His World

It's a Wolf Thing (12)

Lily woke up alone. She rolled over and looked at her phone, seeing that it was well after noon. She groaned. Being a surgeon meant being flexible with her schedule, but she never liked to sleep in later than ten. Elsie came in and crawled into bed with her mother, curling up.

"Momma, you slept a long time," Elsie said matter-of-factly.

Lily laughed softly. "Momma was up late last night."

"Did you go back to work?" Elsie asked with wide eyes.

"No," Lily said sadly. "I was talking with Lee-Lee and Rosie."

"Is everything okay?" the girl asked with a scrunched brow.

Lily nodded. "Yes. Everything is okay. Everything is getting better. Mommy is going to get better, sweetie. I promise."

Elsie smiled brightly and attacked her mother in a hug. They heard a soft chuckle from the doorway and looked over to see Carlisle standing there. "It's good to see you back to normal. Elsie, can I speak with your mother?"

"Can I play with your heart listener thing?" Elsie asked, sitting up.

Carlisle smiled. "We talked about what it was called. Do you remember?"

Elsie thought deeply, repeating after her mother when Lily quietly whispered the name to her. "Stethoscope."

"Of course you can use it," Carlisle said with a bright smile. "Just make sure to put it back in my office when you're done."

"I will," Elsie promised. She hopped up and hugged Carlisle's legs before running off to his office.

"She's a sweet child," Carlisle commented.

Lily sat up in the bed and looked at him. "Thanks. Hey, so I wanted to apologize for last night... I went a little crazy for a minute. I'm sure Rosalie told you- assuming you didn't know before that."

"I should apologize to you," Carlisle said. He sat on the edge of the bed and took in her appearance. "I shouldn't have been so forward. Sometimes I forget this is a different time and not everyone was raised as I was."

"Will you tell me about it?" Lily asked shyly.

Carlisle nodded. "I was born in 1640 and my father was a pastor. From childhood, I knew about the supernatural- vampires, werewolves, all of it."

"Wait," Lily said and adjusted herself to be more comfortable. "Werewolves exist, too?"

Carlisle couldn't hide his smile. "There is a lot for you to learn about my world, Vera."

"Leah told me about the history of her tribe," Lily said. "She told me that some of the men turn to wolves."

Carlisle nodded. "They are technically considered shapeshifters because they turn at will rather than on the night of the full moon."

"Thank you for being honest with me," Lily said suddenly. "And for sending Rosalie to explain it all. She really helped me calm down."

"She told me," Carlisle said wearily. "I didn't mean to put you into such a state."

"Sometimes it happens," Lily admitted, more to herself than to him. "It started around the time I was diagnosed with leukemia. I know it doesn't have anything to do with the sickness, but sometimes I feel like it's making me lose my mind."

Carlisle tilted his head as if listening for something. He then blinked and looked at Lily again. "Leah is back."

"You can hear her?" Lily asked. She began moving out of the bed.