Hey guys! Next chapter's here! Yay!
So here is chapter 47 (wow that's a lot of writing). I'm thinking about changing the genre from humor/romance to drama/romance. This story got a LOT heavier the more we've gotten into it so it seems appropriate.
And before we get started I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who takes the time to write a review. Whether you agree with something or not or if it's deep and thoughtful or short and simple, every review I read I take to heart. I love your guy's honesty. It helps me to be a better writer and you guys are just the best. Thank you!
Enjoy!
"Greetings ma'am. We are here to pick up Bernice Vincent."
Edd spoke so formally, so politely, it made Edwin's toes curl with pride. At least the sockhead hadn't forgotten his social etiquette. At home that was a whole other story, the likes of which he just wasn't ready or willing to think about just yet. Not while they two sat in Peach Creek Memorial waiting for Bernice's doctors to discharge her.
Edwin had been hesitant about bringing Edd but a deal was a deal. Bernice had followed through with her treatment, going as far as to call Edwin about her prescriptions that would need picking up before she was released. Relaying the information directly to Edd would have been a bad idea so he played phone operator for a while, relaying contrived 'get well' messages and skewed motherly affections. It was tedious work but it kept the peace. He fully expected the oncoming shit storm he sensed to hit them the moment those two got within hearing range of one another. He only hoped they got out of the hospital and on the road before they started feuding.
Edd and his mother never on good terms it seemed. For that Edwin blamed Bernice's ex-husband. He had been the one to file for divorce, wedging a young single woman and her child between a rock and a hard place, which, inevitably led to this ridiculous familial constipation.
The divorce had been rough and it was a terrible shame how poorly Bernice had handled it, misplacing her time and energy into things and people that didn't depend on her for all the answers. Edd had needed his mother when he was five, during his most impressionable years. He had needed her when he started school, when he won the county spelling bee, when he got sick and spent much of his childhood in the hospital for it. Edd had needed his mother most when he came to the startling realization his father was never coming home.
She should have been there when he got his first A. When he performed his first dance recital. When he shocked the neighborhood to its core by coming out for goodness sake! There were too many times to count when that boy needed his mother but instead she hopped in and out of courts and bars, chasing a life that was no longer within her grasp.
As both a blessing and a curse, Edwin had been the one to step in and do what she couldn't hope to now.
Bernice never mentioned if she ever held Edwin accountable for Edd's hate towards her. She treated him with about as much decency and respect as a wallowing drunkard could. After all, it was her who inquired about his services at the time. Though, he suspected some silent form of animosity growing between them. Eddward was her child after all and he could only imagine what she thought knowing her baby preferred eating dirt off the ground than to ever dine at the same table as her.
Edd had such hopes for Bernice when he was just a little bitty thing. He loved his mother and it showed in his face when he talked excitedly to her; though, she would slump into the couch after a long day, detached from him and the world. For winning the county spelling bee in middle school Edwin threw him a big celebratory party, inviting all the neighborhood kids. Edd had been excited, telling Edwin all about his plans for the party and how he had a special present for his mother when she got home from work.
"I doubt she'll even be here," A twelve year old Eddward had said as he helped Edwin with the outside decorations. "I wish she would just come home and spend some time with me but I think she cares more about work than she does me. It's like I don't even exist to her."
There was been such longing and hopelessness in his voice Edwin nearly dropped the string of lights in his hand, wanting to reach out and comfort him.
"But mother promised me this time. She really promised she'd be here." The last of Edd's hope flickered in his eyes, doubt so painfully blotting the blue of his eyes with salty unshed tears. "Should I believe her Edwin? She promised and good people never break their promises. Right?"
Bernice was supposed to have been there with the celebratory ice cream cake Edd had specified wanting, but as Edwin suspected, she never showed up. The party had commenced without the cake and without her. She came home hours later when the party was over and everyone had left, finding little Edd fast asleep in his backyard tent. The present he had made for her had been stuffed in the trash along with the decorations he had torn down as soon as the guests had left. Edwin had watched him from inside of the house as he went on a rampage and tore down all the decorations, screaming and crying that he no longer had a mother.
