That's Why You're Beautiful

Chapter Ten

"What's happening?" There was no reply. "Where are you taking him? Carlisle?"

I was practically sprinting to keep up with Dr Cullen as he hurriedly pushed Edward along the corridor. People were staring at us as we passed by, full of curious looks, most of them being plain nosey, but I didn't care. All that mattered now was that Edward was OK. I couldn't bear thinking about anything serious happening to him...

"We need to scan his head, to check for any injuries," he told me in a strained voice. "Then I'll have to treat him and see if there's anything wrong."

"A scan?" I murmured, feeling a familiar sense of fear. "That sounds serious..."

"It all depends," he answered, hastily turning a corner. "I think it's best that you stay out here. I'll inform you of any news."

He rushed ahead and disappeared, causing me to come to a sudden standstill. Before I could give myself time to think, I turned on my heel and ran in the opposite direction. I had to see how Alice was doing now.

God. This really was awful.

***

"Bella?"

Jasper looked up as I arrived and he promptly frowned at me, probably because I was panting and completely out of breath. I slumped down on a seat beside him and tried to calm myself.

"It's Edward," I sighed. "He-"

I trailed off at Jasper's confused expression. Of course, he didn't really know about Edward.

"Y'know the guy who you've seen hanging around here?" He nodded slowly. "He's my... friend. And he's had an accident."

He blinked in surprise. "Oh, so he's not some crazy stalker then?"

I raised my eyebrows at his comment and he quickly apologised. "Sorry. What happened to him?"

I bit my lip, deciding to tell him the truth. "It was Emmett. He attacked me before and did it again today... Edward came to help me but he was pushed back and he hit his head against a wall." I took a deep breath. "Emmett ran off and-"

Jasper interrupted me. "Wait, was the first time this happened when I saw you two outside?"

I nodded wordlessly and he placed his head in his hands.

"Bella, why didn't you tell me before? I could have done something."

I stared at the sparkling clean hospital floor, feeling his eyes on me. "You already had enough on your plate..." I shrugged. "My problem seemed incredibly insignificant compared to Alice's."

He sighed heavily. "I hate to admit it but Emmett's been like this before. He's always been a bit... full on. I thought of it in a jokey way but now..."

We were silent for a moment before he said, "You'd better tell the police."

My eyes widened. "But that's gonna make it all worse!"

"You can't let him get away with it," he answered firmly, locking eye contact with me. "He's dangerous and deserves to be punished."

"But they probably won't believe me," I countered weakly.

"Bella, this could happen again but with somebody else. You can't let that happen." He paused for a moment. "Think of this Edward... if you don't tell the police, his efforts are practically going to waste."

His words really hit home and I nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll do it."

He smiled and rubbed my arm. "I'm sure they'll offer you some protection, there's nothing to be afraid of. And besides," he squared his shoulders. "If he tries it again, he'll have me to answer to."

"No, Jasper." My skin prickled. "I appreciate what you're saying but I don't want you getting hurt, too. Alice needs you."

Before he could answer, I walked away, holding my phone in my hands. I quickly dialled the three numbers and waited anxiously as it rang.

***

The time was passing by in painful and almost unendurable chunks. Sometimes, Jasper and I would just sit there waiting for what felt like hours and, everytime a doctor emerged, we both sprang up, only to be disappointed when they continued walking by, giving us a funny look.

On several occasions I searched for Dr Cullen, but he was no where to be seen. This fact wasn't really helping my already hammering heart.

"So, what did the police say?"

I knew Jasper was trying to make conversation in order to make the wait seem a lot less painful, and I admired him for that; he was being so brave despite everything that was happening.

"They just said they're gonna look into it," I replied half heartedly. I had the horrible feeling that it wasn't going to come to anything and that I'd just wasted their time.

"Well they'd better do," Jasper grumbled, standing up and pacing up and down the corridor yet again. "I can't believe I considered making him my best man..."

I shuddered slightly. "Did you get hold of your brother after?"

"I got through to his answerphone," he sighed. "Doubt I'll get a reply now, though. He's probably too busy to get back to me."

He must have noticed my confused expression because he explained what he meant. "He works for some big company, and claims to be busy 24/7. I haven't actually seen him in months." He trailed off, staring at a random poster on the wall. "Always in meetings, blah blah blah."

I was struck by the almost pained look in his eyes and didn't think before I spoke. "You miss him?"

It wasn't really a question, but he nodded. "Yeah. I do."

I stared off into the distance. "I haven't been in contact with my parents for a long time."

