Chapter 35
"Leah might want to come clean about all this sooner rather than later," Renesmee said to Jacob after she tucked Kevin, Embry and Kyle into bed, all three of them sound asleep already.
"I know," Jacob said, sitting on his and Renesmee's blankets. "I've been trying to convince her to, but she's still refusing to. You know how she is. She's stubborn."
"A trait that seems to run in the family I've noticed," Renesmee teased with a smile. "Still, I'm sure Sara will be far more receptive if she just tells her. The longer she keeps this up, the longer it'll distress your mother. She won't be too open to allowing them to see each other if they keep trying to be so secretive."
"I agree, Renesmee, but she has to decide to do that." Jacob rubbed his face and then reached out his hand to Renesmee for her to come to him. "Come here," he said. Renesmee smiled and went over to Jacob and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her onto his lap. "Let's talk about something else."
"Such as?" Renesmee asked. Jacob brought one had to her belly and touched to bump that was forming.
"You're growing faster this time. How're you feeling?"
"I feel fine," Renesmee said. "I haven't felt too sick and regular food is tasting good again. I can't stand the smell of fish, though."
"That's fine, the potatoes are better anyway." Jacob rubbed Renesmee's belly more and kissed her neck. "Embry says Caevia's growing faster than you are."
"Babies grow quickly, Jacob. It's what they do." She looked over at the three boys sleeping next to and on the little basket. They were getting so big. Embry already 3 and Kevin having just turned 3, the two of them were already standing just below her hip and Kyle was not far behind. They were going to be tall in adulthood she could tell, just like Jacob. Kyle would be turning 2 later in the year as well, and Aidetzi was already 2. Carlisle said they could expect to have their babies around fall the following year. By then, Embry and Kevin would be 4 and Aidetzi and Kyle would be 3. "Kyle will be turning 2 soon. Where has the time gone?"
"It's passed," Jacob joked and kissed Renesmee again. "Try not to worry so much over the boys growing older. It won't make them slow down, it'll only make their getting older that much harder on you."
"Can you honestly say you don't feel a little bit sad? Kevin's starting to not need me. It feels like it's happening too soon."
"A growing boy is never anything to be saddened over." Jacob kissed Renesmee again. "Besides, we have another baby on the way."
"Only to grow up on me," Renesmee said. She let her head rest against his shoulder and placed her hand on his laid over her belly. "Will you be disappointed if we have another boy?"
"Of course not," Jacob said. "If we have another boy, we just try again. It's Nathan if it's a boy, right? Natalie if it's a girl?"
"Yes," Renesmee smiled. "This baby will look just like you. Black hair, black eyes, tan skin. I know it."
"Don't place such a curse on the poor kid," Jacob joked. "It's better the child look like you, especially if it's a girl. She might have a chance if she looks like my mother, I suppose, but like me? Poor thing will be laughed at."
"She most certainly will not be," Renesmee looked up at Jacob. "If she is a girl, she will look just like you and she'll be beautiful. Shame on you for saying anything otherwise." Jacob chuckled.
"All I did was state the obvious, Renesmee. Kevin and Kyle look a lot like you and it's done them good so far."
"They only look a little like me. They both look plenty like you too. Kevin's eyes are green and Kyle's eyes are black. So we're getting closer," Renesmee teased.
"Kyle's paler than Kevin is, though. If anything, the new baby will look exactly like you." Jacob gave Renesmee another kiss. "It's alright."
"Oh stop it," Renesmee smiled and brought up her free hand to caress his cheek. "Are you not going on patrol tonight?"
"I will in a moment," Jacob said. He kept his hand on her tiny swollen belly a moment longer as if waiting for a kick, but it didn't come. "I guess it's too soon to feel a kick?"
"It's not even been a month, Jacob. I'm not expecting until late summer or early fall, so it's too soon to feel anything."
"I suppose," Jacob said and then kissed Renesmee's neck one more time. "I should go. I'll return once it's sunrise."
"Good night. I love you."
"I love you too." Jacob smiled and then looked at the children. He went to them and gave all three of them a kiss on the head. "Night boys," he said before finally leaving the tent so they could all sleep.
When it was Monday, Renesmee's family came to the village with several new dresses they'd all sewn in varying colors, both to give to Aidetzi and to save for when Renesmee's new baby was born. Her family had even gotten Sara engrossed in the possibility of a girl. She started making little dresses too.
"Mother and Aunts seem hell bent on this child being a girl," Jacob chuckled while Renesmee organized all the new dresses.
"It would be nice," Renesmee said.
"Of course, but don't you think it would be cruel to dress the child in all those frilly little dresses should this child be a boy?"
"If we have a boy, I'm sure my family will gladly correct the oversight. We'll retain the dresses for when we do have a girl. There's no harm in being overly prepared."
"It's not preparedness I'm worried about. I'm worried your aunts might cry if we don't have a girl."
"Vampires can't cry, Jacob."
"An exception would be made in such a case," Jacob chuckled. He kneeled down and placed a hand on her slightly swollen belly then kissed Renesmee on her head. "You'd better be a girl. For your sake, you'd better be a girl," he joked and Renesmee giggled.
The next day, Renesmee spent most of the day with Sokajili, making medicinal oils. Carlisle continued to watch and learn Sokajili's methods. Kyle was becoming a constant viewer as well. Normally, such things were not permitted, so many eyes watching the Medicine Man practice, though with Kyle and Carlisle, Sokajili was happy to make an exception. Carlisle would, in turn, teach Sokajili something and Kyle was a curious little thing that was growing very fond of the craft even at his tender age. Renesmee even started allowing Kyle to mix herbs all by himself. He would need assistance when actually mashing them together to form a past and Renesmee would have to be the one to actually extract any oils produced, but he was a quick study.
"You had best be mindful, Renesmee," Sokajili joked while Kyle was helping produce a bark oil. "It would seem you already have an apprentice of your own."
"One can never be too prepared," Renesmee smiled and patted Kyle's head.
Jacob, during that day, spent all his time with Embry Sr., Embry Jr. and Kevin. The boys were playing in the water while Jacob and Embry sat along the shoreline keeping a close eye on them. Aidetzi joined them that afternoon after she took a nap. She was so tiny compared to Kevin and Embry. They both towered over her, but she still managed to keep up with the play. She jumped around with the two of them and even managed to bring Embry under water for a while before Kevin pulled Aidetzi off him and tossed her to the side. Embry came up to the surface before Aidetzi came back up and launched herself for Kevin, bringing him under water too. Jacob and Embry watched and chuckled while the children played.
"Aidi's a little terror isn't she?" Jacob joked when Aidetzi took Kevin into the water.
"She takes after her daddy," Embry chuckled. When Kevin got out of the water after tossing Aidetzi off him, the three of them ran out of the water playing tag, weighed down by the water that clung to their clothes. Jacob and Embry chased after the children to get them out of their wet clothes. It was too cold outside for them to be walking around like that. It wasn't snowing just yet, but it was getting cold and the usual clouds seemed to appear as though they might release some snow.
Finally, Wednesday came and, as they'd agreed, Leah walked a mile away from the village around 10:00 and met Hailey at 10:15 on the dot. He helped her onto the horse and they rode back to town in the span of ten minutes. When they arrived, Mitch was gone as usual and the two snuck in through the back kitchen door. Thankfully there was no one up front in need of assistance, so they had the place to themselves for the time being.
"What will you do when we return and a customer is up front waiting for you?" Leah asked.
"Same thing I did the first time it happened: I'll tell them I was looking for something back here and must not have heard them. It worked on Mrs. Marshal didn't it?"
