Disclaimer: This chapter has references to spousal and drug abuse.

Chapter 7: A room and a set of handcuffs…

"Oh, fuck no," Emmett snapped as I explained what happened.

"Let mommy and daddy dearest help him out," Rose snarled.

"I'm still his wife, and I need to get to the hospital," I demanded, ready to get out of their car myself and call a cab. Overwhelming guilt filled me. I knew this had been coming, and I let it happen.

"Bella, you're trying to get a restraining order on this dude. How will it look in court if you fly to his side!" Rose demanded.

"Look, either drive me to the goddamn hospital, or I'm getting the fuck out and calling a cab," I snarl, slamming my hand on the center console.

"Bella!" Rose shrieked, fury coloring her cheeks.

"Bella, chill, girl," Emmett said, changing his tone slightly. "We'll take you to him."

"Emmett!" Rose yelled."

"Rose, just take her there. If she's going, then at least we're there in case something happens with that prick," he said.

"But-"

"No buts, let's go," Emmett replied, with his rarely used but highly effective stern voice.

When I arrived at the hospital, my parents, including Sue and Phil, were there with Peter and Charlotte.

I pointedly ignored them and made a beeline for the reception desk, manned by an admissions rep and my friend Melissa Barnard.

"Melissa, where's Jasper?" I asked, feeling out of breath for so many wrong reasons.

"He's in the back area in Treatment Room 3," she said, buzzing for the triage nurse, "Lacey is on today; she'll take you back."

"Thanks," I replied, fumbling for my badge. Once they allowed me back, I could use my badge to get in and out of the unit. Still, they had to clear me first for the first visit, especially if Jasper was under watch.

"Bella," I heard my voice in unison behind me. Six annoyed and two hopeful voices made up the chorus. It didn't take a genius to figure out which one was which.

My family stood together, arms crossed, and Jasper's parents looked at me like I was the great white hope. It probably had to do with the fact that I was what stood between them and their son.

"Before you start," I said, addressing my side, "I know what Jasper did was wrong, but I'm still his wife."

"Do you know how this will look when you file a restraining order?" Charlie said in his blunt way.

"Probably about as good it did when Mom went back to you the first time," I retorted, sick of his holy-then-thou attitude. After all, he made his mission in life to make us miserable when I was little.

My response had the desired effect, as my parents looked like I slapped them. But I was on a roll—a train wreck of a roll, but a roll none the less.

"Jasper is sick," I continued, "Really sick, and he's been sick for a long time. This doesn't excuse what he did, but I need to be there for him."

"Well, make sure it's not because you feel guilty for leaving him," Mom retorted, looking exhausted. "I'm going home. Call me if you need me or want to check in about your kids, Phil let's go."

"Mom," I said, realizing I probably went too far with my comments. I knew my mom's biggest regret wasn't leaving sooner.

"Like you said, he's your husband; I get it, Bella; I just don't want to be around when you realize what a huge mistake you're making, and yes, you're making a huge ass mistake," Mom said, pulling her purse on her shoulder.

"I'm with Renee," Rose replied quietly, her earlier anger seething, "Call me when you pull your head out of your ass."

Emmett smiled at me sadly and followed her out. He squeezed my forearm gently before he left.

That left Charlie, Sue, and Jasper's parents. "That's fine; we don't need them," Charlotte said conspiratorially. Charlie, you and Sue can leave, too."

And there it was: the subtle way Charlotte constantly manipulated a situation. She assessed correctly that my mom and Rose wouldn't stick around and that my loyalty would keep me here.

She wasn't wrong about my loyalty, but I was not playing her game anymore. Because I could still see the denial in her eyes. The blind love she had for her son. Love so potent that her eyes couldn't see what was before her face. Love she would use to manipulate me to get what she wanted, and that was her son at home with her. Where she legitimately believed that she had fixed him, and right now, she thought I was what was wrong with her son.

"Charlotte," I said, taking a deep breath, "that's where you're wrong. I do need them. I don't need you and Peter to give your two cents if you are not even going to address the problem."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed as she realized what I was saying. "You need me, young lady," she retorted me. "And if you try to keep me from my son – "

"What I need is for Jasper to go rehab," I snapped, "He is going to die if he keeps this up. I don't know what the tox screen is going to show, but you don't end up in an ER for overdosing if you don't have dependency. If you two can't accept that, I need you to leave!"

