CAN'T BREATHE ↣ JASPER HALE

hospital. [03]

ADRIENNE was freezing. The examination table was a thick slab of metal and the extremely thin piece of paper between her and the metallic bed did nothing. She had always hated hospitals. They were always white and clean and smelled like bleach to her. Maybe it was because she had spent enormous amounts of time here since she was baby. She should be used to it by now. She wasn't.

Her thin fingers gripped the edge of the table she sat on and she stared down on the white hospital gown dotted with tiny blue flowers. This was all so routine for her. Come in, put this on, wait for Dr. Cullen. He had been doing her check ups for almost a year now and it was safe for Adrienne to say he was her favourite part of this dreadful place. He was kind and patient and he didn't treat Adrienne like a child. Dr. Carlisle Cullen was like all of his adopted children. Breathtakingly beautiful. It had always been so puzzling to her.

Suddenly, she heard the examining room door open. Adrienne raised her head to watch as Dr. Cullen stepped into the room, reading through her file and test results. She sat up straight.

"Well, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. That's good news." He mused, not removing his amber eyes from the paper. Adrienne sucked in a sharp breath. He looked up at her and smiled. Somehow, his pale face was full of warmth. However, his eyes were dismayed. Adrienne's hopes dropped.

"But, I still have reason to believe that the nasal cannula is still extremely beneficial to your health." He addressed. Adrienne could hear the sympathy in his voice.

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, ok, I get it." She responded, continuously nodding her head. "It's no big deal. It's what's best, right?"

Carlisle nodded, a meek smile on his dusty rose coloured lips.

"Alright, well, you may go get dressed Miss. Northcott." He informed her, shutting the file and tucking it under his arm.

Adrienne pushed herself off the table and took hold of her tanks handle.

"Adrienne." She corrected with a small smile on her face. "You've been my doctor for almost a year now, Dr. Cullen, I think you can call me Adrienne by now." She said, amusedly.

He let out a short, airy laugh. "Yes. Adrienne, right."

She nodded and exited the examination room, making her way towards the bathroom. Once she was dressed back in her blue jeans and yellow blouse, she folded up the hospital gown, slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped back out into the hallways. Adrienne tossed the gown into a nearby by hamper and began to head down the hall toward the exit. Forks Hospital could be confusing to someone who had never been there before but for Adrienne, it was like navigating her way through her own house. Finally, she ended up back at the entrance where Dr. Cullen was leaning against the front desk, conversing quietly with a blond girl. As she grew closer, she could see that the blonde girl was a seemingly angered Rosalie. Seeing him again reminded her of something.

"Oh! Dr. Cullen?" She called, approaching him while rummaging through her brown leather bag.

"How may I help you, Adrienne?" He said with a smile as he used her preferred calling. He glanced to Rosalie.

"I'll wait in your office." She said briskly, uncrossing her arms and strutting off down the hall. Curiosity stirred in Adrienne's chest as she wondered what could have Rosalie so irritated. She decided to forget it and focus on what she had come over for.

"Um, would you mind giving this to Jasper?" She asked, pulling out a tattered copy of Romeo and Juliet. She held it out toward him and he took it. "He left it in class the other day and he wasn't in class today so I told Mr. Birdie I would be seeing you today and I volunteered to hand it off to you being as he's your-"