PLEASE READ: Okay I'm letting everyone know now that a box of Kleenex will be needed in this chapter. This chapter for me is the saddest, yet most beautiful chapter I have written to date…Some might not agree, but I poured my heart and soul into this and I apologize ahead of time if this brings you to tears, but this was needed for our girl to move forward and gain her footing towards rebuilding her life.
I'm incredibly sorry for sucking at review replies….RL has been so hectic and instead of replying I focus what time I do have in making sure you guys have another chapter ready for your enjoyment! Thank you all for your patience and trust on this journey…love you all!
Disclaimer: This story will have very harsh at points. There will be heart wrenching moments… I warn you now. You may hate a character or two but I promise no matter how bad it gets … there will be an HEA…. I believe everyone deserves a second chance and so this will be a journey of growth, humility, and finding the simple joys in life… the things that truly matter.
I need to thank my team… Stephanie, Kyla, Rachel, Bev, and Cheryl. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know I hit you all with so many chapters last week. You never once complained, you just guys held my hand as I poured my heart out with this… I couldn't do this without all the love and helpful, encouraging words you always have for me… I truly love you all!
Also, if you want a sneak peek at future chapters and juicy pics that go with the story, join me on Face Book…My name is Reyes Fanfiction and the group is called Massy's Minions… come join my craziness and get you're extra fix of...It Isn't Over Yet and my other story.
Twilight isn't mine you know this … I know this… soooo moving
Chapter 9
The Fray- How To Save A Life
Days, weeks, even months passed before I ever set foot in that town again. My determination was there, lying dormant beneath the surface. But my fear kept me in place, as my essence became dominated by that one emotion.
Fear of my father's reaction.
Fear of rejection.
Fear of facing everything I had left behind.
Lauren and Peter begged, bribed and fought with me constantly. They pushed and pulled in any direction that could possibly make me give in.
"B, he'll understand," Peter claimed one day as Lauren stood by his side. Her reassuring smile helped calm the awkwardness that suddenly filled the room. She tried to be supportive to me while still offering Peter her support. If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, I surely would have laughed at the display before me.
Their worried stares and constant concern was nice, but always delivered with a 'suggestion' of tough love…
"He loves you baby girl," he kept on repeating as if that mantra would be enough. "All he wants is his daughter back Bella…he misses you. He needs to know you're okay and happy. Why do you keep pushing him away?" His question caught me off guard, but ultimately he was right.
I did forgive my mother without any hesitation on my part.
Heck, we have weekly conversations, with plans to get together soon.
I knew Peter's words were a bit direct, but filled with truth. I guess it all came down to my doubt in my dad's love after everything that happened.
And the fear of never having him back in my life.
It wasn't until late November when my dear friends sneakily tricked me into going on a holiday trip.
They had invited me to Peter's family's house and I gullibly agreed. Never once did I question where we were going or how long before we arrived.
I let the two unofficial lovebirds talk and joke, while my lazy butt slept the entire way.
It wasn't until I awoke with a stiff neck and a need to pee that I observed my surroundings. The words "are we there yet" had just left my lips when my whole world crashed down.
The Welcome to Naples sign shone brightly in the mid-afternoon sky, finally cluing me into their treachery.
You have got to be fucking kidding me! My inner thoughts screamed.
Did they have the best of intentions? Yes.
Was I incredibly pissed? Yes.
But I also knew that without this deceit...I would have never come.
My mind and emotions were completely scrambled at this point. Enough so, that I never realized the car had stopped.
Sitting in my parent's driveway brought forth memories, memories I had suppressed during the last few months. My body jerked as it fought off my impending crash into the reality I was determined to forget. My limbs wanted to turn in on themselves and wallow in that dark cloud that I had fought so hard to contain.
Flashes of his smiling face filtered my mind, causing my breath to shallow. His gorgeous greens staring back at me and shining with a love so pure and deep. A love so true, but one I will never know of again.
I wanted to drown in those jade pools. But before I could get lost in them, they suddenly morphed into his antagonizing sneer.
