A/N: I know nothing about psych wards, but I highly doubt this is how they actually work. Just go with it.
This story is likely to have many mistakes, since it's unbeta-ed. Just letting you know.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight related...except a copy of each of the books. I am saddened by this. :(
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Psych Ward
A new home; a new cover story.
I'm a doctor this time; I psychiatrist to be exact. I will be working under Carlisle in the psych ward of the local institution.
It 's our first day on the job and already we've been eye-fucked, mind-fucked, hit on, and 'accidentally' flashed by every nurse in this place, including Nurse Tom.
Dr. Thatcher, the chief of medicine, is showing us around; introducing us to the patients and so on. I drown him out in my mind with thoughts of Bella.
Bella.
God, I miss her. It's been ten long, drawn out years since I left her in the woods, and every day I hate myself a little bit more for it. I wonder what she's up to right now, and start formulating a plan to track her down. It's been two years since I last checked up on her. She'd still been with Jacob then. I wonder if they were still together.
The sensible part of me wars with the selfish part. I know he's able to take care of her, but I really hate the thought of anyone but me having her.
Edward. Pay attention.
Carlisle's thoughts snap me out of my reverie and I realize we're walking toward an isolation room. These are the rooms they put the high risk people in. We come to a stop in front of a door and I focus back in on what Dr. Thatcher has been talking about.
"…she's one of my favorites. She came in a couple of years ago after a suicide attempt. It wasn't the first time she was here for that reason, but it was the first time she had ever gotten so close to being successful."
He frowns and I can tell by his thoughts this girl reminds him of his daughter. It makes the patient extremely special to him.
"She goes by Izzy. Dr. Letch should be having a session with her right now, so we're going to watch from the next room."
He opens the door he's been standing next to and we follow him into the dark, cramped room with a large two-way mirror. On the other side of the mirror, there's a girl sitting on the bed with her head resting on her left knee while her right foot is curled under her. Her hands wrap around her upright light, fingers splayed out and running up and down in slow, deliberate motions. Her chocolate hair falls down in waves to hide her face, and I'm struck with how familiar she looks.
"Izzy, how are you feeling today?"
She's rocking slightly back and forth; a barely-there motion that my super-human eyes easily follow.
Slowly, the girl slithers up the wall, curving her body like a cobra being charmed, raising her hands about her head when she's fully extended from the bed, her head still down.
"Izzy, I think you should sit down."
Dr. Letch calmly attempts to reason with her but she turns away, her head somehow remaining glued to the wall, while her body pivots. She rests her hands flat against the surface of the barred window behind her and looks at the doctor from under her curtain of hair. I inhaled sharply.
It couldn't be.
"I don't want to sit down."
Her hair is still covering her face as she turns to look out the window. She presses the front of her body flush with the glass.
"I want to be free." Her whispered words are followed by her fingers tapping the glass at random intervals.
"Like all the little ants." She giggles gleefully and slides away from the window to take a back step off the bed. My eyes widen and my hand instinctively clenches to catch her when she inevitably falls. But, she doesn't. She lands gracefully with a light thump and my lips part in shock.
Suddenly, she turns to the mirror and walks toward it with more grace than I have ever seen from Bella. She stops right in front of me and looks right into my eyes. And I swear she can see me, though I know it's impossible.
"I see you." Her words are a sing-song and then a peel of giggles escapes her. This is not my Bella. This is someone else.
"Just because it's two-way mirror, Izzy, doesn't mean there's someone back there." Dr. Letch is trying his damndest to get her to calm down, but I can tell it's a futile attempt.
"But there is. I can feel it." She bites her lip and starts tracing my outline with her delicate fingers.
"He's pale…with fire hair." She giggles again and dances over to where Carlisle is standing. She smiles warmly at him; like a little girl greeting her daddy after a hard day at work. She begins tracing his figure as well.
"This one is kind. And just as beautiful." She stops when she hears Dr. Letch sigh deeply, obviously giving up. Her smile falls and she turns her gaze to the floor.
She presses her hand to the glass, closing her eyes as her forehead follows suit.
"I know you think I'm crazy. But I'm not." Her voice is clear and unmistakably Bella.
"I just want to be loved." Her eyes quickly snap back to mine and she smiles her beautiful Bella smile and whispers so no one but Carlisle and I can hear.
"Do you love me, Edward?"
My hand reaches for the glass of its own accord and her name ghosts from my lips.
"Bella."
A devious smile spreads across her lips and her eyes are not hers again.
"Bella's not here anymore." I watch horrified as the girl who is definitely not Bella giggles and dances happily back over to the bed to sit and complete her session with Dr. Letch.
What have I done?
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A/N: Okay, I think it's quite obvious I know absolutely nothing about psych wards...period. I just thought this sounded interesting and I didn't feel like researching something I wasn't planning on turning into a multi-chapter story.
If you guys think I should make it into a multi-chapter story, let me know. I'll consider working on it after I work on B+B and Fragile some more.
Every review counts, you guys! So get to it!