First Light
by
unfailingtwilight
Chapter 7: The Doctor's Apprentice
Disclaimer: I Don't own any characters who are in the original Twilight saga. Just people like Cat. Any and all Twilight-related things belong to Stephenie Meyer...unfortunately.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. You all must think I'm a liar. Unfortunately, I've had quite a few bad things happen to me since the last time I updated in, what, August? But I'm not going to go into the grizzly details....Anyway, I'm super sorry and I'm posting two chapters today and another sometime before the end of the month.


6. The Doctor's Apprentice

"Bella, I don't know what we are going to do with you," Renée look at me with amused exasperation. After school, I had taken a ride once more from Cat. On that ride, we'd stopped at the library to meet up with her boyfriend, Michael, who was due from his brief Young Republicans meeting at any time. There was where I met my official first accident in Phoenix.

We'd been scanning the rows of books and the moment I split from my friend, I met with disaster. I had been too absorbed in the tremendous amount of books to notice the pushcart in my way and by the time I saw it, I was already on it and heading quickly to the ground. My left arm had gotten tangled under the books and the industrial iron. All things considered, I'd actually made little noise. Only Cat, who'd been two rows over, and the young staff member who'd left the cart unattended came to see what the noise had been. I apologized quickly and tried to help pick up books, but after trying to lift a particularly heavy Philip Pullman novel with the injured wrist, I knew immediately that I was going to need to see a doctor. I pulled out my new cell phone, which survived the crushing fall, and called my mother, who had been cleaning her classroom.

I chose to remain silent in the car, preferring to listen to my mom wonder why I was so accident prone. I didn't even have an answer for myself. It was just one of those things that had always been. The reason why I stopped doing ballet, the reason why I hated gym class. Walking across a flat, stable surface was hard enough, involve running or a ball and I was doomed, as were those around me, usually.

"Our usual family doctor stopped practicing a few months ago, but he did recommend this new one. He's taken over Dr. Meyer's practice and is supposed to be a miracle worker. I saw him last week." Renée pulled into the familiar parking lot of the bright blue doctor's office that I'd acquainted myself with when I was younger. I used to come to Dr. Meyer for most of my injuries, only going, embarrassed, to the emergency room for major broken bones and x-rays. Even though I would be with my mom for only a short time, I usually found one thing to hurt myself on while on my visits. As we got out of the car, I thought aloud.

"Maybe I should call Cat and Michael. Cat was a little scared when I told her about my wrist."

My mother held the door open for me, and glanced at me, amused. "You didn't warn her about how accident prone you were?"

I shrugged and held my wrist close to my chest. It was starting to ache. "I was hopping it would stay behind me in Forks."

"Me too." She sighed. "You were doing so well too. Almost a whole week," she joked. We walked to the familiar receptionist, a short woman with platinum blond hair and bright hazel eyes, named Fran.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Bella," she called in greeting. She greeted my mom also, and the two of them talked about what I'd done this time.

"Let's go, Bells." Renée was halfway to the back, holding the door open for me.

"Already?"

"It's a slow day," commented Fran next to her. She held my folder, which looked unusually thick. She led us to the first exam room and left us there. "The doctor's aid will be in in a moment. I'll let him know you're here."

I sat on the exam table, my legs dangling from the edge. Renée perched herself on the uncomfortable-looking vinyl seat next to the bed. We were both quiet, used to the routine. The only noise was the crinkling of the paper beneath me. "What were you here for last week?" I asked suddenly, remembering the comment Renée'd made earlier. I couldn't remember her getting hurt or anything recently.

"Oh, I wasn't feeling well. I thought it was the flu." She looked flustered, and she began rummaging in her purse for something. She settled for a pack of gum and pulled out a stick. "But I'm fine."

"What is he like?"

"Oh," Renée looked more keen on this topic and sat up in her seat. "He's very nice. Makes sure you understand everything. Very handsome, too."

"Mom..."

But neither of us got another word in because the door to the room opened and the aid came in. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw him.

"You?"

Edward Cullen and I spoke at the same time. While my voice held pure surprise, his surprise was tainted with a tinge of anger. He looked down at his chart, which held my information. His brow furrowed slightly, but smoothed out quickly.

"Well," he said, chuckling a bit, "I guess you have more of a right to be surprised than me. I had your name in front of me the whole time." He shut the door behind him.

"Bella?" Renée said next to me, confused. I had forgotten that she was even in the room and when I looked at her, I saw the look on her face.

"Oh. Mom, Edward is in one of my classes at school." She looked to him for confirmation.

"It's true. Bella and I have Biology together. Study Hall, also." He began taking my pulse and my heart rate as he spoke.