I could hear him in my ear, hurling insults my way and laughing his ass of as my heart crumbled before his presence.
Lauren noticed my distress.
My body seized and choked as I desperately tried to breathe. My chest hurt and my mind was a blur of painful memories. I fought against the restraint holding me in place, believing that my seat belt was the culprit and wouldn't let me out of my misery.
A strange painful cry filled the car; hurting me and making me cringe all at once. It wasn't until Lauren's voice whispered and pleaded with me to calm down, that I realized that the strangled cry was mine.
I can't tell you how she got to me or how I ended up in her arms as she tried to get me to breathe.
I can't tell you what Peter did as I panicked and almost blacked out.
I'm guessing that he ran off in search for help, because that's the only thing that makes sense.
But I'm glad he did.
I'm sure that they were all afraid and in desperate need to calm me down. But that never happened until my father came and wrapped me in his arms. His gentle soothing tone calmed me at once.
He stayed by my side and coached my lungs to follow his, inhaling and exhaling when he did. His whispered apologies brought tears to my eyes and took a huge weight off my shoulders.
He didn't hate me.
He wouldn't reject me.
My body finally came back too and I finally looked into his worried tired eyes. Tears poured from me as his mustache twitched and his eyes crinkled with happiness.
"I'm so sorry daddy, I…" his index finger tapped my nose as he shushed me. "Baby girl, I love you…I'm so sorry that I wasn't what you needed back then. I should have protected you, as I had vowed to." I wanted to object and tell him it wasn't his entire fault.
I should have spoken up and confided in him when all the changes started. I should have talked to him, instead of pushing him away. I opened my mouth to voice just this when he spoke again.
"I've lost years with you over that boy," he sneered, "I don't want to waste another minute wallowing or pointing fingers. What matters is that you're here and we can finally be a family again, Bells." Tears ran down his cheek and onto mine as he hugged me. But when he took my face in his hands and 'promised to protect me with his life and never let anyone hurt his little girl again' I lost it and sobbed into his shirt.
Finally I had my daddy back and I was his little girl.
Lauren's Pov
Days.
Weeks.
Months.
That's how long we fought, pleaded, bargained and finally tricked Bella into going home.
It wasn't that we wanted to betray her trust, but watching her suffer day in and day out was not our idea of fun. She was in a continuous state of denial. The struggle that took over her daily was sad to watch, she was forcing herself to live as if nothing had happened.
Her desire to bury this hurdle under the rug was slowly eating her alive. I didn't want to sit back and watch her lose herself yet again.
The despair and pain she carries over missing Charlie broke my heart right along with hers. I know she's scared of his rejection, but her dad loves her above all else.
I know this because we talk on a daily basis.
It was a few days after she made amends with Renee that he called me for the first time, asking and begging for me to plead his case and get her to talk to him. I refused to get involved at that point, only suggesting he give her time.
Time was something we all take for granted and lose at a rapid pace.
The change in her demeanor happened quickly following her parents departure after the move. She suddenly became the queen of avoidance, refusing to move forward with any of the plans which she herself had set in place. She became irritable and mad at any mention of the obvious pink elephant that followed her around.
Within weeks she quickly secured a job at a 7-11 as a sales associate, using their crazy work hours as an excuse to avoid the necessary.
At first we agreed that she needed to do this her way. But as the days rolled on, turning to weeks and with the semester rapidly approaching, we began to look for alternative methods to remedy this.
Don't get me wrong, I was deathly afraid of her anger or mistrust pointed my way, but I couldn't stand there and do nothing.
I understood her better than most. I was by her side during some incredibly painful moments; in fact I shared her pain because it was also mine.
I was momma bear when needed.
I was her sister.
That last thought is what cemented and promoted me to move forward with thoughts of getting involved.
I'm going to do for her what she did for me, because believe it or not, her friendship saved me…from myself.
