A/N: Not much to say this week. Most are still anti-Kate/Jasper/Edward. Let's see how the therapy goes this week…

Thanks to the ladies at TLS for recommending Designated Hitter on their blog last week!

Also, thanks to my pre-reader, Cejsmom.

Chapter 15

Esme Platt took matters into her own hands. It turned out she was no shrinking violet. She called Carlisle later that week and asked him out to dinner. He, of course, politely declined explaining that it was inappropriate for him to date one of his patients. So, she promptly fired him. And she didn't make an appointment to follow up with Dr. Alistair either. She left Baylor all together, despite her father's affiliation with the institution.

Of course, I didn't hear any of this from Carlisle. I learned about it when she showed up on Friday morning in the middle of clinic to request copies of her records and MRI films in person. Carlisle and I were busy seeing patients, and at first, I didn't know she was there. But when I paused by the nurses' station to fill out a work excuse for someone, I overheard Tanya muttering angrily about it to Irina, one of the other nurses. I wondered how she got her information but knew that Tanya had her ways and was likely not wrong.

I craned my neck and saw Esme on the waiting room side of the counter. She was dressed chicly once again, wearing a green shift dress and cowboy boots. Several long necklaces were draped around her neck, and she fiddled with one while she talked to the receptionist. She caught sight of me and smiled in my direction. It was full of mischief, so I made my way around to speak to her.

"Miss Platt, are you leaving us?" I asked her with a grin. She grinned back.

"Dr. Swan, it turns out I have a conflict of interest with this facility. So, I'm headed over to Memorial Hermann to continue my care. I hear they are almost as good." She winked at me. I played along.

"Well, I wish you luck then. Are we getting your record together for you to take with you?" I asked. She nodded.

"I was hoping to see Dr. Cullen and tell him thank you again," she said and leveled me a shrewd gaze. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll see if he's available, but I'm sure you'll understand if he's busy with patients," I replied, giving her a warning. I was pretty sure this situation would have Carlisle petrified.

"Of course," she answered smoothly. "But since we're no longer working together, I'd love it if you'd call me Esme," she requested. I was flattered. She reminded me a bit of Rosalie, and I wondered if we could be friends even if Carlisle screwed things up.

"Esme," I emphasized, "I'll go see if Carlisle is available." My use of his first name was deliberate and made her smile wider. I returned to the exam room hallway and waited for him to emerge from one of the rooms. I didn't have to wait long, and he eyed me warily when he saw my shit-eating grin.

"Carlisle, Miss Platt is here to collect her record to take with her to Memorial Hermann. She wondered if you were available for a moment so she could thank you again," I tried to keep the giggle out of my voice. He glared at me.

"Bella, this whole thing is unprofessional. We have patients to see, and I don't think it's wise for me to speak with Miss Platt," he admonished. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, I'll tell her," I retorted. I made my way back up front.

"Esme, he's busy," I told her gently. Her face fell but she nodded with understanding.

"It's fine, Dr. Swan," she said more subdued than before. I felt compelled to say more.

"Esme, it's Bella. And Carlisle is worth a little effort," I told her. This statement made her smile return. I was sure he'd get over himself if given a little time. He wasn't that attached to Siobahn.

"Thanks," she said squeezing my hand as we shook. "We should get together some time," she ventured, and I nodded heartily in agreement. Then, the receptionist returned with Esme's record in a large manila envelope. She handed it over, and Esme and I waved good-bye. I returned to the task at hand.

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My penance for not returning Rosalie's call sooner was a night on the town. She wanted to hit the swanky bars downtown and make it a girl's night. Her friend Vera, who was one of the plastics residents two years behind her, had also been recruited. Emmett had agreed to stay home with Emma like the dear, sweet husband he was. Vera was also single and "ready to mingle." Her words. I figured, at the very least, the evening would distract me from thoughts of Edward. Rosalie probably had the same idea.

So, the three of us met up at Rosalie and Emmett's apartment not far from mine in Condoland. Rosalie had done some research and picked out the hottest spots for us to try. Thank goodness Rosalie wasn't a big fan of nightclubs and dancing, another thing we had in common.

Vera was wearing a short, extremely tight black dress with spiked heels. It complimented her almost black hair and eyes and olive, Latin American skin perfectly. I was sure she'd get some action tonight, and I gave her a big thumbs-up when I saw her. She smiled widely.

"Ay, Bella, you look good, too, Chica," she returned the compliment, looking over my ensemble. I was wearing a lacy red top that was far too low cut; it was something Rosalie had forced me to buy not that long ago. I paired it with black skinny pants and strappy black heels with tough looking studs.

