Time seemed to mock Bella as she waited for four consecutive, painfully slow days to pass so she could return to Forks General hospital and revisit the mysterious Doctor Cullen. Memories of their encounter plagued her, and even sleep was elusive as she tried her level best to distract her thoughts from wandering back to his broad, muscular form.
Having been banned from police work by her overbearing, concerned father, she found herself with very little to do during the days that followed her accident. She caught up with her paperwork on the first day and spent the remainder tidying her small, homely flat. Bella had rented it immediately upon arriving in Forks, all too aware that she would be unable to manage Charlie's concern for her if she moved back home. Needing her own space to unwind, the small one-bedroom apartment gave her exactly that, a safe haven from the outside world and all its burdens.
A minimalist through and through, the décor she chose was sparse but classy. Her bedroom contained only a large, heavily-quilted double bed, an oversized wardrobe and a small bedside table that was cluttered with CDs. Pictures of her time in Phoenix were framed on every available surface and she had an array of books stacked inside her wardrobe. She owned far too many novels to fit them all on the large oak bookshelf that dominated her living room.
Bella slammed her laptop shut with an audible click and hobbled into the kitchen to prepare a sandwich. Filling two thick slices of white bread with steaming fish fingers and an unnecessarily large dollop of ketchup, she slumped onto her black leather sofa and flicked on the television. Finding nothing worthwhile on, she dropped the remote and picked up her phone, texting her friend Angela to see if she wanted to visit. Her reply was an instant apology, as she had to work. A literature teacher in the local high school, Angela was a gentle woman who shared her opinions with such passion she had no need to be forceful with them. She was also Bella's closest friend.
Tucking the handset back in her denim pocket, Bella stood tentatively and attempted to put pressure on her injured ankle. True to her word, she had immediately begun healing at an unnatural pace and found no need for the crutches that Doctor Cullen had loaned her. She knew better than to push herself though, so after several unsure steps she sat back down to recover from the small movement. Just as she thought she might finally be overwhelmed by the boredom that threatened to engulf her, there was a hurried knock at the front door.
'Hang on,' she called quickly, hobbling over to see who it was. Jacob Black stood on the other side of the frame, a bunch of red roses held loosely at his side.
'Come on Bells, it's freezing out here.' She chuckled at him comment and welcomed him in,
'As if you feel the cold, anyway,' she giggled, not needing to tell him to make himself at home. He headed straight for the kitchen, dropping his gift into an intricate glass vase he knew she kept under the sink. Placing it on the window sill, he then turned around and instant began to rummage through Bella's recently stocked fridge.
'You. Are. My. Hero,' he praised, in between mouthfuls of his favourite strawberry yoghurt. 'My dad's rubbish when it comes to food shopping.' Grabbing a couple of packets of crisps, he jumped over the back of the sofa to sit next to Bella. His expression morphed into one of shock as she took the first bite of her lunch.
'You didn't make me a sandwich?' He questioned with mock outrage, snatching it out of her hand to take a quick bite. She slapped him away with equal good humour.
'I'm the one off sick,' she stated, feigning self-pity, 'if anything you should take yourself back into the kitchen like a real gentleman and make me something decent to eat!'
'Has nobody told you, Bells, you're in Forks now? We're well into equal rights and all that jazz.'
'What's that supposed to mean?' She couldn't help but smile as he put his feet up and flicked through the channels she had subscribed to as though he owned the place.
'It means you get to make your own sandwich, and you ought to be happy about it too!' Bella kicked him with her good foot as he mocked her and he pushed her off the sofa in response.
Allowing the tears to spill over her long, dark lashes, Bella let out a howl as she landed with a thump. Jacob was instantly next to her on the cool, wooden flooring, checking her for damage. She looked up at him innocently, before revealing a wicked grin and shouting,
'Gotcha!' He growled and ruffled her hair, knowing full well it would drive her crazy. He was right, she screamed at his touch.
