Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, dialogue, quotes, et cetera related to the Twilight Saga are the property of Stephenie Meyer and or the property of their respective owners. Play on lyrics of Constant Craving belongs to K.D. Lang and Ben Mink. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. The original plot is the property of the author. Also this is my fictional version of Forks to help suit the story better and has no reflection on the real town of Forks, Washington whatsoever.
A/N: A tremendous amount of gratitude to my lovely beta the very talented abbymickey24; if you enjoy non-canon please check out her stories, she's fabulous. A very special thank you to Nic for starting my love of slash, I miss you my dear friend. Also a heartfelt thank you and much flove to my sisters/cheerleaders/partners in crime: Misty, Brandi and Cricket for all their help and encouragement along the way.
~o0o~
Dedicated to Brad Wade; gone, but never forgotten.
~o0o~
~Chapter 11~ Evasive Maneuvers ~ Carlisle's point of view...
Monday morning seems to match my mood, gray and gloomy; or what Bella likes to call an Eeyore day. I didn't sleep worth-a-shit last night and I know it's due to the fact Jasper wasn't in bed next to me. It's hard to comprehend in just a few days how essential he's become to my life.
Pulling into the hospital parking lot, I notice I've arrived before the others. I hurry through the drizzly cold rain and head straight for the emergency department. I'm soon greeted with good mornings from the night staff and Connie catches me up on everything while she waits for Maggie to arrive to relieve her.
Thankfully, the weekend went as smoothly as it could and there weren't any traumas brought in that needed my special attention. Also Bella's wish was granted and not a single Forks High School student remained in our care. Though unfortunately, Alistair was back due to more self medicating, along with a minor concussion and a nasty two-inch scalp laceration that needed to be sutured.
No sooner than Jasper walks through the automatic doors, Dr. Snow is approaching him impatiently with Alistair's chart in hand. I barely overhear her tossing out schizophrenia at Jasper and watch as he shakes his head adamantly, his expression turning displeased. We quickly share a discreet look over her head before they go tend to Alistair.
Bella arrives shortly after and I faintly snigger-snort when I spot her scrub top covered in under the weather looking Eeyores; guess I'm not the only one this morning. After saying our good mornings, we both grab a cup of coffee and begin our morning routine.
The emergency department stays pretty quiet for a Memorial Day, most likely due to the dismal weather. However, by midday the rain subsides, the sun starts to peek out through the clouds and things begin picking up with a few barbeque mishaps and other injuries.
Between tending to patients, I catch glimpses of Jasper here and there, our eyes lingering upon each other in passing. Having him here so close, yet not being able to act upon the way my body and soul craves to be near him is torture. Working with him and acting as if nothing has change is going to be a bigger challenge than I ever could have imagined, and this is only the first day. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this.
I notice Bella walking towards me as I'm finishing up filling out the discharge papers on Brady Fuller; a twelve-year old boy who fell out of a tree while playing hide and seek with his cousins; resulting in an ulna and radius fracture, along with hairline fracturing his wrist.
"Dad's bringing in Waylon, ETA ten-minutes." Bella informs and then hands me a small cup of coffee and a few homemade snickerdoodle cookies.
"Thank you, sweetheart." I smile in appreciation. "Does he need gastric suction again?" I inquire apprehensively, dreading the thought of having to do the procedure once more.
Waylon Forge is, for a lack of a better characterization, known as our town drunk; he's a likable enough guy, he just has a bad habit of habitually drinking to excess. Bella's fond of saying how much her father and Waylon remind her of Andy and Otis from the Andy Griffith Show.
"Nuh-uh, something about a fishing mishap with a lure when they were out on the boat, but knowing him alcohol was probably involved." she shrugs. "You want me to put him in curtain three when they get here?"
"Sure, and please setup a suture tray and get a tetanus toxoid injection ready too, just in case." I request and take a sip of my coffee.
Bella nods and I thank her as she heads off to get everything ready for Waylon. I sign off on Brady's chart and hand it over to Maggie, and then finish my coffee and cookies while I wait for them to arrive.
They show up eight-minutes later, Charlie leading a stumbling Waylon by his elbow; it doesn't surprise me to see he's sipping from a little bottle of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. The both of them are chuckling and sharing jocular expressions.
I slightly shake my head at the sight in front of me. They say the human body is largely made up of water, but in Waylon's case it's whiskey.
I greet the two men and usher them into curtain three where Bella is waiting for us. Between the three of us we finally get Waylon situated upright onto the gurney. The scent of liquor is strong on his breath as he regales me with his and Charlie's fishing antics and mishap, mainly when he last casted out his line only to embed the treble hook lure into the top of his left shoulder blade. Charlie interjects with: "He means to say, he caught a big mouth ass instead of a sea bass." causing all of us to guffaw.
Examining the colorful lure dangling from Waylon's shoulder, I carefully cut the material of his shirt away the best I can. Next, I gingerly remove the embedded hooks, clean and deaden the area, and then add a few small stitches to close the wounds; then finish off by giving him a tetanus shot.
While I'm giving Waylon the rundown on his aftercare and stitch removal, Charlie receives a phone call from Deputy Marks about a domestic disturbance call and needing backup. Bella tells Charlie to go and she promises she'll call Harry and have him come pick Waylon up. Charlie thanks Bella and hurriedly says goodbye to us as he leaves to help his deputy.
I help Bella get a still unsteady Waylon to the waiting room, and just as we get him into a seat, Cora a waitress from the Forks Coffee Shop comes through the automatic doors grimacing with a wet dish towel wrapped around her hand and forearm.
