Chapter 21
A/N I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I didn't get the chance to thank you personally.
I'm sorry that I have taken so long to update the story. But December is always a busy time for everyone. My youngest son got married this past Saturday. We had so much to organize as his new wife is estranged from her family.
Edward
Narrated by Shelly Cope.
Once Edward found out that Charlie wasn't coming back to Forks when these people were caught, he questioned whether Charlie cared about Izzy. Or was his new family more important to him than Izzy?
Carlisle tried to explain to Edward that there wasn't anything he could do if he came to Forks. Once the FBI turned up, they took all six of them to Seattle.
Esme went to the police station the next day to ask if Izzy was in any danger.
Mark told Esme that the family that called themselves the Shorts came to live in Forks after they had been watching Izzy for a week before they snatched her. They said Izzy was dead, and they knew she wouldn't come back. They had seen that Charlie had closed his home. They were indeed the couple who had taken Izzy. They admitted to taking eight other children altogether. They never thought they would be found.
As for the other three, they admitted they were there for Izzy. Three other foundlings had been recaptured. They were with one of the other catchers. The three of them weren't prepared to say where they were. They wanted a deal with the FBI just as Sparrow had gotten. They wanted to get a new identity and be moved where they weren't known. In return, they would tell them everything they wanted to know. The FBI did nothing but laugh at them. They were just hoping that if they did indeed have these kids, the people who had them would be found. These people just had to be stopped.
Mark told Esme that if these others hadn't been found, there would be posters and TV reminders on different shows, especially now that they thought other kids were in danger.
As for Edward and school; he was accepted to both the University of Washington, and the University of Seattle. He was also offered a place at the community college. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, as he still didn't know what to do now that he had messed up his college fund. He didn't have all the funding for the colleges to which he had applied.
However, Carlisle had just been to a medical conference in Seattle and was speaking to a friend he had gone to medical school with. His friend explained to Carlisle how he was going to volunteer for a year with Doctors Without Borders and he was looking for someone to house-sit for him in Seattle. Carlisle mentioned how his son wanted to go to school in Seattle. His friend agreed to meet with Edward and see if he would fit into the job. He was a little worried about college kids having parties at his home. He usually used a company that has elderly people on their books to house-sit and look after their dog.
Rachel had been accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Diego, and Chapman University. She was pushing constantly for Edward to tell her where he had been accepted so she could accept a place at the same school.
~T&I~
Izzy
Izzy had to have extra sessions with Helen to help her cope with the fact she had pushed herself too much. With the impending hospital stay, Izzy had been having anxiety attacks. Heidi had promised to buy Izzy a pair of red doc martins with flowers on them once she could wear shoes again.
Izzy overheard a conversation between her dad and Carlisle, which made her go into a meltdown. The thought of people who had ruined her life had gone to live in her town was more than she could take. One of them was working in the school she would have been attending. She realized they had come for her. Was she ever going to be safe?
The question she kept asking herself was whether she could ever go home to see the few friends she had there. She also wanted to see Teddy. He owed her answers to why he had behaved the way he had to her. When he had no one, she wished she had never made friends with him. She was supposed to be his one. She knew it made no difference as things would never change. She would have still been taken. She just wanted to know why.
Izzy had been to the hospital with Helen and her dad to see Doctor Young, Helen's older brother. He was the doctor who had agreed to fix her feet and ankles. She wanted them fixed so she could run and walk in shoes. She had to have an MRI to see how many bones might need treatment. She was sedated, as she could never lie still in a small space without having a full-blown panic attack. Bobby didn't do too well being apart from her for the hour, either. They would have to think about what to do with Bobby during the time she would be in surgery. When Doctor Young spoke privately to Charlie and his sister Helen about the amount of damage to Izzy's body, Charlie broke down. His baby girl had been abused more than she had told anyone. There was no wonder she had nightmares.
The month flew by, and it was time for Izzy to go into the hospital to get some of her life back. She had packed so much schoolwork, drawing pads, pencils, crayons, and pastels that she had enough supplies to last her longer than the two weeks she would be there.
~T&I~
"Good morning, Marie. How are you today?" Doctor Young asked as all the doctors followed him in.
