A/N: Thank you for the wonderful response last chapter! Things you need to know in this chapter:

I am not Stephenie Meyer… so don't sue me.

I am not a doctor, have no plans to be a doctor, and know nothing about Doctors other than what I see on T.V. and learn from Wikipedia (So don't expect the Medical stuff to be completely right… or even partially right for that matter).

And now… on to the chapter!

Best Medicine (still hate this title. To Do List: Find a New Title)

Chapter Two

November 16th, 2008

It's been exactly one week since Edward started at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital—one week since he first set eyes on Isabella Swan and one week since he'd left his family in Forks with promises to return home that same day, promises he'd broken.

He can't bring himself to go home. He is ashamed of his weakness, of his inability to combat the attraction she provides. He isn't sure whether he wants to run from her or run to her. He finds that he can't even trust himself where she is concerned. He hates that he nearly destroyed everything his family had worked for because of the addicting floral scent of that vixen sent to haunt him. He holes himself up in a hotel room a few blocks from the hospital. He leaves only to work, where his eyes constantly scan the room for any sign of her, and to hunt, which he does twice as much as he actually needs to. He knows he needs to make a decision soon—either return to forks or find a more permanent residence here in Seattle.

Carlisle has called once, and Alice nearly a dozen. He worries each time that this time she's calling to tell him that today is the day he'll break, the day he'll disgrace his family. She never asks him to come home, only encourages him to do what needs to be done. If only he knew what that was. She says everything will turn out okay in the end. She says she knows it will.

And then he wonders what it means to turn out 'okay.'

Okay, as in he'll never see Bella again?

A low growl instinctually rumbles in his chest and he suppresses it.

Okay, as in she'll come around, but he'll stay away from her?

Or… He feels as though his long dormant heart might stutter a beat or two at his next thought…

Okay, as in he'll see her constantly, but manage to resist regardless?

He pushes the thought away quickly. It's foolish and unwise and dangerous for both of them.

Work at the hospital is already familiar, as though he's been doing it for decades rather than days. It's mainly paperwork, observing more experienced doctors, answering questions, manning the emergency room. He's taken to not breathing when he's in that room. Emergency room means frequent appearances of blood, but that's not really the reason, he can resist that surprisingly easily. He doesn't breathe in case she returns.

Edward quickly rises to the top of the pack of interns. Dr. Clayton gives him more responsibilities than the rest, even allowing him to diagnosing a patient or two, or more specifically, ten. And with the help of his uncanny vampiric hearing and superior sense of smell, diagnostics is actually rather easy and unexciting, except for when his inhuman senses manage to catch something in one moment that could have taken days or something that might possibly have not been caught at all. Like the subtle, almost unnoticeable way a person's heartbeat can be off, dangerously irregular.

Angela Webber came to the Emergency room, complaining of nothing more serious than swollen ankles, breathlessness, and extreme fatigue. She would have been in, and out, and on her way, if Edward Cullen had not been her doctor.

When Edward insists on administering an echocardiogram, Dr. Clayton is confused. The tests, however, return with staggering results. She did indeed have an irregular heartbeat, so subtle that it was missed in her minor check-ups. The exam showed that the left ventricle had a rather spongy appearance, and never fully developed in Ms. Webber as a child.

Edward diagnoses her with Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy, a possibly rare type of Cardiomyopathy that is often misdiagnosed, and was only recently added to the official list of such types of diseases by the World Health Organization.

Dr. Clayton is thrilled, certain that this correct diagnosis is going to bring attention to the hospital, since there have been only fifty or so confirmed diagnosis's since 1990. The disease is dangerous, and she might possibly need a heart transplant, but due to Edward's special skills, they've caught it with plenty of time to spare.

The first hint of a smile in a week begins to tug at the sides of Edward's mouth, that is, until Angela's closest friend shows up for support.

"Angela!" Bella cries, "Ben just called, and he should be here any moment."