Bella and I help Cora to an exam room, as she tells us one of her customers accidently bumped into her while she was carrying a full pot of coffee, causing it to splash out onto her hand and down her arm. I quickly examine the burn and find minor blistering on her hand, with a severe second-degree burn, along with a first-degree burn going down her forearm. I treat the injury, discussing the aftercare and infection risk with Cora. I then hand her a few prescriptions and a note giving her a week off from work and tell her to follow up with her physician if needed.
Saying goodbye to Cora, I spot Deputy Marks escorting a crying petite woman up to the nurses' station, her face is all battered and bruised with a bloody split lip. I've seen guys go rounds with Muhammad Ali and not look this bad; it looks like someone repeatedly used her for a punching bag. By the looks of it all, I'd say this was the domestic disturbance call Charlie got called out on.
We get her into curtain one and gingerly help her up onto the gurney. Deputy Marks confirms my suspicion and tells us she's from the call earlier; her name is Nettie and she's thirty-six years old, her husband apparently had too much to drink and was now at the police station being held on a drunk and disorderly charge; as Nettie wouldn't press battery charges against him at the scene. Marks heaves a sigh, saying this isn't the first incident, and she never presses charges; even now, when this is the worst he's ever hurt her so far.
"It's all my fault, I slipped, really I slipped." she beseeches me with begging eyes. "It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault." she repeats almost breathlessly as tears trickle down her swollen face. I'm not sure whom she's trying to convince more, herself or me.
"Bella, please call Doctor Whitlock for a consult." I request as I try to calm the panic-stricken woman down with reassuring words.
Bella nods giving Nettie a sympatric look and walks around the curtain. I get Nettie to calm down enough to exam her fully and suspect several of her ribs might be fractured as well. Cases like these are always hard to deal with emotionally; we can't really help them, if they refuse to help themselves. It's just a heartbreaking vicious cycle that we try our best to help them break.
A few minutes later, Bella comes back informing me Jasper is on his way as she steps up to Nettie and takes her hand, cooing softly to her that she's safe here. I discreetly excuse myself from the exam room so I can consult with Jasper in private.
Within a minute, I notice Jasper stalking towards me with a seductive predatory gleam in his eyes, licking his lips slowly, only to bite the bottom one and slightly pulling it into his mouth. The sight of him makes me instantly hard and I have to struggle to remember where we are.
"Ya' want me, Doctor Cullen?" he drawls sensuously in a hushed tone once he's near me.
I'm struck senseless for a second and he's making it difficult to have a rational thought with the way he's looking at me. God I want him, I want nothing more than to shove him up against the wall and ravage him thoroughly.
Trying to shake those thoughts away, I groan lowly, "You're making it hard for me to think straight."
Jasper cautiously looks around us for a second, "Well it's a good thing yer not straight than." he quips in a soft whisper.
I give him an incredulous look and shake my head at his wiseass remark. "Such a smartass, I swear to..."
"Hey, ya love my ass in more ways tha…" he starts to say licentiously and trails off at my reproving look, and then concedes, "Okay, okay, I'll behave. Other than what I want ya to need me for, what can I do for ya, darlin'?" he drawls and smirks facetiously.
It's not like I can blame the boy, hell it was only yesterday that we were so entwined, it was impossible to tell where I began and he ended; and with this being the first time we've been near each other since, made it understandable. Howbeit, if we weren't at the hospital and back on the houseboat, I'd be more than happy to give him what he needs, hard and deep.
I try to get my thoughts back to where they belong, blowing out a breath before giving him the rundown on Nettie's case and informing him her husband is down at the police station with Charlie; and he's hoping Nettie will finally press charges against him this time.
"I'll do the best I can; hopefully I can get her into the Forks Abuse Program." Jasper replies pessimistically.
Jasper and I walk into the exam room, Bella is still quietly consoling Nettie. I introduce Nettie and Jasper, and at first she seems very leery of him and tells him she doesn't need him psychoanalyzing her. Thankfully, thirty minutes later, Jasper and his solacing bedside manner has her at ease, and wanting to press battery charges against her abusive husband. I have Bella go inform Deputy Marks and call in an orderly to take Nettie to radiology for a chest x-ray.
As we all leave the exam room, Jasper and I share an inconspicuous desirous look between us and I want nothing more than to pull him into my embrace and kiss him passionately. Once again, I wonder; how in the hell are we going to do this?
~o0o~
Throughout the rest of May and well into the month of June, Jasper and I figure out little by little how to cohabitate in my closet. I still feel guilty for dragging him in here with me, though as much as I want to come out, deep down I hate to admit it scares the shit out of me. There are just too many what ifs to stress over. Is Jasper worth it? Hell yes… Is everything else worth it? I wish I knew...
We also get in the habit of talking every night on the phone or on Skype when I'm not on-call at the hospital. Some nights we talk about anything and everything, other nights it's downright raunchy phone sex; my boy has a filthy mouth on him and I love it. On a rare few nights, after trying days, we mostly stay quiet, just listening to each other's surroundings, content with knowing the other is simply there.
On a downside, it seemed my father and Esme were getting suspicious, noticing that my mood has changed for the better; for the most part I'm happier, smiling more and well, in love. Resulting in the both of them doubling their efforts; if I wasn't at work, Eli was finding new ways to keep me busy with either him or Esme. It also didn't help with me being continuously on-call; making it impossible to leave town for any length of time for Jasper and I to be alone together.
