Disclaimer, I own naught.

A/N--I said that I wouldn't write any more chapters for this story; because I thought (Key word) that it was finished with. Obviously not. I keep getting flashes of ideas about ExB during their therapy sessions, so I might post a few titbit chapters here and there like this one. I'll try to keep them in some sort of order.

This chapter is Bella's second therapy session. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit similar to the first chapter, but as I said, I thought that the first chapter was the first and last so I crammed as much as I could into it. I can broaden things now within these next few short chapters.

Anyhow, read on dear readers!

Edward POV.

Bella was back for her second session and stretched out on the therapy sofa. When she entered, she didn't even hesitate, she headed straight for the sofa and laid down, facing away from me. After a few failed attempts, Chief Swan left, unable to get her to turn around to face me.

Bella puzzled me. I couldn't read her mind; therefore I had nothing to work with. Bella wouldn't talk to me either which was a massive obstacle which I strived to get over. She needed my help desperately and I was sure that no other therapist around here would bother with her; they would leech money from her father to prolong the sessions and then declare that there was nothing they could do. I knew Bella's sort, I had worked with many people just like her, but those people had been easy to read. I could read their minds and coax them into admitting what I had already learnt, thus helping them into recovery.

Bella's cough broke the silence. I frowned in reaction to the sound. It was an angry, rough sound which instantly told me that she was ill. That cough was reminiscent of the sounds people with chest infections made. I steeled myself and shut my eyes as I focused on listening to her breathing. I caught the wheezing sound to her breathing after a few moments. Our silence was once more broken by another bout of coughing.

I sat, feeling useless as I watched Bella's body strain against the coughing. She leant forward so her back arched a little and curled her legs up into the foetal position. I could only imagine how much pain she was in seeing as she wouldn't tell me. She was suffering in silence; I doubted if even Chief Swan knew that she was ill.

"Bella." I began, not really knowing what I was going to say.

My only response was a hitch to her breathing and her heart quickening its pace at the sound of my voice. She was panicking because I was talking to her, she obviously wanted to be left alone, but that wasn't good for her at all.

From down the hallway, I could hear Stephen's steady footfalls nearing, signalling his return. The faint smell of coffee preceded him, telling me that it was a mission accomplished. He'd got the coffee like I asked.

I knew that any minute now Stephen would get back and would knock on the door before coming in and silently setting the coffee on my table. I wondered what I should do. Bella had a problem with men, her case notes mentioned that much but she seemed fine with Chief Swan and affable enough with me when she wasn't pushed. Finally, I decided to try Stephen out to see Bella's reaction. She wasn't giving anything away so far, so I needed to work things out on my own through trial and error.

As predicted, a light knock sounded at the door a few silent moments later. I bid Stephen to enter, all the while watching and listening out to Bella's reaction. Her body coiled more into itself as Stephen entered. She had pulled her legs up closer to her chest and had her head buried away, out of sight. Her heart was beating away as if someone had a knife held at her throat and her breathing was sounding wheezier as her anxiousness intensified.

After thanking Stephen for the coffee, he left. Bella noticeably calmed and relaxed, but the deep seated tension within her never abated.

"Bella, please turn around." I asked softly as I held the warm polystyrene coffee cup between my hands, savoring its warmth.

The clock ticked on as I waited and 37 seconds later and my request was carried out. Bella slowly turned so I could see her face instead of her back. She looked tired and helpless with her eyes so void of emotion. Her eyes were shadowed with dark circles and she had an unhealthy pallor which hadn't changed since our first meeting last week.

Bella kept her eyes downcast as I watched her watching the floor. Her arms were folded over her chest, making it look as if she was hugging herself and her hands were screwed up into tight fists. I felt like Jasper at that moment. The waves of tension seemed to roll off of her, hitting me square in the chest, leaving me with a dull ache. I gave my head a slight shake to dispel the thought and then noticed Bella licking her lips hesitantly, her eyes flickering to the coffee before me.

