So, I did decide, tentatively, that I will attempt completing this. Though given that I'm in college and I have several other activities currently including part time work, I'm not sure how often I can update, so I'm not going to give any false promises. I'll just write when I feel inspired to without feeling as though I'm obligated to do anything further, because as much as I love writing, I do have other projects that I want to see complete, including a Power Rangers story on AOO that's growing an audience appeal, so if anyone wants to go on there and check it out, it's called The Explicit Power Rangers where the universe is viewed from a more mature lens. I'm just hoping I can complete the next volume of it soon, because guess what I'm doing next month? Meeting Nakia Burrise and Cat Sutherland - that's going to be a ride I don't wanna miss out on, because I met them several times in online live videos, and they are positively two of the sweetest women I've ever met.

Though hopelessromanticgurl, for the record, I will always be a fan of the Jasper and Bella brother-sister fluff; that's part of why I wrote this, as well, that, and the idea for it just wouldn't stop tugging at me, I had to take the leap and try. And I'm glad it's getting well-received.


Chapter 2: Answers

CPOV

If it were any other patient in need of care, this probably would've been easier. But when it was one of my own children, that made it more personal.

Focus on helping her get better, I thought as I stitched her head wound, which by far was the deepest. The gash on the back of her head was one of the worst I've seen, apart from the time James had assaulted her a year ago.

I suppressed a shudder at the memory as I stitched her up, watching as her eyes weakly fluttered open, her chocolate orbs reflecting confusion first, and then the traces of agony as she registered what was happening, and what had happened to her.

"Ca'sle," she slurred to me, tears gathering on her lashes as her breath fogged due to the oxygen mask over her mouth and nose.

"Shh, I'm almost done, sweetheart," I assured her, which was true, the worst of it was over.

I'd had to give her surgery to repair two broken ribs, one of which punctured her lung, which explained the blood she'd been coughing up. And the long hour out in the cold of March hadn't done her much service, either - I could only estimate she'd been out there for an hour or so, because her body had been blue, both from a lack of oxygen in her lungs due to the blood she was suffocating on, as well as the exposure to the cold. That meant when Angela and Ben had found her, she'd been on the brink.

I fought with all I had in me to contain my rage. I just couldn't understand how or why someone could do this, be this cruel.

I knew the cruelty humans were capable of. My love had gone through her own share of horrific abuse in her first marriage. Rose, my first daughter, had been brutally tormented by those . . . I didn't even want to say men, because any man who put his hands upon a girl in such a vulgar, abhorrent manner wasn't truly a man, he was an animal of the grizzliest kind, soulless.

Edward could say many things about himself, but I knew he wasn't a monster, that he had a soul, because never would he ever put his hands upon a girl, or any woman for that matter, in anger, nor would he ever push her into anything sexual against her consent. And his love for Bella, his instinct to protect her, was further proof that he did have a soul still, even though he couldn't see it himself.

I silently thanked whatever God there was that Angela and Ben had been the people to find her, and that Jasper had found the will within him to fight his thirst and focus solely on making sure she was safe, that she wasn't alone, and that he'd ridden with her.

Finishing the final stitch, I placed a bandage on the back of Bella's head as her body started to shiver, probably from shock as a heavy, heated blanket got placed over her. A whimper went past her lips as I smoothed my hand over her forehead. I saw from the way her body was bruised that she hadn't fought back, that she'd taken it from whoever had beaten her so badly.

I suppressed a growl, something that rarely left my throat. But after all she'd gone through already in our absence, I knew I'd never fully forgive myself if anything else happened to her.

It was abhorrent enough how much weight she'd lost while we were away - I knew she hadn't been eating regularly, that she'd lost at least twenty pounds; I knew it from the moment I saw her at the airport when she'd been fighting her exhaustion after she, Edward and Alice arrived from Italy that us leaving had done her much more harm that good. Jasper had gotten a read on her emotions that night, sensing how tired she was, yet also how afraid she was to close her eyes. And I'd been meaning to give her a B-12 injection ever since our return, but I hadn't been able due to Charlie grounding her. I could've asked Charlie to bring her to the hospital so I could treat her, however, I knew what she'd say about that, how humiliated she would feel going to the hospital for something she felt she had under control.

I sighed, knowing I needed to do it now. She was already on an IV, feeding her pain meds for her broken ribs and keeping her relatively relaxed for the moment. But I also knew it wouldn't last long, that she'd need more. I proceeded to add the liquid B-12 into her IV, knowing it would be best to combat her malnutrition now while I could.

Bella whimpered quietly again, her hand weakly catching my wrist. Gently, I uncurled her fingers.

"I'm going to go talk to everyone about your condition," I informed her gently.

She peered up at me, confused by what I was saying - a symptom of her concussion, as well as the poor eyesight from her right eye, which would probably need additional surgery.

"Everyone's here," I murmured to her quietly. "They all know what happened."

"Every . . .?" Bella murmured back.

