Chapter 12 Fractured

Edward's POV

I have to stop twice on the way back to the Jeep, though the short trip only takes less than 15 minutes. Carlisle kneels on the other side of Bella the second time, and presses a gentle hand to her side. Closing his eyes, his thoughts follow the path of his senses. He can feel her fractured ribs straining with each violent spasm as Bella is repeatedly and painfully sick. She shoves his hand away forcefully at one point, though whether his touch is adding to her pain, or she merely just doesn't want it, is not known. There is nothing in her stomach to bring up, yet still her body forces her to go through the motions until she's sweating and weak.

Jasper returns from where he's been scouting and shakes his head. We are not being followed. I'm almost upset by the fact. I know it won't help Bella, but a chance to tear into someone at this point just might help me. I'm helpless in the face of her suffering and it is only adding to the violence that spins inside my mind. I want retribution, revenge. Having to walk away from that clearing was the most difficult thing I have ever done.

"We should keep moving if we can," Jasper says quietly, his thoughts not unsympathetic, just the opposite. The fact that none of the Pack is following could change at any given moment and he's concerned that any more trauma or confrontation at this point will be more than Bella can handle. Her emotions are clouded by her extreme fatigue, illness and pain, but still her sadness and confusion is assaulting him. He sends a calming wave of emotion her way, and mine, and I nod, grateful for her and myself. Now is not the time to be out of control, she needs my full attention.

I look to Carlisle and he nods as well, rising to his feet. "Sam Uley must have used Halothane on her when he took her from the hospital. She's having a typical reaction, but this vomiting is dangerous. If we get her back to the Jeep I can give her some Prochlorperazine, Edward."

"I'm okay, Edward...we...can go now." Her voice is a mere husk of its former strength, rasping with dryness. Carlisle takes her pulse and then nods at me. His thoughts are clear, concerned but not alarmed.

I slide my arms around her and lift her with every ounce of tenderness and care I can create. Still she stiffens at my touch, a soft, but no less piercing cry escaping through her tightly clenched teeth. I was careful to avoid her ribs, wrist and, as much as possible, her back, but she is reaching the point where any movement is painful. Carlisle's thoughts follow the path of my arm, down to my hand, his mind mapping her injuries, searching for the cause of such a pained cry.

"Be careful of her right hip, Edward." His thoughts show a large, multicoloured bruise that instantly has me shifting my grip. Her fingers clench in my shirt and I quickly begin to move. No touch is going to be perfect at this point. I need to get her to the Jeep, and back to the house where Carlisle can care for her.

Rosalie and Esme fall behind, each of them taking different directions. Together with Emmett, they will stay behind to keep watch and closely monitor the wolves and Elders actions until they return to the Reservation. They will remain at the border and continue to keep watch there as well, at least until I am certain any threat has passed. Alice will not be parted from Bella. She stays only steps behind me the entire way to the jeep, her mind constantly searching for Bella's future. The images are fluid; constantly changing and at this point they paint a picture of her continuing safety. There are other images there as well, ones I cannot contemplate or focus on now. There are things out of my hands and I can only allow the threads to unravel as they may. I have no realm, no power, and no recourse to change what will be.

You need to tell her, Edward.

"No."

My words are no louder than the hiss of wind that carries the sound away from Bella's ears, yet the vehemence with which I've spoken silence's Alice immediately. Her mind once again begins seeking, and I know her guilt at not being able to foresee the events of this night are torturing her relentlessly. I have no words of comfort or solace to offer her. I know she can no more control what visions she sees in her mind, anymore than I can control what I hear in the minds of others. I also know this knowledge will give her little peace.

It's only minutes but it feels like hours before we finally reach the Jeep. Bella has begun to tremble in my arms, a reaction from stress and cold that only adds to her pain. Not knowing what to expect, Carlisle had taken frustratingly long minutes back at the hospital to gather supplies. At the time I had been so furious and anxious; his efforts had driven me near to madness for the delay it cost. Now my gratuity is boundless as he pulls out blankets, medical supplies and water.

Bella shifts in my arms, her quick indrawn breath at the movement quickly swallowed in an effort to hide it from me. "Where are we going, Edward?"

"We'll take you back to our house, Carlisle has everything he needs there to take care of you, love. Hush and rest now, it won't be long."

"How long?" Her teeth have begun to chatter.

"Turn the heat on full, Jasper." I turn my head back down to her, fighting not to show anything more in my expression than she needs to see. I have never seen her so pale. Every ounce of color has been leeched from her skin until it is almost transparent. The bruises along her jaw line stand out sharply in comparison, and I can literally trace the fine, blue lines of veins at her temple.

"Not long now, Bella, twenty minutes, at the most." Carlisle has prepared a place to lay her on the back seat, and I move to place her there.

She grimaces slightly, turns her face to my ear. "Wait, Edward. I need to...I need a human moment." she whispers. "I don't think I can wait. I'm sorry." A silent tear slips from her eye and I curse my stupidity, and insensitivity, as I watch it glide down the smooth and frighteningly white curve of her cheek. I should have thought to have given her a moment away from the others to address any human needs she might have. I am failing her at every turn. The absence of her normal reactionary blush makes me more concerned for her fragile state of mind than anything else she could do.