"Chief, what are you doing here?" Jasper asked.
Looking towards the bed, he stood as though he had seen a ghost.
Jasper whispered, "Izzy."
A big smile no one had seen since she had been home come across Izzy's face.
"Jazzy?" Izzy asked.
"Oh, Izzy, I can't believe it's you," Jasper said as he rushed forward, pulling her in for a hug.
He didn't notice Charlie grabbing the dog's collar until he heard barking.
~T&I~
"How Izzy? I thought you had died. Poor Teddy is so upset because he thinks you're dead. How could you do that to him, Chief?" Jasper asks as he looks at Charlie.
"Jazzy, don't you say that to my daddy? Teddy was horrible to me. I've told my daddy not to tell anyone in Forks I'm still here. I've been home with my daddy and Sue for over a year. Do you really think I could cope with him wallowing in self-pity and trying to transfer the blame to me? No, he's not a victim. He's a victim in his own mind and that of your family," Izzy yelled.
"Doctor Cullen, I'm sorry to break up this small reunion you're having with my patient, but I will not have her upset like this before surgery. Am I clear?" Doctor Young growled.
"Yes sir. I'm sorry. We will speak later, okay Izzy," Jasper said. He walked back to stand with his fellow students. But gave Charlie a look as to say this was far from over.
"I'm sorry about that, Marie. I hope this hasn't frightened you with the outburst of Doctor Cullen. Do you still want the surgery, Marie?" Doctor Young said.
"Don't even go there, Graham. Izzy has waited for over seven years to get her feet fixed. We will never fully know everything she has been through, but she deserves to get her life back. That's with or without Teddy Cullen. That is her choice. Not anyone else's. Am I clear on that, Doctor Cullen," Helen growled.
"Hi Marie, my name is Hamish Mackenzie. This is a beautiful dog you have. You must spend hours grooming him. My Grandparents had three when I was growing up. They lived in Scotland. You already know this, but these dogs were the first ever dogs that people remember using as herding dogs. Some people used to call them Shepherd dogs. In England, they were known as bobtails because their tail was docked," Hamish said with a smile.
"He doesn't bite. I call him Bobby because of his tail. I have him herd Leah and Seth sometimes," Izzy giggled.
"Are they your siblings? I used to make Mac, one of my grandmother's dog herd my cousins when I went to stay with them one summer," Hamish offered.
"Yes, they are my step-brother and sister. Well, they will be when daddy and Sue get married," Izzy gushed.
"It must take you hours to groom him, he's beautiful," Gale Brant offered.
"I look after his grooming needs. I groom him every day for at least an hour. I do his maintenance once a month. I clean his ears, clip his nails, and trim his fur with his own dog clippers. I used to help sheer the sheep when I was in the second commune. So, cutting Bobby isn't hard work," Izzy offered.
"Wow sheering a sheep? I'm impressed!" Jenny Price said with a giggle.
"That's enough Doctor Price. Well, Marie, we will see you tomorrow at eight in the morning. You're first on the list," Doctor Young offered.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Izzy replied.
"I'll come and see you both later," Jazz said as he left with the other doctors.
Once outside, Doctor Young wasn't pleased.
"Doctor Cullen, I don't know how well you know our patient, but you will refer to her as Marie. You cannot tell any of your family that she is here. If her family wanted them to know, I'm sure her father would have told them. That especially goes for this Teddy person. I would like Doctor Mackenzie and Doctor Brant to scrub in for this surgery. It would benefit you all to make sure you're in the viewing room. This is a surgery that you may never see again," Doctor Young said.
~T&I~
Izzy was up at 6:30 am having a shower and cleaning herself and her hair with hibscrub. She was going to have sedation while Bobby was still with her. It was the only way Helen could think it would keep her calm.
While Izzy was in surgery, Sue and Seth were going to be taking Bobby for his yearly check-up and jabs. It was thought of this way, so Bobby wouldn't have time to pine for Izzy as much.
Charlie and Helen would stay at the hospital in case there would be an emergency. They wanted to be nearby.
There was no doubt in Helen's mind that Izzy deserved to have her body fixed as she was fixing her mind.