"Thanks, Vera," I told her. We weren't close, but we had hung out with Rosalie a number of times together. Emmett had answered the door, and the two of us were cooling our heels in the living room. It was already 9 pm, and I was used to being in bed by now, but Rosalie had insisted that we do it up right. Emma was already in bed, and Emmett was solemnly watching Tulane, his alma mater, getting destroyed in a basketball game.

Rosalie emerged from her bedroom just then wearing a sapphire colored dress that was essentially backless. It hugged her curves dangerously, and she'd curled and teased her blond hair into a gigantic mane. Emmett stared at her with a mixture of lust and chagrin, but to his credit, he said nothing and just wished her a good night. We climbed into a cab.

Our first stop was a place called Lei Low Bar. It was in a weird strip mall in the Heights, and I worried until we got inside. The patrons were dressed to the nines, but it was actually a pretty casual tiki bar. It was already pretty crowded, and we managed to wedge our way up to the bar. Vera ordered some ridiculous rum drink that arrived flaming. She beamed at all the attention she got. I went with the standard Cuba Libre, and Rosalie just drank her ridiculously expensive rum straight up.

Two well-dressed guys approached us, and both Rosalie and Vera perked up. One was blonde, and the other had dark hair but pale skin and blue eyes. They smiled politely as they joined us, although it was far too loud to speak as a group. Their eyes skimmed over us, probably trying to decide which girl to pursue. The dark haired guy honed in on Rosalie, and I had to stifle a giggle. It wouldn't be long before she shot him down and sent him on his way.

The blonde sidled up to Vera, and she simpered and started flirting back outrageously. I wasn't offended at being odd woman out. I was used to it. After talking to Rosalie for only a few minutes, the dark-haired guy headed over to me.

"Your friend Rosalie is gorgeous," he shouted in my ear. "It's too bad she's married." I stared at him incredulously.

"Really? Are you trying to pick me up by implying I'm not as attractive as my friend?" I shouted back in his ear. His smile slid right off his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any offense," he yelled. I gave him a sickly fake smile.

"None taken. Now leave me alone," I spit at him. He looked unsure and a bit taken aback. Rosalie recognized his expression and started trying to push her way past Vera and the blonde guy to get to us. But before she could succeed, the dark-haired guy elbowed the blonde guy and nodded toward the back of the bar. The blonde guy looked like he wanted to argue since he was obviously getting along very well with Vera, but he finally acquiesced. He nodded once toward Vera and disappeared into the crowd with his dark-haired friend. The three of us were left standing there together. Vera frowned at me.

"What happened?" she yelled. I shrugged with a scowl. Rosalie grabbed my arm and started towing me toward the front door. Vera followed us. Once we were out on the sidewalk, they rounded on me.

"Don't look at me," I told them with a curl of my lip. I replayed the conversation I'd had with Don Juan. They both gaped at me open-mouthed when I was done.

"God, Bella, I'm so sorry," Rosalie told me with obvious sincerity. Even Vera seemed all right with losing her sure thing hook-up. We decided to go to another bar and hailed another cab. Rosalie kept glancing at me in concern, and it was seriously annoying. She didn't need to worry. I couldn't feel worse than I already did about the Edward situation. The night out had done nothing to curb my incessant thoughts of him.

While in the cab, I thought about why I constantly found myself in situations like that, why I was always odd-woman out. It wasn't that I was less attractive than my friends; I was self-aware enough to realize that. I must give off some kind of "don't approach me" vibe. My face must be constantly arranged in a serious expression. I recalled the night I met Edward. Why had he approached me and persisted even when I tried to blow him off? What had been difference between us? If I could figure that out, then maybe I could break this cycle.

We arrived at Ballenger in midtown a short ride later. It was a swanky speak-easy style bar, and our outfits were much more in line with the décor. We were able to commandeer a high top table and ordered drinks from a barmaid. I ordered a glass of single malt because it was the quickest way to a buzz that would not result in a hangover in my experience. Rosalie quickly offered to pay for it, and I accepted without arguing. She owed me. Rosalie and Vera switched to creative tequila cocktails, something I'm quite sure would never have been served in an actual speakeasy.

A table of four guys our age with ebony crispy gelled hair, dark skin, and more jewelry than the rest of us combined sent over some drinks, so we joined them. They were nice enough, as well as friendly and admiring. Vera was having a fantastic time flirting with them all, but I already knew there would be no love connection for me tonight. So, I excused myself to the restroom.

I did my business and washed my hands at the sink. I paused longer than necessary in front of the mirror, and another girl approached the sink next to mine. I was staring at my face unseeingly, and thinking about Edward, when she spoke to me.

