19
It was the middle of the night when the sounds stopped and I felt secure enough to stop and rest a bit. Bella looked very pale and I was worried about how many pills she actually took. I sat against a large rock and held her in my arms as I shut my eyes to rest.
I don't know how long I slept, but when Bella began vomiting in my arms I instantly woke up. She was holding her hair and leaning over me as she gasped to catch her breath. I waited for her to finish and when she turned back to face me I searched her eyes for clarity.
"Are you feeling better?" I asked her.
"How did you get here?" she asked me.
"I came for you, I wasn't going to let them take you from me," I said and held her forehead to mine.
"Where are we?" she asked and pulled out of my hands to look around.
"I don't know, we need to make it to your cabin so we can hide. They found my jeep and…."
She jumped up and looked at me with panicked eyes. "Come on, keep up," she said and set off into the darkness.
I followed her and marveled at how well she knew the land. We didn't have any light but she knew exactly were to step and where to avoid. We ran for almost an hour when she approached a large bush and lifted the thick foliage, "Crawl in here, and watch your head."
I had to get on my knees to make it into a narrow passage. I couldn't see anything in front of me and asked her if I could use the flashlight.
"Go about ten more steps and then turn it on," she told me.
I crawled further and reached in my back pocket for the small light. I saw the passage continued on for quite a while before it turned and headed to a larger tunnel. Bella got in front of me and picked up the pace. I followed her as she wound around through a maze of tunnels, finally stopping at a wooden trap door.
She sat down and tried to slow her breathing as I sat across from her. I saw the sweat dripping down her face but she was shivering as if she was freezing. I lay the gun down and held out my arms for her but she didn't move and began to cry.
"I'm sorry, Bella," I said and felt my own tears stinging my eyes. "I've done nothing but ruin your life."
"I used to come here with my mama. We would pick counting rocks and sit here when the sun was high to stay cool. She would tell me to watch out for men because they were dangerous, but someday a nice man would come, and I said, 'mama, how will I know if he's a nice man or not,' and she said, 'I'll ring the school bell for all to hear, so don't you worry Bella, you'll know when he comes.'"
I smiled, as I remembered her looking up at the bell the first time I saw her. "I wanted to be him, Bella. I wanted to be the nice man who won your heart, but I ruined everything."
"Edward, you took me to Chicago and wanted me to learn how to fit in, but I never did. Now you're here and you don't know how to fit in with us. Is there anywhere we can work together or are the paths of our lives too different?"
I rubbed my face with my dirty hand and let my head fall against the tunnel wall. "I didn't realize I had put everyone in danger, but I don't regret falling in love with you. You don't deserve a life tied to a rope or tossed around from one James boy to the next. I want you with me, Bella, but I can't stay here. I'm not a…a…a mountain man. I can't live this way."
"I got you free, you should have left here," she said with sad eyes.
"Not without you," I said with force.
"Why, so I can take more pills, sniff more coke, just so stupid Bella Swan doesn't embarrass you? Your mother, or father, or friends will give you some reason to leave me and I'm right back where I started."
"No, you're not, because this time I'm not leaving. This time you are not Bella Swan from the mountain, but Bella Cullen, my wife."
She stared at me while her tears continued to fall from her eyes and slide down her soiled face. "Don't ask me now," she whispered, "not like this."
"Okay," I said and held my arms out again. This time she moved between my legs and rested her head against my chest.
When I felt her shivering again I tightened my hold and rubbed her vigorously. "How many did you take?" I asked softly.
"I don't know, the mutant bastard took forever to get high," she said, and made me laugh.
"It was brilliant, putting the pills in the candy," I told her.
"Well, it took me hours to find them hidden in your jeans. I was sure you put them behind a book or something."
I chuckled and then kissed her head before asking, "Did he touch you?"
She sat up and looked at me with such pain in her eyes I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Edward, I married him," she said, and began moving back to her side of the tunnel.
I reached out and held her so she couldn't continue her retreat. "Jasper didn't make it official. He never got a marriage license for you two to sign. You are not married to him."
