Honeybee

Prologue~1918

Prologue
1918
Elizabeth Masen
Chicago, Illinois. August, 1918.

"Mrs. Masen, what are you doing out in the street?" Doctor Cullen, a dear friend to me since treating me as his patient in January, looked quite cross as he neared the front gate of my home. "I'd like to keep our afternoon tea appointment, but you'll come down with the influenza soon enough if you don't stay out of public areas."

"I'm hardly out on the street, Doctor." I laughed at him. "I'm just removing all of these ghastly dead limbs from my front yard."

"People are sick and dying yet you're concerned about your yards appearance?" Carlisle chuckled at me as he came through the gate and up the walkway.

"Well, you're concerned about the sick and dying people enough for the both of us." I teased him in turn. "Are you disinfected?" I worried as he approached me and took off his hat.

"Quite." He nodded. "I stopped at home to shower and change. I wouldn't want to expose the lively Masen household." He grinned down at me.

"Enough, you." I frowned back playfully. "Come in then, if you're sure you're well, Edward is busy working on his newest masterpiece. We shan't see him until dinner I assume." I laughed, opening the front door and heading off down the main hallway towards the backdoor.

"Hello, young Mr. Masen." Carlisle stopped at the doorway into the parlor and poked his head into the room, "Feeling well?"

"Hello, Doctor Cullen." Edward greeted in turn. "Yes, quite well physically. However, I shall go mad if my darling mother keeps me prisoner within these walls much longer!" He added just to spite me.

"I'm sorry to inform you that I must side with Mrs. Masen on this issue. She's only following the doctors orders after all." Carlisle laughed and excused himself before following me out of the backdoor and into the enclosed back porch.

"He's quite quick, Elizabeth." Carlisle noted as he sat and joined me for tea.

"Very." I grinned, proud that his quick-wit came from me. "I do wish he'd stop growing up so quickly, however, he'll be eighteen this coming June you know."

"The draft." Carlisle nodded. "He's eager to fight if I remember last Sunday's lunch conversations correctly." He added, and my entire being shook with fear.

"My brilliant son is not going off to fight in some ridiculous war." I stated firmly. "Every night and every morning I do nothing but pray that this war will end before his birthday. If it's over, I can at least convince him to stay in school and be a lawyer for the army instead of fighting on the front lines."

"You don't have to carry a gun to be a hero." Carlisle agreed with me.

"Exactly, take you, for instance." I nodded.

"Me?" He frowned in disbelief. "What hero am I?" He laughed richly.

"Mine." I smiled sweetly at him as I moved a stray lock of his perfect golden hair back into place. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't had intervened that day on my behalf."

"Hardly heroic." He scoffed. "I'm a doctor, I saw a woman suffering from an episode of diabetes troubles and went to help. It's my calling."

"But you didn't have to insist I get treated so well in the hospital." I countered.

"Well, I'm glad I did insist." He nodded thoughtfully. "Such an encounter has led to a friendship I'll always cherish very deeply." He smiled so sincerely at me my heart skipped in my chest.

"Oh, what a romantic." I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the blush creeping up my neck. "It's a wonder you haven't been snatched up by a wonderfully charming woman." I shook my head as I poured myself another cup to distract myself from his intense golden eyes.