AN: There is a brief mention of rape later on in this chapter. Also if you look up weirdest things removed from the human body, inevitably you'll find a lot of them come from men doing the same as Carlisle's patient.

A Saturday in late April, 2011

Carlisle's POV

I've never regretted my choice to become a doctor. I've seen so much fascinating medical advancement in my years. There was always something new to learn, which suited my endless curiosity. I've saved people thanks to my vampire reflexes and senses. On the whole it's been fulfilling work.

But then there was the not-so-glamorous side. Namely, dealing with men that had foreign objects stuck up their asses (and not in the figurative sense.) It wasn't something I exactly dreamed about during those long years of studying and pushing the boundaries of my thirst.

"Carlisle, please, let me help with this one," Josh said, unable to keep from laughing.

I suppressed a sigh. "What are you, a teenager?"

"Come on, grandpa, a zucchini ass is hilarious."

It took everything within me to not laugh, which was why I wasn't going to let him help me. I need to keep my composure and be professional about this, no matter how amusing this case was.

Right then, Sarah came up to finish a chart for her other patient. "Sarah," I called while staring directly at Josh.

"Really?" Josh complained. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Yes?" Sarah said in a confused tone, looking between me and Josh.

I flashed her a smile. "I have a patient I could use your help with."

"Now you're just being spiteful," Josh muttered.

I shooed him away. "Shouldn't you be discharging the patient that needed stitches in bed three?" Josh shot me a glare and left to do that. He'd get over missing out. Eventually.

"What patient?" Sarah asked.

"The thirty-five year old male that came in about a half hour ago. Patient reported having a zucchini stuck in his rectum."

Sarah blinked. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I wouldn't joke about this." At least not until the patient was long out of my care. I wondered what excuse for it I would hear this time.

She rolled her eyes. "Why does this always happen?" she asked in a weary and exasperated tone.

"So you've had patients like this before too?"

"Hasn't everyone?" she asked wryly. She closed the chart she was working on and handed it to the charge nurse. "I'm ready."

Once the extraction was finished and the patient was discharged, Sarah and I headed over to the hospital cafeteria for a late lunch break. Someone must have thought they were being clever when they named the cafeteria 'Spoons.' It was the sort of joke that Emmett enjoyed.

I didn't come down here frequently, most of the time pretending to bring food from home and eating in my office. I followed Sarah through the line and watched as she turned her nose up at a dish that had zucchini.

"I don't think I can eat a zucchini again," Sarah muttered.

I laughed. "I can't say I blame you."

She settled for a sandwich and fries. I decided to get the sandwich too and some coffee. Once we found a table, Sarah scoffed and shook her head. "I don't know how they always expect us to buy the excuse that they fell on it."

"Ah, but you're forgetting the most interesting part," I said, smirking. "He fell on it while gardening in the middle of the night."

Sarah laughed. "I mean, if you want to do that, nobody's stopping you." She dipped a couple of fries in ketchup and popped them in her mouth. That reminded me to eat and I took the smallest bite of sandwich I could get away with. "Also that would mean he was gardening naked," she added.

Like most of the excuses, our patient's fell apart the longer you thought about it. Because somehow coming up with an elaborate, unbelievable excuse is less embarrassing than admitting to masturbating. "I always want to tell them that we'll judge them far less if they're honest about what they were doing."

"And there are sex toys specifically for that."

I choked out a laugh just as I was pretending to sip my coffee and spilled some on the table.

Sarah reached across the table for the napkin dispenser and handed me a couple. "I can't believe I just said that out loud at work," she said, looking anywhere but at me, her cheeks turning red.

"At least one of us was brave enough to say it."

"If you say so," Sarah said and busied herself with eating. Despite the embarrassment, she was relaxed.

I was glad that she felt comfortable enough now to joke and commiserate about patients, especially after Esme cleared up her misunderstanding about me. I still regretted that Sarah felt like she had to be on guard around me. It had come on the heels of Dr. Snow being an ass to her. It couldn't have been easy to work around an unnecessarily hostile doctor and another one that you feared might be an abuser.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and when I fished it out, I saw a text from Esme, as if summoned by thinking about her. She was spending time with Sydney as had become routine in the past several weeks.

