Disclaimer in regards to the entire story: All recognizable characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. Any other copyrighted or trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners, all other content belongs to me. No copyright infringement is intended. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.

My body couldn't hold the air that I didn't know I was holding any longer when I let another sigh go. I had spent that last half hour putting somebody's ankle back into place. They had both that, and a cut up arm, which resulted in a bloody mess. I shook my head as I lifted up my little tray of sanitation supplies. The patient had been so violent with his surroundings while I tried to treat him. It was frustrating. I had kids react better to re-breaking bones.

Just when I had everything put back to where I had gotten them from, my pager beeped. I pulled the old sucker out, and looked at the dull, little screen. Hospitals kept pagers, rather than cell-phones, because cell-phones left the possibility of interference with machinery. It was just safer and easier for everyone if pagers are used. Not that I minded. They were very quick, and easy to read. The message said that there had been some form of an accident, a single victim, John Doe, and that it was a big case down in the ER.

Without leaving a second to spare, I turned and made my way back to the elevator. It was a race to get to do anything in that hospital. Whether it was life-or-death, or just an interesting case of the flu, you had to be quick. The rest of my class notoriously beat me to wherever we were called every time. I knew that by the time I got there that it had been far too late. The other students had probably already gotten there, and were crowding the incident. It wasn't uncommon for them to swarm around a new, and different case. We all had gotten a bit tired of stitches and casts after a while.

Just as I hit the lobby button, a strand of hair fell down and over my eyes. I hastily took my long brown hair down, ran my fingers through it, and then stuck it right back up and into a messy bun. The overall look wasn't the most professional on my part, and probably was far from attractive, but that was the last thing on my mind when I dressed for work. The concept of keeping it out of my face, and patients, was always a bit preoccupying. I wasn't exactly begging for attention.

My arms naturally crossed and my foot tapped as I waited to reach the bottom floor. Luckily for interns, our lockers were farthest from where we needed them. So, in order for us to take a trip back to them, we had to have a good six minutes (or more) to spare. It normally didn't bother me, but I had been extra curious about the case that night.

When I walked in, I knew my theory was correct. There was already a crowd of kids already. I guess most of them were older than me, but none of them were senior to me. They were swarming the patient. There were always better things for me to get out of the way, and I knew that if I didn't do it then, that someone would have to take a later shift to do it later. Even though I never really did have anything better to do. I stood there for a second, my eyes stuck on the group of talking students, before I finally turned and forced myself to walk away. I decided to go check in at the desk, and see if there was anything a bit less dramatic for me to do.

"Here, there's a nice stitching that needs to be done on a little boy from La Push," Tanya, the receptionist, told me as I flipped through some closed files. I nodded once at her, took the board she was holding, and made my way to where the boy was. I didn't bother to say goodbye to Tanya, as I never even greeted her.

It didn't take long for me to find the right curtain, where my patient was located. I could hear the little boy crying from the front desk. There was a similar woman standing over him, whispering to him, and asking him to calm down. He was bawling his little eyes out, as his mouth was still bleeding from whatever had happened to him. I sat the chart down, having read it on the way, and pulled out my gloves and gauze.

"Hello, my name is Doctor Isabella Swan. Can I ask you what yours is?" I asked him, just as I'd rehearsed in front of the mirror at home.

"I...S-Se-...Mommy it hurts!" He shook his head harder, crying again.

I put my hand gently on the side of his face, in order to stop the shaking. His mom told me his name was Seth, but I could tell that she knew it was more for show. Gently, I lifted the rag that he had pressed to his lip. It was all but drenched in blood, and I knew that there would be more blood to come if I hadn't gotten to work at that moment.

I grabbed my gauze and asked him to gently hold it over the cut. He nodded, and I made sure that all of the sanitation supplies were together before I began to remove the gauze from his hands. I slowly warned him that it would sting, and he just kept crying as I began blotting the sore. I knew that it looked a lot worse than it was. Most cuts to the mouth, or the basic head area were. With a soft sigh, I asked him to look at me.

"So, Seth." I looked him in his eyes and noted that he looked exactly his age – seven. "I bet you didn't know that there's more blood from your neck up than anywhere in your body."

"Really?" he sniffled, his eyes full of confusion.

"Yep." I nodded at him, hoping that my words, once he understood, would calm him down a little more. "And so when you cut your mouth like this, it bleeds a lot more than you think it would. But because there's so much in your head, you have plenty to spear. So," I grabbed my syringe with numbing medicine and prepared it. "It probably hurts more than it normally would."

"I...I didn't know that." His words were a bit garbled, but I got the point. So, I nodded in response.

