EPOV (Edward)

"Eat up, sweetheart. It's almost time for bed," came Rosalie's voice from all the way down the hall in a tone I wasn't used to hearing.

Renesmee made a loud crunching noise as she munched her cereal. "Are you and Alice going to sleep here too?"

"Of course. As long as you're here," she responded most whole-heartedly. Alice was nodding agreement as she fixed her pillow. They continued to coddle her after that.

I sighed. Carlisle was looking at me curiously. "She seems to have made a remarkable attachment to you from the very beginning," he said, remembering the look in her eyes when she saw me leaving.

"She's lost her parents. I was one of the first people she saw thereafter. It's normal to look for something to latch on to something after something like that," I answered in a dead voice.

He nodded, not wanting to say more on the subject "I expect she's going through a phase right now. It's going to be harder to cope with in the future." He frowned. "What was it that you wanted to tell me? To be honest, I was rather surprised to see you tonight."

"I came to tell you that I'd finally made a decision." It was quiet, and I could tell my two sisters were listening. "Tanya and I are going away. We won't be back for a very long time. I came to tell you this, thinking I would find you alone, and that you relay the information to the others, but since that's impossibility, I suppose this is my goodbye."

Alice was beside me in a second, but Rosalie was…apathetic. She stayed with Renesmee I the room and pretended as if she hadn't heard a word.

"I don't understand," Alice was furious. "What do you mean 'goodbye'? Edward, you can't leave."

"I have to. It will be easier for her if she's not awake."

Not to mention, easier for me as well.

"And the wedding? You're not going to stay for own wedding?"

"The wedding was never going be in Forks," I confessed. "I just didn't want to make you feel left out"

Alice was shocked and speechless. I was sure if she could cry she would. My face betrayed nothing.

"Edward, please. She's counting on you. If you're going to leave again, at least do it properly and say goodbye first."

I could tell she was speaking for more than just Renesmee now.

"Do whatever you feel is best," was Carlisle's disappointed remark. They both left me alone in the hallway.

I watched silently as Renesmee slept, the steady intake of her peaceful sleep soothing. I sat in the chair beside her bed, the swirl of shapes and colors and occasional unfamiliar image of someone flashing through her mind like a slideshow. Alice and Rosalie had left to tend to some of the other patients while they waited for her to wake up, but I would be fine sitting in the chair in the dark until she did.

Their minds never strayed from her, both of them completely under her spell. They adored her from the very moment they saw her. It was certainly understandable. She was intelligent, warm, affectionate... It was clear that whoever had raised her had done an extraordinary job of it.

But it wasn't an excuse.

They need only fulfill their duties as her caretakers, but it was unacceptable to get attached, or worse, risk letting Renesmee get attached. She'd lost enough already.

Suddenly she stirred slightly, and her breathing hitched, as if she'd just been interrupted by a nightmare. But at the moment the slideshow only continued, and I frowned, contemplating her reaction. Rosalie, nearly three floors away, debated on whether she should quickly come and check in on her. But then Renesmee's breathing returned to normal, and she decided that she had better disturb her sleep.

Alice had briefly seen Rosalie barge into the hospital room in a vision before she'd had changed her mind, and promptly snorted.

As if Edward would let anything happen to her.

Without thinking my mind wondered to just a few hours ago when the feel of her soft, precious head resting on me made the world seem a little less gray. When the hardness of my face melted into a smile for the first time in what felt like an eternity. When the innocence and marvel in her brown eyes was so painfully familiar and beautiful to me.

In that same instant, her audible breathing brought me back to reality, and I realized that while I was worried that my family was becoming too emotionally involved, I myself had involuntarily done the same.

I'd arrived at the hospital minutes after the accident, finding her just as she was regaining consciousness. She was alone, helpless and disoriented. Her humanly fragility awakened something in me that I hadn't realized still existed. From the moment she opened her eyes and on I felt compelled to do as she wished. I was just as under her spell as everyone else.

