This update is so late! My computer crapped out and so I'm posting this from the app. hopefully no issues!

The song for this chapter is Something Just Like This by The Piano Guys.

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Disclaimer: I'm only doing this for a friend. I don't get anything from it but her undying appreciation. I certainly don't get to have fun with Emmett and the boys in my head.

Chapter Nineteen: Something Just Like This

CPOV

I paused outside Bella's room, listening to the happenings inside before entering.

And finally taking the deep breath I felt like I'd been holding since hearing that Bella was in an accident at school and on her way to the hospital. It was like my heart had been trapped beneath an anvil while I waited for her to arrive, waited for her to get her tests done, waited for the nurses to finally page me. Despite Edward's arrival and recap of events, I still felt the pressure, like at any moment my heart would be crushed and my soul along with it. I didn't even care that he had revealed his abilities to her as long as she was safe, alive.

Seeing her lying in that hospital bed had nearly wrecked me, the neck brace a cruel reminder of how very fragile she was. It was nearly enough to convince me to change her.

Nearly.

Despite her injuries and the traumatic experience, she'd managed to hold on to her wit and humor. It assuaged some of the fears I had about brain damage. But nothing could persuade me not to keep her in the hospital overnight. I physically and mentally could not bring myself to send her home where she might succumb to further injury. I needed her here, where there were professionals who could keep an eye on her and save her if things started to get worse.

I listened silently, pretending to check my phone, as Charlie told Emmett about the craziest crimes he'd worked on. Alice and Rosalie were fussing over Bella, making sure she was comfortable, adjusting her blankets and pillows. Rosalie kept offering her water or to call the nurse for pain medication while Alice commented on the poor quality of the bed linens. Edward sat in the corner with Jasper, complaining about the lack of tv channels. Bella mostly remained silent, save for answering Rosalie's offers and telling Alice she was fine.

"Carliisle, what luck!" I turned, surprised to find Esme walking toward me with a loaded duffle bag.

"Esme, what are you doing here," I asked curiously. She smiled softly at me as the nurses watched our exchange over their charting.

"Alice texted and asked if I would bring some things to make Bella more comfortable but I had some car trouble and I'm running late for a meeting with a client. Is there any chance I could leave these with you?" I raised my eyebrows at her. She smiled slightly wider and I knew that this story was solely for the benefit of the ears listening to us.

"Of course. Please drive safely. Do you need my car?"

"No, I got it all sorted out. Give Bella my love and tell her to feel better." She kissed my cheek and walked back out, turning and waving before she rounded a corner. I turned to the nurses' station and grabbed Bella's chart.

"How has Miss Swan been doing," I asked, pretending to read through the notes.

"She's been a bit groggy," Carol, my favorite of the nurses, responded. "We've been punctual about her pain management, though. Between her wrist and her head, she's sitting at about a solid seven, though I think it's a bit higher and she's just putting on a brave face. Her father arrived just a couple of hours ago and your children, niece and nephew are with her now. When they first brought her up she told me she doesn't really like hospitals after staying with her mother. Poor thing. I can't imagine going through that at her age. It's only been a few months as well." I nodded as she spoke. I hadn't even considered what staying in the hospital would be like for Bella so soon after her mother's passing. Was she overwhelmed? Did being here bring up painful memories for her?

"Any vomiting, confusion, anything like that," I asked her.

"She complained of nausea but no vomiting. She's been a little sluggish, definitely fatigued but she hasn't slept much. She's dizzy when she stands so we put her as a falls risk and told her she has to have help to the bathroom."

"Thank you, Carol. I'll bring this in to her and see if she needs something for the nausea."

"I'll follow you in. She's due for more pain meds." She stood up and headed for the med room while I headed to Bella's room. I knocked quietly before opening the door.

"I heard there was a party in here," I said casually as I entered. Bella's eyes lit up when she saw me, cheeks flushing and I smiled wider.

"Yeah but you're not invited," Edward teased.

"Be that as it may, I'm here to do a neuro check on Bella. Oh, and Esme dropped this off for you, Alice. She had to get to a client meeting but said to give you her love, Bella, and that she hopes you feel better." Alice grabbed the bag from me and dropped it on Jasper's lap, opening it. Everyone stepped away from the bed except Charlie, who was holding Bella's hand in the seat next to it. Carol knocked on the doorframe and came in while I began to check Bella's head for new swelling. Her hair was like silk between my fingers and I had to focus on the fact that her father was sitting right next to her to stop myself from threading my fingers into the hair on the sides of her head and pressing my lips to hers gently.

