Disclaimer: I would love to own Twilight, but if I did, I think I would be too busy sipping expensive drinks by my pool outside my mansion to write fanfics. Consequently, I only own a very active imagination and lots of knowledge about appendicitis. I'm not sure its entirely useful right now.

Chapter 1

"Oh, Love…" he breathed, caressing her neck with his lips, lightly, so sweetly. Inhaling, he sought a way to actually breathe her inside of himself. She sighed, a soft, contented sigh that floated out of her throat and drifted into his lungs. Hearing him use that pet name, a name that spoke of so much devotion, stole the strength from her legs, and they trembled slightly.

Her fingers wound into his hair, soft and bronze and wonderful. Gripping the thick tresses, she angled his head closer to her neck, which had erupted in goose flesh at his agonizingly light strokes. Comprehending, he pressed more firmly, but still moved at his heartbreakingly slow pace.

She moaned, knowing he was teasing her, too enraptured to actually mind all that much. What a mouth this man had! Really, there wasn't anything about him that didn't cause parts of her to tingle. She felt herself warm to his touches; her face and chest grew pink with her excitement. He chuckled, and pulled his face back from her neck, measuring her look for a moment. Her eyes were half hidden by her long lashes at the moment, and her rosy lips beckoned him. Leaning back in, slowly, so slowly, he pressed his full lips to hers. They both moaned lightly at the delightful sensation that filled them, overwhelmed them. The softness! She had forgotten how soft lips could feel! And gentle-he was so tender; it was obvious he cared very much for her.

She sighed again at the contented feeling that rose up and slowly consumed her, but suddenly felt a sharp pain on her shoulder. Turning to see what it was, she realized she was leaning on the racks of charts in the nurse's station, and a certain bronze-haired, ocher-eyed doctor was gently calling her name, while an aide tapped her arm repeatedly and none too gently.

"Bella? Are you ok? You look lost..." Dr. Edward Cullen spoke smoothly, meeting her eyes and making her blush. She smiled lightly, and ducked her head, covering her lips lightly with her fingertips. Dr. Cullen had never been anything but professionally polite and devastatingly handsome. Bella's cheeks belied her extreme humiliation at having been caught in a daydream about the delicious doctor. He always listened to his patients and the nurses he worked with carefully, and worked faithfully to help people heal. Bella thought very highly of him, but had a hard time looking into his eyes. Not because they weren't dreamy or beautiful or the most magnificent pair of eyes she had ever come across, but because he always seemed to be so intense and intent on what was behind her own. She supposed that he was always as attentive, he had to be, to be such a talented physician, but it felt different, somehow, when his met her dark brown orbs.

"Umm… I was just thinking. Sorry. Here," she stepped aside, making room for him and then quickly deciding to leave and shook her head lightly at her pathetic lie. 'Thinking? What was that? Yeah, thinking about a nice hot make out session with you, Doctor Hotness.' Walking quickly to the med room, she shuffled through some papers. She knew that she had a ten o'clock med to give and pulled it, forcing herself to focus on the importance of her correctness.

"These are people's lives on the line, here, Bella. Focus. You are a talented and bright RN. Concentrate on your patients. Dream about that perfect mouth covering yours on your time off…" She groaned, as she remembered how soft, and full and pink Dr. Cullen's (or Edward, as she called him in her fantasies) lips always looked. Vigorously shaking her head, annoyed that her own pep talk had gone so poorly, she left the med room.

The rest of her morning was spent passing meds and comforting one particular wife who had decided to withdraw her husband from life support. It was an emotionally draining day, and when Bella finally got to take her lunch break, at two, she was ravenous and discouraged. She had brought her own lunch, and sat in the nursing lounge, swallowing large, partially chewed bites of her turkey sandwich. As she ate, she tried desperately not to cry. Most days as a nurse were very rewarding; she got to use her knowledge to help better people's lives. She felt a bizarre disconnect from the real world, eating so quickly but with such a heavy heart.

"My coping skills are in the toilet! I must be close to my period…" Bella tiredly wiped her hands and stood. "Just a few more minutes," she spoke to no one in particular, walking to the window, enjoying the view of the green foliage outside. The weather was damp, of course, and she pondered if her day was going to continue in the same vein. Trying to forget the past few hours was proving a difficult task. She couldn't suppress the scene that was unfolding before her eyes.

"Please wake up. Please, Frank, I love you. The kids love you. The grandkids. Please try…"
Bella fought the urge to leave the emotionally charged room, knowing she needed to be there for her patient and his wife. He was the unfortunate victim of a hemorrhagic stroke, which had caused severe brain damage. He had departed this world, but his body continued to breathe with the assistance of a ventilator. This woman had been pleading with her husband for a week to wake up, but Bella knew he never would. After talking with approximately five doctors and every nurse she saw walk past, this wife had accepted, most tearfully, her husband's fate and solemnly said goodbye.
"Well… if you really want to go, I guess I can let you. But I'm going to miss you so much. How will I do without you?"

