Summary: Months after the rest of the Cullens' return, and during the her senior year, Bella finds herself content but wary. With her future to think about and Victoria out to get her- tension is no stranger. And what happens when Edward finally returns- but his presence only complicates things?
" We'll get through this Bella, because we have each other."
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer is the respective owner, I'm just fooling around with the characters.
" Bella!"
She looked up from the ground, from where she had sunk to her knees at Edward's departure and looked up at the sound of Emmett's voice. She could hear the truck door slam as it approached the house and he was at her side, seconds later. Slowly, he gripped her shoulders, gently forcing her to look up at him, his voice was etched with worry. She looked up to meet his eyes and he stiffened at her watery ones.
He helped her to her feet and observed her worriedly. " Bella are you hurt?" She shook her head and sighed, leaning into his chest.
" No.. I-I'm fine. Just.. happy you're here." She replied, and he sighed, pulling her close to him.
" Yeah me too." He said, and kissed the top of her head. " And Angela. I'm assuming she's at the hospital."
Bella nodded. " Yes, with her mother. We have to go see her now. They left not too long ago. If we get there now we can see her before the visiting hours are over."
Emmett nodded. " Alright. But Bella what exactly happened?"
"I'll...I'll explain on the way." She replied, swallowing. She could feel Emmett's eyes on her as she cast her gaze to the ground. He helped her to the passenger seat of his truck and opened the door for her. She slipped inside, and Emmett was already seated in the driver seat, turning the key in the ignition. The truck roared to life and he started down the road, his body rigid. Tense.
There was no doubt in Bella's mind that Emmett had already picked up a scent.
" A vampire... attacked Angela in her backyard. She was supposed to be turning off the lights to her mother's vegetable garden. And that's when I heard a thump against the wall, and all of a sudden I could hear her screams. Me and her mother raced outside to look for her and found her on the side of the house with her bloody hand clutching her neck." Bella explained, already starting to feel squeamish, remembered how much blood there had been on her friend.
" I thought I caught the scent of one. Jesus, I'm sorry you had to go through that tonight. And especially Angela and her mother." He replied with a sigh, and looked over at her with worried eyes.
" But other than that, you're okay right?" Should she tell him?
That the vampire responsible for the incident was in fact his own brother?
A brother that had indeed gone rogue on blood and anger, and outright confessed that Angela was not the first human he had fed from?
Bella sighed, knowing now wasn't the time for lying.
For secrets.
Emmett deserved to know everything, she owed him that much.
She just didn't know how to tell him without having him become too upset, even though it would be ultimately unavoidable.
So she just did. " It was Edward, Emmett." She breathed. " I thought I had saw him before.. and that's why I had screamed into the phone when you called. And then... after the paramedics left, he approached me. He said that it wasn't the first time he had fed from a human, and that he hadn't killed Angela because... because he was still in love with me. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him and he kissed me.." She paused, keeping her eyes on her lap as she inhaled a shaky breath.
She didn't have to look at Emmett to know he was already fuming.
"He's delusional- and now I think he might try to hurt you again because of it and I- I'm sorry I-" Bella was interrupted by a growl from Emmett, who was gripping the steering wheel, a little too forcefully.
"Fuck!"
The leather cracked against his marble hold and Bella peered through watery eyes, trembling.
" I knew I should have ripped his fucking head off when I had the chance. No matter what Carlisle said." He sneered. " You have nothing to apologize for. He has no fucking right to do that to you. No fucking right." So now he knew everything. Especially the fact that while he and his family stood by the rule of steering clear of blood when it came to humans, Edward was dropping humans left and right like flies.
He was dangerous.
" It just doesn't make any sense. Him being here when Alice clearly saw him in Arizona. We should have seen him coming!" He exclaimed in anger.
Bella nodded stiffly and quietly in her seat. Edward had done the unthinkable with that too; leading a psychic to believe that he was somewhere he wasn't.
