try to slip past his defense without granting innocence
A couple weeks had passed quietly for Claire since her less-than-venomous conversation with Edward. Between studying, juggling Jessica and Mike and the drama between them, and dealing with the secret that continued to grow increasingly complicated to keep, it was mostly a blur. A really unpleasant, cold and rainy blur
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He was distracted from those thoughts by the fierce piercing voices of Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper resounding in his mind. All of them were watching this unfold with some degree of horror, or anger, or disappointment. Anxiety over what this would bring. He was not looking forward to being read the riot act once they made it somewhere private, that was for certain. Alice was the only one who seemed ... almost calm about what had occurred. But she never did react to surprises the way anyone else did.
They were moving the truck now, adults and ambulance workers working in tandem to lift it, when he'd so easily shoved it out of the way, and could have done so again now. A voice rose over the others, asking them if they were alright.
"We're uninjured," he said, keeping his voice as level as he could, his eyes still locked on hers. He was afraid that if he looked away, she might suddenly expose him, abruptly decide to throw him under the bus and point him out as a freak, in order to mask the fact that she was more than simply human as well. Of course, there was nothing in her thoughts that lead him to believe this would be true, but still... he couldn't quite tear his gaze away. Claire was dealing with Tyler now, who was mostly thinking about this had probably blown his chance to get Claire to go to the dance with him.
Idiotic, simple thoughts of an adolescent, compared to the world-shattering things he and Claire were concerned about at the moment.
Claire Bennet. That thought stood out to him. Despite everything, it felt like a sudden burst of victory, which was ludicrous considering he'd just learned something much more important about her than simply her name. He tried to shove the irrational sentiment aside.
Tyler was working to assure Claire that he was entirely uninjured, but Edward's eyes were on the EMTs making their way around now that they'd created enough space to pull a stretcher through.
Oh, thank god, he thought as the EMT glanced at him, and he recognized him as a registered nurse who worked with Carlisle at the hospital. If he could get brought to his father, there'd be no problem in escaping an examination.
"Thank you Brett," he said calmly, making sure to make it clear from his tone that he was under no physical strain. "But the van didn't touch me, and I managed to grab Claire before she could get hit."
Of course, there were the indentations in the van that were shouting out loud that this was a lie, but ... perhaps they'd think it had merely hit the wall. If he were lucky. Of course, they had all that blood to explain.
"... Too hard, at least," he amended in defeat. He hoped she wouldn't hold it against him too much. He realized she probably wanted to avoid being examined as well, but perhaps he could talk to his father about that too.
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Despite the clouding in her mind and the fact that her brain was so frazzled that she was trying to focus on everything at once and subsequently found herself unable on anything, she heard one clipped phrase that stood out to her. Her eyes slowly turned away from Tyler onto Edward, wide and just a little betrayed.
Before she could get hit. Too hard, at least.
Her instinctive response was scandal and offense, but she had to fight it down so everything seemed normal. It didn't stop the brief puff of her cheeks and flare of her nostrils, though. She forced a more neutral look onto her face and found a weak smile as she turned back to Tyler, shaking her head and assuring him not to worry about it -- as long as neither of them had more than a few scrapes and bruises, there were no hard feelings.
She kept to herself the fact that, after all, she'd gotten far worse from boys her age in the past. Instead, she broke away from Tyler to move back to where Edward was talking to the EMT, fighting down the din that was clogging her brain and overloading every emotional response that she had. Five minutes into the school day and she was already exhausted. She reached out to grab Edward's arm and try to guide him away as she shot the EMT a look.
"Thanks, but we're fine really. Scrapes, bruises, and nothing else. He's a real hero, this one." She turned her gaze on Edward, something stern in those green eyes, something that demanded to know why he'd sold her out and made it sound like she got hit. The blood, the scrapes, the cuts in her clothing that made mirroring holes on either side of her shirt inexplicably because there was no way she could have possibly been impaled -- she could have explained them. She could have dismissed it, he didn't need to say she got hit by a car! Not when there wasn't a scratch on her to back it up. No one was that fast of a healer, and the blood had to come from somewhere.
