My Hero

Chapter Seven

Bella's POV

It was a fairly long drive to the restaurant, but I didn't mind; spending this much time with Carlisle was some kind of blessing considering what I had to deal with at home. He seemed to have an aura which relaxed me and drew me in. Whether that was a good thing or not, I wasn't quite sure yet.

After ten minutes on the road, I noticed him looking at me from the corner of my eye. He hesitated awkwardly, gesturing towards the radio.

"Do you want some music on?" he asked, half focusing on the road, half focusing on me.

I smiled timidly and replied. "Feel free."

In a flash, music filled the car and, as a familiar song began to play, I found myself relaxing into the chair. I smiled, recognising the lyrics. After a while, I was mildly startled by Carlisle's voice.

"Do you like this song?" he asked, his head tilted towards me. His eyes seemed to sparkle and I was, once again, enthralled.

"Yes," I admitted with a smile. "It takes me back to my childhood." I sighed; my childhood – when everything was so easy and carefree. Children spend all their years looking forward to growing up and waiting to finish school, when really it's the most simple time of their life.

I could feel his eyes lingering on my face as I looked down at my lap; I couldn't meet his eyes. I'd surely give away what I was thinking.

"My daughter, Alice, likes this song," he replied, to my surprise, and I stared at him stupidly. I smiled, after a moment.

"She has good taste," I replied and he laughed.

"Maybe you'll meet her one day."

There was a strange edge to his voice which made me pause; did he want me to meet his family for some reason?

"Did you and Esme have children, then...?" I asked curiously, carefully studying his reaction.

"No," he replied sadly. "Esme... couldn't have children so we adopted them." He smiled. "Alice is seventeen, along with Edward, then there's Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper who are eighteen."

I wondered why I was asking these questions, but I didn't stop. "Were they affected by your split with Esme?"

Once I'd said it, I felt incredibly nosey and blushed uncontrollably.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I'm becoming too personal here," I fiddled with my hands and to my surprise, he sighed.

"It's perfectly fine, Bella." I noticed the car had stopped. "They seem to be coping well, but... I suspect it's just a front."

I found myself facing towards him. "I'm sorry to hear about all this, Carlisle, I really am," I paused. "It can't be easy for you."

I looked at him sympathetically; it was clear that he was troubled and this disturbed me. I wanted to help him in any way that I possibly could.

"Thank you for your concern," he turned towards me. "And it's not easy, but I have to cope, for my family's sake."

He was such a good man... he didn't deserve to go through all this.

"I know you're probably blaming yourself," I said, causing him to look up. "But I also know that it's not your fault, Carlisle." God, I loved saying his name.

He gazed ahead, the dim light from the streetlight illuminating his beautiful face. It was impossible to take my eyes off him. I jumped back as he suddenly removed his seatbelt.

"I hope you're hungry," he smiled. I mirrored his actions and stepped out of the car, deep in my thoughts. It was strange how similar Carlisle actually was to me; he seemed to be one to put off his problems. I sighed for him and began walking by his side towards the restaurant.

Carlisle's POV

It intrigued me how incredibly selfless Bella was; she was clearly a little distressed by the fact that she was expecting a child, yet she comforted me about my own problems. She wasn't at all intrusive; in fact I wanted to share my thoughts with her. Once I did, I felt a strange sense of release, something I had always wanted to feel and hadn't really experienced before.

I opened the restaurant door open for her and she smiled gratefully, temporarily stunning me. I had truly never seen a human so beautiful, and I'd certainly lived long enough.

Inside the building, everything was illuminated dimly with lights and I could hear the low hum of voices. It was rather busy today, something which frustrated me; I needed to have a fairly private conversation with Bella to, rather selfishly, put my mind at rest.

A waitress approached us as soon as we stepped through the door and she kindly led us to a small table towards the back of the room. Bella followed me as we walked past the other people; I glanced around to look at her and she was staring at the floor the whole way, avoiding everyone's gaze as we passed them. It surprised me how completely self conscious she was; someone as beautiful as her should be full of confidence... but then again Bella always seemed to surprise me.

We reached our table and I pulled out her chair as she sat down and gently pushed her towards the table. I then took my seat and exhaled shakily. What was she doing to me?

"Would you like some drinks?" the woman asked and I kept my eyes on Bella. She hesitated nervously and I smiled at her.

"Do you want anything, Bella?" I felt the same familiar thrill as I said her name. She fumbled around, looking at the drinks list.

"Um... I'll just have a Coke please." Her eyes darted to the woman's, then back to mine. She looked incredibly uncomfortable; was my company really that inadequate?

The woman hurried away, leaving just Bella and myself. I breathed heavily; there was something I had to ask her. The truth would probably be painful, but I needed to know. I opened my mouth to speak.

Bella's POV

Ever since we walked into the restaurant, I felt an awful wave of anxiety. I was exceptionally terrified that somebody in the building would recognise me and tell Mark when he arrived back home. The thought sent shivers through my trembling body and I was constantly on edge.

