A/N: I own nothing!
/
He had only just begun to fall asleep, when her terrified screams filled the air. It took him all of seven seconds to jump out of bed and run across the hall to her room when he got there, she was no where to be found.
"Belle? Belle!" He shouted, his heart in his throat. Someone's taken her! He panicked internally. He was about to run into the hallway to call the police, when another scream rang out from inside the room. He looked around as the screams grew louder and closer together. "Belle!"
After a minute, he was able to figure out where the screams were coming from. Getting down on his hands and knees he peered under the bed to see her terrified eyes peering out at him. "Belle?" He whispered, laying flat on his stomach and reaching his hand out to her. "What are you doing down here darling? Come on out."
"No! Please..." She whimpered scooting further from him. "Someone might find me." Rumforde looked around the room.
"No one will find you Belle." He promised her.
"You found me."
"Well that's because you were screaming." He pointed out with a small wink. Belle bit her lip and averted her gaze.
"I'm sorry I woke you." She apologized, here eyes downcast and saddened.
"You didn't wake me darling." He lied, as he tried to take her hand again. "Now would you please come on out? It can't be very comfortable under there."
Belle thought for a moment before letting him pull her gently from under the bed. "Can I sleep on the balcony?" She asked pointing out the window.
"No Belle, I'm afraid not." He sighed as he straightened her bed up. At her small pout he quickly continued, "It's much too cold outside, and you're still recovering. Maybe in the Spring."
"I just don't want to be inside anymore." The girl said, wandering over to the window and staring out into the night sky. "I feel like I'm missing so much." Rumforde watched her for a moment, saddened once again by everything she's been deprived of, when something occurred to him.
"Hey, I have something to show you." He gestured for her to follow him as he walked briskly into the hall.
He walked down the staircase, keeping one eye over his shoulder to make sure she navigated the steps alright. "Just through here!" He gestured the grand hallway that led them towards the back of the house.
When they reached the end, they came to a large sunroom. The walls and nearly the entire ceiling were made up of windows. Multiple shelves stuffed with books and knick-knacks aligned the walls as well as a couple of roll top desks and overstuffed chairs. A fireplace was embedded in the only regular wall and a plush futon was against the far windows. Bae had brought it home when he was in college. He liked to lay on it as he studied, he said the stars and the sounds of the crickets helped him focus.
"You can make this your room if you'd like." He offered, pulling a lever to crank the futon into the flat position. "I can get you a new, bed tomorrow and we can get some of the clutter out." He went through an adjoining door to show her that the room came with a full bathroom.
"I love it." Belle whispered, looking around in awe. "Just as it is." She sat on the futon and bounced up and down a couple of times with a small giggle.
"I'm glad." He couldn't contain the smile that lit up his face. "And perhaps tomorrow we'll take a walk around the grounds, and explore the garden and see what can be done to get it up to your standards." He paced around the room, making sure all of the windows were locked and secure.
"Dr. Gold?" Her soft voice stopped his movement.
"Yes dear?"
"Could you...could you stay with me?" She requested shyly. "Please? You-you make me feel so safe." She played with the end of her nightshirt anxiously.
Unable to say no to her, Gold nodded quickly. "Of course sweetheart. I'd be happy to!" He turned off the light and sat on the edge of the bed as she tucked herself under the covers. "All cozy?" He murmured, fluffing the pillow around her head.
"Yes." She smiled sweetly up at him. "Aren't you going to lay down too?" She took his hand in hers, catching him off guard.
"Um...Sure." He slid under the comforter next to her, all the while keeping a hold of her hand.
"Goodnight Dr. Gold."
"You don't need to call me that anymore Belle. You're no longer a patient." He reminded her.
"I'm not?"
"No dear. I'm of course here to help you, should you ever need someone to talk to. But I'm here as a friend now." He scooted slightly closer to her.
"Well...what should I call you?" She said after a few moments of silence. She turned onto her side to look at him. Only the periwinkle moonlight illuminated them.
"Rumforde is fine." He turned his head to watch for a reaction. He was pleased when a tiny smile adorned her lips.
"That's a lovely name." She whispered as she stifled a yawn. "Goodnight Rumforde." Her eyes slid shut as sleep began to overtake her.
"Goodnight Belle." He kissed her forehead as he too dozed off.
/
He awoke to the sunlight streaming down on him and the sounds of birds filling his ears. With a small groan he sat up and looked around. After a moment, he realized where he was. He remembered bringing Belle to her new room. He remembered falling asleep with her in his arms. But when he looked beside him, she was nowhere to be found.
