A Trip to the emergency room and a date at the police station?
I sat at my black computer screen willing my fingers to type something, but they refused to write. I missed work this morning and now I can't even write about anything to make up for lost time.
I work at the local Seattle newspaper as a columnist. I have worked so hard to get where I am today. I spend endless hours running around the office getting coffee for those who requested it and making copies all day. I stuck through it though, knowing that if I kept it up, I would eventually have my own column at the paper. I did all of this while still working for the U Dub paper as well as taking some morning and night classes. I had to pay my way through college, so I figured why not get paid while advancing my career at the same time? I burned myself out for three years, but in the end it was all worth it. Two months ago my boss, Mr. Banner, called me into my office and offered me my very own column. It may only be the advice column, but hey, you've got to start somewhere!
So here I sat at my desk, reading letters sent into the office and trying to give my worldly advice to those who ask for it. Usually I just get going, writing what people want to hear, but today, nothing was coming out. Every time that I would start typing, my mind would wonder back to those mysterious green eyes. Every once and a while, my eyes would flicker towards my cell phone that sat next to my purse on the table by the door. I sighed again and looked back towards my blank computer screen. Just as my fingers ascended towards the keys, a shrill ringing filled the room.
I squeaked and jumped five feet off the ground. I leapt out of my chair, only to get my foot caught on the leg of my chair and fall to the ground with a thump. I crawled towards my cell as it vibrated and rang endlessly. I grabbed it and looked at the caller i.d. An unknown number. My heart soared at the prospect of the person on the other line. I flipped my phone open and pressed the talk button.
"Hello?" I asked breathlessly, rubbing my still sore bum.
"Hello, is Isabella Swan there?" asked an enchanting voice. I placed my hand over the receiver and did a little happy dance. I was knocked out of my celebration by hearing a muffled voice calling out.
"Oh! Right sorry, this is her!" I squeaked out. I heard a light chuckle while I slapped my head at my stupidity.
"This is Edward Cullen. We met earlier today," he said, "well, more like crashed earlier today." I laughed at his joke, but then realized that I was the one who hit him.
"Oh god! I am so sorry about this morning. I was rushing to get to work and took the turn too sharply and I lost control of the car! I shouldn't have been speeding! I'll pay for any damage for your car I swear! It was completely my fault." I said hastily. I became confused when he started to laugh. "What?" I asked.
"Oh don't worry about the car, I have insurance," he replied. That made me even more confused. Why else would he have called unless he wanted to get my information to pay for his car. Well unless he was calling because he wanted to see me again, but I pushed that thought back quickly, not wanting to get my hopes up.
"Well there must be some other way that I can repay you. Your car must be crushed. All of those repairs are going to cost a pretty penny," I said, trying to figure out his intentions for calling. There was a slight nervous pause before he replied.
"There is one way you could repay me," he replied teasingly. Clearly not getting it I asked what I could do.
"There is this new Italian restaurant that I have been wanting to try. How about you repay me by coming to try it out with me," he replied to my question. I paused. Was he asking me on a date?
"Like a date?" I asked. There was another nervous chuckle coming from the other side of the phone.
"Um, well I was hoping so, but if you would prefer not we could go as friends," he replied anxiously. OH MY GOD! Edward Cullen the stunning doctor was asking me on a date! I starting jumping up and down, but didn't realize the shoe that Alice had disposed of when she walked in the door, right next to me. I jumped up and tripped over the abandoned stiletto and landed on the floor with a loud "oof!" Alice came out of her room to see what all of the commotion was. She looked at the cell phone quizzically that was now sitting next to me seeing as I had dropped it when I put my hands out to brace myself from my fall.
"Bella? Bella? Are you alright? Bella?" came from the phone! I squealed and picked the phone back up.
"Sorry, sorry! I fell, once again. No thanks to ALICE," I said as I looked at her icily, "She left her shoe in the hallway and I happened to trip over it. I'm fine, just a sore wrist." I replied while trying to flex my fingers. I winced as they groaned in protest. Edward heard that.
