Surprise! Hope you enjoy this random take on the Dads of my stories :D

Also - I've received some requests about my other stories. In my honest opinion - I don't like most of them. I enjoy Electronegativity, because it makes me laugh, but the others I don't like at all. They were written 7 years ago, and I was still growing. So don't read them - except Electro - and if you do, be gentle, my past self was not as awesome as present self.

Fathers

It had been a chilly morning. We weren't busy yet but we were all aware that we soon would be. I was staring idly at the missing persons board, and then a yawn hit me. I got up from my desk and grabbed my second cup of coffee. Joe laughed at me as I fumbled with the coffee maker.

"Tired are we Charlie?"

"Lay off. I had to get up at the crack of stupid this morning. Had to put snow tires on Isabella's truck." I yawned again, and grabbed some sugar to load into my mug. "We're gonna get overloaded with accident calls this morning too. Gonna be an interesting day."

"You're telling me. I skidded into work this morning on pure momentum alone."

"Yeah but you're so heavy that ain't surprising." I laughed back. I ducked as a crumbled up napkin flew at my face. We sat together, sipping coffee, and discussing the upcoming baseball game, until two phones began to ring, within seconds of each other. First accident of the day.

"Student or adult?" I asked aloud. Joe and Nicky placed bets, both for students. Kids were crappier drivers in bad weather. Everyone except Bella ironically enough, I knew she was extra careful, anyway, and then after the accident... well the girl wouldn't even drive the speed limit. I suppose that's why she was fine with my driving. I tried to set a good example and stay within 5 of the limit even before her accident. So I guess I was one of the few people she felt safe letting take the wheel. It made me feel good, as a dad. I got up to put my jacket on as Nicky and Joe got the phones. It was my day to do the first round of leg work. Suddenly Nicky gasped, and looked straight at me. I'd seen that look before. My stomach hit the floor before my mug did. I heard the crash but was barely aware as Nicky repeated the words to me.

"There's been an accident at the school, and Bella's been hit."

I made it to my car without slipping, and turned the siren on before I even had my seatbelt on. Today I would not be driving the limit. Not even close.

I didn't take concentrate on the drive, how fast, or how dangerous it was. Not again. How could this happen again. Would I find her crawling out of a wreckage like before? I hadn't been there, but the pictures of the scene and my own mental imagination were enough to give me haunting nightmares. Was she bleeding? Broken? Was more of her brain muddled? I managed to get there in under 10 minutes. That might even be a new record for me. EMTs were already here, shifting the Crowley's van away from Bella's truck. Was she between them? I caught sight of her, looking whole - and if anything - annoyed. Thank fuck for that. I started to breathe normally again.

Surveying the scene it was clear there were plenty of witnesses. I caught snippets of conversations as I watched Bella.

"Seriously, Tyler's pretty smashed up -"

"Bella said she's fine -"

"Cullen kid pulled her out of the way -"

One of the Cullen kids pulled Bells out of the way? I'd have to make it up to them, for saving my baby girl. I caught her eye as she was placed on a stretcher - she honestly did look perfectly okay, just cold. I started to sign 'what happened', but she cut me off.

"I'm completely fine Cha – Dad," she was explaining, an EMT began to try and put a neck brace on her and Bella turned around, grabbing the brace, and with a voice dripping with ice said: "You try that one more time and I'll bite your hand."

I breathed a sigh of relief. She really was okay, at least mostly. They rolled her into the stretcher and I caught sight of the youngest Cullen boy climbing into the ambulance as well. I'd have to thank him. I called Joe on my two-way, and he was already on the way, figuring that I'd want to follow Isabella. He was damn right. I gave the ambulance a police escort. Not that there was a terrible amount of traffic or anything, but still, I needed no interruptions. When I pulled into the hospital I grabbed my cell phone and texted Renee.

Hey, it's me. Bella was in an accident. She is fine. Being checked out at hospital right now. I didn't have time to say much else but that should have covered it. I followed her into the ER ward. There was no doctor that I recognised in sight, and I wondered whether I'd be allowed to request Carlisle Cullen be her attending doctor. I saw the Cullen kid begin to walk away, with clear purpose, and assumed that he'd be off to find his father. Good.