"Bella," Melissa said quietly, observing the scene, "you're cleared to go back to the room."

I nodded, grabbing my purse and walking to the back door.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but it's only one person at a time, and it's the next of kin," Melissa said firmly to Charlotte, who was following me like a lost puppy.

"I'm his mother!" Charlotte retorted angrily.

"The spouse is the next of kin. As your son improves, they'll allow moving visitors. Still, at the moment, he's in critical condition and can only receive one visitor at a time." She explained.

Charlotte started to say something, but Peter touched her shoulder. As a lawyer, he knew that, for now, the law was on my side.

"I'll come back once I'm done with the doctors," I told them.

They nodded, not happy. But I didn't care; their happiness was not necessary here.

I went down the pastel halls I knew so well that I could draw a map. Two lefts and rights, and there I stood in front of room 18, a room I had been in many times as a social worker. This room housed many different types of patients, the most common being people who came in after an overdose or an arrest. Jasper qualified for both today as advent by the two officers in front of the room.

I threw my badge on and walked over to them. "Are you his social worker, ma'am?" one of them, a burly guy with a name badge that said Officer Prescott.

"I'm his patient's wife," I explained, "But I work here too."

"Yes, the doctor said you were coming. We're going to let you in, but I must warn you he's a mess," he said, pulling back the curtain.

The officer wasn't kidding. There lay Jasper, his sallow body contrasting against the crisp white sheets. His normally immaculate blond hair was a mess, hanging all over the place like Moe Howard's during a Three Stooges stint. His arms were bruised, and a shiner was starting to appear on his face.

"What happened? Did he resist arrest?" I asked as none of the bruises were there when I left the house on Monday.

"No, he didn't resist, I can't speak for the bruising on his limbs, but he hit his head pretty badly when he passed out," the officer explained.

I wondered if Jasper knew where the bruising came from. Emmett and Charlie had assured me that they didn't leave any marks on him during their "visit." I wasn't sure, but I knew if they did leave a mark, it would have been on his torso, not his arms or legs. I had a feeling that this was a mystery only Jasper would be able to solve if he could.

"I see," I said after a minute of absorbing the whole situation, including his right arm being handcuffed to the bed railing. Can I wait here, or do I need to go outside?"

"As one of us are you, you can stay, ma'am," Officer Prescott replied.

I nodded and took a seat. It would be a long night.

Whatever they gave Jasper knocked out him pretty severely. He was snoring pretty hard, and I had to fight the urge to smother him. The 'he's sick speech' didn't sound as noble while he snored like a freight train.

Dr. Diane Cain came into the room shortly after I arrived and gave me the list of Jasper's ailments. I bent the rules a little, and we did it in the family conference room so Charlotte and Peter could hear Jasper's problems from someone other than me.

"Jasper is very ill. He suffered a concussion and some abrasions from his fall," she explained. "But I'm not worried about that. Jasper tested positive for opioids. The officer guarding him in the jail said he was exhibiting withdrawal symptoms."

"Well, that's the jail's fault," Charlotte huffed, "he needed his medication. He wasn't "withdrawing". He was in pain."

"Mrs. Whitlock, with all due respect, your son tested positive for a level high enough for a horse to be knocked out. He has a high tolerance that only comes from drug abuse. If you read the police report, you'll see that while the pill bottles were all in his name, there was a lot on the floor of his car.

"He also claimed to have had a dose before being arrested and demanded another almost immediately. He needs to rehab," Dr. Abel finished.

"No, you're wrong, this is just an misunderstanding, my son just needs – "Charlotte continued.

"What are you recommending, Dr. Abel," Peter interrupted, holding a hand up to his wife. I guess Peter wasn't as blind as I thought he was.

"I recommend that he start inpatient therapy right now, but it's not cheap," she replied.

The case worker, my colleague Lauren, who had been listening quietly, brought a few pamphlets.

Lauren explained, "This facility in Santa Barbara does well with addicts. "Bella is familiar with it.

