House Call

Chapter One: Charlie

I'm going to wear a hole in the carpet outside her room. It's become my nightly ritual, pacing back and forth, back and forth, in front of Bella's bedroom door. I can hear her mumbling in her sleep. Occasionally she moans that bastard's name, but at least there's no screaming tonight. Of course, if she screamed, I would have an excuse to go in and comfort her.

I was shocked the first night when she let me hold her. Bella and I aren't affectionate, at least not with each other. But when I burst in after hearing her scream I simply took her in my arms and held her, patting her back and telling her over and over that it would be alright, all the while thinking up new and increasingly painful ways of slaughtering Edward Cullen. She let me hold her. I think that's when I knew this wasn't going to get better anytime soon.

I sighed, sliding down the wall to sit. Tilting my head back I stared at the ceiling. I would give anything to spare Bella this pain. It's been weeks since she refused to return to Florida with Renee. Our daughter's anger had surprised both of us, and we thought that the tear-filled outburst that followed was the beginning of some kind of healing, but now I doubted it. At least it had been enough to get Renee to go home.

I wonder though, if I should have insisted Bella go. If, for once, Renee and I should have acted like the parents we're supposed to be, instead of letting our daughter call the shots. Because Bella isn't getting better. Sure, she goes to school, comes home, does her homework, and fixes my dinner. Dinner which she pushes around on her own plate with a disturbing lack of interest. I don't want to know how much weight she's lost. Her clothes hang on her. She has to wear a belt just to keep her jeans from sliding off her hips. She wears long shirts to cover it and doesn't think I notice, but I do.

The worst thing, the absolute worst thing, is the lack of any joy, any light behind her eyes. She tries for me. It breaks my heart how she tries. Her lips form a smile sometimes, but it always ends there. It never makes it all the way to her eyes. She never goes anywhere or talks to anyone. Her friends have all stopped calling. Most teenagers are way too self-involved to be patient with someone else's pain. If the Cullens hadn't moved so suddenly maybe Alice...but..no, that might have made things worse.

Thing is, I know exactly how my Bella feels. It happened to me. But at least she won't be alone. I won't let her be alone like I was. When Renee left, taking Bella with her, my world crashed down around me. There was no one to hear me scream, or help me pick up the pieces. I did it myself, but Bella won't have to. Somehow, someway, I will help her through this.