Chapter Seven

Sue

I had decided that it might be better to give Bella a few days to calm down before visiting again and persuaded Jake to do the same although he was confused and hurt by her cold attitude towards him.

I tried to explain that she was still suffering from shock and the effects of the strong pain meds she had been given.

"I'm sure once her head clears and she can think straight that she'll be pleased to see you. At the moment she needs to vent her frustration and we're closest so we get it."

He didn't look convinced.

"I'm not so sure Sue, you saw the way she looked at me. Like I was the one who killed Charlie. It wouldn't be so bad if I could tell her that we caught the leech. To be honest with you I think she hates us all. Why did Sam leave Paul to watch Charlie? I mean, Paul's been acting strange ever since his girlfriend left him for that guy in town. His head hasn't been in the game for weeks."

"I'm sure Sam did what he thought was best and Paul must be suffering. That's why he hasn't come back."

"Is it guilt? Or is wounded pride preventing his return? Either way, I'm afraid he's ruined my chances with Bella."

I felt like pointing out that the Cullem leech had done that quite admirably but decided to hold my tongue. Poor Jake was suffering enough as it was.

I had decided that two days should be long enough and went into the store to pick up some groceries before heading to the hospital when I overheard two women talking.

"I tell you it was her."

"How can you be sure, Esther? You haven't seen her for years, none of us has."

"She hasn't changed that much and I heard her ask for young Bella's room while I was waiting for Jeremy to get his cast off."

"It's just a shame it took a tragedy to bring Renee Swan back to Forks. Pity, she couldn't have made an appearance at Chief Swan's memorial though."

The woman called Esther just snorted, "She probably knew she wouldn't be welcome. Poor Chief Swan, that woman made a real fool out of him."

As they passed me on their way out of the shop they were still criticizing Renee.

I was taken aback by the revelation that Bella's 'mom' had been seen at the hospital. Why had she suddenly reappeared after pulling a theatrical vanishing act on her husband only the year before? Had she discovered that Phil had sent me her diary and that letter? Or had she somehow heard about Bella's accident and come to check on her?

I was still intrigued to discover the contents of the letter and by the information, I had gleaned from the diary and who better to fill in the blanks than the writer herself. So, when I reached the hospital and saw Renee in the cafeteria, instead of going straight up to visit her 'daughter' I approached her.

When she saw me her eyes narrowed and it was plain that she was not happy to see me, but I wasn't going to be put off. After all, who had sat by her comatose daughter's side and tried to comfort the girl while she was busy playing hide and go seek with the world?

"I heard rumors that you were back in Forks, Renee, and it seems they were true. May I join you? I'd like to have a word."

She glared up at me, her knuckles white around the handle of her mug then reluctantly shrugged her shoulders.

"It's a free country. I can't stop you. What do you want Mrs Clearwater?"

So, she was going to be formal and try to freeze me out. Ignoring her hostility I took the seat opposite and smiled as if I hadn't noticed her coldness.

"I'm so glad to see you heard about Bella's accident and came to comfort her. You should have seen her last week. The poor girl could have done with her mother then. Still, better late than never I suppose. I brought in some clean things for Bella."

I gestured to the bag I had put down on the table beside me.

"How kind of you, but I've already sorted things out for Bella."

I smiled, "Well, I'm sure she'll be grateful for more. I'll take it up to her when I leave here. Jake will be visiting this evening. He's been so worried about her."

Renee stared at me, her expression icy.

"My daughter has nothing further to say to you. In fact, she has made it very clear that she has no desire to see or speak to either you or Jacob Black and I can't say that I blame her."

"Really? How protective of you. It's just a shame you weren't around when she needed you. But then, of course, she isn't actually your daughter now, is she?"

Renee wasn't fazed by my revelation. She acted as if she had expected it and I wondered if she had spoken to Phil.

"I guessed you might read my diary when Phil forwarded it to Bella, just as I knew he would under the circumstances. I bet you couldn't conceal your glee, finding out that your suspicions were correct. You always suspected me of hiding something, didn't you? How does it feel to be proved right?'

I ignored her baiting and shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to me one way or the other although I'm sure Bella had plenty of questions. You were very mysterious about her true parentage."

She smiled coldly.

"Oh, dear. You didn't get to read the letter, did you? Poor Sue. You must be itching to know what was said in it. Now, was that all?"

I frowned. She wasn't at all shamefaced about the way she had abandoned Bella so why had she returned?

I hated that she was gloating over me, but I was powerless to make her tell me anything. She held all the cards so long as Bella was refusing to see me. Was that Bella's decision or was she making her decisions for her? She was loving my helplessness.

"I can see that you and I are never going to see eye to eye, but putting pressure on your 'daughter'", I emphasised the word, "To cut Jake and I off is a little low even for you."

She smiled again more coldly this time, studying my expression.

"Oh really? I don't think Bella needs any pressure from me to make that decision, Mrs Clearwater. I know exactly what happened in the forest. I was stupid enough to believe the Quileutes were on the side of the angels. How wrong I was. "

Nettled I snapped my reply, "Who are you to judge? We did all we could for Bella and her father. You have no idea what really happened, you couldn't possibly."

