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CHAPTER THREE

ROSALIE'S POINT OF VIEW

I've had to do a lot of things while pretending to be human. I've taken gym classes countless times in order to graduate from high school, and that meant quite a few games of kickball. Yet, having to run at human speeds had never been so frustrating in my entire life as it was in that one moment.

All it took was one scream, and I knew it was Bella right away. The sound was more terrifying than any I had ever heard, and I simply had to get to her. No one would stand in my way. Carlisle was right behind me I knew, but I never looked back. He would have to deal with it. As I neared the scene, I couldn't help but wonder if whatever had happened was my fault. Should I have not left her side? Should I have taken her with me? Should I have taken her home with me long ago, when my instincts told me to? And then came the worst of the wonderings… What if I was too late?

Finally I reached her bedroom, where I had heard the screaming come from… And the sight I saw broke me. I had never understood what people meant when they talked about outer-body experiences. It never made sense to me how a spirit could go on auto-pilot like that, just knowing what to do. But as they say, there's a first time for everything. I had no train of thought during my next actions, I just did what needed to be done for Bella. As I saw her, on the floor on the other side of the room beaten and bruised, sobbing and screaming for me, I knocked down everything in my path to get to her. She needed me. I reached her, and slapped away the filthy hands of her abuser. Looking my boss right in the eye, I let out a growl that could have killed her itself. Mrs. Hannigan had been flung to the wall by my slap, and was now whimpering in the corner. I moved to get closer to her, but I vaguely felt Carlisle's hand on my shoulder reminding me of who was actually worth my attention.

"Mrs… Mrs… Mrs. Rose!" I heard the little angel screech out my name through the sobs that were wracking her frail body and went to her immediately.

"Oh, Bella…" My heart was shattered. There was a deep cut along the side of her arm, and several bruises already starting to form up and down her frame. Her blood was spilling, and Carlisle asked me if I needed to leave. "Never." I replied with venom laced into my tone.

"Rosalie, let me examine her injuries. You can stay with her, but call the police." I didn't move. "Rosalie, let me see her." He pulled out the dad tone. After a few moments of convincing myself he was right, I adjusted my protective position in front of her to allow him room to see her. Father or not, it wouldn't have happened if I weren't 100% positive he was the best doctor in the world.

I held on tightly to her hand, assuring her it would all be okay while she cried. She didn't have to know I was also trying to assure myself. After she knew I wasn't going anywhere, I pulled out my phone to call the police.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My name is Rosalie Cullen, and I work at the orphanage in Seattle. The lead caregiver, Mrs. Hannigan was just found beating one of the children violently. Please send police and an ambulance." I hung up before I even got a response. There was no time to waste on anyone else right now. "Bella, honey? Can you hear me?" Her eyes were closed, but I could hear her heartbeat. "Bella?"

No response.

"I'm going to be here when you wake up, honey. And you'll never have to be without me again." I said, cradling her head in my lap while Carlisle stitched up her wounds. For once, I finally understood why he carried around that dorky medical kit all the time. Sirens started pouring into my ears, probably about two miles away, and they couldn't get here fast enough. I wanted Bella in a hospital, that woman in handcuffs, and Emmett by my side to deal with all of this. I looked at Carlisle.

"Could you call Emmett?" I asked, my brokenness coming through in my voice.

"Of course." His gaze softened, and no sooner had he pulled out his phone than Alice called him. He answered before the end of the first ring. "Alice?"

"The emergency crew will get there in about one minute and thirty-three seconds, and Rose will insist on going with Bella to the hospital." I nodded in confirmation. Nothing was going to take her away from me. I would never allow anything else to hurt her.

Alice continued. "Edward and I are on our way there to get anything Bella will need as well as her belongings, because something tells me she won't step foot in that orphanage again. Emmett is driving up to the hospital right now to meet you all there. Jasper and Esme are home preparing a room for Bella to stay in."

Carlisle opened his mouth to protest, and Alice cut him off. "The police are going to recommend that Bella stays with Rosalie since she is already comfortable. I don't see the long term future, but we will definitely have a house guest for a while and none of us will hurt her."

I felt hope begin to rise in me, a hope I hadn't allowed myself to have prior to this monster laying her hands on Bella. While I felt broken and useless and helpless at the sight of my injured angel, I began to believe that maybe I would get to watch her heal for the rest of her life. Maybe. Paramedics began to flood the room, and I heard the police force Mrs. Hannigan into their car for questioning. I expected to feel better once things started happening, but I didn't. Paramedics could never take away the sight of my broken Bella, bloodied on the floor.

They started to lift her up, and it snapped me out of my thoughts. "I'm coming with her."