It was going to be Homecoming all over again. The questions. People wanting to know how she could possibly be covered in all her own blood when she was completely uninjured. The panic was worsening and it was almost a dizzying feeling. Mike and the others were now making their way over, shouting at Tyler to figure out what happened across the hood of his van and glancing over anxiously at Edward and Claire.
She wanted to get out of there. She just wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else, and not deal with this when she had just gotten past the "new, shiny" stage of her stay in Forks.
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Actually that wasn't something he could be dismissive about. Not now that she knew, or at least had strong suspicions, that he wasn't quite normal. He'd have to find a way to keep her from acting out on her anger towards him. Edward found himself wishing he had Jasper's talent for soothing emotions right now. Instead he had to settle for hoping she didn't spill anything out before he could reassure her somehow in private. Unfortunately his mental connection only went one way.
They weren't going to let her leave, that much was for certain. In fact, Brett was currently debating fitting her with a neck brace, just until they got her checked out, and he saw him conferring with Chief Swan behind them.
"Just trust me," he said, in the lowest of voices, when they'd gotten out of range by a few feet. It was an empty request, he knew, one she had very little reason to put any stock in, considering that he'd obviously been lying to her about something - or everything - since they'd met. But his position was a bit more tenable considering she'd been doing the exact same. She didn't need to know that he'd already known that, on some level.
"It's alright," he said in a louder voice, addressing the adults who were taking steps towards them both again. "Though I think she should at least go in to get confirmation from my father that nothing happened internally." It served as much as a reminder to Claire that he'd seen what had occurred and that arguing with him right now might put her in a dangerous position too, considering how worried her thoughts were about exposure. "I'll ride with her in the ambulance, and he can make sure we'll both alright."
His voice was as level as possible, smooth and convincing, and the Police Chief removed his hat to scratch his head as he glanced between them both and Tyler. "The other kid too. Better make sure they're all alright. Don't need any parents askin' us why we didn't get 'em all checked out later on." Chief Swan made sure to point a finger in Tyler's direction with a warning look as well. "And we'll have some words about your driving there, boy."
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No, it was the fact that he was tossing her under the bus now that she was deciding she was right about him to begin with. And when he started to talk to the paramedics and police, she was doing some mental preparation on how to best express her frustration verbally to him whenever they got some time alone. Her mind skidded to a halt mid-track when she heard the word father.
That's right. Edward's father. He was a doctor -- the doctor was probably a safe bet, judging by the size of forks. Her expression softened into something more surprised, realizing how stupid and bullheaded she'd been and … okay, maybe not feeling guilty for it, but finally understanding why she was supposed to trust him.
That didn't mean the underlying threat was missed, though. If Edward wanted to, he could easily take this opportunity to ruin her life. As if the ambulance ride wasn't going to do that already. Her dad was gonna ask questions. Lots of questions that would lead to an earnest desire to get the hell out of Washington.
Why didn't she want to take that chance now that she had it?
She spared one more look up at Edward, sheepish and gentle, almost like a little kid looking for direction, and then she gave a nod to the Police Chief, letting go of Edward's arm finally and stepping away to fold them across her chest and head past Chief Swan in the direction of the ambulance, apologizing to him as she moved past, hoping Edward was serious about riding in the back of the ambulance with her so she could at least talk about what had just happened to someone.
"Sorry for the trouble." It wasn't entirely genuine, of course, because mostly she was sorry that they were making it a big deal. But it was probably the most exciting thing to happen in Forks since they started importing sliced bread instead of making their own or something, so she couldn't bring herself to be that surprised by how big of a problem this was growing to be. It just went to show that Claire was right when she'd tried to argue for hiding in a big city instead.
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If both he and Claire could remain calm, and get to Carlisle before another doctor asked to see them, they should be fine.
Of course, then he would have to deal with the girl, and the questions she was likely to have. Not to mention the questions still burning in his own mind...
