A/N: Wow, so blown away by the response to the first chapter - thank you so much guys, you are all so awesome!

Special thank you Fran for Beta'ing, and Pearly for pre-reading ❤️

Any mistakes are from my meddling ;)

2

Impasse

o-O-o

"The patient in room six needs a new IV. I need you to chase down Dr. Conway to discharge Mrs. Harrington in room four and prepare Mr. Thompson in nine for his surgery. Nobody's given out medications yet this morning, either, so check the charts and administer them too. You need to do rounds on the second floor before the doctors come up from the morning meeting and then go to the pit and sort things out there."

"I'm on it," Bella said quickly to the short, stern, blonde-haired woman in front of her.

"You don't need to write any of that down?" The senior nurse, Patricia, narrowed her eyes at Bella, and Bella shook her head.

"Nope, I've got it."

"Well, don't fuck it up. I hate it when new kids get cocky, thinking they can memorize everything and then make mistakes." Patricia said, arching a brow before walking off.

Bella ducked her head, hiding a smile. She'd just officially started at Northwestern a few days before, and she already really liked her boss. Patricia was a hard ass, that was indisputable, but she was also excellent at her job, and her bluntness was refreshing.

At the end of the day, Bella was there to work hard and learn from the best. She didn't need Patricia to like her, but she did want her to respect her, and she'd do everything she could to make sure that happened.

Bella finished the tasks she'd been assigned easily, taking care with each and every patient. She smiled warmly at them, took the time to listen, and make sure they had everything they needed. She tried to complete her various jobs efficiently but without rushing.

When she made it down to the pit, it was chaos. Children were crying, people waiting to be seen holding broken arms, severed appendages, and in some cases, bloody bandages. Her job was mainly to triage: determine which patients needed to be seen quickly by the doctors, as well as to administer medication ordered by the doctors for the waiting patients.

By the time she got to the cafeteria for lunch, it was already 3 pm, and she was absolutely famished.

"Bella!" Someone called.

Bella turned, seeing one of her friends from college, Annabelle, sitting at one of the tables with a few other nurses.

She made her way over to them and sat down, taking out her sandwich.

"How did your morning go?" Annabelle asked, her brown eyes light and happy.

"It was good," Bella said with a mouthful of food. It was impolite, but she didn't care; she was so hungry.

"Isn't it so weird that we're the ones actually in charge of patients now," Annabelle said, shaking her head slightly, "I'm still so used to following the other nurses around."

Nancy, one of the senior surgical nurses, smiled at them. "You'll get used to it. You two are doing much better than some of the other new starters. Yesterday, one of the doctors was saying how good your bedside manner is, Bella, apparently you helped reassure a patient when they were worried about surgery?"

Bella felt her cheeks flush. "He just needed someone to explain what it was in a different way; anyone would have been able to do it."

Annabelle stuck her tongue out at her. "See, you're already outshining me. I knew I should have taken the job at Mercy."

Bella laughed.

"Last week of the calm before the storm." A dark-haired man - one of the nurses Bella hadn't met yet - voiced.

There were murmurs of agreements.

"Why? What's happening next week?" Bella asked curiously.

"The second years from Med School start clinical rotation," Tom, a young, attractive man with short red hair, stated, crossing his arms in front of him. "They're a fucking nightmare. Think they know so much more about medicine than we do, make terrible mistakes…and the doctors let them run wild."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Tom," Nancy said with a smile. "They'll be fine. They just want to learn."

Anabella waggled her eyebrows at Bella. "Fingers crossed we get some yummy doctors."

Bella snorted. "You can't sleep with them."

"Of course, she can," Tom said with a wicked grin. "That's the only thing they're good for."

Everyone cackled around the table.

o-O-o

Holy shit. Some of them are very, very cute.

Bella laughed at Annabelle's text. She was on the mid-shift today, so she hadn't met any of the med students yet; not that it would matter to her if any were cute, she had Alec.

