Alright guys, so I'm a little tired from all of these midnight stayings (not used to it) and well, if the chapter's not that good… please don't hate me. And by the way, HAPPY EASTER!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!

Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!

Chapter 7

Save her

Edward's Point of View

The world seemed to stop around me. Bella's heart had stopped. Dad rushed up to her and tried to get it to start once more. Mom ushered me and my weeping sister out of the room so Dad could save Bella. My mind wouldn't work. It didn't even register the fact that my mother wasn't letting me see Bella, or the fact that the girl I might be falling in love with was dying in there.

But everything came back to me when Mom shut the door and blocked our path with a tight embrace. Alice's cried were getting louder and louder as we heard the paddles shock Bella. But did it bring her back to life? "She'll be alright…" Mom mumbled into Alice's hair, trying to soothe her.

Suddenly, a door opened downstairs. "Hey, I'm—Is everything alright?" Rosalie asked, probably worried about Alice's crying. Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs and in a few seconds, Rosalie was standing in front of us. "What's the matter?"

"Bella's dying," I answered emotionless, trying to compose myself, to be strong for Bella. "Dad's trying to save her."

"But he has to save her! She can't… she can't die! Bella… she just can't!" Alice screamed before crying into her mother's shoulder. Alice should have never seen Bella like that. After all, Alice is still only sixteen. It's harder for her to see Bella on the verge of death.

"Wouldn't it have been easier if she went to the hospital?" Rose asked as if she didn't care. How could she be so heartless?! She had just been with Emmett all night and Rosalie comes home to find us crying over Bella.

"There wasn't any time! Don't you get it?! She was dying! And Bella's heart just stopped right now!" I practically screamed in her face as my younger sister cried even more.

"Edward, that's enough," Mom answered calmly, even thought there were tears in her eyes. My mother thought of Bella as more than just a girl living in Forks, or even more than Alice's friend with many problems. You could see that Mom was starting to love Bella like one of her own children after this short period of time. "Why don't you go and wait in the living room? It's more comfortable. I'll go help your father."

And with that, Mom gave Alice one last big hug and ran into the small hospital room. We caught one quick glance at Bella and saw that Dad was trying to stop the bleeding from her wounds. But it seemed like her heart had restarted. But unfortunately, Mom closed the door so fast that I didn't get to see anything else. Poor Bella… No one should have to go through all of that in just a few days. I seemed as though our arrival just made everything worse for her.

Alice stood looking at the door, more tears glistening down her tiny face. Out of all of us, it was probably Alice who was suffering deeply. Bella had tried to stay as far away as possible from my sister but to no avail. And when Bella finally started to get close to her, this happens. It's extremely hard for Alice to see her in such pain. "Come on Ali, let's go downstairs. It'll be—"

"No, I'm staying here. I'm not leaving my friend." Her tone was firm and final; there was no arguing with her about this. Placing an arm around her shoulder, I sat against the wall and she sat in between my legs and leaned her head against my chest, like she used to do so many years ago. I wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed slightly.

And we stayed like that for what felt like hours. Rosalie didn't want anything to do with that so she went to bed and slept during Dad's examination. But Alice and I just sat there and waited impatiently for Dad or Mom to bring us some news, hopefully some good news at that. We weren't able to sleep. Even though it was in the middle of the night, we couldn't sleep. There was too much stress going on at the moment. "Eddie, do you think she'll be alright?" Ali asked me after a few hours of silence in the youngest voice she ever used. My sister didn't call me Eddie often, only when she was really scared. At the sound of my nickname, my arms tightened around her in a comforting matter and started rubbing her arms gently like any good brother would.

"She'll be alright. Bella's strong. She can make it through—" But my sentence was cut off when Dad stepped out of the room, all bloody and exhausted. At the sight of him, we both stood up and walked up to him. Dad looked to have aged so much in the past few hours. It looked as though helping Bella was the toughest challenge he ever faced in his entire career.

"How is she?" Alice asked.

Dad smiled slightly and said: "It was a hard process but she's going to be just fine." Alice and I released the breath we had apparently been holding and smiled at one another. "She woke up a few hours ago and we told her to sleep. I examined her while she was asleep and she's going to need a lot of rest and time to heal, both physically and probably mentally, but she'll get through it with your help," Dad explained as he looked from me to Alice, then back to me. He kept his gaze on me for a long time. "When she woke up just a few minutes ago, Bella said she wanted to see you."

Those five words caught me off guard but also made me extremely happy. The first thing Bella wanted to do was see me when she woke up, for the second time. "Alright, we'll all go," I answered as my hand went for the handle but was stopped when Dad took my hand and looked me straight in the eyes.

"When you go in, don't just her. She's been through a lot," My father warned me.

"Why would I judge her? This wasn't even her fault," I answered back.

Dad sight and tried to compose himself. "She doesn't want you to judge her by the way she looks. Bella feels bad enough at the moment that she's afraid that all of you will hate her." Dad looked from me to my sister once more. "She blames all of this on herself."

