Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter twenty-two of 'Into the Shadows.' This chapter introduces Jessica and Angela's parents. I decided to bring them in because I felt it would be good to show them going to see Bella after learning what happened to her along with their daughters. I see Jessica and Angela as the kind of people who would stand by someone who was the victim of a horrific crime. A reviewer said she was getting anxious to see how Bella deals with her rape. It will come eventually. I do not like to rush into things. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-three.

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Chapter 22: The Newtons, Stanleys, and Webers Come

Edward, Charlie, Bernard, and Walter waited for Bella to finish using the bathroom twenty minutes later. Flushing came, followed by the sound of rolling wheels. The door opened, a slight squeak coming from the hinges. She walked out with the heart monitor. She made her way to her bed to position it in its original spot. She climbed into bed and pulled the sheet over her legs.

"I feel so much better," Bella said, sighing in relief. "It can be hard to tell when you need to use the bathroom sometimes."

"It sure can," Walter agreed. "I don't blame toddlers for wetting their pants. They're just learning to control their bladders."

"Some kids don't stop wetting the bed until they are seven or eight years old," Bernard added.

"It can be embarrassing for them because they fear being teased by siblings and punished by their parents," Charlie said, exhaling sharply.

"I find it ridiculous that parents would punish their kids over something that is out of their hands," Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"So do I, Edward, but we can't make them stop," Charlie said regrettably. "They have to do it on their own." He stared at the heart monitor for a long moment before turning back to Bella. "You did well taking that thing to the bathroom, Bells."

"It was rather easy since I could walk," Bella said. "I couldn't do that when I was in that hospital in Phoenix due to my broken leg. I had to have help."

"That hospital had some fine doctors and nurses," Charlie said.

"So does this one," Bella replied and rubbed her nose.

Approaching footfalls caught the group's attention. Everyone saw the Newtons appear in the window. Bruce opened the door and walked in, followed by Karen.

"Mr. Newton, Mrs. Newton, you're finally here!" Bella cried in relief.

"Hey, Bella," Bruce said as he and Karen came to her side.

"How was Mr. Hartson's birthday party?" Bella wondered.

"It went very well. He loved all the presents he got. A few people did get a bit drunk, though," Karen explained.

"They're staying at his house tonight. They knew they were too drunk to drive home," Bruce said.

"Good for them," Bella whispered, folding her hands. She became serious very quickly. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Thanks so much for coming. You don't know how much I appreciate your support. I feared you'd—"

"Well, you thought wrong," Karen said in a gentle manner. "Just because someone is family doesn't mean their bad behavior should be excused."

"I feel like breaking Mike's neck for what he did to you," Bruce growled in determination.

"Bruce, don't talk like that in front of Bella," Karen hissed angrily and elbowed her husband in the side.

"Why not, Karen? He deserves it!" Bruce snapped as he gave his wife a fierce look.

"Maybe he does according to you, but Bella may not think like that," Karen pointed out seriously. "Besides, the thought of vengeance makes me sick to my stomach."

Bruce held up his hands in defeat. He took slow yet even breaths to calm down. He placed his arms at his sides once the tension in his body was gone. He emitted a snort.

"If you're wondering about the Cullens and Quileutes, they went home," Charlie said and snorted loudly.

"I see," Bruce replied. "Thanks for letting us know about all this."

"Bruce, Karen, would you mind coming with Walter and me?" Bernard asked, waving his hand toward himself.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Walter added, clasping his hands together.

"Of course," Bruce answered.

Bernard headed for the door and opened it, allowing Walter, Bruce, and Karen to go through it. He went after them, closing it behind him. Edward, Bella, and Charlie listened to their departing footfalls.

"Those two detectives have their work cut out for them," Edward said, sitting next to her.

"Bernard and Walter have always been hard-working, Edward. They don't give up until a case is solved, even if it takes years," Charlie said.

"Some detectives couldn't care less about the cases they're working on. They just want the praise that comes with solving them," Bella muttered.

