Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.
Many thanks to Jadsmama and Ladysharkey1, my amazing beta team for this story. You ladies rock!
4.
The hospital
That night, Edward found out silence really could be deafening, his body tossing and turning on his new bed as he tried to shake the feeling of restlessness that had taken hold as soon as he lay down.
It was too quiet, the only changes in the monotonous silence being caused by the faraway screeching of animals or the odd snapping of wood. It was nothing like the sounds he'd known at home. In Chicago, though he'd only lived in neighborhoods that were advertised as 'quiet' and 'upscale', there was always the background of buzzing cars or the faraway wailing of a siren to lull him to sleep.
But Forks? Nothing. Not even a bunch of idiots running amuck on their way back from whatever boozing hole they'd stumbled out of.
It was only when the first sounds of the awakening town brought some change in the monotonous silence that he managed to nod off into that deep sleep he'd been craving in between all those frustrating shallow drifts – finally. Though even in his dreams, the memory of brown eyes, pale skin and fire-spitting anger remained with him, making his body twist in the sheets and giving his mind no real rest.
It was somewhere around ten in the morning when he woke up, disoriented and still dead tired but knowing that, if he was going to report for duty at the hospital in three hours, he'd better get up and get ready. It was a good thing he'd always stuck to having his suits, color-coordinated Oxfords and matching ties hanging together in just the way the helpful sales-assistants had managed to piece them together; the only real decision left to him being the color of the shoes – one of the four pairs of work-appropriate dress shoes he owned. It was a virtually fail-safe system.
It was a good thing, too, since his mind was a sleep-deprived, nervous mess, constantly bordering on a state between sheer excitement and blind panic at the prospect of going back to work…back to the hospital.
"My, my," Esme grinned, ostentatiously fanning herself with a piece of paper as Edward trudged down the stairs. "Don't you look dashing for your first day. Mommy would have been so proud. Did she pick out that flashy suit of yours or were you allowed to shop on your own?"
He, very maturely, stuck out his tongue, smoothing down the silk of his tie as he made a bee line for the coffee maker, his sister's laughter ringing out behind him as he tried to get to grips with the new piece of machinery. "How the hell does one even operate this thing?" he finally grumbled, as his fourth attempt at brewing a fresh cup of coffee met with a murky, watery substance. "I didn't know you needed a fucking degree in engineering just to get a cup of coffee in the morning!"
"Awww!" Esme cooed, rising from her spot at the kitchen table. "Is the mean machine keeping your coffee hostage? Let your big sister help you out with that!"
"Just get the damn thing to work!" Edward grumbled, his eyes following Esme's hands as she got the offending piece of equipment to function without a hitch.
"There!" she grinned, presenting him with a steaming mug of cappuccino. "All better now?"
"Slightly," he mumbled into his cup, the sharp, bitter taste of coffee blending with the softness of steamed milk on his tongue. Heaven.
"You were always a terrible grump in the mornings," she teased, patting an empty bit of table across from her as Edward grabbed a Danish from the nearly empty box on the counter. "It's refreshing to see how some things never change."
"What are you working on?" Edward, eager to change the subject, let his eyes glide over the rough sketches Esme had scribbled on the back of what appeared to be the back of a torn envelope.
"Some ideas I got for a bathroom-remodeling job I'm doing for the Kings while I was reading the paper," Esme muttered, her hand almost twitching above her pencil with her impatience to get back with work.
"Don't let me keep you," Edward shrugged, sipping his coffee as he tried to wriggle the discarded newspaper from underneath the envelope while trying to make sense of the phrase 'bathroom-remodeling'. He couldn't fathom why people would want to mess with such a tiny, functional space unless of course the sink was falling down or something. Which he somehow doubted was the case.
Before five minutes had passed he was ready to burst; the unanswered question in his mind making him twitchy as he peered at his sister's sketches from behind his paper. "What the hell is a bathroom remodeling job?"
