BPOV
I slammed the damn door behind me and left my sisters behind me. Alice had spent months buying things she kept to herself. Every time she came in the door she had a file or pamphlet on this or that. She kept having secret discussions with Rose. I was feeling left out just as Lauren was. I don't know what they were up to but it put me in a worse mood that I already was. Alice and I never fought except over Charlie, what we were going to do and the money issues were escalating. I was fucking pissed off that Alice bought a building without us there. She never was one to do something like that extreme other than buying us clothes that she knew we needed. This time she over stepped her boundaries with this purchase and it made things worse in my mind.
The thing that upset me the most was Rose was behind her on this. It was like Rose knew what was going on in Alice's head. I felt backed up against a wall with them. Poor Lauren didn't know what to think when I talked to her about it. All she would say was she trusted them and I needed to give them the time to explain everything when the time was right. Fuck the time was right. I wanted to know now what the hell was going on with the two of them.
All I knew was this was one huge thunderfuck extreme. I walked briskly up the street passing pawn shops, sex shops and occasionally cheap bookstore. My dad sure knew how to pick the shittiest neighborhood to live in. I missed him so damn much that it literally tore my heart out when we brought his urn home. I didn't want to leave him in California and I didn't want to take him back to Washington, all I knew is I couldn't leave him alone. We all wanted different things for him but in the end we decided to keep him with us. Our whole world revolved around Charlie. We were lucky to have him in all of our lives and he left a permanent hole in all of us when he was killed.
Charlie struggled to give us what we needed but things got sketchy at the end of our junior year of high school. He was spending more nights working at the station than with us. When we asked him he would reply that it was all for us and in the end it would be worth us missing him.
We graduated high school with high honors all four of us. Charlie beamed with pride as he watched us walk up and accept our diplomas. He was even more elated when all of us received full ride scholarships to the school of choice. I always thought in the back of my mind that it was weird that with the scholarship came austentacious cars, the most fucking amazing apartment ever and more shit we knew what to do with. As the years went on Charlie made sure we took the best of vacations. He always said he won this and won that and would give them to us. Looking back it was all one big huge fucking lie but he did it all for us because we were his girls and he loved us.
All of this was swirling around in my brain. We had more fucking money than we knew what to do with now. Charlie lead a secret life and we were just beginning to figure out what the hell he did. Alice thought he was a spy for another country selling U.S secrets. Lauren thought he was in the mafia and was the godfather. Rose told them they were all full of shit and that our father was a detective of the most extraordinary kind. She spent hours reading the files we were left with. She spent hours on his fucking laptop writing shit down and talking to herself. I thought she was fucking losing control one night when she kept repeating all these foreign names of places he had been. The more she delved into it the more it scared the shit out of me that I never really knew my father.
I walked some more traveling past yet another sex store. This one promised dildos the size of huge salamis that would make the most Italian mother proud. Charlie had also made sure we knew how to defend ourselves. He showed us how to throw a proper punch and what areas of the body were more painful than others. He also taught us to be aware of the world around us. He never wanted us to be paranoid but he wanted us safe. As I thought about the memories I noticed a man on the other side of the street. He wore a black full length coat and shiny black glasses. He stopped when I stopped and walked when I walked. I didn't think much of it till I turned the corner and he turned with me. My heart started beating out of my chest and I realized that if I didn't think quick enough I was going to be in one fucked up situation.
I quickly turned around and started walking back to Charlie's apartment. I didn't realize that I had gone that far and walked a little faster almost skipping enjoying the day. I heard his footsteps speed up as I walked faster. My head was pounding from the adrenaline and blood pumping through my veins. I tried to think what I had on me for a weapon and cursed my self to hell for leaving my keys and cell phone back with the girls. I was passing a small alley when I felt my body being pushed towards the wall. I was pushed so hard up against the brick wall I could feel it scratching my back through my sweatshirt.
"If you value your life don't fucking move girlie" I could feel his breath on my face and spit hit my eyes. I could smell nicotine and it made me want to vomit the breakfast I had eaten. He pinned me against the wall and I finally saw his face in the clear light of day.
His hair was long, spiky and had enough oil in it to make the Exxon spill look like a rain drop. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin pockmarked and a huge scar over his right eyebrow. I saw his coat fly open to the side and saw the gun he was toting in a sidearm. I knew what the gun meant as Charlie always told us if a man is toting a gun it means death eventually. He told us to trust no one with a gun and even most cops were iffy.
