Author's Note: I give you absolutely every right to hate me for going awol, and then randomly coming back. I literally have no explanation aside from the fact that school and life in general lately has just been hard. Okay, so I've worked hard on this chapter, and hopefully it makes up for my past actions (I'm kidding myself, this chapter is just very filler-ish, but there's aspects of it that Bella will struggle with throughout the story to come.) Without further ado, here is chapter 3. Also reviews are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga in any way, all of my stories are based on the wonderful work of Stephanie Meyer who of which I am highly grateful. Without her wonderful work in creating The Twilight Saga, the world would be an incredibly boring place.


Bella's POV:

My mind whirling, I gasped. Standing there, beside my bed were two figures, one female and the other male. I began to panic.

A soft, melodic voice sang out to me. But I couldn't make out the words, all I could hear was the increasing beeping of this awful machine, and the sounds of shuffling about in a hallway outside.

The voice spoke again, "Isabella. I apologise for my earlier actions and informality. I'm Dr Cullen, and this is Rosalie, my daughter".

Looking up at him he gestured to a beautiful blonde girl beside him, she smiled tentatively at me.

I couldn't help but stare, I was too exhausted to move, and I couldn't make out coherent thoughts, or words for that matter. They looked back at me calmly, but their gazes held worry and pain. Worry for what harm I was going to cause Forks, and pain for what I have caused them. I was a nuisance. I looked away then, unable to hide my emotions, and as I did a jolt of searing pain rushed through me.

Carefully I saw the doctor approaching me, "What hurts Bella?" he asked.

I could only hunch in on myself, and try to protect myself from this strange man. Though he seemed kinder and more caring, I had learnt that appearances were nothing if not deceiving, and you couldn't ever trust anybody but yourself.

I whimpered slowly, though the child's position I was bundled into was a form of protection, with a body in the state that mine is in it hurt more than anything. I released a painful breath and sobbed quietly.

The doctor, seeming to be determined to find out what to do to help, walked to the opposite side of the bed then, and looked me up and down- frowning slightly. I hesitantly met his gaze, and he smiled slightly, his eyes sparkling beautifully.

"Bella, I need you to know that I wish no harm upon you. I only want to help, and I'll do anything to protect you. Please darling, tell me where it hurts, and I'll help as best as I can."

I played with the weight of his words, they were big promises to keep. 'I only want to help' 'I'll do anything to protect you'. They were words of comfort, hence why they seemed so foreign to me. As strange as they made me feel, I didn't feel as unsafe with this man as I did with anybody else. So though I did not trust him, though I still did not like the idea of him touching- or helping- me, I was in physical pain. It was weak to show so, but I only wished to downplay my injuries, and get the minimal amount of treatment possible, so that I could go home soon.

Sighing, I gestured to my ribs. They burned, like fire, and whenever I took a breath I could feel nothing but pain. But somehow, I managed to stutter "They're not that bad though". As I said, if I could downplay the extent of my pain, I could go home sooner and not face another human soul ever again.

The girl, Rosalie, walked over then. And came to slowly and very cautiously sit on the seat on my other side. "Bella, Carlisle is a skilled doctor, he- no, we," she corrected herself, "Only want to see you perfectly healed again, you don't have to lie to us, we need you to please tell us exactly how much pain you're in. If Carlisle knows fully, he can help you more thoroughly, and you can leave here as shortly as possible."

I stared at her, I thought my lie had been perfectly believable, yet here she is, telling me that I have to do one of the things I was most afraid of. Being honest about my pain. I nodded slowly at her, unable to follow her orders but wanting her to believe I was being honest still.

Dr Cullen spoke up then. "Bella, how badly do your ribs hurt?".

I looked away, and repeated my earlier sentence. "They're not that bad, honestly." It was a lie, but I had no other choice.

He sighed, and moved to the machines at my side, tapping things here and there, filling them up with gross-smelling liquids in other places and pressing buttons. I scratched my wrist anxiously, a habit I had picked up since the accident.

I had started attempting to sit up, and was failing miserably- my broken body refusing to cooperate- when Rosalie shook her head and slowly laid me down again. I gasped, her hand was cold, ice cold, and the touch of a hand across my back brought a flood of rushing memories with it. I whimpered loudly, and began to sob, the tears staining my hospital gown already. The girl stood statue still in the same position, unblinking with a mix of pain and terror across her beautiful features.

