Chapter Two – Just the Beginning
(TWILIGHT FANFIC. I OWN NONE OF THE CHARACTERS. )
The next week went by quickly for everyone else, but for Bella it was a different story. She couldn't stop thinking about the person she drew, or the feeling that she was still being watched. The feeling that had been her constant companion since that day, even when she was home. It was nerve-racking, and beginning to make her sick to her stomach. She hardly ate, because she had no appetite. But what was she gonna do?
'Hey Dad, I think I'm being followed.' She thought, wondering how that conversation would play out in her mind. He'd joke about it, she'd pretend to laugh...yeah, not so great. She had to figure out how to handle it herself. She woke up that morning, ready for the nausea, but it was gone. She looked around. She didn't feel watched anymore. This brought a smile to her face.
She went about getting ready in the normal fashion, closing the windows and the curtains. She wasn't about to get caught off guard, even if she did feel safe. After getting ready she came downstairs to see a note on the table.
'Had to go in early, will have to stay in late. Don't wait up. Charlie." Bella flipped it over and wrote four words for him. "I love you, Bella." She laid it back where it was and headed for school. Charlie was the Chief of Police in this small town, and as far as Bella could tell, he loved it. He didn't mind going in early or staying late, as long as it brought in the bad guys.
When she was about halfway to school, she caught the glimpse of a black truck behind her. It was big and new, and coming up behind her fast. Her heart began racing as she stared at her speedometer. She was going just a bit over the speed limit. Was the truck going to pass, or hit her? The truck came right up on her bumper, but slowed down. Bella let out a breath and laughed to herself. She must be going crazy.
Then she felt the truck behind her hit hers. It was only a tap, like a warning. She felt her chest pounding. What was she going to do? She sped up, trying to get away, but her old truck groaned in protest. "No, no, no, no!" Bella cried out, as the engine began to sputter. She hit the steering wheel, and froze when she realized the truck that hit her from behind was side by side next to her. The tinted windows made it impossible to see who was driving.
Then it hit her again. She turned the wheel to try and stay on the road, but it didn't do her any good, for the black truck swerved at her again, knocking her clear. She screamed and hit the brakes but hit the tree anyway. Her seatbelt kept her from flying free from the car, but the blow to the steering wheel knocked her unconscious nonetheless.
"What the hell?" Came the sing song voice of Rosalie Hale, the blond haired beauty that was one of the Cullen's. Rosalie and Jasper were adopted into the Cullen family, along with Edward, Alice and Emmett. They were all beautiful, but Rosalie was beyond compare.
"What is it Rose?" Alice asked. She wore her short black hair in a spiky fashion, and her pixie like face look worried. Rosalie pointed to the right of the road they were on, at the big red truck that was wrapped around a tree. Alice gasped and looked in the backseat at Jasper, Edward and Emmett. Jasper and Edward had semi long honey brown hair and Emmett's was short and black. Emmett was muscled like a bear while the others were smaller. All five shared the same topaz eyes.
"Isn't that the new girl's truck?" Emmett asked, looking around for confirmation. Edwards head jerked up, and looked out the window, eyes widening. Rosalie pulled in beside the truck and everyone got out.
"Someone call 911." Edward said quietly as he ran up beside the truck. Bella was indeed inside, unconscious against the steering wheel. He tried opening the door, but it was too smashed to open properly. So he gave it another tug, harder this time, and felt the whole door come free. He put the door on the ground and moved in closer.
He wasn't sure if any bones were broken, so he couldn't be sure if it was safe to move her. "Bella? Bella do you hear me? Bella, wake up." He said calmly, brushing her hair out of her face. Blood trickled from her forehead and Edward turned to Emmett, who was assessing the damage.
"This wasn't her fault." Alice said, looking at the truck. Every turned to look at her then. She pointed to the dents in the side of the truck. "I remember seeing her truck yesterday. Those weren't there." She said, and then turned around.
Rosalie hung up the phone and turned to Edward. "Ambulance should be here shortly. We need to get going." She said, pointedly showing her wristwatch. Edward shook his head.
