Bella
I smiled all the way home. I kept smiling as I unloaded my baskets in the dark. All the way up the stairs, I had a silly, goofy grin on my face. The evening I had spent with Edward Cullen was one of the most fun, most genuinely relaxing nights I had had in quite a while. I had absurdly high hopes that it would only get better from here.
Being with Edward was effortless. The conversation flowed naturally with no awkward silences and no one person dominating the other. His smile was easy and his laugh infectious. We bounced from subject to subject, and the flirting, oh! The flirting was the best part. The sacrifice of that bra and panty set was worth it to see the look on Edward’s face. I thought for a minute that I was being a bit too forward when I tucked the bra into his shorts like I did, but he didn’t seem to mind. And I think he was able to deduce that I was interested.
So, what was it that I was feeling? I felt this pull toward Edward, and I am fairly certain that he felt it as well. Since my Mike Newton experience, however, I had been reluctant, even afraid, to let myself get close to any guys. Sure, I went on the occasional date, but never felt sparks with any guys. Definitely nothing like tonight. All of the casual touches here and there throughout the evening were simply wonderful. Edward was a perfect gentleman, right down to the kiss on my cheek. That little kiss had me all flustered and excited and wanting much more.
I needed to talk to Jake. He was the only person who knew me better than I did. He could help me sort through these feelings. I put the rest of my clothes away, pulled out my scrubs for the following morning, and picked up my phone.
j- can you talk? Need to pick your brain about something. Will be up until about 11pm. XOXO-b
I shot off the text and went to find my pajamas. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard my phone beep. There was a text back from Jacob.
b- sure. Call me.-j
I laughed to myself. Jake was king of the short texts. I climbed into my huge, fluffy, king size bed and dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.
“What it is, Bells?” Jake asked with a laugh. I felt like I hadn’t talked to my best friend in weeks, when in reality, it had been less than two days.
“Hey, yourself. How are you? How’s Leah?” I asked, stalling a bit. I was a little nervous about talking to Jake for some reason. He picked up on that strategy right away.
“We’re fine. What’s up with ya? Bad day at work?” Jake asked.
“Actually it was a great first day. Not the hustle and bustle of Denver, but the slower pace is very much welcomed. I was barfed on by a little girl, and then met someone that has my mind in an uproar,” I began. Jake had an appreciation for as few words as possible. I needed to cut to the chase with him, and this direct form of communication served two purposes. It forced me to just say what I was thinking without ruminating over it, as well as obtaining the valued opinion of my friend.
I heard Jake snort. “Which part do you need help with?” he teased.
“Oh, Jake. You know how Mike really screwed me over. It has been so hard for me to trust guys. But today, I met someone who has the ability to win me over, I think, and I’m scared. He’s funny, charming, polite to a fault, and pretty easy on the eyes,” I gushed. Gah! Admitting my feelings out loud to Jacob was like ripping off a Band-Aid. It was less painful in the long run.
“So, what’s the problem, Bells? It’s not like you are picking out china patterns and planning a honeymoon. Get to know him. What’s his name? How’d you meet him?”
“It’s Edward Cullen. Emmett and Alice’s brother? I ran into him at work today and we really hit it off. We hung out this evening, and I had such a nice time. Like butterflies in my stomach, staring at him with ga ga eyes, total flirting nice time. I have never felt such a strong pull toward someone in my life, no offense,” I said, knowing that Jake would understand.
“Does Bella Swan have a crush? That’s so cute!” Jacob teased. I let out a groan. “Oh, I’m just kidding, Bella. How do you think he feels? Was he flirting back with you?”
“He was. He has these eyes that are just mesmerizing. As I left his place tonight, he kissed my cheek like a perfect gentleman. It all felt so right. And I’m tired of being alone,” I said, the last sentence much softer.
“Bella, no matter what, you’re never alone.”
“I know that I have you and my parents. But is Renee right? Am I running?”
“I don’t think you’re running, Bells,” Jake said, reassuring me. “I think that you just have a plan, an idea of how you want things to be. There’s not one thing wrong with that. I think that if you feel something with Edward, even after such a short amount of time, and then pursue it. Live a little.”
I thought about Jake’s words. He was right. Mike and Edward were as different as night and day. And there was no reason why I shouldn’t get to know Edward better. I would be working with him a lot, just as much as I had with Mike. Perhaps even more.
“I’m just so scared, Jake. Really. I don’t want to put my heart out there, only to have it broken again. It just hurts too much,” I said, willing the tears from my eyes.
“Love isn’t without risk, Bella, but when you find it, it’s worth it and so much more. Trust your gut. You are truly a good judge of character. Mike was a fluke. Is how you felt tonight with Edward different than how you felt with Pilot Boy?”
I stopped a moment to think on this. “You know, it is, on so many levels. I felt infatuated with Mike, I think. Self-conscious. Always thinking that he had a bit of a wandering eye. The feeling I get with Edward is such a sincere one. Focused. Dare I say consuming?”
“Consuming? Like he’s going to eat you alive like a vampire? I’m just kidding. I do know what you are trying to say, I think. Like you can’t get close enough? I feel that way with Leah. I knew it was love with her when it physically hurt to be away from her. It didn’t matter if it was an hour or a day; I ached when she was away from me. At first, I thought I was going crazy, but Leah told me one night before we parted that she never liked leaving me, that it gave her a ‘Jake Ache.’ That’s when I knew I was in love with her.” I could almost see Jacob smiling over the phone. He was a lovesick fool, all six feet, seven inches of him.
“Thanks, Jake. You have successfully talked me off of the ledge again. I think I’ll just go with the flow with Edward. I can tell that he’s not a player. He seems almost a little shy. Maybe I can shake up his summer a bit!” I joked.
“That’s my girl. Just trust yourself. You can’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life, Bella. Have fun!” Even though Jake wasn’t destined to be the love of my life, he certainly was one of the reasons that I knew love. And I knew he was right.
