Behind Steel Bars
By Midnight Dreamer
Chapter 30: Come out come out where ever you are!
When Isabella finally stopped running she found herself once again in the park under the tree where she first met Charlotte. Unsure of how long she had been running, she sunk to the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry. Why did she listen to Emmett? Why did she let Peter and Charlotte get her hopes up that they would understand?What would Jasper think of all this? Was that the last time she would see him? These thoughts spinning around her head caused her chest to feel tight and her to gasp for breath. She was having a panic attack. Her tears were flowing freely down her face as she tried to pull in air for breath and tried to calm herself. Nothing she did seemed to help and soon the darkness quickly enveloped her…
~BSB~
Peter had called the prison and asked for Emmett, he told Emmett of what happened at the hospital and asked if he had seen or heard from Isabella. Emmett told him he hasn’t heard from her and that she hadn’t returned to the prison office. Peter gave Emmett his cell and told him to call if he heard anything. Emmett gave his word and disconnected the call. Peter continued to look everywhere he could think of she would go. As it got later and later Peter began to worry about the many things that could happen to her. As he was about to give up and go home when the screams of an older woman caught his attention.
“Help – help! Someone please! This young woman needs help!”
Peter ran over to the woman.
“Who needs help, ma’am?”
“I found this young woman unconscious in the park. I tried to wake her but she wouldn’t respond. I think she needs a doctor.” The elderly woman said franticly.
“Well, it’s a good thing that I happen to be a doctor. Show me where she is.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! No one would stop – they all thought I was some crazy old bag lady.”
“I would have stopped no matter what. You could have been hurt yourself, and that’s just how my Ma raised me.”
“Well, ya Ma must be a good woman.”
“She is but right now I’m kinda upset with her.”
“What did she do – if I may ask?”
“She upset a good friend of mine. A friend who was doin’ so much for my family and she just shut her out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that…”
“Me too. I’m looking for my friend now. She took off before I could stop her and she has been gone for hours now.”
As they neared the spot that the woman was laying at, Peter gasped.
“Do you know her?” the older woman asked.
“Yes – my god that is the friend I was just telling you about! What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was walking through the park here on my way home and saw her laying there. I walked over to her and tried to wake her but she wouldn’t respond.”
Peter ran to Isabella. He took her pulse, finding that it was very weak but it was still there.
“I need to get her somewhere warm and lay her down. I think she passed out.”
“Oh dear!”
Peter reached for his cell and called Charlotte.
“Char, honey – I found her. She isn’t well and I need for you to come pick us up at the park that you first met her in.”
…..
“No honey, I don’t know what is wrong. She is unconscious and I can’t ask her.”
…..
“I know, Char – could you just come pick us up? I have to get her some place warm.”
…..
“Alright, honey. Bye. Love ya.”
The older woman could only hear Peter’s side of the conversation, but knew that the young woman was well taken care off.
“Well, sonny – I’m gonna be on my way if you have everything covered here.”
“Thank you so much for staying with her. I don’t know how to repay you…”
“Just take good care of that young woman. Whatever put her into this state should not be allowed to happen to her again.”
“I agree. Would you like me to call you a cab?”
“No, thank ya – I only live on the other side of the park.”
“If your sure… I wouldn’t want anything to happen to ya after you possibly saved my friends life.”
“I’m sure. Just take care of her and that is all the thanks I will need.”
“Thank you again.”
The older woman disappeared faster then Peter thought was possible for someone her age. Peter picked Isabella up and cradled her to his chest as he made his way out of the park to the road where Charlotte was already waiting. He laid her across the back seat can climbed in the passenger seat next to Charlotte:
“Is she okay Peter?”
“I don’t know, Char. Her pulse is really weak and I don’t know how long she was laying there exposed to the elements. I know it isn’t cold out but still.”
“Oh, Peter! Is it possible she had a panic attack and passed out?”
“She has panic attacks?”
“Yes, it doesn’t happen often and only then during times of immense stress or grief.”
“Well, that would explain everything! She must have had one and do to the lack of oxygen, she passed out.”
“Oh, Peter! You don’t think she has been out here all this time?”
“I believe so… We just need to get her home and into something warm.”
“We’ll be home in a few seconds.”