A small smile played at her mouth as she thought about him. He was so good to her, more than she could ever have hoped for. He was an English teacher at a high school, so they were working vastly different hours at the moment. He was really understanding of her job, cooking her dinner, so she had something to eat when she came in late, and even packing her leftovers, so she had food to take into work.

If Edward was fire, all-consuming and scorching, Alec was water; smooth and steady.

Emmett and Rose's party was four weeks ago, and Bella had been actively trying to forget Edward ever since. His confession made her seethe with anger, and she desperately wished he hadn't told her.

The day after seeing him, her phone had lit up with several messages from an unknown number: Can we be friends… I miss you, Bella… I'm sorry, can we talk? The last one had come at 4 am. I love you. She'd blocked him, but only after re-reading his messages a hundred times.

She hated herself for it. So, he loved her. What did that even mean to him? Was he even capable of that emotion?

Bella shook her head, frustrated at herself for thinking about him again. She needed to stop.

Alec, that's who she needed to focus on. Alec who loved her and was sweet to her and-

She crashed into a hard body and went sprawling, her bag skidding across the smooth hospital flooring.

"Shit!" she swore, picking herself up, rubbing her elbow.

She looked up to apologize, and her heart seized in her chest.

No.

How?

"E-Edward," Bella stammered, her eyes wide.

His sea-green eyes mirrored her shock, his gorgeous, clean-shaven face giving her palpitations. She wanted to lick his jaw. Feel his mouth against hers.

No!

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Bella snapped, finally getting a hold of herself.

Edward's eyes narrowed, and he bent to grab her bag from the floor, holding it out, his jaw twitching.

She snatched it out of his hands, then second-guessed her rudeness, chewing on her lip.

Edward's gaze dropped, and she took a step back, terrified of the way her blood was pounding, her skin far too hot all of a sudden.

Her movement seemed to affect him, and he stood taller, swallowing. "I'm on rotation."

"H-how?" She asked, shaking her head. "I thou…Stanford, why would you…"

Edward's eyes penetrated her, making her shiver. "You're a nurse," he said quietly. "That's…I didn't know."

Bella crossed her arms. "Why are you in Chicago?"

"I transferred to Northwestern. They have a fast track…the course at Stanford was four years; I wanted to do it in three."

"So, you're…going to be here. For the next year," Bella said, her heart sinking in her chest.

"The next two," Edward corrected, tilting his head as his eyes flicked down her body. "I like your uniform."

She shivered, forcing her eyes away from him. "I have to go."

Edward's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, his touch making her knees weak.

She could smell him, feel the heat radiating from his large body.

"Can we…get coffee or something? Or…lunch?" Edward asked, far too close for Bella to be able to breathe, her body screaming that he wasn't close enough.

"I'm really busy," Bella tried to say harshly, ashamed when her voice came out breathy and soft.

"Bella…" Edward murmured quietly, making her lower stomach ache. "Don't avoid me. Can't we be friends?"

She pulled herself together and wrenched out of his grip. "No," she said curtly, shooting him one last glance.

He stood there, his arm still slightly outstretched, his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that flooded her with arousal.

She practically ran down the hall to the bathroom, collapsing against the wall with her hand on her chest, breathing heavily.

o-O-o

"He's fucking gorgeous," Annabelle sighed next to Bella, her chin resting on her hand.

Bella followed her gaze to where Edward was sitting with the other med students, his arms folded on the table in front of him, his mouth curved up in a wicked smile as his green eyes danced with amusement.

Bella harrumphed, forcing her gaze back to her friend, and Annabelle arched a brow at her.

"You don't think? God, look at that jaw. And those eyes…Jesus Christ. Don't even get me started on the body that's hiding under that gray T-shirt. Did you see his thighs? God, am I drooling? I feel like I'm drooling."

Bella felt her insides twist with jealously and fought the urge to glare at her friend.

It wasn't Annabelle's fault. Edward was gorgeous. And she didn't know that he was Bella's mysterious heartbreaker, the one who'd kept her single most of their time at college and sometimes left her with a sad look in her eye.