But that was something to take one step at a time. Thanking the Chief, Edward stepped up into the back of the ambulance behind her, glad to hear the voices and thoughts of the gathered students and teachers fade away as they doors were slammed shut. The EMTs wanted to do some basic checks as they rode along - Claire's vitals, et cetera, but nothing that should - hopefully - be too incriminating. He hoped to high heaven they wouldn't ask him for the same. He wondered grimly how they would react to finding he had absolutely no pulse at all.
He kept silent for most of the ride, watching Claire closely and monitoring her thoughts. They couldn't speak privately at all, so he had to hope she wouldn't slip up, which was unnerving, certainly. He didn't like having to put all his faith in this girl, not when his entire livelihood, and that of his family, depended on it.
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Shouldn't he know better than anyone how much it was asking to just expect trust? With what they had to go through every day? Even now, in the company of someone who she was trying her hardest to have faith in, her eyes were trained with begrudging suspicion on the third party EMTs who were just trying to be helpful. Her mind continued to race as she offered up her wrists and bicep for basic vital tests. She even managed to keep a straight face when they slipped the stethoscope under her shirt, because she was too distracted by her own thoughts to care that Edward was present for the awkward, hurried examination.
Maybe he hadn't had the bad luck of running into the Company yet. It was probably better that way, anyway. It'd save her the trouble of admitting that her dad had been a part of it. Or maybe she was just being optimistic in that, and he was the one of them for some Company operation. She flicked her gaze back towards him, chewing on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.
The ride was short, though, and before long her thoughts were interrupted. Small towns. Gotta love 'em. She reached out to brace herself on the wall of the ambulance as it jerked to a stop, rattling a few of the instruments they were co-habitating with for the time being. The EMTs thrust the doors open and Claire clambered after them, refusing to accept help and just jumping out of the back of the glorified van.
She stubbornly resisted as they tried to guide her into the hospital entrance right away, and she instead turned to fix Edward with a raised-eyebrow, expectant look with her arms crossed over her chest. A look that said: Look what you did. This had better be good.
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The Company, The Company, he caught those thoughts from Claire, and his eyes went right to hers just as she looked at him, as if she'd signaled him. A sloppy movement, but one she could write off to him being hyperaware of their surroundings, he hoped. He felt himself swallow around his parched throat as they held each other's gaze for a moment, but the bump in the road gave him an impetus to break the temporary stare.
He was right out behind her at the hospital, maneuvering himself to her side, and gently placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on her elbow, glancing behind at the EMTs. His posture indicated he was going to help the girl inside, keep her steady, and he nodded to them both. "It's alright. I'll bring her to my father."
They weren't having any of that, however, and shook their heads.
"We'll have to check her in," one of them said, and Edward tensed a bit, but nodded, and cast Claire a look of what he hoped was reassurance.
"I'll go find him, then," Edward said, and without another word, broke away from them and pushed through the doors, making a beeline for where he could hear his Father's thoughts.
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And now Edward, who she'd figured to be her saving grace in this, was just wandering off to find his dad. And leaving her in the hands of pushy EMTs who were shoving her into the entrance of the emergency room to get looked over. One of them suggested that she give them her parents' number and immediately, panic set in.
"No! No, it's okay. My dad works, he's -- This isn't a big deal, I mean, I'm totally fine. I don't want to worry him if there's nothing wrong. If it turns out I've got some hemotoma-concussion-epileptic brain hemorrhage, I'll call him. I just want to talk to the doctor first."
The argument seemed to settle all right with the EMTs, who just took her into the urgent care section of the hospital and got her set up in a hospital bed. Not the kind of thing that would have flown if she were back in Odessa, but Forks was just small enough that the standard 'alert the parents immediately' thing could be at least delayed by enough complaining.
A phlebotomist hooked her up to an IV, took her blood pressure, checked her out for wounds and had her put on a hospital gown. Her eyes were trained with a certain degree of paranoia on the needle in her arm, wondering what kind of tests exactly they could justify her needing -- and where the hell Edward and his dad were with her get out of jail free card. Luckily, it took a good forty minutes to get help for anyone even in the most desolate hospitals, so for the most part, she just got to sit in the cold with saline pumping in her arm and her clothes set on the chair beside the bed, looking grumpy.
