Heya, sorry for not updating been kind of busy and T.B.B has been demanding a lot of my time, anyway I hope this makes up for it.
So I've never been to hospital or at least that I can remember so please don't hate me if some of this is wrong.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight at all.
Esme Cullen rose from her bed at exactly seven o' clock, as she did every morning, bar Sundays when she would sleep in late.
Esme Cullen entered her kitchen and pulled on her apron, the red and white checked one, as she did every morning and began to fry eggs and bacon for her husband, Carlisle Cullen.
She set the table quietly for two, staring dejectedly at the two place settings, imagining a third.
Her husband entered the kitchen and smiled warmly at his wife, as she cut the homemade brown bread.
He wrapped his arms around his wife's waist from behind and kissed her neck gently before sitting at the table and unfolding his newspaper, skimming through the headlines.
Carlisle remarked on a passage in the paper, relating it back to his wife, who stood at the kitchen sink, staring out at the back garden, her arms shaking slightly.
"Esme?", her husband called softly. Esme wiped away the moisture spilling from her eyes and turned to her husband, plastering on a wide smile.
Carlisle Cullen sighed, tired of his wife pretending that everything was just fine, that this wasn't affecting her.
When they had received the news from the doctor his wife had seemed so desolate, she wanted children more then anything else in the world.
Since that moment they had been walking on eggshells around each other, too afraid to speak of the matter at hand for fear of upsetting their other half.
Esme had been doing everything for her husband, from cooking him breakfast to fetching the paper and he knew that she blamed herself. That she felt that she had taken this away from him.
Dr. Cullen stood and wrapped his arms around his wife, resting her head against his chest. He would do anything to give his wife children.
Though it was irrational, he hated the doctor for telling them that it was Esme's ovaries that were infertile, sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.
"I'm going to be late", Carlisle murmured to his wife, kissing her head and picking up his briefcase. Esme nodded and began clearing the table. She didn't work for she had fully intended to be a 'stay at home mom'.
The doctor drove to his workplace at a steady pace, never pushing his car past its limits. He had seen far too many gruesome injuries, the results of speeding.
He pulled into his reserved spot in the hospital car park. Cutting the engine and sitting for a moment, he revelled in the silence before heading into the bustling reception.
He greeted the nurses at their station and picked up his files, flicking through them to see who his first patient was.
A young boy, an Edward Mason apparently. The doctor's breath caught in his throat and he turned to the nurse who had handed him the file, she informed him that one of the paediatric doctors had requested help with this case.
Dr. Cullen nodded and headed to room 3, upon pushing the door open he spotted Dr. Williams, brandishing a needle while a little boy cowered in the corner of the bed, struggling against the nurses trying to calm him.
"James?", Carlisle called out. Dr. Williams turned towards Carlisle, much to the boy's relief.
"Ah, Carlisle you're here", James sighed and pushed his dark hair from his eyes, laying down the needle "This is Edward", he said gesturing to the young boy.
Carlisle smiled gently at the boy and sat down at his bedside, the boy watched him suspiciously as Carlisle appraised him, registering the blood smeared across his neck and cheek.
"What is it you're trying to give him?", Dr. Cullen questioned.
"Just something to help him sleep, he's exhausted and his body needs rest", Dr. Williams replied, sighing softly in frustration.
Carlisle watched the boy from the corner of his eye; his eyes were fixed on the needle, wide and terrified and Carlisle wondered if perhaps this wasn't the boy's first contact with a needle.
"How about we leave that for now", Carlisle said gently, Edward's shoulders sagged in relief "we'll let the nurses get him cleaned up and worry about sleep later".
Dr. Cullen ushered the other doctor from the room and they stood before the door, arguing the best course to take. Forcing the boy would upset him and he clearly had a fear of needles, so they decided to take a different route. They would leave him be for the meantime and if push came to shove they would call Esme, she had a knack for making children feel comfortable.
Carlisle Cullen stood a moment longer outside the room, worrying for both his wife and the frightened child.
How would Mrs. Cullen feel, being so near a child after the news the couple had received? Would it hurt her? Would she resent her husband for requesting this of her?
Would this child accept their help? What had happened to him? He seemed so vulnerable and weak, had someone hurt him? The doctor clenched his fists at the thought of someone harming a child, when people like himself and his wife could not conceive.
Carlisle Cullen checked on his other patients, rejoicing in the fact that he didn't have any surgeries today.
He took his lunch to room 3 and sat with Edward, though he didn't utter a word he threw Carlisle curious glances through his heavy eyes, willing him to sleep.
Carlisle called Esme then, she picked up after the second ring. He slowly explained that Edward was scared and alone, that he was exhausted but couldn't sleep, that he needed medical attention but wouldn't let anyone examine him. Esme told her husband she'd be there in ten minutes. Carlisle could hear the car door slamming just as Esme hung up.
Esme Cullen sat in her car, her fingers flexing over the steering wheel as she drove. She pulled into the hospital car park, checked her watch and saw that it had been twenty minutes since Carlisle had called her. She had promised him ten minutes but she had taken a slight detour.
She walked as quickly as she could to the nurses' station, her heels clicking softly against the linoleum. They informed her that Carlisle was in room 3. She walked into the room, peering in to see her husband talking to a man she recognised from the annual hospital charity ball, Dr. James Williams.
She nodded to her husband whose brow was creased and smiled tentatively at the young boy lying in the bed.
His bronze hair was damp and flat against his forehead, his green eyes clouded with exhaustion. His body was curled to one side and he seemed to be shivering, understandable since all he was wearing was a thin hospital gown. His cheeks were hollow and his skin far too pale while his eyes were fixed on Dr. Williams, his emerald green eyes wide with fear.
Esme Cullen felt a strong surge of sympathy for the young boy who seemed so hurt, confused and scared.
