Everything Goes Chapter 20:

The room was partially lighted. The heavy scent of flowers filled the room. Opening her eyes wider she heard a light snore close to her hand. Turning her head to the side she saw that Jake was asleep with his head lying uncomfortably on the her bed.

Bella smiled weakly. It was obvious he'd spent the night with her.

Bella reached out and caressed the top of his head. Running her fingers through the soft, thick locks of his hair. Swallowing she felt instant pain. Tears filled her eyes as the pain took her by surprise. She gulp slowly. Her throat felt horrible and her mouth was dry. She needed a drink but she feared it would be too painful to attempt. Wiping away the tears that were starting to leak from her eyes. She let out a long deep breath trying to fight back the pain.

She knew that if Jake saw she was in any pain it would only cause him more grief. She was sure he had been up all night filled with guilt. She knew him too well. It was her fault. She should have been firm with Leah about having Jake escort her. Instead she had been so excited about getting a chance to get out of the apartment and feeling human again that she had let it go too easily. She just wanted some time to be herself without everyone watching her every move.

Bella allowed herself to replay the scene of last night in her head. It had happened so fast. One second she was running about in search of Seth, talking to Jake on the phone, and then running toward the lights of the building when she felt someone grab her and throw her down on her back. Landing hard on the ground she lost her breath. Her head hit the ground so hard that she had nearly fainted from the severity of the pain it caused her.

The next thing she remembered was a tall figure with his back to her as he spoke on her phone and then she watched as he chunk it to the ground and then smashed it under his large feet. He wore a pair of dark black boots that almost look familiar to her. Then before she could get a glimpse of her attacker she felt his hands in her hair as he pulled on it dragging her body away.

When she woke up she felt the rope wrapped firmly around her throat. She had tried to fight against it but the darkness swallowed her. Closing her eyes tightly she tried hard to remember any clue that might help them in their search of her attacker. How in the hell had he blocked her view from him?
Closing her eyes even tighter she struggled with her memories hoping for any significant clue.

Feeling lost and confused she inhaled sharply and regretted it instantly. The pain grew more intense. Perhaps later she might remember something more significant that might help her discover the attackers true identity.

"Bella." Jake whispered as he sat up rubbing his neck.

Bella glanced up at him trying to put a casual smile on her face. Her body ached and most of all her heart ached.

"Jake." Bella whispered. Saying just his name had caused intense pain in her throat.

"It hurts doesn't it." Jake frowned as he watched her face scrunch up in pain.

Bella nodded her head.

"Let me get the nurse. She said that when you woke up you would need something for the pain." Jake stood up stretching his arms above his head like a cat that had just woke up from a long nap. She smiled at the lazy smile on his face.

Jake placed a tender kiss on her forehead before he slipped out of the room. He was grateful that Bella's room was close to the nurses station. He could wave one of them down. He was not about to go more than two steps away from her room. He did not trust anyone to be near her anymore. He wasn't about to let anything else happen to her while she was under his care. He had already been ripped a new one by Charlie and never wanted to experience that again.

Pinching his nose he yawned loudly as he waited for a nurse to look up. When the tall blonde finally saw him he wave at her. She smiled from ear to ear as she practically skipped to his side.

"Yes." The nurse with cooed.

"Bella just woke up and she is in pain. The nurse from last night said that this would be normal and to inform the nurse on duty to give her something for the pain." He replied as he continued to yawn softly.

"Yes, it is. Give me one second." She beamed up at him as she turned on her heels and skipped back to the station to obtain some medicine for her patient.

Jake stepped back in the room and watched Bella's face as he approached her.

"You okay? I mean besides the pain." Jake asked with a gentle look.

Bella nodded her head "yes".

Jake hated that she could not speak to him. He hated that some bastard had nearly taken her life. His life. Bella was his world now. He could not imagine how he would have gone on with his life without her in it.

"Here we go." The nurse stepped into the room with a syringe.

Bella rolled her eyes as she watched as the nurse continued to stare at Jake while she slip the medicine into her IV.

Bella wanted to smack Jake as he just stood by her side and smile happily between Bella and the nurse. She suspected that Jake was totally unaware of the effect he was having on the nurse. Bella adored that about him. The man was oblivious to just how attractive he was to the female species.