"But that makes you Bella's age, right?"

Edward wrote my numbers on my chart and put the stethoscope to my chest, instructing me to breathe in and out. "Yes. I help out here for my father. Kind of like an intern."

So Dr. Cullen was the one to take over Dr. Meyer's practice. Interesting. I was going to have to try and learn balance and to avoid library pushcarts.

"Let's check your height and weight," suggested Edward. He stepped over to the scale near the door and adjusted it slightly. Grudgingly, I stepped up and held still as he checked my height. "How is the wrist?" he asked, noting how I still held it close.

"Fine," I lied. In truth, it was starting to throb a little and was obviously swollen. He chuckled at my stubbornness.

"I'm almost done with you. Just a few questions and Dr. Cullen will be in."

He quickly took my numbers down and gestured for me to sit. Edward asked the standard questions and I answered them honestly. When he was done, he signed off on the chart and closed it with a flick of the wrist. As he stood and headed for the door, he did something that rocked me in my seat, making me forget momentarily about my throbbing wrist. He smiled genuinely at me.

"I'll be right back with the doctor."

It was quiet for a beat before my mom spoke up.

"Bella, do the two of you get along or not?"

"Why?"

"At first, you seemed to be cautious around each other, like you hated one another. Then you seemed amicable. Then you two seemed really friendly."

I shrugged. "I only met him today, truthfully. He and his siblings started school today."

"Huh."

I thanked the medicine gods the timing Dr. Cullen and Edward had because they chose that moment to come in. Edward, being the last one in, shut the door and kept behind the doctor, observing. I took my eyes off Edward the enigmatic to answer the doctor's question and mumbled my answer. It took all my power to give the answer, too. It seemed as if good genes ran in the family. With a head of blond hair and similar Romanesque features to that of a model, I could see what my mother meant when she'd said he was handsome. I quickly shook off the shock and described what happened to create my injury. I blushed furiously as both Edward and the doctor chuckled.

"I'm a little clumsy," I muttered, glaring at the wall.

"I can tell," said Dr. Cullen, waiving my medical folder, "We may see quite a bit of each other here, huh, Bella?"

"God, I hope not." My mom spoke with me, surprising me. I turned to look at her. "Really, Bella. Let's try not to break bones until Christmas, okay?"

Edward laughed. "No worries. I'll protect her in the two classes we have together." He winked at my mother and grinned at me. I flushed crimson, embarrassed by the sudden attention he was giving me.

The Cullen men finished the exam of my wrist, determining that it wasn't broken or fractured, just twisted. He suggested that I wear the lightweight brace he gave me for two weeks, then come back then for a check up. I agreed to grudgingly. While Renée went with Dr. Cullen to sign some paperwork and fill out insurance info, Edward walked me to the door that led to the lobby. I held my wrist close as he opened the door for me.

"Is it really bothering you that much?"

I turned to look at him, confused. "What's bothering me?"

"Your hand? You told my father that it wasn't too bad, but you were lying, weren't you?" Edward looked pointedly at my cradled hand, frowning.

"It's okay." I shrugged. "I can just take some Advil or something." Edward's frown deepened. "What?"

He said nothing. Instead, he pulled out a white pad and wrote on it quickly. He ripped a the single sheet off and handed it to me, giving me a stern look with it. He held on firmly as he spoke, "Take this to the pharmacy and get them. It's just enough for a few days, but it will help."

I looked down at the prescription and felt the beginning of a frown form on my face. "I don't think I'll need something like Vicodin for my little wrist." I tried to hand the paper back, but because he still held on to it, he made it impossible. It went right back in my palm, pressed firmly by his fingers, which were gentle and warm, but firm.

"Don't be stubborn, Bella," he said exasperatingly. "It's only two a day for five days. You may not even need them all, but at least for today and tomorrow. Please?" He looked down at me, eyes serious.

Something happened then. I had no idea it was going to happen, no clue how to prepare for it. So it happened, and afterward, left me breathless. I melted on the spot, entranced by his grass green eyes. I felt his fingers tighten around mine, closing the paper in my palm, and at the same time, a tingle went from my fingers and traveled all the way to my toes and back. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, causing him to smile crookedly a little. For a moment, I was speechless and I gaped for a moment, searching for a response to this feeling.

Before I could either tell him okay or to let go of my hand or do something stupid like kiss me, Renée came around the corner, causing the two of us to automatically step apart from each other. "Have a good afternoon, you two," Edward said. He smiled at the two of us and hurried around the corner, calling for his father. Renée blinked in surprise at his quick exit, but shrugged it off, telling me of how should get going. I was still rooted in place. Every time I blinked, I saw his face with his marvelous green eyes.