Disclaimer: Twilight, Midnight Sun = not mine.
Chapter Four: The Almost AccidentCarlisle:
It was, once again, a fairly uneventful morning at Forks hospital. And it was, once again, Edward who threw the morning into the tumultuous mix that had been the last few days. I had heard ambulance sirens, and was waiting for someone to fetch me, pretending to study a set of X-rays, when heard his familiar footsteps. He was almost running. I wondered what the panic was, and looked up to find a horrified face. I jumped to my feet, and felt a chill run through my icy flesh to my steel bones. I think I dropped a few shades, too.
Edward- you didn't- the thoughts could hardly form in my head. As ready as I had been to accept it a week ago, I was not prepared for this. Not Edward: it just couldn't be.
"No, no, it's not that," he assured me quickly. I took a deep breath, and what little colour I had returned.
Of course not. I'm sorry I entertained the thought. Your eyes, of course, I should have known…His eyes were still gold; I should have looked for that first. I can't believe I doubted it; doubted him.
"She's hurt though, Carlisle," Edward said. "Probably not seriously but-"
"What happened?"
"A stupid car accident," he muttered. "She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I couldn't just stand there- let it crush her-" Still recovering the use of my tongue, I cut off his panicked explanations with my mind.
Start over, I don't understand. How were you involved?
"A van skidded across the ice," he whispered, looking past me with his concerned eyes. "She was in the way. Alice saw it coming, but there wasn't really time to do anything but really run across the lot and shove her out of the way." I remembered to make myself blink after a moment of staring. "No one noticed…except for her," Edward assured me. "I had to stop the van, too, but again, nobody saw that besides her." Blink. Inhale. My automatic instructions started up again when I realised that, with a little work, we could again patch up any holes the incident had exposed.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Carlisle…" Edward muttered, a crease of concern between his eyebrows. "I didn't mean to put us in danger." I came around my desk and put a hand on Edward's shoulder.
You did the right thing. And it couldn't have been easy for you. I'm proud of you, Edward. I had always known Edward had it in him to make a difficult choice. I hoped the rest of the family would not reprimand him too much - after all, it was going to be okay. We could fix this.
Edward found himself unable to meet my eyes…again feeling guilty.
"She knows there's something…wrong with me," he added.
Oh. Well, if suspicions leaked, we could always leave. But I still clung to the hope that I could fix this.
"That doesn't matter," I told him, trying to instill the same hopes I felt. "If we have to leave, we leave. What has she said?"
"Nothing yet," Edward replied, with an irritated shake of his head.
Yet?
"She agreed to my version of events, but she's expecting an explanation." I frowned, wondering how I could make this girl, who was apparently more perceptive than most, forget about the bizarre event that had taken place in the high school car park today. Or perhaps better; convince her that it was a delusion, so that if it cropped up in later discussion, she would dismiss it rather than try to recall it.
"She hit her head," Edward offered. "Well, I did that; I knocked her to the ground fairly hard. She seems fine, but…I don't think it will take much to discredit her account."
Perhaps that won't be necessary. Let's see what happens, shall we? I only now realised just how curious I was to meet the object of Edward's distraction. It sounds like I have a patient to check on.
"Please," Edward replied. "I'm so worried that I hurt her."
He had saved her life, and now he worried about the damage he might have done - why, yesterday he would have enjoyed killing the girl, at least while it lasted. This drastic change made me laugh: he had transformed from killer to protector in a matter of seconds. It was ironic, really.
As I reached up to smooth my hair, covering up the evidence of the shock I had received when Edward burst in, Edward started to laugh. His laugh was not as free as mine though: he still felt like a danger to the Swan girl despite this morning's rescue. I suppose it was to be expected, though I wished he would lighten up on himself.
I entered the ER quietly, hovering in the background and trusting the diagnoses by the attending nurses. I knew this made Edward uncomfortable – he would much rather I looked at the girl myself – but she was already so close to talking again I feared a look at me might bring some inconvenient topics to discussion. Edward had already opted to stay in my office to avoid this, and the girl was fine anyway; only a little shaken.
"So…" the boy, Tyler, interrupted the silence. "How'd you get out of the way?" I stood over by the sink, staring at the wall, and waited for a reply.
"Um…Edward pulled me out of the way," the reply came. "Edward Cullen. He was standing right next to me."
I let out the breath I had been holding.
"Cullen? I didn't see him." Oh, dear…I had a feeling this was going to happen…perhaps I should intervene after all…I turned and started towards them, but then Tyler spoke again.
"Wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?" I thought of Edward, pacing anxiously in my office: he was definitely not okay, though he never had a chance of being injured by the van.
"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher." Her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion, but the look on the boy's face didn't change. He probably hadn't noticed. Immensely relieved, I shuffled through a draw of prescriptions, pretending to be searching for something. After a few moments, a nurse entered the room.
"Isabella Swan?" she inquired, looking around.
"It's Bella," the girl muttered under her breath as she got to her feet.
