AVitD- Chapter 4

Chapter 4~ Exodus

Bella’s eyes fluttered open and she saw wildflowers blooming around her.  Their gentle scent filled her nose as she took a deep breath in. She realized that she was back in the meadow.  She didn’t know how she got back there.  She sat up and took in the beauty of the day.  The meadow was in full bloom with multicolored wildflowers all around her.  The air was warm on her face.  It didn’t seem like January; it was more like May or June.  She turned her head to try and observe more of her surroundings when she sucked in a sudden breath as her hand shot up to cover her mouth.  Edward was sitting next to her.  Her eyes were telling her one thing but her mind said it wasn’t possible.  She wanted to believe her eyes.  He was as perfect as ever.  He was wearing one of his usual button down shirts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.  His hair was tussled in its casually sexy way.  The sun was hidden so he wasn’t sparkling, but his smile was as dazzling as ever.  She took her hand away from her mouth and slowly reached out to touch his face.  Her hand cupped his chiseled cheek and he leaned into it.  He was there.  He was really there.  

Edward slowly stood up in the tall grass and reached his hand out to her.  She took it as he helped her to stand.  She looked at her arms and there were no scars.  She could have sworn that she had cut herself.

Edward brought her attention back to him as he gathered her into his strong embrace.  She relaxed into his chest as she breathed in the scent that was uniquely Edward.  It felt like forever since she had smelled him and felt his body so close to hers.  She remembered him leaving and wanted to ask him about it, but before she could he answered her unspoken question.

“I only left because I wanted you to live a normal human life.  I never stopped loving you.”

She had heard his voice a dozen times since he had left, but she had never seen him or felt him.  This was different.  She could feel his chest expand under her cheek as he breathed in and out.  She wanted so much for him to be real.  She couldn’t help but question why he came back.

“Because you needed me.  I will always be here as long as you need me.”

Again, she never voiced her question.  She didn’t want to speak and break the spell.  She loved hearing the beautiful sound of his voice.  Could he read her mind?

“Yes, Bella.  I can read your mind.” He said softly as he brushed his lips against her hair.

She closed her eyes as she thought the one thing that had played over and over in her mind since he left.  The one thing she would beg of him if given the chance.  “Please don’t leave me again,” she whispered.

“Never,” he said, “I will be here with you for as long as you need me.”

Bella sighed in relief.  She snuggled into his chest as his marble like arms wrapped securely around her.  She felt at peace for the first time in months.  The hole in her chest was gone.  She didn’t want to question how she got here or what had happened.  She was just going to stay in the moment as long as she could.  This was exactly where she wanted to be.

~*~

Carlisle and the others looked on as Bella continued to sleep in his and Esme’s bed.  His original theory was that between the blood loss and emotional trauma that Bella just needed time to recuperate.  However, by the next morning she still failed to wake up.  Carlisle and Alice each took turns calling her name to rouse her.  He even used smelling salts, but there was no reaction.  Alice was sitting by her side desperately trying to see any part of Bella’s future, but it remained a dense fog.  She was so incredibly frustrated by her malfunctioning sight.  Then a vision hit her out of nowhere.  She stopped breathing as the scene played out in her mind.  Jasper was by her side as she came back to the present.

“What is it, darlin’?  Were you able to see Bella?”

“No,” she shook her head, “But we can’t wait for her to wake up.  We need to leave now!  Charlie is on his way here.  He is hoping that he will find Bella here.  He doesn’t want to believe what Sam and Jacob told him.”

Carlisle stood quickly, “How long, Alice?”

“Twenty-five minutes.”

They were as still as statues for a moment looking to Carlisle.  He quickly came up with a plan of action.

“Emmett and Rose, drive the cars up and off the property.  Park them on the abandoned road that leads to the dilapidated cabin on the other side of the river.  Wait for us there.” He said decisively.

Emmett and Rosalie were out of the room like a shot.  The engines purred to life before Carlisle turned to the others.

“Jasper, I need you to rake the driveway and make it look like no one has driven here since we left.  Alice re-cover everything on the main floor.  Shut off the water, heat and electric then lock the front door.”

Jasper was gone once he had his instructions, but Alice paused.

“What about Bella?” she asked as she looked at her sleeping friend.

Carlisle was in the closet grabbing a duffle bag and packing her sneakers and the spare clothes Alice had placed on the dresser. Then he wrapped her in a warm comforter before picking her up and cradling her securely to his chest.

