Chapter 2 – Downpour

The next week for me was absolute hell. My father was true in his words when he told me that I would be sorry about the hospital trip. I looked in the mirror to see the green and yellow bruise under my eye. I let out a sigh, it wasn't the first time that he had hit me and I'm sure it wouldn't be the last, at least I could cover it up by saying the bruise was caused by my head. Thankfully it was on the same side. The stitched-up wounds on my head and leg were healing very nicely and today I had to head back to the hospital to have the stitches taken out.

I wasn't looking forward to having them taken out, but I was strangely looking forward to seeing Dr. Cullen again. There was something about him that just seemed so comforting, like the father I had always wanted and not the one I have. I somehow just felt so lost in my life and I just wanted some form of way to get out of it. I looked at the clock, it was 3pm and my appointment was in an hour. I had to walk of course and so I quickly pulled my navy-blue oversized jumper on, I was wearing black leggings and short ankle boots as my normal choice of winter boots would rub against my stitched leg.

I quietly made my way out of the house; my father was sleeping on the couch and so I did not want to wake him. It wouldn't end well for me. The snow was still softly nestled on the ground, and I hoped it could stay like this forever, although the sky was a dark grey, it was angry. I picked up the pace as I made my way through the streets of Forks heading towards the hospital, it felt like forever when I finally saw the lights of the building. I wasn't going into the E.R today but the outpatients department, I made my way round and into the building through a large glass revolving door, the department was very different from the ER, the walls were painted a royal blue with wood trimmings, the furniture was a charcoal grey and in the middle of the room a large circular wooden desk.

I walked up to the desk and the lady looked up at me "Hello, how can I help?" she asked, and I shuffled on my feet "I have an appointment at 4pm to have my stitches taken out." I replied and she looked me up and down "Can I get your name?" she was now scrolling on the computer "Noelle Fray." She typed in my name and then smiled lightly "Ah yes, found you. Dr. Cullen will be here shortly." I smiled back and thanked her before moving to go and sit down but before I could I heard a familiar voice call my name, it was Dr. Cullen. I turned around and looked at him, still as perfect as ever. I walked over to him, and he smiled "Nice to see you again." He said, I could tell he was surveying the bruise under my eye, I looked down and I think he picked up on that and so he told me to follow him, and I did.

The exam room was like an exact copy of the one I was in when I was in the ER. I sat down on the edge of the exam bed as I watched the doctor once again read through my chart. He looked up at me "So how have you been?" he asked politely, I shrugged "I'm okay. I said plainly and I could see the look of concern glistening behind his golden hues. "Alright well, shall we take those stitches out?" he said gently, and I nodded. He sat down on a stool and wheeled himself over holding a tray, he set it on the edge of the exam bed, I pulled up the leggings to reveal the now healed stitched up wound "This shouldn't hurt when I take the stitches out, but it will feel a little strange." He informed and I took a breath as he began cutting the stitches and pulling each one out with tweezers, he was right, it didn't hurt at all. Once my leg was done, he then went on to taking the stitches out of my head, I couldn't help but look at him considering his face was currently about 6 inches from mine, I stayed as still a possible "How did you hurt your eye?" Dr. Cullen said out of nowhere, I wasn't sure on what to say, "I just fell I guess." Really? That's the best I could come up with? I knew he would see right through that; he pulled out the last stitch and disposed of everything, he came back over and sat down "Is there anything you would like to tell me?" He said gently and I really did want to tell him everything about what was going on with my father, everything in me was screaming 'Just tell him!' but I couldn't, I really couldn't. "I just fell." I could feel the tears well in my eyes and I stood up "Thankyou for helping me, Dr. Cullen." I wiped a tear away and he stood up to say something, but I darted out the door before he could.

As soon as I made it out of the doors to the outpatient's department my body racked into sobs and the tears just kept coming. I wanted to be free so badly, free from my father and escape this life of mine but I couldn't, I wasn't old enough and I had no where to go. I made my way down the steps and began the journey back to my house and suddenly, it's like the heavens had opened and the rain began pouring down. I wrapped my arms around my small frame in a pathetic attempt of keeping myself warm, but my clothes were now already soaked. Can this day get any worse?!

I was still quite a way from my home and the rain was not stopping and so I decided to take shelter in a nearby bus stop. I was shivering now, my feet and hands felt like blocks of ice. I rested my head against the side of the shelter and closed my eyes for a moment just listening to the rain hammer against the shelter roof. It was now dark, and the only light was from a nearby streetlamp. I opened my eyes when I heard a car engine coming from down the road, its headlights beaming. To my surprise it stopped in front of the shelter, it was a black Mercedes. The window rolled down and It was Dr Cullen. "Noelle, would you like a lift home?" he asked and although I wanted to say no because evidently, I knew where the car conversation would head, I was so cold and so I nodded. "Yes please." I moved to the car and jumped in the passenger seat. "Noelle, your lips are blue, lets get you warmed up." He said concerned and turned up the heat of the car, I looked at him "Thanks, Dr Cullen, I'm sorry you probably want to get home." He gave a smile "I'd rather know you were home safe, and please call me Carlisle." Home safe? I wish my home was safe. I let out a sigh as I looked out of the window "I'm sorry about the hospital." I admitted not looking at him "It's alright, but Noelle if you need someone to talk to about what's going on. I can help." He said honestly and I looked at him "If I'm honest Carlisle, I don't think anyone can help me." My reply was dry, it was like the emotion had drained out of me, the car pulled up in front of my house, I wondered how he knew where I lived and then I thought, it would have said my address on my chart. "Why do you think that, Noelle?" he asked as I got out of the car "Because I'm lost."