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Chapter 119
Preparations
Bella
Edward laid sprawled out on the bed in front of me with his head resting on my crossed legs while I drank my coffee and he played with my free hand. I had asked about Marcus' condition.
"Better and worse at the same time. He is in more pain than yesterday, but from a purely medical point of view this is absolutely correct," I got as an answer and bristled.
Maybe I should rather study medicine secretly instead of writing my dissertation in biology, so that I could do something with such statements.
"The contusions have had time to fully develop over the past few hours. The various bruises glow a pretty dark purple. In addition, he now has significant muscle soreness from the setting of various bones. I have forbidden him to stand up. It certainly won't be difficult for him to stick to it. He's happy to can avoid any movement."
I sighed in agony, which of course did not escape Edward's notice.
"Boys are so whiny when they have aches and pains!" I stated, recounting how I once had Jake, Brandon, and Leah here with a thick cold.
They must have been eleven or twelve. In both rooms I had delivered sufficient tea, water and handkerchiefs and, of course, generally checked on them regularly. While nothing had been heard from Leah all day because she had been asleep most of the time anyway, the boys kept calling for me. They would be too cold or too hot, they would have a headache, they wanted pudding or the DVD player from the living room. Even Becky had been very low maintenance during her cold just over two weeks ago, but boys were just exhausting!
"Did you actually pick out the documents for Mr. Corbin yet? He's coming this afternoon," Edward then asked me.
"No, but I'll do it right away," I said. I knew where all the documents were that he wanted and wouldn't have to search, so I didn't stress about it. "How long has Mr. Corbin actually been your lawyer?" I asked curiously. Mustn't it seem strange to him that his clients haven't aged for a long time?
"Only a few weeks," Edward replied, which surprised me.
"How? I thought he had been the family's lawyer for some time," I echoed. That's how they had always put it.
"We have enough lawyers of our own in the family, we don't need an extra one," Edward began to say. "There is a Mr. Jenks in Seattle who merely procures for us our birth certificates, driver's licenses, Carlisle's board certification and the like every few years ..."
"Board certification?" I asked between them.
"To practice medicine. Without this certification no hospital would hire him," my angel explained to me.
Ah yes. Heard that before.
"Mr. Jenks only knows Jasper personally, he orders and collects the documents. It is a risk factor, as he has been performing this task for over thirty years now. However, Jasper has instilled in him a healthy fear of us via his gift, which is why he has no ambition to do anything against us. Besides, our orders are too rewarding for him from a financial point of view."
"Um ... how much does a fake ID actually cost?" I asked, purely out of interest. I had never had anything to do with such a thing.
Edward smirked.
"Do you have to flee abroad on short notice?" he looked up at me mischievously.
"Maybe," I said vaguely, sipping my coffee as I smoothly came up with an explanation. "I want to marry an older than dirt moneybag. If I inherit from him, I will have to go abroad to avoid falling into the hands of his family," I considered.
Edward looked drolly horrified.
"So, what are you going to do with all that money then?" he asked curiously.
"A nice life with my seventeen-year-old boyfriend," I gave in reply and was rewarded with a kiss from the very same boyfriend. "And how much would the IDs cost us to do that?" I subsequently returned to my question.
"It depends a lot on the quality. On the simple black market you can get some for a few hundred dollars. Especially for young people who want to pass for twenty-one, the price is sometimes even lower. But for this, they do not stand up to police scrutiny. A bartender or bouncer could probably be fooled by them."
"And if you move and start all over again? What do you have to put down for all the necessary documents?" I raised an eyebrow.
"For everything?" he inquired.
I nodded.
"We're well into six figures there!"
I swallowed.
"Couldn't Jazz make all this himself so you could save that cost?" I asked cautiously.
"He could, but it would cost a lot more and also involve a lot more risk," my angel explained, though I didn't understand. "We live in an age where new features are added to ID cards every few years for security reasons. We would need the appropriate equipment every time to implement this. But you can't get them on Amazon, my heart, and moreover, they are already expensive in themselves. Simply obtaining the equipment would require considerable criminal energy. In addition, different procedures have to be applied for Carlisle and Esmé than for the rest of us. Our driver's licenses, for example, are up to date. Carlisle's meets the standards of a few years ago. Mr. Jenks' staff is familiar with such details and takes care to match the documents to the stated age and date of issue."
"I see ..." I said and put the empty cup aside. "And if Mr. Jenks is so ... circumspect after all, why do you have Mr. Corbin now?"