She found herself looking back at him.

He threw back his head laughing, his white teeth flashing, body shaking slightly.

He was too far away to be able to hear him, but she didn't need to. She knew exactly how he sounded when he laughed like that; he had laughed with her that way too many times to count.

Her chest ached. How the fuck was she going to cope with him being here, even if he wasn't working directly with her.

Edward laughed again, and she felt her lips curve up without her permission. God, he was beautiful when he was happy like that.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Edward's head turned towards them, Bella's breath catching in her throat as those vibrant green eyes locked with hers.

His smile slowly faded, and her heart jumped in her chest at the raw longing on his face.

Bella forced her eyes away and grabbed her water, gulping it down and trying not to choke.

"Whoa. Okay. That was fucking intense. Do you…know him or something?" Annabelle's eyes narrowed.

Well, she was going to find out sooner or later.

Bella sighed, tilting her head back slightly. "It's…him, Anna."

Annabelle gasped, her mouth dropping open.

"No! You are fucking shitting me."

"Real eloquent," Bella said sarcastically, "but no, I'm not. For real."

'Holy shitballs,' Annabelle swore. "Oh my God, Bella, why did you let me talk about his jaw and his thighs…I'm so embarrassed."

Bella smiled in spite of herself. "Don't be. You're not the only one." Her words made something curl under her ribs.

Anybody with eyes could see how good-looking Edward was, and even glancing around the cafeteria, she could tell people were noticing. The thought of seeing him with someone else, one of her colleagues, or God forbid someone she was friends with, made her feel sick. But why shouldn't he date? He was single, as far as she knew anyway. And she didn't want him. She couldn't want him. She had Alec; she was happy with Alec.

"Wait…so he told you he loved you, and now he's here? Oh my God! Bella…what the fuck are you gonna do? Did he come here for you?"

"No!" Bella said quickly. "Of course not. He didn't even know I was working here."

Annabelle didn't look convinced. "Well, don't let him reel you back in. I remember what you were like sophomore year. You've got a good thing going with Alec; you're happy. Don't let him ruin it."

"I won't," Bella vowed. 'I'm…I'm going to keep my distance.'

"How are you going to do that when you're working with him?" Annabelle asked, wincing at her.

"What? But I'm probably not…he's just in the building."

"He's on surgical rotation, Bella. He'll be in on your rounds."

Bella just stared at her, her stomach sinking. "He…"

"Serious question Bel, how do you feel about him?"

Bella swallowed, hard then sat up in her seat a little. "I don't feel anything for him, not anymore. Just…anger about the past. But I'm happy with Alec. Edward means nothing."

From the look on Annabelle's face, she believed Bella's lie about as much as Bella believed it herself, but she let her get away with it.

"Well then, there's nothing to worry about. Just keep your head down and do your job."

"Exactly," Bella said, her palms sweating. "It'll be fine."

o-O-o

"Hi, Mrs. Green." Bella greeted warmly as she walked into the patient room, smiling at the middle-aged woman sitting up in her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…okay," Mrs. Green said, her smile a little forced.

Bella frowned and picked up her chart, scanning her eyes through it.

"Are you still in pain?"

There was a brief pause. "I'll be okay."

Bella put down the paperwork and raised her eyebrow at her brunette patient. "You don't need to be strong; you know. If you're in pain, tell me, and I can help you."

"The doc said I don't need any more pain relief, that I had the max dose," she said, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Bella forced herself not to react. This had been a problem she had noticed over the past few weeks.

Dr. Abrams was excellent at his job; Bella would never try to suggest anything else…but he was one of those new-fangled, mind-over-matter kind of people. He didn't believe in pain meds, at least…not past the initial bout of illness or surgery. His argument was that the meds did more damage than good in most cases and led to long-term pill addiction, and he wasn't wrong. That is, The research did support that was the case a lot of the time. However, and it was a big however, those were in cases of chronic pain, as well as highly correlated with longer recovery periods.