"Bella Swan?" Her use of my name caused me to turn to face her. It took me a second, but I recognized her. She was petite but curvy, wearing a black top with dark fitted jeans and boots. Her dark hair was twisted into a bun, and she had accessorized with enormous gold earrings. Her skin was clear and the color of latte.

"Leah Black!" I exclaimed, and she smiled back, leaning forward to give me a quick hug. "How are you? What are you doing in Houston?" I inquired.

"We live in Houston," she answered with some confusion. "Did you not know that? I figured you would have run into Jacob at some point," she mused. I shook my head.

"No, last I heard, Jake took a job in Tulsa after he graduated," I admitted. Leah had married Jacob Black about a year after I'd first met him. We had socialized superficially during residency since Jake had been a chief when I was a second year resident.

Things had been awkward between us after the big blow up with Edward. Jake had apologized profusely when he heard that his conversation with Edward had led to our break up. He had been obviously confused by the whole thing, but I had never felt like explaining it to him. His brother, Sam, had probably filled him in, but I hadn't really cared too much at the time. We never spoke of it again, but I'd been friendly with Leah at the department events we'd been thrown together in attending.

"Yeah, we were up there for two years, the terms of his original contract, but it was too far from home, you know? Jake heard of an opening at Texas Orthopedic Hospital and applied for it. We've been back for almost a year now. I guess you knew he did a Joint fellowship?" she asked. I nodded distractedly.

"Wow, Leah, I had no idea y'all were back," I told her. "I was invited to interview for a job at TOH, but I haven't set anything up yet." She lit up and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Oh, Bella, you'd love it there. Jake always thought so highly of you. It'd be so great if you guys could work together again," she exclaimed. Then, her brow crinkled. "Are you in a fellowship?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing Sports at Baylor," I replied. She nodded in understanding.

"Okay, so this would be your first position. Anyway, I think you'd be a good fit. Definitely, set something up soon," she urged. I told her I would, and I mentally put it on my to-do list. It could be a good backup in case the Baylor gig fell through, even though I was pretty sure it wouldn't. I'd worked so hard for my ultimate goal. Just then, three dark-haired girls, two petite and one fairly tall, piled into the ladies room with us. They were all giggling but stopped short when they saw Leah and I standing together.

"Oh, hey, Leah, we were wondering if you'd fallen in," one of the smaller girls laughed. The tall one was eyeing me speculatively.

"Hey, y'all, this is Bella Swan," Leah politely introduced me to her companions. "She did residency with Jacob. Bella, this is Rebecca and Rachel, Jacob's sisters," she gestured toward the two short girls. "And this is Emily, our sister-in-law," she motioned to the tall girl. I saw recognition dawn in her eyes, and I'm sure she saw the same thing in mine.

"Yes, Bella and I have met," Emily said. But she smiled at me. Leah looked confused.

"We knew each other at Rice," I explained vaguely. Emily nodded at me. Leah perked back up.

"Well, Bella, give me your phone," she demanded, and I handed it over. She typed for a few seconds. "I put in my number and Jacob's, so you have no excuse not to call us. I'll cross my fingers for you at TOH," she concluded. I promised I'd take care of it soon, and the four tipsy girls left me alone in the restroom. I felt a little guilty since I really had no interest in any job other than the Baylor one. But I couldn't tell Leah that; it would just insult her husband.

My past was coming back to haunt me, that was for sure. I took one last look in the mirror and left to return to Rosalie and Vera. Rosalie was obviously annoyed when I approached the table. She was alone with two of the guys, who I remembered were named Vahid and Wally. Vera and the two other guys were nowhere to be found. But they all smiled and seemed pleased to welcome me back, especially Vahid. He kept patting my hand where it rested on the tabletop, even though I kept moving it out of his reach. The four of us chatted for a while, and Rosalie finally leaned towards me.

"Are you all right?" she asked with a worried look. I nodded with the fake smile I'd been wearing still firmly plastered on my face. "Do you want to go?" she persisted. I nodded again. We bid the guys good night, and Vahid asked me for my number. I gave it to him in order to avoid a scene, but I knew I'd never answer his calls.

Once we were in the cab, headed back towards Condoland, Rosalie cleared her throat. I already knew what she was going to say, and I sighed.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about tonight. I was hoping that you'd have fun, maybe even meet someone," she apologized. Her face crumpled. "I just want you to move forward. You've been stuck for so long. I thought that if I could get you out there, then maybe you'd either see that Edward was a silly pipe dream nowhere near good enough for you or else that you need to get off your ass and work for that." She shook her head, as if the motion could clear her misguided intentions. I reached over and hooked my arm around her neck and leaned my head against her poofy, blonde temple.

