Fix You

Chapter Six

Carlisle's POV

This can't be happening. I must be hallucinating... yes, maybe I'm just imagining things. No reasonable person would make something like this take place.

No, this definitely can't be happening to Bella, not my Bella. It's not fair, she doesn't deserve it.

No...

Yet, however much I may try to convince myself otherwise, I can't escape the truth; it's stupid trying to.

Bella's been... she's been shot and her precious blood is everywhere. The frustrating thing is, I know exactly how to help her; I need to put pressure on the wound, to make sure that she's still breathing and that she's not even further in shock, but I'm once again powerless to do anything. It's the most painful sensation.

I'm normally a calm person, but I want nothing more right now than to punch my fist straight through a wall.

"Bella?" I try, desperately clinging to any small piece of hope that says she still has some chance. I'm not completely sure where she was wounded, but it seems as though it was towards the bottom left hand side of her torso. That's not the worst that could have happened; if it had been further up...

It's best not to think of that.

"Bella?" I persist. "Please speak to me? Please?"

"It's no use," Victoria mumbles weakly, meeting my eyes with a sorry expression. It looks as though she's given up any positive thoughts. "There's n-nothing we can do anymore. He's won."

I try to ignore the fact that James is recklessly throwing gasoline from a random tank he's retrieved; he's coating the surfaces of the tables where people had happily been having coffee before, as well as covering most of the wooden floor. The smell stings my nose and burns the back of my throat.

We're not going to stand a chance.

I begin repeatedly praying for something out there to help us. Anything, please.

"Think of all the memories we've had in this shop, James," Victoria tries, clearly clutching at anything to try to stop what he's doing, despite her reserved tone before. A small part of me admires her. "We p-put so much money and effort into it, you can't just let it go up in flames!"

"I can, and I will," he grins, heading towards the back where the counter is. I'm guessing there's another door there that he'll weave out of, escaping the pain, destruction and grief that he's so easily caused with a second thought. The expression on his face doesn't even falter as he stares at us. "See you all in Hell!"

"James, please?"

Victoria's screams go unnoticed; we both have our necks twisted around to watch him and everything seems to move slowly as he drops his cigarette onto the floor and then disappears.

Almost instantly my vision is filled with flames, bright orange and dangerous, and I desperately try to free myself from my confines. Using so much force that it aches, I try to pull my legs apart, but nothing gives. I kick the floor in frustration and turn suddenly at the sound of choking beside me.

Bella's stirring.

Oh no... not now.

"Bella? Bella, you-"

My voice trails off at the sight of the pain etched onto her face; it's consumed her features and distorted them evilly. Her eyes are scrunched together in agony, her jaw is clenched tight, and I fight against the duct tape even harder than before. For a moment I'm distracted by flashing lights outside, but quickly dismiss it as my imagination, and I try even harder, for Bella's sake; just for her.

"Ahh..."

A tortured sound and sobbing escapes from Bella as the fire begins devouring everything in its path; strangely James hasn't spread gasoline around us so we still have room for manevoure, but it won't take long until-

No, I can't think that.

The smoke is really beginning to fill the air around us now; everything is distorted by a thick black cover, and I wish that we could slide downwards to avoid the worst of it. No, screw that, I wish we could all be out of here alive and safe.

"C-Carlisle... I..." Bella's voice is broken off by her hoarse coughing and I shudder to think of her pain. Each breath must be causing more agony to erupt from the bullet wound. "You..."

"Don't try to speak," I tell her. "Save your breath please!"

"But I-"

There's suddenly a loud noise by the front doors, a frightening parallel of what happened when this first started. I watch as it suddenly tumbles through and some men dressed in uniform storm in towards us, all in a fast movement that's hard to register.

Oh thank God, thank God. My prayers have been answered.

Just please don't make this be a dream.

"Please, help her, she's... she's been shot," I manage, surprised by how gruff my voice sounds. "Please."

"It's okay, sir, you're safe now; just try to stay calm."

It all happens in some strange blur; they hack away at the duct tape, easily setting us free, and then carefully escort us out from the flames. Somebody must have informed them about what was happening; perhaps a passer-by heard some noises or saw the smoke?

Maybe the girls who were allowed to escape earlier decided to do the right thing.

