Rain still clung to your clothes as the paramedics pushed through the sliding doors of Forks Community Hospital. The storm outside rumbled on, thunder echoing faintly through the halls as fluorescent light replaced the gray wash of rain.

Blood streaked down your forehead and arm, thin crimson lines where glass had cut through skin. The wounds weren’t deep, but enough to leave you pale and disoriented. Nurses rushed forward with gauze and quiet urgency as the paramedics explained what happened; how a tree branch had fallen during the storm, crashing through the windshield before you managed to stop the car.

Waiting just beyond the ER doors, clipboard in hand and expression composed, stood Dr. Carlisle Cullen. His calm presence was steady amid the rush of movement, but the moment you were brought in, something shifted. The scent of blood reached him like smoke catching flame, sharp and impossible to ignore. His throat tightened, breath catching for just a moment before he forced himself forward.

“Let’s get her into exam room three,” he said quietly, his voice smooth but edged with control. When his gaze met yours, something unreadable flickered in his golden eyes.

“You’re safe now,” he added, softer this time. “I’ll take care of you.”