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Author's Note: Hey, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, as always. It means a lot. Hope you like this next chapter.

Chapter Five

When I awoke hours later, I didn't know where I was immediately. It took me a few second to recognize that I was lying in a bed in Forks' small hospital. Needless to say, I was confused. As soon as I was able to focus, I saw Charlie sitting at the end of the bed, a worried expression painting his features. As I began to sit up he said, "Easy Bells, easy. You don't need to get up."

"Why am I here?" I asked, but as soon as I had verbalized the question, I remembered. James had hit me. My dear, sweet James, the one person who had been there for me no matter what had hit me. A wave of emotional pain hit me hard and almost knocked the breath out of me. For a second, it made me forget the physical pain that had been searing through my body since I had awoken. I felt as though someone was repeatedly hitting me with a hammer.

"James found you, Bella." Charlie said, "in the woods not far from his house. Someone had…well, someone had beaten you up. James says you were passed out when he found you and so he brought you here to the hospital. Renee's here too, she's just gone to the bathroom, she'll be right back."

I was silent for a second, trying to take in everything Charlie had just said to me. First of all, James had downright lied to my father in order to protect his image. He had beaten me up, no one else. I knew I should be angry about that but somehow, I wasn't. To be honest, I felt a little guilty. I managed to convince myself that James had just become furious with me because he believed I was being untrue to him. I had probably gotten what was coming to me. I deserved to be punished. In that instant, I knew I wouldn't tell Charlie the truth about James. I still loved him and I wanted to try and make things right again. I had practically attempted to go on a date with Edward Masen and that wasn't even a bit fair to James. I was determined to set things straight again. Once I had stopped thinking of James, my mind drifted to the second thing Charlie had said, "You called Renee?" I asked, somewhat dismayed. I could never understand why Charlie had to get my mother involved in everything. If I accidently cut myself with a kitchen knife, he would call Renee and tell her about it. It was the worst kind of obnoxious. Secretly, I believed that Charlie had never gotten over Renee and it made me feel just a little bad for him every now and then.

Charlie caught the sound of annoyance in my voice and assumed an offended tone of his own. "Bella, someone hit you. Someone beat you up. What kind of father would I be if I didn't even tell your mother what had happened to you? Now, listen, Bella, I want to know the truth. Who hurt you? Who did this to you?"

Even though I had known only too well that this question was coming, I still froze. I knew I was going to have to lie, but about what. Who would I frame as the person who had abused me? I instantly knew the answer to that question. I would frame no one. I was certain I would regret framing an innocent with James's sin. That would make my already atrocious situation even worse than it was. "I didn't know him." I said. I could hear the strained sound of my voice as I spoke to Charlie, but he seemed not to notice. If he did, he probably believed it had to do with all of the physical pain I was enduring. "He was dressed in black. I didn't know his face. He took some of my money and I put up a fight about it."

Charlie shook his head, whether in admiration or disbelief I couldn't tell. It was most likely a bit of both. "Bella," he said, his voice disapproving, "I've told you a hundred times that if someone takes something of yours, you just let them have it. It's not worth risking your life for."

"I know, I know." I said. Before I could get anything else out, the door to the room opened. I braced myself, expecting to see my mother, a nurse, or worse, both. Instead, though, James strolled inside. In spite all I had been through in the last day, I felt my heart jump at the sight of him. Oh yes, I loved him. It was a crime and a shame, but I loved him. It was too late to turn back.

"Bella," he said softly, his voice sounding like a caress, "Bella, how are you?"

"O..Okay." I stuttered. He seemed so nice, so concerned about me. Maybe he was ready to put it all behind him. I had to acknowledge at this point that James had a temper but I still couldn't think of him as a bad man, not when he had been so wonderful to me during the past months.

"You don't look it." James replied. His eyes were apologetic and sad. It made my heart hurt for him. I recall thinking that the whole situation was my fault. Had I not agreed to go out with Edward Masen, this never would have happened. James never would have had any reason to hurt me. I smiled at James to reassure him. He at least deserved that much. He returned my smile whole heartedly and for a second, I felt completely happy. James reached forward, took my hand, and kissed it. I felt the usual butterflies rise in my stomach as he did so. "I brought you these." he said, reaching into his pocket and fishing out as box of Godiva chocolate. I felt myself beam as he handed me the chocolate.

"James!" I exclaimed, "You didn't have to-"

"I know, I know, Bella. I wanted to. There's a difference. I don't have to do anything I don't want to do." I didn't exactly know why, but the way James said these words sent little chills through my spine. As soon as I gazed into his eyes again though, that feeling was dispelled and I once again felt extremely happy. He gave my hand a squeeze and then began to speak once more. "I only came to see you, Sweetheart." He said, "I'll let you rest now."

"No!" I cried, without even realizing what I was doing, "I mean, you can stay James. You're not bothering me. You saved me after all."

When I mentioned the story that James had told my father, it was my way of agreeing to go along with it. It was my way of assuring James that I would never turn him in, not now, not ever. James's grin became even broader. "No, Bella, you need your rest. I'll come and see you again soon. Besides, you'll be out of here before you know it."

I was beginning to recognize that I was quite tired. James was right. I didn't respond to him. I just leaned my head against the pillow and closed my eyes.

James was right about one thing. I was out of the hospital before I knew it. By Christmas, I was within in the walls of my own home once more. James and I did spend much time together in the days following Christmas. I managed to spend the afternoon of New Year's Eve with him and I shared myself with him once more. He was incredibly tender and kind that entire week. Neither of us mentioned what had happened between the two of us not even a week earlier. My bruises had not even healed and we were already pretending the whole thing had not happened. Whenever I thought about the incident, I felt ashamed. I still believed I was responsible and that I had caused James pain he didn't deserve. For my entire second semester, James treated me like a queen and I as a result, I continued to carry around my guilt. Yes he had hit me and deep down, I knew that was wrong, I just didn't want to admit it. For the first few weeks of my final semester of high school, all of the other girls in my class wanted to know about what had happened to me and if I had any suspicions about who had beat me. Eventually they stopped bothering them after I promised them time and time again that I didn't recall anything really specific about my attacker. Jessica particularly was unsatisfied with my lack of details. She was the sort of person who enjoyed a bit of gossip. Well, I guess enjoyed is the understatement. She craved it. Sometimes it seemed like she needed some kind of gossip every week, just to get by. After a while, I kind of started isolating myself from the other kids in my class. They got the message and stopped talking with me. I think some of them even started rumors about me. I didn't care, it didn't matter. After a while, the only person that was kind to me was Edward Masen and I saw no reason to waste my time being nice to him. He had nearly ruined my relationship with James. I had no patience for him any longer.

In March of that year, I received an acceptance from Seattle University and was thrilled. I knew only too well that getting into that university was setting me up to spend as much time with James as I possibly could. I might even be able to move in with him after a while. That was my ultimate goal anyway. Charlie was happy that I was going to be so close to home because I would be able to come and see him very often. I had every intention of doing just that. I owed my old man that much. Everything in my life seemed to be going my way until the final week of my senior year of high school when the worst possible thing, the thing that had previously only occurred in my nightmares finally occurred in my life.

AN-Short chapter I know but I am out of time. Hope you liked it. I'll post more soon.