My Hero
Chapter Twelve
Bella's POV
4 weeks later
The past month had been a complete and utter nightmare. There was no other word to describe the time because it seemed so torturous to me.
I was itching more than ever to get back to the hospital and, although my wishes were going to come true in a couple of days, I felt oddly nervous about it; I'd become so accustomed to staying at home and going on my laptop to speak to Carlisle, that it would seem out of routine to return.
And there was the small fact that I was falling in love with one of my colleagues.
I had found myself often dreaming about him a lot lately; beautiful, amazing dreams that I knew could never come true. It was painful to wake up knowing that I had to return to reality. Almost cruel.
One positive of it all was that my ankle had finally healed. I could walk now and I generally felt a lot better. Physically, at least.
I sighed (something that I was doing way too much) and pondered over my thoughts as I poured a bowl of cereal. The rain hammered violently against the kitchen window, seeming appropriate for my mood, and I listened vaguely to the blaring sounds coming from the TV in the other room. It was barely background noise compared to my screaming thoughts.
Still, getting depressed wasn't going to get me anywhere.
I joined Mark on the sofa opposite him and watched as he automatically stood up and headed towards the door. I resisted the powerful urge to throw my bowl at him from across the room.
It seemed like we were magnets who repelled each other.
But that suited me just fine.
He popped his head through the doorway suddenly and grumbled a few words that I could barely distinguish. "I'm off to work today."
I frowned in confusion. "But it's Sunday-"
"I've... been called in."
He left without a goodbye and I stared hopelessly at the spot where he had once stood. The door slammed loudly, knocking me out of my trance, and I wanted to scream in frustration. Was I really such a burden to him that I deserved being treated like this?
And he'd sounded ridiculously suspicious.
I chucked my unfinished cereal into the bin and tearfully opened my laptop; it was terrible spending most of my time crying, but I blamed that on a mixture of my crazy hormones and the fact that, whenever I became angry, it seemed to happen and my emotions trailed freely down my cheeks. That was irritating in itself.
I automatically opened my e-mail account and checked for any new messages, an action that was becoming very familiar and soothing. To my complete relief, there was a new one from my favourite doctor.
Bella,
Good morning! I'm off work today so I thought I'd e-mail you nice and early. I'm very much looking forward to Wednesday. It will be great to finally have you back.
Any more thoughts on the conference? No pressure, of course.
Carlisle
I sat smiling at the screen, when an idea suddenly sprung to my mind. Three more days without having to see him seemed painful, and Mark was away for most of today…
I drummed my fingers on the keyboard and slowly grinned while typing my response.
Carlisle's POV
It had felt like centuries since I'd seen Bella and I'd certainly lived through many in my time. Whenever I was out of her presence, the minutes seemed to drag slowly as if on purpose and it frustrated me beyond words.
I often had to take out my frustration on rocks and stones, crumbling them to pieces in my fingertips.
Considering this, when I read her latest e-mail, I was almost ecstatic from the contact.
Carlisle,
Hello, it's a good thing I'm an early bird! And thanks, I'm looking forward to returning as well. This house is driving me gradually insane.
As for the conference, I can definitely come. It'll be... interesting, I'm sure.
Oh, I was just wondering; Mark has finally left the house today, would you like to come around for a bit while you can? You might feel like some kind of criminal in the process, but that could be exciting...
Bella
The smile which spread across my face was noticed immediately by Alice, who was hovering over my shoulder.
"Bella?" she asked and I nodded, half typing my response.
"Carlisle, are you sure you're not... getting in too deep?" she persisted, sitting by my side.
"I think it's already too late for that," I replied honestly and I felt her pitiful eyes on my face. She frowned, an unusual action for her, then danced away joining Jasper across the room. I turned my attention back to the screen.
Bella,
Are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you.
If so, I'll be over in a flash.
Carlisle
Her response came immediately.
Carlisle,
Positive. It's about time you had some light in your life, as cheesy as that sounds.
Bella
I laughed at her response, but it meant so much more to me than she had intended; Bella truly did bring so much to my life.
I sighed again as I headed towards the door, feeling the familiar torrent of guilt and hesitation.
"I'm going to see Bella," I told Alice and received a strange look of confusion off Jasper. She frownedagain.
"I guess I'm gonna have to explain everything," she grumbled and Jasper nodded, still staring at me oddly.
"Yes," he replied slowly in his usual quiet way. "Everything." He turned to face me. "I've noticed that you've been feeling some strange emotions lately, Carlisle. They're pretty hard to ignore."
I exhaled. "I know." There was nothing else to say to that.
Before they could reply or question me further, I rushed towards my Mercedes, escaping once again like some kind of coward.
Seeing Bella again still managed to take my breath away, even though I didn't need the air, and I stood in the doorway, staring in awe at her flushed face. She hadn't changed much; in fact, she looked even more beautiful than before. Surely that wasn't possible... She smiled welcomingly at me.
"Wow," I heard her heart race hurriedly as she spoke. "It's so strange seeing you!"
I smiled back, a natural action. "I'll assume that's a good thing..."
Her cheeks flushed pink and I was overwhelmed once more with her sweet scent. She stepped to one side without too much difficulty.
"Come on in."
I walked past her and tried to ignore the sparks which seemed to shoot between us. That was probably something from my imagination.
