Here we go again … the plot bunny just couldn't stay away. Persistent little fucker. Originally, this began as a dream. When I woke up, I wrote down as much as I could, but it's morphed into something different.

Chapter Ten

She looked at him and frowned. His body was tense and his eyes were closed. "Look, I don't know what happened to you, Edward. The last woman? The one who exposed you? I can just imagine she was the one who hurt you." He huffed. She reached to him and took his hand. He was even more tense. "Not all of us are like that. I hope that, in time, we become friends." She moved her hand to his face, turning him to face her. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Masen. Sleep well."

Bella slid out of the car and into her own SUV. Edward watched as she backed out, driving away. He sat in the backseat, thinking about her words, remembering her body and touching his lips, relishing in the sweet kiss to his mouth. He blew out a breath, going to the front seat and driving home.

He replayed the whole thing in his mind as he showered and got ready for bed. "This is the best option, for now," he whispered in the darkness. Though, as he curled up, he wondered how she would feel in his arms, tucked in his bed.

The weeks pass and every couple of days, Edward and Bella sneak away to fuck each other stupid. But, it wasn't just fucking. Bella shocked Edward one time while she was working and gave him stellar blow job in the men's bathroom. He moaned as he watched her head bob over his cock, fisting her hair. He returned the favor a couple of days later, sneaking into the on-call room and licking her pussy until she woke up and was squirming in undeniable pleasure.

What shocked Bella the most was how tender Edward was after they had their intimate moments. Even though he was forceful while they had sex, he would always worry about hurting her. His lips were always attached to her skin, kissing and caressing her. When they were face-to-face, he'd always look at her in her eyes and there was so much desire swirling in his evergreen orbs, even care.

When there were more minor tremors or subtle earthquakes, Edward would text Bella, knowing her fear. Are you alright? ~ Masen

She would reply and grateful for his concern, further showing that he wasn't a bad guy. Just hurt, broken. Bella was determined to find out why he was hesitant to trust women, but with each passing day Bella hoped he'd open up to her. Tell her why he was so closed off.

Why he continued to be closed off.

The only time he opened up was when they were together. He was still abrupt to the medical staff, separating himself from the nurses and other doctors, only interacting with them when they had to work on a case. He even retreated further away from the women, being almost mean toward them, especially the nurses who looked at Edward like he was a side of beef. And to be honest, most of them did.

"Bella," Alice chirped as she came down to the emergency department. "You're coming with me to the softball game."

"To do what, exactly?" Bella asked, jotting down some information on the chart. "I don't play softball. I did when I was in high school, but quit when I got nailed in the face with a ball and in the next inning, being slammed in the shoulder by a bat. Nope. Not playing."

"Come on! The boys are playing. Rose is coming, too," Alice said. "You can help me keep score."

"Still not convinced," Bella snickered.

"We're going to get alcohol after the game," Alice beamed.

"There's the magic word," Bella nodded. "I'm almost done. I'll meet you at the field? I have to change. I refuse to show up in a pair of scrubs."

"Kay," Alice nodded. She prattled off some directions and she left.

Bella passed off her cases to one of the pediatric residents that had floated down to the emergency room. Bella drove to the apartment, changing into a pair of olive cargo shorts, a long-sleeved burgundy Henley and a pair of burgundy Converse. Tugging her hair into a ponytail and putting a tan baseball hat on her head, she drove to the softball fields. She parked next to Rose's car. Sashaying toward the field, she slid onto the metal bleachers. "Hey, Rose," Bella said. "I'm surprised you're not at home sleeping."

"Normally, I would be, but it's been a while since I've had some naked fun time with my boyfriend. He insisted I come and we can have said naked fun time," Rose snickered. She blinked at Bella, nodding. "Very cute and casual outfit, Swan."

"Maybe one of the softball hotties would be interested," Bella smirked, leaning back and stretching her legs out. She put on her sunglasses, looking to the field and saw Emmett and Jasper. They were playing catch with a third guy, number eighteen. His shoulders were broad and his ass was tight. "Oooh, who's playing with your boy?"

"That's Masen," Rose answered. "He fills in every so often when they're short a guy. Riley pulled a hamstring and is on injured reserve. Edward is the pitcher today."

"Fast pitch?" Bella smirked.

"I wish. Not, it's soft pitch. Essentially, it's a glorified underhand throw," Rose deadpanned. "With it being a coed league, they couldn't do fast pitch. Not everyone can do that throw."

"Hmmmm," Bella said, watching Edward throw the ball to Jasper and Emmett. He looked relaxed, laughing as he tossed the softball. "I think tonight is about to get a lot more interesting."

"Are you into Masen?" Rose asked. "I told you he's a monk. Yes, he may have fucked you. Once."

"I'm not into Masen," Bella said. "It's just a pity that such a delicious specimen of hunkiness has to be such a tight ass. Seriously, he needs to pull the stick out."

