A baby boy was born to Esme prematurely in the early hours of dawn.
She laid on her hospital bed in a sea of white sheets.
Her hair was densely matted on the sides of her face due to the remnants of perspiration she experienced a few hours earlier.
Instead of feeling exhausted and drained, she felt extremely unsettled with visceral excitement.
She was finally going to meet him for the very first time.
She gently drummed her fingers on the mattress as her mind pondered on the endless possibilities of how he would look like.
Would he have her eyes?
Would he have the colour of her hair?
Would his smile be like hers?
She could not contain herself.
Esme stared at the bare white ceiling as she waited. Not far from her room was the nurse's station. The sound of a dreary metronome piercing the silence with it's ticking finger.
A few moments later, she could hear someone's flat footfall reverberating in the distance. Somehow she felt inane with anxiety, it was ridiculous but she felt this maternal instinct of worry about her child. She didn't get the chance to see the child after she had delivered him, and all she could do was hope for the best that he was alright.
The silence in her room was interrupted by the creaking of the door.
A nurse dressed in white entered carrying something small in her arms, shrouded in a light blue cloth.
The auburn-haired nurse smiled as she walked over to Esme's bedside and placed the delicate infant in her arms.
"You have a beautiful baby boy." The nurse whispered to Esme, "He's still asleep." She said after she placed the baby in her arms and she headed towards the door.
"Thank you." Esme replied softly.
The nurse gave a nod before gently closing the door to Esme's room.
She stared at the lovely creature she held in her arms, coddling the child closer to her.
An image of purity and cherubic innocence that could only belong to this beautiful angel.
She smiled with trembling lips as warm tears slowly flowed down her cheeks.
She had made it.
They both had made it.
The child stirred lightly in her arms as he sleepily lifted his eyelids, revealing caramel coloured eyes.
"I love you my sweet angel." She whispered lovingly at the small infant.
She gently traced the shape of his small palms with her index finger when he grasped it gently, his eyes somehow focused on hers, "Can you see me yet darling?" She whispered gently.
The baby's brows furrowed as he let out a small sneeze.
Esme chuckled softly, "God bless you, my angel." She said, lifting the baby's hand to her lips and kissed it sweetly.
"May I interrupt you both for a moment?" A voice spoke,
Esme turned to see who it was and smiled to see Marc poking his head in from behind the door.
"Marc, come in," She said quietly, her voice sounding rather hoarse. "Don't make too much noise though; I think he's falling back asleep."
"Of course," Marc replied, slowly making his way towards her with a gentle smile.
He sat on the side of her bed as he looked at her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked,
"Quite weak, but I don't care, it was definitely worth it." She said smiling once more.
Marc laughed, "Definitely, that's a fine young man you have there." He said as he nodded at the baby.
"Yes he is, isn't he?" She said beaming down at her baby.
"Oh I almost forgot." Marc said as he pulled up his left hand, revealing a bouquet of lilies in vibrant colours of magenta and citrusy orange.
"Marc, they're lovely. Thank you." She smiled as he placed the flowers next to her nightstand.
"You're most welcome. Before I leave, I'll make sure to have the nurses find a vase for that." He replied.
"Thank you so much; I don't know how I can-"
Marc laughed rather sheepishly, "No trouble at all, really." He said softly.
"Nonsense, I shall pay you back somehow." Esme insisted.
"Alright, when you get your strength back we'll think of something."
"Alright that would be good."
They chatted for a few more minutes when the baby started sneezing more often.
"That's strange," Esme said under her breath. She gently raised her hand and placed it softly against the baby's forehead.
"Is he alright?" Marc asked.
"He seems fine," Esme replied, more so to herself than Marc. "He feels slightly warm, that's all." She said as her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Would you like me to call for the nurse?" Marc suggested.
"Would you kindly please?"
"Certainly, I'll be back."
She watched Marc exit the room as she checked on her baby once more.
Marc returned a few moments later with the same nurse whom Esme saw earlier accompanied by an elderly doctor with silver-grey hair.
She felt infinitesimally bated when the nurse took the baby from her arms as the doctor performed a routinely check on the child.
"Is he going to be alright?" She asked, her voice almost coming out as a whisper as she wrung her hands gingerly.
The doctor looked at her beneath heavy spectacles, "It seems he's caught a cold of some sort. I can't say for certain, we'll have to keep him under observation in the nursery."
"In the nursery?" Esme repeated, "Why can't he stay with me?"
"For sanitary purposes, we're not exactly sure if the bacteria he contracted are contagious or not. But I assure you madam he will be just fine. One day, two at the most."
"That seems awfully long doctor. . ." Esme says quietly. Biting her lip lightly, her mind deep in thought.
"Alright, do what you think is best. But please, be gentle with my darling." Esme said begrudgingly.
They started to exit the room as Marc held the door open for them to walk out.