Every time I looked nervously at Bella she rolled her eyes at me and assured me she was still fine. Tyler Crowley on the other hand, looked like I had feared Bella would. He was bleeding everywhere. I'd be more mad at the kid if he wasn't so seriously hurt himself. His driving was reckless, but he'd definitely learned his lesson, and thankfully looked like no one else had needed to. When the biggest flurry of medical activity had died down I approached Bella again. She was missing people asking her questions, but I wasn't sure if that was normal, or extra worse. I had only been talking with her for a couple weeks, and normally one on one. I know she didn't like me talking about her hearing and stuff, but had anything happened with that? Plus the doctors here would find out when they cracked her file. I was trying to figure out how to tactfully ask when she saved me the trouble.

"My ears are ringing a little. It's making it hard to follow what people are saying."

"It's why you're more confused isn't it?" I was worried her brain might have been damaged. Like a concussion or something.

"Yeah. Can't hear squat. Well I can now actually, and it's getting better. Probably just adrenaline to be honest." She paused, looking far too off-hand. Her head was probably killing her and she was probably scared. Being brave like her dad I guess. Or for me. "Could you do me a favour and hunt down whatever doctor is supposed to be looking after me and ask them to be… well discreet?" she nodded at Tyler. Yeah she definitely wanted to keep things on the down low still. I had asked if it would be harder at school, and she reassured me that between her and Angela Weber she had it all covered. I sulked at the thought of having to leave her, but I had a job to do. Hunt down Doc Cullen.

…

It had been a regular and routine morning. I had checked on a few of my long-term patients, and then made my way to the small ER for my morning shift. The cacophony of smells and sounds that had, a hundred years ago, been such an assault on my senses had become something I thoroughly enjoyed. Latex gloves, rubber tubing, antibacterial soaps and sprays, metals of many kinds, and the stiff starchy smell of paper gowns flowed into my awareness as I walked through the familiar halls. The more somber smells of blood, saliva and even the musty odour that was death also clung to these halls. It served as a humbling reminder of the fragility of life.

When I reached the ER ward, I had already had a patient waiting for me. It was a child I had not yet had the pleasure, or misfortune, as she was injured after all, to acquaint ourselves. I spent the next hour examining and setting the bone of a young Clarissa Medley. One look at her x-ray showed that she had suffered an intra-articular, non-displaced distal radial fracture.

"You broke your wrist Clarissa," I smiled. "You had to have hit that tether-ball really hard."

"I did. I hit it so hard it went over Becca's head two times and came around to me again," she looked smug and proud, not even minding the fact that her wrist was obviously in discomfort.

"Wow. That is a very impressive hit indeed. I hope you're officially nominated the ultimate winner of Tether-ball. I don't think anyone else could say that they won both the game, and managed to score a visit to the hospital." I chuckled at her. She looked at me in awe at her new status. Her mother was also looking at me, but not in the way that Clarissa was. Clarissa thought I was 'cool' and an oddity at best. But her mother was unfortunately victim to the other feelings our kind evokes in humans. Her eyes were dilated and her heart fluttered if I smiled and talked to her. I had become accustomed to pretending these things were not occurring at all, as it was an unfair advantage my species had: the evolution of ultimate attractiveness.

In the next room there was suddenly a flurry of activity. Phones, and EMT deployment. I would probably be quite busy soon and I would ultimately prefer Clarissa be absent at the time they brought any severely injured people in. I would have to pass her off to Doctor Snow. He would be more comfortable setting a cast than dealing with whatever emergency was incoming. I began walking Clarissa and her mother towards one of the less demanding wards, where Snow would be happy to assist. I followed his scent to the correct ward, and handed my eager patient off, explaining to him that I would soon be needed in the ER as we had an ambulance inbound. He nodded at me gratefully and I began to head back to my office to type up my half of the report on Clarissa. It would take only a few moments, and I could dedicate my focus on the incoming patients. I was typing at my super-human speed when a gentle knock sounded at my door, and a familiar voice asked for entry. A small sense of deja-vu hit me. The last time Edward had been here, it was to leave. This time was different. Edward was grimacing as I thought about the last instance he had knocked on this door.