That day had been the straw that broke the camel's back, destroying what little trust Edd had left in her. Since then Edd could never stand to be in her presence but Bernice never stopped trying to get back into her son's good graces. It never worked, of course, Edd was much too obstinate to forgive and forget, but she too could be as infuriatingly stubborn. For many years Edwin had to put up with mother and son being at odds, settling petty arguments before they completely blew out of proportion. Often the two left each other along which kept relative peace but living under the same roof made ignoring each other incredibly difficult.
The hospital had a stale sterile smell to it. Edwin suspected a hint of lemon, one of his favorite scents, and inhaled as much of it as he could into his lungs. Bernice's PCP was in the process of discharging her and he and Edd were currently waiting for the paper work to be signed. It didn't take long but it felt like forever, sitting and waiting in silence. Eddward hadn't spoken much, expect at the nurse's station and to the doctor who greeted them in the hall.
The doctor had been formal and very detailed in his report of Bernice's current condition. They found no physical injuries, just a slight bump on the head which was of no grave concern, and she had passed her psych tests with flying colors. She was essentially ok, which offered the two men some relief, but there was still much to be dealt with.
Bernice was wheeled out moments later by a plump looking nurse.
The nurse and Edd's mother were chatting happily as she was wheeled out into the waiting room. In place of the bathrobe she had been wearing when she had been found, were some night clothes Eddy had brought for her. While she wouldn't have been caught dead wearing her pajamas in public she was grateful to have something other than the paper thin robes the hospital provided. The nurse had been kind and helped her into them after the discharge papers had been signed, her vertigo not as strong as before but still very present every time she stood from sitting too long. She was ready to go home and sleep in her bed.
She never enjoyed hospital like environments. The idea of being surrounded by needles and sick people made her skin crawl. She had done it in order to see her boy again but had made a silent promise to whatever higher power was out there that she'd try harder not to end up at Peach Creek Memorial. Again.
Upon entering the waiting room she spotted a long figure sitting in the corner while another was roaming about the room in mild curiosity. Edwin was seated, his phone in hand, while Eddward stepped up to one of the many anatomy posters lining the wall. The woman's heart leaped like a frog into her throat, stuttering and squeezing as she gazed upon her son for the first time in over a year. That skinny frame, those bright blue depths, that silly little hat he always wore… she would recognize that figure anywhere.
"Eddward."
The young man in question turned upon hearing his name, head swiveling so quickly in her direction she had expected his head to simply snap and roll off his shoulders. He was staring at her intently, words left unspoken radiating off of him in heated waves. She felt uncomfortable under his stare but never broke eye contact, even as her fingers squeezed into her sweat pants with unforgiving force. Edwin had turned his head up when the door opened but said nothing as he looked between Bernice and her son. The smile on her face had faded relatively fast, her lips pinching into a flat line as her expressionless eyes regarded the only other soul in the room.
Edd met her protected gaze with one of his own, relief and anger flooding every inch of those powerful blue peeps that seem to stare endlessly at her. Under his stare Bernice felt small and guilt swept away any happy thoughts she may have had before seeing him. Under normal circumstanced she would have been ecstatic to see him again; but with Eddward nothing was ever a 'normal circumstance'.
"Here we go Mrs. Vincent." The stoutly nurse said as she locked the wheel chair into place. "All ready to go. The doctor couldn't come by to wish you a farewell but I told him I'd tell you."
Bernice finally broke eye contact with Edd to look up at the nurse. She offered the woman a smile, nodding her head as the stoutly woman assisted her in standing. Edwin hurried over to them, hands in his pockets.
"How are you Bernice?"
Edd's mother sighed.
"As good as I can be. For now."
Edwin nodded, taking Bernice's hand. "Can you stand?"