"I can't say I recall," Leah said. "So what story shall we read today?"
"Let's read Cinderella. That story is rather gruesome. You'll appreciate it. We'll reread Rapunzel another day."
"I don't think Oma ever told us that story either."
"Well, take a seat and I'll go grab the book," Hailey said before he ran upstairs to grab the book. Leah stayed downstairs and waited until Hailey returned, already skimming through the book until he got to the right story. "Here it is: Aschenputtel," he said. "That's her German name at least.""What's the story about?"
"It's about a woman who's mother died and her stepmother and two evil stepsisters make her life miserable until a prince falls madly in love with her. I don't want to ruin the story, so I'll leave it at that. It won't take too long to read. It's only four pages." Hailey came over and sat down next to her. "Read the first sentence like last time and try to remember what it means by yourself. If there's a word you don't remember or don't recognize, try to guess first and then I'll remind you."
"Alright," Leah said. She cleared her throat and then looked at the page. Then she took a deep breath and pronounced to the best of her ability, "Einem reichen Manne, dem wurde seine Frau krank, und als sie fühlte, daß ihr Ende herankam, rief sie ihr einziges Töchterlein zu sich ans Bett und sprach: 'Liebes Kind, bleibe fromm und gut, so wird dir der liebe Gott immer beistehen, und ich will vom Himmel auf dich herabblicken, und will um dich sein.'"
"Very good," Hailey praised. "You're accent has improved. I can tell you've been practicing." Hailey gave Leah a kiss on the cheek and she smiled. "So what has happened thus far?"
"Umm," Leah thought a moment. Several of the words she was able to guess but a few she couldn't quite remember or their meaning was on the tip of her tongue. "We know it's a rich man.."
"Yes, it's mentioned the father is rich. What else do we know?"
"His wife is dying?"
"Yes, she's dying."
"And she tells her daughter to be good and that if she is God will bless her."
"That's the simplest translation, yes. Why don't we go over this word by word a moment and try to remember each word individually."
For the next forty minutes, Hailey guided Leah through the story, helping her remember words and trying to help her commit them to memory. With practice, her accent improved as well and she grew more and more comfortable. By the time the story had ended with the evil stepsisters getting both their eyes pecked out by pigeons as punishment for their cruelty, Leah was able to understand most of it herself purely by memory.
"That's a cruel jest, to throw lentils into a fireplace and make her pick them up," Leah said. "I don't know if I've ever had lentils."
"I think we have some in the pantry. I'm privy to French potato lentil soup when we have the means."
"Besides lentils and potatoes, what's in it?"
"Carrots, celery, lots of spices and water. Just cook until the lentils are done and you've got soup. Whenever mother made it, she always cooked the lentils first, would remove them once they were done and cook the vegetables in the lentil water until they were fork tender with all the spices. Mitch knows the recipe better than I do."
"Sounds comforting," Leah said.
"So what's new with the tribe?" Hailey asked, suddenly standing from the table and going to boil water.
"Well," Leah began, watching him work, "Renesmee and Caevia are pregnant. They announced it sometime ago as I recall."
"They're pregnant again?" Hailey whined just a little. "Doesn't your cousin already have two? I would think that's plenty."
"Not everyone dislikes children, Hailey," Leah teased. "Some people actually quite like children."
"And I can't begin to understand why," Hailey said.
"Children have their moments. And they are very cute. In fact, my little cousin Kyle is a sweet little boy. He rarely cries or complains and he's very helpful to our medicine man Sokajili. He's grown fond of medicine. My cousin Kevin is a rambunctious little thing. He loves to play with Embry Jr. Those two are nearly joined at the hip by now. Kevin and Kyle are like night and day. Kevin is so mischievous while Kyle is content to be a well behaved little boy."
"Ick," Hailey muttered. "I'd just as soon not have them."
"That was actually another thing," Leah brought up. "Apparently, Renesmee wants this to be the last time she and my cousin have children. At least, this will be it if they have a girl. So what she's wanting to do is have a surgery that makes her infertile." Hailey looked right at Leah and raised an eyebrow.
"You don't say," he said.
"I admit, the thought struck me as interesting, but I don't know if I could do it upon reflection. He'd have to cut me open and it would take a long time for me to heal. It just started sounding unpleasant."
"Is there an option for men do you suppose?" Hailey asked.
"I do remember Jacob mentioning there was a man's option but his answer to it was 'no'. 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no,' to be exact." Hailey chuckled and sat back down next to Leah waiting for the tea kettle to boil the water.
"And what does this entail that has Goliath quivering in his boots?" Hailey laughed at Jacob's expense.
"I'm actually not certain. Carlisle mentioned an incision at the base of the penis I think and Jacob didn't let him get much farther. At least, that's what Jacob told me."
"Hmm," Hailey said. "Do you suppose your cousin's in-law would be open to performing such an operation on someone outside the family?" Leah looked up at Hailey strangely.
"Like you?"
"Hypothetically," Hailey answered.
"Perhaps," Leah said. "You would have to go to him and ask. Though by the sound of it, you'd have to be absolutely sure you don't want children."
"Believe me, I am," Hailey said. The two of them looked at each other a moment until the silence was broken by the sound of the kettle squealing. Hailey stood to get the kettle off the flame and took out two coffee cups. "Do you want tea?"
"Sure," Leah nodded. She waited for Hailey to sit back down with her and accepted the cup he offered, blowing at it to cool it down.
"You said you didn't want children, right?" Hailey asked.
"I said I was indifferent," Leah answered. "Though given our situation, a child would be out of the question regardless." Leah started to blush just a little at the discussion. They'd not even had sex and they were already talking of contraception.
"I'm inclined to agree," Hailey said. "So let me ask you," he continued, "if I were to go to your cousin's in-law and ask him to make me sterile, would that upset or distress you?" Leah looked at Hailey a moment just staring at him. She decided it was best to answer honestly, so she thought about it long and hard.
Obviously, a child now was not an option. They couldn't risk it. She'd not thought terribly far ahead, certainly not ahead enough to consider children ever coming into the equation. But what if, somehow against all odds, she and Hailey were able to be together, really be together? What if they could somehow have a life together? Would she be alright with it forever being just them? She'd never really thought about children and this was the first time she'd been forced to. Of course, realistically, if Hailey so desperately didn't want children, then doing such a procedure would only make sense. And if, later on, he married another woman, he could explain to her that he couldn't have kids. Not technically her problem if it ever got to that. Regardless, the mere thought of Hailey ever marrying another woman was what upset her.
"Leah?" Hailey said when she was quiet for too long.
"It's your decision and I can't make it for you. If you don't ever want children, than getting sterilized would definitely be the most logical next step."
"That's not what I asked," Hailey said. "I asked if it would upset you."
"No," Leah answered honestly. "If you don't want children, then there's no point pushing the matter. I certainly don't want children enough to push at least. If I ever want to interact with children, I need only play with my cousins and I can send them back home when I tire of them." Hailey chuckled and Leah smiled. "Though, you might want to think of a creative explanation for this when you get married one day."
"Pardon?" Hailey asked, raising an eyebrow at Leah.
"I'm just saying if, one day, you end up marrying someone, she'll want an explanation as to why you aren't giving her children."
"And who might I marry, Leah?" Hailey asked. "Aside from you, there's really no one that I want to spend my free time with, let alone my life."
"I'm just trying to cover all the possible outcomes," Leah replied solemnly.
"Well, stop doing that, it's annoying as shit," Hailey said and took a sip of his tea. Leah smiled and even laughed a little. "What is this doctor's name by the way? Is it that Edward Cullen fellow? The one that stops by the shop now and then for things?"