"Yes, they're all here, they've been worried, your father especially, and Edward. That's all that matters for now, that they're all here and they all love you. Do you wish to see them?"

She barely managed a nod as her breathing began to shudder. Her hands trembled lightly, her tears which clumped on her eyelashes spilling down her bruised face. A quiet sob escaped her chest as she lightly coughed. Shivers began to run through her body, and I felt immense guilt for needing to leave. But I could hear my family, Charlie, and Angela and Ben in the waiting room of the hospital; they all were anxious to hear about her. Emmett was ready to kill whoever had done this to her, Rosalie, too, was murderous, surprisingly, given that she'd never cared much for Bella, but I supposed her being one of the individuals to find her like that, it reminded her of how Royce had discarded her and left her for dead, something she'd never wish upon anyone. Alice, from what I could hear, was devastated, as was Esme, and Jasper was trying his hardest to not allow everyone's emotions to affect him so much, but they were, and I knew it wouldn't be long until it became too much for him to take and he'd need to escape.

"I'll be back, darling." I leaned a soft kiss against her forehead, which caused her to let out a choked cry. "Shhh, no one's leaving you."

Quickly, I backed out of the room, forcing myself to remain calm as I quickly went into the waiting room. I wasn't surprised when Edward was the first person out of his chair, along with Charlie, the hostility that had been there for the past two weeks apparently forgotten as together, they worried for Bella. Alice was biting her lower lip and had her face buried in Jasper's chest, while Rose clung onto Emmett tightly, her shoulders shaking. Emmett's eyes might as well be black, given how enraged he was. But Esme bolted from her seat and ran to me. I kissed my love's forehead before hugging her firmly.

"How is she?" Edward's voice was choked. Although I knew he was reading my mind, he was seeing everything I saw in that operating room, he knew she was far from fine.

"Her injuries weren't anything I couldn't treat. She has two broken ribs, one which punctured her lung and it nearly led to her drowning in her own blood, luckily it didn't come to that. She also has a concussion, she won't be able to see out of her right eye for a while but I don't think the damage will be anything permanent. Other than that, she has severe bruising which should clear up in a week or so. But I'm keeping her here because I fear she might develop pneumonia given that she was exposed to the cold for so long," I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as I could. But I couldn't fool Jasper. He sent a wave of calm in my direction, which I silently thanked him for. I turned to Charlie. "You might want to have another detective come here to get her statement. You're too close to the situation, someone'll need to be objective towards it."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I figured that. I'm debating calling her mother to come up here . . ."

"With all due respect, Chief, I'm not sure that'll be the best idea," Jasper whispered. "Renee will be hysterical about it, Bella doesn't need that right now. Maybe tell her after Bella's released, when she's at least looking better."

Charlie reluctantly conceded, nodding. "You're right."

"You can go see her, but two at a time, I don't want her overwhelmed," I said pointedly to Edward and Charlie, knowing they'd both want to be the first ones to go in there and see her. I beckoned them to follow me.


BPOV

Everything in my right line of vision was black, I couldn't see anything. Shivers wracked through me, bringing more discomfort as I coughed, the mask against my face fogging, bringing oxygen into my lungs, which felt cold, yet were burning all the same.

Every inch of my body hurt, I couldn't move. Yet I didn't want to stay here. I wanted to go home.

Carlisle had promised he'd be back. But each minute he was gone, I had to fight the urge to scream, the hole in my chest from months ago coming back, as though someone had grabbed my beating heart and ripped it out of me.

A sob escaped my lips, sending more searing pain into my chest as I continued to shiver. I could still hear them, their hate-filled voices as she beat me, over and over, in the locker room, while she recorded it, standing there watching, no doubt thinking about the gossip it would bring. They wanted me to fight. But I wouldn't give it to them. I didn't want to. I just wanted them to leave me alone.

The thought caused another aching sob to rip through me as I heard my door opening, and I soon felt cold hands cradling my bruised cheeks, and someone else's hand running through my hair.

"Bells," I heard Charlie whispering.

"Oh, sweetheart," Edward murmured, his voice marred with torment, I could hear the tearless sobs as my personal angel cradled my face, his cold touch calm against my bruises as I tried opening my eyes. I sobbed as I once again registered that my right eye was dark.

"I . . . I can't see!"

"Bella, calm down, it's because of the concussion. It'll go away soon, I promise," I heard Carlisle whispering.

"Baby, who did this? Why would someone do this?" Charlie whispered.

"Bella, tell us," I heard Edward saying anxiously. "Please."

"I . . . I can't . . . they'll kill me! I thought they were going to kill me!"

"Who?" pressed Charlie. "Bells you gotta say something. Whoever did this, we won't let them touch you again. But you gotta say what happened."

"You know we'll keep you safe, I'll keep you safe, but we can't if you don't say anything." Edward's velvet voice was soothing in my ears as he tenderly stroked my face.

