AN: I want to say thank you for the reviews and story alerts. On to chapter four . . . hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Four:

Esme Cullen sat in room 217 staring at the young woman in front of her. The hospital normally wouldn't have allowed nonfamily visitors, however she used her husband's name and they allowed her to enter. Isabella Swan just wasn't just anyone. She remembered Isabella Swan from their lunch almost 4 years ago. Her hair was much longer now and even though Bella was swollen from head to toe, she still looked as beautiful as she once was.

Esme reached down and grabbed Bella's hand, squeezing it softly. "You need to wake up soon Honey. When Ethan is found, he is going to need his Mommy."

Carlisle walked into the room, sitting down next to his wife, handing her a cup of coffee. Esme looked over at her husband and smiled slightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Bella needs someone," Esme replied simply. "So I came."

"How do you know her?"

"Bella won the scholarship a couple years ago. She wanted to become a physical therapist."

Carlisle nodded, reaching for his wife's hand. "She became one actually. Dr. Isabella Swan, DPT as a matter of fact, is employed here." He picked up her chart and made a couple of notations inside of her vitals, noting that her vitals were remaining strong. Carlisle was encouraged by this. He had seen Bella running up and down the halls of the hospital with her patients earlier in the morning. Her dedication to her job was astounding. He was grateful that Edward was present to save her leg.

"How is she doing?" Esme asked knowing that the answer would be vague. It didn't matter anyway, she could see with her own two eyes that Bella was going to have a long road of recovery in front of her. Her heart went out to the girl.

Carlisle picked up her chart and looked over at his wife. He could see the hope in her eyes.

"Edward saved her life out there. It is now a wait and see game," Carlisle told her without revealing too much. "I should try to call her family."

Esme shook her head sadly. "Her father lives in Valle Crucis, and most of the cell towers are down up there from the storm. I tried to call him already. I also tried her mother in Phoenix with no answer. I only hope that Emmett and his team can find her son."

Carlisle tilted his head. "Her son?"

"Apparently her young son was in the backseat of the car when it flipped. Young Ethan Swan is out there wandering around in the worst storm ever. Edward and Emmett are out there looking for him." Tears were forming in his eyes.

Carlisle reached over and grabbed his wife hand, trying to bring a little comfort to her.

"Esme, darling, you worry too much. Edward and Emmett will find Ethan." Carlisle tried to put her mind to ease.

"How do you know?" Esme sniffled. "Bella is going to wake up and need her son."

"Our sons are the most tenacious children I know. They have never given up once, I don't think they will choose to do so now," Carlisle responded, running his hands through his hair. "Can I tell you to wait in my office until we can ride home together?"

"If you try to tell me what to do, I'll hit you Carlisle!" Esme threatened.

Carlisle smiled at his wife. "I wouldn't dream of it, Dear . . ."

"Good. I'm not leaving side," Esme said resolutely.

"I didn't think you would." Carlisle smiled at his wife. He was getting ready to suggest something else when he was interrupted.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen to the ER, Dr. Carlisle Cullen to the ER."

He shook his head hearing the page over the loud speaker. He kissed his wife on the cheek. "Esme, you really shouldn't be here."

"I know Carlisle, it's just she has no one else. Besides, where else would I be? You are here and Edward and Emmett are part of the search team. .Me."

"I'll have the nurse bring you a blanket and you should try to get some rest yourself. I'll come back to check on you in a little bit," he told her. "The chair pulls out, but if you want to go to my office, there is that ridiculously big sofa that you put in there when I took over the Chief of Surgery position."

"I know, and I might take you up on that, but I need to stay with her until we know about Ethan."

Carlisle nodded, knowing that there was no reasoning with his wife sometimes.

Esme smiled, turning to watch the slow steady beeps on the heart monitor, oddly reassured that Isabella Swan was still in there, fighting.

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Edward cuddled Ethan closer to his chest trying to keep the both of them warm. The elements were against them, bringing high gusts of wind that almost knocked Edward over a couple of times. Where was the damn ambulance?

He pulled the youngster closer to him still, hoping to transfer what little body heat he had to the child. He didn't care about him, he needed to get Ethan warmer. He had no clue how long Ethan had actually battled the elements.

The snow had picked up again. And Edward figured that there was no way they could fight the wind back to the accident site. Through the wind and snow, Ethan Swan had somehow managed to hike a good three miles away from the accident scene trying to locate some help for his mother. Ethan wasn't unlike Edward in that way. The thought made him smile. Edward, himself, was greatly protective over his own mother. Esme was a saint for putting up with him.

Ethan was oddly quiet child, not saying anything to Edward other than the sentence he screamed out when Edward had found him. He had expected Ethan to be a quiet child from what Bella had told him. He was hardly the type of child to wander off.