"Rosalie, you're a good friend," I told her sincerely. She scoffed.

"I think I just forced you into one of the worst nights in your recent memory," she bemoaned. I couldn't disagree, but her heart was in the right place. And I didn't know many people right now that earned that kind of praise.

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I made my way through our Monday morning cases in the OR with impatience. I was better able to compartmentalize and less distracted, but I was still anxious for the day to end so I could see Edward again. The tantalizing idea of a friendship with him was too strong, and I was unable to guard my heart the way I once had. Carlisle was uncharacteristically short with the staff, and our conversation was minimal. I wondered what was going on with him.

I made it to Whitlock and Associates with about five minutes to spare, and I was surprised to find Edward already in the waiting area. His back was to the door, and he was standing with a middle-aged man sporting a paunch who was taking a selfie of them together. They both turned when they heard the door open, and the man shook Edward's hand heartily, moving on to speak to Lucy at the desk. Edward shook his head and looked down sheepishly when our eyes met. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand with seeming embarrassment.

"Always making time for your fans, I see," I greeted him with a smile.

"Well, I had to do something to fill my time," he retorted, standing up to his full height and meeting my eyes with a gleam in his. "I thought a person was late if they weren't fifteen minutes early. Didn't you tell me that once?" I was surprised that he referenced the past so easily, but I loved his teasing tone so I went with it.

"That I did," I acknowledged. "Touche. I guess we should get to work." He opened the door leading from the lobby to the gym and gestured for me to go ahead of him. Lucy watched our interaction curiously. Garrett and the guy I assumed was Peter were both with clients. Garrett called to us from across the room.

"You guys are in Room 3 again," he said motioning toward the open door of the room we had used at the last session. We both waved back at him, although I doubted he'd been greeting me. We entered the room and both smiled at each other as we took our respective places. I pulled out my therapy plan for reference, and we got started without another word. We worked in a comfortable silence, but I was trying to think of conversation topics for when we were done. I had a sudden horrifying thought.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, and he stopped mid-exercise to stare at me with alarm. I laughed uneasily and apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, but I just thought of something." I said hastily. He finished the final two repetitions of the current motion and smirked at me.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, Swan. You know I have no idea what goes on inside that brain of yours." His statement wasn't unkind, but I heard the edge to it, and the dig was fair. I shook my head.

"Sorry. I just wondered why we are doing this here. Surely, it would be more convenient for you to work out at Minute Maid? The facilities have to be state of the art, and you wouldn't have to worry about selfies in the waiting area," I told him. Then, I squinted and asked a question I surely had not right to ask. "Where do you live, anyway?" He barked out a laugh, but it was incredulous not amused. I'd gone too far.

"Damn, Bella, maybe you could benefit from some media training," he told me, and I laughed nervously. So, I was awkward in my personal life. That was definitely not news to him. He went on.

"To answer your first question, though, I insisted on meeting here in order to keep Jasper from putting himself out. This is a small firm, and he would have to cut appointments in order to come all the way down to the ballpark. I figured this was more convenient for you, too, since you're just coming from down the street. But, you're right, the facilities are just as good, if not better at Minute Maid." This speech had been made with him staring at his hands and the tension band he was holding. At the end, he looked up.

"Would you like to meet at the park next week? I could give you a tour afterwards," he offered. My heart leapt. I couldn't think of anything better than a tour of the Astros stadium led by Edward. On a quiet Monday afternoon with the rest of the team in Florida for spring training, we'd have the place to ourselves. But, I did not have a right to ask him for any favors.

"Edward, what is most convenient for you?" I stressed. An odd look crossed his face, and he shook his head to clear it.

"It is more convenient for me to meet at the park," he finally admitted. "And to answer your second question, I live in one of those new high rises in walking distance of the park. And even though, I have some commitments to the team, I tend to have a lot of free time on my hands right now." He spoke this last part drily, and I could tell he was more worried about his elbow than he let on.

"Hey, we're going to get you better," I told him softly, catching his eye. What I saw there was a vulnerability I hadn't seen from him since I'd known him before. It made it hard to catch my breath with him looking at me that way. He nodded to indicate that he'd heard me, but he didn't say anything. He picked back up his band and resumed the routine. We worked in silence for a while. I still didn't know where we stood when he finished several minutes later.

"So…" I drew the word out uncomfortably. He smiled slightly and looked at me.

"Yeah, we should decide what we're going to do about next week," he agreed. "I'd be proud to show you around the park. Have you still not been to a game there?" I was touched again that he seemed to remember all I'd told him about my father.