The only difference was that I could control myself. I could put aside my own needs for the sake of the child whose life would surely never be the same again. That was my own personal vow to her.

RPOV (Renesmee)

Edward was there, just like he promised. I didn't know why, but I felt a lot of relief and I was happy. He smiled at me when I woke up.

"You're still here!"

Instantly I jumped from my bed and sat on his lap like I did with my dad. He caught me right as I was flying. After a little while I was kind of cold. He seemed to know this and grabbed the cover form the bed and wrapped it around me.

I liked it at the hospital. Carlisle is the best doctor I'd ever seen! Alice and Rosalie were really nice to me. Rosalie kind of reminded me of my mother, and Alice made me wish I had a sister like her. Last night after Rosalie gave me a bath, she tickled me until I couldn't even breathe anymore. Then she made fun of Edward's hair, and said he needed to comb it. I liked his big, red hair, but I still thought it was funny.

I looked up at Edward's golden eyes. He kind of reminded me of my father a little bit too. He was so gentle, and kind. He made everything seem like it was going to be okay. I knew that eventually, once I got better, and mom and dad got better, I would have to leave him. It made me really sad, but I tried not to think about it too much.

Then something came to mind. "Since you and Alice have the same last name, does that mean you're brother and sister?"

"Mhmm. Alice, Rosalie and I are all adopted," he said in a melodic voice.

"And Carlisle?"

"Our father."

I frowned. They barely looked anything alike. Except maybe that they all had golden eyes. Rosalie had long blonde hair, pale skin and she was so pretty she could have as many boyfriends as she wanted. Alice was pretty too, though. She was short, and had black, spiky hair. She was always smiling, and she had so much energy. If I could, I would grow up just like them.

I rested on Edward's chest as he held me quietly, so thankful that he was spending all this time with me. It gave me joy to know that he cared this much about me.

Suddenly the door flew open and I heard Alice's sweet voice yelling "Incoming!"

Rosalie held the door for her as she brought in food on a huge tray with wheels. I'd never seen so much at one time in my life. There were sausages, waffles, eggs, juice, more eggs, toast…

As I looked at it I realized how hungry I was.

"Is all this for me?" I said in an excited voice. But then I remembered that Edward hadn't eaten either and that maybe I had to share.

"Go ahead and eat as much as you want," he said, as if reading my mind.

"And more, if need be," Rosalie assured me as Alice parked the tray in front of me. Edward propped me up so I could see it better. There was so much I didn't even know where to start.

"Don't eat with your hands, honey, you'll dirty your shirt," Rosalie added, watching me closely.

I thought I heard Edward sigh behind me.

After I finished eating Rosalie asked me a lot of questions. Then Carlisle came in and asked me even more questions. Edward and Alice were with me the whole time. Edward seemed to be very troubled, but he tried to hide it by smiling at me every time I snuck a peak at him. He always seemed sad about something. Even when he laughed it was still kind of sad.

I was sitting on the bed as Alice stroked my hair. Carlisle was still writing things down, when I realized I had a question of my own.

"When will mom and dad get better?" I asked him in a tiny voice. They were probably wondering if I was okay. I was missing them both, but I didn't want to ask to go visit them because I thought they would say no.

Carlisle, Alice, Rosalie all looked at me, their expressions mirroring varying degrees of shock. Edward just looked like he was in a lot of pain, still as stone.

But then I realized something that should've been clear. "They're not getting better, are they?"

"No, Renesmee, you're parents are not going to get better." Carlisle's voice was soft. I looked at everyone else at the room, and my spirit fell.

Tears welled up in my eyes, "Why not?"

He forced himself to continue, "Your mother and father didn't make it. They won't come back". The tears were flowing freely now. "I'm so sorry."

They were all gathered around me, their saddened expressions offering comfort and kindness. I lost my parents, and everything I had. And soon I was going to lose them too. I tried to control myself, but after a while the sobs came so frequently I could no longer stifle them.