Chapter Three: Criminal
Bella was able to keep Charlie at bay for two weeks after coming back from Phoenix. It seemed that his fishing trip changed his attitude for that moment. He arrived home smiling and even took her out for dinner in town rather than have her cook a meal. It was nice to have time to spend outside of the four walls of Charlie's house. They talked about normal things and when they got home went their separate ways.
She knew it was too good to last, though. On the fifteenth day after the fishing trip, Charlie went out to the bar with a few deputies and came home drunker than normal. What made it worse is that she hadn't heard from Jacob or Paul in that time span and she knew nobody was going to be able to help her.
Charlie started the night by yelling about his dinner, forgetting that he had eaten it prior to going out. Bella tried reasoning with him, earning a backhand across her cheek. He kicked her feet from beneath her and dragged her through the halls into the den. He picked her up by the throat and threw her onto the coffee table.
She felt the glass break beneath her and instinctively rolled off it onto the floor. She was barely able to crawl when Charlie bent down, gun in hand. "I should just do it." He growled, pointing the gun at her temple. He stood and swayed on his feet, kicking glass shards and dust at her. "You're worthless anyway."
Her eyes were wide, watching his every move. She knew she wouldn't be able to run if he was really planning on shooting her, she could only hope that she could deter him. Bella remained silent as he stumbled around the den and kitchen. He grabbed random items from each room and tossed them at her as she lay on the floor, dodging the heavier ones.
He kept destroying the house until he'd burnt himself out, passing out in his room after hours of angry outbursts. Bella felt blood seep through cuts and scrapes she'd obtained during his tantrum. She felt a painful tearing in her stomach that made her double over. She cursed quietly hoping to get to the bathroom or her own bedroom without waking Charlie. She made it to the stairs when she heard a knock on the door.
Her vision was already blurring as she saw a tall figure walk into the house and rush over to her. She groaned as he lifted her up and carried her out. She recognized his smell but was too disoriented to connect smell to name. She vaguely noticed being placed in a vehicle or driven toward the hospital. When she saw the large ER sign her hand feebly reached toward the wheel of the vehicle. "No…" she groaned, fumbling with the seat belt.
Despite her protests, she was carried into the emergency room where nurses rushed her into a room and began taking vitals and shards of glass from her body. She could hear them talking to whoever brought her in and they gave a medical history. She closed her eyes, the bright lights of the hospital making her head pound. She tried to stay awake but lost the battle with sleep, beeping and mechanical noises surrounding her as she drifted off.
xXxXxXx
Bella woke groggily to a nurse changing gauze on her arms and talking to somebody in the room. She quickly remembered what had happened the night before and tried sitting up. If she didn't get home, Charlie would be even more pissed. "Lay down Ms. Swan." The nurse told her, gently reclining the bed. "You can't go anywhere just yet." She continued fixing bandages and sheets until there was nothing left to do in the room. "I'll send your doctor in."
She let her eyes wander around the room, noticing who the nurse had been talking about. Paul was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair, head bowed. His legs were bouncing in anticipation. Bella couldn't help but notice that he'd cut his hair. His hands were folded together, pressed against his forehead. It almost looked as if he was sleeping.
"Hello Ms. Swan." Bella jumped when the doctor let himself in, clipboard in hand. "You needed stitches in multiple places and had several lesions containing an infection. We were able to clean everything up but we do have a few questions for you." He looked at the board and scribbled something before continuing. "Who did this to you?" He asked, seating himself on the stool beside her bed.
"Nobody." She answered shortly. He wouldn't believe her if she told him the truth anyway. "Can I go home?"
The doctor rubbed his forehead and turned to Paul. "He told us a few things that caused some concern, Ms. Swan. First being that you're pregnant. We did an ultrasound and saw a few tears in the placenta, where it connects to your uterus. With medication, they should stabilize and the pregnancy will go as expected. Secondly," he paused while checking his notes, "we know you can't go back to your house."
Bella tried sitting up, her arms feeling like jelly. "I'm fine. I just want to go home." She didn't feel like answering any of the questions the doctor prepared to ask her. There was nothing that they could do to help her situation anymore.
"If you don't tell them, Bella, I will." Paul grumbled from his chair, hands brushing his face as he looked up. His grey eyes piercing into hers. He waited a few minutes before turning to the doctor. "It was her dad. I walked in on him pointing a gun to her head after throwing her onto the table in their living room. I brought her here…" He trailed off, his body trembling fiercely.
The doctor needed no confirmation as tears swelled in her eyes. He quickly exited the room mentioning phone calls he needed to make. Bella glared at Paul, her own fear overtaking the rationality. "How could you!?" She cried, thankful that she couldn't move. "You've signed my death certificate, I hope you know that!" she yelled louder. She felt herself get angrier the longer he refused to look at her.
"What was I supposed to do!?" He growled, towering over her within seconds. "Let you die? Sit back and watch as that asshole killed you? Killed the both of you?" He was shaking harder now, eyes flashing black. "Why don't you understand me? I tried saving you."
She put her hand on his arm, immense heat rising from it, and looked at him. "I'm sorry Paul. He won't give up and his deputies won't arrest him. The only hope left for me is to leave, and even then there isn't much hope." She turned her head and glanced at the doorway. "How did you even know what happened?" She asked, slightly changing the topic.
"I followed Charlie home from the bar. He had his friends drop him off and I knew that if I wasn't behind him, he could do much worse. Unfortunately, I got a little distracted and broke in too late to stop him. That's when I picked you up and drove you here." He answered honestly, grabbing her hand in his. "I didn't know what else to do. You stopped breathing and… and there was so much blood…"
Bella sighed, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand. She didn't have words for what he'd just admitted. There was nothing for her to say except to thank him for saving her. They sat in silence until the doctor came back in with her release papers. He mentioned that he'd called and reported the abuse to Washington State police instead of the local enforcement center and handed her a card with the investigators number on it.
Paul pushed her out the doors in the wheelchair Billy lent him and drove her to the reservation. He told her about meeting Sam after she walked out of the diner and how Jacob, Embry, and Quil each followed suit. None of them wanted to hurt her after she'd freaked out that night. He pulled into his own driveway and helped her up the porch, into the living room.
He made her soup for lunch and tucked warm blankets and pillows around her to make her more comfortable. "I have to go out for a little bit today, want me to send someone over to hang out with you?" He asked, not wanting her to be alone for Charlie to ambush her. "I can ask Jake or someone if you want."
Bella nodded mouth full of noodles and broth. "It'd be nice to see Jacob again." She answered after swallowing. "Just tell him not to ask questions." She added eating more of her soup. She didn't realize that she could be so hungry.
Paul made the phone call and said that Jacob would be over before he had to leave for his meeting. He handed her the television remote and told her to watch whatever she wanted and to relax. Jake arrived shortly after and bounced in the recliner, excited to see Bella once again. Paul pulled him to the side and gave him Bella's instructions along with some of his own. He let him know that Charlie wasn't allowed in the house and if he asked for Bella, they hadn't seen her in a few days. He didn't explain any further and left him guessing what had happened.
Bella had chosen a reality show to watch on TV while Jake talked a mile a minute about new things on the reservation, plans for the bon fire, and a girl he had a crush on. She prodded him for more details and he explained that she was a new girl on the reservation and that everyone in the "gang" wanted to hang out with her. He accentuated that she especially wanted to spend time with him because she always smiled at him when they talked and nobody else.
She couldn't help but laugh at his naivety and made him promise not to forget about his friends when he got married to the mystery girl. He scoffed at the idea but made Bella giggle when his face turned red. They joked around for a while until Bella handed him the remote and said she was taking a nap. She shook her head as he turned it to one of the numerous cop shows and fell into an uneasy sleep.
xXxXxXx
She woke to whispered voices talking in a different room and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Everything came rushing back to her making her woozy. She sat up carefully and followed the voices until she reached the hallway. Bella carefully shuffled toward an open door and gently pushed it so she could see who was talking. Paul had his back to her and was telling Jacob and another person about his meeting. She only caught a snippet of the conversation when he turned around and smiled. "Glad you're awake Bells." He walked over and helped her join them. "Sam this is Bella, Bella this is Sam Uley."
Sam nodded at her and continued speaking with Jacob about a plan for something while Paul scooped her up and took her to the kitchen. "Time to eat." He fixed her a sandwich and handed her a glass of juice along with two white pills. "Your doctor said to take two pills twice a day." He watched as she ate and looked at her bandages. "He also said to have someone change these every few days. Sue, Harry's wife, is the nurse at the schools here. I can ask her, if you want."
Bella ate her sandwich quietly and agreed to have Sue look at the wounds she sustained. She felt tired after taking her medication and walked with Paul as he helped her onto the couch again. "What about Charlie?" She asked quietly, unsure of what was going on in Forks. The last thing she wanted was for him to search high and low for her, harming anyone in his path.
"Don't worry about him. He hasn't stopped by the Rez and nobody he talks to knows about what happened." Paul covered her with a thick blanket, tucking the edges beneath her chin. "I won't let him hurt you anymore." He promised, turning the TV to a different channel. "Get some rest." He left the room, rejoining the conversation between Sam and Jacob.
She couldn't help but wonder who else knew about the ordeal at her house the night before. It was hard to believe that twenty four hours before, she was lying in a pile of glass about to die. Her frazzled thoughts didn't keep her from sleeping; instead they fueled horrifying dreams of Charlie finding her and multiple scenes of her own death.
xXxXxXx
It took her many days to be able to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. Sue had come by and changed her bandages, commenting on how bad the wounds looked. She only asked what had happened once and left the topic alone once Bella refused to answer. Bella knew that being in such a small town, people were likely to find out through rumor what Charlie had done. Once the state police took over, everyone would put the facts together and start whispering their own opinions.
She found out quickly that Jacob and his group of friends knew what happened that night leading her to yell at Paul for disrespecting her privacy. She almost left his house, had it not been for her inability to walk without pain, and threatened him with leaving for good if he kept opening his mouth. He was quick to apologize and promised an explanation soon.
Bella couldn't seem to keep still at the house and Paul didn't want to leave her alone in case Charlie did stop by. She was accompanied by one of the group members each day without being asked if she wanted the company. She felt as though she was always watched and brought up her feelings to Paul. He reassured her that she could do whatever she wanted, that the guys were for her protection, but it didn't help her own feelings.
She made her own routine by cleaning the house, little by little, and making food for the guys when they stopped over. Paul always complimented her cooking and the guys seemed to eat everything she made without batting an eyelash. She asked many questions about them the main one being that she didn't understand how they could go outside in just shorts. The wind whipped harshly and the temperature reached near freezing on a daily basis.
The boys shrugged off her questions by saying it was just something the tribe had. When she pointed out that Sue and the others walked about fully dressed, they laughed it off. Her frustrations made her question her own sanity and the sanity of the others but didn't press the issue. Paul still had to explain how each of them knew about the situation since he claimed he didn't tell them anything.
She stayed at Paul's for a few weeks, getting her strength back. In that time, after many confusing conversations with the state police, she found that Charlie had already been arrested and they were charging him based on her wounds alone. With the physical evidence, they knew they could get him locked away for at least three years and if he plead she wouldn't have to go to court.
The news about that made her happy and after excitedly telling Paul they celebrated at the diner. Jacob and his friends joined them, leaving Bella with a sense of déjà vu. The dinner was a happy affair, Sue's daughter joining them after her shift. Happy to talk to another girl instead of just the boys, Bella seemingly attached herself to Leah and asked her questions about each person in the group. Leah was eager to share what she knew and lead Bella to another booth for them to talk.
After a few hours, the group headed to Sam's house for coffee (hot cocoa for Bella) and a movie. They ended up at the beach after the movie, sparking an impromptu bon fire. Paul had grabbed extra blankets for Bella and sat her closest to the fire to keep warm. Each person told a story about the tribe, ones that Bella only heard from Jacob during their childhood summers together.
At the end of the stories, Sam looked at Paul and nodded to him. Paul moved so he was facing Bella and asked her to wait a moment for him. The others didn't seem worried so Bella bit her lip and agreed, watching as he disappeared into the woods. Moments later a large wolf emerged. Bella's eyes widened as she slowly backed up, yelling for the others to do the same. They looked at the wolf and chuckled, welcoming it to their fire.
Bella's heart pounded in her chest as the wolf inched closer, whining when she backed away. It lowered onto its belly and Leah walked over and scratched behind its ears. The grey fur looked soft and warm but Bella couldn't move as fear had taken over her muscle function.
She didn't register Sam moving toward her, kneeling beside her and taking her hand. "Bella, it's not what you think." He said softly, inching her closer to the wolf. "This is how we know what happened. Paul didn't mean for us to find out, he just couldn't keep us from seeing what was in his head."
She looked at them as if they were insane and stood, backing away slowly. "You're all nuts." She turned her back on them, and then heard the wolf whine again. She took a few steps away from the fire then felt a sudden pain in her wrists as she tripped over something in the sand and fell onto all fours.
The wolf leapt toward her, keeping her from fully hitting the sand. The group quickly picked her up and carried her over to the fire, letting Leah look her over. "Bella its Paul. The wolf is Paul." Leah whispered to her as she checked the stitches and her belly. "Technically, all of us here are wolves, besides you."
Bella furrowed her brows and opened her mouth before turning and vomiting beside her. She closed her eyes and passed out before anyone could say anything further.
A/N: Thank you for reading the third chapter in this revamped version of MBD. I hope you like it as much as I like writing it and hope to see more updates soon.