"You guys go on. I'm staying to wait for the ambulance. I'll come to the school once I know Bella is alright." Jasper nodded and headed for the car, followed by Emmett, Rosalie and finally Alice.
"Be careful. Whoever did this to her might come back." She warned, then got in and sped off to school. Edward watched the little red car drive out of sight before turning around. He was taken by surprise to see Bella climbing out of the cab, stumbling when her feet hit dirt. Edward was over to her in a flash, catching her before she fully hit the ground. She gasped, half clinging half pushing him away.
"Bella? Bella it's me, Edward." He whispered softly, trying to soothe her fears. Her terrified brown eyes met his with recognition.
"E-Edward?" she asked weakly. He nodded and smiled down at her. Her eyes reflected the relief she felt, but she didn't speak another word. He set her down softly on the ground and she tried to stand up, but he wouldn't let her.
"An ambulance is on the way, Bella. You should stay still until then. We have no idea the extent of the injuries." He spoke calmly, topaz eyes on her. Upon hearing this, she immediately shook her head quickly and stood, both of which was a bad combination to the headache already forming from the blow to her head. But she ignored the pain and remained standing.
"No ambulance, Edward. I'm fine, really. Just a little headache." She laughed, forcing herself to laugh it off. But Edward didn't buy it, and shook his head.
"Bella, don't play this off. You are hurt, and the ambulance is already on the way." He said, staring into her brown eyes. She looked away immediately, unable to withstand the scrutiny.
"Edward, really. I'm fi-" She was cut off by the sirens in the distance, getting louder and fast. She groaned loudly and turned to Edward, who was standing just inches from her ready to catch her again should she fall. She caught her breath at his closeness, but didn't lose her train of thought. "I really hate hospitals." She whimpered softly.
He just smiled a wicked smile and leaned in close to her. "Don't worry, little Bella. I'll be right there the whole time. Nothing bad will happen, I promise." He whispered. She shivered and saw the ambulance just down the road. Another groan escaped her lips and she turned back to him. Turned a little too quickly, because the world began spinning out of control and then everything went black.
She didn't remember hitting the ground, or getting loaded into the ambulance. She did remember voices, whispering to her. Hostile voices. Voices she never wanted to hear again. They eventually died away and she felt like she was regaining consciousness. It didn't take long for her to realize she was still in the hospital. Perfect. She was hoping to be unconscious for the whole hospital experience. She never was on the lucky side, though.
She heard the singsong voice of the doctor obviously talking her dad, who sounded like a nervous wreck when he spoke. She never meant to scare him so badly. She wondered if Edward had kept his promise. Was he somewhere there too? She tried to speak, or open her eyes, but she couldn't. She then realized she couldn't move anything. Not a finger or toe. She tried screaming for help but that didn't come out either.
"CHARLIE?! EDWARD?! ANYONE THERE?!?!" She screamed, but nothing was audible. She was trapped in the black mass of her mind, able to hear the outside but not join it.
"Charlie." The simple word was enough for Bella to realize Alice was in the room. She sounded concerned, too. What was wrong with her? Was she in a coma or something? Why couldn't she talk?! Bella screamed, pounded her fists on the ground and curled into a ball. What could she do? What happened to her?
Suddenly she felt someone grab her left hand with big rough hands. "Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" Charlie's voice washed over her, and she felt a sense of relief. She obviously wasn't dead. And she could feel his hands! She tried moving her own, but judging by the lack of reaction in the room, nothing happened on the outside.
"DAMNIT!" Bella screamed, but nothing came out. She felt Charlie let her go and heard his footsteps as he left the room quickly. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. Then another familiar voice broke into the darkness.
"Bella? Bella, you have to wake up soon. Charlie won't make it if you don't." Edward's voice was the miracle she needed. When he gently pulled her hand into his, it was like a jolt of electricity brought her mind back into contact with her body. All at once she could feel everything again.
She heard Alice's audible sigh. "She's back." She breathed quietly, obviously relieved. Bella couldn't believe it, she could move my toes. She was really back.
"I guess I'd better come back then," Bella coughed, frightened and relieved at how weak her voice sounded. "What would Forks do without the chief of police?" she joked quietly, opening my eyes. It took a few moments before the brightness died down, but she had never been so happy to see color. Edward was smiling. He bent down and kissed her forehead.
