A/N: Hello all! Exciting last chapter, right? It was scarily fun to write. Anyhow, I want to thank all the reviewers again for your awesome comments. You guys make it all worth the effort. I especially love some of your PMs trying to guess what is coming up next, Some of you are kinda close to spot on. Would love to hear more :)

Thanks to the ever amazing HopelessRomantic79 for her beta skills

Chapter 5

Bella POV

I awoke to the sound of movement in my room. I didn't quiet remember where I was until I opened my eyes. The site of the hospital room brought back the memories, rushing forward like a flood. Tears began to fall as the thoughts took over. Work. James. The cold look in his eyes. Fighting against the strong hold he had me in. That god awful set of stairs that took everything away from me. No. James took everything away from me.

I tried to sit up but winced at the pain in my abdomen. The nurse in my room glanced up from her chart as I tried to slowly lean back in bed. She was older than the nurse I had seen before.

"Oh Mrs. Whitlock, you're awake." She came over and helped me scoot up in the bed. The pain was nearly unbearable. "I was just checking on your vitals. You are doing much better than you were a few hours ago. How are you feeling?"

"What…" My throat was so dry it felt like I had swallowed sandpaper. "What time is it?"

"Oh..." she glanced at her watch. "It's a little after seven."

"Do you know where my husband is?" I looked around for any trace of Jasper, but there was none. It was like he hadn't even been in my room.

"I just started my shift Mrs. Whitlock; I haven't seen any man in here yet." I nodded in acknowledgement and let her continue her checking up on me. But I couldn't fathom why Jasper wasn't here. I know he was at some point because I could remember our conversation about…about Madeline, my baby. But I couldn't understand why he wasn't here now.

"Could I get some water?" I grimaced again as I turned to look at the nurse.

"Sure Hun, I'll also get you some more pain medication."

It was an hour later when Jasper had finally stepped through my door. He looked terrible. His hair was wet so he obviously went home to take a shower, but something had changed. Something about his demeanor wasn't right. He looked as if he had aged twenty years since the last time I saw him. He dropped a duffel bag next to the chair beside my bed and sat down.

"Where have you been?" I asked as I reached across the bed to grasp his hand.

He pulled away.

"Out." His voice was low, devoid of all emotion and it stung. Something was definitely not right.

"Yes, well I managed to figure that much out on my own. Where were you? Why weren't you here?"

He finally looked up from the floor and looked me in the eyes. "I had something to take care of. I was out."

"Jasper…" I was starting to get angry and scared. This was not my Jasper. "What is going on? What is wrong with you?"

"Bella…" He sighed. "I did a bad thing and I can't tell you. I can't tell you because I can't crush you like that. I love you so much but I am not good for you…"

"WHAT!" I screamed.

"Please….just listen." I was shaking and my vision was blurry. I didn't know what he was trying to say, what he did, but this was just adding fuel to the fire that was my already destroyed life. "What I did this morning, I would never ever have thought I was capable of doing. It was all an accident really, but still, I was there when I shouldn't have been. I took the law into my own hands. Judge, jury and executioner. That wasn't right and I now I am going to pay for it. But…But I can't…no…I won't bring you into it."

He started to cry. His eyes dropped to the floor and he could no longer look at me. I tried to reach for his hand again, this time he took it. "Bella…I love you too much to bring this kind of hurt into your life. The hurt I am causing now will be dull in comparison. So I am asking you…no…begging you…to forget about me. Forget about us. Move on. Become the amazing woman I know you will be. But…"

"No." I started shaking my head. "Hell no. Jasper what are you saying? Are you leaving me?"

"Not by choice. I don't want to leave, but I can't do this to you. I am going to have to go away for a really long time and I don't want you waiting here, wasting your life on me. I am not worth it."

"Yes you are! Jasper, I love you. Whatever you did, we can work through it. We can always work around it. I don't want you to leave."

Jasper got up from his seat and scooted into the bed beside me, cradling me to his side. "Oh baby, I wish we could, but we really can't work around this one. There is only one possible outcome. I can delay it for a few days, but eventually it'll catch up to me."

"Jasper…what did you do?" I asked tentatively.

"I….I…I can't tell you. It'll crush you."

"Did you cheat on me? Is that it? Are you leaving me for someone else?"

