A/N: Welcome to the story! Before we get started, I would like to clear a few things up as to avoid confusion. Please read what is listed below.

Main Setting: Minneapolis, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota

Beginning Year: 2001

Beginning Character Ages: Carlisle - 361 in human years and forever frozen at 33, Esme - 102 in human years and forever frozen at 31, Main Child That You Will Eventually Find Out The Name Of - 6, just six

Warning: Mentions of rape and possibly other horrible events

Well that's pretty much it and I will let you guys get to reading shortly! Oh! One more thing. Well, two, I guess. First I just wanted to let you know that none of the Cullen kids or werewolves will be appearing in this story. Second, we can't forget the disclaimer! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga but I do own this story and it's plot and the characters I create and would appreciate it if you would NOT copy my ideas or characters unless I have given you permission to do so. Thank you! :)

CHAPTER 1:

CARLISLE'S POINT OF VIEW:

"Dr. Cullen? We need your help with a hypothermia victim that has just arrived," a nurse said, poking her head into my office.

"I'm coming," I said, getting up out of my chair and following her down the wide ER hallway to the room where the patient was waiting.

My heart broke just a little when I saw that it was a tiny girl, probably around six or seven. She had blonde hair, skin so pale that it looked almost blue, and was as skinny as a stick; bones jutting out in places that I didn't think were possible. Her skin color must be because of hypothermia, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was her natural skin tone. I could count her ribs through her torn shirt, and if she weren't so weak-looking I could probably use her shoulder to slice an apple. It was good that she wasn't bleeding anywhere.

What worried me the most was that her face was completely emotionless. There was this blank expression on her face as if nothing was going on. She showed no fear, as most children would at a time like this, and wasn't moving at all. She wasn't shivering and there was only a slight bit of movement from her breathing. Her eyes combed the room, and again, and again, and again. She didn't seem to notice the nurses sticking IV's in her arm, or hooking her up to the heart monitor. She just sat on the bed wrapped in blankets, totally oblivious to everything around her. This wasn't normal.

I picked up the clipboard to look at her chart but found that it was blank.

"She won't speak," one of the nurses said, noticing my gaze. "We don't know anything about her, not even her name."

"This isn't normal," I said, shaking my head.

"Could it be some kind of mental illness?" she wondered.

I shook my head. "None of her symptoms fit. Any special needs child would have been screaming at this point."

Then I thought of something. "Hannah, please get me a rape kit."

She looked at me like I was crazy. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"It's a possibility, and we've got to figure out what's going on."

Sure enough, the poor child had been raped. It was all coming together now. The girl had an extremely severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This couldn't be healed medicinally; she had to come to on her own. There was no guessing how long it would take. Hours, days, weeks, months, even years, there was just no telling when.

"Okay here's what I want. I want everyone to please leave so that she's not overwhelmed," I instructed.

They all left.

"Hello, Child," I greeted her softly, gently, smiling at her.

No response.

"What's your name, Little One?" I asked.

Still no answer. Her eyes were on me though, so I knew she wasn't deaf. I slowly walked towards her until I reached the bed. I lovingly stroked her cheek. Still no reaction. I sat down on the stool next to her to wait. I sat there for hours, just staring into her eyes as she stared into mine. After about four hours when it was one in the afternoon, her expression changed to one of curiosity. I beamed at her; she was making progress.

"You're going to be okay, Child, I promise," I told her softly.

She looked a little bit frightened.

"I'm Dr. Cullen, can you tell me your name?" I asked.

Nothing.

"That's okay Sweetie, I'm sure you'll open up to me soon enough," I said.

I sat with her like that for a couple more hours. Her facial expression became less frightened, and settled on a look of contentment. I wanted so badly to scoop her up and hug her, but I was afraid that it would frighten her. Even though she didn't do much and I didn't know her that well, she was a delightful child. She just lit up my world, and I didn't know why. Maybe it was because Esme and I didn't have any kids – couldn't have any kids, or maybe it was just something about this little girl's true personality that she wouldn't let me see right now, but I knew it was there. It was there under that deep, dark mask of whatever trauma she had been through.

"Honey, I'm going to examine you, okay? It won't hurt, you have nothing to be afraid of," I said.

