~Chapter Two~

''Defending Your Life.''

Monday came quicker than I'd expected. I got up, showered and dressed,which took awhile as I had to look exactly the same as I did on friday. After that I had breakfast, found Mer's Scrapbook, which I made her awhile ago, around nine months ago if you'd like me to be specific, and packed a few things. It was close to 4:00 by the time we were in the car, luckily Central Park isn't far from our hotel.

I'd asked mum if we could stop at the flower shop before we went to Cental Park, and brought Mer a big bunch of red roses to go with her scrapbook.

Once we were there, which was close to Mer's arriving time, we joined the very front of the extrordinarily long line of fans that came to see Mer.I was just about to crane my neack so I could see her coming, when I heard a girl who must have been around 10 scream.

''SHE'S HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!.''

At once there was an erruption of applause and screams coming from every which way. There she was, gliding up to us with a huge smile on her face. She was walking with all the gracefulness of an angel gliding on a cloud, I reminded myself that she probably was an angel who was reincarnated as the greatest actress on earth.

''.GOD!'' I squealed, unable to stop myself. I was holding her scrapbook in one hand, and her roses in the other ready to give them to her when she came over to talk to me

''Hello.'' She smiled at me.

''Hi.'' I choaked, I could literally feel my heart skip a beat as I replied.

''How are you?.''

''I'm good, you?.''

''Good thanks sweetheart, what have you been doing today?.''

''Nothing much, just trying to pass the time all day until I could FINALLY to come here and see you...I've been so excited that I haven't been able to get to sleep properly since yesturday.''

''Oh! you have been excited then, haven't you?.''

''Yeah!...Oh! and uh...These are for you Mer'' I breathed, handing her the roses and scrapbook, ''Hope you like 'em, I made the Scrapbook myself.''

''Awwww!...Thankyou, thankyou darling!...Oh! this is beautiful!.'' She said, compleatly stunned, gaping at the scrapbook.

''Like it?.''

''Oh I love it!.''

''Good.'' I whispered, smiling at her.

''What's your name sweetheart?.'' she asked, now flicking through her scrapbook, still in a state of awe.

''Bella.'' I whispered, so softly that I wasn't sure if Mer heard me.

''Bella...That means ''beautiful'' in italian, doesen't it?.''

''Yep! and my middle name's-''

I didn't get to finish what I was going to say for at that moment, a man came bolting up to Meryl, and screamed.

''GIMMIE YOUR MONEY!.''

Mer was so shocked, it took her a moment to respond.

''Wh-What?-If you think i'm gonna give you my money after you yell at me like that i'm afraid your mistaken.'' She said sternly

''I'm not kidding lady, gimmie your money or i'll kill ya!.''

He wasn't kidding eaither, he pulled out a silver poket knife and brandished it in front of us, we backed away shocked and sceard, mum had her arm reached out across me.

''Now.....''

''No.'' Mer said flatly.

That did it. He snapped. He put the knife to her throat and pushed her up against a near by wall, Meryl's eye's widened in fear and we all screamed in protest at the same, waching from the sidelines as our presious Meryl was being pinned against a wall in Central Park by a man holding a knife to her of fear were starting to gleam in Mer's deep sea-blue eyes I'd had way more than enough.

''NOOOOO!-LEAVE HER ALONE!-LEAVE HER ALONE YOU SCHIZOPHRRENIC MANIAC!.''

I was now struggling against my mother, who was trying with all her might to hold me, to get over to Meryl, tears of overwhelmingly strong anger streaming down my cheeks. I finally turned around to face mum and whispered through gritted teeth while crying.

''Mum, You do understand that if Meryl-dies, if he kills her- I'll be so lost and depressed that next week-maybe next year I don't know-I'll jump out a window-I will...So unless you want me to kill myself when we get home if Mer dies right now-I suggest you let me go...right now.''

She did so without a single word, probably because she relised that I wasn't kidding. The man still had Meryl up against the wall with the knife, but he was now staring in my direction, Meryl was as well, she'd even stopped crying, and I wondered weather it was because they were in shock that I'd called him a ''schizophrenic maniac'' or because they both heared the gritted teeth conversation i'd just had with my mum. I ran over to her, but before I could get infront of her, my worst fears were rapidly turned into dredful reality...He stabbed her.

''MERYL!...NOOO! OH DARLING! PLEASE GOD NO!.'' I screamed, crying and falling to my knees beside her.

He fled as soon as he stabbed her. She screamed, grasped her stomach, and doubled over in pain, dark red blood slowly staining her white dress. I grabbed her shoulders gently but firmly and layed her down on the grass before screaming tearfully and at the top of my lungs.

