To my readers. Thank you so much for reading this story. To those who left reviews, I appreciate it like you wouldn't believe.

CHAPTER 24

EDWARD

For Carlisle, the cafeteria line was something of a ritual, one of the means through which he strove to appear human. As he walked by the metal counter, he didn't bother with a tray. Instead, he fetched a plastic-wrapped sandwich from a refrigerator before grabbing a bottle of water.

Once he had paid for the meal—a meal he had no intention of eating—Carlisle left the cafeteria with paperwork in mind. Passing by one of the hospital's smallest waiting rooms, he noticed an elderly man sitting in the corner. Carlisle had seen him around the hospital a few times this month. His wife was a patient of Dr. Coleman's. Her husband, whose last name was Steever, accompanied her to every appointment, every test. Given where he was seated, Carlisle guessed that his wife had gone for a scan. From the audible growl in the man's stomach, Carlisle deduced that he hadn't eaten in a while.

"Hi there," he said as he approached the gentleman. "Mr. Steever, is it?"

The man looked up, surprised. "Yes, that's me."

"I just bought lunch, but something came up and I won't have time to eat it. Would you care to have this?"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I'll grab something else later."

"Why thank you, doctor…"

"Cullen," he supplied, smiling.

Mr. Steever took the proffered items, and smiled in turn. "Bless you. You're a kind soul, Dr. Cullen."

When Carlisle had just about reached his office, his cell phone rang. Joy bloomed on his features as soon as he saw who the caller was.

"Isabella," he greeted, then entered his office.

"Hey, you." Such a warm and sexy voice…

"Hey. How's your day going?" Even as he spoke, he could hear the beep of an elevator, going from floor to floor. Bella was on the move, it seemed.

"Good. I'm on my way to grab a sandwich at a deli down the street. I'm on my lunch break."

"I'm on break, too." Now that his door was closed, he sat at his desk chair. "Minus the lunch, of course."

"What, there's no wildlife in your hospital?" Bella teased, and he figured she must be alone.

He breathed a laugh. "Unfortunately, no."

A ding sounded over the line, indicating that the elevator had reached its destination, most likely the lobby.

"Sooo… changing the subject, I just got a call from a furniture store. Apparently, a new mattress is being delivered tomorrow. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Carlisle pursed his lips. "I might." But then it occurred to him. "Would it bother you if I did?"

"No, but it's not a cheap gift. You didn't have to do that."

His chair squeaked a little as he swiveled around. "Bella, I gouged a hole in your mattress. Of course, I was going to buy you a new one. It was no trouble at all."

"You're very sweet, you know that?" Her question overlapped with the sound of passing cars, indicating that she had left the building. "Anyway, thank you."

"My pleasure."

"So, are we still on for this weekend?"

"Oh, definitely." His voice had lowered a notch, his mind filling with crystal clear memories of the other night. "I can't wait to see you."

A suggestive hum sounded over the line. "I can't wait to see you either."

The front of his trousers felt tight all of a sudden. His throat bobbing, Carlisle loosened his tie and tried to think of other things, anything to keep from having a raging hard-on here in the hospital.

"Have you heard from Edward?" This sudden change of topic was a relief. His body started to calm down.

"I left a message, but he hasn't called me back yet. It's not unusual, though. His travels take him to every corner of the world. Sometimes, the cell reception isn't very good. As elusive as he is, I know he'll call me back. It's just a matter of time."

Will he understand? Carlisle wondered. Will he be happy for me?

Bella must have guessed his thoughts, for she said, "How do you think he'll take the news?"

Eyes set in a faraway gaze, Carlisle heaved a breath. "I don't know. Though honestly, it can't be worse than Rosalie's reaction."

Not wanting any secrets between him and Bella, he had told her about it the other night.

"She still not speaking to you?"

"Not for three days, no. But I know her. She might remain frigid to the idea, but she'll adjust in her own way. She'll have no other choice. What you and I started… I'm not throwing that out because my sister doesn't approve."

"We'll face things as they come."

"We will. Now what about Charlie? Have you told him?"

"Not yet. I was thinking of easing into that, probably over the holidays."

"How do you think he'll react?"

"If I'm honest, it could go either way. He's just protective of me. But on the plus side, my father likes and respects you, and you're not Evan. I'm sure that'll work in your favor."

"He might like and respect me, but when he finds out I'm dating his daughter?" He winced. "You don't think he'll try to murder me, do you?" Even if he spoke jokingly, the last thing Carlisle wanted was to cause friction between Bella and her father.

"He didn't murder Evan, so I think you're safe." Bella had a point. She also had to go. "I'm at the deli. Is it okay if I call you back later tonight?"