"Follow me, please. Have you ever had an X-ray before?" The nurse started instructing Bella about X-rays and radiation vests as they left the room, headed for Radiology. I grabbed a few prescription sheets, my alibi, and tucked them into my pocket, then waited a few seconds after the nurse to leave the room.
Rounding the corner to the radiology room, I saw the nurse leading Bella back to the ER. I ducked down a side hallway for a moment, and continued to the radiology room when they had passed. I hovered for a moment in the hall between the X-ray studio and the radiology waiting room, greeting a few of the orderlies as they bustled around. I found Edward amongst the various faces, looking distinctly relieved.
You look better, I commented, moving toward him. No doubt he had already snuck a look at the X-rays. He looked straight ahead, keeping up appearances as humans continued to bustle around us: I hadn't made any sound or gesture to make him notice me, as far as those around us could tell. I put the girl's scans up on the light board, and my conclusion was again confirmed. No damage had been done.
Ah yes, I see. She's completely fine. Well done, Edward. I didn't even allow myself to imagine the bloody mess I'd be cleaning up if he hadn't risked saving her.
"I think I'm going to go talk to her – before she sees you," Edward muttered, so that only I could hear. "Act natural, like nothing happened. Smooth it over." Act like nothing happened…smooth over the doubts and suspicions. Or just make it worse, my mind reluctantly added. Hoping for the best - not a ridiculous ask, in this case, given Edward's power with words - I nodded, purposefully making myself appear absent as I pretended to be absorbed in the X-ray images.
"Good idea. Hmmm…" I mused, noticing a collection of scars on the pictures. I laughed to myself as I observed all the healed bumps and scratches in the girl's skull. How many times had her mother dropped her as a child? It was a wonder she managed to maintain an above-average perception of the world we so carefully tried to conceal.
"I'm beginning to think the girl just has really bad luck," Edward commented. "Always in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Forks is certainly the wrong place for her, with you here. Edward flinched. I hadn't meant it to come out like that, but he was hearing thoughts, not speech. Go ahead, I told him. Smooth things over. I'll be with you momentarily.
Edward walked away, no doubt searching for the girl in the ER, and I asked the girl's nurse to take over her patient. She agreed happily, handed me the coffee she had just made and danced out the door to meet her girlfriends. Apparently, they had just invited her to the pictures before she was assigned Bella. It was her lunch break anyway; I wondered why they had not asked me in the first place, since I was on duty. On second thought: perhaps, given the girl's perceptiveness, it was a good thing. Oh well; the nurse got her film and I got my patient, so no harm done.
I abandoned the coffee, plucked the X-ray images marked "Swan, Isabella" off the light board and started off down the hallway. Hopefully all was well in Edward's efforts to 'smooth it over.'
"So, what's the verdict?" I heard Edward's voice from the ER. Faintly, I could smell Tyler's blood, but it was clean and his wounds healing.
"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," Bella replied, irritated. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?" I hid a chuckle as I turned the corner. Edward, on a stretcher…a ridiculous notion to all those who knew what he was.
"It's all about who you know," Edward joked, in a tone that suggested he was tapping the side of his nose. "But don't worry, I came to spring you."
Oh, no you didn't, I joined the joke as I entered the room, and watched the girl's eyes widen in surprise. Her jaw dropped, and Edward flinched. Yes, she had apparently noticed the family resemblance. But then, how many people could she know with pale skin and gold eyes?
"So, Miss Swan, how are you feeling?" I asked smoothly, pretending I hadn't noticed her shock.
"I'm fine," she said softly, apparently still awed. I clipped the X-rays to the light board beside us, entirely for show: I had memorised them.
"Your X-rays look good. How's your head?" I asked, fishing for excuses I might use to cover up today's events. "Edward said you hit it pretty hard." She sighed, looking as though she was resisting rolling her eyes.
"I'm fine," she repeated impatiently. She glowered at Edward. I smiled softly and stepped closer, running my fingers gently across her scalp until I found the bump I was looking for. Edward tensed slightly, though not enough to be perceived by the human eye; I knew he envied the control I had, the act I could put on so smoothly. The girl winced, and Edward twitched before returning to his relaxed posture.
"Tender?" I inquired, pretending not to have noticed Edward's discomfort.
"Not really," she replied. The suffer-in-silence type; so much harder to diagnose…
Edward chuckled quietly, and the girl shot him another glare.
"Well," I said, interrupting them before something could go wrong. "Your father is in the waiting room. You can go home with him now, but come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
"Can't I go back to school?" she asked, trying not to whine.
"Maybe you should take it easy today," I suggested, trying not to sound pressing, though I wanted to make it clear that school was not an option.
"Does he get to go to school?" she demanded, shooting a glance at Edward, who shrugged.
"Someone has to spread the word that we survived."
"Actually," I remarked, "most of the school appears to be in the waiting room." It was true, though perhaps an exaggeration. Most of the witnesses of the accident were in the waiting room, inquiring after Bella or Tyler every time a nurse or doctor passed. Nobody inquired after Edward; my family hadn't come to the hospital with the others.
"Oh, no," Bella moaned, putting her head in her hands. Being the suffer-in-silence type, she didn't want to call attention to herself. I could understand that: I preferred to keep my pains to myself too.
