Disclaimer: I own nothing; it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.
AN: This is currently just meant to be a one shot. I wrote it in an effort to help the writer's block I'm battling with in respect with my other story, Alpha Bravo Zulu. If you happen to be reading that, and got the notice of this via an author's alert, I really am sorry it has been so long since I updated, but I am 1000 words into the next chapter of ABZ and I hope to have it out by the end of this week.
Anyways, let me know what you think and if you would like to see it continued…..
And now…. The feature presentation….
Brunette POV
It was cold – incredibly cold. The earth beneath me was moist and unforgiving. Every miniscule rock dug into my skin and waves of pain rolled off me. My head throbbed, my legs and arms felt incredibly heavy and my skin was on fire. I couldn't remember who I was, where I came from, or how in God's name I got here. I gently raised myself off the ground fully intending on giving myself a once over, but gasped when I realized I was completely naked.
Oh, fuck! What happened to me?
Fresh wounds covered every inch of my body and my back ached. My bones hurt and I was certain some of them were broken. Now that I was fully conscious, the pain started to build exponentially, and every attempt I made to get up was not only unsuccessful, but also agonizing. After just a few attempts, my body shutdown drained of any remaining energy. There was no point in fighting it, so I gave myself over to the blissful feeling that came with unconsciousness.
Emmett POV
I pulled my coat tighter around myself as I continued my inspection of the property. That's when I saw her laying still on the ground in the fetal position. I rushed to her side and gently checked for a pulse as I brushed aside her hair. Her pulse was weak but at least it was there, so I took off my coat and laid it across her frame before gathering her in my arms. It was a long walk back to the house, and I just hoped she would be okay.
When we reached the house, I set her down in one of the guest rooms and immediately got to work on cleaning her wounds. I meticulously examined her from her feet to her head, but what I saw on her neck floored me. Red welts spattered her slender neck, and I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed them before... They seemed too symmetrical to be coincidental; in fact, they kinda looked like stun gun welts.
What the fuck happened to this woman?
Once I finished cleaning her cuts and evaluating her body for breaks, I rummaged in my dresser for a pair of pajama pants and a shirt for her to wear. The best I could come up with, however, was an old pair of boxers and a ratty wifebeater, so those would have to do. I quickly pulled the clothes on her trying very hard to be gentle, wrapped her up in a few blankets, and hoped for the best. Hopefully, she would be awake by the time the sheriff got here.
The helicopter arrived twenty minutes later. I watched as my sister, Rosalie Cullen, deftly maneuvered it, descending onto the helipad and its blades began to slow. Four figures climbed out and I instantly zeroed in on them. On the far right was Edward Masen, the county pathologist, or at least the closest thing we had to one. Next to him was my sister, Rosalie, and alongside her our baby sister, Alice. Finally, on the far left was Jasper Whitlock, the town sheriff.
Looks like the whole posse was here. Great.
The curtains fell back across the windowpane as I moved toward the door to greet everyone. The door lock clicked right before they entered and in true fashion, Alice was the first to speak.
"Where is she?" asked Alice her voice laced with concern.
"She is still asleep. I didn't want to wake her until you guys got here," I said as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Frankly, I didn't want to wake her because I was a little worried about what her reaction would be when she did wake up. Would she think that we did this to her?
"I'll go and check in on her and then we can get started," Edward said before turning and heading to her room.
"Why don't you guys go into the living room, and I'll make some coffee or something while we wait for Edward," Rosalie piped in before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen.
Jasper, Alice, and I headed into the living room and sat down just as Rosalie came back and sat down in one of the chairs.
"So where did you find her, Emmett?" Jasper asked, his face sliding into his law enforcement façade. He was immediately distancing himself from the situation to remain objective.
"North side of the property. I was checking the fences and just doing a general sweep when I came across her lying there," I responded before I ran a nervous hand through my hair. I thought we had left the city so this type of thing wouldn't happen. Fuck that shit! Who am I kidding? This kind of thing just isn't supposed to happen.
"What happened after you found her? Did you notice anything on your sweep that might have indicated she was there?" Jasper asked withdrawing his notebook from his breast pocket and beginning to take notes.
"I rushed to her, checked for vitals, and examined her to make sure it was safe to carry her over. Then I brought her here, sterilized the wounds, and put clothes on her before wrapping her in a blanket," I responded. I noticed Rose got up, presumably to check the beverages but deep down I know this had to be hard for her.
"You what? What were you thinking Emmett? You could have destroyed evidence that could capture and convict her attacker," Jasper demanded his normally calm voice steely and cold.
"I wasn't thinking about evidence, Jasper. I was worried about her being alive and making sure she wasn't suffering," I retorted back at him slightly annoyed at his tone.
