FIVE

When the yellow Porsche whipped into the parking lot, I felt the dread that had been growing in my stomach turn into a full-rolling boil and desperately held back the urge to vomit. I closed my eyes and let my head drop onto the headrest, moaning pitifully to my friend, "Do we have to go? Your family's smart with perfect memories and knowledge. Can't you just home school me?"

She gave me a very sympathetic look and reached over to pat my hand. "I promise, Bella, the biggest part of your day won't be that bad. I'm not going to lie and say that it's not going to get rough, because around two o'clock, things are going to start going downhill and fast, but it won't last that long. You're going to get to see Carlisle later today, so the end of the day is not going to be horrible. Okay?" She smiled at me as we started to climb out of the car. "Just remember," she whispered to me as she linked her arm through mine, "think about Carlisle, how much he loves you and text him every chance you get. It will make the day go much faster."

I was ever-so-grateful when Alice actually walked me to my class and immediately scurried over to Angela. I whispered that I wanted to move to the back, so she followed me, raising an eyebrow behind her glasses as I plopped my bag down with a loud thunk. She immediately knew something was wrong as I was not the world's best actress. She questioned me about my birthday party with the Cullens, so I waved her in close, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"Let's just say that Doctor Cullen spent the evening digging glass out of my arm." She winced, and I nodded. "And if that wasn't bad enough..." I took a deep breath and prayed that she would not question me about the issue. "Edward forgot to inform me of something very important. He left this morning to go to Europe to look at colleges. He's going to the UK, France, and Germany, but he's already seriously considering Oxford or Cambridge."

"Oh, Bella," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It's okay. I can't say that I'm thrilled with how things came out. I'd have liked to have been given the truth sooner, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Besides, it might be for the best. It'll give me more time to spend with my friends."

I felt a bit guilty saying that. I knew that Carlisle was having a very hard time being separated from me, and if I were to be completely honest, I was not feeling my best being away from him. It was like I could physically feel the separation in my soul and it was not at all comfortable. Grabbing my new iPhone — my present from Jasper, God bless his undead Southern heart — I turned it to silent and immediately texted Carlisle that I had just made it to my first class and asked if I could call him during lunch.

Almost immediately, the screen flashed at me and I opened the message to see: Of course, mia cuore. It is a slow day. But if I do not answer, I am either in surgery or a pt room.

Gotcha. Um, cuore?

Heart, mia cuore.

T'amo tanto. I love you very much.

Parla Italiano?

...No, I don't speak Italian.

*smile* T'amo, bella mia. Ti amerò ora e per sempre.

I'll love you now & forever too, but I'm putting phone down. Teacher's watching. Ttyl.

When I finished, I could see Angela eyeing me curiously and I grimaced inwardly when she mouthed 'was that Edward?' Evidently, I hesitated one second too long, because her eyes went wide and she silently scooted her chair closer. "That wasn't Edward, was it?" she hissed beneath her breath. "I've never seen you get that excited before. Who was it?"

"Angela, I really can't ta—"

The screen on my phone flashed again and I looked to see a message from Alice. You can tell her you're not with Ed. Three of us talk at lunch.

I rolled my eyes and slipped my phone beneath my book again. "No, that wasn't Edward. It was... someone else. And no, I can't talk about it just yet. It's complicated, very complicated. I'll talk to you about it more at lunch, I promise. Alice is going to be joining us. Or rather, we'll be joining her. Jasper isn't here either. He's out with a cold. I think she wants the company." At Angela's surprised and slightly panicked look, I added, "Don't worry. You'll love her. She's sweet. A bit hyper, but sweet."

The rest of the class was a bit boring, and as soon as the teacher excused us, a familiar face popped into view. Another and more hateful face lingered nearby, clearly wanting to hear this conversation. I could only groan as Jessica bounced in front of me. "Sooo, Bella," she said in a disgustingly perky tone, "where's Edward? Is he sick or something?" I felt Angela put her hand on my arm and attempt to pull me away from the little gossip, but Jessica was having none of it. She cast a smirk to Lauren before turning her attention back to me. "So what's up? Surely, Eddie is okay, isn't he?"