Bella lost it then, and tears streamed down her face as this woman confessed her undying love to her husband of nearly fifty years. Together, they cried over the Great Loss.

Bella shivered and wiped her cheeks, sniffling, trying to focus out the window. She heard a sound behind her, and froze. Why did someone have to choose now to walk in here? She stifled a groan, sighing instead, and turned to face the intruder.

"Bella? Are you ok?" The second time that day, Dr. Cullen asked the same question, and Bella wished she could just die right there. Why did he have to be so sweet? She shrugged and struggled to not burst into tears again. As he inspected her face, his own tilted to the side and his full, beautiful bottom lip jutted out just the slightest bit. He seemed to be peering directly into her soul and she shivered again, involuntarily.

"Is it Mr. Carmichael?" She paused. She wrinkled her nose at the memory and tried to push her panic down. How did he know? Was she that much of an open book? She was really going to start balling if she didn't get out of here, now. Bella attempted to nod coldly and move past Dr. Cullen, but his hand reached out to grab her elbow. At his touch, which was surprisingly cold, she jerked to a stop and lost her tenuous control over her tears. They poured down her face, slipping hot across her cheeks and onto the breast of her scrubs. Edward… Dr. Cullen… released her arm as if he had been shocked, and his eyes bored into her own. She nodded, finally answering his question, but not trusting his voice. His look softened.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and his thumb caressed her through the cotton material. He still felt mildly cool to her. It was a very pleasant sensation, as if he touch had the power to sink right past her skin and sink into her very bones.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and she nodded again, still unsure. The tears started to slip even faster from her red-rimmed eyes, at his tender words. Why did he care so much? He was a brilliant doctor, and she was just a nurse and what was he even doing in the nurse's lounge? How did he even know the door code to get in? But most importantly, would he stop caressing her? Because Bella was fairly sure if he didn't soon, she might have to throw herself at him and kiss him until she replaced that caring look he wore with a hungry one.

His butterscotch eyes glanced to his own hand and then back to her eyes. Bella's tears began to slow, as she realized something: while it was sad that Mr. Carmichael would be passing today, what was sadder to her was the loss his wife would feel when the love of her life would expire. Life is precious, but is made so by the people whom we love and love us. Bella had never really been in love and was so hungry for it. She wanted to look at a man the way that Mrs. Carmichael looked at her husband, with eyes adoring and words praising and hands loving.

Only a few seconds passed, as she thought this, and then pushed those thoughts from her head. She would have to deal with that later. Now, her patients needed her. She had to rise above this, for just a few more hours, and then she could allow herself to sink into the despair.

"Sorry, Dr. Cullen… I was just… very… touched… by Mrs. Carmichael's love for her husband. It really hit me hard today. I haven't been sleeping well and wasn't as prepared to function with that… emotional draining. Sorry to fall apart in front of you." She chuckled lightly; somewhat embarrassed that she had been so candid with a coworker, and somewhat relieved that he seemed to understand.

"Of, course, Bella," he smiled, gleaming and fantastic, "please, take a moment. I was just curious if you had the results of the echo for my patient in 24."

"Ahh, back to business." "Yes, they're back. I can get the chart for you."

"Yes, thank you."

Bella led the way back to the nurse's station, and with it, returned the distant professionalism. An ache descended from her throat to her chest, and rested heavily there, as she spoke calmly and fought for normalcy. Inside she felt vulnerable and bare, and couldn't wait to leave the beautiful doctor's eyes.

That night, she cried and wondered if Dr. Cullen… Edward… could be her Great Love.

A/N: I hope to not use too much medical jargon, or if I do, to explain it in the story. I'm going to be a nurse in December, and it's all I can think about… except for how fantastic it would be to with Edward as a real doctor. Mmm… delicious. :) Anyway, here's a short explanation, should you be interested. If not, it's still here. lol!

Med pass: medication pass. Giving patients their meds.

Pulling meds: Meds are stored in locked machines, in a med room with the supplies needed to administer the drugs. Pulling meds is getting them from the machine. Pouring meds is putting them into the dose cups. (I always thought this was liquids only. It's not. It's weird, I know. You can apparently pour pills? I don't really get it. So, I never say it. Pull meds. :) )

Hemorrhagic stroke: usually caused by a ruptured blood vessel in or near the brain. The blood pools there and creates a lot of pressure on the brain (the cranium can't expand, because it's immovable bone, and ends up squishing your brain). This causes brain damage. My grandmother died this way. It was very very sudden and really sad. :(

Echo: Echocardiogram. Basically, an ultrasound of the heart, allowing the doctors to visualize if you have any malformations or other structural problems.

Angina: chest pain. :) Bella's heart is hurting!