“I’ve got her.  I will run her to the cars.  I need you to go into Edward’s room and in his safe there are documents for Bella under the name ‘Masen’.  Grab them.  Make sure to have the birth certificate, driver’s license and passport.”

Alice nodded as she realized Carlisle was referring to the documents that Edward had J. Jenks create just in case Bella needed to leave with them on a moments notice.  Ironic that when he ran, he ran away from her instead of with her.  She was on the third floor within a human heartbeat and was standing outside Edward’s door.  She paused as she reached for the door knob.  She steadied herself as she walked in.  Edward’s scent still lingered in the air and it made Alice ache for her lost brother.  She rushed to his desk and pulled his key for the safe in his closet.  She quickly found the documents she was looking for and then closed and relocked the safe.  She headed back downstairs to undo all her work from the day before.  She heard Carlisle talking to Bella as if she was a child.

“We need to leave here, sweetheart.  I promise no harm will come to you.  We will keep you safe.  We are taking you to our home in Canada.  It is beautiful there.  There is untainted wilderness as far as the eye can see.  It is the perfect place for you to heal.  We will never leave you again, I promise.”

It broke Alice’s heart to realize how much pain everyone around her was in.  She pushed her emotions down as she focused on her current responsibilities.  She went out back and saw Carlisle jumping the expanse of the river as she went about shutting the utilities off once more.  She swiftly made her way through the downstairs lowering shades and throwing dust sheets on all the furniture.  She made her way to each room erasing any signs that they had been there at all.  Just as she finished she heard the sound of Charlie’s patrol car turning off the main road.  She locked the back door behind her and followed Carlisle’s trail over the river.  She was then face to face with Jasper in front of the Mercedes.  Carlisle was in the back seat with Bella while Rose and Emmett were in her Ferrari.

“We are going to drive with Carlisle and Bella.  Rose is going to drive your car, okay darlin’?”

Alice nodded, “Let’s go.  I can see Charlie is going to spend a few minutes looking around the outside of the house before giving up.  If we leave now, we will be at the boarder before he stumbles upon her truck.  Poor Charlie.” She sighed.

Jasper kissed her nose and then they were in the car and on their way.  The main concern was getting out of Forks and away from the Quileute’s before there was a confrontation.  Alice was not convinced that Jacob would not seek them out even though he believed that Bella was either dead or one of them by now.

Bella continued to sleep in Carlisle’s arms as they approached the boarder.  She did not show any signs of coming to the entire time.  He just continued to hold her close and stroke her back in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.

Carlisle was thankful they made it over the boarder with little fanfare.  He used the excuse that Alice saw being successful which was very near the truth.  He explained that Bella was in an emotionally induced catatonic state and that they had gone to retrieve her and take her home with them to see a specialist in Canada.  It was sheer luck that Charlie had opted not to push through a missing person’s report in Bella’s name.  The guard seemed a little leery about letting them pass, but then Jasper sent him loads of trust and honesty until he finally smiled back at the group of them and allowed them to enter the northern country.

They all seemed to relax more as they put Forks further and further behind them.  Alice had focused in on Charlie.  She kept hitting blind spots which she believed was related to his interactions with the wolves. 

“I think we are in the clear, Carlisle.  I don’t see Charlie coming anywhere near the border.” She said quietly.

Concern etched her face as she watched her best friend lay curled up on the back seat; her head and shoulders draped across Carlisle’s lap.  He looked up and attempted to give her a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Alice.  I think once we get home we will all feel a little more at ease.”

He unconsciously began to caress Bella’s long chestnut hair.  It seemed lack luster and more brittle then it had when they left.  A few strands came out with his gentle strokes.  He began to wonder what Bella’s life had been like for the last four months.  Had she stopped eating and sleeping?  Had we underestimated her attachment to our family?  To Edward?

Alice had turned back around and Jasper reached across the center consol and offered his hand to her.  He knew she needed comfort right now more than anything.  She sighed as she accepted all he had to give.  She reached her free hand forward and turned on the XM radio.  Melissa Etheridge’s raspy voice filled the silence of the car.  The lyrics seemed eerily on target to the current situation. 

‘Come on baby, let’s get out of this town

I got a full tank of gas with the top rolled down

There’s a chill in my bones, I don’t want to be left alone

So baby you can sleep while I drive…’

Alice let herself get lost in the words only to be pulled into the quiet whispers from the back seat.

“I am so sorry we left you, Bella.  We never meant to hurt you.  I can see now that we were so wrong to do that.  I hope some day that you can forgive us.”

This went on for some time before she noticed the tone and tense of his pleading changed.

