36 - The Aftermath of Assumptions
EPOV
"He fucked my wife!"
My mouth fell open. I did what?
Out of my periphery I saw my brother face me and I turned my head slightly to look at him. His expression had to have mirrored mine; shock and disbelief.
There was another detective on the other side of him. I was pretty sure that I had seen him with Laurent before, but I couldn't remember. He glanced at me and then his eyes quickly shifted back to James and Laurent.
"Dude, you were messin' with married women?" Emmett hissed. His nose wrinkled up in utter disgust.
I shook my head slightly and swallowed.
"Edward? What the fuck?"
I looked back at James as if he had just sprouted two heads. The fucker had his hands over his face. Laurent was staring at him expectantly, but it looked as though he wasn't going to elaborate.
"I have never . . . there's no fucking way. I don't even know who the hell his wife is."
"So how can you say you didn't sleep with her then?"
"Because that's the one place I didn't go," I snapped. "Anyone with a ring was off limits."
"You actually had limits?" He asked mockingly. I scowled at him. "Maybe she didn't wear one, brainiac. Ever think of that?" he continued, lifting one eyebrow up at me.
I scanned my memory as far back as I could remember. Every girl I had ever screwed, even the ones I only messed around with. I tried to see every single face. Having a photographic memory was a huge fucking blessing when it actually worked. Some faces were fuzzier than others depending on how much I'd had to drink and names weren't always clear; but I knew for a fact that not a single one of them wore a ring, and I definitely never went into a conquest without knowing the game. I didn't pick up randoms. The community I travelled in wasn't that big. Everyone knew everyone else's business; who was single, who was attached, who was on the re-bound. There's no way I would have been fooled by a chick simply removing her ring.
I shook my head. "There's no way." I said confidently.
"Look, man, you've admitted that back then you didn't really care if they had boyfriends. I'm just sayin'."
"Fuck you!" I barked, completely annoyed. "You make it sound like it was all me. I didn't pursue attached women. I didn't pursue any women; they came to me."
Even as the words came out of my mouth I realized just how lame they were.
Emmett snorted. "So, if you and Bella got into a fight and she decided to go out to a bar?"
"Don't fucking go there, Em," I growled.
"Maybe she has a few drinks and unintentionally flirts. Maybe some guy gives her a little extra attention thinking he can get a little pussy; tells her how gorgeous and sexy she is. Listens to her every word, making her feel so fucking special." His eyes were boring into mine intensely. I narrowed mine. He needed to stop before I ripped his fucking head off.
"Let's say she has a moment of weakness; the fight, the alcohol, the affection setting up the mood just right."
I could feel my nostrils flaring in anger as I breathed heavily. The simple image of Bella with anyone else pissed me off. The thought of some guy telling her what she needed to hear just to get in her pants, and low and behold, I was pissed off at the hypothetical man who would try to steal her from me."
"Fuck!" I groaned.
"That's what I thought," Emmett said smugly.
I punched him in the shoulder as hard as I could.
"Ouch. Fucker, what the hell was that for."
"For putting that fucking image in my head, asshole."
Emmett chuckled a little. "Serves you right."
"I didn't. . . I didn't think about that shit back then," I said seriously. "I didn't know what it was like. Bella's not just my girlfriend, Em, she's my life."
"I know that, Ed," he said patting me on the back. "I'm not justifying what he did. I'm just sayin' you were a complete dick. You went to places you shouldn't have gone. Karma is a motherfucking bitch."
"I know, okay," I sighed. "But this is fucked up. Why wait all this time to get back at me? Why not just fuck me up and move on? Why take it out on Bella? She didn't do anyfuckingthing to him."
I looked back to the interrogation room as James lifted his head. His hands were shaking. He was obviously agitated and he couldn't stop fidgeting. He was definitely high on something. Or coming down from it.
"Is he high?" I asked incredulously. I could feel every nerve ending in my body beginning to tingle in fury. My fingers twitched and balled into fists.
I looked at the other detective. He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm only here to observe."
"He...he was driving one hundred and ten miles per hour with Bella in his car and he was fucking high?" My voice was louder than I expected, but I was I pissed. He could have killed her.
"Dude, you're gonna get us kicked out," Emmett warned. "If you want to hear what he has to say, you have to shut the fuck up."
As much as I wanted to argue, my brother was right. I was in this room simply because I had sworn to behave myself. One foot out of line and I would be tossed out on my ass.
"Can I get some water?" James asked.
Detective Laurent stood up and walked to the door. He opened it, poking his head through and looked at the other detective, who silently turned and walked out of the observation room.
"You listening closely?" Laurent asked me seriously.
"Yes, sir," I nodded.
"Do you know what he's talking about?"
I shook my head.
"Huh," he grunted. I was pretty sure he didn't believe me.
The other detective returned with a bottle of water and Laurent went back into the room, handing the bottle to James.
"Why don't you start at the beginning, Mr. Hunter," Laurent said, sitting back down.
"With what?" James sneered.
"How about we start with your wife? Tell me about her."
He shook his head. "I don't. . . What about her?"
"You tell me."
"I'm not playing fucking games with you," he snarled.
"I'm not playing games, Mr. Hunter. You just dropped one hell of a bomb in my lap. Where else would we start?"
"You want to know where to start? Fine. We'll start where she fucking cheated on me. Is that what you want to hear? She was the love of my life and she fucking betrayed me. For him! For all of his fucked up promises that he never had any intention of keeping."
Promises? What fucking promises? I never made promises.
Laurent tilted his head. "So what happened?"
He groaned loudly and tugged at his hair. "I don't. . . I don't know. She left. I mean, fuck, I probably wouldn't have kept her anyway; not after he'd spoiled her, but she never gave me the chance to decide. It should have been my fucking decision to walk away, not hers."
"And you believe that she left you because of Mr. Cullen?"
"What the fuck are you trying to say? Of course she did." James' face was twisted up in anger. I could practically see his knuckles turning white from how hard he was clenching his fists.
"What makes you think that, Mr. Hunter?"
"She told me!" he snapped. "She said they'd been fucking for months!"
What the hell?
Emmett snorted. "Okay, now I know he's lying," he said shaking his head in disbelief.
