Author's Note: Surprise! The next chapter is coming much earlier than is typical! You're finally going to get a few Emmett answers this chapter too. A big thanks to my beta A Good Witch for getting this back so fast. According to her reaction, you might want to grab a box of tissues just in case ;). Thank you for all of the reviews and support! I cherish all of your words! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

After he left the center that afternoon, I hadn't anticipated another Crankypants confrontation until he returned to finish the work on Monday. By the time I got home from work, unfortunately, something else had crawled up his ass and died.

Our departure from the van started out well enough. The kids and I were laughing at EJ's attempt to impersonate me when he woke me up that morning.

"I'm serious, Mom, you're like a zombie! You even moaned!" He held out his hands in front of him as he squinted through half open eyes. "Unnnng, unnnng, Coffeee! Coffeeee!"

Ellie cracked up at his impression. I growled and reached out to grab him around the shoulders and pull him to my side, ruffling his hair as I caught him in a headlock.

"You're one to talk!" I giggled as I let him go. I opened my eyes wide and blinked like I couldn't see anything. "What? Huh? Where's the creeper?"

Ellie laughed even louder. I took a quick step to catch up to her and grab her around the waist. I lifted her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh you have no room to talk Miss 'I sleep so hard Mom has to pick me up and dress me while I'm still half asleep'! Talk about your zombies!"

I had just unlocked the door when I heard Emmett yelling to me from across the street. I looked over my shoulder and groaned.

"Okay guys, go inside, and get set up to start homework. EJ, let the dog outside,and then go ahead and start your reading for the night. I'll be back after I talk to Mr. McCarty."

They glanced at him with worried expressions before obeying my directions and going inside. I tossed my purse in the chair by the door and went back out, closing the door behind me. I was half way down the drive when he met me…a big angerball of testosterone.

"Do you not have ANY pride at all? This place is a nightmare! It looks like it belongs on skid row, not this neighborhood."

I looked back at the house then back at him as if he were a lunatic. Okay, so the yard was a bit on the tall side and the bushes could use a good trimming, but it wasn't as if my house was falling apart at the seams. The white aluminum siding was a little dirty, but it was still straight and intact minus one piece of trim at the bottom of the front door. The roof was going to need replaced pretty soon as the shingles were beginning to curl up on a few of the edges, but it was still in decent shape. The trash cans were lined up along the fence in front of the derelict suv Edward no longer drove, but the SUV was kept clean and in good condition. It wasn't like it was up on blocks or a rusted heap. The house looked lived in and maybe a little behind in maintenance, but not as bad as he made it sound. Then I cocked a brow and popped my hand on my hip. I was tired of his bullshit.

"Okay, we both know this really has nothing to do with my house. I'm a single mom doing the best I can. It's not going to look like a showcase. I have two kids to raise, and a mountain of housework to keep up with on the inside, so I let the outside go a little longer than maybe I should. To top it off my mower is broken so I have to share my Mother's with her. That means I can't just hop out here and mow it whenever I want. My hedge clippers died last year when I tackled that monster in front of the window. I don't have the extra money to replace them. I'm on a tight budget. So I'm sorry if my financial burdens somehow stick in your craw, but as far as I am concerned, you can shove it up your ass until it's coming out of your eyes, because I can only deal with so much."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh poor me. I have a family to support. Oh what a burden! Get over yourself!"

I leaned away from him and quirked my brow. "Me get over MYself? Who's the one stomping over here like the tidy lawn nazi, giving me shit about my place? Who's the one that looks at me like I'm dirt every time he sees me? Who's the one that makes fun of me for trying to make learning fun for my class and treats me as if I don't know how to maintain discipline in my own classroom? ME get over MYself? How about you get over yourself? You don't like the damn lawn, mow it your own damn self! Or don't, it's really no skin off my nose, except for one less thing I have to juggle to keep things moving over here!"

He just glared holes through me as I glared right back, both of us in matching rigid postures and arms crossed over our chests. Finally, unable to stand the stare down any more, I broke the silence.