Was that even possible?
Bella watched as Emmett reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. He pressed a button and held it to his ear, his eyes narrowed at the road in pure rage.
" Jasper, I need you, Alice and Rosalie to track Edward down immediately. He's the one that hurt Angela. The bastard nearly sucked her dry and disappeared. He was at her house. The small white house in the of Reed street, the one with plants and a rocking chair on the front porch, so see if you can track a scent from there. I'm taking Bella to the hospital so keep me posted."
He nodded into the phone as Jasper must have agreed to his proposition, and ended the call.
Emmett looked to Bella then, who had been silently trembling in her seat. " I'm not letting you out of my sight again, not until Edward is taken care of. And especially with Victoria lurking after you, well you need someone around to protect you."
Bella nodded. She wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with him. " What about Charlie?"
" Don't worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to either of you. I'll make it my life's mission if I have to."
Bella really wished he wouldn't make promises like that.
It was only natural, being human that she would be harmed in some type of way eventually.
And Emmett wouldn't be able to stop it, not every time, not even if he really wanted to.
Bella could only appreciate the times he would be there for her.
She just hoped there wouldn't have to be a time where he would arrive just short of a rescue.
Bella walked swiftly towards the double doors of Forks Hospital with Emmett by her side.
As she entered, she headed straight for the waiting room down the hall. Her heart pounded fast in her chest, her eyes wide with frustration and fear.
The last time she saw Angela the poor girl was in shock, and there was so much blood oozing from her neck and staining her hands and clothing.
She just hoped her friend was okay. She wouldn't be able to bear the thought of losing her, especially when Angela had done nothing wrong.
She was innocent in all of this.
They entered the waiting room and Bella scanned the area for Mrs. Weber. When there was no sign of her she sighed.
" Mrs. Weber is probably with Angela, or at least waiting somewhere nearby." Bella said to Emmett when she stopped in the middle of the room. Then she looked to the receptionist counter. She approached it hurriedly, raking a hand through her hair.
" A friend of mine was checked in here about twenty minutes ago. Angela Weber. My name is Bella Swan." She explained.
The blonde, middle-aged woman behind the counter furrowed her brows a little as her gazed traveled between her and Emmett. Her eyes shifted to her computer screen for a few moments. Her fingers flew across the keyboard and until finally she gave them both a short nod. Looking warily between the lenses of her eyeglasses, she pressed her lips together. " Yes she was."
" Could you tell me her condition? Is she going to be okay?"
The woman barely blinked and stated bluntly. " I'm sorry, but only immediate family are obligated to have that kind of information." Bella wasn't sure if the receptionist personally had it out for her alone or if she was this impatient-sounding with everyone. Still, Bella knew she was right. Only family of the patients there were allowed to be given that kind of information, for safety purposes of the patients themselves.
Still, Bella needed to know she was okay.
" Please." Bella pleaded. " I found her injured along with her mother. I would just like to know-"
" I apologize hun but I am not authorized to give you that kind of informa-"
" My father is a doctor here." Emmett interjected with a firm voice. "Carlisle Cullen. You know of him ma'am?"
The woman's face began to flush at the question. Bella wasn't sure if it was because of Emmett's sudden interjection or that she was reminded of who exactly Carlisle was. He was indeed infamous at the hospital for his work, whit and intelligence.
Not to mention he was extremely good-looking. Bella started to blush a little and blinked away the observation. " Why y-yes-"
" Angela is like family to him, and I'm sure he will rest easy tonight knowing that she will recover from this. Please, it would mean a great deal to him, and to us."
Bella looked to Emmett with a small smile. He always knew just what to say.
" A-Alright." The receptionist said, sighing. " I'll go get the doctor on duty to come and speak with you. Please have a seat."
Emmett nodded. " Thank you." Bella thanked her as well, and then proceeded behind them to the side of the waiting room nearest the door to the ER. Bella took a seat by the table while Emmett sat on her right. She sighed and shook her head, raking a frustrated hand through her hair again like she had always done when she was anxious, or just extremely overwhelmed.
