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Chapter 84
What Costs the World ...
Edward
"Will you please explain what just happened up there!", Henry Young asked his wife, as he was a bit overwhelmed with what was happening.
Maybe not so much overwhelmed as that it just didn't suit him.
Bella and I joined them at a remote table in the hospital cafeteria.
"I'm not allowed to touch my daughter and this lout just needs to be there?" he continued uncomprehendingly, sipping his coffee and burning his tongue.
"You should begin to come to terms with the thought that you are no longer the most important man in your daughter's life," Elizabeth tried to clarify, somewhat annoyed.
I knew she had already told him that a few times, but Henry had always dismissed it as nonsense. Becky was still his little girl to him, and he wasn't willing to leave her to some snotty kid. This he had planned only for the time after her studies. At the earliest!
"You've seen it, Mr. Young. Becky and Jake truly love each other. She even subconsciously responds to Jake. You can be against it, but it won't change anything at it," I explained meekly.
"What the hell are you doing here by the way? ... Who is that anyway?" he asked me first and then his wife indignantly.
"I'm Edward Stone. Dr. Stone is my father ..." I waited a moment for him to mentally match me with the doctor in charge. "I go to school with the both of them, and I found Becky with Jake this morning and brought her here ..." I added, again waiting for him to process this info, "... and I'm going to marry Bella!", I finished after Elizabeth nodded at me invitingly and I now took one of Bella's hands in mine.
Bella looked a little startled in my direction, but then faced Henry composedly.
This last confession came unplanned, but Bella knew that I had very likely pronounced it without her consent only because of Eliza's thoughts.
Elizabeth Young - or Eliza for short - already knew about Bella and me after she happened to see us together.
Flashback
There had been a little 'parent's night' at Bella's. All the parents of the kids circle of friends were there. Even Cathlyn.
At first, I was startled and feared that someone would accuse Bella about her relationship with me. However, Bella explained to me that there were such evenings every now and then, when one had to coordinate with the other parents because of the kids. And after the victory celebration due to the volleyball game, the next morning of which looked the same for all children and the fact that our children no longer had a curfew on the weekend, it was just time again.
It was apparently a fun evening that I spent in the bedroom with a book - not all the parents had figured out our secret yet. One had talked, exchanged the latest gossip about the group, discussed the curfew objectively and all parents had adopted our rules in this regard. Only for the sixteen-year-old Jason were there certain restrictions, unless he was out with the group.
Bella had stumbled cutely tipsy through the living room into my arms afterwards, whereby Elizabeth had seen us because she had left her jacket lying around. She had no problem with us at all, just asked the usual - by now annoying for Bella - question: 'What do Jake and Leah think about it?'
Flashback end
Elizabeth had considered that in view of Becky, this little piece of side information about us might just get overlooked. She was right about that. Henry more or less passed it over.
His eyes widened slightly as he looked at me. His gaze slid to Bella and back to me.
I suppressed a smirk.
He was thinking about what we had each done that this obviously age difference did not bother us. Above all, unusual sex practices went through his head. But he shook the thoughts out of his head himself. First of all, it was none of his business, and secondly, it only brought back to his mind what Jake was probably doing with his daughter. He certainly didn't want to imagine that!
We spoke in hushed tones with each other. About Jake and Becky, what exactly Carlisle's diagnosis meant, and how long a full recovery would likely take. Regarding the medical facts, the two gradually relaxed.
But Henry didn't like Jake. Simply because he was a boy who was more interested in his daughter than Henry wanted to see. If he held to that opinion, he would lose Becky, I thought. I saw through Jake's thoughts, which I did not leave unattended for a moment, that Becky was just about to wake up.
I drew out my cell phone under the table and let Carlisle know. Then, after Jake complained about a lack of privacy, I let my phone beep once.
"A message from Jake. Becky is just waking up," I explained, and we drank up.
Bella and I had each fetched a can of Coke, which I had unobtrusively swapped again and again in the course of the conversation. Now I pushed her the fuller of both and took the empty one as my own from the table.
We were very attuned to such things by now.
Of course, I continued to watch Jake's thoughts.
The elevator was pretty full, so we let Becky's parents go first and waited for the next one. It was then empty.
I told her during the ride that Leah was there and was standing by to help Becky at the moment, and Brandon had at least stopped by briefly.
When we reached the right floor, Leah was just stepping out of the bathroom with Becky.
"Becky doesn't look well," I said immediately, concerned, as I also saw her topple into Leah's arms.
We walked briskly down the long hallway and arrived at her room just as Carlisle was summoning the parents to wait outside.
I leaned patiently waiting in the hallway, Bella right in front of me and Leah joining in. I was now concentrated on Carlisle.
