Chapter 9 – Girls, and Lots of Them!

Edward

As I was on my way in, the hospital had reached me on my cell phone to summon me to treat the battery victim, just as I had expected. I arrived in the emergency room shortly after they had brought in the last victims of the hostage situation. I noticed my best friend, Emmett Cullen, in a corner talking to a gorgeous blonde. His parents, Carlisle and Esme, were there, too, looking excited and a bit nervous.

The Cullens were my family in every way but biological. Emmett and I had been like twins when we were small. Our families had lived next door to each other through all my early years, and our moms had always been best friends, at least until my mom had passed away. When Emmett and I hit puberty, he had shot past me in size and stature easily. He worked out a lot and was impressively built, with a sunny disposition and dazzling smile that got him more phone numbers than a telemarketer. Always the lady magnet, it didn't surprise me to see him chatting up a beautiful woman.

"Edward!" Esme called out to me. "Come here and give me a hug!" I hurried over, happy to see them as always.

"I only have a second, but it's good to see you. What brings you here?" I asked.

"Children," Esme smiled, hope in her eyes. "They have FIVE little girls who need fostering!"

Esme had desperately wanted more children after Emmett, especially a daughter, but she could never conceive again. She was happy to have had Emmett, but it had always been obvious that she had wanted a little girl as well. She would swoon over anything pink and look longingly at little girl things anywhere we went. She adored Emmett, but she missed having a daughter to share the female stuff with. She and Carlisle had hoped they would get the chance to have a little girl to spoil by applying as foster parents, and it looked like she was finally getting her wish, in mass quantity.

"We're having a small get-together soon, and it looks like Emmett may be bringing someone home," Esme beamed over at the striking blonde. "Won't you join us for a while?"

I quickly agreed to come if I was free from work. I waved to Emmett as I passed, and he grinned and winked at me, letting me know I would be hearing about this girl later.

I made my way through the corridors, dodging overly friendly nurses and extremely helpful staffers the whole way. That had been my routine all week, and I had to wonder if they put pheromones in the airducts of this hospital or something. Or maybe it was just that I was fresh meat, and word had gotten out that I was unattached. Whatever it was, it was unnerving at times. Most of the women around here reminded me of the women I had chosen to avoid…except for one.

I had caught sight of a petite young woman the first day I was here who had piqued my interest. She hadn't appeared to be one of the hospital staff, but she had looked as if she knew where she was going and walked with purpose to get there. I'd only seen half of her face at a distance, but she hadn't seemed to be wearing any makeup, not that she had needed it.

Her porcelain complexion had almost glowed behind her heavy glasses, which I had thought made her look even cuter. With those glasses, her hair pulled back, and her suit on, it actually made her look a little bit like a naughty librarian, one of my favorite indulgences. I'd seen a couple of nurses making fun of her behind her back, calling her "ugly duckling," which certainly didn't fit her. I had wanted to report them for unprofessional behavior, but I had been in a hurry and hadn't gotten a chance to say anything. I wished I had, so maybe I could have learned her name.

I hurried into the OR staging area, joining a team of other doctors who would be working on the battery victim case with me, as this child would need a lot of different specialties to repair the damage done to her. I brought up the back of the group, just as they were squeezing into the prep room to evaluate the patient.

A couple of visitors were leaving as I entered, and I found myself staring down at a stunning woman who literally took my breath away. She looked up at me with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, red-rimmed and swollen from crying. Her long, curly chestnut hair cascaded around her shoulders, and the tight blouse and skirt she wore accentuated her natural curves in a way that was positively sinful. I couldn't pull my eyes away from her.

Dr. Cheney finally broke through my trance, dragging my attention away from the woman in front of me, smirking at me like he knew something I didn't. Smug jerk. I was definitely going to hear about this later. The other doctors were looking at her like they had never seen a beautiful woman before. I had a strong urge to follow her out of the room, but I had a job to do.

I quickly moved over to join the examination, but I couldn't help watching the woman surreptitiously, as she gracefully turned and swayed out of the room. However, my breath caught, as did my colleagues', when I caught a flash of her creamy, toned inner thigh through the high slit in her skirt, as she turned the corner around the nurses' station. Apparently, they had been watching her as intently as me. I would find out who she was, but now was not the time.

"Was that who I think it was?" Dr. Cheney muttered breathlessly to Dr. Black, his eyebrows raised in surprise, as he shook his head in confusion.

"Yeah, but I've never seen her look like that before!" Dr. Black whispered back. Their comments gave me hope. If they had seen her here before, that must have meant she visited the hospital, at least occasionally. I said a silent prayer I would see her again soon. There was just something about her that reminded me of the young woman who had previously captured my interest and it had me thinking about dusting off my dating skills once more.

We proceeded with the examination of the injured girl, who was now sedated to help relieve her pain. The child's hair had all been shaved off to expose her wounds for surgery. My heart caught in my throat, as I looked at her battered, disfigured face. The brute who had attacked her had torn her up badly. I couldn't comprehend how someone could do such a thing to a child. The girl's eyes were swollen shut, she had hideous contusions and lacerations all over her face and scalp, and according to the x-rays, her skull was fractured in two places. Her cheekbone had been broken, as well as her nose, and a large gash ran down through the eyebrow above her broken cheekbone. The rest of her body was covered in bruises as well, and she had some other cuts and broken bones that would be addressed by my colleagues. Whoever had done this deserved to be shot! I had sworn an oath to save lives, but the loss of that one would not break my heart.