"Shh, love. It's okay, don't be sorry." I take a quick step back away from the Jeep and turn to take her deeper into the woods, where she can have the privacy she needs.

Alice appears at my side a blanket in her arms. "Give her to me, Edward."

I don't want to let her go. The force of the emotion hits me like a runaway freight train. I almost growl at Alice, and the restraint it takes to not do so is shocking. Alice shakes her head as though in warning, and I realize how tenuous the ties of my self control have become. I have no reason to fear for her safety at this point, and I certainly have no cause to subject Bella to any more humiliation. The wolves would not have gotten past Esme, Rose or Emmett. Nor would it seem they could have any further reason to continue on their former path.

"Put me down...I can...walk. I'm okay, Edward."

Clenching my jaw, I do as she asks. Alice wraps the blanket around Bella's shoulders, and keeping her arms securely around her waist she leads her away. Every instinct I have intensely dislikes the sight of her moving away from me. I clench and unclench my fists in helpless anger and anxiety.

Bella's POV

Alice kneels beside me and gently wipes a cloth over my face. She's torn a piece of her own shirt to make it, and the water bottle at her side tells me she'd known I was going to throw up again, long before I did. I catch her stone cold fingers in mine and push them away, hating the reaction even as it happens. I don't want her to touch me. Everything hurts and I could use that as an excuse, but it wouldn't be the truth. I feel crowded, tense, and though I know she's trying to help I can't bear the contact. Still, I cling to her hand, even after I've pushed it away. The wet material trapped between our palms feels icy.

"I'm sorry, Bella." Alice's voice is so soft and twisted with remorse I can hardly hear it, but I know her apology is for much more than this moment. I can't think of that now.

"No. I'm sorry,...Alice." I draw in a shallow breath and release it slowly, concentrating on not moving any unnecessary parts of my body. I manage a shaky smile and squeeze her icy hand in mine. "Bet you didn't think you'd...have to do...barf detail tonight."

"Bella..." Her tone is sad, and I quickly cut her off. I don't want sympathy. What I want is to get out of these woods, with all the eerie shadows and the damp smell of rotting vegetation that I can't seem to get out of my nose and throat. I want Edward, and the encircling safety of his arms.

"Help me up...Alice."

A fallen branch snaps beneath my feet as we move, the sound obscenely loud in the lush, surrounding quiet, and I instantly go still. My mind races backwards and I see Jacob, standing over me, the bite of slivers in my palms, the queasy sense of movement where there is none...Charlie.

"Alice. Where is Charlie?" Her sudden and perfect stillness sends fear straight to my heart. I feel it stutter. Something is wrong, even more wrong than this whole messed up night. The holes in my memory taunt me.

Slowly, Alice turns to face me, her face an unreadable blank slate. Her eyes search mine and I force myself to hold her gaze and to keep my feet under me, my expression calm. If she see's my panic, gut instinct tells me she will lie.

I will never make a good poker player, but she could win millions. "I don't know where he is right now, Bella." I almost believe her.

Before I can tell her I know she's lying, she turns away from my scrutiny and without raising her voice in the least, calls Edward's name. He's there before I can blink, and I don't resist at all when he lifts me into his arms. Tucking my head against the cold column of his neck, I close my eyes. I'm so tired. I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life, and the thought of sleeping no longer terrifies me. I want to curl closer to him and sleep for a year, maybe longer, but I fight the urge to give in to the impulse. I have to get myself together. I have to know where my father is, no matter how afraid I am of the answer.

I wait. Wait, while Edward helps me in the Jeep. Wait, while Carlisle takes my pulse, gives me some kind of medication to stop the nausea, runs his hands over my ribs searching to see if I've done more damage. Wait, through the irrational fear I feel at his touch. Wait, until Jasper drives us out of the woods and down the dark quiet road.

"Edward, tell me where Charlie is. Tell me he's...okay." I'm leaning against his side, his arms creating a cage around me that braces my body from the slight, bouncing movement in the Jeeps suspension. Steadying myself for the sharp pain that slices through me when I move, I look up at Edward, seeking the truth in his eyes. "Please."

I see him look in Jasper's direction, and I turn my head in time to see Jasper look back in the rear-view mirror. He nods almost imperceptibly, and instantly I feel a warm rush of contentment blanket my emotions. Jasper can force me into calmness, but he cannot stop the sadness that rushes in at the understanding for why he's doing it. I close my eyes, a childhood prayer that Renee had taught me as a little girl running through my mind like a knee jerk reaction.

* "Guardian angel from heaven so bright, watching beside me to lead me aright, fold thy wings round me."

Jasper's influence feels like a physical touch and I can feel myself cringing inwardly. I force my eyes open so I can look at Edward when I hear his voice.

His fingers brush my cheek softly as he murmurs, "and guard me with love, softly sing songs to me from heaven above."

I hadn't realized I'd spoken the words to that prayer out loud and I can feel sudden, impulsive tears burn behind my eyes as he finishes it for me. His expression is sad and he touches my face again with a caress so light I can barely feel it.

