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It's Time Chapter 19

EPOV

Dark clouds stretched across the sky as the plane landed. Our destination was a small airport on the outskirts of Forks. The flight had taken almost six hours, and even though I had slept the last leg of the trip, I still felt exhausted.

As promised, Jared Cameron, the private investigator I had hired to keep tabs on Bella was waiting for me. "Welcome to Forks, Mr. Cullen," he greeted as I disembarked from the plane.

"Thanks. Any word on Miss Swan?"

Gulping, he responded, "I'm afraid there's no change in her condition."

"Anything else? Do you know how the accident occurred? If anyone was with her?"

The color in his face drained as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. When he wouldn't meet my eyes, I knew he had bad news.

"Well...she…"

Not in the mood to play games, I grabbed his shirt and yanked him toward me. With his nose a mere inch from mine, I hissed, "Dammit, tell me!"

"It seems as if someone ran her off the road."

After pushing him away, I scrubbed my hand across my face. "Are you saying it was deliberate? Someone tried to hurt her on purpose?"

"It appears so, sir."

"Fuck!"

My fist curled as blind rage filled my body along with the sudden urge to take out my frustrations on the man who stood before me.

Using a technique I had learned during my stint in rehab, I walked away from Jared and took three, deep, cleansing breaths. Once I felt calmer, I returned to where he stood and asked, "Do you have any leads?"

"Not yet, but I've got my best men on it."

I scoffed at his statement.

If my best men were on it, I would already have answers. But that wasn't an option at the moment, not if I wanted to keep my activities involving Bella a secret.

Poking my index finger into his flabby chest, I warned, "I better have a name within the next twenty-four hours, or there will be hell to pay."

"Of-of course, sir...twenty-four hours," he stammered.

-IT-

As we drove to the hospital, I considered how Bella even ended up in such a tiny, nondescript town. According to my information, she had been living over five hours away in Portland, Oregon.

My musing was cut short when Jared announced our arrival. I supposed the good thing about living in such a small place was it didn't take long to get from one location to another.

As we approached the building, I observed its outdated appearance. Cringing, I wondered if she was receiving adequate care. After quickly deciding to have her flown to a Seattle facility if needed, I entered the lobby.

Unlike the antiquated exterior, the inside of the hospital was contemporary and modern. A receptionist sat at a desk directly across from the front doors. Busy typing on her cell, she didn't see me approach.

After I cleared my throat, she gaped at me with startled eyes. Stashing her phone in a pile of folders, she said, "C-can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Isabella Swan."

After pecking on a keyboard for several minutes, she furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry, but we don't have any patients with that name."

Before I could ask her to check again, Jared said, "Can you check under Marie Newton instead please?"

I shot him a look of confusion.

After dragging a hand through his thinning hair, he muttered, "I'll explain later."

You sure as shit will, I thought as we waited for the receptionist to finish her inquiry.

"Found her," she announced with a smile. "She's in our ICU wing."

Realizing she wasn't going to tell us any additional information, I demanded, "Can you give us directions to that area?"

"Sure, come back tomorrow during visiting hours, and I will be happy to take you straight there myself."

"Tomorrow? That's unacceptable!" I pounded my fist on the top of the counter.

The woman sprung from her chair. Placing a hand on top of the desk phone, she said, "Sir, do I need to call security?"

Instead of answering, I stormed across the room. Yanking my hair, I took one deep breath after another.

While I paced the lobby, Jared apologized to her. "I'm sorry; he's anxious about Isa...Marie. " As they both watched me, he continued. "You see, he flew a very long distance to get here, and he's desperate to make sure she's okay."

"Oh, I understand," she responded as she sat back down. "But he can't go off the handle like that; this is a place of business."

"Of course," Jared agreed. "And, believe me, he typically wouldn't behave in this manner; his nerves just got the best of him."

"Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that visiting hours are over. You can come back first thing in the morning at nine."

"Are you sure you can't make an exception?"

"No, I'm sorry; I can't."

Jared glanced at me from where he stood. Since I knew it was no use, I tilted my head toward the entrance as an indication that we should go.

"We'll come back in the morning then," Jared said before adding, "thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." She grinned at him before giving me a look of trepidation. "See you tomorrow."

Three years ago, I would have never been able to walk out of that building. No, the old me would have torn the place to pieces before getting myself locked up in the slammer.

But today, I left as calmly as possible, even though, having her so close, without being able to see her, absolutely gutted me.

When we got into the car, Jared awaited my orders.

"Take me to the hotel."

As he started the engine and backed out of the parking space, I added, "When we get there, you can explain why she was admitted under the name of Marie Newton."

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. Without turning in my direction, he mumbled, "Yes, sir."

-IT-

As we pulled into the Pacific Inn, Jared said, "I know this isn't what you're accustomed to, but trust me, it's the nicest place in town."

I observed the dated, two-story structure. It definitely didn't compare with the five-star hotels where I usually stayed, but at the moment, that didn't matter.

All that mattered was Bella.

"It's fine," I replied brusquely as he parked the car.

Opening his door, he said, "I'll check us in."

As I watched him dash out into the rain, I felt the buzz of my cell. Pulling it out from my coat pocket, I checked the message.

Where in the hell are you?

Shit, it was Seth; I had canceled our weekly appointment before departing Chicago. I knew he would be suspicious since I hadn't missed one since getting out of rehab.

Business trip.

What trip?

I knew he wouldn't buy my excuse, but it had been worth a try. Before I even typed my response, the phone lit up indicating a call.

"Hey, Seth."

"What's up, Cullen? Why did I get a message from your secretary about you needing to reschedule?"

"I told you; I'm out of town."

"Yeah, and I'm the fucking Easter Bunny. What's the real reason?"

I knew there was no use in lying to him. "Listen, can you give me a few days and then I promise, I'll come clean?"

The sound of Seth exhaling filled the phone. "Are you using? If so, just tell me where you are and I'll—'

"Shit, man! I'm not using; I swear!"

"Okay...okay, I believe you. I just needed to be certain," he said before adding, "but, Edward, two days. Two days, and then I need to know what the hell's going on."

"Sure," I said in a hushed voice. "Two days."

-IT-

Once Jared appeared with the keys to our rooms, we headed across the street to a small diner. After placing my order, I took a gulp of my coffee and asked, "So, how did you know Bella was admitted as Marie Newton?"

"Um…" Jared rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't withholding information...you have to remember you only wanted her location - nothing more."

"Just spit it out!" I hissed.

"She began using that alias two years ago." Grabbing his napkin, he blotted his forehead.

"What? Why?"

"I-I-I assumed she didn't…"

"She didn't what?"

"I assumed she didn't want to be found, sir."

AN:

Thanks as always to Fran, K, and Gail.

Thanks as well to all my readers; I appreciate you all.

I just finished writing chapter 20 and will be sending it to my beta tonight. It should be ready to post sometime next week.

Also, thank you to everyone who read and voted for my newest one-shot "The Bella Dilemma." It was my first time writing a vampward, and I couldn't have done it without the wonderful Dicatakad.

Until next time,

HE