AN: Hey, All ~ Just wanted to send a quick shout out to Mac214, she has mad skills, when it comes to Betaing… her writing is pretty kick ass too! I hope you all enjoy!

Healing Hands ~ Chapter One

"Good morning, Angela, how was your date with Ben?" Bella asked as she walked into the kitchen of Sweet Treats, the bakery she had owned and operated for the past five years.

"It was amazing," Angela smiled. "He took me to The Portland City Grill. Have you ever been there? The view is so beautiful, especially at night."

"Oh, I've been there - you are one lucky lady."

"So, what's on deck for today?" Angela asked as Bella pulled a sketch book out of her handbag.

"Well, I had the final consult for the Brandon/Hale wedding last night. I have to admit this cake is going to be one of our finest. I just need to make a final sketch and send it to Ms Brandon for approval." Bella paused as she poured herself some coffee. "For now, let's start working on the gum paste lilies for the Stanley/Newton shin dig."

"You got it. What playlist should we go for today?" Angela asked as she plugged Bella's iPod into the docking station.

"Let's go for Old School Rock," Bella suggested after a moment's thought.

"Excellent choice," Angela said in an approving tone as she scrolled thru the iPod menu.

Bella walked into her office as the kitchen filled with sounds of the Rolling Stones. Laying her sketch book on her desk, she pulled out her colored pencils and got to work, finishing her design.

Getting lost in the music and her drawing, she nearly jumped out of her chair as her cell started vibrating in her pocket.

"Crap." Looking at the caller ID she noticed it was her mother, Renee. "Hey mom, how'd your doctor's appointment go?"

"Not good, honey. It turns out I have a staph infection. They're thinking I got it in the ER last month while they were trying to get some fluid from my knee."

"Damn, but at least now we know what's going on," Bella said, inwardly sighing to herself; she'd known this was a possibility. "So, what are they going to do?"

"I've been referred to a specialist a, Dr. Cullen, at OHSU. My appointment is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon," Renee said as she sucked in a breath. "I'm guessing since they got me in to see him so quickly, it must be pretty serious."

Bella could tell Renee was on the verge of crying. "Mom, would you like me to go with you?" Bella offered, knowing her mom tended to space out during important conversations, particularly when she didn't think she was going to like the outcome.

"No sweetie, don't worry about it. I don't want to put you out. I know how busy you are with the bakery," Renee said, although Bella could hear a flicker of hope in her voice.

"Mom, really, it's not a big deal. I can have Angela cover me for a few hours. What time is it at? I'll pick you up." After getting all of the information from Renee, Bella set off to talk Angela into covering for a few hours the following day. Once that was settled Bella decided to Google Dr. Cullen, finding a profile page on the hospital website. He was young from what she could tell - in his early 30's and a recent graduate of John's Hopkins.

Edward sighed as he scanned his schedule of clinic appointments for following day – it was going to be busy. Along with a slew of post-op patients, he had a few new patients for good measure.

He pulled up the files of his new patients and began briefing himself on their cases. One in particular caught his eye. A fifty year old woman with a staph infection in her knee joint. He'd have to call infectious disease to get a doctor on the case as well. Edward leaned back in his desk chair; he could tell this patient would be interesting.

"Mom, please calm down. I'm sure everything will be fine." Bella reassured Renee with a quick hug as they waited in an exam room at Dr. Cullen's office. A few moments later the door opened and in walked, by far, the most handsome man Bella had ever laid eyes.

"Mrs. Swan. I'm Dr. Cullen," he said as he reached his hand out to shake Renee's. "It's nice to meet you."

As Edward shook Renee's hand his eyes veered to the woman who sat in the chair in the corner. A young woman with beautiful brunette hair, and soulful, deep brown eyes.

"I hope you don't mind, Dr. Cullen, I've brought my daughter, Bella, along for moral support," Renee said gesturing over to Bella.

Why would he mind? He thought. He was in the presence of an angel. Keep it in check, Cullen, he reminded himself. This is a patient and their family… nothing can happen. So, Edward put a smile on his face and reached out to shake Bella's hand.

"I don't mind at all. Hello, Bella," Edward smiled.