Now, as Carlisle sat down gracefully beside me, I took a quick scan of the room. No one here seemed to be too interested in us; I didn't know any faces... I exhaled with relief and looked at the wonderful company that I had for the night. He looked troubled, a common factor between us both, and started speaking.

"Bella," he began and my heart hammered. Why did he sound so serious...? (A small part of me thought about the Joker from Batman, but that seemed completely inappropriate.)

"Bella," he repeated, "I... I don't mean to sound intrusive in any way, but there is something I feel I have to know."

My breathing stopped – did he know about Mark? I swallowed shakily after recovering.

"I... I noticed a bruise on your face a few days ago." I felt my body freeze in shock, but he continued, "And I need to know if..." he paused, looking at the table, "If I caused the injury."

I frowned, completely confused.

"I'm sorry?"

He avoided my gaze. "I noticed the bruise and, during your first day at the hospital, you bumped into me, if you remember..."

His voice sounded rough and the colour drained from my face. Guilt flooded through me – he thought it was his fault.

He couldn't be any further away from the truth. Was that why he'd seemed so worried?

I sighed slowly. "Oh, Carlisle..." I shook my head. "Carlisle, it wasn't you."

The relief on his face was evident, now replaced with concern. I wracked my brain for a quick excuse. He kept his eyes on me, expectant and waiting patiently. Come on, think!

"I-"

"Here's your drink!" The waitress intervened and I sat back automatically. We had both unconsciously moved closer towards each other during our conversation, the intimacy alarmingly strong and intense.

The waitress left hastily and Carlisle was still looking at me. In fact, he hadn't removed his eyes from mine.

"I... I fell over," I shrugged, avoiding his gaze guiltily. "You know how clumsy I am. It sounds kind of lame."

He smiled slightly.

"I tripped over and hit my cheek on the kitchen counter," I continued, running my finger around the top of the glass. That sounded convincing enough.

He winced. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged again. "I didn't want to cause a fuss. It was nothing, anyway."

We remained silent for a brief moment, when something suddenly occurred to me.

"How did you notice the bruise? I thought I covered it up pretty well..."

He smirked a little. "I'm blessed with exceptional eyesight."

"Oh. Very modest, then," I replied, and he chuckled, the sound warming my heart. I started to relax a little; the concern he'd shown for me tonight was the most anyone ever had in my life, and it felt exceptional.

But I felt horrible for lying to him and wondered if he'd ever know the truth.

Carlisle's POV

As Bella placed her fork down onto her empty plate a few hours later, she frowned once more.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" she asked, finishing the last of her drink. The food had brought the wonderful glow back to her cheeks and I found myself helplessly staring.

I shook my head. "I'm positive. Besides, Alice is cooking tonight."

I felt terrible having to lie, but I was sure she wouldn't want to know what I was really dining on.

The night had flown by exceptionally quickly in her company and I felt incredibly saddened to think of it ending. When I talked to Bella, our surroundings seemed to blur and it felt like it was just her and myself. No one had ever affected me in this way before. Not even Esme.

My time with Bella had been the highlight of my day and I had a long night ahead of me... a long night without her.

I pulled up outside her house, after being given directions, and admired her truck in the driveway. Bella was so incredibly different and unique, just one of the factors which hopelessly attracted me to her.

I cut off the engine and we sat in silence. I looked over at her house; it was incredibly small – certainly not big enough to occupy a child. I involuntarily winced again. We hadn't talked much about her child tonight; she shied away every time the topic turned towards her. I really couldn't understand why she was so unconfident.

The sound of her undoing her seatbelt knocked me out of my trance. She yanked at the clasp and groaned frustratedly.

"I think... it's... stuck," she gasped between her yanks at the device. I chuckled and carefully undid the buckle, the tension crippling me as I came within inches of her beautiful face, leaning over her. I could feel her sweet breath on my neck as the seatbelt unclicked and she laughed.

"I'm too clumsy for my own good," she sighed and I smiled.

We stared at each other for a moment and I studied her warm eyes. She suddenly gestured towards her house, breaking the quiet around us. "I guess I'd better..." She trailed off and I nodded. She hesitantly opened the door and stood outside while I leaned over the seat to talk to her. I wanted to see as much of her as I could before I left.

"Will you be alright on your own?" I asked, feeling incredibly wary of her safety, even though it was stupid of me. She nodded, smiling irresistibly.

"Please don't worry about me, you have your own problems to think about."

She was so selfless... her partner was certainly incredibly lucky. I hoped he knew that.

"Well, if you need me, you know where I am." I smiled once more.

"Yeah." She shut the door, talking to me through the open window. "Thank you for tonight, are you sure I can't give you the money for the-?"

I shook my head. "Consider it my gift," I smirked.

She laughed. "Thank you, it was delicious." After a pause, she added, "I guess I'll... see you tomorrow, then."

"Yes." I felt frustration passing through me once more. "Goodnight, Bella."

I watched her walking towards the front door and I instantly felt saddened. Being out of her presence was strangely incapacitating.

But perhaps I didn't have to be...

I sat still, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. After a moment's deliberation, I stepped out of my car, and headed towards her house. It didn't matter at that moment if it was a stupid decision or not.