He stopped pacing and slowly sat back down. "Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?"

I was incapable of answering for a long time and just muttered, "Various reasons."

He opened his mouth to speak but my attention was dragged to Dr Cullen, who was making his way towards me. I sprung up quickly and made my way towards him, slightly relieved by the calmer look on his face.

"Dr Cullen, how's Edward? Is he alright?" I asked in a rush.

"He's fine," he smiled. "No serious injuries, just a few stitches."

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily in relief. "Thank God."

"He's regained consciousness and was asking for you." He glanced momentarily at Jasper. "Are you alright to see him now?"

I peeked at Jasper also and he nodded, mouthing "Go on."

I gave him a quick smile and followed Dr Cullen.

***

"Are you sure he's alright to see me?" I asked hesitantly, hovering outside the door to Edward's room. Through the blinds I could see him lying down on the bed with a heavy bandage around his head. It made his glasses become slightly askew and the image was strangely adorable. My thoughts were interrupted as I glanced down and winced slightly at the blood stains on his shirt.

"He really wants to speak to you," he answered, opening the door.

Edward looked up as soon as we stepped in and quickly met my gaze. I gave him a weak smile and he immediately began talking. "Bella, are you alright?"

"Never mind about me," I grumbled, sitting by his side. Dr Cullen closed the door behind him and left us alone. "What about you? How's your head?"

He frowned to himself. "I'm fine... I don't know w-what all the fuss is about." He paused before adding, "I've certainly had worse."

"I was really worried," I sighed. "You didn't have to put yourself in danger because of me."

He shook his head almost dismissively. "Why was that p-piece of dirt doing that to you, anyway?"

I winced slightly; I was hoping he wouldn't bring this up. "He's done it before... don't worry, I've contacted the police."

"Too right." He shifted to sit up a bit more and swayed a little. My hand automatically flew to his shoulder to try and steady him. "Are you alright? Do you feel OK?"

He smiled. "Don't worry about me, Bella. I'm f-fine."

I wasn't convinced but didn't say anything more. "How come you were out there anyway?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted some fresh air. I couldn't believe what I was s-seeing... I had this horrible fear in the pit of my stomach that it was you and then when I saw what he was doing..." he trailed off and I swear I saw hatred briefly flicker in his eyes. As I looked closely, I saw that his glasses seemed a bit damaged too; there was a small crack in one of the lenses.

"Let's just forget about it, I think it's for the best," I sighed. "But I really do want to say thank you... I don't know what would have happened if you didn't turn up."

"Well one t-thing's for sure, I wouldn't be here right now," he chuckled darkly. "But s-seriously, it was no problem."

We both smiled at each other and it was at that moment that I realised how worried I'd truly been about him tonight. Just thinking that he was hurt had made me feel almost physically sick. We'd somehow developed a close relationship and I'd confided in him about something that I'd never talked to anybody else about. That made me feel like we had some sort of deep connection, and just thinking that he could've gone... well it made me literally shudder. He was a really close friend of mine now, and I realised that, properly appreciating it for the first time. I'd been stupid to judge him when we had first met. I had been stereotypical and pathetic... I actually cringed thinking back about it.

"Look, Edward-" I began at the same time as he said, "Bella-"

"You go first," I insisted.

"No, you," he replied, gesturing for me to continue.

"Um, this is gonna sound stupid and really random but... but I'm sorry for treating you so badly when we first met." I picked at my fingernails awkwardly. "I was being selfish and I apologise for snapping all the time. It wasn't very nice of me."

I looked up and saw him staring at me. It gave me chills, but in a nice way.

"It's fine, you d-don't need to apologise. I can imagine what I must have been like." I saw him quickly glance at the window and nod, and I turned around to see Dr Cullen waiting there. Looks like they wanted to talk. Again. I also noticed how Edward looked a little frustrated, like he'd been wanting to say something else but had been forced to be cut off.

"Well I'd better let your father in here," I said, standing up. "He knows best after all. And besides, I have a friend who needs looking after."

He immediately turned serious. "Oh, how is she?"

"Not so good. The cancer's spread to another part of her body and she needs chemotherapy." I sighed. "She's having an operation at the moment." I rubbed at my now pounding head in desperation.

"I'm so sorry to h-hear that," he said, and he seemed genuine. "It must be horrible for you all."

I didn't reply, just hovered by the door. "Well I'll come in and see you another time soon. Maybe you'd better get some rest."

He nodded and gave me another smile. "I'll look forward to it."

