22.
Flashback: After Carlisle's Death.
"Hi Mom", I say as I enter the hospital room.
She looks up. Her eyes are bloodshot and her skin is pale. She says my name and I go over to her side. "How are you?" I ask, swallowing back my tears.
"Oh baby", she says softly.
My mother isn't the same healthy woman she used to be. She survived surgery but still, she's broken. Esme Cullen is broken.
I'm broken too.
I sit on the corner of her bed and massage her feet. "I love ya, Ma", I tell her because I just don't say that too often. She needs to hear it. She should know that I'm here for her and I'll do whatever I can to lessen the pain of Dad's death. How I'll do that, I really don't know. I've got to try.
"I love you too baby boy. I love you so much", her voice is weak.
"Rose is staying at the Newtons", I add. "Tanya is there with her too."
Mom nods. "What happened that night..." she begins.
I raise a hand to make her stop. "Please don't. You don't have to tell me." I don't want to hear it. How my parents were hurt.
She ignores me anyway. "There were three men", she starts. "They saw that the house was dark and didn't expect anyone to be there. They broke in through the back door and saw us. Carlisle and I were in the kitchen having a drink when... it h-happened. They were petty thieves, son. Robbers. Burglars. One of them took me up to the master bedroom and took a few pieces of my jewelry. Luckily most of it was in my vault at the bank so they didn't take anything extremely valuable."
"You went back down. You gave them what they wanted but why would they hurt you?" I'm shaking with anger now.
She takes a slow breath of air. "They shoved me against the wall and your father, he went caveman on them. He reacted and that's why they shot him."
"He was defending you."
"Yes. I screamed once your Dad was on the floor and blood was pouring out. They didn't want to get caught so they shot me as well."
I'm surprised how she sounds so calm.
Then again, I know my Mom. Her calm exterior is an act. She's hiding her feelings. She's shutting her emotions inside. She's doing this because she doesn't want to burden me. We're so similar in this aspect. We both suffer in silence.
"When Rosalie got home", she continues. "She was terrified when she saw us. I was nearly blacked out but I could hear her. She called you first and then dialed 911."
"We'll have to move." I'm not going to live in that house anymore. There are too many bad memories. Too many.
She agrees. "Whatever you say, Edward. I'm fine with it."
"I love you Mom." I just have to say it again.
"I know you do. We all love each other. Your father, Rosalie, you and me. We're a family."
"And family is everything", I complete her sentence.
"Everything", she echoes. "Everything."
Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of them. I was really busy. Anyway, you guys know how this ends. It's sad. Carlisle died first and Esme survived but not for long. She dies too :(