Alice shook her head and smiled at our father. "We just need to straighten things out with her. Let's go see Bella," She answered before opening the door and walking in, only to stop a few seconds after in shock. Stepping inside, I saw what freaked Alice out so much.

Bella was sitting up—thanks to my mother—but her face was covered in bruises and scratches. A black eye started to form over her right eye and deep circles formed under her eyes, indicating her lack of sleep. Her left leg was a lump under the sheets, indicating that Dad had placed a cast or something on it. Most of her skin was already covered with tape and gauze, hiding the extent of her injuries. Once her brown eyes locked on mine, she whispered my name and bowered her head, avoiding my gaze. It's as if she didn't want me to see her like this.

"Bella!" Alice squealed as she rushed towards her friend and wrapped her arms around her carefully. My sister sobbed as Bella hesitantly wrapped her bruised arms around Alice. "You got me so worried! Are you alright?" Alice asked Bella as she placed a hand on Bella's shoulder and looked at her worriedly.

Bella closed her eyes, looked away from Alice and mumbled: "Yeah, just fine."

Ali wasn't convinces in the slightest so, I approached the two of them and sat next to her. Mom sat behind Bella to support her weight and started running her fingers through Bella's hair, trying to soothe the battered teenager. "Bella, you really scared me out there," I replied, taking one of her hands in both of mine.

"I'm sorry… I—I never meant to scare anyone. I'll leave right when—"

"Oh no! You're not going anywhere! You can stay here with us, right Mom?" Alice asked as she turned her gaze from Bella to Mom.

Mom nodded and placed a reassuring hand on Bella's shoulder. "You can stay as long as you want, sweetheart," She said before a few tears ran down Bella's face. "What's the matter, honey?"

"It's just… no one's called me those things in eight years. It's… it feels nice," Bella muttered with a forced smile and a few more tears fell down her cheeks.

I wiped the tears away from her face and smiled a crooked smile at her. "If you stay with us, you'll be hearing that a lot more often," I said to her, trying to get her to look at me.

"I… I can't do that to all of you. I mean, you just helped save a complete stranger and—" I placed a finger on her lips to shut her up and she just looked at me. Sadness was embedded in her beautiful brown eyes and that made my head clench in sadness itself. I wish there was some way that the sadness held in those brown orbs could be removed.

"Bella, we're certainly not letting you go back there. You'll get killed for sure this time. I'm not going to let that happen. Please Bella; don't make me think like that." I cupped her cheek ever so slightly as another tear fell from her face. "It was hard enough to see you barely alive. Don't make me imagine it now." Okay, that just sounded totally cheesy but, it was true that I was starting to have strong feelings for her. But I would wait until Bella was ready, if she would ever want me. "Please."

Bella seemed to hesitate at first, but she sighed and looked at me. "If I start to ever become too much of a burden, I'll be out of your hair," She replied and my sister wound her arms around Bella in happiness. Bella smiled and placed a hand on Alice's arm. Most of us expected Alice to release Bella but no, of course not. "Alice, I'm staying. What more do you want?" Bella asked pleasantly, no harm intended in her voice.

"I'm just so happy you're staying! And when you get better, we can go shopping!" Alice chimed in happily as she separated herself from Bella.

"Sure Alice, if that'll make you happy," Bella answered with a smile. Somehow, I knew that something was up with that girl.

"It does! Thank you Bella!" Alice said happily as she jumped up and down. Normal Alice behaviour.

"Alright, I do believe that Bella needs some rest. Today was very exhausting for her, I'm sure," Dad said as Mom squeezed herself out from behind Bella as best as possible without hurting her too much. Unfortunately, it was written all over Bella's face that it was extremely painful to move in the slightest.

"I'd like to talk to Edward, if that was alright with you, Dr. Cullen," Bella asked all too formally once again.

Dad laughed a little and said: "Of course, take as long as you need. But you need to rest afterwards."

"Of course. Thank you again," Bella said with a smile as the rest of the family said their goodbyes and exited the room, leaving us alone to talk. Looking at Bella, she was absolutely beautiful, even with all the bruises and cuts. Anyone would be lucky to have her.

Bella's Point of View

Now, it was just me and Edward. He looked at me with such a loving smile that it was hard to keep looking at him. What would he think of me now? I mean, he just saved me from death and it seemed like I gave him quite the scare. Great… that was the last thing I wanted to do now. Of course there was no way that they would want me to stay with them, now that they have to put up with me constantly.

"Is it just me or you don't like to shop?" Edward asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. He always had this way of bringing me back to reality. It felt nice, almost lovingly.

Maybe it was time to tell the truth, instead of lying constantly to protect everyone. "No, I actually hate it. But it will make your sister happy. And maybe it will lessen the burden I'm bringing on all of you if I go shopping with her," I answered honestly and Edward looked at me sadly. Great… what had I done this time?

