AN: I am terribly sorry that it takes me so long to update. I had writers block and couldn't think of what came next. I have the next part after this mostly written so hopefully it won't take too long to finish. I hope you enjoy!
The next few weeks were pretty uneventful. I was in the shower in pretty deep thought… I knew almost everything to know about Bella up until she was kidnapped. She was still not comfortable with talking about the current situation and everything that had happened. I showered in the morning and Bella would bathe at night after I weighed her. She never asked why I weighed her and I was still grateful. I really had no idea why he wanted it done and it would have been a very uncomfortable conversation with Bella. She was finally eating three meals a day and gaining a good amount of weight and from a doctor's perspective that was great. She hadn't needed an IV for about two weeks and she was getting around fairly well on her own.
Even though I was grateful that she was feeling better and doing so well, it frightened me. What would happen when she was healthy and to an optimum weight? I never got any response from my letters any more. I received supplies that I had requested and food every seven days. I had no idea how much longer we would be here. I felt safe in Bella's arms and I knew she felt the same way. We also both knew that we were actually not safe and had no idea what the future held for either of us. I prayed every night that someone would find us, both of us. I would die before I left Bella go back in the world she had come from….
I was brought back to the present when the water started to run cold in the shower. The shower was when I did most of my deep thinking. When I was with Bella I gave her my full attention. I quickly turned the water off and grabbed my towel. I dried myself off and brushed my teeth. I put the same type of clothes on every day just different colors. Sweatpants and a t-shirt, not so stylish but comfortable.
I hung up my towel and opened the bathroom door, "Hey Bella, what do you want for breakfast this morning? I think we have enough eggs to make omelets…." I was cut off from my sentence as I walked into our bedroom. The first thing I noticed, were the drops of blood on the tan carpet. There wasn't a lot but enough to be of concern. "Bella? What happened?" I said frantically as I ran over to her. She was lying on her side, facing away from me shaking. "Bella?" she didn't answer. I placed my hand gently on her shoulder and she jumped and started to shake harder. She had the comforter tightly grasped in her hand, pulled up to her chin. I could see half of her face and it was pale, ghost pale and her eyes were open but she was staring off into space. I pulled onto the comforter and she pulled it back without a blink. "Bella, honey. What happened? You are frightening me." She closed her eyes and let go of the comforter but made no other effort to move.
I slowly pulled down the comforter and gasped out loud from the sight. Bella was topless and there were a dozen or so slashes covering her back. It was one bloody mess. My mind went into a million directions trying to understand what I was looking at. "Fuck," was all I could get out. I froze for about 15 seconds and then went into doctor mode. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel and placed it on top of the worst wound to help control the bleeding. The other wounds could wait for a little bit. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…." Bella screamed out in pain. "I am so sorry Bella; I'll be back in 10 seconds. I am so sorry," I blinked back tears as I ran to the other bedroom.
I grabbed what I could, gauze, IV supplies, pain medications, sedatives, antibiotic ointment and bandages. I walked back into the room to see that Bella had not moved an inch. She was still shaking and her eyes were still closed.
"Bella, I am going to start an IV and give you something for the pain." She didn't say anything or move. But she didn't protest when I took her arm and placed the tourniquet around it. I still had so many questions but I needed to help her first. After the pain medication started to kick in, her shaking slowed down.
I had to think, I needed to clean out the wounds and control the bleeding but it was going to be difficult to do so on this bed. I grabbed extra sheets from the closet and the all the medical supplies I would need and ran to the bathroom to set it all up. This would give me space to work and make a mess if I needed to.
I went back into the room and Bella's shaking had subsided. Her eyes were now open but still staring off into space. "Bella, I'm going to take you into the bathroom and get you fixed up. I am going to pick you up under your arms and carry you in that way." She still said nothing but closed her eyes. She did seem to help a bit when I picked her up and wrapped her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck. She laid her head down onto my shoulder and I heard her whimper. My heart broke, why? Why was this happening? What happened? So many questions that would have to wait until later to be answered.
