10

My mind was reeling as I tried to tie everything together. I never talked to Baby Doll about Marie. When I was in the grandmother's house I saw the piles of clothing, but how could the woman at the bookstore be anything like the hunched woman who I met in Jasper's office.

I looked over at his wild eyes and shook my head. "It can't be," I said, trying to defend myself.

"This is bigger than we can handle. We need your father's help," Jasper said.

I sat down at my desk in a numbed silence. What possibly happened to Bella to fragment her into different people? I thought back to the Mental Hospital, how she would change her personality right in front of me, I didn't see it and I felt stupid now.

Jasper was talking to me but only parts of the conversation was sinking in. "She can't sign herself, you need the grandmother to do it."

I nodded and stared at the phone, feeling a need to call someone but not knowing exactly who. I finally covered my eyes with my fists and rubbed them aggressively to snap out of the fog I was stuck in. I looked at Jasper and said, "Do you really think she's fragmented?"

I realized I had sat in the same room with Odyne but I never saw a good look at her face, because she was always hunched over and mumbling. Jasper sat across from me and ran his hands through his hair.

"It is the only thing that makes sense. But we need to change everything about our approach now. We need to film sessions for integration purposes."

"Who's the dominate self?" I asked him; sure it was Bella Swan from the bookstore. If that turns out to be true we needed to bring her boyfriend into the treatment too. It was that thought I found a bit sickening. I didn't want her to feel rejected by someone she loved, but the possibility of losing her forever to another man did bother me a bit.

The problem we faced was Odyne trusted Jasper, Baby Doll trusted me, and Bella Swan had another man altogether.

"We don't even know how many splinters there are," he said to add to my pain. I couldn't imagine other versions of Bella out there.

At that moment Debbie stuck her head into my office. She looked at Jasper and whispered, "Marie is here; please ask her for her real address."

Jasper and I both jumped up like the room was on fire. He looked at me and said, "Go get the signature and I'll get her admitted."

I nodded and rushed from the room and out the door without even looking at the woman sitting in a mountain of coats. I called my father on the way to Bella's house. I gave him a brief synopsis of what was going on and he agreed to meet us all at the hospital. I didn't get offended when he made me promise not to speak to her until he arrived. I knew I was in over my head and I needed his expertise. I had already confused the issue with Baby Doll.

I knocked on the door with an expectant rush, only pausing a moment before knocking again. When the door opened I pushed her chair back so I could walk right in. I held the papers out to her and said, "I need you to sign these papers so we can hospitalize Bella."

She began to shake her head but I slammed the papers onto her lap and said, "Mrs. Harris, your granddaughter is in big trouble and she needs help. Someone hurt her very badly, was it your son?"

She pulled her hands to her ears and began to cry. I would push her for information later, but right now I needed her to sign the damn commitment papers. I pulled her hand down and stuck the pen in her grasp. "Sign," I demanded with my voice at full volume.

She was shaking but she wrote her name, giving me exactly what I needed. I didn't say anything else; I ran from the house and sped off to the hospital. I had everything ready when Jasper arrived with Marie. He was holding her shaking frame and her head was buried in his side. There was nothing familiar about this girl that made me want to pull her into my own arms. I couldn't see any part of Baby Doll in Marie's look.

She was handed over to a nurse and led down the hallway. Jasper took a deep breath and said, "It didn't go as smoothly as I hoped."

"Why?" I asked with a panicked voice.

"She doesn't show any sign of understanding. I finally just led her to my car. She followed without saying a word only mumbling incoherent things."

My father finally arrived and we went into a secluded room to talk openly. I was feeling anxious to get started but I also had to admit I wanted to see Baby Doll and not Marie. I wanted to explain things to her and know she understood and wasn't mad at me.

My father opened up a large textbook and spoke in technical terms. I finally pulled the book from his hand and asked him to speak to us explicitly. He sat back and said, "This is extremely rare. I'm not sure at this point it is a fractured self. We need to make sure before we proceed."

Jasper and I looked at each other and then said at the same time, "We're sure."

"Well, let me talk to her first. You can observe if you like," he said and we both nodded.

We headed to the room where she would stay and Jasper and I went into the adjoining room and watched through the one way glass. Carlisle sat in a chair next to Marie. She was sitting perfectly still in a hospital gown, showing for the first time the tiny frame underneath all the clothing she usually wore. Her arms had bandages where blood was drawn.

"Marie, my name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I knew you as a little girl," dad began.

Her eyes rose and she took a quick glance at my father and then went right back to staring at the ground. "Do you remember my son Edward?" he asked her. "You used to love to follow him around all day." He chuckled, but it made my heart ache at the memory.