“I love you, Jacob Black. That Leah Clearwater is a lucky girl. Still planning on popping the question next weekend?” I asked, wanting to deflect a little of the attention from myself.
“Oh, yes, I am! I talked to her parents and grandparents the other night. I even showed the ring to them and everything. Some of the cousins are making a special cake. God, I hope she says yes!” Jake said with a nervous laugh. It never occurred to me that Jake would be afraid of being turned down.
“Jake! Are you kidding me? The girl was made for you. I only wish I could be there for the party! Promise you’ll call me afterwards? I’ll be working days that weekend, but I’ll have my phone on, ok?” I begged.
“Sure, sure. Anything for you, Bells. I better let you go so that you can get some sleep. You’re working tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, and Thursday, too. It’s not bad, really. And…Edward’s working at the same time, so that should be fun,” I said with hint of playfulness.
“Try not to attack him in the call room or anything,” Jake said. I blushed six shades of red and tried not to scream. I would never live that story down if he got a hold of it.
“I won’t Jake. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you,” I said, smiling and grateful for such a good friend.
“Love you, too. Be good,” he said, and I pushed the button to end the call.
I flopped back on my bed and heaved a big sigh. Edward liked me, and I liked him. It was all very new and exciting. I was jumping out of my skin as I remembered how he kissed my cheek, the feel of his stubble next to me. Sitting next to him on the piano bench with the buzzing all around us was simply divine. Tomorrow, working with him for twelve hours was going to be interesting, to say the least. Thoughts of piano music and a certain green eyed doctor filled my thoughts as I drifted to sleep.
Edward
Twelve hours with Bella today. I smiled to myself as I got ready for what I hoped would be a fantastic day at work. The time I spent with her last night was delightful, playful, and even a little bit sensual. Closing my eyes, I could still feel the charge of electricity that I felt sitting next to her on the piano bench. I felt such a connection at that moment. I couldn’t help but hope that she felt it, too.
I haven’t flirted like that ever. Bella brought out something in me, a confidence that I had never felt with a woman before. Confidence wasn’t quite the right word, though. There was an easiness, a familiarity that had begun to pull new emotions to the surface for me. The result was a need for more: more touches, more closeness, and more kisses. I also needed to simply know more about her. What was it like flying? Why did she become a nurse? What was her favorite dessert? What were her guilty pleasures?
I pulled into the parking lot, automatically looking for her beloved Rufus. Really, Rufus? I smiled, half wondering what unique name she might give my car. I didn’t see the Toyota, but knew it would be here soon, and that made me smile like a fool.
James Shaw was finishing up some paperwork as I entered the department. It appeared that he had had a fairly steady night.
“How goes it, Edward?” James asked. His shoulder length hair was pulled neatly into a ponytail, and according to Alice, my style and fashion authority, his beard was just the right amount of scruffiness.
“Really well, James. How was the getaway with Vicki? Were you able to get her to leave her patients for three uninterrupted days?” James’ wife, Vicki, was one of the town’s two OB/GYNs, and it seemed that she was in high demand.
“We only had three calls interrupting the bliss. That one from you the other night, and then two false alarms. If I wasn’t so sure that the woman freaking adored me, I might think that she sat there secretly willing her pager to go off. That’s why I chose the ED. Treat ‘em and street ‘em!”
“What wonderful bedside manner!” said the voice I had been hearing in my dreams all night. I turned to see Bella standing at the nurses’ station, messenger bag across her torso and a stainless travel mug in her hand. Her hair was pulled back into a braid. I felt my pulse quicken as I smiled at her.
“Bella Swan, this is James Shaw, one of our ED physicians. I can vouch for his impeccable bedside manner, by the way. James, this is Bella. She’s an RN who has travelled our country far and wide before landing here in our delightful town,” I said. “She’ll be lending us her talents for the next six months.” I was also hoping to show her a few talents of my own, but that discussion was for another, more private time.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bella. Where’s home for you?” James asked.
“Truthfully? Home is wherever I am. If I had to call any place home, it would be Phoenix, I guess. That’s where I grew up, and where the parental unit lives. But I have been all over.”
“A fellow desert rat? I grew up in Las Vegas. Forks is about as different from our neck of the woods as you can get, don’t you think?” James said with an easy smile. “I moved here to the land of evergreens and rain clouds for love.” A goofy grin was plastered on his face.
Bella
Edward proceeded to tell me how James and his wife Victoria moved here after she accepted a position to practice in Forks upon completion of her residency in Seattle. She was from Olympia, originally, so she was able to see her family fairly often.
“Will you be floating the whole place, Bella, or are you loyal to us here in the ED? I only ask because I know that they could use help from time to time upstairs where Vicki is. They have been trying to lure a midwife to Forks, but no takers yet. I’m sure that the girls up there would welcome you with open arms, if your contract allows.”
“It’s funny that you say that, James, because L & D is one area where I’d love to go while I’m here. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks,” I said as I pulled my stethoscope and a few other necessities from my bag.
“I’ll put in a good word for you. Now you’ll have to excuse me while I check out to Edward and get out of here. I always have a hard time adjusting to the first night shift after a vacation. I’m beat!” With that, James and Edward went into the small conference area to discuss the three patients that had yet to be released either to their homes or to a bed in the hospital. I found Glenda and Angela talking to the night nurses, Sherry, Erin, and Rob. It seemed like everyone here was pretty friendly, with the exception of Lauren, the HR ho. I was greeted with smiles and introduced to my co-workers. We discussed the patients, decided who would go where and began our shift.
Edward and I exchanged glances for the first few hours. Most of our conversations consisted of work related things, and the occasional small talk. When we found a bed for our last patient, a diabetic whose blood glucose was out of control, we took a break.
“Edward, did you bring your iPod today?” Glenda asked. “I think we need a little music to work with, don’t you?”
“Actually, no, Glenda. I forgot it at home this morning. I was a little distracted when I left,” Edward said, looking at me with a bit of a blush. Was I the distraction? I’d love to know.