"No, that's Renesmee's father." Hailey just stared at Leah strangely.
"Her father?" Hailey asked, then shrugged after Leah nodded. "The man's young looking for his age, I'll give him that."
"They are a well preserved bunch," Leah said awkwardly. "The one you'll want to speak to is Carlisle. He's very nice, so I'm sure he'd be happy to assist you."
"And where can I find this Carlisle?"
"I know their house is south of the village about….12 miles I think it is? They're directly south of us and they have a little cobblestone trail for everyone to follow. Everyone just comes and goes from their home as they please these days."
"Does the man not work at a hospital?"
"If he does, I don't know where," Leah answered. "Their methods for earning money never really came up. I know they're well off and that's about it."
"Old money?" Hailey asked.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Old money, it's a term referring to people that come from families that have been wealthy for generations compared to new money which is when a person or family made their fortune very recently."
"Oh," Leah said. "I would imagine old money, but I don't know. I admit, I don't much talk to them."
"Why not?"
"I have better things to do," Leah said. Hailey started laughing and just started rubbing his shoe against hers.
"You're not really one for being pleasant are you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Dauer," Leah said sarcastically. "I'm nothing if not obscenely polite."
"Alright, I get your point," Hailey chuckled. "Next time Mr. Cullen comes to the shop, I'll broach the subject and see what I can get arranged. Do you suppose he will expect compensation in the form of money or could a different arrangement be met?"
"I don't know, Hailey, you'd have to ask Edward when you see him," Leah said. Hailey kept his smile kind and scooted his chair closer to Leah so their knees mingled and he was only inches away and he took a hold of her free hand.
"Thank you for understanding," Hailey said. Leah smiled at him as he leaned forward, but as their lips touched, the door to the shop opened, ringing the bell. Thankfully, the door was closed, so whoever came in did not see them. "Damn it," Hailey mumbled.
Leah stood from the table taking her tea with so she would be out of sight once Hailey went through the door to the front. Hailey finally returned moments later after the customer that came in left, mostly closing the door between the store and the kitchen as he scratched his chin.
"I forgot to shave this morning," he said mostly to himself.
"I noticed," Leah said with a smile. She stepped out of her little corner and meandered back to the table. Hailey returned to his own seat while Leah leaned against the table and rubbed her hand against his chin. Her hand was still warm from holding it against the mug with her tea. "It's scratchy," she said.
"Try wearing it," Hailey said.
"I can't say I'm used to such a look. Poor Seth started growing these weird little patches under his chin and on his cheek that he needs to shave. Edward had to show him how to do it."
"Patches you say?" Hailey chuckled. "I notice no one in the tribe has facial hair. Why don't they just show him?"
"Because they don't get facial hair," Leah said. "Aside from their heads, our men are bald as the day they were born. More or less," Leah corrected. "He's even starting to get chest hair."
"He's just becoming a man," Hailey said. "Nothing to be ashamed of."
"Well, tell him that," Leah joked. "I remember daddy was usually clean shaven but there would be times when he would just let it grow. I remember when I was little, he'd had a small beard for a time until mom made him shave it."
"She didn't care for it?" Hailey teased.
"Not in the least. I didn't like it either. When he hugged me, it would scratch me a little and tickle my face or my hand."
"I'll keep that in mind," Hailey said as he grabbed Leah's hand and kissed it. "So are the men of your village as bald as you say or are you just exaggerating?"
"'Bald' is perhaps a mild exaggeration. There's hair in places, though the face is typically not one of those places." Hailey just smiled at Leah and she sighed. "For the record, I'm not as knowledgeable on the matter as you're thinking."
"I didn't imply otherwise," Hailey said, still smiling. "I thought you were a virgin if I'm being honest."
"I'm not," Leah said frankly. "You don't strike me as a very Christianly man, so I assume you don't mind."
"Neither am I," Hailey said honestly. "I'd say we're on equal footing in such respects." Hailey gently pulled on Leah until she placed her mug down and sat on his lap. "Or are you offended?"
"No," Leah said. "I'm not sure what has pale faces so averse to sex, but it's hardly anything to scoff at. I'll not fault you for doing something that's only natural so long as you do the same for me."
"If only all women saw things your way," Hailey said, kissing Leah's neck. He continued to kiss her neck and rested a hand on her knee, gently pushing her dress up before Leah suddenly stood and went back to her own seat.
"I never said I was easy either, Mr. Dauer. It's not polite to assume such of a lady."
"You're no lady, Leah. It's one of the things I like about you," Hailey chuckled.
"Is that so?" Leah teased.
"Very much so," Hailey answered. They both took a sip of their tea before Hailey's smile turned from playful to kind. "I don't suppose you'd tell me of this fellow would you? Or fellows. Whichever is accurate."
"Only two," Leah said. "One was a young man from the Hou tribe and if I'm being blunt I cannot recall his name. I only recall I'd thought he was handsome. If I recall, it was a celebration for the birth of a son to our in-laws. We went to their tribe and I'd met a man I thought handsome. We spoke a little when we arrived, spoke a little more as the night wore on, then by the time of the celebration, we were in his tent having sex and I didn't leave until the next morning." Leah giggled. "I remember Jacob had seen me leave his tent and he asked me, 'is he worth being introduced to?' and I just said, 'No,'." Hailey chuckled.
"You're certainly not one to beat around the bush, are you," he said. "So was he your first?"
"No, he wasn't. My first was a man from our own tribe. We were both curious, so we went to the woods and started doing things until it culminated to sex. I will only complain it was strange and awkward. In truth, we walked away from the experience seeing it as just that: an experience. We're still friends now. He's married with a child."
"Does his wife know?"
"Sure she does," Leah said. "And she knows she has nothing to worry about. So long as I don't try to romance her husband, we've no reason to quarrel." Hailey was silent for a longer stretch than Leah anticipated. "What?" she asked when he stayed silent too long.
"I just imagined your first time was more exciting," Hailey said. Leah kicked him in the shin, causing him to yell in pain, but it was through laughter all the same.
"Alright, Prince Charming, what's your story then? And it had better be good. If there isn't at least one tower from which you saved a maiden, then I will be most unimpressed."
"No towers," Hailey chuckled as he returned to a more upright position. "I'm sad to say there were no towers, but there were plenty of maidens." Leah raised an eyebrow.
"You really aren't a very Christianly man are you, Mr. Dauer?"
"That's not entirely true, Miss Jagger. I go to church when mother makes me," he said.
"So if there were no towers, then what on earth did you do that was so much more impressive?"
"I went to a bar after school one day, drank more than I had before and I followed a woman upstairs where we slept together. Then she said I owed her 2 dollars." Leah just stared at Hailey with a slightly condescending smirk. "What's that look for?"
"Oh, nothing," Leah said. "I've just never had to purchase my lovers. That's all." Hailey squinted meanly at Leah and it made her start to laugh. "Did you pay her the $2?"
"I paid her $1.25," Hailey said. "I told her I deserved a discount because she didn't warn me that she cost money."
"Apparently she didn't tell you, 'Too bad'."
"She did at first, but I explained that I'd never done such a thing before and that she was the first woman I'd ever been with. She finally agreed that, since it was my first time, she'd be nice and give me a little discount."
"You sly dog," Leah said. "Were there many more after that?"
"Only one worth mentioning. There were three in total that followed that encounter, but only one woman was in my life long enough to be worth expelling breath over."
"What was her name?" Leah asked.
"Patricia," Hailey answered. "Patricia Camp. She was a woman that lived just a few blocks from us and went to the same church as us."
"Was she a German woman?"
