Carlisle's POV:
As I turned back towards my place, I glanced over at Bella, shivering in the passenger seat. My jacket dwarfed her, and I made a mental note to get Esme on the job of fattening her up. She really was far too thin.
"Now, why don't you tell me what you were doing next to the highway
at -" I consulted my watch, "past nine o'clock at night."
She swallowed and looked sheepish. I hid a small smile, amused despite my concern. One thing I had learned about Chief Swan's daughter, she was completely accident prone – something she had no doubt inherited from Charlie. He'd spent some time in the emergency room, himself.
"I…got lost in the woods," she finally admitted.
"For how long?" I questioned her further.
She shrugged a little. "Since about an hour before dark," she admitted.
I shot her a glance. "You've been out there for nearly four hours?" I asked, incredulous.
"Dr. Cullen?" she said in a small voice.
"Yes, Bella."
"Could we possibly…that is, if you…would you not tell Edward about this, please?" she asked all in a rush.
I could sympathize – I had a pretty good idea of how Edward would react. "Bella, I won't be able to shield my thoughts from him once he gets home."
"Guess not," she sighed, slumping down even farther into the seat.
She sniffled again. I surmised the problem was the sudden change in temperature and handed her a tissue.
"Thanks," she said, blowing her nose before crunching the white square up in her fist, still staring outside.
I sighed.