Lost Boy | Carlisle Cullen |

FIFTEEN

Once again, James was at work, solitary in the lab. He inoculated more plates after studying the first ones from the trial. This time he used proper technique, his shapes were missing and he was double gloved. There was no chance that he was going to end up back in the emergency department facing Dr Carlisle Cullen. He had even picked up an extra work assignment from the CDC to avoid being home for very long. There had been an outbreak of a virus termed the Swine Flu which had broken out in April, only a few months ago. The outbreak quickly reached epidemic proportions and the CDC had called for scientists to help create a vaccination that would combat the illness.

For just a moment, ever so rarely, James thought about the strain that Carlisle would be facing in the Emergency Department as the virus rose to a pandemic level. He hated that he thought of him, it irritated him to no end. Was it the fact that Carlisle had kept his life such a secret? Was it the fact that he had run out of the room before James could ask anymore questions? He wasn't sure, whatever the reason, he didn't have an interest in seeing the doctor at the moment.

Cullen called at least three times a day, leaving voicemails asking for the chance to explain himself. They had gone out on a couple of dates before the night that he had ghosted James, there was still a romantic pull which he felt no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. Almost like clockwork, the phone rang again. James smashed his elbow against the screen as an attempt to decline the call. He continued with his work as he inoculated more agar plates, stood up and transferred them to the incubator.

A sound similar to a buzz could be heard near the incubator. It was outside of the normal vibrations the lab produced. James started by the incubator and listened closely to every piece of equipment he could. He moved all the way back to his work bench before looking down at his phone. He sighed before picking it up and placing it to his ear. Carlisle called out to James.

"James, please hear me out, I am so sorry I just left, I should have stayed around and explained things to you, it wasn't fair, please."

It almost sounded like he was begging. James audibly sighed once more as he contemplated his options, weighing talking to Carlisle or just completely ghosting him. The voice was the hardest part of the equation. No matter how angry James was, Carlisle's voice was soothing and caused a certain feeling in his chest to rise up.

"Fine. Where do you want to meet?" James caved.

"Are you still working?"

"How can you tell?"

"I heard the humming of equipment not consistent with your house."

James scrunched his brow as he answered, "I'm still at the lab, yes."

"I could meet you there. That way you're not inconvenienced and you can continue on with your work."

He looked around the lab and noticed how messy it was. His work bench was clean, but two sweatshirts laid on the table near the entrance, a pair of loafers was near the coat rack, several boxes of gloves sat on the floor as he hadn't unpacked his recent shipment. He smirked, he hadn't realized how much of a depressive mood he had been in before actually taking to someone outside of work.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. I just have to clean up a little. When can you be here?"

"Roughly 30 minutes. I just clocked out from my shift."

"Okay. See you in 30 minutes. Don't disappear this time," James pressed the end call button and took stock of the lab in front of him. He quickly straightened out the entrance, hung the jackets on the coat rack next to his lab coat, placed the shoes neatly by the front door, and unpacked the boxes of gloves that had just come in on Tuesday. He couldn't make it look like he was miserable without Cullen. He had to put on a mask first.