I'm coming in with Sydney. She fell at the park and seems to have broken her arm.

My amusement slipped away and I looked up at Sarah. She immediately noticed the change in my demeanor. "What?"

Before I could answer, her phone started to ring. "Hello?" Sarah answered, already on alert. I could hear Esme tell her exactly what she told me in text. Panic flashed in her eyes and she nearly upended the chair as she stood and rushed out. I followed close behind her.

Back at the ER, Esme and Sydney came through the doors. Sydney held her right arm close to her body and there was already swelling around her wrist. Her face was pale and taut with pain. While Sarah ran up to them, I went to the front desk to see what room was available to them.

"What's going on there?" Josh asked, staring over at the three of them.

"Possible broken wrist," I answered. "You want to help me with this?"

"Sure," he agreed.

We brought Sydney and Sarah back to an exam room, while Esme stayed behind in the waiting room. Josh got started taking Sydney's vitals. "Ouch, kiddo," he said conversationally. "What happened?"

Sydney stared vaguely at the floor until Sarah touched her shoulder. "I slipped playing tag with Angela and her brothers," she said in a flat voice.

"That'll do it." Josh removed the blood pressure cuff and wrote the numbers down in her chart.

The faraway look in her eyes bothered me. "Sydney, did you hit your head at all when you fell?" I asked, wanting to rule out a concussion. She shook her head.

"All right, can I see your wrist?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah's hand twitch, as if she wished she could do the assessment herself. As gently as I could, I rotated Sydney's wrist around, checking range of motion. She inhaled sharply and winced. "I'm sorry."

"Can we get her something for the pain?" Sarah asked, rubbing Sydney's back.

"Of course." Once Josh left to get the pain medication I ordered, I said, "It looks like you do have a fracture. I'll book an x-ray so we can see how bad it is, okay?"

Sydney nodded once, still not looking anyone in the eye. I wondered if it was something beyond the pain.

Josh came back with medicine and an ice pack while I went to see about the x-ray. Radiology wasn't very busy at the moment so getting the images didn't take long. Thankfully, Sydney's fracture wouldn't require anything more than a cast.

"It's a distal radial fracture," I said. The images were up on the light board in the exam room and I pointed out where the break was for Sydney. "Can you see it?"

There was a flicker of interest in her eyes. "Yeah."

Sarah examined the images with a more critical eye, but she seemed relieved that the fracture wasn't as bad as it could have been. "So she'll just need a cast for at least six weeks?"

I nodded. "I was thinking I'd start her in a cast over the elbow for more stability and then have her come back in two weeks for new images. Then hopefully transition her to a short arm cast. Does that sound okay to you?"

"It does," Sarah said with a sigh and she kissed Sydney's head.

"Now, I have a very important question to ask you, Sydney," I said. She tilted her head in confusion. "What color cast do you want?"

A ghost of a smile flitted across Sydney's face. "Purple?"

I winked. "You got it."

Once I got the right color casting tape, I got to work. "Now, you're going to have to be careful to keep this dry. I know that might be tricky considering how much it rains here," I said as I wrapped Sydney's wrist.

Sydney shifted uncomfortably. "I know."

"Broken a bone before?"

When Sydney didn't answer, Sarah said, "Two years ago, after tripping down the front porch steps."

I had a suspicion that that might not be the case, given Sydney's reaction, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. "I guess you don't really need the reminder since you already have experience," I said lightly. "I'll also get you a prescription for the pain to take as needed."

"How's your pain now?" Sarah asked Sydney when I finished.

Sydney shrugged. "Better." She frowned at her newly casted arm. "I hate casts," she muttered.

"Well, at least it's not your left arm," Sarah said in an attempt to lighten the mood. She brushed a piece of hair behind Sydney's ear. "Like last time."

"Last time – " The words burst out of Sydney. Her heart raced and I could smell the adrenaline flooding her system.

Sarah frowned. "What is it?"

Sydney took a few shaky breaths. "The last time I broke my arm, Dad said I tripped."

I paused in filling out the rest of Sydney's chart and my fist tightened on the pen. I didn't like where I thought this was heading.

"Yes?" Sarah prompted.

"I didn't trip."

