la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

08

Carlisle was ten stops past confused. He'd said those words before, with the same inflexion, desperation. "Okay." He gasped out softly, squeezing her hand. "I'll sign you out. Don't move a muscle. I'll be back with a wheelchair, okay?" She nodded a little, the relief palpable on his face.

Nobody at the hospital questioned Carlisle too much, so it only took a little bit of charming to convince the receptionist. When he got back to her room with a wheel chair, she had moved a muscle. Several of them. The IV was no longer in her arm, there was a trickle of blood running down her arm that stopped Carlisle in his tracks. The blood was running down to her fingertips and he felt the impulse to run his tongue up her forearm to the wound and indulge to the fullest extent.

Minerva mistook his gaze with annoyance, "The.. medicine is bad for me." She explained softly, "I had to."

"It's okay." He responded, forcing himself to move closer with the chair, "May I?" Carlisle held his breath as she held his hand with his non bloody hand. Her palm was hot in his, the proximity was dizzying as she sat ungracefully in the chair with a grimace. "Okay?"

"Thank you." Was her response, "Seriously, I'll pay your kid's tuition."

"There's five of them." He chuckled.

"I know."

"Moving?" A nurse asked as they passed. Carlisle just nodded and kept going, picking up his pace.

"I'm taking you to my home." Carlisle told her, hoping she wouldn't fight him on it. "I can treat you there."

"I-" she sighed softly, "okay."

Under the lamplights, he could see more and more of her cuts had faded. He helped her into his Porsche and moved quickly around the car.

The drive was silent for the first minute. His porcelain hands gripped the wheel so tightly he could feel it beginning to crumple. The smell of her blood was thick in the car, it was suffocating him. It was a little more bearable when he put the window down but his throat was so tight it was a wonder he could speak. He needed the distraction.

"You should be in the hospital for at least the next three days with these injuries."

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" Minerva asks softly. He turns to glance at her to find her staring ahead, still as a statue. Accustomed to find her face in a bright smile, her expression makes his concern heighten. Her lips are turned down in a frown, there's a sadness to her look.

"I do." Carlisle replies carefully. It wasn't the question he expected. His curiousity was seriously piqued. The last thing he expected was for her to be afflicted by anything supernatural. Suddenly, the disappearing cuts on her face were starting to make a lot of sense.It felt like a serious oversight for it not to have crossed his mind. He was thinking it was a phobia, maybe some sort of medical trauma.

"Oh. Good." She looks down at her hands, "I wouldn't expect a doctor to be superstitious."

"One might call me superduperstitious." Carlisle sighs, glancing back to the road. A slight smile lifts her lips but he can tell it doesn't meet her eyes. He was desperate for a laugh.

"Well.. that'll help." Minerva swallows hard, "Regardless, you're going to think I'm fucking crazy."

Carlisle glanced over at her, though she didn't seem to notice. Grey eyes set dead ahead, arms wrapped around her middle. "Don't be so sure." He finally gets the laugh he's been craving. It's more of a cynical chuckle with a glance at him but he'll take anything he can get.

"You don't have to tell me right away. If you're uncomfortable." He proposes, driving slower than he usually would. Someone who was just in a car crash wouldn't appreciate him going 120.

Minerva sighs softly, "I'll heal." He waits, expecting her to continue. "It's unpleasant but two days from now.." she inhales and closes her eyes, "It'll be like I was never in an accident."

"The cuts on your face." He realizes making her glance sideways at him with a nod.

"If I stayed in the hospital, your nurses would find it a bit odd." A humourless chuckle leaves her lips, "The government would be dissecting me tomorrow."

"I wouldn't let that happen." Carlisle said without thinking, feeling her eyes on him. "Why.. can you heal so fast?"

"It's.. a long, complicated story."

"I have time."

A light smile adorns her lips, "I'll tell you it's just.. a lot to digest. I'd like to wait if that's okay I just want to be totally cognizant."

"Of course." Carlisle says without question. "I'm glad you trusted me."

"There's a first time for everything." She half mutters, "Why are you so.. calm?"

Carlisle tenses slightly in the driver's seat, "I've had experience with the supernatural before." He answers carefully, turning down the wooded driveway to his home. God, she had not a clue. When he opens the car door and the light turns on, he can see only the big gash remains on her pallid face.

"How will you explain your healing to your patrons?" Carlisle asks as he slips out of the car and zips around the side to help as she begins to climb out on her own.

"I'll close for a month or so." She responds, leaning into him as he wraps an arm around her to support most of her weight. The heat is rolling off her in waves, he's sure she'll think nothing of the icy temperature of his skin. Minerva relaxes into him, allowing him to support the weight she can't hold. They take the stairs slowly, she grits her teeth with every step and he barely resists the urge to whisk her up them.

"Your house is beautiful." She comments as he opens the door, "I should have gone to medical school." It makes him chuckle slightly.

"It has its upsides." He agrees, kicking the door shut behind him. The house is deserted, thankfully. He wonders, momentarily, if Alice had a vision. "You'll need to brave the stairs." He warns, guiding her over, "You should rest, fast healer or not." Minerva doesn't protest and allows him to lead her. The size of the staircase puts them closer together and Carlisle redoubles his focus. He leads her down the hall to his bedroom, knocking the door open with his foot.

Minerva stops at the threshold, looking up at him. The closeness makes his head swim. "I don't want to put you out." She protests, "I'd gladly take the couch. You've already done so much."

"Nonsense." Carlisle says with a soft smile, her cheeks turn that shade of pink he loves so much, "I won't have you injured on the couch." He resists the urge to her he wouldn't sleep anyway. He guides her in, helping her sit near the head of the bed. "I'll bring you some water. Get comfortable."

Still no sign of his family as he fills a glass of water in the kitchen. It's lucky they knew to vacate. If Jasper caught a whiff of the blood, it would be a bloodbath, he was sure. Minerva had hardly moved when he returned, only turning to put her feet up on the bed.

"I really appreciate all this, Carlisle." She says as he hands her the glass, "You've been so kind about all of this." She takes a deep drink, eyes closing as she nearly drains it, setting the remainder on the bedside table.

"You would do the same for me." He assures offering a gentle smile, "I'll let you rest. Just call my name if you need me. I'll be here in a flash."

"Thank you." Carlisle closes the door behind him, leaning against it and breathing a deep sigh. This wasn't how he expected his day to go. He focused for a moment, faintly able to hear the dull thud of her heart. He stayed there for a moment, listening.