Took a while to write this chapter and be happy with it since I was having a bit of a writer's block :( but I'm back and ready to share more chapters x
"Bella..."
Opening her eyes, Bella's eyes adjusted to pale sunlight, and the faint sound of waves crashing on the shore nearby made her tense. A shadow loomed over her, and before she knew what was happening, big, warm hands were wrapped around her arms like steel bands, applying pressure when she tried to move away. "Bella," his hot breath fanned her cheek, and the girl held her breath, tensing as his hands held her in place.
"Stop," she murmured, placing her hands against his broad chest and attempting to push him away. When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer lying on the hard ground of First Beach. Now she was in the meadow she and Edward had once loved; the colors of the forest and the flowers around her were vividly beautiful, just as she always remembered. Tears flooded her eyes when she felt the shadow behind her again, destroying what little relief she felt to be able to see again, "Please...stop..."
"I know you love me..."
Her skin crawled as his arms slowly moved around her waist, his hands pinching the skin on her back as he clutched her shirt. As his mouth landed on hers, Bella felt the same hopelessness she'd felt when he'd first laid hands on her. Her shirt was ripped open, her cries silenced when Jacob shoved her back down onto the cold, hard ground. It felt the same as last time. The pain was real and the fear all-consuming. Only this time, Seth and Paul never came to her rescue—to stop the monster she'd once called a friend.
This time, no one came to stop her best friend from taking and taking until there was nothing left.
Nothing but darkness.
Jolting awake, Bella's body ached at the sudden movement the second she was conscious. Her heart was in her throat, pounding hard.
"Bella?" Jasper's voice made her flinch as she heard him knock on her door. The familiar scent of pine and cinnamon reached her, and she heard his footsteps entering the bedroom.
There was no point in hiding what she felt now that he was here. It was probably written all over her face—her trembling hands that clutched the bedsheets.
"Jasper," Bella breathed as she rubbed her clammy face with her hand. Letting out a tired sigh, she sits up slowly to avoid aggravating her back more, "where am I?" She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep or remembered laying down, for that matter...
A soft chuckle made her purse her lips but was instantly calm when Jasper was near, so she was grateful. She could hear him take a seat at the foot of the bed, keeping a bit of distance from her until her heart slowed down again.
"You're in your room. Fell asleep right after taking your bath, and Alice decided to let you sleep."
"Oh..." Bella tugged at the covers on her legs. "What time is it?"
"Half-past six. Edward went on a hunt, but he should be back soon."
It was just a dream. Just a dream. You're safe now. Jasper is here.
"Want to talk about it, darlin'?" Jasper asked, the silence consumed by her heart beating erratically and the thunder rumbling outside. He'd felt her emotions while she slept, attempted to monitor them the entire time, but when Jasper had heard her grow restless, pleading, and silently crying out—he needed to wake her. Pull her away from whatever nightmare she was having.
Pulling her legs up to her chest, Bella grimaced and shook her head but answered nonetheless, "I don't...But I can't help wonder if maybe I did something wrong?"
"What do you mean?" Jasper clenched his jaw, feeling the guilt and confusion pouring out of the girl in front of him that bared the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Like, I should have been clearer about how I felt about him. I knew Ja-" she faltered, the name of her best friend suddenly too hard to say out loud, "he had feelings for me. I knew that the wolves could lose control if they were angered and maybe if I had-"
"Isabella," Jasper murmured and stood up to sit beside the girl who could no longer hold in her tears. He was careful not to touch her sore body, unsure of what ached and what didn't since, currently, all he felt was pain—emotionally and physically. Gently cupping the side of her cheek, Jasper gave a heartbreaking smile when his little sister leaned into his touch, battling with wanting comfort and wanting to reject the touch all at once, "You said no. That should have been enough for him to stop before things got too far. Don't try to justify his actions because of the kind of monster he is."
A tear ran down her cheek and landed on his thumb; the warmth of her skin was not as prominent as it had once been, and the blush that usually amused him was nowhere to be seen. Jasper wished more than anything that he could bring back the sweet, naive girl that he'd come to see as a sister. That Emmett could make her smile as she once had or that he could make her feel safe. But that day wouldn't come. Not yet...
"I just want to understand," Bella curled into herself just as Jasper wrapped his arms around her and held her close, letting him rock them back and forth the same way Carlisle had done, "I want to understand why he-" A sob wracked her body, and at the same time, remorse hit Jasper like a truck. Before he could question why she felt so much guilt, Bella tried to lean away from him, "I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm sorry..."
