Carlisle and Esme

1. An Unexpected Reunion

Prologue

There was something about her... I looked into this sixteen year old girl's face and wished I could stay right here beside her. But that was wrong of me. I would leave soon and never see this girl again. Why would she date me anyway? I was nothing to her. Just a doctor. She would probably see plenty of those in her life so why would I be so significant? I wouldn't. I was just another doctor... Just another vampire.

Chapter One

"What have we got?" A gurney came into the ER and I took the papers off the medic.

"Unknown female rescued by lifeboats. She jumped off a cliff. It's hopeless, Dr Cullen. Every bone in her body is broken. She has major internal bleeding. She'll be dead within the hour."

"We have to go out on call. Can you deal with this?" Another medic asked. I frowned at this woman's papers. Her heartbeat was recorded as slowing by the minute.

"Sure." I took control of the gurney and the medics left. I pushed the gurney into the elevator to go straight down to the morgue. We were alone in the elevator.

I looked down at this woman. She had a heart shaped face, framed with damp brown coloured hair. Whether due to her being extremely stressed before falling off the cliff or due to being in the water, she looked extremely unkempt and untidy. But she was beautiful all the same. Still so pretty... What a waste...

The elevator doors opened to the corridor. My shoes and the gurney's wheels squeaked against the polished hospital floor. I slotted my identity card through a machine which unlocked the door. The morgue was lit by pale white lights, making the blue walls like an icy crystal blue. There were two metal tables in the centre of the room and against every wall but one, were the drawers with the dead. The one wall that had no drawers had a small table with a computer perched on it. Sitting in front of the computer on her chair was one of the morgue staff and one of my favourite staff members.

"Hello Dr Cullen." Elizabeth beamed at me.

"Good evening, Elizabeth. Can you run an identity on this woman?" Elizabeth nodded and started work on taking fingerprints and other identity elements. She then got to work at her computer. Within minutes she clapped her hands.

"Esme Anne Evenson. Nee Platt." I almost choked.

"Esme?" I looked over Elizabeth's shoulder at the screen.

"Yeah... Twenty-six year old female... Married to Charles Evenson. She gave birth to a baby a week ago... It died of lung fever... Mrs Evenson has been hospitalised for grief and unknown causes of broken bones and concussions. Sounds like abuse to me," Elizabeth looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "Did you know her?" I nodded, swallowing my fear and panic. Elizabeth sighed and got up from her seat.

"Do you want to put her in the drawer? Four is free. I'll give you a moment." She left me alone. I stayed by the computer for a nanosecond before going to Esme's side. I could see it now. She looked so much like that girl... Ten years ago who had broken her leg. I had felt something towards her back then and I felt it now. She deserved to live, she had to live...

I had been looking for someone for so long... When Edward joined me, I had felt happy and content but even he knew that there was still a part of me that longed for something else. What if Esme was that someone else?

I had to do it... I had to.

I ripped off the IVs, the needles, the monitors and bent down. Her throat was exposed and as I got closer, I could hear and smell her faint pulse. It was now or never. My eyes darted around the room and I bit into her flesh. It was... Painful to taste her warm blood and not to drain her. I dug my venom coated teeth deeper into her skin. She didn't make a sound.

I pulled away, licking over the wound and sealing the venom in. I then bit again a bit further down her throat. I grabbed the rail of the gurney in my fist. I could feel the metal shift shape under my strength.

I pulled away with a gasp, wanting to drain her right there... I bent my head down and moaned quietly in my anguish. I may work with humans, may work amongst blood but the taste of it... Was still enough to put me on edge.

I didn't have enough time to wish for this to get better or to go away. I needed to take her away before her screams started. She couldn't move right now due to too many bones being broken but it wouldn't be long before it happened...

I scooped her up in my arms. She didn't respond to the cold. She was starting to tremble. I wrenched the door to the morgue open and ran down the corridor to the fire exit. The door opened smoothly and into the car park. It was dark and I did not care if people saw me go to my car.

Once by my car, I opened the back door and put Esme onto the back seat. She was starting to whimper now.

I got into the driver's seat and drove her away to safety.