Jacob kept slightly in front of me to guide the way, but I could tell he was letting me set the pace. I hurried through the woods, stumbling over fallen branches.

"There's really no hurry," Jacob told me. "Doc's taking care of her — what more do you think you could do?"

I only shook my head and plunged on, then fell to my hands and knees as I tripped over a raised tree root. I stayed where I was for a moment, letting my head hang down and silently sobbing.

Jacob bent and took hold of my upper arm to pull me up. "Hurrying like this isn't helping anyone," he scolded. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. "Yes, let's go — oh!" My ankle buckled as I tried to stand on it; I would have fallen if Jacob hadn't grabbed me.

"You're hurt. How bad is it?"

I bit my lip. "My ankle — I don't think I can walk. I hate these woods!"

Nessie jumped off Jacob's shoulders, and he lifted me easily and carried me to a nearby fallen log. "Guess I better take a look."

He pulled off my shoe and sock; his hands on my bare skin were blazing, feverishly hot. But he looked healthy enough…

"Is it broken?" Nessie asked anxiously.

Jacob shook his head. "I can't tell, Ness," he said, a note of worry in his voice. "Guess the best thing to do is wrap it up and get her back to the doc. Stay with her a minute."

He disappeared into the woods; when he returned he was holding his sleeveless white undershirt. He quickly tore it into strips and wrapped them tightly around my ankle. "Best I can do, Mrs Morrison. Let's get you back to Dr F — Cullen." He grinned at Nessie as he lifted me in his arms. "You can walk, Ness; I'm not carrying both of you."

"You could," Nessie pouted.

"Didn't say I couldn't; said I wasn't going to."

She growled and leapt at him; he held out one arm to fend her off. But she grabbed hold of it and scrambled back to her place on his shoulders.

"I'm telling your father on you," he protested, laughing.

Nessie only giggled, leaning forward to clasp her hands under his chin.

Jacob chuckled. "All right, imp; have it your way. Just don't kick Mrs Morrison."

"Oh, just please hurry!" I half groaned.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Nessie questioned, instantly sympathetic.

"Yes…but I'm thinking of Gracie…"

Nessie frowned. "Papa's with her; she's fine."

I wondered if it was possible the high view she and Jacob had of Dr Cullen's skills was based on anything more than prejudice.

Jacob moved faster now, not having to shorten his stride for me or Nessie. Sooner than I expected, we emerged from the woods and crossed the wide lawn. Nessie jumped down at the porch and skipped up the steps to open the door. "Mama?"

"Hello, Nessie. Did — Jake! What happened to her?"

"Fell and hurt her ankle," Jacob explained briefly. "Doc up in the office?"

"Yes; bring her right up." Esme led Jacob up the stairs and down the hall to a closed door. "Carlisle?" she called, knocking once then pushing it open. "Jacob brought Mrs Morrison back; she hurt her ankle."

"I wrapped it up, but I don't know if it's broken or just sprained," Jacob explained as the doctor hurried forward.

"Lay her here on the couch," he said quietly.

My anxious eyes looked past him to where Gracie lay in a recliner. I clutched at his hand as he bent over me. "Dr Cullen — how is she?"

He darted a quick glance over his shoulder. "Stable," he replied. He smiled gently. "She'll be fine, Mrs Morrison, so let's have a look at this ankle, shall we? Esme, love, how about bringing up an ice pack?"

Dr Cullen quickly determined that my injury was only a sprain, and soon had it iced and bandaged to his satisfaction. He was just giving me some pills for the pain when a voice spoke from the doorway. "It looks like a hospital ward in here, Carlisle; need any help?"

Dr Cullen chuckled. "No, thanks, Edward; I'm good." He turned to me with a smile. "Mrs Morrison, my son, Edward. Edward, Mrs Morrison."

He nodded acknowledgement and crossed to sit on his father's desk. He had to be adopted…and a blood relative of Nessie's, going by looks.

He gave an inexplicable snort of laughter. "Well, I'll be around if you do need me."

"Thank you." He took a seat beside me as Edward pulled the door shut behind him. "I'm going to have to prescribe at least a week of complete rest for that ankle, Mrs Morrison, and I'm sure Esme would love to have you and Gracie as guests here until it heals."

I couldn't have cared less about my ankle. "What about Gracie?"

He gave me a comforting smile. "I could be wrong, but I believe she has a rare condition; a colleague of mine showed me a case of it a couple years ago. He's a specialist in the field, and I'd like to give you a referral for Gracie to go see him."

I shook my head wearily, feeling myself start to drift off from the painkillers. "She's seen half a dozen specialists, Doctor; none of them have helped."

He gently squeezed my shoulder. "I think I can promise you that this one will," he said quietly. "You rest now, and don't worry about Gracie; she'll be fine."

Go to Epilogue

Epilogue coming next week!

A/N: I know, I should have just gone with this ending, since it really combines both the other two…but I feel like it has too much going on, and I actually like it the least. I wouldn't have kept it at all, but I like where Nessie climbs Jacob…and Edward's comment about a hospital ward…and his private amusement at Mrs Morrison's mental comment. Barbie

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie