My Hero

Chapter Thirteen

Carlisle's POV

3 days later

The clock eventually displayed the time that I had been longing for and I sprinted outside down to my car and raced towards the hospital, not really worrying about my speed.

Today was the day that Bella was finally returning to work.

I felt unbelievably excited about it all, even though I had seen her just three days ago. But, then again, I didn't particularly want to remember that experience; I never imagined her partner as a violent person and his actions very nearly blew my cover. If he knew what I was... if Bella knew... I shuddered.

Although it was quite satisfying hearing the bones crush in his hand.

Within two minutes, I was at the hospital and rushing through the entrance. Bella would be here any moment and I honestly longed to see her radiant face.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed my usual button, when a welcome sound suddenly filled my ears, causing me to stop what I was doing.

Bella's POV

I was only roughly two months into my pregnancy, yet I already felt bloated and drowsy; not really the best of starts when I was returning to work. The thought filled me with excitement and I sat upright in the bed, trying to ignore Mark's grunts next to me. The memory of him hitting Carlisle temporarily stunned me, and I winced, pushing it to the back of my mind. I hoped he wasn't too badly bruised...

I pulled back the covers and sighed with relief; no morning sickness today. Although, waking up next to Mark every day did tend to turn my stomach.

I quickly shuffled downstairs and changed into my uniform, deciding to skip breakfast. It was strange getting back into the routine after so long and I already felt very anxious; food probably wouldn't help, but I was eating for two now.

A little while later after a quick round of toast, I stepped outside into my truck and quickly started the ignition. Taking a final deep breath, I started travelling forwards and on towards the hospital.

My escape was waiting once more.

Pulling up into the parking lot felt even more daunting than before and I briefly remembered my first day here. It seemed like such a long time ago and so much had changed since then...

I noticed Carlisle's black Mercedes in the distance and smiled instinctively to myself. I parked nearby the car, mainly for comfort, and stepped out, excitedly heading towards the building but taking extra care as I approached the steps. They weren't going to trip me up again. Evil steps.

Going inside, I was greeted by some people and I smiled in appreciation at the well-wishers. I passed Meg on the corridor and she walked straight past me, clearly trying to avoid my curious gaze. I turned around to try and speak to her, but she had already turned the corner. I sighed, a little puzzled, but headed straight forward.

The stairs leading towards my ward seemed menacing and tiring, and feeling this bloated didn't help matters, so I lazily headed towards the elevators in front of me. One was already closing rapidly and I sprinted forward, trying to catch it before it left.

"Wait!" I yelled, running towards the doors which luckily opened just in time for me. I sighed with relief, then gasped as the person standing inside the elevator came into my view.

It was Carlisle.

I smiled a breathless smile and he returned it gloriously.

"Bella!" he grinned. "I'm so glad to see you!"

I replied happily, resisting the urge to wrap my arms around him. "The same to you. Like I said, staying inside that house all the time was driving me insane... Although, certain e-mails from a certain person did make it bearable."

He chuckled. "I wonder who that could be?"

I smirked, looking up at his face. He seemed even more beautiful under the elevator lighting and his face was illuminated stunningly. I was honestly struggling to get my breath back. It was when my stare moved to his defined cheekbones that I frowned.

"Your bruise must have healed well," I pondered, watching as he pressed a button and the doors closed. The elevator began moving and I saw took in his reaction.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow what you're saying," he replied, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

I winced internally, having to recall the memory.

"Mark... hit you," I murmured. "I really am so sorry about that."

His face flooded with realisation. "Oh, yes, well... I don't tend to bruise that badly." He smiled, before asking, "How is his hand?"

He was always so selfless, so caring, even to those who hurt him. I sighed again at his apparent perfection.

"It was broken," I answered. "He must have put some real force into it," I looked up at him guiltily. "I'm so sorry."

"It's perfectly fine Bella; it wasn't your fault at all."

He lookd into my eyes for a long moment and it was only then that I realised we had edged unconsciously closer to each other, and were only a few inches apart. I stared back at him, my breathing turning frantic. I could feel his breath tingling on my face and noticed the true depth of his golden eyes. I heard him swallow.

I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn he leant slightly closer towards me; it was only when the elevator shuddered to a halt that we jerked apart. There was a loud noise from above and the elevator shook, before the lights flickered off, leaving Carlisle only just visible in front of me. I gasped with panic.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling the fear slowly creeping into my stomach. "Has the elevator broken d-down?"

"I'm afraid so," he breathed and I honestly believed I would soon start hyperventilating. He quickly pressed another button on the elevator and a voice blared through the speakers.

"Can I help you?" somebody asked.

"Yes, it's Dr Cullen here. Dr Swan and I are stuck in elevator two," he explained, calm as ever.

"Oh, right," the woman breathed. "Dr Cullen. How are you? Hey, are you free next Saturday?"

Carlisle rolled his eyes towards me, an amusing action that was out of his character. "That's not appropriate, Lisa. Please tell me how long will we be here?"

I smiled at his response. He was probably used to so many offers.

But she could have been a little more subtle...

"An hour or so."

He exhaled sharply. "Alright. Thank you for your help."

Carlisle cut her off and stared towards me. His face was worried now.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on mine. The touch of his icy skin seemed to calm me a little.

"Yeah, I- I think so," I stammered, sitting down slowly onto the floor. I leant my head against the wall and he mirrored my actions.