In other words, there was no reason why Mrs. Green, who had just had a routine appendectomy, couldn't have more pain relief. Because she certainly had not had the maximum dose.

"What's your pain level, out of ten?" Bella asked softly, gently holding the older woman's warm hand.

"An eight," Mrs. Green said miserably. "I just want to sleep, but it's too painful."

"Let me see what I can do, okay?" Bella comforted, squeezing her hand softly.

Mrs. Green gave her a grateful smile, and Bella's heart clenched.

This poor woman didn't deserve to be sitting there in pain.

She left the room and stood at the nurse's station for a minute, resting her hands on the desk as she desperately tried to force down her anger. She'd try to speak to Dr. Abrams, but she knew if she had even a remote chance of being successful, she'd have to be polite and gentle in her approach.

"Who do I need to hunt down and kill for you?" She heard Edward say teasingly next to her.

She exhaled slowly.

For the love of God. Why of all people…

She turned to him and opened her mouth to tell him to fuck off, but the words faded as soon she met his green eyes, her heart slamming into her ribs.

Bella swallowed and shook her head. "It's nothing."

Edward turned to face the desk and rested his arms on it next to her, his large body overwhelmingly close.

"I know you well enough to know when you're angry about something."

Bella bristled. "You don't know me at all," she practically hissed. "You haven't known me for four years."

Edward dipped his head, looking at her from under his stupidly long black eyelashes. "Maybe," he admitted, shrugging a little. "But you're still mad right now, so…what's up?"

Bella huffed, forcing distance between them, so she didn't have to deal with her traitorous body's reaction to him.

"Just…" She sighed. "It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk to you about it."

"Why?" Edward asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Because we're not friends," Bella said harshly.

"Yet." Edward corrected, the corner of his mouth lifting. "But I'm hoping to change that."

Bella grabbed one of the iPads and left, leaving him standing there as she went to search for Dr. Abrams.

o-O-o

"Excuse me, Dr. Abrams," Bella asked politely.

The dark-haired man turned to her, smiling. He was in his forties and fairly handsome, known as a bit of a charmer amongst the nurses.

"It's Swan, right? How are you settling in?" he inquired.

"Great, thank you," she smiled back. "I just wanted to check something with you; it's about Mrs. Green?"

Dr. Abrams frowned, "Sure, is everything okay with her? She was fine when I checked post-op."

Bella steeled herself, keeping a smile on her face. "Unfortunately, she's in quite a bit of pain still, an eight out of ten."

Dr. Abrams nodded, sighing. "That's a shame. But I've already prescribed the maximum."

"But you haven't." Bella's cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment at her outburst.

Dr. Abrams raised an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me?"

"Uh…apologies, Doctor, I don't mean to be rude," she said hastily. "I just…she can have another boost without going over the prescribed limit."

The dark-haired man gave her a patronizing smile, and Bella fought to control her anger. "Yes, I'm aware that the prescription limit is higher; however, if you take a look at the research, honey, you'll see why I don't adhere to that. Mrs. Green will be fine in a few days, and trust me; she'll thank me."

"Respectfully…" Bella gulped. "That research is related to chronic pain and surgeries with longer recovery times. Mrs. Green is in horrible pain; she can't sleep. She needs more pain relief. You have to-"

"Excuse me?" Dr. Abrams looked furious. "Who are you to lecture me on how to read the research? Did I skip the part where you went to med school? I can't believe-"

'Ron,' Nancy cut in, appearing next to Bella with a big smile. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I need Bella for something, do you mind?"

The man gave Bella another distasteful look before shaking his head, smiling back at Nancy. "Sure, Nance, I'll see you later."

He walked off, and Nancy gripped Bella's upper arm, turning to her with a furious expression. "What the hell are you playing at, Bella? Are you trying to get fired?"