Good God, can she be more obvious? I sighed and tried to keep my gaze neutral. "Edward is in England right now. He's touring colleges in Europe. He'll be gone for a while." I easily sidestepped her and was thankful that Angela kept her steps perfectly matched to mine. That did not, however, mean that I was lucky. Jessica was hot on our heels, and there was no doubt in my mind that Lauren Mallory was close behind.

"He was here yesterday!" Jessica exclaimed. "Why did he leave in the middle of the week? Did you two have a fight about it? Has he called you today?"

I stopped in the doorway of our next class. "No, Jessica, we did not have a fight." I could see Alice out of the corner of my eye, practically dancing her way to her next class, which unfortunately was not with me. When she smiled and nodded, I turned my attention fully to Jessica. "He left this morning because of the time required by the first university. No, he hasn't called today because it takes about half of the day to fly to England. Then there's about an eight-hour time difference between here and the UK. I doubt that I'm going to hear from him while he's gone, and that's okay. Edward is not my world! I'll survive, and if I can survive, I'm sure you can too!" I stomped to a desk in the back and threw myself angrily into the chair beside Angela, immediately texting Carlisle. If I kill Jessica or Lauren, will your family spring me from prison?

I'm sorry you're having a bad day. Mi spiace, mi amore. I am sorry. T'amo. Just think of me nuzzling & purring softly in your ear.

*blush* Have I told you that I love hearing your purr?

Have I told you that I love knowing how you react to it?

Carlisle!

*smirk* Yes, mia diletta?

*eye roll* Class is starting. I ttyl. T'amo. I hid my phone and prayed to God that the rest of my day would get better. Apparently, he heard my prayer, because I made it to lunch without falling and without any more problems from Jessica and Lauren. The last class before lunch was the best, because the terrible-two had Yearbook with Angela, which meant I was free of their nosey glares.

I was already sitting, eating my lunch, when Angela joined me at the Cullens' table, looking rather nervous. "Alice will be here soon." When she fidgeted, I sighed. "Would you sit down? She won't bite!" I laughed for a moment then frowned when I noticed that Lauren and Jessica had sat down at a table right behind us. I rolled my eyes. "You know, if you really don't want to sit with me and Alice, I'll understand. Especially since Tweedledee and Tweedledum will want to sink their hooks into you for inside information," I said with dramatic flair at the end.

Just at that moment, Alice danced into view. "Bella!" she chirped as she hugged me. Straightening, she turned to my shy friend and smiled brightly. "Hi, Angela! I'm Alice." The look on Angela's face when the pixie hugged her was priceless, but Alice did not seem to notice, folding herself gracefully into a chair beside me. "So, everyone's asking about Edward."

"Really, Alice? I hadn't noticed." I rolled my eyes at her before glancing at Angela then back to the dark-haired vampire. "Are you sure?" I muttered under my breath, feeling anxious when she nodded. I nibbled on my lower lip for a moment before turning to Angela, who seemed a little bit dazed at what was happening around her. I remembered those days. I pulled her in close and decided that I had to make good on my promise and tell her the truth. "Edward and I aren't together anymore." I wasn't too surprised when she didn't act shocked and instead simply nodded and looked sympathetic. "It's okay, honestly," I continued. "Our relationship wasn't exactly... healthy."

"You know that Jessica and Lauren are going to give you hell when they find out," she said softly. "What are you going to tell people? What's going to happen when Edward comes back?"

"God only knows," I murmured darkly but shook my head. "Honestly, Edward has been putting a strain on our relationship for a while. He was controlling and the fact that he didn't even have the decency to be honest with me was the last straw. Edward has screwed up, and while I am willing to forgive him, he doesn't have another chance."

"Wow..." she drawled as studied me. I knew she was trying to figure out if there was more to my story and if I was really okay. Since it was Angela, I did not mind. If it were Jessica, it would have annoyed the hell out of me, but that was simply because Jessica's and Angela's motives were entirely different. While Jessica would want more information for gossip's sake, Angela just wanted to know that her friend was fine. "So, who's the new guy?" she queried with a smirk after ascertaining that I was, as I said, okay. "You've never seemed that happy with Edward?"

"It's no one you've met," I replied. "It's—"

I about slid out of my chair and under the table when, to my horror, my iPhone, which had been taken off of silent, blared Iron Maiden's cover of 'Doctor, Doctor'.

