"Never alone
Never alone

I'll be in every beat of your heart as you face the unknown.

Whever you fly, this isn't goodbye.

My love will follow you, stay with you, baby, you're never alone."

- Never Alone, by: Lady Antebellum & Jim Brickman

Hourglass

Chapter: 4

-Bella POV-

Suddenly, I feel arms around me and a masculine hand stroking my hair. I recognize the scent as Charlie's, and I turn my face into his neck as I cry and whimper against him.

"It's all my fault, Daddy, it's all my fault. I knew he was hitting her, and I did nothing to stop it. She begged me not to tell. It's all my fault." My voice is scratchy from screaming, and my words are nothing but a hoarse whisper. My throat feels like I've swallowed fire.

"None of this is your fault, Isabella!" he scolds, his own voice laced with grief and emotion. "No one could have prevented this, except for Royce, he did this…has been doing this. I wish you would have told me, but you couldn't have stopped it. You need to calm down, or we'll be calling an ambulance for you, too. You're no good to her like this. You have to calm yourself, Bella."

I try to breathe steady breaths, but I'm still really choked up, and my body feels like it's burning. The pain in my heart is unlike anything I've ever felt. I'm filled with dread, and sorrow, and such a deep regret for not putting more effort into extracting her from this horrible situation.

She promised me that he had changed—or was changing—that underneath everything, he was a really good person.

When I finally stopped letting her try to convince me, she'd lie and say she had fallen, that's how her eye got bruised, or she bumped into something and cracked her lip.

I knew they were lies, but I just hoped she'd wake up one day and snap out of it.

Instead he almost killed her…

…and I did nothing.

Not this time.

He will pay for this, whether it's jail or looking down the barrel of a gun, that motherfucker will pay.

My newly emerging rage helps to snuff out the last of my whimpers, and I pull myself from Charlie's grasp and stand to face him.

"Sorry. I just—I can't take this…it's too much." Irrationally, I find myself trying to explain my behavior. I know it's unnecessary, but I've never felt like this before, and I'm ashamed for not staying beside my best friend when she needed me most.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the stretcher quickly emerging from the building with two medics flanking it, rolling it down the sidewalk toward the ambulance.

"I have to go with her." I start to rush passed Charlie when he catches my arm.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I can take you…" he starts, but I cut him off.

"No. I mean—yes, I'll be fine. I have to be with her. Just please, find him," I demand and take off running toward the ambulance.

"Are you family, Miss?" a lanky, hazel-eyed, blond haired medic asks as I approach the door of the ambulance.

"It doesn't matter, I'm going with her," I say firmly.

"You really can't without a relative's permission," he says.

I forcefully cut him off. "Yes, I really can, and I am."

"Mike, quit fighting with her and get us to the hospital! We need to get this woman stabilized, and someone should be with her!" a brawny, brown-haired guy yells from Rose's side.

I jump inside and pull the doors shut behind me, slamming them in Mike's face.

I sit on the other side of Rose and softly place my hand over hers.

"You're gonna be okay, Rosie, I promise. I love you so much. I promise you'll be okay. We'll get him. He'll never touch you again," I whisper to her as tears roll down my face.

"Miss, I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but if you know any of her medical information, it will really be useful right now. When we get to the hospital, I'll need you to fill out some paperwork. Do you know if she has any allergies?" His blue eyes gaze at me with nothing but sympathy, and I start getting choked up again.

"Bees…" I say softly.

"Bees?" he asks.

"She's allergic to bees," I rasp through tears.

"Thank you," he says warmly, and continues working on her.

A/N:

Who wants Bella to get a shot gun and play hide and go boom with Royce?

xxoo,

Missy