Summary: Bella Swan is a down on her luck, single mom whose son suffers from an extreme medical condition. Edward Cullen is a medical student who is assigned to help Bella and her son find affordable medical care as an ethics project. Needless to say, he's not too happy about the assignment as he would prefer to focus on what he feels is important, and Bella is not thrilled with a snobby medical student butting into her life. Will they be able to get along so Edward can get his project done and Bella's son the medical attention he needs, or will they end up hating each other on the way?

A/N: Thanks to all of those on Facebook that loved the teaser and requested more. This chapter is for you! You can follow me on Facebook under LisaDawn Fanfiction and Twitter under (at) LisaDawn75 for updates and teasers.

Also, a BIG thanks to my pre-reader, EternallyCullen, and to my beta, Jenny Cullen, aka Jenrar. You guys are the best and I love ya both!

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swan, but I'm afraid you're just not working out."

Bella felt as if she had suddenly been punched in the gut. "W-what did I do?" she asked, although she was fairly sure she knew the reason that she was being fired from the Thriftway.

Her boss, Mrs. Sweeney, sighed. "Bella, you know how fond we all are of you around here, but you've missed way over your allotted days off, and we've tried to be generous, but it's now impacting your work and our productivity."

"Mrs. Sweeney, please. I know I've missed a lot of work, but it's because Matthew's been so sick. His diabetes has really been acting up lately."

"I know, dear, but that's the problem. We can't count on you to be at work anymore. Have you thought about applying for assistance, so you can stay home with your son?"

Bella felt her expression harden. "I'm not looking for a handout, Mrs. Sweeney."

Her supervisor sighed again. "I understand, but I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do."

Bella nodded and stood up. "I understand, and I am sorry."

"I'm sorry, too."

Bella collected her things and turned her Thriftway apron in, before dashing to her truck in the pouring rain. It had only been misting earlier, but Bella thought the weather situation a metaphor for her own life. When it rained, it poured. She turned onto the road in the downpour and headed toward Forks Elementary School to pick Matthew up.

One more job she had been fired from. It seemed as if she had worked at almost every business in Forks, and she was now ineligible to be rehired at the local grocery store. Her son's condition had caused her to make several trips with him to the emergency room, resulting in her having to call in to work multiple times. The doctors just could not seem to get a handle on his blood sugar levels.

The only family she had was her father, Charlie, the Chief of Police in Forks, but he could not take off of work to take care of Matthew. Matt was her responsibility; she just now needed to figure out her next move.

Bella sat in the pick-up line at the school, waiting for the bell to ring that would signal the end of the day. She shut her truck off, both to turn off the deafening noise of the engine and to conserve gas. What meager savings she had managed to hold on to would now go for paying bills until she could find another job.

Charlie had offered to let her work at the police station as a receptionist and dispatcher, but she had never taken him up on the offer. She thought having to be fired by her father would be the ultimate humiliation, and she did not want to put him in that position. He helped her as much as he could, but he had his own bills to pay.

"Hey, Mom!" Matthew said excitedly as he pulled the creaking door shut on the old model Chevy truck. "You're here early."

Bella forced a smile. "Yeah, I got off of work early."

Matthew sighed, knowing what that meant. "I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered.

Bella pulled into traffic, the roar of the engine thunderous. "Hey. What have I told you? It's not your fault, Matt."

He stared out of the window on the short commute to their apartment. "If I wasn't sick all the time, you wouldn't lose your job."

Bella gritted her teeth. If only they could catch a break. "It's all right. And I'm making your favorite for supper…" she hinted.

That pulled a grin onto Matthew's face. "Pizza?"

She laughed lightly. "You got it. Now, how about homework?"

xXx

Edward Cullen stared blankly at his second year Ethics professor, Dr. Simon. What the hell kind of assignment is this? he thought, looking down at the syllabus with in depth instructions on the ethics project due for that semester.

You will work with an underprivileged male/female and assist him/her and his/her family in medical assessment and treatment of any medical diagnoses, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. You will then write a twenty page paper describing your experience, the family you were assigned, along with your medical plan to help the family seek medical care and maintain compliance. This assignment is worth 50% of your total grade.

