Esme went upstairs after supper to check on Alice. Carlisle had assured her that she would be able to wake Alice up in order to give her a bit of soup and another dose of laudanum. He didn't want to give her too much, but she needed a couple of good days of rest to start the healing process and ward off any other problems like infection.

She pushed her way into the guest room carrying a tray holding a bowl of oxtail soup and a small bottle of laudanum, though she nearly dropped it when she saw Jasper sitting there, just looking at Alice sleep and she exclaimed, "Jasper!"

He immediately straightened up and hurried over to take the tray from her. "Let me help you with that, ma'am."

She let him take the tray from her and continued to look at him with surprise. "I thought you'd gone home a while back when everyone else left."

Jasper shook his head and went to set the tray on the bedside table. "No, ma'am."

She waited a moment to see if he would say more, but no further information was forthcoming. "Well, um, I see." Though she actually didn't. "Has she woken up at all?"

"No, ma'am," he said again tiredly. "She's been a bit restless in the last hour or so."

"Oh?" Esme asked, coming closer to the bed and tucking the blankets around Alice after checking her for a fever.

"Been talking in her sleep some," Jasper said.

Esme looked at him, but didn't ask him to divulge what Alice had said. "Well, I was going to wake her to see if she'll take some soup and a bit more laudanum for the pain if she wants it."

Jasper nodded and made no move to leave, instead he moved to a corner of the room and stood there silently, watching.

Esme gave him a curious look, but shrugged and moved to Alice's right side, avoiding the left side since that was where she had the broken arm and leg. She shook her gently and whispered, "Alice? Alice, dear? Can you wake up for me?"

Alice started to come to with a groan and mumbled, "Please, Sister Agnes, just a little longer." Esme stifled a chuckle. "Alice, wake up, dear."

Alice's eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked around in confusion. When her gaze rested on Jasper, she tilted her head a bit on the pillow, and let her eyes rest on him a moment before they moved to Esme and she asked sleepily, "Where am I?"

As Esme explained everything, Jasper stood by, watching, giving Alice a bit of a smile whenever her gaze drifted his way. Even as Esme started to feed her some of the soup he was a silent, strong presence in the room and it seemed like he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

After Bella ran inside Emmett just sat in the wagon, feeling ill right down to the very core of his being. A million things were running through his mind.

Bella had talked to Rosie.

Bella was going to tell Alice.

Bella was disappointed in him.

Bella had seen him in the alley with Rosie.

The more he thought about these things, the sicker he felt and he barely spoke a word as Tyler came to get the wagon so he could put it up and unhitch the team of horses that they'd been using.

He went into the house and went straight into his office, closing the door behind him. He was itching for a drink, but instead of making his way to the liquor he sat behind his desk and turned to look out the window.

Honestly, he didn't care the Bella had talked to Rosie. He'd wanted the two of them to meet since the moment Bella had gotten here. Rosie was important to him and he really did love her. He also didn't care if Bella told Alice, he'd come to the conclusion that he was going to have to break things off with Alice himself that morning before she'd gotten injured. As a matter of fact, he knew he was being a bit of a chicken shit as he sat there, hoping that Bella would break the news so he wouldn't have to.

What he couldn't stand was the fact that his sister was disappointed by him and that she had caught him with Rosie in that alley. He couldn't even imagine what she must think of him.

Leaning back in his chair he closed his eyes and had to swallow back tears at the look of disillusionment in Bella's eyes. It was such a sharp contrast to the look of utter adoration that he remembered seeing in her eyes when she'd been a little kid. He remembered how his friends had made fun of him when he'd take her everywhere he could.

When he was younger, he'd always wanted a kid brother, but as years went by he figured that that would never happen, so when Bella had come along when he was eight years old he was surprised and instantly smitten. His parents had laughed at how overprotective he'd been of her and it was obvious to everyone that Bella adored her brother to pieces. He'd probably spent more time with her than either of his parents had…until he'd left.

One of the hardest things he'd done was leave Bella and his mother when he'd turned twenty. Bella had only been twelve years old at the time and it had broken his heart they way she'd cried and clung to him the day he left, asking him not to go.

Even now he wanted to cry as he thought about it. It'd taken every ounce of strength not to cry when he'd seen Bella sobbing in his mother's arms while his mother cried silent tears.

Sitting there, thinking about that day, he realized how much he missed his momma. She'd always been the one that understood his need to get away and be different. He doubted that he would have made the trek out west without her support and encouragement. He always figured that someday he would see her again, but of course, that was never going to happen now.

Bella looked so much like her and even that hidden inner strength that she had was so much like their mother's. Bella was right though. His mother would have been disappointed in him.

Since Bella's arrival he had not had the opportunity to think about the fact that his parents were gone and at that moment he swallowed a lump in throat, trying to swallow back the tears that were threatening to burst forth like a broken dam. It seemed to hit him all at once that he'd lost his father, his mother, and now with his foolish behavior, it was possible he'd lost the respect of his baby sister. He also didn't have the one person his heart desired above all others…Rosie.

Emmett Swan was a bear of a man, large, muscular, and he was also one of the richest men in the area and owner of the biggest ranch in the area, but at that moment he felt like everything he cared about was slipping through his fingers like sand. Leaning his elbows on his knees he hunched forward with his face in his hands and cried for people he'd lost, the mistakes that he'd made, and the things that he felt he would never have.