Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 13
In Which Paths Cross

Sue rolled to her side to glance at the digital clock on the bedside table. She sighed and closed her eyes, the red neon digits were burned into the back of her lids. 3:07 am. She'd been lying in bed for hours now trying to find a comfortable spot, trying to find a moment of sleep. She rolled to her back again and stared at the shadows cast by the tree outside the window. The branches looked like arms, hands, fingers; stretching and clutching, menacingly searching the dark room for something to grasp. If she was still a young girl, hell, if she was still a young woman, they may have frightened her. But tonight the only fear she felt was not for herself, but for a young woman thousands of miles away lying alone in an equally dark room.

Sue tugged at the blankets again and kicked her feet back and forth, attempting to free them from the cloth prison. An arm reached out across her stomach, effectively pinning her in place.

"Did fire ants nest in the sheets?" came a muffled voice.

"No," she said quietly.

"Is there a pea under the mattress?" he asked again turning his head from the pillow to crack a bleary eye at his wife.

"No," she repeated. "I can't sleep. I'm restless."

"Figured that," he mumbled, slowly opening his other eye to look at her closely. "Somethin' on your mind?"

She sighed again before rolling to her side to face him. Charlie tightened his grip and tugged her a little closer to him. It was a surprisingly clear night, the light from the full moon shone through the window illuminating Charlie's tired face. Sue looked at him for a moment before quietly raising her hand to brush away the worry line from between his brows.

"I'm worried about Bella," she finally admitted. The worry line deepened and a small scowl made itself at home on his rugged face.

"Why?" he asked quietly. "She seemed fine when she called tonight."

Sue bit her lip, a habit she'd picked up from Bella. "I know."

Charlie's frown grew waiting for her to continue. "I don't understand," he finally stated.

"Neither do I."

He let out a slightly exasperated sigh before closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands that had migrated to his scalp. "You're talking in riddles again dear," he accused wearily.

"I know. I wish I could explain." She withdrew her hand and cradled both of them tightly against her chest.

Feeling the loss of her touch Charlie opened his eyes, she looked so helpless. He tightened his grip around her again, eliminating any space between them. She moved her head so they were sharing a pillow. "I just have a feeling," she whispered. "She's so sacrificial." She shook her head. "I don't know. I can't figure it out. But there's something going on with her." She looked up at him with dark remorseful eyes.

Charlie was quiet for a moment, digesting Sue's words. "How can we help her?"

Sue wrapped an arm around Charlie and kissed his scruffy chin. "I don't think we can." The pair lay together quietly until a shallow, restless sleep finally claimed them.

*******

Edward trudged into the doctor's lounge and plopped, rather ungracefully, into a chair. He was 18 hours into his 36 hour shift and so far it had been a nightmare. There had been a nonstop flow of patients claiming to have the flu who refused to see an urgent care doctor. Not to mention the bus accident that caused an eight car pile up on the highway. The other hospitals had reached their limit hours ago so ambulances were being redirected to Edward's E.R.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at the display. No messages, no texts, no missed calls. He hadn't spoken to Bella since he left her doorstep two nights ago. Things had been so busy he'd barley been able to send off a text. Thinking of you. How's your day? It wasn't poetry but he'd wracked his brain trying to come up with something to say that didn't come across as too desperate. He'd been elated when his phone buzzed in his hands seconds later. Things have been a bit hectic. A little brighter now though. Hope things are going better for you… Then his pager beeped and he was off again. Two texts yesterday and that was it. He hadn't had a moment to respond until now, but it was the middle of the night. It would have to wait.

He groaned and dropped his head in his hands. She probably thinks I'm avoiding her. He could kill Alice, or Lucas. He wasn't sure which; the odds were still in the air. Switching shifts last minute had proven to be more complicated than he had expected. He'd had to practically promise Lucas his first born to get him to cover his shift. Now, Edward found himself stuck on a 36 hour shift and on call for 12 hours following that. Not that he really regretted going to the dinner, not at all. It led him to Bella. Bella, he smiled. And just like that all of his unsavory thoughts of murder had suddenly vanished.

He looked at the text again. He'd brightened her day. The thought was liberating. So liberating that when his pager beeped 45 seconds later he left the lounge with an extra bounce in his step.

*******

"Hold the elevator!" cried Bella as she stumbled the last few steps before slipping between the closing doors. She maneuvered the briefcase and files awkwardly as she attempted to regain her composure.

