Housecalls.

[teachyouwhoiam]

Edward is coming with Carlisle on housecalls today, after only a minor amount of cajoling on Carlisle's part and some half-assed speech about how observations are a vital part of practical application of learning medical theory

Comments

[iwouldfollowyou]

He likes getting to drive far more than being driven.

Even chagrin, he supposes this is at least quieter than the hospital classes. There are no plethora of hundreds of people in multifaceted differing states of anguish making up more space than the doctors, nurses and teachers combined.

Just a house, and a woman.

(If surrounded by the normal world of sounds still.)

[teachyouwhoiam]

Carlisle shuts the car off, gives the steering wheel an unconscious little pat and steps out after grabbing his black leather bag.

The front door opens before Carlisle and Edward reach the stoop, and the patient herself greets them, a toddler peeking out behind blonde curls and her mother's skirts.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Rosemary."

[iwouldfollowyou]

Completely different scents, and if there's a wariness in being alone with people, it's not as much as it once was.

A sharp reminder of at eternal thirst -- while staring down into the peerless bright blue-gray eyes of what he should only consider the parallel of innocence born and untainted compared to the evil it tempted of him -- that at least was not as unbearable as it once had been.

Edward bowed his head, respectful and gracefully precise, grateful for the second to close his eyes. "Ma'am."

[teachyouwhoiam]

This part is easy; second-nature. Counting heartbeats and suggesting in a softly reprimanding tone that Rosemary should be staying abed until she is better regardless of how impractical Carlisle knows that to be for her.

"What's your daughter's name, Rosemary?"

"Stella. My husband's Italian; the name means -- "

"Star. I recognize it," Carlisle smiles, holding his hand out to the young girl. She doesn't respond without prompting from Rosemary, but Stella steps out from behind her mother's skirts and waves instead of taking Carlisle's hand.

Carlisle finds it to be almost the prettiest thing he'll get to see all day.

"Now, off to bed, Rosemary - time to see what we can do, hmm?"