Disclaimer: I would love to own Twilight, but if I did, I think I would be too busy sipping expensive drinks by my pool outside my mansion to write fanfics. Consequently, I own way too many pairs of shoes for one person.

Chapter 5

-Six Months Previously-

Edward cleared his throat and rolled his neck, as though it could get sore. As he walked up the stairs (no one ever took the stairs, and he could move at a comfortable vampire speed) he prepared himself for the onslaught of blood. Onslaught… it was a little strong of a word to use. He thought about it, choosing allure, instead. Blood, so much of it, had worn at him until he was desensitized greatly to the pull of it. In fact, he thought he might prefer the taste of animal blood as of late. Predator animal blood.

He stepped onto the unit floor, and his senses and muscles were suddenly tensed, ready to feast. That scent… what was it? The most delicious tasting human food, mixed with a floral decadence, calling to him, dredging up memories of his human life, and his most wild moments as the undead.

Perhaps he had come to the aforementioned conclusion about human blood a bit too soon.

Edward turned his head quickly, searching, and found what he supposed must be its source. A beautiful young woman stood, with her shoulder to him, speaking lowly to a nurse. She was wearing indigo colored scrubs, and he supposed she must be a nurse, new to the hospital. He tentatively pushed his power forward, focusing on her, needing to know more about this threat to his human persona. If he were to kill her, drinking at her throat as though a parked man in a desert, he very much doubted that he would be allowed to practice medicine here anymore. Or live anywhere besides a prison.

He smirked, but inside was slightly puzzled and somewhat fearful. He could hear nothing coming from this woman. Unfortunately, the pathetic voices of the other women on the floor, swooning and fawning over his sudden, excited appearance was very clear in his mind and distracted him as they grew louder and more jealous. Apparently, his extended perusal of the new coworker did not sit well with them. Jessica, a nurse who was obnoxious and did not care for her patients as Edward would have liked, was slightly louder than the others.

"Is Dr. Cullen staring at Bella? She hasn't even been here for two days and they are already falling all over her! I am so much prettier than she is!"

Edward focused on tuning down, and possibly out, these voices. He needed to work, to focus and concentrate on solving mysteries and helping repair some of the damage he had done in his past life. He worked, not only because he was vastly more intelligent than the human doctors, but because he needed to pay penance for the crimes he had committed in his past. Every day he saved a life help ease the guilt of the death and destruction he had caused so many years ago. It was almost, almost easy being a doctor. The work was not hard, but the company was. Being around all these humans and their blood that pumped and swirled in veins that made his mouth fill with venom was his punishment. He wondered how many years it would take to ease the guilt from his conscience. He had learned all he could from Carlisle, including compassion. He hadn't needed his father to instruct him in the art of listening well to his patients, a joke they often relayed to one another.

Reading minds made caring for some patients easier, and some much harder.

Sometimes it was difficult to pretend he didn't know something, to enter a room smelling decay and having to break the news that a limb would be lost, or to hear a sluggish heart begin to fail.

Slightly shaking himself, Edward focused on the scent of this new nurse, apparently named Bella. She had long dark hair, it seemed to be wavy, but was currently pulled back to stay out of her face while working. Her trim body was soft, but well formed and well proportioned. Edward had a difficult time forcing himself to look away, turning to a chart, reading morning labs and the results of some tests he had ordered yesterday. Unluckily, it was easy for him to read these words and still have his lungs full of her scent and ears straining for her soft voice. Edward again opened and stretched his gift to hear the thoughts of those around him.

"Dr. Cullen is so handsome, oh, I would love to get to know him better!" Jessica again. He frowned.

"I need a BP on 14, and where are the ABGs for 16?" Another nurse, focused on actual work.

"What is she doing? Is she ok?" Edward tried to pinpoint this voice, and realized this was the nurse who was speaking with Bella. He saw Bella's face reflected in her coworker's mind, and analyzed this statement against her expression. Bella seemed frozen, eyes wide and surprised. She was blushing and embarrassed, and it appeared, she was straining to not look at Edward. He was now more intrigued. Glancing up, he saw the reddened cheeks himself, and smirked. This was unusual. Most women were bolder in this present day, and would have no objections to walking over to him and propositioning him. Certainly, they did not strain to ignore him.

This was interesting.

Edward's eyes focused on the page in front of him, but his mind was elsewhere. He imagined the way that Bella fought against looking over must have something to do with his otherworldly fantastic features. This was something he was used to; women (and a few men) finding themselves struck by his beauty. But, this strange silence, it confused Edward. This woman was a dark, beautiful mystery. Who was she? Why could he not see into her mind as others? Why did she not look?

