A/N: This story is coming together again! Please let me know what you think!
Chapter 9
In the moments after that voice rang out, you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Rosalie stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the ground below her balcony, like a fish out of water. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, the rhythmic pounding of blood threatening to overtake me.
The silence only lasted a moment.
From outside the bedroom door came a clamor of curses, shouting, and banging as almost every door on the landing flew open. Rosalie's door didn't stay shut long as Emmett, red-faced and irate, came storming in, scanning the room.
"Come with me," he said urgently, crossing the floor in four great strides. He took hold of the IV pole, rolling it forward. "Bella, let's go."
"How did he get here?" I asked, not meaning to sound as frightened as I did. Emmett glanced down sympathetically, shaking his head.
"No idea."
"Stay upstairs, all of you," said Carlisle, emerging on the stairs from the upper floor as he tied a bathrobe over his pyjamas. "I don't know what's going on, but I plan to find out."
"He can't be here," I said in a gasp, knowing very well that I was close to my breaking point. "He can't be…"
"I know," said Jasper gently, a deep frown on his face as he crept over. "It'll be okay, Bella."
I couldn't reply, but listened carefully to the noise downstairs.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," came Carlisle's cold, stern voice. "You have no business here."
"The hell I don't!" came Charlie's angry, booming voice. "That's my kid, and I want her back."
"Step away from my house," said Carlisle.
"Give me my daughter."
"Your daughter," Carlisle hissed the word, "is asleep upstairs. Safe."
"Do I look like I care if she's sleeping?" said Charlie mockingly. "Send her down here right now, or I'll go and get her myself."
"This isn't your jurisdiction," laughed Carlisle. "You have no power here."
"Try me," came Charlie's dark reply. I felt my knees shake.
"I don't want to go with him," I said desperately, clinging to Emmett's hand. He shook his head, saying nothing as we continued to listen.
"You have no business here. My wife and I are being granted temporary custody in the morning, and your daughter needs rest."
"Ah, but it's not morning, is it?" asked Charlie mockingly, and I could almost see the defiant smirk on his face. "You've got no leg to stand on. I made bail this morning, and I have every right to see my kid. Innocent until proven guilty, right?"
"Get off of my porch," snapped Carlisle. "Esme, call the police!"
Esme's scampering feet could be heard on the floor below, frantically searching for the phone.
"Isabella!" shouted Charlie, and I flinched back. "Isabella!" Emmett, losing his temper, ushered me over to Jasper and stormed down the stairs.
"Get out of here!" he roared, and I felt hot tears stream down my face. Carlisle's voice, pleading with Emmett to be reasonable, could barely be heard over the din.
"Get her back in my room," said Rosalie, appearing behind us. Jasper jumped in surprise at the proximity of her voice, but ushered me along anyways.
"Sit down, Bella," he said quickly, urging me onto a stool. "Just try and relax."
He seemed to notice that I was panicking.
"You won't have to go with him," said Jasper quietly, kneeling down to my level. "Carlisle won't let him in the house..."
"Isabella!" The shouting was louder now, and I clamped my eyes shut.
"Yes, he's come inside," came Esme's frantic voice from the floor below. "We've asked him to leave. His daughter…"
Both Jasper and I wheeled around to the doorway, me in total shock and him in horror.
"Isabella!" His voice was coming from the upper hallway now.
"Be quiet," hissed Rose, rushing over to flick the bedroom lock. Both Jasper and I cringed at the noise it made and Rose stopped dead, listening with wide eyes. Maybe he hadn't heard it...
Booming footsteps stormed over, as if in defiance of my hopes, and the doorknob shook.
"Open this door, Bella," said Charlie's dark voice. "Come on, now. You know you can't fool me."
"Fuck off!" shouted Rose, flushing, and I looked up in horror. "This isn't Bella's room, it's mine."
"Ah, the lovely Rosalie," said Charlie in his most charming voice. "Open this door."
"You leave those girls alone!" came Esme's voice, and Charlie laughed.
