Where the Streets Have No Name

by DreamOfTheEndless

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Edward is firmly trapped in the hell of his making. Redemption lying just beyond his reach. Would Bella be able to be his salvation? Would she sacrifice herself to save him?

13. Chapter 13

Where the Streets Have No Name

Chapter 13

As he paced, Edward thought of his own childhood and his loving parents. Carlisle and Esme Cullen raised him with liberal values and plenty of compassion. They had also instilled in him their own worldview: babies were precious; they were a blessing. Even if ill timed and unexpected.

He recalled the day his parents brought home his baby sister from the hospital. He was just four, but he remembered how happy his mother was, and how proud his father looked. The short bout of jealousy Edward experienced as he transitioned from being an only child to a big brother was effectively smoothed over when his mother told him what an important gift Alice was to them all, and how fortunate they were to be in the receiving end of God's generosity that he found them deserving of such a reward.

Edward himself was born when Carlisle was still in medical school; in almost exactly the same place as Edward was now. Granted, his parents were married at the time, but by all accounts, they were nowhere near ready to welcome a baby into their lives any more than he was. But they made it work. And so could he.

Carmen wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but that had to be because she was scared and felt she was alone in the game with no one to support or care for her. She surely would not consider such an extreme solution if she thought she had other options. And what was he doing to make her feel otherwise? Here he was, melting the asphalt, not considering once what Carmen had to be going through.

A baby would change everything; his upcoming residency, his hopes to join MSF for a year, every aspect of his life would have to be reevaluated. But whatever complication it might bring into their lives, the baby didn't deserve their derision and anger. He or she was blameless, who deserved nothing less than unconditional love from them, like Edward had received from his own parents.

So lost in his thoughts he was that he didn't notice Carmen emerge from the car and hesitantly approach him.

"Edward," she started in a small voice. "I'm sorry to spring this on you out of the blue, and I understand that you are upset, but it's not your problem. Just give me the money and you can forget the last twenty minutes even happened."

Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.