Relenting from their play fight, they both finally returned to the coach where Bella proceeded to finish her lunch uninterrupted. She looked at Jake, distracted by yet another wolf documentary, and marvelled at how he had grown at least another two inches taller, and was even more muscular than when she had last seen him.
'Are you ever going to stop growing?' She asked exasperatedly, 'you must go through clothes like there's no tomorrow!' He let out a low laugh and explained casually,
'Nah, the trick is to just buy them big, they last much longer.' He took the opportunity to remove his shirt just so he could show her the XL tag inside, and she took the chance to check out his rippling stomach. Though she appreciated just how good-looking her friend was with his clear, tanned skin and dark hair and eyes, she just couldn't feel attracted to him, no matter how much she willed herself too. Teasing him about how vein he was, she finally got him to redress before he had to leave to re-join his pack who were waiting outside. They could both hear the howls through the closed, double-glazed windows.
'Catch ya later, Bells,' he shouted, slamming the front door behind him loudly in his haste. Returning to her silent bedroom, Bella closed her eyes and finally drifted off into a restless slumber.
Finally, the time had come for Bella to return to the hospital and she was practically dreading it. Her stomach was in knots and her hands shook nervously inside her thick winter coat as she stood outside the entrance to the emergency room. Her foot had almost healed completely, but it wasn't her physical injuries she was worried about.
Get it together, she told herself, pulling her scarf closer around her neck. She wore a plain pair of jeans and dark, furry boots. Both were appropriate for the weather but not as flattering a Bella would have liked, given her growing attraction to the extremely handsome doctor she was about to encounter. Just as she thought this, said doctor almost bumped into her just as she talked herself into going inside.
'I am incredibly sorry…' He began hurriedly, before realising who he was talking to.
'Going somewhere important?' She questioned with a small smile, glad to have finally caught him off-guard. He straightened his dark jacket and responded with a glint in his eye,
'It's not there where that's important,' he explained carefully, 'it's the who.' Fully aware that she was his next appointment, Bella decided bravely to question him further. Feigning naivety, she continued.
'Oh, okay. And who is it that's so important they've got you assaulting members of the public in your haste to greet them?' Knowing what she was up to, Carlisle decided to join in with her little game.
'I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Doctor patient confidentiality you see. Besides her father is the chief of police and I'm sure he would inflict an unbearable punishment on me if he knew about my lack of professionalism around his daughter.' She widened her eyes as she realised she hadn't considered their prospective roles and their requirement to maintain a professional relationship. Determined to keep it light, she simply stated,
'I'm sure what the chief doesn't know won't hurt him.' With that, she winked and allowed him to escort her inside. He paused to gather himself following the boldness of her gesture before motioning for her to lead the way.
Immediately inside the waiting room were Alice Cullen and her friends Jennifer Thatcher and Millie Green. All three were in college and Bella had come across them on her trip to campus to do some work with the students. She had spoken to them about their prospective careers following an invitation from the college and found the girls to be likeable and charming. Alice was a total contrast to the girl's either side of her, as short as they were tall and dark as they were fair. She also lacked this crimson lip gloss that they had been generous with, and her hair fell loosely in sharp spikes, framing her pretty pale face while Jenny and Millie fashioned intricate plaits.
'Officer Swan,' they chorused as she followed Doctor Cullen inside. Zoning on the pair, Millie was quick to comment.
'Officer Swan, you sure look pretty today. Don't you think so Doctor Cullen?' Bella frowned as the girls giggled conspiratorially.
'She certainly does,' Carlisle agreed, and the girls started to whisper among themselves excitedly. Instantly aware of their agenda, Bella interjected.
'That's hardly appropriate is it, now what are the three of you actually doing in here, apart from stalking us?' She wanted to keep them talking, just about something other than her personal relationships. Unwilling to be diverted, Jennifer joined in quickly.
'Why's that, Officer Swan? Do you already have a boyfriend?' She almost wished she were invisible, unaffected by the questioning of the three teenage girls.
'No, I don't,' she informed them honestly, 'but if the three of you don't behave I'm sure Doctor Cullen won't treat you in the hospital. So you better put a sock in it, okay?' They giggled again and Carlisle turned to face her with an almost guilty expression.