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "So do many other people when it comes to other tasks. They get mad when they're criticized, even if it's justified."

"They need to pull up their big people pants and deal with the criticism. It can teach them something," Charlie muttered and emitted an irritated scoff.

"Unfortunately, some people never learn," Bella said.

Charlie nodded in agreement. "Yep. I hate to cut this talk short, but I need to go the bathroom."

Edward and Bella watched Charlie go into the bathroom. They looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders. They started talking about her going home in the next day or so.

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Forty-six-year-old Ian drove his red car down the street. The car happened to be a Mercedes. It was faded in several spots. The back-left tire rim had a tiny scratch in the middle. So did the right front one. The trunk possessed a spoiler that around an inch tall. The bottom had mud along both sides. The area under the driver's door contained two scratches.

Ian tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He was tall and possessed a muscular frame. His dark brown hair was short with curls here and there. His eyes were light blue. His face had very few wrinkles. He followed Angela's father, forty-three-year-old Robert's dark blue van closely. The van was Ford. It looked somewhat faded in many places. Scratches could be found under the handles of all the doors. The bumper contained a tiny dent in it. A small crack was visible in the middle of the back window.

Forty-five-year-old Melissa tapped her fingers on her leg. She was tall for a woman and had a lean frame, though it had some muscle to it. Her dark red hair was short and curly at the ends. Her eyes were light green, and the right one had a scar below it. Her left cheek had a mole on it. Her face had wrinkles here and there.

Jessica looked out her window with her hands curled into tight fists. She seemed about ready to punch it out. She was so angry at what Mike did to Bella, as were her parents. They had been aware of his thing for Bella and his jealousy toward her and Edward's relationship, but they had never imagined he'd hurt her. She found this situation particularly hard due to having been in a relationship with Mike. She was happy when they reunited and went to the prom together. She knew she was done with him the second he decided to hurt Bella. She didn't tolerate a man hurting a woman in any way, shape, or form. This was especially true if she was friends with her.

Ian moved his hands to the bottom of the wheel. He increased his grip on it. Suddenly, he ran over a pothole, causing him, his wife, and his daughter to go down in their seats somewhat. All three of them grunted in much annoyance. Jessica grabbed her hair with both hands after uncurling her fists. She shook her head rapidly.

"Stupid pothole!" Jessica shouted as she and her parents straightened their postures.

"Someone needs to come out here and patch it and any others on this road up," Melissa added.

"If that pothole receives a lot of rain, it could become a sinkhole," Ian said.

"Forks might get a great deal of rain, Daddy, but potholes in and around there rarely become sinkholes," Jessica commented and pulled her hair behind her neck.

"I'm surprised the area doesn't flood much. After all, this is the wettest place in the continental United States," Melissa murmured and held up a finger.

"You can thank the very absorbent soil for that," Ian commented.

"Yep," Jessica responded. "Then again, it's annoying when the rain pounds the roof of your house and keeps you awake at night."

Ian and Melissa voiced their agreement. Jessica looked out her window once more. She propped her head up with her elbow on the door. She emitted an impatient sigh.

"I wish this car could go faster. I want to see Bella at the hospital," Jessica grumbled, kicking the floor in frustration.

"So do we, honey," Ian said.

Jessica began to cry. "I feel like this whole thing is my fault."

"No, it's not, Jessica," Melissa said, looking at her.

"Yes, it is, Mom!" Jessica shouted fiercely. "If I had just seen one sign that Mike was going to harm Bella, I could've stopped him! I could've—"

"Jessica, you listen right now," Ian said sternly. "There was nothing you could've done to prevent this. It was out of your hands. Come to think of it. You could be in Bella's situation right now."

"He's right. Since Mike raped Bella, who's to say he wouldn't have targeted you next?" Melissa asked seriously.

Jessica gasped fearfully as she knew her parents were right. She recalled how many times she and Mike had engaged in sex. She knew he would've used that to excuse his actions if he had raped her. To her, that was worse than Bella's situation. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry for blaming myself. I just—" Jessica started.