"Apologies," I begged with a smile. This was clearly a different scene – he seemed more at ease, although he had a slightly stooped frame, as if about to reveal something that might insight wrath.

"You could say that," he smiled grimly. "I've… well I didn't mean to, and I certainly didn't think about it, and I'm not sure what kind of trouble we'll be in…"

I quickly looked at his eyes, surely he hadn't – and I stopped my thought in its tracks. Senseless and irrational that thought was. Edward hadn't flinched though, as if he had expected my mind to go in that direction.

"Honestly, that might have been better. It's no worry. Of course that would be the most natural conclusion as to my presence." He sat down slowly in the chair, and stayed there.

"Apologies again. Instinct took over. You are much stronger than that, and of this I am acutely aware." But you aren't making sense yet. In simple terms?

"In simplest terms, and using a phrase Emmett is particularly fond of… I fucked up."

I got out of my chair and came around the desk, sitting beside him like a peer instead of an authority. I think I'm going to need a little more than that. I suspended my thoughts and reactions, as I was very used to doing. I thought of it as 'Doctor Mode'. Learn everything about the scenario, then start thinking.

"In order… our family discussion this morning about Bella Swan carried over into the ride to school, of course, and Rosalie and I were arguing. Then Alice and I saw a horrific scene: a van, hitting a patch of ice, careening into a red pick-up truck, and Bella being crushed to death in the process. I would love to pretend that in this vision I saw the monster unleashed, and my relentless dive to her body to hoard what blood was left, but I cannot. The vision cut off abruptly. As soon as I saw it, I suppose I had unconsciously made up my mind to stop it."

So far this sounds positive.

"I thought you were in Doctor Mode." He chuckled grimly.

Of course, sorry, continue.

"Well I did stop it. I got to her and pulled her out of the way. Except that I started over fifty feet from her, and in stopping the impact I had to push the van away from us."

You used supernatural speed and strength?

"Yes. At first I thought it might be alright, no one had noticed me, except for her. And she saw everything Carlisle. I had almost wished that she had fallen unconscious when her head hit the pavement as I brought her out of harm's way." He stopped, placing his head in his hands. "That's it. The rest was textbook normal."

"I see." I paused to collect my thoughts, and suddenly Edward looked towards the door.

"Chief Swan's here."

Knock knock.

"Come in." I called lightly. Charlie Swan entered, and smiled at Edward.

"Chief Swan, I'm happy to see you, Edward here was just filling me in on this morning's events," I began collecting random and unnecessary equipment, to look as though I was leaving.

"I wanted to speak with you privately for a minute, if I could…and Edward. I – I mean – I don't know how to thank you." He scratched at his hair, trying to look less worried than he undoubtedly felt.

"No problem Chief. We both scrambled out of there pretty quick. We were really lucky the van hit the other car." Edward supplied. "I'll go see how Bella and Tyler are doing."

Charlie patted Edward on the back in a gesture of thanks, and turned to me as he closed the door.

"It's about Bella. I was hoping you'd check on her."

"Of course, I'm heading that way now."

"And another thing," he scrunched up his face and thought for a moment. It was then that I realised he had coffee splattered up his trouser leg. He'd no doubt been startled by the news this morning. "She's a pretty private person. She's got stuff in her medical history that she'd prefer even I didn't know. So, just keep it simple, and relevant to today, eh Doc? Please don't tell anyone about what you find in her file, okay? She'd prefer it that way." His sincerity was staggering.

"Charlie, I swear to you that I will not breathe a word about anything I learn. Even to her." That was a promise I could keep. I couldn't guarantee others wouldn't learn if they were paying enough attention, but I'd had nearly 80 years of practice in ignoring the obvious in my thoughts. I would do what I could, for both Edward and Charlie. Family ties as strong as these were rare blessings, and I cherished them.