AN: Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I truly appreciate it. Shout out to swrites for being the beta to this story.
I just want to give a little forewarning, this story is rated M for dark themes, so be prepared. I promise past all the angst there will be happiness, but be patient.
"Bella, Bella," a deep voice called out. "Open your eyes, hun."
She could feel the cool linoleum of the floor on her legs, but she could tell she was propped up in someone's arms. Her eyes were heavy and she was trapped in her subconscious.
"What happened?" she immediately knew Angela's voice. She felts a hand on her thigh, shaking her gently. "Bells, come on."
"I don't know," the deep voice responded. The voice was new, but familiar. Edward, she realized. "She saw some man at the end of the hall and just collapsed."
"What man?" Angela's voice immediately went up in concern. "Did she say a name?"
"James," Edward answered.
At the name Bella's eyes flew open and her heart began to race in panic. Her eyes shot around and she tried to climb out of Edward's lap to look behind him. Looking for the ice blue eyes she had seen at the end of the hall not too long ago. Bella's breathing was coming in short, labored gasps as the panic began to bubble up into her chest and take over again.
"Shit, Bella," Edward groaned as she maneuvered around in his lap. "Let me help you."
Edward managed to stand, pulling her up with him, he rested both of his hands on her shoulders, trying to hold her up.
"What is going on?" he asked Angela, concern lacing his voice.
"He was here," Bella was finally able to squeak out. Her eyes continued to scan the hall before landing on Angela's. "Ang, he was here."
The tears began to fall and the ice cold panic flew through her veins again. She felt like she couldn't breathe and her hands flew to her chest, hoping to pull the weight off her so she could breathe easier.
"Fuck, she's having panic attack," Edward cursed under his breath. They were creating quite a scene in the hall and other nurses and patients were stopped, staring.
"Take her in that room," Angela instructed, pointing to a room behind them. "Don't let her out of your sight. I need to go get Sue and security. Do not let her out of your sight, I'm serious."
Bella couldn't see behind the tears, but she could feel Edward guiding her into the nearest room and onto the bed. She still couldn't catch her breath and was beginning to see stars as the room began to spin. She felt Edward's hands on her shoulders again.
"Bella," he whispered calmly. "I need you to take slow, deep breaths for me."
Despite his request Bella's breathing stayed the same. The weight on her chest refusing to lessen. She could feel Edward's hand on her back now, rubbing slow circles.
"Bells," he continued, "Deep breaths. You're safe, I'm here, no one will hurt you. I don't want to have to give you and the baby anything."
Bella fought to get control of her breathing, and slowly she managed to calm down. Edward's soothing hand never stopping his calming circles.
"There we go," he smiled as her breathing slowed down.
Bella reached a hand up to wipe her eyes. She looked shyly up at him, embarrassed that he had just witnessed her have a full blown panic attack.
"Thank you," she whispered sheepishly, her voice cracking.
He smiled warmly down at her. "Let me get you some water."
Bella watched as he stood, heading to the sink in the room and grabbing her a cup of water.
"Here," he offered, sitting back on the bed.
Bella sipped from the cup, relishing the coolness the water provided. Setting the cup on the bedside table she crawled further onto the bed. She laid on her side, tucking her legs up as she protectively hugged her stomach. She took deep breaths as she came to terms with what had just happened.
James was here. In the hospital. And he had seen her. She recalled the menacing, cold look in his eyes, and the anger that was burning behind them. Just the thought caused her blood to run cold again and her breathing sped up. She felt a hand on her leg and jumped.
"Woah, it's just me," Edward's voice brought her back to reality and she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up and Edward was holding both his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed.
Edward had perched himself in a nearby chair now as he smiled kindly at her.
"So," he started, trying to lighten the mood, "That was fun. Guess it was your turn to knock me on my ass"
Bella rolled her eyes, laughing quietly. "Karma is a bitch."
"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, shaking his head.
Both of their heads shot to the door as they heard it open. Bella noticing how Edward placed himself protectively in front of her. But, it was just Sue.
Sue made her way to Bella, worry etched across her face. She grabbed both of Bella's hands and squeezed gently. She reached up to brush a stray hair of Bella's out of her face. Her obvious motherly instincts kicking in.
"Security is searching for him," she began, "They have no idea how he made it into the hospital."
Bella looked up at her and answered. "He doesn't look the same, Sue."
She watched as Sue's brow quirked up, urging her to continue. Bella pulled her hands from Sue's and sat up in the bed again. She noted Edward perched near the door, watching her with an intrigued eye, she was sure expecting an explanation as well.
With a deep breath she continued.
"He cut his hair. It's short, military style now. And he is dressed differently. You know how it was tattered jeans and stained shirts? Well, he was dressed professionally. Slacks, button up and a tie. And he looks stronger, like he has been working out. I almost didn't recognize him…."
She looked up now, tears threatening to spill over as she recalled the most chilling aspect of his appearance.
"Except his eyes," she whispered, "His eyes are colder. And angry. So angry."
At that Sue pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her hard.
"Bells," she whispered in her ear. "He isn't going to hurt you."
She heard Edward clear his throat and both women pulled away to look at him.
"I don't mean to pry," he started, "But who is this guy?"
Sue looked to Bella, silently asking for permission to explain. Bella nodded, she had just had a meltdown in front of the man, she kind of owed him an explanation.
"He's an ex-patient of Bella's," Sue began, taking a seat beside Bella. "Up on the oncology floor. He ended up developing some feelings toward her. Some type of transference of feelings onto her. He had himself convinced they were married. Going as far as sneaking into her house while she was asleep."
Bella watched as Edward's eyes widened with shock and flashed with anger.
"The authorities have been involved, correct?" he growled.
"We've done everything," Bella answered quietly. "Massive security system at my home, restraining order, increased security in the hospital. I even switched floors."
Edward nodded, apparently taking that as a reasonable answer.
"I don't know what else to do," Bella whispered, rubbing her forehead. She was beginning to get a headache from the day's events.
"Angela has security handled," Sue laughed, "She is a little pissed that he got in. So, she's barking orders."
Bella smiled at the picture. She knew she could always count on her best friend.
"I should probably go check on everything," Sue said as she stood. "Stay here, I've got both of your patient's handled."
Making her way to the door Sue stopped in front of Edward.
"Don't let her out of your sight, doc," she instructed sternly. "Don't let anyone in here either."
Edward nodded. "I won't."
Bella folded her arms in front of her and huffed in annoyance.
"I'm not a child," she called out, earning an eye roll from both of them.
"Yeah, yeah," Edward huffed, opening the door for Sue and making sure it was closed tightly behind her. Bella watched as he made his way to her and reached out to her face, brushing another stray hair from her face.
Bella looked at him curiously and he just shrugged his shoulders before slumping into the nearby chair.
"So, since we are on lockdown in this room," he laughed, "And apparently I am now in charge of protecting you, I should probably know who I'm protecting. I mean, other than the hot headed, stubborn and foul-mouthed pregnant nurse."
Bella glared at him, feigning annoyance.
"Oh, come on," he defended, holding his hands up, "You are foul-mouthed."
"Ha!" she laughed. "Says the doctor that has said more curse words than I've heard non-curse words from him."
"Hey now, we're talking about you," he chuckled. "I never said I wasn't equally foul-mouthed.
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Y'know, you do that a lot," he noted.
"What?" she asked.
"Roll your eyes."
"Yeah, well, you earn the eye rolls."
Shaking his head, he continued, "So, tell me more about you, foul-mouthed Bella."
Sitting back on the bed she made herself comfortable before starting in on her life story.
"Well," she began, "I was born and raised in Arizona. I moved up here to go to school and never left. What else do you want to know?"
Edward leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the edge of Bella's bed.
"Why did you leave Arizona?" he questioned curiously.
Bella shrugged. "I hate the sun."
He nodded, taking that as a reasonable answer. "Washington is perfect then."
"Mmhm," Bella hummed. "Are you from around here?"
"Washington native," he stated proudly. "Except I grew up in a little town called Forks."
"Oh, yeah," she interrupted, "I've been there. For work. There was a fundraising gala our unit attended up there at a beautiful house."
Edward chuckled in amusement.
"What?" Bella questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"You likely attended a gala my parents hosted," he remarked. "They're known for hosting many medical fundraising functions at their house."
"Small world," Bella stated. Edward nodded his head in agreement.
"How long have you been at this hospital?" Edward questioned, curiously.
Just as she was about to answer they heard a crash in the hallway causing Bella to jump and Edward to shoot up out of his chair, again placing himself protectively in front of her. The panic began to bubble again as Bella's eyes darted to the door, where fighting was clearly going on out there. Bella strained her ears to hear what was going on.
"What the hell," Edward growled, making his way to the door.
Just as he was about to open it Angela's poked her head in, clearly frazzled. She smiled briefly at Bella then looked at Edward.
"Hey, sorry," she explained, "Unruly patient. We could really use your help, Edward."
Edward nodded then looked between Bella and Angela.
"Put the chair in front of the door, Bells," Edward ordered. "Don't let anyone in."
"Okay," Bella squeaked, trying to hide her panic. The commotion down the hall got louder, causing her to jump out of bed and grab the chair. "Alright, go."
Edward reached a hand out to her again, stroking her face comfortingly.
"I'll be right back," he whispered, closing the door behind him. Bella quickly positioned the back of the chair under the handle, preventing anyone from entering the room, and ran back to the bed.
She tried to keep the panic at bay, knowing someone would be back quickly. Having a disorderly patient was normal for the emergency room floor. A regular occurrence.
"Quit freaking out," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes and resting a hand on her belly. She silently reminded herself to take deep breaths. But, her calming efforts were quickly pointless as she heard the click of the room's bathroom door.
She opened her eyes and again she was met with the dark, cold eyes of James. No one had checked their room.
Just as she was about to scream James flashed the small handgun he was holding before tucking it into the front band of his pants.
"Don't make a sound," he growled, making his way closer to the bed.