“I have mine, Glenda,” I offered. “I’m not sure if Dr. Cullen has as cool taste in music as I do, but you’re welcome to browse.” The smirk I had on my face was all that he needed to begin the playful banter again.
“You wound me with your words, Nurse Bella!” Edward joked, clutching his heart. “Let me be the judge of your coolness. I was voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed,’ ‘Best Hair,’ and ‘Funniest’ back in the day, was I not, Angela?”
“Oh, yes, Edward, you were quite the trendsetter. Your defense of the whole Milli Vanilli debacle was admirable, to be sure,” Angela giggled.
“Milli Vanilli? Are you serious? You will not find such vile attempts at music sullying my playlists, Dr. Cullen. Only the coolest stuff is allowed on my iPod,” I assured him in mock snootery.
I jacked my Nano into the iHome, and Glenda came over to peruse my songs. Just then Carlisle came in. Glenda cued up a song, and began to laugh.
“Here’s your song, Carlisle! Does Esme sing this to you?” Glenda said, with a shit-eating grin on her face. She was by far becoming the coolest grandma-type person I knew.
I listened and heard Dusty Springfield start to croon about the preacher man’s son. I must have had a weird look on my face, because Carlisle laughed and began to explain.
“My father was, indeed, a preacher. Esme went to our church, and I would always find a way to tag along when he was visiting certain parishioners with the last name of Platt. After the first visit, he knew my ulterior motives. He gave up hope that I was trying to learn more about what it was like to have a calling and to minister to the flock after the first visit to Esme’s parent’s house. Her parents were a little on the strict side, so he would tell me ahead of time when he would be going by the Platt farm.”
“The Rev was trying to hook you up, Carlisle!!” Glenda snorted. Love. Her.
“Oh, gross, Glenda! That’s my parents you are talking about!” Edward squeaked and began singing “lalalalalala” with his fingers in his ears.
“Glenda, you have to stop hanging out with the youth. Hearing you talk about ‘hooking up’ is disturbing!” Angela chuckled.
“Y’all are just jealous that I am the coolest person over 21 that you know,” Glenda razzed, and went to the store room, belting out the part of the song about “stealing kisses from me on the sly.”
“Is she gone?” Edward asked with one eye open.
“Yes, Dr. Cullen. You won’t have to endure any more of Glenda’s abuse,” I smirked
“Well, she gives as good as she gets, I suppose. I really do love working with her. It makes the brain bleach I have to carry in my pocket worth it,” Edward laughed.
It was just Edward and I in the small room. When I realized this, I felt a blush start to rise, but somehow managed to control it. I looked at his devastatingly beautiful eyes and the crazy way his hair was arranged on his head and decided to be a bit daring.
“You know, if the thought of your parents hooking up bothers you too much, perhaps you can think about my stolen panties as a distraction,” I said in a low voice close to his ear.
Then I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed slowly and watched as a slight shiver ran over his shoulders. I had him. He felt the connection, as well.
“Bella,” he breathed into my ear, “We’re not in the locked privacy of the call room, but perhaps we can discuss this later?” He then lightly ran his nose along my jaw line and placed the tiniest of kisses at the corner of my mouth. It was just a tease that left me looking for a discreet way to direct some friction between my legs. He had me.
Edward
I looked at Bella’s beautiful eyes and gave her a crooked grin, looking through my lashes. I walked out of the room, trying to look as if there was some planned direction that I was going, when really I was going over in my mind the drug dosages of epinephrine for a 150-pound man in cardiac arrest. Anything to keep me from getting wood in the very revealing scrub pants that I was wearing. Damn! Her hot breath on my ear was one of the sexiest things. I felt my body react immediately, as I’m sure she did. She went from zero to vixen in no time flat, and it was the most gloriously frustrating thing that had happened to me ever. I needed to find a way to spend more time with her. We were both off Friday, but that was the night she was having all of us to dinner. Perhaps we could go running together. Another opportunity to see more of her creamy, pale skin is just what the doctor ordered.
~**~**~
Carlisle informed us that he would return later after his administrative meeting, begging us to page him if he was needed. He wasn’t looking forward to spending the afternoon with people arguing over the best way to allocate the hospital’s resources.
We all had lunch together in the department. One of the local drug reps brought subs and soda to entice us to keep using the brand of painkiller he was hawking. It was one of the perks of the job, along with free pens, notepads, and coffee mugs.
Halfway through our sandwiches and amid blushing looks between Bella and myself, there came a commotion from the front hall near the station.
“Someone’s gotta help me!!” wailed a young girl, belly heavy with child. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen, and she was afraid and terribly alone.
Bella jumped up and took control of the situation, guiding her to an exam room, soothing the girl and trying to gather what had happened.
“I’m 37 weeks along,” the girl said, tears streaming down her face. “I’m pretty sure that my water broke, and I feel like I have to push!” As if on cue, she let out a loud groaning, screaming sound and doubled over by the side of the bed.
“Sweetheart, what’s your name?” I asked, while Bella pulled the curtain around her and began to get her into a hospital gown. Angela and Glenda began to get the fetal monitor and blood draw equipment ready for our patient.
“My name’s Janie Thompson. I, I’m not from around here. Is the baby OK?” she asked with such fear and concern in her eyes. It was one of those situations where you could tell that safe delivery of the baby wasn’t going to be the end of the fear, however. Her clothes were worn, but fairly clean. She wore a pair of cheap flip flops and she seemed a little underweight despite the belly from the child she carried.
“Well, Janie, let’s get you hooked up to the monitor and have a look at your baby. Do you have any other health concerns?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” she said.
“My name is Dr. Cullen, and these fine nurses are Bella, Glenda and Angela. I’m going to leave for a minute while they get you situated into a fresh gown and on to the monitor. I’ll be right back. Glenda, when you can, an OB panel and a UA. Janie, I’m going to call Dr. Shaw, one of our obstetricians, and let her know we may have a customer for her, OK?” I told the girl while trying to be reassuring.