My brother had a point. A good one. Whether James was lying his way through the interrogation or if his wife had actually told him that, there was no way I had actually had some sort of long-term fling with her. There were several girls I had been with more than once, but not for months at a time. Especially since this had all happened before I broke up with Tanya. As much as I fooled around on her, there was never an opportunity for me to have a regular girl, not that I would have even considered it anyway.
"She said that he'd shown her what she was missing out on by being married to me and she just didn't love me anymore," James continued.
"Mr. Hunter, help me out here, 'cause clearly I'm a little confused. How does your wife's decision to have an affair with Mr. Cullen factor into all of this? It sounds to me as though you're holding him responsible for the entire thing. Doesn't she bear any of the responsibility?"
"She never would have gone anywhere if he had just left her alone. There's no way she pursued him. He just has to have every fucking thing he wants whether it belongs to someone else or not. Everyone knew who he was and what he did. It was fucking disgusting."
"So you believed that your wife had an affair with Mr. Cullen and that's why she left you. Is that when you decided to get revenge?"
James scoffed. "I tried. I figured if he could take something of mine, I could take something of his."
"You tried?"
"If I had known that he didn't actually give a shit about her I wouldn't have bothered. She's been one big pain in my ass for almost three fucking years."
Laurent looked really confused.
"Who are we talking about?"
"Tanya," James said, disdain obvious in his voice.
"Tanya Denali?"
"Yeah," he grunted, rolling his eyes.
"When did you become associated with Ms. Denali?"
I listened as James described how he had come to confront me about screwing his wife, but discovered Tanya leaving my apartment in obvious disarray. Instead of the beat down he wanted to give me, he decided to take Tanya instead. I listened as he explained how he'd tried to get me to catch them. He sent sexual text messages and marked her. Fuck, I'd never even noticed that she was marked. Maybe that wasn't so surprising; my eyes were usually closed.
I kind of felt sick to my stomach that I had actually kept sleeping with Tanya knowing that she was with someone else. I kept my shit wrapped up, but it was still a disturbing thought. Especially now that I was with Bella. I knew I was being a hypocrite, but I was a different person. I was just extremely lucky I didn't end up with an STD.
He talked about his arrest in Boston and how he got served divorce papers while he was in prison, which he signed because he couldn't stand the thought that his wife, who had only ever been with him, had become such a whore. He said that when he was released, he discovered that his landlord had put all his shit on the street and whatever wasn't stolen was thrown in the dumpster. His parents disowned him and cut him off; refusing to even let him explain why his life was turning to shit.
Finally he gave up and called the only person who had visited him in prison. Tanya. He moved to Tacoma because she offered him a place to stay free of charge, pussy whenever he wanted it, and other benefits that he refused to divulge. It was fairly obvious that the guy was hooked on something though.
The entire time he was talking, he was becoming more agitated.
Laurent seemed to notice too. His eyes were narrowed, examining James' behavior.
"He wasn't even on my radar anymore," James growled. "Not really. I mean, I occasionally thought about him; every time I thought about how fucked up my life had become because of him. It wasn't until that little slut Jessica came over screaming about the fact that he was back in Washington that I really put much thought into him."
"Jessica?"
James shook his head. "I don't know what the fuck her last name is. She was a friend of T's in high school. She was yapping about some whore that Edward tapped and knocked up." James started laughing. "Imagine that, T and Jessica calling someone else a whore. Do you know how long it took me to get in between that girl's legs? Less than ten minutes." He licked his lips and looked as if he was remembering something enjoyable.
"Ewph," I grimaced, not wanting to even think of what was going through his sick and twisted mind.
I watched as Laurent took a deep breath. He was getting impatient.
"So you became aware of Isabella Swan at that point?"
"Yeah, I guess. T was constantly ranting. At first it wasn't anything, but then she came home one day and exploded; begging me to take her out; the kid too."
My body went rigid. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?
"She wanted you to kill them? Isabella and her son?"
"She just said take them out. She didn't care how; she wanted them out of the way."
"That was your plan? And you were okay with 'taking out' a mother and child who were completely innocent?"
"Uh, . . ." he hesitated. He seemed to be thinking about his answer.
"What were you going to do with them?"
He shifted uncomfortably and put his hand to his mouth, chewing on his thumbnail.
"You only ended up taking Isabella. What changed?" Laurent was just trying to get him talking again. It worked.
"Tanya changed her mind. Don't know why. Told me leave the kid alone. I left him alone. Told me to get the car seat. I got the car seat."
"The car seat? Where'd you get the car seat?"
"Douchebag's car," he snorted. And then it was as if he realized what the fuck he'd just admitted to. "Shit," he swore.
"From Edward Cullen's car?"
James didn't answer.
"And what about the break-in to the Swan/Cullen apartment, Mr. Hunter? We already know you were there. Why don't you tell us about that."
James tensed up and seemed hesitant to answer. He was looking everywhere, but at Detective Laurent.
"Mr. Hunter? The break-in?"
"Tanya got all pissy when she found out they moved in together," he said after a couple of minutes. "She dragged me with her, said she wanted to scare Bella. I didn't know she was gonna fuck up her shit that bad. I figured we'd steal a few things, break shit. But she wouldn't let me take the fucking television or anything. She was worried that they could trace it back to us. We waited until the house was empty, fucked up their bedroom and took some shit from the kid's room. Then we left."
"It was just yourself and Tanya?"
"Yeah," he answered agitatedly.
"And you didn't have sex while you were there?"
James scoffed. "No. I'm telling you, that fucking cow was trying to set me up." He took a long slug of his water. "I'm done." he said, slamming his water onto the table after taking a drink. "I'm not saying one more word until I get a lawyer.
Detective Laurent stood up. "We're done for now anyway, Mr. Hunter."
"Do I get go home now?" James shouted as Laurent opened the door.
He turned back around and shook his head. "Mr. Hunter, you're not going home for a long time." And then he stepped out of the interrogation room.
"Come with me," he said without actually looking at me. Emmett and I followed him into the other room. "Sit down."
Ten minutes later Detective Laurent was standing in front of me again.
"You still have no idea what he's talking about?" he eyed me.
"He's fucking lying," I said angrily. "I have no idea who his wife is."
"Her name is Irina Hunter," he set a picture down in front of me. It was a picture of James, a few years younger. He was wearing a tuxedo and standing next to a tiny blond girl in a strapless white dress and veil. I did in fact know exactly who she was. I knew her face very well.