"Several reasons. For one thing, Mr. Jenks is not licensed in Maine. For another, the distance just wouldn't be practical. Another reason is that Mr. Jenks is not a very good lawyer. The main reason, however, is that Mr. Jenks does not enjoy our confidence. We profit from his fear of us, which we generously compensate him for. Arnold Hanks would certainly not run against completely closed doors with his attempts at bribery, as long as the fee fits. He is a man who moves in certain circles and provides extensive criminal services. He's also not a particularly confidence-inspiring personality and would possibly make Becky feel insecure or afraid as well."
I let all of this information sink in a little while I brushed my teeth and showered with Edward.
"Mr. Corbin is a pleasant man," I remarked as Edward combed my hair out of absolute necessity.
I hadn't quite finished speaking when I was suddenly spun around to look at a pale, athletic chest of a man.
Nice view.
My chin was lifted, however, so I looked instead into jealous gold.
"He's way too old for you!", was communicated to me seriously.
I thought I could hear a slight growl underneath.
"YOU are too old for me!", I corrected here once the facts related to the age.
"I'm not old. I'm retro!"
The saying caught me so off guard that I buckled from laughter.
"Besides, I seem to have held up pretty well for my advanced age!" opined Edward, after I recovered from my laughing attack.
"Pretty much," I confirmed, still rubbing the tears of laughter from my eyes.
We went to get dressed, with Edward handing me a sweater.
I smirked.
I could have expected that. It was my dark blue wool sweater, which had a rather voluminous collar. Edward loved this part.
We came back to the original topic.
Mr. Corbin.
"But that's why we chose Mr. Corbin. He's a brilliant lawyer, absolutely loyal toward his clients, and has a - as you put it - pleasant demeanor. He exudes confidence and equanimity without being negligent or naive. It was very important to us that Becky could trust him and feel comfortable and not intimidated or not taken seriously," my angel explained to me before we went downstairs for breakfast.
My vampires were actually very thorough. No matter what they did.
"Of course you go to school!" stated Edward and I firmly after breakfast.
Leah snorted disdainfully while Jake chuckled behind her.
Equal rules for all! Jake was also not allowed to stay at home when Becky had a cold.
"And who's going to take care of Marcus?" asked Leah snottily.
"Guess what, Leah, I'm home all day!" I said plainly.
Grumbling to herself, she went back up the stairs.
Marcus was lying in her bed. He was still hurting all over from his fall down the stairs.
Not dignifying us with a glance, Leah finally stomped down the stairs and left the house. Still cursing, yelling for Jake.
I smiled indulgently.
She would calm down soon enough.
Jake gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and followed his sister's 'dulcet tones'.
That's what he called Leah's clamor. Maybe I should make an appointment for him with the ear doctor when I get a chance.
Edward stood already at the front door and put on his jacket.
And I stood on the bottom step of the stairs, sadly waiting for my school-aged angel to say goodbye to me. I pressed myself against his body, surrendered to his intoxicating kiss and sighed when his lips withdrew from me.
Standing in the front doorway, I looked after the blue BMW as it turned at the end of our driveway and disappeared.
It became cold.
Not long now and the first snowflakes would fall.
I rubbed my own upper arms, pushed the front door shut, and checked the heater setting.
It was already set quite high. Like pretty much everywhere in the house. Especially in my bedroom. Neither Edward nor the twins were interested in something as trivial as air temperatures.
I was clearing the breakfast table and cleaning up the kitchen when I heard something thumping.
Immediately I ran upstairs and rushed through the door.
Marcus lay cursing half on the floor, half still in bed.
He wanted to go to the bathroom, but had noticed too late that the foot with which he wanted to tread had gone to sleep.
I tried to help him up, which was made even more difficult by the stinging tingling in his foot. Finally, he stood on his own two feet and hobbled clumsily toward the bathroom. With every step, a soft groan could be heard.
I bit my lips hard to keep from laughing, knowing full well that this was absolutely not appropriate. But it just looked funny. The tall athletic muscular boy, almost a man, in sweatpants and T-shirt, doing a whimper with every movement.
Meanwhile, I was getting him something to drink from the kitchen when the front doorbell rang.
Carlisle and Esmé.
Carlisle owned the clinic, which I still found inconceivable, but he did not think it opportune to arrange his shift according to his own interests. In this respect, he was on late duty this week.
Becky's father had quickly found his feet in the administrative area of the hospital after everyone had talked insistently to him and he finally accepted the offered position. Among other things, he prepared the duty rosters for the doctors.
