Edward drops me off at home around eight, and I'm thankful Emmett isn't back yet. It means I can be kissed on my doorstep, and I savor the taste of Edward as our tongues entwine, and I hang off his neck.

"I had a great evening," I say, grinning as I look up at him.

He smiles, too, kissing me once more. "I did as well. Let's do it again next week."

The thought excites me. "I'd love that. Thank you for the wonderful time … every second of it."

"Trust me, beautiful girl. It was my pleasure." He chuckles. "Now get inside before we're caught already."

I laugh, nodding as I unlock the door. "Night."

"Good night, Bella. Text me later, okay?"

I promise I will, and then head inside, grinning like a fool. Hamilton is waiting for me, and I pick up my kitten, carrying him up to my room as the smile stays on my lips. I've had romances before, but nothing with such fire. A part of me wanted to take Edward completely, but it felt like too much. What we had was perfect for now, but next time, I'm not stopping.

I drop Hammy onto the bed, and then find something to sleep in before getting a shower. My skin is still tingling from Edward's touch as the water falls onto my body. I remember his fingers grazing my breasts, falling between my legs, and giving me the best orgasms I've ever had.

As I step out and wrap a towel around my body, I hear the garage door open and quickly run to my room to get dressed. I meet Emmett at the stairs, and he looks exhausted.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He shakes his head and pulls me into a sudden hug. "Just a bad day, Bells. Fuck, one of the worst actually."

He pulls back and walks into the kitchen, grabbing a beer and popping it open, chugging at least half of it. He leans against the counter as I slide onto a stool.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, feeling awful that I had such a great night and his was probably filled with death.

Emmett doesn't like losing in any aspect of his life—but especially at work. He fights hard for his patients, which makes him an incredible doctor. But also leaves him like this when he does lose, and of course, he has to lose sometimes.

Life's a bitch like that.

"Two kids," he hisses angrily. "A motherfucking drunk hit them as they rode their bikes on the side of the road. I lost them both, Bells. One immediately, and then the other in the OR. I fucking hate some people."

My heart breaks. "Jesus, Em. I'm so sorry. That's … that's horrific."

He nods. "Sometimes, I wish I'd picked a different speciality. Something with less death and tragedy."

"But you're a great surgeon."

"Maybe. But sometimes, it doesn't matter how good I am. Those kids were going to die no matter who worked on them. It was like fighting in a battle you already lost."

"At least, you tried. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it's like."

He chugs the rest of his beer before grabbing another. We spend the evening watching Stranger Things, and he doesn't talk about his job again. Instead, he asks about how my dinner with Edward was.

I try to hide my smile. "Good. His cabin is beautiful. We just talked, and he let me help cook, which was nice. He's a really great guy. I can see why you wanted me to see him."

He nods. "I'm glad you like him. It's important to be comfortable with your medical team. Speaking of which, don't forget we have to go to Seattle Tuesday to see the transplant team. You can't eat the night before, and we'll need to leave around five-thirty in the morning."

I groan, dreading seeing more doctors. I have to see a dietician, a psychologist to make sure I'm mentally up for this journey, and another surgeon who will work with Edward. It'll be a full day, which will include about seven hours of driving total.

Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to it.

"I'm going to be so grumpy without coffee and food," I say.

He smiles for the first time tonight. "I'll try to be extra nice. I'll probably catch those hands if I don't."

"Jeez, I'm not going to punch you, but I might call you a motherfucker if you piss me off."

"I'll be on my best behavior. But hey, at least, Edward will be there, too, so it's not like you're only seeing strangers."

That perks me up.

A little Edward doctoring sounds just fine.


Thanks to May, Nole, Fran, Brier, and Meg for prereading and Sally for Beta'ing.