I went back to the nurses’ station to page Vicki, hoping she wasn’t already tied up in surgery or another delivery when Glenda poked her head out of the exam room door and said in her patented urgent voice that didn’t scare the patients, “Dr. Cullen, we need you, now.”
Throwing the phone back on the cradle, I turned and ran for the exam room. I found Angela there, holding a sterile gown for me, Glenda at Janie’s bedside, instructing her how to push, and Bella in the catcher’s position, saying to me, “She was crowning, and there’s no stopping this little one! OK, Janie, give me one more push and we’ll have the hardest part over. The shoulders will be out and we can put this baby on your belly instead of in it. Good girl, that’s it, that’s it! You’re doing great! And it’s a….GIRL!”
“It appears I’m all dressed up with no date for the prom,” I said, laughing and looking at the beautiful miracle in Bella’s hands. She suctioned the baby girl’s nose and mouth expertly and placed her on her mother’s chest. Clamping the cord, I stood next to Bella smiled.
“Would you like to do the honors, Dr. Cullen?” Bella said in a soft voice, fitting for the touching scene before us as Janie looked upon her daughter for the first time.
“I’d be delighted,” I replied, severing the last physical tie between the two, praying the emotional bond would be just as strong between them. Parenthood was tough under the best of circumstances, and I hoped that Janie had a supportive family as she began this journey so young.
“That was quick!” Janie said between her tears. “Welcome to the world, Anneliese,” the young mother cooed.
“Honey, this all happened so fast, I don’t even think we got your last name! Tell you what, if you could, let me take that beautiful baby Anneliese over to the scale and get her cleaned up and snug, and Dr. Cullen and Bella can help you right here,” Glenda said in her reassuring way to Janie while Bella looked at me with a somewhat frightened look on her face.
Smiling down at her, I squeezed Bella’s shoulder. “You did a fantastic job, Bella. Baby looks great, and Mom looks considerably better than when she came in. Was that your first delivery?”
“I have assisted in many, but this was my first time in the driver’s seat, so to speak. It all happened so quick…I’m sorry that I didn’t try harder too slow things…” Bella began, clearly nervous.
“Are you kidding me? Babies wait for no one. I think Janie did most of the work, though,” I said, turning to the patient in front of us. “How are you feeling? You really didn’t tear, so there’s no need for stitches. That’s surprising for as fast as you delivered.” I was trying to bring Janie into our conversation, but she was fixated on the little baby with Glenda and Angela.
“Five pounds, fifteen ounces and nineteen inches long. She’s a cute little peanut, your little Anneliese. Let’s go see Mommy, little one,” Angela said. All wrapped up with a stockinette cap on, Anneliese was placed into her mother’s arms, the two of them lost in their own little world.
Bella excused herself to go call report to OB, while I tended to the post-partum aspects of Janie’s care. Glenda obtained as much information as we could get for the hospital records. When Bella returned, she informed us that once Dr. Shaw came by, we would be transferring Janie and the baby upstairs.
Vicki arrived and thanked us all for a job well done, then ushered us out of the room so that she could assess her new patient. We all took our paperwork to the conference room and sat down.
“I don’t know about you, but that was the most intense hour I’ve had in quite a while,” Angela said with a laugh. “I am so thankful it ended well. What is her story, Glenda?”
“The poor dear is a runaway, believe it or not. When she found out she was pregnant, she had barely turned fifteen. Her parents kicked her out, and the baby’s father wouldn’t have anything to do with her. She says she’s from Idaho, but I’m not sure if that’s the truth. She had few checkups during the pregnancy, and was living in shelters and on the streets, trying to avoid the authorities so she wouldn’t get sent back home. Poor girl is a mess. She has had a rough seven months, and I can’t say that things look that much better for her now that she’s given birth.” Glenda was shaking her head, troubled by the thoughts of what’s to come for them.
“Well, Social Services has been contacted, and they will be checking in on her later this afternoon,” Bella offered. “I can’t possibly imagine being so young and so alone with a baby. Life is hard enough, you know?
We worked on our respective papers, and then Vicki poked her head in. “Hi guys…that was about as fast as they get, from the sounds of it.”
“Yes, it was. How is Janie doing?” I asked.
“Everything appears to be going well. She had a bit of a rough time of it lately, it seems. Angela, could you go and stay with her until she is transferred upstairs? She may not say so, but I think she would welcome the company,” Vicki said, compassion evident in her voice.
“I’m on it. Bella, I want to talk to you before you leave tonight. I was wondering if we could switch shifts. I’ll work for you tomorrow if you can take my Saturday?”
Bella looked up from her charting and smiled. “Sure. I’ll be sure to find you. Holler if you need help, Angela.”
Oddly enough, I felt a pang of loss shoot through me. I was counting on working with Bella today and tomorrow. Does your vagina hurt now, Cullen?
“Vicki, with all of the excitement, I forgot to introduce you to Bella. Bella Swan, this is Dr. Victoria Shaw. Vicki, Bella will be here through most of November. You might even see her up in your hallowed halls upstairs from time to time.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Bella. From what I hear, you delivered your first baby today! You did a fantastic job. Janie told me that between the lot of you, she felt very calm, as if it were something you all did every day. I don’t think I could have done a better job myself.”
Bella smiled and blushed a bit. “Thanks, Dr. Shaw. I have to say, I can certainly see why you love your job. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and I never anticipated the rush of actually delivering a child,” Bella marveled.
“Call me Vicki, please. And that rush happens every single time! Maybe we can lure you into our coven upstairs, away from this place,” Vicki laughed. “A competent and confident set of hands is always welcome.”
“Vicki, Jeebus, it’s her second day! At least let her get through one pay cycle before you steal her from us!” I exclaimed, hoping I wasn’t coming across as too possessive. The only thing better would have been to mark her with my scent. Ugh!
