Tomorrow, the school year starts for the teachers in my county so I will be slammed busy Monday - Friday! Hopefully you guys haven't been spoiled with my frequent updating, because I will now only be updating on Sunday's (Of course, except for special occasions!). Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Twenty

I had nightmares throughout the entire night. I hardly slept. My last nightmare woke me up thirty minutes before my alarm did, so I just decided to get up since it was apparent I wasn't getting any sleep.

I took a long shower in Alice's guest bathroom that was inside of her guest bedroom. The room was huge. Bigger than my apartment, but then again, my apartment wasn't all that big. I wish I could've enjoyed sleeping in the large luxury bed and showering in the enormous shower, but I just couldn't enjoy anything.

Once I finished getting ready I walked out of the guestroom. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I could smell bacon. I was hoping to sneak out of here, but it was clear that wasn't happening since her apartment had an open floor concept.

I limped into the living room and spotted Esme, Alice, and Rosalie. Esme was standing in front of the large stove with a pan or a pot on each burner. Alice and Rosalie were sitting at the island counter, watching her.

Esme was the first to see me. She smiled widely at me and walked out of the kitchen.

"Good morning Bella," She greeted me as she gave me a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Nice to see you too Esme," I said, letting her hug me.

"I've made a huge breakfast. Everything you can think of. Would you like some coffee? Or juice?"

"Oh, no I need to go into work." I said, hoping to slip out of here.

"Work?" She frowned. "Bella, why don't you take the day off and just relax. I can call the spa and we can spend the entire day getting massages and facials. It'll help you feel better."

"Thanks Esme, but I need to get to work." I said.

"Then just have breakfast with us. Please." She asked.

I sighed. I mean, it was still way too early to go in. Breakfast couldn't hurt.

"Sure. I'll just have a little something.

Esme smiled widely and lead me to the open stool at the countertop. Alice patted my back as I sat in between her and Rosalie.

"Bella can I get you some coffee?" Esme asked.

"Oh no, I don't drink coffee." I said.

"And you're up this early? How do you survive?" Rosalie chuckled.

"How'd you sleep?" Alice asked.

"Oh, I slept fine." I lied. "Thanks for letting me crash here."

"No problem." She grinned. "You can stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you, but I think I'll go to my apartment tonight."

"You don't have too." Alice said. "If you'd feel more comfortable here, you're welcomed to stay."

"Thanks, but I need to see what's going on with my apartment."

Esme placed a cup of orange juice in front of me. "It's orange juice, is that alright?"

"Oh yeah that's fine," I said, giving her a small smile as I picked up the glass and took a sip.

I was shocked when the juice didn't hurt my jaw. I hated orange juice because of the tanginess, but this was actually pretty delicious.

"What brand is this?" I asked after I took a bigger sip.

"I order it from Sweden. They make it from their pesticide-free, naturally grown oranges. It's the best. And there's no added sugar or preservatives. It's all natural." Alice said.

"It's actually really good." I said, taking another sip.

She laughed. "Well thanks. Regular orange juice is disgusting. This is why I order it from Sweden. It's more expensive but it's totally worth it."

Esme chuckled now. "Alice discovered this juice when we went to Sweden for Edward's thirteenth birthday. Alice was nine, but ever since then, we've had to order it for her."

Wow, Sweden for a birthday. That's a heck of a birthday gift. I wonder where else Edward has travelled.

Esme wasn't kidding when she said she cooked everything imaginable. Bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, waffles, and muffins. It seemed as though she was feeding an army. I usually don't eat breakfast, but I couldn't skip this meal and offend Esme. She had fixed so much food.

Jasper walked in as Esme was taking my plate to wash it. I tried to grab it from her and insist that I could wash it myself, but she already had it in the sink and was standing in front of it.

Jasper walked in and kissed Alice on top of the head before walking over to Esme to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you about ready Bella?" Jasper asked me.

"Yeah," I said as I grabbed my bag.

"Have a great day Bella," Esme smiled.