"No, I have never been inside Minute Maid Park," I confirmed. He shook his head as if it was a travesty. "I know, I know," I agreed. "But I don't really have any friends interested in baseball, other than Emmett, and he's a Rangers fan." Edward gasped in mock disgust and clutched his chest. Then, he leveled an appraising glance my way.

"Who is Emmett?" he asked carefully. I wrinkled my brow, surprised by his line of questioning.

"Emmett is my friend Rosalie's husband. He's a fellow at Baylor in a different subspecialty," I explained. Edward nodded in understanding.

"And he's obviously deranged," he concluded seriously. I giggled but agreed.

"So, Rosalie is the girl who had lunch with you and Alice last week," he hazarded, and I blanched to think that Alice had relayed that conversation to Jasper and then to Edward. I felt stupid for trusting her. Edward obviously read my expression.

"Relax, I don't know anything about the outing. Jasper just said that he was worried about Alice going out with you two, but he told me later that Alice had fun," he reassured me. I was surprised by that assessment. If that's really all Alice told Jasper, then she really was serious about her neutrality.

"I'm sorry I'm such a point of contention for you and Jasper. And Kate, too for that matter. By the way, I know she's with Garrett. I don't appreciate being ganged up on," I told him trying for a playful tone and mock stern expression, though I really was annoyed by Kate and what I considered childishness. He shook his head to dismiss my concerns.

"I told her that was a really stupid thing to do. I'm sorry I teased you about it at your apartment, and I should have stopped her when she was yelling at you. She doesn't have all the facts," he looked guilty when he said that, and I wondered what he could possibly mean. "

"You're not a point of contention. Jasper just worries about me. I haven't always handled the fame and attention well. Kate was there when things were…well, not so good. Now that we are…I'll talk to them, I promise," he explained evasively. I wished I knew what he'd been going to say. I hadn't turned up anything untoward in my google-fest. I desperately wanted to ask about his former fiancée, but I raised my eyebrows instead. He continued. "You can see how this could be awkward or uncomfortable," he said, gesturing between the two of us. Goosebumps erupted on my skin. Were we going to have this conversation now? I nodded with my eyes fixed on his.

"So, I don't want to get in the way if you Alice want to rekindle your friendship. I always felt bad that you guys drifted apart," he told me sincerely. "I can deal with Jasper and Kate. There will be no more ganging up." He smiled confidently, and it seemed we were not going to tread into more fraught territory. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," I said simply. "I'm hoping to spend more time with Alice. I've missed her." I leveled an intense gaze at him, hoping he'd see that she was not the only one I'd missed. But I don't think he absorbed the significance of my statement. He cleared his throat.

"So, we're on for next Monday at Minute Maid, then. It's high time that you got a look inside the place. I'll make sure you get tickets to a Rangers game this season. You can go with Emmett and Rosalie. And whoever else you'd like to bring," he told me stiffly. My heart beat faster. Was he really interested in my love life? That had to be a good sign, right? I tried to keep the hope out of my voice and sound calm.

"Thanks for showing me around. We'll talk about the tickets later. I'm a Houstonian, first, remember?" I told him gently. He smiled softly, and our eyes met. We held each other's gaze for a bit longer than normal. We both realized it at the same time and looked way.

"So next Monday at Minute Maid Park," I finally said.

"Yeah," he responded slowly and appeared to be thinking hard. "I believe it will work best if you just ride with me. Dealing with security can be tricky. I'll pick you up from Baylor, and we can drive straight to the park," he told me. I was definitely concerned about being seen getting in the car with my patient, after all that Carlisle had said, but I didn't want to make things worse.

"Sure, that sounds great," I agreed. "My finish time isn't set, you know?" He shrugged.

"Just text me, and I'll be there in about twenty minutes," he sounded nonchalant.

"As long as it's not too inconvenient for you to come and get me," I hedged. He mocked a frown.

"Bella, you're going to give me a complex. You know I don't handle rejection well," he teased. I sucked in a breath at that and stared at him wide-eyed. He appeared to be chagrinned by his statement, too. We stood there awkwardly for a beat.

"Sorry," he finally muttered. "Some things just aren't joke material." I nodded in agreement but let the subject drop as it seemed that's what he was hoping I'd do.

"So, I'll text you on Monday," I told him finally. He nodded, his expression tighter than it had been. I was sad, our banter and rapport seemed to have been wrecked.

"I'll look forward to it," he said without meeting my eyes. We walked out together again, but this time, he got straight into his car and didn't look back.

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See you next Friday for a trip to Minute Maid Park…

EG