A hand reached out and hit the number 19, her floor. "Morning Bella," came the voice that belonged to the hand. Bella looked up and grimaced internally. Eric Yorkie. It's not that she didn't like Eric. He was nice enough, would probably even be a good friend, but that was the problem, Eric didn't want to be Bella's friend.

"Morning," she mumbled. Bella stared intently at the floor indicator, hoping that avoiding contact would avoid an awkward conversation. It didn't.

"How are you on this lovely Tuesday morning?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She had to admit, he looked good in his designer suit with his hair perfectly spiked, but he was a little too manicured. He just tried too hard, with his appearance and with her. He'd given Bella six months of constant attention, it was exhausting.

He was watching her intently, waiting for a response. "Good," she finally said. The bell rang as the doors slid open on the 10th floor. A harried looking business woman stepped on. Bella moved aside allowing for the woman to act as a buffer between.

"That's good." He continued the conversation over the woman's head, not particularly caring about elevator etiquette.

"Hmmm," she agreed. Her foot began to tap impatiently as she watched the numbers crawl upward. Does this elevator always move so slow?

"I heard about this great little jazz bar down on Superior, Tori's Tavern. Have you heard of it?" he asked, shooting her a killer grin.

"Umm, no I haven't."

"Yea, well, it's supposed to be great. Got any plans tonight? Maybe we could check it out?" The woman standing between them shifted uncomfortably.

Bella let out an almost inaudible sigh. She looked at Eric and smiled politely. "Uh, sorry, no I can't. Tonight's no good."

"How 'bout tomorrow?" Eric asked persistent as ever. Bella glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but did not turn to look at him.

"No, tomorrow's not really good either." The elevator chimed again and the doors opened on the 17th floor. Eric's floor. The woman gave Bella a sympathetic look before stepping off. Eric took a step toward the doors, but reached out to stop them from closing.

"I'll get you to say yes one of these days Bella Swan," he said all confidence and bravado.

Bella stepped in front of him, placing her hand on his chest. He smirked down at her. "No, you won't," she said with a smirk of her own as she pushed him from the elevator. Bella gave a little finger wave to Eric as the doors shut on his surprised face. "Good riddance," she mumbled to herself as the elevator started upward again.

The doors opened to reveal the bustling 19th floor of the Cooper building, home to Bloom Publishing. Bella weaved her way through the maze of cubicles heading towards her small windowless office conveniently located between the janitor's closet and the men's restroom. It wasn't exactly the corner office she dreamed of having someday, but it had a door and it was hers. She flipped the switch by the door, the harsh florescent lights illuminating the small space. She dropped briefcase and files on the desk before reaching over to turn on the computer monitor.

"Knock, knock!" called Kate as she poked her head through the door. "You're late," she stated as her light brown eyes took in Bella's slightly frazzled appearance.

Bella looked at Kate nervously. "I know. I'm so sorry. Katie was being difficult this morning, she refused to eat breakfast and then insisted that she must wear the new tutu that Jake sent for her birthday. Then Miguel, the parking attendant, was in an incredibly talkative mood this morning and just wouldn't shut up! Then Katie didn't want to go to day care today, and Eric asked me out…again! And now I'm rambling and I should have left it at 'sorry'. So, yea, sorry," she said looking at Kate sheepishly.

Kate listened to Bella with an amused expression. "Are you finished?" Bella nodded. "Good. Then listen for a moment." Bella bit her lip nervously. "Next time, don't come in till lunch. Sometimes it's just not worth it. Things aren't so crazy around here that you can't take a few hours to yourself every now and then. I'd rather have a happy Bella that a slightly neurotic rambley one. Got it?" She asked with a quirked eye brow.

Bella's mouth dropped open in surprise, that was not what she was expecting. She nodded her head. "Yep."

"Good," Kate laughed. "I just wanted to remind you that we have a meeting with Sullivan O'Connell today. You've got the changes to the manuscript right?"

Bella reached for a file on her desk. "Yep," she said holding it up. "Right here."

"Good, meet me in my office in ten minutes." Kate turned on her heel and flounced from the room, her pale blond hair bouncing behind her.

*******

Edward stepped through the automatic doors of the ambulance bay and leaned against the building. He took out his cell phone and pulled up his contact list. He stood there staring at it for a moment trying to gather some courage. He hesitated for a moment longer before pressing the send button and bringing the phone to his ear. It rang three times.