"Which is why I'm going to give you a very small shot. It will make all the ow go away. I promise." I crossed my heart playfully.

"Stick a needle in your eye?" he asked me, his own eyes wide as he began to pull the gauze off again.

"And shake your bottom if you got 'em." I winked and he giggled again.

"You can give me the shot, Dr. Swan. I'll be brave." He closed his eyes and I grinned.

"Good boy. Just hold still. You can hold your mom's hand if you want," I offered and he nodded, taking her hand right when I did it. As soon as I finished, I slid the needle out and trashed the extra. He slowly peeked one eye and asked when I was going to do it. I smiled at him in response. "It's done! Now, it looks like you're going to need about three stitches here."

"Is that...b-a-d?" His mom spelled out the last word and he rolled his eyes.

"I can spell, Mom." His brown eyes looked suddenly more annoyed with her, than he was with his cut.

"Sorry, I forget how old you are sometimes." She laughed, patting his knee.

"Nope. It's actually quite good for how much he bled. He'll just have to wear them, and keep them covered when he bathes for a week. You can return next week and we will have them removed promptly." I explained, answering her question, as I made sure everything was set up.

"That's good. So, I can go to school and show all the guys?" Seth asked and I nodded.

"But remember, no kickball. You can't be wild with these; just wait a week, and then you can go back to your fun and games," I told him and he nodded. I'd read in his file that he'd gotten hit in the mouth with a harder-than-necessary kickball.

"I promise, Dr. Swan." He crossed his heart this time, and I winked playfully at him.

"Ah, Dr. Swan, I was just looking for you!" A smooth voice caused me to nearly jump on my stool.

I turned my face to see Doctor Carlisle Cullen. He was dressed in his usual button-down, slacks, Doc Martins, and lab-coat. Dr. Cullen was my boss, and was also chief-of-staff in our hospital. He specialized, originally, in obstetrics, but moved on up as he aged. He was probably forty, and yet he still looked like a model straight out of GQ.

I'd always looked up to Carlisle – Dr. Cullen. He was the greatest doctor I'd met, and he was a great person outside of his job too. That was something I knew I'd never live up to. It didn't matter how strong of a crush I seemed to have on him and his job. He was just a better person than I was. He put everyone else first.

His career was his passion, and he treated it properly.

I wanted to be Dr. Cullen.

"Sorry. I didn't intend to startle you, Dr. Swan." He chuckled and I felt my cheeks burn as I turned to look back at my stitch work.

"Dr. Swan is great." Mrs. Clearwater sighed and I felt my entire body grow warm. "She's such a sweetheart, and got the little man here to calm down better than I even could have."

"Yes, she is very well one of our best here at Seattle Mercy." He spoke, and I eased a glance his way. He had the most proud smile on his face. I pursed my lips, and went back to finishing up with Seth. I knew how proud Dr. Cullen was of this hospital. Everyone knew that much.

"All right, that's it. You did great, Seth. Now you can go tell all your friends about your battle scars." I quietly high-fived him, and he thanked me.

With Dr. Cullen's eyes still strictly on me, I turned and proceeded to write down directions for his mom. I wanted her to have all the proper cleaning skills, and care ideas. After double checking, making sure that I had every necessary rule down, I handed her the sheet from my notepad and sent them on their way. They both thanked me happily too.

"You did great with them, Dr. Swan." Dr. Cullen grinned at me.

"Thank you, Doctor," I murmured softly as I began to clean up again.

"Were you around for any of the commotion over in the East wing, or were you already with Seth?" He cocked his head to the side, and I finally finished up with everything. Slowly, I shook my head at him. I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say. I decided to be honest.

"I came down here to look at things, but it seemed more over-covered than under. I just figured I could help out somewhere else. I'm so sorry if I was supposed to help out. I'll take a demerit if you see fit, Dr. Cullen. I honestly, truly didn't want to be in the way. I thought it would just be more helpful if I checked in at the desk first. I-...," I began another round of apologies, but Dr. Cullen cut me off abruptly.

"Why are you apologizing, Dr. Swan?" He laughed and I felt my face grow warm. I looked down at my feet, not sure what to say to him. He let out a strangled sigh, and coughed a little. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, if that's what I did."

"No! No...You did nothing wrong. Don't worry about it."

"Dr. Swan, look at me." He spoke almost impatiently. I don't think I'd ever looked in one direction so quickly upon direction.

"Yes, sir?"

"Stop with the formalities. Please, call me Carlisle when we aren't with patients. I'm here to thank you," he explained, and I felt my brow come together. "I'm here to thank you because you were the only person to persevere and take the 'boring' job."

"It wasn't boring-" I tried to argue, but he cut me off again.

