Chapter 60 – Silent Screams

Bella

In the early hours of the morning, I was awoken abruptly by the wail of sirens in the distance, followed by the sound of Edward's cell phone ringing on the dresser. Edward climbed out of bed and stumbled over to it, checking the screen before answering it. The look on his face in the pale light coming in through the curtains told me something was very wrong. The only reason his phone would be ringing tonight would either be from a wrong number or an emergency so bad at the hospital that they would need all available hands. Unfortunately, it was the latter. Edward flipped on the lights and began dressing quickly.

"Edward, what's happened?" I asked, hearing yet more sirens. I moved to the window and watched in shock, as a processional of ambulances pulled into the emergency bay of Children's hospital.

"There's been a bus crash, honey. A school bus full of kids coming back from a band competition. The bus driver swerved and crashed into an embankment when someone jumped off an overpass in front of him. The driver tried to keep from hitting them and lost control. The roads are slick, and the bus rolled…"

Edward was visibly upset, as he gathered the rest of his things. I dressed and packed quickly, knowing there would be families needing help and comfort. I grabbed my coat, scarf, and beret, pulling them on hastily, as we ran out the door. I stopped at the counter and checked out, while Edward ran for his car, picking me up at the door. The hospital was only blocks away, but it was bitterly cold now, and walking would have been unbearable and hazardous on the icy walkways. We pulled into the physician's garage and both ran for the hospital, Edward holding on to me to keep me from falling.

The scene in the ER was organized chaos and absolutely heartbreaking. Ambulance stretchers lined the walls, and there was more coming in. The sounds of the injured children screaming and crying as I passed them didn't unnerve me as much as the ones who made no sound at all. I hurried to get to the emergency waiting area, spotting Emmett at the end of the corridor. He and another officer were coming in behind an EMT pushing a stretcher with an adult on it who was obviously deceased. I presumed him to be the bus driver, but he wasn't.

"Crazy bastard! His stupidity caused all this. Too bad he died before he could be held accountable," I heard the EMT ranting as they approached, heading for the morgue holding area. The sheet covering the body slipped down as they passed me, and I couldn't help but look at the face of the man whose actions had cost some of these children their lives. He was badly mangled, but I fell back against the wall and gasped when I recognized who he was. Laurant Dubois.

I felt instantly sick to my stomach. The evening before flashed back to me, and I remembered him standing on the sidewalk staring at me, the tears, the broken look on his face, the despair. Why would he have done this, though? We hadn't spoken in many years, so there had to be some other explanation that didn't involve me.

It didn't make sense, but somehow, I knew this was because of me. The very thought that I could remotely be the root of this nightmarish act had me running for the restroom, doubling over the toilet, as I wretched uncontrollably.

"Bella, are you okay?" I could hear Emmett's frantic voice on the other side of the door. "Bella, open up!"

I opened the door and staggered out, collapsing into Emmett's arms. He carried me to the waiting area, unbuttoning my coat, so he could help me out of it. I was sobbing by now, looking more like one of the parents around me than someone there to help. I had to pull myself together. I wasn't here to be cared for. I needed to suck it up and help those around me. I could fall apart later when I had Edward to help put me back together. I took a deep breath and looked at Emmett.

"The name of the man you brought in is Laurant Dubois. I knew him from when we were kids," I told Emmett.

"Was he the guy standing on the sidewalk last night?" Emmett asked, and I nodded. "I thought he looked familiar. I saw him watching us while we were putting the stuff in Edward's car. You guys hadn't come out of the house yet, and the chick he was with kept yelling at him to 'get over it' and get back in the car. Then, you guys came out to leave, and she dragged him off. He was one creepy dude!"

Emmett's words made me feel weak again, but I pushed it down and stood up. "How many kids were on that bus?" I asked, holding my breath.

"Over fifty, plus chaperones," Emmett said quietly. "Fourteen are dead so far, seventeen are critical, and the rest are in less serious condition, but still, no one on the bus escaped injury. There was another huge multi-casualty pile-up on the freeway earlier, so they're triaging the adults here until Valley Medical's ER clears out some. They're also determining who all was traveling with their own kids as chaperones, so they'll know who else to contact."

I took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I had to get a grip, it was not about me right now, I reminded myself.

I spent the rest of the night and into the next helping and comforting scared and grieving families. Two more children died, bringing the fatality total up to sixteen. During a lull in the chaos, I had a chance to go in search of Edward. I hoped to catch him between surgeries for a much-needed hug.

Alice and Rose had both joined me during the night to help where they could and had gone to the cafeteria for coffee. I walked by the door to the stairwell, looking back over my shoulder from a few feet down the corridor as I passed. Nothing. As horrible as everything had been, and as bad as I felt, I guiltily enjoyed a moment of relief. I was certain now that it had been Laurant watching me. I just knew it in my bones, yet I was still wary. Something still just felt…off.