I got up slowly from my chair, not wanting to scare her with my actions. She watched me soundlessly as I rounded my desk and picked up the coffee before walking toward her. Her heart was at it again, throwing out a frenzied rhythm as I neared her. "Have this, please." I whispered carefully once I was crouched down in front of the sofa. I held out the coffee toward her, hoping that she would accept it. I had thought about making her come and get it, but in the back of my mind I knew that she wouldn't move from her spot on the sofa. She seemed too tired to want to fight for anything let alone push herself to walk a few steps to get a cup of coffee.

The slight frown that marred her brow intensified as the coffee steamed between us. "There's nothing wrong with it." I sought out to assure her. I didn't know if she felt paranoid that it had been laced with drugs or something because I couldn't read her mind. I took a sip of the foul liquid just to prove my point before holding it back out to her. The warm coffee ran down my throat, leaving a disgusting aftertaste. I schooled my features so Bella wouldn't see, but almost jumped for joy when she slowly sat up and hesitantly moved to take the cup from my hands. I maintained my calm, professional demeanor as her hand grasped the cup. Her fingers lightly brushed mine during the interaction and the touch shook me to my core. I was amazed that neither of us dropped the cup due to the intensity of the spark which soared through me. From the way Bella's eyes snapped open wide and found mine, I guessed that she had felt the same.

I swiftly let go of the cup and got back up on my feet in order to go back behind my desk. While I had my back turned I heard Bella's whisper of 'Thank you' but I didn't comment on it, any ordinary person wouldn't have heard her. I wiped off my stupid grin before I sat down and watched her drinking slowly from the white cup.

I hoped that her acceptance of the drink was the first step to our relationship together. I needed Bella to trust me, and I wished that our little interaction had been the first stepping stone toward her recovery finish line.

I vainly hoped that Bella would be distracted with her coffee and would answer any questions that I would voice. She didn't seem like the sort to let her guard down just after having hesitantly accepted a coffee from me so I knew that my hope was futile. Bella might have accepted something from me but I also readied myself for the fact that she may be unresponsive to me for weeks now.

"Bella, I know you're ill…have you told your father?" I asked as softly as I could while concern welled up inside of me. I hoped that she had told him or would, if not, then it told me that she wasn't concerned about her health or mortality. I needed her to be concerned and to look after herself and not slip back into her self destructive ways and go down the suicide road again. One attempt was more than enough for a lifetime and she had been lucky enough to come out the on the other side alive.

Bella sniffed once before she bit her lip and ever so slightly shook her head in the negative. Her eyes remained on the cooling coffee all the while, looking hollow and carefree. She didn't seem to mind that she was ill, any average person would have been wrapped up at home and dosed up on medication, but Bella was out and about, malnourished, lacking sleep and weak both physically and mentally.

"I'm going to refer you to my father, Doctor Carlisle Cullen," I began. I made no reference to the fact that I knew that he'd been the one that treated her when she had arrived at the hospital after the attempted suicide. I continued, "He will treat you for the chest infection that I suspect you have and I hope to see you looking healthier next week." I finished. I kept my voice calm, yet firm throughout letting her know that I wasn't offering her a choice.

My cold heart ached as I noticed that Bella's eyes seemed to be flooding with tears which she was blinking back furiously. I held back my instinctive desire to comfort her and held strong. She obviously realised that there was no use in arguing, she would receive medical treatment and get better whether she liked it or not.

Once Bella had finished her coffee, she toyed with the cup, bending it out of shape before I caught on and took it from her to throw it into the bin. By the time I'd turned around in the hopes of bleeding some more information from her, she was laid back on the sofa, facing away from me as she had done at the start of the session.

I gave up my hopes and reminded myself that there was always next week where I hoped we would make even more progress. I hoped that she would say something. She had been in my company for two hours in total now and I had yet to hear the sound of her voice. The soft thank you earlier hardly qualified. The shadow of a whisper had only hinted to me the sound of her voice and it had sparked my curiosity. I found myself speculating and considering how her voice would sound to my ears, how her laughter would ring and flitter over the both of us, inducing joy and even more laughter.

