Author's Note: Pretty long chapter, for me, I mean. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Chapter 56
"Bella!" Gwen Jackson greeted me warmly. "Welcome!" She turned to all her gynecologists and nurses. "Everyone, I'm sure you know who this is."
They all nodded. I was relieved to see that most of them were smiling. Others merely looked curious, as though they were thinking about the incident eight years ago. Some of the male doctors were eyeing me as though they might try their luck.
"Still, why don't you introduce yourself, Bella?" Gwen urged.
I smiled. "Hi, everyone. I'm Isabella Swan, but you can call me Bella. I'm new here, so I'm hoping you'll help me out a lot."
They all began clapping.
"Alright," Gwen said, and they all settled down. "Bella isn't totally new to the gynecology division. She's worked at the UCLA Medical Center in California, so she knows how everything works. Columbia's policies might be slightly different to her, so help her out if she asks."
"Yes, Professor," everyone chorused.
Gwen spotted something in the back of the crowd. "Ah, there he is! Hurry up, Cullen, you might as well greet your new student."
Carlisle came walking up to us, smiling at me paternally. "You're here, Bella. Welcome."
"Thank you, Carlisle," I answered.
Everyone looked confused by our casual exchange of greetings. No doubt they were still thinking about eight years ago. But I was determined not to let it bother me at work. This was my career, and I wouldn't mess it up for the world. I loved my job.
"Now, why don't we tour around?" Gwen asked cheerfully. "What do you think, Cullen?"
"I think that's fine, Jackson," Carlisle said reproachfully, giving her a look. "Must you always call me by my surname? We're colleagues, Gwen."
Gwen chuckled. "I like calling you Cullen. So even if you have a problem with it, deal with it, 'cause I'm calling you Cullen. Come along, Bella. Let's go meet your patients."
"My patients?" I asked as she dragged me away.
"We transferred a couple cases on your file," she explained. "You'll be in charge of them now. And here's your hospital cell phone," she added, handing it to me. "All our numbers are already saved. And the nurses and interns will beep you when they need you, in case of an emergency. We good so far?"
"Perfect."
"Hi, Nancy," Gwen greeted a mother as we entered her ward. "How you doing today?"
"Fine," Nancy replied. She smiled up at me. "Ooh, someone I haven't seen before. Who is this?"
"This is Isabella Swan, your new gynecologist," Gwen introduced. "She's a new addition to our staff; she just transferred here for an indefinite amount of time."
"Pleasure to meet you," Nancy said, shaking my hand. "I hope you're as good as Dr. Jackson is."
"Oh, Bella's the best," Gwen said dismissively. "No need to worry."
I smiled. "Nice to meet you as well, Nancy." I took her file from Gwen and studied it. "A Caesarian section, huh? Didn't it hurt?"
"Not really," she said. "They paralyzed me from my stomach down. I couldn't feel a thing. And then, of course, after it wore off, it hurt like hell."
I nodded. "And how do you feel now?"
"I'm still a bit sore, but I'm fine. I'm hungry, though. Isn't it lunch time yet?"
"We'll have food brought up to you soon," I reassured her, making notes on her chart.
"Good. Can I see my baby?"
"You can go see her after lunch, honey," Gwen said soothingly. "I promise. We'll have a nurse come in to help you there."
"Thanks," Nancy said gratefully.
I nodded at her before following Gwen out of the room.
"Nice job, Bella," Gwen said appreciatively. "I can see why you were Shelly's favorite. I can relax now that I've seen what you're capable of. I hope you'll keep surprising me." She winked.
I laughed. "All in good time. Don't worry."
Within the next hour and a half, I finished making my rounds with Gwen. All my patients knew about their new gynecologist, and the hospital seemed to have been let in on the news that Isabella Swan, formerly a Cullen's wife, was really back in New York.
I dropped off the patients' charts at the front counter, sighing as I finished signing them. A nurse smiled sympathetically as she took them. "Tough first day?"
I smiled tiredly. "The usual, I think. Usually, I'm busier."
"You must be really good," another nurse said. "I heard Dr. Jackson complimenting you. She doesn't do that usually."