Bella tucked her legs up, wrapping her arms around them she refused to take her eyes off James. He inched his way closer, reaching out to her. Bella instinctively pulled away, a tiny squeak of fear escaped her lips.
At the appalled sound James looked at her disgustingly and in an instant he had reared his hand back, making contact with the side of her face. The force of his hand sent Bella back further on the bed and the sting caused tears to flow.
James took Bella's unguarded position to his advantage as he grabbed the top of the bun on top of her head, pulling back harshly. Bella hissed in pain as her head was yanked back. James' breath was hot on her neck as he held her there. One of his hands reached down and stroked her stomach. Bella could taste the bile at the back of her throat.
"Oh how I've missed you," he purred, his hand making his ascent up her belly and to her face. He turned her face to his and forced his lips on hers. Instinctively, Bella took one of his lips between her teeth and bit down, hoping this would get him off her.
The move worked briefly as James pulled back and growled in anger. But, he didn't release her, instead he held onto her hair tighter as he ripped her up from the bed and onto her feet. Knowing she needed to protect herself and do anything to get out of his hands she began to thrash. She reached one of her hands out, scraping her nails across his face.
"You want to play like that," he hissed, furious, as he threw her onto the floor.
Bella reached her arms out, breaking her fall as she collided with a loud thump. She tried to scramble to her feel, but didn't have time to recover before James reached for her again, this time hitting her face with a closed fist. She felt her head ripped back again as he yanked her up again, grabbing her right arm and twisting it painfully. She gritted her teeth, trying not to give him the pleasure of hearing her scream in pain.
He pulled her against him and whispered in her ear.
"Quit playing games, Bella," he sneered, "We don't have much time before they come back. The distraction worked well."
Bella's eyes widened. The commotion in the hall. It was all part of his plan.
"Now, we can do this the easy way," he remarked, "Or we can do this the hard way."
He released his grip on her arm, but pulled tighter on her hair. She could feel him grab for the gun between them, and he breath caught in her throat as she felt the barrel of the gun on her stomach.
"Like I said, easy or hard, your choice," he sneered, amusement lacing his voice. "You come with me and the baby doesn't get harmed. Put up another fight and I'll make sure our baby dies."
Bella gulped loudly as tears ran down her face. She knew she had no other choice. She would do anything for her unborn child. Taking a deep breath, she tried to muster all her courage and stand determined. Knowing she wasn't going to get out of this.
"Fine," she whispered, defeated.
At that, James released his hold on her head.
"Good choice," he muttered. He reached for her wrist, grasping it tightly. "We need to get out of here."
He pulled her to the door before letting her go. He reached for her hair again, this time pulling the hair tie and letting her hair fall down around her face in waves.
"We need to change your look," he answered Bella's confused stare.
"Go grab that blanket," he barked, "Wrap it around yourself."
Bella didn't hesitate, noting the way he used the gun as an extension of his own hand, pointing at things.
Making her way to the bed she pulled the top blanket off, wrapping it around her shoulders as she made her way back to the bed.
"Perfect," he smiled. He fixed her hair around her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. The coolness of his skin reminded Bella of her throbbing face and she winced.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking genuinely apologetic. He kissed her forehead and Bella had to fight back her disgust. "You know how I can be though. We'll fix you up when we get home."
He pulled the chair back, sneaking a hand between Bella and the blanket. She could feel the gun resting against the small of her back. James pulled the door back and urged Bella forward quietly. As the door closed behind them he pulled her to him, holding her tightly.
"Put your head down and don't make a sound," he growled in her ear. Bella obliged, not looking up as they made their way through the familiar hospital halls. She was shocked at how not a single person stopped them as he ushered her along.
Did no one pay attention? Didn't they know that he was in the hospital? Wasn't security supposed to be looking for him?
As if he could hear her thoughts, James opened his mouth. "A little tip said they saw him on Oncology."
Bella slumped, defeated.
They just made it to the garage, Bella could tell from the rush of cool air against her face as another door opened. He pulled the blanket off her, discarding it in the nearest trash as he escorted her to a nearby black utility van.
"Get in," he ordered, opening the back of the van. "And lay down."
Bella obeyed, crawling into the back of the van. The cold metal dug into her knees as she made her way as far from him as she could. There were no seats and it was completely empty.
She looked up, meeting James' gaze. He was looking at her with a sickening glare in his eyes as he licked his lips. Bella wanted to vomit.
"I can't wait to get you home," he sneered, slamming the door closed.
A quiet sob escaped as Bella leaned against the side of the van. She could hear James get into the driver's seat and with the roar of the car's engine they were off, tires squealing against the pavement. She tried to hold herself up as they left the safety of the hospital.
Bella reached her hands down to either side of her stomach, rubbing it gently, she silently begged the baby to kick. She didn't have to wait long before she felt a faint thump against her hand. She sighed in relief.
"I promise we will get out of this, little one," she whispered quietly. "I love you."
AN: I will try to write weekly, more often if I can. But, my life is unpredictable with animal rescue/work and the like. So, I'm sorry if there is a delay in an update. Don't worry, swrites is already on my ass to start the next chapter. So, at least she's around to keep me in check. ;)