"Isabella Swan, I have been looking for you. So sorry to hear about Charlie but he had it coming to him. He was warned he was getting to close and to back off. Poor poor Charlie didn't have the fucking balls to listen and do as he was told. He was nothing but a fucking bleeding heart. We partied the day he died."
"Don't you talk about my father that way! You know nothing about what kind of man he was!" I freed my left leg and kneed him in the balls as hard as I could. The piece of shit fell to the ground moaning and I took my chance to run for my life.
"You are going to pay for that bitch!" I was not fast enough as he grabbed my ankle and I was brought to the ground. I could feel my face being drug against the scattering of rocks, dirt and cast offs.
"You are going to die a slow painful death just like your father!" He slapped my face and I could taste the blood in my mouth. That was going to leave a mark. I tried to think of what to do next and all I could hear myself think was I couldn't die this way! The girls need me as just as much as I needed them. I would listen to them and what they wanted to do. I would do anything to be back in that small apartment laughing and talking and fighting.
I felt his fists hit my face and blood spurted from my nose. I heard something crack as I felt another blow to the other side of my face. He pummeled my ribs and I heard more cracking as each punch pained my body. He slammed my head into the wall over and over again. I felt the bricks scratch my skin as it tore my sweatshirt from my upper body. All I could feel was pain, sorrow and more pain as this worthless piece of human existence made sure I would never forget this. I heard a gun being cocked, pain and then nothingness. I was floating in a state of euphoria and agony with the brick wall slowly blurring in my eyes. The daylight was gone from my eyes like a late night black out. I heard an evil laugh come out of no where as the sound of footsteps grew quieter and quieter. Please someone find me! I don't want it to end like this. I don't want them to go through this all over again.
I laid there trying to deal with the waves of pain that were taking over. I don't know how long I had been there when I heard a familiar voice cry out my name. I could feel my face swelling and the blood in my mouth was pooling. I tried to spit out it out but all I could do was a gurgled moan.
The last picture I saw were two angels standing over me. I thought no one found me and I am being brought to heaven. I never was the religious type though Charlie made sure if there was an occasion we were there for it. All I knew is I hoped I would see Charlie again.
"Bella it is going to be ok. Help is on their way. Please hold on sweetie. Please don't leave us." The angel that was clouding my vision was familiar and the other angel was holding the appendage that was not injured. I heard sirens and I could feel myself being lifted into a peaceful state of being. I felt more pain and then a rush of tranquility. At this point I was not sure if I was alive or dead waiting for the purely gates.
LPOV
I was relieved when the call came on my cell phone but that was soon shot to shit when I heard Rose arguing with some man that her sister was not being sent to some shit hole of a hospital. The man was arguing with her and I could hear Rose mention Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and they better get their quickly. Rose finally came to the phone and I said I would meet her there. I could hear the sirens down the street and the bile come to my throat and go back down. Fuck no not Bella not now!! All I could think is what just lost our father we can't lose Bella too. Not our sister, our friend and our voice of reason.I found the nearest parking space I could find in one of the many parking areas. I found enough money to pay for the day and ran in to see where my sisters were. I knew this was going to be a hard thing to figure out when the blond big boobed Barbie wannabe knew nothing about Bella.
"What the hell do you mean you don't know where she is? She was just brought in a fucking ambulance with my other sisters! Now Miss Barbie tell me where my sister is!!"
I wanted to rip her implants out of her chest and shove them down her throat. She just replied there was no Bella Swan and did I have the wrong hospital. I was half way over the damn desk before I was pulled back. There stood Rose and Alice looking at me with red rimmed eyes.
"Lauren calm down and follow us. She doesn't know what she is talking about because they brought her to the emergency room. I am sorry we didn't come find you sooner but there was paperwork to be filled out and signed. I hope you don't mind but I gave them the right to do what was necessary for Bella." I looked at Rose and nodded ok. We all held on to each other as we walked back to the cubicle that Bella was in. As soon as we got close we all could hear a code blue and people started rushing around. We all looked at each other and realized it could be Bella. A nurse found us and told us to wait in this small waiting room. Alice tried asking her what the hell was going on but she said the doctor would find us soon.