"She should be out soon. The medicine takes away the pain but it also makes the patient a bit drowsy. You should go get something to eat and drink while she sleeps." The nurse suggested with a sweet tone.

"I'm fine. I will wait until her father arrives." Jake replied as he sat back down in the chair next to Bella.

"Okay." The nurse continued to smile at him as she walked past him and out of the room.

Bella rolled her eyes when Jake's eyes locked with her.

"What?" Jake frowned.

"You." Bella mumbled then winced from the pain.

"Don't talk. You make a horrible face when you speak. Plus you sound like a toad." Jake chuckled lightly as he lifted her hand, kissing first the palm and then turning it over he pressed several small kisses on her knuckles while he stared into her eyes.

Bella felt her stomach flutter. The man truly had the most gorgeous eyes she thought to herself as her own eyes rolled back into her head and once again she was swept away into a heavily induced sleep.

Jake held her hand in his as he smiled sadly at her pale face. He could not take his eyes off the rope bruise around her neck. She would be able to talk again he told himself. She would be whole again. Unlike Alice she had not been raped. The doctors had done a thorough examination to help ease everyone's mind. It still ate at his soul the thought that it had nearly happened.

Why would anyone hurt her like this? Why would anyone want to kill Bella? It made no damn sense to him. Rubbing his tired eyes he leaned back in the chair and tried to consider every possibility and every clue. He couldn't help but wonder if the attacker was someone he personally knew. How else would they have known his name or known it was him she was speaking too? Yeah, he definitely knew someone in his life was responsible for the near death of Alice and Bella. He was going to solve this case and if it was indeed someone he personally knew he prayed that God showed them mercy after he killed them with his bare hands.

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Esme sat in front of the car with Edward as they drove to Port Angeles together. She wasn't sure why she was going exactly. She knew that if she caught sight of the bastard who had hurt her daughter she might lose it on him. Clutching her purse she felt the hard small pistol she had bought several years ago for protection after her car had been broken into at the mall. She was never going to be a victim to some worthless loser.

She glanced over at Edward whose hands were clenching the steering wheel so hard she feared he might actually bend it. He was as pissed off as she was. She smiled sadly as she wondered what was going through his mind about the person Alice had accused? She did not know this person personally but she sensed that Edward knew of him somehow and was totally shocked by the name when she informed him.

"Why did you not call Charlie Swan and tell him what Alice told us?" Esme decided to ask the question that was heavy on her mind.

"He is on his way to the hospital to check on Bella. I want to see him in person when I mention this name. I don't want him to mention it to Jake just yet. This guy might run if he learns that Jake and Charlie suspect him." Edward replied roughly.

"So you know him?" Esme asked curiously.

"I went to college with him." Edward replied with a snort.

"So why do you think he attacked Bella and Alice?" Esme couldn't fathom why anyone would randomly chose her daughter and her best friend to stalk and rape? It made no sense to her. She knew that most insane murderers had no real reason for what they did. They were lost in a reality they created for themselves to justified their inhumane actions.

"I'm not sure honestly. I just wonder if he was the one who killed Rosalie and attacked Tonya? I just…well…I always knew I was somehow connected to those attacks but it just doesn't make any sense." Edward cried out as he cleared his throat. Tears were stinging the back of his eyes as he remembered how broken Tonya had looked when he saw her last. She kept insisting to Edward that she did not know her attacker. Perhaps she had been telling him the truth the entire time.

"Well, when we get the bastard if no one kills him first maybe you will get a chance to ask him yourself." Esme stated firmly as she rubbed the top of her purse where the gun sat safely for the moment.

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Ben arrived just in time for his doctor appointment. He had been so swamped with his last few appointments that he feared he would not make it to the one doctor office he needed to be at the most. His head was still killing him. He still could not recall certain events over the past few weeks. He was sure he had some sort of tumor and was dying. He couldn't figure out any other reasonable explanation for his blackouts.

The only thing that irked him more than the lost of memory was the fact that he had experienced these blackouts back in college for a short while. Several times he had woke up in his room with no recollection how he had even gotten there. Each time it had happened he had just chalked it up to college induced stress. He was struggling with several classes. He did not want to return to Forks a loser, a drop out. He wanted so badly to impress his peers that he worked as hard as possible. He had done decent enough in High School. Sure, he had not been some great jock or some popular guy that the girls all dreamed about but he had been a good decent guy.