'Actually, Alice is my daughter, so I'm sort of obliged to treat her. However I think today's visit is more of a social call. Alice, why don't you wait out here whilst I treat Officer Swan and then you can stop by this afternoon and we can catch up after my shift?' Alice bobbed her short, dark head agreeably and stood, allowing her two tall, blonde friends to follow her. With a final blow, Jessica called out loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear,
'I'd say he definitely fancies you, Officer Swan. And if you don't go out with him, you're probably crazy.' Blushing crimson, Bella pleaded the doctor silently to take her somewhere more private, away from the prying eyes of her gossipy neighbours, and he instantly obliged.
'Well, what do you know, you're x-ray is perfect, just like you said.' Bella gave him a self-satisfied smile as he was forced to sign her back to work, something she knew he was reluctant to do given the extent of her injuries several days ago. 'Care to explain how that happened?'
She dropped her stare to the floor contritely, knowing her answers would only disappoint him. Pushing her chair away from his newly varnished, oak desk, she rocked it back on two legs as a distraction from his penetrating stare. She felt as though he could see right through her, and it made her incredibly nervous, even though she had nothing to hide.
'I can't, really,' she rose her hands and poked out her bottom lip to emphasise her lack of understanding. 'I've always healed fast. When I was fifteen I cut my hand open in phys ed but by the time I arrived at the hospital the wound had closed completely. Everyone said it must have just been worse than it looked, but nobody could give me a decent explanation.' Returning her hands to the sides of her chair, she peeked back up to assess his reaction.
Unsatisfied with her explanation, as Bella knew he would be, Carlisle wordlessly tugged her denim trouser leg to re-examine her perfectly functioning limb. Already accustomed to his cool touch, she didn't comment on the drop in temperature, allowing him the space to draw his own conclusions about her speedy recovery. He sighed disdainfully, his cool breath tickling her smooth skin, close enough almost for her to reach out and touch his porcelain face, before setting her foot down and retracting his hand.
'Hmm,' he mumbled, engrossed in the images before him of the inside of her ankle. Bella wanted to know exactly what was going on inside his head.
'Hmm?' He returned his attention to his patient immediately, as though he had temporarily forgotten she was in the room. Dropping the paperwork with a sharp rustle, he proceeded to muse aloud.
'I just can't explain it, Bella,' she paused to appreciate the sound of her own name in his deep tenure, 'there is no logical explanation as to how this possibly could have happened. Would you mind terribly if I were to take some samples for my own personal investigation? I apologise if the suggestion makes you feel uncomfortable, but your ability to heal could potentially advance the way we treat injuries, both that and I would very much be able to satisfy my own curiosity.'
'What would that involve?' She knew he could detect her nervousness, and probably hear the sound of her heart pounding uncomfortably against her ribcage. He tried to reassure her by placing his hands on her shoulders in a friendly fashion, but the contact only encouraged the blood to pound harder against her temples.
'Don't worry Bella,' there it was, her name again, 'it will be painless. I'll just need to take some blood and I'll be able to draw any conclusions once I have had an opportunity to analyse it. I'll be completely gentle with you.' Without even thinking about her petrifying fear of needles, she nodded mutely, willing to undergo the trauma if it meant she got to spend another minute with the good doctor. 'I'll have to take them at home, if it isn't too much trouble? I doubt the hospital would appreciate my using their resources for my own studies.' Again she nodded, this time with butterflies in her stomach as it dawned on her that Carlisle had just invited her into his home.
It's for work, she chastised herself, stop acting like a teenager.
Pulling herself together, she accepted his card gratefully and promised to call him to arrange a convenient time.
'I'm not going to pretend I'm not creeped out by the knowledge that you've got needles lying about at home,' she joked as he escorted her outside. His hand had made its way to the small of her back and she noted the regular physical contact that he exerted when they were together. With the promise that she would call later that day, she returned to the car park, unsure what to make of their new agreement.