"Fine, so what did you do with her old clothes? We are going to need them for evidence as well as all the gauze and instruments you used to sterilized the wounds," Jasper asked as he jotted down some notes.
"There weren't any clothes. When I found her, she was completely nude. As to what I used to clean her up, I placed everything in a bag next to her bed," I said right before Edward waltzed back into the room. He sat down in the chair next to Rose's and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on his pants.
Rose chose that moment to walk in with a tray laden down with mugs of coffee, which she sat down on the coffee table, before taking a seat in her customary chair. Once everyone grabbed a mug, Jasper took the opportunity to get back into the swing of things.
"So what did you think, Edward?" I guess Jasper had decided to file away not to respond to the little bit of information I had provided.
"I think she's been tortured, probably for at least a few days or so . Some of the wounds on her body looked completely healed over while others are still showing signs of healing. I also believe that her tormentors subjected her body to electrocution at least a dozen times. Her neck alone bears six welts characteristic of a stun gun when used on human flesh and I am guessing that is how she was overpowered; in addition the welts extend past her neck and cover most of her body. . And her ankle is broken, probably in her attempt to flee whatever or whomever did this to her," Edward said, his voice slightly shaky. Even when he was a coroner in New York City, I don't think he would have come across this type of torture on a regular basis.
"Shit, looks like she was really put through the ringer. I'll put the description you gave me into the database and see if we can get a match to Missing Persons." Jasper paused before continuing, "Is it safe to wake her?"
"I really don't know. Medically, I see nothing wrong with waking her up. But, psychologically, I have absolutely no idea how she would react," Edward responded, his voice slightly less shaky.
"You are the mental expert here, what do you think, Alice?" Jasper turned to her as he put his notebook back in his breast pocket.
"I think if we wake her up, she might take it as an ambush. Or worse, she might think that we were the ones who did this to her," Alice replied her eyes unsteady. Even Alice didn't know what kind of shit we were in for. Could this really get any worse?
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The ear- piercing scream cut through the air. Instantaneously, we all leapt to our feet and raced down the hall toward the mysterious woman's room.
Brunette POV
Where in the fucking hell was I. This was not good. This really couldn't be good. Shit, why on earth did I scream? Now, I probably had some sick bastards coming after me.
Great move, genius.
Ten seconds later the door flung open and this mammoth of a man almost completely blocked the frame. Through the slight space he left around him, I could see other people behind him. Shit! What the hell had I gotten myself into? I wanted to scream, cry, something, anything that would shed some light on what the hell was happening. I still didn't know who I was, who they were, or why the hell I had these wounds all over my body, but I was bursting with anger at whoever had done this. So, I took a shot in the dark.
"Who the eff are you? What have you done to me, you sick freaks!" I was beyond angry. My fists clenched around the bed sheets as I waited for them to rush me.
Instead, a woman emerged from under the colossal man's shoulder and looked me dead in the eyes. For some reason, the benevolent look in her silvery gray eyes made me feel calm and relaxed. Still, I couldn't help the involuntary shiver that overtook my body. My body instinctively cowered as she approached but after gathering my thoughts I was able to look back at her.
"Hello…." She paused before continuing, her voice light and caring, "My name is Alice Cullen. What's yours?"
I wanted to scream at her that she already knew it. I wanted to know why they had done this to me, why they had taken me from wherever it was that I had been. But, all that came out of my mouth was, "I don't know."
"What do you remember?" she inquired, her eyes filled with concern. She moved toward me as she spoke, while I cowered back, until she reached the bed and took a seat at the foot of it, her hands in her lap.
"Nothing. I remember nothing. But of course you all know what you did to me?" I spat back at her, finally hoping to get some answers.
"Do you think that we hurt you?" she pressed on, her face calm and soothing. It was a little hard to imagine that this woman had done anything to me. But there was no other explanation. Right?
"Obviously. Who else could it have been? I wake up naked in the middle of the wilderness and then I pass out only to wake up here. It's obvious I tried to escape and you caught me." I was starting to feel a little dizzy, but there was no way in hell that I was going to let them do anything else to me. I would fight back for as long as I could.
"Ok, that seems like a reasonable assumption. But, I promise you, the truth is a little more bearable," She claimed as she extended her arms and grabbed hold of my hands. My body reacted before I had a chance to process her actions; I pulled my hands free ignoring the pull of pain and wrapped my arms around myself, hoping to shield myself.
"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, you did escape from somewhere. We're just not sure from where… My brother, Emmett, found you unconscious on our property. He brought you here to make sure that you were okay," she answered as I began to disentangle my hands from my torso. I wanted to believe her, but something was still off.
