Ch.3: Carlisle
"Oh, Sweet Mary and Joseph. She just jumped right off the cliff. Me and the wife were on our way home from dinner at our son's, and there she went."
The voice drew my attention from the medical journal I had been reviewing. I enjoyed practicing medicine in this small town, but it was incredibly different from the fast pace I was used to in Chicago. Most nights, I spent reviewing the latest medical discoveries and treating the occasional emergency patient.
Today, because of the storm, it was cloudy, so I had decided to come in to the hospital early to check on a patient who had come in the night before. Because it was still early, Dr. Morris was still on duty in the ER, but the distraught voice drew me out of my office and toward the nurses' station.
"Over here." Dr. Morris directed as he lead the man over to a gurney. "You can put her down here."
As I rounded the corner, I could smell the blood, and from across the room, I could see that there was no hope for her. Her body lay in a broken heap on the gurney.
"She's dead." Dr. Morris pronounced after a cursory examination. In his defense, it was almost true. She was actually moments from death, her heartbeat so slow and faint as to be almost non-existent. However with my refined senses, I could tell that she was still, in fact, alive.
"Gladys," he said, turning toward the nurse hovering at his side, "please call an orderly to take the body to the morgue." He then led the good Samaritan and his wife to the small waiting room.
By the time Gladys turned to do as Dr. Morris asked, I was behind her. She stumbled, startled by my sudden appearance. Reaching out to steady her, I said, "Gladys, I'll take her down."
"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." Gladys was obviously relieved to have the poor broken body removed from her ER. "Poor girl."
Now that I was closer, the scent of her blood almost overwhelmed my self-control. Only once before had I scented that heady combination of spring rain and gardenia.
When I was working in the hospital outside Columbus, a young woman came in with a broken leg. Esme. Her name had been Esme. If I had had breath, her beauty would have stolen it away. In all my years in this life, I had never felt the urge to mate. Yet I sensed that she was meant to be my mate. However, I could not bring myself to be that selfish. She was barely more than a girl. She had her whole life to look forward to.
Though the broken body in front of me no longer bore any resemblance to that young girl, I knew it had to be her.
It had taken only a moment to reach the morgue, but knowing who she was and that the next moment would be her last, I had no time to think through my next action. Gently, I kissed her swollen lips. "Esme," I quietly breathed before sinking my teeth into the curve of her neck.
I had very little time to get her to my home on the outskirts of town before the pain would begin. I had to act quickly. Picking up the phone, I dialed the nurse's station in the emergency room.
"Gladys, I'm really not feeling very well. Would you please call in Dr. Hanson to cover my shift?"
"Of course, Doctor. You just go home and rest. You're here all the time. I'm not surprised you're feeling poorly."
"Thank you, Gladys." Hanging up the phone, I scooped up Esme's body. Extremely thankful that my enhanced senses allowed me to detect human presence, I ran out of the morgue, making my way to the rear exit of the hospital and into the surrounding woods.
It only took me moments to reach the house I shared with Edward. Esme was already starting to writhe in my arms as I ran up the steps to the front door. Sensing my thoughts, Edward was waiting in the open doorway.
Unfortunately, as we did not sleep, neither Edward nor I had a bed. Instead I lay Esme's body on the sofa in my office, immediately straightening her limbs, hoping that her bones would set correctly during her transition.
"Is there anything I can do?" I could hear the concern in Edward's voice. I did not need to explain my actions to him. As soon as I approached the house, he knew what I had done and why. He could sense my mixed feelings. My elation that this woman would finally be my mate. My sadness that her young life had been cut short. And finally, a yearning to know why she had taken her own life.
"Thank you, Edward. I've already done what I can for her. Now, we can only wait while the venom runs its course. The transformation will take several days, and as you know it's very painful, and when she awakens, she'll be very disoriented, and most probably very dangerous. We need to make sure no one approaches the house." Fortunately, I doubted that would be a problem. While the staff at the hospital was pleasant, as a general rule, people avoided us. Subconsciously, they could sense our predatory nature.
With a nod, Edward silently left the room. I settled down to watch and wait.