"Still tender," I asked her as she flinched when I applied pressure to the same areas as this morning.

"Yes," she mumbled. "It's like there's a jackhammer in my head."

"This should help with that," Carol said, typing at the computer before scanning Bella's ID bracelet and typing again. "On a scale of one to ten, where's your pain at?"

"Oh, probably just a five or six," Bella said slowly and I frowned as Edward hummed a negation. I looked over at him and Jasper quickly held up eight fingers.

"Are you sure," I asked her kindly and she sighed, looking at the ceiling.

"Maybe more like a seven or eight," she admitted.

"Well, let's get this medicine in you," Carol said and she presented Bella with a cup with acetaminophen in it and a cup of water. Bella sat up slowly and we both hovered, ready to offer assistance. She took the pill cup with thanks and swallowed down the pills with some water before handing them back.

"Let me know if you need anything else," Carol said as she left the room. I resumed my exam, holding Bella's head gently while I shined my penlight in her eyes.

"Is it okay for her to sleep," Charlie asked.

"I think enough time has passed that you could sleep for a bit. How is your nausea?"

"I'm really dizzy. Between that and the headache, I feel like my stomach is trying to crawl up my esophagus," she complained before turning red.

"I recently read a study about treating patients presenting with a concussion with an antinausea and antihistamine concurrently. The results show marked improvement in pain levels as well as nausea and dizziness. I'll write some orders for those and have Carol bring them in as soon as the pharmacy sends them up, if you're amenable."

"If it makes the room stop spinning, I'll take it," she sighed.

"Excellent. Any other questions for me?"

"When are we busting her out of this joint," Emmett complained.

"Bella is staying here until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I suggest you all say your goodbyes soon and let her get some rest."

"Thanks, Carlisle," Charlie said, brushing the hair back from Bella's face.

"Let me know if there's anything else that I can do for you or if you start feeling worse," I instructed them before leaving the room to go write the newest orders in her chart.

"Here, Bella," Alice said excitedly, approaching Bella's bed, "this pillow will give you much better support. And this minky blanket should be much softer and warmer." I listened as she helped support Bella while she swapped out pillows while Rosalie covered her in the new blanket. "I also had Esme grab some books from Carlisle's library. I know you don't feel like reading now, but maybe later if you get bored, you'll have these."

"Thanks, Alice. Really, I'm okay, though."

"We're just so happy that you're okay. When we thought that the van might have crushed you this morning…" Alice trailed off, voice anguished.

"I agree with her," Charlie said. "I'm happy you weren't more seriously injured. If I'd lost you…" His voice grew hoarse.

"Dad, I'm okay. I promise it's just a bump on the head and a bum wrist. You're stuck with me for a while," she teased.

"Wouldn't want it any other way, kid," he said softly.

"Well, I have makeup work to get done," Edward said loudly, standing. "Come on, guys. Let's let Bella get some rest." They all began to say their goodbyes, filing out of the room one by one.

"Text me if you need anything," Rose commanded her.

"I will," Bella promised.

"I'm really happy you didn't die today," Rosalie murmured as she hugged her.

