My Last Breath

by Psychotic

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Summary: She used her last breath to say, “I love you.” It broke his heart, seeing her unfocused eyes, knowing that she was seeing someone else, loving someone else. And yet he still had to save her. CxE, AU.

School was a pain, Esme decided. She hated how immature everyone at the high school was, even the kids older than her. She had always been more mature than most people, though.

With a sigh, she stood up from her last class of the day, grateful that it was finally done for the year. Time for summer, which included cooking and babysitting, two of her favorite activities. She had even offered to be a nanny for someone during the mornings and early afternoons of the weekdays, and she was looking forward to that job. It wasn’t going to start until July, however.

“Esme! Esme Anne Platt! Stop ignoring me!”

The caramel-haired girl spun around to spot her only good friend, Bella Swan. “Oh, sorry, Bells,” she apologized sincerely. “I was off in my own little world.”

“You seem to do that a lot, don’t you?” Bella asked teasingly. Esme rolled her eyes. “Are you looking forward to the summer?”

Esme nodded. “I am. I’m really excited for my nannying job, but that’s not until July.”

Bella just shrugged. “At least that means we can hang out, though, right?”

“What ever happened to visiting your mom?”

“Oh, yeah!” Bella groaned, her hand to her head. “I forgot. I’m visiting her all this month and the next. I’m sorry, Ezzy.”

A look was shot towards the brunette, who smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I know you hate that name. I always forget. Esme is just so… formal.”

Rolling her eyes, Esme just nodded noncommittally, getting into her car. “I’ll see you later, Bella. Remember to call me from Phoenix, okay?” When her friend nodded, Esme turned the car on and carefully exited the parking lot.

As usual, her parents were still at work when she got home. To pass the time, Esme grabbed one of her favorite books, Jane Eyre, and an apple and went to her backyard. There was a huge tree in her yard that was perfect for climbing, and she loved to sit up there and read.

She was still reading in the branches when her mother arrived. The call of, “Esme!” shocked the poor girl out of her book. It also caused her to lose her balance and she struggled for a moment to regain it before she fell sideways and out of the tree.

Esme landed with a loud crack, followed quickly by a scream. Her mother came rushing outside and saw her daughter’s state, panicked, and quickly pulled out her cell phone to dial 911.

Way to spend the first day of summer, Esme, she chastised herself as she was wheeled into a room at the hospital, trying to ignore the shooting pain in her leg. It was more difficult than she had originally thought.

“I’m going to go call your father and wait outside,” her mother told her anxiously. Esme nodded; she knew her mother hated the sight of blood, needles, or anything medical. She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the pillows, doing her best to block out the pain.

Footsteps were heard coming into the room and then a voice that made her melt said, “Miss Platt?”

Her eyes flew open. With a voice like that, she had to see the person it belonged to. She wasn’t disappointed. He was very pale, with bruise-like shadows beneath his eyes. Of course, his eyes were a gorgeous butterscotch that seemed to be able to read her with a single glance. His hair was the most wonderful shade of blonde, appearing soft and light. It was sun-kissed, she decided. She wanted it to be Esme-kissed.

She remembered that he’d said something and nodded slowly. She felt like her brain had melted into a mush that slid around in her head.

“I’m Dr. Carlisle Cullen,” he introduced himself. “I’m going to give you some painkillers and then we’ll have to reset your leg, alright?”

She nodded again, this time feeling a bit more responsive. Dr. Cullen pulled out a needle and stuck it into the IV that the nurses had given her, injecting the painkillers into her system. The effect was almost instant, and Esme was extremely glad for that.

“This is going to hurt,” Dr. Cullen warned her. She braced herself, grasping the sides of the hospital bed and gritting her teeth. Bella had gotten a bone reset once, and she had described it as horribly painful.

Bella was right.

When the doctor set it, Esme screamed involuntarily at the pain, her knuckles turning white on the bed. She was panting heavily when it was done, tears running down her cheeks.

Dr. Cullen looked extremely apologetic. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I know it hurts, but it had to be done.”

“I-I know,” Esme said breathlessly, finally able to find her voice for the first time since the doctor had arrived. Her grip loosened a bit and she felt herself relaxing. Luckily, the pain was going away quickly enough.

“We just need to cast it then,” Dr. Cullen said. “Any particular color you want?”

Esme bit her lip. “Do you happen to have green?”

He smiled. “That we do. I’ll be right back to cast it for you.”

Once he’d left, Esme sighed. He was so beautiful, it was almost unbelievable. As she laid there, reveling in his looks, Bella flew into the room.

“Esme!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my god! What happened? Your mom called me and said you were at the hospital.”

She explained the story without too many details, glad that Bella wasn’t leaving until the next day. Having her friend there was a nice comfort. Esme finally got around to describing the doctor to her after, and Bella laughed.

“Sounds nice, Esme,” she said. “I’m glad you like your doctor.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s new, or so my dad says. Moved down from Alaska, I guess. I can’t stay long, though. I need to finish packing. It is a two-month trip, you know.”

Bella left not long after, as she’d said, and Dr. Cullen came in as she was retreating. She blushed and hurried from the room, not glancing back at her friend. The doctor came over to Esme’s bed and sat down in the chair at the end.

“Was that a friend of yours?” he asked amiably as he got the casting supplies ready.

“Yes,” Esme said with a smile. “Her name is Bella. You’ll probably get to know her very well while you’re in Forks. She’s very clumsy and accident-prone. She’s always in the emergency room.”

Dr. Cullen laughed. “Well, it’s not her that’s here today, is it?”

Esme blushed and looked away. “I lost my balance. My mother had scared me by calling my name.”

“What did happen? The nurses said you fell from a tree, but that was all they told me.”

“I was reading and my mother came home. I didn’t notice, and when she called my name, I was shocked and lost my balance. I fell out of the tree and landed wrong on my leg.”

He grimaced. “That doesn’t sound very good.”

“It wasn’t,” Esme agreed. “If it was, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

He laughed again, and Esme decided she liked it a lot. She would have to make him do that more often. “That’s very true, Miss Platt.”

“Esme, please. I hate how Miss Platt sounds.”

Dr. Cullen smiled. “Of course, Esme. You can call me Carlisle then.” She liked the idea of that. “How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen,” she explained. “I just finished my sophomore year at the high school.”

Nodding, Carlisle continued with the casting. “What do you like to do besides read and climb trees, Esme?” He was obviously teasing by the smile on his lips.

“I like to cook and take care of kids. I love kids; I hope to become an elementary school teacher someday.”

“That’s nice,” the doctor said sincerely. Most people didn’t understand her love of kids at her age, and she was glad that he did.

It was silent for a moment before Esme decided to break it. “So how are you liking Forks so far?”

Carlisle smiled secretively. “I’m enjoying it very much,” he said. “The people I’ve met so far are extremely interesting.” He looked up to meet her eyes, holding her gaze for a moment before she looked away, embarrassed.

Esme almost wanted to purposely get hurt just to come back and see him when she left the hospital later.

A/N: Well, there’s the first chapter! What do you all think so far? It’s Carlisle and Esme’s story set in modern times. (: There’s also a few extra little twists I’ll add in there for you all. (;

Review and be happy!

Psychotic Female of Many Names

06.18.09