Mafia Princess

Chapter Fifty-One

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter Fifty-One

EPOV

Bella woodenly stumbled to my bathroom. Once the door clicked shut, I went to get first aid supplies. Charlie and Emmett were seated in the living room. Charlie jumped up. "Can we talk now?" he asked, his brown eyes frantic.

"No. Bella's changing. She has some scrapes that need dressing and I want to wait until she's asleep before I talk to you," I explained. "She's a bit of a mess, sir."

"This is all my fault," Charlie said as he thrust his hands into his hair.

"Uncle Charlie, it isn't," Emmett soothed.

"No! If it weren't for my lifestyle, that hit wouldn't have happened on Bella. My baby girl," he sobbed.

Carmen handed me a first aid kit. Her eyes were filled with tears. "That girl has been through too much, Edward. She's been a lost soul since her momma died. You've brought her back to life and grounded her. Take care of her, okay?"

"I'll try, Carmen," I whispered. I turned and walked back to my room. I could hear Bella's broken sobs in the bathroom. I didn't know what to do. Do I go in there? What if she's naked? I licked my lips and knocked on the door. "Bella? I have the stuff for your scrapes."

She didn't reply. Her sobs only grew more panicked. I knew and understood those sobs. I checked the door and it was unlocked. Pushing it open, I found Bella curled up on the floor, wearing my boxers and nothing else. Her carefully constructed façade of a strong woman was crumbling before my eyes. She looked so broken. "Little One," I said as I lay down next to her.

"Edward," she wailed as she threw her arms around me. I held her tightly. Carefully, I sat up and cradled her in my arms and on my lap. Her sobs tore at my heart and her tears soaked my ruined shirt.

"I've got you, Bella. No one's going to hurt you," I said as I ran my hands along the smooth skin of her back. She kept crying and eventually her tears tapered off. She let out a shaky breath, pulling back from me. Her pale skin was flushed from her sobbing and her eyes were red-rimmed. "You okay?"

"Not really but I can't cry anymore," she whimpered.

"Can I help you with the first aid?" I asked. "The scrapes on your back are pretty deep."

"That's what triggered this," she said, giving me a sad smile. "It was not how I envisioned you seeing my tits."

"You're joking?" I asked incredulously. "Bella, I'm not even thinking about your breasts. I'm worried about you. I'm worried about what happened tonight."

"I am, too, but I figured making a joke would be..."she bit her lip. "Kind of stupid. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Little One. Trust me when I say that I will acknowledge and give your tits all of the attention they require but now, you need some first aid. Can I help you?"

She nodded and got up off my lap. I led her to the bathtub and washed my hands. I knew I probably should be wearing gloves but as a boyfriend, that would be too cold and clinical. I picked up a clean washcloth, putting it under some hot water. Slowly, carefully and tenderly, I washed off all of the crap on Bella's back. She was crying softly, holding her arms around her tiny waist. I reached around her and twined my fingers with hers. She turned around, giving me a watery smile. I rewarded her with a soft kiss.

And can I share with you that this kissing business is fucking awesome! Yes, bad timing to share that, but kissing her was nothing short of a miracle.

Back to caring for my girl, I finished washing her back and gently applied some antibiotic ointment to prevent scarring. "Do you want a bandage? It's pretty big," I said.

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and looked at it in the mirror. "Is there any gauze pads and tape?"

I nodded and put the pad on her back, taping it to her back. Tenderly, I kissed her back. "My mom said that a kiss is the best medicine."

"Your real mom or foster mom?" Bella asked

"My real mom. We were both covered in more bruises than most people but whenever I got a kiss from her, it made it better," I sighed, giving her a sad grin. I handed her the shirt I gave her in the bedroom, helping her put it on since her arms were kind of not really functional. After I finished with her back, I moved to clean up her elbows and knees, giving them kisses, too.

"Thank you," she cried, wiping her face. "You're so amazing, Edward. You have no idea how wonderful you are. Mio angelo, mio protettore, mio tesoro." She wrapped her arms around my neck, sobbing quietly. I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. I put her on the bed and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for myself. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"No, Little One. I'm going to change and address my own wounds. I'll be right out," I said.

"I can help," she said.

"Bella, stay. Rest. I'm fine," I urged, pressing her back into my bed. I kissed her forehead and padded to the bathroom. I removed my shirt and dressed my wounds on my arms and hands. I slid on my t-shirt and moved to my legs. I knew I had a nasty gash on my leg. When I removed my dress pants, I saw crusty blood and deep scrapes along my shin. My adrenalin must have been pumping still because I didn't register the pain of the wound. It was going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow. I covered it with the ointment and wrapped it with the gauze and tape.

I walked out of the bathroom and found Bella curled up on my bed. She was not asleep. Her eyes were darting around the room as if someone was going to attack her in her home. Her eyes landed on me and she flew off the bed, into my arms. She cried, apologizing for my injuries. "Bella, I'm fine," I whispered against her hair. "I've had worse..."

"I just...I'm sorry," she pouted.

"Come on, Little One. Let's get you to bed. You must be exhausted," I said.

"I am but every time I close my eyes, I see the explosion," she muttered. "I see the panic in your eyes when you told me that we needed to leave."

"We're safe now," I said as I swept her in my arms. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I can stay with you, right?" she asked in a tiny voice.

I'd never slept with a woman before. The idea of it terrified me and excited me at the same time. "Of course, Little One. After tonight, I need to hold you," I said, giving her a smile.

A/N: You're all probably thinking, where were the police? Why did Edward and Bella flee the scene? The answer is, I didn't want them staying for the cops. Eventually, the police will piece together that the car was Bella's and come to interview her.

No pictures with this one. Check out the Mafia Princess tab on my blog for all of the pictures for the story. Link is in my profile. You can also find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation or on twitter: Tufano79. Leave me some loving, please!