VII. A Walk-In With Dr. Fang

"I'm here to see a doctor," I announced with all the confidence of a yappy dog terrorizing the neighborhood pets.

The receptionist eyed me strangely. "Right. Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, no. Don't they take walk-ins or something?"

He grimaced. "Ma'am, this isn't a clinic."

"Well, can't you call someone down here? I just need like, a consultation."

"Alright," he sighed, turning to his computer. "What's your health insurance plan?"

I scowled. "Hell if I know. Look, all I need is to have a quick chat with a cardiologist, okay? I don't actually require any medical treatment―"

I nearly gagged as my nose burned with the familiar scent of concentrated bleach.

"Ma'am?"

"Never mind," I said, scrunching my nose up in disgust. "Actually, my mom works here. I'll just go ask her."

Before he could protest, I spun around and darted down the hall to my left, following the smell of decay, until I found the tall, blond vampire in the lab coat.

"Hey, you!" I called, making a beeline for him. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

"My apologies," he said, glancing over and blinking at me with a stupidly innocent expression. "Do I know you?"

"You're about to." I glared.

"I'm sorry, please excuse us," he said to the nurse he'd been speaking to only moments ago, and then gestured for me to follow him. "This way please."

I eyed him suspiciously as I followed him, but kept my mouth shut. Even I wasn't stupid enough to start shouting the word 'vampire' within earshot of other humans. I knew enough about the treaty to understand that I'd only land myself in extremely hot water.

"In here," he said, opening a door which appeared to lead into his office.

I gingerly stepped inside and immediately slammed my palm against my nose, pressing the side of my face against my shoulder.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked, features drawn tight with concern.

"Just takes some getting used to." I nearly gagged, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, gently shutting the door.

I dropped my hand with a scowl. "Why did you come here?"

"Whatever grievances you hold, I believe they would be better aired out in privacy," he explained, moving to sit in the chair behind his desk.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't mean your damn office. I meant Forks! I get that you and your family enjoy acting out your human charade, but if you knew that your presence here would cause me and bunch of other teens on the rez to start exploding into giant fucking monsters, why the hell did you decide to come back?!"

It'd been a question that'd been festering since last night. Isabella had thought the solution was for me to leave, to walk away from the miserable hell Sam had contrived for me.

But she'd been wrong. I was not the intruder. They were.

For a moment, the vampire could only stare at me in horror.

"You mean to say," he began slowly, "that we caused the change?"

"I'm sorry, did it escape Isabella's mind to mention that part?" I sneered.

A stiff curtain instantly fell over his expression. "Isabella?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Isabella. The weird human girl who's dating your son. The one with the crazy comic book superpowers. The one who warned me away from you lot. That Isabella."

"Ah," he said and his features relaxed. "Am I right in assuming that you are Leah?"

"No duh," I grumbled, dropping into one of the chairs across from him.

He leaned forward, bracing his forearms against his desk. "Yes, my daughters mentioned that you had visited. My name is Carlisle Cullen. Despite the circumstances we find ourselves in, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Leah."

"Don't think I can say the same," I said, scowling.

"I'm sorry, but you're right," Carlisle said with a perturbed frown. "Isabella did not happen to mention that it was ourproximity which set all of this in motion. But you must understand, she holds a great quantity of knowledge in her head. I have noticed that she struggles in keeping track of so much information at times, and it has even resulted in fatigue. Please do not hold it against her."

I rolled my eyes. "No need to get all sentimental. Besides, Isabella's just the messenger. She didn't actually do anything to cause this mess."

Carlisle nodded, seeming appeased. "As for our presence here," he continued, "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that we'll be taking our leave soon."

I narrowed my eyes. "How soon?"

"You must understand that the way we live requires that we attract the least bit of attention possible, lest we put our secret in danger," he explained. "I've already put in my notice. Once Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett graduate from Forks High, we will make our departure."

"That's not for another three and a half months." I frowned. "Whatever. It's too late for me anyway. As long as you're out of here before my little brother starts exhibiting symptoms…"

It was bad enough that my whole life had been capsized by their mere proximity. Seth didn't deserve the same.

"I assume he's not quite old enough to start shifting yet?" Carlisle asked, appearing sincerely concerned on his behalf.

I shrugged. "He just turned thirteen. In the right circumstances, he definitely could." I grimaced, recalling Isabella's rotten tale. "But I don't plan on allowing anything to happen to him."

"I don't doubt it," Carlisle said earnestly. "Leah, I am truly sorry for any grief that we have caused you and your tribe. We truly didn't know."

"Yeah, yeah. I believe you," I huffed, unable to appease him with my forgiveness.

If he and his family of bloodsuckers hadn't come, I'd still be engaged to Sam, Emily would still be my best friend, and I wouldn't be so familiar with the foul stench of betrayal.

Perhaps they had done me a favor. Perhaps the betrayal would've still occurred, just without the excuse of bullshit magic. Perhaps they had saved me from a failed marriage and a wasted lifetime.

But I was still too hurt to consider that possibility.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Carlisle asked. "I am employed here for another few months, and if medically, there's any way I can assist you…"

I eyed his heartfelt expression. For a vampire, he didn't strike me as very vampire-like. Though I suppose his current occupation should've been clue enough.