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask," Esme giggled, putting her pencil down again as she glanced at the clock. "Almost five minutes. I'm impressed."
"I'm learning," Edward ruefully conceded. "What I don't understand is why people could possibly want to remodel their bathroom. I mean, I take it there's already a functioning bath and sink in there, right?"
"That's where you are wrong," Esme smiled, glancing at her sketches with the satisfaction of an artist knowing that the ideas in her head had transferred onto paper. "You think only in ways of function and practicality where most of my clients…" She shrugged, toying with her pencil. "They just want everything to look pretty and en vogue."
"What the hell could be 'en vogue' about a bathroom?" Edward wondered, still not seeing the point. To him, a bathroom was a bunch of tiles interspaced with the odd showerhead or bathtub, toilet and sink and maybe one of those special radiators that kept your towels warm. How on earth something like that could ever become fashionable eluded him.
"You'd be amazed!" Esme grinned, going back to her sketches as a new idea popped into her head.
"It looks great." Even upside down and in the crudest of outlines, he could already see the bathroom taking shape; a huge black tub surrounded by black and white scenes from the ancient Greek mythology set in mosaic. It looked like something that could be in Home and Gardens, not on the back of an envelope. "I love what you're doing with the mosaic stuff."
"Thanks!" Esme's smile was radiant, the tip of her tongue appearing in-between her lips as she put the finishing touches to the sketch. "I read something about the financial cluster-fuck in Greece and this idea popped into my head. It's based on some of the stuff I saw when I was doing the rounds through Europe." She sighed, sitting back as she appraised her work. "Not that the Kings would appreciate my artistry, though. If Anne King has ever heard about the story of the Minotaur I'd be very surprised. They'll probably only care about the fact that I'm using gold accents and that the whole thing will cost more than most people make in a year."
"Maybe you should use the story of Midas and his golden touch instead!" Edward joked.
"Now that's an idea!" His sister grinned, bumping his fist like they always used to do when they were younger. "I doubt they'd even notice it unless someone pointed it out to them. And it's very fitting too."
"So, the Kings get off on having money, huh?" Edward wondered, trying to form a picture in his mind of the people he'd probably soon encounter 'in the wild'.
"You could say that again!" Esme snorted. "Richard King owns – or better said, inherited, since I don't think the man ever worked a damn day in his life – the largest mill in town and Anne is very high up at the local branch of Sterlings, though I think she only stays there so that the Kings have the inside scoop on practically every dime that goes around in town."
"Isn't that supposed to be illegal?" Edward frowned.
"I bet it is," Esme shrugged, "but you'll soon find out that when it comes to Forks, the Kings are…well, Kings. They are a law on their own around here, which makes their son the uncrowned prince of Forks."
"He's Rosalie's boyfriend, isn't he?" Edward racked his brain, trying to create some order in the chaos.
"Yep. Though I'd seriously doubt if my 'darling step-daughter' would have found him so attractive if his parents weren't so loaded," she confirmed. "Leave it to Rosalie to find the few pompous assholes out here and call them her friends!"
"So, there's more like them?" Edward cringed, the idyllic picture of Forks as the laidback paradise his sister had painted for him the day before suddenly starting to show cracks.
"A few, but most of them converging around the Kings like the sun shines out of their backsides," Esme answered, counting off the names on her fingers. "Let's see….there's the Crowleys, though Tom isn't so bad if you've got him on his own, and, of course, the Newtons; the local leisurewear moguls."
"Leisurewear moguls?" Edward snorted. If bathroom remodeling had sounded strange to him before, they were no match against his sister's latest linguistic creation.
Esme smirked. "They own this huge store that sells outdoor supplies right on the edge of town. I think we passed it on our way in yesterday. They are horrible, self-important people, which might explain why they get along so well with the Kings."
"It's just like back home, then," Edward smiled ruefully, finishing his coffee. "Only with more mud and less people."
"True!" Esme snickered, glancing at the clock on the kitchen counter. "Don't you have to get going if you want to pick up your car before your shift at the hospital starts?"
