Standard disclaimer...Don't own, SM does, just borrowing...yada yada yada...we've all read like upteenth times...
EPOV
Never in my life had I wished I could move faster. I'd been on the track team in high school. Heck! I'd even made the State Finals one year! But, when it came to this poor creature lying in my arms, nothing could be fast enough for my liking. I feel so helpless.
Jasper was out of the car like a shot, holding the door steady so I could manoeuvre her without having to jostle her too much. I was grateful, but couldn't open my mouth to acknowledge him for fear that I'd weep over this angel.
We were up the stairs quickly enough, Jasper ahead of me again to open the doors to the main house. I ignored the startled looks of the staff as we rushed past them.
Carlisle was waiting for us just beyond the foyer with his medical bag in hand. I guess he saw the urgency in my face, because he opted to cut short any greetings and turned towards the hallway leading to the main floor guestrooms in the east wing.
The clacking of our shoes echoed all around us, and before we knew it, we were turning into one of the last rooms. I couldn't be bothered to take in the color of the curtains or walls…any of it. Bella needed help and she was going to get it. I put her down onto the soft bedding and hoped she'd glean some comfort from it.
"Edward?" Carlisle looked confused as he looked at Bella.
"Is something wrong?" I checked over Bella's body, expecting to see something horrible from his tone.
"Well, I don't know? You didn't mention any head injury when you called. Why is she still unconscious?" He was leaning over her with his penlight in hand, lifting each eyelid and flicking his wrist up and away, hoping for the correct responses.
"Carlisle, she didn't hit her head!" I pushed my fingers through my mess of hair and paced at the foot of the bed in frustration. "She passed out just before I lowered her down to the guys!"
Carlisle seemed to be processing the new information. All I could do was play the part of the observer and it was making me insane. I wished I could crawl inside of her head and hear what was going on! I'd take any clue to see why she wouldn't wake up and let me see her beautiful, sad eyes.
I was finally able to pull my eyes away from her and noted that Jasper, and now Emmett, occupied the doorway. I had figured that no one would bother to stop in and check on Bella. I mean, really, who is she to any of us? Man, I really need to get my head out of my ass! Of course, they'd want to be here! I was just surprised that Alice wasn't trying to horn her way into the room, as well.
Seeing the two of them there made me smile, just a little. Emmett looked particularly uncomfortable as he dug his hands into his pockets and shuffled a little.
"Edward," Emmett whispered, "How's she doing?"
I shook my head and shrugged. I had nothing to offer. I guess Jasper could sense my tension, because he came up to me and put a supportive hand on my shoulder.
"Edward, she'll be alright. We all know what happened and we know that she has to wake up sooner or later."
I knew he was trying to help, but it wasn't…Jasper hadn't seen the look of absolute torture on her face. I could barely choke out my reply, "Jasper, I told her I would help." The memory of her begging was whispering in my head. I knew that if those were the last sounds I heard from her lips, that I'd be haunted by them forever.
Our brief exchange was interrupted. "Edward, I need you over here." Carlisle called me back into the room.
"Wait here," I muttered to Jasper and Emmett. "The girls should be here soon and you can fill them in on what's happening when they do." I turned and walked over to the bed.
"Good, you're back." Carlisle glanced up at me, offering me a pair of scissors. I took them, knowing that my eyes conveyed my confusion. "I need your help to get her jeans off without jostling her too much. My preliminary examination isn't revealing anything critical, cuts and scrapes mostly, nothing we can't manage here. She does, however, have a pretty serious gash on her right leg…most likely from her drop through all the rotted wood, and I'm concerned that she may have a bone break that needs to be dealt with. The real trick here is that I can't even think about that until we've cleaned out all of the splinters and such." He gestured to her lower leg. "And I can't even do that until we get this fabric pulled away."
I followed Carlisle's hands and saw the tattered remains of the jeans that Bella had changed into, seeing his difficulty. It was time for my schooling to pay off.
Just as we were about to start, Emmett called into the room. "Hey, Eddie…the things you do to get into a girl's pants…" He chuckled trailing off into silence. I felt the growl building up in my chest. First, inappropriate! Second, I hate being called Eddie. What a grade –A, world class jerk! I thought to myself. That's what you get for playing football without a helmet.
"Edward." Carlisle was quiet, but he still took the tone…the one that told me I was about to get another lecture on learning to be patient with my siblings. "He's just as concerned as you are…cut him a little slack." I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Good one, Emmy!" I yelled back, sarcasm dripping from my voice. I heard grumbling again and chuckled. Turnabout is fairplay, ya' bonehead.
"Here," Carlisle interrupted my thoughts again. "You take the damaged leg. We know what to expect there…I'm concerned about what I'm not seeing over here." He set about cutting away the fabric.
I could hear Jasper distracting Emmett from retaliating, for which I was grateful. I needed my full attention for the task at hand. Taking the scissors, I starting slicing away at Bella's tattered pant leg, removing a piece at a time to avoid having to lift her leg. Carlisle was only just starting after delicately palpating the leg again. I had barely removed half of my part when I heard his sudden intake of breath. My eyes barely had time to register what he'd seen when he exclaimed, "Oh my word!"
