Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter seventeen of 'Into the Shadows.' This chapter has some Edward/Bella. Bella and Charlie's reunion will happen in the next one. Stay tuned for chapter eighteen.
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Chapter 17: Never an Absolution
Bella lay on her back on the first of two beds in Room 305. She was inclined to where she was sitting up. The room was small. A TV hung from the ceiling in front of her. Both beds had tables that could be folded up and put in front of patients. A table was between them. Two chairs were across from her bed. The same went for the other one.
Bella stared at the heart monitor next to her. She listened to its steady beeping. She sighed with much impatience. She wondered how much longer it would be before she would see Edward and her father. She hated that she had to stay overnight, but she understood it was for her own safety. To go home immediately after the examination and suddenly suffer a concussion and fall, which could result in serious injury if she were near a blunt object, would make the hospital look very bad.
Approaching footfalls caught the young woman's attention. She turned toward the door window and saw Edward appear. The door opened with a slight squeak. Edward, Jacob, Seth, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie walked in. The first three went to her left while the other six headed for her right.
"Edward, I'm so glad to see you," Bella whispered in great relief and held up her hand to allow him to take it into his.
"So am I with you, Bella," Edward said and planted a kiss to her forehead.
"Thanks for calling Jacob. I really appreciate it," Bella said as she motioned toward Jacob.
"You're welcome," Edward said and gave her a loving look. "I'll do anything for you."
Edward ran his hand over Bella's hair after letting go of hers. He stroked her cheek with the back of it. She brought up hers to hold it again. She glanced at Jacob and Seth, who formed sympathetic expressions on their faces.
"Jacob, Seth, it's good you to see you two," Bella said, swallowing hard.
"You too, Bella," Jacob responded and sat on the bed. "I wish it were under much better circumstances."
"It sucks you have to be here," Seth muttered.
"It does. Still, it's best not to ignore the advice of a doctor," Bella commented while peering at Carlisle in the corner of her eye.
"That's true," Seth agreed. "By the way, I'm not the only one who came. Leah, Quil, and Embry came too. They're calling their moms to let them know they're here."
Bella gasped fearfully. "Oh, shit. Mom is going to go crazy when she learns about this. She'll—"
"Hey, calm down, Bells. We'll worry about that later. We should focus on this visit right now, okay?" Jacob said tenderly.
"Okay," Bella answered.
Jacob smiled lightly. "That's my Bells."
Bella wiped a tear from her eye. She laid her hand on her stomach, taking slow yet even breaths. She glanced at Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie.
"It's good to see all of you," Bella said, letting out a small yawn.
"We really missed you, Bella, though we weren't expecting to come home to this at all," Esme said, looking around the room.
Bella felt sobs coming up in her throat. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I never meant for it to happen."
"Bella, it's okay," Jasper said soothingly. "You're not at fault here. Mike is."
"You did nothing to deserve this," Rosalie said calmly yet firmly.
"I'm surprised to hear that from you, Rosalie. You're not exactly fond of me," Bella said, furrowing her brow.
Rosalie let out a quiet sigh. "I may not be, but that doesn't mean I wanted this to happen to you. That would've made me no better than Mike."
"Thanks, Rosalie. I appreciate that," Bella said and glanced at Jacob and Seth in the corner of her eye. She ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth. "I also appreciate you tolerating being around these two."
"I really don't want to be in their presence or that of their friends, but I'll deal with it for your sake," Rosalie responded.
"Thank you." Bella said and sniffled. She wiped another tear from her eye. "Thank God the ER wasn't busy at all tonight. If it was, I would have been waiting in there for hours."
"It is well known the ER isn't pleasant at all," Alice commented.
"Some people use it for minor things such as cuts and bruises. That wastes the doctors' time. They need to be tending to real emergencies," Emmett grumbled, scoffing in irritation.
Carlisle emitted a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't think they care in the least bit, Emmett. They believe they have the right to use the ER for anything."
"I wouldn't be surprised if those people don't think rules apply to them," Jasper pointed out.
"You said it, Jasper," Alice agreed.
Jasper put his arm around his wife, giving her a small hug. Bella gazed up at the ceiling and choked back a sob.
"I never thought I'd end up in this situation," Bella commented sadly. "I won't be surprised if I end up being the talk of the town once they find out what Mike did. I'm not looking forward to that at all."
"They won't know you are his victim because names are kept anonymous. It is to prevent harassment," Carlisle pointed out.
"There is a good chance the townspeople will figure it out. It is well known Mike had always had a thing for Bella," Esme said, crossing her arms.
"That is true," Carlisle said while shaking his head in disbelief.
"We'll worry about all that later," Jacob said as Bella looked at him. "I can tell you this. We'll always be on your side, no matter what happens."
