SM owns Twilight.

(CozItRunsInMyBlood /Rose B. Mashal) owns the plot.

(BandMum) is the wonderful beta.

Chapter 11 Part 1

I couldn't trust people. Not one person. How could I possibly trust anyone when those closest to me have hurt me? They have hurt me so deeply it was difficult to see any goodness left in this world. I just couldn't; trust wasn't even an option.

In all truth, I didn't trust Dr. Cullen. I believed him because I didn't have any other choice. I was dying anyway - what could possibly happen to me worse than that?

I knew firsthand that there were many things that were harsher and more painful than death. But then again, I had already seen it all. I was used to being hurt and humiliated. I couldn't think of anything that Dr. Cullen could do to me which I haven't already endured.

Dr. Cullen fed me and gave me shelter. He treated me when I was sick, and continued to do so to ease my pain. He gave me no reason not to trust him - being mysterious and scary weren't enough. Everyone had their own secrets, and I was scared of all people. I couldn't judge Dr. Cullen because of that.

There was no doubt in my head about how good he seemed to be, but looks could be deceiving, I learned that the hard way.

I lay in bed on my side, my knees touching my chest as I curled into a ball. I was shaking and sweating. My racing heartbeat didn't seem to be slowing down at all.

There was nothing terrifying about hearing footsteps on the floor above, but that was for normal people. Insane people like me didn't find anything normal about it. All I could think was that Dr. Cullen had lied to me. Or maybe he didn't actually lie, but he hid the fact that there was someone other than his assistant living there. Dishonesty and secrets petrified me.

At the back of my mind, I realized that they could be visitors, and that it shouldn't concern me. But I had been convinced that the house was secure and private. Dr. Cullen didn't even allow a delivery guy there.

The situation wasn't scary, but the thoughts running through my head made it feel frightening.

The night was too long. I dozed off a couple of times only to wake up, startled by an unknown nightmare. I heard my stepfather's giggles ringing in my ear and I jumped out of bed, searching the room for him.

The intrusive thoughts continued into thinking that Dr. Cullen was lying to me about every single thing. I started making up different scenarios, and they all ended with me facing a horrible death. Though truthfully, I had never thought I would have a normal death, anyway. With or without Dr. Cullen being involved.

The morning couldn't come fast enough. Smokey was the only reason I didn't die from fear right there. My anxiety would probably kill me someday. Watching the little monkey move around his cage, making soft noises, took my mind off my constant feeling of danger. Well, just a bit.

I thought a shower might ease the tension that was surrounding my whole being, so I stepped into the shower stall and turned on the hot water. I tried to lose myself in the clean steamy feeling which I had craved before for so long, but couldn't have, when I lived on the streets.

I was wrong, though. The hot shower didn't do anything to ease my discomfort. I couldn't wash the terrified thoughts away.

I wrapped a bathrobe around my body and got out of the shower. I had one leg outside the stall when I caught my other foot on something. Before I could stop myself, I fell and hit my head, so hard I saw nothing but complete darkness.

~WtSGD~

All I could see was flash after flash, and all I could feel was pain. I remember feeling extremely cold, then warm, but the pain didn't go away.

"Bella? Bella? Can you hear me?" I did hear him, but I couldn't answer. I couldn't even open my eyes. My whole body felt so heavy and – numb.

"Shit!" I heard him curse, but I wasn't sure if it was after he asked if I could hear him, or before. "Stay with me, please."

Who is he? I don't recognize his voice.

Even in my condition, the thought scared me.

It was too difficult to focus on anything. I felt like the bed underneath me was moving, then the whole room was spinning, and then I was in darkness again.

"Bella, please, if you can hear me, open your eyes or nod," he begged me, and I tried, I really did, but nothing happened. So numb.

"It's okay, you'll be okay." His voice, though deep and gruff, was so comforting and reassuring. Strangely, it sent a calm over me. That was a first.

The pain was intense, and everything in my head turned from darkness to fog. Lots and lots of heavy fog. I realized that the person with the comforting voice was still there, close by – I could recognize his scent. He was wearing one of those extremely expensive colognes that Mrs. Coper had samples of, but never sold the actual bottles.

I dozed off for what felt like only a minute, but might have been hours. I didn't know.

"Call me as soon as you land," I heard him say, but I didn't understand what he meant.

Finally, I felt like I could control my body, and I was able to open my eyes slightly. My head was throbbing, and I was sweating hard although the temperature in the room was the same as always.

A soft moan escaped my mouth when I tried to move my head. The pain was intense, but I had felt worse; I could bear it. If my body didn't feel so heavy…

"Bella?"

I opened my eyes in the direction of the voice. My vision was blurry, almost the same as when I tried on the glasses of one of my father's old friends when I was little. I could only see figures, no details.

"Can you hear me, Bella?"

I frowned, my eyes falling on green ones, full of concern and worry. I dared to think they were worried about me, as crazy as that sounded.

Before I could speak, I started to recognize my surroundings. I knew I fell in the bathroom. I knew I probably injured my head given how intense the pain was, and I knew I wasn't fully dressed.

I started panicking, my chest heaving as I realized his hand was on my bare arm. A tear fell at the same moment I made eye contact with the man with the comforting voice and deep green eyes. Fear consumed me as the bad thoughts attacked my head.

I could only think of how vulnerable I was, lying in this bed, unsure if I was wearing any clothes, and too weak to resist. The feeling of his hand on my arm was enough to send me straight into a panic attack.

It all happened so quickly. He asked if I could hear him, and my eyes met his at the same second I felt his hand on me. He stepped back almost immediately at the sight of my panicking face, reached back and pulled a hoodie over his head, almost hiding his face completely from my sight.

Not a moment later, I could make out his form as he reached up to inject something into an IV I was sure was inserted in my arm, though I couldn't actually see it.

My breaths evened out quickly, and his green eyes looking back at me over his shoulder were the last thing I saw. The concern in them was now mixed with sorrow and… embarrassment.

~WtSGD~

Whispering woke me from my sleep. It was the first time I felt like I slept peacefully. I hadn't experienced that in a very long time, almost a decade. I wonder if a hit on the head was all it took for me to get hours of restful sleep with no nightmares. If so, I'd gladly slip in the bathroom more often.

"I tried calling you a thousand times!"

"I came straight from the airport, Edward. It's not like I had a choice!" Dr. Cullen said, and I almost jumped out of the bed in excitement, hearing that he was here, home, safe.

Edward…

"She should wake up anytime now. I think she was going to have a panic attack when she woke up and saw me."

"It's not the fact that she saw you. I told you she's scared of strangers," Dr. Cullen said.

"Right," Edward replied, though it sounded like he didn't believe him. I didn't understand what they were talking about.

"You did a great job, though. An X-ray, stitches, and the right dosage of the right medication. I'm proud of you, son."

"I wish I hadn't had to do it," Edward said sadly, and I wondered why. "She falls and hits her head a lot."

"She's clumsy."

"I don't think it has anything to do with clumsiness, Carlisle. She's too weak. We need to start the treatment as soon as possible or she'll…" he paused, "Or she'll fall again and not get up." His voice was sad and I couldn't allow myself to believe he was feeling sorry for me. I was worthless.

Dr. Cullen sighed. "I couldn't agree more," he said. After a moment he asked, "Now, tell me: how are the girls?"

Girls? What girls?

~WtSGD~

Author Note:
Oh, Edward is here! *fans self*
But seems like he has lots of secrets himself. Can you guess any? ;)
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Until we meet later…

Love and kisses.

Cozy.