Broken

Chapter 4 ~ EPOV

Arriving at the airport felt like I could breathe again.

I was happy to be going home. I missed my family and their support.

I missed my obnoxious best friend and the ways he made me laugh, even when they were totally inappropriate.

When I walked through the terminal and saw him sitting there next to some anorexic girl I smiled.

Leave it to Emmett to find someone to try and help.

Emmett and I were walking and talking about everything that had happened and who was together or apart and I noticed the anorexic girl following us. I couldn't tell how old she was, her hair was to her shoulders and looked messy. She had it falling in her face and I didn't know how she walked without tripping, especially since she was limping so badly, obviously from her starving herself.

We were half way down the escalator when this ear piercing scream ripped through the building.

I saw Emmett turn around and starting running up the steps, so I followed.

I saw the tiny girl collapse onto the ground being held by some sleazy guy.

The next few minutes were all a whirlwind and I hadn't acknowledged that this little girl was actually the once beautiful and outspoken Bella Swan.

What had happened to her? I know Emmett said that she'd got married to some really wealthy guy, but that's all I knew.

I wanted to reach out to her and help her. She was rocking back and forth and wouldn't look anyone in the eyes except for Emmett.

I zoned out again and came back around when Emmett was getting impatient about her not pressing charges. I saw the officer taking pictures and then walking out to tell his partner to not let the other guy go.

He told us he was going to make sure his partner stayed with the other guy while he walked us to the car.

Bella was making strange noises on the floor and Emmett assured me she was OK, just having a panic attack. I told him she'd probably need her medicine, but he said she doesn't take it, so it wouldn't do any good.

I thought back to when my wife was diagnosed and they said she had a short time to live, but taking pain medicine would make the pain more bearable. She refused. So not only did she suffer, I suffered. And there was nothing I could do for her. I watched her go from a stunning California socialite to a recluse. She didn't want anyone around her, including me. No one knew that she'd kicked me out the last month. I was living in the guest house and of course would check on her every day, even though she'd yell and scream at me to go away.

I was now back home and watching Bella go through something similar, but she was obviously from abuse.

While she was out Emmett showed me all of her scars, stitches, teeth marks, and so on. It was heartbreaking.

Emmett was suffering from watching his sister go through this and I was silently suffering. I've wanted to be with Bella forever, but I couldn't risk my relationship with her brother had anything gone wrong between us. So I treated her like a little sister and ruined her chances of dating anyone else, at least for a while when I screwed up her prom dress. I knew what Newton was after that night, he'd bragged about it all over school.

After I left for college, I never saw her again, except in pictures on Emmett's Facebook and those were few and far between and nothing really over the past few years.

I called Alistair after learning about what happened to Bella and researching about her sleazy husband.

Alistair said it'd be very difficult but he could talk to Bella and see where she'd like it to go and he'd leave my name out of it, which was pretty easy since I'd dropped the bug in Emmett's ear to go talk to him and he and his dad were doing so this week.

"Emmett, hey what's up?" I asked as my phone rang.

"Rose wants me to invite you over for dinner tonight, you free?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just kind of want some down time." I sighed.

"Damn it Edward! You moved here to get back up, not suffer in silence! Get your ass over here or I'll come get you!" he snapped and hung up.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and text him back telling him I had to shower first, I'd be closer to 30 minutes, not to send a search party.

I decided against shaving, I had a little scruff but had the next three days off so there was no need to get rid of it.

My go to outfit of jeans and an untucked button down with the sleeves rolled up. In truth I was nervous about going over to Emmett's, I hadn't seen Bella since her release from the hospital where Emmett had walked in on me confessing my feelings to a sleeping Bella and grinned like an idiot. He hasn't let me forget it since that day.

"You need to spend time with her, help each other heal." He said. And he encouraged it. I however was extremely nervous, I mean I had my own issues to deal with, but Bella she couldn't even look at anyone, much less talk to them and men were the worst. Her dad and brother and slowly my father were the only ones she'd even think of talking to above a whisper.

I sighed as I knocked on the door.

"Edward, welcome." Rose smiled and hugged me.

"Thanks. I brought this." I handed her some red wine.

"Oh, I love this! Emmett does too." She smiled and ushered me in.

Dinner was great, even with Bella's absence.

"She hasn't eaten in two days. She said she's too fat." Emmett shook his head.

"What?" I yelled a little too loudly.

