Carlisle's POV

"Let me help you, Bella, please."

Before she could respond, the door behind me swung open. The nurse bustled into the room, discharge papers in hand, and walked to the other side of the bed in order to remove the IV from Bella's hand. I could feel Bella's eyes on me the entire time.

"Alright, miss! You're ready to go," announced the nurse once she had disposed of the tubing and taped a wad of gauze to the pinprick hole. Reaching for a stack of pamphlets, she quickly ran through information about opiate treatment programs, narcotics anonymous, and the various crisis hotline numbers. From the look on Bella's face I could tell she had no intention of ever using them. She hardly spared a glance in the woman's direction, let alone showed any interest in what she had to say. Had she heard this all before? I had searched for her records in the hospital's system, but there had been no past admissions. Though of course she could have been treated elsewhere. Panic began to rise in my chest. If I was going to convince her to let me help her it had to be now. I had run out of time.

As soon as the nurse left, Bella swung her legs around and slid off the bed, leaving me sitting on the crumpled sheets. She grabbed her backpack from the table and dug inside. I watched as she pulled out a phone and turned it on, her expression becoming anxious.

"Please, Bella, I would never forgive myself if I let you leave like this. Just stay with us for a night, Esme would be overjoyed to see you. Let us help you get back on your feet. No strings attached. Whatever you need, just name it."

This time she thought over my words. Her eyes narrowed, boring into mine as though she was trying to catch me in a lie. For a second I allowed myself to hope that she would accept my invitation. I imagined myself driving her back to the house, how Esme's shocked expression would transform into pure joy upon seeing Bella in the passenger seat. We would be able to start rebuilding the relationship that we had so carelessly allowed to crumble.

Instead, she slung her backpack on her shoulder and shook her head.

"I don't need your help, Carlisle. And anyways, the risk is too great. As you can obviously see I barely survived the first time around." She winced. A few seconds passed and she straightened up, her shoulders pulling back in a show of defiance. Her heart began to beat faster. Perhaps in anticipation for what she was building herself up to say?

"I won't let you guys just discard me again on a whim. I won't be swept up in empty words and then left behind in the dust."

Her words slammed into me. My head fell forward in shame. Her frankness was merited of course, and as she spoke she confirmed my worst fears regarding our disappearance from Forks. I thought back to the intense exchanges with Edward in those hours and days following the disastrous birthday party. His insistence on leaving under the pretense of protecting her. I had argued that his desertion would be traumatic, that it was possible she felt the mating bond as strongly as he, and that to leave her then would be devastating. He had argued that without having undergone the change, it was impossible she felt their bond as profoundly as a vampire. Just as a human could never run as fast as we run, see as far as our eyes could see, they could not feel as we feel. That without the venom-induced transformation, a human's soul was incapable of such supernatural ties.

I should have remained resolute. I should have insisted. Instead, I had allowed my love and concern for Edward to fog my rationality. Edward, who had always asked me for so little. Who had been my companion for nearly a century. After three hundred years of bleak solitude, I had found in Edward a salvation from my loneliness. I had found something that tethered me to this existence. And as he pleaded with me to leave Forks that day I could see the desperation in his eyes. His fear. And I had given in to his demand, convincing myself that he would return to her side within weeks. Instead I found myself here, two years later, crushed beneath the weight of my regret. And with no knowledge of Edward's whereabouts.

"I am sorry, Bella. I will never be able to say it enough." I could tell my words fell on deaf ears. I didn't blame her. For what could I say in such a short span of time that would even begin to undo the damage we inflicted on her?

She gave no indication that my feeble apology had been received, instead she moved towards the door, making to leave. Suddenly a muted buzzing sound erupted from her clenched hand. Stopping, she turned her attention back to the screen. Whatever she had read caused her face to ashen. A slight tremble overcame her as her eyes swept back and forth across the screen, reading the message over and over. I found myself frustrated by the fact that my position prevented me from seeing the screen and knowing what could have caused such a reaction.