"It was three stitches to the lip, Dr. Swan. It was boring compared to John Doe found out in the cold, cut up, burnt, and bruised," he told me, and I shrugged.

"It's my job. I'm not here to play detective. I'm trying to become a doctor." I explained, as if I were reading it from a book. If I weren't talking to him, I would have added like you onto the end of that.

"That's exactly right, Isabella. Now, I've noticed this...this thing with you," he told me and I frowned, trying to understand what he was getting at. Was he upset with me, or was he appraising me for what I'd done?

"Wha-"

"You generally keep to yourself, but you have the best grades, you get all your work done, you're the youngest one here, and you always seem to be the one to step up to the plate when needed. You're so advanced compared to all of those other birds." He laughed and I felt my ears begin to grow warm again. I wasn't used to being spoken to in such an intimate manner. I'd grown up in a household where I wasn't addressed at all.

Don't go there. My mind hissed at the thought.

"I'd like to graduate, and get into a good hospital." I answered, and he nodded.

"Well, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?"

"How would you feel about being our John Doe's regular doctor?" he asked and I felt my jaw drop in shock.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I think you're ready for the work. Besides, I'd rather have you wandering around outside of the ER than one of these wa-wa's." He winked and I think I mentally swooned.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Cullen! I promise I won't let you down!" I clapped my hands together in pure excitement and he laughed. "What exactly do you need me to do? I mean, obviously, 'be his doctor', but I know nothing about the case. I-"

"Actually, I was thinking we could meet in my office tomorrow morning, say ten? You can ask any questions, and I can show you exactly what I want from you each day. This will be a more comfortable way of getting to know your case than just reading some file later tonight." He explained it all to me, and I nodded giddily.

"That sounds great. I'll be there, Dr. Cullen. You can count on me!"

"Now, you can go clock out, I'll cover for you for the rest of the night." He smiled.

"Oh, it's only two more hours, Dr. Cullen." I shook my head, declining his offer without even a second thought about it.

"I know. I get bored all cooped up in that office all day. You should go home, and get some rest. I'll take over. Don't worry about it. And please, remember to call me Carlisle." He smiled and I grinned back at him. I'd never had someone be so naturally nice to me.

It felt so off.

"Th-thank you Dr...Carlisle. I'll see you tomorrow morning!" I thanked him and he nodded, sending me off.

I quickly went upstairs and changed. I found my old sweats and a t-shirt with ease. Once I lay down in my bed, I began to relax from the excitement. I had been so absolutely stunned by what Dr. Cullen asked of me. I never perceived myself as a merely good doctor, let alone outstanding compared to my class. The idea that he wanted me there was unnerving in some senses.

I wasn't exactly used to having anyone want me. I always wondered if that was why I went into medicine. Because I needed to feel needed. My family...my...everyone in my house when I was growing up literally ignored me. I never felt needed, and I never had anyone to need. I was so deprived of it that by the time I moved in with my dad, in my freshman year of college, that I was completely incapable of becoming close with him. We were probably more distant than brand new roommates for college. Even he didn't need me for anything but a dinner every once in a while.

I sighed at the thought, and shook my head. My eyes began to rim with tears. I knew better than to cry after all that time. It had been years since I'd even left Renee and Phil's. They never tried to contact me. They never once asked where I went, or anything similar. They were too preoccupied with my many siblings to notice that I had moved out of the house. I was just the extra kid that mom never needed to begin with.

Mom and I never had a proper relationship. She and my father married when they were young, and immediately became pregnant with my brother, Julian. They had me when he was six, and then Meredith four years later. Right around the time that she was born, my parents split up. Julian stayed with dad, while Meredith and I went with mom. She remarried with Phil, and they had two more kids. Christopher, who was a year younger than Meredith, and then four years later they had Elaina.

Elaina, Christopher, and Meredith were their pride-and-joys. Mom kept in contact with Julian, but they never had the right bond. Julian went and signed up for the army when he was seventeen. I was only twelve at the time. He was the only family member that ever even looked my way. I was so heartbroken when he left me. He hasn't come back since.

I didn't even know if my big brother was alive or not.

I was sobbing in no time as I let the memories take over. It wasn't unusual for me to spend my nights like that. I always let the hurt take over in the dark because no one could see me break down.

I cried myself to sleep that night, just like I always did. When I woke up, my eyes were a mess, and I still felt exhausted. I rushed to my kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker before I went to take a shower. My house was fairly large for a single woman. I paid for it with my own hard-earned cash. I'd been saving since I was practically born. Mom always complained that she never got child-support. That was because I took it before she could find it. She never planned on spending it on the children, so I spent it on a house to live in.