I went to set her down and she stood on her feet for a brief moment before her knees gave out. I caught her under her arms and slowly helped her to the floor, laying her flat on her stomach. I placed a towel under her cheek and noticed a tear trickling down her cheek.
"Sweet heart, I am going to fix you up, okay? Take some nice easy breaths."
She didn't open her eyes but said "Yes, sir."
Sir? Why had she called me sir. I didn't have time to think too far into it and pushed the sedative into her IV. I had given her a pretty hefty dose, more than I would have if I was in a hospital setting but I did not want her to feel anything. Because of this I put her on the heart monitor and placed oxygen on her, then I got to work. I got a tub of water and started to clean the wounds. I didn't have sterile water so tap water and peroxide were going to have to do. After cleaning out her wounds I only found 2 slashes that would need stitches. I counted 13 wounds, 13 painful wounds. After finishing the stitches, I applied antibiotic ointment and I bandaged her up. She was still out of it but her vitals were all good. I covered her with a towel and went to the bedroom.
I had no idea how long it took me to fix her up, hours most likely. The sun shining through the blinds suggested it was after noon. I stripped the sheets off the bed and threw them down the steps. I grabbed towels and clean sheets. I placed the sheets on the bed and then placed towels over the sheets on the side of the bed, farthest away from the door. I had no idea who had done this but someone had come into this house. And they would have to get through me to get to Bella next time. I scrubbed the floor as best as I could and grabbed some clean clothes for Bella.
I knelt down beside her, "Bella, honey? Can you open your eyes?" The sedative should have worn off for the most part by now. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. I saw a small glimpse of confusion in her eyes and then the look of pain, both physical and mental. I removed the oxygen from Bella's face and undid the wires to the heart monitor.
"I am going to sit you up and wrap this bandage around your back and chest and we are going to change your shorts." She helped as much as she could as I sat her up, her face scrunched into a painful expression. She wouldn't look at me and kept her head down. I heard her whimper as she lifted her arms to put them through the holes of the shirt.
"Do you think you could stand if you leaned on me while we changed your shorts?"
"Yes, sir." Bella whispered with her head still down.
Sir? I didn't understand where that was coming from but I didn't question it at the moment. I lifted her onto her legs and as she leaned on me I pulled her shorts down and noticed they were wet. I had expected this and had a tub of warm water and a washcloth next to me.
"Bella, I am going to clean you up with some warm water, let me know if you start to feel weak and need to sit down again." I quickly wiped her down with the wash cloth and instructed her to lift one foot at a time into the holes. I pulled the shorts up to her waist and picked her up. Again she wrapped her legs and arms tightly around me and laid her head on my shoulder. I carried her to the further side of bed and laid her on her side.
After I covered her with the comforter, I knelt down on my knees beside her, "Bella, what happened?" She closed her eyes and said nothing.
"It's okay; I am going to give you some more medication to help with your pain through your IV."
I turned to grab the medicine and syringe off of the bedside table when I heard her whisper, "They came to warn me, to tell me not to get too comfortable with you because I am going back. James is patiently waiting for me. They told me they whipped me to show me how to be obedient. That is how they trained me when they first brought me to James. They didn't want me to forget. I did not forget, sir."
It caught me off guard and I didn't know what to say at first so I busied myself drawing up her medicine. I pulled back the comforter just enough to lift her arm to push the medicine in. I put her arm back under the cover and knelt down beside her again. I pushed back a few strands of hair out of her face, "Bella, you aren't going anywhere but home with me. They will have to go through me to get to you. I am so sorry that this happened to you. But we will be safe, I promise. I love you." She didn't say anything but I saw her eyelashes flutter for a brief second. That was the first time I had told her I loved her and it was the truth. I just didn't want her living one more moment without knowing how I felt.
"I am going to go downstairs to make you something to eat, I will be right back."