"Bella, come on into the hospital. I'm on duty. I want to have a look at your wrist." he said, his voice laced with concern. No way I'm going back in there. One hospital visit a day is good enough for me, thank you very much.
"No, no, I'm fine really, just sore. I'll be fine by tomorrow." I replied.
"Bella..." Alice said from her perch on my armchair. I had completely forgotten she was there. "It's starting to turn purple." she said worriedly.
"Bella, Alice is right, especially if it's turning purple. You are coming in here to see me. It will only take an hour and then I'm off my shift. My offer still stands too. We can go out to dinner after that," he said. Alice heard that and starting clapping and bouncing in her seat. I shot her a look, but it didn't even faze her.
"SHE'LL BE THERE IN 20 MINUTES!" Alice yelled into the receiver.
"Aliiiceee..." I complained, "I've already been in the hospital once today. Do I have to go back?" I whined.
"Yes," Alice and Edward replied at the same time.
"UHG! Fine, I'll see you in 20 minutes and then we're going out to dinner okay?" I asked Edward. I could practically hear him smirking at his victory over the phone.
"See you then. Goodbye Bella," he responded, and before I could argue any further he had hung up on me. Alice pulled me up off of the floor before I had even closed my cell shut.
"Common common! We have 20 minutes to beautify you before your date!" she yelled, already in fashion drill sergeant mode. I groaned, but knew that I stood no change against the almighty Alice. She would tie me up if I tried to get out of her Bella Barbie time.
Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed, my hair and makeup done, and sitting in the passenger seat of Alice's car with an ice pack on my hand. Alice was truly a miracle worker. She could even make me look good in the little time that she had to work with me. She swears that I don't need much, I have my own natural beauty, but I know it's only because she has so much experience with dressing me. She's been doing it for 12 years.
I was wearing my favorite dark wash J Brand skinny jeans and somehow, Alice had an adorable midnight blue top on with my favorite Tory Burch black flats. I know they are expensive, but they are so cute and comfortable, I just can't resist them. I was nervously fidgeting my hands in my lap. Alice sighed loudly, clearly becoming very annoyed with my nerves. I glanced over sheepishly and gave her and apologetic look. She sighed again, but smiled sympathetically. We didn't need words in this moment. We both knew exactly what the other was trying to say. I was saying, "Sorry, I'm just a nervous wreck," and she was saying, "I know honey, but you look great. He's going to die when he sees you." I may not necessarily agree with her, but it didn't matter. Her small wordless conversation with me put my nerves at ease. For now.
We pulled up to the hospital parking lot and my recently tamed nerves ignited again. I was taking deep, soothing breaths as we walked up the sidewalk towards the sliding glass doors of Seattle Grace Hospital. My eyes darted around the lobby of the emergency room as soon as we walked in. I sighed with relief when I couldn't find him waiting for me. Good, now I have time to prepare myself. That relief didn't last long as I saw him jogging lightly down the hallway headed straight towards me and Alice. I was close to hyperventilation as he got closer and closer. Alice, sensing my stress, squeezed my hand and hugged me while whispering in my ear.
"Don't worry Bell, he must be just as eager to see you as you are him. I asked the nurse to page him and she said he was all the way on the other side of the ward. He must have run to get here," she said quietly into my ear. That brought be great consolation. So he was just as eager to be with me as I was him. Good.
"Bella!" Edward exclaimed once he got to us. He was panting heavily. He must have run pretty fast to be panting that hard. I blushed at the thought of him running to get to me and ducked my head down to hide my pink cheeks.
"Oh Dr. Cullen! Great to see you again!" Alice exclaimed.
"Please, call me Edward," he replied with a charming smile. She laughed lightly.
"Well Bell, I have to get going, but call me if you need me," she exclaimed, "Love you!" With that Alice was prancing down the hallway, taking my last escape away. I looked over at Edward to find him looking at my wrist with a crease forming in between his eyebrows. I looked down at it to find it even more purple and swollen than it was in the car.
