Tripping

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Chapter Thirty Six

Bella didn't know how she had ended up here, in the back of an ambulance, racing toward Fork's hospital. Angela and Ben had found her collapsed on the floor, hyperventilating after her frightening encounter with Edward Cullen. The memory of James offering up her blood as a temptation to him kept replaying in her mind. She couldn't shake the fear and panic and felt like she was suffocating. Angela's attempts to calm her down had failed and Ben had decided to call for a paramedic when Bella struggled to breathe. It was like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. Bella tried to talk but the paramedics wouldn't listen. It was obvious they thought she was some kind of drama queen after establishing that she wasn't actually dying nor having an asthma attack. They spoke to her like she was an idiot. Every time she tried to express herself they shut her down. She didn't want to go to the hospital. Carlisle Cullen would be there.

"Please." Bella gasped, begging. "Please I don't want…."

"Just settle down." The paramedic said irritably. "The more you try to talk the worse it gets. You're having a panic attack. Take this." A brown paper bag was shoved in her shaking hands. "Breathe into it slowly."

Bella's throat tightened. She was seeing stars as she tried to follow the paramedic's advice. They were at the hospital now. The doors to the ambulance were opened and bright light hit her eyeballs. She heard voices. Sharp words were exchanged. Then the one voice she didn't want to hear. Carlisle Cullen's handsome face swam into view. He was the one who had reprimanded the paramedic's for their poor attitude. Bella's panic increased as she tried to scramble away from him.

"Hold her down. I need to sedate her." Carlisle ordered.

Bella cried as the paramedics complied. She wasn't strong enough to fight two of them. Carlisle plunged a needle into her arm and she knew no more.

Her head was aching so badly. Bella fought to open her eyelids. They were heavy, like lead. She dragged them open, surprised that they weren't stuck to her eyeballs. She felt sick and disorientated. There was a funny taste at the back of her throat. Everything was out of focus, surreal. Figures swarmed around her bed. Machines beeped. She blinked again, trying to see.

"She's awake, Doctor Cullen."

One of the figures drew nearer. It was a man, wearing a white coat. Bella blinked again to try and clear her vision. The man ducked down and peered into her eyes. He was very handsome, breath taking in fact. Bella thought she recognised him but her memories were fragmented and hazy. "Who are you?" She rasped.

The handsome man, the doctor, perched on the edge of her bed. His outline was blurry but her sight was continuing to improve. He smiled at her kindly. "Bella, my name is Doctor Cullen. Do you know where you are?"

Bella looked around vaguely. "Hospital." She mumbled.

"That's right." Doctor Cullen indicated to one of his colleagues. "It's a good sign that she recognises where she is, although her recent mental trauma has definitely impacted on her recovery. I am afraid she has completely regressed. She doesn't recognise me."

"She's only just woken up." Another face swam into view. This man was a lot older than the handsome Doctor Cullen. His brow was furrowed as he scrutinised Bella worriedly. "We should give her more time."

A nurse appeared interrupting their confusing conversation. They had been talking over her as if she wasn't there. She tried to swallow but her throat hurt. There was a pain in her left arm. She raised it and zeroed in on the faint pin prick in the crease of her elbow. Vague memories began to resurface. "You injected me."

"It was merely a sedative to calm you down, my dear." Carlisle said distractedly.

The nurse was whispering to him. Bella saw him frown. She heard the word father. Carlisle was frowning now. He didn't seem happy at this piece of news. "He needs to be kept away from her." He said to the nurse sharply. "She is in this state because he refused the treatment she needed."

"Chief Swan is her father. You cannot keep him away." Carlisle's colleague chipped in.

"He is creating quite a stir." The nurse said uneasily. She glanced at Bella curiously before looking at Doctor Cullen again. "He wants to see her immediately."

"I'll talk to him." Carlisle said grimly.

Bella watched as the handsome doctor swept gracefully out of the room, leaving her alone with his older colleague and the jumpy nurse. "What's wrong with me?" She slurred. Her world was tilting. Whatever sedative Carlisle had administered had stolen her ability to think or remember anything at all. She was still too stoned to panic though.

"You were suffering with amnesia, Bella." The other doctor replied as he exchanged an odd look with the nurse. "You were refusing treatment and it seems that has caused you to regress." In an aside to the nurse he whispered. "What the hell did Carlisle give her? She is almost catatonic."

The nurse shrugged. "You're new here." She replied hastily. "Doctor Cullen is a respected physician. He knows exactly what he is doing."

Then next thing Bella knew the door to her room burst open and a cop appeared. He was fuming. Doctor Cullen was trying to talk to the police officer but he wasn't listening. Instead the cop marched over to her bed and sat down beside her. She blinked at him blearily as she tried to place him.

"Bells, I'm getting you out of here." The cop's hard expression softened as he looked at her. He reached out and took her hand. "It's gonna be alright, kiddo."

Bella was confused. "Who are you? Am I in trouble?"

"Who am I?" The cop questioned. He ran his fingers over his thick moustache as a troubled expression crossed his face. "Bells, it's me. Charlie. I'm your dad."