"I think everyone is in agreement there," Rose cackled. The other team arrived and after about ten minutes, the game started. Alice was in a tiny version of the uniform shirts and a pair of shorts, keeping track of the score. Rose cheered for the team while Bella just watched everyone, namely number eighteen. He was in control on the pitcher's mound and a powerful hitter, getting an easy double and one homerun. His third at-bat, he was hit on the hip and was automatically walked. His gaze was a fierce, angry green to the pitcher.

"Do you know who's pitching for this team?" Bella asked.

"He and Edward are not on the best of terms," Rose answered. "There's always been bad blood between Edward and Demetri. Something to do with Demetri's wife or whatever."

"Who are they playing?"

"Another hospital," Rose replied. "They're from Virginia Mason." Bella narrowed her eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," Bella shrugged, but she kept an eye on Demetri who clearly hated Edward and from the glares from Edward, the feeling was clearly mutual. The game ended, with Emmett, Jasper and Edward's team winning. They did the line to shake hands. Edward and Demetri were on the end. Edward held out his hand and Demetri shook it, whispering in Edward's ear. In an explosion of anger, Edward went to attack, but was held back by Emmett and Jasper. Demetri just laughed evilly, smacking Edward's face with his palm. Edward squirmed, knocking Demetri onto his ass and it took almost the entire team to separate the two. Rose and Bella flew off the bleachers.

"You handle Masen, I'll check Demetri," Rose said.

Bella walked to the bench where Edward was sitting, his nose bleeding and a deep cut over his eye, on his eyebrow. He blinked over to Bella, anger seeping through his whole body. "I come in peace, Masen," she said softly. Alice came over with a first aid kit. Bella slipped on some gloves. "I've got this, Ali."

"Okay. I'm going to help the guys calm Demetri down and stop him from pressing charges," Alice said coldly.

"I should press charges," Edward seethed. "He hit me first."

"He slapped you, Edward," Bella said, kneeling down and taking out some gauze and wiping the snot and blood from underneath his nose. He grimaced. "It wasn't the same as what you did to him."

"I should have done more," Edward said, his hands grasping the bench. "He just won't let it go."

"Let what go?" Bella asked, tilting his head back and gently prodding his nose. He groaned. "Sorry. Tender?"

"You could say that," Edward said.

"I need to check to see if it's broken," she whispered. Lightly using her fingers, she felt damage just above the bridge of his nose. "I think he got your nose good and you may need stitches on your eyebrow." She moved his head back down, taking out a pen light from her pocket. "Follow the light."

"I'm fine, Isabella," he spat.

"Fucker, you could have a concussion. Follow the god damned light," Bella spat back. Edward watched the light and Bella worked him through a cursory concussion work up. "I'd like for you to get a CT for this nasal injury."

"Can you set it?" he asked.

"It's going to hurt," Bella said, arching a brow.

"It already hurts," he grumbled. "Do it, Isabella."

With a sigh, Bella felt around his nose and braced her thumbs on either side of his nose. Pressing heavily, she reset his nose and he yelled, a fresh gush of blood spilling from his nostrils. Bella packed his nose with gauze and pressed an ice pack on his face. "You still need stitches," she said. She searched through the bag. "Don't have the supplies for that in this bag of tricks."

"I do. At my house," he said. He blinked over to the other bench and saw that Demetri was getting into a car. "Looks like he's not pressing charges."

"Good for you, Bruiser," Bella sighed, pushing the ice pack back to his face. "What did he say that set you off?"

"He was fucking gloating," he whispered.

"Why? His team lost," Bella snorted.

"Not about the game," Edward said, shaking his head. "Can you stitch me?"

"You're a little bigger than my normal patient, but I think I can handle it. Did you drive?" she asked.

"No. Emmett picked me up."

"Good, I'm glad you didn't drive because you shouldn't. I still think you have a mild concussion, you ass," Bella said, closing the first aid kit and tossing her gloves into a nearby trash bin. "I'll drive you home and I'm staying the night."

"No, you're not," Edward sneered.

"Do you have someone to wake you up?" Bella asked, crossing her arms over her chest. He shook his head. "Family nearby?"

"My parents live on Mercer Island, but they're both working," Edward answered.

"Then, I'm spending the night," she said. "I'll sleep on the couch. With your face all fucked up, I don't want to fuck you anyway." Edward rolled his eyes, standing up and following Bella to her car. Approaching Jasper, Emmett, Rose and Alice, she said, "I'm taking bruiser home and going to stitch him up. What happened with Demetri?"

"He backed down, but he's pissed, Ed," Emmett said. "How do you know him?"

"Tanya," Edward growled. Bella was confused, but didn't say much. She grabbed him by the arm and pushed him toward her car. "Hey, be careful, I'm injured."