"Sure, actually," I finally said. "That dumb receptionist was no help."

"I'm sure he was just doing his job," Carlisle assured me.

"Whatever," I grumbled, rubbing my nose. I was growing more accustomed to the burning odor the longer I sat here, but it didn't make it any less irritating. "I wanted to talk to a cardiologist."

He frowned. "Any abnormalities to your heart could possibly be a result of your impending shift. But if you would like me to run some tests―"

"I'm not here for me," I cut him off. "I'm here for my dad."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Carlisle prodded when I fell silent.

"...Isabella revealed something to me last night," I whispered, my throat suddenly growing tight. "You see, my dad suffers from heart disease, which increases the likelihood of him having a heart attack. She said that…that a year from now, I shift into a wolf for the first time right in front of him and he…he dies because of me."

"I see," Carlisle said softly. "Leah, I will do everything I can in my power to help your father. But I need you to understand, in this future that Isabella has revealed to you, your father does not die because of you. You are not responsible for his health."

"I know!" I glowered. "But I still played a part in it. And I'll be damned if I do so again. We both need help."

"Then let's start with you," he said kindly. "What do you need help with?"

I blew out a sharp sigh. "Isabella says that I need to learn to control my temper. It's the only way to remain in control of the shift."

"How you conduct yourself is ultimately up to you," Carlisle said. "But, I happen to own a few books on anger management and I would be glad to let you take them off my hands."

"You?" I snorted. "Why do you have books on anger management? If I weren't aware of your nature, I'd be under the impression that you couldn't hurt a fly."

Carlisle smiled. "Thank you, but I didn't purchase them for myself. A few decades ago, when anger management was being developed in the psychology field as a form of psychotherapy, I read a few studies and eventually acquired several books to learn more. Although I haven't had to train a newborn vampire since the 30s, I wondered if I might find anything that could help make the transition easier."

"Newborn vampire?" I wrinkled my nose. "Like a baby?"

"No." He smiled wryly. "It's the term used for newly turned vampires. It's not an easy change and the first few years are always the most difficult."

"That's a bizarre fucking term for a freshly made cannibal," I scoffed. "No offense."

His eyes crinkled. "None taken."

"Whatever," I said. "I'll take your books."

"Excellent," Carlisle said. "As for your father, what more can you tell me about his prognosis?"

"Honestly? I don't actually know a whole lot," I admitted with a frown. "I know the heart disease is a result of high blood cholesterol. My mom's always on him about eating healthier. And I know there's some medication he takes for it."

"Unfortunately, that's not much information to go on," Carlisle admitted. "But your mother is right to be worried. Losing weight will lower his cholesterol levels, which means he does need to eat healthy and exercise. But without seeing the results of his blood labs for myself and how the medication he's on is affecting him, then there's no practical advice I can offer beyond that."

"Figures," I grumbled. "Although maybe if I nag him alongside mom, he'll actually listen for once."

"Perhaps," he said. "Can I assume one of the doctors here is the one treating him?"

"Nope," I said with a scowl. "My dad refuses to visit this hospital because of you. He got his diagnosis from the Neah Bay Hospital up north. But it's an hour and a half away, so he's not exactly seeing a doctor on a regular basis."

"In that case, I believe the best course of action would be for you to begin to monitor his health at home," Carlisle decided. "At least until I am officially resigned from here. If there were anything I could do to make him feel at peace in being attended to here, I would. But I get the sense that that's a hopeless venture."

"You'd be right," I said without preamble. "I think they've also looked into the possibility of a gastric bypass surgery to help with the weight loss, but I'm not sure if that's still on the table."

"Yes, that's usually more of a last resort, if regular weight loss methods are proving difficult," he explained. "But if they choose to go that course, he will need to lose weight regardless."

"Guess the nagging route it is," I muttered, slumping down and dropping my head back against the backrest of the chair.

"If you have copies of his blood test results, and the type of medication he's currently prescribed, I could give you a better analysis of where he's currently at. But, that would be a violation of his doctor-patient confidentiality," Carlisle said reluctantly.

"Nah," I decided after some thought. "It's been a few months since he last had blood work done. It's probably all outdated by now."

"Then let me write a few recommendations for you," he offered instead. "There's several doctors here that I believe would be a good fit for his case."

"I'd like that," I said with relief. "At this point, anything would help."

"I'm glad I could be of some assistance." Carlisle smiled kindly. "I'll bring those books I mentioned tomorrow, and you can drop by to pick them up whenever you're ready."

"Thanks doc," I said, cracking a small grin.

Although this wasn't the direction I'd expected our conversation would go in, I couldn't help but feel appeased. There was something strangely reassuring about this particular vampire's demeanor.

"Although, I would prefer it if you did not come by when you're supposed to be attending your classes."

I rolled my eyes. Admittedly, keeping Quil's grandpa's car and ditching school wasn't one of my better impulses. But needs must.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," I huffed, pushing myself up to my feet. "Thanks again."

"You are most welcome."

A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed this update! Be sure to review if you can! :)

In Reference to A Body of Water and Bones: End of Chapter 31 - Chapter 32.