"Is everything okay, Bella?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, um, sure." She attempted to shrug it off, slipping the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. But I could see how her hands continued to shake.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She watched me, obviously deep in thought, her hand reaching back subconsciously to make sure her phone was still where she'd left it. Her eyes shifted to the door, then back to me. Something had changed, her expression was torn. For a moment, the tough façade she had maintained with me up until now slipped. I caught a flash of vulnerability, perhaps fear, before it was covered up just as quickly with a renewed attempt at nonchalance.

Feigning indifference, she responded to my question, "Actually, there is one thing you could help me with."

A gust of breath was released from my lungs as I exhaled in relief.

"Of course, Bella. Anything." I couldn't help it. My lips turned up in a warm smile as I felt a surge of hope course through me. Here was my chance.

"I, uh, I'm kind of short on cash right now, actually. Do you think you could…um…" Refusing to meet my eyes she began to shift back and forth from one foot to the other. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed by her answer. It wasn't that I didn't want to give her money, God knew I would give the girl just about anything she asked for. But it was just that, I had hoped she might ask for something more substantial. Something that would allow for me to stay in contact, to begin rebuilding the bridges we had burned. I had promised not to go looking for her, but Edward would not be able to begrudge me stepping in under these circumstances. The entire point of him leaving, of us leaving, was to protect her. To allow her to live a normal, healthy, human life. And the reality was anything but that.

"Of course, Bella," I gave a reassuring smile, though I could feel it did not reach my eyes. I stood up and reached for my wallet. "How much do you need?"

She muttered the amount under her breath, knowing I would catch the sum as though she had shouted it aloud. Pulling most of the cash from my wallet, I held it out to her.

She eyed the bills with suspicion. "You don't want to know what it's for?" Her question felt like a test, and sure enough her eyes darted up to my own to watch for my reaction.

"No."

She scoffed. "What if it's for drugs?"

"Is it?"

She gave no answer.

I sighed. While her tone had been bordering on taunting, I could hear the pain beneath the facade. Could recognize her false bravado."I trust you, Bella." Simple words, but the effect on her was immediate. Her features softened. Her eyes blinked several times in succession. A tell-tale human sign of holding back tears. She reached up and grabbed the money, her fingers brushing briefly against my own, before she slipped the bills into the pocket of her coat. "But Bella, will you promise me that you will come back here, that you will come back to see me if something goes wrong? If you need help of any kind?"

Her eyes locked on to mine. I could see as she weighed the pros and cons of making such a promise. But then she nodded. And that slight movement of her head gave me hope that it was not yet too late.

I let out the breath I had been holding, "Thank you."

She nodded again and glanced towards the door. "Sure. And uh, thanks for helping me out."

"Of course, Bella, any time."

"And Carlisle?"

"Hmm?"

"You won't tell them, right? That you saw me? You have ways of keeping your thoughts from…him?" I didn't miss how she held back from saying Edward's name.

Her request did not surprise me. But pained me nonetheless. "Is that what you'd like?"

"Yes."

I held her gaze, hoping she might change her mind. But seeing her resolute expression, I finally acquiesced, my head bowing slightly "As you wish."

"Good," she gave a sharp nod and turned towards the door, her hand pausing on the doorknob. "Goodbye, Carlisle." She watched me for one last second, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized me once more. And then, before I could bring myself to say goodbye, she slipped through the door and disappeared down the hallway.

Collapsing back on the edge of the bed, my head dropped into my hands. A sickening foreboding filled the air as I feared I had lost Bella once more.

AN: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! Life is a bit hectic right now so I may not update regularly, but know that this story is often on my mind (as well as my other story Come and See) and I will be posting more chapters! What do you think so far? Do we want some more of Bella's POV to understand what has happened to her these last couple of years? Will Carlisle be able to keep his promise and refrain from telling Esme and the rest of the family about Bella? Why hasn't Alice seen anything?