Thank you so much to all of you for the reviews, favorites and follows. I see and appreciate you all! Does anyone have any twilight fanfic recommendations? :)
Bella rolled out of bed, ready for another day. Her body was throbbing more than usual today, but she had to get up. She made her way to the bathroom, almost dreading catching her reflection in the mirror.
Charlie's outbursts were spiraling out of control. They were not quite every day, but they were happening multiple times a week and sometimes more than once in a day. He was getting more aggressive, leaving more marks and injuries on Bella as time went on.
She was sporting a deep purple bruise on her eye. She had taken the last week off school because there was no way that she would have been able to hide the bruise effectively. Charlie had punched her when she had tried to move away from him on the landing. Seconds after this, he pushed her down the stairs. She was certain a rib was broken but she had no way of being certain. Her breathing was more forced, and she had been in incredible pain. There was nothing that could be done, however, so she had to carry on.
She stood at the mirror for a few more minutes, before retrieving a make-up bag and trying to sort out her eye. You could see a slight darkening under her eye still, but hopefully the make-up would mask the injury. It was unlikely anyone would look too intently at her to notice it, but she had to be careful. It was her first day back to school after being off for the week, and she needed to be strong.
She was shaking all over now, the pain in her ribs intensifying every time she moved. She had already taken pain medication, but she really wanted to crawl into bed and rest. The pain came and went, and it was nowhere near as bad as it had been last week, which was hopefully a sign that it was on the mend.
It took much longer for Bella to get into her truck and make the drive to school. It wasn't raining, which appeared to be a first in the last few weeks. She had been in Forks for just over six months, and there had been a lot of rain. Bella expected it every morning at this point.
She pulled into her usual parking space, and stiffened lightly when she noticed the Cullens standing around Rosalie's red car.
Edward turned towards her when she parked up, as though he was waiting for her. This didn't surprise Bella – he had had a few conversations with her over the last few weeks and had invited her to sit with them at their lunch table. She had started to do that before she had gone off sick, which had been interesting to say the least. Jessica hadn't been very impressed with her, which Bella found quite amusing.
The Cullens were very fascinating to Bella. They were different to anyone she had ever met but she was starting to get to know them better. She was trying to be reserved and not get too close to them, but it was hard when they were so captivating.
"Bella," Edward greeted her quietly as she climbed out of her truck. "You're back?"
It seemed like a question, and Bella nodded carefully. She really wasn't feeling great, but she tried to hide any discomfort. She had been in so much pain lately that the thought of trying to eat was making her feel sick, which meant she had barely been eating, much less than usual. Dizziness came at her in waves, especially when changing position, and the added throb of her ribs really wasn't helping matters. The entire ache of her body seemed dull in comparison to that.
"Were you sick?" Rosalie asked as Alice gently pulled her into a hug. She was grateful that she was gentle, because Bella really didn't know how she would react if her ribs were touched.
"I had a stomach bug." Bella responded, feeding them the same excuse she had given to Mrs. Cope at reception. "I'm still feeling a little weak, but I'm getting there."
Edward studied her with careful eyes, but didn't comment. She avoided meeting his gaze because she hated having to lie to him.
"Should we get going to class, Bella?" Alice asked her, pulling her by the hand before she could muster a reply. She waved weakly at the rest of the Cullens as Alice pulled her through the front doors of the school.
By the time lunchtime approached, Bella was exhausted. She had taken more pain medication, but she was really in so much pain. Moving made her body throb in protest and her head was spinning. She was grateful when she collapsed into a chair at the lunch table.
Rosalie slid a plate of fries towards her off her own tray and Bella looked at her curiously. "You obviously forgot to get your own lunch." Rosalie looked at the empty table in front of Bella.
Bella blushed, and took a fry from the plate. The last thing she wanted to do was eat, but she had no choice. She was going to pass out if she didn't get something into her system. "Thank you. I just haven't fully recovered yet. I'm feeling quite tired."
Bella could see the frown forming on Edward's face at that answer. "Do you need to go home? Do you need to be seen by a doctor?"
"I'm fine." Bella reassured him, tucking her hair behind her ear before realizing it was helping to shield her eye, so she pulled it back out. She really hoped the make-up was doing its job today.
Emmett and Jasper weren't paying much attention to her; they seemed to be in a debate about history. Alice was sitting next to her, swirling her spoon around her soup and looking like she was extremely deep in thought.
It was Edward and Rosalie that kept staring at her, and Bella really struggled to meet their gaze. Rosalie looked almost concerned and Bella could never read the expressions on Edward's face correctly.
"I'm honestly okay." Bella told them both, trying to change the conversation to something else. She started asking them about their interests; learning that Alice was obsessed with shopping, Rosalie loved cars and Edward was really into music. Jasper told her that he was doing a research paper on the civil war, and Emmett was trying to engage with her about a recent video game but she really had no idea what he was on about.
It was nice not having to focus on herself, and learning about each of them took her mind off the pain for the time being.
It wasn't helpful that Edward kept bringing the conversation back to her, however. "Bella, you look a little pale. Do you want me to call my dad, just for some advice?"
Bella sighed, growing frustrated with Edward's worry. "I'm seeing him tomorrow after school anyway," She grumbled. "I have an appointment at the hospital."
Edward seemed satisfied by this and went back to the food on his plate. It was Rosalie that was focused in on Bella now.
"Do you need someone to go with you?" She asked, and Bella looked at her for a few seconds.
She desperately wanted someone to go with her. She didn't know how she could hide her current physical state from a doctor, and she was always so terribly anxious without having to worry about all that on top. She had debated cancelling the appointment with Carlisle, but she thought that may cause him to grow suspicious.
Perhaps having Rosalie there would mean an extra person backing her corner if she felt uncomfortable during any part of the appointment. "If you'd like to come, that would be...good." Bella found herself saying.
"I'll drive you." Rosalie said nodding. "I'll pick you up for school in the morning, and then we can head off from school when we're finished. You've got my number."
Bella did indeed have all the Cullens phone numbers. She hadn't used them much yet though, apart from a few conversations back and forth with Alice who kept inviting her to their house. She had declined so far.
"Thank you." Bella didn't know what else to say. She zoned out through the rest of lunch, and barely made it through her afternoon classes. She took more pills for her pain, but they weren't helping with her tiredness.
She put all her focus into the last few hours of school, and managed to make the drive home without issue.
She prepared Charlie's dinner and left it ready on the table. It wouldn't be long until he got in from work, but she was hoping to avoid him tonight.
She climbed the stairs and crawled into her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.