"Hello?" Her voice made his breath hitch.

"Hi Bella." His attempt at confidence seemed shallow to his ears. "It's Edward."

"Edward!" she said, sounding truly surprised. "Hi, I wasn't expecting to hear from you." He could hear the smile in her voice. "Not that I didn't want to hear from you!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I just figured you'd be working," she finished lamely.

He leaned his head back against the building and looked up squinting his eyes against the noon time sun. "I am. Working I mean. I just had a few minutes and…" he hesitated.

"And?" she questioned.

"Uh, and I just wanted to hear your voice," he admitted quietly, squeezing his eyes shut as though it would somehow minimize his embarrassment. "I don't mean for that to sound creepy," he started to explain. "I just…"

"It's not creepy," Bella interrupted. "I'm really glad you called."

There was a brief pause. "So how are you?" Edward asked breaking the silence.

Bella sighed. "I'm good," she said attempting to sound convincing.

"Really?" Edward asked doubtfully. "It doesn't really sound like it."

Bella chuckled quietly. "It's just been one of those days, ya know? I'm ready for it to be over."

It was Edward's turn to chuckle. "Yea, I know what you mean. I'm ready to head home too." He paused, his free hand racking through his hair. "Bella I was wondering….shit." he muttered under his breath as his pager started to go off. Edward looked up to see an ambulance pulling up in front of him.

"Edward?"

"Shit," he muttered again. Of course a bus would come in now. Why wouldn't it? It was just his luck. He pushed off the wall and stepped toward the approaching ambulance. "I have to go Bella, there's an ambulance pulling up," he said sounding defeated.

"Oh, that's ok. Go save some lives."

He smiled. "I will. Can I call you tonight?" The back doors of the ambulance opened and two paramedics jumped out.

"Definitely," she said shyly.

"Great, I'll talk to you then." He said a final goodbye before rushing to the patient who was being wheeled into the hospital.

*******

Kate stepped out of the restaurant washroom and made her way back to the table. As she approached, she watched Bella speak quietly to someone on the phone, a blush making its way across her cheeks. Bella looked down shyly and fidgeted with the napkin that was draped across her lap. Kate slipped into her chair as Bella said a quiet goodbye before tucking her phone back into her purse.

Bella smiled at Kate, who quirked a manicured eyebrow at her. "What?" asked Bella self-consciously.

Kate lifted her glass and took a sip. "Nothing," she said with a smile.

Bella bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at Kate. "What?" she asked again. "The phone?" Kate said nothing. Bella squirmed in her seat awkwardly. "That was just a friend."

Kate smirked. "A friend who makes you blush?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "The wind blows and I blush. That's not really saying much."

Kate eyed Bella some more. "Perhaps," she said as the waitress approached. "So Sullivan," she said changing the subject. "What do you think?" Bella let out a relieved sigh as she found herself on familiar ground once again. Conversation for the remainder of lunch was focused on work, for which Bella was grateful.

Bella dropped an armload of files on her desk for the second time today. As she reached to move her stapler, which had been buried under the pile, her sleeve caught the edge of a picture frame. It bobbled precariously before toppling from the desk. Bella stared down at Angela and Katie's smiling faces that were slightly distorted by the cracked glass. A pressure instantly filled her chest as she stared into their bright blue eyes.

The picture had been on her desk since she'd moved here, but she hadn't looked at in nearly a month. Now it was broken, shattered on the floor; another victim of a stupid accident. Bella mournfully knelt to the ground to pick up the broken frame. She tilted it to take a closer look, dislodging a large chunk of glass in the process. Bella watched in slow motion as the glass slipped from the edge of the frame then slid down her forearm before crashing to the floor and shattering.

"Oh shit," Bella mumbled as she watched a large red streak appear on her milky skin. "Oh shit," she repeated. The blood began to quickly seep to the surface and run down her arm, leaving large crimson splotches on the linoleum floor. Bella watched the blood drip, her stomach turning as a metallic stench reached her nose. "Oh shit," she mumbled again. It seemed to be the only thing she was capable of saying.

She pushed herself up onto slightly wobbly feet and stumbled her way towards her desk. She grabbed a handful on tissues from the box on her desk before collapsing into her chair. Her head was spinning now. Bella had never been good with blood. Actually, that was probably and understatement. She pressed the tissues to her arm and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, trying to take a calming breath, hoping that just this once she wouldn't faint.

