Like a Skyscraper

Emmett took off into the trees with only the thought of Kaelyn in his head. He almost ran into the blonde woman who appeared in his way. Emmett came to a startling halt and stared his wife in the eyes.

“Where are you off to?” Rosalie asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I’m going away for a few days to have time by myself.” Emmett made to leave again, but Rosalie stepped in his way.

“Rosalie, get out of my way,” Emmett’s words were sharp and punctuated. Rosalie hesitated but ultimately moved out of his way, a glare on her face the whole time. Emmett looked at her once more before taking off running again. He made sure she wasn’t following him before he started heading in the direction of Seattle.

It was dark when Emmett reached the hospital Kaelyn was staying in. He could smell her faintly from the parking lot. Emmett surveyed the area and tried to pinpoint Kaelyn’s window. Once he had the general idea of where she was, he started climbing up the side of the building. Emmett looked through several windows before he finally saw Kaelyn inside one of the rooms.

Silently, Emmett opened the window and crawled into the room. The lights were out, and he didn’t hear anyone close by who might disturb him. Emmett looked around Kaelyn’s room and saw her journal resting on a table next to her bed. Remembering what Edward told him, he opened it and looked for the letter.

Emmett sat down in the chair next to Kaelyn’s bed, notebook in his hand. His eyes read over the words she wrote for him, and he felt his dead heart clench. She cared this much for him. Emmett knew she had feelings for him, but they were much deeper than he thought they were. Setting the notebook back down, Emmett gently reached out to move her hair behind her ear.

Kaelyn’s eyes fluttered open at his touch, and she blinked slowly at him.

“Emmett?” She whispered into the darkness.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Emmett replied softly, lightly stroking her hair back. Emmett took the time to truly look at her. There were dark bags under her eyes, and her lips were cracking because they were chapped so bad. She had an IV hooked up to one of her arms administering something Emmett didn’t know about.

“Am I dreaming?” She asked quietly. Emmett shook his head.

“What are you doing here?” Kaelyn asked, finally starting to wake up.

“Edward told me what was happening to you, and I needed to come see you,” Emmett said. Kaelyn looked at him confused.

“How did Edward know?” Emmett shook his head.

“I want to ask you a few things first, and then I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Why didn’t you tell me you had cancer?” Kaelyn frowned and looked away, still laying down. Her body was too weak to make her sit up.

“I didn’t want anyone to know. And things between us were over, and I didn’t want to come between you and Rosalie. It was better to just tell you I was going away,” Kaelyn got out.

“Did you think about how I would feel if I ever found out the truth?” Kaelyn’s eyes welled with tears, and she tried to wipe them away before they fell.

“Yes, I’ve thought about it. I was hoping you would never try to get in touch with me, and that you would just move on with Rosalie,” Kaelyn said after a moment of silence. Emmett looked towards her notebook, and Kaelyn followed his gaze.

“You read the letter?” Kaelyn asked softly.

“Yeah, I saw it when you were sleeping.”

“I was going to have it sent to you, but I chickened out…”

“Kaelyn, why didn’t you tell me how you really felt? I knew we both had feelings for each other, but I never thought you would return my feelings on that level. I care about you so much, but I didn’t want Rosalie to give you a hard time. I…I love you, but I thought I was helping you by pushing you away,” Emmett finally explained himself. Hearing his confession, Kaelyn burst into tears, her quiet sobs shaking her body. Emmett immediately wrapped his arms around her shaking frame.

“Emmett, I love you too, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I don’t have much time left; that’s why I didn’t want you to come here. How can I leave you knowing how you feel?” Kaelyn sobbed. Emmett gently scooted Kaelyn over and laid down in the hospital bed next to her, his arms still wrapped around her.

“Kaelyn, if you were given the chance to live and be with me, would you do it? Even if the quality of your life was different?” Emmett asked softly, rubbing her back to calm her down.

“Of course, I wish that was possible…” Emmett took a deep breath to steady himself. He was about to tell her everything.

“What if I told you there was a way you could?” Kaelyn looked at him with hard eyes.

“Now is not the time to be a douche bag,” She said, beginning to pull away from him, but Emmett didn’t let her get far.

