no body, no crime

Chapter 5 : She Almost Moved In

It was the end of Carlisle's shift. He grabbed his bag and left the hospital, bidding the receptionist goodbye as he walked past him. He sighed as he got into his car and dropped his head on the steering wheel, burying his hands in his hair. He took a long breath,straightened, and started the engine.

He should've driven to his house to change clothes and drop his bag, but he didn't. Instead, he headed to the address Edward had given him.

His stomach was tied in knots by anxiety. He hadn't been able to swallow one bit of his breakfast, and he'd skipped lunch.

Was Esme all right ? Why hadn't she answered any of Carlisle's texts ? He'd tried to call her several times, but she never picked up. What if she was hurt ? But if that was the case, wouldn't she have come to the hospital ? Carlisle had closely watched the new arrivals : Esme wasn't there.

A new theory made him feel even worse than before. What if she didn't want him anymore and couldn't find a way to tell him ? What if she'd just... run away ? This wouldn't do. Carlisle had to see her. If she'd changed her mind, if she didn't want to be his lover anymore, he'd tell her it was all right. Of course, he'd continue loving her, but they could stay friends. He'd hide his feelings if that meant still being able to be in her company.

Emerging from his thoughts, he looked around and saw he had arrived. He parked his car, got out, and went to the building Edward had indicated. He rang the bell, and a few minutes later the door opened.

There they were, just the same as in the photos Esme had shown him. Rosalie was tall, blonde, and beautiful, with eyes of such a dark blue that they almost looked purple. And Edward.. Carlisle was struck by how much he looked like Esme. He had the same hazel eyes, and the same hair, not quite brown, not quite red. God, Carlisle missed her so much.

"Hello," he said. "I know I'm early, but..."

"No problem," Edward said. "Please come in."

He led Carlisle into the living room, and they sat on the couch. Rosalie sat in an armchair facing them.

"So," Carlisle began. "How's Esme ?"

Edward met Rosalie's gaze. He seemed nervous and unsure.

"We'd like to know about you first," Rosalie intervened. "We'd never heard of you up to a few days ago, and the only reason we did was because we found this –"

She took what seemed like a photograph out of her pocket.

"– in Esme's night table."

She handed the picture to Carlisle.

It was one of the few photos that had ever been taken of Carlisle and Esme together. Carlisle remembered when it had occurred. They were walking along the river on a fine afternoon when they'd noticed a man taking a photo of someone they assumed was his girlfriend. Esme had observed they probably wanted to be together in the photo, so they'd offered to take a photo of them. The couple had thanked them and gratefully accepted. Esme (who'd taken the photo) was giving his phone back to the man, when he and his girlfriend suggested taking a photo of Esme and Carlisle too.

"Wait. You'd never heard about me ?" Carlisle realized. "Didn't Esme tell you about me when you had dinner together ?"

This had been the day Edward and Rosalie had called him and asked to meet him.

"We'll explain after," Edward promised. "Tell us about how you met my sister. Please."

Carlisle looked down at his hands in his lap. He was wringing them in worry. He remembered them holding smaller, feminine ones. Esme's hands.