Disclaimer: We will only say this once for the entire story, so you better keep note of this now. ;) Although we wish we were as brilliant as the talented Stephenie Meyer, we are sadly not. Therefore, we have not written Twilight, so please do not sue us. And to be quite honest, it would be a waste of your time since we are poor college students. Enjoy!

August 7, 1918—Chicago, IL.

"Doctor Cullen? Ehem… Doctor Cullen? Sir, are you alright?"

Carlisle Cullen shook himself out of his lonely daydream as he felt a shy tap caress his shoulder. He blinked a few times to escape the daze that encompassed his eyes and tried to focus on the gentle figure in front of him. Her eyes— a soft chocolate color—were full of love and care. Her long chestnut tresses were slightly pulled back into a half up, half down fashion, which complimented her heart-shaped face. She looked young, the age of seventeen, but there was a certain wisdom and maturity about her that one could not help but respect. This woman may not have been the most beautiful, but there was a certain aura about her that caused curious and attentive adoration.

"I truly am sorry for disturbing you, Sir. I am Isabella Swan. Your new resident nurse," she offered her dainty hand in his general direction.

Carlisle graciously took her hand in his and welcomed her with a warm smile, "It is very nice to meet you Nurse Swan. I must say I am pleased to see a woman at this level of the medicinal chain. You must be very proud to have made it thus far."

"Please, Doctor Cullen, call me Bella. Nurse Swan seems so formal and unnecessary since we will be spending so much time together."

"Well, if I must call you Bella, then you are obligated to call me Carlisle," he joked with a humorous wink. Bella smiled, and a faint shade of pink crept upon her face.

"Care for a grand tour?" Carlisle raised his arm and graciously waved it in such a way, as though he was presenting a prestigious award. Bella timidly nodded her head, and followed the doctor's lead.

"As you probably already know, I am a private physician and tend to a great amount of patients here—all with different needs…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't help but ask as to why you do not work under the Red Cross? It is very successful and provides care to an even greater amount of patients, and is valuable in terms of experience with all sorts of illnesses."

Carlisle laughed and nodded his head in understanding, "Yes, yes, yes. You are not the first to ask. I feel an ultimate need to have a closer, more personal relationship with my patients. At the Red Cross, a doctor cannot truly understand a person who is sick if he or she does not know their background or history. But here, not only am I able to keep track of people's medical history to help complete my analysis, but also form a relationship with each and every patient I attend to. I have a strong principle in the connection between medicine and belief. If one does not have hope that they can be healed, ultimately they will not."

As they strolled through the office, Bella nodded her head and stared intently into Carlisle's topaz eyes. She had been told that Doctor Carlisle Cullen was the best in Chicago… maybe even the entire state of Illinois… maybe the entire nation… maybe the entire world. Some tried to say that he possessed a supernatural power to save the sick and wounded. Now she could testify as to where his medicinal magic resorted from—his faith. While he continued to give her the grand tour and provide some background, Bella could not help but feel right at home. Having to endure school, and being insulted and antagonized about trying to take over a male-dominated profession had not seemed worth the time, pain, and effort. But now, now that Carlisle had graciously opened his arms to becoming her mentor, she knew deep down that this was where she belonged—this was her destiny.

Author's Note: Well, did you like it? Love it? Hate it? This chapter seems a bit slow, but believe me, it WILL get exciting. Promise. ) Please review! We'd really like to hear your feedback—good or bad. Plus we need to see if we are going anywhere with this story, otherwise there would be no point in continuing it. So, we are begging you… please review!