1921, Cleveland.
The hospital Carlisle and Edward relocated to -- it feels more like relocating to a hospital than the city itself, for as much as Carlisle spends his time there -- has its own functioning morgue instead of something closer to storage for bodies to be shipped to mortuaries. This ends up being beneficial for Carlisle and Edward since the hospital holds classes there, allowing for brief respites throughout the day.
Carlisle this particular evening is the physician on-call for the morgue. He hates it, but it is only fair. All the other doctors have to.
None of the other doctors have a skin tone that rivals the bodies on the examination tables. He stays at the far end of the morgue and completes paperwork in a perfected script until he hears doors slam against their frames without any urgency. Dead on arrival.
"She was found at the bottom of the bluffs by Cuyahoga," one of the attendants explains as the pair carry the woman in to lay her out on a table.
Carlisle starts a new form for the log. "Any kind of identification on her?"
"The woman who found her recognized her as...Evenson. Esme Evenson." Carlisle's pen scrapes against the page; the attendants both give him curious glances. "You okay, Doc?"
"I'm fine. I can handle things from here." They leave despite the lie. Carlisle unfolds the large shroud around her body It can't be her there has to be a million Esmes in the world --
There she was.
Unique. Even in death. Carlisle did not even know her, but he can imagine hearing her faintest of heartbeats thudding in his ears irregularly.
Wait.
Edward I need you to come here right now please Edward
Carlisle this particular evening is the physician on-call for the morgue. He hates it, but it is only fair. All the other doctors have to.
None of the other doctors have a skin tone that rivals the bodies on the examination tables. He stays at the far end of the morgue and completes paperwork in a perfected script until he hears doors slam against their frames without any urgency. Dead on arrival.
"She was found at the bottom of the bluffs by Cuyahoga," one of the attendants explains as the pair carry the woman in to lay her out on a table.
Carlisle starts a new form for the log. "Any kind of identification on her?"
"The woman who found her recognized her as...Evenson. Esme Evenson." Carlisle's pen scrapes against the page; the attendants both give him curious glances. "You okay, Doc?"
"I'm fine. I can handle things from here." They leave despite the lie. Carlisle unfolds the large shroud around her body It can't be her there has to be a million Esmes in the world --
There she was.
Unique. Even in death. Carlisle did not even know her, but he can imagine hearing her faintest of heartbeats thudding in his ears irregularly.
Wait.
Edward I need you to come here right now please Edward