"May I?" he asked looking pointedly at my injured wrist. All I could do was nod before I felt his lean, cold fingers probing at my bruised wrist. I winced when he touched a certain part. He noticed that and quickly lightened his already feather-like touch.
"I'm pretty sure it's broken, but we should take some x-rays to be sure," he said after his examination of my hand. I sighed. Great. More time in the hospital all in one day.
"Alright, just do it," I relented. He chuckled lightly at my defeated expression, but grabbed my good hand and walked up towards the receptionist. She looked up and batted her eyes at him and gave him a slutty smile. I couldn't help the pang in my heart when she did this. I have no idea why though, it's not like I have any claim over him. I couldn't help but smile with satisfaction when he didn't even respond or flinch at her advances. Maybe he does like me, or he's just being polite. The receptionist's flirty eyes turned into slits and narrowed towards our clasped hands. He chuckled under his breath at her reaction. I giggled along with him, giddy to know that I was the one she was jealous of.
"Lauren," he nodded in her direction, "This is Ms. Swan. I would like to set up a couple of x-rays for her wrist. Make sure to get examination room 3. I'll take them myself , so don't worry about paging anyone." he told her. Her face fell when he said he would be taking care of me himself. I did a little dance inside of my head at his authoritative tone towards taking my x-rays himself.
Lauren nodded and gave me a once over. My cheeks flamed at being under her scrutiny. She was looking at me as if she was checking out her competition. I fidgeted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. Edward cleared his throat loudly and gave her a deadly glare. The phrase if looks could kill ran through my mind at that moment.
He gave Lauren one more glare, and then grabbed my hand again and tugged me down the hallway that I had seen him come from earlier.
"Sorry about her," he said sheepishly, "She has been flirting with me since I started my residency here and can't take a hint."
"No don't worry about it. I'm used to it. My friends are all gorgeous, as you've seen with Alice. I've never quite fit in with them," I said looking down embarrassed. I felt a cold finger go under my chin and force me to look at his face. I was expecting a sympathetic look, but I was met with an enraged one.
"Don't ever say that. You are beautiful Bella. You have natural beauty unlike fake than Lauren over there," he said indicating back down the hallway with his head. He thinks I'm beautiful? Nobody has ever told me that. Well, of course Alice does as well as my parents, but I never took those to heart. They had to say that, they were my family and best friend. The way Edward said it, made me believe it. I smiled genuinely at him. He seemed pleased with my reaction and grabbed my hand and resumed pulling me down the hallway.
"Well here we are," he said opening a door at the end on the left. He opened it and gestured for me to go in. I thanked him and walked into the room that had some large machine in the middle of it.
"Okay, just sit here, but this on, take off any jewelry and place your hand right here," he said, gently taking my swollen hand and placing it on some kind of a table. He walked over towards a panel on the wall with a ton of buttons on it, pressed a few and a flash went off.
We did this a couple more times until he helped me up and brought me back down the hallway and into his office to wait for the x-rays to develop. I sat down in a plush leather chair in front of his desk and he sat in the one behind it.
"I'm glad you let me convince you to come in a get that wrist looked at," he said with a slight satisfactory smile on his face. "If you hadn't come in, that broken wrist would have healed crookedly and you would have had a problem. I laughed at his smugness of his victory.
"Well, I wouldn't have come in and had anyone else look at it," I replied. He laughed, but there was a slight knock on the door that interrupted us. He got up swiftly and answered it. There stood another nurse standing there, puckering her lips.
"Here's those x-rays you asked for Dr. Cullen," she said in what I assume she thought was a seductive voice. I snorted and Edward turned his head to give me a dazzling smile, but put back on his professional face as he turned back to the nurse. She was glaring at me just as Lauren had done. God, how many nurses in this hospital had eyes for Edward?
"Thank you Jessica, you may tell my father that my shift is over and I will call him later," he said dismissing her. She nodded and walked off swinging her hips, trying to be sexy, but it looked like she was limping. He closed his door and walked over to the light on his wall to look at my x-rays. He placed them up and looked at them with a thoughtful expression. He turned around to me to give me the diagnosis.