"She doesn't compliment people?"
"No, she does," the nurse said, rolling her eyes. "She just doesn't keep going on for half an hour. It was Bella this, Bella that; the other gynecologists are jealous, Dr. Swan." She winked.
I laughed. "Uh-oh. And here, I was hoping to make some new friends."
"Maybe I can be your first friend here?" someone asked from behind me.
I turned and saw a young woman a little older than I was. She had dark, shoulder-length hair, and had beautiful blue eyes. She was slightly taller than I was, and her figure made her look as though she belonged on the runway. She was perfect in every way. She reminded me of Rosalie.
She smiled. "I'm Grace Jackson. Nice to meet you, Bella." She held out her hand.
I took an immediately liking to her straightforward and confident attitude. She was opposite from me in every way. Beautiful and confident. She looked smart too.
Smiling ruefully as I saw that she was better than I was, I shook her hand briefly. "Nice to meet you, Grace."
"I saw you making rounds with Gwen earlier," Grace said. "You seem to be very efficient. I think you'll earn yourself a title very soon."
"A title?"
"You'll be quite popular here," she clarified. "You'll be called skilled and talented. Pretty sexy too, I must say." She glanced up and down at me, looking envious, as if I was the beautiful one.
"Are you related to Gwen?" I asked.
Grace smiled. "She's my aunt. My father's elder sister, in fact. I was close with her as I grew up, and her gynecology facts just rubbed off on me. I followed in her footsteps, and here I am. What about you?"
"Carlisle," I answered. "He was always a second father to me. He was like my role model."
Grace nodded. "I see. Well, what do you say? Do you accept my friendship?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
I could tell she was popular amongst the boys here. She was like one of those model girls that came out in shampoo commercials. She had really glossy hair. And the way she flicked her head casually to get her hair out of the way made me feel self-conscious.
At least I wouldn't have to worry about boys here.
"Sure," I said easily. "You can help me out with the different policies here at Columbia."
Grace giggled. I was surprised by her sudden change of attitude. "Oh, it's easy. Just ask me anything." She handed her files to the nurses, who were trying hard not to laugh at my startled expression.
"She's quite girly sometimes," a nurse said quietly. "But she can be very matter-of-fact and confident as well. She's a good person." She nodded in confirmation when I looked at her inquiringly.
"So, Bella," Grace said when she was finished signing the papers. "It's lunchtime. You hungry?"
"Not really."
"You'll come," she said briskly, grabbing my arm and hooking hers into mine. She dragged me away toward the elevators. "'Cause I'm hungry. You can keep me company."
I laughed to myself. She was a really intriguing person.
Grace and I sat down on an empty circular table in the corner of the cafeteria. All the male doctors seemed to be staring at Grace, who didn't give a damn as she dug right into her pasta.
"Mm," she sighed. "The pasta here is always good. Try it." She gestured to my own plate.
Slowly, I ate a forkful. I was still aware of the eyes on our table, and felt uncomfortable.
"Um," I said. "Why is everyone staring at you, Grace?"
"Oh, they're not staring at me," Grace said nonchalantly as she took a sip of her soda. "They're staring at you."
"Me?"
"Of course," she said airily. "Why would they ever stare at me? Believe me, I'm as normal as anyone could be." She rolled her eyes. "Not that I care. Who cares if I'm popular or not?"
I was seriously starting to envy her bright attitude. How could she live such a carefree life without worrying about anything?
"Why would they stare at me, then?" I asked. "Because I'm new?"
"Well, I guess so," Grace said, frowning slightly at me. "But mostly, I think it's because you're too pretty to be a gynecologist." She nodded as she took another sip of her drink.
"What?" I said incredulously. "You're kidding, right? If anyone's average, that would be me, not you. You're prettier than I am."
She rolled her eyes again. "You're kidding, right?" She repeated my words. "Look, Bella. You're the only female doctor in Columbia that has the perfect body, a beautiful face, and the talent and intelligence. And I can't believe you don't even know it. You don't see yourself clearly."
I remembered Edward saying the same thing to me. I frowned, still thinking it was off. "It doesn't make sense."