Bernice nodded but it took her a moment to get her feet under her. The induced coma and minor leg therapy had done little to keep her legs in shape while she had been hospitalized but she was consoled enough to know she could stand, even with a little help. Edwin helped her out of the chair, keep a close eye on her as she took her first couple of shaky steps. The nurse made a hasty exit, waving her previous patient farewell before she went back to work.
Bernice was all smiles with Edwin, holding on to his arm for support as they walked towards Eddward who stood stalk still in the middle of the room. Edwin hadn't yet smiled at her, anticipating the oncoming shit storm that was about to take place.
Bernice approached her son with eyes cast downward. Her soft blue orbs eager but afraid.
"Hello son."
Eddward's jaw tensed.
Bernice willed herself to look at him. The bump on her head began to throb, splitting her focus between the start of a raging head ache and the young man glaring daggers at her. This was nothing shocking to her but inside she was still very thrilled to see him. I only wish you felt the same way hunny.
Bernice cleared her throat, rubbing the tender column of her tiny neck. "You seem well. I'm glad."
Eddward inhaled, slow and steady. "I have been well."
Bernice proceeded with an akward nodded, not quite able to find her voice. She wanted to know if he was ok. What life for him outside this town was like; if he had missed her as much as she had missed him. There were hundreds of questions she needed answering, many coming from a place of hurt from his abandonment, but she knew that now was not the time- nor the place to ask them.
"Hunny I'm sorry you had to come all the way back here for this."
She wasn't sure why she said that but was glad to have said something. She felt as though she were burning alive under his obvious scrutiny.
Edd's eyes steeled, his emotional defenses rising high. Edwin noted the way Edd stood, hip cocked, chin high and arms crossed. He was the spitting image of the very woman he hated.
"I didn't mean to. It was an accident." She rambled. "I don't know what happened. One minute I was out on the porch getting the mail and the next I-"
Eddward spun on his heels, making hastily exiting the room. Nope. Too soon for this rubbish.
"Eddward?" Bernice began to panic. Eddward! Where are you going?"
Bernice went to chase after him, her heart slamming madly in her chest as she watched her baby walk away from her but Edwin held her back. The woman shot him a withering glare though he was hardly phased by it.
"Let him go." He said. "Give him some time."
Bernice's eyes watered in misunderstanding. "My baby boy is home and I can't even hold him?"
Edwin sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. If he were to make an educated guess he would say her body was finally catching up to her. She had slept through her detox and her body was once again full of vigor, but her brain wasn't quite up to par. The glossy desperate look in her eye was one he had seen so many times before, when alcohol was to play a lead part in her 'recovering' from whatever had 'stressed her out'. He wondered if Edd had sensed it or if her vying for an excuse was what caused him to shrink away so quickly. Either way having her near Edd now would cause nothing but problems right now.
"You know him." He said a little more gently. "Edd just needs some… time."
"Time?"
Bernice was on the verge of breaking down right then and there, but Edwin felt no pity for her. He was much too use to the cry-wolf bullshit she pulled. It was just a ply to get her way.
"My son disappears in the middle of the night and he's gone for an entire year. I thought he was gone for good." Her voice began to raise and Edwin held up his hand in a useless bid to quiet her down. "I finally get him back, after months of crying and worrying without a single word from him, and he is the one who needs time?!"
Her body was wracked with a fit of sobs.
Edwin vigorously rubbed his forehead and looked in the direction Edd had escaped. Oh for heaven's sake.
Eddward stormed out of the hospital with looks of concern following his every step. Once he made it outside, away from prying eyes, he allowed himself to give in to the elements. The air was especially cold that evening. Tiny flecks of snow made their way down from the blackening sky, streaks of orange replaced with green and not a single spot of blue could be seen. The crisp air filled his lungs and he nearly felt light headed from just inhaling it. He felt a sense of calm to the rage inside of his mind and welcomed it with open arms. Encounters with his mother were never easy. Not then, not now, not ever.