* * * * *
CPOV
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Edward, close the door!" I barked, causing him to jump immediately, knowing better than to ask questions, and fly to the door. I heard him mumble an apology to the others as he shut and watched as he rushed back.
"Carlisle, what's wrong?"
I could barely choke out the words, "The scars."
Edward's eyes widened as he took the time to examine the limb closely. His eyes raked over every raised line and circle of scar tissue. Saints have mercy! In all my years as a practicing doctor, I had never seen such severe signs of physical abuse. You couldn't travel two inches in any direction on the leg without finding some sign of previous violent acts. How could no one know that she was suffering like this? What kind of monster could turn a blind eye to the anguish of an innocent little girl? I was nauseated by the site before me and struggled to keep the bile at bay. I had to step back for a moment. I knew that I'd see the exact same thing on her other leg and had a hunch that if I were to examine her entire body, I'd find even more.
Once I managed to pull myself together, I came back to the bed. Edward was mumbling something under his breath as his fingers brushed lightly against the marks. I could barely make out the words. "I understand…now I get it…"
"What do you mean, son?"
"Dad," Edward started., "She had three separate episodes today…like panic attacks, but worse, when she was threatened with the prospect of being touched by a man. Crap, you should have seen what happened when some Mike guy actually got his hand on her! Her friend, Angela, alluded to it when we first met them, but we didn't take the time to understand the severity of her reaction. I guess now we do.?"
My gaze went from Bella to Edward, and then back to Bella again. "Edward, I need you to tell me exactly what happened when she lost consciousness."
Edward proceeded to tell me the events that led up to her arrival in our humble home; the staircase breaking apart beneath her, the terror, and how she begged to be left alone. I heard the sadness in his voice when he realized she'd rather fall and risk grave injury than be helped by a man. I remained quiet until he was finished.
I took a moment to process everything he had shared with me. Edward could see that I was trying to figure this out. The fact that I started chewing on my thumbnail was a telltale sign. Nasty habit.
"Dad?"
"Hmmm?"
"Dad, you're obviously going into diagnostic mode…please tell me what you're thinking."
"Well Edward, if what you're telling me is accurate, I haven't seen anything like this since I did my psychiatric rotation at Virginia Mason in Seattle back in the 70's"
Edward looked confused by the reference.
"Post traumatic stress disorder… battle fatigue… shell shock." Edward's eyes alighted with recognition. "Of course back then it was only considered applicable to soldiers coming back from war, but it was eventually considered a legitimate diagnosis for someone who had gone through or witnessed a devastating event. Look at her." I gestured towards Bella's still form. "How much more devastation could she go through before finally hitting the breaking point?"
Edward nodded.
"Well, we'd better get a move on and get this all taken care of before…"
The words hadn't even finished leaving my lips when she began to stir. "No." She whimpered. Her head rolled from left to right. "No. Please." She called out again.
"Oh, no." It was my turn to be quiet. "Son, we have to hurry. Quickly, pass me my bag!" There was no mistaking the urgency of the task at hand.
"What do I need to do?" Edward asked.
"Hold her still. She can't wake up like this!" Her movements were becoming more combative. Her whimpers were growing louder and her breathing harder as she fought whatever invisible monsters were in her sleep. Edward looked awkward as he positioned himself over her body to keep her from hurting herself even more.
I could feel my steady demeanour slipping. I fought to keep my hands steady as I rummaged through my bag for a syringe and the morphine I knew would keep her blissfully unaware. Got it! Having those two items in my hand gave me focus. I plunged the syringe into the rubber stopper and pulled in enough of the medication to ensure she'd be out for a while.
"So sorry… please no more…"
"Edward, hold her arm!"
Her hips bucked. She started thrashing. Edward was struggling to not only hold her steady, but avoid hurting her injured leg more.
"Forget about her leg! Let me get this into her and we'll fix the rest later!"
"NNOOOOO!"
"Dad! I can't do this much longer!"
"Just one more second…" I fought to keep her arm immobile. Between the two of us, we were fighting a losing battle.
"Damn it! Jasper!" I called over her cries, hoping that the others were still lingering in the hallway.
"What's wrong?" Jasper answered as he rushed in the door.
"We need you! Come here and hold her!" Jasper followed my order and within seconds of his taking a place beside Edward, the syringe was delivering its medicinal calm to the obviously terrified woman on the bed.
It didn't take too long for her to start settling. Her legs were still in motion, like she was trying to run away from whomever…from her demons…from us? At least we knew that it would end.
"Carlisle?" Jasper was troubled.
"I'll explain in a few minutes, Jasper. Let's wait until she's completely out before I get into it all."
Jasper agreed and we all stepped back from the bed, biding our time, hoping she'd stop soon.
"Stop… no…" She was growing quiet and more still.
"Carlisle?" I shook my head towards Jasper, never taking my eyes off of Bella, indicating my need to observe.
She sobbed. "no." It was childlike.
I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. This was too private a moment for witnesses.
"no more…" She was quieter.