“Relax, Cullen…just letting her know that she has a place to go when she gets tired of you guys! Now, Edward, let’s go and finish up with Miss Janie so we can get her the help she needs. Glenda spoke with her and got some history, right?”
“That’s right, Vicki,” Glenda said, peeking into the room. “I’ll fill you guys in while we transfer our patients.”
I stole a look at Bella and smiled at her. “Be right back. Fifteen minutes, tops. Angela knows what to do if we have anyone come through the doors.”
Bella flashed me a brilliant smile and laughed. “I think I can hold down the fort. I’ll work on getting that exam room reset for the next lucky customer with Angela. Shoo!”
Bella
After Janie was taken upstairs, Angela and I took care of things in the exam room. “About tomorrow, Angela? I can switch with you if you’d like. Rosalie is having my new washer and dryer delivered tomorrow, so that would work out well. What day do you need off?”
“I was hoping that I could switch Saturday with you. Ben scored tickets to a band that he has wanted to see forever. He seems pretty hell bent on taking me. They’re supposed to be fantastic live, and it’s a small venue, acoustic type show. If you can’t, it’s not a problem. It’s night shift, though. Do you mind?”
The night shift was actually my preferred time to work. “Totally not a problem, Ang. Your 7 PM Saturday for my 7 AM Thursday then?”
“Yup. Thanks a ton, Bella. I’ll make a note on the schedule and let Glenda know. You handled yourself like a pro in that delivery. I have assisted a few times, but never actually delivered the baby. Have you given any thought to being a midwife? You really helped Janie calm down and focused her on the task at hand,” said Angela as we took the linens off of the bed and began to disinfect it.
“I do have plans to start school to become a nurse practitioner after this assignment. I have never given much thought to midwifery, though. Maybe I’ll check into it, though. The rush was indescribable!” I was still higher than a kite, to be honest. As soon as I saw the baby’s head, something inside me just kicked in to crisis management mode. I didn’t even notice Edward standing there gowned up until it was time to cut the cord. I kind of felt weird taking charge, but also very satisfying. “I hope that Edward didn’t think I was overstepping my responsibility,” I added, half to myself, half to Angela.
“I wouldn’t worry, Bella. Edward isn’t like that. I know there are some docs who are reluctant to let nurses practice to their full abilities, but Edward, as well as Carlisle and James, encourage us and value our input. Nobody practices outside the scope of their license, of course, but we all work together quite well, anticipating what is needed. Ultimately, they write the orders and we carry them out, but there is a level of trust there that enables us to work seamlessly.”
“That is a great feeling. In a lot of the places I have worked, the attitude toward the nursing staff wasn’t as pleasant. I think my stress level just decreased by several notches!” But how does the fact that I want to bang the shit out of one of those docs figure in to the mix? I guess I just have to take it as it comes, so to speak.
As we were finishing up, Edward and Glenda returned from OB. Janie was getting settled, and Social Services were going to do their best to help her in any way possible. Looking at the clock, I noticed that there was less than three hours left in my shift. I was still pretty jacked up from before, and Edward took notice of my extra energy. He seemed a little high-strung, as well. In my mind, I kept hearing Jake’s voice telling me to live a little. As if he heard my thoughts, Edward looked at me and arched an eyebrow. I felt my heart stutter a bit, and then decided to follow Jake’s advice. Live a little. I shot Edward what I hoped was sultry smile and walked toward the supply room at the end of the hall, opposite the call room. My co-workers were busy with other tasks, which gave me the courage I needed for the leap I was about to take.
As I opened the supply room door, I looked over my shoulder and saw a look of pure lust in Edward’s eyes. YES! I let the door shut behind me and tried to figure out in my mind what I wanted to tell him. He needed to know that I wasn’t a total tramp who jumps into bed at the drop of a hat. I mean, it had been years since I had sex, for God’s sake. Edward, however, held some kind of spell over me. It was impossible for me to stay away.
The door quietly opened, and I turned around to see Edward standing in front of me. I walked toward him and backed him up against the door through which he had just entered. He was smiling a mischievous little grin as I put my hands on the door just beside his abs. I took a big breath and looked into his eyes.
“I just want you to know that I’m not usually this forward, but I also realize how incredibly lame that sounds. I enjoyed last night, Edward. I don’t think I have ever felt such a connection to another person like I feel with you. I also don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb by saying that I think you feel something similar. I’m hoping that you’ll come over this evening. I can make dinner for us and we can enjoy each other’s company, however that may turn out,” I said to him, blush blazing but without the tremor I had expected in my voice. My heart was racing and I had the biggest urge to kiss his lips, his neck, and anywhere else I could imagine.
As I stood there, holding him prisoner with my body against the door, Edward bent his head down toward my face, green eyes smoldering, and without a word, pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and hesitant at first, but then he wrapped an arm around my waist while bringing his other hand to my face, his thumb on my cheek as his fingers caressed the area behind my ear. His hand continued slowly down my neck and collarbone, leaving a goose bump trail behind it. The feeling was incredible, and I couldn’t help the quiet moan that escaped my throat. I threw caution to the wind and opened my mouth to lick his bottom lip. I just had to taste him. In no time, his tongue was tentatively mingling with mine, a gentle give and take as we explored each other’s mouth. He moved his focus from my mouth to my jaw, kissing and licking to my earlobe. I felt his breath; both hot on my ear and cool over the areas he had just been sucking. The feeling was such a turn-on that I grabbed his ass and forced his leg between my own, creating some delicious friction on my core. I felt him groan into my neck as he began to rub his thigh slowly between my legs.
Remembering where we were, I reluctantly pulled myself from Edward’s heavenly body. He smiled at me, breathing hard, gave me one more slightly opened mouth kiss, and pressed his forehead to mine. “7 o’clock can’t get here fast enough,” he said with a smirk.