Without taking advantage of anyone. Not even the owner. Carlisle attached great importance to this.
Today, he wanted to make sure that his newest patient was complying with the bed rest that had been ordered.
Esmé, on the other hand, wanted to come over just like that.
So, we went upstairs together.
Marcus was just coming out of the bathroom door and Carlisle helped him into bed again.
A grateful help.
He looked at some of the more severe bruises and saw if all the vertebrae were still where one of the doctors had put them yesterday.
"It's quite natural that you feel worse today than yesterday. The hematomas had not yet fully developed. But don't worry. Starting tomorrow, maybe this evening even, the pain will go away," Carlisle assured.
"Well, I hope so!" complained Marcus.
Carlisle soon left again.
He had some paperwork to do - in addition to his usual roster.
Esmé stayed, but we went into the living room. She was curious how it had gone yesterday with Marcus's mother.
I was just starting to tell her when the doorbell rang again.
This time Sonya and Emma.
Emma greeted me and Esmé boisterously. When she heard that Marcus was upstairs, she immediately ran to him.
"Be careful on the stairs and don't get on his nerves!" admonished Sonya sternly. "So! Will you finally tell me what you always do all day and where you hang out!", Sonya then demanded, by now armed with coffee.
Esmé also raised an eyebrow curiously.
"No!" I countered. "It is and will remain my secret."
"Do you have a lover you're hiding?" chortled Sonya.
"I am engaged to an angel. What kind of man could tempt me besides that?"
"Liam Hemsworth, Andrew Garfield, Chris Evans, Robert Pattinson ...," she began to list.
Ridiculous comparisons. Although, the latter ...
The silliness's died down and I told them both about last night.
They were equally horrified at what Marcus' father had come up with.
Esmé said goodbye as Sonya, and I made ourselves something to eat around noon.
She was planning to start her own business as an interior designer and had an appointment with a broker to look at suitable premises.
We just made some sandwiches, some of which we brought upstairs to Marcus and Emma as well.
Whether Marcus was already annoyed by Emma?
Apparently an unfounded concern. They played together and seemed to have a lot of fun. Marcus was lying on the bed, trying to move as little as possible. Again and again he squinted his eyes or whined softly to himself. But he put up a brave face. Emma, on the other hand, sat happily on the floor and played nurse on the side.
Sonya still wanted to go shopping and relieve Marcus of Emma.
But he said that she could leave Emma with him. They would get along.
So Sonya drove. She would bring along a few things for me and I got started on some paperwork that I still had to do.
Bills I had to pay. Getting some papers together for Mr. Corbin when he came by this afternoon for Edward's marriage license. The mail had arrived by now and a letter from Brown University was there. My doctoral thesis was accepted in terms of topic. It did not clash with any work that other prospective doctoral students might be planning to submit. To tell me this, a hefty fee was due. Seven hundred and thirty-five dollars. Processing fee, they called it. It annoyed me. But I dutifully paid it . My boss had offered to pay all the costs incurred. After all, it was his suggestion. However, I thought this was overkill. After all, he was already paying my salary, although I was not working. I was dissatisfied with the overall situation in this regard. I should not get money for doing nothing! I had been to him once to talk him out of it. Unsuccessfully.
So I ended up surfing the Internet.
I was looking for a Christmas gift. But what to give an angel? I chuckled. Me? With a big red bow?
I even found one. Just for fun, I ordered it. However, he already owned me anyway and I kept looking.
There would give the perfect Christmas present for Edward. And I would do anything to give it to him. A baby! But unfortunately that was not possible for us. This thought around a baby together was so double-edged. I had definitely not lied to him that day about two weeks ago when I had collapsed in fear in David's kitchen, and he had made his concern about this known. All that stress that meant a baby! That I no longer felt young enough. But maybe I only had this feeling because my twins were already almost grown up. That the time for babies and toddlers was already long gone. Because I didn't feel old! On the other hand - what I would give to be able to give Edward this feeling! The love for his own child. Watching it grow up and being able to witness how it discovered the world step by step. Edward had missed so many wonderful years with Jake and Leah. But it was no use. It would never happen.
I found something else on the Internet that I hadn't paid attention to at first.
A bag. Edward had owned his current school bag for several years and quite honestly, it had its best days behind it. Long gone! The bag that caught my attention looked very classy. A shoulder bag made of genuine dark leather. You could have a dedication, a picture, or whatever came to mind burned into the leather. On any place you wanted.
I clicked through the gallery of examples.
