A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I really love to read each and one of them. Here's a quick - perhaps a bit short - chapter, but I hope it's still good.

I'd like to add to 2016 list my favourite serial: Baby Daddy

Enjoy reading!


Chapter 9

Incoming call
Edward

I stared at the name in shock. I couldn't remember putting his number in my phone. Did that happen during the black out?

Oh, this could not be good.

Several days had passed since Alice's heart attack and my report to the police. Work and strict studying helped me get through the days, but the nights were a different story. I couldn't prevent the nightmares. Most days I woke up exhausted and that didn't benefit during work. Friday, for example, I'd been the only cashier and we missed $50 dollars. Yesterday, the same thing happened and we missed another $50. Somehow, I'd miscalculated the exchange money to one of the customers without knowing. This happened to me perhaps maybe once, twice a year. But never two days in a row and that high of an amount of money.

I'd told both Mike and his father about my mistake. They were both rather surprised than angry, but that didn't take away my shame.

Friday I originally had an STD test, but I cancelled that. The police brought me to the hospital for several examinations. It took them four hours to follow some protocol and until I could go back home. The examinations included;

1. Signs of abuse.

2. Signs of rape.

3. Oral, vaginal and rectal examination.

4. STD test.

5. Pregnancy test.

6. Blood test.

7. They even made me talk to a psychiatrist.

I couldn't remember much of what she said or how I replied. She wanted to know how I felt. What did that have to do with anything?

Alice had given me a few calls and texts. I'd ignored them all. Not because I chose to be a bitch on purpose. I just couldn't handle one more death after my parents died. Alice would die if she didn't heal herself. And I wasn't the right person to help her with that. Neither was her family, but that wasn't my responsibility.

Jacob, however, was a different story. We texted back and forth. I told him everything. Jacob knew it all, because I chose to tell him. It was odd, speaking to him as if no time had passed between us.

As for Angela, Leah, Mike and Seth...I told them that Edward brought me home after I walked out of the cocktail bar. They believed me.

Exactly a week had passed since the one-night stand.

I'd been told nothing about the police whether I could or couldn't speak to him. I hadn't been told anything, really. As far as I knew, they'd forgotten about me.

A bad feeling struck me like lightning and I decided to pick up.

I did it, despite my better judgement.

"H-Hi," I said.

It was curt and quick. I wanted to keep this conversation just that; curt and quick.

"Hello," I heard, an equally curt and quick answer.

Nothing else. Nothing more. One hello and awkward silence. His voice was a lot more confident than mine.

I pressed my lips on each other.

Picking up the phone had been a bad idea after all.

When he finally decided to speak, the comment made no sense.

"Should I give you the benefit of the doubt?"

"What?" I exclaimed dumbly.

"Come on! I want to know why you told the police you thought you were..."

I swear I heard a groan, which sounded angry and frustrated.

The police had contacted him. I didn't know they'd do that.

It felt a lot like they'd gone behind my back.

"I found it," I said defensively. "I know what you did."

"What the hell are you talking about now?"

Curtly, I said, "Your. Criminal. Record."

Even though we were just on the phone, I felt a tension sharper than a knife. I was glad he didn't speak, because I needed a moment myself to find my voice back.

At some point I was certain he would come over and kill me. My heart pounded faster at the random thought. He wouldn't...would he?

Manslaughter...

He did it once.

"You looked me up?" he asked.

There was anger in his voice. But then he laughed.

"What's so funny?" I snapped with tears in my eyes. "You tried to fucking r-"

"You had no right looking into my criminal record! You believe you know everything about me now, huh?"

My hand went up and pressed my mouth shut.

For one, attempted rape was exactly what it meant. How dare he try to make up excuses for it? Nothing in the world could condemn such behaviour.

As for the second, I cursed.

I'm becoming my mother.

But I would never be the woman who killed herself over a lost love. Never. I would never be that weak.