She swallowed and nodded a few times before pulling away and sitting across from me again. "I can't answer your question, because I don't know. I was trying to kill him, but I also ate the pills so I wouldn't have to feel anything."
"He's not dead. I saw him breathing, Bella."
She looked away and said softly, "If he's not dead, we are."
We sat in silence and our eyes grew heavy until we were both asleep. The sound of voices woke us up and I began to move away but Bella grabbed my arm and shook her head while putting her finger over her mouth telling me to be quiet. We sat still and listened to the men talk.
"Nobody's been here; there is dust all over the floor with no prints."
"Maybe they had a second car."
"Buddy's watching the school and the teacher's house, Sonny's watching McCarty's place, they'll turn up."
We listened to them walk away and waited for over an hour before coming out of the mine. I came out first and moved very slowly to the back of the house. I opened the back door and peeked through the door to see if anyone was inside.
The room was ransacked and most of the house had been raided of anything usable. I opened the cupboards to look for food, but nothing was there. Bella headed into another room and I followed to make sure she was okay. She moved a plank from the floor and pulled out a glass jar full of red rocks and a picture.
"What's that?" I asked her.
She handed me the picture and it was of Bella as a child and two adults. It was taken at a church and I noticed the big smile on Bella's face. I looked at the jar and she said, "These were my counting rocks, my mama taught me how to do math with theses." I smiled at her and she reached back into the hole and pulled out a small rag doll.
"Bella, we need a plan. We have to find a way down the mountain before they find us," I said to get her attention.
"No, that's not possible," she said with an odd voice. "We'll hide in the blood walls and I'll find us food."
"Bella," I said harshly, "Let's go. We'll go into town and I'll call Jasper."
She laughed and waved her hand to dismiss me, "You have to listen to me, Edward, or we are dead. You don't know this mountain, I do."
I began to feel trapped and panic rose inside me. I was trying to come up with some way to get us off this damned mountain and the only thing that came to mind was going back to my jeep and driving out of here, but I had no idea if my jeep was even still there or working.
The sound of a vehicle sent up both running for the back of the house. I turned to run back to the tunnel but Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me in another direction. We climbed over some large boulders and she scooted between a crevasse and disappeared. I followed close behind but became stuck. Bella pulled on my legs, dragging my face along the rock face scrapping off my skin.
I grabbed my face in pain, but Bella took the flashlight from my pocket and headed off into a larger area. The cave was small overall but gave us enough room to stand upright and also lie down fully. There was a supply of blankets which haven't been used in quite a while. Bella grabbed one and spread it on the ground and motioned for me to sit.
She held the flashlight in my face and looked at the scraped skin on my face. "It isn't too bad," she said. "Do you want a pill for the pain?"
"You have more pills?" I asked in shock.
She nodded and looked away from me. I rubbed my eyes and winced from the pain so I fell back onto the blanket. "Shit," I exclaimed in anger, "What in the hell am I doing."
Bella remained quiet and I reached behind me to pull the handgun from the back of my jeans. I sat it next to the shotgun and continued to stare up at the ceiling. I could see a red glow from the rocks above me and looked around at the sides of the cave.
"What is that red stuff?"
"Their counting rocks. It makes the walls look like blood," she said, as she shined the light on the wall next to my face.
I moved closer to get a better look and reached out for the flashlight. "Bella, these are Ruby's. How did you find this place?"
"It's part of my land. What are Ruby's?"
"They are very valuable, are there gem mines around here?"
She shrugged her shoulders and I noticed how her hands were shaking. I scooted over to hold her to me and asked very softly, "Bella, give me all the pills, okay?"
"No," she said forcefully. "We're not safe yet."
"I'm going to get you out of here, Bella. I have enough to worry about without watching to see if you're getting high, give me the damn pills," I said holding my hand out.
"Edward, I'm terrified, I need them to help me deal with all of this, I'll stop as soon as we get off this mountain, I promise."
"Bella, love," I said softly as I leaned my chin on her shoulder, "I want a life with you and if the pills come between us, we are hiding in this cave for nothing. We might as well walk out right now and take what's coming."
"I don't want to be sick again," she cried, and I held her tighter.
"And I don't want to lose you again, let me have them, okay?"
She slowly reached in her pocket and handed me a small baggie of pills. I put them in my pocket and began worrying about helping her come off of them. I needed access to water and food or she could go into convulsions. I decided when night fall came I would try to make it either to town or to Jacob's place.
Bella sighed loudly and pushed out of my arms. She stood and held out her hand for mine and said, "Let's get cleaned up."
"Where?" I asked in surprise.
"The hot springs, this tunnel leads to a spring."
"Is it safe?" I asked her.
She smiled and nodded so I followed her through a maze of tunnels, understanding for the first time how she was able to hide from Jacob for two solid years. She knew more about what was under the land then most people know about the mountain.
At one point she stopped moving and felt along the wall for hidden candy bars. When she handed me a Hershey's bar I wanted to throw her on the ground and love her completely. I never enjoyed chocolate so much in my life.
20
When we reached the spring she stripped off her clothes and quickly entered the warm water. It smelled of sulfur but the warm water soothed my sore body. I sighed loudly and shut my eyes in bliss. I felt Bella wrap her arms around me and she whispered, "I'm freezing."
My eyes shot open to see her teeth chattering in spite of the hot water she was sitting in. I sat her on my lap and tried to warm her with my hands. After a few minutes she began to calm and I simply held her in my arms.
"Bella, when it gets dark I'm going to Jacob's. I want you to wait here."
"Don't be stupid," she said with a weak voice. "I know where to go, you don't."
"You can give me instructions. He can protect us until we get off this mountain, but you're going to be sick and I have to get you some water and food." I was beginning to truly worry about getting her out alive.
"Edward, I want you to listen very carefully. You don't belong here, and as much as we hate to admit it, the James family has been around forever. They can pull their crap because people look the other way. I can get us out of here, but you have to give me the pills. I can't be sick right now or we're dead. Are you listening?"
I sat quietly and tried to come up with some plausible reason to disagree with her. The last thing in the world I wanted was to watch her get high. I felt her body begin to shudder and jumped out of the water to vomit on the dirt floor.
Her body was no longer emaciated and I watched as her newly formed curves heaved violently. I climbed out of the water and picked up my jeans. I took two pills from the bag and walked over to hand them to her.
She greedily grabbed them from my hand and I had to look away as she swallowed them. I put my clothes back on and watched as she relaxed and smiled at me. She got back in the water and let her body float freely.
I stared at her beautiful body but couldn't find it in me to want her. It wasn't because of the marriage and the possibility of her being touched by another man, it was due to the guilt I felt for ruining her. She was happy as an addict and the thought sickened me.
"Edward," she called out, "Get back in."
"I'm good," I mumbled and sat against the wall.
She stood and her long hair clung to her body. She picked up a strand and twirled it around her fingers. "Come on, I'll make it worth your time," she said with a seductive voice.
"I'm a little beat to hell at the moment," I told her, but it was only part of the truth.
"You're mad at me, I can tell," she said with a pout.
"No, I'm mad at me, I should have flushed the damn pills," I said and watched her eyes for a response. It wasn't the one I expected. She laughed loudly and moved back to float again.
"You think it's funny?" I asked her.
"No, I think you are funny. If you flushed them I wouldn't have been able to save you. You would be buried alive on this mountain." She jumped back to her feet and laughed, "You would be a mountain man, like my daddy. He's buried here somewhere. This could be the Swan-Cullen mountain of dead men."
"Stop it," I said. Her honest talk was disturbing me and I felt the need to run as far away as I could.
"What's wrong, Edward. This mountain too much for you? You thought you would come here and save all us stupid people from our sad lives?" She threw her arms in the air and turned in circles as fast as the water would allow. "Save me, Edward. Take me to the real world where life is so much easier, where you can take a pill and everything gets so much better.