I shrugged, fingering the glossy paper announcing the Mystique Lodge and its success rate. Which, if we were being honest, was around seventy percent, but that was pretty good when most addicts relapsed. It was also freaking expensive, costing around forty grand a stay.

"She's not wrong," I replied, looking at my in-laws. "the success rate if the patient is committed is high. But Jasper has to be committed."

"It's pricey," Peter replied after looking at it.

"And unnecessary," Charlotte retorted.

"It's cheaper than the battery of charges Jasper is facing Charlotte," Peter said, running a hand through his greying dark hair. "Charlotte, he's in a world of trouble; a stint in rehab would look for his court case."

"Surely, Bella, you can't be serious about pressing charges?" Charlotte demanded, "You need to help him."

"I agree he needs help, but not at the expense of Alex and Ellen," I told her firmly.

"Well, of course – "

"No, Charlotte, you need to listen to me," now it was my turn to interrupt, "Your son attacked me. He destroyed our house, and he assaulted my son. The police will charge him no matter what I say, right Peter?

"He's a mess, he's got to want to get better and if we're going to do that, we all need to be on the same page. We all need to have the message, or it won't work if you can't accept that he has a problem."

"Bella, if we can all convince Jasper to go to rehab, will you be concerned about staying with him?" Peter asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to remember some of the good times. It was a lot harder than

before.

"I can consider going to family therapy and postponing anything permanent," I told him.

"Okay, good," Peter said, his legal mind clearly turning something in his head. It put my defenses up.

"Peter, this is –"Charlotte started to say.

"Charlotte, if you don't want our son to end up in jail, you need to trust me," he told her, patting her hand.

Shit, I thought, what have I done? The two of them exchanged a knowing look with each other that gave me the creeps.

There was only one hospital in Berry; it was the reason I did not want my parents to take me here when I needed medical care. My colleagues now had a general idea of what was happening in my personal life. Everyone was being professional, but I felt naked, my very secrets projected into the world.

I sat in the hallway, away from Jasper's parents and my colleagues, holding a cup of rapidly cooling coffee with both my hands at the nurses' station. The monitor flicked at me, taunting me to check Jasper's medical records. Boy, was I tempted, but a HIPAA violation was not on my top ten list of things to do at that moment.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw my stepmom, Sue, sitting down, her badge prominently on her scrubs' lapel. Sue worked the night shift in the ICU, and a look at the clock told me her shift was about to start.

"Is it okay to talk, or do you want to be left alone, hon?" she asked.

"Go right ahead," I told her. Just don't lecture me; I can't take any more judgment for one day."

"Not going to judge you, Bella," Sue said, smiling sadly at me. "And your parents aren't judging you either."

"Rose and Phil sure are," I replied, feeling like crap about how everything went down early.

"Rose and Phil are just concerned about you. Your parents are pretty worried because they know what's ahead," Sue said, "Your dad is camped out in the waiting room."

"Great," I replied, looking up at the ceiling. I felt horribly guilty about everything from my parents to Jasper to my siblings.

"You're going to get through this, Bella," she continued. "I promise one day this will feel like a bad dream, no matter what you decide."

"Well, I hope you're right, Sue because I feel like shit right now. And to top all this crap off, everyone at work knows my personal business," I said.

"You're not the first person at work to go through this, and you won't be last."

"I know, but it doesn't take away the sting," I said, twirly my crappy coffee around.

We were both silent for a minute until Sue started to speak again. "You know about my first husband, right?"

I nodded, remembering the story of how Harry Clearwater drank himself to death. I had never asked for the details since it wasn't my business, but it made me wonder how she could have been okay hooking up with Charlie.

"So you know I've been where you are," she continued and then pointed to room 2, "And Harry died in that room other there."

"Harry ever hit you?" I asked bluntly since she brought it up.

"No, Harry never did that," she said sadly, "It might have made it easier to leave him, but I couldn't do it. I ended up loving him to death."

"Oh," I said, at a loss for words.

Sue continued, "I left Harry three times, and each time, he begged me to come back. And I went back each time, except for the fourth one."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"The night before Harry died, he came home, drunk, having lost another job," she explained. "I remember that night so vividly, Bella; it was so clear; you could see the stars and hear the ocean. The air was crisp; you could smell the grass outside. And there was Harry, stumbling in drunk; he threw up on our foyer. He had knocked down this coat stand we had in the hallway. It awoke Seth, and Leah sat with me in the living room and saw everything.