“I am so sorry for the pain my decision has caused you.  I hope there is a chance that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.  I will never leave you again.  I will be here for you until the end of time.  I will do everything within my power to help you to heal.  I will be whatever you need me to be.  Please Bella, just wake up and I will give you every thing that I have; everything that I am.”

Jasper tightened his grip on both the steering wheel and Alice’s hand simultaneously as he felt the mix of guilt and longing radiating off of Carlisle.  Alice may not have understood the emotions Jasper was receiving at that moment but she sent him her love and reassurance to try and balance it out.  Jasper relaxed again and smiled at the love of his existence.  He tried not to think about what he would do if he lost her the way Carlisle and Bella had lost their mates.  He knew that Edward left Bella because he wanted her safe, but he also felt the anguish it caused him to leave his love behind.

The ride up to the house was quiet after that.  They drove through Corman Park to the far side of town where their most recent home lay in wait.  What would take a human near twenty-three hours to drive took them a little over twelve.  With driving across two time zones they arrived at the house around ten at night.  Rosalie and Emmett had beaten them there by mere minutes and had gone about the tasks of turning on lights and starting a fire in the fireplace.  Carlisle secured the blanket around Bella and carried her into the house.  He sat with her on the couch facing the roaring fire.

“We’re home Bella.  I really hope you are comfortable here.” Carlisle whispered in her ear.

The rest of the family stood around watching in concern.

“Did she wake up at all on the trip?” Emmett inquired.

“No,” Alice said sullenly.

“Are you still not able to feel her emotions?” he asked Jasper.

Jasper shook his head in a negative response.

“And you still can’t see her future at all?” he pleaded to Alice.

“No.  As close or far as I try and look, I see nothing but fog.  The only thing I can think of is that she is not making any decisions and therefore has no future in mind.  I am hoping that will change once she wakes up.”

Emmett sighed as he felt the hope he worked to build up on the long drive slip away.  Jasper looked to him as he felt the despair settle over the mountain of a man who was always more of a child at heart.

“Emmett, why don’t you help me with the bags then we can go for a hunt.  It’ll do ya some good.” Jasper offered.

“Thanks man, that sounds like a plan.” He turned towards Carlisle, “Um…where do you want us to put Bella’s things?”

Carlisle sat and thought about it, but didn’t know how to respond.  At present there were only four bedrooms.  He knew he couldn’t put her in Edward’s.  Even though she had never seen it, there were far too many personal effects of his that she might recognize.  He didn’t want to risk her slipping further inside of herself.  Not only that, but he wanted her close to him.  But at the same time, he didn’t feel it was right to bring her to the room that he and Esme had most recently shared; not with all of her things still where she had left them.  He felt torn.

Alice knelt down in front of him and rested her hand on his as it held Bella close to him.  She looked up at him with love and understanding.

“Let Rose and I take care of everything.  You just watch over Bella.  Okay?”

Carlisle gave her a tight lipped smile and even if his mouth hadn’t spoken, his eyes said it all.

“Thank you.”

She nodded and stood up to reach for Rosalie.  The two women walked back to Carlisle and Esme’s room which was on the other side of the unused kitchen and faced the back yard.  They carefully and lovingly packed up Esme’s treasures.  They left out the family pictures that she insisted carrying to each new home, but Alice thought they would be better displayed in the living room rather than in there.  The girls packed up all of Esme’s clothes and personal effects.  They figured they could be donated to a women’s shelter, but for now they would store them away.  That was Carlisle’s decision to make and now was not the time. 

The boys had come in with the bags and left Carlisle’s and Bella’s on the floor just inside the door.  The girls had already stripped the bed and emptied the dressers.

“Jazz, can you and Emmett bring in the maple wood bedroom set from the storage over the garage and take these things out before you head out hunting?” Alice asked in her sing-song voice.

Jasper realized what she and Rosalie were doing.  He kissed her on the nose and answered, “As you wish, darlin’.”

Emmett and Jasper hauled the dressers, night stands and bed frame out to the storage room and brought back the maple set.  The head board was a beautifully simple arch with an oval plate of the same wood with strands of wheat carved into it.  It was more masculine than the four pillar all white bed that was its predecessor, but still had a soft touch to it.  Esme had decorated the room in white and pale blue.  Alice left the white but set it off with a dark brown and burnt orange.  It gave it a warm feeling.  She and Rosalie also rearranged the furniture in the room to finish it off.  Where the bed had been against the wall with the bay window, it was now directly across from it.