Her house was strangely dark and gloomy inside; it wasn't at all what I had expected. I walked through into the living room and heard her light footsteps behind me.
"Oh gosh," she frowned, heading towards a table in the middle of the room. It was scattered with dirty plates and newspapers. Again, the colour flushed to her cheeks and my thoughts turned erratic.
"I'm so sorry! Please excuse the mess." She fumbled around with the plates, looking in a panic. "Mark left so quickly earlier and he didn't bother to clean up."
I winced at his name as she disappeared into the kitchen. I waited patiently for her to finish whatever she was doing, but I soon heard something clatter loudly and hastily joined her side. One of the plates was on the floor, smashed into tiny pieces. My strong eyesight noticed the sharp edges glinting in the dim light.
"Ah!" she groaned, kneeling down slowly. I did the same beside her and she began carefully picking up the pieces with me.
"Careful," I warned. "Don't cut yourself."
Oblivious to my warning, it wasn't long before the strong scent of her blood filled the air. It didn't affect me in any dangerous way, it just allured me more towards her. She smelled glorious...
"Ow, dammit!" she frowned, flinching away and shaking her finger back and forth. That made the smell spread through the air even more tantalisingly.
"Bella," I said, trying to calm her. "Bella? Bella! Stop, you don't want to cause yourself any stress. Calm down, please."
She sat still, looking at me with lost eyes and I clutched her hand. I felt her body tremble slightly before she relaxed and watched me.
"The cut's not too bad, you'll just need some plaster, luckily." I smiled and she groaned, standing up quickly. She swayed on the spot and I quickly steadied her.
"Gosh, I'm sorry," she apologised once more and reached for a first aid kit in the cupboard. As she sorted her finger, I quickly swept away the rest of the plate. She eventually stood still, breathing heavily and looking at me.
"I'm sorry about all this," she frowned. "You haven't been here two minutes and there's been all this drama."
I smiled. "I tend to have that effect on people."
She smirked back and closed her eyes briefly, before gesturing towards the other room.
"Shall we?" she offered and I followed her towards the sofa. We both sat down and she quickly flicked off the television before turning to smile at me. I felt every part of me long for her and I became completely absorbed in everything she said.
Bella's POV
Everything just had to go wrong. What a great way to greet a house guest.
The shock of seeing him again in person was still making me dizzy. As he looked into my eyes, I felt my pulse racing; I couldn't begin to try and contain my love for him. The effect he had on me was exhilirating, but terrifying at the same time.
We were deep in conversation, discussing some of our favourite music, when the front door slammed shut suddenly, the harsh sound reveberating through into the room. My body instantly went cold and I looked towards Carlisle's eyes with panic.
Mark sauntered into the room and his eyes shot immediately towards Carlisle. The realisation gradually spread across his face, spreading like a wildfire, and my breathing stopped. I could see his fists tightening by his sides; I'd never be able to forgive myself for causing any harm to Carlisle. Surely he wouldn't...?
"What the hell are you doing here?" he spat and Carlisle stood up to face him. The height difference was on the doctor's side, but I still cowered into the chair.
"I wanted to visit Bella," Carlisle replied calmly and I saw Mark's eyes bulge.
"Didn't I say you weren't allowed to?" he replied angrily and Carlisle nodded.
"Yes, but I thought it was necessary," he answered and I cringed again, wary of his safety. Mark's breath shot out in an irritated burst.
"Necessary?" he stabbed and I flinched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Carlisle answered him coolly, always reserved. "I'm simply concerned for her."
His words made Mark explode. Before I could blink and, without any warning, Mark's fist had connected with Carlisle's jaw.
"No!" I gasped and I immediately rushed over to assist Carlisle, waiting to see the damage. To my surprise, he wasn't the one who needed attention; he remained completely unaffected, it was Mark who was clutching at his fist in pain. His face was flushed red and the anger was still in his eyes, burning dangerously.
"What the hell are you made of? Flipping marble?" he spat, still wincing at his hand. "I think it's broken you asshole!"
Before I could do anything else, Mark rushed out of the room - probably in mortification - and I turned towards Carlisle. His expression seemed full of worry.
"Are you alright?" I asked breathlessly. "I'm honestly so, so sorry. He shouldn't have acted like that... I'm..."
"Bella," he replied, "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself." He looked at me with what looked like regret and resignation. "Perhaps... I shouldn't come around here anymore."
I sighed, knowing that he was right. "Yeah."
There was an awkward silence, within which I tried to hold back my tears. It wasn't fair.
"But I can still see you at work..." He grinned slightly, clearly trying to lighten the conversation. "He can't put a stop to that."
I smiled. "Are you sure about that?"
"I'd like to see someone try and stop me," he smiled. "I guess I'll see you in a few days, then."
"Yes," I replied and, as he headed towards the door, I called, "Carlisle?" He turned around swiftly, his hair whipping slightly and falling a little out of place above his eyes. It was a struggle not to stare.
"Thanks for being such a great..." I paused, having to accept the truth, "friend. I really value that."
His face seemed to fall slightly, but perhaps I was imagining it. He eventually smiled. Yes, definitely imagining things.
"And the same to you."
He left then, and I stood still in the quiet. I had yet again somehow made everything go wrong.
It was tempting to crumple to the floor in despair.