Her arm was pulsing now and she could feel the blood seeping through the tissues. "Oh this can't be good." She said to herself, but she was too afraid to look.

"Hey Bella?" said Jessica, a young intern. "I have a question about…Oh my God! Are you ok?" She asked taking in the blood and Bella's pale complexion.

Bella opened her eyes. "Um, yea I think so. Cut my arm," she said, holding it up incase Jessica had somehow missed it. "I'm not so good with blood."

"Is it bad? Should I get someone?" She asked taking a hesitant step forward.

"I'm not sure. I don't want to pass out so I haven't looked at it yet."

Jess took another step forward. "Want me to take a look?"

Bella swallowed and closed her eyes tightly. "Sure." She pulled the tissues from her cut so Jess could see.

"Eww," Jessica grimaced. "That doesn't look so good. I think you need stitches." Bella groaned. "I'm gonna go get Kate."

"That's not necessary," said Bella, but she was too late. Jessica was already out the door.

"What a super fantastic day," she muttered sarcastically.

"Sounds like it," said Kate as she came into the room, startling Bella. "Let's take a look." Bella closed her eyes again as she offered the cut up to Kate's untrained eyes. "God Bella, when you do something you go all the way. You need stitches." She looked over at Jessica. "Jess whatever you're doing this afternoon can be put on hold, you're taking Bella to the hospital." Jess nodded before leaving the room to gather her purse and keys.

Bella stared at Kate wide eyed. "Kate I don't think that's necessary. I just need a few butterfly strips."

"No," said Kate. "You just need a few stitches."

Bella glanced at the clock. "I can't go to the ER I have to pick up Katie soon, I'll be sitting at the hospital for hours."

Kate shook her head as she pulled Bella from the chair. "Don't worry about it, I'll take Katie. Garrett's been asking when she was going to come over again. You go and get fixed up; you can pick her up later."

"But," Bella protested.

"Oh for God's sake Bella," she said as she pushed her toward the elevator where Jessica was waiting. "Stop being so god damn stubborn and fix yourself already."

Bella sighed in defeat. "Fine. Call me if there are any problems with Katie."

Kate rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine." She said as the elevator doors opened. "I'll see you later."

Jessica escorted Bella into the ER. "You really don't need to wait here with me. I'll be fine."

She looked at Bella skeptically. "Are you sure?"

Bella smiled and patted her on the arm. "Positive. I'll probably be here for hours and you don't need to sit around with me waiting. Go back to work, get some things done."

Jess watched her for another moment. "Alright, call me if you need me to come get you. I will."

Bella smiled at the young woman. She was such a genuinely nice person. "I will." Jessica gave her one more smile before turning to leave.

Bella approached a tired looking nurse at the reception desk to begin the tedious process of checking in.

*******

Edward stopped by the nurse's station one last time. He was almost off the clock, all he wanted to do was go home, sleep for a few hours, then call Bella. He finished filling out the last bit of paper work and dropped it into its proper tray. His eyes quickly scanned over a few of the patient's files. His brows furrowed as he plucked one out. Edward read through the file, his heart plummeting to his stomach.

"Nancy," he said not looking up from the file. "I'm going to take this one now."

The plump middle aged nurse looked at him questioningly. "Isn't your shift done?

"Yea," he said as he closed the folder and looked up. "But I'll take this last one, it won't take too long."

"Ok," said Nancy glancing at the chart in his hand. "She's over in curtain 3."

Edward nodded his thanks as he quickly sprinted to curtain number 3 and the one person he never wanted to see here.

He pulled the curtain back to find a very pale looking Bella lying down on the table with her eyes closed. He approached her slowly and extended a hand.

Bella felt a gentle touch on her arm, a familiar warmth spread through her body. Edward. She thought instantly.

"Bella?" he asked quietly.

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him owlishly. She attempted a smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "Fancy seeing you here," she mumbled, a little embarrassed.

He smirked at her as he pulled up a stool. "You know if you wanted to see me you could have just called."

Bella sat up slowly her head spinning slightly. "Now you tell me."

Edward gently pulled the gauze away from Bella's injured arm. "This is a pretty nasty gash." Bella blushed again. "How'd you do it?" he asked looking up at her from under his lashes.