I gently checked her ears for any problems. She had a minor ear infection that I suspected was just from the cold and would heal quickly on its own. I didn't want to give her antibiotics. When I tried to check her eyes with my penlight, she turned her head away. She moved! She actually moved! I praised her for that, but then insisted that she keep her head still for just a moment. Once I said that, she cooperated. So she did understand language. I was almost positive that she didn't have any sort of brain disability. I finished the exam without much fuss, but she was not very happy at the end of it. She was upset for a little bit but then slowly began slipping back into her expressionless stage. Determined not to let that happen, I quick picked her up and held her tight to my chest.

"No, do not go back to that. Stay with me, Baby," I cooed.

She seemed startled, but she stayed with me. She laid her little head on my shoulder as I swayed back and forth in front of the window. I grabbed her hand and pressed it against my cheek, kissing it occasionally. Her breathing evened, and she drifted off to sleep. It was getting late, but I just couldn't put her down. I also didn't want to leave her in this dark room all alone. I was Chief of the ER, so I got to call all the shots. I decided that it would be best for her to stay in my office overnight. I would stay with her, of course. On my way to my office, I stopped by the linen closet and grabbed a few blankets and pillows. I laid her down on one of the couches and covered her with two blankets. I put the pillow under her head and smoothed her hair back out of her face. I tossed the other blanket and pillow onto the other couch. If I was going to "sleep" here tonight, I would need some props. I sat down at my desk across the room and did some paperwork. I also contemplated what to do with the shy little girl that I had on my hands. I didn't know her name, and she wouldn't speak. The poor thing had been raped, so I doubted that she had very good parents. Accidents do happen, but what are the odds of that happening to a six-year-old child with responsible parents. Not very likely in my book.

At about midnight, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Esme.

"Hello Dear, I apologize for not calling you," I said.

"It's fine Carlisle, I'm just wondering when you're coming home. Were you caught up in surgery?" she asked.

"No Dear. This morning a hypothermia victim was admitted and turned out to be a six-year-old rape victim. We can't find out anything about her because she seems to have severe PTSD and won't speak and will barely move. She seems frightened, but also curious. I have her in my office right now because I don't want her alone in that exam room and she's become a little attached to me," I explained.

"She's attached to you or you're attached to her?" I could hear the smile in her voice.

"All right, you got me. The situation is just such a shame though," I said.

"It is," she agreed. "But I know that you're doing everything you can to help her. You'll fix her Carlisle, I know you will."

"It's just going to take a long time," I said. "She doesn't seem too eager to heal. She's so closed off and distant. At first I felt like I was talking to a statue."

"No one should have to go through something like that, especially a child. You're her only hope Carlisle," she said.

"I wouldn't say that."

"I would. No one is more caring and loving than you. I say forget the medical attention unless it is something crucial, and give her plenty of TLC. She needs to be loved," Esme said.

"Esme, I'm only her doctor. I can't be the person to give her the love she deserves," I said.

"Well if she gets it from no one else then I'd say that it would be perfectly acceptable for you to do so. Love is the best healing medicine," she said.

I glanced over at the sleeping child. "I can't argue with that, Love."

"Well I'm sure you have work to do, so I will let you go. Call me in the morning?" she requested.

"Of course. Love you," I said.

"Love you more."

At about three in the morning, when I was laying on the other couch pretending to sleep, I heard the Unnamed Angel begin to stir. I opened eyes to the barest slits so that I could try to catch her in an unguarded moment. I wanted to see if she relaxed at all during the night, or if the guarded persona she had was permanent. Apparently it was permanent, because there was no change from yesterday.

She sat up robotically and looked around the room. I groaned and pretended to stretch as if I were just waking up. I sat up and flicked on one of the lamps, causing dim light to flood the room. I got up and slowly approached the couch where she was sitting, eyes wide open. Squatting down before her, I grabbed her hands and rubbed them in soothing circles.

"Hello Sweetheart, do you need anything?" I asked, hoping she would answer me.

No such luck. She looked back at me as if she wanted to reply, as if the answer was on the edges of her lips, but couldn't let it out. Her expression was one of sadness, and I thought maybe a little bit of guilt. She barely showed any emotion, but it was definitely there. It was so faint that a human would not be able to see it.

"Don't worry," I said, patting her knee. "I'll find out what you need."

First I had a nurse take her to the bathroom. Afterwards she looked a little less uncomfortable, but she still didn't look happy. I brought her back to my office and got her some soup from the cafeteria. I set it down in front of her, and she just looked at it. I put a very small amount of broth on the spoon, made sure that it wasn't too hot, and held it up to her lips. She turned her face away.

"Please Honey, just try a bite. I don't want to have to put in a feeding tube," I told her.