She whispered something and dad leaned in closer and asked her to repeat her words. She mumbled again and he looked up at the glass with a look of concern.

"What did she say?" Jasper asked me.

"I don't know, I didn't hear it," I told him.

My dad cleared his throat and said, "Honey, most of your treatment will be talking to your therapy team. We want to help you get better and understand everything going on around you."

He walked from the room, using a code on the secure key pad and left her sitting there in tears. He came straight into the room and said to both of us. "Now go get her riled, we need to see who comes forth."

Jasper decided to act first. I was happy when he volunteered because I wasn't sure I could get Bella upset. It was too hard to see her crying and not reach out to her. Jasper walked into the room and right away got authoritative. "Stop crying," he said harshly. "You're a grown woman so act like it."

I was a bit stunned by his command of her, but it was nothing like the reaction he got from Marie. She looked horrified as she turned slowly to look at him. He spoke even louder and said, "I said to stop crying."

I watched in fascination as her chin rose defiantly and her posture changed into something militaristic. She stood up and looked around the room before saying, "Where am I, where's Jake?"

"Who is Jake?" Jasper asked.

"My boyfriend," she replied quickly. "I demand you get Jake here immediately."

I felt my own jaw tighten and I looked over at my father who was watching the scene play out in total fascination. He mumbled, "Push her more."

And as if Jasper could hear through the wall he said, "You are not in the position to demand anything. You are my patient and I will tell you what you can and can't do."

Something stirred within me and I found myself growing angry at Jasper for the way he was treating her. I kept quiet; because I was afraid they would realize I was struggling with my participation in her treatment. I wanted to be part of the team, but I wasn't sure I could do it.

Bella turned her back to him for a moment and then suddenly spun around with a look of a wild animal. Her eyes bulged and her mouth contorted into something unrecognizable. She let loose with an animalistic roar and ran at Jasper, knocking him to the ground. Dad and I both sped from the observation room and ran in to help him.

Bella's strength surprised us all. I tried to be gentle but she wouldn't budge as she bit at Jasper. My dad had been prepared and pulled something from his pocket and injected it into Bella's arm. She slowly relaxed and fell to her side, whimpering like a child.

"Son of a bitch," Jasper said, and got up to check his bite marks. She had managed to break through the skin so he left to have the wounds cleaned.

"What was that?" I asked my father, not meaning the medication he had injected her with, but the beast which had shot out of her.

"A protective personality, filled with pain and rage. You'll have to keep sedatives ready," he said, and I nodded in agreement.

I walked over to help Bella up off the ground. She was still whimpering and when I helped her up she grabbed onto me, holding me tightly and then touching her ear over and over again. She was my Bella from long ago, the little girl who followed me around all day, trusting me completely.

I realized I had walked out on her, thinking I messed up in her treatment. I had let this version of Bella down and I felt awful for it.

I sat with her on the small sofa in the room and looked down at her face which was peering up at me. "There's your beautiful face," I said, and she smiled with a wide grin. "I've missed you," I admitted, and then remembered my father was in the room.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, and she touched her lip. "Are you feeling sleepy?" I asked, and she repeated the gesture. "I'll sit next to your bed while you fall asleep," I said, and helped her into the bed. She turned to face me and I watched as her eyes slowly fade to close.

I moved her hair out of her face and felt such affection for the child I could see, but as her breathing became deeper her expression changed to a grown woman. My Bella was gone and I had no idea who was lying here in her place. I kissed her cheek and then left the room.

Jasper was waiting for us and he gave me a worried glance. "Don't look at me like that," I demanded. "I have a history with her and I'm going to do everything I can to save her mind."

He nodded and then gave me a warning, "If I feel you're getting too involved I'll have your removed from her care. I admitted her as my patient."

I felt anger growing and I pointed out the obvious, "I got her grandmother to sign and I can get her to revoke the signature."

My father and Jasper stared with shock at my obstinacy. I tried to explain, adamant about my participation in a landmark case most doctors never get to see, but I had a feeling they knew my real reasons. I would give up every patient I knew to fix Bella's mind.

"Don't you have an appointment?" Jasper reminded me.

I glanced at my watch and knew I had to go. I had a late afternoon appointment with Marcus, the one person I loathed to talk with. I tried to keep my composure and excused myself from the room. I headed to my office and used biofeedback to steady my nerves.

If Marcus said something to upset me about Baby Doll, I wasn't sure I would be able to remain calm. I felt like my own center was fracturing as I walked into my office and greeted Marcus cheerfully.