Becky's parents were getting more and more nervous. After hearing Becky cry out for a moment, Henry couldn't take it anymore and stormed through the door. He saw the exposed injury on her hand, felt sick, and left the room again.
But he thanked Jake in his thoughts for seeming to stand by Becky in a very composed manner.
There you go! I thought to myself.
The scar didn't look like it should, but Carlisle couldn't see anything superficially.
"He wants to operate on her. Preferably right away," I whispered, and Bella got scared again.
I gently pushed her into Carlisle's office, took her in my arms and explained that it wasn't that bad.
"Since when is a seemingly necessary surgery not bad?" she asked me sourly, squirming out of my arms.
She believed I was lying to her and downplaying the severity of the injury so as not to worry her.
"Bella, it's really just a small procedure," I said calmly.
"Then why does he want to get her under the knife today if it's not that bad and not let Becky settle down first?" Bella was getting more and more upset.
We argued further.
Bella just wouldn't believe me.
I listened up.
Carlisle would have to discuss this operation with the parents and explain it in detail. For this purpose, he just asked the two to follow him into his office.
"Carlisle is coming back with Henry and Eliza to tell them just that. I'm sure they won't mind if you're here," I said defiantly by now and crossed my arms in front of my chest, which Bella did the same as me.
At the opposite end of the room. My little stubborn angel.
The door opened, Carlisle gave us each a reproving gaze and kindly summoned Becky's parents to sit down.
He looked for a book on the shelf and explained the situation with the help of the pictures. He suspected that an abscess had formed under the deep cut due to foreign bodies or bacteria. Something like this is absolutely not life-threatening, but only causes enormous pain. An operation is also not fundamentally mandatory, but depending on the body site and depth, it is the more pleasant alternative for the patient to only local anesthesia, since it can only be remedied by draining and removing the encapsulation. For tomorrow morning, Carlisle had actually scheduled a CT scan for Becky to rule out such and similar internal and hidden injuries. But since he would then already have Becky on the operating table, he would bring the CT forward to today in order to perform any further necessary procedures, which he would of course inform the parents about beforehand.
As the parent's sat over the consent forms and were told about the usual risks of surgery, Bella came up to me with an adorable apologetic gaze, kissed me, and we went back to Jake and Becky, where Leah was already sitting as well.
With each passing minute, Becky grew more restless and clung to Jake more and more.
I explained to her in a gentle and reassuring voice that it was really just a routine minor procedure, but it was necessary so that nothing got infected.
Her parents told her the same thing again after they also came back.
When I heard Jasper and Emmett next door, I left the room again.
They didn't come straight to us so as not to ambush Becky.
When Jazz saw me, he immediately thought declaratively that he was hunting with Emmett for safety.
At the same time as me, Mr. Kubiczek also stepped into Carlisle's office - the owner of the clinic.
And he didn't look pleased.
"Dr. Stone. I need to speak with you!" he said roughly. He looked around for a moment. "Would you like to remove the young gentlemen for a moment, perhaps!" he added, still annoyed.
"No, I don't want to remove them. They are my sons. So, whatever you have to say to me, speak up. I have no secrets from my family!" replied Carlisle kindly.
Mr. Kubiczek looked at us again more closely and was surprised that we appeared to be almost the same age, but obviously not triplets.
Briefly, I informed Carlisle of the consideration.
"Edward. My son. Jasper. My stepson that my wife brought into the marriage. Emmett. My adopted son," Carlisle politely introduced us.
We nodded in a friendly manner.
"All right! ... It was reported to me that you have a patient whom you are treating personally and have forbidden all the other doctors from even coming close to her!"
"This is correct!" confirmed Carlisle.
"It's not your job to take care of little girls whose health insurance, moreover, does not cover the appropriate treatment and accommodations you have ordered. I think it is rather questionable to order a very expensive CT scan. Furthermore, you have scheduled an operation at short notice, which you also intend to perform yourself and only with the absolutely necessary assistants," Mr. Kubiczek stated doubtfully.
"With the young lady it concerns the victim of a rape, why I would like to exclude further physicians from the case," Carlisle stated matter-of-factly.
"Your personal intervening in this case is said to be because you are emotionally involved. Your objective judgment is being called into question. It also supported by the fact that you presume to lord over the personnel of this hospital," Mr. Kubiczek rumbled - now slowly getting louder - and walked closer to Carlisle, who stood confidently behind his desk.
"I know the girl personally and will therefore provide her with the best possible medical care that stands at my disposal in this hospital. All costs incurred for her stay here will of course be paid by me and I will also continue to look after her well-being myself. But I can assure you that my medical judgment is not affected by this. I have entrusted the initial treatment to Dr. Bennett, but beyond that the last thing I want to do is to subject the girl to other strangers. I don't think I need to explain to you how serious the mental strain is after such an event, and that I try to keep any further emotional strain away from Becky ... Every medical commission will agree with my conduct and declare it correct!" stated Carlisle firmly, but still calmly, with a trace of threat in his voice.