My fingers pressed my phone tightly. The other was balled into a fist.

"Turned out to be a very good thing that I did. You won't get away with this."

I thought of an innocent girl, being assaulted, being killed, and almost raped, by Edward. Or maybe there were several people. I didn't know the entire situation, but I knew more than enough.

"Neither will you," he snapped.

What was that supposed to mean...?

"If you're saying what I think your insinuating..." I muttered.

Again, that laugh, only now it frightened me.

Manslaughter...

He could to it again.

"Sweetheart, you've lost. Quit whatever the fuck you're doing."

I exhaled loudly at the term of endearment. But that other thing he said weighed perhaps a bit more.

"Lost?" I repeated in a small voice.

This time, I heard a low chuckle.

"The police hasn't called you yet?" he asked with an obvious smile, because I could hear it in his voice.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why did you lie to the police?" he asked.

"I didn't! You should be put behind bars."

"If that's true, would you like to join cells? Last time I checked, falsely accusing a person to a police officer carries a form of penalty."

"If that's true, why am I still out on the streets instead of jail? Oh, let's see, maybe because I didn't lie!"

"Or maybe because the police believes that you're emotionally damaged. Did you know, even a mother that kills her own new-born is usually not sent to prison. Just the psychiatric hospital."

I had a dire need to scream at him.

"What?!" I asked. "Are you comparing me to a mother that killed her new-born child?"

"I'm saying I can't blame the mentally ill. Good luck."

"With what?"

"Life."

I put my phone down when I heard a beep, indicating the end of our call. He'd hung up.

I sent a text to Jacob. I did it in desperation.

- He called. He said I lost, but the police haven't even called me yet. What does that mean? How can a psycho work as a psychiatrist?! He should be fired! FIRED!

He never sent one back.


Monday the police called.

They said there were no signs of physical harm on my body. Upon checking if force was used, such as tender areas or bruises, non of those signs were there. The pelvic examination came out negative.

Since I had no recollection of the night, they took three samples; mouth, vagina and rectum. None were found with traces with of sperm of semen, indicating the condom was carefully used. Or that all signs were washed away during my shower.

They checked finger nail scrapings. Everything was clean.

Lastly came my blood test. Thankfully, I was cleared of any STD's. And any drugs related to date rape drugs. I hadn't been drugged.

The police found nothing and told me it was likely I'd mistaken something false for reality. They told me it didn't happen often, but it did happen.

If something, anything, was found, I could start a legal procedure. But what lawyer would help me with a blank sheet and a girl that had no memory of the night. The fragments which I did remember, weren't of any use either.

I lost.

Just like Edward said I did.


"I honestly don't mind, Mike," I said.

In the upcoming week that passed, I took more working hours and days to help me forget. I wanted to, because in five more days, I'd have to spend the dreadful Christmas Eve alone, crying and breaking apart. If I could make myself just very tired, maybe I could collapse that day into a long sleep and wake up on the 25th of December.

"Bella, you should go home! You look so exhausted-"

"I'm fine!" I said, pushing him away from the counter. "You need to get your but to your evening class."

"Bella, I-"

"It's okay," I said with a smile. "Honestly."

He shook his head.

"Have some coffee," he said weakly.

I'd been drinking coffee like a dried-up person would drink water under the flaming sun.

As I was almost about the close the shop, I recognized Angela by her dark hair. She glanced around nervously.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hey."

"How are you?"

"Alright. You?"

"Same. I...haven't seen you in weeks."

I nodded.

"Do you think maybe we could...hang? Unless you're busy, of course."

I carefully nodded and offered her a smile.

"I'm almost finished. What would you like? Coffee, cappuccino...?"

"I could really do with hot chocolate."

"And marshmallows. Don't forget those."

She smiled and walked around the counter, giving me a tight hug.

"I've missed you, Bella. I'm sorry for-"

"I know," I said quickly. "Me too."