I cleared my throat.
"please don't… it'll hurt…"
The three of us looked at each other.
"let me die…"
I stepped forward and placed a tender hand on her leg. Bella shouldn't think she was alone.
"it hurts." She sighed.
It took a few minutes for someone to speak.
Edward cleared his throat and whispered, "Dad… I don't think she was talking about her leg."
* * * * *
RPOV
Why couldn't they close the door? Jasper should have closed the door! My thoughts were frantic.
I heard Carlisle call to him to hold her down. I couldn't help myself when I stepped into the room to see what was going on. I couldn't believe the commotion. What are they doing to her?!
I must have looked quite distraught; because the next thing I was aware of was Emmett putting his hand on my shoulder and pulling me gently back out of visual range. I think I tugged away from him, trying to catch a little of the scene being played out. Maybe I argued? I couldn't be certain, but I was certain of one thing: someone had decided I had seen enough. Before I could protest, Emmett scooped me up bridal style and placed me gently on the chair just beside the door. I could still here the screaming, but it really was easier to imagine it as a really loud movie that Emmett had left playing in the entertainment room when it wasn't unravelling in front of me. Damn! I love the movies!
Emmett never let go.
The sounds of the struggle lessened after a minute or so. Thank goodness for small miracles. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Do you want to go inside?" It was Alice kneeling down before me.
I smiled weakly. "That's why we came down here, right?"
"'Kay. Let's go." Alice stood and reached out for my hand. She gripped it tightly as we entered the room, Emmett trailing behind.
I saw Edward and Jasper standing at the foot of her bed. Carlisle was moving towards her, getting ready to tend to her injuries. I knew she was safe. I knew that none of the men surrounding her would ever do one thing to hurt her, intentionally or accidentally. I knew that, if any people could help her piece together the puzzle of her life, it would be them… And I knew I had to run.
Before anyone knew what was happening, I had turned on my heels and bolted. I vaguely remembered someone calling after me… or maybe it was more than one person. I didn't care. I just needed to be away from them. I needed to have quiet.
I shouldn't have been surprised that the memories came flooding back. I found another guestroom and rushed inside, sitting in the reading chair by the window before my senses were overrun with the inevitable. I tried squeezing my eyes shut to block the images. Of course it didn't work.
I sat on the edge of my bed, my feet dangling over the side. It was still bright outside, so I couldn't understand why Mr. Crowley was making me go to sleep. He had told me that being such a pretty girl, I needed to learn about beauty rest. I guessed it was okay. It was strange though, because usually Mrs. Crowley liked to tuck me in. She was at work, so Mr. Crowley said he would take care of me… just like if I was a big girl. They were my best foster parents EVER! I had my own room, and lots of toys. Sometimes Mr. Crowley would come into my room and brush my hair extra times at night if I couldn't sleep… not just enough like Mrs. Crowley did.
He came into the room and looked around. It was kind of strange because he knew that no one else was here. He came towards me and started caressing my hair.
"You're something special, did you know that Rosalie?" He had a sheen of sweat across his upper lip. He was pale and shaky.
"Thank you, Mr. Crowley." I looked shyly down at my hands lying flat in my lap.
"I was telling some friends of mine how special you are, too."
"Thank you, that's awfully kind of you." I was starting to feel a little nervous.
"Rosalie…I brought my friends to meet you, is that alright?" His eyes shifted to the door and then back to me.
"Um, I guess?"
He smiled weakly and got up off the bed. It wasn't long before there were two other men in the room with me. They towered over me. I wasn't nervous anymore. I was scared.
"Mr. Crowley? I thought I was going to get some 'beauty rest'?" My voice was small and trembling.
"Oh, Rosalie… you will. That's why we're here…"
"Rosalie!" The booming voice pulled me out of my thoughts. How long had he been calling for me? I blinked a few times to clear the haze of memory away.
"Thank goodness! There you are! Why did you do that, sweetheart?" He rushed toward me and was immediately on his knees, delicately cupping my face in his strong hands.
"Emmett? Is everyone upset with me?"
Emmett chuckled. "Love, no one is upset. We're worried!" He ran his thumb gently across my jawbone. "We know this must be hard on you and we all want to be there for you." He looked at me with so much love in his eyes. "Love… I want to be there for you."
I managed a small smile and looked into his big brown eyes. "You are here for me." Hearing those words, he broke out into a huge grin.
"I'm so glad that you know that."
I am the luckiest woman in the world.
"Maybe we should head back and see what's happening with Bella?" Emmett asked.
I could see that he was anxious to check up on her. "I'm sorry that I pulled you away from everyone." I really was. Shit! I need to stop doing this! I'm such a drama queen.
"No worries, Love." He grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the chair. "We can go now. Carlisle was only just starting on the clean up when you left. He wasn't ready to do all the cool, gruesome stitching and stuff. If we hurry, we can still catch it!" Emmett was bouncing up and down.
I smacked him in the arm. "You're such a big kid!" I couldn't contain the chuckle.
"I know I am." He wiggled his eyebrows. "That's why you love me."
How right he is.