The rest of the ride home was silent. Once Charlotte pulled into their parking spot, Peter got out and carried Isabella up to the guest room she had stayed in the multiple times she had slept over. He stepped out of the room so that Charlotte could change her clothes and clean her up some. When he entered the room once again he walked over to Isabella’s side and rubbed her hand calmly.
“Come on, Bella – come back to us. Your safe now. We have you.” Charlotte said from Isabella’s other side.
Isabella groaned and rolled over.
“We had better let her rest and then we can talk to her in the morning when she is feeling more herself.”
“Oh, Peter – I love it when you go all Doctor on me… It makes me all hot and bothered.” Charlotte said, running her hand down her chest.
“Well then sweet thing, how about you go to our room and lay on the bed? You can play patient.” Peter winked at her. Charlotte scrambled off the bed and out of the room so fast that Peter was sure she left a dust trail behind her.
“Don’t ya worry about any sounds ya hear, Bella – I’m just takin’ care of my wife.” he whispered to Bella as he stood.
Isabella groaned again and rolled over once more to face Peter. Peter walked toward the door and just as it was closing he hear Isabella whisper: Jasper. Peter smiled and closed the door to the guest room. He made his way inside and just before shutting out the outside world Peter spoke: “Now Char honey, what seems to be the problem that you need good ol’ Doctor Pete to take care of?” Charlotte’s giggles filled the air as the door sealed shut.
~BSB~
Isabella woke the next morning in a strange bed. She slowly sat up and looked around. She didn’t remember how she got to where she was. The last thing she remembered was sitting under the tree at the park. She began to panic once again. Where was she? Who’s house was she in? How did she get there? How did she get changed out of her clothes? That last one brought a blush to her cheeks. Then she heard the voice that brought back more fear: Ma Whitlock. Isabella stood quickly and began to change into her clothes, which she found folded on a chair in the corner. As she took in her surroundings, she realized she was at Charlotte and Peter’s house. Someone must have gone looking for her, and found her in the park. She no more then finished slipping her shirt down over herself when the door to the room opened and in came Charlotte caring a breakfast tray with what looked like coffee and flapjacks.
“Awe, it’s good to see you are awake! I have your breakfast for you… wait – what do you think your doing?” Charlotte asked as she saw that Isabella was dressed.
“Um… I was just gonna head home…?” Isabella said this as a question.
“Oh, no you’re not! You just sit yourself down right here and have yourself some breakfast. Then, Missy, we are gonna talk about what happened yesterday.”
“Do we really have to Charlotte? I would much rather just forget the whole thing and get on with my life.”
“You would forget about me and Peter?” Charlotte seemed hurt.
“NO! Char, I could never forget about you and Peter. You’re my only other friends besides Emmett, and believe me – I could definitely never forget him.” Isabella smiled a little.
“Well then, I suggest you eat your breakfast and then come talk to me and Peter. He was worried sick when he found you in the park unconscious.”
“I was unconscious in the Park?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“It’s really fuzzy.”
“Alright, don’t force it now. Just eat your breakfast and we can figure it all out afterward.” Charlotte stood and made to leave when Isabella called out to her:
“Thank you, Charlotte. Tell Peter I said thank you as well. I couldn’t have found a better set of friends.”
“You can thank him yourself later. As for me I got my thanks last night.” Charlotte winked and the girls burst out laughing.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah – Doctor Peter was very attentive to my condition last night.”
“Doctor Peter?”
“Yes, Bella – Doctor Peter. He was in Doctor mode with you when we got home. He is so hot when he gets like that…” Charlotte sighed and got all glossy eyed.
“Alright, I don’t need the visuals, thanks.”
“Okay – whatever you say Bella…”
“Get out so I can eat my breakfast, you perv! I’m losing my appetite.”
Charlotte giggled and closed the door just as the pillow Isabella was aiming for her collided with it. Isabella ate her breakfast while listening to the conversation going on in the living room on the other side of the bedroom wall:
“Ma, I don’t care how sorry ya are right now. Isabella is my patient at the moment and she is far to fragile in this state, I won’t let ya upset her more.”
“Peter, I just want ta apologize for bein’ an ass yesterday. What that girl did for us is nothing short of wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to care for our Jasper. Now, I wish to speak with her.”
