Midnight (Twilight Fan Fic)

Chapter 37- Carlisle

Chapter 37

Carlisle

A few weeks after Esme had started college I was heading to the store room, one of the trolleys had run out of bandaid’s and all the nurses just had their hands full. I pushed the door open and looked up when there was a gasp. Lou, one of the nurses on my team, was sat on the counter applying lotion to her bruised arm.

She pulled down her sleeve, but I’d already seen the shape of the bruises and matched them to previous cases. Silently, I walked over to her and pulled the sleeve back up, resting my hand lightly over the purple skin. I was unsurprised that they matched the shape perfectly.

Lou opened her mouth but nothing came out. I took her hands in mine and crouched a little so our faces were at the same height, “Who did this to you?”

Lou bit her lip and shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

I gave her a stern look, Lou had been friendly to me since I had started a few weeks ago. But not in a flirtatious way. She had always offered me help and had shown me the ropes on the first day.

“Lou, I know marks of abuse when I see them.”

She bit her lip and looked down, “My husband,” She sniffed, wanting to continue but a sob stopped her.

“Oh Lou,” I sighed and pulled her in to my arms as she sobbed. I pulled her over to the table and sat down with her in my arms she sniffed and wiped her eyes, “He blames me for his parents deaths, they were in a crash after a meal at our house.”

I stroked her back soothingly, letting her talk out what she wanted to. She winced as my hands brushed her shoulders. I pulled back and frowned, “Shall we take this to a private room?”

Lou shook her head, “No, it’s fine, I’ve already treated them.”

I didn’t argue with her, not wanting to make her feel pressured in to anything.

I took her hands again and looked in to her tired eyes, “Why don’t you tell the police?”

She sighed, “He’s in the force.”

That explained the suffering in silence. I sighed, what could I do for her if she wouldn’t go to the police?

Lou seemed to hear my thoughts and pulled back, “It’s fine,” She insisted.

“Lou,” I squeezed her hands, “Don’t suffer in silence. I’ve helped other women in a similar position in the past,” I hesitated and decided it was best she knew, “My wife was abused by her ex husband.”

Lou looked up to me, “Please, don’t tell anyone?”

I smiled kindly to her, “If you promise to talk to me, I won’t force anything out of you, but talking helps. Even if it’s not about that.”

Lou wiped her eyes and nodded, “Okay.”

I got up and got the bandaid’s I had come for, “Do you want to meet in the Cafeteria at lunch?”

Lou smiled, “That would be good,” She nodded. 

I opened the door, “I’ll meet you there.”

*

I sat with a sandwich, soup, and some juice at lunch, all for Lou of course, she came hurrying over to me with her bag and sat down. 

“Eat,” I told her and gestured to the food.

She shook her head, “I can buy my own lunch,”

I laughed and nodded, “I’m sure you can, but isn’t it nice to be treated to it once in a while?”

She looked to the food and back to me, “Won’t you have any?”

I shook my head with a smile, “Strict diet.”

She smiled and looked to the food, “I never see you eat or drink,”

I shrugged with a smile as she picked at the sandwich, “What do you want to talk about?”

She paused and frowned, “Can I ask about your wife?”

I nodded for her to go ahead, at least she was talking a little about it rather than not at all.

“Why did she not tell anyone?”

I paused and thought about my answer, how I could explain truthfully to her without giving too much away, “Esme’s parents were of a very high status, they wanted her to marry someone of equal class. Her first marriage was very much an arranged one. She had very few friends as she was privately educated and …” I sighed and shook my head, remembering the scared woman that had flinched at my every touch, “… and she was afraid of him,”

Lou thought my response through as she chewed slowly at the sandwich, “So how did you come to meet?”

I smiled sadly and picked up one of the straws that lay in front of me, twisting it between my fingers as I talked, “That, is a very sad story,”

Lou’s face fell, “Oh,” She quickly back tracked, “It doesn—”

I shook my head, “No, no, it’s fine,” I looked up to her and leant forward, dropping my voice a touch, “Esme fell pregnant and couldn’t face bringing the child up in an abusive home. She ran away and got a part time job. He died two days after he was born of a form of pneumonia.”

Lou’s face contorted in sorry, “Goodness, she must have been …”

“Suicidal?” I offered when she was quiet for a moment, “Yes, she threw herself off a cliff… and I was on her resus team,”

Lou pushed her remainders of her sandwich away. I leant forward and rested my hand over hers, “Please Lou, don’t let it come to that for yourself,”

She looked up to me and nodded with a small smile, “I won’t, Carlisle, if you don’t mind listening to my rants,”

I smiled and squeezed her hand, “If that’s what it takes to keep you okay,”

She smiled and took the drink, “We’d better get back to work,”

I stood and took the leftovers to the trash. Glancing over to Lou as she walked away, I noticed how she seemed a little more relaxed in herself. I hoped that my talking to her would be enough to keep her that way.