Oh crap! Edward cringed, noticing, as his eyes followed his sisters' that he'd have to rush if he wanted to get everything done in time. "Where is this garage again?"
With his sister's directions he managed to find Call's Car Repairs, which happened to be just down the street from the 7Eleven, just like about everything else the town had to offer. After a brief stand-off with the cocky garage employee who looked like he should have been in school, he managed to make it to the hospital with time to spare.
The only problem was, though, finding the right way into the maze of small, two-story buildings that seemed to have been merged together over the years. The only thing they'd apparently forgotten, during those mergers, was creating a door that could be recognized as such. There were only windows, as far as he could see, though Edward suspected that crawling in through one of them wouldn't make a great first impression on his new colleagues and patients.
"Hello?" he called out, trying to get the attention of a nurses marching across the parking lot at a breakneck speed but, though he didn't manage to catch her attention over the noise of her iPod, following her did bring him to what appeared to be a staff entrance.
"I swear I'm not stalking you!" he chuckled when the nurse turned around, looking a little started to find a stranger trying to sneak into the building behind her. She finally took the buds out of her ears, thundering basses thumping into the air surrounding them before she switched off the device. "I'm new around here and looking for a way in."
"You know? You're not the first one to say that!" she grinned, trying to hide the effect the handsome, auburn haired stranger had on her by taking a leaf out of her younger brother's book and acting as bold as brass. "I'm Rachel, by the way. Rachel Black."
"Edward Masen." He reached out, his hand folding around Rachel's as she took it. "I'm supposed to report for duty at Dr. Cullen's office." He smiled as her small hand disappeared into his, taking the opportunity to check out his new colleague. All in the name of getting to know one of the people he was going to work with, of course.
She was pretty, that was a fact, but in a very open, uncomplicated way; her tan skin and dark features betraying what Edward assumed was a Native American heritage and her demeanor friendly but confident; just the kind of thing he liked to see in a woman. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to mind working side by side with her.
"Follow me," she sang coyly, making sure she had an extra sway to her step as she took off, craning her head over her shoulder to address the new doc on the ward. "I'll lead the way."
From the inside, the hospital looked just like any other he'd been in, though maybe a little smaller and less hectic than the big hospitals back east which had been his teaching grounds.
Walking in, they found themselves right in the middle of the ER; a small waiting area to their left near the carefully hidden main entrance, with a big reception area/nurses station separating it from the curtained off treatment areas and the ORs. On the far end of the vast open space, near what Edward, based on his experience, assumed would be the operating rooms, a set of elevators and a flight of stairs led to the upstairs space where, if Edward assumed right, the Intensive Care Unit and most of the patients' wards would be. Just like back in Chicago, only a lot smaller.
"You're lucky," Rachel called over her shoulder, her hips still swaying rhythmically to the excited drum of her heart, though maybe a little more pronounced than she intended. "It seems to be a slow morning."
"I can see that," Edward chuckled as he looked around, most beds empty as nurses hung around making sure everything was prepped and ready to receive patients or chatting by the nurses' station.
"Contrary to what it may look like, we do get busy sometimes," Rachel, reading the unspoken words off his face grinned. "You should have seen the place last year when there was a big pile up on the 101 just outside town…" She shook her head, a shudder running down her spine at the thought of what icy roads and heavy trucks could do to the human body. "It was like this place turned into hell in the span of fifteen minutes."
Edward nodded, having seen the organized pandemonium of a hospital in full disaster mode more times than he cared to remember.
"It doesn't happen a lot, though." Rachel's grin widened as she leaned against the front desk, quickly grabbing a chart and letting her eyes run over the notes scribbled on top before placing in back. "You'll find Dr. Cullen on the first floor." Her finger pointed at a corridor leading off behind the nurses' station. "Third door on the left. You can't miss it."
"Thanks." He smiled at her before setting off in the direction she'd pointed out, his back already turned before he could see the effect of his perfect white teeth and crooked grin on the poor, unsuspecting nurse.