"Whatever," Grace said carelessly. "No matter what you say, Bella, it's you they're looking at." She popped a tomato in her mouth.
I stared at her. Then, I smiled slightly. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven."
So she was the same age as Edward. Two years older than I was.
"What about you?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled due to the baby tomato in her mouth.
"Twenty-five."
Her eyes bugged out. "Seriously? No wonder! You'd better watch out, Bella. There are lots of male doctors here at Columbia that love younger women with pretty faces." She winked, smiling playfully. "I'm serious."
"Well, you can rescue me," I said, smiling. It was impossible to dislike her bright personality.
"Don't worry," Grace said dismissively. "I'm famous for saving girls from weird guys."
"Hey, Grace," a man in his thirties greeted her as he passed by our table. He stopped and looked at me, interested. I immediately averted my gaze, focusing on my food.
"Who's this?" he asked.
"Oh, you know," Grace said, her fork suspended in midair. "Isabella Swan. She's our new addition to the gynecology division. Be nice to her, 'kay, Sean?"
"Of course," Sean agreed. "Nice to meet you, Isabella." His voice turned smooth and charming as he addressed me. I tried not to grimace.
"It's Bella," Grace snapped at him, immediately coming to the rescue when she recognized the discomfort on my face. "And no funny business, or I will beat you up. You don't want that to happen." She glared.
Sean laughed. "Alright, alright. Keep your hair on. But you can't blame me. She's quite a sight."
I bit my lip as I blushed slightly.
"Go away," Grace said, sticking out her tongue. Sean chuckled as he obliged.
"See what I mean?" she said, returning to her food. "You'll be popular here. You'll get asked out quite a bit, so tell me if anyone bothers you." She grinned.
And here, I was thinking that I wouldn't have any admirers next to Grace. I fought back a sigh as the glee from earlier vanished.
"You know, I'm quite envious of you," Grace said conversationally after a while. "I mean, I've known you for only an hour, but I'm pretty good at figuring people out. I really like your calm, reserved personality. And you're really pretty. And rich. You're like…perfect." She sighed. "How can I be perfect like you?"
"I'm not perfect," I disagreed. "Nobody's perfect. I think everyone has a flaw."
"I dare you to tell me what your flaw is," Grace said testily. "I'll give you five seconds to think of one."
I smiled ruefully. "There's no need. I can think of one right away."
"What is it?" She looked sincerely curious. "Maybe I can take advantage of it." She laughed at her own joke.
"I have a history, Grace." I looked down at my plate as I said it.
She blinked, her smile vanishing.
"There's a reason why I reject every man that asks me out," I continued. "It's not that I don't like them. It's because I don't think it's fair to the other person."
Grace frowned. She looked ready to defend me from myself. "Who cares? That was eight years ago. Who remembers what happened eight years ago?"
"Everyone does," I sighed. "You'd be surprised. And I remember. I can't forget. There's not a day that goes by that I don't forget."
She studied me. "You've had a hard life, huh?"
I sighed heavily. "A bit."
She looked sympathetic now. "It must be worse. I heard you were in-laws. That's horrible."
"Not really," I said, shrugging. "We were family friends even before our marriage, so it really doesn't make a difference. We were going to have to see each other eventually."
Grace nodded slowly. "I suppose. Well, let's hope that you won't have any more problems." She paused, then fired up again. "But that's not really much of a flaw! It's all in the past!"
I smiled amusedly. "If being a divorcee isn't a flaw, I don't know what is."
"Oh, please. When people look at you, you're so pretty that they just forget about your history. It doesn't count."
I knew that I wasn't going to win, so I let it go. "Let me ask you a question. Do you know Angela Weber?"
"Angela Weber?" Grace's eyebrows scrunched up. "Cardiology nurse, possibly? I think I've worked with her once or twice when mothers with heart problems come in. Yeah. Why?"
"She's my high school friend," I said wistfully. "I wanted to see her."
"Oh, you'll see her soon," she said dismissively. "I think today's her day off. I'm pretty sure it is."
I nodded slowly. "I see."
"Hey, girls. Enjoying yourselves?" The speaker was none other than Jasper Whitlock himself.
