4,093A holiday update for all of my readers. Impact has been released and is available in print and eBook formats.
In order to avoid a ding from the TOS people, all names have been changed to meet requirements. If it were still a work of Fanfiction, Impact would start something like this. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving.
The characters from the Twilight Saga belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Characters from The Roll Models Saga are the exclusive property of D. A. Charles.
Edward Cullen raised his face upward and screamed.
I'm so over today!
The night sky was crystal clear when he'd left Moe's Diner, but now, the heavens were battering Seattle with rain, the accompanying cloud cover obscuring the street. Edward shivered and pulled the sleeve of his jacket down over his hand. He gripped his joystick and hunkered down in his chair before setting off into the cold.
It's going to be a miserable night.
The ambitious neurologist had put in a long workday—one that commenced in celebration with his fellow research colleagues and ended as one of the most heartbreaking of his fledgling career. Saying goodbye to a patient was something every doctor faced, but when that patient was a beloved friend and mentor, loss felt a lot like failure. Not one tidbit of knowledge Edward had gleaned from twelve years of college could have prepared him for the feelings of desperation that made him want to pull out all the stops to prevent an outcome that he knew was inevitable.
With his belly full, Edward just wanted to get himself home, crawl into bed, and pull the blankets up over his head.
Edward frowned and cursed his friend for leaving him stranded as he surveyed the landscape ahead. He needed the security of a companion to help navigate the route full of dangerous obstacles and pitfalls. He craved companionship that made him feel less vulnerable.
To Edward's right, the city's streetscape and curb cut project was in full swing and obstructed his access to a safe path of travel through his neighborhood. Orange barrels studded the landscape, long strips of yellow caution tape whipped in the wind, and a folding barricade with a blinking light on top blocked his path to the opposing sidewalk.
To his left, the path was unobstructed. It detoured through an isolated neighborhood known for its criminal element. A fellow med student had gone missing close by and was found murdered just a few weeks before.
Edward had yet to run the gauntlet unaccompanied. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before rolling off the curb.
There's a first time for everything.
Edward was a few blocks from home, entering the street mid-block at the one location he knew held an opposing ramp. When his phone rang, he glanced at the display. Carlisle. Edward silenced the ringer. Edward loved his father dearly, and he'd expected a phone call from him all day—a conversation that would be filled with hope that new lines of stem cell funding might allow Edward to walk again. As a fellow physician, Edward understood Carlisle's desire to want the very best for another, but Carlisle's dream to restore Edward's mobility wasn't a dream Edward shared, and the junior Cullen struggled with the feelings the situation stirred up.
What about what I want? What about my happiness? Why can't he accept me the way I am?
The tension Edward felt at the possibility of another heated argument distracted him.
Distracted—as he pulled into traffic from between two parked cars.
Distracted—as he drifted just a bit too far onto the roadway. Edward never saw the minivan as he propelled his wheelchair onto the pavement.
The driver never saw the young man in the wheelchair.
Hearing a horn beep in the distance, Edward snapped to attention, quickly steering his chair as close to the row of parked cars as possible.
It wasn't close enough.
He wasn't quick enough.
He felt the rush of air the approaching vehicle created.
He heard the hum of the tires on the pavement.
Blinded by the lights, he was certain the driver saw him and would steer out of his path.