As if everything isn't complicated enough, we soon realized the townsfolk pretty much kept tabs on Jasper; always nosing around and watching him like he was some damned reality show. Making it even worse, after talking with Jasper, I realize I couldn't sneak off to his place either; three families that attend my father's church faithfully live on the same street as him. Anyone of them would happily inform my father I was there before I could even reach Jasper's front door. Worst of all, the nosy and overly homophobic Berty's lived right across from his place and even had the gall to ask him to move. So with his place and mine being off limits, along with the one and only local motel being located right in the middle of town, we were pretty much out of luck.
Thankfully, we were able to find hidden little moments while at work. Bella also was helping us in anyway she could and covering for us when need be; she's a great lookout and we're grateful for all she does for us. Jasper also made it a habit if by chance we were ever in an empty corridor together, he'd grab each end of my stethoscope pulling me in for a quick kiss, it was risky, but I couldn't deny I loved the thrill of it.
It also didn't take us long to learn to take advantage of my late night on-calls. After my patients were in stable condition for the remainder of the night, we'd sneak off to his office or mine; where one night I found out he has a weakness for seeing me in scrub pants. From then on, I benefited in receiving several blowjobs behind an office door whenever I wore them. I had also learned that nine times out of ten, my boy went commando making returning the gesture effortless and wanton.
One late night found us in his office behind a locked door, where I had him bent over his desk with him taunting me to fuck him. I ran my hands over the curvature of his ass and pulled him closer to me, stroking my hard cock along his crevice, spreading his pert cheeks and slowly pushing into him; I sheathed myself deep and ground my hips against him. Pulling out, I thrusted back in at a middling pace; knowing I was teasing my boy, making him needy for more.
"Gha'damnit, I won't break, darlin', fuck me harder." he moaned beseechingly, bucking back into me.
I possessively tightened my grip on his hips, my fingers digging into his flesh as I thrust forcefully into his tight, hot ass; setting a hard, fast rhythm. Within moments we were both coming hard, quivering against one another as we did our best to stifle our sounds of ecstasy. We stumbled over to his couch and collapsed, twisting up tightly together around one another, falling contently asleep moments after.
After nights like that, Bella had a habit of showing up earlier in the morning and she'd bang on Jasper's office door; waking us up before none of the other staff was any the wiser. The second I'd stepped outside of Jasper's office, she'd hand me a cup of coffee and send me off to mine to get ready for the day. Thankfully, we were all getting pretty damn good at being evasive as time went by.
~o0o~
By mid June, Jasper flew down to Texas for several days for his father's sixty-fifth birthday and Father's Day, both falling on the same day this year. It's normal not to see him on the weekends with me tending to my father and all, though knowing he isn't even here made it feel different; like he took a huge part of me with him and all I'm left with is a deep hollow ache.
Bella does her best to distract me and tries to cheer me up while she's still here. She made plans to stay home for the weekend to surprise Charlie with a dad/daughter fishing trip to the Three Rivers Resort; where she rented a two-bedroom cabin for them to spend the weekend, being all tomboyish and shit, as she so lovingly put it.
Much to Bella and Jasper's displeasure, I also make plans for Eli come Sunday; to take him over to Port Angeles for their annual Father's Day Hot Rods and Hot Dogs Car Show, hosted by one of my father's fellow pastors. I know neither one of them truly understands why I even bother doing this for him. I also know he's not the best father in the world, but he's mine and deep down regardless of his gruffness and occasional malevolence, I do love him; for better or for worse, he's all the family I have left in this world.
When Father's Day arrives, I'm grateful for the most part as it's relatively peaceful between us. We have a good time at the car show; I enjoy listening to him reminisce over several of the vintage cars and the hotdogs are actually pretty good. Afterwards, we have a quiet dinner at home, where I give him a new suit that he'd been eyeing over in Port Angeles for the past few months. He genuinely thanks me and we spend the rest of the night watching an old movie together. All and all, a day like this is few and far between for us, but I cherish it nonetheless.
~o0o~
Come Tuesday morning, I'm elated when I see Jasper sauntering through the automatic doors. The four days he's been gone have been poignant, and I don't fully realize just how deeply I missed him until I see him again. My body feels lighter and I finally feel like I can breath more freely; it's almost frightening the effect this man has on me.
Jasper spots me next as I'm going over a chart at the nurses' station, it warms my soul to see him breakout into such a radiant smile as he walks over towards me.
"Good morning, Doctor Cullen." Jasper greets warmly, his eyes drinking me in.
"Same to you, Doctor Whitlock, how was your trip?" I inquire politely and turn to face him fully.
"It was nice, the trip was good, Texas, is still Texas and my dad had a great time, though I really missed being here; my home and heart are now here… with you." he replies sincerely, lowering his voice towards the end, and then gives me my favorite dimpled smile.
His words leave me feeling all twitterpated and I itch to touch him, I try my best to compose myself, "I… that's wonderful to hear. It's great to have you back, I mis..."
Bella suddenly appears right next to me, pushing her body into mine; her right hand comes up and splays possessively over my chest. "Welcome back, Doctor Whitlock, if you'll excuse us, I desperately need Doctor Cullen for a moment." Bella expresses suggestively and rather loudly.
I slightly jump when I feel her squeeze and pat me on the ass and before I can even figure out what the hell is going on, she's dragging me away from Jasper and pulling me inside the empty on-call room.
No sooner than the door shuts behind us I spin her around. "What the hell was that about?" I demand sternly.
"Oh, nothing much, just me saving your ass is all." she huffs all tetchy, placing her hands on her hips.
"What are you talking about?" I question brusquely.
"Did you notice Alice?" she retorts quickly, narrowing her eyes.
"Alice? No, what the hell does this have to do with her?" I retort.
