Chapter 6

Carlisle's office was huge. The windows behind his desk stretched from the floor to the ceiling, an impressive thirteen feet. I could feel the authenticity of this room that beautifully contrasted the rest of the dull, blue and gray hospital. On either side of the large glass panes were massive bookshelves, stocked with literature from three centuries ago. The book pages jutted out of the binds with age and yellowed corners. I was amazed and intrigued. Part of me wanted to know everything Carlisle had stored up in his beautiful mind, and part of me was happy I didn't. I sat next to Edward in one of the two leather chairs that were positioned slightly facing each other in front of Carlisle's desk. Edward played with my littlest finger while humming a song so low, but enough for me to hear it and be calmed. I hated going to the doctor. And I haven't even gone in yet.

The big wooden, double doors behind us opened.

"Greetings!" Carlisle's voice was warm and welcoming as always. Edward wrapped in fingers with mine, gripping them tighter.

"Hi, Carlisle. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," I said as I glanced over at Edward to see his face. His eyes were deeply planted in Carlisle's. The two of them both had there heads slightly tilted downward.

"Of course not. My last patient just left." His eyes never left Edward's. I suddenly felt nervous, more than before.

"Stephanie wanted to see those records," Edward finally said. I was relieved by only an inkling. As Carlisle bent to open the lowest drawer of his desk, Edward turned to me and gave me a smirk. I looked at him, confused.

"Your hand in vibrating," Edward whispered, lifting my hand that he held and shaking it.

"You know I hate going to the doctor. I don't even know why I'm here besides for these records." I heard my voice shake.

"You don't trust Carlisle?"

"I do. I just...I don't know, something doesn't feel right inside. I've been feeling uneasy lately." I shrugged it off and tossed him a smile. "It's nothing."

"Hmm." I heard Carlisle sigh from behind the desk, still invisible.

Edward kept his eyes locked on the desk. He was obviously thinking about something very deeply. But what? And what was taking Carlisle so long to find those records?

"If you can't find them, it's okay..." I tried telling Carlisle, but he didn't make a sound. In a few minutes, a few long and agonizing minutes, he popped up with a tense face.

"Excuse me for a moment. I need to give the mental ward's receptionist a phone call. The phone lines in here are being worked on."

What is going on?

"Edward, I'm going to make a phone call myself. I'll be right outside if you don't mind."

"I think I better come with you." He started getting up.

"No. I just need two minutes. Please, Edward." I was begging him. "Just two minutes."

He stood up and squeezed my hand. "I'll be waiting here." He was serious and nervous. I needed to get away from all this tension.

Once I was in the hallway, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"It's about time you call me!" Alice's voice was loud and uplifting. She let out a giggle.

"Hey, Alice. Listen-"

"What? Are you okay?" She cut me off.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. You keep asking me that."

"Well...oh, never mind."

"No, Alice. I know something is going on. I wish you would tell me. Edward is not here right now. Please?"

"Well..." She stretched the word's one syllable for a mere seven seconds.

"Alice, I promise I won't tell Edward you told me. Plus, he must know right? He just had to listen to you."

"It's not like that, Steph. I've been clouding my thoughts around him. I didn't want him to find out through me. It wouldn't be right."

"Fair enough. But find what out?" My voice was stern.

"Stephanie, I...I saw him."

"Him?"

"Steph, you sound worried." She laughed. "Haven't you learned by now that there's no reason to be afraid. Plus, Carlisle is researching it all now. He, too, is clouding his thoughts around Edward. He'll find out soon, though. I can see it."

She saw him coming. That's what Carlisle and Edward were speaking about the day we got home from our honeymoon. Could it also be why Rosalie and Emmett were out hunting when we got back? To track him? Perhaps I was over-analyzing this situation.

"Stephanie, are you there?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry Alice. Um, when did you first see him." I wanted to confirm my theories.

"Isle Esme."

Just then I saw Carlisle walk towards the door that I was standing in front of. He was a couple of yards away.

"Alice, I gotta run. Thanks for everything. And I promise, my lips are sealed."

"Bye, sis!"

I slapped my phone shut and waited for Carlisle to approach. He was holding a manila folder in his handed. Then I felt the door behind me open. Edward.

"Everything okay?" His lips were in a hard, straight line as he glared at Carlisle. I knew the question was directed towards me.

"Yes, everything is perfect." I shot him a smile to ease his mind for a while.


Carlisle let the folder drop from his fingers onto his desk, making the impact echo off the high ceiling and send a breeze through my hair. I shivered and Edward's hand was around mine.

"Turns out Steven Fiori is innocent, whoever he may be. I checked with the administrators about any recent escapes and they gave me this folder. This patient matched the description of 'Steven', the man the cops arrested on the island. His real name is Paul. He is suffering from mild depression and is showing early signs of catatonic schizophrenia. Last time he was recorded taking medicine was a month ago. His behavior is quite deviant."

It was as if someone had iced me over. I was a statue. My eyes widened and locked into their stare, burning holes in the papers on Carlisle's desk. It couldn't be Paul. But is so positively could be. It made perfect sense. Paul was always so possessive over me. Sometimes it even scared me. His controlling attributes mixed with my willingness to comply suited our relationship. But it was nothing more. Although, I knew he was always curious. He always said he would fight whoever tried "stealing" me away from him, as if I were his. My body was so tense I started to cramp. The only effort I showed next was in my lips.

