Northern General -- Chapter 8
Chapter 8
He walked slowly to the critical care unit. He had to see the boy and apologize. Edward was sitting by his father’s side. Edward Sr. was sleeping as his son held his hand. He looked exhausted and Carlisle wanted nothing more than to hold him in his arms and comfort him. The room was silent with the exception of the low beeps of the monitors and the whirling of the IV machines with Nitroglycerin and Heparin infusing.
"Edward." The boy looked up at him with a guarded expression. "May I speak with you for a moment?"
Edward stood up and leaned over his father, kissing his forehead before following Carlisle out of the room. They walked to the waiting room and stood in a far corner. Carlisle spoke quietly.
"Edward, I’m sorry about what happened today. He hit you, and I only wanted to prevent him from doing any further harm. I did not mean for this to happen. Please forgive me."
Edward blinked at him a few times as if he was seeing him for the first time. What he said next stunned Carlisle.
"What are you?"
"Wh... what do you mean… what are you talking about?"
Edward shook his head, staring at him in disbelief.
"Jasper kept trying to tell me you were different. That something wasn’t right about you. I wouldn’t listen. I thought it was his jealousy. But he was right, wasn’t he?
"I saw you. You came into the room so quickly. It was almost a blur. And then you lifted my father, who is by no means a small man, as if he was a feather. Not only that, your eyes… they were dark… alien, primal."
"I don’t know what you are talking about, Edward. Things were pretty tense. You only think you saw those things." Carlisle hoped his voice did not reveal his fear.
"I know what I saw, Carlisle, or is that even your real name?" A look of realization appeared on the boy’s face. "You don’t happen to have a hammer you carry around occasionally, do you?"
Carlisle almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "What? No... Edward, you’re tired and you read far too many comic books. Please, let’s put this to rest." Carlisle thought a change in subject would be his best defense.
"How is your father doing?"
Edward narrowed his eyes at him. Carlisle knew the boy was not fooled by what he was attempting to do.
"My father is going to be alright. His cardiac cath showed two blockages but they were able to plasty them. He’ll be sent home on medications and won’t need surgery if he takes care of himself."
"What are you going to do, Edward? Are you considering moving back home?" Carlisle wanted him out of Jasper’s clutches but could not comprehend the thought of seeing him back with his volatile father.
"No, Jasper and I discussed it. I will stay with my father for a few days and then check on him periodically. He’ll also have a visiting nurse.
"Now tell me Carlisle, because if you are really sincere about your apology you would tell me the truth."
"You know I am sincere. I meant no harm to your father. And there is nothing to tell, Edward."
"That’s fine, Carlisle." Edward’s lips were in a tight line, his expression a combination of hurt and anger. "Jasper and I will brainstorm it out."
Frightened, Carlisle grabbed the boy’s arm as he began to storm away. "Wait, Edward. You have not told Jasper any of this, have you?"
"No, but I will."
"Please, Edward…you can’t mention this to anyone."
"Why not?"
"I can’t discuss this right now, not right here," he said, staring imploringly into Edward’s eyes. "Please, I’ll tell you everything you want to know."
"I want to know right now."
Carlisle was not prepared to divulge his secret to Edward so soon, but looking at the boy’s determined demeanor, he knew he had no choice.
"Is it possible that you can come for a walk right now? You have your pager if someone needs you and we won’t go that far."
Staring at him as if seeing something more than he had before, Edward acquiesced with a nod of his head. Carlisle feared what the boy’s reaction would be and how it would affect their relationship. He had been a fool living in a fantasy world -- not giving consideration to the reality of their situation.
Wanting badly to take Edward’s hand in his, he consciously kept his own hands at his sides as he walked with his mate out of the building. They began their stroll past hospital employees entering the hospital for the third shift. They walked a few blocks to the lakefront, settling on a bench facing the water. Edward sat next to Carlisle, but too far away to be touched. The vampire hoped it was not due to trepidation. He had enough of that for both of them.
"It’s dangerous for me to disclose my secret. It could mean death for both of us. I have to tell you this before I begin."