A look of absolute dread passed over Sarah's face. "What do you mean?"

"Dad pushed me."

Sydney's voice was almost inaudible but Sarah flinched as if she had shouted. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she demanded, voice rough with a mix of anger and horror.

Sydney burst into tears. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"No." Sarah gathered Sydney into her arms. "You don't have to be sorry, baby." Her voice cracked and when she glanced at me, I could see she was struggling to hold back tears of her own.

I quietly excused myself from the room to give them some privacy. Once I closed the door behind me, I had to take a steadying breath and work to unclench my jaw and fist. It was like in the days when Esme told me about what happened with Charles. Just when I thought I had heard everything, I learned something new of Charles's depravity and it was excruciating to hear every time.

Esme was still in the waiting area and one look at her face told me that she had been listening in on what Sydney had revealed. She had a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. I went over to hug her. "Carlisle," she whispered and I could hear the undercurrent of anger there.

"I know." I kissed her forehead and breathed in her sweet scent. It was usually soothing to me. "I'm going to see if I can get Sarah off so she can go home with Sydney. She'll probably need you."

Esme nodded. She was the only one who could fully understand what Sarah would be going through right now. "I'll see you later, then," she said and kissed me.

I squeezed her hand before going to take care of Sarah's schedule and to get Sydney discharged.

Esme's POV

"I can take care of dinner," I offered.

After leaving the ER, I followed Sarah and Sydney home. Carlisle had been right about Sarah probably needing someone. Sydney's revelation was obviously weighing on her as she moved around the kitchen and got out ingredients for Tuscan soup. Her movements were distracted; more than once she looked for something she already got out and she kept picking up and putting down her phone.

I was also horrified by Sydney's revelation, but, at the same time, proud of her for finally talking about. I had the sense that what she told me at La Push was only the tip of the iceberg and it must have been hard to keep quiet about it for years.

But there was also a fallout to deal with after revealing something that big. I glanced at Sydney. She lounged on the couch with her cast propped up on a pillow as she watched a movie. She had her eyes on the screen, but it seemed like she was keeping track of what Sarah was doing.

Sarah shook her head. "I need to keep myself busy right now," she insisted, jerkily opening a package of sausage.

"Okay," I agreed, if only because I knew how that felt. "You keep an eye on the meat and I'll chop these." I gestured to the potatoes, onions, and kale.

I didn't want to risk Sarah cutting herself accidentally and having to go back to the ER. Not to mention I didn't want to be tempted by my thirst. Sarah and Sydney definitely didn't need to deal with that tonight.

I cut up all the potatoes and vegetables before the meat had finished cooking and we got the soup made without a hitch. Dinner was fairly quiet. Sarah let Sydney eat at the coffee table so she could still watch her movie. I sat with Sarah at the table and ate the soup. After my mishap with the muffins, I was trying to be more careful with the human charade. Sarah mostly played with her own soup, her blue eyes stormy with thoughts as she stared at her phone.

I wished I had Edward's gift, or at least had him around, so I knew what was going on in her head and how best to help her.

The rest of the evening passed. I helped Sarah with the dishes and when it came time for Sydney to go to bed, I listened to Sarah read Anne of Green Gables to her until she fell asleep.

Sarah stayed with her for a while after that. Then I heard her carefully ease off the bed and kiss Sydney. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

When she came out the living room, she looked at me with teary eyes. She tilted her head towards the back sliding door and I followed her out to the porch.

It was cool and misty outside and the night air was filled with the sounds of crickets and tree frogs. Sarah stared off into the trees, clutching her phone to her chest. She took a few uneven breaths before unlocking her phone and turning to me. She handed me her phone with the keypad screen pulled up. There was a number across the top, ready to be dialed. "I need you to hang onto my phone before I call Mark."

Confused alarm shot through me. "Why do you want to call him?"

"To give him a piece of my fucking mind for hurting Sydney and lying to me about it!" Sarah's voice was distorted with rage and tears fell down her face.

I locked Sarah's phone and pocketed it, just to give me time to form a response. "It won't have the effect you want," I said slowly. "If he's lied about it this whole time, he's not going to admit to it now. And you'll give him a way to get back in your life again." I intimately understood the impulse, though. I had my fair share of fantasies about telling Charles exactly what I thought about him.

