Bella continued shaking as she stared at me, but she didn’t seem to recognize me. Did she remember me? It had been five years…but surely should would remember me? I needed to get us out of here.
“I’m going to undo the ropes alright?” I swallowed, staring at her as if I had seen a ghost, which, really I have. My hands fumbled with the knots, but got them apart easily enough, kneeling on the ground to take apart the spreader bar next.
I had personally not believed her to be dead, just from the feeling in my gut whenever I thought about it, but when everyone else believed and told me she was dead...what was I supposed to think? Yet here she is, right in front of me. I wondered briefly if she would have been better off dead than to have gone through...this...but no. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I have to get us out, now.
Bella looked at me with wide, scared eyes, but no recognition as I shed my jacket and long sleeved shirt to leave only my T-shirt. Carefully I bunched up the long sleeve and popped it over her head, moving her arms as gently as I could through the sleeves and pulling it down the rest of her body. The shirt was huge on her, which for me and her was good, going down to about mid thigh. She let me cover her up with the jacket too, frowning slightly and blinking away the tears. Her shaking lessened slightly, but never completely went away.
“I’m going to get you out of here alright? You’re safe now.” Of course, my actions when dealing with Aro and Felix would contradict my words, but it was the only thing that would get them to believe us. Very lightly I touched her fingertips, tracing my way to her wrist and lightly grasping it. My right hand went all the way around the tiny thing, making it easier to look as though I were being rough with her. My left hand snaked along her back to hold her waist and pull her along to the closed door. I hoped it wasn’t locked, but I didn’t know.
“I’m sorry about this,” I whispered before releasing her waist and dragging her out of the room which, to my relief was unlocked. Dad and Aro were at the desk talking in a voice I couldn’t hear, but as we got closer, Aro got a wicked gleam in his eye, making Bella flinch backward. My left arm snaked around her waist again, pulling her toward me.
“Well, it seems as though you have everything you need.” Aro concluded, “Is there a particular reason she has clothes?”
I gritted my teeth, “I can’t very well take her out in public when it’s almost morning time without something on and not attract attention now can I?” Aro pursed his lips, nodding thoughtfully before shaking hands with Carlisle and wishing us happy traveling. I rolled my eyes when we were walking towards the exit, cursing him in my head. It was about four in the morning in Seattle and I was hoping that Dad was able to find us some help for the car or at least directions to a motel. I cursed under my breath as we stepped out into the street again; it was still pouring rain.
“Aro pointed us out a motel we can stay in for the evening, but because we had to change our story I didn’t get directions for a mechanic shop. We will have to get those from the receptionist there.” Dad told me, steering us in the direction of the motel. I quickly got chilled from the sharp rain in only my T-shirt, but would happily take it if that meant keeping Bella as safe as I could make her at the moment.
“How far is it?” I asked him, taking big steps to keep up with his quick pace. Bella whimpered as I tugged her along, making me realize that she had no shoes, nor did she have the leg span to keep up without running, that and she had extensive injuries. I internally groaned, deemed myself a terrible person and lifted her in my arms, startling her.
“I’m sorry, I should have noticed earlier.” I told her, holding her tightly to my chest as she curled in on herself and into me. I glanced over at my dad to see him wide eyed, confused and dazed.
“Dad, where is the motel?” I asked again, breaking him out of his stupor.
“Just a couple blocks down. Not too far.” he told me, “Once we get checked in I will run back to the car and get our suitcases and my black bag so that we have the things we need.” I nodded, quickening my pace so that we could get there faster. It wasn’t too much farther that we came to a small quaint motel that would work perfectly for the evening.
Carlisle got us checked in so that Bella and I didn’t have to go to the desk and try to describe to the older woman why Bella had little clothing on. I set Bella down next to me as we entered the lobby going to stand next to the rack of tourist attraction pamphlets. I wrapped my arm around her waist again, taking her hand in my other and rubbing my thumb across her scraped knuckles. Dad came over to where we stood and handed me a key card, telling me the room number and that he would be back soon. I nodded, thanking him and gently guided Bella to the room which was one of the middle ones, not like it truly mattered.
The receptionist didn’t look up as we passed her, but recorded something into her books. the halls were well lit and the carpets and walls looked clean and fresh. I just hoped the rooms would be efficient and clean, of course, everything would be cleaner than that place. I hesitated to use Bella’s name, afraid that if she truly didn’t remember me that she would wonder why I was calling her that. It was worth a shot I suppose…
I opened the door to the room and blew out a breath, relieved that the room seemed well made up and homey. There were two beds separated by a nightstand and a window on the far beige wall. A small bathroom door was open and even the things in there seemed clean enough. I was worried that this part of town would be run down even in the area of business, as we just witnessed.