"Oh god no! Bella. No. Never. Nothing like that. I love you and only you. No, but this is worst. I just…I can't even utter the words." He hugged me tighter. It hurt a bit but I wasn't going to say anything. My mind was whirling with all the possibilities of what he could have done. He was being rather vague and I had no idea what happened.

"I wish you would tell me." He handed me a tissue as he rocked me, his own tears filling the quiet of the room.

"I can't do that to you. I'm going to have to leave soon. I have some things to take care of. I have to talk to Peter and Charlotte. And my attorney Jenks. But I can't stay here with you." He got out of the bed, and bent down to kiss me. I pulled him to me, mingling my tongue with his. If this was going to be my last kiss, I was going to make it count. "I can't be here when they come looking for me. Just know that…I love you. I have since that first day that I walked into the diner. And I will always love you no matter what. It was an accident. I didn't mean to. I would never maliciously do that to someone. But he deserved it." He bent down and kissed me one more time. His hands cupped my face as he kissed me a heartbeat longer than a normal good bye kiss would be. "I love you. Good bye Bella."`

As he turned to walk out the door his words started making some sense to me. "Jasper…" I called out. He kept walking, not even turning back. "Jasper! What did you mean? He deserved it? Jasper! What did you do?" But he never came back. He didn't turn around or acknowledge my calling as he left my room.

I laid back in the bed and glanced around my suddenly empty, desolate room. Nothing made any sense. I let myself cry. I let myself wallow in the knowledge that within 24 hours not only had I lost my child, but my husband too. My lively hood, my home, my life. In the time it takes for the clock to make two full rotations, I lost everything important to me, nearly in a blink of an eye. Yet I still didn't know why, how, or what would happen next. All my choices in my own life were ripped from me without a second thought to my opinion on the matter.

By that evening I was wreck. I didn't know what was right and what was wrong. I had tried calling Jaspers cell phone all day long. For the first hour, it just rang and rang and then went to voicemail. I finally received a text from Jasper after probably the hundredth call.

Bella, I love you. But please. I can't be there for you any longer and you calling me all the time just makes me want to come back and I can't. I love you, God knows I do. But you won't want me after you find out. I'm turning my phone off now. Please remember, I love you and it was all an accident. I am sure you will find out soon.

After that, my phone calls were all rather futile. It went straight to voicemail. I tried calling both Peter and Charlotte as well, but their phones must have been off too, because all I could get were their voicemails.

I finally broke down and called my parents. I think I was too afraid to call them and tell them what happened because then it would be real. Saying the words out loud to someone else made it all that more realistic and more nightmarish too. This was my life now. My parents got on the next plane to see me, they were somewhere in Florida on vacation. They would be here in the morning.

By nine, I was out of my mind. I grabbed the remote off the side table and turned on the TV, hoping to find something to distract me from my thoughts. I clicked over to the news to see the weather. Nothing new there but it was interrupted before I even got to see the weekend forecast.

"Excuse me, ladies and Gentlemen, but we have breaking news this evening. Earlier this morning 9-1-1 dispatch received a distressing call from the home of one of Seattle's most prominent attorneys from Harper, Saks and Associates. Upon further investigation, detectives discovered the body of 35 year old James Hargrove in his home. Authorities say the murder weapon was left at the scene, a dumbbell from Mr. Hargrove's own home gym. The identity of the killer is currently unknown but authorities say that they will know rather quickly who it is from plenty of DNA being left at the scene. All we have is this chilling 9-1-1 recording…

"9-1-1, please state your emergency."

"I…I-I didn't mean to. It got out of hand…he was going to kill me…I did the only thing I could to get him off of me…"

"Sir, what is your name."

"I just wanted to yell at him. Maybe punch him a few times. He killed my baby girl! I couldn't just let him buy his way out of this mess with no consequences, no repercussions. I was so mad."

"Sir, please, what is your name? I would like to send a police officer out to you."

"But then he attacked me and it was fight or flight. So I fought. And I won. Ma'am. Send the cops. Send the detectives. Send the coroner…because I just accidentally killed James Hargrove."

Authorities are asking that if anyone knows who this unidentified man is, or his whereabouts, to please contact the police immediately."

I dropped the remote. The rest of the news cast faded from my vision, the sound drifted away. I could hear a ringing in my ears as everything that was said earlier came rushing back to me. Oh my god. Jasper. What have you done?

A/N: Teaser of the next chapter for those who would like it. Please review :)