The next week flew by and I learned more about Maggie Pierce than anyone in the hospital. Why? Because she took to me like white on rice. She found that we are both practical geniuses who passed by our classmates in school - though she definitely beat me by a mile - and decided we were friends. I really liked her and apart from my first impression of her on her very bad first day of work, she was really cool. Meredith would try to get information about her sister from me and I would deter her and then Richard Webber was asking my advice!
They both cornered me by the peds wing at the end of the week, both asking hushed, quick questions about the secret love child.
I held up my forefingers, one in each one of their faces. "No."
Richard opened his mouth and I made a snapping motion with my hand. "Nope."
Meredith's eyes were pleading with me and her mouth was twisted as if she were going to cry out. "Mnh-mnh!"
I stared at them both in the eye for a long moment before I said slowly and precisely, "You will not corner me and ask me about Dr. Pierce. She is a colleague and my friend. She's your sister and your daughter." I pointed first to Meredith and then to Richard. "Get to know her. Learn her. She's a great woman and you'll see that if you give her a chance and talk to her and not me."
To drive my point home, I spun around, my ponytail whipping around my shoulders and stormed off with my head held high. April Kepner stood by an EKG machine, reading the print out and she high fived me as I passed, both of us with wide grins on our faces. I saw Dr. Cullen out of the corner of my eye. He also wore a wide grin but I kept walking, pretending I didn't see him.
Two Saturdays later finds me sitting outside Joe's Bar waiting for Dr. Pierce. She decided we need a night out and we were not sitting at the bar below my apartment. I was under strict orders to dress to impress and wait outside the bar. A black sleek car pulled up to the curb and I ignored it at first until a pair of red heels attached to a pale leg exited the car.
"Alice!" I jumped up and ran to hug my very best friend. "You haven't changed a bit! You look fantastic." She was dressed perfectly in a 1920's swinger dress with tiny black tassels on the skirt. Her hair was combed to the side and very stylish. She really hadn't changed a bit and though that seemed odd to me, I batted the thought away.
She extended her arms toward me in a wave as Emmett rounded the car as well. "You're the one who looks fantastic. Look at you, Bella. My God." Her voice was reverent and I felt very flattered. She was a beauty queen and I, the ugly duckling in comparison.
"Oh please. Maggie picked it out." I said, gesturing to the dress.
It's a light blue sweetheart dress with a tulle skirt glittered with fake diamonds. I wore cream kitten heels and my hair is pinned up in several fat braids looping around my head.
I leaned into Emmett as he gave me a side hug. "You do look fantastic, shorty." He looked very dapper in his black slacks and tucked in white button up with a red vest.
I cocked my fingers at him like a gun and winked, making us all laugh. I choked on that laugh, however when I saw who got out of the car next. Carlisle Cullen in black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows perfectly. His hair was combed off to the side instead of the usual casual disarray it usually was and I couldn't take my eyes off of him.
Someone cleared their throat beside me and it knocked me back into reality. "So I take it you don't mind that I invited him?" Maggie whispered in my ear as she smiled coquettishly at me.
My blush made me feel hot and I looked down to the ground before clearing my throat. "Where to?" I managed.
We piled back into the sleek black car that Carlisle, Alice, and Emmett arrived in and I realized it was a hire car. The driver took off as soon as we all crammed inside and I suddenly felt myself get hot. My arm was pressed up against Carlisle's side, my other squished beside Maggie as Alice and Emmett sat opposite us, wearing matching smiles. I tried to smile but I was so nervous I was sure I'd be sweating b.o. and making a fool of myself, shortly. I concentrated on the conversation between Maggie and Alice while feeling Emmett's keen eye on me. It was as if he were assessing my reaction, but to what?
I looked to my left to see that Carlisle was staring at me as well, his eyes darker than the twinkling ocher I had come to admire.
"Hello, Bella. How are you tonight?" He asked, his voice low and smooth, sending a shiver up my spine. I know he noticed.
I had to swallow hard before I answered. The gulp sounded very loud in the quiet hum of the car. "I'm...doing well, Dr. Cullen." Another swallow. "How are you?"
A dazzling smile was my answer and I found my lip ticking upwards in response. "Carlisle, please." He insisted, holding his hand out to me.