When I first met her, I carried my pain within, never letting others see my weakness. But, as I discovered her pain and began to appreciate her fighting spirit that was desperate to break free, I let her in. It took us so much time and effort last year to get out of that destroyed and mangled shell they left us in.
But we did.
My trust in others was in shambles, I was skittish and afraid. But her honesty and selfless heart showed me that there was still good in humanity.
Because of her I met amazing people. People like James who lost the love of his life at such a young age, but whose determination to fight his consuming depression made him a hero in our eyes.
Victoria, James' dead girlfriend...who, may god have her in his welcoming arms, was the sweetest girl I've ever met.
And now Peter, who with gentleness and a loving soul, could easily be the one to put my heart back together again.
Because of her friendship I've become a blessed woman. A happy, content woman who plans to help her sister out of the funk she's in.
We let her get by for months, hoping she would come around on her own. But her stubbornness shone brightly and just wouldn't budge. She kept hiding behind all the 'extra activities' she just 'had' to join. Between work, a full coarse load and her volunteer work at a soup kitchen, I'm surprised she has time to shower or eat.
But now, enough was enough.
So Peter, who is incredibly good looking in a nerdy kind of way, came up with this grand scheme. We decided to make her believe the holidays would be spent with his family, when the reality was Naples here we come.
During the trip she basically slept, never noticing the change in scenery or the smell of the ocean close by. I was on a constant edge, waiting for her to realize and lash out, fromanger.
It wasn't until we pulled up in front of her parent's cozy two story home that she gave the first signs of discomfort. Her breathing became harsh, almost as if she was fighting to fill her lungs.
The healthy glow she had to her skin diminished, leaving in its wake an ashen ghost. Tears poured from her eyes and as I turned to look at Peter, I doubted our decisions to come.
Maybe this was too soon.
Maybe she will become ill and it would be my entire fault.
Maybe I will lose her friendship.
I was petrified.
Jumping over the middle console, I reached for her and tried to soothe her worries. Her breathing was choppy at best and my heart constricted with each painful lung full of air she consumed. Her panic was written all over her face.
I felt completely useless as my pleas and promises of everything turning out okay fell limply aside.
It wasn't until Charlie snatched her out of my arms and held her against his chest that she slumped. Tears poured from our eyes as he soothed her broken soul and begged for her forgiveness. Renee stood by our side and held our hands as we watched him bring her back and heard their tears of joy at being together at last.
My heart was still beating rapidly after everything that transpired. I became the scared lamb, hoping and praying to still have my friend at the end. I was so deep in thought that I never noticed Bella flying at me until she was hugging me fiercely while holding on for dear life.
"Thank you L…I couldn't and wouldn't have had the courage to do this on my own," she sniffled. Her splotchy face came into view, wearing the biggest smile I've ever seen.
My own tears fell forward as I hugged my friend.
The clearing of a few throats behind us shook us from our private moment, announcing our time to go in.
Bella walked on ahead as both of our mothers needed to make sure she was okay. Her bags were grabbed by my father after he kissed my forehead and whispered his approval of Peter, making me blush.
Peter watched with great fascination and had a slight tint of pink on his own cheeks as he grabbed my hand and led us inside. The house smelled incredible as we entered.
The smell of food drenched every space, giving a tiny yet enticing tease of the pleasures to come at dinner time.
We stood side by side sharing gentle smiles as laughter rang through the kitchen. We did the right thing and as the night wore on and we ate, laughed, drank (soda for me and Bella) and celebrated being together as a family…we were healed and things could only get better from here.
Okay I hope you know understand why I love this chapter so much…All daughters strive to live up to and find protection and love from their father's and Bella was no different…She had the tools to start rebuilding, yet needed his approval and support to start living again…
Next update will be up in January…can't believe this year is already at its end. I love each and every one of you and appreciate all the love and support you have bestowed upon my ramblings…my success is only merited by the incredible fans and supporters I have…
And a very merry Christmas and New Year to everyone in this precious fandom. May the New Year bring you love, joy, wealth and most of all health and happiness!
See u next year….