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He didn't even make it all the way to the office - Carlisle must have heard his steps and recognized him by his gait. His surprised and friendly expression melted into one of immediate concern upon seeing Edward's features contorted as they were.
Edward, you didn't-- he thought, letting it hang, and Edward couldn't help but take some small relief in the tone of utter disbelief and torment which accompanied the fearful utterance. He hated to believe that Carlisle could have easily believed him capable of slipping so severely. Edward cut him off with a stern shake of the head.
"It isn't that."
The relief that cut through Carlisle's features, however, as he registered that Edward's eyes were still hued with gold, and void of any dots of crimson that would betray a diet of human blood, was less encouraging.
Of course not. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even entertained the thought...
"There was an accident," Edward explained quickly, his voice as low as he could make it, aware that Carlisle would still hear every last word of it. "A van skidded across the ice. She was in the way. Alice saw it coming, but there wasn't time to do anything but really run across the lot and shove her out of the way." Carlisle's eyes widened instantly, processing what Edward meant by 'really' run immediately. Edward hastened to assure him. "No one noticed but her but..." His features twisted again. "I was too late."
My God, Edward-- If it was at all possible, the blood seemed to drain even further from Carlisle's features, so that he looked as white as the hospital walls that framed him.
"No, she's... alright," Edward said, shaking his head. "Something... happened. There's something--" How to even explain this? "Something about her. Something extraordinary. She was hit, and I saw the damage inflicted by the van, and then, before my eyes she--" His eyes flashed around, a useless instinct, given he could hear the thoughts of those anywhere around them and knew no one was listening. "She healed. Instantly."
Carlisle's eyes searched his, as if trying to better understand what he could mean, but Edward shook his head, frustrated. "I don't have time to explain it entirely - they insisted on bringing her here, but they'll find... well, I'm not certain what they might find if they're allowed to examine her. Which is why you need to do it."
Understanding the time constraints, Carlisle simply nodded sharply.
You did the right thing, Edward. I'm proud of you.
He went to move past him, but Edward hesitated a moment, before adding: "She knows there's something-- wrong with me."
There was no hesitation in Carlisle's response, no anger or disappointment in his thoughts. Edward couldn't help but feel an intense swell of gratitude, comparing it to the attitudes he knew the others might take.
"That doesn't matter," Carlisle said simply. "If we have to leave, we leave. What has she said?"
"Nothing. Yet," Edward admitted, averting his eyes.
Does she know you know her secret?
"She does. And for now that might be enough to keep her quiet, but she's expecting an-- explanation," Edward admitted. Carlisle frowned deeply, considering what the best course of action would be. Finally he just nodded to his office door.
"Wait here. I'll go check on the girl and we'll discuss it further."
There was no arguing that that was the wisest way to proceed for now, at least. If Carlisle didn't move quickly, someone else could discover just how 'healthy' Claire Butler was, and if her secret spilled out, she'd have no reason not to divulge his. Edward slipped into Carlisle's office to brood on that for the moment, wishing he could hear Claire's thoughts from there.
For now, he'd have to guess at them.
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"I'll take it from here, thank you." He picked up her test results, thumbing through them, and then extending a friendly hand towards her. "So Miss Butler," he said, which may or may not have been particularly loaded, given what Edward had told him about her identity, "how are we feeling?"
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She tried to search behind him to see if he brought his son with him, but … no such luck. Her brow furrowed a little, lips pursing, but she shifted her gaze back to meet the doctor's and managed to pull something more neutral off. She compliantly reached up to shake his hand, sitting up a little more in the bed. It took her a minute to process that Miss Butler was her -- it never stopped being a second-guessing kind of thing, even after the few weeks she'd been working with the name.