"Bella, then. Please." I slip my hand in his for a moment, aware at how cool his touch was. Not just on my hand, but against my side. He didn't seem to radiate any body heat whatsoever. I made to pull my hand away, so I wouldn't make a fool of myself but Carlisle threaded his fingers with mine with a confident smile and turned to look at Emmett.
They started a conversation and I was left numb with my hand clutched in Carlisle's. I saw Alice glance over at me several times but I sat stock still, refusing to budge in case I woke up from this very pleasant dream.
The hire car pulled to a stop and when he opened the door for Maggie, I gently pried my hand from Carlisle's. I was mildly surprised that my palm wasn't clammy. Carlisle left the car and held his hand out for me to take, which I did. He, again, didn't let go once I got out either. He walked me around the back of the car to meet the others on the sidewalk and then gestured for us all to enter.
I looked up and gasped. We were at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. It was a 1920's themed show tonight and I was thrilled. I had always wanted to come here. "This is fantastic." I breathed to Alice as she sidled up next to me.
"I knew you'd love it. The twenties were Carlisle's favorite." She smirked, secretively.
There had to be an inside joke there.
The sleek, wavy front of the building invited me in as if I was meant to be here. Large red lettering stated its name and when I walked inside, I felt transported to another time. Carlisle kept ahold of my hand as I gawked around like an overeager child and Alice tittered beside me. I felt Emmett's hand come down on my shoulder but shrugged it off as I continued to look around in wonder. I felt Carlisle's lips close to my ear and my breath caught in my throat.
"You look beautiful tonight, Bella."
The liquid heat he spoke with wound it's way around my body and my knees quaked.
My breathing was shaky as I looked up at him, his mouth very near mine. "Thank you."
I looked away quickly because what I really wanted was to kiss my boss and I cannot kiss my boss. No. No kissing of the boss. I smiled apologetically at Carlisle as I gently pulled my hand from his. "I've just got to visit the ladies room." I said softly.
As I passed Maggie, I linked her arm with mine and diverted her direction toward the ladies room as well. She got the hint and came willingly while Alice and Emmett stayed in the lobby, talking with Carlisle.
"Do you really need to pee?" Maggie asked as she set her tiny strapped purse on the white marble counter by the sink.
"No." I leaned my hips against the counter, my back to the mirror and closed my eyes. I did a few breathing exercises before opening them back up, seeing Maggie's amused yet concerned gaze. "I can't kiss him." I said in a strained whisper. "I can't kiss him and I really, really want to kiss him."
"No, you can't kiss him, Bella." Maggie said solemnly.
My eyes widened. "I can't?"
Maggie giggled. "Of course you can, Bella. Jeez, he's just the hottest man on the face of the earth. Kiss him for God's sake."
"He's my boss-" I started.
"No, he's the Chief of Surgery. Sure, he's higher up than you but who cares? Meredith and Derek met and fell in love when she was an intern and he was her attending. Her much older attending. What about Bailey and Warren? Richard and Ellis?" She gestured to herself with that last couple and I nodded, conceding to her point. "No body cares if he's older than you, younger than you, your boss, or your intern. Just kiss the man if you want to kiss him. Hell, if he looked at me the way he's been looking at you, I'd kiss him." She snorted to herself as she reapplied her ruby red lipstick and smiled at me. "You'll be fine."
My voice came out very soft. "I've never kissed a guy before."
Maggie carefully put her lipstick back in her tiny purse and latched it, keeping her eyes on mine the whole time. "Never?"
I shook my head.
"Wow." Suddenly she chuckled. "Oh, wow!" She cleared her throat at my raised eyebrow. "Sorry. I just. I figured you at least had a boyfriend or two."
"Did you?" I asked, genuinely curious. With all my focus and drive on school work and medical school, I hadn't been interested in the distraction of a boyfriend.
"I mean, yeah. I had one boyfriend. Or more like a boy who kissed me once and then never spoke to me again. But I did kiss him." She pointed at me to make herself clear and I giggled.
"Look, Bella. If you think that something could come from this, go for it. Hell, even if you think nothing will come from it, go for it. You only live once and he's looking at you like he wants to eat. you. alive."
A very awkward human cat claw came my way as Maggie growled louder than she intended and we both started laughing, the tension officially eased.