“Carlisle!” I leaped to my feet and wrenched open the door, freezing Carlisle in his tracks, his eyes wide as he looked at me. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
--
He emitted a long sigh before shaking his head slightly and gesturing for me to follow him.
So STUPID… I should have tried harder… how’s he going to… bad reaction… we’ll move… damnit
“What’s going on?” I insisted as he clicked the door to his study shut behind us. “Is it Esme?”
“No, Edward… it’s not Esme.”
“What’s so important for me to not find out about, then?” I urged, my curiosity peaking.
“Its…” He hesitated, trying to predict my response before he spoke, “It’s Bella, Edward.”
“Bella?” I frowned, “Why Bella?” What would have made him bring Bella up?
“She’s hurt.”
“Carlisle! I told you not to spy on her or look in on… she’s hurt!? What happened!?” I bellowed.
“Edward please calm down. I did not go looking for her. She turned up in the hospital today as one of my patients and nobody knows what happened to her. She was found on the side of the road near Denali and it appears that she was attacked by some kind of animal. She was airlifted here because her injuries were serious and I am the specialist for internal bleeding and arterial damage in the area. There was a couple of hours today Edward when I didn’t think she was going to make it. I’m still not 100% certain that she will survive, and I’m prepared to change her if I need to. She’s stable for now, but she’s still in intensive care. I would be there, but they made me leave for at least two hours because I have been working nonstop for 35 hours now. She was out cold when I was operating on her and she was still unconscious when I left. We’re afraid she might have a minor concussion and our major concern now is that she goes into a deep coma. Her injuries were potentially fatal, Edward, and its lucky someone found her in time. She‘s very fortunate.”
“No.” I growled, “If she was fortunate, she would still be safe at home in Forks without a scratch on her in perfect health! How could this happe-” I stopped short as the images circulating in Carlisle’s subconscious became clearer and clearer.
Bella being wheeled in through the emergency room doors, her face barely recognizable through the blood and bandages and gauze. Large gashes across her throat and face, blood covering her ripped t-shirt and dirt smearing every inch of her arms.
Carlisle performing CPR and attempting to keep her heart beating as her pulse began to slow rapidly.
The large purple bruise manifesting along her inner arm and ribcage
The x-rays and internal damage..
“Oh God.” I gasped, raising my hand to cover my mouth.
Carlisle, realizing what I must have just seen tried to push away the thoughts, but only succeeded in bringing more forward.
“Doctor Cullen” said a petite nurse in Mickey Mouse scrubs, “No family has been located yet, but we’re doing our best.”
“Did you get the note I wrote on her charts about checking the town of Forks for a Swan listing.”
“Yes, I checked. She has no surviving family and no other available contacts.”
Carlisle sighed before responding. “Thank you, Charlotte. Keep trying.”
“Doctor Cullen… may I have a word with you?” An unfamiliar face in a white lab coat asked.
“Certainly Doctor Garner. What is it?”
“I did that follow up research on the patients background you requested and it appears she has no health insurance. In situations like this we normally have family to give the okay on the procedure, but she’s still unconscious and this surgery is urgent. The internal bleeding is potentially fatal and we can’t afford to wait. I need your approval before I book an OR room.”
“Yes, of course, doctor. By all means we will perform the operation. She is a prior acquaintance of mine and I will be happy to cover any charges her insurance cannot pay.”
“She doesn’t have insurance,” The doctor pointed out again.
“Yes, that’s quite fine. Book the OR, please.”
Doctor Garner gave a fleeting look of confusion to Carlisle before heading off in the opposite direction.
“What room?”
His thoughts gave it away before he could resist.
“Edward, that may not be a good idea…” He started.
“Don’t tell me its not a good idea. You knew it was a terrible idea to leave her in the first place and you let me make that mistake, so if this is a mistake, don’t start correcting me now.”
I ignored his protest as I stood and exited the room.
“It’s past visiting hours! You can’t get in without me.”
That one stopped me. I turned back, pleading with my eyes.
“Carlisle, I have to see her.”
He locked eyes with me for a moment before finally sighing and throwing up his hands.
“So much for taking a break from work. Alright, but I warn you… this is going to throw out every ounce of progress you’ve made over the past two years.”
“What progress?” I scoffed.
“… I guess I can’t be too disappointed. If I was going to come home smelling like her every day I’m sure you would catch on eventually.” He reasoned with himself as he grabbed his keys off the desk and followed me out the door.
---
“Doctor Cullen!” The man I recognized as Doctor Garner greeted him with another confused expression, “I thought you were taking the night off?”
“Isabella Swan was a good friend of my son, Edward. His concern for her and his medical degree will come in handy as he has volunteered to spend some evenings here watching over her.”
“Carlisle…” The confusion on my father’s co-worker’s face spread, “I didn’t know your son had a medical degree..”
“You’ll come to find that there’s a lot you don’t know about me, Bill.”
Edward, go ahead without me. I have to partake in some small talk with this obnoxious fool so he’ll leave us alone and stop suspecting that we’re up to something…
“Excuse me.” I said softly as I sidestepped out of the conversation and made my way to room 407.
I realized as I entered the doorway the massive mistake I may have just made. I had hunted the previous night, but that wouldn’t have prepared me to smell the overpowering scent of my singer’s blood. It hit me like a brick wall. I could almost feel the black of my eyes swallow the gold entirely. I paused for a moment, swallowing back the venom and breathing in deep mouthfuls of her scent, trying to reacquaint myself with it.
