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Chapter 1: Change

CarlislePOV

Chicago, September 1918

This was so frustrating. I had to sit here, in my house the whole day, hiding from the sun and pretending to be sleeping. Out there were peoples in need, suffering in the horrible disease, and I was sitting here, me, the one doctor who didn't need to rest. After over 250 years as a vampire I was used to stay indoors during the day, but now it felt like betrayal against all the humans who needed me.

Every ticking second I grew more and more impatient. Every ticking second there was someone dying. The sun was crawling across the sky. Pacing restlessly inside my house didn't help at all, and I felt like I could hit my head on the wall. But that action would only break the wall.

Finally, finally the sun was setting down. I jumped out of my window and started running at full speed towards the hospital where I worked. Near the hospital I slowed to human speed, still running quite fast, and bursted through the door. A tired laugh stopped me. My colleague, Doctor Johnson, had just been leaving, when I'd nearly crushed him against the wall in my hurry.

''You seem to wish that you could be working all day long.'' He said, putting a hand to my shoulder.
''Yes, I do.'' I answered. He laughed again.
''Unfortunately that's not possible. Everybody needs their sleep. Well, I'm going home now. Good night, Dr. Cullen.'' I wished him goodnight and rushed to my little locker to change on my doctors' coat. Then I went to wash my hands. It was very hard to keep up my human charade, when I wanted to move as fast as I really could.

I left quickly to see the patients who were mending, there weren't many of them. Then I headed to see the worst cases. On my way I had to walk through the front lobby. There was a chaos. There were sick peoples lying on the floor, relatives supporting their loved ones while there was no free pair of hands to take care of them. The front door never closed, always was someone coming in, but rarely leaving. I tried to hurry through the chaotic hall, but suddenly there was a warm hand grabbing my arm.

''Please, help my son, he's dying, he's dying…'' A young woman was holding a little boy in her arms, tears flowing in her feverish cheeks; boy was coughing and sweating because of high fever. I saw that there was no chance of survival to the poor boy and I felt horrible for that young mother. I reached for a passing nurse, and ordered her to take the mother and boy to the first free spot she saw. There was always a free place to someone, because, though we were trying our best, every minute somebody died to this terrifying disease.

I rushed through the section meant for worst cases; I kept changing cold bandages to their flaming foreheads, giving medicine and occasionally holding a hand. They did not notice my hands coldness, because of the fever. Everything felt cold to them.

In the far end of the section I spotted a woman hovering over a bed. She obviously wasn't nurse. As I approached, I saw a man lying in that bed. He was unconscious, coughing blood and his fever was running high. His heart fluttered miserably. It was clear he was dying. The woman didn't pay any attention to me, but kept wiping the blood away from his mouth. ''Edward, Edward…'' She muttered to herself.

''Excuse me, madam, please let me do that.'' I said politely, pushing her gently back to her own bed and replacing her hands, wiping the blood away. She was clearly very ill herself, her emerald green eyes gleaming with high fever. But still she was trying to nurse her husband. What a brave woman. She did not stay in her bed, but moved to another, where was lying a teenage boy; obviously her son. He was sleeping restlessly, but when his mothers' fingers touched his cheek, he startled awake. His eyes were as green as his mothers', full off concern and love directed towards his mother.

''Mom, you should rest…'' His sentence stopped abruptly when he had to cough. His mother ignored the request, changed the cold bandage to his forehead and tried to soothe him: ''I'm okay, my precious Edward…'' I noticed that the man and boy had same first name. But as she said those words, she swayed unsteadily on her feet. I grabbed her arm before she could fall, and guided her back to bed. ''Madam, your son is right. You should rest.'' Though she had pretty high fever, she snapped back to me:

''Don't call me 'madam', my name is Elizabeth Masen, and I cannot rest, because no one else is taking care off my son and husband!'' I was bewildered, this woman, Elizabeth, honestly was very, very brave. ''Well, Elizabeth, at least try to rest, I'll come check on you soon again.'' I told her, and started walking away; I needed to check on others, too. She stayed in her bed obediently, but in the minute she thought I couldn't see her anymore, she went back to nurse her family. I sighed heavily. She was weakening her own survival chances. Then I needed to concentrate on other patients, but a picture of that family hovered in the back of my mind the whole time.

