A/N I'm back! So sorry!!! I really hate myself for making you guys wait this long, but hear me out. I started school two weeks ago AND religious classes on Saturdays. I get homework from BOTH (sucks hard) and this takes up most of my time. But never fear, I won't quit on Prayer. I'll try to update regularly, but I can't make any promises. Kay, enough of that, here's Edward's point of view. I bet all of you were wondering what he was thinking. :D this starts off after Bella leaves his room. (more like is forced to abandon a freshly showered Edward in a towel)
Chapter 9: Confessions
EPOV
While I was dressing, Bella must have been dragged out by a very annoyed fairy. I dressed in dark wash jeans and a dark emerald green button up shirt, a gift from Esme. Alice would be disappointed in my casual attire. I wasn't going to dress up just to go to my internship at a high school. And what Alice considered appropriate clothing was too much for me. I chuckled. My little sister was sometimes too much. Looking at the clock on my desk, I saw that I still had two whole hours to go by before I had to show up at the school. Two long, painfully boring hours. I sighed. I could go downstairs and practice on the piano. Or I could stay here and look over some assignments given to me by my professors. As much as the former sounded appealing, I had to put work first if I ever wanted to graduate from college with my degree.
Keeping that in mind, I sat down in front of my laptop and began to type away. The class that had me working at Valley of the Sun High School for free required an evaluation from one of my supervisors and that supervisor wanted me to make group sessions with some of the students. I had to discuss career options and college opportunities.
After one hour of hard work, Alice and Delilah came barging into my room, panting and worried.
"What? Did you girls run here? What happened?" I asked. They were still trying to catch there breath. "Where's Bella? You didn't kill her did you, Tinkerbell?" I said in mock horror. "She was so young!"
"No, you twat! Bella just ran off in her truck and she won't answer her phone!" Tinkerbell responded in very angry tone.
"What did you do, Alice?" I asked, instantly more serious. That didn't sound like Bella.
"I did nothing!" she defended herself.
"Technically, that isn't true, Tink," Delilah said. "You ran away from her. I know Bella the best and that probably brought up some uncomfortable memories. You have no idea what she's gone through."
"What do you mean by that, D?" Alice and I asked at the same time.
She shook her head and spoke. "It's not me who should tell you this. If Bella wants you to know, she will tell you in person. But right now, we need to find her." She took control then. Her voice was firm and commanding. She sounded like a leader. "Edward, you go to the school and see if she's there. Alice and I will go to her house. If you find her, text us, and vice versa. Come on, Tinkerbell, there's no time to waste. Get your car keys and backpack." Delilah got Alice's wrist and pulled her downstairs. I wasted no time and ran to my car, leaving behind my work. Grabbing my car keys from the tray next to the front door, I unlocked my Volvo and raced to the school.
Why was I so worried about a student? Sure, she was my little sister's best friend and she went to school where I worked, but that was it. Bella had become my center since the moment I first talked to her. That wasn't logical. That didn't happen to me. I wasn't this mad with panic when Alice had sprained her wrist when she was fourteen, or when I had "lent" my car to Emmett. Why did this girl have so much influence on me? Love. Excuse me? Care to repeat that, subconscious? You love Bella. But I've only known her for a week! It's probably just a sisterly love. Keep telling yourself that.
I was sure I was going at least twenty miles over the speed limit. Where were all of the cop cruisers? Were they all on a doughnut break at exactly the same time? I reached the school in record time, still having fifty minutes before school started. The lot was almost empty. There were seven cars parked. Bella's truck was one of them. I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to text Alice telling her I found Bella when I heard a scream. It was coming from the other side of the building. Without thinking about the possible consequences, I ran to the P.E field. The shouts were getting louder as I got closer and I was able to make them out.
"WHO WAS IT!?! WAS IT THAT MIKE NEWTON KID!?! WHO DID YOU FUCK WHILE I WAS GONE, BELLA!?!" Bella. Someone was shouting at my Bella. It took me three seconds to locate where the shouts were coming from. I sprinted to the cluster of trees that grew close together at the other end of the field. What I saw almost made me heave my breakfast.