"We know, darling. It's okay," Melissa said tenderly.

"Just thank God that Bella is alive," Ian added in comfort.

Jessica choked back a sob as more tears formed in her eyes. "I do, Dad."

Ian gave his daughter a thumbs-up. "That's my good little girl."

Jessica sniffled while wiping the tears away. She took slow yet even breaths, calming down a bit. Ian turned on the radio, which began to play Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing.

"I feel grateful this song will take my mind off this situation," Jessica commented in relief.

"Whitney Houston has such a powerful voice. No one can hit the high notes like she can," Melissa replied gently.

"Only Mariah Carey and Celine Dion come close," Ian added and rubbed his neck. He returned his hand to the wheel. "There should be a rule. No one can sing a song from any of these three women. It is difficult to sing them properly."

"That does not stop deluded wannabes from trying to sing their songs," Jessica grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"Their mouths should come with airbags," Ian said and made a funny noise.

"Toilet seats should come with seatbelts too," Jessica added.

Ian and Melissa looked at each other with shrugs of their shoulders. They turned their attention back to the road.

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Robert drove down the street with Ian close behind him seventeen minutes later. The radio played Sarah McLachlan's In the Arms of the Angel. He looked a lot like Angela, except he was tall and had dark brown eyes and shorter, curly hair. His frame was lean, though it did have some muscle. Bags could be seen underneath his eyes.

Forty-year-old Kayla turned up the radio a little louder. She was slightly taller than Angela was. Her frame was not as lean and had some muscle to it. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun with a few strands sticking out. It happened to be straight, except for curls at the ends. Her eyes were hazel. She had no wrinkles on her face whatsoever.

Angela looked out the window with her head propped up by her elbow. She was so angry at what Mike had done to Bella, as were her parents. They had never imagined him hurting her, though she had been aware of his thing for her and his jealousy toward her and Edward's relationship. This was hard on her as she had been longtime friends with Mike. She had always been treated well by him. She knew their friendship was over the second he decided to hurt Bella. She could never forgive a man who hurt a woman, even if they had been friends with each other.

Robert spotted Forks Hospital coming into view. He turned right into the parking lot. He pulled into the space to the left of Bruce's truck, where it was parked near the entrance. Ian did the same in the next one. Both men turned off their vehicles. Angela and Kayla sighed in much relief as they leaned their heads against their seats.

"Thank God we're finally here. This ride felt like it was taking forever!" Kayla exclaimed.

"I see what you mean. Whenever something bad happens to someone you care about, you can never get to them fast enough," Robert commented.

"At least we didn't run into any traffic on the way here," Angela pointed out.

"Now, that would've been torture to wait through," Kayla muttered with a grimace. "Oh, yes."

Kayla smacked her lips three times. She, her husband, and her daughter despised traffic jams with a passion. They always felt tempted to drive through them to get home, yet they never did because they knew it would get them in trouble with the law if they caused accidents. Having a traffic violation on their record would make it difficult for them to get jobs involving transportation.

The Webers and the Stanleys exited their vehicles. They greeted each other. They entered the hospital and went to the elevators. They stopped before the second one. Ian pressed the up button before clearing his throat. The entire group saw the four light up. Jessica sighed in frustration while grabbing her ponytail with both hands.

"Great. The elevator is on the top floor," Jessica complained and shifted uncomfortably. "I was hoping it'd be on the first or second floor."

"But it's not, Jessica. We might as well be patient," Angela said.

"How can I be patient when Bella is probably wondering where we are? I want to see her!" Jessica yelled in much impatience.

Angela groaned annoyingly. "I want to see her as much as you do, but all that complaining won't make the elevator go faster."

"You can take the stairs if you don't want to wait anymore," Kayla added.

"All right. I'll stop complaining," Jessica relented and held up her hands in defeat.

"Thank you," Kayla responded.

"Besides, it'd probably take even longer to climb the stairs than it would to ride the elevator," Jessica said.