He wasn't quite sure what to feel at the moment. Seeing his mother in a wheel chair had left a scarring impression. It was not the sight he had expected to see, nor was it what he wanted for her. He had imagined seeing his mother standing tall on her own two feet by the time they got there, her delicate arms propped on her hips as she carried herself with impeccable professionalism. Sick or not the woman had an image she upheld religiously. Yet when he laid eyes on her he panicked.
The sight before him had been anything but the outwardly stubborn female he was used to seeing. Where her hair sat flat and dignified over her shoulder in a long cascading braid of ebony, was a tussled mess of black left to drape around her solemn face. Her eyes were typically sunken but her legs had not been crossed. Her pencil skirt was gone and in its place were sweat pants.
Sweat pants! His mother wouldn't be caught dead in sweat pants!
What was worse was that she wasn't standing but rather sitting. In a wheel chair. Her head lower than his. Bernice Charney Vincent was a great number of things; an alcoholic, a workaholic, and maybe a bit of a shopaholic, but never was she not standing on her cherry pink stilettos. Standing was how she defined her presence, and appearance in presence was always key. What was he supposed to feel? Anger? Relief? He felt both to some degree but fear had somehow wedged itself somewhere deep inside. He could argue with the woman in a pencil skirt high heels but not the withered husk that greeted him.
Fear had gripped him so terribly tight he had to leave the room. He couldn't stand to look at her, much less converse with her.
Was this how she looked when she attempted to take her life? So withered and wasted? The very thought horrified him.
Minutes rolled by and he hadn't yet left the spot from where he was standing in the parking lot. Flecks of snow had collected on his hat and shoulders and a gust of wind flew by a brisk caress. He couldn't run from her for long. Any minute they would come through the hospital doors and he would be trapped in the car with her.
Seeing her so broken and disorganized made Eddward angry. He may detest her but of all things, the haunting image of her exhaust ridden body was enough to stir the screaming child inside him. He would never wish such a fate upon her and it hurt him to see her this way. He was almost tempted to ask where her shoes had gone, the remark spiteful but curious just the same, but his words had caught in his throat. He wasn't even sure he was ready to face her.
"Mon petite."
Eddward spun around to find Edwin at his side, keys to his jeep in hand. From the corner of his eye he could see his mother already settled in the back seat, fiddling with her seat belt and touching her bandages. The wraps looked new and he briefly wondered if Edwin had replaced them before leaving the building.
"Are you alright?"
Eddward hissed a low and calculated sigh. "I wish to go home."
Edwin nodded in understanding. "Then let's be off. I have a surprise for you there."
Edd paused mid step, arching a brow. Edwin almost laughed and nearly made a remark about the boy's similarities to his mother but wisely kept such thoughts to himself.
"What is it?"
Edwin smiled. "It's a surprise."
Edd opened his mouth to demand an explanation but decided hastily against it. Breaking Edwin of his secrets was like trying to crack open a coconut with playdough while juggling chainsaws in the middle of the ocean. Shrugging he turned to open the car door only to find it already open for him. He cast a small appreciative smile towards Edwin, who soaked it in with pride, and hopped inside. The heat was going full blast and the sockhead quickly unraveled his scarf. He shook the snow from his head, soft humming coming from his left as Edwin climbed in.
The warmth of the car mixed with the fresh scent of fruits and vegetables permeated the air. Evidence of their grocery shopping was packed in brown paper bags in the back seat, the smell of fresh oranges and spices making Edd think of warm and exotic teas. As he contemplated brewing some when they got home a soft and steady sigh of disappointment rang loud in his ears from the back. Nerves already rattled he loathed to learn what that patronizing sigh was all about.
"Did you boys go shopping before coming to get me?"
Edwin answered for them. "Yes. I'm intending to cook a new dish tonight." He would have said to celebrate her health but even he couldn't stand the irony in such a statement.