"Irina?" I asked shocked. "Irina's his wife?"
"You know her?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "She was in one of my classes."
He sighed heavily.
"I never slept with her," I assured.
He furrowed his brow. "Then why . . . ?"
"I don't know," I interrupted. "I knew she was married. She was nice and funny, but. . . I didn't touch her; not sexually. We had lunch together a few times, but I didn't even hit on her. "
"Are you sure?"
I glared at him. "I'm positive! Look, from what I remember she got married really young, seventeen or something." I scratched the back of my neck trying to remember some of the conversations we'd had. I had spent all of sophomore year sitting next to her in class. At first she was so shy and quiet, but eventually she got comfortable with me enough to chat.
"She'd been with the guy a long time, but she didn't really talk about him. She talked about wanting to travel. She was pre-med, like me, and wasn't sure if she wanted to go into medical school right away or do something else."
"Are you absolutely sure that you had no sexual relationship with this woman?"
"Yes, I'm sure," I insisted, getting increasingly agitated by the fact that he kept questioning me.
"Why would she have told her husband that you did?"
"I have no fucking clue!" I snapped. "Can't you ask her?"
"We have to find her first," he mumbled.
"Why does it even matter?" I bit. "It shouldn't matter why. All that fucking matters is that he did what he did. Put the fucker away."
"Because we need motive, Edward. If his attorney suspects that there is any sort of a loop hole in all of this, he's going to run with it. He'll get less time."
"Over my dead fucking body, he will. He went after my fucking family because of something I didn't even do? And even if I had, there's no justification for this," I bellowed.
"He's going to jail, Edward. Let it go."
I gaped at him.
Let it go? Did he just ask me to let it go?
"Bella is lying in a hospital bed right now all messed up and completely unconscious because he decided that I fucked his wife and deserved to pay for it? How . . . explain to me how I'm supposed to just let this go?"
I was yelling at the top of my lungs. The entire station was looking at me.
That moment, the one I knew was coming, was finally here. I was losing my shit. I had never, in my life, been as grotesquely pissed off as I was right then. The pain, the fear and anguish at the thought of losing my family, my life, was at its boiling point. I picked up a phone off a desk and hurled it across the room. It smacked against the wall and shattered into pieces.
"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker!" I snarled as I tried to take off towards the interrogation room.
Maybe I shouldn't have warned them. I barely had time to blink before I found myself on the ground, three guys, including my brother, holding me down. There were hands on my legs, a knee digging into my back, my arms were wrenched backwards and my face pressed against the cold tile.
"Edward?" I heard Detective Laurent growl. "You either need to settle down right now or I'm going to lock your ass up."
I tried to struggle, but it was completely useless; and it hurt. Everything hurt.
Maybe it would have been better if they had just locked me up. I took a few deep breaths, but since I had so much weight on me it was pretty painful.
"Let me up," I said, much calmer.
"You gonna stay put?" Emmett asked.
"Yeah," I grunted.
Instantly there was relief as I was let go. Not entirely let go though. Emmett kept a grip on my arm and helped me up off the ground.
"Look, it's late," Detective Laurent said firmly. "You need to go. Go see your fiancée, go see your son. Go somewhere else. There's no reason for you to sit here. We're done for the night."
"What about Tanya?"
"She's lawyered up," he sighed.
"Is she going to get out?"
"Because of Charlie's testimony, we have enough to book her on suspicion of kidnapping. They don't take those types of charges lightly so she'll have to stay locked up until Monday."
"And on Monday?" I asked, my eyes wide.
"We're executing the search warrants on her homes and her vehicle. Hopefully on Monday we'll have something to back up James' claims."
My mind tried to wrap around what he was telling me. "Are you saying that there's a chance she might get off?"
"I'm not saying anything right now because I don't know. I am not an attorney, I'm a detective. We are gathering as much evidence as we can. The DA will look at the case first thing on Monday morning and decide if there's a case against her."
I clenched my fists together and felt my brother's grip tighten.
"That woman has been planning for months to take my family away from me. You heard what James said, she was willing to take not only Bella out, but my child. MY THREE YEAR OLD SON! The only reason that he's not dead right now is because she had some fucked up fantasy that if she brought him back to me that I'd love her. I'm telling you right now, that if you let her go. . ."
"Edward!" Emmett said, jumping in front of me and putting his hand roughly over my mouth. "Do not say it," he growled under his breath. He leaned in so that he could whisper in my ear. "You are standing in a police station and you have already said waaaay too much. Don't be stupid!"
I pushed him away lightly and ran my hand through my hair.
Detective Laurent was frowning at me. "We will do everything we can to get the evidence we need to put her away, but she was smart, Edward. We cannot connect her to the destruction of your car or the break-in at your apartment yet."
He approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I understand your frustration and your anger. But James is going to go away for a long time. We have him on kidnapping, aggravated assault, and multiple drug charges as well as vandalism and burglary."
"And what will that get reduced to?" I asked petulantly.
"Like I said, I'm not an attorney," he sighed. "You need to go to your family. Give them hugs and kisses and be thankful they are alive and safe. Let us do our jobs."
I thought about what he was saying to me. He was right. I had spent so much time trying to get "answers" that I had completely neglected what really mattered; Charlie and Bella.
I turned to face Emmett. "I'm going to stop by the hospital to check on Bella for a few hours and then I'm going to go home. I'll take you back to your car.
He nodded. "Yeah, I should get back to Rose and make sure she's okay."
I looked at Laurent. "You won't release them without calling me?"
"Neither one of them is getting out before Monday. I'll call," he assured.
Emmett and I got into my car and I drove us back towards the hospital.
He kept looking over at me every twenty seconds.
"What?" I finally snapped.
"Was it worth it?"
"Was what worth it?" I was in no mood for his shit.
"Dipping your wick in every available pussy you came across?"
"I didn't sleep with his wife," I protested.
"No, but you can see how he would think you did."
"I wasn't that bad."
"No?"
"No."
"Uh, if we're going by the way you were in high school...I got news for you, man; you really were that bad."
I sighed and pursed my mouth together in a thin line. Did I really want to get into this with him?