“No, Ma – and I’m not tellin’ ya again. She went through some traumatic shit yesterday and she needs to recover fully before I let any of ya vultures near her.”
“Ya did not just call ya Ma a vulture?”
“Yes, Ma’am, I did. Now if ya don’t mind, I have a patient to check on.”
Isabella heard Peter’s footsteps coming down the hall. She had almost finished everything Char had brought for her except the coffee. Peter knocked at the door.
“Bella, hun – can I come in?”
“Sure, Peter – I’m decent.”
“How are ya feelin’ today?”
“Better, I guess. Everything from last night is a little hazy but it will come back eventually. I had a panic attack, didn’t I?”
“From the looks of it, yes – and a severe one at that. Have you ever blacked out like that before?”
“Just once – the day I found out my parents died. Emmett was with me and caught me before I could hit the ground.”
“How long were you out for that time?”
“A couple hours. How long was it this time?”
“I don’t know for sure. I was hoping we could talk about what happened and piece together a time line.”
“Okay. I think that’s a great idea.”
“Do ya wanna come out to the living room or do ya wanna stay in here?”
“Ya Ma’s in the living room?”
“Yes.”
“Then right here is fine.”
“Ya can’t hide in here forever Bella.”
“No but I can until she leaves.”
“Fine. Now start from when ya left.”
“I couldn’t take the silence; it felt like the room was closing in on me. It’s one of the reasons I don’t socialize much. The fear of rejection is so strong that it sends me into a panic attack. So I just ran. I didn’t know where I was goin’ and when I finally stopped, I was by that tree in the park. I sat down and cried. Then all these questions started whirling around in my head. I couldn’t make them stop. But what sent my panic into override was the thoughts of Jasper.”
Isabella stopped and started to take slow deep breaths. Peter was piecing together what happened slowly.
“What thoughts about Jasper, Bella? Maybe I could help ya answer a few and that might stop the panic from getting out of control again.”
“Well, I wanted to know what would Jasper think of all this? Was that the last time I would see him? Would he even want to know me anymore?” her breathing was becoming labored again and Peter brought her attention to him.
“Bella, I’m not sure what Jasper would think of all this. But I do know that he will want to hear from you and see you once he wakes up. And of course, he would want to know you. Who wouldn’t?”
Isabella focused on Peters words. It was helping to calm her down.
“There now, that’s better isn’t it.”
“Thanks, Peter.”
“Anytime, Odette.”
“Odette?”
“Yeah, ya know the Swan Princess?”
“Peter, I’m not a princess.”
“I bet your dad used to call ya princess all the time when ya were younger.”
“Actually, he called me princess clear up till the day he died.”
“Well then like I said – Odette!”
“Your such a goof, Peter.”
“I know but it made you smile.”
“Thank ya, Peter.”
“Now, back to business… You say it was after you sat down that you blacked out?”
“I think so – why?”
“Well that puts you out at somewhere around 8ish.”
“Oh shit. I was supposed to meet Emmett at the bar at 8.”
“It’s okay, I talked to Emmett last night and told him what I thought happened. He also told me about your last episode. He wasn’t angry, just worried.”
“I know that. He’s like the big brother I never wanted but am stuck with.” Isabella giggled.
“Yeah, he said that too.” this time they both laughed. A knock on Isabella’s door brought it to a stop though.
“Hello?” Isabella called.
“Isabella, could I have a word with ya?” Ma asked peeking her nose around the door.
Peter looked at Isabella and she nodded to Peter that it was okay. After all he was right she couldn’t hide in there forever, and if she ever wanted anything to become of her and Jasper she would have to speak to his Ma eventually. Peter kissed Isabella on her forehead and walked toward the door. He stopped when he came to his Ma:
“Be nice!” he warned as he left the room.
“Come sit down, Ma’am.” Isabella hasn’t called her Ma’am since they met that first time. Ma wasn’t sure what to do. She fidgeted a little before going and sitting in the chair across from the bed.
“Ya wanted to speak with me?” Isabella asked.
“Yes – I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday. It was rude and uncalled for. What ya did for my family was a wonderful thing and I treated ya like a stranger. Ya didn’t have ta do that for us; ya could have let him go clear to Houston, but ya didn’t. Ya fought tooth and nail for him to stay close to us. Again – I’m sorry for my actions.”
