Old Soul

Chapter Seven: The Doctor is In

The car remained dark, none of the lights turned on. Edward fishtailed the car around, gunning the engine straight towards the men, forcing them to practically dive away, as Edward showed no signs of slowing, stopping, or swerving to avoid them.

"Seatbelts. Both of you." He says, fury coating his tone. I force myself upright and click the belt into place, I hear Bella's click right after. Edward reaches over and opens the glove compartment, rummaging around until he finds an old, white handkerchief.

"Here, Raquel. Try to stop the bleeding." He hands it to me. I begin to protest, but he just waves it at me, annoyed.

He takes a left and passes several stop signs without obeying them. I can't make out his expression well, he just looks like a specter to me, ghostly pale against the dark interior and exterior.

"Are you alright?" Bella asks, so quietly I can barely hear her.

"No." His answer is short and angry. I press the handkerchief into my forehead, surprised at how slick it is. The blood doesn't show any sign of stopping. After a few minutes, Edward stops the car suddenly.

"Bella, Raquel, are you two alright?" He asks, barely controlling the rage evident in waves rolling off of him.

"Yes," Bella's voice is hoarse.

"Considering I kind of feel like I'm bleeding out here on your backseat, I think it's safe to say I'm not doing too hot." Edward laughs, but there's no humor in it.

"Do you want to go to a hospital? Or I can have Emmett come pick you up and take you to Carlisle, if you'd prefer." I mull it over for a minute.

"I think if I go to a hospital, my parents will get unnecessarily freaked out. They didn't want to even let me go out tonight, and I'd rather not spend the rest of my days on house arrest." I reply. Edward nods as if he'd figured as much and pulls out his cell phone. Pressing a single number, I can hear it ring once before I can hear the baritone of Emmett's voice come through.

"Emmett. Raquel got attacked by some men in Port Angeles," he pauses, waiting for Emmett to stop chewing him out. I can't make out what Emmett is saying, but it's clear he isn't pleased.

"She's fine, but she'd rather not go to the hospital. Can you come get her and take her to Carlisle?" Edward looks at me—no, my forehead, and says a curt "yes" into the phone. Emmett must agree because Edward lets out a breathy "thank you" and hangs up.

"He'll be here soon. He was already in the area." Edward informs me. He still looks pissed.

"Bella, can you distract me?" He asks, his hands restlessly tapping on the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bella asks, still stunned by the whole ordeal.

"Just prattle on about something unimportant until I calm down." Bella tells him about her plan to hit Tyler with her car, and I begin to zone out. I pull the handkerchief away from my forehead, but Edward swiftly turns around and makes my hand press it back onto it.

"It hasn't stopped. You'll probably need stitches." He informs me.

"And where did you get your medical degree from?" I ask, unhappy that stitches may be involved.

"When your father is a doctor, you learn a lot. Especially on 'bring your child to work days.'" About ten minutes later, Edward hops out of the driver's seat and comes around to open my door, taking my elbow to help me up. I can feel the chill of his hand through my turtleneck, and I fight to keep myself calm. Just because Emmett had cold skin in my dreams does not mean that the Cullens are vampires. There could be plenty of other explanations. Emmett hops out of a cherry red Jeep with surprising grace. He walks swiftly over to Edward and turns my shoulders so I'm facing him, his eyes scanning me from head to toe, lingering on my hand holding the rag to my forehead. He's wearing a thick black jacket over a gray shirt and jeans. After I pass his wordless assessment, he gently takes hold of my wrist, his grip loose. He wordlessly pulls me back to the car, opens the passenger side door, picks me up, and sets me on the seat, all in a few fluid motions.