Once finished with their renovations, Alice and Rosalie walked into the living room to find Carlisle and Bella in the same position they had left them in.  Bella had been sleeping for just over twenty-seven hours.  Carlisle was beginning to worry about her fluid levels when her eyes fluttered open.  Her heart rate and breathing did not increase at all and she did not make eye contact.  She simply stared into the crackling fire.

He positioned her so she was sitting next to him and he moved into her line of sight.

“Bella sweetheart, can you hear me?” Carlisle asked softly.

She did not respond.  He tried again.

“Bella, how are you feeling?  Are you hungry?  Are you in any pain?” he inquired of her.

Again, nothing.

Alice tried next, “Hey Bella.  I am so glad you woke up.  We have been so worried about you.  You slept the entire trip.  We are in Canada now.  I really hope you like it here.  When you feel up to it, we can go shopping and hang out together.  I have missed you so much.” Alice prattled on in a much slower than standard Alice speed.

Bella looked right past her.  She never said a word.  Her body refused to show any changes from her sleeping state.  Alice looked to Carlisle then to Rosalie urging her to give it a try.  She stepped forward slowly and kneeled next to Alice.

“Welcome to our…welcome home, Bella.  Alice and I have set you up in the back bedroom that has a stunning view when the sun sets.” Rosalie paused looking to Alice.  Alice nodded encouraging her to continue.  Rosalie went on, “There is a beautiful bay window that would be the perfect place to read.  I know how much you like your books.  We can make a trip into town and pick up replacements for your favorites and maybe find you some new ones as well.” She finished.

Bella might as well have been a vampire.  She sat so still and stared off into the distance as if the three of them were not even in front of her.  Alice decided to try a different approach.

“Bella, I am sure you need a human moment.  Why don’t I show you where the bathroom is?  Actually, up here they call them washrooms.” Alice said with a smile, “Come on.”

Alice reached out and took Bella’s hand.  She grasped back and Alice smiled in encouragement.  She stepped back and Bella stood up from the couch.  She still made no eye contact, but as long as Alice held her hand, she seemed wiling to follow her.  Carlisle and Rosalie held back as Alice led her through the house.  She talked quietly to her silent friend and showed her around the house on the way.  Just then they heard the guys coming up the porch.

Emmett was first through the door with grocery bags in hand.  He looked around.

“Hey!  Where’s Bella?  Is she awake?  Is she feeling better?” he hit them with a barrage of questions.

Carlisle was the one to answer, “She is awake in the sense that her eyes are open and she is walking under her own power, but she is not responding to any verbal ques.  Alice is taking her to the washroom right now.  What do you two have there?  I thought you were going hunting.”

“We did.  Then we headed into town.  This is food and human supplies for Bella.” Jasper replied in his classic southern drawl.

Carlisle smiled warmly at his sons, “That was very thoughtful of you.  Thank you for taking care of it.”

The guys took the bags into the kitchen.  Esme had always kept a stocked pantry for appearances’ sake, but she did not keep many perishables.  The boys had purchased milk, orange juice, eggs, chicken and fresh fruits and vegetables.  They put everything away and left the other bag outside Bella’s room.

Alice appeared then with Bella in toe. Alice had a sad smile on her face while Bella’s expression remained blank.  Emmett smiled brightly at seeing Bella upright and walking.

“Bella!  I’m so glad you are awake.  I was so worried about…” Emmett’s words fell off as he took in what Carlisle had explained.

Bella was moving, but it was as if it was an empty shell of the Bella they had known.  Her eyes were sunken and her face was a horrid shade of grey rather than her normal peaches and cream.  It seemed that she only moved because Alice was holding on to her.  There was no life in her.  It was heartbreaking to see her like this.

Jasper’s reaction was more drastic.  The void of emotion that he was sensing from Bella was more painful than the anguish that he felt coming off of her before.  It was like sitting in a soundproof room.  You knew there should be sound, but there was nothing; not even an echo.  It was borderline maddening.  He felt himself slump over and as much as Alice wanted to go to him, she needed to stay by Bella. 

Emmett saw the silent interaction and stepped in to help.  He took hold of Bella’s free hand and when she didn’t struggle, he linked her arm in his and walked her back to the living room.  Alice went to Jasper and helped him to get back upright.

“Jazz, what is it?  Did you feel her pain again?”

“No,” he shook his head as he regained control over his body, “It is the exact opposite.  It is as if she is not even there.  Alice, I can not feel any emotion from her at all.  What has happened to her?”