He saw her blush, as his head had disobeyed his commands, and had risen, gazing at Bella intently.

She was shy.

This explained the trepidation.

Edward tried to recall any interaction he had had with her father, Charlie Swan. His mind was also vague, wispy fragments, some words or ideas, but no clear thoughts. Edward had assumed the chief was a simple man, but now supposed he should reconsider. Perhaps Bella's silence was due to genetics?

His eyes gleamed as he closed the chart and stood, resolving to distance himself from this unknown force. Whatever it was about Bella was not safe for his existence here. If he couldn't read her, then she was the unfamiliar, and was to be kept at a distance.

But that scent! She appealed to him in a way that he had never been called out before. The dark eyes, so expressive, when her mind was so silent made for a strange balance, and he wondered if she was as honest as her eyes made her look.

He would distance himself and see just what Bella would show.

-Present Day-

Edward reflected on his decision to withdraw from Bella, and considered where it had gotten him.

Desperately wanting to call her, to sit outside her window, watching her wake and walk and breathe every day.

This wasn't going as planned, but no one had pulled these emotions from him before, everything was so wonderful, so amazing, that he found it irresistible. Bella. Her name would roll off of his tongue at the most quiet times, when he was alone, reading, learning. Or sometimes, when he was fraught with frustration at the sweet smell of her blood, pounding through her veins with such vitality, he would silently cry out to her.

Bella, Love!

And sometimes, though he was mostly ashamed of it, he called out her name in the throws of a passionate touch, his, of course, alone and wishing he could have her and he weren't a monster and simultaneously that she knew and loved him anyway.

Bella!

Edward vowed again to not go to her house tonight, in the dark and listen and watch her. He knew this would happen anyway, but his sense of decorum insisted he make some attempt, no matter how pitiful.

He pulled the paper towel that contained her telephone number out, and looked at it carefully. It wasn't strictly necessary, as he had it memorized once he saw her write it down, but it was something she had touched, had given to him, and he wanted to feel close to her.

Bella, his mind sighed, missing her. Before he realized what was happening, his cell phone was in his hand, and her numbers were dialed. He paused, cold finger hovering over the 'send' button, green as her thoughts earlier. Pressing it, he took a deep breath in and let it out quickly. Calm. He needed to be calm.

It rang twice, and a breathless Bella's sweet voice answered with a "hello?"

"Bella, its Edward Cullen. How are you?" He heard her breathing accelerate and slightly muffled noise bounced through the receiver.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Cullen. I'm good. How about you?" she sounded very nervous.

"Bella, I think when we aren't at work, I'd like you to call me Edward." I'd like you to moan it as I discover you, too…

"Oh. Edward. Thanks." There was an awkward pause.

"Bella, are you working tomorrow?"

"No… why do you ask… Edward?"

"I would like to take you out for dinner. Would that be agreeable?" He thought he heard a high pitched sound, followed by a shuffling and scraping noise. He would endure the tediousness and revulsion of eating human food for more time with Bella. It would be well worth it.

"Uhh, well, I've already eaten. Sorry. Otherwise, I'd like to, very much. Umm, maybe we could do something else? Would you like to come over? Maybe we can watch a movie?"

Edward's mind began to race. Inside Bella's house, surrounded by her delicious scent, her eyes open and honest, watching him, he might be tempted… but no. Bella was offering a movie. He would make nothing more of it.

"That sounds lovely. Yes. May I have your address? I'm in the car now, so I won't be long," he said, but this was a lie. He knew he wouldn't be able to take his time driving over to see this angel.

"Sure," she told him, and he relished the sweet sound of her voice. It was only moments before he was in his car, thoughts swirling around the woman who had bewitched him, body and soul.

A/N: I think that I'm being pretentious to put the lingo in this story, really, but I'm so obsessed I can't stop. I'm so excited to be a nurse, and they say to write what you know, and trust me, I know nursing. Plus, it's really realistic! My only improvement; a delicious Dr. Cullen, straining to hear my thoughts. Yummy! Also, anybody know where that last line is from? One of my favorites!!

What do you all think? What should we have next? Let me know; I'm struggling a bit here.


Glossary:

BP: blood pressure

ABG's: Arterial Blood Gases. A laboratory test, involving drawing blood and analyzing it for the levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, bicarbonate and other elements in blood. Indicates respiratory status.