"What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so damn much, huh? What could I have possible done? As far as I can tell, I just happen to exist. So who is the real asshole here? The person who hates the other for no reason, or the person finally standing their ground in the face of the undeserved and unmitigated hatred?"

His face flickered through some indiscernible series of expressions before he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and then unwound his arms, turned, and stalked away. I watched him leave then turned and went back inside to deal with whatever homework we had to face before the weekend routine of house cleaning, laundry, and quality time with my kids during my weekend with them began. I tried to push the confusing, though quite freeing, argument away. It felt good to finally unload, but alas, I was still left with no answers as to why Emmett McCarty hated me so much.

I hadn't been inside very long before I heard a racket outside. I almost dismissed it, thinking it was another Crankypants fit in the wake of our recent confrontation, but some instinct told me I needed to look. Mom always said I had impeccable instincts and they served me well again. Across the way, Emmett was laying on the ground at the end of a very long ladder, which was on top of his legs and chest.

I yelled for the kids to stay inside and yanked my cell phone out of my pocket as I ran across the street. I yelled Emmett's name as I neared him, but he didn't stir. Actually, it didn't even look like he was breathing.

Picking up the ladder with one hand, I dialed 911 with the other and set it to speaker mode as I leaned over Emmett. I felt for a pulse and heartbeat as a voice came on the line.

"Nine One One, what is your emergency?"

"It's my neighbor. I think he fell off a tall ladder. He's unresponsive and I'm not finding any vitals. I'm starting compressions now, please send an ambulance."

"Mom! What's going on?" EJ asked as he ran up from the house, Ellie right beside him. Both looked terrified.

"I asked you to stay in the house. Just, stay here and tell the lady our address so they know where to send the ambulance."

I stacked my hands and began giving Emmett compressions and breaths as EJ answered all of the operator's questions. Two sets of compressions later, I was overwhelmed in relief as Emmett took a gasp and opened his eyes.

"Oh thank God! Emmett! Emmett, can you hear me?"

His eyes locked with mine, but they were wild and panicked as if he didn't know who I was or where he was.

"Rose…Lily…where are they?"

He tried to sit up and I held him down, capturing his head between my hands to stabilize his neck. "No Emmett. You can't move. You might have a spinal injury. You fell off a ladder."

"No! Where are Rose and Lily?"

I frowned. "I'm sorry, Emmett. I don't know who you are talking about." I felt the warm liquid sensation on my fingers and groaned. I hadn't even noticed the blood in the chaos of CPR.

I looked over my shoulder at my kids. "EJ, hand Ellie the phone and run into Mr. McCarty's house to get a towel to help stop this blood. Come right back."

He blinked in shock before nodding and handing to phone to Ellie who was sobbing. "Ok, Mom. Stay here, Sis." He took off as fast as his little feet could carry him.

I looked back down to see Emmett still upset and looking around with wild, confused eyes as he continued to scream for Rose and Lily. "Emmett, look at me. Focus on me. I'm Bella. I'm your neighbor across the street. Do you remember me?"

He blinked in bewilderment a few times and then I saw the moment that recognition struck seconds before the most heartbreaking look crossed his face. His features crumpled into a cross between a scream and a sob as the tears welled and rolled back toward his ears.

"NO! No! It can't be real! I should be with them! Why would God do this to me?"

I caressed his cheek with my thumbs as I continued to hold him steady and tried to calm him. "Shhh, shhh…it's okay, Emmett. You're going to be okay."

"No I won't! Why didn't I just die? Why won't he let me die?" he screamed.

Ellie started crying harder. EJ skidded up to my side, panting as he held out a fluffy pink towel. I took it, told him to leave the phone, and take his sister back to the house. Then I applied the towel to the side of Emmett's head where the bleeding seemed worse.

"I don't know your story, Emmett, but I know God does everything for a reason. Your job on Earth must not be done yet."

At that moment, the blessed sound of sirens rose in the distance. Everything was a blur after they arrived. The paramedics turned to me for answers to questions that I didn't know, like how to reach his next of kin. They tried asking him before leaving but his only answer was, "No…no one. Not any more."