"Shhhh, she'll be pissed if she knows I said anything. Unfortunately James has sent her several 'gifts' this week, one was a cow costume with a note saying she's got a fat as a cow." Emmett sighed. "She cried all night and made herself throw up and Rose went in and carried her to bed." A tear rolled down his face.

"She can't weigh more than 80 pounds. She's going to get really sick and take forever to heal. She's giving up. That's unacceptable." I all but shouted and slammed my fist on the table.

"Edward, calm down. She'll never come around if you're angry. "Rose snapped.

"I'm sorry. I just can't lose someone else I care about, she's just giving up." I admitted and Rose gasped.

"Edward. I had no idea." She smiled softly.

"Shit! I didn't want it to come out like this. I've always wanted Bella, but she was my best friend's sister, I couldn't do that to any of us back then. But now, now I know that I want to heal and I want to help her heal." I was pacing now.

"Well, let's start by having you take up this small plate of food and seeing if you can reason with her. You're a doctor after all." Rose smiled a little too widely.

I walked the steps to Bella's room, slowly.

I stood outside her door for a couple seconds before knocking.

"Who is it?" she sounded like she'd been crying, great! Crying Bella makes me melt.

"Uh, it's Edward." I mumbled.

"Sorry, I-I don't feel like talking." She said loud enough, thankful it wasn't a whisper. The door giving her security.

"This is from Rose, she said you need to eat." I kept myself in control.

"I told her I wasn't hungry." She sounded like she was crying again.

"Bella, look. You've got to eat to get better. Trust me, I'm a doctor." Instantly rolling my eyes at the craziness this woman made me feel.

"Please Edward. I can't." she was crying harder.

"Bella, open up so I can make sure you're OK. Please!" I said softly and rested my head on the door.

I heard several locks unlocking and cringed that she still felt unsafe, even in her brother's home.

She opened the door, standing behind it so I was always in view.

Once I was inside she shut the door and locked the locks, I guess it's a plus she feels safe enough to do that.

I crossed the room and sat the food down on her side table and then sat in the chair.

"At least she didn't pile it full of food this time. She's been doing that all week." She cringed when she heard what she admitted, head still hung and eyes trained on her feet.

Even in Emmett's college sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants she looked amazing.

"Bella, they said it'd been two days." I admitted, I wouldn't, couldn't lie to her if I wanted her trust.

"It has been, but the other days that I did eat, I threw up as soon as I was back to my room." She shook her head and sat in her bed.

"Bella, listen. I don't know what all that ass did to you. But I do know that you are not by any means fat! You're way too skinny and need to heal and I want to help. I need to heal to Bella and I think we could help each other." I said as slowly moved closer and sat on the floor in front of her, hopefully looking into the once beautiful pools of chocolate.

"I don't know. I'd hate for James to hurt you." She smiled a tiny smile.

"Bella, he'll only hurt me if you say no. You'll be letting him win. Remember my brother Alistair? He had already graduated by the time you started high school." I smiled softly.

"Yeah! Of course I do. Everyone talked about him and his success on debate team." She smiled a little bigger, looking into my eyes, if only briefly.

"Well, he's a lawyer now and I think we should start by talking to him, getting a restraining order and then filing for divorce." I told her sternly, truthfully.

She started shaking her head immediately and backing up to the headboard, shivering.

"I-I can't, he'll kill me for sure. He always said if I did anything like this he'd find me and kill me." She started crying.

I instantly reached up to hold her hand and calm her. She pulled away as though I'd shocked her.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"No, don't be. I can't stand anyone touching me. It's from all the abuse, I know. I know what's right and wrong, really I do. I just can't stand that I'm like this. I want to be able to hug my family without instantly cringing afterward. I want to be healthy, but he's screwed me up so bad I don't know what to believe anymore!" she was pacing, well limping about the room and crying, running her hands through her hair.

I stood slowly and stood in front of her, she froze and started backing up.

"Shhhh, it's OK. I'm not him, I will never hurt you Bella, I promise." I put my hands on her arms and held her there until she stopped shaking, knowing I wouldn't hurt her. She was still looking at the ground, I slowly lifted my hand and tilted her chin up so she'd look at me. "Bella, please." I whispered and she finally looked up, I slowly lowered my head and placed a feather soft kiss on her lips and pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want to hurt you." She cried.

"Then don't. Please, help me to heal and I'll in turn help you." I whispered.

AN:

I hope you enjoy this…

He's still quite vulnerable and of course Bella is, but I think he might have broken through…

Will they help each other or will James keep his promise…

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