Blood Amongst the Roses – Chapter 1: Blood Games

Chapter One: Blood Games

I didn't know what to expect, to be frank, I'm not sure I expected much of anything. I grabbed my lab coat from the trunk of my little Kia and threw it on over my scrubs.

Today I was to begin the first day of my Phlebotomy internship. Terror and excitement washed through me.

"Isabella!" A voice cried out from a neighboring car. I looked over, confusion evident on my face. Isabella I thought I hope to hell they get over that one quick.

"Hey I'm Seychelle Moran you can call me Sey! I'm the lab manager." The woman beamed at me her green eyes soaking me in and she tied her blonde hair into a tight knot on the top of her head.

"Umm, hi." I replied "It's really just Bella." Seychelle smiled again, grabbing a duffle bag from the back seat of her car.

"Alright Bella. Welcome to The Hossman Diagnostic Center. Don't look so scared, we've never had a bad review from any intern. It's only 40 hours after all."

I considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement, I had left my mother in Phoenix with her new husband while I came to California to train in phlebotomy. A license would make finding a job so much easier once I took the exam.

Sey laughed as my thoughtful expression registered. "I remember my first day," She began walking toward the small office, putting her car key away and pulling out a new set, "I couldn't find a single vein."

Great, I thought She wants to make me feel better, but she's only making it worse.

"So how are you at phlebotomy?" She chirped as she unlocked the lab door and ushered me in.

"I'm not bad." I responded. The teacher had told me not to brag, I was more than good, I never missed a vein, and I was a quick stick. The other students loved me for that.

"Excellent, well patients should be arriving in about 15 minutes, so here's what I want you to do," she handed me a bottle of bleach and pointed out a station in the middle of the room. "That station there is yours as long as you're here, I want you to scrub it down with bleach, make the desk your own, and set up however works for you. If I see you've got something off I'll let you know. The supply closet is in the back, here's a key, don't go overboard."

For the first time since she shouted my name, she actually spoke like my superior, my teacher.

"Oh and Bella?" I turned back to her, her brow was furrowed as she looked at me, "We've got a guest coming, a doctor from a hospital in Washington will be coming. If I were you, I'd do my best to impress this guy. He's looking to hire a licensed phlebotomist to be his shadow, his personal lab technologist."

Her words sparked my interest, if I was hired in Washington (god help me) I could visit, or even live with Charlie, it had been a while since I has seen him, If this doctor liked me, I could be with my father for the Holidays!

"Yes ma'am," I said automatically, not quite masking my excitement.

I grabbed a roll of paper towels and wet a handful with bleach, carefully scrubbing every corner, and side of the table, even the patient chair and my own chair, just to be safe.

Seychelle chuckled.

The day began, it seemed like very few people actually came to the lab for blood work. Occasionally Sey would send me to the exam rooms to draw from the pediatric, and geriatric patients. It seemed to me, that while 40 hours may go by in the blink of an eye, the required 50 venipunctures were going to take more.

"Bella, exam room four needs b/c, lead, and two sst. Here are the orders." Michelle, one of the other phlebotomists handed my the orders, I grabbed my tubes, and vacutainer set, simultaneously checking my pockets for the required needles.

I ran to the storage room and grabbed to blood culture bottles before rushing into the main office to exam room four.

I knocked softly and opened the door. "Hi there," I said with my warmest smile, my patient looked to be about 14, and she was chalk white, but nothing compared to the doctor who stepped from behind the door.

"Come in," he said. He was young. Younger than any doctor I'd ever met, and he was stunning. His skin was so pale I guessed he was the visitor from Washington. His eyes amazed me, they were the color of gold, so warm and kind I felt myself begin to blush.

"I'm uhh… Bella Swan." I said. Silently cursing myself, I shook my head and turned to the patient. "I'm Bella, what's your name?"

The girl looked at me and smiled tentatively "I'm Kristen."

"What's your last name Kristen, and your birthday?"

"Thomas, and my birthday is November 17, 1995." I was right, she was only 14.

"Well Kristen, I can see you're nervous about this, but don't worry, just look as Dr…" I paused and looked at the beautiful doctor again raising my eyebrow questioningly.

"Cullen, Dr. Carlisle Cullen." He smiled gingerly.

"Okay then, just look at Dr. Cullen, and I can almost gurantee, you won't feel a thing, and if you do, I'll tell your mom to buy you a shake, I'll even give her the money myself. Sound good?"

The girl's eyes brightened, and she nodded. She turned her eyes on Dr. Cullen who I saw smile brightly at her.

I quickly tied the tourniquet around her arm, noticing a ring of bruises just above it. She didn't jump when I inserted the needled into her arm, she stared, love struck as if Dr. Cullen were Justin Timberlake.

Removing the tourniquet I looked closely at the bruises around her arm, leaning to the side, knowing the doctor was watching my every move closely.

He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Kristen, where did those bruises come from?" He asked as I bandaged her arm."

"My teacher, but it's okay though, my mom transferred me out of his class." she replied.

I nodded and stood, "Well Kristen, thank you for the blood!" She looked at me and her jaw dropped.

"You're done?" She asked in awe.

"Absolutely, I thought you must have been afraid of needles, as pale as you were, but you're sure a trooper, almost like you didn't feel it at all."

"Cool, next time I come here I want you to do my blood." I cringed, the girl had become attached and I might not be here for her next visit.

"I might not be here, I'm only here for a little while. But, I promise you I'll be waiting if I am." Best to tell the truth.

I walked out of the room, the four tubes of blood I'd collected in my box.

"Ms. Swan?" Doctor Cullen followed me out, with a little wave to beckon me back.

"Yes sir?"

"Ms. Swan, you did wonderfully with that patient. I'm very impressed. And good job noticing those bruises." His topaz eye stared down at me, as I again felt the blood rush to my face.

"Thank you sir. That's very kind." I replied.

"No, that is the truth, kindness comes in what I'm about to offer you." He looked up as one of the other physicians walked behind me.

"I'm looking for a shadow, my own phlebotomist, to draw and take the blood to the lab. This of course would require you to move to Forks, Washington."

FORKS! All the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together quite nicely.

"Forks? My dad is the Police Chief there!" I said.

"Ah, Charlie is your father? He's a good man." Doctor Cullen smiled. "I should have known I suppose, Swan isn't exactly a common surname, and you do have his hair and eyes."

I blushed again he was already deducing my relation to Charlie based on genetic markers. "He is a good man, the best I said."

"Of course I'm sure you'll want a place of your own. Don't worry about that, we have to houses in Forks, my family and I that is. I'm sure my wife would love to do some work on the smaller house, if you'd like it."

"That honestly sounds amazing Dr. Cullen, but with Charlie there, I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all if I lived with him. In fact if I called him right now he's start preparing my room for me." I laughed at the thought of my father trying to figure out what to do with my bedroom.

"That does sound like Charlie. I'll leave the offer standing, but I'd like your answer to the job before the end of today's shift, I'm leaving to go back tonight." He said.

"Absolutely! Sir." I added on as an after-thought, not wanting to be rude. "I would love to work for you." I didn't know this man, he didn't know me, but I felt extremely honored to be the one he chose.

And I would take the job. Happily.