One of them looked at the other hesitantly. "Are you family, ma'am?"

"Yes." In my mind, it was true. I was the closest thing she had, and I would gladly call her mine.

"C'mon Mrs." I followed them into the back of the ambulance, where they strapped her into all of the fancy equipment and technology. Once they closed the doors, I all but collapsed. It was just Bella and me now, but I had to be brave for her. She was unconscious, and that petrified me despite the heartbeat I could so easily hear coming from her. I simply held her hand and squeezed tight, hoping it would bring her any sort of comfort at all. I would have given anything to have Jasper's abilities in that moment, just to take some of the trauma from my girl and shoulder it myself. "Bella, if you can hear me… I don't want you to ever worry about those people again." I didn't know the full story, but I had seen Mrs. Hannigan beat her and that was enough for me. "You are going to have a family now, sweetheart. You will have people who love you, and a mommy and daddy who will take care of you every second of the day. You just gotta wake up, okay?" I didn't know if my talking was meant to comfort more Bella or myself, but I hoped it calmed her down the way it eased my nerves.

I hadn't spoken to the family yet, but there was simply no way I was going to let her go now. Carlisle was right: she needed me just as much as I needed her. I had heard Alice say on the phone that she would stay with us for a while, and was determined to do whatever was needed to make that permanent. Adoption had never seemed like an option before, for obvious reasons, but Bella was different. If Emmett and I had to leave the home to raise her, then so be it. I hoped it wouldn't come to that, but I would do it if I needed to. Emmett would understand.

We arrived at the hospital, and they quickly unloaded her and wheeled her into the emergency room. I found Carlisle already there, waiting on our arrival. "We're going to take care of her, Rosalie." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Emmett is waiting in the hallway, why don't you go see him?"

"I'm not leaving her."

He exchanged glances with the rest of the doctors, who all looked to him for the decision. It wasn't protocol, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. My arms ached for my husband, but my feet were planted my Bella. My daughter.

He sighed. "Alright, go to the corner and watch from there. Will someone go fetch my son Emmett from the hallway?" I was grateful for the heaping amounts of respect everyone had for Carlisle, because they were more than willing to assist him when he called in this favor. Within moments, Emmett walked through the doors and immediately to my side in the corner of the room.

"Rose, baby are you okay? I tried to call you but you weren't checking your phone." He asked, wrapping his arms around me in concern.

I simply laid my head on his shoulder and allowed my husband to comfort me quietly while the doctors worked. It seemed like it was hours that they were tending to her wounds, and though I knew it was only really maybe 20 minutes, it felt like eternity. I watched as they finished up, intent on seeing myself that she was really going to be okay. Carlisle turned to me and smiled. "She's going to be just fine, Rosalie. You can go with her to her room now, but the police would like to speak with you about what happened once she is settled. I nodded, just glad we were going to get out of this emergency room.

As a human, I hadn't understood what had driven people to drink so much. Especially after Royce attacked me, I despised alcohol. I still did. But if there was ever a time that I envied a human's ability to turn to the bottle an escape, this was it. "Do you want me to come with you, Rosie?" I heard my sweet mate ask.

I nodded, took his hand, and followed as they wheeled Bella into her room. I was fluffing her pillows and adjusting her blankets the way I knew she liked them when her eyes fluttered open. "Mrs. Rose?"

My heart leapt at her voice, so fragile yet still alive. "Yes, baby?"

She looked around in confusion, struggling to lift her head. "Where am I? What happened to Mrs. Hannigan?" She asked, her voice quivering in fear.

I took her hand gently. "You're in the hospital, and you don't have to worry about her anymore. I promise."

She seemed to shrink in the bed, already so small. "Did they kick me out?"

At her words, my heart shattered all over again. How could someone hurt such an innocent, precious little girl? "No, sweetheart. But you aren't going back there." She nodded, and then her eyes flickered to Emmett who was sitting in the chair to the side of the room patiently watching our exchange. "Bella, this is my husband Emmett. He really wanted to meet you. Is it okay if he hangs out with us?"

She looked at him very intently, as if willing herself to find some sort of insights in his gently smiling face. Apparently she found whatever she was looking for, because she nodded in acceptance. At her approval, he walked over to her and bent down to her level. "Hi Bella! I'm so excited to meet you. Tell me, do you like to play pranks on people?"

I tried not to roll my eyes, wondering where he was taking this.

She looked a little confused, but gave an adorable honest answer. "I think so. Mrs. Rose and I would sometimes switch all the other girls' dolls around to watch them freak out. That's a prank, right?"