Before I could answer her question, however, the colossal man stepped inside the room along with three others, my body tightened in anticipation and a throbbing spasm of pain ran through my back, almost as if preparing me for more. A blonde haired man with blue eyes stepped toward me while reaching into his pocket. Considering the fact that I didn't know him, I recoiled into myself, yet something about this man oozed relaxation.
"My name is Jasper Whitlock and I am the County Sheriff," he said as he produced a shiny badge from his pocket and handed it to me. He seemed to know I needed some form of verification and reassurance.
"What happened to me? Who did this to me?" I queried, hoping he could answer the many questions swirling around in my head. Still, I kept a mental note of the men's positions, in case they attempted to overpower me.
"Well, we're not exactly sure. I would like to take you to the hospital so that Dr. Masen can perform a full examination and take pictures of the wounds. Is that okay with you?" he asked as he turned his head back towards the others.
"Who is Dr. Masen?" I asked the dizzying sensation going away little by little. I didn't feel like I was going to pass out at any moment anymore.
The shortest man stepped forward; he had bronze hair and bright green eyes. His voice was calm as he spoke, "I am Dr. Masen. I work at the local clinic." Something about this man kept me on a alert, but, I had no idea what it was.
"Will it hurt?" The giant man looked at me, his eyes full of both sadness and kindness. He looked so strong but his eyes held such strong emotions, making it impossible to be scared of him. He was the only man I didn't recoil from, the only one my body was not afraid of.
"We'll try to make it as painless as possible," Edward said as he stepped back and turned to Emmett. They carried a whispered conversation before he exited the room.
"After a few questions, Rose will fly us back to town for your examination," Jasper assured me as he gestured toward the blond woman near the door. She nodded at me slightly before exiting the room after Dr. Masen called out for her. "Now, why don't we get started, would you like Alice and Emmett to leave?"
"No, they can stay." I figured that since Emmett apparently saved me, he might be able to answer anything I could not and Alice almost friend like that I thought it would be good to have her there.
"Ok, then, let's get started. Do you remember anything besides waking up in the middle of the wilderness?" the sheriff asked, pulling a notebook and pen out of his breast pocket.
"No, I don't remember anything. I feel blank," I answered feeling utterly worthless. Not only could I not remember what happened to me, but also I felt completely useless in my inability to help catch whoever assaulted me.
"Do you remember anything about who you are or where you come from?" he asked as his blue eyes pierced mine. Just being around him, made me feel safe, his eyes compelling me trust him and tell the truth.
"Nothing, my mind feels blank, as if what you guys are telling me are the first things I've ever learned." The pain in my ankle throbbed unbearably and my entire body burned. I guess now that the adrenaline was gone, pain was the only sensation my body was recognizing.
I guess I grimaced in pain or something, because Emmett stepped forward and said, "We should get her to the clinic."
The others seemed to agree as they stepped aside so he could stand right next to the bed. He hesitated slightly before asking, "May I?"
I nodded right before he pulled the covers off me and gently scooped me into his arms. I felt so safe in his embrace that I instinctively I laid my head on his chest and felt his heartbeat; it was strong, steady, and soothing to my ears. Before I knew it, we were boarding a helicopter and I had a fleeting hope I was going home.
Emmett POV
"Well?" I asked as Alice walked back into the waiting area of Edward's clinic and removed her green face mask.
"Edward said rape kit came back negative on the sexual assault, so I guess that is one thing to be grateful for. We documented and photographed all the wounds. But we are going to have to bring her back in a few days to collect pictures as the bruising develops. Edward is treating her now. Poor girl, she really is a trooper." Alice explained as she sat down right next to Rose and placed a hand on her shoulder before she finally laid her hand on her lap.
"What about her memory?" I asked as relief spread throughout me, glad that providence saw fit to spare her that torment.
"Edward's not so sure about that. We both have seen cases of amnesia. It could be temporary or it could be permanent. It is too soon to tell. The constant exposure to electrocution may have shorted her short-term memory, so it is very likely that she may not recall her all the details of her abduction. But, personally, I think that she'll eventually recover most, if not all, of her memories in time," Alice finished as I wrung my hand together.
I grabbed hold of the nearest chair and placed it in front of both Alice and Rose before I began, "Look, I need to run something by you, see it you two are okay with it."
They both nodded so I decided to press on, "I think that it would be best if she stayed with us while she recovered. I mean, s-she has nowhere to go and can't even remember who she is or where she is from. We can't just leave her to fend for herself. We have a responsibility to her. And if she consents, Alice can work with her on regaining her memory."
"It's fine with me. I agree with you, Emmett. Moving her too much might do more harm than good. However, I think we should explore the protective instinct that this woman has stirred in you," Alice quipped, her grey eyes sparkling.