Bella was lying on the ground and kicking her was her boyfriend, James. She was bleeding and bruised and broken. A rage so great filled me, turning my vision red. All I saw was Bella, defenseless, being beaten by a poor excuse of a living being.
"STOP HITTING HER, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!!" I yelled. I pulled the sorry bastard off of Bella and threw him on the ground. I started punching his face and gut, throwing in a good kick when I had the chance. This this fucker was going to pay for what he did to Bella. I was going to make sure that he went to jail and rotted for the rest of his life. He had no right to hit Bella. He had no right to call her his own.
I poured all of my anger into my punches and James was knocked out. I made sure that he was out of it and then turned my back to check on Bella. She was bleeding so much, and looked so. . . vulnerable. An angel couldn't be treated like this. I started crying.
"Bella. My Bella. Wake up, love. Wake up," I cried. Remembering Alice and Delilah, I pulled out my cellphone and called her. I told her what I saw and told her to get Bella's mother. I dialed 911 and told the operator the same story I had told Alice. Three minutes later, an ambulance pulled up on front of the school and officers and EMT's rushed to the field with a stretcher. I turned to look at James and he wasn't there. I looked around to see of he had been arrested, but he wasn't anywhere near us. Damn. He's gone. The EMT's had put Bella on the stretcher ever so careful of her state, not knowing whether she had broken bones or not. I pushed through the crowd of officers surrounding me, saying I would give my testimony later, and followed Bella. I couldn't bear to be apart from her now. I wouldn't leave her until she was better.
I jumped inside the back of the ambulance and watched as they tried to treat her various cuts. I was furious at James and at myself. Him, for harming an angel. Me, for letting that bastard get away. I stared at Bella's face, wishing that I could just take everything that just happened to her away. But I couldn't. And wishes never work. Bella's eyes fluttered open.
"Oh thank God! Bella, love, can you hear me?" I cried out. Tears started to pool in my eyes again. No, Edward. Hold it in. keep it together. She is not dying. Yeah, just beaten up so badly that she won't be able to go to school or anywhere for that matter.
"Edward?" She sounded disoriented.
"Yes, it's me. Are you okay? What hurts, Bella?" Stupid question, you idiot! Of COURSE she's not okay!
"Everything." I was about to try and soothe her when an EMT spoke before I did.
"Sir, it's best if you don't make her talk right now. She's in no condition to even be conscious," he ordered.
"I know," I snapped. I was in no mood to deal with this right now. Bella needed a doctor. Carlisle! How could I forget that I had a doctor as a father? I needed to call him. Now. But, first, comfort Bella. Bella comes first. Always.
"Bella, they're gonna give you something to take the pain away, okay? It'll be gone soon."
Then she said the most magnificent three words that I've heard in all my life. "Don't leave me," she whispered.
My heart swelled to the size of a watermelon, and even in the current situation, I could still feel a tiny but of happiness. "I'll be right here, at your side, always. Calm down, love." her eyelids drooped and I knew that she was three seconds from passing out. "Sleep, love. I'll be at you side when you wake up."
I immediately got out my phone and hit the speed dial. Carlisle answered after five rings.
"What is it, son? There's an ambulance coming in right now and I don't have much time before it gets here with the patient," Carlisle asked.
"I know, dad. I'm in it with Bella. It's . . . she's the patient. Her boyfriend was . . . beating her when I found her. I need to ask you a favor," I desperately begged.
"What is it? How bad does she look? I'll do anything for her, Edward. Already she's part of the family."
"Can you please be her doctor? I . . . I don't think that anyone else is good enough."
He must have heard the hopelessness in my voice because he answered, "Don't worry, Edward. I'll make sure that she gets better," he promised.
"Thank you, Carlisle. For everything," I choked out.
"I'll see you soon," Carlisle said. I hung up and resumed looking at my Bella, lying there looking wronged. James would pay. I would be the one to make sure he got what he deserved. I would quit counseling and start studying law just so that I could be the one to put him in prison. That became a more appealing idea by the second.
The EMT's carefully lowered Bella to the ground. I had been so preoccupied with my prosecution that I hadn't noticed that we had arrived at the hospital. I jumped out and raced after Bella. When I went through the glass doors of the hospital, I was tackled by Alice and Delilah, tear-streaked and worried for their best friend.