She had received many ounces of blood that was not hers recently, so it wasn’t as powerful as I had expected. It smelled different, wrong. It reminded me of the way she smelled when she had been in the hospital almost three years ago because James, the nomadic and entirely sadistic vampire had targeted her and set his appetite for the only thing of any importance in my life.
I closed my eyes and took several steps into the room until there was just a thin curtain between myself and Isabella Swan.
It seemed almost necessary to take a big breath before circling the curtain, but I resisted because it certainly wasn’t sensible. I tried my hardest not to breath at all, in fact, as I maneuvered around the thin curtain with exaggerated slowness.
Not even the images from Carlisle’s memory could have prepared me for what I saw. Bella was a mess. Her condition was barely even comparable to her last hospital visit… it was extensively worse. One of her legs was wrapped tightly in a thick white cast and elevated by a suspension bar attached to her hospital bed. Her face was in a similar, gauze formed bandage. Barely any of her skin was visible, and what was visible had some form of bruise or laceration covering it. The bed blankets were arranged over her un-bandaged leg and waist, and her hospital gown was folded up over her chest, leaving the deep cut on her side which had been stitched up exposed until the antibacterial solution had dried. Her bare stomach, aside from being recently stitched up, was covered with an assortment of multi-colored bruises and welts.
“Oh, God… Bella. What happened to you?” I breathed, my hand subconsciously rising to cover my mouth. I took a seat in the visitor chair quickly as footsteps approached. I couldn’t look away from Bella’s mangled image as the nurse entered the room. I heard her steps falter as she caught sight of me.
“Oh!” She gasped, startled. “You must be Dr. Cullen’s son!” Of course he’s Doctor Cullen’s son, LOOK AT HIM! He’s gorgeous. He looks too young, though. But… Dr. Cullen said he has a medical degree… so he can’t be that young. Unless of course he’s just a super genius. Imagine, stunning AND smart. What a catch that would be. I wonder if I…
“Yes.” I said, cutting off her thoughts only to be bombarded by new ones.
Oh, and his voice. His voice is so seductive… I wonder what he’s doing visiting her. What’s so special about her? She’s really rather plain, at least from what I saw. She does have a nice body, I guess… and I could stand to lose a few pounds. Oh, I hope he doesn’t notice that. Why isn’t he looking at me. If he looks at me, I’ll do the hair-flip. No man can resist the hair flip. Oh my gosh! Why am I staring at him like this. He’s going to think I’m creepy or something. What was I here to do again? His beauty distracted me and now I don’t remember.
“I assume you’re here to bandage the stitching on her side.” I suggested, locking out her unoriginal and highly agitating thoughts and trying to ignore the fact that she called Isabella plain.
“Oh… yes, that’s right.” She nodded, hurriedly grabbing for the roll of gauze and medical tape on the cart she had been wheeling. I watched her bandage Bella’s wound with shaky hands, resisting the urge to push her aside and do it myself. I could have done it in half the time even at human speed… and just for the excuse to touch Bella again.
Stop it… stop it, Edward. I shook my head a little, trying to clear the lust and desire from my mind.
“Are you alright Mr. …”
“Edward. My name is Edward, and yes. I’m fine. How is Bella?”
Of course he would just ask about her. Never mind asking for my phone number, ask about the girl in the coma who probably will get the plug pulled on her before she ever wakes up. There’s no family to claim her, and there’s not much we can do for her while she’s unconscious. She’s a dead beat. Notice me you beautiful, smart man. Notice ME.
“She’s stable, but her condition is still severe. She suffered a lot of internal and external bruising, and if she doesn’t regain consciousness soon it might be a sign that she is in a coma, and there’s no telling how long that could last.”
I nodded my response, still not making eye contact with the nurse. I blocked out her lustful thoughts again as she considered what it would be like to kiss me and waited patiently for her to leave.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. …er, Edward?” Like maybe my number… or a date?
“No thank you, I’m fine.” I spoke through gritted teeth.
She did the hair flip anyways, even though she knew I wasn’t looking at her, after which she exited, trying to consider excuses to return to the room so she could stare at me some more.
As soon as she was gone I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my hands exasperatedly. It was bad enough seeing Bella like this… I really hoped I didn’t have to deal with repeat offenses from the naïve and clueless nurse.
I have an emergency that I need to attend to, Edward. I’ve cleared with the staff that your visiting hours are extended based on personal reasoning and you can come and go as you please… not that I’m saying that it’s the best thing for you… Remember, please. You’re in a hospital and your actions are a reflection on me. Make sure you hunt often… and… don’t do anything irrational.
Carlisle appeared and disappeared from the doorway too quickly for me to respond or even explore the definition behind his idea of possible ‘irrational’ actions. I nodded my response at the empty doorway and raised my gaze back up to Bella.
Despite the fact that my heart and soul was back within my reach, there were still a lot of things I was uneasy about.
What had happened to Charlie, and Renee? The nurse said that Bella had no surviving family. Why was she in Denali in the first place, and why on earth would anyone want to attack her. She certainly wasn’t stupid enough to provoke a dangerous animal… and she had been found on a roadside, how did that play in to the tenor of her injuries?
There was only one thing I knew for sure.
I never should have left her.
This was my fault.