"Me too," Bella said. They left, promising to check on her later. I finished my charting and headed to check on other patients.

~~~STY~~~

My shift finally ended an hour later. I tried to think of a valid reason to go see Bella without raising suspicion but I couldn't come up with anything. I changed out of my scrubs and headed to the exit nearest where my car was parked.

"Carlisle." I turned as Charlie walked quickly over to me.

"Charlie, is everything alright?" His face was strained and I immediately wondered what had happened.

Had he found out that Bella and I kissed last night after he left?

Did he know that I was deeply in love with his daughter?

"I hate to ask this, since you've had a long day and everything."

"What is it?"

"I just got called into the station. I was wondering if you could sit with Bella? She pretends not to but she gets stressed in hospitals. The grief counselor she was seeing said it's a reaction to her mom's hospital stays. I'd ask Alice but I don't have her number and I can't wait for her to get here. She just needs someone familiar with her."

"Of course, Charlie. I'll even call Alice when I get up there and ask for her or one of the others to come over."

"Thank you," he said fervently. "Without Edward, today would have gone very differently." I felt icy at his words.

"But it didn't. She'll be right as rain in a few days," I reassured him and he sighed, rubbing his face.

"Thanks, Carlisle. I wish I didn't have to leave but this is… well, it's a thing I have to deal with. I don't know if I'll be back again tonight."

"Don't worry about it. I'll see who wants to stay the night with her and keep you updated on how she's doing." He clapped a hand to my shoulder and then turned away towards his cruiser with some thank yous thrown over his shoulder. I turned and headed back towards Bella's room.

"Doctor Cullen, I thought your shift was over," one of the night nurses said as I approached the door.

"Chief Swan had an emergency at the station. He asked me to sit with Miss Swan until someone could come to keep her company."

"That's so sweet! Maybe you could help her order something for dinner? We asked when we did rounds but her nausea medication hadn't kicked in yet."

"I'll see what I can do," I assured her and turned to Bella's door. I knocked softly.

"Come in," she called tiredly. I pushed the door open and smiled at her. "Carlisle," she breathed out in relief. I smiled at her, closing the door behind me.

"I'm afraid your father had to head into work. He asked if I'd sit with you. I can even call Rose or Alice if you'd like." I settled into the chair next to her bed.

"I'm so happy you're here," she said fervently and I watched as her eyes clouded with tears.

"Oh, sweet girl, don't cry," I crooned, gently cupping her head. Her face crinkled and she began crying softly against her pillow.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't even know why I'm so emotional. It's probably just the hospital thing."

"Today has been traumatic. It's a lot to deal with. Your concussion is probably just enhancing those feelings."

"This is so not how I planned on seeing you after… last night," she whispered and I chuckled.

"It certainly isn't how I thought today would go either."

"We should probably… talk about that," she said awkwardly, cheeks flushing under my hands and I relished in the flood of warmth against my skin.

"I'll make you a deal. We can talk all you want as soon as you've ordered something to eat," I promised. She grimaced and I chuckled. "You have to eat something. Even if it's just a smoothie or a milkshake or some soup."

"Fine," she muttered. "Please order me a smoothie and I'll try to eat it." I grabbed her room phone and called in the order to the kitchens. Once I had finished, I settled in at her side, placing my arm on the bed next to her legs. "Now, I believe you wanted to talk." She blushed and I was suddenly wracked with nerves. Was she about to tell me that she hated kissing me last night? That it had just been Edward and Alice's meddling that had forced last night to happen?

"I.. I really loved last night," she started quietly. "I honestly didn't think that you… you know, thought of me like that." I took her hand in both of mine.

"Bella, I've been fighting my feelings for you almost since we met. That's why Alice and Edward and I have been so at odds. They wanted me to pursue a relationship with you and I refused." Her sad eyes lingered on my face as I spoke.

"Why didn't you want to," she asked. I sighed, mentally cursing Edward and Alice for putting us in this position.

Okay, for helping to facilitate this situation.

I was the one who kissed her.

"My life is… complicated."

"Because I'm the same age as your kids," she guessed knowingly.

"That is one factor, though not because of your age itself. I don't consider age gaps to be as important as society does. Obviously, I'm against relationships where someone in a position of power or authority takes advantage of someone that they have an uneven power dynamic with. Regardless of my feelings, the difference in our ages does present some issues. As you are underrage, if we were to engage in a relationship and your father or someone else did not approve…"

"My dad is a cop, Carlisle. I understand what happens when a legal adult dates a minor and someone doesn't like it," she said flatly. "That's actually why I wanted to talk to you. I don't want…" She took a deep breath and then gazed at me pleadingly. "I don't want you to get into legal trouble or anything because I'm still seventeen. I know this town and honestly, even if my dad was on board, there are a lot of people here who would go out of their way to make your life miserable. And…" she trailed off and I waited with bated breath for her to continue. "I guess I just don't want there to be drama. I really, really like you, Carlisle, but I keep thinking about what would happen if we started seeing each other and I don't think it ends well." I nodded, throat tight and heart plummeting. She was being logical and I should applaud her for being the one who was looking at the situation from all sides. "Unless," she said and she took one of my hands and interlaced our fingers together, staring at our joined hands, her skin only marginally darker than mine, "we didn't see each other...publicly."

