Edward
The clock said 5:45 am, but I had trouble believing it. These last few hours were creeping by at a snail’s pace. The night had been relatively calm, and I was just finishing up some paperwork on a woman who came in at 38 weeks pregnant and in labor. As I rubbed my eyes and scratched at my stubbly face, I saw my father come through the double doors.
“Aren’t you a bit early?” I inquired of the elder Dr. Cullen.
“I thought that I’d come in and let you get out of here a little early. Here, breakfast,” Carlisle said, handing a bag full of baked goodies from my mother. She was awesome like that.
“Thanks, for the food and the relief. I can’t leave quite yet, though. Tyler asked me to round on his patients this morning. Good thing he only has five patients to check up on. After that, I’m headed home to catch up on some much needed sleep.” I got up from the desk, barely suppressing a yawn as I stretched.
Carlisle smiled knowingly. It made me happy that we shared the same passion for our careers. I always knew he would understand what I was going through.
“Your mom misses you. We had rest of the group over last night for dinner. Emmett was telling us how he has rented the Victorian out already. It appears that his new tenant will be working here with us. She’s the travel nurse that we’ll get to have for the next six months or so,” Carlisle mentioned as he pulled on his starched white coat and put his stethoscope into one of the pockets.
“I saw Emmett and the rest of them at the property on Friday night as I passed by on my way to work. I noticed a girl, and then Sunday evening, I saw her again with what looked like her father and boyfriend.” I didn’t mention that I had seen her again, running yesterday morning. She seemed attractive, but unavailable. This was the story of my life.
“Yes, Alice mentioned that Bella, that’s her name, by the way, had stopped by the shop with her father and friend on Sunday. Her father and friend are big Cardinals fans, so Emmett thought it would be fun to have them in the sky box when Phoenix plays the Seahawks in the fall. Bella’s mom and her friend’s fiancé are going to come along to visit Bella. Alice has foretold,” Carlisle said with a fake spooky tone to his voice. My sister has a sixth sense at times. It was a little unsettling.
Wait. The friend has a fiancé? Meaning this girl, Bella, wasn’t with the guy who had his arm around her when I saw them the other night? That’s interesting. A goofy grin spread over my face, and I think Carlisle was reading my mind a bit, because his next words surprised me.
“Alice and Rose said Bella is quite nice. And Alice said it would be worth your time getting to know her. She wouldn’t elaborate much past that. You know Alice,” my father said with a laugh.
Bella. I hadn’t even met her yet and was drawn to her in curious ways. She had been in the shadows of my consciousness since seeing her with my siblings a few nights ago. And then when I saw her with her father and friend, I felt a bit of defeat wash over myself. Like I had lost the game before I even tried to play it. Seeing her jogging only reinforced that feeling. Learning that she didn’t have a boyfriend sent my heart pounding in ways that I hadn’t felt in quite a while. I wasn’t quite sure why, and I really didn’t seem to mind the feeling.
Carlisle sent me upstairs to check in on Tyler’s patients, and by 9:30 I was tired, but decidedly curious about Bella. I opted for a quick shower to refresh myself before I went out to run my errands, which mainly consisted of a little recon on Emmett’s new renter. Scrubbed clean and feeling invigorated, I opened the door of the bathroom inside the call room and was startled to see the cute chestnut-haired nurse that had been occupying my thoughts for the past three hours. She was standing in front of me in a lovely cream colored bra and scrub pants. She began stuttering about a puking accident, but I honestly didn’t comprehend much more than every third word. Her eyes were wide open in shock, their chocolate brown color mesmerizing. The most alluring blush began to creep into her cheeks and across her chest. God forgive me, but yes, I was staring at her beautiful, bountiful breasts. I forced myself to look back at her eyes, which were equally as beautiful. If I kept staring at the delicate flesh, the skimpy towel around my hips wouldn’t be able to hide the stirrings I was already beginning to feel in my pelvis, and that would just not do. Get it together, Cullen.
“I thought I locked the door. This is a little awkward,” I said with a chuckle. I passed by her to the closet where my clothes were and quickly went back to the bathroom, but not before letting my gaze linger on her chest again. She was indeed bella. I looked into her wide eyes once more and said, “Give me a minute and I’ll be out of your way.”