At the end of the session, Bella wouldn't move any more than to a seating position. I watched her as her eyes worriedly kept flickering to the door. At the sound of her father's voice, Bella visibly relaxed and got up from the sofa before walking hurriedly to the door.

"I'll see you next week Bella, I hope you'll be feeling better." I said empathetically as I opened the door which lead to the reception area and stepped back to let Bella pass through.

Her breathing hitched and sped up as she took a step back. I casually gave the door a slight push to half close it before I turned back to look at Bella.

Her eyes were wide and her stance was panicked and fleeting. Her hands were balled up in the sleeves of her hoodie and she was biting at her bottom lip. I was about to reach out to her and beg her to stop biting her lip so forcefully when Chief Swan approached.

I turned and opened the door wide once again to allow him into the room. He went directly to Bella who seemed to have deflated, her anxiety vanishing with his presence. Her head was bowed slightly and she wouldn't make eye contact with her father, even when he stood in front of her and gently asked her how she felt the session went.

I stopped my breathing and listened intently as I waited for Bella to talk. After a few moments of silence, Chief Swan broke it declaring that he'd take Bella home and call Renee to see if she was still coming to visit in a few weeks time. I breathed once again as I realised that Chief Swan asked her how she felt the session went in the same vain attempt as myself to get her to talk. We both wanted an interlude in her haunting silence if only to hear one word, a shout of anger, anything.

"Chief, I'm setting Bella up with an appointment with Doctor Carlisle Cullen which will undoubtedly be conducted as soon as possible." I started. I paused as an onslaught of his thoughts barricaded mine. He rambled with worry over why I would set up an immediate appointment with a doctor. I flinched at his speculations that she needed to be checked over because she had been attacked, raped or was mentally unstable and needed a second opinion. I quickly salvaged the wreckage of her father's thoughts and continued, "From my own intermediate knowledge, I'm guessing that Bella has a chest infection. I want her checked out and treated as soon as possible." I clarified before I snuck a glance at Bella.

I almost smiled at the deathly glare that she was shooting at the floor. She didn't want to be treated and knew full well that she had no choice in the matter. Her father now knew the fact that she was ill and she no longer needed to hide and suffer in her self fuelled infliction.

"Thank you Doctor Cullen, I'll make sure she see's your father." Chief Swan said assuredly as he reached a hand out to wrap around his daughters waist. I couldn't help but feel sympathetic to Bella's father as she flinched at his contact and took a few steps forward from his reach. He quickly followed, berating himself in his mind for having forgotten that she hated being touched.

I escorted the two of them out of my office and confirmed next weeks appointment while keeping an eye on Bella. She stood near the door to the hallway, as far away from Stephen as she could while keeping her eyes locked on the floor. Her heart was beating frantically with anxiety and which I desperately wanted to was away.

After a silent nod to Stephen, I left him talking to Chief Swan. Bella showed no reaction to me when I walked over to her and stopped beside her. I took this as a good sign, maybe she trusted me?

"Bella…please let my father treat you. I need you to get healthy…" I whispered as I looked at her black rimmed eyes. I could hear Chief Swan behind me, approaching us. "Be safe." I whispered softly before I brushed my hand against one of her tight fisted hands and turned to say goodbye.

Once they had left, I went back to office to mull things over. Bella had let our hands touch twice without much of a reaction. The first time, she could have avoided my touch by grasping the cup at another place, but she didn't. The spark that shot through the both of us somehow didn't scare her as I imagined it would have. The second time our hands touched, she didn't even flinch as she did with her father.

I had no doubt that her father was honourable and loved his daughter deeply. Bella wasn't afraid of her father, she simply despised being touched. I wondered if she allowed my touch because I was an outsider, a professional with no family or emotional links. I frowned at that realisation. There was some sort of emotional link which I couldn't get my head around. I never reacted so personally with any of my other clients, not that I didn't care about them, I did, but Bella was different.

My next clients arrived a few moments later and I decided that my reaction to Bella was different because I couldn't read her mind. She was a closed book, a fortress which I had no means of getting into, without hopefully some time and cunning.

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