Watching Bella walk out that door was harder than I
anticipated. I collapsed onto the couch, curling up in the fetal position as
Carlisle sat in front of me on the overstuffed chair. “She’ll be back, son.”
“My … need for her
is not normal, Carlisle,” I said. “I shouldn’t be this attached.”
“She showed you kindness. You latched on and you feel safe
with her, like she’ll protect you. Knowing Bella, she will,” Carlisle chuckled.
“She shouldn’t have protect me. I should be protecting her,”
I growled. Looking down at my frail, broken body, I wasn’t in any shape to
protect anyone. “She’ll be okay with Detective McCarty, right?”
“Emmett is one of the best officers in the force, Edward.
He’ll protect her. Plus, they’re going to the courthouse, which is protected
beyond recognition, with metal detectors and armed guards all throughout the
complex. If Esme tried to get through, she would be stopped,” Carlisle
explained.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Now, I spoke with Dr. Banner. He told me that Dr. Benson
will be here in an hour or so. She’s well-known around the Pacific Northwest
for her treatment of victims of abuse, sexual, emotional and physical abuse and
assault victims. She specializes in it,” Carlisle said. “She used to work for
the FBI as a profiler, but couldn’t do it anymore, wanting to focus on helping
the survivors of these crimes.”
“What does she look like?” I asked.
“She’s tall, a little shorter than me, with dark hair and
dark eyes. I’ve seen her on the witness stand for various cases,” Carlisle said.
“Now, Bella got you some clothes since she assumed that you probably didn’t
have anything. Some of it is her ex-husband’s and the rest she got herself.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay her back,” I frowned.
“You’re not. She’s doing this because she loves you,”
Carlisle said, offering me a hand. I took it and followed him into Bella’s
room, into her closet. There were more clothes in there than I could imagine.
Half of the closet was filled with men’s clothing ranging from jeans to suits.
Tears sprang in my eyes and ran my fingers along the fabric. “I’ll give you a
minute, Edward. When you’ve chosen something, I’ll help change your dressings
on your back, feet and wrists.”
I nodded, grabbing a pair of dark jeans. They were obviously
very expensive and were my size. Or rather, the size I was prior to my eight
weeks in Esme’s torture chamber. I put them back, searching for something less
expensive. However, my search was not fruitful. I decided to put on the first
pair of jeans and a loose button-down shirt, with a t-shirt underneath.
Carlisle helped change the dressing around my body and told me that I could try
taking a bird bath the following day. Putting on my new clothes, we went back
into the living room and waited for the phone call that Dr. Benson had arrived.
Dr. Marina Benson
