LTBB 2: Chapter Twenty
[Isabelle Dawns' POV]
Dean stared at me with the same devious, cold gray eyes the way I remembered he looked at Chase and I before almost taking our lives.
"How did you know I worked here?" I did not tell anyone except Zach and Asher I applied for a job here, so I don't understand who could have told.
Well, I feel that Asher told Dean, but that didn't seen like him. Asher is a great guy who easily earned my trust on the first day I met him. Then again, he is Dean's family friend and I'm just his roommate he happened to pick up on the street.
"I have good intentions in finding things out when I'm not suppose to." The side of his lip twitches into a half smile. Fear corrupted my system.
Dean's cold hands skimmed down the side of my cheek in a slow, horrifying motion.
"You were always very pretty Isabelle." He said looking down at my brown eyes, I turn my head to the side to break the contact.
"Oh now, don't be like that. I know how Chase doesn't appreciate it when you would always fight back with him."
I scoff, "You are not Chase."
"We're the same person, just different bodies." He answered hinting, I furrowed my brows at him.
"Unless you both are long lost non-identical twins or brothers, I highly doubt it."
Dean laughed rolling his head back and then immediately turned his expression serious, "I would never want to be related or even have been acquainted with the Cole family. Especially not your pathetic little boyfriend."
And in that instant, Dean's right hand rose and forcefully slapped the side of my right cheek. It stings painfully.
"Fuck," I cussed to myself, I place my hand over the hurt area and directed my attention back into his cold gray eyes.
"Let's get this done and over with." He spoke timidly.
Opening his leather jacket, everything felt tremendously terrifying once I laid my eyes on his hand holding a gun. His finger was on the trigger as he pointed it in my direction. I shut my eyes closed in fear.
The thought of being shot by a gold bullet clouded my imagination. My blood gushing down my work uniform, my hand over the sore area as I cried out in agonising pain.
"I'm sorry, but it's going to be a life for a life." He whispered, and in that moment, the sound of murder screamed through the entire room. He fired.
I screamed like hell, but... how come I didn't feel anything?
All I was thinking in my mind was, Am I really dead? Is this what it feels like to be shot? It was so fast that I couldn't feel anything.
My eyelids fluttered open, only to appear a hazed visual of two male figures, "Isabelle, get out of here!" A voice yelled, another sound of a gun shot echoed through my ears.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" They said again, I wanted to. Believe me, I wanted to get out, but somehow, my body wasn't functioning properly.
A deep voice raised, yelling and screaming excruciatingly. My body suddenly begins to fail me and -
THUD.
Next thing I knew it, I fell to the ground. I had passed out.
***
"Wake up, Isabelle." A voice whispered in hope, "Wake up. Don't you dare leave on me." It was the same voice I heard when the murder almost happened.
"Sir, it's time to go now. Visiting hours are done." Another one said, I attempted to open my eyelids but they were weak. Very weak.
"But please Doctor Kale, just for a little longer - "
Doctor? Am I at a hospital?
The doctor cut the man off, "I'm sorry, but rules are rules."
The mystery man sighed, I heard his footsteps walking back towards me, "I'll be back tomorrow." His hand touched my forehead, pushing my hair out of my face.
Who was he? I could not make clear. But whoever he was, I'm just glad as hell that he was there when I needed someone.
***
The next morning, I was thankful I made it out alive - even though is opened my eyes with a massive headache pounding sore. My visuals were dizzy and my body was still weak.
"Ah, Ms Dawns. Correct?" A man in a white scrub asked, he stood beside the hospital bed.
"Who are you? Where am I?" I questioned not even bothering to answer his greet.
"My apologies, I'm Dr. Kale from Florida Medical Emergency Hospital. You were rushed in last night around seven. The young man who brought you in said that you scratched yourself by accident by broken glass during your first day at work - don't worry, we all have had bad experiences on our first days." He explained, "However, you managed to loose a lot of blood causing you to pass out, and now you're here."
I looked at him puzzled, "Scratched myself with broken glass?"
Dr. Kale nodded, "That's what your rescuer said... unless, he made it up."
"Oh no. That was true, I did scratch myself with broken glass. Sorry, my mind is a bit fuzzy at the moment." If I told him the truth that someone tried to shoot me, it would cause a huge fuss and drama. Besides, I don't even know who to trust anymore.
He laughed clutching his clipboard in his hand, "No worries, Ms Dawns. But I'll need to have a look at your arm later on to see if it's going to be okay."
"My arm?" What happened to my arm?
Gradually looking down beside me, I find it bandaged and wrapped around with material. Some blood showing through.
Oh my God. I've been shot by Dean. Or in this case, 'scratched by broken glass'.
The side of my arm was still bleeding from the night before, not so much but it still was.
"It would not be too much of a problem since the glass barely dug into your body, but it did cut rather deep." The doctor spoke examining my upper arm, I flicked my eyes up at him.
"How deep?"
"It went into your skin by almost 4inches. That's how the blood rapidly flowed out of your system causing your body to shut down," Kale spoke, I nodded in understanding.
At least the 'glass' didn't fully cut through me.
"Who was the man that rushed me here, Dr Kale?" I asked, he looked at me.
"I forgot his name, he said last night that he would visit back." He looked down at his clipboard and flicked over the pages, "You're lucky that he was there, Ms Dawns. If he wasn't, you'd loose awfully more blood in you than ever before since it was a terribly large cut."