"I'll be seeing ya!" she called after him, her voice a little shaky as she stealthily fanned herself with a chart, already looking forward to showing the new guy the ropes. Who needed McDreamy when you had Dr. Fuckhot running around your own, local hospital?
Edward, meanwhile, wasn't so steady on his feet either, his nerves multiplying with every step he took up the stairs and down a corridor leading off from the first floor landing until he stood in front of the office, wishing his face didn't betray the way he was feeling on the inside. He was sure Carlisle already knew he was a mess, without actually having to see it. Besides, he wanted to make a good, professional impression on his first day back as a doctor. He had to. It was the only chance he got at getting back to what he loved best: practicing medicine.
Forks General Hospital might have been a far cry from the prestigious, challenging environment he'd worked in back in Chicago but at least he was going to be treating patients again. His hand twitched by his side at the thought of being able to hold a scalpel or even a suture needle again. God he missed it.
This was a first step; a stepping stone on his way back to St. Mary's and the job he'd worked so hard for. Six months in Forks and he would be back there, in the home stretch towards redemption. Six months to prove that he had mastered his demons and had what it took to come back from his 'sabbatical'. Six months of super-imposed exile.
"I can do this," he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he summoned the memories of what it used to be, of why he loved being a doctor, strengthening his resolve and finally making him raise his hand and knock.
"Come in," Carlisle's voice announced, his tight smile greeting Edward before he went back to the discussion he'd been having with Nora, his secretary.
Edward sat, his legs twitching nervously under the desk as he waited for Carlisle to finish up his conversation. From the sounds of it, the hospital had hit a snag trying to work out the latest budget cuts while still maintaining the standard of care it wanted to offer the people depending on it. Just like everywhere else…
Finally Nora said her goodbyes, shutting the door quietly as she went back to her adjacent office, leaving the two doctors alone in the room.
"I've got your contract here," Carlisle started. "I'd like to go over a few things with you first, before we get you settled in. Is that okay?"
Edward nodded. "It's fine by me."
"The first half is pretty standard, just the usual run-of-the-mill stuff that every contract in our field contains." Carlisle slid a small stack of papers across the table so that Edward could read along. "It's what you can expect from us as your employers and what we, in turn, will be expecting from you."
Again, Edward nodded, his eyes running over the letters. Carlisle was right, it was a pretty standard contract, though he suspected that the 'opportunities' the hospital had to offer probably paled in comparison to what he'd become used to at St. Mary's, which was, after all, one of the most renowned hospitals in the greater Chicago area.
"The second part is quite specific, as it's tailored to your particular situation," Carlisle added, his words chosen like a true diplomat. "Of course there will be rules," he went on, "some of them may be a little draconic but, hopefully not so much so that they surpass what is reasonable. Just the things we need to make sure you don't get led into temptation and we can get to know and trust you, and work from there."
Okay, here it comes, Edward thought, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as Carlisle sat back, regarding him with pale blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing.
"No matter how extenuating your circumstances were at the time, you committed one of the cardinal sins in medicine. Stealing from the hospital pharmacy and performing procedures while under the influence…" His lips pressed into a hard line as he shook his head in distaste, his eyes fixed on the papers in front of him. "That's something no respectable doctor would ever do."
Edward sighed. As if he needed further proof of Carlisle's low opinion of him or the consequences of the mess he'd created. "I know."
"However," Carlisle went on, "I am a firm believer in second chances, as are my fellow doctors at this hospital. Which is why we are prepared to give you a chance to prove yourself, provided you will be able to play by the rules this time around."
"Okay," Edward nodded firmly, "let me have it."