Having only received it last night and not having had any calls until now as I had spent the night with the Cullens, I was completely unaware that Jasper had apparently set tones for everyone's names. I highly doubted, though, that he was aware of how difficult this situation would be to explain when he programmed it. I am sure he had meant it to be funny, but let's face it: one of the kids could relay it whatever news would ever need to be given to me. So why would Doctor Carlisle Cullen be calling me? At lunch?

I hopped to my feet, walking as swiftly as I could out of the cafeteria, and answered the phone by hissing into the receiver, "I'm going to kill your son!"

"Which one?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Do you have any idea what Jasper put as your ringtone?"

"Oh..."

I sighed heavily. "It's okay, I'm sure. I can just say that you were calling to check up on me because of Edward." I blinked in surprise when I heard him growl, and realized that he must be alone in his office. "Carlisle?" I whispered warily.

"I'm quite all right, bella mia. I am just feeling somewhat... possessive."

The embarrassment in his voice was obvious and I felt my heart go out to him, knowing that he was not at all used to his instincts and feelings surfacing. He was always so calm and controlled that I felt certain that his reactions were probably quite confusing and upsetting to him. "Carlisle," I cooed tenderly, "it's perfectly all right. It's in your nature, and to be honest, I find it rather endearing that I mean that much to you."

I could almost feel the rumble building inside of him and grinning at his next words. "You mean the world to me, cara mia." He was silent for a moment, though whether it was to let me take in and process his words or if he was simply savoring the moment, I was not sure. "How are you faring, Isabella?"

I hesitated, not wanting to worry him, but apparently my momentary silence was enough to catch his attention because he immediately inquired as to what was wrong. I exhaled noisily and came clean with him. "I don't exactly feel comfortable being away from you. It feels like there is a chunk of my soul missing."

He sighed through the phone and I could just imagine his sad topaz eyes, which made my heart ache even more. "I am sorry, m'amore. I knew that today would quite possibly be difficult for us, but to what extent, I could not have imagined. Perhaps, if I had allowed myself to feel as a vampire in place of trying to experience life as a human, then I would be more prepared to help you through this."

I shook my head. "Carlisle, you did what you thought was best for you at the time. You were trying to be better than what you felt you were. That is nothing to be ashamed of, just as there is no reason for you to be ashamed of how you're feeling and what is happening between us. It's okay. We'll figure it out together and be better for it in the end."

I could almost sense the smile creeping on to his face.

"How is it, mia diletta, that I have been given such a treasure as you?"

I smirked. "Just lucky, I guess!"

.

I was thrilled that I had made it through the biggest part of the day without any major confrontations and without any injuries whatsoever. I had just one class left, and if I could make it through, I would be home free. I would see Carlisle in only a few hours, so I doubted there was anything that could happen that could bring me down.

"Oh, Bella!"

I grimaced at the high-pitched voice that came from behind me as I walked down the hall. Of all the times for Angela to be in the bathroom!

"Bella!" Jessica practically squealed as she bounced up beside me, reminding me of a mentally challenged rabbit on speed. "I noticed you were texting someone in English. Was it Eddie? I know you miss him. I'm really sorry that he left you here alone. I know that it's got to be hard for you, Bella."

I rolled my eyes and picked up my speed, wobbling slightly on the kitten heels. "Honestly, Jessica, I really don't care. It's a good opportunity for Edward, and I'm glad that he got invited."

"Well, yeah, it's good for him," she drawled, "but what about you? What if he wants to go to college in Europe? What're you going to do without him? Are you going to break up? Because, you know, that whole long-distance-relationship-thing just doesn't work."

I bit back a growl. "Well, if he chooses to go to Europe to attend college, I guess we'll break up."

She gasped, but I knew that it was utterly insincere. I had given her just what she wanted to hear, but I really did not care at that point. I just wanted to get rid of her and get through the rest of the day.

"Bella, how truly awful for you!"

I tried to keep my expression neutral as she chattered on and on about how horrible my life would be without Edward. I was overjoyed, for the first time since meeting him, to see Mike Newton standing beside his open locker. If Jessica saw him, then maybe she would stop bugging me and would latch onto him. I absolutely could not make it to my locker soon enough, and just as a thrill of hope shot through me that I would be able to detach the gossiping parasite from me, it happened.

The cliché states that haste makes waste. In my case, haste makes injuries.