"Belle?" He called as scrambled out of bed. His voice was rough with sleep as he called her name repeatedly while checking the ensuite bathroom and looking out the windows to make sure she wasn't exploring the courtyard that the back doors led to.
He was just heading out into the hall when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. One was loud and cheery enough to be Mrs. Potts, the other had a deep rumble to it. He quickly surmised that this one belonged to Bae.
As he drew nearer, he heard his Belle's soft laugh, and relief swept over him.
He pushed the swinging door and entered the room to see his son and Belle sitting on stools at the island while Mrs. Potts was working at the stove. He couldn't help but smile when he saw his once traumatized and tortured patient, giggling and talking as though she were finally a part of a family.
"Good morning." He greeted breathlessly, limping over to the trio. "Good to see you son." He clamped his hand down on Neal's shoulder.
"Likewise." The younger Gold nodded to him as he nibbled on one of Mrs. Potts' famous biscuits.
"Milton's out with a cold so I decided to try my hand at cooking this morning." Potts informed her employer, who nodded approvingly.
"Did you sleep alright?" Rumforde asked Belle as he pulled up a stool next to her. Belle nodded and took a bite of her breakfast. Gold looked into her bowl and scowled.
"Why is she eating this gruel?" He demanded, picking the dish up and handing it to Potts.
thrust the bowl back at him.
"I-I like oatmeal." Belle murmured, taking her breakfast from him and taking another hesitant bite. "It's easier to keep down." She looked as though she was waiting to be punished for her choice.
"Well, if that's what you want then you'll have it every morning." Rum smiled gently at her, brushing her hair back from her face as she resumed eating. "Now, I'm going to talk to Bae in my study, will you be okay staying with Mrs. Potts until we're through?" He waited for her to give him a nod, before gesturing for his son to leave with him.
/
"Sweet girl." Neal observed as they entered the study. "I'm assuming she's who this meeting is about."
Gold nodded, "She was wrongfully institutionalized." He said, picking Belle's thick chart up from his desk and handing it to his son. "This is just from the six months I've been treating her."
"How long has she been there?"
"In May it would have been six years." Gold informed him as he dug another file from his briefcase. "She was brought in when she was barely thirteen. I don't know by whom and I've yet to figure out why, but she was treated the way most homicidal maniacs wouldn't be treated."
He handed the second chart to Neal who hesitantly took it and read it over. "Shock Therapy?" He said after reading for a few moments. "Raw Shock Therapy? That can't be right."
"Unfortunately it is." Gold sighed, sitting on the edge of his desk. "She suffered through it more than two hundred times in five years. She should be dead, if not brain damaged, but mentally she's fine."
"As in there's been no neurological damage?"
"No, she's the picture of mental health." Gold shook his head and chuckled mirthlessly. "She was tortured for years for seemingly nothing!"
"And you think it's at the hand of Director Mills?" Neal concluded, closing the file.
"Aye" Gold nodded solemnly.
"And you had Miss. French released?"
"I felt she was in danger there." Rumforde explained himself as he began to pace the room. "Last week Belle left hospital grounds to search for me, you'll see it all in her file. She got very sick and had to be hospitalized. Last night Director Mills punished her with an ice bath the moment I left. I will not make the mistake of leaving her alone again."
"You're fond of her." It wasn't a question. It was an observation.
Gold nodded without hesitation. "She's remarkable girl." He said. "She makes me feel things a Doctor should never feel for a patient. So I had her released from the hospital, and Dr. Blanchard will be doing weekly visits to treat her for the damage that Regina's torture has done."
"You do know that even so it's quite unethical." Bae reminded him.
"You can't help who you love Bae." Gold sighed after the admission. "Now, will you help me?"
"Of course I'll help you." Neal replied without hesitation. "What has been done to Belle is outrageous and I want to make sure it gets done to no one else."
"That's my boy." Rum patted his back and led him from the room.
"I'll stop by after court tonight." Neal said, placing the files in his briefcase. "I'm going to need a statement from Belle."
"Of course, I'll let her know." Rumforde nodded. "See you tonight son. Thank you." The younger man smiled softly at him before leaving.
"Dr. Gold!" Her voice rang out as soon as the front door closed. Gold smiled brightly at her as she half-skipped, half-ran over to him. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is perfect my Belle." He assured her as he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her on the crown. "Everything is perfect."
