The Cost of Freedom Is High

Reality Seems Like A Dream

"Hey I've got her all stitched up, and everything. The bleeding is almost nothing now, and she's asleep in the master bedroom." Phil announced to us, as he entered the living room where DJ and I were.

"So she'll be fine?" DJ asked.

"Yeah she's fine now." Phil assured us.

A knock on the door diverted our attention.

"I'll grab it." I told them.

I looked at the eye hole in the door and got quite the surprise. Chance was waiting outside, looking concerned.

"Who is it?" DJ asked.

"Chance." I replied.

"Just open it up, and see what he has to say." DJ suggested.

I opened it up, and Chance's face flashed with tons of emotions, anger, fear, worry, sadness, you name it.

"We need to talk." He told me.

"Come on in and we will. Just don't try anything stupid." I warned him.

"I won't." He said.

"Wait, how did you know where she was?" DJ asked.

"Did you think I'd beat the shit out of Taylor without finding out some stuff?" He questioned us.

Looks like we'd be having a little chat with Taylor.

"So why show up now?" I wondered.

"Taylor told me he was swinging by, I just had a feeling that something might go wrong." Chance told us.

A bit of silence hushed the room.

"She's sleeping upstairs, and we had found her in the bathtub with her wrists slit." DJ informed him.

"Fuck, is she okay?" He panicked.

"She is now, the bleeding stopped and she's just sleeping now." I told him.

"Listen you need to let me talk to her. If you try to talk to her she'll jump even deeper off the edge." Chance cautioned us.

"What do you think is going to happen once you leave then? She'll just be completely happy and content." DJ asked him.

"I know what I'm doing when it comes to Bella. You can either trust me and she'll be better or you can completely ignore me and she'll end up six feet under." He stated.

"Fine, but we'll be listening and for you sake I'd make sure you don't do or say anything stupid." I cautioned him.

"Deal." Chance stated.

"She's up the stairs and in the master bedroom in the middle." I told him.

"Thanks."

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Chance's POV

I closed the door behind me, and was confronted with the sight of Bella wrapped wrists and all sleeping on the bed.

Despite all the shit and horror she's been through she still managed to look beautiful, she was like a sleeping beauty the way she was positioned.

Gently I placed my hand on her face, and brushed the hair out of her face.

"Hey Bella, it's me." I whispered.

Her eyes fluttered behind her eyelids, but she didn't open them up.

"Chance?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Hey princess, I'm here." I said joyfully.

"Nice job." She muttered.

"On what?" I asked.

"Taylor." She softly giggled.

"You're not the only one that can throw a punch." I told her.

"Wait, why are you here?" She questioned me.

"I hate to tell you this Bella, but I'm not actually here. You're just dreaming." I lied to her.

"No, no, no, this is real, it feels real." She panicked.

"It's okay relax." I hushed her.

"Shit so I'm not dead." She groaned.

"Listen to me Bella, you are not dead. That was the stupidest thing you've ever done, you're stronger than that. No matter what happens you need to promise me, yourself, and everyone that still cares for you that you won't ever do that again." I stated, as strongly as possible without sounding like an asshole.

"Why should I listen to what my dreams tell me?" She shot back.

"Because in reality I'm still here, fighting for you everyday. This might just be a dream but outside I'm still fighting like fuck for you. I am never going to give up on you and I can't have you giving up on yourself." I told her.

Tears started to form, and that's when I felt the need to leave.

I couldn't get her out today, so staying here would only piss Michael and DJ off the longer I was here.

I started to slowly back away from the bed, but as I did she reached out and gripped my left arm with a death grip.

"Don't go." She cried.

"Where am I supposed to go?" I asked her with a smile on my face.

"Right here." She said, patting the space next to her on the bed.

"Only if you insist." I chuckled.

I got into the bed on top of the covers and laid right next to her, with my one arm around her shoulders.

"So when I wake up, you'll be gone?" She wondered.

"Yeah, but don't lose hope, just remember what I told you about warped times." I whispered in her ear.

I gently ran my thumb up and down the bandages on her left wrist.

"Night." She whispered.

"I love you." I told her.

I waited for a response, but I already realized she was passed out once again.

I snuck off the bed, left the room and closed the door, and made my way back down to the downstairs with DJ, Phil, and Michael all down there.

"Any luck?" Michael asked.

"She should be fine, she won't do that again." I told them.

"Thanks." DJ said.

"Fuck you guys." I scoffed, letting myself out the door.

I jumped into my car, started the car up, and started down the long and windy maze of roads.

My heart broke even further now than it had been originally.

I think she would be strong now, even though she would believe this was only a dream. She was smart.

8 months though until I'd see her again. A couple weeks after that she'd be safe and in my arms where she belonged.

This plan was literally unbreakable, I had made damn sure of that.

However with 8 months in between us the back of my head kept shouting at me that Bella might not make it.

I could only hope and pray.