𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑯𝑨𝑺𝑬𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 | 𝐸𝐷𝑊𝐴𝑅𝐷 𝐶.

𝑨𝑪𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬: 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚅𝙸

𖣘 𝚅𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𖣘

Ⓟ︎Ⓐ︎Ⓡ︎Ⓣ︎ Ⓣ︎Ⓦ︎Ⓞ︎

𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓
it far enough away for the EMTs to get to them with their stretchers.

A familiar, grizzled face appraised Edward.

"Hey, Edward," Brett Warner said. He was also a registered nurse, and he knew him well from the hospital. It was a stroke of luck-the only luck today-that he was the first through to them.

In his thoughts, he was noting that the boy looked alert and calm.

"You okay, kid?"

"Perfect, Brett. Nothing touched me. But I'm afraid Athena here might have a
concussion. She hit her head when I yanked her out of the way..."

Brett turned his attention to the girl, who shot Edward a fierce look of betrayal.
Oh, that was right.

She didn't have time to react as they took her away. Though her eyes said a lot.
The next EMT tried to insist to allow himself to be treated, but it wasn't too
difficult to dissuade him.
Edward promised he would let his father examine him, and he let it go.
With most humans, speaking with cool assurance was all that was needed.

Most humans, just not the girl, of course.

Did she fit into any of the normal patterns?
The attention was on the girl, she insisted that there was nothing wrong with her, just a slight pain in her head.

Luckily.

Edward used the moment of distraction to quietly rearrange the shape of the
dent in the tan car with the back of his foot.

Only his siblings noticed what their brother was doing, and the vampire heard Emmett's mental promise to catch anything he missed.

Grateful for his help-and more grateful that Emmett, at least, had already
forgiven his dangerous choice-Edward was more relaxed as he climbed into the front seat of the ambulance next to Brett.

The vampire had to think now-to look at what had been done today from
every angle. He had to listen, to make sure that he had not put his family in so much danger that they would have to leave immediately.

Edward had to concentrate.

There was nothing in the thoughts of the EMTs to worry the vampire. As far as they could tell, there was nothing seriously wrong with the girl.

And Athena was sticking to the story
Edward had provided, thus far.

The priority, when they reached the hospital, was to see Carlisle. Edward hurried through the automatic doors, but he was unable to forget watching after Athena;