"Thanks Esme," I said as I slowly limped to the door.

Jasper ran up beside me and grabbed my bag. "Let me carry this."

"Thanks."

"Does your foot still hurt?" He asked when he noticed my limp.

"I'm fine." I lied, trying my best to cover my limp.

"Bella if you don't feel like going back to your apartment tonight, you're more than welcome to come back here," Alice said. "Jasper has a key."

"Jasper has a what!" Esme said from the kitchen. Alice winced. I took it that Esme didn't know Jasper had a key and that he wasn't supposed to have a key.

"Nothing!" Alice said quickly with a quiet giggle.

"Thanks Alice, but I really need to check on my apartment."

She nodded, "Okay. Have a great day."

Jasper and I walked out to his SUV. He helped me get into the back, which I was thankful for. My foot was actually hurting a lot more than I wanted to let on.

I drifted off on the drive to the jail. Once Jasper stopped, I woke up and reached for my bag.

"Bella you should really take the day off." He said as he helped me out of the SUV.

"I'll be alright." I said as I put weight on my foot. "I'm pretty tough."

He smiled and patted my shoulder. "Yeah I know."

I gave him a small smile and walked into the jail. I was a little early, but at least I'd have some time to get settled before Edward came into the infirmary.

I hadn't talked to Edward since last night. I was unsure of how I felt about him at this moment. I mean, the attack last night was because of Edward. This was probably the only time I was afraid of seeing Edward.

I sat down in my chair as soon as I walked into the room. My foot was throbbing. I grabbed the Advil out of the drawer and downed three of them, hoping it would at least dull the pain.

I was putting the medicine back in the drawer when the door to the infirmary opened abruptly. I jumped and looked over to see Edward standing there. A PO had his back towards us as he walked to his post.

"It's not time for your medicine yet." I softly said to him after a long silent moment.

"Bella I'm so sorry." He said softly, taking another step into the room.

I looked down at my hands, biting my lip as the tears welled up in my eyes.

Last night as the doctor took the glass out of my feet, I cried a little bit. But once I went into Alice's guestroom, I stopped crying and just did my best to block it out. It had worked, until now.

I don't know what possessed me, but I got to my feet. I stood there, for a moment, unsure of what I was doing.

Edward slowly crossed the distance between us to stand in front of me. I continued looking down.

"I swear this will never happen again Bella. I'm just so sorry this happened in the first place."

I let out a sobbed and collided into him. He let out a soft breath of surprise from his lungs before wrapping his arms around me. He held me tightly, one arm around my back to keep me close and his large hand covering the back of my head, stroking it gently.

"This should've never happened to you." He said. "I'm just so sorry it did. I'm going to make this up to you. I swear I will."

"You should've just left me alone." I sobbed.

"I know." He said as his other hand started to rub my back. "I should have. I'm so sorry I didn't."

"I hate you for this."

"I don't blame you." He said. "I hate me too. I'm so sorry."

I sobbed, my head still against his chest. I wasn't sure how long I allowed him to hold me, but when the timer on my watch beeped, I pushed him away.

"I need to get the med drop ready." I said.

"Bella, you should take a break." He said, his hand still on my back. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

"You don't need to act tough."

"Just leave me alone."

He sighed softly. "I know you want me to leave you alone, but I need to help you, so this doesn't happen again," He said, pulling me to him again. I allowed him to hold me again, only because the comfort felt really good. "I'm sending Jasper out today to find you an apartment with security."

"Edward I can't afford—."

"Shh, don't worry about the money." He said softly. "I'm going to pay for it for you. The down payment, the rent, and anything else you'll need. You need to be in a place that has great security."

"Y-you think he'll… t-try to hurt me again?" I asked as I began to quiver.

"I don't know." He sighed as he held me tighter. "I wish I could say he wouldn't, but James is a fucking psychopath."

I shuddered and pressed myself harder against him. "I've never been so… so afraid before."

He nodded and laid his cheek on top of my head. His hand starting to rub my back in slow, soothing circles. I sucked in several breaths to calm myself.