“Bella?” her head snapped up at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Her breathing picked up and I thought I saw a flicker of something in her eyes, but it disappeared quickly as I continued to search them, “You can use the bathroom if you’d like.” I let go of her completely, stepping back to close the door to the room and put the room key and my wallet onto the nightstand.
She watched me with rapt attention, waiting for me to make my move. I was going to sit on one of the beds, but thought better of it because of my wet clothes. We both needed to get out of those, especially her, since she was so frail to begin with. She would get sick so easily.
“Bella, it’s alright, you can use the bathroom. I won’t hurt you.” I told her in the softest tone I could. She bit her lip, a habit she’d always had when she was nervous or embarrassed.
“What is it?” I asked when she didn’t move from the middle of the room where I had left her, “You’re scared?” Her eyes cast down, her hands coming to wrap around her torso, squeezing slightly, making her then jump and whimper; her cut.
“Bella you need to get warmed up,” I whispered, stepping closer to her. She didn’t move or flinch when I traced her cheek with my fingers so I saw that as a good sign. Taking a deep breath I took her hand and led her to the bathroom and closed the door, sitting her down on the toilet and starting the hot water for a bath. She stared up at me with her big chocolate eyes, pleading for something that I wasn’t sure of. Sighing I stepped forward so I was almost touching her knobby knees and took off the soaked jacket from her small form. She shivered instantly but didn’t fight me. I almost wished she would.
“Do you want to get in the bath? Warm up and clean up?” I asked, still getting nothing, “You know this would be a lot easier if you would answer me back. I’m not going to hurt you, I won’t touch you Bella. No punishments here. No pain here.” I told her, leaning down so that I was eye level with her. The words were hard, but my tone was soft and serious. Her brow crinkled slightly, but she said nothing, sliding herself out of the long sleeved shirt and letting it drop to the ground where the jacket lay. I didn’t stray from her eyes as she stood slowly, wobbling slightly and walking towards me.
Unsure of what she was doing, I didn’t stop her, simply watching the emotionless mask take over her face. Her hands went to the hem of the T-shirt I wore and started to pull it up. With wide eyes I backed up, bumping into the wall and shaking my head.
“No, no, no...Bella, no, this is not what this means.” My voice cracked, breaking at the end. She really was broken, she didn’t understand. They broke her. They ruined her. They twisted her mind to get what they wanted. I brought my forefinger and thumb to the bridge of my nose and pinched, shaking my head as I thought of a way to explain to her, but in that time she took a step back away from me and started shaking, wide eyes blinking so fast and tears blurring her eyes.
“Bella, you’re not in trouble love, I’m not mad at you.” I told her softly as I reached out to touch her cheek, brushing away the tears.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and hopefully by then Dad will be back with our things.” I slid my hand down her cheek and arm to her hand, gently tugging it forward so that she would step into the tub of warm water. I wasn’t sure if I should stay and help or leave and let her do it herself...if she even knew what to do. I grabbed the little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and the small bar of soap and lay them on the edge of the tub with a couple washcloths waiting for her to make the next move.
Bella pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them once she was sitting, but made no move to do anything else.
“You can use these to clean yourself. Do you want me to step out?” Again she didn’t answer, so I stood from where I was squatting and walked slowly towards the door. The water splashed as if she had moved around and her little whimper stopped me. I turned to see her kneeling in the tub, facing me, her arms folded across her torso and her eyes pleading and sad.
“You want me to stay?” I asked, taking a step back and cocking my head to the side in confusion.
“Pl..please,” she stuttered, her word breaking at several points as if she hadn’t spoken in years. I sucked in a breath at her word, nodding quickly and setting myself down to sit on the floor next to the tub. I knew for sure in this moment that this is my Bella. There was no doubt in my mind, except for the curious thought of if she remembered me.
“I’ll stay, I won’t hurt you, I’ll stay.” She softly sat back in the bath water and looked down at the bottles with her furrowed brow. Without thinking I lifted my hand and smoothed out her skin, making her look up at me in wonder. I didn’t say anything, but grabbed the washcloth and scrubbed the soap with it, lathering it up. The next part was tricky.
“Can I have your hand?” I asked quietly. She complied, hesitantly giving me her hand palm side up. I smiled a little, she understood. I put the soapy cloth in her palm and pulled away, unhappy at the no contact, but glad things were progressing. Bella blinked but took the cloth and played with it between her hands. I watched as she sighed at the soapy substance, quickly taking advantage of the feel and so gently like she was unsure, scrubbed away the dirt and grime from her soft pale skin. I took a deep breath as I sat back against the wall, giving her some privacy to clean in peace.