When the light from outside hits my eyes, it brings an almost blinding pain and I squint, trying to block it out. The fresh, clean lungfuls of air that I breathe in greedily bring a short relief, and the ache in my chest from the retching brings tears down my cheeks, but I know that I won't be able to fully relax until I know that Bella is alright.

The paramedics frantically attend to her and I try to push my way through, against their advice. It begins to cause an unnatural anger to burn inside of me, something that I try to suppress; they're helping her, I need to remember that.

"I'm a d-doctor..." I protest, trying to make them hear me. "Please, I'm a doctor!"

"Yes, sir," a man nods, giving me a disapproving look, "but you've been through a lot of trauma too - we need to ensure that you're not-"

"I'm fine, please just let me see her!"

"Sir, really-"

"For Christ's sake, please at least let me ride with her to the hospital and then I'll back off."

We meet eyes and I try to silently beg him to conform. He's a very muscular man and I feel that perhaps I shouldn't aggravate him too much, but that's the least of my problems; if he says no, I'll just have to force my way through. There's no way I'm leaving Bella.

Despite this, though, he eventually sighs in defeat. "Okay, but you need to do as your told when you get there-" I'm already hurrying off into the back of the ambulance before he can even finish. "You know the procedures!"

I just nod numbly and sit beside Bella who looks worryingly pale; it's like the life is being slowly drained from her, and the radiant glow that had been there so many hours ago seems like a distant memory. Her eyes are fluttering to every corner of the ambulance; she can't seem to focus on one thing, but perhaps that's for the best. It wouldn't be good for her if she saw the blood that's covering her jumper.

"Carlisle..."

I'm surprised that she recognises me in her dazed state but, nevertheless, I reach for her hand and grip it firmly. It feels so cold. "Bella, you're going to be okay. I... hey, I told you we'd get out."

She just stares at me wordlessly for a moment. "Did you..." It takes a lot of effort for Bella to force what she wants to say out and I try to tell her to save her energy, but she insists on finishing. "Did you g-get hurt?"

My eyes widen in surprise as I look down at her; she's gravely injured, just been through a horrendous ordeal, and she's asking how I am?

There just aren't words for this woman.

"Bella, I'm fine... thank you, but please focus on yourself."

"Is something on f-fire?"

"No, Bella, not anymore." She must be having flashbacks and I search for something to reassure her. "Don't worry, you'll be able to rest soon in a clean, comfortable bed, so just... just try to relax."

"Where's J-James?"

"He's gone now, don't worry." That's a good question; I bloody well hope they've caught him. He should be tortured for what he's done to everybody involved. I'd happily-

"But..."

"Bella, please keep calm; we need to make sure you're okay first."

"Please d-don't leave me, Carlisle..."

"I'm not going to, Bella, I promise." It strikes me how insecure she seems; it's probably from her panic, but there could be some other underlying cause. Is she afraid of people leaving her?

"Please, I'm scared..." Her small, weak voice really shows her fear and I see in her eyes that the spark really is gone, replaced by nothing but worry.

What else can I do besides talking to her? She's almost delirious and nothing I say seems to comfort her in any way.

It suddenly occurs to me, out of the blue, that our friends and family need to know what's happened... crap.

That includes Esme...

Why has she not crossed my mind?

I suppose, deep down, I already know the answer to that question.

The ambulance suddenly slows to a halt and the doors fly open; we're met by a flurry of different paramedics and it suddenly feels overwhelming; I should be accustomed to the hectic nature of hospitals, especially accidents and emergencies, but when it happens to somebody I care about so much... it really feels horrific.

"Please be careful with her," I murmur, keeping hold of Bella's hand as they move her. "Please she's-"

"Sir, we know what we're doing," an impatient man mutters, and I restrain my irritation. "Miss Swan is in good hands now. You'll have to wait in this area to be examined by a doctor. Sir please don't-"

"I can't just sit around when I know there's nothing wrong with me!" I reply, perhaps a little louder than appropriate because a few curious stares turn our way. "I-"

"Carlisle," a weak voice murmurs; it's Bella. "Please, do as they s-say. I'll be okay."

That's convinced nobody, we both know it, but we stare at each other silently. Nodding, I gradually fall behind as they hurry her away to the emergency room.

There's a powerful urge to sink to the floor, but I head over to the reception and ask to use the telephone instead.

