Edward-Carlisle, at Forks Hospital.

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle has been keeping as much of an eye on Bella as he can given the fact that she doesn't precisely fall in his rotation at the moment, but it serves the double purpose of making sure that Edward doesn't skip too much school in order to stay with her. He uses the justification of making sure he retrieves her assignments in order to motivate him to go - Edward still continues to manage looking highly displeased at the whole affair.

Bella is asleep the next time Carlisle checks on her that afternoon, so Carlisle heads back to his office to catch up on paperwork.

Comments

[themidnightson]

"He won't be susceptible the way Renee was."

Which might have been because she was so scattered.
Or because she didn't see things in the same black and white.


Or because she hadn't been there the night Bella left yelling and crying.

[ofthefamily]

"I'm not sure you really have another path to choose from, Edward."

[themidnightson]

"He'll need time."

Edward understood that part very well.



"And for Bella to not be here."

[ofthefamily]

"Understandable."

After a second, Carlisle caps his fountain pen to look up at Edward. "You'll let me know if I can help besides plying the man with baked goods."

[themidnightson]

"Magical cure-all."

There is no cent of humor in it.
He's gone back to look out the window.

[ofthefamily]

"I am a doctor after all."

Communal lack of humor, but he tries anyway.

[themidnightson]

"Twice over."

Now that the door has returned.

But Edward holds nothing against Carlisle in all this.

[ofthefamily]

It takes Carlisle a second to realize Edward is referring to Milliways, but he nods once he gets it.

"Anything going on on that front?"

[themidnightson]

It would have to be Milliways. If he was pointing to people with qualifications he'd have to make a face and count himself. And where would be the point in grousing about that?

He already has enough things to slander himself with.





He's been about to say nothing.
And then he paused, staring at nothing more.
But with exacting specificity when his jaw shifted.

[ofthefamily]

With his own level of increasing specificity:

"What."

[themidnightson]

"Meg Ford."

[ofthefamily]

Suddenly: "Is she alright? I haven't spoken with her in some time -- "

[themidnightson]

That isn't precisely, but --

"She is now." Edward turned, leaning a shoulder against the window. "I ran into her while we were in the hospital in Phoenix."

[ofthefamily]

"What happened?"

[themidnightson]

"She had a stalker. Garden variety." Human. Harmless in comparison. "He's been handled since by two of her acquaintances, and their last run-in seems to have proven he won't be a problem any loner."

All of this is with a large air of still being the details toward an albeit reluctant point.

[ofthefamily]

"Oh."

Carlisle debates asking for explanation as to what 'handled' means, but he chooses not to.




What else don't I know?

[themidnightson]

Edward frowned. The first actual frown since Carlisle's seen him today. A curl, probably displaying his uncertainty on the situation more clearly than all the words he had used with Meg to try and explain.

He stood up, pushing off the glass, and walked across the room.

"I wasn't in the best state of mind when I ran into her."


Obviously. It was Phoenix. Getting him to do anything then....

[ofthefamily]

"What did you say, Edward."

Carlisle's getting actually nervous, now.

[themidnightson]

"I didn't wait for her to explain everything. After James--" Can't go further.

His hands came up, first two fingers pressing a semi-circle from his chin to his temples. It's perfectly clear. The memory. How he felt. Where he was. He can't change it now. Can't change a lot of things now.

"Seeing Roe-Bear grab Meg's bag." How scared she'd been is there forever to, seeing and feeling and hearing it even through his black tunnel. Edward shook his head.

[ofthefamily]

Roe-Bear?

Carlisle shakes his head quickly to be rid of the reflexive thought, refocusing.

"You still haven't told me what you actually said." Or did.

[themidnightson]

"I reacted-" There's a glance up at the ceiling, a wrinkle that doesn't quite mar his features. "Explicitly." There's only a finite pause, because he has to.

"I told her to stop defending him, or what he'd done to her, before it became her person and not her possessions."

He looked back to Carlisle, with a stillness that isn't to be confused with remoteness or calm. "Before she had the chance to tell me any of it."

[ofthefamily]

"...Oh."



Slowly: "Surely she isn't the first to find out?"

[themidnightson]

Edward will let his look linger. He had, after all, less and less love for or even patience with Milliways after each thing it threw at them.



"The first who didn't know by some other means."

Whether that was their own powers -- or his own family.

[ofthefamily]

"Meg is a worthwhile woman to put your trust in."

Carlisle is...having trouble finding a problem with Edward trusting someone there.

[themidnightson]

Whether Edward thinks about or what of the opinion is moot though, as he doesn't really seem to react at all to the words except for the acknowledgment of having listened to them.

It's not even that he doesn't. If pressed to finite it there are two who form flimsy for the placement. Those who happened to make passing seconds in minutes something more than bearable before his family knew.



"I know."