"Irish," Hailey said, shaking his head gently. "She was a bouncing blonde with blue eyes and a cute smile. Our mothers are good friends so we would encounter each other frequently over the years. Then I decided I would ask her on a date. I invited her to go to dinner with me and her brother came with to chaperone."
"She sounds like a lily white virgin," Leah said.
"Was," Hailey said, cocking his eyebrow mischievously. "Just don't tell anyone."
"I would never think it," Leah smiled. "I'm sure you're entirely to blame anyway."
"I am, truth be told. We had been seeing each other 3 months when she brought up the topic of marriage and children. I didn't mention right away that I never wanted children."
"So you lied to her? Is that not one of the deadly sins?"
"No, it's not, but it is a sin all the same. But I wasn't too concerned at the time. I had gotten good at sneaking her away so we could be alone from time to time and I was eager to see if I could convince her to 'commit a few sins' as it were."
"I hope you were more charming with her than you were with me," Leah teased.
"She never threw balls at me," Hailey said. "Long story short, we started sleeping together here and there and I always made a point that we were careful. We had been seeing each other for a year when she said her mother, my mother too if I'm being honest, was bugging her about me not having proposed."
"Did you ever propose to her?"
"No," Hailey said. "I told her I didn't want to get married and I didn't want children. She told me if that was the case, then there was no point in us seeing each other, I agreed, and that was that. That was about 4 years ago. Maybe 5."
"What did your mother say?"
"I don't recall. It was all a jumbled mess of yelling, the lord's name used in vain, and asking father to do something about 'his son'. She wasn't very happy, that much I'm sure is apparent."
"Oh dear," Leah said before finishing her tea.
"Indeed. She was really the only woman I'd courted, let alone so seriously. Though given I never intended to marry her, 'serious' might be a strong word."
"Did the two of you still talk?"
"Not often," Hailey said. "She was embarrassed and never wanted to talk to me, especially when she found another suitor. I think she was scared I'd tell on her or something," Hailey chuckled. "I think she married that man after three months."
"Is that enough time to know you want to spend your life with someone?"
"It can be given the right circumstances, I suppose," Hailey answered. The two of them stared at each other a moment not saying anything. Leah looked into his eyes and saw sincerity. The site melted her heart. The moment was, however, interrupted when another customer came in, ringing the bell as they entered. "Hold that thought," Hailey said while he went to the front. Leah did her usual thing and grabbed the cup and hid behind the cupboard.
After that customer, Leah decided she had better return. Though he asked she stay longer, Leah insisted she should leave so as not to arouse suspicion and eventually Hailey agreed. He rode her home at a glacial pace so as to prolong their time together until they were a mile out of the village and he was forced to let her return. Mitch returned to the shop before Hailey did, bringing Mitch to an irritated rant asking why he wasn't keeping an eye on the shop while he was gone. Hailey just let the man vent and thought of more important things.
About two weeks passed since then. It was getting cooler outside, the leaves were changing colors and it was very nearly creeping into Thanksgiving time. When Hailey and Leah met one Sunday, they agreed they needed to think of a different way to meet that day given the shift in weather. They did not see each other for the rest of that week and Edward did not come into the store until Friday the week before Thanksgiving. Hailey was up front behind the counter while Mitch was arranging their goods in an orderly fashion that had been jumbled by their last customer. When Edward came in, four children were following him in tow. Three boys and one little girl. Immediately when they entered the store, the little girl started wondering around looking for mischief. Edward quickly grabbed the little girl and held her close to him.
"Afternoon, Mr. Dauer," Edward said after he restrained the child. "I need 100 mason jars, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice if you have it, sugar and pectin."
"Making jam I see?" Mitch said from behind Edward.
"My daughter will be. The Quileutes have been gathering apples and my wife suggested we make jams and butters from them. Also, Mr. Dauer, I hear that you are knowledgeable of pocket watches?"
"I own a few, yes," Hailey said. "I can do minor fixes if you need. I can do that for you now if you like," Hailey continued, seeking an opportunity to possibly speak with the man in private.
"I would greatly appreciate it. You see, this little one," Edward said, very gently tugging on the little girl's collar and making her giggle, "spilled water on my watch and it stopped ticking."
"I can probably fix that," Hailey said. "Let me get my things and I'll work on that." Hailey left the counter and went through the door to go upstairs.
"I'll get those things you asked for while you wait," Mitch said and approached the counter in Hailey's stead. Hailey went right to his room and grabbed the little tools he used for his own watches and went back downstairs and to the kitchen.
"You can bring that back here, Mr. Cullen," Hailey said from the kitchen. Edward walked to the kitchen with the little girl still walking by him with the collar of her dress in his hand and sat down at the table beside Hailey. The boys all stayed up front looking through all the things. "Are all of them your daughter's children?" Hailey said, reaching out for the watch. Edward shook his head and handed Hailey the watch.
"Only Kevin and Kyle are my grandchildren. Embry and Aidie are Caevia's children."
"Can I go play?" Aidie asked looking up at Edward.
"Do you promise to behave?"
"Yes," Aidie said.
"Then you can go play. Stay inside and don't touch anything alright?" Aidie nodded and ran to the front of the store to play with the others. Within an instant, she was touching something she wasn't supposed to and Mitch ran to her to make her stop. Edward just chuckled and stayed in the kitchen. "It all goes in one ear and out the other," Edward joked. Hailey glanced at the child before opening the back of the watch and looking at the puddle inside.
"This isn't so bad," Hailey said.
"I hear you're not fond of children," Edward said with the tiniest of a smile. Hailey looked at Edward a moment, then towards the front. "Don't worry. Mitch can't hear us. He's too preoccupied with the kids."
"Ah," Hailey said, not bothering to ask how he would know that. "How did you deduce I don't like children?"
"A little birdie told me," Edward lied.
"A birdie you say?" Hailey said, still being mildly defensive. He hadn't thought Leah was telling anyone about them and he was a little stunned. "And might this 'birdie' have mentioned I was expressing interest in a little procedure your…..cousin was it?" Hailey said.
"Carlisle is my cousin, yes," Edward said. "And he can do such a thing for you. He might not immediately agree, though. He doesn't typically like to do such procedures on people that have not had children. You see, a vasectomy as they're called is permanent."
"Hence my interest," Hailey said as he dabbed away the water with a tiny clothe. "That birdie is right. I don't like kids and I don't want them. I never have. That birdie is also awfully supportive of my decision. Unless the birdie whispered otherwise to you."
"That birdie has been truthful with you," Edward said truthfully. "Such matters were never of the birdie's concern so you going through with such a thing is not distressing. Perhaps a moment, that birdie wondered if there might be a doubt, but ultimately the birdie is in agreement and supports your decision."
"I'm glad to hear it," Hailey said. "And how many people has the birdie whispered to?" Hailey asked, referring to their relationship.
"No one besides myself and Jacob," Edward said, telling half the truth. "I only know because you had something to address with my cousin."
"I did know her cousin knew," Hailey said.
"He's been trying to get her to tell her aunt and uncle. She hasn't as of yet."
"And how might they react if that little birdie said anything to them?"
"None too pleased," Edward said frankly. "The birdie will certainly need Jacob to help soften the blow."
"Well, when that little birdie decides to, he'd better," Hailey said, taking out a tiny screw and fixing the screws and other parts. "So when might Dr. Cullen be able to see me?"
"This Sunday if you see fit," Edward said. "I shall give him fair warning, convince him that not having children would be for the best for you, and we can have you done in a day. I'll warn you, it will be unpleasant."
"Can't be as unpleasant as children," Hailey said and Edward shrugged.