Angela smiles, some of the worry ebbing from her features, but Edward is tense. He doesn't breathe as his eyes fixate on his own personal mystery. She speaks with Angela quietly, her stance almost motherly as she listens to Angela repeat the diagnosis. Her eyes are wide, caring, and focused on her friend.

Even without breathing, her scent envelops him, tickling his senses to where he can almost taste her on his tongue.

"I just can't believe it," Bella sighs. "It seemed like nothing, maybe Mono or something like that."

Angela nods, "I'm lucky really. I'm told it was a rather spectacular catch by Dr. Cullen."

It is Bella's turn to lock up, her eyes immediately scanning the room for him. His copper hair is a tousled as when she first met him, with the same perfectly smooth lines of his face. Her body recognizes him as if she's known him her entire life, and she wonders how she didn't notice him until now.

It takes her a moment to pull away from her study of his face, in particular those bizarrely beautiful topaz eyes.

"Thank you." She answers, "I-I'm glad Angela has you as a doctor."

Edward only nods, not trusting himself to speak to the unique girl who'd been haunting his thoughts all week.

She turns back to her friend, but his eyes stay on her. She asks about the next course of action, and then tries to concentrate as Angela answers, but her ears naturally strain to hear his every movement. And she can't stop her eyes from flicking to his, blushing deeply when their eyes meet, before dropping her head.

She knows she'll need to respond to Angela soon, but she hasn't the slightest clue of what Angela is saying. She is saved by the entrance of Ben Cheney, breathing heaveily, as though he'd run the whole way.

Not wanting to intrude on their private reunion, she turns her head away, only to see his eyes again locked intently on hers, his expression frustrated. And he can't bring himself to look away, insisting that if he waits one more second, her mind might open up to him. It isn't until she unknowingly begins stepping towards him that his gaze breaks off, and studies Angela's charts intensely.

Her step falters, and she nearly stumbles, unsure as to why her body began to move toward him without her mind's permission.

She spends the next few minutes studying the tiled floors, and Edward is relieved when Dr. Clayton gestures for them to continue their rounds.

The day goes by slowly, perhaps because he can smell her even from down the hall, ad hear her heartbeat from the floor above. It isn't until late at night, when his shift finally comes to an end that the sound of her heartbeat becomes fainter. He exits the hospital, catches sight of her stepping up into an old rusty pick-up truck, and listens as she slowly slips out of range.

He wonders when he'll see her again, wondering if it will be another full week, part of him hoping for soon, and another wisely hoping for never.

November 17th, 2008

He knows she is coming before she even sets foot in the building. He easily recognizes the roar of her truck and the steady palpitations of her heart as she arrives in the parking lot. He is standing at the reception desk as she enters, decidedly not listening to Jessica prattle on about this and that.

Immediately, like a magnet, their eyes connect. She blushes a violent red. His fists clench. And he walks away as fast as humanly possible, but still entirely too slow for his liking. And today seems even longer.

November 18th, 2008

He considers giving it all up, running away, hiding from his weakness—whatever you want to call it. He nearly does it. It's been three days of her constant presence. She leave a few times, presumably for other commitments, but always returns, sometimes carrying flowers or baked goods. The scents mix with her own, somehow making her even more impossibly irresistible.

But resist he does.

It is while contemplating on an extended stay in Alaska that she finds him, clearing her throat softly.

Her eyes are hard, questions, and slightly unfriendly. If her chocolate eyes could speak, they would be saying, 'What did I ever do to you?'

He knows he's been incredibly rude, and should probably smile or make an attempt at civility, but he can't.

"I brought something for you, for all you've done for Angela." She holds out a plate of freshly-made brownies. Her voice is soft and the gesture warm, but her expression remains cold. But at the mention of Angela's name, the sincere gratitude is evident in her eyes.

He wishes for the thousandth time that he was not banned from her thoughts. He has to pull his eyes away from the smooth skin of her neck, and the lovely way her flushed skin compliments her deep blue blouse.