Our stressful situation was bringing out the honest feelings we had kept bottled up and my own rage bubbled out of me. "You found the pills to take, not me. I couldn't even tell you where to find pills in the quantity you have. You're not as stupid as you act."
Her eyes narrowed at me and she said in a low, serious, tone. "You're wrong, I am a complete idiot for falling for all of your lies. Tanya told me you would get tired of me as soon as I didn't need you anymore. I was too stupid to believe her."
"You think you don't need me anymore?" I screamed at her. "Look around sweetheart, we are hiding in a cave so we don't get murdered and you have to remain high in able to continue standing. God, I hate this place," I yelled into the air.
Bella jumped out of the water and began putting her clothes on. "Where are you going?" I asked her and readied myself for a fight.
"I'm getting you off this damn mountain, so I don't have to look at your face for a second longer than necessary. Keep up or die," she said as she headed down a different tunnel.
I gathered up the guns and her jar of counting rocks before running to catch up with her. She was setting a fast pace and I was glad. I didn't worry about the daylight. If the James' were hunting us they would be out at night, not during the day. At least that was what I was hoping since I wanted out of here so badly.
We trudged through the tunnels for over an hour when she finally turned to look at me. "We're going to come out in the trees across from the school. You can run to the general store and use the phone, if there is service. If not, go to the church and wait for help, the James family won't look there."
"What are you going to do?" I asked and felt my stomach threaten to empty. We had a fight, but I didn't want it to cost me our relationship. I still wanted her, but more importantly I still wanted her to want me.
She chuckled and shook her head, "Why Mr. Cullen, I'm a married woman, I'm going home of course."
"Don't do this Bella, we are both really stressed right now. I'm sorry for the things I said, come with me, please."
"We were never going to work and you know it," she said as tears filled her eyes.
I sat my stuff down and took hold of her hands before leaning to look directly into her eyes, "I love you, Bella Swan. I don't want to live without you. We had a fight, that's all."
"I need the pills, Edward," she said as tears fell down her cheeks.
"Right now you do, but we'll fix it, I promise."
"So what do you want to do?" she asked softly.
"Let's go call for help and get some food. If the coast is clear we can go by my cabin and get fresh clothes and shower."
She nodded and turned around to lead me away, but I caught her in my arms and pulled her back to me. I ran my finger down her cheek and pushed her damp hair out of my way before kissing her softly. She relaxed into me and her hands slowly rose along my arms until they were holding me, too. I had to force myself to let her go and pray we had forever to finish what we started.
We climbed out of a narrow passage way into the dark forest. I handed Bella the hand gun and I raised the shotgun before creeping forward toward the tree line. We could see a man sitting on my porch and jumped back behind some trees.
I raised the scope of the gun and looked at one of the James boys sitting with his eyes closed. I motioned for Bella to keep going and we moved closer toward the buildings.
The sound of a vehicle sent us back behind a tree and I watched as my own jeep pulled in front of the cabin. A woman got out just as Bella and I both said, "Leah."
I felt my pocket and could feel my keys still there, so they must have hot wired my jeep. I watched them both enter the cabin and saw the blinds were closed. I motioned for Bella to follow me and we stayed low as we headed toward the jeep. I opened Bella's door and traded guns with her before going to my side.
Bella slid low in the seat and I closed my eyes as I turned on the key. The engine roared to life and I backed up just as the door flew open. I kept driving backwards toward the main road and spun us around in the right direction when I saw nobody was following us.
We were laughing hysterically as I sped down the mountain. I was so hungry and thirsty and I couldn't wait to stop at the small gas station off the main road. I glanced at the gas tank to see I was almost on empty, but we were headed down hill and I felt we would make it.
"Listen," I said to Bella, "When I stop for gas you take my card and give it to the clerk, then grab some clean shirts for us to change into, along with water bottles and any food you can grab. We have five minutes top, okay?"
"Okay," she said softly. "Can I have a pill?"