Edward groaned at the idea. While he did not consider himself a snob, he was from an affluent family, and he also knew that most patients who lived under the poverty level were noncompliant with their medical instructions.

It was basically going to be a waste of his precious time.

"Now that everyone has had a chance to review the syllabus and the project for the term, are there any questions?" Dr. Simon asked. He was known across the campus of the University of Washington as someone who supported charities and still practiced medicine at the Free Clinic in Seattle.

Edward was a bit miffed. Why should this man's ideas be forced down their throats? His dream was to become a surgeon, saving lives and healing diseases. However, he was not stupid. His education cost a pretty penny and took much of his young life, when many of his friends had received quick degrees and were out partying it up. He intended to make the most of his education.

And he did not intend to offer indigent care on a regular basis. Occasionally, sure. He understood that life happened. But he could not cover costs if he went into private practice taking only charity cases.

He raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

"Will we be assigned a family, or if not, how will we find one?" he asked, hoping for an easy assignment. He was also taking Pharmacology and different classes on the bodily systems, along with Pathology. He just did not have the time for this project.

"You will be assigned a family through the guidance office. They have a list of people who need our help. You will need to contact them to see who you've been paired up with."

Edward nodded his understanding, making a note in his notebook. Just one more thing to do. He determined that he would go by the guidance office when class was finished, so maybe he could get the pick of the litter. The easier, the better.

When the bell rang, he jumped up out of his seat and briskly walked to the brick building about five hundred yards away. He tapped the bell at the counter and was rewarded with the presence of a matronly woman with graying hair.

"Can I help you?"

He explained what he was there to do and asked if he could see the list.

"Sorry, dear, but patient confidentiality. Your professor has already assigned you a family."

Shit. "Who is it?" he asked resignedly.

"You'll be working with Isabella Swan and her son, Matthew. Here is their information, and it will be your responsibility to contact her to set up a meeting."

"Will she be expecting my call?"

The older lady nodded. "Yes, she was referred to this program by her social worker, so she knows someone will be calling her."

Fanfuckingtastic. "Great, thanks so much," he said in a smooth voice, causing the older woman to flush.

Edward had to take his entertainment wherever he could get it these days.

He walked out to his car and sat inside the new, silver Volvo. He flipped through the information he had just been given and decided to go ahead and get it over with. He really did not have time for this.

He pulled his cell phone out and flipped to her phone number. He dialed the numbers and listened to the ringing on the other end.

Maybe he could get by with a couple of visits. He just prayed this Isabella Swan would be easy to work with.

"Hello?" Bella asked when she answered the phone. She figured she had a few days before her phone was disconnected for nonpayment.

"Ms. Swan?" a velvety smooth voice said.

Bella wondered if this was a collection call, but she knew that blood could not be squeezed from a turnip, so she decided to bite the bullet, even though she could not remember what might be in collections. Maybe she could work out a small payment plan. "Yes, this is Bella Swan."

"Ms. Swan, this is Edward Cullen. I'm a second year medical student and have been assigned to work with you as part of my ethics project for the semester."

Oh, yeah. Her caseworker at the Medicaid office had signed her up for some medical assistance through the University of Washington. She was unsure if this doctor-in-training would be able to help her son; no real doctor had been able to yet. "Yes, I remember."

"Oh, um, good. I was wondering if we could set up a time to meet and get started."

She finished sprinkling the cheese on the homemade pizza she was making for dinner. "Sure. When would you like to start?"

"As soon as we can."

Well, hell, it's not like I have a job. "How about tomorrow afternoon. I need to spend the morning job hunting."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Sure. I get out of class at four. How about four-thirty?"

"That'll be fine." She gave him her address and hung up, sliding Matthew's favorite meal into the oven of their small, two-bedroom apartment in the Peninsula Apartment complex. It was Section Eight housing, and on the outside, things looked fine, but underneath the fresh paint and new carpet, the building was old and decrepit. Just like a cliché.

