Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
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It was seven o'clock in the morning. Aiden was still in the hospital room by Isabella's side, holding her hand. Isabella hadn't woken up since Aiden arrived, but the doctor had informed him that the medication would wear off soon. He didn't sleep, eat, drink, or go home because he didn't want to leave her side; he needed to be there when she woke up.
He let out a small yawn, keeping his eyes open. He was tired, but making sure she was okay physically and mentally was his number one priority.
Aiden spoke to Isabella's parents a couple of hours prior to break the news about what had happened. They were terrified. After he told them what she'd done, her mother cried while her father was outraged. Hearing about their daughter being abused and assaulted by her "charming" boyfriend made them sick.
He told them everything that had been going on. He shared how Matthew threatened Isabella never to tell anyone about the abuse or he would hurt them. Isabella's parents planned to fly back home as soon as they discussed the situation with their supervisor. Aiden told them he was at the hospital and he would take care of her until they returned; he would also provide them updates on her condition.
Meanwhile, Aiden stared at Isabella, soothing her hand while the heart monitor beeps echoed throughout the room.
After a moment, Aiden's cell phone rang, startling him. He grabbed the phone from his jacket and checked the caller ID, seeing it was his aunt. He pressed answer and put the phone against his ear.
"Hi."
"Hey, sweetie. I'm coming to the hospital soon. Is Bella okay?"
Aiden glanced at his friend to see her eyes still closed.
"Uh . . . the doctor said she's on a sedative to help her sleep. They did a lot of tests when she came here, so they wanted her to rest."
"Like what?" Nicole asked, worried.
"I-I." He sighed, bowing his head. "I don't want to tell you this over the phone. I'll tell you when you get here."
"Oh, okay. Then I'll see you soon," Nicole said before hanging up.
Aiden put his phone back in his pocket and continued holding Isabella's hand. He ran a hand over his face, stressed about what he was going to do about her. The urge to run out of the room and track Matthew down to beat him up for what he did was getting harder to suppress.
Matthew couldn't get away with this. He couldn't get away scot-free from something like this. He needed to be put in handcuffs and sent to prison for all the things he'd done. Aiden would do whatever it took to protect Isabella and make her feel happy and safe again.
꧁ ༄ ꧂
The sun was out while the sky was clear blue, letting the sunshine through the window. Isabella still hadn't woken up, and Aiden couldn't get any updates on her condition when the nurse dropped by occasionally to check on her.
He hoped he would get information soon.
"Aiden."
Aiden whipped his head around and spotted Nicole by the door. He slipped his hand away from Isabella's and stood up, walking towards his aunt.
Nicole noticed how haggard Aiden was.
"Is she okay?"
Nicole looked past him to see Isabella in bed. She let out a soft gasp, walked to the bed, and scanned at the bruises on her face, frowning.
"My God. What happened to her?"
Aiden looked at the floor, saddened.
"I'll tell you outside."
She nodded and followed Aiden to the door, walking out of the room.
Once they were out of the room, Nicole spoke at once. "What happened?"
This would be hard for Aiden to explain, but he had to tell his aunt everything. "When I talked to her on the phone last night, she sounded weird, like she couldn't breathe, and sounded incoherent. Then she told me she was hurt and couldn't take the pain anymore.
"When I tried to talk to her, she said she didn't deserve to live. That's when I freaked out." Aiden's voice shook.
"She said goodbye and hung up the phone before I could do anything. I had a bad feeling about what she would do, so I rushed over to her house. I thought she was going to hurt herself. That's why I had you call the ambulance and send them to her house."
Nicole let the words sink in and was heartbroken, with tears glistening in her eyes.
"What happened when you got there?" she asked in a low voice.
"I used the key Bradley gave me to get inside the house. I rushed inside to find her, and I found her in her parents' room . . ." Aiden trailed off as he remembered seeing Isabella's body on the floor—an almost lifeless body.
"I saw her body." He sniffled. "She wasn't okay."
Nicole stepped closer and rested her hands on him, trying to comfort him. "You don't have to say anymore."
"This is my fault," he murmured.
"What do you mean this is your fault?" She pulled away to look at Aiden. "Why are you blaming yourself?"
"If I had stayed with her, she wouldn't be here now. She was alone with him and he raped her. That's why she's in here. She tried to kill herself with sleeping pills and now she's lying on that bed. Her boyfriend hurt her and I wasn't there to stop him."
Nicole gasped, her eyes widening.
Aiden sighed, sitting on a bench near the hospital doors. He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees, and buried his head in his hands. He sensed Nicole's presence beside him as she sat down, placing her hand on his back.
"Sweetie, you had no idea this would happen."
He shook his head, muttering, "He's been beating her for months and I couldn't do anything about it. She was afraid one of us would get hurt if she told someone. I should've done something when I had the chance."
"Aiden," Nicole said, putting more intensity behind her voice to reach her grieving nephew, "this wasn't your fault, and you can't blame yourself for something like this. I know you're worried about how she'll get through this, but we're going to help her. Especially when her parents get back."
They stayed in deep silence for a while until Aiden talked once more.
"Do you realize how familiar this sounds?"
Nicole glanced at her nephew, immediately feeling her chest tighten. She nodded.
"I didn't have anyone to help me except for you," Aiden continued. "You did your best to make everything normal again after you signed the guardianship papers and showed how you would never give up on me. Bella needs help to get back on her feet. From you, Marybeth, Bradley, and me. I don't want her to suffer."
Nicole stared at Aiden with misty eyes and a sad smile on her face. "I know you'll help her. She needs her parents, but I know she needs you the most." She rested her hand on top of his and squeezed softly.
A loud beeping noise came from Isabella's room, and a couple of nurses sprinted into the room. Aiden didn't hesitate and got up, running to the room when a nurse stopped him.
"I'm sorry, sir, you need to stay outside," she demanded before closing the door behind her.
Aiden was terrified at the thought of something being wrong with his friend.