I quickly shut the door and began to dress. She was cute all blushing and embarrassed. I wondered if she blushed a lot, and what that blush meant.
I opened the door and she was seated on one of the bunks. She stood and I decided that since we had seen each other in varied states of undress, perhaps introductions might be in order.
“Uh, I’m Edward Cullen. I’m one of the attending docs here,” I said, trying not to let my eyes venture below her neck. I extended my hand to shake hers, and she just clutched her shirt to her chest with her left hand and placed her small, soft right hand in mine. I felt a shock that both sought out my heart and my groin. Did she feel that? Then there was a resurgence of her blush, everywhere. What was she thinking?
“Bella,” she said in a somewhat strangled voice. “I mean, I’m Bella Swan. I just started today. Apparently, part of the initiation here at Forks General is getting puked on by four-year-olds,” she continued in a nervous chatter. She was half naked in front of a stranger. Why wouldn’t she be nervous and blushing?
“I’m sorry about this. I didn’t know that there was anyone in here. I just needed to get showered. I took a pretty direct hit,” she continued with a nervous twitter. My eyes were briefly drawn downward and she just gave a little laugh. There was something about Bella that spoke to me in ways that I didn’t quite understand. I just wanted to know everything about her. Or make use of one of the bunks with her. It was a toss-up.
“One of the perks of the ED, huh? The never ending excitement?” I said, hoping not to sound too dumb. I don’t think that me getting a hard on in front of her was the kind of excitement she had signed up for, however. “Well, don’t let me hold you up,” I said, ferociously trying not to look at the soft silk that currently was holding up her breasts. I was a dog. She caught me looking. Yet she didn’t call me on it. Interesting. Maybe I could have some fun with this. See what Nurse Swan was made of, so to speak.
“I’m sure I’ll be, uh, seeing you. It’s a small town, and an even smaller hospital,” I said, looking into her eyes.
“Sure, Edward. See you around,” she said, blushing even further at my comment, but also smiling in a way that was playful. This might be fun after all.
“Bye, Bella,” I said, opening the door. In an afterthought, I added with a playful wink, “You might want to lock this door. You never know who might come walking in on you.” I walked out the door, looked back over my shoulder and gave her a crooked little smile, which Alice had told me was very endearing to the opposite sex. I just wanted it to be endearing to Bella.
I heard a sound on the other side of the door, and then the click of the lock. With my heart pounding and the region below my waist tingling deliciously, I decided it was time to find out all I could about Bella Swan. That meant that I had to find out her schedule for the next couple of days. I headed to the nurses’ station to see when she would be back a work this week. The nursing staff’s schedule was posted near the desk and the break room. It was pretty quiet, so I took a peek without prying eyes. She would be here today, Wednesday and Thursday, twelve hour shifts for all of those days. Just as I was replacing the clipboard, I heard a voice call from behind me. The clipboard tumbled to the floor, making a rather loud noise. The CIA would not be calling anytime soon to add me to their ranks.
“Whose schedule do you think he’s looking up, Glenda?” my father said with a smug tone.
“I hope it isn’t mine. I mean, it would be flattering to think that Edward cared enough to see when we’d be working together, but I don’t think I could leave my Johnny for him,” Glenda said in a smooth voice as she walked over to help me pick up the twenty pieces of paper that were scattered all over the floor.
“Let me take care of that, Edward. I’ll get it all back in order,” Glenda said with a smile. Dropping her voice, she added, “She’ll be here tomorrow and Thursday at 7am. I think, conveniently, you will be, too, right?”
There was no use hiding the blush creeping across my cheeks, so I just squared my shoulders and smiled. Picking up my briefcase and messenger bag, I leaned down, gave Glenda a kiss on the cheek and said, “Johnny better in watch out. I may just decide to try to dazzle my way into your heart, Glenda.”
Then, salvaging what pride I had, I thanked Carlisle for coming in early, as well as for the breakfast and then headed out to see the two people in Forks who knew the most about Bella Swan.
