The Internship

A week had passed, and my days were spent at school, at the hospital, or with Bella. I'd avoided going back to the Cullen's. Well. I was doing my best to avoid Carlisle. Even at the hospital, I didn't talk to him unless it was medical related.
I hated myself for it.
It was Thursday, and I had the day off from the hospital. Bella hadn't sat with me, instead she'd been sitting at a separate table with Edward. It befuddled me. Bella had confided that she thought Edward hated her, or something. But they seemed unusually close now. She looked like she knew a great secret. I smiled sadly. It would be a Cullen that separates us. I sat down and began picking at my lunch when my phone buzzed, signaling a phone call. I dug it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID.
Carlisle Cullen flashed across the screen and I hesitated, my finger over the red circle. I huffed and instead swiped the green circle and held the phone up to my ear.
“Yes, Dr. Cullen?” I asked, a pretend happy tone in my voice. It was only slightly convincing.
“Adeline,” He began quietly, he sounded troubled. My stomach dropped slightly.
“What's wrong.” I ground out, panic seeping under my skin.
“I need you to come to the hospital. Your mother slipped and fell. She's fine, but she needs you. She suffered a concussion.” He explained, the famous compassion oozing out of his voice.
“I'll...I'll be there soon...” I said faintly, hanging up the phone. I was in shock. Since our spat, we had barely spoken, and now I felt retched. I quickly stood, leaving my hardly touched lunch on the table. I slung my bag over my should and ran out of the cafeteria and to the office, phone clutched in my hand.
“I need to be excused. My mom's in the hospital!” I had started to reach hysteria, flashes of my father burning through my mind. They had said he would be fine too.
“Go, sweetie. I'll take care of it.” The receptionist yelled after me. I ran to my car, fumbling with my car keys.
I got to the hospital in record time, I was lucky there wasn't anyone on the road, I probably would have killed them. I parked haphazardly in a parking space, I wasn't straight at all but I couldn't bring myself to care. I ran into the building, ignoring the nurses startled stares and darted up the stairwell. The elevators were slow, and I needed to get there now. I was breathing heavily by the time I reached the third floor, but my sights had zeroed in on Carlisle. I ran over to him.
“Where is she!” I gasped, my breathlessness catching up to me. He looked at me in bewildered concern.
“Adeline--”
I cut him off.
“WHERE IS SHE?!” I screeched, my paranoid hysteria having reaching maximum. I was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. It happened so quickly it startled me into calming down and standing there in complete confusion as my arms hung limply at my sides. I did register the scent. It was unmistakable. Woodsy with a hint of something sweet I couldn't put my finger on. It reminded me of camping in the woods while roasting marshmallows. A scent that was unmistakably Carlisle's. I slowly wrapped my arms around him as well, having missed him even more now.
“She's ok, Adeline. I swear.” His sweet voice whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I buried my face in his neck just breathing him in. He always made me feel calm, he was like the eye of the storm. He made sense in the chaos.
“Thank you.” I whispered, pulling away slowly. I hadn't particularly wanted to, but I still needed to see my mom.
“I'll always be here for you, Addie.” He smiled softly before leading me into a room two doors down. My mom sat there, eating a pudding cup like it was completely normal. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to her.
“I'm so glad you're ok. I'm so sorry for what I said. I love you mom.” I cried, throwing my arms around her carefully. She hugged me back, having set down her pudding cup. She was also crying.
“I love you too sweetheart. I know I haven't always been there, but I promise to make sure I will be in the future.” She sniffed. We sat like that for a few minutes before pulling apart. She had a coy smile on her lips.
“So you and Doctor Cullen--”
“No.”
“Addie, come on.”
“Absolutely not.”
“But I saw--”
“Nothing. You saw nothing,” I replied, miffed, staring at her with determination. I had only come to terms with it myself. No way was I admitting it to my mom, let alone where there was a possibility of him overhearing. She just sent me a playful glare. She knew I knew she knew. I just smiled innocently. After all, it was innocent. Nothing would happen. Nope. Impossible.
Carlisle walked in then, smiling at us with his gorgeous, dazzling smile.
“You're free to go, Ms. Bowers. Just sign these forms and I will release you into the capable hands of my intern.” Carlisle gave me a warm look and I blushed. He always made me blush. My mom just looked between us carefully, but thankfully kept her mouth shut as she signed the documents.
“Thanks for taking care of me, Doctor Cullen.” She chirped.
“All in a day's work.” He laughed, taking the completed documents. Carlisle and I left the room so she could get dressed after he took out the IV. The corridor was empty, however it wasn't unusual. We leaned against a wall, and he looked at me.
“Am I forgiven for whatever I did to upset you?” He asked, looking sad. I looked at him in utter shock.
“You didn't...I wasn't mad...oh bugger.” I huffed, realizing I'd have to think of some excuse. And fast.
“Then what was wrong?” His golden eyes pierced through me, silently begging me for an answer. An answer I was unwilling to give. I didn't know what to say. So I decided for a half truth.
“I was working through some personal...feelings, and needed space.” I said carefully. I was never very good at lying but this was as truthful I could get without telling him I loved him. He didn't look overly convinced but he nodded anyways.
“Alright. Are you feeling better then?”
I contemplated the question, looking up at the ceiling.
“I've come to term with things, and I no longer feel the need for emotional distance.” I decided, nodding with confidence. That wasn't a lie at all, therefore he gave me another smile. I realized we were standing close, closer than friends or colleagues would stand, and when we heard my mom's door open we each took a step back, creating a more respectful distance. Even if I hadn't minded the close proximity to him. He was alluring like that. I ripped my gaze from him and looked at my mom, who hadn't noticed anything.
“Ready to take me home, Adeline?” She asked cheerily. She was pretty happy for a woman who slipped and hit her head. Maybe it was the concussion talking. I nodded and looped her arm through mine. I looked at Carlisle again, and offered him a smile.
“Thank you again, Carlisle.”
He sent me one of those soft, indecipherable looks.
“Any time, Adeline.”

