IN MY TIME OF DYING.

03. TRE : shaking hands (n.e)

The numbness had yet to wear off. Both she and Bella were still in a state of shock about the whole ordeal, and Cecilia took every precaution she could with her friend. Since they arrived, Cecilia had been delicate with Bella just in case so she wouldn't over step any unknown lines.

She was in constant movement.

Her hands never quite stopped shaking, and they were always leaving feather light touches against Bella's shoulder as if to reassure not just the girl, but herself that everything was okay. It had only been a good thirty minutes before Bella's father came storming into the ER where the two were sure entry waiting for her to be released.

"Bella, are you okay?" he called, rushing past nurses and doctors. As he walked, she noticed that his expression went from scared to worried to angry within a span of three seconds the moment he noticed Tyler sitting two beds away from the girls. He pointed at Tyler, not bothering to stop as he glared and walked toward his daughter. "You and I are gonna talk."

Her father's expression soften slightly as he made it to where Cecilia was rubbing Bella's back, comforting her hunched over form. "You alright?"

"I'm fine dad, calm down. Cecilia drive me here just to make sure," Bella stated, frowning a bit before pointing to the strawberry blonde who seemed to be distracted by something else.

And she was. Cecilia was staring at the wall with a small frown on her face, mind miles away from the situation. She was worried for Bella, of course she was, but she was also worried for herself. The hospital was a place Cecilia hated to be, whether it was for someone she loved or for her pitiful self.

She was snapped out of her gaze, Tyler's apologetic voice filling her ears. It was weird to hear someone apologize to another for getting hurt more than them. Bella hadn't been scratched because somehow Edward Cullen had gotten to her in time which made no sense. She was pretty sure he was standing with Rosalie across the parking lot when it all happened. The whole accident just made no sense to her. "I'm sorry, Bella, I tried to stop."

"I know, it's okay," she reassured, slumping over a bit on the uncomfortable bed.

"No, as sure as hell it's not okay," Sheriff Swan snapped, glaring at the boy in the bed next to the two girls. Cecilia took a seat on the hard bed next to Bella, who scooted over to make room for the brunette. 

"Dad, it wasn't his fault." Bella tried her best to placate him, but it only turned into a fruitless attempt of arguing.

"You could've been killed," he argued venomously. Even Cecilia winced at his harsh words even if they weren't supposed to be directed at her. "You understand that?"

"Yes. But I wasn't, so..." Bella trailed off weakly, unable to find the right words. Cecilia pursed her lips, giving her friend a worried look. She had no say in this conversation, only a bystander watching a near death experience bring a family closer together and farther apart.

Before Bella could finish, Sheriff Swan turned to Tyler. "You can kiss your license goodbye."

Both Cecilia and Bella sat in a stunned silence as they watched her father yell at poor Tyler. The boy didn't know what to do other than repeat the same words over and over again. Before the sheriff could yell again, he was stopped by the soothing voice of another man.

"I heard the Chief's daughter was in..." Dr.Cullen strode over to the three with grace, his pale face covered with a smile. The white lab coat he wore did nothing on his complexion and his hair was almost as light as his skin leaving him to almost look like he was albino.

Sheriff Swan let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Dr.Cullen."

"Charlie." Dr.Cullen acknowledged the sheriff before turning to the nurse who had been rushing around Bella every so often to make sure she wasn't fatally injured. "I got this one, Jackie. Isabella."

"Bella," she corrected immediately. Cecilia smiled at the girl's refusal to be called anything but her name.

"Well, Bella... Looks like it's a quiet spill. How do you feel?" he asked, setting down the clipboard he had brought along with him.

"Good," she responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Look here..." Dr.Cullen brought out a small flashlight and shined it into her eyes, switching back and further between each eye to look for any sort of damage. "You might experience some post-traumatic stress or... disorientation but... Your vitals are good. No signs of any head trauma. I think you'll be just fine."

"I'm so sorry Bella, I'm really..." Tyler called worriedly from his own bed before Bella cut him off.

"It would have been a lot worse if Edward wasn't there," she looked at Dr.Cullen. "He knocked me out of the way."

"Edward?" Sheriff Swan questioned. "Your boy?"

"Yeah, it was amazing." Bella's eyes filled with a sort of wonder as she spoke. "I mean, he got to me so fast... He was nowhere near me."

Sheriff Swan looked over to Cecilia with a skeptical look but she merely nodded along because yes that did happen. Edward got to Bella and he saved her before anything could happen. There was no lie in her words.

"Sounds like you were very lucky," Dr.Cullen replied before turning to Cecilia who had stopped nodding at the sheriff and chose to stare down at her hands. They still hasn't stopped shaking. "Now, Cecilia, you have to get checked on, right?"

"Mhmm," she nodded. Cecilia looked up at Dr.Cullen and bit her lip as she refused to look at Bella. "Back to our regularly scheduled program."

He brought out the same flashlight he had used on Bella, grabbing her chin in his hand. The light burned her eyes but she remained still, watching him closely inspect her own eyes. "Have you been feeling okay? Did you get hit by the van?" 

Cecilia shook her head as best she could, still looking into the bright light of the flashlight. "I wasn't anywhere near Bella or the van. I was talking to Angela and Jessica before it happened."

