Chapter 8

Bella's POV

Secrets Out!

"Miss...Miss...?"

The faint male voice, accompanied by the worst beeping noise known to man, was ruining the best deep sleep I'd had in the past year or so.

"Miss...Miss...?"

"Let me sir," I heard a familiar voice speak up. Then a small hand wrapped around mine.

"B...time to wake up!" amber's voice drifted father away than the other voice.

"What are you doing here, Ray?" the voice holding my hand asked angrily.

"It's a hospital, Peterson" Amber spat back, her voice closer this time. "Bella's my friend now too...for many reasons," she said the last part too quiet for Tina to hear, but I heard it loud and clear; she was right next to me now, on my right, Tina on my left. "What happened?"

"Phil was going too fast on the road. I have no idea why they were so far out, three cities over, near that boot camp for misbehaved teens..."her voice trailed off. "A truck ran a stop sign, hit the passenger's side, the car behind them hit the back, two others hit the drivers side of the car, plus three smaller cars hit the front and passenger's side again. They think Bells was on the passenger side, due to her inguries. Phil and Renee were alive on the way to the hospital...but Renee died on the way here...Phil was shortly after they got here, before they even got him in a room." She sniffled quietly, Amber was quiet throughout the entire story. "She's going to be so sad..." her voice trailed off once again.

They're dead? I asked myself. Should I be joyous or sad that they're dead? I wondered. I felt my eyes flutter a little. The light above me was bright.

"Bella? You waking?" Amber asked grabbing my hand tightly.

My eyes opened slowly, "Mm-mm..." I groaned rolling slightly to the left, pain shot down my back and ribs. "Cut that damn light would you, Amber?" I asked squinting my eyes. I felt her move, the room dimmed a little. The only light coming from the crack from the window. I felt her sit next to me again. "Amber..." I said groggily blinking my eyes to get use to the darkness.

Tina looked hurt and angry, "Hey Bella," she said in a light tone.

I nodded to her in greeting, then turned back to Amber. "They're gone? Phil and Renee are dead?" I asked trying to hide my mixed emotion of hope and sadness.

She saw through me as usual. She smiled lightly. "Yeah B, they're gone. You're free," tears glistened in her crystal blue eyes at the words.

I gripped her hand tighter, "You will be too." I smiled a small smiled at the thought of them gone. Don't get me wrong, it hurts to know your parents are dead. But my real parents, the people I use to know and love, Phil and Renee, were dead long before the car crash.

Just then the door flew open, revealing a red-eyed Ethan and Adam, and a disheveled Emma and Raychel. Robin was nowhere to be seen.

"Bella!" Ethan cried running to me and hugging me tightly. "Sorry," he said loosening his hold on me, after I told him I was still tender. "Don't ever scare me like that again. Please," he pleaded tears splashing own on the hospital gown and seeping through on my shoulder.

I nodded giving him a weak squeeze. "I promise, Ethan." I said quietly into his shoulder. After I'd given hugs to the rest, I asked Tina, "How long have I been out?" while looking at everyone.

"Three days or so..." Amber answered, everyone glared at her but me.

I decided that right now was a good time to tell them the truth...about everything. "Guy's...I h-have something important to tell y-you," I paused glancing at Amber, whose eyes were wide and mouth was hanging open. "Phil and R-Renee-"

"Alight! Everyone out, except Miss Isabella Marie Swan and Amber Mary Ray. NOW!" A voice said from the door.

We all looked. Standing in the doorway was a woman with a perfect tan, fiery red hair, bright green eyes and a black business suit, with two police officers on each side. The one on the left seemed to be carrying a Ziploc bag with the word "Evidence" written across it.

Ethan, Tina, Ray, Adam, and Emma left one by one, each giving me and Amber curious looks. I looked at Amber who was looking at me. What the hell? Was written across both our faces. I mean, I knew they were going to come looking for me, but what did this have to do with Amber?

"You're Isabella right?" she asked sitting in the seat Tina was previously sitting in. I nodded, wincing at the sound of my full name. She didn't seem to notice. "Ok. I am Victoria Varnish and I am your social worker."

"Is Nancy ok?" Amber asked immediately after she dropped the bomb, her bottom lip trembling.

Mrs. Varnish looked down at her lap sadly shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Miss Ray. You're stepmother was found two hours ago, dead in her backyard."

Amber bit her bottom lip, she slumped down next to my bed, tear slowly making their way down her paled cheeks. "D-dead?" she whispered into the silent hospital room. Mrs. Varnish nodded a sad look on her face. Amber became ridged and silent.

"I came to help you both..." she lifted her hand and the cop with the bag stepped forward and handed it to her, before moving back to his place beside the window, the other was beside the door. "Do you recognize this note?" she asked flipping open a three-hole-punched paper.