"Thank you, Ms. Swan." He replies, taking the gift. He forgets what her contact does to him, and their fingers brush accidentally. He manages to hold in his gasp, but she doesn't. Her eyes are wide, painted with confusion.

"Please, call me Bella." She whispers finally, as the shock slowly fades from her face.

He nods, "Thank you, Bella." He holds up the plate, "For these."

"You're welcome, Dr. Cullen."

"Edward, please."

She smiles. "Then you're very welcome, Edward Cullen."

If his heart still worked, he is sure it would have leapt from his chest at the sound of his name upon her lips. He grins crookedly, and he hears her heartbeat stutter. She blushes shyly, and it's nearly too much for him. He nods politely and takes his leave, before he does something he'll regret. He looks back at her once, frustration evident on her face, and mumbles under his breath, "It's for the best."

If only he could wholly believe it.

He's not sure why he does it, but after spending half of his lunch break watching the brownies, oscillating between curious staring and annoyed glares, he grabs them quickly, shuts his locker, and takes the well-travelled path to Angela Webber's room.

When he enters, Bella jumps and drops the book in her hand. He's there in a moment, retrieving it for her, and shooting a quick glance at the work pages and weathered binding of Wuthering Heights.

"Thanks." She mumbles quietly before retreating to a chair in the corner of the room. Angela stares between the two of them curiously before locking eyes with her boyfriend Ben.

"Bella made me some wonderful brownies," He begins, his voice rich and smooth, "And I can't possibly finish them all myself. I was wondering if perhaps you three might want to join me for a sweet and deliciously unhealthy lunch. You'll be doing me a favor really. It's been days since I've had a conversation that doesn't revolve around medical terms."

Angela and Ben seem paralyzed by the force of his eyes, but nod their heads mechanically. Bella looks terrified and unwilling to leave her sanctuary in the corner of the room. He removes the plastic wrap from the plate, venturing towards Bella.

"I think the first should go to the marvelous cook, although I must confess to sneaking one before I came." Or more truthfully, another intern had taken one while he'd been preoccupied with his thoughts.

She shakes her head forcefully, "Nonsense." She seems almost angry, " I couldn't possibly."

"Really, Ms. Swan, I insist." He replies before leaning towards her, his golden eyes closer to hers than ever before, "Please Bella."

Her hand reaches forward, fumbling slightly before grabbing a brownie off the top. It isn't until he steps away that she realizes that she had stopped breathing. He approaches Angela and Ben as she struggles to regain her breath.

"This is very generous of you, Dr. Cullen." Angela says as she takes her first bite.

"Call me Edward, please. And don't worry about it. I know firsthand how awful hospital food can be, you needed a break." In truth, he knew nothing of hospital food, only that it repulsed him slightly more than normal human food.

"Bella's a great cook isn't she?"

Edward agrees heartily before stealthily slipping some of his brownie into his pocket.

It doesn't take long before the entire plate disappears, and Edward manages to get away with taking only one actual bite, which he did only because Bella was staring at him curiously, making him worry about just how observant she was.

He thanks them all for the company before saying his goodbyes.

"I won't be here tomorrow, I'm afraid. They decided I might need at least one day off." He chuckles playfully.

Bella makes a peculiar expression, and the longing to hear her thoughts roars up stronger than ever. He can't tell if she's relieved for disappointed, and he finds himself both anxious and afraid to know the truth.

That night is the first night Edward Cullen follows Bella Swan home to the small duplex she shares with Angela.

And that night is the first time he hears the sleepy whisper of his name escape from her lips.

A/N: Well, there's chapter two. I hope most of the Medical stuff wasn't awful… I blame Wikipedia if it was. I hope you all enjoyed it!

I'm still accepting suggestions for a new title! And I'm pretty open about where this fic is going, so if anyone has any requests, I'd certainly be willing to hear them!

Reviews release endorphins, endorphins make me happy, happy people update faster!