This time I pushed the spoon just slightly through her lips. Again she turned away. Even though I didn't want to, I put my hand on the back of her head to hold it still, forced her mouth open, and force-fed her. I was thankful that she didn't spit it out at me. After that, she seemed more willing to eat. She opened her mouth every time I held the spoon to her lips and was able to eat half the bowl.

"Good girl," I praised her. "Do you want a sip of water?"

I held the straw up to her mouth as I had with the spoon. She wasted no time taking three tiny sips of water. I guessed that her stomach was very small from not having eaten for a long time and she couldn't handle much. She had eaten quite a bit though, and I was pleased.

A week went by and she showed no progress. If anything, she had slipped back into that blank, frozen being that she had been days before. Since the little girl was in my care and had to sleep in my office I practically lived at the hospital and hadn't gotten to see Esme for a week. I had talked to her on the phone, but it wasn't the same. And there was no way that I was leaving this child here alone. Now I was being confronted by the churlish administrator.

"Cullen, it's been more than a week and the attention deficit child or whatever she has is no better than she was on day one. Your methods aren't working, so you either need to turn her over to someone else's care or move her to a different hospital. I know that you're the amazing all-knowing Chief of the ER and all, but you can't fix a disability," Dr. Thompson said.

I was angered by his words, but I didn't let that get to me. "Richard, she's not attention deficit, she has severe PTSD. All she needs is love and care which I am perfectly capable of giving her. I understand that you can't have a patient in the hospital forever and you have to deal with the Board, so grant me permission to do something. Let me take her to my home and heal her so that we can put her in foster care as soon as possible."

"Carlisle, that isn't legal," he said.

"Does it seem like I care? I don't really care what the law says, because all I want is to help this child! I will not turn her over to someone else, I will not ship her off to another hospital because you don't want to deal with something, and I will NOT release her until she is healed," I said firmly.

He seemed taken aback by my words. "You would risk a lawsuit and losing your medical license for a mere patient?"

"No, I would risk a lawsuit and chance of my license being revoked for a child that needs to be loved and taken care of in a proper way," I said strongly.

"Well it's your call I guess. Don't say I didn't warn you when they come to throw you in jail," he smirked.

"And don't be surprised when I earn a cash reward for the hospital for healing a helpless child," I shot back.

"The hospital wouldn't earn the reward, you would," he emphasized as if I didn't know what I was talking about.

"Yes, but I would donate it to the hospital to help pay for any supplies we need or pay the wonderful staff who put their heart and soul into helping people. It would be dumb and selfish to keep it for myself," I said, giving him a very pointed look.

He looked very uncomfortable, and I smiled on the inside. A few years back, he had earned a ten thousand dollar reward for being an administrator for so long. Being the selfish and proud man that he was, he kept it all for himself. At the time, Allina Abbott Northwestern Hospital was in serious debt. The reward had been given to him by the hospital because they thought that it would motivate him to do something about the debt, but it just got them in deeper. The only way they had gotten themselves out of that hole was when Dr. Richard Thompson begrudgingly hired me a few months later. I had donated ten million dollars, which was really just the tip of the iceberg off my bank account, and with my enhanced abilities to help people, we now got more money from the government. The administrator was considered a hero, but my close colleagues and I who hate Richard just as much as I do know the truth. This was probably the biggest cause of the standing rivalry between us.

Pushing all negative thoughts about the person I despised out of my head, I wasted no time in getting back to my little angel. I had three weeks off to take care of and heal this little girl before I had to return her to the hospital and hand her off to someone else whether I fixed her or not. If she was better, she would be put into foster care. If she wasn't any better, she would be sent to another hospital and there would be nothing I could do about it.

Either way, Esme would be ecstatic about this, especially since we had no children. I thought about calling her, but the idea of surprising her grew on me. She hadn't seen me for so long that I bet if I came home on a Monday night like this with a little girl in my arms the time would be all worth it for her.

"Hi Honey, I'm back. I told you I wouldn't be long," I said, greeting the child as I went into my office.

I walked over to her and crouched down before her and made eye contact.

"Listen Honey, I've got some great news for you. You don't have to be here any longer. If it's okay with you, I will take you home with me so that my wife and I can care for you for a while. You won't be surrounded by a bunch of bright lights and people in white coats, you will have your own room with your own bed to sleep in, and best of all, you won't have any nurses bugging you in the middle of the night. Does that sound good?"

I knew that she wouldn't answer me, but I saw a faint sparkle of excitement and happiness in her eyes.