"Well, you might not have noticed her, but she sure noticed you; and she was looking a little too observant while watching you and Jasper inch closer and closer together. I swear you two turn into blind lovesick fools whenever you're anywhere near one another." she rebukes, rolling her eyes and sighing exasperatedly.
"I hadn't realized..." I murmur contritely.
"I know and I get that you've missed him terribly and that this isn't fair, but you just need to be more careful around her; I wouldn't trust her not to stir up more shit than she already does." Bella warns and starts tousling her hair and rumples her scrub top.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing now?" I ask with a bemused smile.
Bella smirks mischievously, "Giving the nosy little bitch something to gossip about."
She steps around me and walks up to the closed door and starts sporadically thumping her hand hard against it. "Oh yes, right there… That's the spot, you sexy hunk of doctor… Oh-my-god, so-so good... Oh-YES." she exclaims loudly and tries to keep from hysterically laughing out loud.
"Is this really necessary?" I ask feeling flabbergasted by her behavior.
Bella grins blithely and nods her head, and then thumps the door once more with a long drawn out moan.
Shaking my head and trying to keep from laughing my ass off, I have to ask, "You're enjoying this a little too much, aren't you?"
Bella laughs drolly, "Just a little bit." She reaches over and rumples my lab coat, and then shakes her fingers through my hair, looking entirely too impish. "Well that should do, doc, shall we get back to work?"
"Yes, I think that was pretty sufficient." I reply good-naturedly, thoroughly amused by her evasive antics. I softly chortle and pull her to me for a hug, thanking her.
Opening the door we step back out into the corridor together, I immediately spot Alice across the way, giving us an outright disgusted look before hastily turning on her heels and heading off for curtain one.
It's all Bella and I can do to keep our composure at Alice's vexation. I then spot Jasper still standing at the nurses' station, biting his pouty lip, his expression a mixture of good-humored bemusement; it seems he also overheard Bella's performance.
Our eyes meet and he winks at me with a tight smile, and I notice a slight sadness to his eyes; as thankful as I am for Bella trying to protect me, I also loathe that I've hurt him. I know this isn't fair to him, too us, it feels like I'm belittling what we feel for one another; and once again I have to ask myself, is it really worth it?
~o0o~
After Jasper's return from Texas, we struggled to spend any time together, it felt like it's constantly one thing after another getting in our way; if it isn't our hectic workload, it's my father and Esme. Thankfully, we are still able to talk most nights for a few hours, but it doesn't feel like enough, I crave to be closer to him, to feel him under my touch.
Finally getting beyond desperate to spend any time with him, I felt it was worth the risk and made plans to sneak off with him come Sunday for an hour or two down by the Sol Duc River; while most of the townsfolk, including my father would be in church. I figured if anyone happened to spot us together I could just claim to be showing him around; surely colleagues could do that. However, that plan was interrupted when I was called into the hospital, having to spend our allotted time in surgery saving Mrs. Clapp's life.
Three days later, around mid-morning, I hear a knock at my office door and call out "Come in." Looking up from signing the birth certificate in front of me, I see my boy coming in around the door; the mere sight of him has me feeling a mixture of euphoria and lasciviousness.
"Bella told me I could find ya in here." he drawls as he enters my office holding two different looking ceramic mugs. Walking up to my desk he hands me the mug that looks a lot like a prescription bottle, instruction label included, and then bends over giving me a lingering kiss, before he leans back on the edge of my desk.
"What's this?" I ask amusingly, resting my free hand on his thigh.
"Coffee." he answers wittily and smirks.
Giving him a 'no shit' look, I silently read the label on the mug; seeing it's a written prescription for coffee:
Mr. Java Joe Espresso
Drink one mug by mouth, repeat until awake and alert.
Daily Grind
Qty: 12 ounces of Black Gold
Refills: Sure!
Expires: When mug is empty
"It's 'bout time ya gave up the Styrofoam cups, darlin', ya need to be more considerate of our planet." he mock scolds, but he can't seem to hide his smirk.
I laugh heartedly, "Thank you, and I'll try to keep that in mind." I nod my head towards his cup as I take a sip from mine.
Jasper holds his mug up so I can see it better; it looks like an advertisement for a new drug, all in shades of light blues and greens with a two-tone blue and white pill capsule. Looking closer I see it says:
Depressed?
Over Worked?
Job Sucks?
Unappreciated?
Family Problems?
Money Worries?
Well here's a pill for you!
FUKITOL 1000mg
When life just blows... Fukitol!
I laugh hard, once I'm down to just lightly chuckling I tell him, "I might need you to write me out a prescription for that, Doctor Whitlock."
"Nah, I have something much better that I'd love to prescribe to you, darlin'," Jasper says lecherously and adjusts his cock while staring at my mouth. "And besides, you already seem to be in a great mood today. Care to share?" he asks with an amused smirk.
It's hard not to imagine taking him into my mouth and sucking him off until he comes. I notice him smirking deviously and realize he knows exactly where my mind had just gone too. I shake the thought away and answer his query.
"I delivered a baby an hour ago. EMTs brought the mother in crowning; we barely got behind curtain one before the little one came screaming into the world. That first cry of life is indescribable the way it warms your heart, I'll never tire of hearing it. It's always the highlight of my profession helping to bring a new life into this world." I reply with a beaming smile.
"Yeah, I can understand that and it beats the hell outta doing everything ya can to save someone's life. What'd she have?" Jasper asks, returning my smile.
"A beautiful baby girl, she's seven-pounds, three-ounces and nineteen-inches long." I answer smilingly.
Jasper grins and then his expression turns contemplative, "Would ya ever like to have kids someday?"
"To be honest, I've never thought it would be a possibility for me." I reply pensively. "Would you like to have a child?"