"It's going to be okay." He whispered to me. "I'm going to make everything better. Don't worry about anything."

"It's time for you to eat breakfast." I said as I finally pushed away from him. "You need to take your medication."

He pulled me to him again and kissed my forehead. I would've jerked away from him, but honestly, his kiss was so comforting. It also made my heart flutter.

By noon, I had cut my shift short. My foot was killing me, and I just couldn't do it anymore. I felt badly that they were going to have a call in a sub to come from the hospital, but I couldn't do it anymore.

As I was packing my things up Edward came back into the infirmary. My brows furrowed in confusion. This was nowhere near the time he had to take his medication again.

"I heard you were leaving early," Edward said.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded. "My foot is killing me."

He nodded. "Okay, good. You should be resting today."

"Why'd you come here?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Jasper and Emmett found you a new apartment. It has really good security. You have to have a security pass to get it. There's a doorman who's constantly checking I.D.'s."

I sighed. "Edward you didn't have to—,"

"No, I did," He said firmly. "I did have to do this. I had to take care of this because none of this was any of your fault."

I closed my eyes for a moment. As my eyes were closed, I felt him place his large hands gently on my cheeks to hold my face. I opened my eyes to stare into his deep green ones.

"I swear to god that you will be safe from now on. I'm not going to let anything happen to you ever again." His minty breath swirled around my face. It smelled wonderfully inviting.

"You don't have to do anything for me." I whispered as I leaned closer to him.

"Yeah I do," He said, leaning forward as well.

Our faces were so close together that there was nothing more to do besides press my lips against his. I wasn't sure where this sudden urge to kiss Edward came from, because I was pretty sure I hated him right now for being the cause of this whole mess, but at the same time, there was something bubbling up to the surface now. Something I had been repressing for several weeks now. And all I wanted was a comforting kiss.

Before our lips could make contact, Edward placed three of his fingers over my lips. I gasped softly and opened my eyes, surprised over his rejection.

He pressed his forehead against mine, so I was still looking into his eyes.

"Not now," He whispered softly. "Not while I'm in this place, in this jumpsuit. You deserve so much better."

I gulped and nodded, looking down. He placed his fingers under my chin to lift it.

"Trust me, I want nothing more than to kiss you." He said. "We will, when we're in a better situation."

I jumped when a voice interrupted us.

"Hey Bella," Jasper said as he walked into the infirmary. "Are you ready?"

I moved away from Edward. "What are you doing here?"

"Edward called me and said you were leaving early. I wanted to give you a ride to your new apartment. Make sure you got there safely." Jasper said as he lifted my bag. "I also wanted to carry your things for you."

I sighed. "Thanks Jasper."

Jasper slung my bag over his shoulder and held his arm out to me. I latched onto his arm, thankful for the help, but before we walked out, Jasper looked Edward up and down.

"Man, don't you look sexy," Jasper teased.

Edward gave him a look. "Don't even start."

"I bet you got a line of boyfriends who love that ass." Jasper laughed.

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You can fuck off. Stop talking like that in front of Bella."

"Oh Bella knows what's up," Jasper said as he looked at me. "What do you think? Does Edward have a lot of boyfriends in here?"

"Just the one I know about." I said.

Edward gave me a look. "You don't really believe—,"

"I know you haven't been that desperate for companionship, but I know Deanne likes you a lot. He…She's in here constantly looking for some sort of makeup advice."

Jasper was doubled over with laughter. "Edward you should give Deanne a chance. She sounds wonderful."

"She has a dick bigger than mine. No amount of time in here will ever make me desperate enough to have sex with a transvestite."

"I think you should go for it. You only live once. And you might like it." Jasper said, laughing even harder.

"Don't do it Edward," I shook my head. "Deanne is sweet and cute, but she has a few STD's that won't go away with antibiotics."

Edward sighed and shook his head, "Thanks Bella. You enjoy your day. Please get some rest."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Edward.