I glanced at her to see if she was joking and noticed the beads of sweat on her lip. I nodded and said, "When we stop, I'll get you one." I didn't want her to see where I was keeping them and I planned on flushing them when we got to a hotel on our way to Chicago.
I felt the jeep sputter as I rounded the corner of the small station. I let out a rush of air and felt our luck was finally changing. I threw the card to Bella as I jumped out to pump the gas. She was moving a bit slower and I headed inside to help her get all the stuff we needed.
I began tossing the stuff onto the counter as the clerk slowly lifted each item one at a time to place in a bag. "We don't need a bag," I said and began piling the items up in Bella's arm. "I'm in a big hurry, please," I begged, but the man moved even slower.
"Get in the Jeep," I told Bella as I waited to sign the credit card slip. I watched her anxiously as she climbed in the vehicle. I signed the slip and ran without waiting for a copy. I put the nozzle away and jumped back in to drive.
"Can I have a pill," she asked again.
"Let me get out of here first," I said and took off out of the small station. I drove quickly as I kept watching my rear view mirror for any signs of the James' truck. When we got past all the turns and headed down the straightaway I pulled off my dirty shirt and held my hand out for the clean one.
"I want my pill first," Bella said in anger. I stared at her in disbelief. We were running for our lives and all she cared about was staying high. I pulled off the side of the road and got out to dig around in my sock for the small baggie. I got back in the Jeep and handed her the small pill.
"This is the last one, Bella, I threw the rest away," I lied to her.
She took it from my hand and opened a water bottle and drank it down before handing the bottle to me. I guzzled most of it before giving it back, but she pushed it away and opened a second one for me.
We changed our shirts and ate some food once we truly believed we were free. As soon as I got cell coverage I called Alice. Jasper answered and was stunned to hear I had Bella with me. He told me Emmett and Rosalie, were still at the hospital, since her baby had a few problems, but was doing much better.
I was so grateful for Alice insisting they go to the hospital. I would not have been able to face a funeral right now. I asked him to make sure I still had the room I rented and began counting the moments until I could take a fresh shower.
As soon as we pulled into the city I stopped at a large retailer for a change of clothes for both of us. We got clean underwear, something to sleep in, and fresh clothes for the next day. I knew I was going to have to stay put for a bit, until I got Bella clean again, but I would worry about that later.
I asked her if she wanted some food from a fast food drive thru but she just smiled and said, "I'm not hungry."
I swallowed deeply and began preparing myself mentally for the fight we had coming. I had to keep the pills in case she began having seizures and needed to come off them slowly, but she didn't know that. I hoped that sometime in the next thirty-six hours I could be rid of them forever.
21
We got to our room and headed right for the shower. It was such an amazing feeling to finally be clean, I doubted I would ever be able to take it for granted again. The dirt and sulfur circled its way down the drain and I felt I could take on anything.
I dressed in just boxers and a t-shirt while Bella wore just a tank and some panties. I drank another two bottles of water and fell onto the bed with exhaustion. Bella climbed up and straddled me as she began massaging my back. I winced a couple of times when my sore ribs couldn't take the pressure but she soon put me to sleep.
I woke up to a dark room and felt the bed for any sign of Bella, it was empty so I got up and turned on a light. She was sitting against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest and staring at the other side of the room.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, and she didn't respond.
I knelt in front of her and could see the glassy daze of her eyes I had grown to understand. "Shit," I yelled and grabbed a bottle of water and began forcing her to swallow large gulps. She gagged and finally vomited a bit. I pulled her into the bathroom and put her in the tub as I continued putting my finger down her throat.
When she finally became coherent enough to try and push me away I stopped and grabbed some crackers and began forcing those into her. She would eat a few and I would give her a drink and then force her to vomit. We did this for close to an hour before she finally looked at me with tears and asked me to stop.
I sat back against the tiled bathroom wall and began to cry. I was emotionally done. I couldn't do this anymore and I knew I needed help. Bella was crying in the tub as she laid her head against the porcelain rim. "Oh God," I said into the air.