"Sure, when the timing is right, I'd love to have a rugrat or two." Jasper answers in an optimistic tone.
"So you'd be open-minded about adoption then?" I inquire, wondering what it might be like to have a child of my own, with him.
"I wouldn't say no to adoption, though my older sister Rosalie had her eggs frozen awhile back and gave me several of them for if I wanted kids someday; she figured this way the kids would be mine and my partner's biological children so to say. We'd just need to find a surrogate when the time comes." Jasper informs with a hopeful expression.
"That was awfully generous of her." I reply earnestly, and then it dawns on me what all he said. "Wait; hold up, you have a sister? I thought you were an only child." Feeling baffled, I think back on all the conversations we've had and I still don't ever remember a sister being mentioned.
"Yeah, I do, it's probably because I don't hardly speak of her. Rosalie and I aren't what ya'd call close; she's the ying to my yang. We didn't really grow up together like normal siblings. She loathed the nomadic lifestyle of the Army and would throw an epic tantrum every time we had to move again.
"It was the summer before I turned three and Rosalie had just turned nine, when my dad got orders to transfer to another base again, once Rose found out all hell broke loose. Rose screamed bloody murder and told my parents she hated them and no longer wanted anything to do with them, feeling resentful over them always choosing the Army life over what she wanted. Shortly after that, Rose left home and went off to live with our paternal grandparents in Rochester, New York, where my grandfather was stationed permanently. It completely broke my momma's heart; she felt like Rosalie had disowned us and my ma pretty much treated me like an only child after that."
"Then if you're not close, why would she go through that daunting procedure and share her eggs with you?" I ask feeling confused.
"Trust me, at the time I was as surprised and confused as you are now, even though she didn't want anything to do with our parents, she sporadically kept in touch with me over the years. It happened back when Rose was twenty-six and she got caught up with some big shot loser named Royce. They were out partying heavily one night and got into a bad car wreck. Rose's pelvic bone damn near shattered and did a lot of internal damage, and the doctor had to do a complete hysterectomy. Rose begged the doctor to harvest her eggs so she could at least have biological children by surrogacy later on. I'm not sure why, though at the time she thought of me and had six eggs put aside under my name." Jasper recounts in a bittersweet tone. "Thankfully when I got the call from the hospital informing me of the accident, I was able to get emergency leave and made it there shortly after she was out of surgery. She had a long recovery, though she's doing better now. She thankfully dumped Royce's ass afterwards and a few years later on she met a great guy named Emmett; they got married shortly after and had twin girls last year."
"It seems everything worked out for the best, I suppose." I say uncertainly, giving him a small smile.
"Yeah, it did, I don't really dwell on it much. I have too many other things to keep my mind occupied with." he replies, sounding almost sullen.
"How has your day been so far?" I ask, noticing he's starting to look a bit weary.
"I've had better. Would it be considered rude to toss a Valium into my patient's mouth while they're still talkin'?" Jasper asks sarcastically.
I can't help my deep laugh, "It might be, unless you believe it would be the best course of treatment for the patient, doctor."
"In this guy's case..." Jasper starts to say.
"Doc! Mr. Sawyer's coding!" Bella frantically yells and bangs on my office door.
I quickly jump up and sprint towards my patient's room, praying I get to him in time.
~o0o~
After an arduous ordeal, I'm finally able to get Mr. Sawyer back to a normal sinus rhythm and in stable condition again. Afterwards, I head back to the emergency department to see if I'm needed there.
From across the emergency department, I notice Bella adamantly chatting with Jasper. He gives her a concerned look and nods as he replies something to her. They soon part ways and Jasper heads back down the corridor towards his office.
Bella turns and spots me; looking jubilant as she starts to walk over. Before she reaches me, I feel my cell phone start to vibrate in my pocket. Pulling my phone out, I see it's a message from Jasper and I can't help but smile.
Opening up the text message, I read: Just a heads up, I have a private consult right after work. I'll give ya a call later tonight once I get home, babe. And he ends it with a red heart emoji.
My smile wanes and I wonder when he started seeing patients outside of the hospital. I don't get long to ponder as Bella breaks me from my thoughts.
"Hey, doc, just the man I need to talk to." she greets a little too cheery.
"What's up?" I ask, pocketing my phone.
"Well, Charlie thought it would be great to let me know as he was walking out the door this morning that he'd be out of town tonight and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. I already have steaks marinating in the fridge, and have some potatoes baking in the Crockpot; so I was wondering if you'd like to come over after work for dinner. I figured you could use a break from all the craziness and then I don't have to eat alone." Bella offers a little too keenly.
I give her a skeptical look, and a part of me thinks she's up to something, though this isn't an unusual request either. Besides, the offer to spend the evening with her and away from home is too appealing to pass up. "Sure, that sounds great. Do I need to pick anything up before I come over?"
"Nope, just bring you, I have everything else. Maybe after dinner, I can kick your ass in a game of Phase 10 and you can properly vent about how the meddlesome-twosome have been running you ragged and doing their very best to keep you cockblocked all the time." Bella replies good-humoredly.
I snigger and smirk, "Yes, a night off from them two would be greatly appreciated. And who knows I just might let you win this time."
She scoffs and gives me a mock incredulous look, causing both of us to laugh. With our plans set for this evening we both get back to work, looking forward to the end of our shift.
~o0o~
Come six-pm, I find Bella waiting for me at the nurses' station; I quickly apologize and tell her I'll be an hour late as I have some paperwork that needs to be finished up before I can leave. She says she understands and it will give her an hour to finish up dinner, promising to have it ready for when I get there.
