Author's Note: The fourth chapter of A Way Out.


Previously:

My eyes finally drooped close to the sight of the alarm clock on the nightstand changing from 3:59 am to four o'clock.

Now:

"Ouch!" I shouted as an alarm clock nearly busted my eardrum. I smack it off of the nightstand and it crashed to the floor but still didn't stop ringing. I lay back down and covered my face with the pillow. Sighing, I realized that no fort in the world could block my ears from that consistent screeching. Groaning, I slid off the bed and hit the dismiss button on the alarm clock. It finally was dead silent in the room. More so than it should've been.

I slowly walked towards the bedroom door and opened it. Walking quickly through the hallway, I noticed hushed voices coming from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to see the entire Cullen clan sitting around the dinner, or in their case 'meeting' table and they immediately stopped whispering.

"Good morning, Isabella." An old man that greatly resembled Dr. Phil greeted me.

"Hello." I nearly whispered. I looked at the other Cullens but no one would look me in the eyes.

"I'm Dr. Rios and I'll be your phychiatrist for the next few weeks or so." He said this as if he was telling me that I won the lottery.

"Wait. I thought I was going to a mental hospital for my…ummm…condition." I asked, confused.

"No. You'll be staying with Dr. Cullen and we'll discuss a schedule for regular visits at my office." When he said this, the Cullens finally looked up at me. They all looked guilty of something. I felt no sympathy.

"So, I'll be living with the reasons for my suicide attempt?" I asked, as if I hadn't understood him the first time he said it.

"We think that the emotional damage done by this family could be repaired if you had direct contact with them." I gaped at him in disbelief. How in the hell is he supposed to know how to mend a broken heart?

"And by 'we', you mean you and Carlisle." I stated.

"Well, yes but that has nothing-"Dr. Rios said but I interrupted him. I tend to do that a lot now.

"You put him up to this, didn't you?" I asked Carlisle but still didn't look in his direction. I was too busy glaring at Edward. I don't know how, but I do know that he had something to do with this.

"Bella, we think that this would be what's best for you. We just want you to get better." When I finally looked at Carlisle, he was pleading with me to accept his decision.

"By torturing me? When will someone ask me what I want? Why do you keep making decisions for me? What about my dad? Does he know about this arrangement?" I fired the questions back to the whole family instead of just the leader. I showed no signs of being upset because I was hiding my emotions. With 'Dr. Eavesdropping-In-My-Business' over there watching me like a hawk, I couldn't afford to give him a reason to subject me to staying here for more than a few weeks.

"We're not sure whether you know what you want or not. You're not mentally stable. You need to heal." 'Dr. Know-It-All' was really irritating me right now. And that's putting it politely.

"So, you think you can just waltz your way in here and tell me what I want?" I was past caring about what he wanted to subject me to. Edward thought that he knew what I wanted and obviously he was pretty far from the mark.

"Look, do what you want. Take me where you want and treat me how you want but I will never forget…nor will I heal." I whispered the last part more to myself than the others. I realized that the aspect of me actually healing is pretty farfetched. Even I couldn't dream of it.

I turned and walked up the stairs into the guest room that had been transformed into my room so that Edward could have his back. I was so mentally exhausted. I just wanted to lie down and take a mind-nap. Instead I sat at the vanity and looked in the mirror. My hair was hideous. I don't even know when I started caring about my appearance but this was ridiculous. I grabbed the brush and the curling irons and went to work.

Thirty minutes later, my hair was in long, wide curls down my back. I need fresh air. I went to the closet that was piled with clothes that I don't remember buying, nor bringing here. Oh, well. I looked around until I found a white sundress. I found a pair of three-inch wedges sitting right under it. They had white straps to match the dress. I showered in the bathroom down the hall from my room. Quickly scrubbing my body, I exited the bathroom and hurried back to my room to get dressed. After putting the outfit on, I went down the stairs very slowly incase my clumsiness decided to reappear any second now. I made it to the living room without complication.

"Where are you off to?" Emmett surprised me from the couch. Everyone, with the exception of Carlisle and Esme, were in the living room.

"A walk in the park." I answered without stopping to make eye-contact with any of them.

"Would you like a ride there?" He asked and I politely declined.

"No."

"Your dad brought your purse over. Well, the last one that you used. It has your phone, keys and other things in it. Your truck's in the driveway." Alice so-kindly informed me. I nodded in response. Right when my hand touched the doorknob, I felt that familiar gust of wind and almost rolled my eyes when Edward was standing right in front of me.

"May I help you?" I asked with very apparent irritation.

"Are you sure that you should be walking to the park alone?" He asked, with almost believable concern.

"I guess so. Or I wouldn't have suggested it five seconds ago." I sighed as I said this, knowing that he'd push the issue for just a bit longer.

"But I don't think that it would be safe for you to go out alone." He moved closer to the door when I made a move to leave. I thought about telling him that I never asked nor cared about what he thought, but that'd be rude. Instead, I settled for this.

"Fine."

"Alright, well, I'll get my keys and we can—"Edward began.

"Jasper, can you please accompany me to the park?" Everyone was completely shocked at my request but there was no way in living hell that I was going anywhere alone with him.

"Me?" Jasper asked, dumbfound.

"Unless, you know any other vampire soldier named Jasper that happens to be married to an Alice, then yes, I'm talking to you." My patience was once again wearing very, very thin.

"Ummm…ok." Jasper stood and got his car keys from one of the hooks next to the front door. He came to the front door, but Edward was still standing in front of it like a lost cause.

"Edward…" Jasper said, but Edward still stood there and stared at me. His look was so intense that I could practically feel his disappointment and sadness. I stared right back at him.

"Edward. Please move out of my way. Now." I ordered. I don't know where I got the confidence from but it felt amazing. He slowly removed his hand from the doorknob, revealing that it was now nothing but scrap metal. Jasper opened the door for me and I stepped out into the wind and was immediately relieved. It tossed my hair around and I loved every second of it. After being confined to that house, I appreciated air just a little bit more now. I heard the door shut behind me.

"You ready to go?" Jasper asked from beside me, while my eyes were closed.

"Yes." I said, as I opened them with a new purpose.