Once I was clean, and dressed, I went to eat a bagel. The paper had an ad, with a picture of the man's face from last night, and it was asking for any family to step up and claim him. I shook my head, thinking about how I wouldn't want my face plastered everywhere if I went missing. Even then, if there were people looking for me. I would have felt completely violated.

I tossed the second half of my bagel and went out to my truck. Without much more thinking, I got in and drove to the hospital. It was downtown, and about ten minutes from the neighborhood I lived in. Living close to where I worked made me feel as if I had a home – even if it was practically pretend.

When I walked in, I noted that I was half an hour early. I didn't really care as I found myself heading towards the elevator.

When I got up to Carlisle's office, he was seated quietly and working on papers. I quietly rapped my knuckle on the door and he smiled, waving me in. I felt my ears grow hot as I stepped in and made sure to ask if it was okay that I was early.

"Early bird always catches the worm in my book, Isabella." He laughed. "Now, ready to head on down to the ICU?"

"How bad is he?" I asked, wondering what had been done to have the patient placed in intensive care.

"Well, we've got him in an induced coma so that his body can rest and heal on its own. We should have him off of it in a couple days. He also has a breathing tube in and plenty of cuts, burns, and bruises. His left wrist is broken too. The poor guy is pretty banged up, and there's not a single sign of as to what happened."

"Did the police check this out?" I asked, thinking of how my father was the Police Chief in Forks.

"Yes, they came in last night. It seems the media already has a hand in this too, if you read the paper." He shook his head and I nodded.

"I was bothered by how...inconsiderate of his privacy they were." I murmured, mostly to myself.

"Absolutely," he answered and I felt my entire body tense. I hadn't meant to just go and shoot my mouth off like that. I hated sharing my opinion when it wasn't necessary. I always felt like such a burden – and rude – when I did silly things like that.

We arrived outside of the private room and Carlisle opened the door swiftly. He led me over to the bed in the middle of the room. The man placed in it had long, scruffy hair and a five o'clock shadow. His hair was a dirty, coppery brown and he looked to be fairly proportional. I felt my breathing stop as I came to terms with just how gorgeous my new patient was.

He was beautiful.

"What's his name?" I whispered, wondering how dumb I sounded. I felt like he was an angel, at rest, and I didn't want to wake him.

"For now we've been calling him JD...John Doe," he pointed out and I shook my head.

"No family?"

"Not yet," he corrected me and I nodded.

"Wow...I can't believe it...do they know how he got there?" I asked him, thinking about the ridiculous snow storm last night. It was only October and the weather was already nasty. Anything could have happened to our JD out there, especially in the darkness of a Seattle, Washington night. It was just horrific to think about.

"They don't know a thing. They're still looking, but for now, we'll just have to deal." He shook his head, and I nodded in response.

"Okay, well, feel free to get started on explaining what I need to do." I mumbled, and he nodded, following me into the room completely.

Carlisle took the time to go over everything with me. I was so happy to have him as an instructor. He made it all sound so simple. I was simply coming in and doing a regular check up on this man everyday. And if a problem were to arise, I was instructed to call him, or another head of staff. I thanked Carlisle immediately for his help, and he laughed it off.

"You're welcome, Isabella. Now, you aren't clocked in, I have you listed as off-duty today. Feel free to hang out and get to know your patient though. His file is at the end of the bed. Leave when you feel like it." He told me and nodded, thanking him again.

"Don't thank me, Dr. Swan."

"I have to...thanks." I chuckled dryly and turned back to the man.

"I'll see you in the morning, when you're on duty. Just come straight up here and begin. You don't have to check in with me, if I'm not already here." He smiled and I thanked him.

"Have a nice day, Dr. Cullen." I murmured as I sat down and looked at my patient.

Without even realizing it, I had the folder and a slip of paper out. I pulled my good pencil out and began doing a sketch of his face. Because his eyes were still closed, and his lips were covered, I spend more time on his intense jawline and messy hair. I'd never drawn anything so angelic. I knew that even though it was out of procedure, that as an artist in my free time, I had to do it.

As I drew an exact replica of our JD, I realized that something was right. I realized that this drawing was only the beginning of my first job as a doctor. It was my first step towards becoming the next, not as great, Dr. Cullen.

A/N: My first story is now up and running! I will warn you guys now, it's going to be a slow start as I attempt to get a hang of this entire beta thing. I didn't read back through this chapter as thoroughly as I could have, but I plan on doing that much before I even send the next chapters to my beta.

I do have to thank the betas who had a hand in fixing up my chapter with me. XxUnrivaledxX and I'm Losing Myself, specifically, for putting up with the first chapter of many.

Review any thoughts, constructive criticism, or words of encouragement!

- Daniella