******************************************************************************
“Well, if it isn’t the young Dr. Cullen,” Rosalie said from behind her desk full of files and paperwork. She held up a finger to me and went back to the person on the other end of her Blackberry. “That’s good. I’ll note those minor changes and have Jasper send the amended contract as soon as he can. Thanks again, Jill.” Rosalie then let out a breath.
“Busy already?” I asked, absently looking at the listings that her agency currently boasted. Since going into business for herself two years ago, Rosalie’s had become the top real estate agency in the region. She and her other agents were consistently in the top ten for sales.
“You have no idea! Oh, guess what? We got the Victorian rented. You will probably get to know the tenant well…” Rose started to say before I cut her off.
“Bella,” I said in a voice that was a little more eager than I had anticipating.
“I take it you have already met her, then,” Rose said, giving me a sideways smirk. “She’s single, you know, very nice and funny. And Alice has already…”
“Don’t tell me she’s had a premonition. She is utterly ridiculous with that stuff.” I said to Rose, half hoping that Alice was right.
“So you’ve met her, what do you think?” Rose asked a little too earnestly.
“Actually, we met under awkward circumstances,” I said with a smile creeping across my face as I remembered her soulful eyes and adorable blush.
“Well, spill,” Rose prompted. I proceeded to tell her about the incident in the call room only an hour or so ago, leaving out the details of how semi-nudity responded to her semi-nudity.
“It sounds like you made quite the impression, Edward,” Rose smirked. “Alice has a pretty good track record. She’s been right about a lot of things. I wouldn’t go betting against her!” Rosalie said over her shoulder as she briefly ducked into the other room. Reappearing with her briefcase, she just smiled and said, “We just would like to fix you up with a fabulous person. Unless you’d like me to give Lauren a call on your behalf. I think she might be able to fit you into her social calendar.”
I shuddered at that thought and said, “Not even with someone else’s dick, Rose. Seriously, that chick has the potential to be a stalker.”
“You want to do lunch? I’m meeting Emmett down at the diner,” Rosalie said, tucking a few files into her satchel.
“That sounds good. Then I have to go home and nap. I hate switching from nights to days. It totally messes with you,” I said with a yawn.
“That’s why they pay you the big bucks, my man. I just have to drop something off at the rental and then we can eat,” Rose said, moving toward the door. “You mind driving? Emmett will bring me back. We have a property to see after lunch.”
“No problem. Let’s go,” I said, holding the door for my soon to be sister-in-law. Rose and Emmett were perfect for each other. Their motto seems to be ‘work hard, play harder.’ Football, fast cars, and fun. That was the perfect way to describe the two of them.
After a short drive, we pulled into Bella’s driveway. Rosalie pulled a small bag from the hardware store and a file folder from her briefcase.
“I need to run these things in. Do you want to see how the kitchen turned out? I’m sure Bella won’t mind,” Rose said.
“Sure,” I said simply. I was somewhat intrigued by the thought of seeing where Bella lived. It was as if I was getting to know her a little better. And I liked that a lot. Gosh, Edward, stalk much? Are you no better than Lauren? I was somewhat conflicted, but my curiosity won out.
Once in the foyer, I casually went to the parlor and looked around. Surprisingly, even though she had only been in the house for less than a week, things looked like she had been moved in for quite a while.
I looked about the room under the guise of admiring the restoration that Emmett had done, but I really was just trying to find out all I could about Bella. Gosh, was I being creepy?
On her desk, along with her laptop and printer was one of those digital photo frames. As I watched the scenes from her life randomly appear, some of the same faces kept coming up: a man and woman, presumably her parents; an older woman- her grandmother, I assumed; a russet skinned, dark haired boy or man, depending on the age of the photo. Pictures of them smiling, playing football, two different graduation photos. Then an image of Bella, her friend and a pretty woman appeared. The three looked happy, but I couldn’t help but notice that the happiness didn’t quite touch Bella’s eyes. I wanted to know all I could about her. I wanted to take that bit of sadness from her eyes.
