Chapter 61 - Carnage

Edward

I had worked on victims from car accidents, struck pedestrians, and DFPS cases, but I had never seen anything like this. There were so many broken bodies. They were sixth graders, eleven and twelve-year-old kids, and the adults who had been chaperoning. Every available doctor had been called in, and we were still struggling to get to everyone. My hastily donned scrubs were covered in blood within minutes of arriving at the hospital, and it was all I could smell every way I turned.

The scene in the corridors was heart-wrenching. There were stretchers everywhere, and the sounds of crying children could be heard throughout the whole floor. The bus had rolled more than once and had then landed on its side, throwing everyone inside around like ragdolls. I had always believed school buses needed seatbelts, and this more than demonstrated why that should have been mandatory in every single one of them.

The injuries ranged from cuts and scrapes, to deep lacerations and broken bones in every part of the body imaginable. Three of the children had serious facial damage, and I was trying to help get them stabilized when I saw Emmett helping Bella into the waiting room. I wanted to run to her, but the child I was working on would suffocate if I didn't move quickly, so I had to leave Bella in Emmett's hands. I knew I could count on him to make sure anything she needed was seen to.

We were moving the last of the children towards the OR when I saw Emmett coming back down the hall. He looked as shellshocked as I felt, having seen all the injured children being brought in.

"Emmett, what was the matter with Bella?" I asked as we were passing. I let the nurses continue towards the OR, while I stopped to speak to Emmett for a moment.

"She was just freaked, man, that's all," Emmett said. "She knew the dude who jumped off that damn bridge and caused all this mess."

"Who was he?" I asked, concerned that someone Bella cared about had died.

"She said his name was Laurant Dubois. He was actually standing outside on the sidewalk when you guys came out after the wedding. Didn't you see him?"

I thought about it, but all I could remember was trying to get the damn inflated condoms out of the car, so I could get Bella to the hotel as fast as possible to begin our wedding night. Laurant Dubois. The kid from the picture her grandmother had left her. No wonder she was so upset.

"No, man, I was too distracted," I said. "I'll catch you later, I've got to get to surgery."

I ran to catch up with the nurses, the whole time remembering all the things Bella had said about Dubois and how he used to watch her. I couldn't blame him for his interest, but it sounded like his attention had bordered on obsession. Why hadn't he ever approached Bella, though? The guy's actions made absolutely no sense at all.

All during surgery, questions continued to form in the back of my mind. Had the guy been the one stalking Bella? How long had he been doing it? How had he managed to not be seen all those years? And the biggest question of all…why? Unfortunately, with the guy being dead, there would be no answers coming from him now. I just hoped if Dubois had been Bella's invisible stalker, she would be able to finally quit having to look over her shoulders constantly, fearing someone would jump out at her or try to grab her. That thought had me hoping Dubois really had been the one, just so Bella's ordeal could be over.

The last child we were working on had head injuries, plus internal damage to her chest, so Dr. Stanley had been called in for this one due to the damage around the girl's heart and sternum.

"So, Edward," she asked while stapling the girl's incision closed, "How was the honeymoon?"

"Too short," I replied, not looking to share details with her. We were barely on speaking terms as it was due to her constant sexual overtures towards me, and I really wasn't in the mood right now to deal with her.

"Sorry to hear that," was all she said. I looked up at her, and she smiled at me from under her mask and nodded at me, but not in her usual way, for which I was grateful. "By the way, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in the past. I was just very lonely, and you really are a great guy. Who could blame me for wanting the best?" she chuckled while continuing to work. "I really do admire you, and you're not hard on the eyes. You're safe in the future, though, Dr. Masen."

"Thanks, I think. Anyway, this is a refreshing change, Dr. Stanley," I said, as I finished the stitches I was working on. "I'd just about written you off as being totally incorrigible. You keep this up and working with you may actually be tolerable."

She laughed a little. "Well, you can credit it to my new love life. I finally found the man of my dreams. Michael is a sweetheart, and he seems to be able to tolerate me, poor guy. I actually think I may be falling in love."

"Well, good for you. I know what love has done for me, and I highly recommend it." We both smiled and nodded to each other. I was glad to hear she had finally found someone else to focus on. Maybe it would mellow her out a bit, and she would leave me alone once and for all. I had everything I would ever need in Bella, so Dr. Stanley never stood a chance with me, anyway. She really was a good doctor, though, and if she continued like this, maybe someday, she could even be considered a friend.