat there watching her until I drifted off as well.
It was morning when I woke again and the nurse was in my room doing vitals. I looked over to the chair to see if Tanya was still asleep but the chair was empty. "She just ran home to shower and change. She said she would be back soon. I am sure that the rest of your family will be here soon enough as well. There is normally someone here at all times." I nodded. Again. If I kept up with this form of nonverbal communication, my head was going to become even more unhinged than it already was. "Your breakfast will be here any minute and I suggest eating up, because Bella will be here in about half an hour to start working with you."
Bella POV:
I never dreamed that I would run into Emmett again, let alone in my patient's room. What were the odds of that happening? He was the reason I decided to become an occupational and physical therapist. I had started tutoring in my sophomore year of high school. That was when I still lived with Mom in Phoenix, before her job transferred her to Florida. When I decided to move to Forks and live with my Dad at the beginning of my junior year they were eager to get me as a tutor. I had never worked with anyone that needed as much patience and help as Emmett McCarty did. But Emmett was the first person that I was really able to help, and it felt good knowing that I had really made a difference in his life. I wanted that to be able to do that with other people. I liked being able to make a difference.
I found a good school that happened to be close to my mom and took off for Florida shortly after graduation. It wasn't exactly a decision that made my Dad happy. After all, I had only lived with him for two years and he wasn't ready to have me leave him again.
The next four years were hard on me. I missed my dad and I missed thePacific Northwest more than I ever thought I would. He and I had become close in the short time I had lived with him. The humidity in Florida was something that I just could not get used too. That's not the whole truth, I also couldn't get used to living so close to my Mom again after living with Dad. Where Dad was laid back, Mom made meddling into every part of my life an art form. I worked hard and graduated at the top of my class and moved back toWashington.
Dad was thrilled and Mom was disappointed but I had long since given up hope of ever being able to please both of them at the same time. It was just never going to happen. It was hard starting over alone in a new town. I was looking forward to being friends with Emmett and his wife. Maybe they could introduce me to some of their cute, single friends from school.
I looked over at the clock on my bedside table and realized that I needed to get my butt out of bed and get ready for work. By the time I was done in the shower so was my coffee. I threw on my bathrobe, grabbed a cup of coffee, and went to sit on the balcony of my apartment to enjoy a quiet moment before I had to dress and leave.
I was just about to get up and go back into my apartment when Dad called. He and I had been playing phone tag for the last couple of days. "Hey dad! What's up?"
"Just wanted to know if you can come down to Forks this weekend?"
"I think so. I'm not on call, but let me get back to you. I have a new patient I started with yesterday and I want to see how he's doing before I make any commitments. Oh! Guess who his brother-in-law is? Emmett McCarty!"
"UGH! I was really hoping to never have to hear his name again."
"I only saw him for a minute but he seems a lot different now, Dad. He's married and his wife is really nice and beautiful. She told me that she wants me to come over for dinner sometime and tell her stories of Emmett from high school."
"Ooh! Can I come? Please! I have lots of stories I could share."
"Dad!" I admonished him with a laugh, "I want them to be my friends, not land him in divorce court." We talked for a few more minutes before I had to let him go so I wouldn't be late for work. Today was going to be a long day. First I had to work with Edward, and then I had to go to a local elementary school to work with two autistic patients of mine that attended school there before I returned to the hospital to see patients in my office and the PT room.
I took a minute to call the hospital to check on Edward. I had to know how his night had gone before I decided how I wanted to proceed today. I also wanted to be up-to-date when I talked to his doctors about his case. There were some doctors that felt occupational therapists were beneath them intellectually because we did not go through medical school. Dr. Snow was not one of those doctors, but I was not inclined to get complacent and embarrass myself in front of a colleague by not having the most current information I could have on my patients.
They told me about the conversation Edward had had with his family and Dr. Snow last night and how he responded to the all of the information that was thrown at him. He seemed to take it well enough. I was glad that Edward allowed Tanya to try to comfort him, but Dr. Snow and Edward's father had stayed right outside the door and waited until they were sure that Edward was not going need to be sedated.
I ran intoCarlisleand his wife when I was waiting for the elevator to go up to Edward's room when I arrived at the hospital. They had a little boy with them that had to be Edward's son. He was jumping around like someone had given him an extra large coffee this morning.
"Hi!" he said to me, "I'm Ethan."
"Hello Ethan. I'm Bella."
"I'ma gonna see my mama." He told me.
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. I hadda stay wif Nana and Papa again last night, cuz it was mama's turn to watch Daddy. He's sleeping so if you see him you hafta be very, very quiet. Ok?"
"I promise if I see him I'll be very quiet." I said with a whispered laugh.
"I miss my daddy. He's been sweeping a really long time." I didn't get to respond to him because the elevator doors opened and he ran off away from them, and Esme took off running to catch up to him.
"Sorry about his energy level. Apparently my wife and I need to learn to tell each other when we give him chocolate milk. He had two large glasses this morning,"Carlisleapologized as we walked out of the elevator. I looked over and noticed that Esme had Ethan in a corner. They were sitting on a blanket and spreading out his toys. "We try to keep him out of everyone's way as much as possible." I just nodded at that and noticed Dr. Snow was standing at the nurse's station writing in a chart.
After a quick greeting we decided to go to a consultation room to have some privacy while we discussed Edward and our plan of action for today. I knew that Dr. Snow had not intended to give Edward as much information as they did last night but he had seemed to handle it pretty well, and they had not needed to sedate him again.
Edward had requested not only to see his sisters, but when Dr. Snow was just in his room he asked about seeing Ethan.
"It could trigger his memory,"Carlislesuggested hopefully.
Dr. Snow and I looked at each other briefly. I knew that he was thinking the same thing, if seeing his picture didn't trigger his memory, seeing the boy in person wasn't bound to do it either. It was very disconcerting that none of the family members that went into his room yesterday were able to trigger his memories. It was still early in his recovery and no one could ever predict what was going to be the one thing that brought a patient's memories back to him. It was always a game of wait and see.
"I am most worried about traumatizing Ethan if Edward panics again." I voiced my concerns.
"I think Edward is capable of controlling himself at this point and I think that Ethan should be fine, but I want either Bella or I in the room when all of his visitors are there."
"Alright."Carlisle agreed, "Ethan is in the waiting room with Esme, do you want me to take him down there now?"
"Not yet. I want to talk to Edward and I need to work with him for a little bit. I don't want to bring Ethan in only to have to take him right back out. I don't see that going over well."
It was agreed that they would wait until I was done with Edward's physical work, which wouldn't take long as his one leg was still in a cast. His sisters wouldn't be able to get to the hospital until late in the afternoon. I would have to try to come back to assist in those meetings. I walked down the hall and knocked on the open door to Edward's room and greeted Edward and his wife, "Good Morning!"
A/N:
I've decided to go ahead and post tonight while ffn is actually working. Thanks to Sweetpea123 for betaing this and the LL outtake that I submitted to the juvenile diabetes fundraiser.
I do believe that this story is going to end up being longer than I thought it would be. I never intended to focus this much time on Edward's time in the hospital but I can only type what the characters tell me to. They run the show.
Son's quartet season is over and we only have 2 weeks until his final concert with the orchestra at the art museum. After that I will have a lot more free time to write. I had a new plot bunny dig its way into my brain. So now I have two stories in my head for when this one is done.
Reviews will get a teaser of Chapter 7.