Attitude Adjustment

My entrance into the nurse's office is less than graceful.

To be more specific . . . the first thing that touches the ground is my head.

"Oh dear!" Mrs. Cope exclaims, quickly standing from her desk to come and help me stand.

Good going, Bella!

Now my head hurts even worse.

Would it have killed you to let Edward carry you here?

I ignore the more intelligent part of myself, deciding instead to focus on telling Mrs. Cope why I'm here. "Someone kicked a soccer ball into my head during gym."

"Let's get some ice on that right away," she says, leading me to sit down on a cot. "Should I be expecting a frantic mate to come through those doors?" she inquires expectedly.

I chuckle with depression, "Nothing is for sure with him, but I told him not to."

She frowns, "It would have been better for him to come along; he might start a fight with whoever did this to you. " She hands me a surprisingly soft ice pack before going back to her desk, "I should probably call him to the office as to avoid a fight."

"You don't have to worry about that," I assure her.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he's the one who did it."

Her jaw drops, "Oh my – he must feel terrible! Of course you know that, surely, it was an accident."

I don't respond.

She observes me for a minute. Then, cautiously she asks, "Would you like to talk about it?"

I sigh, "Not really."

She nods. A minute passes before she murmurs, "Do you mind if I tell you something?"

I wave my hand, "Sure."

"Now, I don't know you personally, so what I'm about to say could be completely irrelevant, but . . . I assume you are still early on in your mating, is that right?" She continues when I nod, "It is definitely an adjustment; in the beginning, when I first mated with my husband . . . I'd known him as a bully. He'd picked on me since grade school; made me feel terrible. And while mating doesn't change the person . . . it can change their attitude."

"What does that mean?" I ask.

She smiles softly. "Mating is a very complex event."

I've heard that before.

"Feelings you've never felt before; feelings that are unprovoked by any obvious thing, other than what you've been told by others."

"Everybody knows that it's caused by a gene in the X chromosome."

"This is true," she nods, "But it's more than that. Think about it – females have two chromosomes, each with an equal amount of this particular gene. This gives us balance."

"Ok," I say, still not understanding.

Where is she going with this?

"Males only have one X chromosome, with twice the amount of the gene that their mate has. This causes them to feel the connection on a higher level; something that you and I, or any other female, will never understand."

"What does that have to do with an attitude adjustment?"

She pulls a packet out of her desk, still smiling, and walks over to me, "Anything that you need to know is in this packet." She places it in my empty hand.

I groan, "Can't you just tell me?"

"It's not easy to explain."

"Well, you've clearly memorized that packet – just paraphrase," I insist.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "Imagine having to experience your own struggles, while feeling the weight of another's at the same time. And that weight is so foreign that you just can't take your mind off of it; it has to be lifted."

"So," I start, "He, what? Can feel my emotions?"

"And your pain, your desires, your fears, your aspirations –"

"I'm still not getting it."

"And it becomes more important to him than his own. When you're hurt, he needs to take your pain away, because it is his own. When you're sad, he needs to make you happy, because he will suffer along with you. When you're happy, he needs you to share it with him, because he's the only one who truly understands exactly how you're feeling."

I don't know what to say to that.

"So, whatever old feelings that you have for him that still reside . . . just know – while he, as a person, will always be the same . . . it is both physically and mentally impossible for him to leave you alone – regardless of whether you want him to or not."

"Well," I gesture towards the door, "He hasn't showed up, yet."

Mrs. Cope chuckles, shaking her head, "First and foremost, your mate will listen to your words to appease you. Second, he will listen to your heart."

Why did she have to make it sound so nice and romantic?

"I'll give you some Advil and then you'd better head to your next class; I think you'll be alright," she dismisses me.

Why did that feel more like a session with a therapist than a nurse tending to my wounds?

A/N: This chapter should have helped you understand more how Edward (and males in general) are effected by the mating process.

Now . . . what challenge must you overcome for me to post another chapter tonight?

Hm . . . I'm thinking that ten reviews (again) should do it - that shouldn't be a problem for you guys though. You accomplished it with flying colors last time :)

Don't get used to me going so easy on you again ;)

Love you!

~ Madison ~