Thank you so much for the lovely reviews!

Previously:

Carlisle and Emmett stood tall inside, frozen for a moment as they took in my appearance.

The next few minutes went by in a haze. I remember being pulled off my feet and carried inside of the house, which brought back the nausea.

Make them leave, Bella.

Make them leave.

Chapter 11

"Bella, we're going to take you to the hospital now. You'll be ok." I tried to grab Carlisle's hand but failed miserably, grabbing at thin air instead. I must have looked like an idiot.

–After a second a hand wrapped around mine instead and I looked up into Esme's face.

"Tell me." She encouraged quietly.

'Not Forks Hospital.' I winced as I moved my right wrist and relented to only move my fingers lightly. I felt the steady throb and slow numbing increase in my wrist.

I needed to get out of Forks as soon as possible. I knew it was too late now, I couldn't go back, couldn't hide the abuse any longer. It was now time to get out of Charlie's reach before he could get his hands on me one last time.

"Bella, you need medical attention, the next hospital would be in Port Angeles, it's only logical to go to the one in Forks."

'Not Forks Hospital. Not Forks Hospital.' I signed the same words until she finally stilled my hands with hers, warm hands that wrapped around mine in a gentle and calming manner.

"Ok, not Forks Hospital." She murmured quietly and stroked a few strands of hair out of my face.

'You need to leave town.' She didn't reply and I knew what she was thinking. The hit to her head must have made her mad. She's not making any sense. But I was making sense, they had to trust me, just this once.

"You need to leave." I whispered hoarsely before I could stop myself and I felt Esme's hand freeze in my hair as I turned my gaze back to her face. "Please."

"You're… you speak." I only nodded and closed my eyes for a moment as I tried to keep calm. "But you –"

'You need to leave. Please, you're in danger. Leave!' I returned to signing my words. It felt uncomfortable, dangerous even, to say the words aloud.

Esme stayed silent for another long moment until I opened my eyes again to look at her.

"Ok, I will wake them." She murmured in a very unsure voice. "I will send Carlisle and Emmett with you, you're going to Port Angeles now and I'll follow with the others as soon as possible."

I shook my head but winced at the pain and nausea that caused. 'I'm not leaving before you do.'

She sighed and looked into my eyes for a long moment. "Alright. –Emmett, can you wake Rose and Edward? I'll go get Alice and Jasper."

Emmett, I'd forgotten about him. Maybe he hadn't heard, maybe he was too far to hear Esme's reply to my whispered words. But I knew it was almost too much to hope for -the odds were rarely in my favor.

~Esme~

Carlisle's hand rubbed my back and shoulders lightly, softly massaging the kink out of my neck as I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. It was almost five in the morning and we were still seated in the dull hospital waiting room.

I had dropped the kids off at a motel after assuring them that I would call as soon as there'd be news. Surely this situation wasn't easy for either of us, especially not for the kids. Emmett, who always seemed like the tough guy to the outside world, had grown way too quiet for my liking since he saw Bella's bloodied figure. I felt bad to leave them alone in this situation, especially because they were all a bit touchy when it came to violence.

"She's going to be fine." Carlisle reassured quietly, smoothing my hair back softly.

"Physically, yes." I agreed and when Carlisle didn't disagree I added: "Why didn't she tell us?"

"Why didn't Rose tell anyone? There's always a reason why they don't tell." I shuddered but sat up straight. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, taking both my hands in between his. "She must have been afraid. –It's over now. Whatever happened to her, whatever happened to Rose: it's over." I nodded and looked into his soft, blue eyes. "We'll get her through this. Do you want me to call authorities this morning?"

"Are you ok with this?" I wondered. It was still hard to believe that he knew exactly what I wanted or needed. I couldn't leave Bella alone now. I was so taken by her, so anxious to protect her from further harm after everything that happened that I couldn't bear the thought of her going into a home somewhere in the state, somewhere she didn't know and to someone who wouldn't be able to communicate to her through sign language.

"Of course I am." He kissed my lips softly and pulled me to his chest. We sat quietly for another while before there was finally a doctor coming into the waiting room.

"Carlisle?" He motioned for us to follow.

"Is she alright?" I asked as we stopped in the hall. He looked to me first, then to Carlisle and sighed.

"You do know this is confidential, don't you?"

"Chris, this is serious. You know the situation –she needs someone right now. I'm a doctor, you know me, I think you'll be able to make an exception here." The older man stood for a moment, watching us before he finally gave a barely noticeable nod.

"Well, she's going to be fine. She has a moderate rib sprain and most of her ribcage is badly bruised. Her wrist is broken –"

"What about her head?" Carlisle interjected, probably remembering her disoriented movements and vomiting once we came to Port Angeles.

"No cracks or bleeding. She has a major concussion, we'll have to monitor it closely. The concussion is our main concern. The rest of her body is badly beaten up but no more broken bones." He paused a moment, looking down at his flipchart. "We've… found a lot of marks on her body. –Older ones, factures and faded bruises but there are also-" He paused and looked over to the room across from us.

"What?" Carlisle asked, pulling me closer into his body as he felt my rigid posture. How could anyone have done this to her?

"We found strangle marks on her neck. Lots of them –today was not the first time she got strangled." I closed my eyes tightly as if to block everything out but it was all too real, this happened and as soon as we'd step into her room I'd have to be strong, but all I could think of in this very moment was her fragile body beneath rough and violent hands.

"Ok, thank you. Can we go in now?" Was all Carlisle said in the most professional tone he could muster. I knew he liked Bella a great deal as well, after all, she was the only one who gladly listened to his medical musings.

"Of course. She's out for now, due to pain medication and exhaustion. She receives oxygen and her heart functions are monitored, just to be on the safe side."
"Alright, thank you, Chris." We started walking towards the hospital room but Carlisle stopped short. "Oh and Chris? I would like for you to arrange a transfer to Seattle Harborview in about three days –we'll talk to authorities and settle everything until then."

Alrighty, that took a while, didn't it?
Besides being busy & overseas I just really didn't have any patience to write -but I finally got it down and I hope you liked it.
Esme's a worrier -but would you have expected anything else of her? She just seems like a worrier to me.