As I reached the doorway I heard her whisper, "I love you too." My heart fluttered and I continued down the steps. Bella was even more fragile now than before. I didn't understand how this could be happening. Why would he be doing this? I know now she was trained to be obedient, how disgusting. I hurried and made a ham and cheese sandwich and poured a glass of milk. I ran back upstairs where Bella was still lying on her side, eyes open, staring at nothing. She didn't budge when I came into the room. I sat the sandwich next to her on the bed and placed the milk on the side table.
"Here, I brought you a sandwich. You must be starving, there is milk too." She didn't budge, or even blink. She just laid there staring at nothing.
"I have to go downstairs again and do some things, I will be back shortly. Please try to eat at least something."
I went into the bathroom and picked up the sheets and towels I had used and took them with me down the stairs. I grabbed the soiled sheets at the bottom of the steps and headed to the den. I placed the laundry in to the washer and just stood there for some time. Eventually my knees gave way and I sank to the floor. The tears started slowly and then the sobbing came. I curled into myself, sobbing for what seemed to be hours. I finally got myself under control and stood up. I went to the kitchen and splashed some water on my face and dried off with a kitchen towel. I grabbed a pen and the notepad.
Dear Asshole,
That was completely unnecessary. You did not need to do that to her, she did nothing wrong. If you have to hurt someone, hurt me. How am I supposed to keep her healthy and eating when you cause severe damage to her? I was unable to weigh her today but I'm assuming it's still around 97 lbs, like yesterday. Thank you for nothing.
Dr. Cullen
I placed the paper in an envelope and placed it under the door. I took a seat at the dining table and sat there. None of this was making sense. If James wanted her why didn't he just take her? They must have known I was in the shower and obviously knew that Bella would have not made much noise. It made me sick to my stomach to even think that this was all happening while I was just in the next room. I don't care if I have to carry Bella into the bathroom with me; I am not going to shower without her in the room. At least when I am in any other part of the house I can hear what is going on. I couldn't believe that they had whipped her, WHIPPED her! I started to run towards the sink, I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I dry heaved into the sink, nothing came up. There wasn't anything to come up, this all started when I was going to get breakfast ready. It was most likely dinner time, it seemed the sun was going down. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Taking a gulp and swishing it in my mouth and spitting it out into the sink. I heard the buzzer go off on the washer.
I went back to the den and moved the laundry to the dryer and placed a few logs into the fire. I walked back upstairs to check on Bella. She hadn't moved and the food was still untouched. I walked over to her side of the bed and she seemed to be sleeping. I moved the sandwich to the table and went to the bathroom. I walked in and the blood was everywhere. I went straight to work, with the door opened. After I finished I threw the trash bag full of bloody rags down the steps. I would deal with that tomorrow.
I walked back into our bedroom and back to Bella's side of the bed. I was a little shocked to find her eyes opened but still staring at nothing.
"Bella, dear. I am going to check your back." She didn't move or say anything. She was awake but no one was home. I pulled back the sheets and was relieved to find that there wasn't any bleeding seeping through. That was a good sign. But I did notice that she had wet herself again. I didn't know where Bella's mind was but it wasn't in the present.
I went back into the bathroom and grabbed a wet washcloth and clean towels.
"Bella I am going to get you cleaned up," She didn't move or respond in any way. So I went to work. Bella had not made a noise or any response to show me that she was aware what was going on. This frightened me, I didn't know if she was in a state of shock or what was going on. The whole time I had cleaned her up she didn't look at me. She was just staring off into space blinking a few times every minute.
I tucked her back in and took the sandwich downstairs and threw it away. I grabbed 2 glasses of water and took them with me upstairs. I was exhausted and had a massive headache. I went to the closet full of medicine supplies and grabbed 2 Tylenol. I threw them in my mouth and washed them down with the water. I grabbed another vial of pain medication and another syringe and headed to our bedroom.
