Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do have a few tattoos...and there might even be a Twilight one in the mix somewhere.

Removed - Chapter 3

EPOV

Pulling out the business card that Jasper gave me last night, I dial the number to Swan Dermatology.

"Good morning, Dr. Swan's office, how can I help you?"

"Uh, yes, I need to make an appointment."

"OK, let's see . . ." she says, pausing. "Are you currently a patient?"

"No, ma'am."

"What will we be seeing you for?"

"Uh, I have a tattoo that I'd like removed," I say. Without telling it to, my hand immediately rubs the left side of my chest.

"OK, you'll need to have a consultation first. Would next Thursday be good for you?"

Any day would work for me, but I don't want to waste any time getting this taken care of. I've wasted too much time living in the past and I'm definitely ready to move forward.

"Do you have anything sooner?"

"Since it's just a consultation, I could probably squeeze you in on Friday."

"That sounds great!"

She gives me the rest of the information needed and I quickly type a reminder into my phone after I hang up. Friday can't get here soon enough.

"Dr. Swan will be right with you," the nurse tells me, placing my new medical chart by the sink and walking out of the room.

I sit down on the examining table, hating the sound of the protective paper crinkling under the weight of my ass. What that annoying paper's really supposed to protect the table from, I have no idea, but it gets on my last nerve. Maybe I'm just on edge because I don't know what to expect from Dr. Swan. I can't imagine having to spend my day inspecting strangers' skin and lasering off unwanted tattoos. I bet nothing surprises her, though.

I chuckle to myself, thinking of the crazy stories she must have, which reminds me that I forgot to ask Jasper how he knows Dr. Swan and why he highly recommended her. There's obviously something about my friend that I don't know, and I make a mental note to find out soon.

At least the room's decorated nicely; it's comfortable and warm, unlike most other doctor's offices I've been to. Gone are the overly-descriptive medical posters and advertisements for the latest and greatest drugs available, for which I'm enormously thankful. I once had to take my mother to her gynecologist appointment to receive some test results. My dad was out of town on business and she didn't want to be alone; so, of course, I agreed to go with her. The results turned out fine, my mother in perfect health, but it took days to get the explicit images out of my brain of what the inside female reproductive system looks like.

I love how it feels to be inside a woman, but I don't ever want to look at pictures like that again, that's for damned sure!

A shiver runs through my body just as the door opens, as Dr. Isabella Swan walks into the room.

Holy shit, is she gorgeous!

I watch as her full, pink lips smile at me and I think I smile back. I'm really not sure because it feels as if I'm in a trance. Her mouth moves a little bit before her smile falls, resulting in a concerned look on her face.

Oh, fuck, I think she asked me something and I completely missed it, because I was checking her out. I'm such an idiot!

I clear my throat and close my eyes, willing myself to get a fucking grip, before speaking.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

The smile is back, along with a quiet giggle, before Dr. Swan answers.

"I was asking if you were cold. It looked like you were shivering when I walked in."

"Oh! No, I'm fine, thanks."

"Well, good. I was worried for a minute, there, Mr. um. . . Cullen," she says as she looks at my chart.

"Please, call me Edward."

"Okay, Edward. Tell me why you're here today."

"Well, I have a tattoo I want removed," I tell her. I'm feeling nervous and I'm not really sure why. It could be about the procedure, itself, but it may very well be the beautiful doctor in front of me.

"We can definitely do that," she begins, as she stands, flipping through the few pages of my chart. "Where's the tattoo located?"

"Here," I reply, rubbing the left side of my chest.

"Would you mind if I have a look?"

"Oh, right, of course not."

I start unbuttoning my shirt, feeling self-conscious as I work my way down. Glancing up at Dr. Swan, she seems totally at ease, which helps me relax a little.

Calm down, this isn't a big deal!

She sees naked people all the time and, truth be told, I really have nothing to be ashamed of.

I leave my shirt on once I get it unbuttoned, not sure if I should take it off completely.

Dr. Swan clears her throat and takes a step toward me. "May I?"

I nod my response.

She slides my shirt over my left shoulder, exposing my chest. I can see her eyes examining the ink that creeps across my arm and shoulder.

"I see that you're not opposed to ink; if you don't mind me asking, why not get a nice cover-up job?" Her deep brown eyes meet mine and I find it hard to string a few words together to make a coherent sentence.

"Uh, yeah . . . I mean, no. No, I don't mind you asking. It's more than just the ink." I pause, hoping to hell this doesn't sound stupid. "It's the principle, I guess. This is something from my past that I'm finally ready to let go. Having it removed feels like the last step in a long journey."

"Well, I need to warn you that tattoos removed from the chest area can often result in scarring."

I look down at my chest, but I already know my answer.

"I'm already scarred emotionally. I guess a physical one would be appropriate."

"Hopefully, you won't have any problems, but I just like to warn my patients beforehand. So, when do you want to get started?" she asks, her fingers grazing the skin of my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I reply, "As soon as possible," mentally berating myself for not being able to control my physical response to this woman.

"I could probably squeeze you in sometime next week."

I bet you could. Fuck! What is wrong with me?

"Next week would be great, the sooner the better."

"I'll go over the details a little more in-depth next week, but the process is fairly simple. Local anesthetic is available upon request." She pauses mid sentence, smirking up at me. "But I'm sure you won't be in need of that." Her voice is suggestive and, if we were anywhere besides a doctor's office—specifically, her office—I'd assume that she's coming on to me. Hell, I can guarantee that I'd be coming on to her!

"I'll see you next week, Mr. Cullen," she says, opening the door of the exam room. "Oh, and you might want to button up your shirt." She winks and flips her hair over her shoulder as she walks out.

"Fuck, me," I groan, under my breath. Literally, please!

A/N:

Enters Bella. And, the UST begins. ;)

Don't forget, we'll be back tomorrow . . . same time, same channel!

Thank you so much for reading! Please let us know what you think so far in the reviews!

As always, a big thanks to our rockstar beta, Mauigirl60!