“You’re welcome. I wouldn’t have wanted Jasper to be so far away from his family. Peter and Charlotte mean a lot to me. I haven’t known Jasper real along but I believe we were becoming friends. I would do anything for my friends. Peter and Charlotte are also the closest thing I have to family. Well them and Emmett, but they are all I have and I would fight through the fires of hell to make them happy and if keeping Jasper here is Dallas will do just that then that is what I had to do.”
“Ya fallin’ for him, aren’t ya?”
“What?”
“My boy. Ya fallin’ in love with my boy Jasper, aren’t ya?”
“I don’t know what ya talkin’ about…” Isabella blushed.
“Yeah that’s what I thought. Ya can’t hide that stuff from me. I’m his Ma and I learned along time ago how to read people, and it’s written all over ya face. Ya have gone and fallin in love with my Jasper.” Ma smiled at Isabella.
“Alright – ya win. I have – I mean – I am in love with Jasper. I don’t know how it happened. We barely even know each other. Sure we have been around each other a lot. But it was never just the two of us alone. We never actually got to go on our date because of the accident…”
“Yep, I knew it – ya friend Emmett owes me 50 bucks.”
“What?”
“I bet ya friend Emmett 50 bucks that I could get ya ta tell me ya were in love with my son. He said there was no way; he knew ya liked him alright but wouldn’t believe ya were fallin’ for him already.”
Isabella chuckled. It was just like Emmett to bet on an outcome he couldn’t guarantee.
“That sounds like Emmett.”
“Well, now – I won’t be keepin ya. I have ta get to the hospital ta see Jasper. I should have been there earlier but I wanted to come and clear things up with ya first. Are we clear?”
“Yes Ma’am, I guess we are.”
Ma just shook her head. She knew it wasn’t gonna be kittens and rainbows with Isabella right away but she was hoping that she would at least go back to calling her Ma like the rest of them do.
“Ya take care of yerself and come back to see my boy soon. He’ll be missin’ ya if ya don’t.”
“I will.”
Ma left Isabella’s room after that. She walked past Peter and Charlotte, with a wave and a kiss she was gone.
“Well, I wonder what happened in there?” Charlotte asked.
“Let’s go find out shall we?” Peter said.
They both got up and made their way to Isabella’s room. When they walked in they saw she was crying some.
“You okay, little swan?” Peter asked.
“Another nickname Peter?” Isabella sniffled.
“Yeah, I like this one better then the last.” he smiled and Charlotte just shook her head.
“So, how did it go with Ma?” Charlotte asked.
“You mean Mrs. Whitlock? It went fine I guess. She apologized for what she did and I forgave her.”
“Mrs. Whitlock?” Peter asked.
“Yeah, that is her name is it not?”
“Well, that explains a lot.” Charlotte said.
“Explains what?”
“The whole someone just shot my favorite dog look Ma was wearin’ when she left. Hell she didn’t even talk to either of us. Just a wave and a kiss.” Charlotte said.
“Why would she do that?”
“You do realized that, except for the first time you ever met her, ya have always called her Ma just like the rest of us.”
“And?”
“Bella it’s the same as Peter callin’ ya Isabella instead of Bella, or whatever cock-a-mamey nickname he has come up with for ya. Ya didn’t call her Mrs. Whitlock when she was in here, did ya?”
“No, I called her Ma’am.”
“Oh, boy.” Peter said.
“What?”
“You’re not really ready to forgive any of them are ya…?”
“I forgave her.”
“Not fully ya haven’t. Ya are still harboring bad feelin’s for them. If ya were completely comfortable with them, ya would go back to callin’ them the way ya have all this time.”
“I’m sorry, Peter, but I don’t know how long it will take for that to happen. I don’t wanna let them right back in after they hurt me – whether they meant to or not.”
“I know, little swan. How bout ya get some more rest and ya can come with us to see Jasper later tonight?”
“That sounds great, Peter.”
Isabella laid back on the bed and drifted off to sleep. So far it had been a very draining day. She couldn’t wait to go see and talk to Jasper though. She needed to know that they were okay.
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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