I looked around the room to the bookshelves and noticed that either Bella liked lugging books all over the country or she was an avid reader. Battered copies of Austen and Bronte stood out among the other classics that had found their home on the rich wood shelves. We had some things in common, I thought to myself, as I tore myself away from my intrusion into Bella’s parlor. I heaved a sigh and headed to the kitchen to find Rosalie
The kitchen was magnificent, with professional appliances and sleek black granite counters. The island was clear with the exception of a bowl of fruit. In my mind, I thought of Bella sitting on the smooth, cool stone with nothing on but her blush. I was yanked from my fantasy by Rosalie’s somewhat annoyed voice.
“And she mentioned that she is a total…. um, earth to Edward!”
“Sorry, what? I’m sorry. I’m just tired and zoned out for a second,” I tried to cover.
“Bullshit, Cullen! You have a dopey grin on your face. You’re so thinking of Bella. And seeing as though you’ve laid eyes on her half naked body, I can only imagine what’s going on in that completely undersexed mind of yours. Thinking of breaking your vow of celibacy, Brother Edward?” Rose shot at me. I took a lot of shit from the others about my sex life, or rather, lack thereof. The truth is that there’s been nobody that I have felt that connected to, felt that pull of chemistry with to have sex. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but having sex for the sake of sex doesn’t seem right for me. Bella however was stirring things up in me that I had put by the wayside as I pushed through my residency and tried to establish my career. Perhaps it was time to put the monastic lifestyle away and live a little.
Rose continued, “I was saying that Bella invited Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and I over to dinner on Friday. I can ask her if I can bring one more, if you’d like.”
“What, am I that pathetic that I can’t score an invite on my own? A little faith, dear woman. I’ll call you if I strike out, ok?” I chuckled. In our brief interaction, Bella hadn’t run screaming from the call room, so I took that as an encouraging sign.
Rose and I left Bella’s and headed to the diner where Emmett was already seated in a booth. She filled him in on my introduction to his new tenant, and he broke into a wide smile.
“Well, bro, way to make an impression! She is cute, in a little sister way.” Rose arched an eyebrow at her bear of a boyfriend. “Aw, come on Rosie, you know the things I like to do to you are far from brotherly,” he said, matching her arched eyebrow. Their eyes smoldered.
“Do you two need to get a room or something?” I asked. Did I emphasize the work hard, play hard part of their relationship? They were such horn dogs, all of the time.
Emmett focused his attention above his belt once again. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get to know her better. How long is her assignment?” he asked between bites of his sandwich.
“Dad mentioned that she would be here for six months, until Thanksgiving or so. Then it’s on to the next place. I wonder if she ever gets tired of moving, of not having a place to call home for more than a few months at a time?” I wondered aloud. It was strange to me how much time Bella was occupying in my head. I felt tugged into her orbit or something.
“Maybe you can be the one to change her, Edward. Give her a reason to stay,” Rosalie said with a wink. If I didn’t know any better, I’d venture a guess that she and that pixie sister of mine had a plan in the works already to pair Bella and myself off into wedded bliss. I reminded myself that they meant well.
“Uh oh,” Emmett said. “Did Alice have one of her ‘hunches?’ ‘Feelings?’ ‘Visions?’ You know you’re sunk if she did bro. Nothing will keep that little dynamo from trying to fix the two of you up. You may as well surrender now,” he laughed.
“I think we’ll just see how things play out. I’ll be seeing a lot of Bella at work. Hopefully, it will carry over,” I said, trying to be casual and cool, all the time eagerly anticipating the next time I would see her.
Rose
After Edward was out of sight, I pulled out my phone and shot Alice a text.
I don’t think we will have to do much nudging for b&e. I’ll explain later. rlh
*************************************************************************************
Bella
After taking a quick shower, I returned to the Nurses’ Station. It felt good to be clean, but I doubt the flush to my skin was the result of the water. It was a little distracting to think about the fact that Edward had just been there in that shower, naked. Guys talk about having a spank bank, and that which I was imagining about the delicious Dr. Cullen was certainly fodder for the female equivalent.
The rest of the morning was pretty typical. I spent the time up until lunch learning about various details about the department, the charting system they used, and making small talk with Carlisle, Glenda, and Angela. When it was time for lunch, Angela and I headed for the cafeteria.