"Sir, don't you need to be checked over first?" the woman behind the desk asks. "There's-"

"Please, I need to make a phone call." The patience I've often boasted to retain is slowly wearing thin, and she clearly sees this as she directs me to the left. "Thank you."

As I begin to dial my home number, I think through what exactly I can say. I don't want to panic Esme; it just needs to be short and brief...

With a sigh, I wait for her to answer. It takes a while, but she eventually gets to the phone, sounding breathless. "Hello?"

"Hi Esme, it's Carlisle."

"Carlisle, hello darling. Is something wrong? You don't usually call this time."

"I don't want you to worry, but... something's happened. I'm fine, but I'm at the hospital."

There's a small pause. "Have they called you in to do an extra shift?"

"No, I was... there's no easy way to say this, but I was involved in a hostage situation and there was a fire-"

"Hostage? Carlisle, I... oh my goodness! Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine," I reply, suppressing a sigh and watching with a cold, heavy stomach as a group of doctors rush around the corner. "Just bring yourself to the hospital and you'll see that I'm unharmed."

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can! Goodness me!"

The line goes dead and I lean against the wall, thinking. Why was-

Then I remember that Bella's health is uncertain and I turn towards the receptionist. "Excuse me, is there are news on Bella Swan?"

"Were you involved in the hostage situation with her?"

"Yes," I grunt impatiently, and her strangely icy blue eyes scan my body.

"Sir, you clearly need to be seen by a doctor and it would be incredibly convenient if you could please wait in the allotted area in the mean time. Please, sir-" she says with more emphasis, knowing that I've opened my mouth to interrupt, "there's nothing else I can do. If there was any news I would pass it on, but clearly it's been too soon. A doctor will see you shortly."

And with that, she turns away to answer the phone.

"For God's sake!" My hands ball up in frustration. This is so unlike how I usually act, but there's something that just won't leave me alone until I see Bella again, alive and well.

A sudden thought comes into my mind and begins spreading like wildfire. Maybe that's not an appropriate metaphor considering what's just happened, but it seems fitting; seeing as I work here, I could easily just go to my office and-

"Sir?"

I turn around to be met by a fellow doctor who I recognise as Eric Yorkie standing with two police men, looking at me seriously. I remain silent.

"Dr Cullen, I'm going to need to examine you for any injuries and then these two officers will need to ask you some questions regarding the incident." Eric tells me this, but nothing really sinks in. This will delay me from helping Bella.

"But-"

"Please don't protest," one of the police men interjects. "It's important that you're checked for any damage and then we can determine how this happened."

"But I need to see my friend! This is wasting precious time - I'll tell you how this happened; it was because of a psychopath called James who was intent on having revenge on his partner! I suggest you use your time finding him instead of pointlessly questioning me!"

My face feels hot and I realise that my temper has been completely lost; my eyes widen as I reflect on the rudeness and I hastily begin apologising. "I'm really sorry, that was inappropriate of me. I-"

"It's perfectly understandable sir," the other officer adds, managing to keep a blank face. His eyes don't even show any emotion; I vaguely wonder if that's something which has happened from years' of experience of seeing this kind of event. "But you really do need to conform to the procedures or further action will be taken. Do you understand?"

Reservedly, I nod.

"Your friend will be taken care of," Eric assures me as we make our way to an examination room. "The doctors here are some of the best in the whole of Forks."

I have to smile wryly at his statement. "Well let's just say that, if anything goes wrong, I'll be straight in there doing everything I possibly can to put it right."

He shuts the door behind us and my head buzzes, trying to comprehend all the thoughts of what's been happening. It's insane.

"Who is your friend, anyway?" he asks while I sit restlessly on the bed.

"Bella Swan," I murmur, strangely enjoying being able to say her name. "We were taken hostage together."

"I can't imagine what that must have been like."

I move my head numbly in agreement and run my hands mindlessly through my hair. "But it brought us close. I feel..." The words just trail off as I try to search for them, but it's impossible. My head feels tangled with all kinds of feelings, images and sensations, but trying to make sense of the messy knots is something I'm not capable of doing quite yet.

"Just try to relax." He flashes a light in front of my eyes but I can't take his advice; I just want to sprint out of the room as fast as my legs can take me.

But that's out of the question, so I do as he asks and try not to think too much.