"Look, Em, I'm not gonna attempt to justify myself to you or anybody else for that matter. Especially regarding things I can't change. The only person that I have to be accountable to is Bella. I'll tell you this though, there will only ever be one that matters and she will be the only one for the rest of my life.
"So, just how many were there?" he asked, clearing his throat.
"Enough," I grumbled. "And no, it wasn't worth it."
"Does Bella know how many you've been with?"
"No. She knows about the ones in high school, but that's it. And unless she asks me flat out, she won't. It's not something I'm proud of. All it does is remind me of how much we gave up because we were both too chickenshit to talk to each other after that party."
"How bout after you knocked her up? How many were there?" he pushed.
"You really are a nosy bastard," I laughed. "I'm not telling you. Drop it."
"Fine," he huffed. "But you really regret every single one of them?"
I nodded. "I would have easily given up every last one of them if I had known."
"I don't even know what to say to that."
"You don't have to say anything. It's my dick that got me into trouble."
"This wasn't your fault, E," he sighed as I pulled up to the hospital.
"It is . . . and it's not. It wasn't me, but . . . it was my reputation."
"Fuck that, little brother. Just because you were a slut doesn't mean you deserved this. And Bella and Little C certainly didn't. It fucking blows that they were targeted in all of this."
I scoffed. "Thanks a lot."
"You know what I mean."
I nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks, Em."
I bumped fists with my brother before we got out of the car.
"Tell Bella that we love her when she wakes up."
"I will."
I made my way into the hospital and up to the ICU, but stopped dead in my tracks when I got to the waiting room.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
I couldn't help myself. I knew I was being a dick, but it had been a long fucking day and this was the last thing I wanted to deal with at that moment.
"I'm not trying to start trouble, Edward," Riley said, holding his hands up palms out.
"Then you shouldn't have come."
He blew out a puff of air in frustration. "I got a phone call today from my mother telling me to turn on my television to the news."
I knew exactly where he was going.
"I didn't deserve to find out like that," he said quietly. "I know you don't like me. I wouldn't expect any less after what I said and how I reacted to everything. I know that neither of you wants me around, but I needed to know that everything was okay."
"Everything's fine," I assured.
"Charlie?"
"He's okay. He's at home with my parents."
"What happened?"
"You couldn't have called?"
"I did call."
I looked at him confused.
"I called Jake; several times. I told him I was coming over, but he said that Chief Swan didn't want me to."
Ah, the call that the chief had taken at the station.
I wondered if the chief knew he was here. He said he'd handle him. I couldn't imagine he did know if Riley was still here.
"So you showed up anyway?"
"Put yourself in my shoes, Edward. I just needed to make sure."
I was too exhausted to fight with him. It was nearly midnight and all I wanted to do was get in to see my girl.
"Fine, Riley. Now you know."
He sighed heavily. "What happened? Did they catch who did this to her?"
I nodded. "Yeah. He's going to jail."
"Why did he do it?"
"I can't do this right now, man. I need to be in there with her. She's okay. Charlie is okay. The people responsible are in jail."
"Christ, Edward. Give me a fucking break here."
I heard a throat clearing and saw two nurses giving us dirty looks from the nurses' station.
"Riley?"
We both turned towards the soft voice. A girl stood nervously off to the side, obviously worried about the rise in our voices. She was cute, maybe about five seven, exceptionally curvy, with long stick straight blond hair and freckles across her nose and cheeks.
"Hey," his voice said as he reached out for her. I watched as she stepped forward, allowing his hand to rest on her hip.
"Lizzy, this is Edward. He's Bella's boyfriend. Charlie's father."
"Oh. Oooh!" she gasped. "Uh, hi." She reached out and I shook her hand kind of limply.
"This is Lizzie," Riley said quietly.
The way he was holding her told me that they were much more than just friends. Riley had moved on.
"Hi," I said, smiling politely at her.
"Is Bella okay?" she asked timidly.
"Do you know her?"
She grinned. "Yeah. I'm Ginger's best friend."
"Ginger?"
Riley cleared his throat. "My little sister. She's a sophomore at UW."
"Oh."
What else was I supposed to say?
"Riley, we need to go," Lizzie said, looking up at him. I tilted my head and watched as she leaned in. This girl absolutely adored him.
And he brought her down here to see Bella? My irritation spiked suddenly, until I saw him look down at her. Whatever it was that he felt for her was genuine. He actually cared about her.
He turned back to me.
"I'll have someone call you when we have some news. Obviously Jake has your number?" I said, looking away towards Bella's room.
"Yeah. Unless he's deleted it," he said, humor evident in his voice.
Riley and Lizzie left the hospital without any additional words. I entered Bella's room quietly.
She was still unconscious; Chief Swan was sitting in a chair in the corner watching Sportscenter on mute.
"Has she woken up at all?"
"He glanced over at me and then down at Bella."
"Not yet. What did you find out?"
I didn't say anything at first, causing him to look back up at me.
"Edward?"
"James Hunter was under the impression I slept with his wife. He was looking for revenge. "
The chief froze, his eyes narrowing. "Did you?"
Of course. I was expecting his question.
"No. I knew her, but I never. . . "
He sighed heavily. "Maybe we should have this discussion some other time when I haven't been awake for over twenty-four hours."
"Maybe," I agreed. "I need to go home and see Charlie. Bella will be pissed when she finds out that I haven't been with him the whole time."
Chief Swan nodded. "Yup."
"But I want to stay with her for a bit."
He waved his hand towards a chair in the corner of the room and I pulled it up next to Bella's bed. I reached for her hand, which was slightly cold, and rubbed my thumb over her skin.
We sat in silence for a couple of hours until I started to drift off, my head resting on the bed with my hand still intertwined with hers.
"Edward?"
"Huh," I grunted.
"It's after two," Chief Swan said quietly. "Do you want to stay here or do you want to head home for when Charlie wakes up?"
I lifted my head and rubbed my eyes.
"I should probably go. You'll call me if she wakes up?"
He nodded, his head slightly wobbling. He had to be exhausted.
"Are you going to go home at any point?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll go when you get back."
The hospital was eerily quiet. There were a few nurses at the station chatting, eating, dozing, reading. They smiled at me as I passed. My returning smile was weak. I must have looked really pathetic.
The drive home was one of those that I couldn't really remember. My mind was all over the place trying to figure out what would happen to James and Tanya. James was guaranteed prison time, but was Tanya? She had to be. There had to be some evidence against her.