"Thanks again, Edward."

"No problem. I quite e-enjoyed being the hero for once."

I smiled to myself and opened the door. Dr Cullen greeted me and soon disappeared inside.

As I began making my way back down to Jasper, I was alarmed by how warm and fuzzy I'd felt during the conversation with Edward. It sounded horribly cheesy, but it was true. The time had passed in a blur when I was in there with him, and I became slightly lost.

Huh. How weird.

I was a little worried when I turned the corner to see Jasper not there, but immediately realised that the operation must be over. I rushed over to Alice's ward and saw them both there. Alice was unconscious, unsurprisingly, and Jasper was there as usual, being the wonderfully devoted partner and supporting her throughout.

Again it made me feel lonely.

Jasper soon met my gaze and gestured for me to join him. I closed the door quietly behind me and vaguely thought of how much time I'd spent in this hospital over the past few weeks. It felt like I was trapped in an episode of some medical drama.

"How is she?" I asked, whispering quietly. I didn't know why, it wasn't like Alice was asleep...

"The operation was successful," he told me, stroking Alice's hair. "They've said that the chemotherapy will begin in a few days and that Alice will be able to leave the hospital inbetween sessions if she likes."

I frowned. "What do you mean, 'if she likes?'"

He looked uncomfortable and shifted about a bit. "Well she... she might be too weak to go outside. But it's her decision."

I nodded numbly. "Have the doctors said anything?"

"Just how she's likely to survive, and all that," he mumbled. "I won't believe them until she has the complete all clear."

"I know," I sighed. "That's exactly how I feel."

"Have you heard anything more from the police?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject again.

"No," I replied. "But Edward's fine. No major injuries."

He narrowed his eyes at me for some reason and I just had to question him. "Is there something wrong with that?"

He shook his head, "No, no, it's just... no. It's nothing."

I didn't really have the energy to ask him what he was going to say, so just kept quiet. It looked like we were going to play the waiting game once more.

"Why don't you get out of here?" Jasper suggested. I was going to take offense but he added, "Have a rest, I'm sure Alice won't mind."

"Anyone would think you're trying to get rid of me," I joked, but was tempted by the idea. Then again, an empty flat wasn't a nice one...

But then again, it would be the perfect opportunity to do something I'd actually debated doing for a few days now...

I nodded in sudden determination.

"Alright... if you don't mind. I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning."

He smiled, "I know. You're a really good friend to her."

His words caused me to flush a little with pride.

"I'll call you if anything is wrong," he said as I made my way to the door.

"OK. Bye Jasper."

On my way to the exit, I passed Edward's room and was determined not to peek in; he needed some rest after all. But, as I walked by, I found my eyes pulled in there and I met Edward's gaze through the blinds. I gave him a quick wave, which he returned, and headed back to where I was going.

I reached my car and started up the engine, feeling a little nervous in anticipation. I absently flicked on the radio, causing my ears to become filled with noise that I couldn't quite decipher. I pulled out of the carpark, shivering a little at what had happened earlier, and took the long way home, prolonging the inevitable. I was deliberately driving slowly, telling myself that I was in shock and that I had to be careful. That was my lame attempt at an excuse.

I should have the courage, but I found myself trying to go against my idea on several occasions.

When I arrived at the flat, I trudged up the stairs, fumbling for my key. After managing to open the door and kicking aside the pile of mail that had gathered on the floor, I reached for the phone and grabbed my contact book. It was sad for me to realise that, because it had been such a long time, I didn't know their number anymore. I used to know it off by heart in my memory, ready to use whenever I had a crisis.

I dialled the number with shaking hands and hovered over the dial button. With one last sigh, I pressed it down, mumbling to myself. "Well, here goes nothing."

The phone rang ominously in my ear and I glanced at the clock. It was a bit late, but I knew they'd both be home and still awake. I held my breath as someone eventually answered.

"Hello?"

I took a deep breath. Yes. I was most definitely doing the right thing. Her voice brought several memories flooding back to me and I suddenly felt very tearful. How could I have left it so long and hidden the truth from them? My throat tightened but, despite this, I somehow managed to speak.

"Hi Mom. It's B-Bella."

So she's finally called her parents... I think she deserves a round of applause. (waits)

Thank you. I hope you enjoyed that. It was a fairly quick update but I've decided to write a few chapters in advance. Also, I was wondering if anyone is interested in beta-ing a Jasper/Bella story that I am going to release after this is finished... if so please PM me. Thanks!

Please review if you have the time...