"Shh, it's alright," He whispered, placing a kiss on top of her head as she sobbed. Jasper knew she hated causing him pain. Bella knew perfectly well that he was taking whatever emotion she was feeling and that, in some way, it caused him a great deal of discomfort. But she would never know it wasn't due to the sadness she felt but because he had no choice but to watch her suffer. "You're alright."
"I'm sorry," she kept apologizing and let herself be rocked until, once again, Bella fell asleep in Jasper's arms. Her hand clutched the back of his shirt long after she'd succumbed to the unending exhaustion she felt.
Jasper had been so concentrated on keeping her calm that he almost didn't hear the footsteps that entered the room. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he glanced up to see Alice standing beside him with venom lining her eyes, tears she would never shed, "You can't be here when she wakes up again. She'll be frightened to find someone holding her."
Knowing full well that it was true, Jasper nodded and slowly eased Bella back on the bed and tucks her in, brushing a few strands of her hair off her clammy forehead before standing up. The empath wasn't surprised when he found Edward sitting on the floor on the other side of the hall when he stepped out of Bella's room. His head in his hands as he waited to go inside. What surprised Jasper was the amount of gratitude he felt from Edward when he stood up and walked past him. A croak replacing his soothing voice as he said, "Thank you for being with her."
As much as Jasper wanted to continue being there for his brother and Bella, it was starting to take a toll on him more than he cared to admit. Jasper knew that he needed to get out of the house and soon to relieve himself of all this strain that ran through him. Clenching his jaw, Jasper closed himself off emotionally from everyone except for Alice, who took hold of his hand and pull him down the hall behind her.
She was about to lead him out onto the back porch when a vision must have entered her mind because Jasper stepped in front of his wife and saw the dazed look on her face that told him she was no longer in the present with him. Jasper stood by Alice, holding her hand tight as he patiently waited for her to return to him, gazing up at the cloudless sky as the sun began to set in the distance.
"No," Edward stood up from his chair and walked around Carlisle's study. "No, there should be a way." His father patiently let him mull over the options he'd been given, keeping his attention between Edward and on Bella's test results that sat in a folder on his desk. "Is there anything that can be done? Anything at all?" Edward asked his father through gritted teeth, the panic evident in his golden eyes.
Carlisle's expression grew sympathetic as he shook his head, "All we can do is wait and hope that soon Bella's sight will return. But, unfortunately, there's not much else we can do that won't result in surgery."
"And if it doesn't come back? What if this surgery you researched is what she needs?" Edward sat back down in the chair in front of Carlisle's desk, nervously running a hand through his hair.
"The chances that she would survive surgery at all is too low as of right now. I will not encourage a procedure that I've seen fail time and time again with other patients."
"If you performed it-"
"Not even I can prevent death, Edward," Carlisle's words cut through the turmoil inside Edward's head, silencing all the thoughts and hopes of Bella ever regaining what she desperately wanted back. "If she survives the surgery, there could be a good chance she ends up worse than how she is now." Standing up, Carlisle walks around the desk and sits on the chair beside his son, gently turning him to face him with glassy eyes, "To have her alive and with us now is a blessing. I'm sure you know that, son. Because I will not risk that no matter how badly she wants this surgery. Not yet."
"I know she wants her sight back," Edward rubs his face with his hand, "I know it's devastating to her after what happened with Jacob. But I don't want to lose her either. Is that selfish? I don't know...what to do."
"I'll keep looking for ways to make things right. I promised her I would but give me more time."
Edward sighed with lament, "I know this is difficult for you too. I'm sorry, I'm just-"
"Worried," Carlisle finished for him with a sad smile, "I know, son. We all are. And we don't hold it against you for fighting for what she needs." The two men continued discussing Bella's lack of sight and spinal fracture when a knock on the door interrupted, Esme popping her head in with a weary look on her face. Carlisle stood and walked over to his wife, "What is it, love?"
"Alice says Renee is going to call tonight. She'll want to speak with Bella..."
Edward knew what Renee would want to do, considered it when he'd read Charlie's mind in the hospital—Renee would try to convince her daughter to move in with her, and she wouldn't relent until Bella either agreed or chose to remain with him and his family. Either way, it was another stress factor Bella didn't need right now.
"I'll let her know," Edward said, knowing that ultimately it would be Bella's choice to speak with her parents—even if that meant her heart would break a little more with disappointment.
Thanks for reading x
What are your thoughts on Renee wanting to speak with Bella?
