Chapter 4: Strange Request
Nessie
I watched Edward as he stepped out of my apartment. A look of sadness flashed across his face as he walked out. I stood there for a minute thinking about what I had just said. This was the first time that I had ever told anyone that I was dying. Now I had just told this stranger my truth. I took a deep breath to calm the emotions that I could feel bubbling to the surface.
Kayden started crying. I had already learned the difference in his cries. When he was hungry. When he was tired. When he needed a diaper change. When he was in pain. This was his hunger cry. I turned on the stove and placed a pot full of water on it to heat up. Once it was at the right temperature I removed it from the stove. Poured it into a bottle and mixed in the formula. I tested it on my skin before offering it to Kayden. He began to suckle fast.
I walked back to the living room and gasped when I saw Edward standing there. Damn I didn't even hear him come in.
"You left the door unlocked," he said.
I felt like smacking myself. I'm such an idiot. I'm lucky it was not an opportunist robber that had just walked in. Not that we had anything that was worth taking. All of my clothes were from the second hand thrift store. I didn't think that anyone would want to steal that,
"Anyway Nessie, I was wondering if you would like to come and meet my family. I know that it's a bit of a strange request. But, I thought, well, I'll understand if you don't"
I fought back the urge to laugh. "You're right. That is a strange request,"
"I know. I understand if you don't-"
"I am going to go ahead and say yes. I'm pretty sure you're not an ax murderer and I am a bit curious about you," I didn't mean to say the last part out had just slipped out. Great, that was just great. Now he was going to think that I was just some obsessed psychopathic freak or something.
"I'm sorry that sounded very creepy and weird,"
His lips twitched into a half crooked smile. "That's not weird or creepy at all. Anyway, would you like to come over right now?"
I sighed. "I wish that I could but I have to watch Kayden,"
"Bring him with you," he suggested in a very casual manner.
"Are you sure that your family won't mind me coming over?"
"Oh, trust me, they will be ecstatic to meet you,"
This was crazy. I was going, with a baby I might add, to a complete stranger's house to meet his family. Maybe the cancer had spread from my blood to my brain and was affecting my ability to make sound decisions. But, at the same time, I did not care. I was going to die anyway so to hell with it. I was going to throw caution to the wind.
"Do you take care of him a lot? The baby I mean,"
"Kayden," I corrected. "And yes I've been his caretaker pretty much since the day we took him in. My parents work really odd hours and they often ask me to watch him while they're at work just to save money. I don't mind it though. I actually love taking care of him. Someone needs to show him some love since no one wants him. I tried as hard as I could to keep my voice from breaking.
I was dying of cancer and he was dying of a heart problem that will quickly turn fatal. Life was so cruel. More so especially for Kayden. He'd been thrown in a dumpster, abandoned, and left to die by his own mom. By the time that he was discovered, by a homeless man rummaging through the garbage, he was on the verge of dying from a combination of starvation and hypothermia. Thanks to the surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store the police had been able to identify the woman. She was found and arrested for child abuse, child neglect, and attempted murder of her newborn baby. I got to see the footage where she was caught throwing him away like he was trash. All the while screaming that he was just "a worthless little piece of shit baby that had ruined her life,"
The doctors at the hospital managed to save his life by giving him fluids and bringing his temperature up. He almost died again in that hospital because of his heart issues. All off the wall he had just stopped breathing and started turning blue. The doctors brought him back from the brink of death and that was when his heart defect was discovered and his prognosis given.
I took notice of my surroundings as we drove into one of the wealthier parts of the island. A part of the island that I never visited. It was very beautiful and so vastly different from what I was used to. It was like a whole other world. When I looked at Edward, and I mean really looked at him, I saw that he was wearing designer clothing. It became painfully obvious that he came from a family that had a lot of money.
"We're here," he said. The house we pulled up to was easily the biggest and most expensive looking house that I had ever seen in my entire life. I rubbed my eyes.
"You live here?" My government subsidized apartment felt so small compared to this.
"We just moved here recently. Nessie?"
"Yes?"
"I would also like to apologize in advance for my family. They're going to be a little, um, enthusiastic to see you to say the least,"
"I don't understand what's so special about me,"
Edward didn't say anything to that last comment. Kayden giggled. He'd just started giggling within the last few days. I was reminded just how fucked up it was that no one wanted to adopt this sweet and innocent little baby boy just because of his health issues. That sick baby isn't worth our time or money. I had heard more than one couple say about my foster brother. He would just be a useless waste of space, time, and money. Another couple had said. We want a perfect and healthy baby. He's useless to us. We don't want a kid that's going to die soon. The list of cruel comments I had heard about him broke my heart.
"We're here," Edward said as he parked his car in the massive garage. There were a lot of other high end cars parked there. I was once again thrown aback by his wealth. I got Kayden out from the backseat. I held onto him as tightly as I could do so.
Edward opened the door for me and I followed him into the house. I froze on the spot when I saw, what I assumed to be his entire family, waiting for us. Including Edward there eight of them all together. All just with the same pale skin, gold eyes, and inhuman like beauty. It was unnerving. The most intimidating was the massive guy who had muscles like a professional weightlifter. He had one arm around the most beautiful woman I had ever seen before. That blonde girl looked like she had just walked off of the cover of an airbrushed magazine.
Then, all of a sudden, one of the other girls, ran up to me and threw her arms around me. I was caught off guard by this beautiful girl. "Nessie, baby," she sobbed. I just stood there not sure what the hell was going on.