"You'll be under a full probation for the first half of your stay here, which will mean that either I or one of my colleagues signs off on all of your cases…" Edward nodded, already having expected as much, as he listened to the continuation of Carlisle's speech "…and for the time being, you will be strictly prohibited from prescribing or administering narcotics unless supervised by a medical specialist. You will also agree to attend weekly sessions with a hospital approved psychiatrist and will submit to monthly, as well as, un-announced blood and urine tests. Any breach of these rules will mean your instant and irrevocable dismissal from this hospital. Am I making myself clear?"
"What if there's an urgent case coming into the ER?" Edward, who, again, had been prepared for all those terms, wanted to know. It'd been the worry which had been plaguing his mind from the moment Dr. Adkinson had told him were the likely stipulations attached to his return to practicing medicine. "Will I be able to push pain meds or do I have to wait until someone's available to hold my hand?" He hated the thought of people being in pain because of something he did.
Carlisle's face softened, his concerns slightly lessening when he noticed Edward's obvious dedication to his patients. "As long as there's a senior nurse standing by and the situation absolutely requires it, I believe it would be allowed."
"Thank you," Edward muttered, the enormity of the endeavor he was about to embark on slowly starting to sink in. He would have to start again, from scratch, knowing that this time he wasn't just the lowest post on the totem pole, but that everyone around him would be watching his every move with a wary eye, waiting for him to screw up again.
And this was only the beginning. If he managed to get through these first three months and then through the next three of what he assumed would be a slightly more relaxed supervision, there was still the Herculean task of winning back the trust of his former peers and superiors at St. Mary's.
He sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, his hand shaking as he picked up the pen and signed the contract Carlisle had pushed in front of him. Another step on the long way back. But he was going to make it. He had to.
"Okay." He nodded, his tone a little lighter as he was finally satisfied that Edward knew what he was getting into. "Now if you want to follow me, I'll give you the grand tour before we throw you into the deep end."
Edward chuckled, relieved to have the 'business end' of the meeting over and done with. "Can we start with how to get in and out of the building? I had to stalk one of your nurses to get into this place earlier. I think I scared her half to death."
"Rachel?" Carlisle grinned, his hand firm around the door handle. "I believe it takes a lot more to scare her. You better watch out, Edward, I think she's set her eye on you. You've been the talk of the hospital long before you even set foot in town. From what I've heard, most of the nurses have been counting the days until the 'young, new big-city doctor' arrived in town."
Edward grinned as he followed Carlisle back down the stairs and into the main hub of the hospital. "You know what they say about doctors and nurses," he joked, shrugging his shoulders as he followed his brother-in-law back down to the ground floor. "It's a good thing I'm not a complete dog to look at, then. They might have been sorely disappointed."
"You'd do better to keep your eyes on your patients," Carlisle chuckled at his young brother-in-law's cocky confidence, his tone serious again as he caught the coy smile his charge nurse flashed at the newest member of their staff as they walked past the nurses' desk. "I don't think I have to tell you what will happen if you mess this up because you get distracted by 'side issues', do I?"
Edward shook his head, his shoulders drooping as he trudged on, not daring to chance another look at Rachel. "No, I'm perfectly aware of that."
"Good." Carlisle nodded and looked at the young doctor next to him to leave him in no doubt of Edward's dedication to the job. Edward, his eyes still trained to the floor, almost bumped into him as he came to a sudden stop in front of the doors.
"This is the main entrance," he started, waving at a set of double, sliding doors. "It's kind of hidden behind the ambulance bay, which explains why you missed it."
"Right." Edward looked around, trying to familiarize himself with the space and the configuration of the building. "So the ambulance bay shares the same entrance?"
"Yes," Carlisle smirked, wondering what the hotshot doctor from Chicago thought of his humble new surroundings. "It's a bit awkward at times, but there aren't that many urgent, critical cases around here, so most of the times we get by just fine."
"So, not that busy, huh?" Edward smiled, hoping this would mean more time to hone his skills and get back into the swing of things without having chaos erupting all around him every hour of the day.