She had tried not to be embarrassed when she gave him her address, but part of her could not help it.

xXx

She sat at the table and helped Matthew with his math homework until the pizza was finished. She slid it out of the oven and sliced it up, setting a couple of slices on a plate with a glass of milk on the bar for Matthew. Before they ate, she checked his blood sugar. Ninety-nine. That was good for the day. They ate in companionable silence, with him breaking it every so often to tell her about his day.

Once they finished eating, she gave him his insulin injection, and then put him in the bathtub for his bath.

"Mom?" he asked, while she began soaping his hair.

"Yeah?"

"I know it's my fault you lost your job. If I didn't have di'betes, then you wouldn't have to leave work to take me to the hospital when my sugar goes crazy."

She stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead. "Matt, it's not your fault, and don't you ever think that. You are the most important thing in my life. Jobs come and go."

He kept his brown eyes downcast.

"Matthew, do you hear me?"

He nodded slightly. "Yeah. But I'm still sorry."

She hugged him, not worrying about the water soaking into her shirt. "Don't be, baby. None of this is your fault. Got it?"

He looked up at her, his brown eyes shining. "Okay, Mom."

"I love you, munchkin."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "I love you, too, Mom," he said dramatically exasperated, but with a grin on his face.

xXx

"This is ridiculous," Edward complained to his father regarding his assignment. "How is this supposed to make me into a better doctor?"

Carlisle Cullen smiled at his son and motioned for him to take the chair opposite his desk. Carlisle was a surgeon and Edward's role model.

Edward came from a wealthy family of old money. His father, Carlisle, was an accomplished surgeon who worked at Forks Community Hospital because his wife, Esme, enjoyed small town life over living in the big city. Esme enjoyed interior decorating and had a successful business both in Forks and in the outlying areas.

His older brother, Emmett, played football for the University of Washington on a full scholarship, and many people, including Emmett himself, expected him to be selected in the NFL draft. Jasper, Edward's younger brother, was a freshman at Whitman College in Walla Walla and was studying psychology. Edward was twenty-three and was in his second year of medical school. He knew he had a long way to go, but from the time he could remember, he had wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and help people.

"What can I help you with, Edward?" he asked, pride shining through in his voice.

Edward hesitated. He did not want to sound as if he was complaining, but that was exactly what he wanted to do. "It's Dr. Simon and his assignment."

Carlisle leaned back in his chair, his fingers connected in a steeple. "Ah, yes. Dr. Simon and his ethical project of helping the poor and disadvantaged find affordable and quality health care. Do you have a problem with the assignment?"

Edward stopped short when his father put it that way. "No, not with the assignment itself. I think it is a good idea, but when am I supposed to find the time to do all of this?"

His father laughed lightly. "If you can figure that out, sell the secret to medical students around the country, and you'll be rich."

Edward laughed in return."I know. I guess I just needed to complain a bit."

"I understand. I know how difficult it is, but if you stick with it, you'll be so happy. And this assignment sounds interesting. Tell me about the family you received."

Edward filled him in on what bit of information he had received. "She's a single mother and has a son who's around six years old who has diabetes. Apparently, they can't get it under control, and she's missed so much work that she's been fired from all of the jobs she's held down."

"Sounds like an interesting project, son. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"I hope so."

Edward drove to the address she had given him. Fir Avenue was not the best neighborhood in Forks, and as he parked his shiny car, he hoped nothing would happen to it while he was in Isabella Swan's apartment.

He noticed the playground was filled with children, so that made him feel a bit better. He set the alarm and followed her directions to find her apartment.

Once he arrived at apartment 3B, he knocked.

Suddenly, the door was opened by someone that he least expected. "Ms. Swan?" he asked, unable to string a coherent thought together. She was nothing like he'd expected. He was ashamed at that point to admit to himself that he had been expecting the stereotypical single mother who could not hold a job.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice guarded.

He held his hand out. "I'm Edward Cullen. We spoke on the phone last night."

"Yeah, I remember. Come in," she offered, her face a mask of unfriendliness.

What he saw when he walked into the apartment shocked him.