"Most likely," Angela commented.

"Since Bella's room is on the third floor, it'd take six flights of stairs for you to get there," Robert said.

Jessica chuckled a bit nervously. "That is a lot."

Angela, Jessica, Robert, and Kayla focused their attention on the elevator. The three lit up, followed by the two and one. The doors opened with a ding. Ian went in and held the door open button, allowing Melissa, Robert, Kayla, Jessica, and Angela to enter. He released it, and the doors closed. He pressed the three. The elevator started to go up.

"If there's one good thing about this hospital's elevators, it's that it doesn't take long to reach your designated floor," Jessica said, putting her hands on her sides.

"It makes me wonder how long it takes to reach the top floor in those really tall buildings," Angela said, tapping her fingers against her chin.

"I don't think I want to know," Jessica whispered, biting her lip.

"Me neither," Angela agreed. "I also don't want to end up trapped in one. Small spaces make me feel a little uncomfortable."

Jessica nodded in agreement. She ran her fingers through her ponytail. She tightened it somewhat before folding her hands in front of her.

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Bella stared at the heart monitor in her room. She listened to its steady beeping. Charlie and Edward stood in front of the second bed. They and Bella wondered how Bernard and Walter's questioning Bruce and Karen was going. They hoped the Newtons would be able to give the detectives details that could aid them in their investigation.

For Bella, she was getting anxious about seeing the Stanleys and Webers. She was so grateful to them for sticking by her. She'd give everything in her power for them to get here faster if she could. Charlie and Edward sympathized with her. All three of them hoped both families would be able to provide details for Walter and Bernard.

The sound of the door opening the trio's attention. Walter, Bernard, Bruce, and Karen walked in. The Newtons stopped before the front of the bed. The detectives went to Bella's side. She shifted her position on the bed a little bit. She pulled the sheet up further. She ran her fingers through her hair twice before pressing her lips together.

"Hey, how did the questioning go?" Bella asked.

"You won't believe this, guys, but Bruce and Karen gave us a few details about Mike that we weren't aware of," Bernard answered.

Charlie became confused. "What do you mean?"

"It turns out that Mike sneaked out of his house on a number of occasions when he was fifteen. Bruce and Karen said he claimed he went out on walks due to sleeplessness. They believe he may have raped other girls on some of his outings," Walter explained.

Bella gasped in fear and tightened her grip on the sheet. "Oh, shit."

"I know. It shocked us too. This isn't about a man who raped a woman out of anger at being rejected anymore," Bernard responded.

"Bruce and Karen have agreed to sign a release that will allow us to search their house. Perhaps we'll be able to find something that could point us to other potential victims of Mike. We may also find clues that could shed light on the real reason he committed the rape," Walter added.

"Whatever the reason, it still won't take away the fact Mike is a sick bastard," Edward growled angrily.

Walter suppressed a yawn. "No denying that. Before I forget, Bruce and Karen mentioned the Petersons might be able to give clues about Mike's whereabouts. Walter and I will be questioning them in the morning since it's so late."

Bella sighed heavily. She wished the detectives could question the Petersons now. However, she understood they needed to be well rested in order to carry that out properly. She touched her neck with both hands and moved it with a grimace. Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to get rid of that pesky pain for you, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Sure, Dad," Bella answered gratefully. He came to her side and seated himself as she leaned forward. He started to massage her neck while humming a sweet melody. She sighed in relief as the pain went away. "That feels so good."

"Where did you learn to do massages, Charlie?" Edward wondered.

"Renee taught me this, Edward. She learned it from a friend whose mother was a massage therapist. I fell asleep when she gave me a massage once," Charlie explained.

Edward raised his eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah," Charlie said while nodding slowly. "I hope Bella doesn't fall asleep during this massage."

"I will fall asleep if you keep talking like that," Bella warned, peering at her father in the corner of her eye.

Charlie held up his hand. "Okay. I won't say that again."