Edward looked over Ethan, noticing a gash in his arm that was going to require stitches at the hospital. Edward wouldn't have noticed it, but Ethan had a bright red stain on his arm. Other than that, there wasn't much that Edward could tell though. Ethan didn't complain of any pain, or even being cold. However, Ethan had been clinging to Edward ever since he had plucked him out of the snow. He pulled his jacket around them both, hoping to shield Ethan from the weather as much as he could. It wasn't much, but it was going to have to suffice for the time being. He could hear the chattering of Ethan's teeth, knowing that he had been out in the elements for much too long. He felt so hepless.

Edward stood in the wet snow, clinging to Ethan, trying in vain to warm him up, rubbing his arms vigorously. He had to get him to a hospital so they could check him for any internal injuries. There was no telling if there was any internal bleeding. He had been in a car accident for Christ sakes! And now, he knew that the boy's body temperature had dropped being out in the storm. He cursed, causing Ethan to gasp, when he realized how long the ambulance was taking to reach them. It was entirely too long. Ethan had been missing for over three hours from his count, and who knew from before Edward had stumbled across them.

Ethan cringed as the ambulance sirens drew closer, causing his small body to shake even more against Edward's chest.

"It's alright Buddy. The ambulance is coming to help us."

Ethan looked at Edward skeptically. Ethan tightened his hold around Edward, trying to convey that he didn't want to let Edward go.

"I'm going to stay with you. Is that alright?" Edward reassured the child.

Ethan nodded his head, still shaking, but not as much. "Montee?"

"Mommy went to the hospital to get fixed up. We are going to get her," Edward tried to explain, hoping that he wasn't confusing him.

"Hut bad," Ethan commented. (Hurt bad)

"That she was Ethan," Edward agreed with him. He didn't want to lie to the child. "But, my dad is working real hard to fix her up."

The ambulance approached and Edward told them to cut the sirens. He didn't want to upset Ethan any further than what he had too. Charlotte and Jane approached him and Jane reached out to take Ethan from him.

"NO! Ward!" Ethan screamed clinging to Edward for dear life.

Edward couldn't blame him, he wouldn't want to be alone with Jane either. The old saying was true: children could sense evil.

Edward reached back for Ethan, shooting Jane a look. He rubbed soothing circles on his back, speaking softly to the child. When Ethan was sufficiently calmed down, Edward set him down on the gurney staying close to him.

"Ethan, I have to take off your wet clothes now," Edward explained to him so he wouldn't be scared. "It's going to make you feel so much warmer."

Ethan nodded, lifting his arms up so Edward could easily remove his wet jacket and sweatshirt. He was completely soaked through, and the clothes probably added about ten pounds to the small boy. He noted that Ethan wore name brand clothing, mostly Baby Gap and J. Crew, which was a stark contrast in what Bella was wearing.

He could tell that her clothes were well worn, but still were kept nice despite the age. She made sure that Ethan had everything he could possibly need. Edward smiled, ticking away that little bit of information.

Edward performed a quick visual assessment on the child, noting that he was in basically good health, minus the gash on his arm. Thank God for that. He wrapped Ethan up in a warming blanket and took the child's injured arm in his hand. He applied some antiseptic on it and wrapped it in gauze. He was surprised that Ethan wasn't crying about his arm.

"Are you warming up now?" Edward asked, his teeth chattering a little. He hadn't realized how cold he was. They had spent three hours looking for the child.

"Ward cole," Ethan announced. (Edward cold.)

Ethan pointed at Edward, motioning for him to take off his clothes as well. Charlotte smiled at the boy. "You are such a smart little boy! I was just getting ready to tell Edward to do that."

Edward groaned, stripping his clothes. He knew it was a necessary evil, but he didn't want his co-workers seeing him in his underwear. Charlotte chuckled, grinning at Edward. "If I wasn't with Peter right now, let me tell you Edward . . ."

"Shut it Charlotte, where is another warming blanket?"

Charlotte pointed to behind Edward. "Right behind his head on the shelf."

He turned, hearing Ethan gasp. "Ward hut!" He felt Ethan reach out and trace the small scar that he had on his shoulder. It was one of many.

"It's alright now Ethan, it's just a scar," Edward told him, grabbing the blanket and turning it on.

Ethan nodded, clamoring up on Edward's lap. Edward wrapped his arms around the young child instinctually and started humming softly to calm both of them. Ethan sighed softly in Edward's arms , settling in for the ride. Charlotte smiled at the site.

"You thinking about trying for children?" Edward asked softly, not wanted to disturb the resting child.

"Actually, Peter and I just found out we are expecting. I haven't told anyone else yet except for our supervisor."

"Char, you should have said something. You didn't need to be out in that weather today!"

"I made a calculated risk. Nothing happened, Edward, you shouldn't worry yourself so much. Edward, you did good out there today. I can't believe you performed vascular surgery on her!"

"All I did was control some bleeding," Edward replied, downplaying what he did. He did what he knew how to do; it was nothing special.

"No, really Edward, what you did was short of a miracle. We aren't trained on how to do that in school the last time a checked Ed."