"I don't need to be shrinked, Alice." I bit back at Alice before turning my attention to Rose. I really hated it when she went all doctor-patient on me. "What do you think Rose?"
"I don't know. I understand she needs help but staying with us… do we really have to take it that far?" Rose asked her eyes shifting to the hallway down which Edward disappeared into a little more than an hour ago.
"I have a responsibility towards her, Rosie. She trusts me. You saw how she warmed up to me. Someone put this woman through the ringer and it would be wrong if we turned our backs on her. She needs support right now more than anything." I hoped Rose would agree. I knew this was tougher for her than it was for Alice and me, but I prayed she could deal with it.
"Fine. But, I'm not getting involved," Rose grumbled as Edward entered the room and took a seat on her other side.
"She's suffering from extreme dehydration, so I'm administering some fluids. There doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding or life threatening injuries. Whoever did this, knew what they were doing to maximize pain while minimizing damage. However, her right leg and her left wrist are severely broken so I have placed temporary braces on them until the swelling goes down. However, she will have to see an orthopedic surgeon in the next week or so to set her breaks," Edward said, running a hand through his hair before entwining his hand with Rose's.
"What did you do with the evidence you collected," Jasper asked, speaking for the first time since we arrived.
"I'll put it together into a comprehensive packet as soon as I get the results back." Edward's answer seemed to satisfy Jasper as he acknowledged it with a simple nod.
"When can we take her home?" I asked slightly annoyed with the surprised looks everyone gave me.
"Well, I think she should be okay to leave once the she gets all the fluids in her. She did mention that she felt dizzy earlier, so you need to watch for that and make sure she gets plenty of rest and fluids. She needs to come here in a few days to properly set and cast the breaks. And I'm sure Jasper would appreciate some pictures of the bruising at it develops and before wounds heal." Edward, just like the others, seemed to be evaluating me for some reason. Was it so weird for me to take such interest in a person's well-being?
Jeesh!
"Sounds good. Well, while we wait for the fluids, I'm going to head to the store and pick up a few things to see if we can make her more comfortable. I'll see you guys in a bit," I said as I made my way out of the clinic. Still, I distinctly heard Edward whispering to Rose, asking if she was okay with everything.
Brunnette POV
Once we got back, Emmett put me to bed and told me to get some rest. But, as the darkness settled over the house I couldn't help but feel afraid. Every time I closed my eyes, my body tightened with fear and anxiety. I hated feeling like this, but every single damn time I closed my eyes, the panic overtook me. I couldn't sleep, but I felt so silly walking out and roaming this place. I felt guilty and yet, at the same time, grateful. They took me in. I knew it was not an easy decision to make, and because of that, I did not feel comfortable walking around the place while they slept. I wanted to toss and turn but the braces on my hand and leg were making that pretty difficult. I reached over to look for a lamp switch – anything that might bathe this room in light. But all I succeeded in doing was knocking my prescription meds off the nightstand.
Great.
As I brought my hand back, I realized the bedroom door was opening. I could make out the shape of someone standing in the doorway. I tried to fight the feelings of anxiety that gripped me and managed to squelch the scream building in my throat to a loud gasp. When the light came on, though, I realized it was just the blonde woman who had flown us to town and back. I think her name was Rose.
"Hey, are you okay? I heard noises coming from the room," she asked as she hesitantly stepped into the room. She wore flannel pajama pants and a maroon jersey emblazoned with the word Chicago on the front.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I just wanted to turn the light on because I couldn't sleep." I didn't want her to know that I was panicking over not having the light on; I just didn't want to appear childish. The warm light that flooded the room quieted my anxiety; nothing could happen as long as the light was on.
"It's okay, I was awake anyway. Are you sure, you don't want anything else? Are you feeling alright?" She walked towards the bed, a mug of something in her hand. The look in her eyes made it perfectly clear she was a little uncomfortable, but her actions clearly showed she was trying to make me feel at ease.
"It's just, I can't close my eyes. Every time I do…" I broke off not wanting to verbalize the emotions that took hold of me the moment I closed my eyes, for fear that they would come back.
"I understand. The darkness, especially around here, can be debilitating." When she spoke, she seemed to know the depth of my emotions, almost as if she knew what I was thinking. She really understood. "But, eventually, it gets better."
"Thanks, I hope so. I hope it gets better." I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds and while the anxiety remained, the reassuring hue of the light through my eyelids was enough to keep it at bay.
"I promise, it really does get better," she affirmed as she placed her hand over mine.
And there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I really wish you'll review; I want to know what you thought of it and if you think I should continue it.
Until next time,
Lorena