"Edward, what did that ass do to her!?!" Delilah cried. "All those absent days and mysterious excuses about stupid tournaments and I believed it! Me, her best friend, the person that supposed to know her better than anyone else in the whole world! I – I – my fault!"
"No, it's not your fault, Delilah. You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything about it. You trusted Bella like a great best friend should. It's James's fault, don't blame yourself," I told her. She was the closest one to Bella out of all of us. Friends since first grade, Delilah and Bella were sisters and D was devastated that her sister had been suffering. I was starting to see red again as I thought back to how helpless my love had been back at the school. My love? Yes. Bella is my love. No one else, especially not James. I would die before I let that monstrosity come within a 100 mile radius if her.
"Edward? Did you already call Bella's mom?" Alice asked.
"I thought you guys did," I said.
"No, she wasn't home. All we saw was a note taped to the front door saying that she was going somewhere with Phil," Delilah explained.
"Where's her dad?" Alice questioned.
To say that I was shocked when D said where Bella's father was at the moment was an understatement. "Um, last time I checked, he was in Madrid, Spain for his art exhibit."
"What!?!" Alice and I exclaimed.
"You see, Bella's biological father is Charles Swan, world famous emo artist. He and Bella's mom got a divorce after she cheated on him with Phil and Mr. Swan was so down in the dumps that he let out his feelings through paint. Somehow some art fan saw it and bought it and well, the rest is on the internet. Charlie has his very own Wikipedia page. Though how someone so important that he could ruin you with one twitch of his pinkie could possibly have been in a town so tiny like Forks is a mystery to me."
"So Bella is the daughter of one of the most artistically talented men of our time? The one with billions of dollars and connections everywhere with everyone in the world that could possibly make or break you?" Alice, always oh so subtle, asked.
"Yuppers," D said. "Back to the situation at hand, people. Neither of Bella's parents are here at the moment. But, I think that Charlie will get on his jet and get here by either late tonight or early tomorrow. Do I call him?"
"Yeah, go and do that, Delilah. You have his number right?" I asked.
"Speed dial number six. In case of emergencies. It's not like he's my friend you know. I know him but not like that. More like I know him as my second dad just in case my first one doesn't want to buy me that Ferrari that I've had my eyes on for the past, oh I don't know, eighteen years?" she joked.
"Then get to it. I'm going to go see if they've taken her to a room or . . . an OR. I'll be back," Alice said. She headed towards the receptionist and started to converse with the nurse on shift. My world was still spinning and all I could do was sit down and wait for the girls. Bella's dad was an artist? A rich artist at that. She could travel and see the world and instead she chose to stay here, in Arizona. She could get any guy she wanted, with that natural beauty and caring nature, and instead she chose to stay with a violent, abusing scumbag. Maybe she'll finally realize that she should go. Leave before she loses her life. Leave me.
My grand piano falling on top of me, breaking every bone in my body and putting me in a full body cast would be less painful and what I was feeling at the moment. The simple thought of Bella leaving me made my mind reel and my stomach want to hurl. I had to tell her. Maybe then she would stay with me. Maybe she felt the same way, too. I could finish college and take care of her. So many things I would offer; marriage, kids, a home.
I have no idea how much time I spent there in my reverie which included various scenes in which Bella was mine, heart, body, and soul. But what I can say was that Delilah had finished her call hours ago, and she and Alice had come to sit with me. We were all waiting for Carlisle to come out and tell us that Bella was healing at an alarming rate and that in a matter of hours, she would be good as new. But that could have just been me.
"Edward? Charlie's here," Alice softly said.
"What time is it?" I said, very disoriented.
"Um, about eleven at night, I think. He managed to get his pilot to fly here at the speed of light. He wants to talk to you."
Getting up from the hard, uncomfortable plastic chair, I saw a man that was almost as pale as Bella and had her hair color and eyes. Apparently most of Bella's beautiful traits came from this man. Time to use your words.
"Hello, Mr. Swan. I'm Edward Masen, a counselor at Bella's school. I . . . I was the one who found her." My voice broke at the end of my introduction.