"You don't look that well," he commented. "You're nearly as pale as me."

I smiled faintly. "I'm just a little c-claustrophobic, that's a-all."

His sigh filled the air. "Oh, Bella. This probably isn't the greatest situation to be in..."

I laughed nervously. "No. Not exactly." But I couldn't have imagined a better person to be stuck here with...

To my surprise, I felt his arm slowly wind around my shaking shoulders. After the initial shock of his close contact, I eventually relaxed and leant my head against his chest. Sparks felt like they were shooting between us and I secretly wished that the elevator would never start working again, ridiculous as that was.

Carlisle's POV

Sitting there with Bella against my chest seemed almost surreal. I had imagined it so many times and now it was really happening.

I could feel Bella's quivering body against mine, smell her intoxicating scent, sense her every movement. I was finding it incredibly hard to concentrate.

She seemed so fragile, though.

After a few silent moments, I was happy that I had let my instincts take over. Seeing her so scared had made me instantly want to comfort her and it seemed now that I was doing a good job. Bella was only trembling lightly and her breathing was slowing. I listened to her heart thumping, completely lost in a trance. It was a very soothing sound, and I closed my eyes temporarily, only to be surprised by the sound of her voice.

"You're always really cold," she murmured and I immediately tensed.

"Am I?" I asked, trying my hardest to sound surprised. I was sure she couldn't deal with the truth.

She looked up towards me and I was exceptionally glad for my good eyesight; she was still clear to me, even in the darkness. "Yes," she replied. "Always."

I shrugged. "Perhaps you're just oddly warm."

I felt her laugh against me, the vibrations on my skin.

"Light bulbs give off heat, though, don't they?"

I grinned at our ongoing joke. "Yes, I suppose they do."

We remained silent again and her head rested back on my chest. I was surprised that she was comfortable, with a chest of mine like marble. Also, a small part of me was worried that she might notice my lack of a beating heart, but she seemed too preoccupied.

"So, what made you want to become a doctor?" she asked, taking me by surprise. She looked up towards me with unmistakable interest, giving me the confidence to reply.

"Well I've..." I paused, thinking to myself. "I guess I've always wanted to help people. I like knowing that I can save lives and make a difference."

She smiled at me. "How long have you been in the profession?"

Again I had to lie. "I've been working here for three years so far, after finishing my studies."

She nodded. "How... how old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

I smiled slightly at her worried expression. "I'm twenty three, Bella."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, the same age as me."

If only she knew I was really around ten times her age...

"You and your wife must have adopted really young, then," she pointed out and I glanced over at her.

"It felt right at the time," I answered honestly. There was so much I wasn't telling her...

After a brief pause, she sighed heavily. "I'm going for my scan next month."

This caught me by surprise. She had a habit of doing that. "That's great, Bella. Have you had any problems?"

She grumbled. "A few days of sickness and the usual stuff."

I watched her stare at the wall and wondered what she was thinking. Bella always seemed to be wrapped up in her own world, like she had many problems to deal with. It disturbed me and I longed to do something about it, but I knew I would be overstepping the mark of friendliness.

"The maternity ward is very good at the hospital," I replied, trying to reassure her. "Do you think you'll want to know the gender?"

She looked at me thoughtfully. "I don't know... I'd have to ask Mark."

"Any preference so far?" I asked, a slight smile tugging at my lips as her face lit up.

"I'd quite like a girl, but I'd be blessed with anything." She stared into the distance again. "I'll have to buy one of those little baby books full of names... I'm completely baffled at the moment."

My head tilted towards her, taking in how she looked a little overwhelmed. "There are plenty of names to choose from."

I felt her nudge my arm playfully. "Yes, but... I dunno, it's hard to pick the right one."

I nodded in agreement.

"How did you pick your children's names?" she asked and I stumbled slightly in my thoughts.

"They were already named when they were adopted," I replied. "I don't think I could have picked any decent names by myself."

She sighed. "How are they all coping with...?" She trailed off and I was surprised she was so concerned. Then again, Bella continuously surprised me.

"They're better, I think," I smiled. "For the moment, at least."

"Alice seemed fine," she commented and, after a pause added, "Maybe I could meet everyone else one day... that'd be nice?"

I looked at her and she dithered slightly, as if regretting what she had said.

"I... I mean, Alice s-seemed nice, so I'm imagining everyone else is the same..." She trailed off, cringing.

I chuckled. "Yes, Bella, that sounds great. One day, perhaps."

The silence was starting to become deafening and I drummed my fingers on the floor to occupy my thoughts. The elevator suddenly shuddered and started moving again, and, before we could register what was happening, the doors creeked open and the light from outside poured in. Standing in the doorway, staring at Bella and myself, was Meg.

We quickly stood up and moved away from each other, hastily walking outside before she could say anything. I had no doubt that she was already jumping to conclusions, but that didn't matter too much.

We turned around the corner and I looked at Bella's panicked expression. I smiled slightly and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Trust Meg to turn up at that moment," she cursed and I smirked in agreement. I opened my mouth to reply when suddenly another voice filled my ears, much to my irritation.

"Cullen and Swan," the booming voice muttered and I realised that it was John. I exchanged an amused look with Bella, knowing what she thought of him. "Could you follow me? A patient needs some assistance."

We began walking along with him, grinning all the way. It really was amazing to have her back.