"Oh, it's still busy," Carlisle warned him, "just in a different way. I'll tell you more about it later on." He took off again, his hand lithely touching Edward's shoulder urging the younger man to follow as they crossed the small waiting room. They toured the emergency section of the hospital, which consisted of two ORs and a line of beds divided from each other and the rest of the room by a row of slightly color washed light blue curtains.
"With the hospital being a small one, there's not many of us manning the hospital, which means that at any given time you will be either on duty, on call or on backup duty at home," he announced, his voice low and professional as he stopped to quickly check an elderly woman's pulse and scribbled something onto her chart. "Apart from myself, only two other surgeons practice at this hospital. Dr. Mark Banner, who's upstairs performing an appendectomy, and Dr. Maggie Molina, who's off duty right now."
"But you're the chief, right?" Edward asked, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Three surgeons seemed to be an awfully low number, especially taking into account that one of them had to divide his time between the OR and his desk.
"In name, yes," Carlisle smirked, "one of us has to be in charge and since, apparently, Mark and Maggie seem to think I have a knack for the administrative side of things, they shanghaied me into taking this job, but it's not like I ever really exercise my powers. I think all three of us have a perfect understanding of what's needed and how it needs to be done. It's probably very different from what you're used to."
"You can say that again!" Edward snorted, thinking back on Northwestern with its clear definition of hierarchy.
"As far as the ER goes, most of the time we're just here to patch people up and have them transported – by road, if they're stable, by air if their situation is more urgent – to Port Angeles or Seattle." Carlisle went on as the grand tour took them upstairs to where the patient rooms and another two operating rooms were located. "There are three additional doc's – Beckett, Havers and Lloyd – taking care of the patients down here that don't need surgical attention, though most of the time whoever is on call upstairs usually pitches in even if just to escape the boredom."
"But you do some procedures here, right?" Edward asked, remembering hearing something about an appendectomy just now. Appendectomies. There had been a time when, in his arrogance, he had almost considered himself above such simple procedures but now? He would kill to be able to perform a surgery again, no matter how basic. Hell, he'd even settle for an in-grown toenail if it meant he got to see the inside of an OR again. Who would have thought?
"We do," Carlisle confirmed, "but just the minor cases, nothing too extravagant." He chuckled, adding in a joking tone, "We're just a bunch of lowly general surgeons around here. You won't find any fancy brain surgeons around this hospital!"
"Apart from me!" Edward corrected him, grinning cockily.
"A disgraced one," Carlisle shot back. "So, are you ready to be left to the mercy of the ER staff or do you need me to hold your hand any longer?"
"Nope." Edward retained his cockiness, his fingers twitching to perform, no matter how menial the procedure and stringent the terms. "I'm good to go."
Carlisle nodded, silently escorting his brother-in-law back to the nurses' station where he introduced him to Theo Havers, the doctor who would be supervising Edward that day. "Just remember: no handling of narcotics and one of us signs off on all of your cases. If you find yourself in trouble, have them page Dr. Banner or me, or just ask one of the ER attendings. No heroics."
Edward shook his head, confirming once more that he was well aware of the rules. "I'll be fine," he reassure him once again, "I may be a little rusty at first but trust me, I've learned from my mistakes."
"Then get to it." Carlisle managed to keep his worries and doubts out of his face as he smiled, patting Edward on the back in a fake show of confidence to the staff. "Welcome on board Dr. Cullen."
He watched as Edward made his way over to the nurses' station and chatted with Rachel before she presented him with a chart and send him off to his first patient of the day, quietly conferring with Dr. Havers on the right amount of leeway the new doc should be given on his first day back into the field before he watched all of them disappear behind the curtain that hid their patient from view. It unnerved him to take a risk like that, even though most of the hospital staff had been behind his decision and even the Board of Directors of the cluster of hospitals Forks General belonged to had given their consent. It was still a gamble, though, and one he didn't like to make, knowing his patients would be the ones to suffer if it fell through.
From the documentation he'd received from Northwestern, he knew Edward was as talented a doctor as they came, already having proven himself over and over again during his internship and residency and, prior to his fall from grace, on his way to making a name for himself in his chosen field of neurosurgery.