"Seth was so little at the time, and Leah, well, Leah knew something was wrong with her dad. Either way, it terrified Seth; he was screaming. Leah just went and got a dishtowel from the kitchen and started mopping up her father's vomit. I was trying to calm my son down while my six-year-old cleaned the house at nine o'clock at night. I had it, Bella. I looked at Harry, who had passed out cold on the tiles, surrounded by his puke, and I knew he would never get better.

"And I knew I couldn't subject my kids to that anymore. So I wrote a note and left it by his head. I packed up the kids, and we went to my sister's. I went to see a lawyer that afternoon to start divorce proceedings. Harry must have realized I was serious because he drank himself to death that night. Bella, I can't tell you the guilt I felt for years after that."

"Oh, Sue," I replied, horrified for her and her kids. And realized that she and I had more in common than I initially thought.

"Bella, you must do what is right for you and your kids. Whatever you do – don't let Jasper guilt you into coming home without him going to something. You don't want the guilt of loving someone to death because, trust me, it's a horrible feeling. And know that you have nothing to do with the state he's in currently. That's all him." Sue told me. "Just like Harry was all Harry. Your father helped me see that."

"Yeah, about that, why my dad, of all people?" I asked, morbid curiosity winning out.

"Why not? He's tall, dark, and handsome. And, like I said, he helped me see that I wasn't to blame for Harry's addiction. All the innuendo, like if I had pushed for help sooner or been a better wife. None of it would have mattered because Harry was very sick."

I nodded, aware of what she was saying. "Bella, if this was something else, think about what you would tell them. Don't let me, your parents, or Jasper's parents push something you don't want.

It was around midnight when Jasper regained consciousness. After talking with Sue, I decided to walk around the hospital to gather my thoughts. I thought about what I wanted to do versus what was realistic. Sue's experience resonated with me more than I cared to admit. During my three-hour walk, I thought about my kids, my parents, and my entire relationship with Jasper – not just the bad parts, my in-laws, the visit with the attorney earlier in the day, and the physician's advice. And the very real possibility that Peter was pulling strings for Jasper. The man had a million connections.

After my walk, I had a plan. I was pretty sure no one would be happy with it, but it was a solid one. More importantly, it worked for me and the kids.

As I returned to Jasper's room, I saw that the police officers were no longer stationed there, and he was no longer cuffed to the bed. In my periphery, I saw Peter and Charlotte asleep in the corner. Bree, Jasper's sister, hadn't been notified yet, and I wondered what his parents would say. I didn't have time to dwell on that thought because, like a siren, Jasper's eyes started fluttering. During our happier times, I used to say he had eyelashes that models would kill for, especially with the brilliant blue in his irises. He was a handsome man.

"B-B-Bella," he rasped, his voice scratchy from lack of use, full of confusion.

"Jasper," I replied, sinking into a chair and pushing the call button beside him. I avoided the outstretched hand he moved towards me.

His parents awoke with a start. The medical team came in and had Charlotte and Peter leave the room to examine him.

We waited awkwardly around each other in the hallway until the Dr. Cain came out.

"Bella, Jasper would like to see you now,"

AN: Hi everyone – thank you so much for the reviews. A few mentioned to me that they didn't like this version of Bella and I know people are not going like that she went back to Jasper. Just a reminder – per the National Violence Hotline – it can take a victim up to seven times to leave their abuser.

Bella is feeling guilty for leaving her husband and filing charges. She can remember a time that Jasper was indeed a wonderful partner. Memories of the good times are weapons that abusers use against their victims. Also being needed by someone can be a powerful addiction. And Jasper's addiction is warping his mind. I'm not excusing his behavior as he made the choice to choose pain pills over his family. However he started taking pain medication complications due to his surgery. Given how little we need about oxycodone and the way it was pushed as a miracle cure twenty years ago there is a good chance that if Jasper never touched Oxys he would have gone on with his life and he and Bella would have never been the wiser.

Either way Bella is not as naïve as people think she is. More to come in the next chapter and Jasper's point of view will be featured.

Thanks for reading!