''DON'T JUST FUCKING STAND THERE GWAPING! CALL AN AMBULANCE FOR CRISTSSAKE!.'' Meryl didn't even tell me off for swearing, she simply put her hand on my cheek, whiped away the tears that were staining my face, looked at me and said in a weak raspy voice that I could barely hear...

''Thankyou Bell.''

I didn't have a clue what she was thanking me for so I asked.

She breathed in raggedly before whispering, ''For trying so hard to stop the inevatable, I saw how you were struggling against your mum to get to me, and for calling that jerk a ''schizophrenic maniac'' .''
She laughed weakily and stroked my face with her hand. I chuckled waterly, bent over her, kissed her forehead, and told her how much I love her and that I'll never let anyone hurt her again, even if I have to die to save her life. I also swore that I would find the man that stabbed her, and have him locked up for eternity. I only had one wish. To keep her safe.

''Um...Mer...I was wondering if I could - uh...come with you to the hospital.''

''Oh...well if it's okay with your mum, I'd love to have some company, Don's at a sculpting exibition in London for two weeks, and my kids, well, Harry's touring with his band, Mammie and Gracie are busy shooting a movie in Edinbraugh, and Louisa's--I don't have a clue what she's up to.'' She coughed.

I smiled, kissed her again, and whispered:

''I'll be back.''

I ran over to mum and asked hastily if I could go with Mer to the hospital, to which she immeadiatly replied

''Okay.'' Without so much as a glace at me. She looked terrible. I was sure she had been crying from delaid shock.

Suddenly there was a blaring siren from behind me, and whirling bright red and blue bloody time too!

I ran back over to Meryl, who was by now being lifted gently on to a streacher by two ambulance officers. When I got to her, she was screaming because she was being moved and I knew that just aggrevated wounds more, causing excuciating pain. Something very surprising reached my ears she was screaming for me. Not for Don or her kids, but for me whom she had only just met mere minutes ago what was even more astonishing however, was the fact that she was screaming my nickname.

''Bell!, Bell! sweetheart where are you?!.''

I grabbed her hands which were folded on her chest, with one hand, and placed the other on her forehead, stoking it back and forth, to try and calm her down and whispered to her lovingly.

''I'm here darling, i'm here...shhhh...i'm right here, it's okay.''

When we got to the hospital, Meryl was immediatly rushed to emergency. I sat down in the middle of the rows of grey seats and put my face in my hands. This has got to be the worst premiare day of Mer's life!. I felt my hands getting wet and realised I was crying, and I didn't care, so I simply let them fall. please, please, for the love of dancing queen angels...don't take her from me! please...I mentally preayed.

By the time the surgeon came out, it was about five to eight, and she got here at around 4:50, she'd been in surgery for four hours!...I'd been in agoney praying to the angels profusily to help her for four hours, and finally...The news.

''Are you Bella?.'' He asked, sounding positivley exhausted.

''Yes.'' I answered, my voice sounded just as hoarse as his, for I hadn't spoken a word for four hours and was by now, rather tired from crying...strange how it drains your energy.

''She's stable now, we had to put her on oxygen to help her breathe, and she's quite weak from the loss of blood, but she'll recover eventually...you can go in and see her now if you like, she officially came out of the anasetic half an hour ago, I thought I'd wait 'til she was out of the anasetic before telling you...she's asleep now.''

''Oh, thank god!...i've been worried sick!.'' I said, jumping to my feet and looking at him excpectingly.

''The third ward on the right, bed ten.'' she smiled vaugely.

''Thankyou.'' I sighed and broke into a sprint down the corridor.

When I reached Meryl's bed, her head was lying on the left side so I walked quietly around 'til I was looking at her face. She was sleeping very peacefully, the green oxygen tube sending much needed air through her. Her mouth was parted just enough to reveal the middle of her two front teeth.
Seeing her like this compleatly and utterly broke my heart. It should be me in that bed! not Meryl, Not my sweet, beautiful, extrordinarily brave, kind, Meryl!. At once I felt my legs give way, my hand slid down the silver bar of the bed, and I broke down saying the exact words, at the exact same time, in exactly the same way that Mer's character Clarissa Vaugan in The Hours said them, but sobbing quieter than Mer did.

When I recovered, I got up off the floor, kissed Mer on the forehead, and whispered quietly to her

''I will defend you my love, I'll defend you- and...your life...I promise...I love you so much. Always have.. always will.''