I watched them drive away and prayed for Emmett. The need to lock up his house was only an afterthought. Folding the ladder, I picked it up and carried it around back. I placed it in his garage before coming back to the front of the house. I looked around in delayed shock and then went to the front door, which was still standing open after EJ's mad dash for a towel.

I crossed the threshold for the very first time, taking in the extremely minimalist surroundings. Nothing but a couch coffee table and TV stand with a large screen TV furnished the living room. There was nothing on the walls or tables except a set of matching picture frames all facing the couch.

I was careful not to touch anything as I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands, which were stained with the blood from his head wound. I scrubbed them twice, wincing at the myriad poor choices I had made in the trauma of the moment. I had plastic gloves in the emergency kit at the house, but I hadn't even thought twice about it when I ran across the street. I just took first aid a few months ago. The American Red Cross would probably yank my certification card if they knew how bad I'd botched that little emergency.

Once I was satisfied that I'd gotten every speck and germ off, I dried my hands on a clean towel and made my way into the living room. I scanned the room for Emmett's wallet and keys, hoping that since they weren't on him when there paramedics checked that they would be nearby. Thankfully, they were in the middle of the coffee table. I took a few minutes to walk around and make sure the lights were off in the clean, but austere house before returning to the living room to grab his wallet and keys so I could lock up.

When I bent down to pick up the items, I paused as I saw the photos on display. My heart skipped a beat and sank into my toes as I saw the happy family thoughtfully encases in beautiful ornate frames of dark wood. In the back of the trio sat Emmett, smiling at the camera with sparkling blue eyes and the most dazzling smile. There were no scars on his face. No anger in his eyes. His right arm embraced the most beautiful blonde woman, who was seated before him, beaming at the camera. She was the type of beautiful that you find on Parisian runways and high fashion magazines. His other arm was wrapped around a petite version of the blonde woman. She was seated upon his knee. She had Emmett's eyes, but otherwise she was the spitting image of her mother. A silver plaque on the bottom of the frame was engraved in fancy font. EMMETT, ROSALIE, AND LILY McCARTY 2011.

The other images included their wedding picture, a picture of Rosalie holding a newborn Lily in the hospital and various images of the family together, but none any later than the image labeled 2011. Suddenly, the cranky enigma of Mr. Emmett McCarty became much clearer and I couldn't help but feel pity for the man. Just as I had told Ellie several weeks before, everyone had a story, some people were just better had hiding their pain than others. Poor Emmett McCarty had so much that it was overflowing in spades. For now, all I could do was hope and pray, but I knew that once he came back home, I would make a concerted effort to be a little more understanding.

I walked back across the street to soothe my traumatized children. Before I even got in the door, I decided to say screw it to the homework and obligations I had planned for the night. Instead, I pulled both kids into my lap and cuddled them as we discussed what had happened. We prayed for Mr. McCarty and the doctors that were taking care of him and I tacked on a silent prayer for God to help ease his emotional pain as well.

I pushed aside the chicken I had planned to turn into dinner, instead pulling out a frozen pizza that we enjoyed while watching The Croods. After the movie, we made a fort out of blankets and ate ice cream inside our fort. When bedtime came, we created pallets on the floor under our fort and curled up together.

The kids fell asleep almost immediately while I laid there listening to their breathing and watching them sleep, all the while thanking God for the blessing of being able to care for them. Single motherhood was a burden at times, but a burden I would gladly bear at any time. I couldn't imagine life without my babies. I cried silently as I thought of Emmett's tears and question of why God would let him live when his family died and I had to admit, if the roles were reversed, I would probably feel the exact same way.

I wiped my tears, wrapped my arms around my babies, and fell into a deep sleep. I dreamed of blonde haired angels in heaven, staring worriedly down toward a man with dark hair and blue eyes, attached to several machines as he lay sleeping in a hospital bed. They looked to me with pleading eyes before looking back down again and then they were gone.