"What does that mean? You were never going to tell me? Our whole relationship was based on lies? I can’t believe I fell for this. Were you just using me until the mothership came or something?" His words caught in his throat and tears started to run down his face. He started to reach out to the teen but stopped once he saw the boy tense as if trying to draw himself up to protect himself. He knew it was not fear of physical harm for the boy’s heart rate was study. It seemed to be mental pain the boy was trying to avoid.
"No…no, Edward." Carlisle stood up and started pacing, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am not an alien… there is just no easy way to tell you this."
Edward began staring at him again with his eyes squinted as if it would help him see his secret.
"Are you a secret CIA experiment?"
"No, Edward." Carlisle looked at him in disbelief.
"Wait a minute. I always wondered about your cool skin. And your speech is a little archaic but, then again, you’re English... You have superhuman strength and you never eat anything."
Carlisle sat down again, looking warily at the teen. Edward moved closer, looking into his eyes, reaching out to touch his hand. "You’re paler than I am and so beautiful, unearthly so. When I first saw you with Tanya I was so jealous. I thought that you two were perfect for each other and that I didn’t stand a chance... that I was better off with Jasper. She’s like you isn’t she?"
Carlisle nodded his head.
Edward slipped his hand to Carlisle’s wrist. The teen looked perplexed for a second before a shocked expression appeared on his face. He raised his hand quickly to the vampire’s neck with the same result.
"Oh my God!!!
"You don’t have a heart beat!"
Edward stood up and began to pace, running his hands through his hair. He then suddenly dropped to his knees and clasped his palms together, staring up at Carlisle in awe. "You’re an angel… aren’t you? Did you come for me? Is my time up… Oh my God… Is it my father? Please… please take me instead?"
Carlisle wanted so badly to tell him that even if he was an angel, his father would in no way, shape, or form, be on the agenda. But he held his tongue.
"Edward, I’m not an angel. I’m anything but… I’m a vampire," he blurted out before Edward started calling him a ghost or mutant or some such. He figured the boy would come up with vampire eventually, but they did not have all night. That vampire would be the last thing Edward could possibly think of, had him on edge.
Edward was still on his knees but with his mouth gaping open.
Carlisle stood up. "Edward, what are you thinking? I need to know."
"Vampire?"
Carlisle stood as still as a statue, praying that the boy would not break his heart.
"Not an angel?"
"No."
Edward slowly stood up. "I don’t believe it. Prove it."
"What?"
"Prove it. Where’s your coffin. Turn into a bat."
"Those are myths."
"How convenient."
"So you can believe I’m an alien but not a vampire?" Carlisle scoffed.
"You’re out in the daytime. You work around blood…"
"Is it that you would rather I was an angel, or an alien, instead of a vampire?" Carlisle could not even pretend the answer was not important to him. He waited anxiously while Edward continued to stare at him as if he was indeed an alien being. It was when his features softened that Carlisle began to hope again.
"Please tell me what you are thinking, Edward. Not all of us can read minds, contrary to whatever else you may have read about vampires."
"It’s just a bit much to take in right now, that’s all. I mean… wow… a vampire."
"Are you afraid of me now?"
"Should I be?"
"You have known me for some time, Edward. Have you ever been afraid of me before, because I have not changed. I’m still the same man you have always known. I’m hoping I’m still the same man to which you confessed to falling in love with."
"Just tell me this… do you kill people, drink their blood? "
"No, Edward. I have never killed a human being. I drink the blood of animals."
Edward looked out over the lake.
"I’m sad to say, whether you killed people or not, my feelings for you could never change, but I need time to process this… I need more information from you."
Carlisle let out a sigh of relief and restrained himself from jumping with joy.
"This is not the place, Edward. I’ll pick you up at your home whenever it is convenient for you."
"I’ll be taking care of my father for a few days. In the meantime, I need to go back to his room. I’ll call you once I have him settled at home." Edward gave him a small encouraging smile.
"Yes, I understand. " They walked back in silence. Carlisle knew Edward was contemplating all that occurred and what was said. He felt guilty about the boy’s father, but not that Edward finally knew about his secret. It had been getting more difficult for him to hide it from the boy, becoming a burden that had kept him at somewhat of a distance.