"Truly," she said, pulling away. "Are you alright? What on earth is this bruise beside your eye? And you look like you haven't slept in days..."

"Oh," I said, surprised she could even see the bruise. "Some guy, or actually, you now him, Dr. Cullen. He bumped into me, but he didn't even see me. It was very crowded and I suppose his elbow hit my face."

She looked at me with wide eyes, clearly confused.

"Do you have time?" I asked with tears in my eyes. "It's a very tall story."

"As much as you need."

We sat in the closed café, both with a hot chocolate in. I'd placed all the pastries in front of us, which were too many.

"I lied," I started. "When I said that Edward drove me home."

I told her everything, from the moment I left our table angrily to Jacob until my last phone call with the police.

Angela listened quietly, but often she wiped away tears.

"I can't believe you went through all that without telling me! I would've been there for you. I would've given you support. But it's alright. I'm glad you told me now."

"I thought, if I don't say it, I might be able to..."

"Forget it?" she offered.

"Yeah," I sighed. "But that's not how it works, is it?"

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"I haven't given Edward much thought, except that I can't understand how it can be so messed up that the police let's him walk away. But I also can understand because what's a case with no evidence? They checked my body, my blood, my insides, everything... My body was clean. I get the police, but..."

I shrugged, unable to make something out of it.

"I don't understand either," she said. "Could it be that he didn't rape you?"

I never thought about that.

"It could be," I said. "I don't know, Angela. It's too much to bear, you know? Because he did almost do it once, to another girl."

"Could you ask him?" she said.

"About the details of the event? No, no. Absolutely not. I can't. Let's switch subject."

Before I went mad.

Angela looked away briefly, then asked, "Have you heard from Alice?"

"Some, but not for a while now, no. It's not that I want to push her away, but...she died, briefly. I was so scared."

"I understand. It was very brave of you, to resuscitate her. Not many people have that capacity in them."

Angela was the second to call me brave for what I did.

I couldn't see any bravery in it. I did it, because if I didn't do anything, she'd die for sure. I was petrified. I was that much in shock, that I didn't even hear the ambulance arrive or any other sound for that matter. I'd been caught up in that moment, almost lost, just like my mother was lost in her own world.

I didn't want to become my mother. I wondered if the universe allowed children to not become their parents.

"Thanks for coming over, Angela."

"Thanks for having me."

"Would you mind...not telling the others about this? It's just-"

"No need to explain, Bella. I won't spread the word. Promise."

She helped me clean up the last things.

"How's Mike?" she asked.

"He's good. He had his evening class today."

"Yes, he's taking a management course. It's his fifth now. He has an exam in three weeks."

I stopped cleaning and really looked at Angela for the first time. Especially when she spoke like that. Even I didn't know that much detail about Mike.

"Oh, really?" I asked, trying to see if she would continue.

"Yes, he wants to take over the business someday, but has plans to expand the business. It takes some knowledge, and evening classes are the best to combine with his morning and afternoon shifts."

I couldn't stop my smile as I saw for the first time something that was obviously there.

"What is it?" she asked when she saw my grin.

"You like Mike."

"What?" she shrieked. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You like him," I said. "You know more about him than he probably does."

Her cheeks turned red and she turned her back to me.

"It's okay, though. Mike's a great guy."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Does he like you as well?"

"I don't know, but I..."

She took a deep breath and turned back around.

"I thought, maybe there's something going on between him and you?"

"Mike and me?" I asked with a laugh. "No. Double no. Triple no. He's like my brother."

"I always had a feeling he liked you a little, but maybe I'm wrong."

I really hoped she was wrong. I wasn't in the mood to reject a guy, especially a colleague.

We parted ways and I arrived home. After a shower, I glanced at my clean face. Without make-up, my face seemed even more tired and unwell. There were dark spots under my eyes. The bruise on my temple was fading, as was the one on my shoulder. As it faded, I felt like I could finally move past the one-night stand and everything that followed that.