Bernice licked her lips, humming to herself as she casually inspected each of the bags contents.
"I see lemon grass. Good, but what's this?" She plucked out an energy drink before shoving it aside. "And white bread? Where is the wheat?"
This time Eddward answered, his mouth screwing into some semblance of a smile. "I prefer white mother. There is a wheat loaf in there for you and Edwin to share."
Bernice scowled. "Now Eddward I warned you about the dangers of white bread. You shouldn't even be eating gluten." She withdrew the offending loaf from the bag. "As soon as we get home I'm tossing this."
Edd's face morphed into one of shock and he twisted comically in his seat to face her. "And waste perfectly good bread? Are you daft?!"
"It's better as garbage."
Bernice could be infuriatingly persistent. And people wonder where I get it. Edd felt a growl forming in the base of his throat as he watched her jam the new bread behind the bags. It's ok. It's just bread. At least I have the-
"Salted nuts? Edwin you know he shouldn't be eating stuff like this." She raised her voice admonishingly and to Edd's horror pulled out the nuts. "Did you let him goad you into getting this? His sodium intake will sky rocket if you let him walk all over you like this."
She proceeded to roll down her window and toss the nuts right out of the vehicle. A brand new container of peanuts. Gone! Edd's jaw couldn't have dropped any lower as he watched the plastic container bounce out of sight.
"Mother! What on earth are you doing?!"
Bernice shook her head. "Hunny they will do you no good. Remember what your doctor said about your diet?"
Edd pinched his eyes shut. "You mean the pediatrician I haven't seen in years?"
Bernice inhaled deeply, fixing her hair back from her face. "Don't be obstinate. You know very well your body can't handle too much at once."
Eddward's patience ran so dry his gears were smoking.
"I, obstinate? Who is the one throwing food out the blasted window?" His fingers gripped the arm rest of his seat. "That was ages ago. Can't we move on from that?"
Apparently not, for Bernice just wouldn't let it go.
"I'm in the hospital for a number of days and everything goes to hell. Story of my life." Bernice completely ignored Edd's outburst with a dramatic one of her own and turned towards Edwin. "And you. You should know better than this."
Edwin pursed his lips. "Bernice calm yourself. Raising your voice will only rile him further." He softened his tone. "Eddward just… just relax. She's only trying to-"
"I will not calm myself!" Bernice exclaimed. "You let that boy out of your sight for a second and he'll flip the house upside down."
Edd snorted. "Oh yes. Because I am such a terrible influence on myself. Wrap me up in bubble wrap mother I can't do a damn thing for myself!"
Bernice gasped. Edwin's eyes widened in almost couldn't believe they heard the sockhead curse. Bernice was downright speechless.
"Eddward Marion Vincent you watch your language!"
Without thinking Eddward bit his thumb at her and Bernice could have fainted on the spot. Where on earth did he develop such audacity?
"Où avez-vous appris cela? (Where did you learn that?)"
Eddward turned to him exasperatedly. "What does it matter Edwin? She is driving batty!"
Edwin's gaze hardened. He had a hunch and it made his blood want to boil. "You're being disrespectful Eddward. Stop that and act sensible."
Edd crossed his legs, digging his nails further into the arm rest in a bid to keep in control and not fly off the handle. Bernice's voice grated heavily on his nerves but Edd was trapped between her and Edwin, who apparently wasn't having his back in this. He starting to feel suffocated. Just a little further, he told himself. Just get to the house and you can return to your room and proceed as if she doesn't exist.
"Eddward I have never been more disgusted with your attitude." Deeper and deeper Bernice dug, enraging the poor sockhead further. "Honestly what are you thinking? Such language. I am utterly disappointed in you. You are sabotaging your health. Are you even listening to me?"
Eddward's patience finally snapped and he stomped the floor of the car as hard as he could.
"Enough!"
Edd twisted himself back into his seat. "I have had enough of you both! Edwin pull over I am walking."