Carlisle turned to his wife and kissed her cheek before silently gesturing to the little boy, a look of hopelessness upon his face.
"He needs to sleep Esme", Carlisle murmured to his wife, who nodded gently and took a seat next to the little boy.
Edward Mason lay curled in a ball, wearing an uncomfortable hospital gown and trying to block out the sounds of the doctors talking. Moisture dripped from his hair to his pillow making him feel colder then he should have been. He stayed very still, hoping that he could stop the rustling from the gown the nurses had forced him to wear.
He didn't like the dark haired doctor, he was frightened of him. He had held a needle, just like the ones his mother had used. Mrs. Murphy had warned him not to go near needles. Edward kept a careful eye on that doctor.
Edward heard the door open and raised his head just enough to see a very pretty woman walk in and for the blonde doctor to kiss her porcelain cheek. Edward flopped his head back down against the pillow, not wanting the pretty lady to see him watching her.
He felt a small tug on the thin blanket covering him and looked over his shoulder to see the pretty woman smoothing down the cover.
Esme Cullen caught Edward staring at her and threw him a sly wink, the little boy shrank away from Esme, his eyes were wide with surprise but after a moment he smiled back shyly, he didn't want to offend the pretty lady.
The blonde doctor walked towards Edward and he instantly felt calmer, like his problems were all being washed away.
"Edward", the doctor said wrapping his arm around the woman's shoulders "this is my wife Esme, she wanted to come see you and make sure you're ok", he said gently as Esme smiled softly. The doctor kissed the lady's forehead and sat down in the far corner, opened a book and began reading intently.
Edward gazed at the pretty woman for a long time. He liked the look of her short, curly, caramel coloured hair, it looked so soft he had a sudden impulse to touch it but refrained, afraid of loosening one of the curls.
Esme noticed the little boy's fingers flex and then tighten again, as if he was stopping his fingers from moving of their own accord. She sat on the edge of the bed slowly, hoping to make him more comfortable without getting too close.
She noticed a wet stain on his pillow, clearly caused by his damp hair and frowned, irritated that no one had dried his hair before sending him off to sleep.
She noticed him fidgeting with the gown he wore and she figured that it was uncomfortable, especially for a little boy.
His green eyes bore into hers as he took note of the softness in her hazel eyes; she looked just as he imagined a mother would. The young boy felt a sharp pang of envy towards whichever little boy or girl had this pretty lady as their mother. He let his head fell forward as he thought of how privileged that child was to have a mother, a real mother.
Mrs. Cullen smiled at Edward and spoke slowly eyeing the child whose eyes held such an inconsolable sadness. "Edward?", Esme called softly. Edward's head rose, his eyes downcast as he nodded in response "My husband tells me that he needs to make sure you go to sleep but that you don't want to take the needle, is that right?", Edward nodded, fidgeting again with the gown he wore.
Esme leaned forward to speak and Edward, almost instinctively leaned in towards her as well. "But you see", Esme began "I don't think little boys should have to take needles, do you?", Edward shook his head vehemently as Carlisle's head shot up in surprise. Hadn't he told Esme that the boy needed to sleep?
"But Carlisle says that you really need to sleep", Esme said gesturing to Carlisle "So how about we make a deal?", Esme offered.
Edward nodded instantly, too taken with the young woman to be cautious, so Esme continued "how about we try to get you to sleep normally and then if that doesn't work Carlisle can use the needle", Edward hesitated to answer and Esme spoke again, to seal the deal "But don't worry I'll make sure we don't fail". Esme's smile was so broad; Edward didn't have the heart to disappoint her so he nodded softly in agreement.
Esme smiled warmly and dipped her hand into the paper shopping bag she had brought with her, she pulled out a pair of soft dark blue pyjamas with colourful spaceships scattered across the fabric. "How about we get you out of that uncomfortable hospital gown", Esme said softly.
Edward nodded, rapidly warming up to the beautiful lady that was so kind to him. She helped Edward into the pyjamas, giggling slightly when he stumbled with only one leg in. Edward's answering smile was shy yet most certainly evident.
Esme bundled Edward in under the covers, tucking them in under his chin and plunging her hand into her bag again and retrieving a thin book about dinosaurs.
Edward's eyes brightened at the sight and nestled himself into the bed, comfortable in the maternal presence.
Edward's eyes began to sink as Esme read on, her soft lilting voice lulling him into a deep sleep. Esme placed a tender kiss on the young boy's forehead and closed the book turning towards her husband, ignoring the sharp ache and the sting of tears brought on by thoughts of leaving the little boy.
As Esme turned she felt a soft tug on her skirt, she turned to see Edward, fighting sleep as he begged Esme to stay with him, tears in the distressed child's eyes. Esme smoothed his hair from his eyes and hushed him, promising to stay.
To the young woman's surprise, Edward shifted in the bed and held the cover up, his thin arms shaking with the effort to use more of his wasted energy. He was clearly attempting to make space for her next to him.
Esme climbed in next to Edward as Carlisle looked on, a fond smile gracing his lips. Esme stayed still for a moment, not wishing to push the young boy too far. Edward however was afraid that the pretty woman, who was starting to seem more like a beautiful angel and so he clutched her shirt tightly in his fists, silently begging her not to leave him.
As the little boy drifted into a deep sleep, one that soon graced the young woman lying next to him, Dr. Cullen kissed both figures cheeks and wrapped the blanket tight around them. Switching off the lights he silently left the room and its sleeping occupants, who were dreaming of nothing more then a mother and child's embrace.
Finished! I took forever to write this, sorry but it was hard. Hope you like it though.
Please review, I really could do with some feedback. Let me know what you want to see happen in the next story.
Super sized cookies to all who review.