An impressive tone of voice, even for a vampire, that was rarely heard from Carlisle.
"You're not a gynecologist, so you don't have to take care of patients like that. That would be Dr. Harper's job. He is, after all, the chief physician in the gynecology department."
"My son is a better doctor than Dr. Harper!" retorted Carlisle scornfully, but actually meant it seriously.
I was a bit taken aback.
"You seem to forget that this is a private clinic and not a state hospital. As long as I am your employer, you have to obey my instructions first and foremost, and that said you must adhere to the duty roster," Mr. Kubiczek now leaned suspiciously on the desk.
"Well, that can be changed," Carlisle almost smiled.
Jazz, Em, and I exchanged a brief look of surprise before looking at Carlisle again with anticipation.
I raised an eyebrow as I recognized Carlisle's intention.
"How much do you want for the clinic?" asked Carlisle calmly.
"Excuse me?" asked Mr. Kubiczek, confused.
"Tell me the price. I'll buy the hospital from you. As it is. With all staff and inventory ... Without checking the books for accuracy and completeness!" he emphasized the last sentence a little.
"A billion dollars!" laughed Mr. Kubiczek.
He did not take it seriously.
"Will you accept a check?" asked Carlisle boredly, sitting back at his desk and pulling out his checkbook, pen already in hand.
"But accuse me again of having a penchant for theatrics!" I complained inhumanly quietly.
Carlisle stifled a smirk.
"You don't have that kind of money!" Mr. Kubiczek stood up straight again and folded his arms condescendingly in front of his chest.
Without hesitation, Carlisle reached for the phone and put it on speaker.
A lady from our bank politely came forward.
"Good day, ma'am, my name is Dr. Carlisle Stone. My account number is 5876 4520 1254 0059 ..." He waited a moment until the lady called up his accounts and he made his request. "Well, I intend to make a major purchase and the vendor doubts my liquidity. Would you please confirm briefly that I am able to make an amount equal to one billion dollars," Carlisle said charmingly.
"Of course, Sir, one moment please ... Your account has a permanent balance that far exceeds the one billion U.S. dollars amount you mentioned ... To be honest, I don't know if you would even notice that amount."
"So? Is a check acceptable to you?" asked Carlisle again.
Mr. Kubiczek nodded with a chalky white face, waited a moment, took the check, and, unable to avert his eyes from the many zeros, left the office.
Carlisle thanked the bank teller, asked for her exact name, and hung up.
He would send her a small bouquet of flowers.
"We own a hospital!" leaned Carlisle over his desk, waiting briefly for a reaction from us.
We needed a moment to process that.
We had already owned quite a few things in our long existence. At times even our own airline or a hotel. But a whole hospital?
"Does that mean we get to help ourselves to the blood reserves now?" asked Em with a grin.
Carlisle shook his head in amusement.
"That means, first of all, that Jake and Becky can do whatever they want here now!" said Carlisle in my direction, but immediately turned to Jazz. "How's Becky doing?" he asked.
"She's nervous and it's getting more intense by the minute."
"Well, then maybe we should get a move on, so she doesn't get really spooked."
"I can think of something against that, however," Emmett considered, and told us about his plan to take Becky to the operating room himself.
Jazz also wanted to make himself useful.
Carlisle agreed and explained the way to them after the two promised to make the ultimate implementation dependent on Becky's reaction.
No one could predict how Becky would meet the two, since they were also of the male gender. But I doubted that she would have a problem with the both of them. Especially since Jake was now allowed to stay with her until the last door of the operating rooms.
"But at least put on the clothes customary for nurses so you won't stand out in the hallways with the bed," Carlisle commanded them, telling them where they would get them.
"Will do, boss!" saluted Em, and was already on his way to the clothes closet with Jazz.
"Thank you!" I then said sincerely to my father.
"For our family we do everything we can or has that changed this time!" he said calmly, and my father put a hand on my shoulder. "Has Becky given you no trouble at all this morning?" he asked after a brief moment, when we were already turning toward the door.
He thought of the blood that had flowed from Becky's innumerable injuries.
"I hadn't thought about it," it didn't occur to me until that very moment.
"Bella's blood doesn't bother you, even though it sings to you. Becky's blood doesn't excite you when it's right in front of you ... Maybe you should think about brushing up on your medical studies. After all, we own a hospital now," he indicated to me with a smile, already turning in the hallway in the direction of the operating rooms.
Then, while sitting in Becky's room with Bella in my arms, I was already hearing in countless thoughts that the news of the change of ownership in this house was spreading like wildfire.