She turned to look at me and I had to turn away. I didn't want those eyes seared into my memory. It wasn't the Bella I knew and I wanted this version of her out of my mind forever. "Bella, I give up. This is my limit and I have nothing left to fight with. I'm going to call my parents for help. If you want to be with me I'll pay for rehab, if not, you're free to go back to the mountain."
She turned away and let her head fall back against the wall as I stood and walked from the room. I picked up the phone and called home. My father answered and I could tell I woke him up. I didn't even bother looking at the time. I said in between sobs, "Dad, I need you."
Bella fell asleep in the tub, when I lifted her out and put her in the bed, she only stirred for a moment. I sat against the bed frame and waited for my parents to come save me.
Early the next morning Alice and Jasper came by. I could tell by the look on their faces they were shocked to see the condition me and Bella were in. "Do you need some ice?" Alice asked for my face.
"No," I said without any emotion and sat on the floor with my back against the door.
"Is Bella okay?" she asked and walked over to the bed.
"No, Bella is not okay, Bella is far from okay. I thought the mountain imprisoned her, but I did."
Jasper walked over and sat next to me, surely afraid I was out of my mind. "How did you get her away?" he asked, reminding me of a totally other situation I had put her in.
I dropped my head into my hands and tried to hide my tears. He slowly put his arm around my shoulder and I felt the sobs I had been working so hard to contain break free from my chest. I cried out all the fear and pain I had from the last couple of days.
I felt soft hands on my face and Bella pulled my head up to look at her. Her own pain was present in her eyes, which were circled with darks shadows. "No," she whispered, "No tears for me, okay?"
I pulled her into my arms and held on tightly. Alice joined us on the floor and all four of us huddled together as we cried. Once all the emotion was out we stood and sat in various places around the room. "How's the baby?" I asked.
"Better," Alice smiled softly. "I can tell Emmett is worried about his house and things."
"Oh, tell him I broke into his gun cabinet, but I still have everything I took."
"Did you shoot anyone?" Alice asked, and I laughed.
"I most likely didn't even have them loaded correctly," I admitted.
"What are you two going to do now?" Jasper asked and I glanced at Bella. She didn't return my gaze so I only shrugged.
"I promised Emmett a job in Chicago, so tell him it is still his if he wants it. My parents are coming so he can meet with my father."
Bella finally looked at me and I could tell the news surprised her. I locked eyes with her and said, "I can't handle this alone."
She nodded and looked away. We chatted for a few minutes and they finally left to check on the baby. It was less than an hour after we showered and dressed when another knock came on the door. I opened it to the most amazing sight I had ever seen. My parents were standing there, strong and united, to piece me back together.
I fell into their arms and let the burdens I had been carrying shift onto their capable shoulders. My mother gasped at the sight of my bruised face but kept her composure for my sake. I could hear Bella softly crying so my mother moved to where she sat and hugged her like a daughter.
"What happened?" my mother asked with a stunned voice.
I shook my head, emotionally incapable of repeating the story so Bella offered. "We can't go back to the mountain because of my involvement with Edward. But we can't go back to the city because of my pills. We have no place to go."
I took a deep breath and said, "Bella, you're coming home with me. We have a place to go, but I need to get you help."
Tears fell from her eyes and she whispered, "I want you to help me, like you did before."
"I can't," I said being honest and feeling incredibly weak. "Bella is going to begin having withdrawals. I don't know how many pills she took, but we need to take her somewhere to get professional help," I explained to my father.
He looked over at her and smiled softly. "Let's take her to the hospital and when she's ready, we'll go home."
We all stood and I put my arm around her as I led her to my Jeep. I followed my father to a local hospital and held Bella in my arms as we got her admitted. I was asked several times about my own injuries, but I lied and told them I had already been checked out by a physician.
I called Jasper and found Rose was in the same hospital so we made plans to meet in the cafeteria for lunch. I introduced them to my parents and shared what had happened. My mother sat in absolute horror and I felt shame. I had let down so many people, but most of all the ones I loved.