"Wonderful. Now here's the catch. You need to get better for me, okay? You need to be showing emotion and speaking like I know you're capable of. I know what you've been through, Sweetheart, and I know it's hard to let yourself out and get rid of the mask but I'm here to help you with that, okay? Together we can make you better and let you be the happy little girl that you were however long ago. If by the time the three weeks are up you're still not ready to come out of your shell, you will have to go to a different hospital so that someone else can help you. It sounds scary, I know, but let's not worry and hope it doesn't come to that. If by the end of your time at home with me you are healthy and happy again, you will probably be put up for adoption. That may scare you a little too but I promise that I will find you a nice family that will open up their hearts to you. Let's not worry about that though and focus on right now. Just remember that you are not alone in this, all right?" I asked.

The child reached out her little hand and wrapped it around my index finger. She looked down at me with the same small sparkle in her eyes. Then her shoulders dropped as if that was all that she could muster up. I beamed at her. I cautiously wrapped my arm around her little body, pulling her in for a hug.

"You'll be all right, I just know it," I told her. "Now how about we get going?"

I stood up and put on my long black coat and grabbed my black bag. I picked the angel up and swaddled her in a warm blanket so that she wouldn't get sick from the cold early-October air here in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It was almost always cloudy or rainy, which was perfect for us. Esme and I lived on the outskirts of town in a mansion near Lebanon Hills Regional Park. We were located deep in the woods that surrounded the park, so we were never bothered by humans. I did have about a forty minute commute since I worked in Minneapolis, but it was worth it. Everything about it was beautiful.

I placed her in the backseat of my Mercedes and settled her in for the long car ride home. She didn't seem uneasy about anything at all, and I was very pleased. This child obviously trusted me, and it was great to know that. She didn't make a peep during the entire trip, but she hadn't fallen asleep. When we arrived, I shut off the car and then went to help her out. Her eyes were alight with curiosity as she stared at the big white house. I offered her my hand, but she didn't accept. She didn't want to move either. I noticed the mask beginning to come back since she was in a new place, so I picked her up and carried her up to the door. Despite my efforts, she slipped back into the blank, expressionless, limp being that she had been.

I went inside, took off my coat, and waited for my wife to come bounding up to me. Boy was she in for a surprise . . .

"Carlisle!" Esme exclaimed, coming around the corner. She stopped short when she saw the child in my arms.

"What's going on? Is this the child that you were telling me about?" she whispered.

"Yes indeed she is," I said with a smile.

Esme came closer so that she was just two feet away.

"Hi Baby, I'm Esme," she greeted softly.

The child just looked at her with a blank face. Esme seemed a little confused.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I've taken to calling her Angel," I said.

"Why is she . . . that way?" she asked, at loss for words on how to describe it.

"I told you, she's distant. She was better earlier, but now that she's in a new place she has her guard up again. She'll probably be more open in a few days after she's gotten used to everything," I said.

Esme's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that she's going to be living with us for the next three weeks, and I'm off of work the whole time," I explained.

Her face was one of shock, then realization, and then finally excitement. I smiled; this was the moment I had been waiting all day for.

"Really? Oh my goodness! You should have told me! I didn't get a pretty little girl's room ready! I guess the guestroom will just have to do for a few days. It's a good thing that you can be home too, because I need to run to Lowe's tomorrow and get some paint. And everything else a girl needs! Like a pink canopy bed, and a –"

"Whoa Nelly, slow down a little." She was talking a mile a minute. "It's just for three weeks."

"And I'm determined to make it the best three weeks of her life!" she declared.

I sighed and surrendered. There was no reining her in once she got going. I listened to her talk on and on about decorating this and buying that until I just couldn't stand it anymore. I loved my wife, but I didn't love interior design.

"Darling, I'm going to put her to bed. Do you want to come with?" I asked.

"Well of course! Here, let me go ahead of you so that I can get the bed ready," she said.

The extra bedroom that we had for really no reason since we never had any guests was located right across the hall from mine and Esme's. Esme pulled down the sheets and I gently laid the tired child down. I stroked her cheek and told her that I was just right across the hall if she needed anything and that she could use the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom at any time without permission. Esme murmured a few words of love to her before turning around to leave.

"Goodnight, Angel," I said quietly before turning off the light and shutting the door.

A/N: I hope you liked the first chapter of this story. Please favorite and follow and add it to a community if possible. Reviews are also much appreciated! Thanks for reading!