Disclaimer – Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer
AN (1) – Thank you again for waiting so patiently for this chapter. Thank you to the support of all my readers and reviewers. Most of all to a wonderful group of C/E writers who help keep me and my story on track. A big thank you to my wonderful beta Pace is the Trick and my fellow student of grammer sandraJ60 without both of whom I would never have gotten this story this far.
AN (2) – This chapter contains low level agression, including aggressive behaviour and language.
"Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius." Benjamin Disraeli
Carlisle ran like he never had before.
The thought of having to leave his injured and comatose spouse locked in the lighthouse tore at his heart and mind. But there was no choice. Edward needed blood, human blood, and Carlisle needed precision instruments to repair the damage to Edward's hands and fingers.
He motored Edward's boat to the jetty. He had initially planned to swim, ignoring the discomfort in exchange for the speed. However, he quickly realised he would need the boat to carry his precious cargo. He also felt it was safer in the unlikely event Edward should wake and try, in his delirium, to leave the island.
His foot tapped the deck impatiently for the entire crossing. The moment his feet hit earth he sped towards the house where they had lived. This was no longer their home, just one in the string of buildings which they had parked their belongings for a time. He made a note that they would need to clear it out of their belongings once he had seen to Edward.
That was a task for later, at that moment he needed his instruments and some spare clothes. Nothing else was of import; the lighthouse was stocked with items for cleanliness and hygiene. It also had items for Carlisle to read and things to do while he treated Edward's hand and planned their next move. This was going to be rough on them both.
Reaching the porch of the house, Carlisle stopped short.
The scent of human was pervasive.
A single human had waited on the porch for a long time constantly moving, pacing the small area before moving off the porch and around to the back of the property to the back door. Carlisle then followed the scent to the tree where the decomposing piano lay and then back to the front of the house. The trail was easy to track; the human was full of fear. Returning to the porch, Carlisle noted a slip of paper under the door. Opening the door, he found an envelope with Edward's name on it.
"How dare you!" he growled at Will's letter, tearing the thick manuscript paper into small pieces, letting them drop to the ground. He entered the house, relieved that the human's scent did not precede him. He looked around and noted that it was only the absence of the musical instrument and its owner that indicated that anything was out of order.
Carlisle walked past the void to his study and collected a small bag containing his best surgical instruments as well as a number of pressure bandages and splints.
Moving to the bedroom, he took a knapsack down from the wardrobe and placed the medical equipment in the bag. Moving to the dresser, he selected firm leather gloves. On assessment of Edward's hand, he decided that the gloves would assist the other bandages. By keeping the fingers separate during the rapid vampire healing process, the glove would assist in stopping the digits re-fusing, thus undoing Carlisle's work.
Returning downstairs, Carlisle was going past Edward's study area but paused when he noticed his mate's journal on a side table. In a last minute decision, he picked up the journal and carefully placed it in the rucksack. Returning to his study, he ferreted out his current diary, along with important legal and financial documents, and placed them in the bag, pleased at his foresight in case he could not return until sometime later.
Satisfied he had the necessary items, he exited the house. Standing on the porch, he stared out at the scenery. He needed blood for Edward, human blood…and a lot of it. Five pints would be the minimum he required; however, if he could obtain a whole human adult, the ten pints contained within the body would cover his mate's entire need.
As he contemplated his options, a small object fluttered gently against his cheek. Carlisle caught the distracting object and wondered at it before realising it was a piece of the letter he had shredded, subsequently caught up in the swirling breeze.
Releasing the fragment he watched it waft away.
As he watched, an idea crossed his mind.
It was an idea he would typically have found abhorrent. But in this time and place it provided the perfect solution to his problems. That is his mate's critical need – blood, and his mate's critical error - Will.
The more he thought this over the more he convinced himself this was the perfect solution, both in problem solving and symmetry.
Edward needed blood and William Pearson was the perfect donor. The boy would come willingly with Carlisle with the promise of seeing Edward. The child's misplaced sense of affection for Carlisle's mate could be easily used to the vampire's advantage.
Ensuring that he locked the front door, Carlisle moved to the side of the house to where his car was garaged. While he would not normally take the vehicle into town, his soon to be passenger would be more easily and speedily transported on four wheels.
Carlisle's experience following Edward had allowed him to develop some of the finer points of tracking, including following a scent from a moving vehicle. Driving within the speed limit, he was able to keep his prey's scent in his sights.
As he drove, Carlisle played the last couple of weeks over in his head. Even going back to the first month in Oberlin, Carlisle could in hindsight see the influence that Will had on Edward and the way in which the human had insinuated himself into his mate's life. Carlisle could only reprimand himself for not being more vigilant in vetting Edward's contacts and associations. He knew his mate was an affable and charming individual but clearly missed the good sense to remain aloof from those that would do them harm.
