`"Bella!" someone hissed.
At first, Izzy didn't even turn her head. No one, aside from Esme, had called her Bella in years. Bella Swan, clutzy teenager afraid of her own shadow, had long ago been replaced by the braver and more talented Izzy Swan. It was a trade most of the world, especially those who called La Push home, agreed was worthwhile.
"Bella!" Someone shouted as Izzy numbly continued down the hall.
She was about to turn the corner when she remembered where she was and who she was going to see. To them, Bella Swan was still alive and well.
"Bella!" Emmett shouted, loud enough to turn several heads at the nurse's station. "Come back!"
Hoping Edward wouldn't mind waiting a few more minutes, Izzy pivoted and followed the yelling to a room and the end of the hall. She found Emmett lying in bed with his wrist handcuffed to the bed. While she couldn't imagine the teddy bear-like man hurting her, it always paid to be careful. She stood at the end of the bed well out of his free arm's reach and took stock of what had become of the man who'd once been just weeks away from becoming her brother-in-law.
Like Edward, Emmett had lost a substantial amount of weight and his hair had been left to grow unchecked. His skin was pale as snow and spotted with scratches and bruises in various stages of healing. Thankfully, his only serious injury appeared to be a swollen, potentially broken nose. Rose, who'd spent so many months agonizing over the possibility of Emmett dying a slow, painful death, would be relieved. Or would she? As far as Izzy knew, Esme hadn't been able to reach her. Maybe she'd played the voice mails, rolled her eyes, and went back to her fiance perfectly content to never entangle herself with Cullen drama again.
Emmett, who'd been making his own observations about Izzy, was the first to speak.
"That lying bastard," he said, eyeing the bag of food in Izzy's hand. "I bet the whole plague thing was a lie too!"
Izzy didn't know what to say. I'm glad you didn't die. I'm sorry I stopped looking for you? Are you okay? There wasn't exactly a handbook for this kind of situation. Thankfully, Emmett was more than willing to take the lead.
"So, what are you waiting for?" Emmett said, smiling. "Come over here and give me a hug!"
A shiver ran down Izzy's spine. Emmett's canine teeth were sharpened to points. What if he'd been the one to give Edward those scars? What if he went after her next?
"It's okay, Bella." Emmett said, his smile faltering." Please, please don't be afraid. I know I look a little...scruffy, but I won't hurt you."
Izzy dared to take a step forward. After everything he'd been through, Emmett more than deserved for her to give him the benefit of doubt.
"That's right," Emmett said, smiling. "Come here. It's okay."
For the second time since she'd entered the room, Izzy froze. While they were much less pronounced than Edward's wounds, Emmett also had fang marks on his wrist and neck. He wasn't a perpetrator, he was a victim. How could she have ever believed anything else?
"Please, Bella," Emmett whispered. "Help me."
The slight quiver in Emmett's voice broke Izzy's heart. He may have been dirty, hairy, and in need of a shower but he was still Emmett, the older brother she never knew she needed. She was ashamed to admit she thought for even a second he'd hurt Edward or anyone else.
Izzy looked at the handcuffs securing Emmett's left wrist to the bed. Why would someone do that to him? Didn't they know Emmett would never hurt a fly?
"Don't worry about this," Emmett said, flexed his cuffed wrist. "It was just a misunderstanding. You know, like with Jasper's bugle."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Izzy's lip twitched.
"Come on, Jazz," Emmett begged, tugging at the handcuffs securing him to the arm of the couch. "Let me go! Rose is going to kill me if I don't make it home in time for dinner!"
Jasper, who'd wisely stepped outside kicking range, was unmoved by his brother's pleas. "Not until you tell me what you did with it!"
"For the hundredth time, I didn't still your stupid horn!"
"For the hundredth time, it's a BUGLE and you stole it!"
"No, I didn't!"
Jasper scuffed."Like how you didn't steal my Civil War uniform?"
"First of all, I didn't steal it, I hid it. And second, it was for your own good. Wearing that thing to school would have been social suicide!"
Edward chucked. "Told you this would be better than going to the movies."
While Bella didn't approve of Emmett stealing Jasper's things, she had to admit watching them fight was hilarious.
"So where do you think he hid it," Bella asked Edward, being careful to keep her voice low.
"Nowhere. Emmett didn't take Jasper's bugle."
"Then who did?"
Edward grinned.