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When I arrived to the hospital next evening, I went straight to the Masen-family. I'd grown attached – which was dangerous – but I wanted to check on them now because I hadn't had any time last night though I had promised. Now I felt guilty about my ignorance. Sun was just setting down when I arrived to their sickbeds. This time, Edward Senior wasn't there anymore and Elizabeth was lying in her bed instead of nursing her son. She had clearly taken a bad turn. Fever was running out of control and her body couldn't fight anymore. Her son, Edward, looked even worse. I supposed he would go first.

As I was changing a new cold bandage to Elizabeths' forehead, she glared at me. Suddenly, she croaked to me in a hoarse voice: ''Save him!'' I immediately understood that she meant her son. ''I'll do everything in my power.'' I promised her, and took her small hand. She didn't flinch at the coldness, probably she was unable to feel how unnaturally cold it exactly was; instead she squeezed my hand hard and looked at me so sternly that I wondered if she still can pull through this crisis.

''You must…You must do everything in your power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward.'' I stared at her, frightened. Did she know my secret?

Elizabeths' head fall against her pillow, she had lost consciousness. I sat there beside her bed, listening to her heartbeat and pondering. How could she know what I am? How could she want that for her son? I watched Edwards' face, and albeit it was strained with pain, he was still beautiful. I remembered his concern about his mother. He has a very kind soul. A soul that was worth saving. There was something pure in him. He was that kind of a boy that I would like to have. As I was thinking my decision, his mother took few unsteady breaths; her heart fluttered and beat faintly one more time. I glanced at her sadly. Though the death had taken her, her face was still pained, not in peace at all. Only one hour had passed.

My eyes darted between Elizabeth and Edward. Edwards' breathing was difficult and he groaned in pain. It was clear he had only hours left, if not minutes. He was alone in the world. He was dying. After centuries off loneliness, I was about to create a company, after I'd been indecisive about that for decades…But at that point, I wasn't thinking anymore. I wheeled his mother to morgue first and then returned to him. I briefly checked his heartbeat and breathing, then glanced around me. I started wheeling him towards morgue, a little faster than should have been possible. No doctor or nurse stopped me; no-one had enough time to notice that Edward was still breathing.

To my relief the morgue was empty, of the living at least. I took Edward in my arms, and escaped through the back door. When I was outside, I jumped to the first building roof and carried him across the rooftops to my house, running at full speed.

During the run, Edward started squirming and groaning in my arms, but couldn't reach the consciousness. Inside my house I settled him to my bed, which was of course only façade.

I backed away few steps, thinking hard. I've never exactly considered how I would do this. The horrible night, when I was changed, centuries ago, was clear in my mind. But I wasn't sure, was the trick my venom, or wounds? Edward groaned again and seemed to be very uncomfortable. For a moment I disliked myself, because I was about to make him even more uncomfortable…But I pushed that thought away and took a hesitant step closer to him.

Then I decided. I leaned closer to his exposed neck, veins standing out because of the pain he was suffering. I sank my venom-covered teeth in his throat. Edwards' blood flooded to my mouth and venom replaced it. I licked the wound I'd just created, my venom shutting it. Then I leaned close to him again, re-creating the wounds I had gotten that night.

Edward was gasping in surprise, his eyes flashed wide open. He wasn't conscious enough to scream yet, but he twitched and squirmed while gasping more air. His eyes fluttered shut. His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest. Changing.

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A/N: Well, here goes :) Hope you liked this, reviews are appreciated. Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own Twilight. And don't sue me because few sentences in the story are from New Moon.