Chapter 7 - Frozen

Bella

As we moved to exit Stacey's room, the surgeons began crowding in for a final look at her, before she was to be taken to the OR. I pressed my back firmly against the wall to allow them to enter, but it was a tight squeeze, as they all seemed to be in a hurry to get into the tiny room at once. The last doctor to enter turned sideways to move past me, and when I looked up, I was standing toe to toe with the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His deep, soulful eyes met mine, and I was frozen in place, as was he, our chests practically touching. We stood frozen, staring at each other for several seconds, while the other doctors began examining and discussing Stacey's injuries.

"Dr. Masen? Dr. Masen!" one of the other surgeons called out. "Would you like to join us for this?" he asked, his brow raised at the two of us, as he finally got our attention.

"Come on, Bella, let's get out of their way," Alice said, grabbing my hand to pull me out of the room

Upon hearing my name, the other surgeons, all of whom I was well acquainted with, went wide-eyed and were looking at me as if I had suddenly sprouted a second head.

"Oh, right, sorry." Dr. Masen broke his stare away from mine and joined the other doctors beside Stacey. As I moved to leave, I could feel his eyes on my backside. Turning the corner, I glanced back, and sure enough, he had joined the other doctors, but he was looking sideways at me and smiling.

Of course, none of this went unnoticed by Alice, who pounced on me as soon as we were out of earshot. "Oh crap, Bella, that doctor was fabulously hot! Did you see how he was looking at you?"

"Yeah, right, Alice. I'm sure the tear stains, ravaged hair, runny nose, and red eyes were a real turn-on for him," I quipped sarcastically. "I'm sure he was staring at me like that because he'd never seen anything so ridiculous-looking as I am right now," I admitted quietly, suddenly caring for the first time what someone might have thought of my appearance. I dared to glance sideways at Alice, and she looked like she was about to blow a gasket, as she sprung in front of me, gesturing madly.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me! Bella, you look hotter right now than I've seen you look in...in forever!" she growled at me, turning red with frustration. "When are you going to get it through that stubborn head of yours that you're drop-dead gorgeous? Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm!"

"I love you, too, Alice," I muttered my favorite Alice-defusing reply. I smiled and hugged my best friend and personal cheerleader, making her sigh and shake her head at me, and then she finally grinned as well, as we headed off to find Rose.

Alice and I walked back in contemplative silence, both of us deep in thought. After hearing how Stacey had talked about herself, it made me start thinking, trying to remember when it was that I had become so unconcerned about my appearance. Growing up, I had always been outside of the "inner circle" of sun-worshiping, beautiful girls in their fancy accessories and designer clothes, the ones who had always seemed to have boys falling at their feet. They had made fun of me because of my pale skin, cheap glasses, and thrift store clothes. I would guess I had learned not to care, because caring meant their opinions mattered, and they didn't. My parents had never been well off, and even if they had been, they were way too smart to waste money on frivolous things. I had always thought that was wise, which I supposed made me mature beyond my years in some ways.

I had never wanted to be like those girls. However, after years of hearing their hurtful jabs, and having those same boys ignore me and make fun of me as well, perhaps subconsciously, I might have let it affect me a bit. It had apparently poked at my stubborn streak, making me defiant towards following the socially accepted mandates of fashion and beauty, instead of caving in and succumbing to the pressure to conform.

Maybe as a result of their taunting, I had also learned bravery and compassion, which were things I would need to do my job. Even though I had been small, I had fought fiercely, especially when those same mean kids had picked on others smaller than them or had tried to pull painful pranks on their "victim of the day." What I had lacked in size, I had made up for in determination. Often, my small stature had actually helped in those fights, as I usually ended up ducking under attackers and knocking them off balance, while their intended victim had a chance to escape. It was no wonder I had ended up in this job, still fighting for those who were unable to defend themselves.

Alice and I made our way back to the triage area to meet up with Rose and find out what else we needed to do. Emmett was still there, and they had been joined by a handsome older couple. Rose motioned for us to join them.

"Bella Swan and Alice Brandon, I'm sure you both know Dr. Carlisle Cullen, one of the pediatricians here at the hospital. This is his wife, Esme, who's an artist. They're Emmett's parents." As we shook hands, Rose explained to us that the Cullens had recently been accepted as foster parents and were going to be taking the four sisters into their care, as well as Stacey, once she was well enough to leave the hospital. They seemed genuinely glad to be able to help, and I said a silent prayer of thanks that my heavenly petition on behalf of the children had been answered.

"That's wonderful! Let's go visit with the girls, so you can all get acquainted."

I walked back into the small room where the girls were and was immediately reached for by Dorianne, who clung to me with a death grip. Thankfully, someone had cleaned her up a bit, but my jacket was a lost cause. I would give Alice the pleasure of finding a trashcan for it later. Madelyn was sitting quietly in the corner with Marisol, tenderly rubbing her back, as she cradled her body in her lap. Madelyn looked so young and fragile, and yet so strong and maternal at the same time. I had to stop and compose myself for a moment to get the flow of emotions under control before I sat down next to her to hold Dorianne while we talked.

"Madelyn, I had a chance to speak with Stacey very briefly before they took her in for surgery. I won't lie to you. Her wounds are serious, but I think she'll be alright with time and a chance to heal. We'll make sure you're able to see her as soon as possible, as I think that'll be important for her to be able to recover fully," I said, as Madelyn leaned in and hugged me tightly, making Dorianne giggle.

"She's been my best friend for a long time. I knew her even before her parents got arrested. She really is beautiful, isn't she," Madelyn smiled.

"Yes, she is, even more so because of her kind and brave heart. You couldn't have asked for a better friend." Alice came into the room and slipped her arm around me, laying her head against my shoulder. "I know how important good friends are for our wellbeing," I beamed at Alice.

"I spoke with the Cullens outside. They seem like extremely sweet people, and I'm sure they'll take exceptionally good care of you and your sisters," Alice reassured her.

I handed Dorianne back to Madelyn with a hug and a promise that they would be seeing me again very soon. Dorianne planted a huge wet kiss on my cheek before turning me loose, melting my heart. This was going to be another one of those afternoons in my office with the door closed, I could already tell.