“I’m not teasing you, Kaelyn. Please hear me out. Have you ever wondered why you have never seen me eat? Or why I’m so cold? Or why my eyes can change colors and my family is always gone from school when it’s sunny?”

“Emmett, what are you getting at?” Kaelyn asked slowly.

“My family, we’re all… I’m a vampire.” The room was silent. Emmett waited for Kaelyn to say something, but she just kept staring at him. Kaelyn didn’t know what to think. She immediately thought he was messing with her, but he looked so sincere about what he was saying. But how was it even possible for him to be a vampire? Those were just fairy tales.

“If I were to believe you, how do you live in Forks without drawing attention to yourselves?”

“We don’t feed on humans. We stick to animals, and we avoid the sunlight, not because it will kill us but because it has undesirable effects on us. But Kaelyn, what I’m trying to tell you is that if you wanted to live and be with me, I have a way we can do it.” Kaelyn thought over what he was saying; giving it serious thought.

“You can make me like you,” She breathed. It wasn’t a question but a statement. Emmett nodded, watching her carefully to see her reaction. Kaelyn took in a shaky breath before replying.

“What would you have to do?” Emmett swallowed loudly, even though he had no need to.

“I would have to bite you. Once my venom is in your body for three days, you will be completely changed. It is a very painful process, I won’t lie to you. When I was changed, I felt like I was dying, but I’m still here,” Emmett explained, “And Carlisle is a doctor so he can have you transferred to another location where you can be changed and recover.”

“So Carlisle is also like you. Everyone in your family is. Is that how Edward knew where I was?” Kaelyn asked, thinking back to what Emmett told her.

“Some vampires have special abilities. Alice can see the future, and Edward can read minds. Alice saw where you were, and Edward read her mind.”

“Do you have any abilities?” Kaelyn was already thinking about all the things she thought about in Edward’s presence. How embarrassing.

“I don’t have anything special. But vampires don’t age. We don’t eat human food, or sleep. We can’t cry, and our hearts don’t beat… If you want this, these are things you will have to live with.” Kaelyn closed her eyes and rested her head on Emmett’s chest. True to his word, she didn’t feel or hear his heart beating. Kaelyn closed her eyes and nodded.

“I don’t want to leave this world yet, Emmett. But if being like you will keep me here, I want to do it. Will we finally be able to be together once I’m done changing?” She asked and raised her head up to look into his eyes.

“Yes,” Emmett breathed, “I’m not letting go of you ever again.” Emmett leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, not caring if they were cracked. He would make her better again. A few more tears slipped from Kaelyn’s eyes, but Emmett wiped them away once he pulled away from the kiss.

“I need to call Carlisle. He will help us get you moved and be there during the change to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Emmett told her. Kaelyn nodded and snuggled closer into his chest. Emmett pulled his phone out of his pocket without jostling Kaelyn too much. He quickly dialed Carlisle’s number and listened to the phone ring.

“Emmett, are you in Seattle?” Carlisle asked as soon as he answered his phone. Emmett assumed Alice and Edward filled him in on what was going on.

“Yes, I’m with Kaelyn now. I assume you know about her current condition. We’ve talked about everything Carlisle. She is okay with me changing her, but I need your help.”

“She’s given her consent then? I was hoping she would,” Carlisle sighed, “I can have Kaelyn moved to the cabin just outside Port Angeles.”

“Thank you, Carlisle. I’m going to stay the night with her at the hospital. What time will we be able to move her tomorrow?”

“I’ll make the calls as soon as operating hours begin. Lay low until you hear from me. I will also get in touch with Kaelyn’s mother. I will be as vague as possible, but she needs to know about Kaelyn’s transfer so that it won’t arise any suspicions.” Emmett agreed with Carlisle and told him he would fill Kaelyn in before they hung up.

“Carlisle will make the arrangements in the morning and notify your mom. He’s not telling her any details, but we can’t have her making a scene if we move you.” Kaelyn nodded and snuggled deeper into Emmett’s embrace. She felt exhausted but hopeful. Maybe she wouldn’t have to leave her loved ones behind so early in life. This was her chance for a longer life and a possible life with Emmett.

“Thank you,” She whispered, her eyes already drooping closed in tiredness. Emmett kissed the top of her head and held her close as she fell back asleep in his arms.