Authors Note : a reader told me they were having trouble reading the chapter so I made some corrections and published chapter 2 again, sorry!

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." ― C.S. Lewis

Jasper

I stood in front of the door, hearing the beeping of the machines that surrounded her bed.

I couldn't bring myself to step inside, to see her but I knew I couldn't let my cowardice hold me back. I slid the glass door aside, stepping into the dim room where only the sliver of the setting sun entered through the white curtains.

Walking into the room, I saw her for the first time.

Bella.

My eyes filled to the brim with tears when I saw her limp body laying on the bed, her arms were hooked to ivs and her right leg was in a cast, propped up on a few pillows. She looked peaceful even with the enormous bruise that covered the right side of her face and temple, a few fresh cuts on her cheek bone that made me wince at the sight.

I felt waves of pain fill me just by looking at the girl. I ran my hand over my face to wipe away my tears and sank into the seat next to her. Thoughts of Renee invaded my mind, even though I didn't want them to. Not now, it was too soon.

It all happened too soon.

It shouldn't have happened.

But it did.

So now...what? I'd just wait here until Bella wakes to tell her that her life is over?

No, I can't think like that. That's not what I'm here to do, to impose my own feelings on her. That's not what Renee would have wanted. But then again what would she want me to do? I've never even met Bella in person, we were supposed to meet for the first time last night and now I'm here waiting to tell her, her mother is dead.

What the fuck am I doing here?

"Jasper." Carlisle's voice snaps me out of my spiral, thankfully. He's standing by the door, his arms crossed with a concerned look on his face. I stand up and walk over to him as quietly as I could to not wake Bella up in case the anesthesia wore off.

"D-did you get in contact with the father?" I hated how weak I sounded.

He shakes his head, "the paramedics checked Renee's phone and belongings from the wreck but there wasn't anything containing Charles' contact information. Emmett said he would look into it back at the station but it seems that the only emergency contact she had listed was you."

I ran my hand over my face in frustration, "But he has to come, he's the father. I mean, if he doesn't then what's going to-"

My frustration was evident to my father and he placed his hand on my shoulder to keep me from raising my voice or marching down the hall and hunting down a man I've never met. Hell, I'd kick his ass to get him down here if I had to.

"They'll find him, son. But if that is the case and he's not in the picture then..."

"Then what?"

Don't say it.

"Then we will have to call social services and they will put her in the system. There have been many cases like these but in Bella's case, at her age, it will be harder for her to be settled into a single foster home, some may not even be here in Forks. We'll keep looking for ways to get into contact with Charles and we'll go from there." He says before a nurse interrupts to ask him for a consult. I nod for him to go and I stand out in the hallway for a while.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. This was all happening too fast, first Renee's gone and now if Charles Swan doesn't show up, Bella's going into foster care?

"Shit," I breathe out as I slide the door behind me closed and walk back to the chair next to Bella's bed. I sat in silence, resting my elbows on my knees just looking at the peaceful expression on the sleeping girl's face until soon I dozed off too. More thoughts and memories of Renee's life entered my dreams. Our friendship - haunting me.

An announcement over the intercom brought me out of my sleep slowly. Something about a Doctor Mason being paged to the emergency room.

I shift in the chair, grimacing at the back pain I had from spending two full days just sitting. I open my eyes, blinking and seeing the white sheets of Bella's bed at first. I could feel someone's eyes on me now and I automatically looked up to find the most beautiful chestnut brown eyes looking at me. Innocence and recognition filled them, shaking me completely awake now.

Bella's eyes.

I sit up straight and grant her a slight smile as I inched a little closer to her, "Hey...how're you feeling?"

Her dry lips part as if she wanted to answer me but she never does. She just stares at me for a moment until Bella finally blinks and turns her head to look at the white board on the wall in front of her bed, then the small tv that was in the corner of the room, until looking up at the dimmed flickering light above us. Her hands felt around the creme colored blanket until she felt the iv on her arm. She flinched and I placed my hand over hers to stop her from pricking herself even more, "Easy, easy. Bella, do you know where you are?"

She looks at me again and gives me a slight nod.

"Okay, good. Um, are you in any pain? Want me to call the doctor?" I asked her but proceeded to push the help button anyways. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt uneasy, anxious for Carlisle to come in here. Anyone who can help me talk to her.

I keep looking at the door until I hear a small noise come from her, "What's that?"

"Wh-where is she?" Her voice came out, sounding dry and pained. It made a wave of pain flood over me. My eyes met hers and I already knew what she was going to say, "she...my mom."

"Bella, I-" I'm stopped when I see the tears flood her eyes quicker than I could blink. Her hands turn to fists to keep them from shaking as she speaks again.

"Where is she?" I can't look away from her as tears slip down the sides of her face. "Is she dead...?"

I feel breathless as my heart continues pounding even harder in my chest. All I can do is answer her as I catch a silhouette that belongs to Carlisle at the door from the light in the hallway. I nod slowly, breaking her heart as I confirm what she asked me.

My voice has never come out so small and pained at once, "...yes."

I don't know if I should hold her hand or try to give her words of comfort but I can't manage to do either of those as I just sit there in the chair, taking in the pain in my back as much as I could to try to comprehend in the slightest way what this girl was feeling. I sat in silence as a tear slips down my face and the most heartbreaking sobs fill the air. They weren't loud or exaggerated like you'd expect to see in the movies.

This was much worse in my opinion.

Breathless, sobs escaped Bella's mouth as an endless stream of tears escaped her eyes. Like the breeze on the beach at twilight, barely noticeable from the crashing waves but it's there. How raw and earth-shatteringly real it all was.

I thought losing Renee would be the worst thing that could have happened to me but I was wrong.

This is the worst thing and all I can do is just sit and watch as Bella's world comes crumbling down.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

It's been two days since Renee and Bella's accident.

I've spent every day since then at the hospital with Bella. Sitting next to her, trying to talk to her as much as she would allow me to. Ever since finding out about her mother's passing, she's gone silent. She still nods or shakes her head when asked a simple question but that's all. The only time I heard her voice was when she asked me what happened to Renee and one other time when Carlisle asked her about her father.

I don't know where he is. Was all she said before pulling her walls back up, going silent again.

My mother came to visit Bella and convinced me to go home and get a change of clothes and rest. I thought I would go back to Seattle but for some reason my thoughts led me to Forks. I went to my parents house and took a shower there before changing into some spare clothes I left before moving out. I was exhausted however, I couldn't sleep without closing my eyes and seeing Bella in the hospital bed, crying until she couldn't anymore.

When my phone went off more than a few times within the last hour, I gave up sleeping and got up to snatch my phone from the desk in my bedroom.

"Yes! Who is it?"

"Jasper Cullen?"

"...Yes?" I imagined a nurse calling me about Bella. Did something happen to her while I was gone? Did she have a brain bleed that was overlooked?

"Right, my name is J. Jenks. I'm Renee's lawyer."

I shift uneasily, "What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind meeting with me to discuss a few things regarding Renee's will. She's named you as one of her beneficiaries, it would be best to meet as soon as possible."

Beneficiary? Me? Why would Renee leave me anything of all people?

"S-sure, when?"

"How about this afternoon in Ms. Swan's home? I will be in town around one o'clock." After agreeing on where to meet, the man hangs up just as quickly as he had called me and spoke. Only now I was left with even more questions than I initially had.

Renee left me something in her will. Why?

What about Charles Swan, wouldn't he have something to say about that?

And what about Bella?

A/N :

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about how Jasper's going to handle this change with Bella by leaving a review!