"I'm not after anyone but my kid," said Charlie easily. "Isabella!"
The doorknob rattled again, and three booming knocks sounded out.
"The police are on their way!" shouted Esme. "Rosalie, do not open that door!"
"Gladly, Esme," said Rose easily, standing with her arms crossed and hip cocked. How she could be so confident in the face of Charlie was beyond me. Charlie kicked the door and she didn't even flinch.
"I've got proof of custody!" shouted Charlie, sounding enraged. "Right here! See?"
"Null and void come morning," said Carlisle vehemently. "Leave that girl alone."
Charlie responded with another kick to the door, followed by more pounding. The door shook ominously. My white-knuckled grip on Jasper's arm tightened, but if it was hurting him, he didn't say anything.
"Here," whispered Jasper gently, reaching over and disconnecting the IV tubing from my hand. "Just in case…"
"In case?" I said, my voice carrying. "In case of what, Jasper?"
"Easy, Bella," he said, trying his best to keep me silent. "Try to be quiet..."
"Isabella!" Charlie's roar was louder than ever, and I cringed back, shaking my head. He kicked the door again.
"Get away from that door!" shouted Carlisle, sounding just as close as Charlie. "Don't you dare— argh!"
It sounded as if Charlie had struck out at Carlisle, and he had definitely hit his mark. I stifled a cry, and Jasper leapt up.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said darkly, moving towards the door. To my horror, he flicked the lock and swung it open, coming face-to-face with our angry father. Carlisle, holding his bleeding nose, moved quickly towards us, but was too slow— before he could reach us, Charlie had shoved Jasper aside and stepped through the door. His dark, gleaming eyes fell on me.
"Get over here right now," he snarled, and my whole body froze as he reached down to grip my wrist. "What lies have you been telling about me, huh?"
"Nothing," I said honestly. "I didn't lie."
"Get in the car," he snarled, marching me bodily through the door. Looking up I could see the dark bruise on his jaw from where Emmett had struck him earlier in the week. Charlie's grip on me was firm and unforgiving, and even if I had tried to escape him, it would have been futile.
Emmett's shouting grew louder and louder as he gripped my other arm, careful of the needle in my hand, pulling me back.
"Let her go, dad," he said, and his voice, while angry, had lost most of its volume. "I swear to god, if you hurt her…"
Charlie kept quiet, swatting Emmett away. Emmett tried instead to pry Charlie's fingers off of my arm, but could not get his grip to budge.
"I swear to god…" said Emmett again, this time with more volume. As Charlie pulled open the Cullen's front door, my wits returned to me and I grabbed at my brother, holding on to his shirt.
"Don't make me go," I pleaded, ignoring Charlie as he tugged my arm again. "I can't go back."
"Let that child go at once!" said Carlisle, anger seeping into every word. He was down the stairs like a shot. "Esme, how long?"
"Five minutes," said Esme desperately, clutching the phone to her ear. "They're coming as fast as they can."
Charlie pushed me forwards out of the front door and tore me away from Emmett as Jasper came spilling into the foyer. Carlisle was the one who rushed past Emmett, wearing a look of intense anger that did not at all suit him.
"Bella, do not get in that car," he said firmly, marching after us through the damp, dewy grass. Charlie began to pull me even faster towards his waiting vehicle, ignoring my protests.
"Let me go!" I shouted, wiggling frantically to escape his grip. Like the night when I'd yelled too loudly, he grunted and tried to force me to go where he wanted me, but I resisted.
The faint sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.
"Get in that car!" barked Charlie angrily, and by this time, everyone was outside. My hands hit the back door of the car, and I pushed back against him as he scrabbled around me, trying to get the door open. Emmett came running out onto the lawn, shouting angrily, but I could not make out his words as I focused all my energy on fighting back. Nothing registered in my mind but trying to keep myself out of this car at all costs.
I would not let him take me. Not again.
Carlisle was shouting, Esme was crying, Jasper was running out of the door to join our brother, Rosalie was staring out from her balcony on the second floor…
The car door opened, and I struggled even harder against Charlie's pushing hands.