"No, we were not trained to do that in paramedic school." Edward sighed and shifted Ethan in his arms. "I used to be a doctor."

"What?"

"I used to be a doctor. I did a tour in Afghanistan and was an Army doctor over there. I was part of the Eight unit," he whispered. Charlotte nodded, knowing a little about the history of the Eight Unit. "The type of wound that Bella had was the typical wound I would see over there. If I couldn't get to the soldier in time, most of the time they would bleed out. I couldn't let that happen to her."

"We would have just applied a tourniquet," Charlotte replied.

"With the delay in transportation, she would have lost her leg. She told me she is a physical therapist. She needed her leg. The tourniquet is great, but if we hadn't restored blood flow . . ." Edward trailed off, not wanting to think about the consequences. "I knew how to save her leg right then and there, so I did it. It's not that big of a deal."

"Regardless, Edward, you did good out there."

Edward nodded, tightening his hold on Ethan.

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Dr. Carlisle Cullen walked through the halls of the hospital, thinking about his last patient, Bella Swan. Edward had done a great job patching her up in the field, a feat that most doctors wouldn't have attempted, but not Edward. Carlisle beamed with pride when he saw the femoral artery patch that Edward had performed, the flight paramedics in awe of the "rookie" paramedic of Durham county.

Carlisle couldn't quite figure out his youngest son. Edward was a good mix of himself and his mother. Growing up, Edward was the quiet one of his children. He often chose to play the piano, or read an out dated version of children's Highlights. It surprised him when Edward announced that he was joining the military. He was surprised, but proud of him at the same time.

He remembered the call he received the night that Edward's chopper had crashed in the mountains. It was a night that changed his entire family. They were relieved to hear that he was alive, but the injuries, both physical and mental, took the Edward away that Carlisle had known. Carlisle had tried in vain to have Edward see a psychiatrist, but Edward wouldn't hear of it.

Thinking back on Isabella, Carlisle wondered what brought his Edward back. The present day Edward would have never tried something that risky in the field. Nonetheless, he was still glad to see the glimmer of Edward past and that Edward didn't shy away from having to do something that was very difficult. He was extremely proud of his son.

Carlisle rounded the hall, reaching the exam room that he had been paged to. He walked into the room and sucked in his breath at the sight. Edward was standing there in his boxers and a child was screaming for Edward.

"What is going on here?" Carlisle addressed the staff quickly.

"This man won't let us sedate the child so we can put stitches in his arm."

"Dad . . ."

"Everyone out!" Carlisle turned to the nurse. "Will you please bring my son a set of scrubs, and see if you can find a pediatric nightgown or scrubs for the little one."

The nurse nodded, walking quickly down the hall.

Edward had walked back over to the child and was starting a warm saline solution. "His body temperature is only 89 degrees. Ethan is warming up slowly now. He was out in the snow for four hours. I was surprised to see that he was still awake."

"Sometimes people can surprise you," Carlisle told him checking the IV placement.

"Dad, I know I haven't practiced in awhile . . ."

"I'm just checking Edward, I trust you, but this hospital still has liability for what is done inside these walls. You are no longer employed here, so I'm just covering the hospital's proverbial ass," Carlisle explained.

Ethan gasped and Carlisle chuckled. "I'm sorry," Carlisle apologized for the slip of the tongue. " I'm Carlisle," he told the toddler.

Ethan looked up at him and gave him a toothy smile. "Lisle!"

"Close enough," Carlisle laughed. "I saw what you did out there. It was good work Edward. Not many of us could have pulled that off out there. The patch was in a difficult place."

"Thanks Dad. How is she?" Edward asked while putting a numbing solution on Ethan's arm. Edward hoped that it wasn't too late for the young mother. Ethan needed his mother.

"Circulation to her leg has improved greatly. There is no risk of her losing her leg now, and that is because of you. We are cautiously optimistic for her recovery, but she is currently unconscious at this point. If she is not better by the morning, I'll send her down to CT."

Edward nodded, "Ethan, I'm going to fix your booboo, okay?"

Ethan nodded, watching in fascination as Edward stitched up his wound quickly.

"Good job Edward," Carlisle praised as he placed the stitches quickly in. Ethan didn't even flinch.

"Thanks Dad."

"You know, Son, whenever you are ready, your job will be waiting for you. But, whatever you decide, just know, I'm extremely proud of you."

Edward mumbled a thanks, and sat down in a chair. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with him. He dreaded to think of what would have happened to the child if he hadn't found him in time. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens, and then he closed his eyes for a second, trying to shake the images from his head.

"Ward?"

Edward looked over and saw Ethan looking at him, as if Ethan was trying to figure something out about him. As quickly as the look swept across his features, it was gone. Ethan reached out to him and Edward pulled the youngster into his arms, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

AN: Sorry there was a delay on this. I was out of town last weekend and wanted to do some last minute polishing on this.

I hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a line . . . reviews rock my socks.