Charlie put his hand back on Bella's neck and increased the pressure on it somewhat. Just then, Robert appeared in the window. He opened the door and walked in, followed by Kayla, Angela, Ian, Melissa, and Jessica. Bella let out a very relieved sigh.

"Angela, Jessica, you and your parents are finally here," she said.

"If you ask me, Bella, someone needs to move Port Angeles closer to Forks," Jessica responded and scoffed in annoyance as she and Angela went to Bella's right while their parents headed for her left.

"Either that or they can build another town in the middle of the forest," Melissa added.

"I'll help with that," Ian said and raised his hand.

"Me too," Robert agreed eagerly.

Melissa shrugged her shoulders. Jessica looked at Charlie a little more closely. She titled her head to the right.

"Mr. Swan, I'm surprised you're giving Bella a massage," Jessica commented.

"You got a problem with that, Jess?" Charlie wondered.

"Not at all," Jessica said, shaking her head. "You don't look like the type of person who'd do that."

"There's always something you don't know about your friends," Charlie said honestly. He finished massaging Bella's neck and patted it. "All better, Bells?"

"Yes, thank you," Bella replied and turned to Jessica and Angela. "So, how were your evenings?"

"The go-carts were great. I beat my parents five times going around the track," Jessica answered.

"Only because you bumped us a lot," Ian said, rolling his eyes.

"As I recall, you bumped me several times as well," Melissa said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"She's got you there, Dad," Jessica said and smirked widely.

Ian groaned to himself and held up his hands while looking away. He put them at his sides before turning back to Bella.

"Bowling was wonderful. We played three games. I won all of them," Angela said warmly.

"Angela got three strikes in a row in her first game," Robert said, chuckling lightly. "I got two in the second."

"I got one in the third," Kayla added.

"I see," Bella said, folding her hands as Charlie rose to his feet. "I'm glad you all had fun."

The Stanleys and the Webers nodded at Bella. Jessica looked at the ceiling with a sniffle. She felt tears coming to her eyes as she turned to her friend. She appeared about ready to fall into a heap on the floor.

"Bella, I'm so sorry for what Mike did to you," Jessica apologized with much guilt. "I feel like I could've done something to stop it."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Jess. I'm just glad you, Angela, and your parents are here. Thank you so much for coming," Bella replied with a small cry.

Jessica gritted her teeth and growled in anger. "I really want to punch the living daylights out of Mike."

"So do I," Angela said with a fierce hiss. "After that, I want throw him through a wall."

"As do I," Jessica added.

Angela smiled. "Let's fist bump to that."

Angela curled her hand into a fist and looked at Jessica as she brought hers up. They bumped them together. They returned their attention to Bella.

"It's a drag the Cullens and the Quileutes aren't here. I was hoping to see them," Angela whispered in regret.

"So was I," Jessica commented.

"You'll get another chance to see them," Bella assured.

Jessica glanced at Charlie. "Thanks for telling us about Bella, Mr. Swan."

Charlie nodded. "Of course."

Jessica gave Charlie a small smile. Walter and Bernard cleared their throats, causing them and the others to look their way.

"Jessica, Angela, would you and your parents come with us?" Bernard wondered.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Walter said.

"Sure," Angela answered.

Walter walked to the door and opened it. Bernard, Robert, Kayla, Ian, Melissa, Jessica, and Angela went through it. Walter followed, closing it behind him. Bella let out a long yawn before smacking her lips.

"I'm getting tired. I hope I can stay awake long enough to talk to Jessica, Angela, and their parents some more," Bella mumbled.

"Do you want one of us to get a coke for you?" Karen asked, jerking her thumb in the direction of the door.

"No, thanks," Bella said with a shake of her head. "Besides, having a coke this late may keep me from getting to sleep."

"Good point," Bruce agreed. "Moreover, you don't want to be running to the bathroom every ten minutes, do you?"

"No," Bella answered. She laid back and shifted her position a bit. She placed her hands in her lap as she talked about watching TV before going to dinner with Mike.