I considered what Esmé would say about it. She certainly wouldn't be thrilled, because it meant that Carlisle would have to do a lot more work. Not only the usual medical care of patients, but also the entire administration was now his responsibility.
Em and Jazz, meanwhile, were waiting in the next room for Carlisle to let them know. They picked up an excited Becky, whereby they clearly stated that Jake was allowed to accompany her. They were just out when my phone beeped, indicating a message from Carlisle.
Bella happened to be reading along and looked at me with wide and disbelieving eyes.
"How would you feel about marrying a real doctor?" I asked her quietly.
"Do you have the confidence to do that?" she asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
I really didn't know, but Carlisle's question if I wanted to assist in the operating room would be an opportunity to find out.
I gave Bella a kiss and walked down to Carlisle. As I did so, I knowingly took the path past the emergency room, where blood was ubiquitous. Right in front of the door, I stood still for a moment, forcibly held onto a railing, closed my eyes, and took one conscious deep breath.
I smelled the blood immediately and venom ran together in my mouth.
I swallowed, opened my eyes and continued walking.
Carlisle was already waiting for me at the doctors' entrance, and for the first time I had a gaze behind the scenes that a patient never sees - except on TV, of course.
In one room I was supposed to change. With street clothes no one was allowed to go further.
Understandable. Everything had to remain sterile.
Behind it was a washroom where I was to wash my hands at least briefly but thoroughly and then disinfect them.
Since Carlisle picked Becky up from the waiting room himself, he also only washed briefly and already went ahead. He had already changed.
We would do the proper surgical wash afterwards.
He pushed her bed through the door, closed it behind him, and pushed her on to the anteroom.
Becky should know ahead of time who she would be dealing with, and he called the female anesthesiologist over.
She introduced herself in a friendly manner and said that the CT was ready.
Actually, patients were transferred to the surgical stretcher using some sort of treadmill, but since this was Becky and she also had no dangerous injuries, Carlisle wanted to keep her conscious as long as possible and spare her this mechanical treatment.
"Just you?" wondered Becky, who knew from the TV series only that, for the most part, some more people were present during an operation.
"No, I have some very special help today!" declared Carlisle as I immediately stepped out of the washroom.
Becky smiled at me.
"Agreed?" asked Carlisle.
"Yes!" she said, and also allowed me to carry her over to the stretcher.
Then the narcosis was already induced, and I wished her sweet dreams of Jake before she couldn't fight back against the anesthesia.
Carlisle adjusted the CT while I removed Becky's necklace and navel piercing.
This usually did not have to be done under anesthesia, but Carlisle had still decided to do it to prevent Becky from possibly getting spooked by this unfamiliar tube.
The images appeared immediately, and we carefully viewed them.
I was overwhelmed for a moment. When I had studied medicine, there were at best only X-ray images, which provided nowhere near such pictures. Still, I quickly found my way around it.
Under the wound on the hand, an abscess had actually formed.
However, we found something else. At the piercing was apparently considerably torn and pulled, so that the skin was slightly torn. In addition, a small blood blister had formed inside.
We refrained from informing her parents.
It wouldn't even take a local anesthetic to treat this and if we didn't see it now, Becky would pop the blister herself and just be scared of the blood.
We then washed ourselves again.
Up to the elbows and did not forget to brush under our fingernails with a special soap. For at least three minutes! Then, after our arms were completely dry, we rubbed with disinfectant for about five minutes.
A nurse appeared from an adjoining room and put on the further obligatory clothing for both of us.
Mask, hair guard, gloves, gown.
Quite an elaborate procedure, I thought.
The nurse disappeared again.
No one would be there except the two of us and the anesthesiologist.
We placed Becky's hand on the green surgical drapes. We pulled her pajamas up and down so that we had enough room at her belly button.
During the rather short procedure, Carlisle observed me closely, of course. How I reacted to this now fresh, thoroughly aromatic blood. But I ignored the venom in my mouth and simply swallowed it.
I handed him the appropriate instruments for the hand injury. The belly button I even supplied myself after Carlisle's mentally detailed explanations. I poked the blood blister open, caught the blood with a swab, and then carefully pulled a piece of bandage soaked in ointment through it using tweezers.
"Perfect!" Carlisle praised my work.
Admittedly, I was proud of myself.
Over the navel we stuck only a band-aid, while the hand got a real bandage.
The scar was not stitched this time, but glued. This accelerated the healing process considerably.
Carlisle had now decided to do it this way, because we could exclude by this surgery to have to go to the wound again.
I put the necklace back on her.
Carlisle pushed Becky into the recovery room and got Jake to join her while I was already changing again.
I had actually planned to study architecture next year, but maybe I would really improve my medical knowledge. We'll see. In any case, I would keep a closer eye on my craving for blood.
Thanks for reading!