Chapter Six
Charlie
When I put the phone down I had no idea what to think or how to feel. I hadn't seen my little sister since she was two or maybe three. My father sent me to a boarding school, he wanted me educated well enough to join the navy just like he had, follow in his old man's footsteps but I had no intention of doing that. My father and I had never seen eye to eye, he was cold and stoical, he showed no love to either of his children, or his wife, my mother. He was never physical, we never felt his hand, but his tongue could crush us just as well. I think I joined the army just to annoy him, knowing I was beyond his reach by then. I felt guilty from time to time, about my mom more than Katherine, I'd not been around her long enough to really forge any bonds. She was just the little kid who used to follow me around and get under my feet. What nine year old wants a rug rat around him after all? But to find out that they were all dead, my parents and my little sister, now that was a blow. I hadn't expected it but I guess I thought my parents might well be, after all they'd been old when they had me.
I grabbed a beer and sat in my usual arm chair but I didn't turn the T.V on as I usually did. Instead I sat there thinking about the girl who had phoned me, my niece Bella. For one heart stopping moment I had thought she was my mother, they sounded so much alike. To find out I had not only a niece but that she had a family, that she had married into the Cullen family in fact, was an even bigger shock. I struggled to remember which of the boys was Jasper. I knew it wasn't the huge guy, he was called Emmett, I'd met him a few times at the clinic. I think he used to pick the doctor up if his car was in the shop. He had a monster truck, a red one as I recall. So it had to be either the bronze haired boy...or the blond one, the one who looked like trouble but was in fact very courteous and well behaved. He had my cop's antenna going crazy when I was first introduced but he had proved it wrong, for the very first time as it turned out.
The best thing to do would be to speak to Carlisle first, get the low down on the girl. I doubted she had lied to me, I couldn't see what she had to gain from claiming kinship with me, I didn't have any money and she wasn't looking for a roof over her head, she already had one. I had half a mind to ring Billy and give him the news, maybe ask Sue Clearwater's advice but knowing the antipathy between the Quileutes and the Cullens I decided to put it on hold. I was too tired to exchange possibly heated words with either of my friends tonight. Besides it might be interesting to just introduce them to my niece face to face. I found myself drifting back to my childhood and felt a stark guilt for not taking time for my little sister and not trying to find her when I got out of the army. I guess I assumed my parents would have poisoned her against me and I really didn't want to come face to face with my father again.
I had written to my mother asking about her and Katherine but my father had intercepted the letter and returned it unopened telling me quite bluntly not to try contacting any of them ever again. He disowned me after hearing I had become an M.P. What he would have said if he knew I had now joined the police force I couldn't begin to imagine and I turned my back on all of them. The fact Katherine's daughter had found me and made contact was a shock but the more I thought about it, a good one. To have some family was better than none at all and from the sound of it we were in similar circumstances although she had a new family. I had never met the right girl, or maybe my father had terrified me so much I was afraid I might turn out like him. Either way I had never married and sometimes despite all my friends I felt lonely. Having a niece was better than nothing at all, a lot better.
The next morning I wondered if I'd been dreaming but deciding it had been far too real for that I decided to pay Carlisle a visit. I knew he would be at the clinic in Forks that day and drove over, relieved to see his Mercedes in it's usual parking spot. I had picked a time he would usually be free, between clinics and found him in his office.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything Carlisle?"
"No Charlie, not at all, come in. I thought I might see you today. I assume this is in relation to the phone call you received yesterday from my daughter in law?"
"So, it wasn't a dream then?"
"No, Bella is real enough and her son Caden."
I sat speechless, not knowing quite what to say,
"I know she is hoping that you will agree to meet her Charlie but I did tell her I wasn't in a position to put any pressure on you, not that I think you need it."
"What's she like Carlisle? How did she meet Jasper?"
"She's a very nice young girl. She and Jasper met in Portland. As for the rest, well I think it's their story to tell Charlie. If you want to meet her that is."
"I'll certainly think about it Carlisle."
I thanked Carlisle for his time and went back to work deciding I had to meet Bella at least once if only to see if she looked anything like my mom or sister. She certainly sounded like mom. Sitting in my office I stared at my phone for a long time then sighed and leaned forward picking it up and dialing the Cullen house slowly hesitating before the last digit. I wondered if it might be Bella who answered but it was Esme of course, the doctor's wife.
"Mrs Cullen, it's Chief Swan, I'm sorry to bother you but could I speak to Bella if she's there?"
Esme's voice was full of joy as she shouted for Bella,
"Of course, she won't be a moment, she's outside with Caden and Charity."
"Charity?"
"Oh of course you probably haven't heard know our good news have you? Rosalie and Emmett have adopted a little girl and named her Charity. She and Caden are great playmates."
When Bella came on the phone she was breathless,
"Sorry Chief Swan I was playing with the children. They have more energy than I do."
"Yeah, kids are like that, or so I hear. Listen, I'd really like to meet you if that's OK? Maybe we could have lunch tomorrow at..."
I was going to say the diner but then everyone would be asking who she was, did I want that? I chickened out,
"There's a little restaurant on the edge of town. I hear it's pretty good. I can pick you up of you like?"
"No, that's OK, I'll meet you there."
"Right, Oh will you be bringing your husband and son along?."
I hoped she would say no, I really wanted to talk to her alone at first.
"No. I think maybe it would be better just the two of us. We might want to discuss things Caden is too young to be hearing, besides I'd like time to relax and chat and with a child along that wouldn't be possible."
"Of course. Well until tomorrow, shall we say 12:30?"
"I'll be there and Chief Swan, thank you for agreeing to see me."
I put the phone down, not sure I'd done the right thing but knowing I'd done the only thing I could.