"If you say so," he said.
"So what hospital does Dr. Carlisle practice from? I can go on a Sunday if he permits. If necessary, I can always tell Mitch I'm taking a day to myself."
"This is something Carlisle would likely perform at our home," Edward said. "He has all the necessary equipment and it'll make it possible to not charge you anything." Hailey looked up from the watch at Edward, a little surprised.
"You'd do this for me for free?"
"Carlisle is a charitable man," Edward said. "And, forgive my saying, given what I've seen to be your natural state and demeanor, it may qualify as a mortal sin to allow you to reproduce." Hailey chuckled and returned his attention to the watch.
"I realize you're trying to insult me, but given the free service, I'll let it go."
"I mean not to insult, only to point out the obvious. That being that your disdain for children makes for poor fatherly material."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Hailey agreed. "I could barely stand to hold my nephew. My sister tossed him at me one day to handle something in the kitchen and I kept the kid at arm's length. Then he started crying. He's a loud crier I might add. His forefathers could hear him from the fatherland," Hailey said.
"Babies express their needs in the only way they can," Edward said. Just then, Aidie barged her way into the back where Hailey and Edward sat and began running up the stairs, Mitch following behind.
"No, don't go up there!" Mitch yelled as he chased the little girl.
"Damn it, Uncle," Hailey muttered. "The man's too old to be chasing small children."
"I apologize for Aidie. She's a very curious little girl and the boys tend to play with each other rather than her."
"I'm not certain 'curious' is the right word to use," Hailey said. Mitch finally came back downstairs with Aidie on his shoulder, squirming and wiggling to get away. Hailey looked up and saw she was hold his Iron Cross watch and nearly screamed. "Mitch!"
"What?"
"Are you just going to wander away with that kid taking my watch?"
"Aidie," Edward immediately stepped in, "let go of Mr. Dauer's watch. You should know better than to take something without asking."
"But it's pretty."
"Yes, honey, it's very pretty, but that watch isn't yours, it's Mr. Dauer's. Now give back the watch, young lady," Edward said extending his hand. Aidie proceeded to give him a grumpy pout, but she handed it to him. "Thank you, Aidie. Now what do we say?"
"I'm sorry," she whimpered.
"Good girl, Aidie," Edward said. Then he turned to Hailey and handed him the watch. "Again, I apologize for that."
"Thank you," Hailey said, taking back the watch. "She's a little terror," Hailey said. After Mitch put Aidetzi back on the floor, Aidie stuck her tongue out at Hailey and ran back to the front of the store.
"She's usually far more well behaved," Edward assured.
"I'm sure she is, Mr. Cullen," Hailey said heavily and returned to his seat to work on Edward's watch. He did two more things before it was fixed and handed it back. "That should do it," he said.
"Most appreciated, Mr. Dauer." Edward pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket, a pencil, and wrote down how to get to the Cullen House. "This is where we live. If you want, I can tell Carlisle to expect you this Sunday."
"Please do," Hailey said. "The sooner the better." Edward chuckled.
"They're not all bad, Mr. Dauer."
"Yes, Mr. Cullen," Hailey said. "But as you said, it would qualify as a crime against humanity for me to produce my own. I think it best we ensure it can't happen."
"Until Sunday, then," Edward nodded and left the kitchen to return to the front. Edward paid for the remainder of the products he would purchase and Hailey insisted fixing the watch was a favor and that Edward was not to be charged.
When Sunday approached, Hailey made his usual excuse of going fishing, careful to bring his fishing equipment, but he made his way to the Cullen residence. He approached the spot where the direction said he would need to turn and he wound up passing it three times. It was a very discreet entrance. Then he rode his horse down a road that seemed to go on forever, but really it was only a mile. He finally saw the house and was a little dumbstruck. It was huge with many windows and a vast garden of flowers. He overheard several people from the back of the house and also saw a little hut where a cart and two horses stayed. He led the horse to that little hut and found a place where she would be out of the elements should it rain and tied the ends of the reigns to some railings. He walked slowly around until he returned to the front of the house and just stared a moment. He'd not seen houses such as this since living in the city.
"Shit," he mumbled to himself until he finally walked up the stairs onto the porch and to the front door. He knocked as loud as he could and, faster than he would have imagined they would, a lovely brown haired woman with curly hair answered the door.
"Good Afternoon," she said with a smile. "You must be Mr. Dauer."
"Yes," Hailey said.
"Edward told us you would be coming. Please come inside. I will let Carlisle know you're here." She moved aside and let Hailey come inside. When she closed the door, she walked to him and offered her hand. "I'm his wife Esme by the way. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Cullen," Hailey replied, taking her hand and shaking it.
"I will get Carlisle for you. In the meantime, is there anything anyone of us can get you? Water? Some food?"
"No, nothing. I'm alright," Hailey answered.
"Alright," Esme smiled. "Just make yourself comfortable and I'll get Carlisle." Esme walked away to fetch him while Hailey wandered further into the house until he found a couch that was facing a large fireplace. He could also see into the backyard where he saw swing sets hanging from trees and little slides and other toys. There was a group of people outside talking. None of them were members of the tribe, but he didn't recognize any of them from town.
"The Quileute children come and go as they please," Edward said from behind Hailey. He jumped, not having heard him.
"Fuck, you scared me," Hailey said once he realized it was Edward. "I didn't hear you."
"I'm very quiet," Edward said. "Sometimes, the children will just spend the night here," Edward continued with his thought. "Claire has spent weeks with us before."
"Claire?"
"She's a little girl that my wife has been teaching how to play the violin. She's been practicing the past three years and she keeps getting better. She was so little when she started too. Now she's about nine and almost as tall as Alice."
"Who's Alice?"
"Just an in-law of mine," Edward said. "We're a big family in one house. Another cousin of mine, Rosalie: she loves having all the children come here. She's unfortunately unable to have children, so she's always eager to play with other people's children. We're hoping my daughter has a little girl this time. She and Alice want a little girl to dress up."
"Hmm," Hailey shrugged. "Have you spoken with that 'birdie' since last we spoke?"
"I can't say I have," Edward said. "Although," Edward said, somewhat knowingly, "you may see her today. Sometimes when my grandchildren become too much, my daughter will ask Leah to bring them here to play so she can relax. It's not easy taking care of two boys around the same age when you're also pregnant. And that's to say nothing of Embry's and Caevia's children. The four of them are essentially raising their families together."
"I bet," Hailey said. "How much longer before Dr. Cullen makes this a terror not in my future?" Edward chuckled.
"He's getting his tools sterilized and a bed ready. He should be down shortly. He explain everything he'll be doing once you're in his office. You'll have a few medications to take before he starts."
"Such as?"
"One medication will be for calming you down. Another medication will be to control pain and he'll put you to sleep with chloroform. It'll help make this as painless as possible, but you will be sore for a while."
"Better sore a few days," Hailey said, but not finishing his thought. Edward refrained a gentle laugh when another question came to Hailey's mind. He didn't immediately ask, but when he did, he was very uncomfortable. "If I may, when your daughter was young, did you ever feel jealous?"
"Jealous of the attention Bella was giving our daughter?" Hailey nodded. "No," he said. "It's natural for a mother to give so much attention to her child. And it's not as though she gave Renesmee so much attention that she never had time for me. We always made time for one another no matter the circumstances."
"I hate kids," Hailey said. "But since meeting…..'Birdie', part of the reason became I don't want to share. I just want us to be together and not have anyone interfere with that. Not even a child."
"Well, children wouldn't likely be the most intrusive and damaging interference to your relationship. The greater and more pressing issue is a town of bigots that still have a bias because of what happened with Mr. Jagger and his wife."