“I’m going to go across the hall and try to make it look like I haven’t been making out in the supply room. I’ll leave you here to try to calm yourself, cowboy,” I said, trailing my hand down his chest. My boldness surprised me, but I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. Edward moved aside so that I could exit, mumbling something about “damn scrubs” and “raging hard-on.” In the call room bathroom, I splashed some cool water on my face and took some deep breaths. I was flushed a bit still, so I took a minute to sit on the bed and collect my thoughts. Giggling to myself, I tried to remember the last time I had felt so alive. The events of the day and the accompanying adrenaline rush were surely to thank for my bold actions. Indeed, 7 o’clock seemed an eternity away.
Returning to the nurses’ station, I found that a patient requiring stitches had come in. As Edward began taking care of that, Carlisle returned from his monster meeting. He seemed frazzled.
“Did the meeting from hell finally end, Carlisle?” Glenda asked. She knew how much he abhorred all of the administrative duties that went along with his job.
“Can you tell how much fun I had? It was the usual budgetary arguments, along with everyone demanding a larger piece of the pie. Sometimes, I like to just sit back and watch the train wreck, you know? We are doing OK down here, so if I can just keep the status quo this round, then maybe I can call in a favor next time.”
“As long as they’re not taking from us, we’ll be fine,” Glenda said, mirroring Carlisle’s sentiments. She was a charge nurse who knew the value of calling in favors down the road.
I was about to speak to Glenda about the schedule change when two families came onto the unit. Each father was carrying a little boy, and both were crying.
“How can we help you this evening? What did you two super heroes get yourself into?” I asked with a smile. Smiling was the key with kids, I had found.
“It seems that these two forgot that they couldn’t fly,” replied one of the fathers. “The boys were jumping off of a rock together, holding hands, and both landed on their feet funny. Scotty here hurt his left ankle, and Dex seems to have a problem with his right leg.”
Both boys, despite their tears, had a small smile creeping across their face. They looked to be about six or seven. Too bad they would both be starting their summer vacations on crutches.
Carlisle directed them to the triage area where we had two beds separated by a curtain. He pulled the curtain back so that the boys could see each other.
“Who wants to tell me what happened? How big was this rock you jumped from?” Carlisle asked the daredevils.
Dex began talking a mile a minute. “Well, the rock we climbed on was huge! We were so high up, and I told Scotty that I would jump if he would and he said that he would and so we just grabbed each other’s hand and jumped and then my leg hurt when I landed, and his ankle cracked and we both screamed and then our dads found us and brought us here so that you could patch us up.”
“Oh, my!” I said, proud that I was able to follow the story fairly well. “Let’s get these shoes and socks off, because we’re going to have to take some x-rays of your legs!”
“Cool! I’ve never had an x-ray before! Will I be able to see my bones and everything?” Scotty asked, turning to his dad with an excited look on his face.
“Gosh, I hope so. Either that, or the doctor needs to get a new machine, son,” Scotty’s dad said, ruffling his hair.
I introduced myself and Carlisle and began to get all of the information I needed for the paperwork while Glenda worked on getting the orders from Carlisle. The three of us worked like a well-oiled machine, getting the films of each boy’s injury, preparing the families for the cast care that they’d have to be performing for the next six weeks or so. Dex had a hairline fracture of his tibia, as it turned out. Scotty broke one of the larger bones in his ankle and fortunately didn’t require anything but a cast. Both boys chose a camouflage cast material. Edward had finished up with his patient in time to cast Scotty’s ankle while Carlisle worked on Dex. It was touching watching father and son working side by side, each with their own style, each winning over their patient. By the time the boys were trying out their crutches, it was almost 6:30. Edward took notice of me glancing at my watch, and I couldn’t help the blush.
Fifteen minutes later, the night nurses came in. Sherry, Erin and Rob were filled in on our eventful day and caught up to speed on the boys in Triage. They were just waiting on the release order from the docs.
“Bella, hand me your phone and I will program my number into it. I was looking for yours in the book by the schedule and realized that it wasn’t there. We should get together next week,” Angela said, punching numbers in after I handed over my phone.
Edward approached the desk where we all had gathered. I could only briefly look at him. Inside I was bouncing, and I could not wait to run my fingers through his hair. He just smiled as if he was thinking the same thing.
“Edward,” I began, looking at him and unconsciously biting my lower lip, “Would you be able to give me Alice’s number as well? I need to get in touch with her about Friday night.” I passed my phone to him, clearly using my request as an excuse to stand next to him, innocently disrespecting his personal space. “Do you know if she carries lingerie at her boutique? I seem to have lost some of mine in the move.”
Angela laughed. “Alice has a whole room upstairs dedicated to things lacy and frilly. It is a delight to just sit there and inhale, Bella. It is such a service she provides for the women of Forks!” she continued in a somewhat mocking tone. Edward, however, squirmed.
“And with that, ladies, I bid you farewell. Angela, I’ll see you in the morning. Can I walk you out, Bella? I’ll be done in a few minutes while I check out to James. It should go quick, since the boys are ready to go.”
“Um, sure. I’ll just wait here, I guess,” I said.
Once Edward was in the other room with James, Angela and Glenda pulled me aside. “OK, girl, spill,” Glenda demanded. At first I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. Then she smiled at me and let out a huge laugh.
“Edward has been watching you all day, Bella. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. I have known him all of his life. That boy’s got a thing for you!” Glenda revealed in her subtle way.
“He’s a great guy,” I began.
“Great guy my ass. He’s smokin’ hot, and he’s watching you all day like a hawk. Is there something you need to confess?” she asked, leveling her mirth-filled gaze at me.
“Um, no? I mean, last night he let me borrow his washer and dryer since mine haven’t been delivered yet. He lives just around the corner from me. He was being neighborly. We just sat and chatted while my clothes washed and dried.”