When I got back to the house, I noticed that there was a light on in the apartment so I moved in that direction. I unlocked the door and went in. I could see that my mom was obviously there. Her purse was sitting on the entryway table and her shoes and coat were there as well.
I stood in place, staring at Charlie's little sneakers, which were placed neatly next to my mother's. When I was finally able to move, I made my way to his bedroom, stopping only to check the guest room. I tapped on the door lightly and then opened it. Mom looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but she turned her head.
"Is Bella okay?" she whispered.
"She's still unconscious. Emmett called?" I asked realizing that I hadn't been the one to tell them that Bella had been found.
"Yes, he did," she said softly.
"Sorry, Ma."
"It's okay, sweetheart, I understand. We can talk in the morning."
"Okay. I came home to see Charlie, but I'm going back."
"He was quiet all night. I didn't know what to tell him. He was asleep before we'd heard anything."
"I'll tell him when he wakes up."
"Goodnight, honey."
"Goodnight, Mom, I love you."
"I love you too."
I didn't want to go into my bedroom. I didn't want to look at our empty bed and know that Bella was not there because she was in the hospital, in pain. I felt a wave of guilt pass over me and had to force myself to push it back.
Instead, I went to the hall bathroom, used my finger and some of Charlie's toothpaste and went straight into his room. I would clean myself up before heading back to the hospital.
He was lying in his bed, breathing heavily. I ran my hand over his cheek and through his hair.
"I don't know what I would have done without you, buddy," I whispered sadly. "Now all we have to do is get your mommy home."
Kissing him softly, I sat down in the rocking chair and leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I really wanted a fucking drink, but I knew that I couldn't. Not now. When Bella got home, maybe, but not now.
XXXXXXX
I woke feeling a slight tickle across my face. I knew that I had drifted off at some point, but it really only felt like I'd been asleep for a few minutes. As I became aware, I realized what the tickle was. Tiny little fingers were dancing across my face. I smiled widely before I opened my eyes.
"Good morning, Charlie," I said, looking at my son who was standing off to the side of me looking sheepish.
"Hi, Daddy. Why you sweeping in my chair?"
I chuckled. "Good question."
I lifted my body, feeling the ache of a very uncomfortable sleeping position. "Ohhh," I groaned.
Charlie's eyes widened. I tweaked his nose and pulled him up onto my lap, hugging him tightly.
I heard him squeak and loosened my grip. I expected him to wiggle out of my grasp, but he didn't. He settled down firmly against me and fiddled with the collar of my shirt.
"Daddy?" he finally said. There was a cautiousness to his voice that I didn't understand.
"What, Charlie?"
"Is Mommy wost wike Nemo's mommy?" I watched as his lower lip began to tremble.
Oh shit. Charlie didn't know we had found Bella.
Before I could answer, he exploded into tears. My eyes widened. I was completely taken aback.
"Charlie. Charlie, buddy, what's the matter?"
He just sobbed and sobbed. And I was completely helpless. Again. I started to rock him back and forth.
"What happened?" Mom asked as she came into the room.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "He asked if Bella was lost like Nemo's mommy and. . ." I waved my hand over my hysterical child.
"Oh. Oh, Edward. Oh, oh."
"What?"
"He wanted to watch Finding Nemo last night, so we let him. Nemo's mommy is. . . K. I. L. L. E. D. in the beginning of the movie."
Oh, Goddamn.
I hugged Charlie to me tightly, wrapping one arm around his back and the other snaking up into his hair. "No, Charlie," I soothed. "Mommy's not lost. Oh, buddy, Mommy's just fine."
He looked up at me, eyes all red and wet, tears and snot covering his face. I didn't care. I put my hands on either side of his face, wiping his nose with my thumb. "Mommy's not lost anymore, Charlie. She's just fine."
"Where is she?"
"She doesn't feel good so she's at the hospital, but she's okay. I promise."
"Can I see her?"
I looked at my mom, who looked like someone had just ripped out her heart.
"Maybe, buddy. I'll ask the doctor, okay?"
"Kay," he sniffed.
I hugged him to me again and just held him. I didn't want to let him go, but I needed to get back to the hospital.
"I'm gonna go see Mommy right now, okay, bud?"
"An ask da doctor?"
"Yes, and I'll ask the doctor," I assured.
After a few more minutes I stood up, setting Charlie on the ground and leading him into the kitchen. My mom offered to get him his breakfast while I cleaned myself up.
A shower had never felt so fucking good. I felt gross. I had to keep my eyes closed for most of it because our bathroom was full of Bella's face scrub and body wash. There was a big purple poofy thing hanging from a suction cup. Even her fucking hair, which was draped in strands across the shower wall from where she. . . and occasionally I, had pulled it out while running our hands through it.
I cleaned myself quickly and dressed. I had pulled my clothes from the dresser before heading into the shower so that I didn't have to spend any extra time in the bedroom.
"Here," my mom smiled as she handed me a travel mug full of hot coffee. "I put two extra shots in it."
I chuckled. "Thanks, Ma."
I kissed Charlie's head. "I'm gonna go see Mommy. You be good for Gramma, okay?"
"Kay, Daddy. You ask da doctor?" He asked one last time.
"I'll ask the doctor." I winked at him before grabbing my shit and heading out the door.
When I got to the hospital a little after ten, I parked the car and took the stairs two at a time instead of waiting for the elevator.
I sprinted down the hallway, much to the chagrin of the nurses, and pushed open the door to her room. Jake was sitting in the chair next to her bed.
"Hey, man," he said with a slight smile.
"Hey, Jake." I nodded. "She hasn't woken up?"
"No. She's made a few noises, but she hasn't opened her eyes yet."
Although I wanted Bella to wake up, I was really happy that she hadn't done it while I was gone.
"You looked really tired, Edward," he commented, standing up. "Have you slept at all?"
I shook my head. "Not really. I don't know where to be," I sighed. "I want to be here, with Bella, but . . . but Charlie's at home and I can't just leave him. He's been through a lot too."
"Have you thought about bringing him to see her?"
I looked down at my girl. She was still pale and had deep bluish purple rings beneath her eyes. There was a scratch across her cheek, but there wasn't any more blood.
"I don't think he should see her like this," I said quietly.