I very much doubted that Bella would confide our secret to Renee and certain that she wouldn't mention vampires. Renee would think she'd lost her wits completely if she did!

We stared at each other in mutual hatred for a moment then she broke the hostile silence.

"You should leave, you are no longer welcome. Bella has told the medical staff that she does not want you to visit again and as soon as she is well enough to travel we will be leaving Forks."

I could have continued the argument. I wanted to because she was being most unfair blaming all this on us, but I could see that to do so would be futile. Which didn't mean I was giving up on Bella. I would find another way to speak to her without Renee in attendance.

In the meantime, I had a parting shot for the bitch sitting opposite me.

"Maybe you should look elsewhere to apportion blame, Renee. Jake and the others were trying to keep Bella safe. She jumped to conclusions and as a result, she got hurt."

Renee reacted with fury to my words and pointed a shaking finger at me speaking very low yet with venom. I had finally cracked her icy demeanor.

"How dare you blame my daughter for what happened. Your young men are savages and should be locked away, but that is beyond my powers. I will, however, make sure they can never hurt Bella again and I swear if you, Jak,e or any of the others try to see her I will personally put a bullet through their savage hearts."

Goaded beyond my ability to control my anger I retorted hotly,

"Isn't it a little hypocritical worrying about Bella's safety now? After all, we both know you were the one who sent her here to live with Charlie. If you were so worried about us why didn't you stick around?"

What I really wanted to know was how she knew about the guardians, but there was no way she was going to tell me now.

As I turned to leave Renee seemed to read my mind and her next words were quiet but equally menacing.

"You stay away from Bella. She's leaving the hospital in a couple of days and until then I will be staying by her side along with my friend here."

She moved her jacket and I was shocked to see she was armed, a pistol hung in a shoulder holster.

Seeing my reaction she smiled grimly.

"Yes. I've taken lessons and before you ask I do have a permit to carry. So, if you or any of your wolves try to get by me be warned. I'm not afraid to use it and I've been told I'm a good shot."

I got up stiffly and walked out. This was not the Renee I had known. This was a much more determined and dangerous woman and I did not doubt that she meant every word she uttered.

As soon as I was out of sight I called the reservation and explained the situation to Jake but, like me, he was enraged by Renee's warnings and determined to speak to Bella despite them.

"I'll find a way to sneak in once the place settles down for the night. Renee can hardly watch Bella all night."

The guilt at what had happened to Bella was overwhelming him and nothing anyone said made any difference. In his eyes, he was the guilty party and he needed to make his peace with Bella. He couldn't bear to be rejected in such a way by the girl he loved.

Bella

Finding Renee at my side when I woke the next morning had been a shock, but rather her than Sue Clearwater or, worse still, Jake. At least she didn't remind me of pain and loss and she might be able to answer some of the questions that were tormenting me.

Since her arrival, she had been compassionate and caring a real change from her usual brisk and matter of fact manner. Ironically, now I knew the truth she was playing the role of a mother so much better than she had when I'd been growing up believing her to be so.

I guess the change was partly because she knew I had read her diary and the letter and knew the truth about my parentage.

We had talked for hours, or rather I had listened while she spoke. She told me the little she knew about my real mom although she had no idea where she was or even if she was still alive.

I was shocked to hear that Renee knew about vampires and guardians, a lot more than I did in fact. She was able to tell me more about Caius Volturi, how he was a womanizer who had terrorized females down the centuries until something happened, although she wasn't too clear on the details.

"All I can tell you is that he suddenly went into hiding within the citadel and never appears outside the walls, so I'm guessing there's a threat out there that he considers real enough."

"It must be another vampire or the threat would have disappeared a long time ago. What I don't understand is how come he hasn't used the Volturi trackers to find this threat or me. I can't see a single human scaring one of the Volturi rulers that much. None of this makes any sense, mom."

She smiled a little ruefully at that title but didn't comment on it.

"That's because we are missing a piece of the puzzle. It must have gotten lost down the centuries. Your mother told me very little, but I'm a persistent and tenacious bitch and I found out more by talking to various people, including guardians. You must know that I was reluctant to take you on if you read my diary but once I had, I promised myself I would get to the bottom of the mystery."

"But you haven't. You said so yourself."

She smiled a little wryly.

"It's not so easy when the creatures you want to know about don't officially exist. The guardians are the only ones who know anything and they are reluctant to talk about vampires. There are the children of the moon and they hate Caius most of all because he almost wiped them out as a race and their numbers are so few that they refuse to even utter his name for fear of bringing his wrath down on them once more."

"So how did you find out what you do know?"

"I had been digging for a very long time and finally I found a guardian willing to talk to me. When I discovered who was hunting you I realized that my actions might have already put you in danger. That's why I vanished. I was terrified that Caius or one of his hunters might hear of my snooping and put two and two together.

I didn't know if I could stay ahead of the vampires, but then I heard of a group who hunted vampires among other creatures and I decided to contact them. I didn't mention you. I told them that I had crossed paths with a nomad and had been saved by a wolf attack. They knew I was holding something back but they welcomed me anyway and I learned a lot about vampires from them."