"You gave us a scare, little Bella." He whispered, then moved away to let Alice through. She came over and hugged Bella lightly so not to hurt her.
"What happened?" Bella croaked, and then rubbed her throat. Talk less, she decided. Her throat was so dry it almost hurt to breath.
"You passed out again. It was so soon after the concussion from the crash that we were sure we'd lost you. Good thing Carlisle is so skilled at his practice, otherwise you probably would be dead." Alice summarized, her topaz eyes watching Bella closely. She took it all in, remembering the crash and the truck. She balled her free hand and closed her eyes.
Why was this happening to her?! Her thoughts were interrupted by the singsong voice of the doctor again, who was now standing in the doorway.
"Bella, glad to see you awake." He said, moving closer. He had short blond hair that almost matched his pale skin. Bella saw the same topaz eyes and wondered if everyone had them and she just wasn't noticing. What was with those anyway? Bella just nodded and forced a smile as he drew closer with his medical supplies. She flinched and Edward chuckled quietly.
"Easy Carlisle, she's afraid of hospitals." He said quietly, trying to hide his amusement. Bella's cheeks went bright red and she shot Edward an angry glare. Carlisle just laughed.
"Let me just check your vitals, Bella, and I'll leave you alone. I promise." He said, smiling politely and waiting for her go ahead. He seemed trustworthy enough, so she nodded once and Edward scooted out of the way. Carlisle checked her pulse and pupils then seemed satisfied.
"Bella!" Charlie's voice interrupted whatever Carlisle had been about to say. He crossed the room and hugged her as tight as he could without hurting her. "Bella, I thought you were a goner." He said, not letting go.
"Hey, you couldn't get rid of me if you beat me with a stick." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. Charlie just squeezed and then drew away.
"Is she going to be okay, Dr. Cullen?" Charlie asked. Bella turned to stare at him. She shoulda known Carlisle was the 'father' of the Cullen's. The eyes were the first hint. But weren't they all adopted? How did they all have the same eyes if they weren't blood related?
"I think if she stays out of any trouble, she'll make a full recovery." He said, smiling down at her. She just smiled back and hugged Charlie.
"I hate to ruin the good moment, but I have to ask, Bella. What caused you to go toe to toe with a tree?" Alice asked slowly. Everyone's eyes were on her instantly, and she had a choice to make. Tell them the truth? Would they even believe her? She had no way of knowing. And if she told them, and got them involved, what would she do if one of them got hurt? No, she couldn't tell the truth. She needed something believable, and fast.
"Oh...yeah." Bella did her best to look sheepish. "There was some water on the road, and I lost control. Guess I thought I'd take the tree out with me. Never liked that tree anyway." She chuckled, looking down at her hands. She didn't see the look that Alice and Edward shared, the same one Carlisle caught, but Charlie was completely unaware. He laughed lightly and patted Bella's shoulder.
"Next time you don't like a tree honey, let me know and I'll have it chopped down. No sense in ruining a perfectly good truck. I'm just so glad you are alive, Bella. I don't know what I would've done if..." he broke off and hugged her again.
"I won't, Dad. Don't worry. I've learned my lesson." She said, and then looked over to Alice and Edward, who remained quiet.
"You must have hit that tree harder than we thought. Did you try to bail out before hitting the tree, Bella?" Charlie asked, serious again. He was trying to be a father and not a policeman, but Bella could tell it was hard for him.
"No, why do you ask?" She looked up at him inquisitively. He shrugged.
"Well, the door was ripped clean from the hinges. The only way I could figure it is if it was open on impact." He shrugged and looked out the window, lost in thought. Bella looked over to Edward, who was staring at the floor intensely. Alice was looking at him too. Something weird was going on.
"I dunno, Dad. The door doesn't shut all the way sometimes. It comes open on turns too. It's why I always wear my seatbelt." Charlie just nodded but remained quiet. Carlisle turned to leave, taking Alice with him. Edward remained for a bit longer, and then left as well. Charlie stayed all night.