That looked neat. Exactly like the corresponding templates. When my angel went to medical school next year, which I had no doubt about, he would need a decent bag for all his books.
So, I ordered it and immediately picked up a pad and pen for my dedication.
It took me several tries before I liked the result. I scanned my template and sent it to the seller. To be on the safe side, I deleted all my Internet history afterwards.
In the afternoon, I brought new beverages to Marcus and Emma, as well as a plate of cookies, some of which I also snacked on.
I smirked.
The two had fallen asleep together on the bed.
Marcus was lying on his back, holding a now not-really-cold ice pad against his shoulder. Emma had grabbed one arm of him as a pillow.
I put down everything I had with me, turned off the TV, and quietly went back downstairs.
After I took a picture with my cell phone, of course. This picture would cause jealousy. With at least three people. David, Edward, and Leah. I was looking forward to being able to show them.
I still had over an hour before Edward and Mr. Corbin would be here. So, I snuggled up on my reading couch with a thin blanket and a cup of tea and picked up a book.
Exciting story. I really bonded with the female protagonist ...
Nevertheless, I fell asleep.
I was startled when the doorbell woke me up.
In the heat of the moment, I threw the book across the room and hit a table lamp, which tumbled off the table and shattered.
I bit on my lower lip and slapped a hand against my face.
That was typical again, Bella!
It was rung again.
Quite forgotten.
I jumped up frantically, got tangled in the blanket and slammed to the floor.
Ouch! My hand.
I heard voices outside the front door, but couldn't understand them. A key jangled, scratches on the lock and the front door opened.
Mr. Corbin and Edward. They had been talking as they entered.
The lawyer apologized for being a little early.
Edward saw me lying on the floor, the angelic face contorted, and he was with me immediately.
"Mrs. Black!" exclaimed Mr. Corbin in shock and was also immediately at my side.
"It's okay. Nothing happened," I placated.
I added another loud "Ouch!" after trying to support myself on my hand.
Probably wasn't a good idea.
Under Edward's stern eyes, I moved my hand.
Definitely nothing broken.
Cautiously, he nevertheless palpated the hand.
"Nothing broken," he confirmed, and I grinned triumphantly. "But overstretched!" my angel noted.
After my state of health was clarified - who would have thought it, I was actually still alive - the two men helped me up from the floor.
Mr. Corbin took a seat at the dining room table and looked over the various papers from us while Edward followed me into the kitchen.
Edward had already prepared his documents a few days ago, which were also ready for the lawyer to review.
"I'm serious!" my angel threatened softly, but with all the severity possible to an angel.
"With what?" I inquired.
"That I will tie you to the bed before I go in the morning!" he whispered, kissing me excitingly.
My heart skipped a beat and almost forgot to resume its work.
Because I imagined it. How I lay on the bed. Tied up. His fingers slid over my body, his lips caressed me, his smell befuddled me. I was completely at Edward's mercy.
The excitement made me tremble.
"Bella!" he reminded my heart to keep beating, with a dazzling smile and greedy twinkling eyes, which didn't necessarily helped along that regard. "You are all I exist for. I can't risk losing you to gravity!"
It took a moment for my vital signs to return to normal.
A long moment.
With two cups of tea, I went to Mr. Corbin while Edward took off his jacket and went to take a look at Marcus.
"Emma is with him, after all," Edward noted, puzzled.
I nodded chuckling and asked what the two were doing.
"She's just questioning him about if he's going to marry Leah. And when!" he shook his head and sat down with me, cooling my slightly bruised hand.
"And do you like his answers?" I inquired.
"Not in the least!" he complained quietly.
I laughed vociferously.
Mr. Corbin, meanwhile, had been looking at our documents.
Birth certificates. Identity cards. Social security cards. Resume. Our love story he already knew. It was already his second visit to us. In the meantime, he had dealt with the actual applications to be made and administrative instructions. What all was required for me to be allowed to marry a minor and what conversations from Child Protective Services he might bypass.
"Regarding the marriage license, I don't see any problems," Mr. Corbin began. "Since your parents have agreed to the marriage, Child Protective Services won't put its foot down here. After all, it would be possible for you to postpone the marriage until next June without then needing a consent ..."
My heart did a little enthusiastic jump and Edward breathed a kiss on my hand while looking at me happily.
We would really get married. Soon!
"I have already spoken to the department head. We will not be able to avoid some questioning. They are specifically required by the protocol. But I have already had an assurance that your parents, Mrs. Black, will be exempted from the questioning. Mrs. Evans follows in this regard our statement that your parents are not sufficiently involved to be able to comment on your relationship ... It is a different matter, however, as far as the adoption of Mrs. Black's children is concerned."