"Well I was correct, it is broken, but it's a clean break. All you will have to wear is a brace if you promise to keep it on," he said.
"I promise," I said rolling my eyes. He smiled and nodded.
"I'll be right back, I'll go get that brace and change so we can get out of here," he said while heading over towards the door. Until that moment, I had completely forgotten about our date. That brought all of my nerves back immediately.
I stared to feel the butterflies in my stomach that were there previously. I didn't even have time to ponder that any longer as the door swung open to reveal an amazingly gorgeous blonde woman.
My self esteem went down a couple of notches just being in the same room as her. She was tall with golden blonde wavy locks that went down to her stomach. Her glacier blue eyes were piercing. Clearly, this woman was fuming about something. I was cowering back in my seat as she stormed into the room.
"Where's Edward?!" she half yelled half growled.
"Edward is right here," he said from the doorframe with a slight smile gracing his lips. I looked back at the woman and imagined steam coming out of her ears. How did they know each other? She wasn't his girlfriend was she? They were both gorgeous enough to be together, but he had asked me out on a date! He was standing in the room with his beautiful girlfriend and a girl he just asked out on a date, and he looked purely amused. Man, this guy was full of it, and clearly confident.
"Your dufus of a brother decided that he was going to jump into the waterfall at the mall and get arrested!" she screamed. What I wasn't expecting was Edward's response. He burst out hysterically laughing, holding the doorway for support. The woman looked ready to kill.
"THIS IS SO NOT FUNNY! HE'S YOUR BROTHER! GO BAIL HIM OUT!" she screeched.
"No way, he's your fiance Rosalie and not mine!" responded a now sober Edward. It all made sense now. This wasn't Edward's girlfriend, but his soon-to-be sister-in-law! I felt like such an idiot for even doubting him.
"Fine, but your coming! I maxed out my credit card this morning on these gorgeous pair of shoes," she responded, slightly calmer.
"Rose! I have a date!" he said indignantly looking pointedly at me. Rose turned around, finally realizing that I was still in the room.
"Oh!" squeaked Rose. She smiled sweetly at me, an action that was the exact opposite of her earlier demeanor. "Well, she can come with us!" clapped Rose. She would get along well with Alice, I thought passively.
"Who doesn't love to go bail their idiotic fiance out of the slammer?" she said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sure she would love to come on that adventure"
"But Rose, I'm sure Bella would rather not spend her evening in the Seattle police station!" cried Edward. I laughed. I had spent plenty of time in police stations before. You had to with a father as a cop.
"No Edward, don't worry, I don't mind. I've spent plenty of time in police stations. My dad's chief of police in the town I'm from," I said, trying to reassure him. I really didn't care what we did, as long as I was with Edward. He looked over at me to see if I was just being polite, or I really didn't care what we did. He must have seen something, because he sighed with resignation and nodded his head at Rosalie. She squealed and ran over to hug me. I was taken by surprise with the force of the hug and even the hug itself.
"Thank you Bella! You are an angel. If it wasn't for you agreeing, I would have had to call my cousin and both Edward and I know, he would not have been happy!" she exclaimed. I laughed at her enthusiasm. She reminded me of a more kick ass version of Alice.
"Don't worry about it! I can't wait to meet your fiance if he's being arrested for swimming in a fountain at a mall. I'm pretty sure he'll be a hoot," I said. She laughed loudly along with Edward.
"Oh you have no idea," she mumbled under her breath. I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did and starting laughing. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the door where Edward still stood, but now dressed in regular street clothes.
"Bella, you can ride with me!" Rose exclaimed excitedly.
"Not a chance," Edward interrupted, "She's my date, and you already interrupted our supposed to be lovely evening together. She's riding with me," he said with finality in his voice. He left no room for argument. Rose scoffed, but released my hand and pushed me towards Edward. I tripped over nothing and started falling. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact, but it never came. Instead I felt familiar strong arms wrap themselves around my waist.