He was the kind of doctor who would never have set foot inside Forks General Hospital unless he should happen to end up there as a patient. Being as it was, however, Edward was lucky to be able to work at any hospital and Carlisle was the one taking the huge risk of adding an ex-drug addict to his staff.
He would have been lying if he didn't admit that hiring his wife's brother had been something he'd wanted to do but, as so many men before him, he'd found himself entrapped by the feminine wiles of his wife and unable to refuse her that which she desires most: to help out her little brother. After some lengthy and very heated discussions with his fellow doctors, they'd decided to take the gamble and having him sign on, though be it on the strictest of terms and under ever-watching eyes.
Carlisle sighed, his eyes still fixed on the baby blue curtain. Right then, his feelings about the young man even more conflicted than they had been to begin with. There was something about him that reminded him of himself when he was younger; the drive and eagerness to learn and prove himself, as well as, the wish to make the most of any situation, even if it turned out to be a huge step backwards, all making him want to like the guy. But still, the way Edward had blatantly endangered his patients and put the whole hospital at risk by performing and assisting procedures while under the influence, were things that he could not overlook and he knew that, had his last name been anything else but 'Masen' he would not have ever wanted the man to set foot in his hospital.
No. As he snuck back up the stairs to settle in for a tedious day of paperwork, he knew that, as hypocritical as they were, these were the choices he'd made and he would have to stick with them to the very end. Edward had declared himself ready to come back and practice medicine again and he would have to trust his judgment without constantly looking over his shoulder. Even though, God knew, he wanted to.
Meanwhile, Edward was finding his return to action harder than he thought it would be; neither his mind, nor his fingers acted as quick and precise as they used to do, in spite of all the medical journals he'd devoured and many hours of practicing sutures on his practice pad. After his first patient, who had been treated under the sharp and constant supervision of Dr. Havers, the latter had deemed him capable enough to treat the next few on his own, though it hadn't escaped Edward's notice that his supervisor seemed to constantly hover in the distance.
Fortunately, most of the cases that entered the ER that day seemed to revolve around vomiting, flu-ridden kids and adults, mishaps in gym class and the odd lumberman injury. Nothing too trying or dangerous. They were the kind of cases which, a few months ago, he could have treated with his eyes closed; the ones that made him hate being the on-call attending for the ER.
"This is pretty much your typical day at the office," Rachel remarked as they walked away from a guy who'd gotten his hand stuck between a tree and a piece of logging equipment. "Further along in the winter, we usually see an influx of traffic accidents when the roads get slippery from the snow and then, of course, we get a lot of tourists in the summer."
"Tourists?" Edward snorted, not quite seeing what was so dangerous about Forks to have drones of vacationers end up in the ER.
"Yes. Tourists," Rachel's snarky grin was back, adding a touch of danger to her beautiful, dark Native-American features. "You know? Cocky, city boys like you who think just because they've watched a few episodes of 'Man vs. Wild' and bought a snazzy pair of outdoor boots, they're suddenly the new Bear Grylls."
"Cocky, city boys like me?" Edward snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, don't deny it!" Rachel huffed, rolling her eyes as she finished adding some new information into a chart. "I bet you don't even own a pair of gumboots!"
Edward cringed. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid."
"Don't sweat it, city boy!" Rachel grinned, playfully rubbing his shoulder. "We'll make a mountain man out of you yet. As far as cocky, big city doctors go, you're not so bad any way."
Edward grinned, deciding to take her snarky remark as a compliment. "You're not so bad yourself either. For a small-town girl with a big mouth, that is."
"Touché," she ginned, averting her eyes as she summoned up every ounce of brass she could muster before taking the plunge. "Hey, are you doing anything on Friday night?"
She let out a small breath of relief as Edward shook his head. "A few of us are heading over to Sam's after our shift and I was wondering if you'd like to join us? It would be great way to get to know a few people around here."