He drew up a chair between us and set his tray down on the table. Obviously not caring that people were staring, he plopped down on the chair and began eating.
"Oh, hey, Jasper," Grace said easily. "How's it going?"
"Fine. I see you've met Grace, Bella. That's good. Stick with her. She's a good person."
"Well, I'm flattered," Grace said indignantly. She was looking back and forth between us. "How do you know Bella?"
Jasper looked up from his food. He looked at her like she was crazy. "Because she's my sister…?" he said slowly, as if she was hard of hearing.
Her eyes popped out. "No way! You guys look nothing alike! And she's a Swan, and you're a Whitlock! No. Way."
I was trying not to laugh. "We are siblings, Grace." I nodded when she looked at me.
She looked bemused. "Wait…you're married to Bella's ex-husband's older sister?"
Jasper frowned as he tried to figure out the description. He muttered to himself. "Ex-husband's…? Older sister…? Oh, yeah. Alice. Yeah." He nodded.
"Seriously?" Grace asked faintly. "I didn't know. How come I didn't know? I didn't know."
"Yes, you did," Jasper said, rolling his eyes. "You probably just forgot. You're forgetful."
Grace groaned. "You're probably right."
Jasper turned to me. "You might become a little tired of her after a while. She has short-term memory sometimes."
I smiled. "It's fine."
"You guys are seriously related?" Grace asked. "But your surnames…"
"I'm adopted," Jasper said matter-of-factly. "I used to go by Swan, but then I changed my name to my real surname so I could carry on my family's lineage. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still legally tied to the Swans." He shrugged. "I'm her brother. Deal with it."
"Hey, is Ang here today?" I asked.
"Angela? No, it's her day off." Jasper stole my apple from my tray and took a bite of it. "She'll be back tomorrow. She already knows that you're back in New York and you're working at Columbia now, but I'll remind her tomorrow."
"Thanks, Jazz. How's work?"
"Surprisingly slow. No patients today." He shrugged. "Not that I'm complaining."
Grace shook her head. "You two must be close. Like, really close."
"We are," Jasper told her. "We're tight." He winked at me.
"Did you guys get home okay last night?" I asked. "You know, after the party."
Jasper rolled his eyes. "Alice was still upset. And she took it out on me. She kicked me out into the guest room for about thirty minutes before she let me back in our bedroom." He gave me an accusing look before taking another bite of the apple.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"What happened last night?" Grace asked eagerly.
"Nothing," Jasper said simply. "So, Bella. How's your first day at work here?"
"Fine," I said, shrugging. "I met a new friend, so it's not horrible, at least."
Jasper's hospital phone beeped. He cursed and ate a mouthful of his food before checking it. His expression turned surly.
"911," he said glumly. "Where are all the freaking doctors? Can't a man take his break for once?" He sighed.
Grace laughed. "That's the thing about being a cardiologist. Too busy."
"Oh, and a gynecologist isn't?" Jasper shot back. "I'll bet you anything that your own PDA will ring in five seconds."
"Oh, good," Grace said, pleased. "Since I won't ever forget that Alice Cullen is your wife, I want a whole outfit from her store. Fashionista." She sighed dreamily.
My brother snorted. "Done. The next five seconds." As we waited, he stuffed down his pasta quickly in his mouth.
Exactly five seconds later, Grace's PDA beeped.
"Ha!" Jasper said smugly. "The deal's off."
Grace pouted as she checked the message. "Ugh. My patient's blood pressure is dropping again. Seriously? It's like the fourth time today." She groaned.
Jasper opened his mouth to retort when there was another beep. Startled, I brought out my own new PDA, and saw that I had a message as well.
"911," I read out in shock. "Oh, for goodness' sake." I slumped backward in my chair, sighing. "I knew today was going too easy."
"They're making you do an emergency patient on your first day?" Jasper asked, impressed. "They must really trust you. That's good." He turned back to his pasta to scarf it down. His PDA beeped again, more urgently this time.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Jasper mumbled as he got up with his tray. "Bells, you wanna come with me? Both of us are due down at the ER anyway."
I nodded. Grace and I rose from our seat as well. We dumped our trash, and hurried out of the cafeteria.