Swearing, he hit the steering wheel, barely aware of the damage he made to the vehicle.
He continued to drive, following the trail to a small semi-detached house located west of the hospital. The houses in this area had been built as a part of the new hospital to provide housing for its staff, including William's mother who supported herself and her son by working in administration.
Pulling up across the road from where the scent trail ended, he sat and deliberated on how he would approach this. His most recent interactions with the human had not been conducive for the young man to trust Carlisle. Despite his better judgement, Carlisle decided he would need to appeal to the boy's ego and plead for his assistance. Considering how much Carlisle needed the blood for Edward…he was willing to beg.
Just then the front door opened and the boy exited the house. Carlisle opened the car door, planning to implement his plan, when a woman called from the doorway. Carlisle froze as Will waited for his mother to approach, giving her a chaste hug. This was not part of the plan. Carlisle did not want witnesses, and it was safer that the human disappear with no explanation.
Watching the pair embrace, Carlisle felt a surge of jealousy, not just towards the boy but also the mother. The closeness and love of family was what he was missing at the moment. The recent altercation with Edward had ruined that for Carlisle. While Will was responsible for his family's damage, Carlisle realised he could not, in good conscience, take that closeness and love away from the woman in front of him. Her son may be a home-wrecker and a hussy, but his mother did not deserve the pain of his early loss.
"Doctor Cullen?"
The call from across the street shook him from his revere. He looked up to find both mother and son watching him. Will eyes widened in shock at the sight of Dr Cullen sitting outside his house. His heart started to race at the memory of the last interaction he had with the doctor. At the sight of the imposing figure exiting the car and walk across the road, Will took an involuntary step closer to his mother.
"Dr Cullen, how can we help you? How is poor Mr Cullen? Will told me that he was unwell."
Trying not to glare at Will for daring to speak of Edward to others, Carlisle cleared his throat.
"Um! Edward is still unwell, but he is resting quietly and should recover soon," Carlisle tried to keep his voice positive, even though saying the words continued to drill home how sick his mate was.
"Why isn't he in hospital?" the accusatory question sprang unbidden from Will.
Before Carlisle could respond, Mary Pearson turned to her son. "Will, Edward is much better off in the care of his brother, particularly when Dr Cullen is more than capable of providing his treatment."
She turned to Carlisle, "I am sorry Dr Cullen. It is sometimes difficult for those who don't work in the hospital to understand sometimes the best treatment for the sick is being at home with their family."
Carlisle blinked at this unexpected support. "Yes, well. Edward will be well soon. I am not sure he will go back to work in the future and I will be recommending the Maestro make alternative arrangements."
Will stared at the doctor, incredulous. "What! Edward will no longer teach the Masters class? Surely he can assist us with practices!"
This time Carlisle responded faster than the boy's mother was able to. "As you know, Will, Edward is everything to me, my whole family. I will not risk his health and wellbeing for anything or anyone. Nothing is more important than he is and I will not tolerate anything that tries to impede his care."
He had leaned toward the human during his response, causing Will's mother to react by linking her son's arm in her own. Mary Pearson was not stupid; she could see there was a quarrel between her son and the doctor and suspected that Mr Edward was the reason. But this did not excuse the older man's behaviour towards her son.
"Dr Cullen!" she retorted sharply. Carlisle looked to her and seemingly surprised at his proximity to the boy, leaned back to a more appropriate distance.
Mrs Pearson continued softy. "I can see that this is a very stressful time for you. Let me assure you that Will and I only wish the best for Mr Cullen's health. If I can be of any assistance at all…"
Carlisle interrupted, "No! Thank you!"
Looking once again at the boy and his protector mother, Carlisle sighed and mumbled "I'm sorry," turned away from the pair, and headed back to the car. He watched mother and son head off down the street, then sitting low in the front seat of the car, put his head in his hands.
What was he going to do? He had failed in obtaining the one easy donor for Edward. Would he have to take someone off the street? Moving his head to rest on the steering wheel, he dwelt on the last few moments. He had failed them both, he was the head of their small coven and should have been able to protect and provide for his mate.
His thoughts moved to where he should go from there. Maybe he could visit the hospital and take a dying patient or one of the few vagabonds that lived on the outskirts of town. He wished that Edward was with him, so he could find someone whose loss was less valuable to society.
His head jerked up. What the HELL was he doing!
How could he even be thinking this way?
Even if Carlisle ignored the fact that Edward would never forgive him for slaughtering a human, even if it was to save his life, was Carlisle willing to betray his principles, to taint his record, to never harm a human for feeding, to treat his mate of his injuries?
Yes, he was!
But what if there was another option? Pulling at his hair he looked out of the car to the Pearson home.
His mind stopped.
Mary Pearson!
William's mother worked at the hospital.
She was the secretary at the Hospital Laboratory.