"Well, that's up to you. Maybe when she wakes up?"
I shrugged and changed the subject.
"Where's the chief?"
"When I got here, he looked like shit. Almost as bad as you," he smirked. "I told him to go home, take a shower, get a little sleep. I said I'd stay until you got here."
"Cool. Claire?"
"She came in with me at about seven, but went back home. They aren't particularly thrilled with all the people coming and going."
"Whatever," I mumbled. "They can deal. You gonna stick around?" I asked as I went to stand over the bed. I brushed the back of my fingers over Bella's cheek and gently cupped her jaw.
"Nah, I'll let you spend some time alone with her. She's gonna wake up soon. I think she's been trying for a while, but. . ." he shrugged. "Maybe she was waiting for you."
I looked up at him and he was smirking at me.
"Thanks, man."
"No problem. Give me a call later?"
"Will do. Hey," I stopped him as he was walking out the door. "Riley? Dude showed up here last night."
"Oh, shit!" he groaned. "Sorry, man. I meant to tell you." He grimaced.
"It's fine, Jake. I appreciate you dealing with him. Next time just give me a heads up."
He nodded and left.
I sat down in the chair and waited. Have I mentioned how much I hated fucking waiting?
XXXXXXXXX
BPOV
I became aware of the beeping before anything else. Annoying, constant beeping. Everything was dark.
God, my head hurts. And my shoulder. Shit, my shoulder hurts.
I didn't want to know where I was, where he'd taken me this time. My mind was fuzzy and I couldn't focus on anything. It didn't feel like I was still in the car. I wasn't comfortable by any means, but I wasn't exactly uncomfortable either.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep
I licked my lips and tried to open my eyes. They felt heavy and crusty and the light coming into whatever room I was in made my head hurt even more.
I moaned painfully and let them fall shut again. There was no point. Whatever he'd given me was still in my system. It must have been, because I heard a voice that couldn't possibly be there.
"Bella?"
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Edward," I sighed. My mouth was so dry, my throat scratchy, but just saying his name made me feel better. I didn't care if James heard me or if it pissed him off.
"Yeah, baby, I'm right here. Can you open your eyes?"
I let my head rock back and forth. I didn't want Edward to go away.
"Please, love, open your eyes."
"No," I whimpered.
I felt a warm hand encapsulate mine and squeeze. It felt so real, so right.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Please?"
I couldn't even resist dream Edward. I blinked my eyes open and then squinted.
"It hurts," I whined.
"I know it does, baby. Open your eyes and look at me and I'll get the nurse."
The nurse? What nurse?
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Come back to me, Bella."
There was a ringing in my ears as I opened my eyes fully and they began to focus on the face in front of me. I really wasn't prepared for what I was looking at.
"There you are," he smiled.
Without taking my eyes away from his beautiful face, I scanned my surroundings. I was obviously in the hospital; the beeping sound was coming from a machine beside me. Everything was cold and sterile.
But I was alive. I was here, with Edward, not with James.
And then one very clear thought pierced through the haze.
Charlie.
Suddenly I couldn't breathe. I heard the beeps getting louder and faster. I was gasping.
If I was here, where was my baby?
Edward was speaking again. I tried to hear him, but the panic was overwhelming everything else.
He gripped my face in his strong, sure hands and stared into my eyes.
"Bella, baby, you gotta calm down," he said slowly.
I shook my head. How was I supposed to calm down?
"Yes, baby, please, they'll come in here and sedate you." This time he was begging.
I tried to speak, I tried to ask, but the words weren't coming out. But he understood anyway.
"Bella, Charlie's fine. He's with my mom."
"You found him?" I sobbed.
He was going to hate me for losing him. I was a terrible mother. How could I lose my child? I never should have taken my eyes off of him.
"He's fine," Edward soothed. "Please, baby, just calm down."
It was all too much. I had no idea how I got to where I was. The last thing I knew, James was holding that horrible rag over my mouth, telling me it was time to sleep. He didn't trust me not to make any noise. Probably smart of him.
~o~
I had been talking to Edward on the phone. We were trying to find Charlie. That must have been when he took me.
When I came to, I was face down in a musty old couch. My eyes were heavy and everything was blurry. I blinked a few times and groaned. My shoulder was throbbing and my hands were tied behind my back with something that was digging into my skin. It appeared that I was in some sort of a room, or a shed. It was hard to tell, because it was pretty dark. The room was smoky and it smelled like pot.
I coughed a few times and waited for my eyes to begin focusing. When they did I wanted to close them again.
James Hunter was sitting across from me. Staring.
I gasped and then coughed again as the residual smoke filled my lungs.
I watched as a smile crossed his face. He stood up and walked towards me. He had a glass pipe in his hand. When he bent down in front of me I tried to recoil. I watched as his hand came up and he lit the bowl, taking in a deep breath and holding. He lowered the pipe and tilted his head before blowing the smoke directly into my face.
I was taken off guard and inhaled deeply, before coughing again.
"You like that?" he grinned.
I didn't answer him. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"I suppose you'd have to be high, spending your time with the likes of Edward Cullen, wouldn't you?"
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look at him anymore.
"Open your eyes and look at me, Bella," he said softly.
I refused.
"I would recommend that you start listening, little girl. Your fate's in my hands and I'm sick of bitches not listening." His voice was low and menacing.
I reluctantly opened my eyes again.
"Do you love him?"
"Absolutely," I said, gritting my teeth together.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"How could you love such a self-centered, arrogant, fuck-wad like him? That's what I mean."
"I . . . that's a stupid question."
"Humor me," he said flatly.
"I've always loved him; since we were kids."
"You loved him so much you didn't tell him you were pregnant with his baby?"
"I didn't know that he loved me back," I whispered.
"Cause he wasn't with you." It wasn't a question.
"No," I answered.
"He was enjoying the fruits of Tanya's pussy," he said, rolling his eyes. "But he loved you?"
I nodded.
"He loved you so much he was not only dating someone else, but he was banging every piece of tail within a fifty mile radius."
"How is this any of your fucking business?" I spit.
He ignored my question.
"You don't actually think he's staying faithful to you, do you? Shit, I've been following him for months. Do you know how many women I've seen him with?"
I didn't believe him. I wouldn't.
