"You have grown flowers in parts of me that I thought were already dead. Do you have any idea the emptiness you have killed just by existing?"
Or, alternatively, in which Jasper Hale falls in love with the very fragile, very human Analise Rivers.
[...
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Ana sat upon the hospital bed with an ugly, blue gown on. She swung her dangling legs back and forth in anticipation. For the last four months, she had found herself in this exact position more than she would have liked. Eight separate appointments in this exact room were all accounted for. She was never late. But still, after eight times, Ana could never seem to calm her nerves.
Suddenly, the door to the exam room opened, and the familiar face stepped inside. Dr. Cullen had been the most accommodating doctor that Ana had encountered. He was patient, merciful. Ana couldn't say the same about her doctor in Houston.
"Well," Dr. Cullen began, "Your scans came back clean again." He pulled up a stool and sat in front of Ana. He pulled several pieces of paper out of the clipboard in his hands. He handed the papers to her.
As she looked through them, she let out a breath of relief. A year ago, the pictures of her brain had been plagued with dark, cancerous circles. Her body had forgotten how to function properly, and it almost killed her. But, today, the scans were clear. The photos made Ana grin from ear to ear. "This is fucking amazing," she exclaimed. "Oh, sorry, I-"
Dr. Cullen laughed. "It's okay, Ana. It is amazing," he said. When this small, dark-haired girl walked into his office four months ago, he hadn't expected to care about her as much as he did today. Maybe it was just the paternal instinct in him, but he felt happy for Ana.
During their second appointment, Carlisle had asked Ana about her mother, and why she was never a party to any of the good news. She had explained to him that her mom was always at work, so Ana was left to do a lot of things on her own. When she had mentioned her father's absence, Carlisle could tell that it had affected her greatly. The conversation the two of them had ended with Carlisle giving Ana his phone number and telling her that if she ever needed anything at all that he would be there for her.
"Hey, Carlisle, can I ask you something?" When he nodded, Ana proceeded with her question. "How many kids did you adopt?"
Carlisle smiled at her question. He knew all about Ana's involvement with his adopted children, of course. "Five," he answered.
"How old is Jasper?" Ana had thought about this question a lot. He looked like he was similar in age to Ana, but he spoke like he was much older. All of the Cullens she had met did.
"He's nineteen," Carlisle said.
Ana nodded her head. "He said he was from Houston, too. Is it weird for me to ask what happened to him there?"
"That's a conversation for the two of you," he said. "It's the same concept for you. You and your mother moved away because you didn't want to be defined by one circumstance that you lived through. It's the same for Jasper. I can't tell you any more than that."
Ana nodded again and stood up. "I get it. Same time in two weeks?" She asked, slightly embarrassed. She hadn't meant to pry, but she was just so curious.
Carlisle shook his head. "Actually, you're officially six months into your remission. You'll no longer be receiving check-ups every two weeks. I'll schedule your appointment for next month. Congratulations, Ana." He gave her a shining smile, before leaving her in the exam room to change out of her hospital gown.
--
When Ana had gotten home, she had decided to go on a run. Running was her favorite way to relieve stress. She had been the star member of the track team when she lived in Houston. After the good news of clear scans, Ana was too excited to sit alone in a quiet, empty house. So she took advantage of the trail in the woods that she had discovered over the summer but never explored.
Florence + The Machine played through her headphones on a loop. She could feel the familiar burning in her chest beginning to form. She could cry with happiness at this moment. The wind whisking her hair behind her, the dirt underneath her shoes, the cold air on her face. There's nothing that could have ruined her mood right now. She felt alive for the first time in months. Forks, Washington was growing on her. It had made Ana hopeful for the future. Hope was a welcoming change. Just a year ago, she wasn't sure how much of a future she would have, or if she would have one at all.
She ran until her side ached and continued even after that. She only stopped when she approached a rather gruesome scene.
There was a blonde man on his knees with his back to her, hovered over what looked like a large deer. Anna couldn't move. Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to make sense of what was happening. The man stood up and turned around to face her, a desperate look on his face. He looked like he wanted to lunge at Ana, and it terrified her.
But it wasn't the frenzied look on his face or the blood dripping down his chin that frightened Ana the most. The thing that truly shook her to her core, is that she recognized him.
"Jasper?"
[a.n.]
HI HELLO I'M LITERALLY SCREAMING @OVER 100 READS. It seems so small compared to some of these stories I've seen but I'm so happy!!! ahh this is so exciting. thank you so much for reading!
