"Mother," Edward screamed in pain, wishing she was here to comfort him. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out a figure. "Mother, is that you?" Edward waited for an answer. None came. "Mother? Are you there?" He moved his hands wildly in front of him until he touched the person then pulled them towards himself. "Please, help me. It hurts."
Edward and his mother had contacted influenza, but it seemed to be more serious than that. Everyone was getting ill, but no one was getting better. As far as he knew, no one had left the hospital alive. Edward had been at this hospital for days, and hadn't once seen his mother. He missed her. He hadn't given up hope though, hope that she would get better, hope that she would walk in to see him.
"It's okay," the voice said. It soothed Edward, but he still couldn't see who the man was. "You're mother sent me Edward. I'm here to help. My name is Carlisle. I'm a doctor." Edward sighed contently at the sound of his mother and let go of the stranger. He turned on his side and vomited the contents of his stomach out. The smell had his head ache and his throat sore. After wiping his mouth, he turned to Carlisle.
"My mother," Edward choked out, "is she better?" He meant alive, but couldn't bring himself to say the word. Out of his blurry vision, he managed to make out a head moving. He wasn't sure though what the movement was supposed to be; a nod, a shake of the head, Edward simply didn't know. "Is she alive?" Again, the head moved. Edward tried to sit up, but the movement cause pain in his abdomen. He cried out and Carlisle laid him back down.
"Edward, your mother didn't make it. I'm sorry." Carlisle paused to let the news sink in. "I was her doctor. I tried everything but it wasn't enough. I didn't get to her in time." Carlisle said. Edward could tell he clearly was very sorry, he could hear how guilty Carlisle felt. "Her last wish was for me to help you. She said: My son, Edward. Save my son. I promised her I would. If it helps, her death was painless."
"My mother. She's dead." Edward choked back a sob before a cough violently erupted out of him. His entire body shook. Edward wanted to hug himself, curl into a ball and just let the tears fall. His body couldn't handle the movements, so he lay completely still as his tear fell.
"Edward," Carlisle said, trying to get his attention. "I'm going to need you to trust me. I have to take you out of here, but I promise you will live. You simply can't live in this hospital." Edward nodded before his fever overtook him and he slipped unconscious. Carlisle sighed, but was grateful. This meant Edward wouldn't have to go through the pain.
Carlisle took Edward to the house he was currently residing in. He would have to move again. No one could see Edward. Hardly anyone had survived this, and those that did would not look as good as Edward will. Carlisle prepared himself. The blood was something he deeply craved, but he had to restrain himself. Edward had to live. He had promised.
Carlisle had never done this before, but it had been done to him. He remembered every minute of it, especially the excruciating pain. He wasn't sure, but he was unconscious for a few days at least. Carlisle watched Edward carefully, inspecting every little movement, fascinated by so much as a twitch. It was interesting to watch the transformation from human to vampire. Carlisle occasionally left to hunt some animals, mostly for himself, but near the end of the second day, he managed to trap an animal, kill it and keep it fresh for Edward's awakening. Carlisle imaged he would be quite hungry.
When Edward did awake, he did it calmly. His eyes opened, his fingers twitched but he didn't move. He looked around the room before settling on Carlisle. "I remember you," Edward said, but his voice was raspy and odd. Edward coughed and noticed his body didn't hurt. "I'm not hurting. Am I better now? Will I live?"
"You will live forever?" Forever, Edward repeated in awe. Carlisle took his time explaining before handing the deceased animal over. He explained the blood, and Edward took it quite well. He took everything really well. He was eager to start hunting, but Carlisle was unsure this was such a good idea. Later, after decades of being a vampire, Carlisle would miss the Edward who was so eager to learn and live his life to the fullest instead of just existing.