Vampire hunters? I never knew such beings existed and Edward had never mentioned them, but then it turned out that there was a lot he hadn't told me.

She grimaced, "It seems that you've had more luck learning about the supernatural world than I ever did. I guess I should have known that with your heritage you were likely to draw danger to you.

"When I heard of your accident on the internet, I knew I had to come back. That you would be so vulnerable in the hospital even with the guardians to watch over you. I had thought they were on our side, but it seems that just like vampires they cannot be trusted. If Caius hears of your existence he will come looking for you. We have to leave here as soon as possible. Forks is no longer safe."

"And go where? I'm not well enough to leave the hospital yet, mom."

She smiled reassuringly and patted my hand.

"It's alright, Bella. I spoke with your doctor and he said you were well enough to be transferred to a private clinic. An ambulance will be coming later today and then, when you are well enough I want you to join my friends. At least there you will stand a chance, they are very good at what they do."

"The vampire hunters?"

"Yes. Is that going to be a problem?"

I shook my head, "No. It's fine."

She studied my face for a moment then nodded.

"You're going to take the fight to the vampires aren't you?"

I sat up a little straighter, "Not just the vampires, the guardians too. They are all a danger to humans and there are so few of us who know of their existence. I want a chance for revenge. I want to kill as many as I can."

I thought she would argue with me, but to my surprise, she slowly nodded.

"I do understand, but you must bear in mind that it is a very dangerous undertaking. Your adversaries are stronger, faster, and much more savage than you can imagine. It's a perilous path you step on, Bella."

"I know, but I have to. They killed Charlie and they've been pursuing me and my ancestors for centuries. If I can stop it somehow then I must and I have nothing left to keep me here or anything else to live for. The best I can hope for is to die with the venom and blood of my enemies on my hands."

Sue

Deciding to hang around and see if I could be of any assistance to Jake I drove to a nearby diner for lunch then wandered the mall until it got dark before returning to the hospital and parking at the rear so I could cover those exits. Jake wouldn't attempt to go in through the front, not with security keeping watch and Renee possibly nearby.

All evening I had watched as ambulances came and went carrying the sick and injured while the tide of visitors ebbed and flowed.

Becoming bored and cold I decided to see if it was possible to check Bella's room and discover where Renee was. if she hadn't already left for the night.

I walked confidently back into the building and took the elevator up to Bella's floor.

Checking there was no one around, I walked quietly to Bella's room and listened but I could hear nothing. I tapped the door softly then opened it a crack to peep inside.

As soon as I saw the empty bed I understood that we were too late. Renee had beaten us to it. She had worked much faster than I had imagined possible and spirited Bella out of the building. I might even have watched the ambulance that ferried her away.

I shut the door with a sinking heart and walked to the nurse's station, forgetting the lateness of the hour.

"Excuse me. Could you tell me what happened to Bella Swan? She was in room 42."

The nurse looked up from her paperwork frowning. She was unknown to me, a new member of staff.

" Are you lost? Who are you? What on earth are you doing here at this time of the evening?"

I ignored her questions, desperate for answers to my own.

"Where's Bella Swan? Has she been moved?"

She stared at me for a long moment then seeing that I wasn't going to leave without an answer, sighed.

"Miss Swan was released from our care earlier today."

"Released? Surely she wasn't well enough to be discharged?"

"She isn't, but she has been transported to another facility."

I cursed, Renee had snuck her out under our very noses.

"Could you tell me where she's gone? I'd like to keep in touch."

She frowned, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, that's not possible. I don't have that information and even if I did I can only release such details to the next of kin."

"Oh. That's most awkward. Couldn't you find out for me? After all, I was with Bella all the time until her mother was able to get here."

"I'm so sorry. I cannot give you the information you are looking for. Now, it's very late, you should go."

She was eyeing the phone as if thinking about calling security so I was forced to leave.

Maybe Jake could get a look at Bella's file later if the nurse left her station. There was certainly nothing more that I could do.

As I exited the hospital I recognized Jake standing by my car and joined him. When I explained the situation he became angry and frustrated and I didn't blame him. He agreed to hang around and see if he could get a look at Bella's file so I left him to it and drove home to the reservation.

A few hours later Jake appeared at my front door looking even more frustrated than earlier.

"Bella's file was missing from the records office. There's nothing left. No insurance documents, no medical records, nothing, It's as if she was never there. She's gone, Sue. How am I going to find her? We don't even know where Renee was staying or where she came from. They could be anywhere."

"Did you try tracking them?"

He looked at me contemptuously.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course, I did, but they left in a vehicle. Probably a private ambulance and if there's no scent I can't track. Maybe we could try calling some of the closest ambulance services."

I shook my head, "They aren't going to tell you anything. Patient confidentiality I'm afraid."

I sighed heavily.

"Maybe once she's feeling better, Bella will contact you, Jake. As it is, I don't think there's much more we can do for now."

Despite my words, Jake tried everything. Even asking the deputies at the station if they knew where Bella had gone, but no one had anything useful to tell him. He persisted, but after a few months, he was forced to accept that Bella was gone, probably for good.