I shook with fear, and the shaking only hurt my ribs more.

Those men, the ones that had hurt me, they had touched my back, slapped it and scratched it. They'd torn at my clothes and ripped them off. And they'd laughed at me, thrown me to the ground and held me down.

Rosalie, she'd laid me down, carefully yes, but the similarities were there and my skin repelled at the thought of anyone touching it. Jim's face flashed before my eyes, and I gasped quietly. The sobbing had dried my throat out, and the gasping was tearing what remained of it into shreds.

I curled up, hiding beneath the covers and my body protested painfully. Beneath the white sheets I saw the figure of Dr Cullen, and a hand slowly reached out for the cover, and removed it from my face carefully.

"Bella, please let me help you."

I stared at him, debating and my mind slowly started to slow, my thoughts coming in sentences rather than in small fragments. My ribs eased a bit as my breathing returned to its normal pattern and the annoying beeping machine slowed down to a steady beep.

The doctor visibly exhaled, relief flooding his eyes. He stepped up beside me and sat down on a chair.

"We're sorry Bella, Rose meant no harm. She does have a little story to share with you though, and it may ease some of your discomfort around her," he spoke.

Rosalie seemed to unfreeze, and came to sit beside Dr Cullen.

"You know what we are, right Bella?" she asked.

I nodded, not having a problem that they were vampires, I found it rather comforting, there were so many differences between the body and skin of a vampire to one of a human. And the men, they were humans.

"Well it was 1933, the year that I was turned. My fiancé was drunk, and he had a group of his friends with him. I was walking past them at night when I saw him, and he gestured me over. I obeyed, and he started pulling at my clothes, the men circling around me."

Her words seemed all too familiar to me, and I struggled to not cry.

"They hurt me Bella, in the same way you were hurt, Carlisle found me then. But unlike you, my injuries were too much, and it was too late. He had no other choice but to turn me, or I would die."

I looked up at her. She understood. I could tell, the way she spoke about those men, the way she froze up when I started sobbing. She knew the pain that I felt, and it was bringing up bad memories for her as well.

"I'm sorry," I spoke.

"It's not your fault Bella, and it's also not your fault that this happened to you."

It was though, if I had done something to stop them, screamed or run, I wouldn't be here. It was my fault.

She reached out slowly, her eyes asking for permission to wipe the tears from my face. This girl, somebody who understood, was somebody that I could trust. Or at least let her try to help me.

I nodded slowly and she smiled, moving to sit closer beside me on the edge of my bed. Involuntarily, I put my face into her lap, feeling the stone hard flesh and cold that radiated from her onto my feverish body.

"It's okay Bella," she whispered. "We'll help you."

I looked at Dr Cullen and he smiled brightly at me. I smiled hesitantly back. He was so different, so unlike any of the men that I couldn't help but feel safe around him. Rosalie stroked the back of my head, softly detangling the knots.

"How are you doing Bella?" Dr Cullen asked, his golden eyes raking my body up and down, checking my injuries as best as he could without touching me.

"I'm fine," I answered. It wasn't true, but it was the best lie I could pull at the moment. Though my conscious self felt comforted, there was still a part of me that was dying, slowly shattering into tiny pieces.

He showed no change of expression, but I doubted he believed me.

"I've got to do my rounds shortly, but I must assess you first, and I'm asking you to please be honest with me,"

he pleaded.

I sighed quietly, and he, with his good hearing I assume, chuckled. I didn't want him touching me, I didn't want anyone touching me. I wanted to be alone. Pulling my head out of Rosalie's lap I lay down fully, and stared at the ceiling, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. Rosalie moved off my bed, back into her seat as Dr Cullen stepped up beside the bed.

"May I touch your arm Bella?" he politely asked.

I didn't want to let him, I wanted to be left alone. But I felt bad, for the pain I had caused his family. If this was all I could do to make him satisfied I would stay strong and allow him to do it. I couldn't be weak.

"Yes," I hesitantly replied.

His eyes flashed with pain again, and I felt ashamed that I was causing him this.

Slowly he walked over to me and lightly touched my arm, Rosalie freezed up beside him, her eyes carefully scanning and monitoring the situation.

With the skills of a long-time professional he had changed the dressings in a matter of a minute, and was placing my hand in a brace when I started to panic.

The air around me started to thicken and I started shaking, my muscles twitching uncontrollably. My ribs started to press against my lungs which were struggling to suck in a breath, and they throbbed agonisingly. I felt my self-control crumble to pieces as my mind screamed at me to get away from the man. 'He'll hurt you' my mind spoke.

He seemed to understand, and he moved aside, away from me, carefully. Rosalie however, she seemed to move like lightning and was instantly beside me, stroking my face.

Her presence didn't help, and my body seemed to move of its own accord, out of her way to the very edge of the bed. She noticed this, noticed my terror and followed suit with Dr Cullen, moving away from me. Everyone was still and silent, the only noise the rapid beeping of the machine, and my frantic breathing.

Dr Cullen looked down at me warily, clearly torn between whether to help me or to follow my wishes and stay out of my way. His eyes scanned the monitors, assessing my heart rate. Being a doctor, I assumed he was obliged to help me if my heart rate got too out of control, but he seemed to want to give me my space.

I turned over, my back facing them and hunched over into a ball again, folding in on myself, my ribs painfully repelling. I stayed like that, in that position for what felt like hours, but was merely minutes, until my breathing slowed and I started to calm down.

"I'm alright now Dr Cullen," I muttered. And I uncurled myself, and allowed him to step closer to me, my mind was still whirling. It still hated the thought of anyone near me, and I stiffened when he reached to touch me. 'I owe them this much'. And so I nodded at the doctor, giving him permission and forced my body to be still, and my mind to not panic.

"You can call me Carlisle, Bella," he offered, and he smiled down at me, looking into my eyes. I glanced down, and forced a smile upon my lips.

"Now, I'm going to have to check your ribs Bella, I'm sorry, is that okay?" Carlisle apologised.

I nodded, my teeth sinking into my lips and my hand moving to find my inner wrist, scratching viciously. He noticed this, and scrunched his face, concerned, but he only showed it for a split second before it returned back into its normal expression.

He slowly lifted up my shirt, and I stiffened again, my hands trembling. I felt him pressing my ribs, but softly so as not to hurt me. This much was good. The men, they had not been careful nor soft, yet Carlisle was being exactly that. I tried desperately to focus on the differences, not the similarities between the two, and before long the golden man dropped back my shirt and wrapped the sheets around me once more.

I looked around the room, trying to avoid his gaze and was looking for Rosalie. Painfully I noticed she wasn't here and a tear fell down my face. I had hurt her, she hated me now. I was mean, and she won't forgive me. I lost the only person who truly understood. My mum had yelled at me once, yelled at me for losing Charlie. She told me that if it weren't for me the family would be perfect, she had told me it was all my fault. There wasn't many differences between these two situations. It was always my fault.

"Tell Rosalie I'm sorry," I whimpered to Carlisle.

He seemed confused, but after a moment his eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh no, Bella. This isn't your fault, Rosalie didn't leave because of you. She only left because it became too hard for her to see history repeat itself. If anything, she'd be wishing to tell you that she was sorry." He walked up to me, then warily assessing my reaction.

"Listen to me Bella, none of this is your fault. I'm here to help you through this, and my family as well. I know you're not ready yet, but you tell me when, and you can formally meet them all. Edward is dying to see you, and Alice, she talks about you all the time. So you let me know, and if you'd like, we can all help you through this together."

I smiled softly, my nerves seeming to calm down for the moment, but tears still fell from my eyes.

'I should tell Carlisle that I'm thankful, I should pretend to be okay'. Before I got to voice my thoughts there was a click from the door, and I saw my mother rushing in. I sighed quietly, and curled in on myself again.

"Bella, we're getting you moved to a different hospital, one closer to me, so that you can come home to Phil and I sooner," she said excitedly.

I stared at the floor in horror. Sobs started racking through my body, each accompanied by a loud whimper that I realised was my own. Carlisle looked at me, offering a sad smile, then turned to Renee and sighed.