Medical Terms [Carlisle Cullen]

5 - Carlisle Cullen [Twilight] Pt 5

[Final Part]

"It was the damnedest thing, life. Once you decide exactly how things are going to go, something or someone comes along and messes it all up."
― Jennifer Armintrout, Ashes to Ashes

Had Edward Cullen been a human, he would have probably said that the Cullen residence in Forks had been his home for longer than he could remember. Of course, this wasn't strictly true as he was a vampire, which meant that he was capable of remembering things much more efficiently. There had been decades spent in the lovely, minimalistic home with its gaping windows and smooth pinewood accents. It was a house designed that reminded him of vampires themselves: alluring to the eyes, devastatingly gorgeous and often had the effect of making onlookers envious of its exterior. The truth was that it was only important to him because it housed the two most important people to him: his wife and his daughter.

Edward was unanimously voted as the person to be sent back to fetch Carlisle. Bella had insisted that one of them return to check on Renesmee and, since Bella had an odd calming effect on the entire situation, he was the ideal candidate. The house was quiet and calm in its gentle seclusion from the home-town nosiness of the other Forks citizens, but the absence of vampires made it notably still. Jasper and Alice had gone hunting, while Bella, Rose, Emmet, and Edward had gone to stop the possible rogue vampire assault, while Carlisle had worriedly listened to voice mails on his cellphone. A possible kidnapping, Edward had heard. Now, as he crossed the space to the living room, he could see none of the obvious tension in Carlisle's features. The blonde man was enveloped in his granddaughter; the girl with her mother's dark hair and his dazzling eyes, sat on the man's lap with her palm cradled on Carlisle's cheek. His eyes were hazy and ghosted over since the girl was probably showing him images and speaking with her mental voice. Edward's own gift had allowed him to see into both of their thoughts. His daughter was deep in discussion about the Dialogues of Plato, which she was hoping Carlisle could aid her in understanding. It was clear that Carlisle was doing his best to explain it in more detail, the crinkle in his brow and the determined set of his mouth matched the description of a statue eloquently described as The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, a statue that Carlisle had once taken Edward to see while they were communing in Massachusetts. Once his daughter had sensed his arrival, she moved around to rest her large brown eyes on her father before she gently skittered towards him and ran into his arms. She did this all with elegance and grace unbeknownst to a child, but there had never been particularly animated about Renesmee - she acted with a maturity that some teenagers would find challenging. 

Edward held his daughter tightly, feeling her small body cradled warmly against his. Her hand was cupping his cheek, pressing urgent mental messages to him: Where were you? Where's Mom? Why is she not with you? He reassured her with a short kiss to her temple and a smile, which seemed to placate the girl. After he had doted on her, he glanced up to see Carlisle. His face had taken on a grave edge, his snow-pale complexion cast to an ashy grey in his worry.

"I have to leave," Carlise muttered. The vampire patriarch knew he didn't need to speak, but Edward was too polite to point this out to him. "There's been an emergency at the hospital, sh - they need me."

It was clear what he was about to say.

She needs me.

"Something happened," Edward muttered.

Carlisle's ancient face became more anxious. "What happened? Is someone hurt?" 

"No," Edward replied guardedly. "Well, not terribly hurt."

Edward gestured for Carlisle to follow him as he maneuvered down the stone steps into the sprawling acreage that the Cullen family had always humbly called "the back garden". Carlisle's mind worked pragmatically; his trained eyes enabled him to scan two hundred feet ahead of him where, amid a sparse cluster of pine trees, his family huddled in what was a protective circle - or it had seemed like a protective circle, except that the wolves sat on the outskirts, peering into the circle and occasionally growling. This piqued the doctor's curiosity and he strode quickly, in the time of a second, and crossed the distance. He could see Rose and Emmet beside each other, talking lowly. They paused their conversation to smile at Carlisle warmly - Carlisle's heart unclenched. Bella? His mind raced. But she wasn't hurt either - he could see her standing beside Jacob, a perfect mirrored impression of Rose and Emmet.