Looking away, Edward placed a finger under my chin and brought my face to look at him. "Bella, you're not a burden to anyone. In fact, everyone is thrilled to have you here. It's going to be just fine. Don't worry Bella, just focus on healing," He said and I smiled slightly. Why the hell was I so important to him?

"Will do."

"What really happened to you all these years Bella?" Edward asked, surprising me. I hadn't expected him to spring the question right now. Would I be able to tell him? And how would he react, mostly? It didn't matter anymore.

I could leave if they thought that my past was horrible. "Charlie beat me to death because I was alive. For eight years, I was a horrible reminder of my mother. He told me I deserved to die." A small chuckle erupted from my throat as I closed my eyes, looked away and couldn't bear to look back at Edward. "My own father told me that he didn't want a slut in his house before he stabbed me in the stomach with a kitchen knife. Frankly, I can't say that I deny it. Maybe some of the things he said to me was—"

"Stop it." His tone wasn't angry or disciplinary. It was just emotionless, as if he never wanted to hear any of the things I just mentioned. He placed his finger under my chin again and made me look at him once more. "Bella, you are none of those things. You are a beautiful, caring, selfless woman that puts everyone above herself. Obviously, your father has never wanted to admit it but anyone would be lucky to have you in their life," He said with that crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat again. "And frankly, I want to get to know you better. As long as you are staying here with us, it's a great opportunity."

"You don't want that…"

"Actually, I do. You've intrigued me so much to the point where I want to get to know you. You are such a fascinating person," Edward answered in the most sincere way. But… my heart couldn't let him in yet. After what just happened with Charlie, it seems as though a part of my trust for others has evaporated along with most of my blood. It must still be on the kitchen floor. "Bella Swan, I want to be your friend." His smile returned and it made me speechless.

"I… Edward… I don't want to force myself on any of you. It… It doesn't feel right. You've known me for just a few days and… and it seems as though I'm forcing myself on your family. In my heart, it feels wrong. And—"

"Okay, how about you get some rest so I can stop your babbling?" He asked jokingly.

A small gasp of amusing shock escaped my open mouth. "I'm not babbling! I'm trying to open up to you and you think I'm kidding!" I answered back shockingly. Was he laughing at me for some reason?

"You're babbling nonsense! Bella, if we didn't want you to stay with us, we would have said something immediately. My family and I are honest people. You were someone who needed help and we are offering it to you. Please accept it. We want to help you through everything," He answered, making a few tears escape the corner of my eyes. Someone wanted me. Someone actually wanted me in their lives. Incredible…

"Alright…" was my simple reply. What else was there to say? The Cullens were giving me something that I had wanted to have for the past eight years: love, a family that loves you.

"But… can I ask you one more question before I leave and you get some rest?" He asked, pulling me back once more to reality.

"Um… sure," I said, hoping it was a question that wouldn't rip my heart out immediately. My heart couldn't take anymore rejection today.

"What happened to your mother?" It was a simple question but it was still hard to talk about her. My mother had been the most important person in my life but it still.

"She… she died, eight years ago. That's when Charlie started beating me, because I looked too much like her," I answered honestly and Edward winced a little. "How about I explain to you another day how it all started?"

"Only if you want to. I won't force you to do anything unpleasant," He answered sadly. Edward was growing on me, even more than his sister.

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything."

"Well, I better let you catch on some sleep. You need to heal fast. Alice will want to go shopping with you sooner than later."

A small chuckle escaped my lips at that. "True. Thanks for everything Edward," I answered and it seemed to please him to hear me say that, since that crooked smile returned to his lips. Oh god! I could look at that smile all day and never get bored.

"Anytime Bella, and I do mean anytime," He answered before leaving the room silently. Maybe I could learn to like Edward more. He seemed to want to do that as well.

For once in my life, I slept in peace.

Edward's Point of View

She'd gone through all of that in one day… God, it disgusted me to even think that Charlie did that to an angel like Bella Swan. Stepping out of the room, I saw that Dad had stayed behind. But… there was still one more question I needed to ask him. It was burning me to ask him this.

"What happened to her father?" I asked, venom coming with every word. If that man hasn't been caught or placed in jail, I would search every inch of this city—or even further—for that man to be placed in jail for life!

"I'm glad you asked. While Bella was asleep, I called the police, asking if they had caught Charlie by any chance." This was it, the moment I had waited a few hours to hear. Dad sighed and looked at me with sad eyes. Oh no… "Charlie escaped. He left his cruiser in a ditch and escaped somewhere that the police can't pinpoint at this point. I'm sorry son, but he's nowhere to be found," Dad explained and my face just fell.

Charlie was still out there. He could be anywhere, and he could come back for Bella.

Alright, so Bella's alive and Charlie's still out there. What will happen next? FIND OUT IF YOU REVIEW!!!

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