25
"We got him, Bella. We got Sam Uley. He can't hurt you ever again."
She played those words over and over again inside her head as everyone bombarded Jasper with questions. How did you stop him? When did you stop him? Where is he? What happened to him? She didn't want to hear the how, when, where, what. Tears filled her eyes as she turned quietly, a skill she'd been forced to learn over the last eight years, and crept back upstairs.
She walked into the room they'd been letting her stay in, once again overwhelmed with the vastness of the space, the brightness of the lights, the way it was starting to feel . . . like hers. So, as she usually did, she found herself hurrying over to the closet, falling to her knees and curling up in the back corner, as far from the sounds of their questions as she could get.
"We got him, Bella. We got Sam Uley. He can't hurt you ever again."
Had Jasper really found him? Really stopped him? Nobody else had been stop him, not her mommy or daddy. She couldn't remember what they looked like, or the sounds of them calling her name, or laughing with her. No, those memories had long been lost, but she had never been able to stop the sounds of their screams from invading her nightmares. They begged him to leave her alone, begged him to spare her his wrath. He hadn't, and when she woke up screaming for them to save her, he made sure she knew they weren't there, that she belonged to him, only him.
No, she didn't need to know the how, when, where, what . . . she wanted to know the why? Why her? Why did he take her away from everyone she loved? Why did he break her day after day after day until she no longer remembered who she was? Until she thought she was a nobody, a nothing. Why? Just why?
The door to the closet opened and she looked over to find Rosie standing there. Her dark eyes were sad, full of fear and loneliness. "Hey, honey."
"Hey," she whimpered, tightening her arms around her legs.
"Can I join you?" she asked.
She nodded, thankful when Rosie left the door to the closet open. She wasn't afraid of Rosie, but she hadn't been afraid of him until that night, either.
"Are you okay?" Rosie asked.
She shook her head. "Did . . . did he really get him?"
Rosie tensed. "Yeah, Jay told us that he, um, went after James."
Her lips trembled. "Uncle James? Is he . . . dead, too?"
"Oh, God, no, honey," Rosie insisted. "Jay says James was hurt, pretty bad actually. We're about to head to the hospital to check on him, but Jay says they . . . they arrested him."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they put him in jail."
She nodded, though she still didn't understand what that meant. He was a monster, and monsters couldn't just be caught that easy, could they?
"Will . . . will you go to the hospital with me?" Rosie asked, holding her hand out to her. "With us?"
"For Uncle James?"
Rosie nodded. "He's family, honey. Our family. Mine and . . . and yours."
"Family," she whispered as a tear slipped down her face.
"Yes, honey, our . . . our family."
"My Rosie and Uncle James," she cried. "My family."
"Your family," Rosie sobbed, stretching her hand out even more. "Always your family, Bella."
Though, she wasn't sure she should, she found herself placing her hand on top of Rosie's, letting her pull her to her feet. Rosie tightened her fingers around her hand as they walked out of the closet, finding Emmett, Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper wanting for them. Jasper was no longer wearing the blood covered shirt, which she was thankful for. She didn't like blood.
"Hey, honey, you okay?" he asked, reaching for her, but pulling his hand back at the last second. "I didn't mean to scare you before. I should have taken my shirt off before I came inside."
She nodded, unsure what to say. He hadn't scared her, he only wanted to help her. He, Emmett, Carlisle, Alice, Esme, Peter, and Edward, especially Edward, had done nothing but try to help her. She just didn't understand why? She wasn't anyone special. She was a nobody, a nothing. Why did they care what happened her when nobody else had?
"We're going to take you and Rosalie to the hospital, to check on James, okay?" Carlisle asked.
She nodded, her eyes shifting to Edward, who behind them, sitting on the side of the bed that was too big, too soft. "Are . . . are you going, Edward?"
As he looked up, Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper turned and looked at him, his eyes closing for a minute before he simply said, "For you."