The nurse called out his name. Standing up he felt a strange tremor flow through his body as he made his way behind the door. The nurse was talking to him but he could not hear the words. He felt a sudden fear. What if something else was wrong with him? What if these blackouts were the cause of something far more than he would wish for? What if he had done horrible things that had provoke him to black it all out so that his brain could rationalized it all. Was it possible that he had been a horrible person moments before he had these blackouts? He said a silent prayer as he sat on the small bed where the nurse began to take his blood pressure. He tried to focused on what she was asking him but his head was still foggy from the intensity of his fears.

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Riley sat in front of Jasper at the small café where he had agreed to meet him. He was still not sure why Jasper was being so decent toward him. He knew how close Jasper and Edward had been in college. He also knew that Edward still held the same mistrust of him as he did back then. He saw the cold ruthless look that Edward had challenged him with across the room last night.

"It seems that Bella Swan was attacked and nearly murdered last night after the showing ." Jasper decided to be blunt about it, he wanted to see Riley's genuine reaction to this news.

Riley sucked in his breathe as he stared speechless at Jasper.

"Is she okay?" Riley asked with a deep sincerity that Jasper wondered if it was possible if Riley was capable of being such a brilliant actor? His face and his voice had been never more clear to Jasper of that of a man who was not guilty. His instincts had told him years ago that it had not been Riley who had attacked the girls. It had been too easy to assume it was him. He was the easiest suspect to point a finger at.

"Yes. She had been strangled with a rope. Luckily, Jake found her in time to get her help." Jasper answered.

"Thank God." Riley rubbed his forehead with an irritated frown.

"Wait a minute. You both think I did it." Riley's face exposed the outrage that struck him swiftly as he looked into Jaspers sober face.

It made sense to him why Jasper had invited him out of the blue for a friendly get together. He had wanted to see how he would respond to the news of Bella's attack. No doubt, Edward had put him up to it. Riley's hands curled up into fists as he pounded the top of the table.

"When will you guys stop this? Damn it. I swear I will never be cleared of this. I can't move forward with my life without my past being thrown into my face." Riley cried out angrily as he glared disappointed at Jasper.

"I'm sorry Riley. I truly am. I believe you. I believed you then." Jasper answered honestly.

"Really? Cause as I recall no one actually stood up for me when my brothers all looked away when I walked by." Riley snarled.

"I know. We were not the most supporting types of fellows. But I promise you when we catch this bastard and we will, we will see if he is somehow connected to the attacks. I swear it." Jasper vowed.

"I hope in a way he is. I am tired of always lowering my head when I come across someone that knew me from college. The whispers. The damn whispers drive me crazy." Riley whimpered.

"I will stand by you this time as long as you are truly innocent." Jasper promised as he shook Riley's hands over the table.

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Alice stared the doctor down as she informed him that she was an adult who was not legally declared insane and she knew her rights as a patient so he better move out of her way and let her go. She was not about to sit by a moment more and let her attacker get away so easily.

She was tired of hiding. She was tired of being the victim. After she revealed the truth to her mother she had felt such an abundance of emotions. She was terrified, then relieved, then excited, and most of all free. Free to leave. Free to move forward with her life. She knew he could not hurt her anymore. She knew it was only a matter of time before Edward informed Charlie about who had hurt his daughter. She was not going to let him get the chance of a fair trial. No damn way in hell.

She was not about to let the damn bastard get away with what he did to her and to Bella. She had never been a coward before and she was going to stop being one now. She was a fighter. She was a survivor. She was also probably going to go to prison for what she was about to do but it would be worth it.

She was going to take the bastard down piece by piece. She felt exhilarated as she signed her own release papers and slowly walked out the front doors of her once safe haven. She was more powerful than she had ever considered before this day. She had the power to take him down. She also had the power to be free from the darkness that she had allowed him to imprison her in all these weeks. No more. No longer would she allow it. She was Alice Cullen and she took no shit from no one. Especially not a loser like him. He would die a painful death.

She was going to be the judge and jury when she located him. She was going to find him guilty and give him the punishment she felt he deserved. She would be the lethal injection that took his last breathe of his miserable life.