"Careful," he warned, "We already have one broken wrist that I still haven't even put that brace on it." I huffed at his ill humored joke that was directed at my clumsiness. His lips twitched, trying to hide a smile. He clearly knew that if he valued his life, he better not make my lack of balance the butt of any more of his jokes tonight.
He set me upright and quickly put the brace on my hand painlessly. I smiled at the tenderness of the way he handled me. It's as if he considered me made of glass and he didn't want me to crack or shatter.
He grabbed my good hand and we walked hand in hand down the hallway following a very short fused Rosalie. Even when she was thundering down the hallway, she looked as if she was strutting her stuff on a runway.
We got out to the parking lot and he directed me towards Rose's car. He clearly couldn't drive his own, seeing how it's completely crushed from this morning. I cringed internally, thinking how I could have killed him in my stupidity.
Almost as if he could read my mind he looked over at me and said, "Don't worry about the car. I should actually thank you for giving me that last little push I needed to get a new one. I was looking at new cars anyways." I smiled apologetic for my idiocy when driving, but was comforted by the fact that he was planning on getting a new car anyways.
He held open the door of Rosalie's candy apple red BMW convertible for me and helped me into the back. He got into the passenger seat himself and Rose got into the drivers and started the car. The entire ride was filled with silence except for Rose's occasional burst of profanities at other drivers, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was the kind of silence that people had when they don't have anything to say, but don't feel the need to make awkward small talk. The only people I ever have this kind of silence with is Alice and her boyfriend Jasper.
We pulled up to the station faster than I would have gotten there myself. Rose liked to drive fast, when I preferred to follow the speed limit, except for this morning clearly. Edward got out and gave me his hand to help me out. He was clearly a true gentleman. And people say that chivalry is dead! They clearly have not met Edward Cullen.
We walked into the station and up to the front desk. I knew most of the officers here, seeing as how my dad is in the force. Most of them had been through Forks some time or another. I was being greeted as I walked down the hallway with Edward. He had a clear look of confusion on his face.
"Bella! Long time no see," said the secretary, Dolores. She interned in the Forks station for a couple of months, and we got to know each other well. She was always one to dish out the latest gossip of the town to me.
"Hey Dolores! Hows life been lately? Dad misses your filing mastery," I said conversationally.
"Ah, you know, same old same old. Pushing fifty believe it or not. Doug's planning some big shindig for the big five oh. Well I miss that big bear of a man too. How's the old man doing?" she asked.
"He's pretty good, you know, eating steak and fries at the dinner every night." I replied. It was always a running joke about my father's eating habits between Dolores and I. She agreed that he needed to lower that cholesterol of his.
"Tell that man to take it down a notch on the salt," she told me, "He's going to have a heart attack one of these days!" I laughed and told her I'd pass it along. I didn't realize until now that both Edward and Rosalie had been completely silent throughout our entire exchange. I looked over at them and they both were completely dumbfounded and lost. I laughed at the pronounced crease that was between both of their eyebrows.
"Dolores interned at my dad's station a couple of years ago," I said. "Actually, most of the entire Seattle police force has been through our tiny town of Forks some time or another. I know pretty much the entire Seattle police department," I said laughing.
Realization dawned on both of their faces and they both relaxed their stances.
"Thank goodness! I was starting to think you were some kind of delinquent who's a regular here!" Rose declared. I laughed loudly along with Dolores at that one.
"Little Bella Swan a delinquent? More like a saint!" Dolores exclaimed, laughing at the sheer impossibility of me being a criminal. Edward gave me another confused look, but I just shrugged my shoulders a gave him a fleeting smile.
"So little Bells, what brings you to my neck of the woods?" asked Dolores.
"Well it seems my lovely little fiance here has gotten himself in a pickle," Rose answered for me. Edward sighed exasperated at the sheer thought of his brother. Dolores looked confused for a second, but starting giggling uncontrollably once she figured out who we were talking about.