"Don't bleed on my seats," Bella said angrily, backing up and driving away. "Where's home?" Edward gave her directions and she parked in his driveway. "Do you want to shower before I stitch you up?"

"Probably," Edward said, looking at his dusty body. "Um, help yourself to whatever in the fridge. There's some leftover Thai and, um, yeah …" He went upstairs and the water started.

Bella decided to be nosy. His house was gorgeous, but very, very cold. It was devoid of any personality, no pictures and personal touches. She frowned, concerned about him, but would be patient. If he wanted to disclose his issues, she'd have to wait. Based on his reaction today, his empty, sad house and his need to be separated from everyone in his life, Edward Masen had been hurt deeply.

He came back downstairs, in a pair of shorts and his torso bare. He held an old-fashioned doctor's bag. Bella grimaced, seeing huge bruises on his side. "Damn, this Demetri guy really whaled on you," she said.

"I think this is from being kicked by his teammates," Edward said. His voice was clearly nasal. "I repacked my nose. It's still bleeding."

"Where do you want me to stitch you up?" Bella asked.

"Kitchen has the best light," Edward answered quietly. Bella took his hand, gently tugging him toward his kitchen. Edward swiped his thumb over her knuckles and reveling in the softness of her hands. Tugging out one of the chairs at the table, she pushed him into it. Once she did that, she went to his bag, pulling out the necessary supplies and set them up neatly on the table. When she was done with her set up, which impressed Edward, she scoured her hands and tugged on a set of gloves. She drew some lidocaine and tilted Edward's head back.

"A little pinch" she whispered.

"You don't have to tell me what you're doing, Swan," Edward deadpanned.

"Sorry, habit. The littles like to know what's going on," Bella chuckled. Edward closed his eyes and nodded. After she numbed him, Bella began carefully stitching the deep cut on his brow. "I'm thinking you'll have six or seven stitches. I'm not a plastic surgeon, but I'll do the best to minimize scarring."

"Isabella, it's okay," Edward said. "Thank you for doing this." His voice was slurring a little bit.

"Are you allergic to lido?" Bella asked.

"Nope, I had a few shots of scotch," he snorted.

"If I wasn't wielding a suture, I'd kick your ass, Masen. You have a head injury, a broken nose and I'm stitching your eyebrow," Bella growled. "You're an idiot."

"No, I'm trying to numb the pain. Perhaps you could lido my heart," Edward slurred. "Stop it from hurting."

Bella stayed quiet, trying to think about how to proceed. She expertly maneuvered the suture, her eyes focused on his brow. "What did Demetri say, Edward?"

"He said that she was pregnant," he said, his voice broken.

"Tanya?" Bella pressed. His eyes shot open, displaying the agony of a broken-hearted man. "Please, trust me?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Are you going to tell me about her?" Bella asked.

"No."

His answer was abrupt, confident and left little room for an argument. Bella nodded, finishing with her sutures. She cleaned up, bandaging his brow and handing him another ice pack. "I would have given you something stronger for the pain but you being an idiot and having scotch is going to stop that. Do you have any Tylenol?"

"Top drawer in the island," Edward answered.

Bella pulled out the bottle and went into the fridge. It was nearly empty, except for beer, water and the leftover Thai. She swiped a water bottle. She walked over to Edward. He took the pills. "Drink the whole thing, Edward," Bella said.

He sucked it down. "I'm going to crash. You don't have to stay," he croaked.

"And I'm a natural blonde," Bella scoffed. "I'll check on you every two hours. I can stay on the couch or do you have a guest bedroom?"

"I have the rooms, but no other …" he trailed off, grimacing.

"Then, I'll stay on the couch," she said, helping him to his feet. He was wobbly and he paled. "You okay?"

"Fine," he answered. Bella rolled her eyes and helped him up the stairs. There were four bedrooms on the second floor. One was set up as an office, but the other two were empty. Completely empty. Edward's bedroom was as cold as the rest of the house and was almost as empty as the barren rooms on the floor. Bella frowned, concerned for Edward as she lay him down on top of his unmade bed. She looked around and found a garbage can in the bathroom. "What's that for?"

"In case you get nauseous and can't make it to the bathroom. I can handle blood, urine, shit, but I draw the line at puke," Bella smirked. Edward scowled. "Go to sleep, Masen. I'll check on you in two hours."

"You don't have to," he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes, I do," she replied. She sat with him until he was down for the count. With a sigh, she went back downstairs, curling up on the couch and setting her alarm. "What's your malfunction, Dr. Asshole?" she whispered before closing her eyes and catching a nap before she went to check on Edward.

A/N: Still with me? What do you think? And when will Edward break down and share information about Tanya. Will he share it with Bella? His family? His friends?

We'll find out next chapter. Stay tuned, folks! Thank you for reading! I appreciate it mucho!