He nodded, his eyes lit with excitement. I tried to stifle a giggle, not wanting to condone bad behavior but remembering the few times she had gotten the mischievous side out of me. "Well, when you get outta here, maybe you and I can mess around with some of my family. Maybe sometimes we can even let Mrs. Rose play. How does that sound?"

She laughed, and I could tell he immediately charmed her. She was enamored with him, but he had a pretty big adoration for her himself. I was thrilled to see them with such a bond after such few words to each other. "That sounds fun. But wait a minute… Am I going to live with your family?"

I interceded. I hadn't yet spoken to the police, but I knew the outcome anyways so I went ahead and told her. "Bella, how would you like to come live with my family for a while? You can have you own room, and all the books you could ever want."

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she simply nodded. We sat there, hand in hand, like that for several minutes. I was so thrilled, despite the upsetting circumstances, that I could see a little family coming together. Emmett seemed taken with her, and she him. I hoped this was the beginning of what I've wanted my entire life. A knock sounded at the door, and at my answer, a police officer stepped into the room.

"Mrs. Cullen?"

"Yes?"

"Could I speak with you outside for just a moment?" He said, flashing a careful and sympathetic smile towards Bella.

"Of course." I didn't want to leave her side, but I knew it had to be done eventually. I turned towards my little girl. "Bella, I'm going to go talk to this man. Emmett will stay in here with you. Is that okay?"

She nodded, a little hesitant to let go of my cold hand she had gotten used to. I trusted Emmett to care for her and entertain her, so I kissed the top of her head and followed the officer out into the hallway.

"I understand you were her main caretaker at the orphanage. Could you describe to me what happened in your own words?"

I nodded. "My father had come to visit her for lunch today, so I was walking him out to the door as he was leaving. We were just saying goodbye, and then we both heard a gut-wrenching scream. I ran straight to her room, where the scream came from, and saw Mrs. Hannigan hitting her while she was on the floor. She was still screaming as well as sobbing, so I quickly pushed Mrs. Hannigan off of her and began tending to her." Even just telling the story made my blood boil all over again, and I had to fight to suppress a growl.

He nodded, clearly disturbed by the story but taking notes like the professional he was. "We have her in custody, and Bella won't have to worry about her anymore."

"Actually officer, I would like to request permission to keep her with me at my home. She doesn't have anyone else, and I'm sure you can understand why I don't want her back in that place. I won't be returning to work." I said, laying the charm on thick with the dazzling, "I'm a pretty blonde" smile. It worked.

"I'm sure that would be okay…" He stumbled over his words a bit. "How long would you be willing to keep the girl?"

I had no hesitation with my answer. "I have every intention of legally adopting her."

The surprise registered on his face, as I suppose he wasn't expecting it to be that easy. "I will mention it to the authorities. Thank you, Mrs. Cullen." He tipped his hat, and bid me farewell.

I walked back into the hospital room, thrilled to see Emmett engaged in the most high-energy story time I had ever witnessed. He was narrating the story that I'm sure he was making up in his head, and jumping around the room frantically to act it out. Bella was a giggling mess, and I was glad to see her smile. I knew the struggle of surviving abuse firsthand, and I just hoped she could come out of this without much of the trauma.

I had just stepped foot in the room when Carlisle trailed in behind me. I knew both he and Emmett had heard me tell the officer about my plans to adopt Bella, but neither of them showed any indication of disapproval. They had to know it was coming after the day's events.

"Good afternoon Bella." He smiled at her warmly, instantly putting her even more at ease. "I just came into tell you that your tests all came back okay, and you are free to leave. I heard you're going to stay at our house, and I will be able to check up on you there." He walked over to her and ruffled her hair with a wink. "See you at home, kiddo."

She beamed up at him, thrilled to hear the word home.

He told me he would take care of her discharge paperwork, and that Emmett and I should go ahead and get her home. As we gathered her and walked her out to our car, she took my hand. "Thank you for letting me stay with you, Mrs. Rose."

I stopped and smiled down at her. "You always have a place with me Bella. You always have a home."

Home. What a nice word. As Emmett pulled out of the parking lot and began driving to the house, I found myself reveling in the concept myself. Maybe, when this was all said and done, it would really be a home. I cast a glance towards Bella in the backseat, and then gave her a second look once I saw the shocking evidence of how special she was.

Her arms, covered in deep wounds not even an hour ago, were already beginning to heal and retreat into her usual healthy flesh. The sight wouldn't have struck me if she weren't human... Who was this girl?

AWWWWW. Looks like Rosalie might get to be a mom after all. What do you guys think? There will be more explanations for Mrs. Hannigan's attack on Bella in the future. Let me know what you make of Bella's inhuman healing time? As always, review review review!