I could see it as if it were happening in slow motion. In my determination to pass Jessica off to Mike, I had practically broken into a run, tripping over thin air and plummeting headfirst into the corner of Mike's locker door. I felt flesh rip open at the inner corner of my eyebrow and my wrist twist painfully as I tried to keep the rest of my body from slamming into the metal cabinets. I could hear gasps from all around me. I could sense Mike and Tyler picking up my books, which had flown in every direction. I could see Jessica motioning frantically, and I could feel her grabbing my arm as she dragged me through the halls. It was only when we had made it to the nurse's office that I fully began to comprehend what had happened. I grimaced at the sticky wetness trickling down into my eye. I blinked and wiped furiously, a terribly woozy feeling overtaking me at the sight of my own blood smeared on my hand.

In some distant part of my mind, I found it highly amusing that I could not stand the sight of blood, yet I was the mate of a nearly-four-hundred-year-old vampire whose ultimate desire was to taste mine.

I was annoyed that out of all the injuries that I could have sustained, it was this one. My mate was slowly adjusting to his own natural instincts and here I show up, bleeding my way into his hospital. It was not at all fair and I felt a bit put out with Alice. As I replayed our conversation in my mind, it occurred to me that I never asked her about splitting my face open. Alice had told me the truth, quite literally. Nothing was broken, and even though it was sore, I was certain that my wrist was not sprained.

Evil little pixie!

Forget Jasper. I was going to kill his wife.

As much as I was loathed to accept Jessica's help, I knew that it would be impossible for me to drive. For one thing, my truck was at Charlie's. But even if I had it, I would have either had to drive with one hand while I kept the blood out of my eye or used both hands to drive and let my blood pour down my face. So, miserably, I let her usher me into her car and drive me to the hospital.

I really did not want to go to the hospital. Carlisle was just starting to allow his instincts to surface and he was still rather unsure of himself. I could never think less of him if he gave into his nature and drank from me as soon as he had me in his grasp. But, I wanted him to be able to first taste me when he was confident in himself, when he was relaxed and wholly accepting who he was. If he were to drink from me now, I knew that he would feel guilty and ashamed about it later on. On the flipside though, I knew that Carlisle had centuries' worth of control and that worried me just as much. When it came to every human but me, he had absolutely no pull to their blood, so there was nothing really to resist. I, however, was different. He had an unusually strong draw to my blood, so there was something for him to resist. I was worried that after having finally given into certain instincts, if he did not give in to his desire to taste me, it would put us back at square one. I was worried that he would fall back into his usual habits of repressing practically every aspect of his nature.

Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.

I was really going to give Alice an earful when I got her alone next.

When we made it into the emergency room, I realized why Carlisle had been free to text me so much: it was slow. The unit receptionist immediately directed me into a room and I was beyond frustrated when Jessica trotted in behind me. I briefly pondered if I were to kill her there in the hospital if that would make it easier or harder for Carlisle to dispose of the body. I might have to ask.

As if knowing that he was in my thoughts, the door opened to reveal the blond vampire. He was smiling with pleasant professionalism, as if it was not his mate that was sitting before him with a head wound that was bleeding steadily. "Bella." He nodded in my direction before glancing with polite curiousness at Jessica. "Miss Stanley, thank you for bringing Miss Swan in."

"Of course, Doctor Cullen," she replied with a slight giggle. She made no effort to hide the way that her eyes raked over him, obviously appreciating the way his navy slacks hung low on his hips and the silver-blue shirt and white lab coat stretched across his shoulders. She licked her lips — she actually licked her lips — and batted her eyelashes at him. "Bella's friends just want to know that she's okay."

I could not stop the way my upper lip pulled back from my teeth or my fingers curled into claws as my muscles tensed.

"Bella?" My mate's voice relaxed me instantly and I reluctantly turned my gaze to him when he spoke to me. "How did this happen?"

"She fell," Jessica supplied, smiling as though she had said something incredibly brilliant and utterly hysterical.

"Thank you, Bella," I retorted sarcastically, my eyes shooting daggers at her when her lips curled into a sneer. I was astounded that she would actually look at me as if I were the one who had done something wrong by speaking up. I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind but was rudely interrupted by my own mate.