When she got to her back though she whimpered, trying to stretch her arms behind her but with the bruises she had and...whatever else...I could imagine it would be painful.
“Do you want help?” I asked. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, silently handing over the washcloth.
“It will be alright love, I’ll take care of you,” I said as scooted forward, allowing me access to her torn up back. I started scrubbing as gently as I could seeing her try not to flinch. I tried my hardest to avoid the cuts and welts, but there were so many that it was almost impossible. The back of her neck was marred with bruises, likely from being grabbed and the backs of her arms were scratched up and bruised as well. I handed the soapy cloth back to her to do her bottom half, but she made pained sounds every time she ran over a bad spot. After cleansing herself as best she could, she started poking at the open skin from her cut. I wondered if Dad was back so we could get some things bandaged and cleaned.
“Should we even attempt your hair?” I asked in a wry tone. She didn’t respond, so I took the shampoo and lathered it in my hands, kneeling so that I could reach better. She sat back for me, making it easier to reach, so I took that as acceptance and started scrubbing her scalp.
“Mmmm,” she made a sound of contentment.
“I know, I like it too,” I agreed. It was very difficult working through it all, but once the conditioner had been all used up, her hair was as straight and detangled as I could get it and the bath water was dark with dirt and filth, I helped her stand up, handing her a towel to dry off with and letting the water drain. She didn’t take the towel though, not moving from her standing position, so I wrapped it around her to see what she would do. Bella did not disappoint. Once she felt the warmth and softness of the white towel, she easily dried off, careful to avoid her cuts and wrapped herself in the warmth.
My jeans were stiff and semi-dry from the rain, and my T-shirt was pretty dry itself, but I didn’t want to take them off until I had something to put on afterward.
“This might be a bit cold,” I warned her before opening the bathroom door. Dad was sitting on the floor next to one of the beds, going through his medical kit to see what he needed and what he had.
“Edward,” he greeted in subdued surprise when he saw us come from the bathroom, “I got everything I think I needed, and an extra toothbrush for her.”
“That sounds good.” I told him, stepping to get clothes for her from my suitcase. I figured she would have followed me out of the bathroom and to the bed, but when I looked at where she was not, I noticed her hovering in the bathroom door frame, chin down. I looked at her sadly, wishing she could understand.
I looked over at Carlisle, “She’s got herself pretty clean from a bath, so I’ll get her these clothes,” I lifted the stack of sweats I had, “and we can get her bandaged up? I think the cuts will need stitches...they’re pretty deep and her back is torn up in shreds.” Dad nodded sadly, but didn’t say anything, so I went back to the bathroom, clothes in hand so I could help her change.
“Bella, you can wear these, they will be nice and warm and then Carlisle, my dad, and I will get you bandaged up ok? I don’t want you to get infected because of this or anything else.” I motioned to the cuts under her breasts. She looked up at me solemnly, tired and defeated.
“You can sleep, don’t worry,” I reassured her, brushing my fingertips across her cheeks. She dropped her towel when I held out a long sleeved blue shirt and let me put it on her. A ghost of a smile drifted to her face as she inhaled the warmth, so I held out the pajama pants for her too. She surprised me by grasping my bicep and steadying herself as she stepped into the pants, pulling them up and allowing me to tighten the drawstring so they would stay up.
“Here, Carlisle got you a toothbrush and you can use this toothpaste,” I squeezed some onto the brush and held it out to her. She stared at it a moment before hesitantly taking it and sticking it in her mouth, watching me out of the corner of her eye the entire time. I smiled to encourage her and it seemed to work as she brushed more and more through her mouth. I frowned when she spit into the sink, blood coming out. Obviously they didn’t allow personal hygiene. Bella was frowning too.
“Does your mouth hurt? I’m sure it was uncomfortable to brush your teeth,” I sighed, “or any of this.” She looked at me under her lashes, confused.
“Bella, you’re so brave, so, so brave and amazing. I’m so proud of you,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes, some spilling over. I wanted to say how happy I was she was alive, but knew that would confuse her too much.
“Edw..Edward” she tried, her voice cracking. I stared into her eyes, trying to find any recognition, but still finding none. Her fingers touched my cheeks where a couple tears leaked over. I placed my hand over hers as she laid it against the side of my face, holding her warmth there and closing my eyes. A minute passed before I opened them again, releasing her hand back to her and opening the bathroom door to take care of her. She blinked at me sleepily as I took her hand and led her out of the bathroom to sit on the farthest bed.
Her eyes went wide when she saw Carlisle sitting on the ground watching her with wide, scared eyes. Oh, I don’t think I mentioned that this was actually Bella. I turned to look at my father who turned to stare bewildered at me.
“Edward?” Dad asked, looking back at Bella for the second time actually seeing her in five years.