"Oh believe me Doc, I sure am thankful." Especially to the person who saved me.
A few moments later when the doctor had left my hospital room, the only thought that occurred to me were: Who was the person that saved me? Furthermore, Dean. Dean is that one male who has triggered deep and fearful thoughts in my imagination that causes slight anxiety inside my brain. He was evil, potentially dangerous and beyond dominant in all things he could do.
I can't shake off the feeling that I am no longer in use for Dean's scheme - but then why did he tell me that I was?
Chase moved on, if anything, Dean should start approaching Emma.
A loud familiar voice from the corridor echoed throughout my room, "Where is she?" He yelled aggressively.
"She's resting. Please sir, take a moment and rela -"
"She has been abused last night, I need to see her."
The receptionist sighed, "Do you have any relation towards Ms Dawns?"
There was a pause, until he spoke, "I'm her boyfriend."
Oh thank goodness, it must be Zach.
"Alright, may I take your name please?" The lady asked politely, I could not see them but I could hear them through my opened door.
"Chase Cole."
Holy fuck.
Seconds later, the receptionist peered through the slightly opened door in my room and smiled, "Ms Dawns, sorry to bother your rest. Do you know anyone that goes by the name Chase Cole?"
I gulp and nod, "Yes,"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
No, "Um, yes." What am I thinking?
She disappeared from the room and momentarily, Chase came in. His green piercing eyes darted towards my vulnerable body in the hospital bed, my head on the pale while pillow and covered in the sheets.
"Hey," He greeted awkwardly standing in one place.
Perhaps Chase was the one who saved me from my Dean encounter at work last night.
"Hi."
Chase purses his lips into a thin solid line before asking, "I heard what happened. Are you okay?"
"Do I look okay?" I spoke directing to my sleepless brown eyes with dark eye bags from the lack of rest after worrying about possibilities that may occur if I do come across Dean again.
"Isabelle, I -"
I cut him off, "Why did you say that you were my boyfriend to the receptionist?"
He was suddenly off-guard. "What?"
"The receptionist. Why did you tell her that you were my boyfriend when you really aren't."
His eyes turn a shade darker, "Because she would not let me in to see you if I didn't have a particular relation with you."
"But, why boyfriend?" I questioned intrigued, "Out of all the relations, why did you have to pick 'boyfriend'?"
He shrugged, "Why did you agree to it then?"
I furrowed my brows, "Excuse me?"
"The lady asked you if I was your boyfriend. Why did you say yes to it?" The corner of his lip twitched into a half smile. He was enjoying this.
Now I shrugged, "Because."
"Because what Isabelle?"
"Look, you're here for a reason. What is it?" I spat hastily changing the subject, Chase laughed.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, babe." He takes small steps closer until he was beside my bed, his lean body towering over my laid one, "Where are you hurt?"
Pointing to the side of my arm, I pull up the sleeve from the hospital scrub and expose the sore, bandaged area. Chase's hand softly touched around it, I flinch back.
He frowns in disappointment at my actions, "I'm not going to hurt you, you know that." My body relaxes more by his words as his hand touched mine.
"What happened?" His eyes focused on my arm.
"Don't you know?"
"No. Am I supposed to?"
Oh, maybe he wasn't the one who saved me.
"Well, it happened last night at work," I began explaining, "He came."
"Who did?"
"You know who Chase. You very well know who. Don't ask a question that you already know the answer to." It was a pretty blunt and obvious answer.
His green eyes swirled in darkness, "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because this shit is all my fault. If I didn't bring you into my life then none of this wouldn't happen."
I thought for a moment, "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm sorry for everything." He looked down to the ground, his hand still held mine and I felt his warmth.
"Hey, look at me," I said laying my hand on the side of his cheek, I tilt his head up, "We're going to get through this together, okay?"
"We?"
"Yes, isn't that what you told me at the start of this mess?" I asked bringing back memories from the past year, Chase's eyes lit up.
"I just don't want you hurt because I know how fragile you are. Besides, I don't think your boyfriend, Zach, would appreciate me being around you a lot."
"Why would you need to be around me constantly?"
"To figure out how to clean up our situation with Dean. Like I said before, we're getting through this together." Chase chuckled bringing out his smile.
I swear, with this much 'teamwork conversation' between us, we might as well bust into that High School Musical song, We're All In This Together.
"....And after all, that bastard, Dean, isn't going to get away unhurt without me beating the crap out of his face because of what he did to you." Chase stated angrily through gritted teeth, my cheeks flush.
"I thought it wouldn't have mattered if he hurt me since you and I are no longer together Chase." I whispered sheepishly with my head ducked down. His finger slid under my chin and tilted it up.
"That's when you're wrong Isabelle. Believe it or not, I might as well fight any guy who attempts to hurt you."
"Why?"
He smirked using my own words against me, "Don't ask a question that you already know the answer to, princess."
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A/N: PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. I know I haven't updated in a while but I was just so stuck in a writer's block plus school got in the way. BUT GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT'S THE HOLIDAYS HERE IN AUSTRALIA AND I SHALL BE FREE. [Church choir plays in background]
Be sure to vote on this chapter and comment your thoughts! Who do you think saved Isabelle from Dean if it wasn't Chase?
Thank you all so much for your support and getting this book to almost 60,000 reads, let's get it to 1k votes! Not far now! :)
Btw, if any of you are wondering, I imagine Dean as George Finn, the actor.
Til the next update, xo.