Edwin damn near had a heart attack from Edd's outburst.
"Don't you dare pull this car over Edwin." Bernice snapped from the back.
Eddward huffed, twisting back around to face his mother. He wasn't able to hold back his sardonic tone.
"Oh please. That walk is hardly that far. My health will hardly be affected by a little wind and snow." He looked back to Edwin whose face was scrunched in dismay. "Pull over."
Edwin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew this was going to happen and sure enough the quiet of the car ride had unraveled into chaos.
"Edwin if you pull this car over I swear I'll-"
"You'll what mother?" Edd snidely remarked. "I am a grown man. I have two fully functioning legs. Or have you not had enough of your insistent badgering to even let me out of the vehicle?"
Bernice closed her eyes, inhaling sharply before tossing her wild tresses over her shoulder. She was beginning to act like her old self again. Whoopie.
"Don't you use that tone with me. I am merely looking out for you."
Eddward rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to look out for me. I have done just fine without you."
Bernice's eyes gaze blazed in fury at her son. "Eddward I am your mother!"
"As if being my mother has ever made a difference."
The black haired woman was on the verge of another sobbing fit. Her chest was heaving up and down like an out of control pogo stick, blue depths sinking behind fat salty tears. Edwin glanced worriedly between Bernice and Edd, straining to keep his eyes focused on the road. He half believed Edd would tuck and roll right out the door if he didn't put out this flame right now.
"Bernice please be silent. Eddward listen. You both are acting irrational."
"No." Eddward snapped. "I have had enough. Pull. Over."
Edwin groaned and against his better judgement pulled the jeep to the curb. The car groaned as it jerked to stop, nearly throwing Bernice forward. They were only a couple blocks from the house but Edd couldn't have unbuckled himself any faster. Edwin once more tried to reason with him.
"Little one wait."
Edd would hear no more. He had done as he had agreed and he didn't have to sit through this anymore of this. Edwin wasn't having his back and his mother had begun her tromping all over his choices, as if the tiniest decision he made could cause catastrophic consequences. At this point he couldn't even react without them both breathing down his neck. Without saying a word he slammed the jeep door shut and began the short jaunt home. Edwin clapped his hand against his forehead. Shucking himself of his buckle he hurried after Edd, leaving a gaping Bernice to shout after him.
"What?" Eddward snapped, shivering in the wind as Edwin caught up to him.
Edwin sighed, feeling his bones quiver beneath the bitter cold. "Please come back to the jeep."
"No. I will stay in that woman's presence no longer than necessary."
"Be reasonable." Edwin pled. "It's freezing out here. We're almost home."
Eddward held his ground. "I am perfectly capable of making it home on foot Edwin."
Ediwn growled, yanking on the sides of his hat out of frustration. "Vous êtes exaspérante! (You are infuriating!)"
Edd snorted and continued walking. He had to walk away before he did something he regretted. Edwin chased after him.
"Come back to the jeep and we will return home to talk about this."
Eddward felt the chill of the air bite his fingers and he rubbed them together. "If she wishes to continue this behavior I will continue to have nothing to do with her. All will be as before and you may very well have what you wanted."
This time Edwin grabbed Edd's elbow and turned him around to face him. Edwin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Mon cher-"
The sockhead obliged him, spinning around and back handing Edwin across the face with lightning speed.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Edwin reeled back, breath hitched and face throbbing against the cold. The arctic blue of his eyes rolled with thunder, storm clouds of hurt glossing in each striking orb.
Edd was breathing hard, puffs of white escaping past his lips.
"I will not be pushed around by her." Edd squared his shoulders. "Or you."
And there you have it.
So what did you guys think? Let me know!
Admittedly Edwin was hard to write in this chapter. I've developed a soft spot for him so I pouted when writing this but I felt it needed to be done and I'm sure some of you are just cheering lol. So anyways, have a lovely night ladies and gents (or day, where ever you are in the world). See you next chapter!
Ciao!