She hand to me, my eyes widened,"Shit...i muttered, Amber sighed defeated, could tell she was scared, we both nodded

"We found it in your bag, Miss Swan. Is it true?" We both nodded again, Amber was hesitant this time though. "I'm here to help you girls," Victoria said leaning forward her elbows on her knees.

Amber blew a gust of air out of her lungs. "Yeah? And how are you going to do that?" she asked not believing her. Neither was I.

"I am part of the FBI aren't I ?" she asked with a smirk. "Now, Miss Swan, I understand you are in a great deal of pain, but I need to take a look at you body." she said pulling the itchy cover from my waist. "Most likely the places where most of the beating impacts happened."

I nodded "that would be my stomach, legs, back, face, and chest. I'm sure my back has few new scars on it," I muttered the last part.

Victoria grimaced "Is that it?" she asked then gasped along with Amber.

"What?" I asked leaning my head upward so I could see. I gasped along with them. Along my thighs were big deep bruises and gashes.

One of the worst gashes led from my knee cap and under the small gown. Amber's eyes met mine, tears glistening within them. "Bella? Did...did t-they..." she couldn't finish the question. I guess the tears in my eyes told her, she threw her arms around my neck, tears falling the same place as Ethan's. "I'm so sorry , Bella..." she whispered hugging me tightly and started crying. "When?"

"A few days ago..." I answered quietly. "I was going to tell you today, but P-Phil got me out early."

"OK...so you've both been abuse, emotionally, physically, and sexually? Am I correct?" I had completely forgotten about Victoria up until that moment. We both nodded and continued the painful Spanish inquiring.

Two agonizing hours later, Amber and I were signed-up in foster care. At first, I was horrified. FOSTER CARE? You gotta be kidding me! But then Victoria told me it was just until they got a hold of Charlie and he got custody of me.

Amber I was a different story, she had no living family on either side of her parents. Stephens' parents died when he was twenty-eight and he was an only child. Her biological mothers' family wants nothing to do with her. She's alone. I'll be talking to Charlie once he gets the call, I thought pulling her into soft hug.

To say we were scared would have been an understatement. The doctors had to put Amber in a bed after she fainted. "She's fine. Miss Ray hasn't been getting the right amount of fluids and nutrition as she should be. She'll be up and running in a few hours," Dr. Martenex told me after I freaked out on the nurse trying to calm me down. "Let her rest and she'll be fine."

The next morning was hard. Tina, Ray, Emma, Ethan, Robin, and Adam wanted answers to every question that they asked. "What happened to the Isabella Marie Swan that we knew, before the honeymoon?" Tina asked sitting on the side of my bed.

I hesitated re-thinking my decisions. Well, a deals a deal, I thought grimly. So I told what happened to me. Starting with the first snide comment, ending with the last hit. Amber bravely stepped up to the plate, when Ray asked what her part was in my tragic sob story, and told her tragic sob story. There was a lot of tears and hugs after we finished. Ethan punched a hole in the far wall when I told them what Alex and Phil did. "Alex came over for dinner and him and P-Phil got along smoothly." I paused blinking back the tears. "Later that night, Alex and I were up in my room, alone. Renee had left to do god knows what. He...he started trying to take off my clothes. When I told him to stop he punch me in the face and continued, every time I told him to stop he would h-hit me even more. Then when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Phil walks in and h-held me still." Tears streamed down everyone's face. Even the police officers' that stayed at the door, keeping anyone that was not welcome-Stephen-out. "Phil would grab my breasts...and squeeze them painfully. It still hurts." I whimpered wrapping my uninjured arm across them. "After Alex was down, I thought it was over. Far from it. Alex and Phil switched places. Phil raped me twice since then. Alex three times; twice in my room and once in the janitors closet in the Seniors' hall with Damian's help." Ethan hissed at the two names. "I'm so sorry, I never told you guys,' I cried along with everyone else. Amber was quiet throughout the time it took me to tell the rest of the sob story. She kept shooting me sympathetic glances and small smiles of resentment. "Amber, you don't have to tell them yours also," I argued with her.

She nodded but did it anyway. Telling how her nights were spent, who did it, how it felt, and how it scarred her dating life. "I may never be able to trust a guy ever again. I know you girls would hate that," she whispered the last sentence before going silent and letting the tears fall.

The police officer by the door came over to us, tears streaked his face. "I am truly sorry for what you girls have been through. I have a little girl, ten years old,and I couldn't bare to think my little girl going through it too." he sniffled before ushering the group and himself out of the room so we could rest.

Just before we fell asleep, Amber whispered quietly to herself, "I miss you Mommy. I love you..."

when her breath came out in even puffs, "I love you, Daddy. Never forget that..."

Whoa!! That was a mouthful! Review!

~!LSTYD!~