More tears streamed down my cheeks as I shivered again. I felt nausea building in my stomach, twisting my insides. "Carlisle!" I heard Edward whispering, panicked as something shifted next to me, right near my bed, scraping the floor underneath it as I felt something rising in my throat. Edward lifted the mask and tilted something under my chin as Charlie pulled my hair back, and I vomited into the wastebasket, violently. I kept gagging even though there wasn't anything left to throw up, until I felt something enter my bloodstream through my IV, and the nausea ceased instantly.

"Anti-nausea medicine," Carlisle explained softly to me as he replaced the mask over my mouth and nose. I felt his hand on my wrist, taking my pulse. "Bella, did it help at all?"

I nodded weakly before gasping, "It . . . I . . . It was . . . Lauren, she . . . and Jessica!" Another weak sob followed as Edward's hands went back to cradling my face.

"Lauren Mallory? And Jessica Stanley?" Charlie asked. His voice was calm. But I knew that was the cop in him, trying to be professional. But he was murderous, even more than when he saw me with Edward after Italy, even worse than when he learned about the motorcycle.

"Why, honey? Why did they . . .?" Charlie's voice trailed off as he struggled to continue.

"They . . . They hid my clothes after gym," I tried telling them. "I looked everywhere. An . . . An hour later, they . . . they showed up. Lauren, she . . . walked up to me, and Jessica had her camera out, I knew it wasn't good. Lauren shoved me against the locker, she called me a . . . a . . ." My voice sounded as though I were gagging.

"What?" Edward murmured.

"A whore, she . . . said you and Jacob . . . that you guys . . . take turns," I sobbed, my cheeks reddening deeply as the shame and embarrassment hit me, hard, "and . . . and she slapped me, I think she was wearing a ring, because it cut me. And then she punched me . . . I hit my head and . . ."

"They knocked you unconscious?" I heard Carlisle asking quietly, his voice colored with disbelief.

"Yeah I think so, because when I woke up, I was outside the gym, but Lauren, she kept hitting me and hitting me, and Jessica was laughing, telling me to hit her back, but I didn't want to. I just wanted to leave but I couldn't go anywhere . . . I thought they were going to . . . to kill me. And afterwards . . . I was in Jessica's car, they drove me to the outside of town, they just left me there."

"Beside the road?" Carlisle asked incredulously.

I nodded weakly.

"And nobody stopped to help you?" Charlie whispered.

"I don't know if anybody noticed."

Edward sucked in a breath. "How long did it last? The beating, how long?"

"I . . . I don't know. I . . . I just remember Angela, Ben . . . and Jasper finding me. And it was cold. I couldn't move."

"And Jess didn't stop Lauren?" Charlie whispered.

I shook my head. "She just watched, videotaping it on her phone. I don't know why. She . . . She was my friend!"

Silence followed afterward, apart from my sobs as Edward kept cradling my face in his hands tenderly.

"Bella, honey, you'll have to give a statement," Charlie finally said.

"No . . . No I don't want to talk about it don't make me!" I begged.

"Bella, if you say something, they won't be able to go near you again," Edward said gently.

I shook my head again, wanting nothing more than to sleep, or better yet, just go home, or preferably to Edward's house where I could lay on his sofa in his room and have him hold me, not saying anything. I felt the cold circle of his arms slowly coming around me, holding me to his chest as his cold lips kissed my head.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His voice was pained. But I didn't know what he was apologizing for as I heard a quiet knock at my door, and Jasper's Texan accent flooded the room.

"Alice is dying to see her, she's getting impatient."

"Okay." I heard Charlie leaving the room, but before Edward could go, I clung to him tighter.

"Don't go, don't go!" I pleaded, not at all caring how pathetic I sounded as Alice and Jasper entered, and I heard Alice's choked sob as she ran to my side.

"We're not going anywhere," I heard Jasper telling me, his voice strong as I turned weakly to try looking at him. He looked as though he were going to be sick, I knew he heard what I'd said moments ago.

"Oh, Bella." Alice shook her head, her fingers tangling in my hair as Jasper moved in closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and sending pulses of calm towards me as I felt my sobs lessening, until it didn't hurt so much to breathe. I turned to him weakly, knowing he had something to do with it.

"Shh," he crooned, "darlin' it'll be all right. You just gotta stay here for a few days and then we'll get you home, we'll take care of you, we'll protect you."

"Get some rest." Edward kissed my forehead. "We'll all be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Leaving you was the stupidest thing we'd done in hundreds of years. We're not making that mistake again," Alice said firmly.

"Go to sleep, honey," Jasper murmured, "I'll make sure you don't have any nightmares, okay?"

I felt the wave of exhaustion as he said that, and I didn't fight him. I just allowed him to wrap me in the warmth of all the love and comfort he and his family held for me. I felt his hand lean against my pillow, and I tilted my head towards the cold of his touch. His fingers rubbed my hair as Edward kept cradling my face and started to hum my lullaby. Their combined efforts sent me into a void of peace as I nodded off into what would hopefully be a dreamless sleep.