Had fate not allowed me a chance meeting with a sweet, beautiful sixteen year old by the name of Esme Anne Platt, I know I would have destroyed myself. I had been toying with the notion of begging the Volturi to end my existence for easily over a decade. Needless to say, Aro had grown rather fond of me after my short time living with the Volturi, and he blatantly refused to harm me. This did nothing to comfort me. On the contrary, I had even begun to draw the conclusion that I was not good enough to be a part of Edward's life any more.
A loud knocking at the door had risen me with a jolt from my deep, unpleasant thoughts. I looked up, vaguely puzzled at who would possibly be calling at this hour. Aside from me, I doubted very much if anybody else on the entire street was awake. It could only be an emergency.
I stood up stiffly, which was most unusual for me. I had less than a second to think about it. The knocking on the door became more persistant, and I hurried to open it, afraid to wake the good people of Columbus.
I was taken aback when a tender, warm body was thrust roughly into my arms. A man's gravelling voice rasped "My daughter, she broke her leg. Deal with it, won't you?" I blinked rapidly, surprised at such a...cold reception from this sweet young girl's father. That was all the time he needed to disappear.
I carried the young girl into the hospital with me. I almost winced in sympathy for her as she began to shake against me. My body was much colder than the night outside, and I only wore my thin work shirt. That said, it was bitterly cold outside - cold enough to make the breath visible - and the storm was almost directly overhead. The poor thing was soaking wet, her face etched with terror. "Hello," I said lightly, not wishing to alarm the frightened creature even more. "My name is Carlisle Cullen. What is yours?"
"E-Esme...Esme Anne Platt..." she chattered. I almost smiled as the shaky words tripped out of her mouth. Her voice was like honey, impossibly sweet, with delicate soprano overtones. I expected that she would have a wonderful singing voice, if ever she tried. I opened my mouth to ask her how she had broken her leg, but she shivered hard against me, and instinctively, I held her a little tighter.
"Well, Esme...what seems to be the problem?" I asked, already knowing. Even if her abrupt father had not mentioned her condition, I would have taken merely a few seconds to work it out for myself. Her left leg was far colder than the right. Loss of blood. And I could feel the bones shifting wrongly against each other as I carried her. I tried to slow down, unwilling to allow even my abrupt pace to harm the girl any more. I found myself wishing more than anything that she would speak to me again. I felt almost desperate to hear her voice.
"Are you a doctor?" she asked, a puzzled look crossing her face. "I'm sorry!" she muttered, blushing furiously when her dazzling eyes caught my puzzled frown. I smiled, unable to help myself. I almost closed my eyes. The sensation of a smile after all those years was a feeling close to complete happiness for me. I made a mental note to remember that a vampire's muscles did become stiff over time, if unused, just like a human. Only it took much longer for that to happen.
"There is no need to apologize to me!" I laughed. "I was merely intrigued. Do I not look like a doctor to you?" I smiled again. What was wrong with me? I knew her young mind was probably running over the fact that I hardly seemed a decade older than her. I looked the right age to have just passed my medical exams. She perhaps was not very comfortable with me?
"I umm...well, I thought I might have passed out," she admitted, biting her lip. My eyes focused on the tender skin of her bottom lip, and my throat tightened. I forced my eyes forward, and tried to concentrate on the dull grey wall before me. It was no use. As Edward would say, it is the difference between watching paint dry or having the chance the associate yourself with the most beautiful of roses.
Carlisle! What has gotten into you? She is a child!
"W-Why do you think that?" I asked. I silently cursed myself at the tremble in my voice. I was vulnerable. She had come into the worst moment of my life, and I knew I was weaker than I should allow. Had this beautiful soul came into my life at any other time, I would have forced myself to keep my feelings under control. But...what exactly was it that I was feeling? I had never felt this before. My head was spinning with so many different emotions that I could scarcely believe my body could contain it all.
A/N - Please review it! I would appreciate any and all comments very much! I am so sorry these chapters are so short, at the moment. I am a little short on time. I promise they are going to get longer!