Where they collected and kept human blood.
Within a minute the street was empty. There was only the smell of gas indicating that there had been a vehicle nearby, that a vampire had stalked his prey, and that a young man had been saved a deadly fate solely by his mother.
~*.*~
Carlisle stood in the shadows in the corridor closest to the Hospital Lab, the knapsack he had taken from his home over his shoulder. Keeping a careful ear out for staff, he waited for an opportunity to sneak into the lab. He knew it would be easier to wait until dark when there were fewer staff around; however, on checking his watch, he realised he had been away from Edward for much longer than he had planned, and was starting to be anxious for his mate's wellbeing, and the risk that Edward may have tried to escape.
He cursed under his breath at his own popularity, as it had taken him some time to manoeuvre through the hospital with nurses and doctors alike interrupting him for advice on patients or enquiring after Edward. It seemed that the whole town knew of his mate being unwell, destroying any chance of hiding the matter.
Standing in wait, he could hear as the supervising doctor and lab assistant advised Mrs Pearson that they were taking a break. Both men smoked heavily and Carlisle had observed both had extensive damage to their lungs as a result. Watching the men leave, he continued to watch and wait; it was known that the two men would take some time. Many times in the past Carlisle had been able to enter the lab and perform his own tests in half the normal time while the two men poisoned themselves in the staff room.
Within 5 minutes of the men leaving, Mrs Pearson exited the lab. The lady routinely took the opportunity during these breaks to leave the stifling atmosphere of the lab and walk around the ground.
Taking the opportunity, Carlisle used the hospital master key he had procured and entered the lab heading straight for the bottles of donated blood. Twenty five bottles, the equivalent of 25 pints, sat neatly in the laboratory refrigerator. Putting the knapsack on the floor, he opened the storage unit and removed out five pints of blood.
After some manoeuvring, he was able to fit four bottles inside the knapsack. Looking at the fifth bottle in his hand, he decided it was safe to carry it. He would be able to run holding the bottle, having already decided to leave the car at the hospital. It would be perfectly safe in his parking spot in front of the building. Now that he did not need the car for a human passenger, it would be much faster, and direct, to run back to the boat house.
He stood and returned the knapsack to his back. Looking again at the refrigerator and the bottle in his hand, he made a split second decision to grab a sixth bottle before closing the storage door. He ignored the journal that was required to be completed when taking blood, theft was not unknown to him and he knew from experience he was better just taking rather than trying to forge paperwork.
Ensuring that there was nothing out of place, well, except for the missing blood, Carlisle slipped out of the room. He moved swiftly away from the area and headed to an exit at the rear of the building. Checking for any witnesses, he slipped out the back door and into the nearby woods.
~*.*~
Running at full speed, a bottle of blood in each hand and the knapsack on his back, Carlisle headed back to the boat house. He was pleased with his success and even more pleased that he was able to come up with a more appropriate solution for Edward blood requirements.
His thoughts turned to the procedure he would be performing on his mate and how he would enforce the recovery when a sound to his right distracted him. He had not even been aware of the two humans nearby. The hunters were down wind and he had not expected anyone in the woods at this time of day.
The slight click gave him a moment's notice as a hunting rifle exploded nearby. Carlisle dropped to the ground and looking up saw a large buck a few meters away take flight and raced away. The hunters circled round past Carlisle and after the animal.
Lying on the ground, Carlisle became aware of the dripping at the same time he smelled the blood. Looking at his hands, he was horrified to see that both bottles had cracked and were leaking the precious fluid. He panicked. Four pints will not be enough for Edward's treatment and recovery. The original six that he stole were barely going to stretch as it was.
Holding the bottles precariously to avoid spilling anymore, Carlisle was devastated at the thought of returning to the hospital to steal more. He didn't have time. He had to return urgently to Edward. If only he had something to decant the blood into and then feed Edward from it.
Whether from hopelessness or despair or anger or ingenuity, an idea crept into his head. He had something to decant the blood into…
Himself!
He could drink in the blood and then feed Edward directly from his own body. It was perfect, as by using his own body as a conduit instead of the fragile glass bottles, Carlisle could better control the infusions.
Carefully opening the first, then second, damaged bottle, Carlisle bent over and quickly quaffed the liquid.
This was the second time he had ever tasted human blood, both times to save Edward, the first from influenza and the second from his mate's foolishness.
As the blood entered his body and mind, Carlisle's sole thought was how Edward owed him now for all eternity for having to perform this one henous act.
Head in hands...Carlisle screamed!
AN (3) - Poor Will is off the menu... Blood thristy lot aren't you? Carlisle would have kidnapped Will for Edward, but was desperate for another solution, thankfully he found one. However circumstances now mean he has drunk human blood. What will it do to our deer-totaler? Warning the next chapter will be intense.