Edward knew her invitation for what it was, her words leaving little room for doubt. Even if he hadn't gotten the message by the way she'd been flashing many not-so-stealthy glances at him all day when she thought he wasn't looking or just happened to be close whenever he needed the help of one of the nursing staff.
Why not? he thought, quickly weighing the pros and cons of going on a date, or at least something close to it, with one of his co-workers. They were both consenting adults and, as long as she was left in no doubt of what he was willing to offer her, he didn't see any harm in it. It would just be sex; no strings attached and no promises of more. Just two people cashing in on a mutual attachment.
"I think you're right," he finally nodded, his ego a little bruised at basically being asked out by a girl. "Can I get back to you on it, though? I'm not sure if my sister made plans already."
She rolled her eyes, trying to keep her cool. "I'm always right. Now excuse me, I have patients to attend to." And just like that, she walked away from him again, choosing to do her squealing in the privacy of the women's locker room.
"Right." Edward let out a whooshing breath, scratching the back of his head as he tried to take stock of what the hell was going on. A date, that was about it. Esme would be over the moon to find out he already had a date and Rachel…she was a nice girl, just the kind of easy going girl he needed to get back into the saddle.
Still, there was this thing, this gnawing doubt in the back of his mind that he couldn't put his finger on; a sense that he was making a mistake by getting caught up with the first girl who happened to charm her way into his life.
What the fuck? Edward's frown deepened as he started to wonder if all the intensive therapy he'd undergone over the past months had somehow screwed with his genetics and turned him into a simpering little girl. Nope. No tits in sight. Just acting like one.
Deciding then and there to quit over-thinking things before he would, indeed, grow a pair of tits and turn into a complete girl, he grabbed another chart, hoping that little Seth Clearwater and his croup would get his mind out of the funk it had somehow landed in.
A few more hours of treating patients, running tests and updating charts and Edward really started to feel the strain of being back in the saddle; the weeks of idleness not only messing with his skills but, apparently, also with his stamina.
Only two more hours. He sighed, glancing at the clock in-between patients, his mind slugging and his eyes stinging with the lack of sleep. He was determined to keep up, though, forcing his mind back into a state of alertness as he stealthily rubbed his eyes as he exited the little curtained off room.
"Edward?" He looked up to find Carlisle standing close to him, his eyes following Edward's every move just like they had been doing for most of the day. "A word, please?"
Carlisle motioned for Edward to follow him to his office, the door clicking shut behind them for the second time that day.
"Is something the matter?" Edward asked, mentally taking stock of his day to find if there was anything that might have displeased his new boss.
"No," Carlisle answered lightly. "I just wanted to know how things are going so far."
"Good…I think," Edward answered hesitantly, his confusion rising with every second that passed. "It's a little harder to get back into the swing of things than I thought it would be, but so far I'm managing just fine, I guess."
"Good." Carlisle nodded, an awkward silence settling over the room.
Edward was still racking his brain over why Carlisle had called him into his office, since he didn't believe for a second he'd been called in just to chat about his day. Could it have been he'd overheard him talking to Rachel?
"I have a confession to make." Edward looked up in nervous anticipation as Carlisle finally spoke. "My reasons for giving you a shot here at this hospital weren't completely altruistic." Carlisle smiled a little guiltily, smoothing a crease in one of the papers strewn across his desk. "I have a patient that has so far proven to be a huge challenge to my abilities and, seeing that you bring a very particular set of skills to the table, I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me treat this man."
"Okay." Edward nodded, still not quite knowing how to act. Help. He could do that, right? There was no harm in helping…or so he'd been brought up to believe. "What can I do?"
Carlisle sat back, his hands folded over his stomach as he slowly blew out a deep breath, feeling both his failure at being what his patient needed, as well as, his excitement at the prospect of what Edward's expertise could mean for both of them. "Tell me," he started, his tone low and almost conspiratorial, "What do you know about Fatal Familial Insomnia?"
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