Bella didn't know what time or day it was when she came around again.
She remembered she was in a hospital in Seattle. She remembered she had found the Cullens and had gotten help.
She had no idea where Charlie was. She had no idea if everyone knew the extent of her injuries and what Charlie did to her.
As she opened her one eye - the other stayed shut from the swelling - she immediately saw Renée in front of her. Her mother was holding her hand, tears stained down her cheeks.
Phil stood behind her, and Bella started to panic.
She tried to sit up in the hospital bed and despite the pain searing through her arms as she moved them, she reached up to grab her face, grasping the oxygen tube and another tube. They irritated her nose and she felt like she couldn't breathe. The IV in her hand pulled as she moved but that pain was the least of her worries right now.
Renée noticed she was awake then and quickly stood up. "Bella, you're awake!" She clearly hadn't clocked Bella's distress.
"Hey, sweet girl." Rosalie's calm voice broke through Bella's panic and she noticed her approach the bed. Rosalie quickly grabbed Bella's hand before it dislodged the tubes in her nose and gave it a gentle squeeze. She cast her eyes across to the monitors that were now blaring.
Bella moved her eye back to Phil. Logically she knew Phil wouldn't hurt her, but she her mind kept bringing back the images of Charlie hurting her.
It made her panic. It made her feel sick.
Someone else moved into her vision then, and Bella saw Alice as she stood next to her mother. Alice looked at Bella carefully before moving to look at Phil. "Phil, why don't we step outside for a moment? Let Bella talk to Renée?"
Phil lingered for a second before following Alice out of the room.
"Bella?" Renée started to speak. "They said it was best for Phil to wait outside but I didn't think you'd freak out like this. You know Phil wouldn't hurt you."
Rosalie gave Bella's mother a pointed look, lingering by Bella's head.
"Anyway," Renée continued despite Bella still struggling to get a hold of her breaths. "You'll need to stay in hospital a little longer but I've spoken to Phil, and I'll be able to go back to Phoenix for a little while so you can come home with us, and then when you're feeling better you can just tour with us. We are looking to move to Florida. I wish you had phoned me, Bella. I could have helped you."
Bella had started to relax as Phil left the room, but her anxiety surged again and she tried to sit forwards. "No, no. Mom, no." Bella tried to stop Renée from rambling. Once she started, it was hard to get her to stop. "I want to stay in Forks."
Rosalie helped Bella to sit forward, keeping a firm hand against her back for support.
"You can't stay in Forks, Bella." Renée looked at Bella in confusion. "You haven't…got a home there now. Charlie is missing…you can't live alone?"
Bella swallowed deeply, hot tears falling down her face and she once again went for the tubes in her nose, managing to dislodge the oxygen tube and then pull it off her face. They were just so itchy and she was trying to think and process the conversation. They were distracting.
"Renée." Rosalie cut in quickly, picking up the tubing and sitting Bella back. "Can you give us a minute, and send my mom in?"
"Of course." Renée hurried out of the room quickly.
"Bella, you need to keep this on." Rosalie chided as she pulled the tubing back over Bella's head and tightened it at her neck. "Relax, breathe. Take it easy. It's okay."
Esme came in then, moving to Bella when she noticed the tears. She looked to the machines, then to Rosalie, before looking back at Bella.
"Bella was getting a little distressed at having to go back to Florida and move out of Forks." Rosalie told Esme, sitting back down now she was sure Bella wasn't going to grab anything.
"Bella…" Esme trailed off for a second and Bella tried to control her crying. "We will need to speak to CPS, but would you like to stay with us for the time being?"
Bella hadn't felt at home anywhere as much as she had at the Cullen house. Rosalie felt like her safe space at the moment, and Esme was more calming than Renée.
"If you're sure." Bella murmured, not wanting to impose on the Cullens when they were already a big family and likely had more important things to do than look after her.
"You'll likely be able to leave the hospital sooner, too." Rosalie smiled. "With Carlisle at home, he can make sure you're looked after."
Bella nodded, a small smile on her face. She really did want to get out of the hospital as soon as she could.
"I'll talk to your mother, Bella. Don't worry about it at all." Esme told her, reaching to squeeze her hand before getting up to leave again.
The room fell back into silence as Rosalie gave Bella time to process everything.
Carlisle came in with Alice a while later, and although Bella tensed, she didn't panic like she had with Phil. She vaguely remembered Carlisle treating her in Forks before the transfer to Seattle, and it helped that he was a professional and needed to do his job.
"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked carefully, holding his hands in front of him.
"I'm okay." She answered slowly, still trying to relax in the hospital bed. She felt so exposed lying there despite only her arms actually being on display. She never did like hospitals, and it was making her feel more anxious.
Carlisle nodded. "A doctor and a nurse will be coming in soon with a police officer. They need to take photos of the injuries and make a record of them. They will need to do a full body exam. They will also have a lot of questions about what has happened."
Bella shook her head rapidly, sitting up again. "No. I can't."
"Bella." Rosalie almost whispered her name. "Someone can be with you. It's really important for you to do this."
Bella tried to work the best scenario through her head. She wanted them to catch Charlie - Renée had said he was missing which meant he had fled Forks. She wanted him to be accountable for her injuries, and if he was caught she would be less scared of him. She knew she needed to do the exam and talk to the police, but it was terrifying. "I want you to do it." Bella said eventually as she started fiddling with the blanket.
"Me?" Carlisle didn't sound shocked. His voice remained calm, collected, but he moved close to the bed now. "Bella?"
Bella simply nodded.
"Alright." Carlisle said. "I don't work here of course, so I'll need to speak to one of your team, but I don't see the issue. Thank you for trusting me, Bella." With that, Carlisle left the room.
"Bella." Alice got her attention. Bella looked up from staring at the bed. "Would you like me to paint your nails? Make you feel a bit better whilst you're stuck here? I went shopping to get some stuff, so after the exam you can have a freshen up and put on some pajamas instead of that gown?"
Bella felt a genuine smile come across her face and nodded. Although she wasn't girly and hadn't been interested in having her nails done before, she was actually looking forward to it. It was a nice distraction given the circumstances.
Bella closed her good eye as Alice very gently painted her nails and Rosalie read out an article from a fashion magazine.
Bella had always envisioned having sisters growing up, and this how she had imagined it would be, minus the hospital situation.
"Bella, they look lovely." Alice said, which made Bella open her eye.
She looked down and admired her nails that were now painted a light blue. She had only painted her nails a handful of times, but it felt good now. She felt ashamed of her body in its current state and felt so gross and worn down. The light blue nails perked her up a bit.
"Do you want me to braid your hair?" Alice asked her, putting away the nail supplies. "You won't have to worry about it getting matted and stuff then. I'll be very gentle with the wounds."
Bella nodded gratefully. "That would be really nice, thanks, Alice."
Alice beamed and clapped her hands in excitement, moving over to the pink suitcase she had placed on the floor of Bella's room. She pulled out a hairbrush and some hair ties before coming back over to the bed.
Rosalie helped Bella sit forward from the pillow so Alice could access her hair better. She made sure the tubing was tucked out of the way and did Bella's gown up tighter at the back. "Be gentle, Alice." She warned.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Of course!"
Alice was indeed very gentle. Bella barely felt a thing, and not once did Alice touch the tubes.
When she was done, Carlisle knocked and came into the room. "Bella." He greeted softly. She noticed he'd changed into a pair of scrubs.
"Is it time?" Bella took a deep breath, trying to shake off the anxiety.