Worried.
" Hey." Emmett comforted. " Everything's going to be fine."
Bella blinked as her eyes began to water again and she turned to look into his eyes. " How do you know that?"
His topaz eyes softened into hers and he sighed. He leaned in a little towards her. " When a vampire sucks blood from their victim, the most it could cause would be some dizziness from the lack of, and some pain from the injection of the fangs if they don't decide to drink them dry. And from what you described.. he didn't inject venom into her. So all in all, Angela will be able, physically."
Bella swallowed, somehow relieved even though most of what Emmett she could have figured out on her own. Still, it helped hearing him confirm it.
Still, an account like this could shake anyone up, Bella realized.
Emotionally, it may take some time. After her run in with James, Bella could understand if Angela decided to want to keep to herself for a while.
Considering she has no idea about what attacked her.
That Bella's ex-boyfriend, an enraged bloodthirsty vampire, attacked her out of petty revenge.
" Bella." Bella blinked, realizing she had spaced out in front of Emmett. "S-Sorry." She apologized, and grabbed Emmett's hand in hers. He squeezed hers comfortingly, bringing it to his lips to kiss it, just as the double doors opened in front of them. The doctor on duty, a tall brown-haired man, scanned the room. He looked to his clipboard.
" Is there a Bella Swan here?"
Bella shot up from her seat and approached him with Emmett. " Yes! That's me."
" And you must be Dr. Cullen's son. Dr. Chambers." The doctor reached out to shake hands with Emmett, and nodded to him. " A fine man he is. Excellent at his work."
"Thank you sir." Emmett replied.
" I understand you're both here for your friend Angela Weber." They both nodded in unison.
The doctor motioned for them to follow him through the double doors.
"Follow me." Bella squeezed Emmett's hand tightly.
When they stopped after the doors closed, the doctor cleared his throat.
" Well, you'd be happy to know that she is in stable condition. Her right ribs were bruised in the incident however. And there were some bruises on her either of her arms particularly near the forearms. She lost quite a bit of blood from her neck wound. It appears.. that whatever attacked her ripped the skin there, causing a large tear to form- and well almost near the jugular. The poor girl was practically choking on her own blood when we got to her. If you hadn't have gotten to her when you did Bella, she may not have made it."
Bella froze, feeling sick.
She hadn't realized it was that bad.
And from the looks of it, neither did Emmett.
Edward. That sick bastard.
Dr. Chambers looked to the two of them, reassuringly. " The good thing is, that Angela's here to receive the proper treatment to get better. Her mother left briefly to retrieve her and her daughter's belongings, as she will be staying for a couple of days. Weeks even, if need be."
Bella nodded. " When will we be able to see her?"
" Well, the last time I checked in on her, the morphine left her unconscious, but she could wake at any moment. Her room is just down the hall to the left. Room 248."
" Thank you, Dr. Chambers." Emmett said.
The doctor gave him a curt nod. " I'll be nearby if you need to call for me." He sent Bella a small, comforting smile before walking away.
Bella sighed, as she looked down the hall.
"Did you want me to wait outside for you?" Emmett asked her.
Bella shook her head, smiling a little. " You're her friend too, you know. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."
" Besides, I don't think I'd be able to keep myself together in there without you."
Emmett smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. " I'll be right here, with you."
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I made it twice as long just for you guys.
I'm hardly in the Christmas mood considering my situation right now, but think of this as an early Christmas present.
I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews for the last chapter. I'm excited to learn that you guys are excited for the rest of this story.
Well, what are your thoughts? Is it getting intense? Did you expect Edward to be so rough with Angela?
Well with him seeing red and all, I suppose it would be foolish to think he would be gentle.
Let me know your thoughts in a review, you guys know I love the feedback.
Review! :)