That night, I thought back to that ridiculous story Bella had told me after she and a few friends had a bonfire at the beach. The story of the cold ones. While my mind logically dismissed it as nothing, my gut told me something else. And now I was listening to my gut, and sat down at my computer with morbid curiosity. I opened my web browser and slowly typed in: the cold ones urban legend.
There were tons of results, naturally, but none really caught my interest. So instead I entered: Vampire types. I scrolled through all the websites, most seemed utterly gimmicky, others were just unhelpful. Frustrated, I turned the computer off.
I was being ridiculous. I was letting a stupid ghost story get to me. Carlisle was not a fucking vampire. No way. Sure he was unnaturally cold and pale, and perhaps he was gorgeous in an inhuman way, but he was a doctor! He was surrounded by blood every day! He didn't have fangs, or red eyes. I'd seen his house—not a coffin in sight. He didn't burn in sunlight.
I nodded to myself, satisfied. I was just being completely stupid. Besides, Bella thought of it first, if she thought they were vampires, no way would she be hanging out with Edward. Happy that I had talked myself out of being insane, I went to bed, falling asleep easily.
My eyes opened and I was in a gorgeous meadow of bright green grass and multicolored wild flowers. The sky was clear for once, bright blue and not a cloud in sight. I was sitting on a large quilt, a picnic basket sitting in one corner. I was holding a glass of wine. I noticed my skin, sparkling like a million diamonds, but I didn't feel shock, just peace. I heard someone approaching behind me, but I felt like I knew who it was. The person sat down next to me, his skin was also sparkling. I looked at the man's face. It was Carlisle. While I felt like I should be bewildered, I just felt my mouth form a loving smile. He returned it. He put his hand on my face, but instead of the intense cold I remembered feeling, it was warm. I leaned my face into his hand, reveling in his touch.
“Adeline, why do you insist on pouring yourself a glass. You know you can't drink it.” He laughed, plucking the glass out of my hand and setting it in the basket. A wistful sigh left my lips.
“I know, darling, but I miss the taste sometimes. I'm so happy to spend eternity with you, my love. But sometimes I miss being human.” I sighed. Carlisle gave me a sad smile.
“I know, but I couldn't let you die. I had to turn you. I wouldn't be able to live without you.”
“I love you, Carlisle Cullen.”
“I love you, Adeline Cullen.”

I woke up completely startled by the dream I had just witnessed. I glanced at my alarm clock. Five fifty. I needed to wake up in ten minutes anyways. However, I couldn't get the images out of my head. I allowed myself a small smile. Adeline Cullen had a nice ring to it. I quickly dismissed the thought though. Like that would ever happen. I jumped when my alarm went off and I slammed the off button in aggravation, before slowly getting up.
It was going to be a long fucking day.
School went by in a blur, since I was back to sitting by myself at lunch. Apparently Edward and Bella were dating or something, but she dodged me at every turn. Like she was keeping a secret.
I made my way into the hospital, yawning. Before I went into Carlisle's office, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the nurses station. I sipped it appreciatively, thankful for the caffeine boost. I didn't think to knock, my mind was too preoccupied but I wished I did when I opened the door, my greeting falling silent on my lips. The coffee slipped from my hands.
“What the fuck.”