"I won't do that to her," Hailey said defensively. "I'm not haunted as Hugo was. I'm not hiding from anything that happened to me and I have nothing to bring out on….her."
"I know," Edward said.
"So you know what happened to Hugo?" Hailey said.
"Yes," Edward said, and Hailey huffed.
"I see the old man isn't too concerned with who he tells."
"Mitch wasn't the one that told me," Edward said, mostly truthful. "He told a soldier that came here to retrieve my daughter when she'd been kidnapped. As it turns out, that man was Hugo's nephew and he wanted to know what happened to his uncle and his mother. He then told my daughter when she was brought here. Inevitably, she told me."
"She never told Leah?" Hailey asked, no longer thinking about being discreet.
"No," Edward said. "She would never go against a dead man's wish, especially one so justified as Hugo Jagger's. I'll not go against such a request either."
"Good," Hailey said. "Leah said she would content herself with not knowing."
"Good," Edward said, already knowing. "There really are some things that are best left in the past." Just then, another man, one that was blonde and pale, came up from behind the couch and made his presence known.
"Mr. Dauer," Carlisle said, making Hailey jumped once again, still having not heard or seen the man.
"Do you all sneak around like mice or is my hearing going bad?" Hailey asked mostly to himself as he took a deep breath to calm down.
"My apologies, Mr. Dauer, I did not mean to startle you. I'm Dr. Cullen. I will be performing your vasectomy today."
"Yes," Hailey said as he stood from the couch. He walked around until he was before Carlisle and offered his hand to shake it, which Carlisle accepted. "Sorry if I was rude. I was just startled. It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor. I've heard several things from people in town about the Cullen family. I assume most of it is distorted from time and mean gossip."
"It was," Edward said meanly.
"No need to apologize, Mr. Dauer," Carlisle smiled. "Anyway, if you're ready, you can come upstairs to my office." Hailey nodded and Carlisle led him with up the stairs and to his office where a hospital bed and medical equipment was neatly placed. Carlisle closed the door behind him, leaving only the two of them in the room together, and walked around until he was before Hailey again. "Before we proceed, Mr. Dauer, I must explain precisely what we will be doing and explain possible difficulties from this procedure. In the meantime, please remove your trousers and any undergarments."
"I was not told much about this," Hailey said as he did as instructed and removed his pants and undergarments. He kept his clothes in his hand, however, ensuring he was not exposed. "I heard it'll make me sterile and I was sold."
"That's what has been relayed to me," Carlisle said. "First and foremost, I will need you to take this," Carlisle offered Hailey a small shot of some nature. "This is a medical herb that will help you to relax and will also assist with numbing. It's a recipe I learned from the Quileute Medicine Man no less." Hailey nodded and drank the liquid down.
"How long will that take to work?"
"About 15 minutes. Please, lay down on the medical bed for me and I'll continue with the explanations. And don't be so shy, Mr. Dauer," Carlisle teased when Hailey kept his removed clothes over his crotch. "I will have to see it soon enough as it is." Hailey held his head down, but did as Carlisle said and sat on the bed and left his clothes on the floor. Carlisle immediately placed a sanitary paper towel over him which Hailey eagerly accepted. "Once you are more relaxed, I shall put you to sleep with chloroform. That herb mixture I provided you makes the chloroform safer I've discovered. From there, I shall use a different medicine directly on your scrotum so as to numb the area. The procedure itself will only take me ten minutes. The remaining time you are asleep will be for you to recover."
"How long will it take me to wake up?"
"Anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour. Some patients might not wake up at all, but I've found that occurs most often when the patient suffers respiratory problems, is infirm, or the doctor uses too high a concentration."
"You're not one of those doctors, I pray," Hailey said, getting really nervous despite the medication.
"I assure you that you will be safe," Carlisle smiled kindly. "I've used Chloroform and I've used Ether to numb and put patients to sleep and both have their pros and cons. The Chloroform will simply work faster so long as you remain calm and take deep breaths. As to what I shall be doing, I will be making a very small puncture on your scrotum to gain access to both your Vas Deferens. I will expose them one at a time, tie two sections, cut and then finally cauterize. Once that is completed, I will use two stitches to seal the puncture and recovery should take no longer than a week so long as you keep the wound clean, which the bandages will assist with. You will technically be able to comfortably have intercourse at that time, but it is still possible to impregnate a woman while there is sperm present. To ensure there is no longer sperm present, I recommend ensuring you've ejaculated 10-20 times before having intercourse again otherwise impregnation will still be a possibility."
"So just masturbate once I feel better," Hailey said with a small chuckle.
"Yes, that would do just fine," Carlisle smiled back. "There will be some soreness but that will pass before too long. There will be some bruising and some swelling, but that will also go away within a few days. Just be gentle with yourself, keep the area clean and you'll be infertile as you desire."
"I can't wait," Hailey said, finally beginning to relax. He was even getting a little tired, so he laid down on the bed rather than sat. Carlisle waited an additional five minutes as Hailey relaxed more and more until he was in a daze.
"Alright, Mr. Dauer, I'll be holding the chloroform to your mouth. When I do, I'll need you to take deep breaths."
"Yes, Doctor," Hailey mumbled tiredly. Carlisle applied the chloroform to a cloth and applied it in a thin layer. Carlisle walked to Hailey with the soaked cloth and looked at him before applying.
"Are you ready?"
"More than ready," Hailey nodded. Finally, Carlisle applied the cloth to Hailey's nose and mouth and told him to take deep breaths. Hailey did as instructed and within a few breaths, his head became heavy, his eyes rolled upwards, lids closed and he was completely asleep. Carlisle held it there a few more seconds to make sure Hailey was asleep and removed the cloth when he'd completely fallen asleep.
From there, Carlisle worked quickly. He retrieved the strong numbing mixture Sokajili had taught him to make and applied it directly to the spot where the incision would be made. He waited an additional five minutes for the mixture to work while he prepared the cauterizing tools he would be using. After the five minutes, Carlisle cleaned away the numbing mixture thoroughly and further cleaned the area so as to prevent infection. Within a matter of four minutes, Carlisle revealed each vans deferens, tied, cut, and then cauterized. There was hardly any blood save for a small trickle from creating the hole from which Carlisle worked. When he was done, he used two stitches to seal the hole, cleaned the area one more time, and used an adhesive bandage to cover it.
Rather than leave the man exposed, Carlisle got Hailey redressed all while the man was still asleep. Carlisle returned downstairs and, when he looked outside, Kevin, Embry, Aidetzi and Kyle were running up the cobblestone path going right for the playground in the backyard. There wasn't immediately anyone following them, but eventually Leah came walking up the path slightly out of breath. She'd been chasing the children for the past mile and a half telling them to slow down and they wouldn't listen to her. When they'd reached the Cullens' yard, she finally slowed down and started taking her breath. Rosalie, Alice, Bella and Esme went outside and started playing with the children. Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett joined them outside, but Edward waited until Leah was present before he stepped outside.
"Leah," Edward called to her when she was near the porch. Leah walked up the stairs onto the porch.
"Yeah?" she said, finally recovering.
"I'm glad you came. Hailey's upstairs."
"So?" Leah finally managed after she looked at Edward a moment. She figured she knew why he was there but she wasn't sure why Edward was telling her.
"I'm a mind reader, remember?" Edward said and finally Leah just sighed heavily.
"Ah, yes," Leah mumbled.
"Carlisle just completed the procedure. Following a minimum of 10 ejaculatory releases, he will be completely sterile."
"He'll be pleased to know that," Leah said. "How is he?"