"Oh! That Emmett kid? He's a riot. Never had someone in here for swimming in a mall lobby while singing "Wade in the Water."" she said remembering the sheer ridiculousness of that. Rosalie's cheeks turned and slight pink and she rolled her eyes, clearly embarrassed for her fiance. I had a feeling this Emmett guy was quite a character.
"Yeah well that's Emmett for you," Edward chimed in.
"Funny kid. He even seemed proud for getting put behind bars for his little stunt," Dolores said. Rose started coughing, but controlled herself after a minute.
"Ha, well yeah. Um...how much is his bail?" Rose asked embarrassed.
"Only $150," Dolores replied while looking at his file. "Usually it would be more, but the kid charmed the officers with his jokes. They let him go easy."
Rose sighed and looked over at Edward, who was already getting out his credit card to bail his brother out. He handed it over to Dolores who charged him and then called into the back to have them get Emmett from his cell.
I heard booming laughter coming from down the hallway and was soon greeted with the sight of a humongous man. At first glance, you would cringe in fear at the utterly mammoth size of his muscles, but once you glanced at his face which was broken out into a dimply smile, you knew that this massive man was a big old cuddly teddy bear.
"Rosie!" he exclaimed in his resounding voice. He ran towards her, picked her up, and swung her around while placing a big smooch on her cheek. Once he put her back on her feet again, she slapped him in the back of his head with an audible smack.
"You big dope! Why the hell were you thinking? Swimming in the mall's water fountain?! Do you have any idea how dirty and incredibly stupid that is?" screeched Rose. Emmett's delighted expression turned into forlorn one as she scolded him.
"But Rosie..." he said, trying to vindicate himself.
"NO BUTS!" she interrupted him. He nodded his head like a reprimanded puppy. She patted his arm, but gave him a warning glance telling him not to argue.
Throughout the entire quarrel, I stood there with my jaw slacked, while Edward stood there all nonchalantly as if this was an ordinary occurrence. Once Emmett caught sight of Edward in his peripheral vision he swung around, grabbing his brother into a hug.
"Hey little brother! What are you doing here? Rose drag you along little Eddie?" he inquired enthusiastically.
"Emmett, for the last time, my name is not "Eddie," or "Little Ed," it's Edward, and yes, your fiance dragged me and my date to come and bail you out seeing as she maxed out her credit card shopping." responded Edward. Emmett laughed at Edward's vindictive tone, but once he got to part about Edward's "date" he sobered up and looked over Edward's should at me.
"Whoa man! Good catch, this one's a keeper. How'd ya find her?" Emmett questioned.
"Emmett," Edward sighed, "This "catch" has a name. Her name is Bella, and I met her at the hospital. Well more like I took her to the hospital. This is the woman I got in a wreck with this morning."
"OH! The hot one you were telling me about?" Emmett proclaimed.
"EMMETT!" Edward hissed, his cheeks turning pink.
"Well, I can see what you were talking about. She is gorgeous," Emmett responded, ignoring my now inflamed cheeks as well as Edward's. Before either Edward or I could respond, I found myself being hugged tightly by Emmett. Well, more like having the air squeezed out of me.
"God Emmett, let the girl breath!"
"Emmett! Careful! She was just in an accident!" Edward and Rose said at the the same time. I felt myself being dropped back onto my feet and I staggered back into Edward's chest. The booming laugh that I had heard earlier filled the police station once again.
"Great to meet ya Bells!" Emmett exclaimed, the dimples in his cheeks becoming more pronounced.
"You too Emmett. It's nice to meet a guy who can somehow get arrested in a mall," I responded. He laughed at me joke and punched Edward in the arm.
"I like her! You better keep her around!" he told Edward. Edward looked pleased at his older brother's approval of me, but tried to keep it hidden with a snort while rolling his eyes.
"Let's get going. I haven't eaten anything but a salad all day," Rose said.
"See you later Dolores!" Emmett and I yelled at the same time. We looked over at each other and burst out laughing.
We headed back out the Seattle Police Department's doors and to the cars parked in the parking lot. The whole walk out, Emmett was retelling the story of his quite eventful day.
I was already liking this family, and I had only met them today.