“Girl, that man doesn’t want to be your neighbor like Mr. Rogers. And you know what? I say go for it. There are some times when I look at him and just wish he would find someone. He’s a fine man, Bella, if not a little shy when it comes to girls. Have fun. I told him the same thing. Now before you go blushing and stuttering and carrying on, don’t. You both know I’m right. I can tell you’re a good person, Bella. You couldn’t hurt a fly. The only thing you should be worried about is how to work things six months from now. Here he comes. Edward, take this girl on a date, would you? You kids have fun now,” Glenda said as she went to the locker room.
Angela, Sherry, Erin, and Rob stood there, laughing at Edward and me. I was beyond mortified. Who cares if it was true that I wanted to jump his bones? Just the thought of Glenda calling us out like that was about the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me. Edward was taking it much better than I was. He smiled, said “Good night, everyone. Bella, shall we?” and offered me his arm. Blushing scarlet, I timidly placed my hand on him and we walked out.
After we made it to our vehicles, I began to giggle. “I can’t decide if I want to laugh or cry, Edward! Remind me to never cross Glenda.”
“You can trust Glenda to always say what she’s thinking. It’s part of her charm!”
“I’m just a little worried about gossip. I mean, I’m here less than a week and she has us paired off like animals on the ark.”
“Nobody worth listening to will say anything. It’s a small town, and there aren’t a lot of people of our age. We would have met eventually, and I’m fairly certain I would have felt the same way,” Edward said with a soft smile on his lips.
“Would you like some dinner? I make a mean steak salad,” I offered.
“You’re on. I’ll follow you.”
I jumped in Rufus and drove quickly home. I kept replaying our kiss in the supply room (gosh, how cliché!) and began to get all worked up. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through dinner without more groping.
Edward
Forks is a small town. I can usually make it from my house to work in about five minutes obeying all traffic laws. It was taking forever to get to Bella’s. When she looked at me earlier today, over her shoulder, all sexy-like, I about came in my pants. And then that, coupled with the rush from the events with the delivery of the baby, it was barely possible for me to pull myself away from her beautiful mouth as we stood there in that supply room. All I wanted to do was let my hands and mouth roam all over her body. I was fighting a losing battle with my cock all day as I thought about the lacy bra and panties in my drawer at home. Then to have Bella right in front of me, hips swaying, delicious smelling, eliciting groans from me as her hands grabbed me and forced my leg to rub on her damp, lace and cotton scrubs covered girly parts- gah! I jumped from my car when we arrived at her place. Bounding up the steps behind Bella, I heard her breath hitch as she fumbled with the keys to the door.
Once inside the foyer, Bella dropped her bag and closed the door behind me. Her dark eyes held no secrets as we moved toward each other. I kissed her with all of the lust and want that had been building all day. Her mouth was sweet and delicious. The feeling of her tongue on mine was beyond words. I ran my hands from her tiny waist to the small of her back while her fingers greedily wove themselves in my hair. We broke away, grinning like fools, panting as if we had just run all the way from home.
“Um, I’ll be right back down. Help yourself to whatever drinks I have in the fridge, OK?” Bella said, disappearing upstairs.
I found my way to her kitchen and began looking through her cupboards looking for something to hold our drinks. I found some regular glasses and then saw the wine glasses. Would it be too presumptuous on my part to suggest wine? My question was answered as I heard Bella enter the room.
“I have soda, milk, juice, and half a bottle of chardonnay begging to be finished off. What’s your poison? I don’t know if the wine will exactly go with the steak salad, but since I’m not a five-star restaurant, I’m hoping you won’t mind,” Bella said with a smile, twirling her braided hair. She was wearing a cute pair of jean shorts and a pink cami tank top that made her look irresistible.
“I think a glass of wine would be perfect,” I said, pulling down two of the appropriate glasses from the cabinet. She had come to stand next to me, holding the bottle of wine in one hand and some cheese in the other.
“My grandmother always told me to buy wine and cheese together. I remember that she would say that wine could lead to certain activities where you would need a little nourishment afterwards. Yeah, she is a pistol. I didn’t have a clue what she meant until I was about sixteen,” Bella said with a trace of her trademark blush that I had begun to crave like any other thing necessary for sustaining life.
“Does she live in Phoenix, as well?” I asked, holding the glasses as she poured.
“Yes. She’s Charlie’s mom. Her name is Marie, which is my middle name.”
“Mine’s Anthony. I think it was just a name that my parents liked. Edward was after my grandfather, though. Alice is actually Mary Alice,” I began to babble. I could feel myself begin to get nervous. Why was I all bold when there were people around us, like at work, but in the privacy of her kitchen, found myself afraid to get close?
“I’d like to hear all about those details of your life, Edward, I really would. Right now, at the risk of sounding too forward, though, I’m going to take these wine glasses from your hands and kiss you before I lose my courage,” Bella said. After placing the glasses on the granite, she looked up at me. She seemed to be a little flustered, but gently slid her hands over my shoulders to the back of my neck.
“Why do you need courage?” I whispered as I traced her bottom lip with my finger, eliciting a smile from her. “I’m the one with virtually no experience when it comes to the opposite sex, Bella. I mean, I’m not a virgin or anything, but let’s just say that I have been busy with other aspects of my life,” I admitted with a bit of a blush and an eye roll.
Bella sighed. “I need courage because my last boyfriend, who, by the way, was only my second boyfriend in my illustrious history, really broke my heart in a fairly public way. That was about three years ago, and now I feel like that I can finally take a chance and enjoy myself here. With you. I feel like I can trust you. It’s scary and exciting and so not a part of my silly plan, and I don’t care. I like the way I feel when you are close. I love the sparks I feel when you touch me. I can’t even put into words what it feels like when you smile at me. I feel drawn to you, and I’m fairly certain you feel it, too.” She took a step toward me, backing me into the corner of the counter.
