petrichor [rosalie hale]

xlii. patches

Kiara followed Carlisle into his office, her leg throbbing with pain. She had hoped that it would try to heal itself, but with the strain on her imprint connection, it was a lot harder and slower than usual. It wasn't like when she had been rejecting the imprint and couldn't heal her knuckles, but it certainly partially mirrored that.

She winced as she settled down into the chair across from Carlisle's desk, watching as he set out his medical supplies. He was so gentle with them, so careful and precise with each motion that Kiara almost felt like she was watching an artist create a masterpiece. Sometimes Kiara forgot that the man before her had once slaughtered humans for blood, having briefly heard about his time at the Volturi from Rosalie.

"How are you doing?" Carlisle asked as he began to stitch up her wound, his voice soft yet questioning.

Kiara paused for a moment, surprised that he had actually asked how she was doing rather than just treating her injury. She realised then that this was the first time someone had asked her how she was really holding up underneath all the stress and danger of being part of this new pack and protecting her and Seth's imprints.

She took a deep breath before responding, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to release as she spoke.

"I'm...okay," she said slowly, unsure if she believed the words coming out of her mouth. The look Carlisle gave her showed that he didn't believe the words either. She sighed before expanding. "Sometimes I don't think I can do this - I'm scared of what might happen if something goes wrong."

Carlisle nodded in understanding before continuing to carefully stitch up Kiara's wound without saying anything else - as if sensing that Kiara needed space to process her thoughts before talking about them further. He then stood back and admired his work before turning back towards Kiara - his eyes holding a knowing look like he could read every emotion on her face.

"The healing process will take some time," Carlisle said as he handed Kiara a bottle of soda from the small fridge beside his desk. She smiled gently as she took it from him, not realising how thirsty she was from the events of the day. Her stomach growled as she took a sip, reminding her that she hadn't even had time to eat anything other than a muffin that morning."It won't be easy, but I'm glad you're here."

"I wish I could say the same," Kiara murmured, not meaning any offence to the man. Carlisle nodded, understanding where she was coming from. Kiara wasn't here because she wanted to be - she was here because she literally had to be.

"I don't know much about being a shapeshifter, but I can tell that being an alpha won't be easy," Carlisle said gently, his voice soft yet firm. Kiara froze, her body tensing as she realised that he had figured out what she had been trying to not show.

She had been trying to ignore her new status in the hopes that the other members of her pack weren't aware of it - but it seemed like Carlisle had seen through her facade. He gave her a gentle smile which showed he meant no judgement or malice - only understanding and help.

"It's something you have to come to terms with," he continued softly, his voice full of empathy. "I found it hard to adapt to being a leader, after so many years of being a follower."

"But what if I don't want to be a leader?" Kiara said, her voice breaking a little as tears shone in her eyes as she looked up at Carlisle. "What if I don't want that responsibility?"

"It's natural to feel overwhelmed. But sometimes, fate has other plans for us. We are given challenges that we never thought we could handle, but we rise to the occasion. And in doing so, we discover parts of ourselves that we never knew existed."

"Do you just like, sit and read self-help books in your free time?"

Carlisle chuckled as she cracked one of her sarcastic jokes, peeling the disposable gloves off his hand as he rolled away from Kiara. She blinked to try and dispose of the tears in her eyes, not wanting anyone else to see her cry (even though she knew that they were all most likely listening in to their conversation).