"Hello," Bella managed after a brief pause, which Renee didn't seem to miss.

"So, Renee," Edward began while he leafed through a stack of x-rays, "I've gone over your chart, and it looks like you have the most common form of Methicillian-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection or, more commonly, a staph infection. We'll need to get this treated as soon as possible," he added. "From your file I can see you've had five surgeries in the last three years on this knee, your most current being a total knee replacement only six months ago. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is. How will we go about getting rid of the infection?" Renee asked, her face masked in fear.

"Well, I'm going to be honest - this is going to be a long and hard couple of months for you," Edward stated. "The only way to completely get rid of this infection is to take the current unit out of your knee."

"Um, what do you mean, take it out?" Bella asked. "Are you going to put a new one in instead?"

Edward had to stifle a groan when he heard her speak. He couldn't understand why he was reacting to Bella's presence. He was seriously considering asking one of his nurses to smack him upside the head. Edward tried to clear his thoughts so he could explain the procedure.

"That's where it gets tricky. We'll take the old unit out and insert concrete spacers. Basically these spacers will be doused in antibiotics and will help treat the infection from the inside. Since the current unit is made of different plastics and metals, the infection is using it as a host. It's attached itself to it, and even if we were to treat you with antibiotics the infection will stay attached to those pieces. So really, the only way to go is to remove these pieces all together."

"Wow," Bella said as she tried to process what Dr. Cullen had just told her. Bella glanced at her mom who looked like she was in shock. "So, how long will she have these spacers, and when can she get a new replacement put back in?" Bella asked.

"Once the spacers are in we will treat Renee with at home IV antibiotics for at least six weeks. She will need to have blood work done at once a week so our infectious disease doctor and I can monitor the infection. Once those six weeks are over she'll have to wait an additional six weeks to make sure the infection doesn't come back. If her blood work comes back clear of infection then we can schedule her next operation to put her knee back in," Edward explained.

"I know this is a lot of information to take in," he continued, seeing Renee's dazed expression, "but it's extremely important that we get this taken care of right away. If we wait any longer the infection could start spreading to the bones. Once that happens it is extremely difficult to get rid of. This is really our best option."

Renee finally seemed to snap out of her shock. "Okay, if this is the best option when can we do it? I've lived the past three years with this knee giving me problems. I just want to get this done and over with."

"I perform surgeries on Mondays and Wednesdays. Let me just run out and check with my scheduler. I'll be right back."

Edward quickly made his escape from the exam room and shut the door behind him. He leaned against the wall and inhaled slowly – trying to calm himself down. What in the world had gotten into him? He quickly pulled himself together when he noticed a few nurses looking at him curiously. He pushed off from the wall and headed towards his scheduler, Mrs. Cope's, office.

"Hey," Edward said as he leaned against her door frame.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Cope said as she glanced up from her computer screen.

"Is there any way we can insert a removal of an infected prosthetic knee joint? The sooner the better," Edward added.

Mrs. Cope pushed her glasses up her nose as she studied his schedule. "The earliest we can possibly do it will be Wednesday of next week."

Edward frowned. "Really? We don't have anything sooner?"

"I'm sorry, dear, that's the best I can do for you."

Edward huffed. "Book it for Renee Swan. I'll bring you her file when I'm done with my consultation."

While waiting for the doctor to return Bella noticed her mom crying. "Mom, it'll be okay. From what Dr. Cullen just said, this really sounds like the best option. I'll be around to help you. We'll get through this if we stick together." Renee could only give Bella a weak smile.

"Okay. How about Wednesday of next week? It's a little further out then I would like, but unless we do this surgery in the middle of the night this is the earliest we can do it," Edward said as he re-entered the exam room.

"Next Wednesday will be fine, Dr. Cullen. Thank you," Renee sniffled, accepting a tissue from Bella and wiping her eyes.

"Great, I have you on the schedule," he paused and gave her a kind smile, "and please don't worry. We've caught this at the right time. I'm extremely hopeful about the outcome, and it would really help if you were too."

"Okay, Mom, let's hit the road and get you home," Bella said standing up.