After saying goodbye to Bella, I soon enter my office with a stack of charts. Taking a seat at my desk, I reach up and remove my tie and then open the top chart, getting right to work.
Filling in the last of June Richardson's chart my cell phone buzzes. Looking down at the caller identification, I see it's my father. With a resigned sigh I accept the call. "Hello, Father." I greet cordially and rub the palm of my hand over my tired eyes.
"You're late and Connie told Esme your shift ended over an hour ago and you're no longer at the hospital. Is there a good reason you're not home yet." Eli demands in an accusing tone.
I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Yes. Actually, I'm still at work, sitting in my office; I'm in the middle of finishing up some paperwork that I got behind on today. I also have dinner plans with Bella tonight in..." I glance at my watch, "technically, I'm already several minutes late." I answer, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
"This behavior is uncalled for, Esme already has dinner ready and we've been waiting on you for the past hour. I won't tolerate such rudeness, Carlisle." he admonishes gruffly.
"Well, please give Esme my apologies; I wasn't aware she had made dinner, let alone I was required to join. As I was saying before, I already have plans to dine with Bella tonight as Charlie is out of town until tomorrow afternoon and she doesn't want to spend the evening alone. So, I'll probably be real late getting home tonight, if at all." I tell him matter-of-factly, knowing that last tidbit will surely upset the both of them.
"Carlisle, it's immoral for you to be spending the evening alone with that Jezebel. I still can't fathom why you continue to choose to be with that depraved harlot and not finally settle down with Esme. Your beloved mother would never approve of your deviant actions, not when she would undoubtedly choose for you to be with Esme, she's..." he scolds in a curt tone.
Not wanting to listen to anymore of his sanctimonious bullshit, I cut him off, "Father, I'm not going to argue this with you. I need to get going as I'm already late and I don't want to keep Bella waiting any longer than I already have. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night."
Before I can hang up, I hear him mumble under his breath, "I wish that whore would go back to Babylon where she belongs."
"Father!" I exclaim angrily.
I hear him harrumph indignantly over the line.
Having enough, I hang up knowing I just caused an even bigger rife for being disrespectful, though, there's only so much I can take, and I figured it was the lesser of two evils for how I'm feeling at the mention of my mother and his blatant disrespect of Bella. No matter what he says, I still believe in my heart that if my mother knew of my true sexual orientation she'd still love me regardless and would only want me to be happy.
I blow out a long stressful breath and sign off on the Richardson chart. I pile all the charts back together and get ready to leave. I send Bella a quick text message informing her I'm on my way before leaving my office for the night.
Reaching the nurses' station, I hand my charts off to a startled Connie. After wishing her a goodnight, I head out the automatic doors towards the parking lot.
~o0o~
I pull into the brick driveway a quarter past seven-pm. and get out of my car, making my way up to Bella's front door, I give the door a quick knock and hear Bella yell out, "Come on in, doc."
Opening the door and stepping inside, my steps falter at the sight of Jasper standing next to Bella. I look back towards the driveway and don't see his car parked anywhere.
Bella must sense my confusion as she answers my unspoken question, "It's in the garage. No one would think twice seeing your car parked out front, as the whole town already believes we're sleeping together." Bella explains sarcastically.
Half listening to Bella's explanation, I focus more on Jasper. "I thought you had a consult tonight?" I ask him feeling discombobulated.
He gives Bella a quick bewildered look, "So did I." he replies honestly and motions towards Bella.
Bella looks like a mixture of smug and sheepish as she announces, "Surprise!" and tosses her arms up in the air like we just won the lottery.
"What?" we both say in unison, looking at her dumbfounded.
"I figured it was about time the two of you got some alone time away from the hospital, and no one would think twice about finding you both here and with Charlie out of town this works out perfectly." Bella reaches for a flashlight sitting on the hallway table and hands it to me, "So... here, you boys will need this. Head out the back door and follow the trail to the gazebo. I set up a little treat for you guys out there. Don't worry about anything and take all the time you want. I'm going to have a nice relaxing night with a book and a hot bubble bath. Now go have fun and do what I would do." Bella instructs avidly.
"What have you done?" I ask her hesitantly.
"Well if you would just go, you'll find out soon enough." she says exasperatedly.
"Fine just be that way and... thank you for everything, whatever it may be." I concede to her plans, giving her a grateful smile and a kiss on her cheek.
"You're welcome, doc. Now get." she says waving her hand dismissively towards the back door.
"Yes, ma'am," Jasper drawls and kisses her other cheek.
Doing as we were told, I grab Jasper's hand and escort him out the back door into Bella's secluded backyard.
Jasper takes in the scenery around us and then gives me a baffled look, "I hope you know where to go as I don't have a clue."
"I do. There's the trail she told us to follow." I reply and point towards the small dirt path leading into the dense forest behind Bella's house.
I kiss him chastely and entwine our fingers together. Pulling lightly on his hand, I lead us over to the head of the trail. Casually walking down the dirt pathway towards the gazebo I start to wonder, "So how did Bella lure you over here?"
"She told me she really needed to talk and didn't feel comfortable doing it at the hospital and wanted to know if I'd come to the house instead after our shift." he explains thoughtfully.
"Well I won't complain about her meddling as I've really missed getting to spend any quality alone time with you lately." I say with a blissful smile.
"Me too, I'm looking forward to this, no matter what's waiting for us." he agrees and squeezes my hand.
The further we walk into the forest, it starts to take on the look of twilight with the dense canopy of trees blocking out the evening sun. All of the evergreen trees are heavily coated in moss weeping from their branches and creeping up their trunks, feathery looking ferns outline each side of the path and the air is fragrant with the scent of pine, damp moss and rainwater.