"Now do you see what I was trying to tell you?" Doctor Cullen interjected irritably. "Charging in here like a bull in a china shop is only increasing Bella's distress."

"You son of a bitch." The cop, or Charlie, was on his feet. His brown eyes blazed as he confronted Doctor Cullen. Bella stared at the two men in bewilderment. "What the hell have you done to her?" He demanded.

"I have done nothing." Doctor Cullen refuted hotly.

"He injected me." Bella slurred.

"You what?" Charlie roared.

"It was a sedative to calm her d…."

"You come near my daughter again and I swear you'll regret it. The restraining order against you and your damn family takes effect at midnight tonight. You come near her again and I'll make damn sure they lock you up." Charlie jabbed his finger in Doctor Cullen's direction.

"Restraining order." Carlisle Cullen's colleague was shocked. "I think its best if you leave for the moment, Doctor Cullen." He advised.

"You are making a big mistake." Doctor Cullen replied haughtily to Charlie. "May I remind you that Renee placed her faith in me to treat…"

"Renee is dead." Charlie barked. "And because of you and that death trap you loaned her. Her accident is still under investigation."

Bella looked between the two men as her befuddled mind tried to work out what was going on. She felt so tired. She tried to think, she tried to remember who she was. Why she was there. But her memories eluded her. "My head hurts." She moaned.

Charlie the cop swung around in her direction and hurried to her side. "It's alright, Bells. I'm taking you home."

"She is a very sick young girl." Carlisle said heatedly. "She is in no…"

"Physically she is fine." His colleague interrupted him.

"Then file the paperwork. I'm taking her home." Charlie stated coldly.

A huge dog was licking her face enthusiastically. Bella was overwhelmed. Charlie the cop ordered the dog to stand down. He did as he was told and whined. His head was cocked to one side as he gazed up at Bella with big brown eyes. "Max, you need to be gentle boy." Charlie chided him as he bent down and stroked the dog between the ears.

"Max." Bella croaked. The dog wagged his tail when she said his name. "Max." She tried again.

Charlie broke into a relieved smile at the sound of her voice. "That's my girl." He opened the rear passenger door to the cruiser. Max jumped in and then spun around, waiting for Bella to follow. She hesitated. "Its fine, Bells. You always ride in the back with him."

Bella didn't know what else to do. She allowed the cop to help her into the back of the cruiser. As soon as she was seated Max had his head in her lap. There was something about this dog which was comforting. Bella found herself scratching the dog between the ears. A contented rumbling sound emanated from his broad chest, almost like a hum. Charlie nodded his head in satisfaction as he closed the door and climbed into the front of the cruiser.

Charlie kept talking all the way back home. Bella sat in silence with Max's head resting in her lap. Her head was beginning to clear a little and was less fuzzy. "I spoke to Angela, kiddo. She told me she found you having some type of panic attack. I'm sorry, it was obviously too soon for you to go back to school. I shouldn't have let them talk me into it."

Bella sank her fingers into Max's thick fur as she tried to concentrate on what Charlie was saying. The word school triggered an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. Doctor Cullen's face appeared in her mind's eye. She felt sick. "I don't like him." She said thickly.

"Who?" Charlie glanced behind him.

"Doctor Cullen."

A strange look crossed Charlie's face. "He won't be able to come near you again, Bells. The restraining order went through. We'll get you checked out by another doctor."

The fog was clearing. Bella stared and stared at the back of Charlie's head as he was forced to turn back to watch the road again. "Charlie Swan….dad." Bella whispered.

Max raised his head when she spoke and looked at her expectantly. "Maxie." She said softly. His ears perked up and he whined. Bella put her arms around his neck and hugged the dog's warm body. She could feel his heart beating strongly in his chest. Just being close to him was comforting, familiar. Bella finally relaxed and closed her eyes.

Bella was asleep by the time Charlie pulled into his driveway. She was using Max as a pillow. He swallowed thickly as he gazed at her. She looked so fragile. He had let her down again. He had let his grief over Harry take his eye off the ball. He climbed out of the cruiser slowly and stretched his aching muscles before he opened the rear passenger door so he could lift Bella out. She was so deeply asleep that she didn't even stir. Charlie waited until Max had jumped out before nudging the car door closed with his hip. Bella was feather light in his arms. With Max bounding ahead he carried his daughter inside.

Bella was very warm. She rolled over onto her side to get closer to the heat. She nuzzled her cheek against silky skin, not even opening her eyes as she drifted off again. "Jake." She mumbled as her dreams showed her what Carlisle's drugs had tried to make her forget.

"I'm here, honey." Jacob whispered as he pressed a light kiss into her hair. He was sitting on the bed beside her, holding her in his arms. Charlie was downstairs with his father, telling Billy what had happened at the hospital. He had allowed Jacob to go upstairs and see Bella. When he had entered her room she had been fast asleep. He had hunkered down by her side and stroked her face with gentle fingers. She had instinctively reached for him, murmuring his name. Jacob had climbed in beside Bella, with Max lying on the floor at the foot of the bed like a silent guardian, and embraced her as Bella immediately sought sanctuary in his arms.

A/N-thanks for reading!