The grass was wet under my feet.
The car was cold and dirty.
Charlie's angry curses were mute to my ears, which were filled instead with the rhythmic pounding of blood that always accompanied my panic.
Carlisle, nose still bleeding, was beside us now, trying his best to make Charlie unhand me. Both shouted at each other, Charlie's free hand shoving Carlisle back as he opened the car door.
I could barely hear my own cries over the sound of the pounding in my ears, and only when I felt my head hit the top of the car door did I falter. The resounding crack made even Carlisle jump, reaching out for my hand, and that was the last thing I saw before a rush of blood flooded down my face. The whole of my head felt like it had been split open, and I wondered for a brief moment whether I was going to be sick. In my moment of weakness, Charlie's hands shoved me hard on the back, and I fell face first into the backseat. The cruiser smelled like alcohol and sweat—the scent of the numerous criminals who had been transported back here. I couldn't focus on the raucous noise outside.
My head was spinning. I could barely hear the sounds of shouting and even louder sirens over the pounding in my ears. I turned my head slowly and caught a brief sight of Carlisle pounding his fist on the window in front of me, and saw Charlie reach the other side of the car, pushing him roughly away...
A flash of brown hair that I immediately associated with Emmett flashed in the windshield, and I heard a muffled bang. The car shook.
I closed my eyes, trying with all my might to keep myself in the present. My head was killing me. My face was sticky.
The sirens were right next to us now.
"Bella!" A wash of cold air flooded over me and I felt wind on my back. I shifted uncomfortably and tried to raise my head, immediately falling back down when the dizziness set in.
"Can we get the doctor over here?" called an unfamiliar voice, and my eyes snapped open again. A young, blue-uniformed police officer was crouching next to me, looking anxious and uncomfortable.
"I don't wanna go," I said, and the man's brow furrowed. My voice sounded slurred and stunted, and he reached down to brush my hair out of my eyes.
"You're safe now, sweetheart," he said gently, and my brain worked hard to process what he was trying to say. The man frowned intently at me, glancing over his shoulder. I couldn't make out his words.
"Let me through," came Carlisle's voice. I blinked hard as he helped me turn over, laying me flat on my back across the back seat of the car. "Can you hear me, Bella?"
"Mhm." I could barely think over this headache.
"That's a nasty cut," said Carlisle gently, speaking over his shoulder. "Can one of you boys get an ambulance up here?"
"Sure thing."
"Carlisle, what's going on?"
"Is she okay?"
"Esme, bring me a towel please." Carlisle's voice was growing muffled, and I closed my eyes.
"Don't," he warned, rubbing his knuckles painfully over my chest. It made me groan. "Wake up, Bella."
I forced my eyes open.
"You've hit your head pretty hard," he said gently. "We're going to take you down to the emergency room to get it checked out, but you can't sleep. Not yet."
"I don't want to…" My tongue felt puffy and thick.
"Hush now," said Carlisle, resting his hand on my forehead. I forced my eyes to focus on him.
"Charlie…"
"The officers have him under control," said Carlisle gently. "I promise he can't hurt you now."
"Where is he?" I demanded, my fear spiking again. My chest tightened. "Where did he go?"
"Just relax," said Carlisle forcing me to lie back as I struggled to sit up. "You're safe, I promise."
Jasper came forward, white-faced and holding an armful of towels. He passed one to Carlisle and stared disconcertingly at me, his lips pursed into a hard line.
"I'm fine," I said reflexively. His eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped before he blinked hard, keeping himself under control.
"You will be," I heard him say, and he turned away to let someone else through
I couldn't help but cry out as Carlisle pressed firmly on the top of my head, soaking the towel with blood. The pressure sent me reeling, and I couldn't fight the urge to be sick. My eyes closed again, and despite Carlisle's frantic hands rubbing painfully down the center my chest, I could not force them open.
It felt good to sleep.
When I came to, I was laying in a hospital gown on a gurney in a strange emergency room, the low sound of beeping filling my ears. My senses seemed to come back to me one by one—first sound, then smell, then sight. My ears registered the beeping, then the sound of low, hushed conversation. The scent of rubbing alcohol came next, and I wrinkled my nose in protest. This sent a flare of pain up through my scalp, and I groaned. There was excited shuffling next to me.
"Bella?" Emmett's voice, usually so noisy and boisterous, seemed subdued and uneasy.
"Hm…" I groaned, cracking my eyes open. The bright lights from the hospital fluorescents assaulted me and I had no choice but to snap them shut.
"Easy," said Emmett gently, and I felt his hand on my forehead. "You're alright, Bell. Just take it easy for a minute."
I tried again, this time prepared for the brightness, and squinted up at him.
"Where…?"
"The University Hospital," said Emmett quickly. "You're in the ER. Your head is stitched, and you just got back from a CT scan."
"Oh," I said, clearing my throat. My arm was connected to a new IV.
"For the pain," said Emmett gently, looking like he could use some pain relief himself. "You hit your head really hard."
"Charlie?" I gasped suddenly, struggling against the hand he used to hold me back.
"Hey, hey, hey…" he said quickly, looking frightened. "Take it easy. You're safe, and he's back in a cell."
"What…?" I began, trying to blink my confusion away. "Where…?"
"The police took him in for assault," said Emmett quietly. "He clocked Carlisle in the face and knocked you out cold. He won't make bail again, since he's proven violent."
"Where is he?" I asked stupidly, looking around once more.
Part of me expected him to come back through the door.
"He's in jail," repeated Emmett slowly, a worried frown on his face. "Are you alright, Bella?"
"Yeah…" I said slowly, shaking my head softly. That action was a huge mistake, as I felt the pain and pressure surge back all at once.
"I'm going to be sick," I warned, and Emmett was quick enough to snatch the trash can from the corner.
"Just take it easy," he said again, rubbing my back carefully. I knew this was not where he wanted to be—Emmett hated hospitals—but he never said one word about it.
"I want to go," I said thickly, trying to sit up. "Can I go?"
"Not quite yet," said Emmett gently. "You're still waiting to be released."
"I want to go," I said again, and to my dismay, my eyes flooded with tears.
"Ah, don't cry," said Emmett sadly. "Come on, Boo, relax."
"I want to go," I said again, embarrassed but unable to stop the flood of tears. "Please, let me go."
"I'll find a nurse," he vowed softly, hesitating only for a minute before he stood up and walked to the door of the room, glancing in both directions.
It was Carlisle, his nose bruised and swollen, who came inside, not a nurse.
"You're just waiting on some test results," said Carlisle softly, perching on the edge of my bed. "You hit your head very hard, and they're concerned about bleeding."
I sniffled loudly, and he offered me a tissue.
"We've got the temporary custody papers," said Carlisle softly, glancing at Emmett. "Social Services was called as soon as you were bussed in, so you'll be coming back home with us."
I didn't say anything, wondering what would happen now.
"Esme and I are more than willing to house you and feed you until everything is sorted out. You could apply for emancipation if you'd like, or not…"
I nodded briefly, collecting my wits.
"Thanks," I said. "I'll be sure not to be a nuisance."
"You're more than welcome. You won't be a bit of a bother, I promise you," he said, his eyes twinkling. Emmett laughed softly.
"You've never been a nuisance in all your life," he said, standing quickly when my other brother poked his head in.
"Your scans are back," he said softly, and from the look on the face of the nurse that followed him in, I got the impression that he'd been badgering them until they got it done. Jasper stood a little back from the bed, which was strange for him, but the nurse spoke before I could question him.
"Yes," said the nurse briskly, shooting Jasper an annoyed glance as she wheeled a backlit screen to the bedside. "Here we are."
She put the images up, and Carlisle nodded in understanding.
"No bleeding yet," she said softly. "We'd like to keep you under observation overnight as there is a minor skull fracture…"
"I want to go," I said, speaking up before anyone else could.
"You'd need to be well looked after," she said, eyebrows raised at Carlisle.
"You know she will be, Monica," said Carlisle gently. "I know the drill. I am a doctor, you know."
"Well, you've got some injuries that need looking after yourself, doc," said the nurse concernedly, glancing at Carlisle's bruised nose. "Are you sure you want to take her home just now?"
"If she's stable and she wants to go, I don't see why not," he said quickly. "We'll wake her every hour to make sure she's not suffering any complications, and at the slightest sign of deterioration, she'll be back in."
"Well…" said the nurse. "You'll have to talk to Doctor Gerandy so he can sign the discharge papers."
"We'll do that, thanks Monica," said Carlisle gently, standing up. "I'll go and find him right now," he said, talking to me.
"Okay." My tears would not stop.
"Are you in pain?" he asked gently, reaching out to press a hand to my brow. I shrugged him off, trying to get a hold of my emotions.
"I'm okay," I said softly, and Emmett snorted.
"Bullshit."
Carlisle just sighed.
Doctor Gerandy was easily located in his office, and after some stern words with Carlisle, my discharge papers were signed. As Carlisle was a physician, Gerandy felt comfortable releasing me into his care, even if he would have preferred me to remain overnight.
"Any sign of change, in anything, you bring her straight back. The fracture is mild, but if it's aggravated, it could still put pressure on her brain…"
"I'll take good care of her," promised Carlisle, offering me a smile. "Esme's already got everything under control at home."
"Just see that you do," said Doctor Gerandy sternly, looking long and hard at Carlisle.
"I promise."
When I got settled back in bed at the Cullen house, Rosalie was the first one through the door.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry," she gasped, taking in the unsightly bandage strapped to the top of my head. "I cannot even believe what happened…"
"I'm okay," I said gently, closing my eyes for a brief moment. "Really, Rose…"
"Oh bullshit," she intoned, sounding much like Emmett. "You are so not okay, so don't play it off like you are. You tell me everything you need right now, and I'll make sure you get it." I started at her vehemency.
"I'm fine for now," I squeaked, speaking the truth this time. "Really, I am." Her face was skeptical.
"Okay," she conceded after a long, scrutinizing moment. "But just call out if you need anything. I mean it. Don't sit and wait, and Carlisle says that under no circumstances are you to be out of bed."
"Okay."
"I'll send Esme in, then," she said gently, and I nodded.
"Thanks."
"Esme!" called Rose, opening the door and stepping aside to let Esme through. Her eyes, still rimmed red from crying, flooded with tears once more when she looked at me.
"Oh sweetheart," she said, setting a little pile down on the bed. "I'm so sorry."
I didn't say anything, simply nodding as she cleared her throat and took a knitted throw from the top of the pile.
"I thought you might be chilly," she explained gently, spreading it over the bed, "so I brought you this. It's very cozy."
"Thanks."
"And some pyjamas," she added, gesturing to the soft pink material.
She helped me slip into them before she tucked me back in, her hands fluttering anxiously as she looked for something else to fuss over.
"Try and get some rest," she said finally, taking a step back. "Someone will be in to wake you in a little while, to make sure you're not…"
She looked frightened.
"I'll be okay, Esme," I said, feeling bound to reassure this kind woman. "I promise."
"I know, sweetheart," she said gently. "Everything will be well. You'll see."
When she left the room, closing the door behind her, I felt the familiar tug of exhaustion pulling at me. I didn't want to sleep, fearful of whatever dreams might haunt me, but the more I fought against it, the more I was forced to give in. My eyes drifted closed, and for the briefest, most wonderful of seconds, all seemed well. Sleep, despite my dream fears, seemed a beautiful refuge from the chaos that had invaded my life. Yes, I decided, sleep was wonderful.
Little did I know how dangerous that sleep really was.
A/N: Thanks for sticking with me! I'm getting lots of work done, so whenever I complete a chapter, I'll put it up.
If you haven't already, check out my new story Invictus! I think it's going to be a good one!
Let me know what you think of this new edited version! I love hearing from all of you!