"Miss Stanley, thank you very much for bringing Isabella. I will make certain that she makes it home safely." Despite his polite smile and pleasant tone, it was entirely obvious that Carlisle was dismissing Jessica. As his stance shifted from being completely relaxed to standing perfectly straight, he clearly was not going to allow her to stay in the room.

Her smile faltered for a moment before she recovered. "I'll wait for you in the waiting room, Bella." She smiled brightly. "I want to be able to tell everyone you're okay!"

The moment the door closed behind her, I heard Carlisle whisper 'puttana' in a thoroughly unpleasant tone, before he blurred around the room and then stopped before me. All the supplies he would need to stitch the gash were now sitting on a tray beside him.

"Do I even want to know what that means?" I asked grumpily. Actually, I had a very good idea of what it meant.

Cleaning the wound with iodine, he frowned. "Without resorting to foul language, the closest thing I can relate it to is a very loose woman. Being what I am, I am unfortunately used to such reactions from human females. I am quite accustomed to ignoring such conduct, but knowing that she affected you as deeply as she did disturbs me beyond words. It was a repulsive display and I was not going to stand for you being subject to that behavior." He finished disinfecting the gash and picked up a syringe, prepared to numb the area. "So, bella mia," he cooed, "are you going to tell me what happened?"

I smiled mischievously. "Mike Newton and I had an argument. He's obviously bigger than me, so I decided to settle the dispute with his locker door."

The hand holding the syringe paused in midair as his lips twitched. "Isabella."

I huffed. "All right, you caught me. The argument was with the door all along." When he rolled his eyes at me and lifted the needle again, I blurted out, "Honestly, Carlisle, that door had it coming!" I grinned as he bowed and shook his head bemusedly. "It's okay, though. I think it learned its lesson."

"Mi bella cigna," he chuckled, "you truly are my delight."

After he removed the needle from my flesh, I asked, "Are you okay?" I sucked my lower lip between my teeth and began to nibble.

He looked at me, bewilderment apparent in his eyes. "Of course, cara mia. Why ever would I not be?" When I explained to him my fears, he nuzzled my neck with a soft purr, assuring me that he was not denying his instincts. "As you can tell, I am quite in control of my thirst and my nature."

I began fingering the collar of his lab coat and moaned, "Doctor Cullen."

He jerked back, his eyes glittering black. "Naughty girl," he growled before leaning toward me. His lips had not even touched mine when he suddenly straightened.

I was surprised and a little hurt by his behavior. Then a knock on the door sounded loudly in the room and a nurse poked her head in, informing him that as soon as he was finished, he was needed elsewhere. I sighed. "I suppose this means Jessica gets to take me home."

He buried his lips in my hair before he pulled away and continued the process of stitching together the gash. "If you would like to wait in my office, mi diletta, I will drive you home. I will not be long. My shift ends in half an hour."

I felt my eyes widen. "How do you know the patient is going to take less time than that?"

He smirked at me, his eyes never leaving his work. "There are two females. One is the mother and the other is the patient. From her voice, she sounds to be around the age of eight or nine. She was limping. However, her heart rate and respirations are not extremely elevated, so while she is in pain, it is not unbearable. Her lungs are clear. Her heart sounds are regular. No abnormalities." He sniffed the air. "She is not bleeding nor is there any sign of infection." He finished with the stitches and pressed a kiss to my forehead before blurring around the room, coming to an abrupt halt in front of me. He braced his arms on either side of my body. I could not help but notice the room looked spotless again. "Since I am obviously here, I cannot be one hundred percent certain, but I would suspect a twisted ankle."

My lips twitched. "Show off."

His fingers threaded into my curls and pulled my head backward, exposing my throat to his gaze. He lowered his lips to my fluttering pulse and kissed the sensitive area gently then nibbled his way up to my ear. "Remember that next time you are lying in my bed." He lifted me off the table and embraced me, inhaling my scent deeply. "Your friend is making her way to the room. I can only presume that I have kept you longer than her liking."

I rolled my eyes as I pulled back. "I would say that she can bite me, but I doubt you'd like to share." I smiled when he dipped his head and licked the skin over a vein in my neck and growled 'mine'. "Remember that next time I'm lying in your bed." With a mischievous giggle, I traipsed out of the room, only to come face to face with Jessica Stanley.

.

TBC

In the words of Bob Ross:

I don't try to understand everything in nature. I just look at it and enjoy it.