As we continue down the trail hand in hand, it's not much longer until we both spot the faint glow of lights as we approach the gazebo. Stepping up the three steps, I pull back the opening in the sheer mosquito netting that covers the gazebo and gesture with my hand for Jasper to step inside.
Walking inside behind him, I watch as Jasper takes in the white washed wood of the gazebo and the soft glow of lights. Bella had hung a few electric lanterns up in the corners and along the railing she'd placed a dozen electric tea light candles here and there, giving the place a romantic ambiance.
Sitting on one of the bench seats across from us is a wooden picnic basket and next to it sits a large chilled bottle of what looked to be iced tea along with two solo cups. On the far side of the gazebo, Bella has placed a foam pad covered in a fleece plaid blanket along with several oversized throw pillows, to make up a comfy picnic area for us. She truly out did herself with everything.
"Wow. She really went all out didn't she? Jasper asks, breaking me out of my own wonderment over my best friend's surprise.
"Yes, she did." I agree in admiration.
I pull him towards me and kiss him slowly, savoring not having to rush this moment. We gradually break apart to catch our breath, staring at each other with such goofy looks of adoration.
"I don't know about you, but I'm starved. I never got the chance to grab lunch today." I say followed by the sound of my stomach growling, proving my point.
Jasper lightly chuckles. "I can believe that, I heard they kept ya busy today. Well lets see what the little wood nymph put together for us, shall we." he suggests and gestures towards the picnic basket.
"Sounds good," I agree and together we head over to the bench.
Jasper grabs up the picnic basket and walks over, sitting down on the blanket, while I set to pouring our drinks.
As I carefully sit down next to Jasper with our drinks in hand, he opens the picnic basket; inside we find two large identical Tupperware containers with a spork wrapped up in a napkin tied onto each of them. There's another medium size container that has another spork, four condoms and a small bottle of lube tied to it. Lastly there are two little containers filled with salt and pepper, a pack of wet wipes and a small plastic trash bag.
Jasper picks up the medium sized container; "Dessert?" he questions waggling his eyebrows. "By the looks of this, I'd think she's trying to get ya laid, darlin'." he chuckles mirthfully.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if I should be grateful or disturbed by that." I say uncertainly. I didn't know if I wanted to kill her or hug her meddling ass later on.
"Maybe a bit of both," Jasper says jocosely and hands over one of the large Tupperware container to me.
I remove the spork and lid, and find it's divvied up into three compartments inside; the largest of the three holding a hardy looking roast beef sandwich, the other two compartments are filled with potato salad and a diced fresh fruit medley.
"Damn, this looks good." Jasper acclaims with a ravenous look.
I agree wholeheartedly and we both dig-in to our dinner. In-between bites, we catch up and talk about various topics from work to trivial matters. A sense of ease washes over me and I wish it could always be like this, minus having to hide away out in the middle of the woods.
Finishing off our dinner, we lean back onto the pillows. I raise my arm up and over, pulling Jasper into my side until he's resting on my shoulder. We bask in the tranquil surrounding, sharing whispered words, soft touches and tender kisses.
"Ya want dessert?" Jasper asks huskily.
"Mmm, sounds good." I reply and kiss the side of his head.
Removing all of the sexual paraphernalia from the lid, Jasper opens the medium size container and we find a rather large chunk of brownie covered in a thick layer of chocolate frosting inside. Picking up a spork, we lazily feed bites of the brownie to each other.
Noticing a bit of frosting at the corner of Jasper's pouty lips, I lean over and lick the frosting off and follow it with a kiss.
We begin to share kisses in-between bites, licking bits of frosting off here and there. Jasper picks up the last bite of brownie and feeds it to me with his fingers. I suck his finger into my mouth, wrapping my tongue around it, sucking the last remnants of frosting off until his fingers are clean.
Jasper moans lowly and crawls up, straddling my lap. He leans in kissing me again, the tip of his tongue caresses across my bottom lip and I open my mouth; our tongues sensually flicker against one another tasting the sweetness of the chocolate, and we begin kissing each other more lasciviously.
"God I've missed you." I moan into his mouth and then kiss him deeply again.
We pull back slightly, panting for air, staring longingly into each other's eyes.
"Jeezus, you make me so damn hard." Jasper says in a throaty moan as he grinds against me to prove his point.
"The feeling is very mutual." I breathe out in a breathy moan and buck my hips up into him.
We deftly start unbuttoning each other's shirts, pushing them aside. I reach out tweaking his nipples, moaning as he gyrates in my lap, the friction feeling like delicious torture against my straining cock.
With caressing fingertips over his lower abs, I undo his button fly jeans, pulling the buttons open one by one until his hard cock springs free smacking into his solid lower abs. He gives me a sly smirk, when I realize he's going commando once again.
The tip of his cock is already coated in pre-cum, and I slowly swivel the pad of my thumb over the head and down to his frenulum, enticing a guttural moan from him.
Jasper nudges me backwards until I'm propped upon the mound of pillows; he quickly unbuckles my belt, pops the button open and drags the zipper down on my slacks. Pulling my boxer briefs down the best he can until he frees my cock, stroking it a few times. Giving me a roguish look, he leans over and picks up the bottle of lube.
Popping the lid open, Jasper makes quick work of coating both of our hands in the slick liquid. Bringing both of our cocks together, we entwine our hands around the base of each other's erect lengths. The feeling of our hands and fingers curling around each other's hard flesh is utterly titillating; as we begin slowly stroking each other off in a dual hand job.
