Whoot!! Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
Bella's POV
Now I was even more confused than before. I had almost shot myself, then he had stopped me. Next I felt like I was in heaven, then I fell through hell. And when I woke up, my angel was here. What is going on?
I couldn't look away from those stunning golden eyes. Wait . . . golden. What the hell? When he had wrenched the gun from my hand, I distinctly recalled the frightening coal black eyes. But now, they were a deep topaz color, filled with shock and confusion.
Suddenly, the world hit me with the force of a train wreck. Several things became apparent all at once. I had my body back, and it was filled with a tingling numbness that flowed through me like poison. A loud, nasal beeping filled my ears. Its tempo increased rapidly, at the same rate as my wild heart. I glanced around frantically and recognized the room immediately.
The hospital.
A sinking feeling of fear and hopelessness filled me. The pounding of blood in my head was unbearable.
"Shit." I said in a low, raspy voice. My throat felt dry like I had spent days in a desert with no water.
I began to cough violently and my entire body shook. When I tried to lift my hand to cover my mouth, I was stopped by a thin wire. It was attached to a bag of fluids on one end, and a needle which had been jabbed into my wrist and taped down, on the other.
My breathing refused to slow and I was starting to grow dizzy from the lack of oxygen. I attempted to lift myself up into a sitting position. However, when I did so, a cold hand pushed my shoulder back down.
I let out a tiny shriek at the icy touch. In the mere second that it had made contact with my skin before it was pulled away, it sent an electric shock through my whole body. And, even worse still, it reminded me of the frozen claws of the demons as they clawed at me in my dreams.
I shrank back into the pillow as I looked into my angel's eyes again. They were terrified, as was his beautiful face.
His gentle fingers reached out to me again but I flinched away from his approach. He recoiled as if I had slapped him.
I was still frightened and confused. I needed explanations, but I couldn't find any words.
"Shh." My angel breathed. "I'll explain everything, I promise. Just please try to calm down. Please."
The panicked edge to his voice made me want to do anything to end his anxiety. With great concentration, I took deeper breaths and the hammering in my head slowly decreased.
"Thank you." He spoke softly, as if to keep from frightening me. His hands were clasped together, to show me that he wasn't going to touch me again.
I simply stared at him, a million questions burning in my eyes.
With a resigned sigh, he began. "My name is Edward. I just moved to Forks with my family. And I know your name, Bella. My father works here."
"So," I cleared my sore throat before continuing. "I'm not dead . . ."
"No," he replied. "But it was a close call."
A moment of silence passed. I decided to break it first. "If you think I'm satisfied, you are sadly mistaken."
I knew that I should have been angry, but I was too exhausted from my coughing fit. I was also almost positive that there were still drugs pumping through my system, keeping me in this drowsy state.
"I don't know where to start." He confessed.
"Try the beginning." I was exasperated now. Scared out of my wits too, but I hid that part well. I was used to pretending to be strong.
"Well, I was driving by your house with my sister Alice. We saw you in an upstairs window with a gun to your head. What would you have done in that situation? Stand by and let another person kill themselves?
"The front door was unlocked, so we ran in and I took the gun from you. Then you passed out and we drove you to the hospital. You've been out cold for about a week."
I had stayed quiet through his entire story until this point. "A week!" I screeched.
"Shh." He said again, frantically trying to console me. When my racing heart rate refused to slow, he called out. "Carlisle, help!"
How was Charlie getting fed? Who was taking care of him while I wasn't there? He was going to kill me for getting caught, for almost exposing him. But you wanted to die. I reminded myself.
Yet, I hadn't thought about what he would do if I was gone. Selfish me, as always. I only considered my own pain, not what it would do to my father.
I hadn't noticed that tears were building behind my eyelids. My vision blurred as I choked back a sob.
The door of the dull white room cracked open and a foggy figure entered.
"She's awake?" A man's voice asked in a professional tone.
"Really," My angel said sarcastically. No, he wasn't an angel. His name was Edward. He wasn't an angel and I wasn't dead. "I hadn't noticed."
The other man didn't reply, he merely brushed past Edward to stand beside me.
"Bella," he said soothingly. "I'm Dr. Cullen. I'm going to give you something to calm you down, alright?"
I nodded my head, but only because he was really leaving the choice up to me. I looked away as he approached me with a needle. There was a slight pinch at the inside of my elbow, and I winced as the liquid was injected.