"You're the one that saved my Bella," Charlie said.
"I wouldn't say that – " I was broken off when he hugged me.
"Thank you. So much. I don't know what I'd do if my little girl . . . died because of that son of a bitch," he told me. I could tell he was holding back tears. At least Bella had one parent who seemed to care about her.
"It's no problem, Mr. Swan. Bella is like a – a sister to me. I'm just sorry that James got away," I said with hate.
Letting go of me, Charlie looked me straight in the eyes. "He got away?" I never thought that my loathing would be trumped by anyone, but in those three simple words were a hate so strong and profound that only a father could experience it when his little girl was broken, physically or otherwise.
"I'm afraid so. I was trying to see what he did to Bella and he must have run away."
He looked pained. "Do you think that she'll be alright?"
I was afraid to answer his question wrong. What if I said that she would, and then she died? I couldn't be responsible for that pain because my pain would be overwhelming enough. So I answered truthfully. "I'm not sure, sir."
~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~
It was ten hours after I met Charlie. We had finally been able to see Bella. They had placed her into a private room after she had an X-ray taken, searching for internal bleeding in one of her organs. Alice and Delilah had to go home because they had to go to school tomorrow. I, on the other hand, had the entire week off. The school thought that I should be given a break because, after all, I had been the one to find Bella in this state. Charlie simply said that Madrid could wait.
Around nine in the morning, Charlie asked of I wanted anything to eat. I wasn't hungry and could possibly eat anything without having to throw it back up. He left, muttering something about finding out if they had a decent Mexican burrito in the cafeteria. Shaking my head in wonder, I turned my attention back to Bella. I must have dozed off because next thing I knew, I heard a booming laugh and shot up in my chair.
"What? What's going on?" I almost yelled. I remembered where I was a split second before. Looking around for the source, I saw my big bear of a brother. "Emmett? What are you doing here? Why are you laughing?" I don't remember calling him. Carlisle must have done it, then.
"She . . . c-called me . . . a bear! I think she's still a little loopy," he explained between guffaws. I was about to make fun of his likeness to bears, and then Bella started crying. Tears were cascading down her face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. It was a joke, I swear!" Emmett apologized.
"No. . . no – J-J-James. . . saved. . . Edward. . . saved," Bella tried to say. The only three coherent words were my name, saved, and James. It clicked in my head, and immediately I was trying to soothe her.
"Bella, love, don't cry. Everything's fine. James isn't here. You're safe," I tried.
It took thirteen minutes for her to finally quiet down enough so that the nurses wouldn't come barging in here with syringes. Emmett and I were about to call them because it seemed like she would never calm down.
"L-love?" she hiccuped. Did she just call me love? For a second I was ecstatic. Then I realized that she was questioning me as to why I had called her love. Shit. I'm sure my face betrayed my embarrassment and I didn't need to look at Emmett's to be sure that he was finding my slip-up highly amusing.
"Well then. I think I'm gonna go and call Tink and tell her that Bellsy is awake. Leave you two to your privacy." With a wink at Bella and a smirk to me, Emmett went off to inform Charlie, Delilah, and Alice of Bella's awakening.
"Edward, what happened? Why are you calling me love?" she asked yet again. It's time to man up, Edward. Tell her how you really feel. Fess up and own up to your love for her. But a little stalling wouldn't hurt anyone. No, no it would not. you go ahead and do that.
"Well, you were getting beaten by James when I found you. I pulled him off you and started to kick the crap out of him. I thought he was out of it and turned to look at you. You were. . . you didn't look so good. I called the police and when I looked back at James, he was gone. The ambulance got to the school and you were taken here." Too short, too short!
"James escaped!?!" she shouted. She was panicking. Calm her down, Edward. Do it now.
"The police are looking for him as we speak. I told them about what I saw and Alice told them about the bruises she saw on you. Why didn't you tell anyone about this, Bella? Do you realize that he could have gone too far and killed you?" my voice, gentle at first, transformed into the tone I used with seniors who brought crack to school. Seeing Bella flinch, I reminded myself that she was not one of those and that she was the woman I loved.
