The day had passed uneventfully as Bella came in and out of consciousness. Esme had checked into the room a few times, but it had been Rosalie who had been keeping a bedside vigil.
Esme had studied her first daughter for a long time at the hospital. She had never seen Rosalie so invested in a human before. It had always been Alice, or Emmett, that had tried to find friendships throughout all the schools and colleges over the decades. Esme imagined that had been down to boredom more than anything else, but Rosalie had never been one to show an interest. She kept herself to herself and seemed to find being around humans difficult because of the emotions it brought her. Rosalie had to watch as they constantly changed, moved forward with their lives, whilst she repeated school over and over.
Of course, Rosalie hadn't always played the role of a high school student. She had completed medical school to help Carlisle out, but hadn't completed any residencies following that. That time was the only time Esme had seen Rosalie care for humans. It was a time where Rosalie had no choice but to interact with humans and look after them in their most vulnerable state. Esme had been proud of her - the control and strength she needed to power through that was something Esme was unlikely to match.
But Bella was different. Bella brought the human side out in all of them and made them feel more like a family. She was vulnerable and needed their help.
It was the next morning when Esme made her way back into Bella's small room. She observed the sea creature murals painted along the walls and smiled sadly.
Rosalie was curled in the armchair in the corner, pretending to sleep, but she got up when Esme came in.
"No change?" Esme questioned, looking over Bella carefully.
She seemed to be settled, the oxygen mask now replaced with a nasal cannula. Her eyes were shut and Esme wondered if she was sleeping or unconscious.
Rosalie shook her head. "She's stable, but her responsiveness hasn't changed much."
"Poor love." Esme murmured as she joined Rosalie on one of the chairs at Bella's bedside.
"Is there any more news?" Rosalie was staring down at Bella's hand as she carefully caressed it.
"Her mother is flying in this afternoon. It was the first flight she was able to get. A case worker from Seattle will be coming to talk to Bella but they are holding off until she has properly come round and is ready; the same with the police."
"Alright." Rosalie nodded, still not moving her eyes away from Bella.
Esme gently squeezed Rosalie's shoulder. "You're not responsible for this, Rose."
Rosalie looked to Esme now, her eyes sad. "We could've stopped it. We could have gotten to her before these new injuries…" Rosalie trailed off, seemingly too devastated by what had gone on to think any further about the situation.
"It's not your fault." Esme told her again, hoping Rosalie would believe her this time.
Bella was in a similar position to what Rosalie had been as she lay dying from the injuries Royce had inflicted, but medicine had advanced a lot since then and Bella was going to be okay.
Esme remembered Carlisle holding Rosalie's naked, battered and bleeding body to his chest after he found her in the street. She winced at the vivid memory; moving to hold the hand Rosalie didn't have on Bella. "Rose, this must be so hard." She whispered.
Rosalie's eyes flashed to Esme for a second, then to the monitors, and then back to Bella's face. "What Royce did was absolutely soul destroying, I couldn't imagine anything worse…but then to…imagine having to endure that for weeks, for months…I can't." Rosalie spoke lowly, so that Bella wouldn't hear her in case she was conscious and aware.
"I know." Esme squeezed Rosalie's hand. Esme understood on some level exactly what Bella had endured - having to live her human life with Charles and suffer the abuse he brought her. The memories of her human sufferings weren't as vivid as Rosalie's, though. She tried to keep them from her mind which meant they faded as time went on, but Rosalie constantly relived her vicious end over and over to not forget what had happened to her.
They sat in silence for a while - both absorbed in the past - until Bella started moving which set the monitors off.
"Bella, calm down." Rosalie told her as Esme moved to bring Bella's arms back down to the bed.
Bella kept wriggling for a few moments before she opened her eye. She settled a fraction when she saw Rosalie and Esme.
She stared for a few seconds in confusion and Esme knew she was trying to get her bearings.
"You're in the hospital, dear." Esme told her. "Everything is okay. Just take your time."
"The hospital?" Bella said, slowly looking around the room.
Her heart rate increased, and Esme squeezed her hand. "There's no need to panic. You're okay."
"We got you help, Bella." Rosalie told her. "You need to stay in the hospital for a little while, until you get better. We're in Seattle."
"Seattle." Bella repeated. Her heart rate began to settle quickly once she was reassured.
"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" Esme wanted her to be comfortable.
Bella started to shake her head but stopped. The motion must have made her feel sick. "No, pain okay. My mouth…dry."
Rosalie poured some water off the stand next to the bed into one of the plastic cups. She grabbed a straw and held it to Bella's mouth. "Just a little sip, Bella."
Bella sipped slowly just once before Rosalie put the cup down. "Thank you."
"Do you…remember why you're here?" Esme could see that Rosalie was hesitant to ask the question.
"Yes." Bella breathed shakily. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Rosalie asked, frowning.
"For getting you involved. I didn't know how to get help." Bella's voice was barely above a whisper, but they heard it just fine.
"You did the right thing, sweetheart." Esme reassured her.
Bella nodded, looking down at her arm that now had a pink cast on it. "What happened?"
Esme knew Bella was asking what had happened after they had gotten to the hospital and not what had happened in regards to the abuse. She had already told them she remembered what caused her to be here.
"Carlisle had to sedate you so you could have an MRI." Esme spoke gently. "You were quite distressed in the emergency room, and then you remained intubated until you were transferred here. There are quite a lot of injuries. The fracture team came down last night and put a cast on your arm. There are a few rib fractures but they will heal in time. Someone from the burns clinic is coming down today to have a look at those for you and see what treatment you may need. They're been cleaned and dressed for now."
"The police and social services will be wanting to speak to you at some point too," Rosalie started. "But there's no rush, and someone can be with you the entire time. They will want to…do a full body exam."
"Of course." Bella whispered, and then panic started to rush across her face. The heart monitor sped up and she tried to push herself up out of the bed.
Rosalie stopped her quickly, holding her to the bed. "Bella?"
"My mom-" Bella gasped out, still fighting Rosalie.
Esme wanted to help, but she was scared of hurting Bella if she touched her. "Bella, your mother is on the way, it's okay."
"No, no, no." Bella muttered, collapsing back against the bed as Rosalie held her down. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to get her hands to her face.
"Bella, you need to calm down. Take some deep breaths. Everything is okay." Rosalie was calm, but Esme could see that she was panicked as she cast her eyes over the monitors.
"No, my mom. She doesn't need to worry about this." Bella was pulling at Rosalie's hand, trying to get her to loosen her grip. Rosalie was barely putting any pressure on her, but Bella's body was weak. "Please, let me go."
"I will when you settle down. Please, Bella. This isn't good for your body." Rosalie told her.
Bella eventually gave in, her breaths coming in small little pants. Her face had paled and she was shaking. Esme gently stroked her cheek as Rosalie slowly sat back down.
"Does mom know?" Bella was looking at Esme now, as Rosalie concentrated on the monitors.
Esme shook her head. "I don't know, Bella. The police have spoken to her, and she is on her way. We will sort this out. It isn't something you need to worry about. Just rest."
As Bella started to relax, the monitors stopped blaring. Rosalie visibly relaxed also and reached out for Bella's hand again.
Esme started humming a song she had heard Edward play on the piano a few times, and Bella quietly drifted off to sleep.
Rosalie let out a sigh when Bella's breathing finally evened out. "Oh, Bella."
All Esme could do was touch Rosalie's hand in support.
There she sat, one hand on her first daughter, and the other on her newest.