As the hours went by the more worried we were. Alice was in a chair rocking with her knees to her chest. It brought back the memory of when she first came to be part of our family. Alice rocked herself to calm and protect herself. I had not seen it for a long time and it worried me that she was folding into herself again. Rose paced the room endlessly till she fell asleep in a chair. I couldn't sleep as I wanted answers. Every time a nurse went by I tried to talk to them but they always said a doctor would be with us soon. The more I heard it the more I got pissed off about it.
I tried to keep my mind off of by reading every magazine they had. After reading the last one I started flipping channels one by one. I sat next to Rose and found sleep slowly over taking my exhausted body. I awoke to Alice looming over me. I was back in the apartment and was hearing Rose say something about coffee. It was wonderful but it all came crashing down when I realized where we were.
We sat around the table with the gray haired man. I noticed hot coffee sitting on the table in Styrofoam cups. Alice must have gotten it for us which I thought was nice but I also wondered if she had slept at all. The coffee was so vile tasting that I kept drinking it just to put some caffeine in my veins.
"I want to apologize for not coming sooner. I am sure you know that Bella crashed. We had to act quickly or she would not have made it. I don't know what or who did that to her but she was a bloody mess. She has facial fractures, broken bones; I got the bullet out of her leg……" I knew something worse was coming as he paused.
"The worst of it is her brain is swelling. She is in a coma and I put in a shunt to try to help but if the brain swelling doesn't stop there is not much more we can do but wait and hope for a miracle. I know you want to see her and I can have my nurse bring you up. Be prepared she is not the person you knew before. "
Rose asked him questions and he answered the best he could. She wanted to know about what happened afterwards when she woke up. He skirted the issue and tried to change the subject until Alice got upset.
"Do not change the subject! We know our sister and she is going to come back to us. We want the best for her and only the best! You make sure you know what the hell you are doing. One of us will be here around the clock and you better make room for us!" The doctor backed down as tiny Alice stood there poking her finger into his chest and seething with anger. Damn she was small but don't piss off Alice. She was lovable, loyal and not the person you wanted on your bad side.
The doctor went through what was going to happen with Bella. We went over medication, when her facial surgeries would take place and what rehabilitation options were there for her. He realized that we were her family and we were not backing down. He said that he had a few other patients to check on but Bella would be his main priority. A nurse came to the room and took us to Bella. She gave us a half smile as she slid the door open.
I heard a slight sob coming from Rose and Alice put her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom. I just stood there looking at our sister. Bella was hooked up to so many machined keeping track of god knows what. Her right leg was in an enormous cast as with her left arm. She had an IV and a heart monitor on the other arm. Her head was bandaged up with some wired sticking out of it. The thing that got me was the colors of her face. Black swirled in with blue and purple mixed in with stitches and blood. Her face didn't look like Bella but I knew she was there.
I felt someone put their arms around me and I realized it was Rose. We heard the toilet flush and Alice came out looking a little bit better than the green she looked like before.
"She is in there and she will come back to us. She is a fighter and we need her as much as she needs us. She needs to know that." I said to the both of them.
I stood at the end of her bed while Rose and Alice each took a side. We didn't know if she could hear us but we needed to say what was in our hearts.
"Bella I am so sorry for fighting with you. Please come back to me as I need you to nag on me about my spending our money. I know you are a fighter so fight!" Alice was shaking in her tiny frame of a body.
"Bella we need you to be our voices of reason just like you always are for us. Don't let this beat you. We love you."Rose put her hand on Bella's one free one.
"Bella we lost Charlie; we can't lose you too. Rose and Alice already said it but we know you are in there. Fight sweetie and come back to us."
All of a sudden a nurse came running in. She started looking at monitors and marking charts. What the hell happened? She looked at us as we looked at her.
"Sorry I don't know what you all did but her heart rate went up and it startled us. There is no real proof that someone can hear when they are in a coma but keep it up. You do whatever you three think Bella needs. We can take care of her medically but you all know what she really needs. I don't know if the doctor told you but a cot will be brought in for you and if you need anything please let any of us know. Bella must be something special to all of you." She marked another chart and walked out.
We knew that none of us could leave her so we asked for blankets and bedded down with each of us laying on another. We watched the stars come out and the light fade as we heard her breathing and the beeping of the machines. We had a long road of us but Bella's road was longer. We were fighters and she was too.