~T&I~
"Ms. Marie, are you ready for us? You look beautiful in the gown. I hope you like Disney Princesses," Nurse Peters asked.
"I don't know who they are. I don't really watch TV or go to the cinema. I've just finished reading Charlotte's Web," Izzy answered as she pulled her fingers through Bobby's hair.
"I've got some lovely strawberry medicine for you to take. When you take it, you need to lie down and don't fight it if you feel sleepy. It won't be long until you wake up, the surgery will be over, and you will soon be able to walk with your shoes on. I've seen those nice Doc Martin boots. I was thinking my daughter might like some like that," Nurse Peters said.
Before they took her into surgery, she knew they would have to change her because of the dog hairs. But none of the staff minded as they had figured out who this small, sweet girl was. They all agreed the poor little thing didn't deserve what she had endured. They also knew they couldn't tell anyone she was there while she was still on the floor.
Nurse Peters came back into the room. "How's she doing?"
"She was getting upset, but she's asleep now," Helen replied.
"Could the dog leave now before we move her? I don't think it would be a good thing if he bit anyone," Nurse Peters said with a smile.
"Of course, sorry. I'll just call Sue to come up," Charlie said as he got up to call Sue to come up from the cafeteria.
Things were busy for the next thirty minutes as they prepared Izzy for surgery.
"Hi, Chief. How are things going?" Jasper asked.
"Hello, Jasper. They have taken Izzy to get ready. They must wash her because of dog hairs before they take her into surgery," Charlie chuckled.
"Chief, what I said about telling Edward that Izzy is here… He deserves to know."
"Son, I will not repeat myself. There are a lot of reasons I don't want that boy to know."
Charlie began before Jasper interrupted him.
"But you helped him and gave him a second chance to be the guy he should have always been."
"Yes, I did, and I put my pension on the line doing it. I did it so that if Izzy got away and came home to Forks, she might have an ally at school. That she would have someone to stop the bullying. That's if he didn't have anyone hanging from his arm."
"He still would. She can go to Seattle with him to the University of Washington. Surely, she knows what she wants to study," Jasper added.
"Jasper, I never thought about education when she was missing. I didn't think about her getting abused. I thought of my little girl as the sweet little girl who put everyone before herself. The little girl who missed her Teddy that first summer they were friends. Her running to Teddy, and them both hugging each other and declaring how they loved each other and were getting married. How Teddy told her he was going to be a doctor just like his dad. But it was a vision I held onto while she was away. I thought we would find her in a couple of days. I never thought it would be over ten years."
"I know that Chief, but she's still his one. He misses her. Mom said he wanted to hurt those people who had taken his Izzy, and those that came into our town to live. If she goes back now, she can graduate with all her friends."
"There are two things wrong with that statement. First, they're not her friends. If they were, she wouldn't have been snatched. Second, they rarely let eighth graders graduate high school." Charlie growled.
"What do you mean, middle school?"
"Jasper, they starved her, yelled at her, not to mention the beatings. They didn't do that after they put her on the school bus. She started having English and math lessons once she was taken to New York. When she came home, she didn't know how to turn on a computer, never mind using one. She knew nothing about history, geography, or any science unless it was about animals and farming. She hadn't heard of half the bands you all know, never mind about the words to their songs. If you want to know about bands from the hippy era like the Beatles, then she's your girl. So, the answer is Jasper, she is not going anywhere near Forks or your brother." Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose while trying to control his temper.
"Since she's been home, she has been working hard to graduate one day. If you will excuse me, I must meet Sue and I think you're supposed to be watching her surgery." Charlie said as he turned around walking away.
"Chief, how long has she been in New York with you? Was she with you when we got married? When Edward was here?" Jasper called out.
"No Jasper, she had been taken to a commune where Woodstock was held. She was just as much a prisoner there as in the other place. Only in this place she was fed and educated in a fashion. Leah and her friends were teasing Izzy about the scars around her neck and the back of her legs. She lost it and cut off her braids, saying how ugly she was. Jasper, can you imagine how she would cope with the likes of Jessica, Mike, and Siobhan? She wouldn't be able to do it," Charlie stressed.