Bella's eyes were now closed and her breathing was shallow, sleeping peacefully, for now. I pushed the medication through her IV and covered her up nice and tight with the comforter and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you Isabella." I changed my clothes and laid down next to her and fell asleep shortly after.
I woke up four times throughout the night to check on Bella. Every time I had to change the towels and her clothes. She wasn't even aware of urinating on herself. I had to do another load of laundry through the night, or we would have run out of clean clothes and towels. When the sun started to shine through the window I woke up once more. I went to check on Bella, her eyes open but still not aware of the present. Her back still looked good and she hadn't wet herself this time, the glass of water sitting next to her still untouched. I went downstairs to make some toast and found a note by the door, it read:
Dr. Cullen,
She needed to be reminded who she is. She shouldn't get too comfortable because she will be back with me once more and will do as I say. In the box I have provided some things to keep you occupied since she is being a little bitch and will no longer talk to you. Also I provided you something that will help with her to stop pissing herself. Also I see that she hasn't eaten. Remember, if she doesn't eat, neither will you. But I have provided something that can help with that too. Have a nice day.
Sincerely,
The Asshole
I opened the door and retrieved the box and opened it up. Inside were a few books, an Xbox and a few games, and a book that had a variety of word and number puzzles inside. Also inside were 4 Foley catheters, that was his idea of helping her. There was also a nasogastric tube and a week worth of food to give through the NG tube. It made me so angry, she wouldn't need any of this if he would have let her be. She was doing so well and now she is worse than before. There was nothing else in the box. I checked my notes and today would have been the day he should have sent us food for the week. I am going to have to ration what we have and try to get her to eat.
I made two slices of peanut butter toast and walked back upstairs with the contents of the box. I placed the box inside the bedroom door and walked over to Bella. Her eyes were open, "Bella, how are you feeling?" No response. "Can you drink or eat something for me?" I put the toast up to her mouth and she made no effort to try to eat it. "Bella, if you don't start eating or drinking I am going to have to start more IV's on you and put a tube down your nose to feed you. I really need you to try." Nothing, she didn't even blink. I sighed heavily. I didn't want to do any of this but I had no idea how long she would stay like this. "Okay Bella, it's going to be okay. I love you."
I walked to the next room to grab more IV supplies and walked back in the room. I removed the covers and sat down next to her. She wasn't wet but that also meant she probably didn't have enough fluids in her. I decided to put in the catheter so I could give her fluids through her IV. I started another IV and hung a bag of fluids.
"Bella, since you can't get up and go to the bathroom I am going to place a tube in your bladder. It may be uncomfortable but it will help you." I felt horrible that I was going to do this, I ordered them all the time at the hospital. But this was different, this was more personal. She still made no effort to respond.
I pushed some more pain medication through her IV since I was going to have to place her on her back for a few minutes. After I prepared all the supplies I would need, I slowly rolled her onto her back. She didn't even flinch.
"Bella I am going to explain everything I do before I do it, right now I am just going to take your shorts off and prop up your legs." I shimmied her shorts down and parted her legs and positioned them so I could easily place the catheter. I had helped her with baths and seen her naked many times but this was different. She wasn't just another patient, she was the woman that I loved dearly.
I placed the gloves on and preceded, "Bella you are going to feel me touching you and feel wet and cold. I am just cleaning the area," I did as I said I would. "Okay you are going to feel some pressure and urge to urinate," As I did this I saw Bella's head turn to the right and she had tears in her eyes but no other emotion on her face. I placed the tube in her urethra and blew up the balloon. Her eyes were closed now. "I am finished with that part, just going to secure it and we will be all done." I taped the tubing to her leg and hung the bag off the end of the bed. There was not much urine in the bag at all, and what was in there was very dark. I am glad I started the fluids because she was becoming dehydrated.
I cleaned up the garbage, rolled her back onto her side and covered her back up. The fact that she had had tears in her eyes made me believe that she was still in there somewhere. I was going to do my very best to get my Bella back.