"Edward!" Bella chastised. "That wasn't nice!"
"Neither was waking me up at six am on a Saturday playing "Dixie." I haven't been able to hear myself think for a month. I've done everyone in this house a favor."
Bella couldn't argue with that. While it had been interesting to hear someone play an instrument older than her great grandparents at first, the constant noise while trying to study for midterms was wearing on her patience.
Edward stood up and offered Bella his hand. "You want to head out? Maybe grab something to eat before I bring you home?"
"What about Emmett? Bella asked. "Shouldn't you come clean and make Jasper let him go? He's not wrong, Rose will kill him if he misses another date night."
Edward shrugged. "This payback for messing with my shampoo last week."
Bella could still see traces of pink dye near Edward's temples. While she sympathized with Edward, he did deserve it. Making fun of Emmett's singed eyebrows was a low blow.
"Mom and Dad will let him go when they get back from work and Jasper will find his bugle when we unpack the Christmas decorations." Edward continued. "No harm done and they'll both learn not to mess with me."
Bella shook her head. What Edward didn't consider was what would happen when Emmett and Jasper learned they'd been played. A bad hair day would be the least of Edward's concerns. When would the Cullen brothers learn the only way to win war games was not to play?
"Please, Bella," Emmett begged. "I need to find my brothers. I promise I won't hurt you."
Izzy blinked, snapping back to the present. "I know." Izzy took a deep breath and closed the remaining gap between them. "I just...I just need a minute. I'm sorry."
If he wanted to, Emmett could forward and sink his fangs into her throat but Izzy knew he wouldn't. Inspire of all he'd been through, Emmett was still Emmett and he would never hurt her.
"It's okay," Emmett said. "I bet this wasn't quite the way you expected your day to turn out." Emmett chuckled. "Imagine what Rose is going to do when she gets here. She's going to kill me for getting sucked into all this and losing my wedding ring again."
Little did Emmett know the police released his wedding ring to Rose after the investigation was completed. Izzy wondered if she still had it. Probably not. What good was a dead man's ring to a woman engaged to the founder of a multi-billion dollar tech company?
Izzy bit her lip and tugged on the handcuffs. "We should probably get you out of here and go find the others."
"The key is at the nurse's station," Emmett said. "They're on rounds right now, but you need to hurry. They'll be back any minute."
Izzy patted the top of her head. While she'd lost her wig, she still had one of the bobby pins used to keep it in place. Thirty seconds later, Emmett was free.
"How the heck did you learn to do that?" Emmett asked, rubbing his sore wrist.
"You never know, Izzy," Jake said. "This kind of stuff can come in handy."
"For what?" Izzy responded, her brow furrowed as she watched Jake fiddle with the doorknob. "Are you planning to take up a life of crime?"
. "I'll steal from the big cats and give it to the dogs." Jake laughed as the lock on Paul's bedroom door popped open. "I'll be like Robinhood, but with tattoos and better hair!"
Izzy wondered what Jake would think of her now. Would he have ever taught her lockpicking if he knew she'd one day use her skills to help a Cullen?
Izzy shrugged. "I'm a woman of many talents."
Confessions could wait until later. For now, they needed to find the others. Unsure if Emmett's scrawny legs could hold him up, Izzy grabbed a wheelchair from the corner of the room.
"I'm not an invalid," Emmett said, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm perfectly capable of walking."
Between Paul, Jacob, and Leah, Izzy practically had a Ph.D. in dealing with stubborn people. Sometimes, it was best not to argue and let people deal with the consequences of their foolish decisions.
Izzy offered Emmett her hand. "If you say so."
"I don't need any help," Emmett said, glaring at Izzy's hand as if she'd offered him some nasty, dead thing. "I can do this."
True to his word, Emmett could walk...for about three steps before stumbling over his own feet and bumping into Izzy. When Izzy was in high school, a fall like that would have taken them both down and ended in another visit to the emergency room. Five years of hauling gear and fifty-pound bags of dog food later, she was able to steady Emmett and lower him into the wheelchair with ease.
"Damn," Emmett said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You must have spent the last two years in the gym."
Izzy opened her mouth to correct him but reconsidered at the last second. There was no telling how he'd react to the truth.
Emmett's stomach growled. "Hey Bella, you mind sparing a few fries?"
Izzy didn't hesitate to hand over her leftovers. Emmett would need his strength to endure what was to come.