Bella

I stood with my back turned as James changed into an old pair of Charlie's sweats I had.

He took his shirt off and handed me his pile of clothes shyly.

"Come on, I'll show you how to work the washer again," I smiled at him encouragingly.

He followed after me like I knew he would. He watched as I turned on the washing machine and started the load.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled out a dish towel, wetting it with warm water.

"Let's get you cleaned up," I said handing him the rag so he could see I would not hurt him.

He nervously took it and washed his face and neck. He ran it down his arms, turning the rag brown.

I turned on the kitchen sink. "Rinse it out and wash some more."

He looked at the water nervously so I turned it off and backed away from the sink. "Can you rinse it out, Jamie?"

He looked up at me worried.

"It's alright. That's good enough for now. Can I cut your hair for you?"

He grabbed his hair feeling it. It was dirty and tangled, filled with small twigs and debris.

He nodded his head okay and I had him sit down on the kitchen chair. I could tell he was nervous.

"I promise not to hurt you," I tried to reassure him.

He nodded his head okay.

I snipped at his hair, letting it fall to the floor silently. I noticed when I got to the back of his neck that it was thick with goop.

"Did you get something in your hair, Jamie?" I asked worried.

"The guy where they took me was mean. He hurt me," he said whimpering.

"I need to see where you're hurt." I cut the hair short as I could.

His hair was full of blood. My heart ached.

How could they not see that he needed help?

I grabbed a clean rag and wet it and gently wiped his wound. "Oh, Jamie, I'm so sorry you're hurt."

As I cleaned the sore it started bleeding again. I quickly finished cleaning it and held a fresh dry rag to his head. "Hold this here, honey, okay? Let me get some ointment to keep it from getting infected."

I quickly grabbed stuff from the medicine cabinet. He was standing in the doorway when I came out of the bathroom with my arms full of supplies.

"Sit down, honey." I moved him to the bed, sitting him down. I gently checked his wound, making sure it had stopped bleeding. I put some ointment on it and then wrapped his head with a bandage.

When I was done, I kissed the top of his head. "There, all better now," I said smiling.

I could see the tears in his eyes. He had been through so much. I climbed to the top of the bed and waved him up to me. "Come here, Jamie."

I held him until he fell asleep.

I looked down at his form curled up in a small ball. He was a six foot tall muscular man but you would think he was a small child the way he hid against me.

In his mind he was a small child hiding in my side and it was easy for me to see that as I watched him sleep.

I remembered listening to my mother as she spoke to Phil about Jamie. I had begged her to check on him and she finally did.

When she returned, I was shocked that he was not with her. I was only nine and Jamie was eight.

I listened to her explain to Phil about how Jamie's dad had beaten him, causing serious brain damage so he would never mature mentally beyond the age of six or seven.

She went on to explain about a mental illness that I didn't understand at the time. Jamie had been taken from his parents and unfortunately for him, placed in a home no better than the one he came from.

My mother, to my dismay, believed Jamie's foster parents over me.

After that, I never truly trusted or confided in my mom again. I had a hard time with trusting anyone ever again.

I also did everything I could to help Jamie. I would sneak out my window at night and call to him. I would tend to his wounds as best I could and would hold him while he cried.

He came to know me as the only person he could trust that would help him.

They continued to hurt him, even though I did my best, tried my hardest, but I still wasn't enough.

I would never be enough.

I always felt like I had failed him. I was a failure.

That was my last thought before I drifted off to sleep.

The next few days were difficult but Jamie was finally starting to relax. He took his pill without a fight and let me care for the wound on his head.

I ended up completely shaving his head so I could care for his wound better.

I also made progress. I hadn't taken the gun from him but he would put it in the nightstand drawer next to the bed.

He knew he was safe with me and I knew he was planning his escape out the bedroom window if anyone ever came for him.

I hoped that would not be the case.

I hoped that I could convince him to stay in a mental hospital so I could get back to my family.

I knew he needed more help than I could give him. I just had to convince him to get the help he needed.

Jamie was napping with one of my shirts as I did dishes downstairs. I knew water made him nervous.

I didn't know exactly what had happened to him but I knew more than once he was left shivering in his room soaking wet as a child.

I tried to get all water related chores done as he slept.

I heard the front door open and I quickly ran to head off whoever it was.

I was shocked to see Elizabeth standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper yelled at her hoping she hadn't awakened James.

"Mommy, why aren't you coming home?" she asked in a normal voice.

"Get out of here now," I said pushing her to the door. "Get back to your father and tell him to stay away."

"Bella?"

I stood frozen as James approached from behind.

"Beth just misses her mommy; you don't have to make her go. I don't mind if she stays."

Elizabeth looked at the bandaged man and I wondered if she would recognize him without the uniform.

"Thank you, Jamie; are you sure it's okay?" I asked trying not to panic, trying to devise a plan to get Elizabeth out of here.

I was going to kill Edward if I made it out of here alive.

"Sure, she's one of my girls now. I'd be happy to have her around. Maybe she would like to play with me. Would you like a game of checkers?" he asked enthusiastically.

I nodded and told him to sit down while I helped Elizabeth as he called her to get the checker board.

"Let him win and don't get upset. Whatever he does or says, even if it's scary, you need to stay calm. Next time he takes a nap, you must go back to your dad's. Do you understand?" I said firmly.

She looked up at me worried. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

"I'm fine. I'm just trying to help a friend but you need to stay with your daddy while I do it. When I'm done, I'll be home."

"You promise?" she pleaded.

I kissed her head. "I promise."