"You don't have to believe me; I really don't give a shit. But I hope you're protecting yourself. I don't think I've ever seen a fucker get around the way that one does. Must be nice for him, having complete strangers willing to spread their legs; never knowing that he has a girl and a kid at home. Or maybe they do know and just don't care." He shrugged.
I closed my eyes.
"I'm trying to do you a favor, Bella. He doesn't deserve you. You seem like a good girl. I would hate to see you commit to him only to find out that his dick's been visiting all sorts of pussy the entire time he's been sweeping you off your feet."
"Fuck you," I finally spit.
"Now now, princess," he sneered. "If you want me to, you're going to have to ask nicer than that."
He reached over and brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen in my eyes. I winced. I didn't want his dirty hands anywhere near me.
"You really are beautiful," he said quietly. "How does he do it?"
His blue eyes were looking at me with such intensity. It was almost as if he were actually looking through me.
"That wasn't a rhetorical question, Bella. I really want to know. How does a guy with no soul make the most beautiful women fall in love with him? How does he steal them away?"
His question took me off guard. There was such resentment and pain in his question.
"You were with someone else when he came back, weren't you? Someone who loved you? Someone who would have killed for you? For your son? How did Edward lure you in?"
"It wasn't like that," I said quietly.
"It never is," he sneered, pulling his hand away from me.
His mention of Charlie had me panicking. My heart thumping once again in my chest.
"Where's my son?" I growled.
He laughed. "I don't have him."
"What?"
If he didn't have Charlie, who did?
"That was the original plan, for me to take you both, but. . . plans change." Irritation flashed in his eyes, but then disappeared.
"What are you going to do with me?" I asked.
"I don't know yet."
"Are you going to rape me?" I blurted out. If I could have covered my mouth with my hand, I would have. I didn't want the fucker getting any ideas.
James snorted. "No, Bella. Don't worry, I'm not going to force myself on you. I could, but where's the fun in that? If I take you, it will be because you're begging me to."
"Ha," I laughed humorlessly. "That'll never fucking happen."
"We'll see about that," he hummed. "I'm a ghost; I've got all the time in the world. No one knows where I am, which means no one knows where you are. Tanya's given me enough money to last us for a while. You'll be amazed at what you're willing to do when you really have no other choice."
He lifted his pipe again and repeated his previous actions. My plan was to not breathe in, but he pinched my nose shut as he held the smoke in his lungs. He out held me. When my lungs burned from lack of oxygen, I had to take a breath and right as I did he blew out.
"Why are you doing that?" I choked.
"It'll relax you. Take the fight out. I don't want to hurt you Bella, but I will if I have to."
He helped me sit up. I could feel the high taking over. I tried to fight it, but it was very difficult. I let my head lull backwards onto the sofa.
"That's right, baby. You feel it now, don't you?"
"What time is it?" I asked, my words slurring together.
"It's just after six, why?"
I was trying to do the math in my head, but I couldn't remember what time I had lost Charlie.
Charlie. My baby. God, please let him be okay.
I shook my head.
"Why does my shoulder hurt?" I asked tiredly.
He shrugged. "I must of yanked you too hard. I don't know how to pop it back in."
I looked over and saw that my shoulder looked like it was about two inches further away than where it normally was.
"Uhh," I groaned. "It hurts."
"Stop fucking complaining," he growled.
That is how the next several hours went. Every so often one of us would ask a question, but we primarily spent the time in silence. Eventually my high wore off and I began to get anxious again.
James looked at me and smirked, then he looked at his watch.
He laid out two lines and then looked up at me, grinning. "You want one?"
I blinked slowly and rolled my eyes, looking away.
"Suit yourself, but you're missing out on one hell of a party."
He inhaled one of the lines, threw his head back, and shook it back and forth. "Ahhh," he sighed, sniffing and wiping his nose.
When he went back down for the second line, I realized that my foot was definitely within range to connect. Without really thinking of the consequences, I pulled back my knee and shot it forward as hard as I could, the heel of my shoe smashing into the side of his eyes.
He fell backwards without taking the line.
"Fuck!" He screamed as he touched his face. When he pulled his hand back down and there was blood on it, his eyes darted to mine and I knew I was in trouble. I had nowhere to go. He practically jumped up off the floor, lifted his arm and backhanded me. Hard. I felt the ring on his hand connect and tear into the skin of my cheek. The jarring motion of our scuffle caused a sharp pain to rip through my shoulder and I clenched my teeth together, forcing the tears to stay away.
"That is a warning, Bella," he said angrily. "If you ever fucking try that again, make no mistake, I will not hold back. I'm not afraid to hit a woman and I'm certainly not opposed to hitting one of Edward's whores."
I glared at him.
"Yeah, that's right, baby. Just because he shares your bed on the regular, doesn't make you any less of a whore to him. It just makes you stupider than the rest."
He grabbed me roughly by my uninjured arm and yanked me to him. He smelled horribly of pot and stale beer. I almost wretched at the foul odor.
He licked his lips. He was too close. He was making me sick. Luckily he pulled back.
"Now, I'm gonna finish what I started here and then we're gonna blow this popsicle stand. Washington's getting a little bit dreary and depressing."
Fuck. He was planning on taking me out of state.
He shoved me across the room and I tripped. Without my hands, I couldn't brace myself and I fell on my already hurt shoulder.
I cried out in pain and then bit my lip. I didn't want him to know how much it hurt. I heard him inhale and then he was standing over me.
"Let's go," he said lifting me to my feet.
He grabbed his things and dragged me towards the door.
I needed to try one more time. It was stupid, but first of all, he was about to put me in a car and drive after doing two hits of coke, drinking several beers and smoking pot. Second of all, I had no idea if he was planning on letting me live to begin with. I mean, how could he? I knew who he was and what he looked like. If he ever let me go. . . he wasn't ever going to let me go.
The second we were outside, I screamed as loud as I could. It was dark so I couldn't see if there were any other houses around us, but someone had to hear me, right? James tried to cover my mouth, but I bit him.
"You stupid little bitch, you never learn, do you?" he barked. He pulled me back inside and threw me towards the couch. "Sit the fuck down."
"No," I yelled.
"Alright, you know what? You're not leaving me any other choice."
I watched as he grabbed what looked like a pill packet and bottle of something from his backpack.
He also pulled out a bottle of water and opened it, sitting it on the floor next to us.