As Bella tried to push Renee's wheelchair through the exam room door, it got stuck. After making a few failed attempts, she huffed with frustration.

Edward watched as Bella tried to maneuver the chair through the door. Why did the hospital provide such wide wheelchairs and not have doors wide enough for them to fit through?

Hearing a dry chuckle behind her, she turned her head slightly and saw Dr. Cullen standing behind her, watching with amusement.

"Here, let me help you." Edward grinned. After a few more failed attempts they were able to get Renee's wheelchair through the door. Edward walked them to the lobby door and bid them farewell.

Edward tried to give himself a pep talk as he made his way to his next scheduled appointment. He was confident he could help Renee. She was in dire need of medical attention. Edward would have to learn how to act normally around Bella and not let her affect him.

Once out in the car Renee started giggling. "What's so funny mom?" Bella asked.

"Oh, nothing."

"I know you. You aren't much of a giggler, give it up."

"Fine," Renee relented. "I was just thinking that Dr. Cullen would make a very handsome son-in-law."

"Seriously, mom!" Bella sighed as she turned beet red.

After dropping her mom off at home, Bella headed back to the bakery to help Angela work on the Stanley/Newton cake, all the while thinking of what her mom had said. Renee is crazy. Seriously, someone like him would not be interested in someone like me, Bella thought to herself as she drove down Highway 26. Her dating experience was limited at best. One relationship that had been on and off for seven years - Jake was certainly not in Dr. Cullen's league.

The day of surgery arrived, and Bella had to admit that OHSU had a great view. The hospital was perched on top of a huge hillside on the outskirts of downtown Portland. From there you could see the Willamette River, and Mt. Hood. It also had a tram system that was like a large enclosed ski lift that would allow patients, visitors, and staff to park below and ride the great beast up through the clouds to get to the massive hospital campus. Since it was a teaching hospital, it was a huge campus.

"Renee Swan," the nurse called.

"Okay, mom, let's go," Bella before following the nurse from the waiting room to the Pre-Op area.

It always amazed Bella how hospital personnel asked the same questions over and over again. They all seemed to write the answers down, yet no one seemed to know where those previous answers had gone. Is there a black hole in the medical filing system? Bella thought as she heard her mom list her medication allergies for the third time.

"I just wanted to let you know your surgery has been pushed out for an hour or so," a young nurse said as she poked her head into the room. Nodding their acknowledgment, Renee and Bella stared at each other.

Edward was pacing nervously as he waited for the surgery suite to be available. An emergency surgery from the ER had pushed him behind schedule. He made sure to go through the planned procedure and events with his interns – wanting to make sure they were fully prepared for any situation.

Bella could tell her mom was getting extremely nervous, so she pulled her iPod out of her handbag and started The Santa Clause 2, and handed it to Renee. Soon, Renee was laughing, and Bella sat back in her horribly uncomfortable chair to watch her mom in amusement. She'd been gazing around the room, her mind a blank, when she felt the hairs on her arm raise. Glancing up, she saw Dr. Cullen enter the room, nodding in her direction.

As Edward entered the pre-op wing he glanced at the board and saw Renee was in bed 8D. He swiftly made his way to her bedside. As he pulled back the curtain he caught sight of Bella. Her face was relaxed and beautiful. Her eyes were trained on Renee who seemed to be watching something on a pink iPod. Edward quickly focused his thoughts and entered.

"Let's get this show on the road, Renee. The ER was held up, but we are good to go now. Let me take one last look at your knee. It's your left knee correct?" Edward asked.

"Yep," Renee answered.

Bella took that time to notice how hot Dr. Cullen looked in his scrubs. When she'd met him at his office, he was in a suit. He looked good then, but, holy hell, he looked like sex on legs wearing scrubs and Nike's.

He pulled a pen out of his back pocket and started writing on Renee's leg. It took everything Bella had in her not to stare at his ass, which in her mind he purposely pushed out towards her as he bent down at the waist to examine her mom's leg closer. Bella really tried not to look but occasionally found herself glancing at his backside.

Straightening back up, Edward asked, "Any questions?"

Bella struggling to find her voice asked, "Do you know how long the surgery will last?" She noticed her voice cracked a bit.

Edward suddenly lost his focus. He had been trying to keep his focus strictly on Renee – not Bella. He reluctantly made eye contact with Bella. He stretched a little, rocking back on his heels, as his hand moved to scratch the back of his neck, then ran through his hair. "It will probably take anywhere between 2 to 3 hours. It all depends on how much scar tissue we have to remove, how loose the current knee unit is, and how long it will take us to make and insert her spacers. We'll also be taking some samples of tissue on which to run cultures so we can see exactly how deep this infection goes."

"Oh, okay," Bella said, feeling a little lost.

"Don't worry, Bella. Your mom is in good hands, and I'll come find you when I'm done." Edward flashed Bella a brilliant smile, and then patted Renee's foot before saying they would be under way shortly and left the room.

Just saying her name out loud seemed to set his body on fire. He made his way to the surgery suite and began scrubbing in. Edward pushed his thoughts of Bella aside while he watched Renee being transferred to the operating table, and prepped for surgery. He quickly finished scrubbing in and made his way into the suite.

After spending about an hour in the café, Bella found a comfy couch on which to sit and pulled out her book and iPod in hopes of making the next couple of hours fly. Listening to her favorite classical music from her playlist named Calm Me The 'F' Down. A highly appropriate name for this situation, she giggled to herself. She engrossed herself in the latest Nicholas Sparks book; she'd always been a huge romantic at heart.

Edward was happy with the outcome of the surgery. Everything had gone according to plan and Renee was on her way to recovery. Now he had to find Bella. He quickly washed up and headed towards the surgery waiting area. When he rounded the corner he saw her. He stopped and looked at her for a moment. She was reading, her legs were folded under her as she sat in one of the chairs. She had one ear bud in and her head slowly swaying from side to side.

Bella had read about half the book when she gave a sudden shiver, making her book drop to the floor, effectively losing her place. Wondering what could cause it, she glanced up to see Dr. Cullen standing in front of her with a grin firmly planted on his face.

"Hey," Bella breathed.

"Hey, yourself."

Bella motioned for him to take a seat, and used the opportunity to take a good look at him. His appearance hadn't really changed much from before the surgery, except now she could tell how exhausted he looked. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a crazy, flat mess, and he had a slight red indentation running across his forehead most likely from the scrub cap he'd worn during the operation. Without even thinking Bella started to bring her hand up to run along the scruff on his jaw. Catching herself before making contact, she quickly dropped her hand to her lap.

Edward was ecstatic as his mind raced through the possibilities that Bella might be feeling what he was. He couldn't help but chuckle softly as he noticed the blush crept up her neck and cheeks. He ran his hand through his hair as he continued to look at Bella. "Your mom's surgery went really well. I was able to get her old unit out without causing too much strain to her bones. We made the spacers and cemented them into place. The spacers, along with the IV antibiotics, should clear up the infection. She's in recovery now, and depending on how she does, she should be up in her room within a couple hours."

Bella let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Picking up her cell, she glanced at the time, realizing she still had a couple of hours to waste.

"Thanks so much for everything, Dr. Cullen. I really appreciate everything you've done for my mom." Bella sighed.

"You're more than welcome, Bella, and please call me Edward."

"Edward." As his name escaped her lips, he moved his hand to cup her cheek, turning her to face him. Their eyes locked.

Edward lightly caressed her cheek with his fingertips as they continued to gaze at each other. He decided right then and there he needed to tell Bella how he felt. "I feel like there is an invisible pull between you and me. I don't know what it is, every time I'm near you my heart starts racing," Edward confessed. "Does that make any sense, or am I scaring you off?"

"No, you aren't scaring me off. I… I feel it too," Bella stammered.

"Your mom was my last surgery of the day," Edward paused. "Would you like to get some coffee with me?" he asked, suddenly looking nervous as he waited for her answer.

"That would be lovely." Bella smiled, and Edward broke out into a breathtaking grin. He held his hand out to her, which she instantly took, lacing her fingers with his. Edward felt a sense of peace wash over him.

Keeping a firm hold of her hand, Edward stood and pulled her up. Bella suddenly remembered the book lying at her feet and squatted down to pick it up, shoving it in her handbag. She glanced up to see Edward staring down at her. Finally having her belongings in her bag, she was ready to go. Bella had no idea where he was taking her but was more than willing to find out.

The hospital, in Bella's mind, was horribly confusing. Edward maneuvered them effortlessly down hallways and through corridors, perfectly at ease as they wound up at a little hospital coffee shop.

"What would you like to drink?" Edward asked.

"Oh, um….a grande house drip with 2 splenda and cream, please."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I can't have anything good. I'm lactose intolerant, and I absolutely cannot stand soy milk unless it's chocolate. So, I stick with the boring stuff."

"Hmmm. Good to know." Edward mused, as he locked that piece of information in his ever growing fault of Bella.

Edward decided he needed caffeine and sugar. "Well, I'll have a grande triple caramel macchiato with extra caramel sauce, please, and how about a piece of coffee cake? Bella, would you like anything to eat?" Edward asked as he gazed into her eyes.

"Sure, coffee cake sounds great. Thank you." Bella looked from Edward over to the barista, who she noticed was eyeing Edward as though he were a piece of meat. Bella took that moment to place her free hand on Edward's forearm, ghosting her fingers up and down. His breath hitched, effectively making the barista stomp off to start their coffees. Bella giggled and looked up at Edward through her lashes.

Edward's mind was reeling with what was happening. He was also highly amused that she didn't want anyone else thinking they could stake a claim. Although, Bella needn't worry, Edward kept his gaze on her face as they waited for their coffees.

Bella grabbed the pastries as Edward asked the barista to place the two cups on top of each other so he could carry both in his one free hand.

"Where to now?" Bella asked eyeing Edward's juggling act.

Edward debated for a moment before deciding he wanted to share his most sacred place. "We could find somewhere to sit here, or we could go to my favorite place in the hospital. It's up to you."

"Your favorite place sounds great, as long as you don't mind sharing it with me."

"I'd love nothing more than to share it with you, Bella. Make sure you keep a hold of my hand. I don't want to lose you." Edward sighed as he gazed down at her, making her wonder if there were a double meaning behind his words.

"Trust me. I have no intentions of letting you go." Bella squeezed his hand.

Edward grinned. "Good. Let's go."

They wound through more corridors, up a couple flights of stairs, and through a door that read 'roof access.' She gasped as she realized he'd taken her to a roof top garden with twinkle lights spread amongst the trees. "Wow, it is absolutely beautiful up here. I can see why you like it so much."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Edward said as he led her to the edge of the garden, and the city lights of Portland came into view.

"Holy crap, look at how beautiful the city is from here. I love twilight; it's my favorite time of day," Bella said quietly.

"Really? Mine too." Edward chuckled. "I found this garden shortly after I started working here. I was having a horribly rough day…."

Noticing how quiet Edward had become, Bella asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I, um…. I lost a patient on the table." Edward took in a ragged breath as his mind replayed the memories. "It doesn't happen too often in Orthopedics. The patient had a reaction to the anesthesia. It's a rare complication, but it does happen." Edward sighed. "Anyway, I had to tell his wife and daughter. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. So, I started wandering around, just trying to clear my head, and I stumbled upon this place." Edward gestured to the garden before them.

"Wow, I'm so sorry, Edward. I can't even imagine going through something like that. You must be extremely strong to go through that and still come back to work every day."

Edward remained quiet. "I don't know about being strong," he said with a shrug. "It was one bad day. You learn more from those few bad days then you do the good. I want to help people, people like your mom. I want to make a difference in their lives." Edward met Bella's gaze. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, please don't be sorry. I love that you want to help. The people you help will always remember you; they'll remember what you've done for them. I mean, I only met you ten days ago and I will always remember the positive impact you've had on my life."

Edward chuckled. "Ten days huh?"

"What?" Bella asked, flustered.

"It's only been ten days since we met? Wow, I feel like I've known you a lot longer than that." Bella felt her face flush again. "Sorry, did I just make you uncomfortable."

"No, no, not at all." Bella said as she glanced down at their still, entwined hands.