"I'm fine," she explained, grateful as the techs moved from the room. "Actually, I think I have your son to thank for that. You're Dr. Cullen, right?" It was probably a good idea to clear that up ahead of time. "If it hadn't been for Edward, I'd be … " Not here. Possibly hiding under a car to pretend I'd never been hit, but no, he had to see. "Pretty much flapjacked, actually." After a beat, she decided to just throw all in and admit something.
"I was a little shellshocked when the EMTs got there, do you think I could see him to say thanks? There was too much going on before, I never really got the chance ..."
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He couldn't help but notice, before anything else, that Edward hadn't been exaggerating about the potency of her blood. He had much more experience with self control than Edward ever had, but it still caused his own nostrils to flare for a moment, and he turned his head to examine a chart.
If he'd been right, and she did have some manner of... healing factor, it might account for that. If her cells could constantly regenerate, it would mean her blood was literally as fresh as blood could be. Any vampire with a red-blooded diet's dream come true.
He turned back to her with a reassuring smile again, once he knew the techs to be safely out of earshot.
"I'm afraid Edward's doing something for me, at the moment, but I'm certain you'll see him around shortly. And you don't have to thank him - he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if he hadn't been there to help." He considered, watching her careful facade, how best to approach this. Be direct with her, or would that frighten her off?
He decided to compromise.
"He told me what happened." He said it evenly, watching her expression carefully.
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Unless he didn't. She was wary as could be, hesitating for a long, tense moment as she tried to decide how exactly she wanted to approach this. Denial seemed like the safest bet, because it'd mean not getting her father called and her secret revealed. It meant avoiding the Company at all costs.
"He told you that he pulled me out of the way in time." She said it like clarification, but there was something stern to her tone, like she was fixed on this explanation and it was the only one she was going to acknowledge. "I had some scrapes from the asphalt, but they're not serious." She cleared her throat, moving on quickly now that she had made that clear, she felt.
"So, uh, if he told you what happened, I can just go, right? I mean, I don't really need to be here, and I really don't want to bug my dad at work, so …"
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"The school's already called your father, and he should be on his way." He hesitated. Edward had said she was expecting an explanation, which meant she'd seen enough of whatever he had done to have suspicions about him. Potentially, then, about Carlisle himself. Maybe she was just afraid of him, and he couldn't blame her for that. Especially if she had her own secret on the line.
But the question, the real question, was whether she could be trusted not to say anything about them. If only Alice were here, she would have been able to counsel him on that.
"Is this the first time you've gotten into an accident like this?" he asked, meeting her gaze and raising his eyebrows. Maybe, if she had some kind of special gift, she hadn't known about it until now. If so, she had good reason to be afraid. "I can understand being shook up by it, but I'd like you to know that..." He stepped beyond her to set the file down, so she could look at him without him judging her expressions. "You can trust me, Claire."
It was a promise, an extended olive branch. He hoped she would see it for what it was, at least.
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And she just needed somebody to talk to. She broke, shaking her head.
"No." She took a deep breath. There was something cathartic about admitting it out loud. "No, it wasn't the first time. It wasn't the tenth time. I've --" She shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them back up, wide and searching for answers in his gaze, to look at him. "There have been a lot of times that I should have died." A long pause followed again, quiet except for the squeaking of nurse sneakers in the hallway. She reached up and rubbed her hands over her face shaking her head and pushing them through her hair.
"Not that any of this matters anyway. If my dad knows, we won't be here long enough for any of it to matter. When he gets here, we'll be gone. Gone from the hospital, gone from town." She felt her chest constrict a little as her emotions jumped up a level in anxiety. She hated this. She hated running. Her voice grew a little higher. "Gone to some place even crappier than Forks is."
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When she was done speaking, her anxiety obvious even if he were unable to hear her accelerating heartbeat, he stepped forward and laid one hand gently on her shoulder.
"You, Edward and I are the only ones who know right now, Claire. And if you'd like, we can keep it that way." He couldn't help but feel for the poor girl. He understood all too well about the difficulties of uprooting ones existence over and over again, and he tried to spare his family there whenever possible.
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