"Of course. Have a good day, Isabella."

"You, too, Carlisle."

So the day passed.

When he finished work at 6:00 pm, Carlisle headed on home, where he took a shower, and put on fresh clothes. Since Rosalie was absent, he soon settled in the sitting area in his room. A book in hand, he was halfway through the first chapter when his cell rang.

Thinking it was Isabella, he made to answer, but saw that it wasn't her.

"Edward?" he greeted, at once relieved and anxious.

"Hi, Carlisle. Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I tried to call, but I kept losing cell reception."

"It's okay." It really was. "It's so good to hear from you. Where are you now? The last time we spoke, you were travelling in South-East Asia."

"I'm in Russia. I just spent the past three days on a Trans-Siberian train. But don't worry, I didn't go off the rails. The humans are safe. I didn't eat the passengers."

While the words were spoken with a hint of mirth, Carlisle understood his ongoing struggle. For vampires, a 'vegetarian' diet wasn't easy to maintain. Most wouldn't even try. But Edward had, he did.

Carlisle said, "You know I've always loved and been proud of you, right?"

"I know. I think the problem was that I wasn't proud of myself, of the effort I gave day in and day out. Every time I failed, the despair and self-loathing would hit me like a freight train, and I just couldn't deal with it. But it's better now. A lot better. I haven't relapsed in eighteen months."

"Wow, Edward, that's… that's great."

"So how are things on your end? When I heard your voicemail, you seemed a little anxious."

"I was. I still am." There was no sense in denying it.

"What's wrong?"

Carlisle rose from his chair, and started pacing in front of the large window overlooking the forest. "Well, there's been a development in my life. A rather big development and I felt you should know."

"This sounds really serious."

"It is, for all of us. I just don't know how you're going to react. Rosalie… let's just say she didn't take it very well." Not wanting to beat around the bush, Carlisle went ahead and blurted it out. "I met someone, a woman who means the world to me."

The silence on the other end of the line suggested that Edward was stunned.

"Are you still there?"

"Yes, sorry. The news just caught me off guard. That's wonderful, Carlisle." He seemed to mean it. "So what's the hang up? Why is Rosalie so bent out of shape?"

"Because the woman I fell for…" Here goes. "She's human. And she knows what I am. What we are."

"Huh…" Stunned silence again. "Wow… that's… wow." Unlike Rosalie, Edward didn't sound angry, though.

"Are you still there?" Carlisle asked when Edward failed to speak.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking, it makes sense now."

Puzzlement creased his brows. "What makes sense?"

"What my friend said before she left to give me privacy. She said, 'Don't be upset with him. It's going to be okay.'"

Now it was Carlisle's turn to be tongue-tied. "You made a friend?" he stammered at length. Since Edward was usually a loner, Carlisle hadn't seen that one coming. But then, he snagged on what Edward had said at the end. Don't be upset with him. It's going to be okay.

How did she know?

"I suppose we have a lot to catch up on," Edward went on to say. "She and I met in Australia, about three months ago."

"You found a companion." Carlisle couldn't help but be happy for him.

"Actually, it's the other way around. She tracked me down, and said that finding me was part of her journey."

"Are you—"

"In love with her? No, nothing like that. We're just friends."

"What's she like?"

Edward answered, "I think you'd really like her. Originally, she's from Biloxi, Mississippi. She's gifted. She can't read minds like I do, but it's somewhere along those lines. She has visions, premonitions. And they're usually pretty accurate." From there, Edward explained that she'd been on her own since she had been turned, and that she had been a 'vegetarian' for decades.

Yet another surprise, for 'vegetarian' vampires were incredibly rare.

"She's had a few mishaps over the years," Edward went on to say. "But not in a long time. She's been helping me. We help each other."

"Wow, that's… that's great. I'm really happy for you, Edward. What's her name?"

"Mary Alice. But I just call her Alice. Her last name's Brandon. She just left for a hunt, but I'll catch up with her after our call." The ensuing pause hinted at a change of topic. "So the woman in your life, what's her name?"

"Isabella, but everyone calls her Bella." A question burned on Carlisle's tongue. He had to voice it. "What are your feelings on this?"

"I'm just thinking, envisioning what I would do if I were in your shoes."

Carlisle ceased his pacing. Staring beyond the glass, he asked, "And?"

A sigh could be heard over the line. "To answer that, I suppose I would have to refer to our own coven. How lonely it's been for all of us throughout the years. But you've been around the longest," he said. "And you were alone for most of it. If I was to fall for someone, even a human… I'd probably have a hard time walking away from that."

"So does that mean…"

"I can understand why Rosalie's upset, but I want you to know that I don't begrudge you. You deserve to be happy, Carlisle."

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