"I know!" Sarah snapped. "God. I know." She sat on the porch steps and put her head in her hands. In all the time I'd known her, I hadn't seen her look so defeated as she did now. I sat with her and rubbed her back.

Sarah lifted her head. "All those times he ever laid a hand on me, that time he forced me…" she started. My breath caught. She'd never mentioned that before in our support group or privately. "All of that doesn't matter. I'd let him do it all again if it meant Sydney wouldn't be hurt. I don't care what you do to me, don't hurt my daughter." She shook her head and exhaled heavily. "Though I probably screwed her up by staying so long anyway. I'm supposed to protect her and I didn't know." Her voice broke.

"It's not your fault. He's too good at lying and manipulating." The words felt trite and hollow, but it was the only thing I could think to say. "You got Sydney out because you wanted better for her and you are building that better life for her now. Don't lose sight of that."

Sarah sniffled, wiping her face, and nodded.

We sat in the quiet and my mind kept going back to one thing Sarah said. It seemed Sydney wasn't the only one who had a big revelation today. "You said – " I hesitated. "You said Mark raped you?" The word tasted awful in my mouth.

Sarah stared into the dark for a long time. "It was the final straw," she whispered. And then, like a dam bursting, Sarah leaned into me and sobbed.

Sarah cried herself out and then I took her hand and guided her back inside. "Can you stay?" she asked. "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course." I was already planning to.

She found me an extra pair of pajamas and a blanket for the couch before retreating to her bedroom. I texted Carlisle to tell him I'd be staying. I stared for a long time at the 'I love you' in his reply, feeling totally drained. I knew I would have to talk to him about everything that Sarah told me because of how much it overlapped with my own experience, but I couldn't do it right now.

So I called Emmett.

He picked up after one ring. "You've reached Emmett, Bear Hunter Extraordinaire. How can I help you?"

Hearing his voice made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. "Hi, Emmett," I managed, my voice strangled with conflicting emotions. I kept my voice low enough that only another vampire would hear it.

"You don't sound so good, Esme. What's up?"

I cleared my throat. "I just needed to hear your voice. Tell me something funny, tell me about your day. Anything." I needed distraction.

Emmett didn't ask questions. "I can do that." He launched into a story about an intense Mario Kart battle he had with Rosalie and Jasper and then we ended up watching The Twilight Zone on Netflix together.

It was about two in the morning when I heard Sydney wake up and quietly pad out to the living room. I quickly said goodbye to Emmett. If she was surprised to see me still awake, she didn't say. "What's wrong?" I asked when she curled up on the couch next to me.

She lifted her casted arm. "It's hard to get comfortable with this. And it hurts again."

I didn't want to wake Sarah to ask if it was okay for Sydney to have more medication, since she only just got to sleep after a long time tossing and turning. So I quickly texted Carlisle about it. After getting confirmation that Sydney could have more, I got a pill out for her and a glass of water.

When Sydney handed me her empty glass, I asked, "Do you want me to tuck you back in bed?"

Sydney shook her head. She chewed on her lip, worrying about something. "Is Mom mad at me?" she whispered.

I sighed, my heart aching, and put an arm around her. "No, Sydney. She's mad for you." I wasn't surprised she picked up on Sarah's anger. It would be hard for her not to interpret it as being directed at her. "What your dad did was very wrong and you didn't deserve it."

I had the feeling she needed to hear that again.

Sydney blinked furiously and pressed her face into my shoulder. "Can I stay out here for a little bit?" she asked, voice muffled.

"Until you get tired again," I said, holding her tighter.

"Okay."

I switched Netflix over to Avatar the Last Airbender for her and we watched an episode. The entire time, Sydney stayed curled up against me with her head on my shoulder. It didn't take long for her to nearly fall asleep again and I gently nudged her. "Let's get you back in bed."

Sydney nodded, too tired to form a coherent response, and I followed her to her room. She clambered into bed, grabbing her stuffed Stitch and holding him tightly to her chest. I drew up blanket over her and kissed her forehead. "Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, Esme."

AN: Thanks to all who's read and reviewed/favorite/followed. :)