"Wait." Esme called out. Still feeling quite capricious about her decision.
She wanted to tell them she changed her mind, but saw the look on the doctor's face and decided against it at the last minute.
"Can I kiss him goodbye?"
The nurse walked over to her and Esme took the child into her arms once more.
"I love you very much sweetheart. Mommy will be here waiting for you when you return." She whispered as she kissed the baby softly on the cheek.
Marc closed the door and walked back to Esme's bedside.
"Will you be alright by yourself? I need to do a few errands." Marc said as he gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Yes of course. Just kindly visit me when you can." Esme replied with a small smile.
"Will do."
Shortly after Marc leaves, Esme falls into an uneasy sleep that was filled with worry. .
She waits in fervour of impatience as 2 days stretched itself out with an uncaring yawn, the minutes and hours seemingly refusing to move.
Later in the afternoon. The doctor visits her, unaccompanied by the nurse.
The child had died.
A savage storm had broken out during the black depths of night. Lightning setting the sky ablaze with cold winds that carried icy breaths.
A nurse was passing by a corridor when something caught her eye as she passed a window.
She blinked her eyes several times thinking it was her imagination, yet there it was in front of her.
A woman dressed in a hospital gown was running aimlessly into the open plains in the middle of the feral tempest.
The nurse was beginning to feel panicked as she saw the woman stand on the foot of the cliff. She pried her eyes off the window to summon help.
Within the split second she had left the window, the woman dressed in the hospital gown was no longer standing there.
The Columbus Hospital ironically was situated on a road that led up to a small and stony hill which was perched ominously not too far from a certain infamous cliff that lay barren and untouched by any humans due to it's dark reputation.
Dr Carlisle Cullen was working his graveyard shift at the top floor of Columbus Hospital that evening.
He found the top floor to be very accommodating when he needed his moments of solitude. For most of the staff members tried to avoid that particular floor due to it's grotesque ambiance.
He wandered through the dark corridors with silent footfalls. His graceful stature moving through the clinical floors with ease, his stethoscope swaying gently as he held it loosely in his right palm.
He took a turn at the end of a corridor, a soft sigh escaping his lips as his pale fingers tugged on his tie lightly. The day was crammed in with patients of all shapes and sizes yet no matter how daunting their number grew he tended to each and every one of them with immeasurable patience and diligence, not even for a second faltering.
His rounds were set to start in about 30 minutes.
He was about to proceed to the stairwell when a nurse emerged from room 17 A. Judging by her face, even from the great distance, he could see the outcome was grim.
On a regular night, he would have kept to himself and moved on, but for some reason that he could not fathom, it was as if it was gravity that propelled him towards that room.
And he could not fight against it.
It called out to him with soft whispers that lingered in the night air.
His instincts were as sharp as his acute senses. He approached the room slowly as if he were under water. His hands found the doorknob; he stopped momentarily as he heard it. Soft at first then clearer and clearer.
A soft pulse was beating in the muffled distance, it was weak but steady.
He pushed the door open as he stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him.
Once inside, he closed his eyes as he began deciphering the scents that trickled into his nostrils that came from a mysterious figure that was shrouded in white.
Moisture from the rain.
Dirt.
Grass.
His eyes widened as he recognized the fourth scent.
His mouth parted, not daring to believe it could be even remotely possible.
It can't be.
And yet even in the dimly lit room, he knew.
Her scent was there. Clear and pure as the night air yet powerfully distinct.
His golden eyes laid on the still figure that was before him, covered in a white sheet as it layed there in stoic silence.
His tongue felt tight in his mouth as he grinded his teeth, his fists clenched.
His hands grasped the end of the white sheet as he began lifting it.
His eyes could not lie. It was her, only her. For there was no one in this infinite world who looked like her. Not her nose, not her lips nor her eyes, not even her scent.
He looked at her with mournful eyes as he knelt by her side, the first time in almost 10 years.
He softly took her hand which had been callously scarred and kissed it softly.
He knew now what he had to do.
His head snapped towards the door. In the distance he could hear footsteps approaching, there was no time to waste.
He opened a nearby window and walked back to where she laid.
He gently lifted her in his strong arms. For a brief moment she had opened her eyes, but before he could see them, they were already moving fast into the night.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry again for the major delay XD I'm still recovering from a flu and a terrible cough, but I'm getting better now! And a major THANK YOU! To all who reviewed I LOVE YOU GUYSSS! You guys make me so happy! :) Stay tuned for chapter 18 ;)
Oh and a reader of mine wanted to know my age, so I decided to turn it into a bit of a guessing game so we can have a bit of fun :) Whichever reader guesses my age right gets the chance to suggest a song for me to use in my next chapter so ready, get set, guess! XD
Keep reading and reviewing you gorgeous people :) Lots of love and God bless!