Author's Note: Well, my partner in crime, Meesa, has left for Indiana and is getting set up over there in her dorm and such, so I (Vixy) will be taking over by myself for a while. I wanted to thank AmberSK, flonshoe, BalancingConfessions, ArayaShaddix, and lovedove545 for their beautiful reviews! Thanks so much for your support! This chapter is for you! I was both sad and glad to see that 86 people have read our first chapter, but all did not review… so PLEASEEEE just push that little button down there. You review me, I review you. ;) Enjoy!
September 1, 1918Bella had been working at Doctor Cullen's office for a few weeks, and was learning a great deal from the master himself. He not only taught her lessons about the medical profession, but also lessons on life, struggle, and faith. During their mid-day meal and time spans where appointments were vacant, Carlisle would tell her about his travels, studies, and encounters with special people that left an impact on his life. Although he appeared so young physically, there was a definite aura of wisdom and experience evident in not only his stories and intelligence, but also his eyes. Those honey-colored orbs seemed to tell a story—story of a man who was at the height of his success, but at one point had to endure the biggest burden of his life. Carlisle rarely spoke of his adolescence or family; besides him mentioning that he was brought up in London. Sometimes, the slightest mention of London or England caused an awkward, silent pause in which lead Bella's curiosity to escalate. However, she never dared ask of whatever painful memory invaded his mind. During their time together at the office, Bella had earned his trust and in no way was she going to ruin that. Although this man seemed miraculous, there was a hint of loneliness masked behind profession and personality.
Everyday, Bella would return to her home and tell her parents Charles, and Renee all about the infamous Doctor Carlisle Cullen and all the amazing stories he told. The stories of Carlisle Cullen were interesting, but maybe not as much as those of Bella's parents.
Her parents had fallen in love at a very young age. Renee came from a very wealthy family; practically royalty. She was betrothed to another lord that her parents had chosen for her. Given her wild and freedom-craving spirit, Renee loathed how her future was chosen for her, and was desperate to find a way out. So, while she was out shopping with her mother in town, she met Charles Swan—Chief of Police. They instantly fell in love, and had secret love affairs— until her parents found out what had been occurring. Her parents forbade that Renee ever saw Chief Swan again. Charles Swan came from a poor family and was not up to the standards Renee's parents demanded. Therefore, Renee and Charles eloped and traveled to Chicago to live out their married lives, which did not end up as happy as they had planned.
Now, however, both Charles and Renee realized their foolish mistake of getting married so young, and tended to lead separate lives. Presently, to get divorced was a scandal and deeply frowned down upon. So, the family still lived together, but let us just say that Charles and Renee were not sharing the same bed any longer. As a matter of fact, Renee had been seeing a certain Philip Dwyer, who she happened to have fallen in love with. Luckily, there was no animosity between the two parents. They sacrificed everything for the only thing that mattered to them both—their daughter Isabella Swan. To be truthful, Bella was perturbed by her parents' decision to stay together legally just to save face. Although she liked seeing them together, she knew that they were unhappy. But, she lived with their family secret, and vowed that she would never make a brash decision like theirs her entire life.
That night at the dinner table, Charles cleared his throat and looked up from his plate to meet the eyes of his daughter, and his…well, wife, "Bells, Renee. There has been some suspicious business about town. Some sort of rare disease has begun to appear in our streets of Chicago. I need you both to spend less time in town and more time at home."
"What is it, Father? What is its name? What are the symptoms?" Bella asked urgently.
"Slow down there, Bell. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure it's just some sort of phase that some passersby happened to spread. Plus, we have your partner Doctor Cullen to clear all this mess up," Charles said with great pride. Both the Doctor and Chief of Police had formed a true bond of friendship after Carlisle had saved his life from a bullet wound.
Bella nodded, but couldn't help but feel that something serious was about to happen. Just by looking at her father's face when he announced the news, she knew that this was not your run of the mill common cold. She had to warn Carlisle immediately.
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September 11, 1918It had been days since Charles had warned Bella about the newfound disease spreading within their hometown of Chicago. Deep down in the pit of her stomach, Bella could feel a lurking worry begin to rise with each day's passing. And soon enough, the Health Commissioner confirmed her uneasiness. It had been stated in the local newspaper that the "Spanish Lady," a nickname for the Spanish Influenza, had been discovered in Kansas that same year in March. Authorities believed that the disease had been eliminated and that there would be no need to worry the people of Illinois. However, now Chicago was an immediate target for the Spanish Lady to attack. World War soldiers that had been taken to the Red Cross facilities in the city had contracted the disease in battle and begun to spread it throughout the town once they returned to the states.
Bella looked at the front page worriedly and her hands began to shake. This disease had killed thousands of people within a couple of weeks, and could possibly decimate the country's population within a matter of a month. She put her pale hand up to her head and tried to relax her body and control her breathing. The Spanish Lady was going to be a severe crisis, and she had to get to Carlisle as soon as possible. She grabbed her coat and purse, and rushed out the door. Upon getting on the streetcar to take her downtown, she noticed bright signs posted all along the seats, and walls—"NO SPITTING! NO COUGHING! NO SNEEZING! Any who are caught violating the demands of the Health Department will be arrested instantaneously." Her eyes widened with each word that she read, and raised a hand over her mouth in shock and caution. This was going to be worse than she thought.
Sorry, no Bella or Edward interaction JUST yet, but I promise things will get interesting next chapter. PLEASEEEE REVIEW! I will return the favor no doubt:)