Bella was momentarily stunned. "Um…broke a frame. I cut myself cleaning it up. This is pretty typical of me. I'm surprised I haven't run into you here before."

A nurse walked in and laid a suture tray on the table beside Bella.

"You've been here before?" he asked as he gathered the instruments.

"Twice."

Edward paused and looked at Bella. "You've only been here for 6 months!"

Bella laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Like I said, this is pretty typical."

Edward shook his head. "I hope not, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw your file." A small blush graced his cheeks as he realized what he'd said. Bella smiled to herself at the sight. He cleared his throat before addressing her again. "Well, you're going to need 12 stitches. Luckily it's just a superficial wound. Have you had stitches before?"

Bella sighed. "32 in total." Her face puckered in distaste. "Well, I guess 44 now."

He glanced up at her face and chuckled. Edward worked in silence for a few minutes, as Bella enjoyed his gentle touch.

"So emergency trips to the hospital aside, how was the rest of your day?" he as he gently disinfected the wound.

Bella watched as his hair waved in the florescent lighting. "Getting better," she replied honestly. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Where's Katie?"

"With my boss, she offered to keep her for awhile tonight."

Edward nodded. "Nice boss."

"She is."

Edward continued to work in silence until Bella's strained voice interrupted him. "You should distract me." Edward's curious eyes met Bella's tightly closed ones. She peaked on open to look at him. "I'm really no good with blood and needles," she confessed.

Edward smiled at her reassuringly before continuing. "Hmmm," he mused. "What do you like to do? What relaxes you?"

"I like to read," she answered.

"Big surprise there, a publisher who likes to read." Bella chuckled. "What sorts of books do you like to read?"

"All sorts, except for westerns," she thought for a moment. "or mysteries. But the classics are my favorite. What about you? What relaxes you?"

"Music."

"To listen to? Or to play?"

"Both," he said tying off a suture. "Music has always been…I don't know a kind of companion," he said stilling his hands and looking up at her. "I went away for med school and music was the one familiar thing I had." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at her arm again.

"Books are the same for me. I never feel at home until they are out of a box and on a book shelf." He looked up at her and smiled. "Someone told me about a jazz bar today. Tori's Tavern. Have you ever been?" she asked suddenly.

Edward looked down at his work, a small smile forming on his lips. He shook his head. "No, I haven't. I love jazz though." He paused for a moment as his long fingers gently pressed down on the gauze he was wrapping around her arm. "We should go sometime," he said peeking up at her.

She bit her lip and smiled, attempting to reign in the crazy grin that was threatening to spread across her lips. "I'd like that."

The adorable crooked grin that she loved so much broke across his lips. "How about Friday? Are you free?"

Her own grin could no longer be contained. "Yea, I am….Oh," she said, her smile falling. "Katie." Her brow furrowed and she pursed her lips as she thought about leaving her at home.

"I bet Alice would watch her," he said quickly. "She was really quite taken by her." He grinned his most dazzling smile hoping to win her over.

Bella smiled in return, it was involuntary, who could resist this man? "I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Perfect." Edward glanced down and noticed that at some point he had grabbed her hand. He gave it a brief squeeze before releasing it completely. "Well I think you're all set," he said standing from his stool.

Bella slid from the table and joined him on the floor. "Thank you so much," she said looking down at her now bandaged arm. "I'll have to admit, you've made this one of my easiest trips to the hospital."

He chuckled and rubbed his neck shyly at the praise. "I'm glad." They began walking toward the nurses station. "How are you getting home?" He asked, glancing at her briefly.

"I'm going to grab the 'L', I've got to go pick up Katie."

Edward scowled at the thought. "I'm off my shift now, I could give you a ride?" The last part of the statement rose a bit making it more of a question.

"Oh no, that's not necessary. You must be exhausted. I couldn't ask you to do that." They'd reached the station and Edward deposited Bella's file in the proper stack.

"Nonsense Bella, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that you and Katie were riding the 'L' at night." He turned to her and gave her his best pouty look, one that would rival Katie any day. "Please?" He said softly

Bella sighed and nodded in acceptance. Honestly, spending a few more minutes with this wonderful man was a no brainer. "Excellent!" He exclaimed. "Come on." He grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards the doctor's lounge. "Let's grab my stuff and we'll be on our way." Bella didn't notice anything going on around them; her attention was completely fixed on the feel of his hand in hers.