"Bella, I don't want you to sneak around and lie. Not on my account. I'm an old man and frankly, you deserve better."

"You're not that old," she argued and I mentally flinched, fully aware that I was much older than she could comprehend.

"I don't want you to be my dirty little secret," I said softly. She squeezed my hand.

"The thing is that even if I was eighteen right now and we decided to date, you and I both know that this town would never accept that." I laughed humorlessly. "Maybe in someplace bigger no one would bat an eye. But Forks is…"

"Old fashioned," I offered.

"Full of judgmental busybodies who care more about what trouble they can stir up than the damage they're doing, is what I was going to say," she said flatly and I raised an eyebrow at the vitriol underlying her tone. "Sorry. I know that seems harsh. But it was the people here who made my mother choose to leave my dad. And honestly, they haven't changed."

"People so rarely do," I said sadly.

"Look, Carlisle, I… I understand if you don't want to, you know, be with… me. I mean, I don't exactly bring a lot to the table with a man like you." I frowned at her as she focused on the fabric of her blanket.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean," I demanded. She blushed deeper.

"You're… well, you. You're this renowned doctor who has his choice of hospitals. You're cultured and you've experienced the world. You have these wonderful, amazing kids. I know that there's not much a nondescript seventeen year old could contribute in a relationship besides… you know." I leaned back, stunned.

"Isabella Swan, do you really think that that is all I could want from you?" She shifted uncomfortably. "You are such an intelligent, mature, warm, witty, loving young woman." She kept avoiding my gaze. "You are beautiful, yes, but you are such a genuine person. You've been the first friend my children have ever had outside of their siblings and cousins. You're selfless and caring. You've experienced such heartache and yet you forge through and practice kindness when others would be callous or rude." She looked up slowly and I saw her eyes were bright. "I don't know why you think that you are 'nondescript' because you are the most interesting person I've ever met and Bella, I have met a lot of people." She chuckled softly. "No one has been able to turn my head and there have been some determined parties who have tried. Only you, Bella. And it isn't because you're seventeen."

"You're being too generous," she muttered.

"I can assure you, Bella, that this is me holding back. But this is exactly the reason I don't want you to feel pressured to be with me. I know I bring a lot of baggage to the table and you have your whole life ahead of you. You can do so much better than me." She stared at me in disbelief.

"Now who's being delusional," she accused bluntly. "I get that you being with you would mean things that I wouldn't have to deal with if I dated someone my own age. But I don't care, Carlisle. I don't want someone my own age. I. Want. You." I froze, stunned into silence by her no nonsense delivery. "What I was trying to say is that I'm not going to force you or guilt you into being with me. But I want you to know that I'm willing to try and see what this is between us. I get the risks but you're worth it. We don't even have to do more than see each other and spend time getting to know each other. We can-" I leaned over, cutting her off as I pressed my mouth to hers fiercely. She melted into my kiss, curling her good hand into the hair above my collar. I caressed her lips with mine, gently but lovingly as I held her head lightly, mindful of the toll Edward's intervention had taken on her. I kissed her languidly for a few more moments before pulling back enough to rest my head against hers and breathe deeply.

"I will gladly take anything you choose to give me," I promised her quietly. "If you want to spend the rest of your life just asking me questions and getting to know me better, I will happily tell you everything there is to know about me. But you'll probably get bored and end up realizing that I really am a boring old man." She giggled faintly.

"I wouldn't count on it," she warned and I grinned. I heard the food cart pulling up outside her door and I moved the chair a respectable distance away from her bed and sat in it, picking up a book from the bag Esme brought and pretending to lose myself in it.

"What," she began to ask when a knock on the door interrupted her. "Come in," she called, settling back against the pillows. One of the food service employees entered the room with a tray with a foam cup on it.

"I have your smoothie here. Can you just verify your name and date of birth?" Bella rattled off the information and the woman set the tray on the table next to her bed and wished her a good night.

"You need to try and drink that," I told her, moving closer to the bed. She grimaced. "Did the medications not make your nausea better?"

"It's better but I still feel kind of queasy." I brushed her hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

"Just try a little bit. Drink it slowly and if you can tolerate it, you can have more." I handed her the cup and she took a drink of it gingerly. She rested the cup in her lap and it bumped against the cast on her injured wrist.

"This is going to be fun to try and function with," she said with a sardonic smile.

"Some practice and I'm sure you'll be a champion in no time," I told her, running my fingers over the exposed fingers of her injured hand.

"This isn't my first wrist cast. With my luck, it probably won't be my last either."

"Do I need to wrap you in bubble wrap, Bella," I asked with an easy smile. She grinned, rolling her eyes.

"That would be a recipe for disaster. I highly doubt that Emmett and Edward would be able to resist the temptation of popping every single bubble." I laughed and she smiled wider. "I like your laugh," she murmured. "It's like being wrapped in a warm hug." I ducked my head.

Did she really feel that way or was that a result of my vampire abilities, drawing her in with attraction so that she'd be an easy victim?

I stilled at the thought and then brushed it away.

Bella would never be the victim of a vampire.

I'd protect her until the day she died if I had to.