"We'll never abandon you. You can always count on us," Seth added.
"Thank you," Bella responded. She looked at Edward, who spoke inaudible words to her. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Jacob, and Seth listened closely.
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Embry spoke with his mother, Tiffany, on the phone near the waiting room. Quil and Leah stood near him a short distance away. They had their backs leaning against the wall and their hands folded in front of them. They watched two doctors walk past them and go around the corner. They turned to Embry as he hung up the phone. He walked to them, slipping his hands inside his pockets.
"Mom sends her condolences to Bella," Embry said, exhaling slowly.
"That's good. We're so lucky to have supportive moms like ours," Quil said.
"My mom may have expressed sympathy for Bella's situation, but that doesn't mean she's going to let up on her criticism of my tomboyish ways," Leah grumbled in frustration.
Quil expressed sympathy for her. "Who cares what she thinks, Leah? You're fine just the way you are."
Embry crossed his arms. "Not to mention you're as gorgeous as hell. Sam was lucky to have you. He didn't care that you were a tomboy in the least bit. He thought you were gorgeous too."
"Yes, but he has Emily now. Mom wants me to be feminine like her and always compares me to her," Leah muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "Emily and Daddy have told her to stop it, but she refuses to listen."
Leah ran her hands through hair and grabbed fistfuls of it. She released her hold on it and put her arms at her sides. She balled her hands into fists and let out a soft sniffle as a tear formed in her eye and slid down her cheek. Embry and Quil stepped closer to her.
"At least Emily and your dad have stuck up for you. That counts as something," Quil said.
"She's not the only one on your side. We are too," Embry said and reached out to touch her arm.
"So are Jacob, Seth, and Bella. You have lots of people behind you," Quil added.
Leah didn't want to, but she managed to crack a smile. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate that."
"No problem," Quil responded gently.
"Speaking of Bella, I'm sure she's wondering where we are," she said, holding up a finger.
Embry nodded in agreement. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
The trio was about to head for the elevators when approaching footfalls got their attention. They looked to their left to see Charlie, Billy, and Harry coming their way. They approached them. Leah went to her father to hug him.
"It's good to see you, Daddy," Leah whispered.
"It's good to see you too, Lee," Harry replied and pulled back to look at his daughter. He sighed in a sad way. "I wish we didn't have to reunite like this."
"Where's Bella? Is she okay?" Charlie asked, his voice showing much worry.
"She's okay, though she has bruises and injuries. She's been admitted to the hospital due to concussion concerns," Embry explained and placed his hands on his sides.
Quil pointed his thumb in the direction of the elevators. "We'll take you to her room."
Leah, Quil, Embry, Charlie, Billy, and Harry headed to the elevators. They stopped at the first of two. Quil pressed the up button. He and the others looked up to see the four light up. Charlie clenched his teeth while balling his hands into fists. He looked about ready to punch someone.
"I never thought I'd ever find myself in this situation," Charlie grumbled angrily. He clenched his teeth tightly. "I trusted Mike to be Bella's friend, and he repaid me by raping her!"
"No father thinks his daughter will ever be raped. In some cases, he believes she is immune to it," Harry commented.
"I should've been there. If I had, then this wouldn't have happened," Charlie whispered guiltily.
Harry gave him a comforting look. "It's not your fault, Charlie. There's nothing you could've done to prevent this. It was out of our hands."
"We can only do so much to protect our children," Billy said.
"I hate that bastard for what he did to my daughter," Charlie growled as the three lit up. "I want to slam him against a wall repeatedly until he's out cold." He punched the wall in frustration, which made everyone tense up. He breathed deeply to calm down. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get that out."
"It's all right, Charlie. Nobody blames you for being so angry," Billy said with much sympathy.
"Now's not the time to worry about that. We need to focus on seeing Bella," Harry said calmly.
Charlie nodded. "Of course."
The men turned their attention to the elevator. The two lit up, followed by the one. The elevator doors opened up with a loud ding. Leah walked in and pressed the door open button to allow Quil, Embry, Charlie, Billy, and Harry to enter. She let go of it and pressed three as the doors closed. The elevator started to go to the third floor.
"The elevator is one place you do not want to get trap in at all," Billy commented with a groan.
"You got that right. You'd be bored out of your mind while wondering when you'd get out," Charlie said, looking up at the ceiling.
"I've read about people thinking elevator wires would snap and send them plummeting to the first floor when an earthquake struck," Harry said.
Charlie narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Don't talk about that while we're in this elevator, Harry. You're making me feel uncomfortable."
"Me too," Billy added.
Harry held up his hands in defeat. "Okay."
Charlie looked forward and took slow yet even breaths. Leah and Embry began talking to each other.
