I only own the plot:)


Carlisle's POV

I watched as Edward raced away from all of us. He'd never really been able to deal with lots of people any way and I was totally surprised that he'd coped with the crowd for as long as he did. I knew he was upset but this was something different than not wanting to be in a crowd. His eyes hadn't left Bella as she was being treated and he had gnawed on his thumb like nothing else and as the paramedics wheeled her out of the front door Alice walked over to him and he had reacted so strongly. His whispered words had panic seeping through my body. What the hell had happened to my son for him to react that way? I knew PTSD when I saw it and Edward had it in spades. Something had happened to that boy to screw him up inside and I really wanted to know what. I told the paramedics to go to the hospital ahead of me, I checked on Alice to see if Edward had hurt her- thankfully he hadn't, he'd just shaken her up- and then told them that Bella would be under surveillance and that it might take a while if they didn't want to sit around the hospital. I wasn't really surprised when they all shot me down saying they were going to the hospital, Rosalie and the Chief had followed the paramedics to the hospital, so Emmett, Jasper and a shaken Alice all piled into Emmett's jeep and raced down the drive way. I was going to have to warn Emmett again about driving like he was on a race track. I shook my head and then climbed the stairs to find my other son.

I found him sitting in the corner of his room. His knees curled up to his chest, his head resting on his knees and he was rocking and talking to himself. I felt shock rocket through me at the sight before me; Edward had always been a quiet child, and beside Emmett most children would seem quiet, but I hadn't picked up on his 'traits', for want of a better word, until he started school. He was more advanced than any child I'd ever met but Esme and I decided not to highlight the differences between Emmett and Edward because no parent wants to do that. The schools had other ideas, straight away he was pushed through classes and Emmett was left behind. I thought back on that now and I could see how Edward panicked about it but never said anything. I guess that's when everything started going to shit. When he got accepted to collage at fifteen Esme and I were so proud and he genuinely seemed to want to go, I guess that he felt it was easier on us if he wasn't around but that wasn't the case. It was then that we lost our boy and this alien child was put in his place. I blame myself, I know Esme blames herself and I also know Edward blames us, or he used to, I'm not so sure now.

I crossed the floor, slowly like you would approach a wounded animal that could rip your arm off, and crouched down in front of him. He ignored me and continued to rock but now that I was this close I could make out what he was saying and it brought tears to my eyes. He was sobbing "No, not again. It's not happening again, it'll all go away, it can't go away, I can't deal with this" over and over again all the while his eyes were scrunched so tightly closed that the lids were white with strain. I carefully reached out a hand and rubbed his back. The first touch made him jerk so hard that his head slammed into the wall with enough force to knock a painting loose. I couldn't handle seeing my son in that amount of pain; I wrapped my arms tightly around his shoulders and just started talking, stupid inane comments, anything to get him to come back from the dark place he was in.

It took nearly thirty minutes for Edward to return and even then he wasn't back, every second of those thirty minutes was branded on my psyche forever. He sobbed and cried, swore and hit out in violence but I remained holding him because that was all I could do as a parent. When the noise stopped and his body quietened I spoke softly saying "Edward, do you want to talk about what happened?" He raised his head and looked through me, not at me, his eyes were looking in my direction but he couldn't see me, he said simply "I need Jake." I nodded asking "How do I get a hold of Jake?" Edward robotically handed me his phone before curling up into a ball on the floor; his eyes closed and his breathing evened out, signalling he was asleep. I searched the phone's contacts with shaking hands and when I found 'Jake Cell' I connected the call and waited. It was as I waited for the call to connect that I thought about Edward's request and it bothered me slightly that this Jake person was needed more than I was. The person on the other end answered the phone with a "Ed, man, good to hear from you. Took your bitch ass long enough to call me." I cleared my throat nervously wondering if this person was romantically linked with my son, I decided it didn't matter and said "This isn't Edward, this is his father. There's been an accident and Edward is asking for you." The man on the other end of the phone said "Fuck! Seriously, one fucking week and already you've fucked him up. Dead fucking set, I told him it was a bad fucking idea. What the fuck have you done?" Although I was a little concerned about the language I was more pissed off that he assumed it was something we had done to Edward rather than what he had done but all I said was "We have done nothing. A friend of our daughters was here and she fell down the stairs and had to be taken away by the paramedics. Edward became extremely stressed and almost hit his sister. He raced up here to his room and I found him sitting in the corner muttering and rocking. I'm about to sedate him, I asked if he wanted to talk and all I could get out of him was 'need Jake; you're that Jake, yes?" The deep voice on the other end swore again with colourful fluency before saying dully "Yeah I'm that Jake. I'm telling you right now, I've only seen Edward go like that once and it took ages for him to recover. I've gotta organise a few things but I'll be there as soon as possible." I thanked him and ended the call.

I decided on sedating Edward because I didn't want him to hurt himself, or anyone else, while I was at work. I called Esme and told her what had happened and she sighed sadly saying "Carl, do you think we broke him?" I didn't know how to answer that so I just said goodbye and waited for her to get home. The second she did I left to find out how Bella was.

Bella's POV

I had never been so humiliated in all of my life. The Cullens' (minus Esme and Edward) my father and Rose and three quarters of the hospital staff were all taking turns exclaiming over my head x-ray. Emmett, smart ass Emmett, laughs and says "See Bells I told you there was a brain in there." I must have been feeling better because before I could stop myself I blurted "Yeah, I heard you were the only exception to the brainless rule." He pouted and sulked for five minutes after that. Now considering the fall I'd taken down the stairs and the fact my head hurt like a bitch, no-one was trying to keep their voices down, no they were all way to excited about my head x-ray. Apparently no-one had seen as many healed contusions and cracks in one persons' skull before and the minute they said that my dad was threatening to keep me looked up in bubble wrap. So I fell down heaps they all knew that so I didn't understand what the big deal was.

Apparently it was a big deal; a big enough deal that kept me in hospital for four days, in a hospital bed! I hate hospitals have hated them since my mum died. Nothing like that antiseptic covered urine/old age/illness smell, it made me gag but I was stuck there. Edward never came to visit and I didn't want to ask about him because that would open up way too many questions but from what they, Rose and Alice, had let slip he was dealing with a friend that had turned up out of the blue. I felt jealousy spread through me like a wild fire before they clarified that the friend was male. Alice laughed and said "Jeez Bella, overreact much. So this thing you feel for my brother, is it serious?" I blushed and said "Alice, we kissed, like, once. How serious do you want me to be?" I dropped my eyes because I couldn't lie, to anyone, and I knew they'd ferret out the truth if I didn't. Conversation swung back to other things and I was surprised to see that Rose and Alice were getting along a lot better than they had been.


Yep Bella is fine after her unscheduled trip but poor Edward not so much. Tanya's death and their screwed up relationship have marred him badly.

Please review, I love hearing (or reading lol) your feelings and thoughts on this story

Cherie

xxx