"Because I'm younger than the children I want to legally accept," Edward determined.
"That's right," Mr. Corbin confirmed.
Edward's cheerfulness had disappeared entirely.
He sat up straight and looked serious. And unhappy.
"This problem will not be changed by your coming of age. But your intention is not doomed from the start, Mr. Edward. I have not yet been able to fully examine all the possibilities. I will say at this time only that it will not be easy."
Mr. Corbin walked out onto the patio while my sad angel hid his face against the crook of my neck.
Edward sighed in frustration.
It meant a lot to him. I knew that. But he had been clear in his mind about that beforehand.
I cuddled through his hair and whispered that it was just a piece of paper after all. That he knew he was the father of our twins. And that Jake and Leah wouldn't see it any differently. Only on this would it depend finally.
He nodded ponderously.
Yet he did not seem to be completely convinced.
He kissed me and went upstairs to get Marcus.
Mr. Corbin had also already dealt roughly with his father's letter.
Meanwhile, my gaze wandered indecisively over my furnishings ... I was missing a table lamp.
Ah yes. Book, throw, shards. Since I definitely didn't want to begrudge Edward any more gloating about the possibility that I might cut myself on the shards, I swept them up with a hand brush and took them right outside. By the way, my wrist almost didn't report anymore. Overstretched, my ass!
Outside, I saw David then. He lifted the lid for me, already a sardonic grin on his face.
"What did the poor lamp do to you?" he inquired.
"It stood in the way!" I said only embarrassed.
He wanted to pick Emma up again and brought me the things Sonya had brought me from shopping.
We stopped in the doorway, slightly amused, but both trying to hide it.
Marcus looked really tortured. With every single step down the stairs, he winced. The expression 'I feel like I've been beaten' probably applies to him literally right now.
Edward propped him up to the table, and David and Emma disappeared.
Mr. Corbin discussed with Marcus what he could legally take from the letter.
It was as Edward had said. Pretty much nothing in that document could be legally enforced. Regardless of this additional case, Mr. Corbin considered reporting the father's attorney to the appropriate board. Reprehensible behavior, he called it. He had already drafted a letter that put the other side properly in its place.
Marcus read it.
Okay, Edward and I looked over his shoulder and read along.
But he warned Marcus.
Even if the father was expressly forbidden by this letter to sell, offer, or even enter the communal house without his mother's consent, this did not mean that on the next first the keys would still fit or that there would be anything left in the house in general. In this respect, the family should get everything they cared about out of the house as soon as possible.
Mr. Corbin smiled belligerently.
Among them should then be all the items with a certain value. The father had not enclosed any list or declaration as to what extent he considered the inventory to be his sole property.
Marcus conferred with his mother by phone.
After all, it was her marriage, not his.
Evelyn, however, was quite fickle.
Mr. Corbin would drive to her and have a quiet conversation about the options available to her. And Edward specifically reminded him that all bills should go to him and stressed that he would pay any costs that might help this family get their due or significantly anger the father within the legal limit.
The men grinned diabolically at each other and shook hands in farewell.
"What did you have in mind?" asked Marcus, confused, once the lawyer was out of the house.
"A moving company will - if your mother agrees - empty your entire house. Not one piece of furniture or crockery will be left behind," Edward grinned.
The two laughed, which only hurt Marcus, though.
"However, this means that Jules, your mother and yourself should go beforehand to get your personal belongings. Otherwise, everything will end up in some boxes and then in a warehouse until the joint ownership is decided by a court," Edward also added.
Then when the twins came, they planned this action for tomorrow.
Marcus hoped that he would then be able to move a little more, so that he could also help out and not stand suffering in the corner. Like now.
Leah returned him back to bed after we had eaten.
My family doctor had a prescription in this regard, but before he revealed this, he made small preparations.
"Jake, what are you doing tonight?" my angel asked casually.
"Studying?" he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Becky had a girlfriend visiting and would not be picked up by him until later.
"What do you think about going to Jazz or Em instead? Or to the movies with us?"
"We're going to the movies?" I asked. It was the first time I'd heard of that. Not that I didn't agree.
"Wait a minute. You're trying to stop me from studying to have fun? What's wrong with you right now?" Jake laughed him off.
"Is it your preference to listen to Leah bathe her boyfriend?" asked Edward seriously.
"When are we driving?" said Jake, without thinking about it.
I laughed.
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