~*~*~
"You got to be kidding me. You bought this boat just to take me out on the lake?"
Edward was delighted to see they were going sailing. Carlisle was delighted that the boy was unafraid to be alone with him.
"Well, I'll be enjoying it too; I'll just enjoy it more if you’re with me."
Edward laughed. "S.S. Moonlight Sonata?"
"What's wrong with it? I've never forgotten hearing you play it to me one day at the music store."
"I'm surprised you didn’t buy a piano for me to play at your condo."
"It will be delivered on Thursday," Carlisle said, without missing a beat.
Carlisle delighted in seeing Edward’s surprised expression and in hearing him laugh again -- music to his ears.
"Are you sure you're not afraid to be alone with me, Edward." They had gotten far out into the water. No one could be seen around for miles.
"I don’t know, Carlisle. This is a fine time to ask."
Carlisle felt his heart drop.
"I'm just kidding, Carlisle." Edward smiled, lightening the mood. "I never would've gotten on the boat with you if I didn't trust you. But you did mention something about you could tell me your secret but then you would have to kill me, last night."
"Yes, I did, didn’t I? It is true that the secret has to be maintained. But, Edward, I could never harm you!"
"I never believed you would, but it's time to tell me everything, Carlisle… Start from the beginning," Edward said with enthusiasm, much like he did when he discussed a new comic book.
"I essentially told you the truth about my parents, except that it all happened in the 1600s."
Edward’s jaw dropped.
"I was born in 1640, in England. My father was an Anglican minister. Evil spirits, witches, and monsters were believed in at those times. They were a fundamental part of my father’s sermons. His crusade was to rid England of them.
"People were accused of maledictions against people who had only suffered from fate or normal illnesses. It was more than likely jealousy or vindictiveness at the root, but that mattered not, my father was seen as a hero, a man of God who protected his people.
"I wanted no part of his crusade. When I told him of my desire to attend school to become a doctor, his answer was to beat me within an inch of my life. ‘Honor thy father and mother.’ So I became a minister as my father dictated and served his congregation. But I did it my own way. I took solace in saving those I could from the cleansing fires of salvation my father advocated without mercy. My father was disappointed in me. He told me I was letting evil loose among the world by forgoing the witch hunts that were his staple.
"I believe my father was misguided, and I thought if I could bring irrefutable evidence of true evil than I could save the innocent.
"Misfortune brought the opportunity I was looking for when children began disappearing from their homes. There was talk of a sinister creature that came out at night, taking the blood and souls of the innocent. A group from my congregation and I grabbed pitchforks and torches (yes, rather cliché but true) and, with insufficient knowledge of such monsters, went in pursuit of these so-called vampires. Suffice it to say, our ignorance was our undoing.
There were three of them -- mad with hunger. They grabbed one of our group before running off quicker than we could have ever imagined. We gave chase as it became darker and more chaotic. The next thing I knew, one of the creatures latched onto me -- biting and ripping a large gash into my neck. He was chased off before he could finish his meal. As the others raced after him, I crawled to safety -- hiding in the woods, stuffing my handkerchief in my mouth to stifle my screams. It felt as though the fires of Hell were consuming me. I prayed for mercy as it relentlessly continued for three days. But during the torture, I also prayed my father would not find me. I knew my father would use me as an example to prove how dedicated he was to saving souls. I thought it ironic that I had become what I had set out to prove to my father - what was true evil, what a real monster was."
Edward reached out his hand to stroke his cheek.
"You could never be a monster, Carlisle. You and your father were both wrong in your assumptions, and you have yet to prove to me that you are not an angel."
Carlisle felt himself being enveloped in Edward’s embrace as the boy’s warm lips ascended, open and inviting, upon his. The vampire let out a moan as the teen broke the kiss to trail light, wet kisses along his jaw. And when Edward unbuttoned his collar to lick the scar on his neck -- all the past was forgotten. Tanya was right; it was always the quiet ones.
No further discussion on vampires was done that day.
Chapter 9