Simultaneously, our PDA beeped again. Urgently.
Jasper and I looked at each other. And we began running.
"See you two later!" Grace called from behind.
I nearly bumped into an elderly lady who was walking extremely slowly. "Sorry," I called as I ran on.
Beep! Beep!
"Alright, alright," I said, checking the phone as I ran. "I get it. It's an emergency. Is this one of Columbia's policies as well?"
"What?"
"Beeping a doctor a lot more than necessary in case of an emergency."
"You can say that."
We burst into the Emergency Room together. A nurse glanced at us in alarm, then pointed urgently to the bed in the middle of the aisle. There was no space for her on any of the other beds, but the woman lying on the stretcher looked horrible.
And I saw that her belly was swollen. Like she was already nine months pregnant.
"Same patient," Jasper muttered as we hurried to the bed. There were already several ER doctors and nurses surrounding her. "Wow, Bella."
"Ditto. Move aside!" I ordered. The doctors did so, looking bewildered.
Jasper began checking her pulse while I looked through the woman's information quickly.
"I remember her," Jasper said. "She came in a while back, when she was still pregnant. She was diagnosed with heart disease, but she didn't want treatment. She wanted the baby, even if the effort would kill her."
Suddenly, the monitor showed the woman's breathing getting heavier. The woman was barely conscious, but she gave a great gasp. And the monitor showed a flat line, indicating that she wasn't breathing anymore.
"Move," Jasper yelled, getting on the stretcher and beginning to perform CPR. "Let's get her to the cardiology division. Now!"
The emergency dispatchers moved toward us, and we wheeled the stretcher out with Jasper still pumping the woman's heart. I ran alongside the bed.
"Jasper," I said urgently. "If she doesn't begin breathing now, the baby will die inside her."
Jasper was panting hard as he pumped oxygen inside of her steadily. "She will come back, Bella."
We burst into the cardiology division, where several nurses who had already received the call for the ER, led us to an empty space.
"Bella, switch with me!" Jasper urged. He was covered in sweat.
"Go," I said, and we swapped places.
"Bring the defibrillator!" he ordered, and a nurse ran off.
"Call Gynecology!" I shrieked, starting to panic. It had been more than five minutes already. "Get as many people up here as possible!"
"Move!" Jasper ordered, and I moved aside as he brandished the two pumps. "Clear!" And he shocked the woman's heart. Still nothing.
"A little harder," Jasper instructed grimly. The nurse turned the amount of energy up, and he got ready to shock her again.
My fingers closed around his wrist tightly. My eyes were cold. "No. If you shock her too violently, the baby will be affected as well."
Jasper looked at me. "And if I don't, they'll both die."
We glared at each other while the others glanced back and forth between us nervously.
After another moment, I released his wrist. "Be careful."
Without further ado, he turned and shocked her. I kept an eye on the woman nervously, worried.
"She's back!" an intern said, and Jasper sighed in relief. I began to check the status of her stomach. She seemed okay.
"Get an Operating Room right away," Jasper told an intern. "Immediately."
"Dr. Swan," a nurse said. "Gynecology is preoccupied. There's no one free right now."
I turned to look at her incredulously. "There are tons of gynecologists at this hospital. Are you telling me that none of them are available?"
"You have to do it then," Jasper said. "You have to go into the OR with me. You can take the baby out, and I'll take over afterward."
"Even if I do the surgery, I'll need help," I said impatiently. "How about nurses?"
"Most of them are busy, but there are several that are still answering calls."
I closed my eyes as the doctors wheeled the woman away to the OR. I bit my lip. I couldn't do this operation alone. I needed help.
"Get me…" I paused. "The best intern and two nurses."
The nurse gaped at me. "An…an intern?"
"Bella," Jasper warned. "That's against regulations. Without permission, you can't take only an intern into a surgery."
"That's why I said the best intern," I retorted. "Go. Now."
The nurse looked uncertain but ran off again.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Jasper said quietly. "You don't want to be fired on your first day."
My jaw tightened. "I know what I'm doing."
AN: How was it? Pretty intense, huh? Review!