For a reason she couldn't explain, knowing Edward was going to go with her made her feel better, a least a little bit. "Okay," she whispered.
He stood up and walked between Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper until he was standing in front of her. His eyes were locked on hers as he lifted his hand up for her to hold. "Come on, love."
Her heart was racing as she slipped her hand out of Rosie's and placed it in his, feeling the same calm, relaxation that always came over her when he held her hand. He brought his hand other up and placed it on the side of her face before leaning down and kissing her forehead.
"I won't let you go, okay? Just keep holding my hand."
She nodded, her fingers tightening around his. Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett shared a look before they and Rosie led them out of the room, past Beth's door, and back downstairs where Alice and Esme were sitting with Peter. The three stood up and looked at them, Peter's eyes narrowing onto the way Edward held her hand. There was look on his face that she didn't understand, almost like he knew something the rest of them didn't. He watched her like he was trying to figure he out, it was oddly comforting, yet she wanted him to stop. There were things inside her she didn't want anyone to know, not ever.
"Well, keep us updated," Esme said, walking over and placing her hand on Carlisle's chest.
"You're not coming?" she asked, drawing everyone's attention to her. She shifted so that she was standing mostly behind Edward. "I'm sorry. Of course you don't have to come. I was . . . I was just wondering."
"Alice and I," Esme started, gesturing to the other woman, "are going to stay here with Beth. We're going to keep her safe until you get back, okay?"
She nodded. "She'll want to eat again, too. But not pancakes. She's too little for those."
"That's right," Esme said with a smile. "But when you get back, I'll make you some pancakes, okay? Without the syrup, of course, because only weirdos like syrup with their pancakes."
"It's gross and messy. Messy isn't good," she murmured, bringing her other hand up and fisting the back of Edward's T-shirt.
"Okay, let's, um, head out," Carlisle said, clearing his throat before he walked over to the front door and pulled it open.
Though she knew this was important to Rosie, she didn't want to go. She wanted to stay with Beth, where it was safe. Family, she thought, as Edward turned and wrapped his arms around her, almost dragging her toward the door. Family was important, but she was still scared. He was out there, hiding, waiting. She didn't believe them when they said he couldn't hurt her anymore, that he was in jail. A cell with bars was never going to hold him, she thought. Not a monster like him.
"Emmett, why don't you and Rosalie ride with Jay," Carlisle said, gesturing to the large black truck parked in front of the house. "Edward and Bella can ride with me."
"Yeah, okay," he murmured, and Rosie looked back at her, like she wasn't sure she agreed, but followed Emmett and Jasper over to the black truck.
"Come on, sweetheart," Carlisle said, and she and Edward followed him over to his car.
She climbed into the backseat, expecting Edward to ride in the front with Carlisle, but he climbed in beside her, taking hold of her hand again. He shifted his body so that he was facing her, his eyes locked on hers. Carlisle didn't say anything else as he climbed into the driver's seat, started the car, and drove away.
A while longer, he pulled up in front of the same hospital they had taken her two day prior. Had it only been two days? Felt like a month had passed, though what was time anyway? When he first took her, she had tried to keep track of the days, weeks, months, but after a while, she stopped. Around the same time she forgot who she was, her name, her Rosie, her mommy and daddy. When she became nothing, a nobody.
"Go on in," Edward said, clearing his throat. "We'll be right there."
Carlisle turned and looked from her to him before simply nodding before he climbed out of the car, closing the door behind him. She looked out the back window, noticing how he, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosie were watching them, waiting for them.
"Sorry, I just . . . I needed a minute," Edward said, drawing her focus back to him. "I haven't been back here since . . . since my parents died."
"Oh."
"Yeah," he whispered.
"Why'd you come with us, then?" she asked. "If you want don't to be here."
Edward brought his hands up to her face. "Because even though I'm scared to go back in there, afraid I'll lose someone I . . . I love again, I need to be here for . . . for you."
"For me?" she asked, smiling.