Bella's eyes stung with tears, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm just trying t-to…I just wa-wanted-"

Nancy's face softened, and she rubbed her hand up Bella's arm. "I know you're just fighting for your patient, sweet girl, but you can't go up against the doctors like that; they're the ones in charge here. They'd be lost without us, but they don't like to be reminded of it. There's a better way to get what you want than insulting their intelligence…"

Bella's bottom lip trembled, and she nodded stiffly. "I just…"

"I know," Nancy said gently. "Go on, pull yourself together, and then you can carry on with your day. Don't worry about Mrs. Green; I'll sort it out."

Bella walked quickly down the hall and entered one of the on-call rooms, relieved to find it empty. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands, fighting tears. That had gone so terribly. Worse than terrible, even. God, he was going to absolutely hate her now. She'd just been trying to help.

Bella replayed her words and winced to herself. Why the fuck had she reacted like that? She should have said it differently. A few tears escaped, and Bella wiped them away, walking over to the mirror in the corner and breathing in and out a few times until she had calmed herself down.

She took out the bobby pin the top of her head, letting her bangs cover her forehead again. She hoped it would distract away from her slightly smudged makeup and hide the fact she'd been crying.

Bella ran a hand through her fringe, smoothing it out, and then stared at herself. Her blue eyes were a little bloodshot, but she didn't think anyone would be able to tell.

Her hand played with the end of her ponytail where it rested under her breasts. She'd always had a bit of a temper. Alec called her his feisty little thing.

She'd have to learn to control it better at work. Dr. Abram wasn't trying to hurt his patients; she knew that. He was just…

Well, it didn't matter. Bella needed to keep her head down from now on, especially when interacting with the doctors. Even if they didn't always know best, Nancy was right, they were the sharks, and she was just a fish.

An important and vital part of the ecosystem, but powerless against the might of the apex predator.

"Right," she said out loud, breathing out slowly.

She opened the on-call door and almost slammed it again when she found Edward standing there with his hand raised as though he'd been about to knock.

There was something humorous about the panicked look that crossed his face, and Bella found herself fighting a smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

Edward looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Um…I was…well I heard that you got…chewed out by one of the docs, and I just…wanted to um…check on you?"

Bella stared at him in surprise. He was so flustered. It was totally unlike him.

"I'm fine," she said, frowning at him. "Don't…do that."

Edward rested one hand against the door frame, his body towering over hers. "Do what?" he asked, his deep voice making her tremble.

Now that…that was totally like him.

Bella tilted her chin up to look into his eyes, her heart skipping about in her chest like an excited puppy.

"Check on me," she said, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. "We're not friends. We're not anything."

"Why won't you let me be your friend?" Edward asked, his voice betraying his hurt as he moved closer to her, his other hand coming to rest on the doorway, so he was completely blocking her in.

Her breath caught in her throat. Day one of him being at the hospital with her, and he was already destroying every inch of her sanity. A sliver of his muscled abdomen was showing where his T-shirt had lifted, and she wanted to drop to her knees and trace it with her tongue.

He was so dangerous.

She glanced up at him and then stepped backward, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Edward looked…angry. His green eyes blazing.

"How can you pretend you don't want me? I can see it pouring off you," he said roughly.

Bella's chest constricted, and she started to panic. His words flew straight into the pit of her stomach, seizing her body and lighting it on fire.

She took another step backward, and Edward moved closer, completely blocking the doorway with his body.

"D-don't," she managed to say, her hands shaking.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her, "Don't what? Don't come close? Don't touch you? Why Bella? Do you not trust yourself around me?"

She took in a shuddering breath, and Edward's eyes darkened, scorching her, sending her body into overdrive.

"You don't, do you? You're scared of what might happen, scared you'll give in and take what you want."

"I don't want you," Bella spat at him.

"Don't lie," Edward said angrily, removing his hands from the doorway as he stepped towards her.

Bella's breath was coming faster and faster, her skin tingling in desperation. God, he was right; she wanted him. She wanted him so badly it terrified her. Her panties were drenched, the space between her thighs aching.

"Edward," she warned.