The effect was immediate. My breathing deepened and my heart slowed to a normal pace. My head cleared of all unpleasant thoughts. A little voice in the back of my mind told me that not thinking clearly probably wouldn't help me. But, the feeling of serenity was so intense that I beyond the point if caring.
"Edward, out." Dr. Cullen ordered.
"But —"
"Now." And, with that, Edward scampered out of the room.
"Okay, Bella." He began. "You have a few broken ribs and several other half-healed bones. There are bruises and cuts on almost every inch of your skin. And the burn on your upper arm is infected."
I kept my face carefully blank as he recited my injuries. I knew what the consequences would be if I didn't keep my mouth shut.
"I have sufficient reason to suspect abuse." He stared at me pointedly, as if he wanted me to admit to it. When I said nothing, he continued. "I'm not going to say anything, Bella. But I know, remember that. I'm always here if you need something."
I tried my best to hide my fear, and the sedatives only made it easier. They kept my heart from thundering at an unhealthy pace.
"Your father has been asking to see you." He said. At this, my heart literally skipped a beat. "You have been in a critical condition and I chose not to allow any visitors. However, now that you are awake . . . What I'm trying to say is that I can't keep him away forever."
Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!! My head screamed at me. But, the drugs in my body refused to let me react. I simply nodded. He knows. He knows that it's Charlie who beats me.
He looked at me, the sadness was apparent in his eyes. Suddenly, a little ringing noise made me jump in surprise. Dr. Cullen, however, pulled a small black pager from his pocket.
"I'm sorry, Bella," He told me with his calm mask back in place. "But duty calls. I'll be back to check on you later."
He paused with his hand on the door knob. "Edward wants to see you. May he come in?"
I bit my lip and asked the question that was burning on the tip of my tongue. "Does he know?"
Dr. Cullen seemed taken aback by my question. He regained his composure in a second and answered me. "Yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told him."
Now they both knew. Perfect.
"Promise me something," I whispered.
"Anything." Dr. Cullen said, trying to reassure me. I was positive that he understood the conflict in my mind.
"Don't tell anyone else. You can't." I was desperate to keep this quiet. Gossip traveled quickly in a small town like Forks.
"I promise." Then he was gone.
A second later, Edward came back through the door. He looked at me with anguished eyes. I glanced away, focusing on a spot on my starchy sheets.
"You don't deserve what he does to you." Edward's tone was soft and tormented.
I wished more than anything that I could believe his words. I shook my head, still not meeting his gaze.
"I'm serious," and he sounded it, too. "No one should have to go through with that kind of torture. Do you hear me? No one."
A soft hand rested on my cheek. Instead of pulling away, I relaxed into his touch. Shivers ran down my spine from the frosty feeling of his fingers.
"I won't hurt you, Bella." Something in the way he said this make me think that there was a double meaning to his words. Like he was trying to reassure himself as much as me.
"I want to help you."
"Why?" My voice was unintentionally harsh.
His hand twitched gently, forcing me to look at him. "Because no one should wish for death. No one should be driven to the point of taking their own life. It's not right. And you don't seem to want to help yourself. Why don't you just tell someone?"
I let out a humorless barking laugh. "Who would believe me? Charlie is the police chief. Besides, did you ever consider the fact that maybe I was tired of living the lie everyday? Death was a painless alternative that I chose to take. Once I get out of here, there's no one stopping me from doing it again."
It surprised me how easy it was to talk about committing suicide again. Although, I had a sneaking suspicion that the medicine Dr. Cullen had given me had something to do with it.
"That's what I'm here for." He replied smugly. "I want to show you that there is a life worth living."
I merely rolled my eyes at him.
"You really should get back to sleep. It would be good for you."
He removed his fingers from my skin, leaving a tingly feeling in my cheek. "I'll come back tomorrow, if that's okay with you."
"Yes," I said a little too quickly. "I mean, it would be nice to have some company."
"Of course," he chuckled as he turned his back to me, shutting the door behind him.
Why did I just agree to that? He seemed like a decent person but I had learned long ago that people couldn't be trusted. I tried to think of some logical reason for wanting him to return, but nothing came to mind.
I recalled the things he had told me about "saving" my life. Something about his story didn't make sense. It was as if there was some missing piece to the puzzle, something that didn't quite fit.
Eventually, I drifted off into an uneasy sleep and awoke the next day feeling more tired than before.
My longest chapter ever!! Happy Mother's Day everyone.
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