“I do, Bella,” I said simply, and bent down to kiss her mouth. “I want to spend hours just kissing you, and after spending all day being around you, I’m not sure that hours will be enough.” Bella gave a tiny smile and I kissed her again with increasing desire. I felt her tongue on my lips and my own tongue reacted, automatically meeting hers. There was no battle for dominance. While we licked and sucked and kissed, her hands went from the back of my neck to my collarbone, coming to rest on my abs. My hands made a circuit from just above the waistband of her shorts, up to the bare part of her back where her cami tank top ceased to cover her soft skin, and then back down. When I felt her hands brush my scrub shirt aside and her nails graze lightly on either side of my abdomen, I let out a low groan.
She pulled away from me slowly, breaking the kiss and taking my hand. “Come with me,” she breathed in a quiet voice, as she led me to the sofa in the TV room. I felt my eyes go wide as she pushed me down onto the chocolate-colored microfiber and straddled my lap. Suddenly, her breasts were at eye level, and as far as I was concerned, all was right with the world.
“You know it doesn’t matter to me about your past, right? I mean, I’m glad that you’re not a total manwhore, but the fact that both of us have been so choosy is a good thing,” Bella said, looking at me, cradling my face with her tiny hands.
“Choosy. I like that,” I mused as my hands traveled from her soft legs and thighs up to her hips. Her eyes were locked on mine as she oh-so-lightly increased the pressure of her pelvis against mine. It was heaven. Bella then put her mouth on mine. It was a hungry kiss that had been building all day as we flirted back and forth within the confines of decency at work. As we explored each other’s mouth, I kept a firm hold on her hips as she rocked back and forth on my ever-present hard on.
We parted for air, and my mouth trailed down her jaw and neck to her collarbone. Throwing her head back, she elongated the line leading from the sensitive spot behind her ear to her slightly heaving chest. Bella let out a quiet groan as I nipped my way down to the valley between her breasts, the presence of her top being the only thing between them and my eager tongue.
I slipped a finger under the strap of her cami and searched her eyes for permission to continue. I got my answer as she pushed down the other strap with a cute smile. She slid her arm from each of the straps and sat there in front of me, still smiling and raised my hands to her chest. Bella ground her core into my erection as I rolled her nipples through the stretchy cotton of her tank top. I was almost overwhelmed by all of the sensations being let loose. My cock ached for release. My hands wanted nothing more than to feed her tits to my eager mouth. I could feel my heart racing and knew that my breathing was in no way hiding my desires.
“Beautiful,” I whispered as I looked from her chest to her dark eyes. She blushed and slipped her top down more, exposing herself to me in the waning light of day. Leaning in, I drew my tongue lightly across one peak as my fingers tended to the other. I wasn’t sure if what I was doing felt the slightest bit pleasurable for Bella, until I felt her warm center press upon me again, followed by a moan as I lightly bit her nipple.
Bella’s hands were in my hair, her nails raking over my scalp, and it felt so damn good. It didn’t matter where our bodies came into contact with each other; the tingling left in the wake was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I needed to feel more of her on me, so I pulled myself away from her long enough to strip my scrub shirt from my body. Then I wrapped my arms around her torso and rolled us so that she was lying on the sofa. I settled my center into her pelvis and lowered myself onto her, relishing the feel of her smooth skin on my chest. She cupped my face in her hands and lifted her mouth to mine. Bella slipped my bottom lip into her mouth and caressed it with her tongue. When she grazed it with her teeth, I couldn’t suppress the groan that came from deep within me. I rested my weight on my forearms and began to grind my clothed cock across her center. Her hips rose to meet me, and she released my mouth to throw her head back, a loud “ohhhh” falling from her red lips.
My mouth, hot with want, found its way back to her neck, her jaw, her earlobe. I felt Bella’s hands through the thin material of the hospital-issued pants grabbing my ass as I continued to grind on her core. I was able to feel her hardened nipples against my chest as I slid myself over her. As her eyes caught mine, I felt a smile spread over my face. She was positively beautiful. Her hair was in a satiny pool round her head, her skin flushed, lips passionately swollen. I was smitten, for sure.
As I leaned back down to capture her mouth again, she arched her center toward me, the friction on my cock delightful and torturous at the same time. I shifted my weight to my left arm and trailed my free hand to her denim-clad pussy. I could feel the heat and the dampness of her body. As I placed my hand on the button of her shorts, I looked at her face. Bella arched an eyebrow at me and winked. My heartbeat roared in my ears as I grinned and undid the four buttons of her fly. I felt the waistband of her lace panties and noticed my impossibly hard cock stiffen even more. I looked once more at Bella’s face as I slid my fingers under the fabric. Her mouth was open and she had one of her nipples between her thumb and forefinger, pulling and pinching. It was one of the hottest things I had ever seen. And then the fucking doorbell rang.
Bella’s eyes went wide as she pulled her top back on properly and buttoned her shorts. I reached for my shirt and pulled it over my head. Giggling, she grazed my crotch and said “Busted! Try and hide that, cowboy!”
I blushed, but then reached out to adjust one of the straps to her top. “You are the one busted, my dear, quite literally,” I said, brushing my thumb across one of her still hardened nipples.
“Oh my God! Where’s my hoodie?!” she exclaimed. Finding it over the back of a nearby chair, she threw it on and called “I’ll be right there!” to the person waiting at her front door.
“Here, do something with the Wii, will ya?” she said, tossing me the steering wheel for Mario Kart. “Gosh, what’s wrong with me? It’s not like I’m sixteen and my parents just came home. Breathe, Bella. This is your own house…” she began, talking to herself to calm down.
“I wonder who it is at 9:30 at night,” I said while she adjusted herself.
“I dunno. How does my hair look?” Bella asked, slicking it back into a ponytail.
I laughed. “You look fine. Guilty, but fine. If you don’t mind, I, uh, am going to sit here for a second.”
Bella padded off to the door, laughing. Five seconds later, I heard the distinct sound of my twin sister’s voice. Damn! Cockblocked by a pixie!! I would never live this down. I situated a pillow strategically over my groin and proceeded to make like I was on the Rainbow Road
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