“So Angela, tell me about you,” I said as we found a table where we could sit and eat our lunches.
“Oh, there’s not too much to tell, really. I have lived in Forks all of my life, except for college. I have twin brothers, Dad’s a minister, and Mom’s the stay-at-home type. After high school, I went to UW for nursing school and returned to work here. I’m engaged to my high school sweetheart, Ben. He’s an engineer. It’s a pretty normal life.” Angela said with a smile. I found myself liking how genuine she seemed to be. Nursing was a good career choice for her.
“So, I guess you went to school with Rosalie and Alice,” I began, hoping to shift the conversation casually to Edward eventually.
“Yep. Alice, Edward, Jasper and I were in the same class. Emmett and Rose were a year ahead. It’s nice that everyone’s come back. Edward has only been back from his residency in San Francisco about a year. He has always wanted to work alongside Carlisle.”
“Apple doesn’t fall far, huh?” I noted. Edward was good looking, to be sure. A really nice guy, from what I hear. Why is he not attached? What gives?
“Yeah, the whole family is super nice. Carlisle and Esme always had an open home to all of their children’s friends. They knew most of the students at Forks High as well as the teachers did, I think. Emmett is just a big teddy bear, really. Don’t let his size fool you! Alice and Edward are twins, but it’s funny to see how they seem to be on opposite ends of the genetic spectrum. And Edward is more reserved, while Alice can be like a hummingbird on speed!” Angela expanded, giving me a quick glimpse into the Cullens.
I laughed at Angela’s description of Alice. “I have met Alice, and she is quite, um, enthusiastic?” I offered.
“That she is. She’s always been like that. She makes me tired just watching her! Actually, Alice was the one who encouraged me to ask Ben out, you know. She said that she had a feeling that he and I were meant to be together. I’d say that she was right,” Angela said with a smile.
We finished our lunch and returned to the department, where the rest of the shift went pretty slow. We didn’t have any patients, although we did have a call from one of the other units needing assistance with inserting an IV. I learned about what interesting things there were to do in the Forks area. A few quaint shops were located downtown, along with a grocery store, a few gas stations and a drug store scattered about. Major shopping was in Port Angeles, so I put that on my mental list of places to explore.
Something attractive thing about Forks, besides Edward Cullen in nothing but a towel, was the natural beauty of the outdoors. Being from Phoenix, I was used to the tans and browns of the desert. Washington was vibrant, verdant, and full of life. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so quickly at home in my five years of travel. There was a pull from this place that confused me. It was as if I was being seduced by the landscape, and there was little I could do to resist. I had been here less than a week and already I was questioning the plan. Of course, I didn’t need to decide anything for months, but a part of me was thinking that a detour on my journey wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
I was brought out of my musings about my future by a velvet voice that stopped me in my tracks. Edward.
“Edward, I thought you weren’t back until tomorrow morning,” Angela said to Dr. Hottie. “Did you forget something?”
Edward’s stunning eyes locked on mine. They crinkled with his smile and I was pulled a little more into this vortex that was Forks. I smiled back, remembering his glistening chest, his defined abs, and that delicious, chiseled V of his hips that the towel had so cruelly covered from me just hours before. I felt the blush begin to creep across my cheeks as the intensity of his gaze continued. After a few moments, he spoke.
“I, uh, forgot something in my locker that I needed,” Edward said, finally breaking eye contact and turning his attention to Angela. “Still pretty slow?”
“Yes, though now that you said that, all hell will break loose!” Angela said, playfully pushing Edward’s shoulder. Turning toward me, Angela said, “Edward, this is Bella Swan. She’s a travel nurse who will be here through Thanksgiving. Bella, this is Dr. Edward Cullen.”
I held out my hand to him and he shook it, lingering a bit longer than necessary. I wasn’t about to let Angela know about how I had already had met him, nearly naked, this morning in the call room. Apparently, he wanted to keep that to ourselves, as well.
“Bella, it’s nice to meet you. So as a traveler, I’m guessing you’ve seen a lot,” he said with a hint of a smirk across his perfect lips.
You’ve got to be shitting me. Did he just give me that crooked smile? Game on, Dr. Adonis. Blush be damned.
