Saving Leah

Chapter 3: Bridging the Gap

I watched as my girlfriend knotted her fingers as we walked to the administration desk of the hospital. She was biting on her bottom lip and I smirked a little. She attempted to nudge me, and if I hadn't been watching her I wouldn't have noticed.

"Stop Edward, I'm nervous," she whispered.

"There's no need to be Carlisle will be here and so will Alice. She decided to do the Candy Striper thing with you." I pointed to my faux sister who was in a deep conversation with Carlisle. It only took her a second to notice our presence and wave to us. She skipped over to us and wrapped her arm around Bella.

"Hey Bells, are you ready for this? I've done it a few times, and by a few times I mean a million times. It's cake believe me," Alice rambled and stole Bella and took her over to the crowd of teenagers. Bella looked back at me with worry still in her brown eyes. I waved to her and got ready to leave. I boarded the elevator and thought about what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I had been working on finishing writing a piece for Bella but lately I haven't been in the mood to create. An unexpected stop took me from my thoughts. I was on the fourth floor the psychiatric floor. I was even more surprised by who got on the elevator with me. She was wearing all black and a hooded jacket. She was trying to cover her face but I would've known here anywhere. Again this woman had me in unfamiliar territory; I had no idea what to say.

"If you tell anyone you saw me here I will end you," she muttered without looking at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Leah, you ... you can talk to me," I said hesitantly and she snorted. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"No I can't not really. I have no one I can really tell everything to. I actually realized that night with you in the woods that I needed someone to just hear me. I don't want to be judged and I don't want to be patronized or pitied."

"I don't do any of those things," I reminded her and she gave me her infamous glare. The door pinged open and she sprinted for the exit. I don't know what made her think I wouldn't be able to keep up with her. I was right on her heels. I grabbed her elbow and turned her around.

"I'm serious Leah I don't," I repeated.

"I doesn't matter what you think or feel about me Edward. Even if you are as nice as you claim to be what we are defines what are relationship is supposed to be," she said dryly. I took a step back. She was saying all these things she really didn't feel, it was just how she was raised. She didn't want to go against her family and their beliefs but they were the ones that weren't giving her any attention at all.

"So you'd rather speak to a stranger; someone that doesn't even know you than me because of what I am. Leah, I know you're not that shallow," I chastised her. She shuffled through her pockets and found her key.

"You don't know me Edward," she snapped. "Two conversations doesn't make friends we're still nothing, trust me. Are we done here?" She started to walk away from me and something about the action unnerved me. I don't know why. Actually I found that each time she walked away from me it made me feel awkward and gave me the indescribable twinge in the pit of my stomach.

"You don't have to hate me if you don't want to," I whispered and went to walk to my car. I heard her let out a sigh. She'd heard me. I forgot how good shape shifter's hearing was.

"Edward." I turned back to her and she was right in my face. She was almost as fast as we were. She opened her mouth to talk a couple of times. "I don't hate you. I appreciate what you did for me. I needed help and now I'm receiving it because of you. I can't talk to you because it isn't ... proper."

"You mean allowed," I corrected her and she became agitated. Her hands started to shake and she balled them into fists.

"I'm trying to be nice!" She stomped her foot and I actually found this action cute. Leah was cute when she was mad. I fought against myself not to laugh because furious Leah would become wolf Leah, and I doubted I would find her very cute.

"I know, but there's no one around us we should at least be real with each other don't you think?" She mulled over what I said and agreed.

"Okay so you're right. It isn't allowed. Are you happy now?" She arched her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"No, but I'm satisfied," I answered smugly. She rolled her eyes and muttered a "whatever" under her breath as she started to turn around and head to her car. It was then that brilliance struck me.

"What if I was your therapist?"

"What the hell are you talking about now?" She arched her eyebrow at me.

Is this guy ever going to let me leave alone?

"Yes, I'm sure there are some things you can't share with your therapist and I know I would be better suited to deal with all of your supernatural issues. At least with me you wouldn't have to share partial truths. Plus, I've obtained my doctorate like five times." I held five fingers up and she snickered and shoved my hand away from her face.

"Why only five? Aren't you like a thousand years old?" She challenged.

"Haha, such a comedian."

"I am pretty funny but I was serious about my question."

"I wanted to be well rounded. I went to school for other things as well. Some subjects I took further than others. I enjoy the practice of psychiatry. It's interesting to research the mind from several different perspectives." I shrugged and she did too.

"You do that a lot," she chuckled.

"Do what?"

"Shrug, are you really that non-committal or indifferent about your life?" She asked a very interesting deep question that I would have to think on later. I didn't want her to know she'd struck a chord within me. This woman was ... much different than I thought she was.

"How do you know what I do a lot? We've only talked twice and we're still strangers," I teased her and lightened the conversation we were having.

"Three times now and don't try to use my words against me," she sassed and was smiling a little. She wasn't doing that after her meeting with whomever it was she saw. I could only see our involvement as a positive thing. I knew it was a little farfetched but maybe our friendship could bridge the gap between shape shifters and vampires. Maybe Leah and I were meant to be connected in this way. As our conversation started to still neither of us really seemed pressed to leave. I looked at my phone we'd been talking for over two hours.

"Did you need to sit down or something?" I asked because sometimes I truly forgot humans needed to rest. She shook her head.

"No, but I am hungry. I'm supposed to pick Seth up from football practice in an hour so I'll probably pick something and head out that way," she explained. She studied my face and chuckled. "Do you want to come?" I must've looked pretty desperate. I didn't answer. I just headed to her car.