"Doctor Cullen, as much as you say you care for Izzy, you will do her no favor by telling your brother she's here. Well, if you say anything to anyone, I will speak to my brother. She has been held captive by two different people. Both sets abused her in separate ways. I'm not allowing anyone else to do it to her again. Now go to the viewing area," Helen stated.
The day dragged on for Charlie. He was told it would be between two and four hours. But now she has been in there for just over five hours. Helen reassured him everything would be fine. They were going to use her ribs to repair one of her feet, but it was more damaged than it looked on the x-ray. They repaired a couple of ribs with plates and screws and had to go to another plan to fix the foot that had been infected at one point.
"Helen, Chief, the surgery went well. We took out the damaged piece of the tibia which must have had an infection at one time. We have fused the bones together with a manufactured joint. Her other foot was the most damaged we had to replace the cartilage. Create a proper arch for her foot. Both of her legs needed to have the Achilles tendon repaired. She'll have both her lower legs in casts for at least six weeks.
I was going to use one part of a rib as a substitute bone, but her ribs were more damaged than I originally thought. But now she has plates to help fuse the bones. I would hate to see how brittle her bones are," Doctor Young reported.
~T&I~
The next day.
"Hi Izzy," Jasper said as he looked around the door.
"Hi Jazzy. Come in. Daddy just left to take Bobby out to use the bathroom."
"I thought I would come and check on you before I go home. What are you drawing? Wow, you have gotten so good at this. You could easily sell your drawings."
"I've been told that before," Bella said with a smile.
"So, who is this in your drawing?"
"This is someone I dreamt about. He's called big bad bunny. I'm going to draft a story about him. I've already written about a Teddy bear who didn't want to go to bed. I never had bedtime stories after I was taken, but I used to make stories up when Teddy would get scared."
"I've brought you our wedding pictures. I know you haven't seen any. Ally is having a baby. You know that Em and Rosie have two children, a girl, and a boy?"
"Daddy told me they called their little girl Isabella after me. I thought that was nice of them."
"Well, this is Bella, as they call her, and Samuel after Rosie's grandfather. Everyone calls him, Sam, or Sammy."
"Wow, they are cute. Emmy has gotten bigger than he was before he went away. Does he still play football?"
"No, he had an accident in college, so he had to stop playing. They both live in Forks and work at Forks High School. He coaches the football team in the middle school."
"I'm in middle school. But I don't go to school. I work at home on the laptop. The teacher sees me at home. I'm small and no one would know how old I am, but I don't like people seeing my scars; they are rude and always ask questions."
"This is Allie in her wedding dress," Jasper said, pointing at the picture
"She looks really pretty."
"This is the family. I bet you can guess everyone?"
"This is Doctor Teddy's mommy and daddy. Is that Teddy?" Bella asked as she tried to look closely at the picture.
"This one is much clearer," Jasper said, as he gave her a close-up picture of just Teddy. Watching to see her reaction.
"What happened to his birthmark? Why does he have all those marks on his face?" Izzy panicked.
"Izzy, calm down. Take a few deep breaths. He went to get the mark removed, and the people didn't have the qualification and they burnt his skin and damaged his eyes."
"Why did Doctor Teddy's daddy let them do that to him?"
"He didn't know he had done it until he got a call from Siobhan's mom. Siobhan had persuaded him to steal some money and go to get it done."
"But why would he do that? That's just stupid," Izzy said, becoming distressed.
"Jasper, what have I told you about pushing her? Now leave," Charlie said as he walked towards Izzy, who was now crying for her former best friend's burnt face.
"Daddy, was it my fault Teddy did that? Was I being a bad friend like Mommy said I was? She said that is why I had no friends in Forks because I was a bad friend and a bad person. That's why she had to get me before I spoiled everyone's life," Izzy sobbed.
"Now honey, no one thinks that. Everyone loves you, who really knows you," Charlie said as he hugged her close.
Thanks always to Kellie (Klcivinski) for pre-reading through the chapter and pointing out where it could be improved.
Also, as always, thank you to Donna (EdwardsFirstKiss) for all her hard work editing the chapter and making my words pretty.
Any mistakes are all mine.