"Still asleep," Edward said. "I'm sure he'd be happy to see you when he wakes up." Leah smiled a little and nodded before walking past Edward into the house. He told her how to get to Carlisle's office where Hailey was and she went upstairs to find Hailey dressed on the medical bed and still sound asleep.
Leah looked around the office for a chair and pulled it to the bedside when she found one. The noise she made appeared to cause Hailey to stir, but he remained unconscious for an additional 20 minutes. When he did finally start coming to, he grumbled a little and took some deep breaths. The pain wasn't unbearable, but he was definitely uncomfortable. He was scared to sit up right away. He brought a hand to his face and started rubbing in an attempt to regain his senses. Leah waited for him to notice she was there and, when he looked over and finally saw her, he smiled a little.
"Hi," Hailey said and Leah smiled.
"How're you feeling?"
"Sore," Hailey answered. "It's not as painful as I imagined it would be but I'm definitely not comfortable."
"It could've been worse," Leah said. "You could have been awake for the whole thing."
"That's true," Hailey mumbled. "I assumed I would be, actually. So I was relieved when Carlisle said he was putting me to sleep." Leah smiled and took a hold of Hailey's hand to be comforting. He accepted the touch and squeezed her hand gently.
"So how does it feel to be a sterile man?"
"Like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders," Hailey answered.
"Does Mitch know about this?"
"No," Hailey said. "I told him I was fishing. Just so you know: I suspect I'll be limping. I hope you won't mind me claiming you kicked me in the balls."
"Feel free to," Leah smiled. Then Leah realized something. "You rode your horse here, right?"
"Of course I-" Hailey stopped the moment he realized what she was saying. "Son of a bitch."
"Good luck with the ride home," Leah teased.
"Shut up," Hailey mumbled, rubbing his face again. "That didn't even occur to me."
"Oh, relax Hailey; I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say," he replied. "You walked."
"A 12 mile walk isn't exactly short and simple either, Hailey. We left this morning and we only just got here less than an hour ago. The Cullens usually have to give us a ride back."
"Why not just procure a cart for such a use?"
"If you're willing to trade one with us, Mr. Dauer, than please do so," Leah said with a hint of sarcasm. Hailey just signed.
Hailey appeared to look around a moment and looked at Leah again when he was satisfied that they were alone. He released Leah's hand so he could lift his own up to her head. He gently buried his fingers in her hair, which was held back in a braid, and pulled her down until their lips met in a kiss. Leah reciprocated and when they parted, she scooted the chair closer so she could comfortably lay her head next to his.
"I missed you," Hailey said.
"I missed you too," Leah said.
"I suppose I should ask what brings you here," Hailey said.
"The children wanted to come and play, my cousin's wife needed to stay with our Medicine Man and Jacob told me to look after all the kids, so I took them here."
"For people that are having so many, they're awfully eager to throw them onto others," Hailey said.
"Can you fault them from wanting a break every now and then?" Leah said.
"If the way that little girl acts is any indicator, I'm shocked they stand it at all."
"Aidie, you mean?" Leah smiled and kissed Hailey's cheek. "Yes, I heard her mention you. She had said you were 'mean' and that you and your uncle 'would not let her play' I recall her claiming."
"The little devil tried taking my watch," Hailey said.
"The Iron Cross one right?"
"The very same. Would've gotten away with it too if I hadn't noticed. Thank God I did."
"She means well, Hailey. She's a little girl, so she doesn't understand that she upset you. We all scolded her for it all the same. We let her know that was stealing and that's bad."
"You all seem awfully soft on these children."
"Hardly," Leah laughed a little. "There's something Embry's father used to do to him and sometimes us and Embry does it now. Whenever any of the children, my little cousins included, start acting up and misbehaving, he'll grab them, toss them on his shoulder, shake or spank them and say he won't let them down until they behave. I assure you, Mr. Dauer, when it is warranted, those children are disciplined."
"My father would hit me for no reason sometimes," Hailey said. Leah laughed and slapped Hailey's chest.
"Oh stop it, I'm sure he didn't."
"No, he did," Hailey said adamantly. "Sometimes, if my sister did something bad he would tell me to come over and when I did he'd smack me across the head. Then he'd say, 'that's just in case' and that would be the end of the discussion. He'd do the same thing to my sister."
"You're lying to me," Leah said skeptically.
"I swear I'm not," Hailey chuckled. "Ask Mitch, he'll tell you the same thing."
"And how would I say such a topic came up?" Leah teased.
"You'd think of something," Hailey said, kissing her forehead. Leah lifted her head, still smiling, and the two of them shared another kiss. As they did, they heard the door to the office fly open and they jumped at the sound. As they looked on, they saw Aidetzi running into the office with Embry following after trying to catch her. "If it isn't Hades' pet," Hailey mumbled.
"Shush," Leah said quietly. "Aidie!" Leah said when Aidetzi started rummaging through Carlisle's tools. Thankfully, none of the ones Carlisle had used on Hailey were on the table, but there were still some sharp tools present. "Aidie, don't touch those! You might hurt yourself!" Leah ran to Aidie as she spoke and pulled her away from the tools. Embry followed.
"We're playing tag!" Embry said.
"Well, you don't play tag up here where there are things that can hurt you. Now go downstairs and play tag outside where you won't break anything."
"Embry!" Aidetzi said when she saw Hailey. "That's him. He's the big meany!"
"Aidie, leave Mr. Dauer alone. He's had a big day and he needs to relax."
"Aidie, we play downstairs," Embry said, grabbing his little sister. "Last one downstairs has to eat worms!" Embry pushed Aidie into Leah and started running out of the room. Leah looked right at Aidie worried she might be hurt, but it was quite the opposite. She was filled with a determined conviction.
"Meany!" she yelled after Embry. Then she looked at Mr. Dauer and just stared. He stared back, not sure what to do or say. When she was quiet too long and Leah couldn't seem to make her move, Hailey furrowed his brow to look intimidating.
"What?" he said in a harsh tone.
"Hi," Aidie said innocently, and then finally ran out of the room after Embry. When she returned downstairs, she adamantly denied having to eat worms because Embry had an unfair head start and that he was a 'meany stinky cheater dummy face'.
"What the hell was that?" Hailey said.
"I don't know, Hailey," Leah sighed.
"Do you think they'll say anything about seeing us?"
"I can always tell them to keep quiet," Leah sighed. "They don't think we're together, that much I can promise. They're not exactly at an age where such matters are really understood. At worst, they think we're friends."
"Good," Hailey sighed.
Back downstairs, the children continued to play and Rosalie took over the task of ensuring that Embry didn't make Aidetzi eat worms or vice versa. Kevin managed to get all the others into a tree climbing contest to see who could reach the top first. Emmett and Jasper agreed to judge and, when Emmett counted to three, the children all started climbing their respective tree, working to outdo the other. Kevin started in the lead, but Embry was managing to catch up. Alice and Rosalie cheered Aidetzi on and it encouraged her to climb faster. As fast as she possibly could. Kyle was ahead of Aidie and was catching up to Embry, but Aidetzi soldiered on. Kevin was almost about to reach the top when, out of sheer determination, Aidetzi sped up even more and forced herself to climb until she reached the branches. She didn't beat Kevin, but she narrowly beat Embry to the top, leaving Embry in 3rdand Kyle in 4th. Alice and Rosalie cheered when Aidetzi reached the top and then encouraged the remainder of the children as well. They all slid down the tree a little bit at a time until all four were on the ground again. For his victory, Esme agreed she would make some apple pie, but only if Kevin promised he would share. He agreed, albeit reluctantly, and they all followed Esme inside and watched her prepare the pie.