"What do you remember, Bella, from tonight? Do you remember when I arrived at your house?"

My eyes close again, but open immediately. There is no comfort in the darkness, only in him. I shake my head. I don't remember him being there. I only remember Jacob, the table breaking, his anger, the unrecognizable look on his twisted features. Not anger, but resolve, as though he's made his decision and is ready to act. Even that memory is unclear, the faint traces of the drug he'd transferred to me through every merciless, crushing press of his mouth against mine having already begun to weave its way through my system by then. Even now I swear I can taste it, him. Not even Carlisle's potent medication can quell the sudden and violent attack of nausea. I whimper and lean my head on Edward's chest, swallowing repeatedly until the feeling passes.

"I don't remember anything." My voice sounds choked, the lie constricting my throat painfully.

"Charlie came home. He found you, and Jacob. I was close enough to read his thoughts. He was enraged, afraid. Jacob was standing over you. He pulled his gun."

His eyes search mine, trying to see if anything triggers my memory, but everything he says stays hidden in the dark. Jasper is still layering blankets of serenity over my emotions. So much so, that I almost feel detached.

"They fought, Bella. The gun went off and Charlie was shot."

I can't react. The numbness penetrates so deeply Edward might as well be telling me Charlie had gone fishing. I can feel my eyes blinking; can hear the swish and friction of the Jeeps tires on the wet road. It all blends together and I can't feel anything.

Edward's POV

Jasper's influence is strong enough that Bella's face remains unchanged when I tell her the truth. Her beautiful eyes fall shut and she makes a sound of frustration in the back of her throat.

"Jasper, stop! Get out of my head, get out, I can't take it please, please, please." Her voice is soft, almost near to a whisper, but the urgency behind it is startling.

Jasper's surprise is no different from mine. With the amount of his gift that he is applying, she should not be able to offer any resistance, much less experience the stress and anxiety that he can feel her exude. Instead of pulling back, he increases the wave, directs it as precisely as he can and still her tension increases.

I have no idea how she's fighting him.

"Jasper, stop. She's panicking." The images and thoughts in Alice's mind show increasing agitation in Bella, and she lays her hand on Jasper's arm. He begins to pull it back and Bella relaxes against me once again.

Alice turns around from the passenger seat and reaches out to Bella, who instantly shrinks back away from her hand.

"Don't, Alice, please. Just tell me where Charlie is. Tell me he's okay."

"He's in the hospital, Bella." Carlisle draws her attention to him and holds it. "Undergoing surgery. The bullet passed through his right side, entered his chest, and lung. We don't yet know the extent of the damage. Dr. Talon is an excellent surgeon; he is getting the best care possible. I promise you, Bella, everything possible is being done."

I am not surprised when she turns to Alice. Even in her current state of mind she will not think of herself, nor will she ignore any avenue of garnering the truth. "Alice, tell me what you see?"

In the front seat Jasper reaches out and takes Alice's hand, while her head falls, her eyes close. I can see the images I don't want knowledge of, play over and over, each one varying, but never changing in the end result. I close my own eyes, my arms moving as carefully as possible to embrace Bella, to pull her near, to try with the strength of my body to protect her. I can be no more successful at this than I have been at any other task tonight, and my failures will haunt me for all of my immortal existence. Her pain is my punishment, her suffering my hell and I will embrace all of it, carry the burden gladly because it means she is alive, and God help me, nothing else matters.

Bella's POV

"I want to be with him, take me there."

"Bella, you need care. I want to take more x-rays, make sure the fractures in your ribs have not been worsened. Your lungs are irritated by smoke inhalation, and Halothane can cause breathing problems. You need oxygen and rest; you've been subjected to emotional trauma..."

"Carlisle, please. I don't want him to be alone."

I feel the Jeep slow, and Jasper makes the next left turn, the headlights briefly illuminating the exit sign with the Hospital symbol directly below it. I turn to Edward, knowing I am asking for too much but needing so badly to be held tighter in his solid, cold embrace.

A memory shifts in and out of my mind, like a static filled TV screen. Broken glass, the chair in the corner of my living room, the smell of blood and cordite, and rain. This time, I make sure I say the words out loud.

"Don't let me go Edward, please don't let me go."

Edward's POV

"Never, Bella. Do you hear me love? I will never let you go."

Charlie's POV

So much commotion. Movement everywhere, like one of those crazy pools of Salmon. Just flashes of white coats looking a lot like the soft underbellies of fish as they thrash around my net. No noise though, just the most perfect silence I have ever heard, extending on and on. I'm here, floating on a placid, calm river, with the gentle tug of the current coaxing me along. But I'm there too. Silent and still, waiting for something...

Damn odd to be in two places at one time. I wonder what I'm waiting for?


A/N *Guardian Angel Prayer. Couldn't find who wrote this so I can't credit it. I can only tell you it's not mine and that no copyright infringement is intended.

Definitions. (The words are pretty self explanatory, but just in case anyone wasn't certain.)

Halothane - Inhalational general anaesthetic.

Prochlorperazine - antiemetic, used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting.