First and foremost this is the original story before I started to rewrite it... and got stuck in the writing of the rewrite. If you are following the rewrite you will notice quite glaring differences between this and the one you have already started following. I do not intend on giving up with the rewritten version, however, I think you guys waiting for me to get over my blank slate of a muse isn't going to happen any time soon. So I am re-posting the original. This was my first completed story and it is very different from how my last stories flow.
Secondly, this is not beta'ed. NOT AT ALL. There will be mistakes in spelling (I'm Australian and some words we spell differently). The layout will honestly have you wondering what the hell I was thinking. I wasn't; well that's not true. What I was thinking was that I knew what I was doing and screw anyone else... yes I was a conceited little shit even at the age of 31.
Thirdly, there are 68 chapters to this story, including the epilogue and two outtakes. All of which have been uploaded to my profile I will try to upload as often as I can. Please understand that I have a busy life in the real world. This includes two children, one grown and the other with disabilities. So while I should be able to update wherever I am, if something happens please understand that I will miss updating.
Last but not least. I am not SM. Not even close. I do not own the franchise, work in any capacity with the publishing houses or studios. I merely escaped from reality to play with some characters that I fell in love with while reading four books in a matter of days.
A/N: this chapter is very emotional, if you have been at the bad end of domestic violence or easily upset; please be warned that this chapter is very emotional. I do suggest that you have a few tissues handy. Regardless this is a very emotional chapter and you have been warned.
"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked and truth be told she was scaring the shit out of me.
What would have happened to cause this kind of reaction from the woman? Shit maybe something happened to Junior, if something had it's my entire fault. I pushed her to let someone else look after our son and I'd ever forgive myself if something had happened to him.
"Sweetheart, you need to tell me what's wrong? Has something happened to Junior? Momma? Your parents? Baby talk to me." she just sat here staring into space with tears running down her face.
"Isabella!" I literally yelled in her face.
Yes, it was a prick of a move but it was either that or slap her, personally, I'd kill myself if I did that. And anyway, momma taught me better than that. She jumped when she realized how close I was. But the tears didn't stop nor did the silence. I watched as she shot up and grabbed some clothes and threw them at me and then got herself something to wear.
"Baby, what the hell has happened? Please it's killing me." I had resorted to begging. If it was going to get a response from her then I didn't care.
"That was Chelsea; Brea's mother. Something's happened and Brea's in the hospital in critical condition. She won't talk to anyone until I get there. Jazz I'm freaking out. She's like my little sister." Her words pierced my heart, Brea had made her way into everyone's heart, and she was strong beyond anything I had known a young girl could be.
From what Edward has told us, she's a lot like what Bella was growing up. I could see the resemblance between the two of them in many areas. I held Bella as close as I could while she was halfway through getting dressed.
"Hey, let's get dressed and get down there. Chelsea and Marcus are probably going crazy and we'll all need to be there for the four of them." I murmured in her ear.
I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be frightened to enter a hospital ward for someone that wasn't blood. But here we were now facing that very predicament. She nodded her head and stepped away to finish getting dressed. As quickly as I could I threw on the shorts and shirt she had handed me and met her at the front door. While she was in the bathroom I called Momma and let her know what was going on; and to get Peter or Charlotte to come and collect some more bottles of milk because we didn't know how long it was going to be.
The drive was short, quiet, but most intense. Both lost in our thoughts, afraid to vocalize them in case they came true.
"Jasper what about the Junior, oh god I'm the worst mother there is. I forgot about our son. Peter and Char are due home any minute and we won't there." She practically screamed and if it wasn't for her panic I'd have thought it funny, bad timing but still.
"Bella, settle down. I called momma while you were getting dressed. They understand that something's happened and are gonna wait for us to call at the house. Just breathe sweetheart. I promise everything is fine with Junior." She simply nodded her head and brought her breathing back to normal levels.
She sat practically like a statue for the rest of the drive. It was hard to watch her sit there lost within whatever thoughts she was drowning in; but I knew there wasn't anything I could do while I was driving. Hell, it was all I had to not join her in the panic she was feeling.
We pulled up at the hospital not 10 minutes later and while she had been jumping at the bit to get here, once we had parked she hadn't moved.
"Bella, come on; Chelsea and Marcus are waiting. More importantly, Brea is waiting." I calmly spoke as I bent down to her eye level. Grabbing my hand she nodded her head and climbed out.
Waiting at the sliding doors were her parents, both looking absolutely lost in their fears of what was happening.
"Thank you for coming. She won't talk to anyone else but you." Marcus said directly to Bella.
His own tears had stained his face leaving a track down either side. I shook his hand as Chelsea directed Bella to the intensive care unit.
"What happened Marcus? Bella had only spoken to Brea yesterday, and everything was fine." I asked; lowering my voice so not to upset the two women in front of us.
"She won't tell us until she speaks to Bella. But from what the doctors told me she's been attacked and it's a miracle that both her and the baby have survived." He visibly shook all over, and truly I couldn't blame him.
Brea was a very unique young woman and she didn't deserve any of the trouble she has faced in her short life. I hadn't noticed that we had made our way to the waiting area until I saw Bella scrubbing her hands and pulling on some medical scrubs.
"Bella the police are in there so it will only be you and them in there while you talk. But please tell me what she says. I need to know who did this to my baby and my grand baby." Chelsea hung from Bella's neck, her body racked with pain and sobs as she finally let go of all that she was holding in. It took Marcus and me to pry her from Bella's frame, allowing my beautiful woman to enter the room.
We sat there for hours, waiting for news of what had happened. Eventually, we had been joined by everyone, and I was holding my son for dear life. The silence only broken by sobs from the women, or Emmett punching the wall in frustration. Every now and then we would hear a cry from the room when we would then have to physically hold both Marcus and Chelsea from running into the room holding their daughter.
I watched as Tanya entered and exited the room checking on Brea, passing on messages from the two women in the room. Brea, had gone into premature labor and this meant that no one was able to enter the room other than herself and the attending nurses. The Police had joined us and had questioned everyone on how Brea was these past few days. With no one but Bella and her parents really having much contact these last few days none of us could give them much. It was during this time that the alarm from Brea's room rang and both nurses and doctors came running.
"Alice, what is that? What's going on in her room?" Marcus asked pain and panic audible in his voice as he held his wife.
"It's the emergency buzzer. Only Bella would hit that if something was truly..." tears silently fell as she left the comment open.
We all knew what that meant. Something was wrong in the room. Cries from the women around me held me fast to the spot I was in. My son never being more precious to me than this moment. It was quiet for ten minutes before a pained scream came from the room; a pained scream that came from Bella. I watched as Marcus's legs gave out and Chelsea fainted only to be held up by Peter.
Everyone had tears running down their faces. Pain obvious on all their faces as we each wondered what had caused Bella to make that noise. I'd find whoever it was that hurt that little girl lying in that room. I'd hunt his ass down and bring them to justice before anyone could stop me. We waited for someone to come out of the room; we waited for news of what had happened. It felt like a lifetime ago that we had been sitting around laughing at Brea's complaints about her belly not fitting in any of her clothes, until Bella took pity of her and brought out all her maternity clothes.
Finally the police left the room, but didn't give us any information as to what had happened; only saying that they will get the person who had done this to Brea. A few minutes later we heard the door open as both Bella and Tanya came out of the room, both physically shaken with tears cascading down their faces. Bella wouldn't meet our eyes, just kept her head down looking at the little bundle of blankets in her arms.
"Marcus; Chelsea. I'm so sorry. We tried everything we could. But the injuries she had sustained in the attack were beyond anything I could possibly have been able to repair. I am amazed that she lasted long enough to... well she was an amazing young woman." I watched as Marcus and Chelsea collapsed in one another's arms; momma coming over to hold me.
"I know it won't take away the pain, but would you like to meet your granddaughter?" Bella's voice was rough from crying. It wasn't until she spoke did we all realize that she was holding a bundle of blankets that was wiggling.
Every head shot up at her words. Her baby had survived the attack.
"What did she name her?" Tanya asked.
I was thrown before I realized that she would have been more worried about saving Brea than paying attention to what she was saying.
"Bella Chelsea Tanner." She softly spoke as she placed the now orphaned child in her grandmother's arms.
"I argued that it should be Chelsea Bella but she wouldn't hear of it. Finally before I hit the button to call the medical team in I caved and was honored that she would want to name her daughter after me." I wrapped her in my arms, as she took Junior from me, needing the reassurance that he was fine, that she was fine.
I watched as she gently let go of all the pain she had held while she was in that room as she took a seat beside the ones that needed her the most. Even in her pain, she was thinking of others before herself.
"Did she say who attacked her? Who took our little girl away from us?" Marcus had asked the question I was dying to know the answer to; I would hunt whoever it was down and by the looks on all those around me I would not be alone. Bella nodded but didn't elaborate, and it was killing me.
"I wish I could tell you but while in there I was no-longer just her friend and sister. I was hired by the police to be her psychologist, which meant that it's covered under patient-doctor confidentiality. But know that the person has already been taken into custody and has given a statement as to what they did." The strength it had to be taking her right now, defying all those in the room in the memory of that little girl that had become a sister to us all was mind-blowing.
"Bella. The police are here. They need you to make a statement now before you can leave the hospital. Then I'd like to examine you and see how you are physically." Tanya gently informed the room as she stood in the doorway.
She nodded her head and went to stand, but as she did so, her legs gave out from under her. I watched as Edward ran out of the room, only to emerge a few seconds later with a wheelchair for her to sit. I kissed her as gently as I possibly could as she handed our son over to momma. And as much as it pained me to let her go; I knew I had to. If she didn't do this now, there was no-way she was going to be able to grieve and give into the pain she was holding in.
"How in heavens name is she able to hold it together after everything she's just been witnessed to?" Rose's voice quivered as she asked what I'm sure what everyone else was thinking.
I could practically see it on everyone's faces; each one was in awe at how Bella has been able to hold it together like she is.
"She's always been like this, able to put others before herself. Even back at school she was the first person that ran to you when you were upset, or something was wrong. She stood up to idiots who were twice as big as her without fear. But she kept to herself and the kids on the reservation. I think I was lucky enough to count myself as one of her friends at school even though we didn't talk much. It's why she went into psychology, to begin with. It's why she's so good at what she does. But I can tell you one thing, she's barely holding it together right now; and when she does let it all go I'm gonna be there for her." Edward's eyes never left the doorway while he spoke, tears running down his face and the respect he held for my girl was etched in every feature of his face.
"You won't be the only one. I can guarantee you that." Char spoke with so much resolve in her voice.
She had known her the longest other than Edward and I think she didn't even know that about Bella. She was always so fun and carefree with everything that I don't think anyone would be shrinking away from helping her.
