Idyllic Days (Esme - Carlisle Fanfiction)

Chapter 66 -Who Are You?-

(Carlisle’s POV)

I was pushing Carlie in her stroller to calm her down. She wasn’t crying but wanted to be back into my arms. “Carlie, Mommy is coming now and then we will go outside. You’ll need to stay in there for now, sweetie,” I told her and let her hold my finger. She was satisfied with that and clung to it. I watched her sweet face, when Rose called rather annoyed when Esme will come.

“She will come soon. She only wanted to get her scarf,” I told her calmly. She sighed, but then we could hear her yelling: “I’m coming.” I couldn’t resist smiling in anticipation of seeing her glowing face. She was already at the top of the stairs and I looked back to Carlie, who started to whimper a bit. I put a rattle out of the diaper bag and wanted to give it to her, when I heard the gasp of Rose and Edward and a sickening sound.

I spun around and could see how Esme was just heading to the last step and how her head met the floor in a sick way. I was rushing to her side faster than I ever was. “Esme, Esme!” I called and carefully examined her.

She was unconscious but breathing, thank God! Edward was at my side in an instant and carefully moved her so that we could check her. “Bella, Rose! Get the kids out,” Edward called and I could hear the shuffling and sobbing behind us. But only faintly have a noticed that. All my focus was on my beautiful, yet so fragile wife.

Her head showed no signs of a fracture and her arms and legs looked fine as well. So Edward and I carefully moved her over to the couch. I carefully held her head and shoulders to secure that she didn’t get jostled. I should have gone with her. I should have at least caught her before she fell. How could I leave her side?

“Carlisle, don’t … Don’t give yourself the fault. We all failed to catch her,” Edward whispered. He watched Esme with a grave expression and stroked her hair softly. Alice, Jasper and Emmett slowly walked into the room.

“Alice?” I asked without much hope. She couldn’t see her before, why should she see her now? “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “It’s okay,” I whispered. We couldn’t know to which extent she was hurt. The most important thing right now was that she woke up.

We were all in the room watching Esme carefully. Even Emmett was quietly sitting in one of the chairs. Edward was sitting on the ground and stroked her head, while I sat next to him holding her hand. I leaned in to kiss her hand, when I could feel her moving. Everyone looked up in expectation and hope. She moved around a bit before her eyelids fluttered and her eyes slowly opened.

“Ouch,” she croaked. She looked disoriented around the room and settled on looking at me and Edward with surprise and some other emotion I couldn’t quite pinpoint. “What happened?” she asked. We sighed and even laughed because we were so relieved and happy that she was awake and speaking.

“You fell down the stairs,” I told her softly. “Oh…,” she pondered that a bit,” that explains some things.”

“What is it?” “My hip hurts terribly and my head feels like someone used a hammer on me.” “Nothing is broken, my love. Though there will be bruises… I’m sorry for not catching you,” I admitted softly, but I was still making myself responsible for her accident. She looked at me bewildered and once again looked around.

“Where am I? This doesn’t look like a hospital…” “You’re home. We were just on the way to have some family time. Don’t you remember?” I was worried again and a brief look at Edward confirmed that something wasn’t right.

I stroked her hand, but she moved her hand away. “This is not my home. I was in my room with my baby before that accident, I think. What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in ten years, Dr. Cullen.” A cold shiver went down my spine and I think I might have fainted if I could. Alice and the others let out a gasp.