Day Six

She tried setting up a Skype date with Emmett but he texted he was too busy traveling and rubbing elbows with clients. Her mother had finally crafted an email, with such scintillating information as her beautician appointment and what she and 'the girls' (all over 65) had had for lunch at the Olive Garden the day before.

Misjudging her time, Bella did a Pilates workout too close to her morning temp check and her temperature was up one tenth of a degree. The young nurse, with shaking hands, entered Bella's vitals into her tablet. Bella wanted to scream at her, that this was a normal biological fluctuation and was no cause for alarm, but realized that screaming at the poor, frightened girl, would help no one. It was her own fault—now she was stuck inside until they took her temperature again in two hours.

She sat on her bed practicing her yoga breathing, to be sure her blood pressure and pulse would be nice and low. Finally the senior nurse came in, swathed in plastic and goggles, and pronounced her temperature as normal. Bella never imagined having to wait for medical clearance before she was allowed to go for a walk.

The yard was the same, except for the absence of Edward. He was too outgoing for her, really, he was absurd. Did he genuinely believe she would just agree? This wasn't summer camp, she didn't need to get along with the other campers. She'd been told she was too serious, but this man was the other extreme. Emmett, he was a serious man. A serious business man, every decision weighed and measured before moving forward. He understood the need to focus. Even his play had a focus—he golfed, not because he enjoyed the game rather it gave him the chance to network and entertain clients. As a pediatrician, she worked to heal children, not behave like them. Edward, with the goofy grin, joking about conjugal visits when they had just met—really, he was too much.

Why was she even thinking about Edward? They would get out of here and never see each other again. She stepped up her pace. The crisp air was just the thing to clear her mind.

On her sixth circuit, when she found herself counting the boarded up windows on the buildings beyond the fence, she began to reconsider Edward's offer. She still had two weeks to go, and she had to admit, the routine was wearing on her nerves. It might be interesting to discuss the approach the medical team used where Edward volunteered. There might be merit to that sort of interaction. Many hospitals had traveling nurses who visited other locations to see their protocols. This would be in the same vein, trading information about best practices, that's all. Professionals discussing their profession, what could be wrong with that?

-21days-Day6-

The queen of selfies had sent him another dozen pictures; making that duck face he found so annoying, sucking her finger—well that one was kind of hot, putting on lipstick—also hot, her shoes, getting dressed, a picture of her with Tyler, a big stupid smirk on his face and his arm around her shoulder. What the...did Tanya really think he wanted a documentary of Tyler taking her to all the wedding functions? The next picture Tanya was blowing him a kiss with her eyes rolled up like Betty Boop while Tyler was clearly looking down her cleavage. What next?

Closing his laptop he called out to Ben, "I gotta take a walk."

Waiting for Ben to get clearance, he wondered why he was still with Tanya. She was fun, but that was about it. He loved fun, but he was craving someone with a little more substance. Really, how clueless did you have to be to send those kinds of pictures to him when he was essentially a prisoner? She didn't have the common sense to think that pictures of her with another man, another man who clearly was interested in being more than her friend, would be disturbing to him? When he got out he would break things off with her. He was twenty eight, time to stop thinking like a kid. His mother's hints about finding Miss Right instead of Miss Right Now were starting to make sense.

He saw his fellow Day Six across the yard. Fifteen days to go—he needed to get her to talk to him. Maybe approaching her as a fellow medical professional would work? Just like his kids on the ward, not everyone responded to the same approach. She did not care for the class clown, and if he chased her down he'd probably get the same brush off. Instead of approaching her head on, he walked slowly in the same direction she was strolling. She'd have to pass him eventually, and being polite he was sure she'd greet him in some manner. He walked, his hands clasped behind him, patiently enjoying the fall air. The bait was set, he thought, come on little fishy.

Her steps were louder, she was definitely getting closer. They slowed a bit, then, just as he planned…

"Edward, I'm sorry if I was rude to you yesterday. These circumstances are so unusual."

He nodded, glancing towards her but keeping quiet. As his lawyer Jasper, an accomplished negotiator, always said the one who talks first, loses.

"Look, can we start over? I'm Isabella Swan."

He tried not to smile too much as he turned to her, his hand out. "Edward Cullen."

She put her hand in his. It was cold and a little rough, the skin of someone accustomed to washing their hands dozens of times a day, much like his own. He put his other hand on top, sandwiching hers and squeezed gently. She added her free hand and squeezed back. Neither of them let go.

"It's strange." She looked from their clasped hands to his face. "I didn't realize how much I missed touching someone, skin to skin."

He held back the many others things he wanted to say about being skin to skin. "Me too."

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AN: He upped his game. What will they talk about? Thanks to the many readers and reviewers, it's nice to be read.

I love me some unexpected pregnancy fics. I'm currently loving "Grad Night" by RobzBeanie and "Two Blue Lines" by Payton79