"Mom, Dad, I know I failed and I know you are disappointed in me, but I need your support right now," I said with wet eyes. My mother jumped up and pulled me into her arms. She didn't speak because there was really nothing she could say. I was already beating myself up enough.
Jasper looked at Emmett and asked, "Are you going back?"
He sat quiet for a bit and finally said, "I know you don't understand our life, but it is the way we live. Bella had it a lot rougher than we did, but I can take care of my family."
"Really," I challenged him, "Because you would be dead at the bottom of a pit if Bella didn't save us."
"Well, I took one of theirs and it was only fair," he said with a shrug.
"Dad, Emmett is a great worker, he is dependable, strong, and good natured. Can you use a man like that?"
My father looked at the muscular man and smiled, "I can offer you a position and moving expenses."
I could see the look of relief come across Emmett's face and he nodded with emotion. I turned to Jasper and asked, "Are you going back?"
He took a deep breath and looked at his hands. "I'm not sure, and that really upsets me. I want my wife far from that place, but there are good people up there, too."
My name was called overhead and I startled. My first thought was for Bella's safety and I ran to the floor. I was met in the hallway by a doctor who asked me to follow him. After convincing him I did not need medical care he asked me to sit.
"Mr. Cullen, I spoke at length with Bella."
I was sure he was going to call me a predator or a sick man infatuated with a woman who was too childlike for a relationship, but that wasn't where the conversation was going.
"Bella is a survivor, she has been put in traumatic situations over and over again, only to find a way to cope. Her drug use was to cope with her surroundings. I've treated people who have been starved and develop eating obsessions. Her intelligence was used to survive on the mountain, when it failed to help her in Chicago, she found another way."
"Tell me what to do to help her. I can't deal with an addict, I need to know she is okay," I told him with a sick feeling inside.
"She needs a strong support system. People she feels comfortable confiding in and willing to help her work through things. You can't do everything for her, but be a resource she can turn to. I would keep her away from the modeling world."
"Absolutely," I said and he opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. "What?" I asked him.
"You need to press the availability of the pills with her," he said with an odd look.
"I hope they won't be available at all, at least that is what I plan to happen," I assured him.
"Maybe you need to look into where she got them in the first place," he said as he stood to leave.
I nodded and watched him walk out of the room. I headed to Bella's room and found her sleeping. She looked peaceful and beautiful. I understood why the James boys would want her so badly. I pulled the chair up to her bed and lay my head on the side of the mattress and fell asleep.
I was drooling on the covers when I felt soft fingers run through my hair. I sat up and rubbed my aching face with my hands before looking over at Bella. She smiled and I took her hand in mine and kissed it several times.
"Are you feeling better?" I asked her.
"Yeah, seems you're my hero, you did the right thing by making me vomit."
"Why did you take them? We were free and we were together," I asked her with sadness.
"Edward, I am so afraid. I see all the beautiful, smart women in the city, why would you want me?"
I shook my head and refused to answer her. If she couldn't feel my love in my touch or see it in my eyes, I had no way to convince her. I finally said, "You will never be afraid again, Bella. We're facing this together."
"I'll make you proud, I promise," she said in a whisper making me smile.
"When I grow up, I want to be as brave as you," I teased.
"How old are you?" she finally asked me.
"Twenty six," I said and watched her eyes grow wide.
"Man, you're old," she giggled. "When's your birthday?
"June."
"You were going to stay on the mountain until you were twenty-nine?" she asked with a disbelieving face.
"In my world that is still young," I told her.
"In my world that means something is wrong with you," she said with a loud laugh. It warmed my heart to hear her laugh and tease with me. It was the Bella I learned to love when we existed for only a month as the two of us.
"Emmett and Rosalie are moving to Chicago," I informed her and her smile grew larger.
"When can I get out of here?" she asked.
"Tomorrow," I sighed. "And we start our forever."
She moved over in the bed and I climbed onto the small mattress and held her to my chest. We were both falling asleep quickly but I forced myself to remain clear when I heard her say, "Edward Cullen, I love you."
"Bella Swan, I love you, too."