He paused right in front of her, those hypnotizing green eyes hooded and several shades darker than usual. He bent his head towards her ear, his warm breath washing over her and making her knees almost give out. She could smell him, that overwhelming masculine scent, apples and burnt sugar, memories flickering behind her eyes.

"I know you want me, baby," he murmured, his voice dripping with sex. "Tell me you're not wet for me right now; tell me you don't want me to rip those scrubs off and taste every inch of your hot little body."

Bella trembled violently, her back arching as a heavy feeling settled between her legs.

She couldn't speak. She needed to tell him, no, but she couldn't.

"Bella!" she heard from the doorway.

Oh, thank fuck for Annabelle. Her friend's voice gave her the strength she needed to shove past Edward and step out into the hallway.

Annabelle's eyes widened when she looked at her, and Bella could only imagine what she looked like, her skin flushed, eyes hooded with lust, body practically shivering with desire.

Bella dragged Annabelle down the hall to the bathrooms and splashed water on her face, breathing hard.

"What the fuck was that?" Annabelle asked her. "Did you…did he…? Did you cheat on Alec?"

"No!" Bella protested, gripping the counter in her hands. "Of course not!"

"Jesus Bel, that looked…he was…"

"I know," Bella said, squeezing her eyes shut. "He's bad for me, Anna. He…" She covered her face with her hands. "I'm scared of what I'll do if I'm alone with him."

"Then we can't let you be alone with him," Annabelle said soothingly, grabbing her hand and holding them in hers. "You're happy with Alec, aren't you?"

Bella nodded, biting her lip.

"Then stay away from Edward. Don't let him get you alone, don't tempt yourself. I'll help you."

o-O-o

Bella stared across the table at Alec, trying to think of a way to tell him that Edward was in Chicago.

She hadn't actually told him who Edward was to her, just that he was a friend, so his presence presented a dilemma for her.

If she didn't tell Alec, he'd be confused about why she kept Edward a secret, which would make it seem suspicious. If she did tell him about Edward, he'd probably say they should catch up or something because why wouldn't she want to catch up with her old friend?

"Do you remember Emmett's brother?" Bella said casually, spearing a green bean with her fork.

Alec looked up from his phone with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't eating, he'd had his dinner hours ago, but he'd made hers and was sitting with her while she ate.

"I think so…good looking guy with brown hair, right?"

Bella watched him carefully as he continued scrolling. Maybe her interactions with Edward weren't as subtle at the party as she'd thought. More suspicious to deny he's attractive, she decided.

"Yeah. He's actually studying at Northwestern now; he's on clinical placement at the hospital."

"Oh, cool," Alec said, nodding, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Be nice for you to have an old friend in the area, babe."

"Yeah," Bella shrugged. "I mean, we're not super close these days, obviously. But he's on rotation with me a lot, so…"

"Uh, huh," Alec said, glancing back down to his phone.

Bella hid a smile, pleased. "How was work today? Is that kid still giving you attitude about homework?"

Alec clicked off his phone and leaned back in his seat, groaning. "He is such a little shit."

They sat there laughing over his recount of the day's antics, and Bella felt the tension in her chest release a bit.

Alec was so perfect.

She had to stay away from Edward before he completely ruined her life.

A/N Ruh-oh. Hear that? That's the sound of E crashing into B's life with the force of a wrecking ball. What happens next? ;)

Thank you for reading - if you're enjoying...don't forget to leave me a review ❤️

P.S I have a oneshot coming SOON - maybe as soon as this weekend *winks slyly*. It's a historical one - featuring Vikingward... here's the summary - you can find out more on the FB group 'Creaatingmadness' and see a little teaser.

Princess Belflaed of Wessex is the key to financing the greatest Viking Army to ever set foot in East Anglia. The great Viking warriors Edard and his brother, Emet capture the Princess while her abusive husband lays siege to Lundon. Edard must protect their greatest asset at all costs, but Balflaed intrigues him and he finds himself falling for her. In the end, can he let her go?