"Where's my mom? And Delilah and Alice?" Bella diverted. So she wasn't going to answer me, huh? We'll see about that.
"You will answer the question eventually, Bella. Your mom isn't here and the girls are at school. Your dad is here though. The hospital found his number –" with a little help from D "and called him right after you were admitted. He's in the cafeteria, eating lunch. He'll be here any minute now."
"Why are you here?" I broke for the tiniest moment.
"You don't want me here?" Those words were hard to utter. How could one man go through so much in the course of twenty-four hours? Was God getting back at me for jacking Emmett's Wii last month? I swear I won't do it again, God. Just please, prove me wrong. Please.
"No, no! I do want you here! But aren't you supposed to be at school?" she revised. Thank you, God. Thank you so much!
"You asked me to stay. And I got the week off."
"You didn't have to stay," she said quietly.
I sighed. It was time to say it. There was no more ways I could put this off. "I did. Bella, there's something I want to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you the first time I saw you. Bella, I. . . I –"
"Bella! Thank goodness! You're awake!" Charlie interrupted. He came in, Mexican burrito still in hand and rushed to hug Bella. I moved out of the way. What the fuck was I thinking? Admitting my love to Bella here and now? She was barely eighteen for crying out loud and in the hospital because of her boyfriend and his violent tendencies!!! Fuck, I would creep her out by saying the "L" word to her. I was 100 shades of stupid. Thank the heavens that Charlie came in when he did.
I needed to get out of here, fast. They were having their moment and I would just ruin it with my unrequited love. "I'll let you two catch up. Excuse me, Charlie. Feel better, Bella." With one last glance at my love, who was looking at me with confused eyes, I left her room and ran into Emmett. Literally.
"Fuck. Damn it Edward, you made me spill my coffee! You better – what's going on Edward? Is Bella okay?" Emmett, seeing my face which must have shown my utter confusion and emotional ache, went into big brother mode. "Man, answer me. Is Bella okay? She's not dying, is she!?!"
"No, Emmett. Bella's okay. Me; not so sure," I whispered. I had no strength left I me to talk above a whisper.
"What do you mean, bro? I though you were gonna tell Bella that you loved her and I was getting a new sister," he said, trying to lighten my mood.
"No. Charlie came in and stopped me from saying it. And I realized how stupid I had been. What was I thinking, telling a girl fresh out of some messed up abusive shit that I loved her? No, that would have completely ruined what little friendship we might have. Do you realize that we've only none each other for a week? You can't go around telling students at the school you work with that you freaking love them, Emmett. That you want to marry them and have a family with them and die with them. And that, even after death, you'll still love her. You just don't do that. It's not right."
Emmett looked at me like I had a third eye on my forehead. Maybe I did. I wouldn't care.
"What in the name of Jesus coffee-spilling, bastard-beating, school-girl-loving Christ are you talking about? 'It's not right' my ass, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! Go back in there and declare your love for that woman! But I think it's best you wait for Charlie to leave first. He might be an artist now, but he's still a cop on the inside and can beat your ass with anything in that room. I would avoid standing or sitting next to any pointy objects if he's there when you say it."
Looking into my brother's determined eyes, I knew that he wouldn't let it go. So I did what I could. Avoided the subject completely.
"I'm gonna go see if I can get the girls out of school," I said. I walked past him, into the elevator that miraculously opened by itself, and down to my Volvo.
A/N phew! That's done. *wipes sweat off brow* once again, I am so sorry for the delay. And I bet most of you are ready to release the hounds on me. some, the squirrels. *shudders* But please, I'm begging you, don't because then you wouldn't be able to find out what the deal is with Edward. Oh, and Bella, too. And James. And Delilah and Alice and Esme and Carlisle and Charlie and Renee and Phil and countless others. I have a shout-out for a crazy random reader who left me my first long review; dancing .unicorn, you have completely reminded me of myself when I review and given me inspiration. To tell you the truth, it's my first time posting a fanfic. I had written one for an English project at school and got an A-. w00t-w00t! How awesome is that!?! very. So, my dearies, please, drop a review. Sad ending, I know, but brace yourselves. I haven't even started on the sad endings. -insert evil laugh here- REVIEW!!!