"So what happened?" Hailey said from the bed while Leah looked out the window, having heard the commotion.
"The kids had a little tree climbing contest," Leah smiled. "Kevin won, but Aidie came in second. You should have seen her. She was in dead last, but she managed to get her way up to second. I'll have to make sure she's proud of that. She might be disappointed with it."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think the children might be squirrels," Hailey said. Leah giggled and walked over to him. Rather than take her seat, she sat on the bed next to him.
"I can't remember the last time I climbed a tree," Leah said. "We used to all climb trees together too when we were little. Then we just grew out of it."
"We were more privy to hitting a ball on the playground and tossing a wheel down the road with a stick and chasing after it. My friends and I were never ones to climb trees."
"You had friends?" Leah poked fun. "I can't even imagine such a thing." Hailey glared at her jokingly.
"I had friends, Miss Jagger," Hailey said. "I had quite a few if I do say so myself."
"Do you still keep in touch with any of them?"
"No," Hailey said sadly. "I write to my mother from time to time, but Mitch is the one that does most of the writing. I never write my friends and I never write my sister."
"Do you miss them?"
"Sometimes," Hailey said. "I miss the city more than I miss them. Everything's close and within walking distance in the city. Here, everything's far away from each other and you have to take a cart or ride a horse everywhere. I miss when I worked at the bank and I used to go to the little bakery just down the block and get lunch every day. Every morning, I got some biscuits with cherry jam and coffee with sugar, for lunch I would get a sandwich or more biscuits and then I'd go to mom's house for dinner and go home. I'm a creature of habit in case it was not apparent."
"You certainly are," Leah teased. "What did you do at the bank exactly?"
"I helped business owners balance their books and invest their money effectively. More specifically, I was an accountant. It's not a terribly glamorous job, but it paid well."
"Did you like working at the bank?"
"A hell of a lot more than working at the shop," Hailey said. Then he placed a hand on Leah's knee and rubbed her with his thumb. "I will admit working there has some perks, though."
"You mean getting away with barely working and never getting fired?" Leah laughed.
"Well, that," Hailey chuckled. "But if I'm being honest, it's because I was able to meet you." Leah blushed and placed her hand on Hailey's.
"Why are you being so sentimental suddenly?"
"I'm still a little loopy," Hailey admitted. "It has me in a vulnerable state." Leah giggled and leaned down for a kiss. Their lips met and as they kissed, Hailey reached for the end of her braid and pulled out the little tie, pulling at the strands until her hair was down. Leah allowed him to until he reached the base of her scalp where the braid started. Then she sat up and pulled her hair back and out of her face. "I like it when your hair is down."
"I know you do," Leah smiled, pulling her hair to one side and over her shoulder.
Leah stayed upstairs with Hailey the whole time she visited. He got up only when it appeared it would get dark and he needed to go home. To which Leah reminded him that he was in no condition to ride a horse. Carlisle agreed. This was all the more obvious seeing as he was walking with the slightest bit of a limp at the moment. Carlisle advised Hailey that he would need to wait a week so he could heal before going on a horse. He reminded Hailey how to care for the wound and reminded him that, as they'd discussed, he would need to ejaculate at least 10 times before considering engaging in intercourse. Hailey promised he would do 20, just for good measure. Edward retrieved the cart and Hailey tied his horse's reigns to the back so she could follow and sat in the back of the cart petting his horse. Edward reassured him that the horse had been watered and fed while he'd been upstairs.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Dauer?" Edward asked.
"Fantastic," Hailey said. "I'm sore, but other than that, I'm pleased."
"How was your visit with Leah?" Edward asked, though already knowing.
"She was a caring nurse," Hailey said. "I don't suppose you would assist me with my alibi would you?"
"To tell your uncle you mean? I've no aversions to it within reason."
"Good," Hailey said. He then thought for a moment to think of a reasonable explanation for why Edward was giving him a ride home. When a thought came to his head, Edward waited for him to voice it. "I have an idea. Mitch knows I go to one spot every week to fish. Perhaps I could tell him that, in an effort to avoid Leah, I went fishing at a spot near your home. Then, when she brought the children to your home today, she caught me and we have a small confrontation."
"Don't use the word 'confrontation'," Edward advised. "If anything, say the two of you had a spat."
"A spat it is, then. So when we had our 'spat', we both said cruel things and she inevitably kneed me and that's why I'm walking with a limp and why you are taking me home."
"Sounds like something that would happen," Edward agreed. "I'll attest to it."
"Most appreciated, Mr. Cullen," Hailey said.
"Just call me Edward, Mr. Dauer," he said. "Otherwise, there will be too many 'Mr. Cullens' for you to keep track of."
"If you insist," Hailey said. "Anyway, just back up my story and Mitch will be none the wiser."
"One thing I can say," Edward began suddenly, "Mitch wouldn't be quite so difficult to convince as Leah's family."
"Perhaps, but now's not the time. If I tell Mitch, then Leah will have to tell her family. I'd rather not force her into doing so. If she tells me she's ready to tell her family, then I will tell Mitch. Until then, this is strictly between you and me."
"Understood, Mr. Dauer. Also, Aidie and Embry caught the two of you kissing," Edward said almost nonchalantly. Hailey grimaced.
"I'm aware. Leah said she'd tell them to keep quiet."
"No need," Edward said. "I've already done so. I let them know that what's going on between the two of you is complex adult related circumstances and that they need to not mention this to anyone so as not to cause any trouble. The two of them were adamant they would keep quiet. I will admit there was some additional bribery thrown into that agreement as well."
"So long as they keep quiet," Hailey said. "The last thing I want is the Chief barging into town with a shotgun or some nonsense like that."
"He has no shotgun, Hailey, but he does have archers. And a full army if I might add. Albeit, a rather small army given it is such a tiny tribe, but he has an army nonetheless. One thing I must recommend above all else, Mr. Dauer: never enraged a man with an answer to the question, 'you and what army'."
"Dually noted Edward," Hailey replied.
As promised, when Edward and Hailey returned to the General Store, Mitch was worried as to where Hailey had been. He was more worried when he noticed the slight limp and that Edward Cullen had given him a ride home. Edward wound up telling the story of Hailey fishing on their property, Leah catching him and getting upset and ultimately culminating into Leah kicking him in the crotch, hence his discomfort and why the Cullens had insisted one of them take him and his horse home. Mitch took a deep breath and said, 'That sounds about right," and then helped Edward get the horse situated in the stable outside. While they did that, Hailey wandered to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He'd finally regained his appetite since being put under and now that it was back, it was back with a vengeance. Mitch had left out some soup and bread, so Hailey helped himself to that. Mitch thanked Edward for his assistance and being so kind and saw the man off before returning into the shop. Then he went back inside and saw Hailey eating his dinner.
"So," Mitch said. "You say she caught you fishing on the Cullens' property too?"
"I'd not realized it was their property. It's a mistake I'll not make again."
"I hope so," Mitch sighed. "She must have kicked you pretty hard for you to still be limping after all this time."
"She's a harpy, that woman," Hailey said halfheartedly. "She has a kick to rival a bull to boot."
"Clearly," Mitch sighed. "I assume Dr. Cullen checked on you and made sure you were okay?"
"Mr. Cullen confirmed as much."
"Indeed," Mitch sighed. "Well, since you're home, I'll be upstairs to bed. We have work in the morning, so I recommend you do the same. And if anyone saw you and they ask, please don't tell them Leah kicked you. Just tell them there was a mishap where you fell and the Cullens were kind enough to assist you."
"Of course, Mitch," Hailey said.