"Come here," he snapped, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down to the floor. I was lying on my back and he was straddling my waist.
"Open your mouth."
"I thought you said. . ."
"I'm not. Now, Open. Your. Mouth."
I shook my head. I wasn't going to do anything the fucker asked me to.
"You are fucking impossible."
He grabbed my cheeks and squeezed them tightly, forcing my mouth open. He shoved a pill into my mouth and then picked up the bottle of water and poured it in after.
I was trying to spit it out, but he covered my mouth and plugged my nose. I had no other choice.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked when he took his hand off my mouth.
"I'm taking extra precautions. You woke up too early the last time and I don't trust you. You're too noisy." He smirked. "Gorgeous, feisty, loud. No wonder Cullen's kept you around. I bet you're a killer fuck."
I spit at him, hitting him in the face. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked.
He wiped his face and glared at me. "Because your boyfriend took something that didn't belong to him."
"What are you talking about?"
He grabbed the brown bottle off the table and a rag from his back pocket. He poured the liquid into the rag and then put it over my mouth. I couldn't really struggle; I knew it was pointless, so I didn't.
"It's time to sleep now, princess," he smirked.
Once again I felt my body getting heavy.
"And because you asked so nicely. . . your Edward . . . stole my wife."
~o~
I lifted my eyes towards Edward, tears slipping down my cheeks as I remembered.
Edward caught them with his thumb.
"He's really okay?" I sniffed.
"He is, baby. He's fine."
"I never should have let go of his hand," I hiccoughed.
"I'm not sure it would have mattered," he said quietly.
I frowned, not understanding his comment.
"Where was he? What happened to him?"
Edward grimaced a little.
"What?" I asked, my panic rising.
"I was hoping to have a little more time."
"Time for what, Edward? What the hell happened to my baby?" I was on the verge of completely freaking out.
"Nothing, Bella. I told you, he's fine."
"Then why do you look like that?" I asked, starting to cry again.
He took a deep breath. "It was Tanya."
"What was Tanya?" I asked, not understanding what he was saying.
He swallowed and grabbed my hand. "Tanya took him."
It took my mind a few minutes to process what he meant.
Tanya took him? Tanya took him. Tanya. . .
"What?" I screeched, ignoring the pain in my head and body as I sat up quickly.
Edward leaned over me and put his hands on my shoulders. Then he looked up at the heart monitor, which was beeping wildly, showing my heart rate was now spiking at one hundred and seventy beats per minute.
"Jesus, baby," Edward gasped, holding onto me.
The curtain covering the door opened and a nurse came in. "What is going on in here?" she asked looking at Edward suspiciously. He was hovering over me and to someone who didn't know any better, it looked like we were getting a little bit affectionate.
"Oh, you're awake," she smiled. And then she frowned. "You know you can't do that in here," she scolded. "You, missy, are in absolutely no condition."
Edward opened his mouth to protest, but I stopped him. "Sorry," I breathed offering her a forced smile. "We're, uh, just happy to see each other."
"Mmmmhmmm," she said, pursing her lips.
Edward looked at me, confused. The truth was, I didn't want to the nurse to sedate me. If she thought I was getting upset, she would have. But if she thought we were just getting worked up, she wouldn't.
She checked my vitals and my fluid levels and left again with a stern warning to keep our distance.
"I'm going to call the doctor and let him know you're awake," she said as she slipped back out the curtain.
The second she was gone I turned towards Edward.
"What the hell do you mean Tanya took him?"
"Baby, this is a long fucking story," he groaned.
"I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon," I snarked.
So we sat there. And he told me about James and Tanya and how they were connected. I knew he was leaving out some things, but I didn't push him. As much as I wanted to know, I was too tired to fight with him.
"James is going to jail," he sighed. "But they don't know if they have enough evidence against Tanya yet."
If she didn't go to jail, I was going to kill her with my bare hands. Twice. They were going to have to pry her dead body from my grip as I rang her fucking neck.
I was lying back on my cold and hard hospital bed, with my eyes closed. One thing was missing from his recount. One thing that I thought I already knew, but wasn't quite sure.
"Why, Edward?" I asked flatly.
"Why?"
I nodded. "Why did they do this?"
"I don't know why Tanya did it. Because she's crazy?"
"And James?"
He hesitated. I watched his eyes darken in anger. "He thinks I slept with his wife."
"He thinks?"
"His wife was in one of my classes a few years ago. She told him that we'd had an affair. She left him."
I narrowed my eyes. The way he was saying it sounded like it hadn't happened.
"Did you?"
His head snapped up. "No, Bella, I didn't. I don't know why she told him that, but I didn't. I swear to fucking God that I never touched that woman."
I lowered my eyes and bit my lip.
"Baby?" his voice was trembling slightly.
"I. . . I don't know what to say."
James' cruel words echoed around in my head. Deep down I knew that what he said was complete bullshit, but at the same time, it was hard to just ignore them.
"Say you believe me," he begged.
"Edward, I'm tired."
"Bella, please."
He lifted my chin and gazed at me. His emerald eyes were red rimmed and so tired. I watched the light in them start to fade.
"What did he say to you, baby?" he whispered.
"He said a lot of things, Edward."
"And you believed him?"
I could practically hear his heart breaking.
I shook my head. "No," I admitted. "He's vile and disgusting. I know he was lying, but that didn't make his words any easier to hear." I swallowed painfully. "You have no reason to lie to me now. Not with everything we've been through."
He smiled sadly at me and then his lips were pressed against mine. They were gentle and cautious. He was afraid of hurting me.
I opened my mouth and let his tongue caress mine reverently. It felt so good.
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
"Never, baby," I smiled, rubbing my fingertips over the scruff on his jaw.
He kissed my mouth one more time and then he proceeded to kiss every square inch of my body that was exposed, including my toes that were peeking out at the bottom of the bed.
When he was done, he buried his face into my belly. I ran my fingers through his hair until I was too tired to move.
I knew that there was still a lot more to go through, but at that moment, I was simply happy to be alive and in his arms.
"Edward?" I whispered sleepily.
"Hmmm?" he hummed.
"I really need my baby."
I felt him turn his head and I opened my eyes to meet his gaze.
He smiled at me in such a way that it made my heart skip. Even the monitor registered the jump.
"Anything you want, love."