We continue our languorous strokes; the sensation of his hot, silky flesh sliding against mine is pure nirvana. We start picking up our pace, and begin to stroke more vigorously, our breaths becoming labored, as we moan obscenities and murmur filthy enticement to one another.
"Fuuuuuck!" Jasper grunts and suddenly comes hard, his release covering the grip of our hands and partially up our bare chests.
His grip tightens around my cock and jerks firmly. I immediately follow with my release, panting hard; my whole body feeling as if it was set on fire.
Our chests heave as we both try to regain our breath. Reaching over for the wipes, I pull several from the pack and clean up our mutual mess, and then toss them into the small plastic trash bag.
We carefully tuck one another's spent cocks back into jeans and slacks, with sated, love filled expressions.
Jasper pushes me back down and curls up on my chest. Cuddling in each other's embrace, he lays his head upon my shoulder and tenderly kisses the crook of my neck. I bring my hand up to his hair, my fingers playing with the soft strands. He mumbles something about 'soothing' as a contented sigh leaves him and a mere moment later, his breathing evens out. I close my eyes taking in the tranquility, trying to enjoy this moment, knowing it will have to end all too soon.
~o0o~
I awake sometime later feeling partly chilled, the pitter patter of raindrops start to become louder upon the gazebo roof and I feel Jasper shiver next to me. He's lying partially on my side, his arm draped on my chest with his right palm resting above my heart. My left hand is holding his forearm against me while my other hand is tangled up in his hair. Both of our legs are twisted up with one another.
Noticing how dark it has become, I gingerly lift up my hand from Jasper's arm to check my watch, seeing it's almost one-am I internally groan at the time. As much as I love waking up to him like this, how right it feels, it's also bittersweet, knowing I need to wake him up as we have to leave.
I wish we could just stay like this, always being by each other's side, together with no more hiding. I watch him peacefully sleep for a few more minutes, enjoying his closeness. A crisp chilly breeze blows over us and I feel Jasper shiver again, causing me to sigh resignedly.
I hate having to wake him. I want to stay like this next to him wrapped in each other's embrace; however reality is a cruel bitch at times. With another heavy sigh, I reluctantly shrug my shoulder, softly calling out his name.
Jasper slightly stirs and curls his fingertips into my skin. "I love this; I love you." he murmurs groggily in an amatory tone. And just those few simple words ignite my soul on fire, filling me with a warmth I've never felt before.
I pull him tighter to me, "I love you, too, so much." I return passionately, turning my head towards his as I gently kiss his forehead.
He rises up and tilts his head, gazing at me; his eyes glazed over with sleep and ardor. I lean in and capture his lips, kissing him heatedly until we're both breathless.
Catching our breath, we both murmur more words of love, and how they don't seem adequate enough to express what we truly feel for one another.
The rumbling of thunder can be heard in the near distance and as the wind starts to pick up, we both shiver in the rapidly chilling air. Slowly we disentangle ourselves and start righting our clothes and buttoning our shirts.
Together we hurriedly clean up our picnic area and gather up everything to take back to the main house. Clicking on the flashlight, we huddle close together as we step out of the gazebo and start walking briskly back down the trail hand and hand, both sharing a serene smile.
Sharing one last tender kiss under the cover of the dark forest canopy we step back into Bella's yard. I hastily lead Jasper towards the back door of the garage, feeling the pelting rain quickly soaking into my clothes. Opening the door, I place my hand on the small of his back and usher him inside out of the rain.
Placing all the picnic supplies down on the workbench, I take in his appearance; he wet shirt is clinging to his tone chest, his wavy hair dripping droplets of rain and his mocha eyes are full of adore. The sight of him takes my breath away.
Jasper pulls me into his embrace, wrapping his arms around my lower back; his right hand lying possessively on my ass. "Ya' know yer mine now and I don't have any intentions of ever lettin' ya go." he vows vehemently.
"Good, I love the sound of that. I only want you, I only love you." I promise fervently.
We seal our declared love with a passionate kiss, and reluctantly part to catch our breaths. Knowing our time is up, we wish each other a goodnight and exchange I love yous once more, followed by one last chaste kiss. I open his car door for him and he slips inside giving me a wistful glance. I nod, hating we have to part like this, knowing I'm just as much to blame for keeping us hidden away, as the other narrow-minded people of this town.
Opening the main garage door and with a heavy heart, I watch as Jasper backs out and drives away. I wish I had the courage to stand up to everyone, to declare my love for him and show them all we truly belong together, that our love is just as real and worthy as theirs. Releasing a deep sigh, I close the large door and head inside the house to find Bella.
The house is quiet and I find the bottom floor completely dark and empty, though I notice a dim glow of light upstairs towards Bella's bedroom. I quietly make my way up the stairs to her room, looking in I find Bella slumbering in her bed, her book barely hanging from her fingertips.
Walking over to the edge of her bed, I reach for her book and bookmark the page, and then place it on her nightstand. In a whispered tone, I thank her for the wonderful surprise and tell her what a truly remarkable friend she is and how incredibly lucky I am to have her in my life.
I wish her a goodnight and sweet dreams, and she mumbles something incoherent back to me. I quietly chuckle and place a soft kiss on her forehead, and turn out her bedside lamp. Silently I make my way back downstairs, and after making sure the house is safe and sound, I step out onto the porch, locking the door behind me.
~o0o~
A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed the extra long chapter, and hopefully my beloved beta still loves me after fixing all of this. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, favs and follows, they all mean more to me then mere words can express and I truly appreciate them all. Until next Friday, y'all have a great week.
You're Beloved Beta: Yes, I still love you.
Aw, she still loves me *twirls around happily, tossing daisies into the air*