“Oh, definitely. It seems like when you’re least expecting it, something new and exciting comes through the door,” I smirked back.
Angela walked back toward the supply room, and Edward laughed and angled his body toward me. God he smelled good. I could not help myself when I took an eyeful of his lips. I wanted those lips on mine. It wasn’t often that I gave myself over to fantasies, but after our run in this morning, together with body language and flirting, I going to bed tonight might be rather, um, hard. Feeling a new wave of crimson sweep over my, I struggled to gain my composure.
“It seems that we have some mutual friends: Rosalie Hale, Jasper Whitlock, my brother, Emmett and sister, Alice. Rose mentioned that she had rented one of her properties to you. It’s a great place. I hear that Em and Rose really did a fantastic job on the rehab.”
Checking up on me in the eight hours since I basked in your semi-nudity, Dr. Cullen? What kind of player was he? Why did it thrill me that he talked to Rosalie? I could be just as forward.
“It is fabulous. Have you seen it since it was finished?” Just ask him to dinner on Friday, Bella.
“Not really.” He raised an eyebrow, almost like he could hear my thoughts.
“Well, our mutual friends are coming to dinner at my place on Friday night. You should join us. Emmett created my dream kitchen, and I love to cook. It’s a great way to get rid of tension,” I said.
“I’d like that. When would said tension-relieving be taking place?” he asked, his eyes burning into mine once again.
Tonight. My bed. “Um, six o’clock. Are you off then?” I asked, slightly shifting my body toward his, tilting my head to the side. I hoped I was coming across as alluring and not as if I had some spastic muscle disease.
“I’m sure I can get off then,” he said, meeting my shift and raising me a crooked smile. I was becoming undone and would need a cold shower soon. The man was oozing sex, and I was very willing to be his love sponge.
“Pretty sure of yourself, huh?” I asked. Yeah, he’s cocky.
“I know the boss pretty well, and he owes me a favor that I can cash in.”
Talk to me about favors, man slice.
“Well, it always helps to know the boss, I guess.” My pulse was beating fast as we continued to throw glances to each other. “Listen, I’m outta here. I’m back at 7am, and I have laundry to do. Rose is still waiting on the washer and dryer to be delivered, so I have to make a Laundromat run.”
“Rose mentioned that there were a few details left to finish up at your place. If you’d like, you’re welcome to come over and do your wash at my place. Then I won’t feel so bad about barging in on dinner Friday. I promise, I won’t bite. We can call for pizza and everything,” Edward said with a smile. We seemed to be clicking, even with all of the double entendres being thrown about. The banter was fun, and I really didn’t want it to end.
“Well, ok, Edward. Thanks a lot. Laundromats can be a drag. You’d be really helping me out,” I said with a wide smile, all the time hoping that he could help me out of my clothes sometime, as well. Jeebus. I’m not sure what the deal was, but I hadn’t felt this kind of chemistry since, well, Mike nearly three years ago. But the feeling I got from Edward was playful and sincere. Like he didn’t just flirt like this with everyone. Not that I did, either. Gosh, I think if I went much longer without sex and I could be considered a born-again virgin.
“Great. My place is just up a street and over about a block from you. If you’d like, I’ll walk over and help you get loaded up. How does 25 minutes sound?” Edward asked.
“Sounds perfect,” I said, feeling my heart beating in my chest. Edward was smart, funny, hot, and considerate, even if he was scoping out my boobs as he stood there in a flimsy towel, flushed and glistening. And he wanted to spend time with me. Was this some alternate universe? Was I being punked? It was in that moment that I took the self-doubt that I had carried around since Mike and let it go. It was time to live a little. In that moment, I had the strangest premonition that all of the roads I had taken were to prepare me for this experience here in this sleepy little town. And I decided that I would take what the universe was offering.
With a smile, I looked at Edward and said, “I like everything but onions and anchovies.”
He gave me a smile right back and said, “I’ll follow you.” For a brief second, I wished he would. Not just to my house, but to wherever I was off to next. I thought of my temporary status in Forks and felt that peculiar pang again. Perhaps, I thought to myself, there might be a reason to stay.
0 comments:
Post a Comment