"Do you want to stay?" I offered, though I already knew the answer.
"No, no!" she objected, swinging her legs around and sliding to the floor too quickly. She staggered forward, off-balance, and I caught and steadied her without even thinking.
"I'm fine," she said, blushing, before I could speak.
"Take some Tylenol for the pain," I suggested, checking her balance before I let my arms drop. It seemed the peculiar aspects of our presence had been forgotten for the moment.
"It doesn't hurt that bad," she muttered. I couldn't tell if she was lying or not; it was probably an understatement. I smiled as I signed her chart, reminiscing for a moment over my own various understated pains. In a bizarre way, I think I saw myself in the girl – and Edward. It was no wonder sparks seemed to fly between the two. Not that I let Edward in on that little observation. I had grown quite skilled at hiding such things from him over the last few decades, though often I didn't bother.
"It sounds like you were very lucky," I said, still appearing to read her chart as I again imagined the bloody corpse I would have had to examine should Edward have chosen what was, for us, the safer path. Luckily, this too was hidden from Edward.
"Lucky Edward happened to be standing right next to me," she replied, still sounding suspicious.
"Oh, well, yes," I agreed, stumbling. We weren't in the clear yet.
All yours, I told Edward, deciding to quit while I was ahead and try to formulate a plan from what I'd been given. Until I came up with something, Edward was in charge. Handle it as you think best.
"Thanks so much," Edward muttered sarcastically as I passed. The corners of my lips turned up at his sarcasm as I turned to the boy, Tyler.
There were gashes all up Tyler's arms, no doubt from a window having broken.
"I'm afraid you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," I said, picking up a piece of gauze and putting it to the boy's wrist. He jumped. I hesitated.
"Sorry," he muttered. "Your hands are cold."
"Oh," I said, scolding myself for having forgotten the gloves. "I can put gloves on if you like."
"No, it doesn't matter," he replied, but he was looking past me, probably trying to eavesdrop on Edward and Bella. He saw that I had noticed and shook the notion away.
"Thank you," I said, as he raised his arm slightly. "Tell me if this hurts, or if you feel hot or faint at all." I knew I would hear the boy's words, but my attention was not on the bandage I was fixing on his arm: I was monitoring Edward. Spending all morning in a hospital wasn't ideal for one's thirst, and given the attractiveness of the girl's blood, there was a lot at risk here. Especially given Edward's moodiness recently. I hated to admit it, but his presence here for so long was beginning to set me on edge.
Carefully, Edward, I warned, passing the bandage to my other hand and taking it under Tyler's arm.
"I'd like to speak to you alone, if you don't mind," Bella requested quietly. Edward stalked out of the room, his guilt and conflict beginning to break through the act. Perhaps he was letting it.
"What do you want?" he demanded coldly.
"Um, Dr Cullen?" Tyler inquired. I realised I had stopped wrapping the bandage around his arm. I wondered how long I had been standing there, but apparently Tyler hadn't noticed my hesitation: he just asked for a glass of water.
"Certainly," I replied, leaving the bandage on the bench and walking over to the sink, wondering what in the world my son was attempting to accomplish.
"Bella, you hit your head. You don't know what you're talking about," I heard over the squeak of the faucet.
"There's nothing wrong with my head," Bella replied indignantly.
"What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want the truth. I want to know why I'm being lied to." I turned the tap off and walked back to Tyler, who thanked me for the water and held his arm out again. He was apparently still anxious about Bella. Judging by the look on his face, he still felt guilty for being the driver of the unfortunate van.
"You think I lifted a van off you," Edward scoffed. "Nobody will believe that, you know."
"I'm not going to tell anybody," Bella said.
"Then why does it matter?" Edward retorted.
"I guess you know Edward was the hero, huh," Tyler remarked, somewhat embarrassed about it, as I fixed the bandage into place.
"Mm," I nodded.
"If he hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened, right? Ha." He tried to be light hearted about it, but neither of us took it as such. I thought for the first time this morning of my family, who were waiting outside: the blood in the hospital offered a huge risk, so they avoided it unless it was absolutely necessary. I contemplated talking to them about the risk Edward had taken, but Rosalie especially was likely to reprimand him for what she saw as a mistake anyway, so I resolved to be there while Edward explained instead and help him out where I could.
Once I had finished with Tyler and made sure the rest of the family was all right to go back to school, I went home early. As expected Esme was waiting.
"Carlisle!" she gasped. "The school called: a van accident…Bella nearly got hit!" I smiled at my wife's use of the girl's nickname.
"I know," I informed her. "She's totally fine. Edward got in the way."
"Oh dear," she said. She was not worried for her son's wellbeing – a van wouldn't even leave a scratch – but rather for the driver and for our secret.
"Don't worry, dear. Emmett fixed the van, and the boy is spending the night in hospital. Bella was not injured at all; not even mild concussion." She smiled, her anxiety having passed, and took my bag from me.
"What's she like?" Esme asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Bella? She's…unusually perceptive, and very smart, but she prefers to suffer in silence."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Esme mused, kissing my cheek.