First of all I want to apologise for how long it's taken me to upload this. I've had exams so didn't have much time to write and then my laptop broke and had to be sent away to get fixed. So, yeah, really sorry.

Next I just want to thank everyone who reviewed the story. All comments were much appreciated.

Lastly, feel free to keep commenting and reviewing. I welcome any constructive criticism you have.

I opened my mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out. I couldn't tell him. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" I asked instead, surprised at just how shaky my voice was. Without a second thought Charlie led me into his house. I had been years since I last set foot in this house but nothing had changed. He took my suitcase off me and sat it in the hall.

"Bella, you need to tell me what happened. How did you get those bruises? Who hurt you? Has Renée seen you like this? Does she know you're here?" His questions poured out in quick succession.

"No, Renée hasn't seen me like this and no, she doesn't know I'm here" I answered, very obviously avoiding the first two questions. Charlie looked at me for a second and seemed to realise that I wasn't going to answer the first two.

"Let me call the station to let them know that I'm going to be late in and then I'll drive you to the hospital." I simply nodded.

Forty minutes later I was sitting on a bed waiting for the doctor. Rather than having to wait for ages to be seen to I was led to a room straight away ahead of everyone else and without a load of fuss. For once I appreciated being the Chief's daughter. Charlie stood protectively at my side as we waited for the doctor. We weren't left waiting long.

I let out a gasp when the doctor entered the room. He was the most beautiful person I had ever seen and looked way too young to be a doctor. He nodded once to Charlie; a silent recognition of each others' status. "Hi, Bella. I'm Dr Cullen. I'm just going to give you a quick exam to determine whether we'll need an x-ray to determine the full extent of you injuries." He smiled kindly at me. His voice was so smooth and relaxing and his smile so warm that you couldn't help but relax your guard a little. "So, first of all, why don't you tell me where the pain is?"

I shot a quick nervous glance over at Charlie. The last thing I wanted to do was to let him know exactly how much pain I was in.

Dr Cullen caught my look. Why don't you wait outside while I do the exam, Charlie?" Charlie opened his mouth to protest.

"Please dad," I said to him before he could start. He looked me straight in the eye, trying to determine whether or not he should really leave me alone. "Please," I pleaded again. He gave in and walked out without a word. Maybe I had hurt his feelings. Or maybe he had realised that this was worse than it looked and that I didn't want him to know the full extent of my injuries.

I turned back to the doctor. "So where does it hurt?" he asked me again, with a reassuring smile. I stole a glance at his eyes. They were extraordinary. I had never seen anyone with gold eyes before or eyes that seemed to have such a depth to them. I tore my eyes away as he met my gaze. Feeling a little light headed I lifted my shirt to show the dark, heavy expanse of bruising that stretched across my right side and lower back. I kept my eyes focused on the door and away from his eyes as he reached out to gently run his hands over the bruising. Even though he was barely touching me, I couldn't help but wince. He moved his hands to inspect my lower back. I tried to focus on my breathing rather than the pain. Then it was over. He pulled his hands away and stood upright again.

"Anywhere else?" I shook my head. "Okay, well I think you have at least two broken ribs. Well have to get an X-ray to see if there are any others. You also have some bruising to some of your muscles. It's painful but not serious. I'll prescribe you something for the pain." He gave me another smile and went on to note something down on my chart. Not a single question as to how I got them. I liked this doctor.

The X-ray didn't take long and confirmed what Dr Cullen had said – two broken ribs. Luckily there were no more. I was sent home with a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and some strong pain meds just has the doctor had promised.

The ride back to the house with Charlie was awkward. "I'll have to call your Renée when we get home, you know, to let her know you're here." I simply nodded. I didn't want to talk about Renée. I could only imagine just how much she'd be worrying over the fact that I was missing. I mean, running away from home is not the sort of thing people expect from a girl like me. But that wasn't the main reason for my unease. I felt like I was abandoning her. I've looked after her ever since I was old enough to look after myself. Considering my current state though, my ability to look after myself could be called into question.

The rain pounded on the car windows. The rain. One of many things I hated about this place. One of many things I would have to learn to get used to.

Charlie brought me out of my thoughts with the mention of another thing I'd been dreading. "I suppose I should enrol you at Forks High School if you're going to be staying here."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"I'll sort it out tomorrow then."

We pulled into the driveway and walked side by side into the house. "Well I'll go call your mother. Are you hungry? I could order in pizza? I don't have much in I'm afraid."

"Pizza sounds fine. I'll be upstairs." I didn't want to be down here while he spoke to Renée. I couldn't bring myself to speak to her yet.

I went to my bedroom. Of course it was the same as it had ever been. I sat down on the bed and looked out the window. The only thing to see was the rain and the trees. Once upon a time I had called this place Hell. I refused to let myself cry over my self-imposed exile. I chose this. And at least this Hell didn't involve punches.

Sorry it's not very long. I promise to make it longer next time. And I promise to upload as quickly as I can.