"May I take a guess at his last name?" I asked, frozen in time.

Carlisle and Edward snapped their heads up to me.

"Bono." My voice was a whisper.

Carlisle's eyes scanned the papers inside the manila folder, while nodding his head. "Yes."

"And let me guess again. He was adopted. He lives in New York. His birthday is September 6th, 1988. And he has green eyes, brown hair, and is 5 feet 10 inches."

"That's all...correct. Stephanie, how-" Carlisle was shocked and confused. Edward tensed.

"Steven Fiori was born on September 6th, 1988. He was adopted and renamed Paul Bono. He was my best friend before I moved out here." I looked down as the facts collided in my head.

They stared at me, bewildered. I felt my blood boiling in my veins as my heart beat accelerated. My hands started shaking as I balled them into fists.

"Paul was the one on the island." Edward was coming to a realization. A fluid placement of facts.

"That's why you recognized his scent last night." My voice was mechanical. No emotion, just sound.

"He must have given the cops a false name. A fake ID is probable." Carlisle added. He started walking towards the door, eyes on Edward as he turned. He stopped as he twisted the doorknob. "Edward, I think it's best to take Stephanie home now. We will reschedule her appointment for another day. Is that okay, dear?"

I nodded.

The only thing that snapped me out of my trance was the gust of wind that came from the closing door as Carlisle exited. I shivered and Edward's arms were around me as we started walking out. "Come on, love. Let's go home." He soothed, kissing my forehead.

As we walked through the hallway to the exit, I remembered the other phone call i needed to make.

"Edward, you mind waiting while I take a human minute?" I pointed to the ladies room.

"Hurry back to me."

As soon as the door closed I locked myself in a stall and dialed his number. Ring ring ring.

I heard the rustling click of him picking up the phone. "Well, look who decided to be decent." His sarcasm choked me.

"Paul, I didn't call to argue. And frankly, you are quite undeserving of even a phone call. But we need to talk. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Right, right, right. Blah blah blah. Listen I'm in no mood. I'll come and explain everything when I feel like it. We'll take a ride in my new truck." I heard him click his phone shut and that was the end.


Driving home was tiresome. Edward's long fingers gripped the steering wheel with fury. The road was slick, but I knew I had a better chance of getting a sunburn here in Forks than getting into an accident with Edward behind the wheel. I wanted him to say something. Anything. The silence rang in my ears. It was deafening. I stared onto the slippery, moonlit street in front of us, chasing the lines we were between. The forest that encircled us was just a mural of different shades of green. I knew the lines of the road were straight, but my mind was curving them into circles. My eyes started to pull my face down with new increasing weight. I was getting dizzy, and my head flooded with pain. I snapped my hands to my temples and must have leaned my head to my knees because I felt the car come to a halt.

"Stephanie!" I heard his voice as if it was miles away.

I felt my stomach turn inside out and my throat felt like it was closing. Everything was choking me. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried coughing. I just gagged. My throat burned with the urge to force everything up and out. I felt the rise through my chest...pushing. The pressure was overwhelming every fiber of my body. My legs became wobbly. They felt weightless and heavy at the same time. The internal pushing got higher, threatening the base of my throat. I gagged and let out an involuntary pout. I knew his hands were on my sides the whole time, even though I wasn't sure how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but was probably only seconds. His arms lifted me up onto my feet and I opened my eyes. I was facing the forest. I heard the Volvo's engine tremble behind me. Then I felt Edward's hand massage the hollow of my throat. And finally...

I leaned over and vomited onto the dirt and grass. Edward rubbed my back and held my hair away from my face. When I had the chance to breath I leaned up with a tear rolling down my cheek. Before I could taste the saline, Edward's finger wiped it away. Before his hand left my face, I grabbed it and pressed it against my forehead. This worked better than any icepack.

"Do you feel better, love?" His voice was calm and collected. And because of that, I did feel better, for the most part.

"I think-," I wasn't. I leaned over again and threw up some more. This time, thankfully, I was done. I was empty. My stomach and chest were hollow. The beating of my heart became the dominant sensation as it raced the darkness away.

I rubbed my nose and sniffled. "I think I'm done now." My voice cracked and my throat was on fire again.

"C'mere," he lifted me into his arms and placed me ever so gently in the passenger seat. "Let's get you home." He buckled me in and planted a kiss on my forehead. A second after he closed my door he was in the driver's seat, accelerating. His left hand steered while his right hand held mine. I lifted my knees to my chest as I rested my chin on them. I tasted horrible and couldn't wait to get home. In less time than I thought possible, we were home. Edward carried me into our house and placed me on our bed.

"Wait! I need to wash up. Give me a few human minutes?"

"Okay, love. Should I come?" How could I say no?

"I guess that would be smart."

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and Edward did his best to comb my hair, smiling to whole time through. The mirror claimed I looked decent. Edward insisted I looked perfect. I rolled my eyes with a smirk as he carried me back to bed. He tucked me in then leaned on his knees next to me on the floor. His chin rested on my arm while his fingers curled a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The moment his lips met that spot behind my earlobe, I drifted. As I drifted, sleep took over. And as I slept, I dreamed. In my dreams, Edward was there. Consequently, I woke up in elation.