Author’s notes:
Get out your Kleenex.
“Bath?”
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Chapter 74:
Sunday is my favorite day.
On Sundays, I get a bath. Mommy picks me up and carries me into the bathroom and runs the water, and then she uses the little blue washcloth to wash me. I have two cups I can use in the tub to pour water back and forth, and I like watching the water stream from one to the other. When I dump a cup over my head, she uses her hand to push the water off of my face and away from my eyes.
I pull open the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink and get the cups and washcloth before I go into the living room where Mommy is on the couch. I go to her and hold out the items in my hand.
“Bath?” I ask. She hums, but doesn’t look away from the television. I ask again, and she stabs her cigarette into the little glass tray on the coffee table. It’s already full, and some of the stinky leftovers have fallen out. She turns to me.
“What?”
“Bath!” I say again with a smile. She told me once I had a pretty smile. I hold the cups and the washcloth out again.
“Not now,” she says as she turns back to the television.
I sit down on the floor next to the coffee table and tilt the cups back and forth, pretending there is water in them to pour. When the show is over, Mommy gets up and goes to the kitchen. I follow.
“Bath?” I ask again. She glances at me, but says nothing. She pulls a loaf of bread off the counter and gets the jar of peanut butter from the cabinet. She makes two sandwiches and hands one of them to me, and then she goes back to sitting on the couch.
I climb onto the chair in the kitchen and eat my sandwich. It’s dry and sticky, but I am hungry so I don’t mind. When I’m done, I go back to Mommy again.
“Bath?”
“Geez, Edward!” she snaps. “Can’t I get a minute to myself?”
I look down at the ground for a minute and then back to her, but she’s watching another show. I sit back down next to the table and push the washcloth into one of the cups. I try to pour it, but it doesn’t work, not even when I shake it.
“That’s where you were fucking sitting when I left.”
Daddy’s voice startles me as much as the door to the trailer slamming against the wall. He goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle. As he takes a swig, his eyes narrow at Mommy.
“I swear to God, Esme, you are so fucking useless.”
“Oh yeah,” Mommy says without looking up. “And Carlisle Cullen is a great catch, that’s what you are.”
He laughs, but it doesn’t sound friendly. I don’t like it when they talk like this, and I think if Mommy gave me my bath now, maybe they wouldn’t talk so loud anymore. I stand up and hold out the cups again.
“Bath?”
“For God’s sakes, Edward!” Mommy yells, and I take a step backwards. “Will you shut up for two minutes?”
She stands and grabs me by my arms, hauling me up. At first, I’m happy, thinking she will give me my bath now, but she walks over to the open door and drops me down outside on the patio. The door shuts as she goes back in, and I can hear them yelling again.
***
I woke up groggy, disoriented, and feeling a little…off. My muscles were all tense, and I didn’t know why. I shifted in the bed a little, and felt Bella’s hand against my neck. I took a deep breath and relaxed back into the mattress a little. It felt good just lying next to her, and even though I had to pee really badly, I didn’t want to get up. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take me again, but it didn’t. I finally gave up and wiggled my way out from around her and went to the bathroom.
When I came back out, I just looked at her for a minute.
Her long hair was all over the pillows, and her arms and legs were splayed out all over the bed. I smiled a little, realizing if I tried to get back in bed now, there wasn’t going to be much room for me. I glanced at the clock and saw it was just a little past two in the morning. It wasn’t really a great time to start the day.
Today.
Bella’s birthday.
I had to make this day a good one, and I had no fucking idea how.
A new panic seized me when I realized I still had no fucking plan what-so-ever. I didn’t know what to do, and though I might be able to ask the hotel staff to help me with preparations, I didn’t know what to ask them for, and I didn’t want to leave Bella alone very long while I got anything accomplished.
I needed help.
Advice.
I didn’t have anyone to turn to.
I thought about Alice or Rosalie, and quickly crossed them off the list. It had to be a woman, but not either one of them. If they knew what we were planning…well, I wouldn’t make it to this evening to execute any of it. Execute being the optimum word. I didn’t know any other women except those I dated.
Fuck.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my phone, and quietly walked out into the hallway. I didn’t go too far down, so I could still see the door to the room. I pulled up my contact list and took about five hundred more deep breaths.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
I was out of choices.
I listened to the phone ring a few times, and I was just about convinced she wouldn’t answer when there was a soft click.
“This ought to be interesting,” the dry voice on the other side of the Atlantic said.
“Ummm…yeah,” I stammered. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anyone else to turn to, and I really, really need your help, Kate.”
She would at least give me some ideas, right?
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Chapter end notes:
You have to give Doofus a little credit – at least he asks for help. He might even ask for directions with a little prodding.
This is probably it for updates today. This weekend is also completely insane, and I may be out of town during most of it. No guarantees on any kind of update until Sunday night. If you’re luck, or I find a place with wifi, I should have a bunch written at least.