He nodded. "I care about you, Bella. I . . . I care about you a lot."
"Why?" she whimpered. "Why do you care about me? Why do any of you care about me? I'm just . . . I'm nothing, I'm nobody."
"We care about you . . . I care about you, because you are amazing and beautiful and sweet," he whispered. "You're someone to me, Bella. Someone very, very important."
Tears filled her eyes, sliding down her face before she could stop them. "Don't cry, love. Please don't cry."
"I'm sorry," she wept. "I've never been important to anyone."
"Well, you are now," he said, quietly, shifting his eyes out the back window. "We should go, before they worry."
Sighing to herself, she nodded and waited until he climbed out before scooting across the backseat and climbing out of the car. His hand was immediately wrapped around hers and they walked across the parking lot to where Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, and Rosie were waiting, and then followed the four of them inside, by passing the front desk just like they had done a couple nights ago, and heading back to room eight. There were two men standing outside of the room: one with spiky blond hair, dark blue eyes, and the other with dark hair with white speckles throughout it. They stopped and looked at her, their eyes widening, and she fought the urge to turn and run, to hide.
"Newton, Crowley, take a break," Jasper groused, tilting his head toward the other end of the hallway. Both men started to speak, but seemed to think better and turned and walked away, but not before looking over their shoulders at her.
"It's okay, Bella," Rosie said, holding her hand out to her as Carlisle reached over and pushed the door open. She pulled away, though, and while she saw the hurt on her face, she didn't say anything as she hurried into the room. "James, are you okay?"
Edward pulled her into the room behind her and Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle stayed outside of the room. Thankfully, they left the door to the room open, though she wasn't sure why that made her feel better. She shifted so that she was standing partially behind Edward, who threw his arm backward, holding her against him.
"I've had better days," he said, hoarsely, his head lobbing to the side as he looked directly at her. "Hey, honey, don't be scared."
"You got hurt," she whispered, feeling Rosie and Emmett turn and look at her. "Did . . . did he hurt you?"
James winced before he nodded. "He came looking for you, but I didn't tell him where you were. I . . . I kept you safe, honey."
"You . . . you fought him, for . . . for me?" she asked.
"Of course I did," he exclaimed, once again wincing as he grabbed his stomach. "I'll never let him near you again, Bella. Never again."
"But . . . but I don't . . . I don't understand," she wept, clutching onto the back of Edward's shirt again. "Why? Why would you . . . why would you fight for me?"
James frowned and looked at Rosie before shifting his eyes back to her. "Why? Because you're my family, Bella. My sweet little Bella. I've been fighting for you since . . . since the night he killed your parents, since the night he took you away. Me and Rosie, honey, we never stopped looking for you."
"You didn't?" she asked, sniffing back her tears as her eyes shifted from him to Rosie and back.
"Of course not!" James exclaimed, grimacing again as he clutched onto his stomach. "We don't give up on family, honey."
She wasn't sure what came over her, but she found herself moving from behind Edward and walking over to James. She brought her hand up and placed it on the side of his face, feeling his tears on her hand. She pulled it back, holding her hand up on front of her. She'd never seen a grown man cry before and it was weird, she thought.
He fought for her.
James fought for her.
Uncle James fought him for her.
"Honey," James said, drawing her attention from her hand back to his face. "I love you."
"You love me?" she whispered.
"I do." James reached up and wrapped his fingers around hers. "And so does Rosie. We're never going to let anyone hurt you, ever again."
"Do you promise?" she cried.
"We promise," he whimpered, giving her hand a tug.
She fell against him, and even though she knew it hurt him, she felt him wrap his arms around her, and for a moment, she could almost remember what it felt like to have her father hug her again. Almost, because James wasn't her father, but he had fought for her, and that was close enough.
Thank you for all the amazing reviews! This chapter was very difficult to write. I found myself really struggling to get Bella's reaction accurate. We have a LOT of story left, and I can promise you, it won't be easy.