He dragged the light to her other eye. "That's good. We don't need you getting hit." Dr.Cullen clicked off the flashlight and straightened himself out. He made a small gesture toward the door with his clipboard. "Follow me, please."

"Yeah, thanks." Cecilia hopped off the bed and turned toward her friend. "I'll call you later, okay, Bella?"

Bella sounded tired as she spoke, letting a faint smile appear on her face as she looked away from her dad who seemed to be giving Tyler a full on death glare. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for taking me here."

"What else would I have done? Don't let your dad kill Tyler." Cecilia gave Bella a small smile hoping desperately that it didn't look too strained before she walked over to where Dr.Cullen was waiting. As she walked away, Cecilia could hear Bella give her a low "I'll try but no promises" in a joking manner just as the Sheriff's yelling increased once again.

"So, Cecilia, are you feeling alright?" Dr.Cullen asked as he lead her out of the ER and down a crisp white hallway, winding past each turn with ease, leaving Cecilia in a rush to catch up with him. He didn't seemed to notice her pace, only giving her a gentle smile as he glanced back.

She shrugged, stumbling to keep up. "Just a little shaken."

"Understandable." Dr.Cullen stopped in front of a wooden door, opening it so Cecilia could walk in first.

The room itself was laid out like a regular doctors office, instruments and tacky posters included. In the middle of the room stood a large table lined with wax paper and an office chair next to it. Immediately, Cecilia took a seat on the table, hating the feeling of the waxy paper underneath her. She stared at a particularly cheesy picture of a little kitten barely hanging on a tree branch with the words 'hang in there' splayed across the top. That kitten looked exactly how she felt - helpless.

As Dr.Cullen pushed over a tray full of instruments, Cecilia took her gaze away from the poster and watched him sit down in the office chair. Skillfully, plastic white gloves were pulled over his hands and he looked up from the tray for a split second to ask another question. "And no headaches or nausea spells recently?"

"Only about once a month. Mostly I'm a little bit cold but that's just Washington," she explained, and Dr.Cullen let out a little laugh and a nod of his head.

Cecilia eyed him carefully, watching each of his movements. The prep of whatever he was going to do seemed harmless enough until she watched as he uncapped a syringe connected to a small tube. Blood tests, probably her least favorite part of being incurably sick. She couldn't help the way her hands shook as she watched.

Dr.Cullen brought one of his hands to her, stilling the nervousness that leaked from her. "We'll do another blood test just to check and next Monday I want to have another MRI done."

"You got it," Cecilia let a humorless laugh escape her throat as she stared at the little drops of blood that were flowing out of her arm and into a small tube. Her life was so cliche it was almost too painful for her to even live in it. "Any reason you want to do an MRI?"

"You know why. We have to check if the disease is progressing faster than normal," Dr.Cullen spoke, setting down the clipboard he held in his hand.

Cecilia shook her head, wincing at the sound of wax paper crinkling underneath her skirt. "And if it is?"

Dr.Cullen shook his head. "Nothing good will come of it."

Cecilia crossed her ankles together, choosing to stay silent instead of asking more questions. That reply left a heavy weight on her chest, almost too suffocating to breathe let alone speak. She just watched the way the dark blood filled the tube, cocking her head to the side as her mind kept reeling. Just as Dr.Cullen finished the last tube and took out the small IV needle, replacing it with a bandage, a sharp knock on the door rang through the silence of the room.

"Hey, Carlisle, are you done yet?" a feminine voice called out. The door creaked open slightly, hesitant as she waited for the okay to come in.

Dr.Cullen tightly shut the last tube and set it on the tray. He moved around the room, pushing the tray off to the side and away from the patient's table. He grabbed his clipboard and sat back down, calling to the person behind the door. "Yeah, we're all good. Come on in. Cecilia's done now."

"Cecilia?" the voice questioned, confused by her name. The door was pushed open all the way to reveal one of Dr.Cullen's foster children. The girl was short, about as short as Cecilia but with pixie cut brown hair and a thin, delicate face. She was pretty sure her name was Alice.

At the cue of another presence, Cecilia jumped off the table, steadying herself so she didn't stumble. The bandage pulled on her arm, limiting the mobility it held so she stuck to crossing her arms over her chest in an uncomfortable manner. Trying to avoid Alice's gaze, Cecilia looked at Dr.Cullen as she spoke. "Thanks, Dr.Cullen. I should probably leave now."

"We'll call you tonight to find a good time for that MRI on Monday." Dr.Cullen nodded, seemingly oblivious of Cecilia's embarrassment , merely choosing to write down a few more details on his clipboard instead.

"Got it." She nodded, rubbing the bandage on her arm. It had begun to burn a bit, the feeling of that small needle underneath her skin had yet to fade. It almost felt a little numb in that area, but at least she was done, and it seemed to be at the right time. She could leave before the embarrassment really set in. "Bye, again."

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[word count: 2112]

Guys I'm crying at how much support this story is getting. Love you, and thank you for 5K reads (which is insane because this is only the 3rd chapter)!!!

I'm afraid this story is going to be so cliche and I don't know what to do even though I love it.