"He's going to be okay, right?" Rosalie asks outside of my hospital room. "Like, this isn't lasting damage?"
"He will be just fine. He needs to take it easy with school work and anything mentally challenging because of the concussion, but he will be back to normal in no time." Esme tells her.
"He's in good hands, sweetheart." Carlisle assures.
"I don't want to see him."
My heart sinks. I know she's mad because I lied to her about seeing Ansel, but I never thought she would react like this.
"Why not, Rosie?" Carlisle asks.
Rosalie doesn't respond right away. I didn't tell them that she knew that I've visited Ansel before. I hold my breath. She might just throw herself under the bus with this.
"Because why would he go see him?" She finally says in a grave voice. "Aren't we enough of a family for him."
"I understand your frustration with this situation." Carlisle tells her. "Come on a walk with me. We'll talk."
A few seconds pass by before Esme, Edward and Emmett come marching into my room.
"How are you feeling, honey?" Esme asks with a forced smile. I just shrug and look down at my hands as I pick at my finger nails.
"You don't look too bad." Edward says happily. I know he's just trying to help, but it isn't helping.
"Nothing keeps Jasper down." Emmett exclaims.
Emmett stays standing at the foot of my bed and Edward and Esme take a seat in the wooden chairs in the room. They chat together and try to get me to join in, but I don't want to talk to them. I want to talk to my sister.
Emmett shuffles the stiff deck of cards in his hands. Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmett are all squished together next to my bed, Carlisle in a metal folding chair he found buried in some janitorial closet. Rosalie sits right between them, her arms crossed over her chest. She barely looks in my direction, and when she does, it's a scowl so powerful that it could knock the strongest man to his knees. Esme and Edward have already gone home for the night. Rosalie and Emmett wanted to stay a little later with me. I don't know why Rosalie felt she needed to stay, because she hasn't spoken to me once since she got here.
"So, what game are we playing?" Emmett asks. No one responds. Carlisle keeps his eyes glued to the machines. Rosalie watches Emmett move the cards from one hand to the next. "Oh, come on, guys. Someone's gotta talk."
We're still silent.
"Christ," Emmett sighs and rolls his eyes. "What's the issue?"
"You know what the issue is." Rosalie mumbles.
"Is sitting here ignoring each other going to fix it?" Emmett asks.
"Maybe I don't want to talk to him." She shoots back. It makes my heart ache.
"Rose, be nice." Carlisle scolds her quietly.
"He doesn't talk to anyone and that's fine, but I decide not to talk to him and suddenly I'm the one who's wrong?" She questions Carlisle, her lips twisting along with the snide remark.
"I just said to be nice." Carlisle groans and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Emmett's right, though. Tell him why you're angry. Do it nicely."
Rosalie doesn't respond right away. She looks down at her feet with an angry scowl on her face. Carlisle rubs his forehead like he has a headache. Emmett keeps shuffling the cards.
"Rosie," I say as quietly as I can. It's just enough to get her to look up. I hold my arm out to her. She hesitates for a moment before she decides to take my hand and completely break down.
"Why would you go see him?" She asks. Tears roll down her cheeks like her eyes are floodgates that have just been opened. "After everything he's done to you and after everything we've been through. Things have just gotten better. Why would you run back to him?"
I squeeze her hand. That's the only response I can give her right now. Emmett puts one hand on Rosalie's knee, and once Carlisle sees that she's comforted, he rests his hand on my blanket covered leg.
"I think I can speak for Jasper," Emmett speaks slowly and deliberately. "Because I kinda did the same thing."
Carlisle lets out a sigh.
"You know, it's difficult for guys like us." Emmett says, turning all of his attention to me. "Carlisle and Esme are better parents than anyone. They give us everything we could ever need or want. And it's great. But I get it, bro. People see us as being lucky that they take care of us, but we see it a little deeper. We see the more tragic layer of the situation. We remember the parents that discarded us."
Carlisle watches us with intense, pained eyes.
"I understand how horrible it is to wonder why you weren't good enough. Garth played the perfect Dad to me a few days every six months, then left me like I was nothing. It was horrible. Carlisle is a phenomenal father, we all know that, but unfortunately, we weren't born into this family. Chosen, but not born." He pauses here, and locks eye contact with me. There's a moment of understanding between us, and I feel more connected to him than ever. He gives me the smallest smile, just one corner of his lip turn upwards, before he turns back to Rosalie and Carlisle. "The family we were born into will always stick in our mind. That's something that we need to work through ourselves. It has no reflection on the rest of the family. Rose, you know Jasper loves you. Same for you, Carlisle. You both are taking this very personally. I'm sure it's difficult not to, but this is about Jasper and his biological father."
"I told him not to do it." Rosalie whimpers.
"Wait, what?" Carlisle looks up to Rosalie, his eyebrows pulled together. "You knew about this? And you didn't tell me?"
Rosalie's eyes get wide, and before she incriminates herself, I butt in.
"I, I, I asked her." I force out. My voice is raw and strained. "If she ever w-w-wanted to meet h-him. S-s-she," I have to pause and take a shaky breath. I've never said this much in front of Emmett. "Didn't know I r-r-really saw h-him."
Carlisle looks between the two of us, probably deciding if he can believe me or not.
"Is that true, Rosalie?" Carlisle asks. She nods. He looks to me. "Are you lying to me, Jasper?"
I shake my head no.
"Anyways, like I was saying," Emmett jumps in and clears his the throat to shift the attention back to him. "It's something personal. Nothing against anyone else. Knowing your biological father is out there and within arms reach makes it very tempting to forgive and forget his past wrongdoings. And when he gives a positive response, well, it's hard to turn down."
Rosalie sighs. I squeeze her hand again. Carlisle doesn't respond. He keeps staring at the ground.
"Haven't you ever wanted to see how your dad is doing?" Emmett asks him.
"Never." He responds harshly. "I was taken from him for good reason and have no interest in hearing from him."
"Maybe it's just because Jasper and I were removed when we were younger than when you were removed. I don't know." Emmett suggests with a shrug. "I just know that the day Garth swung at you was the day I finally got closure on him being a shitty father and not wanting him in my life. And I'm sure Jasper is feeling the same way right now."
I nod, even though it makes my head throb.
"If you don't have closure right now, you can get it later when we see his ass in court." Carlisle sighs and stands from his chair. He walks along the wall, past the mirror covered in brown paper towel and medical tape so I can't see myself and throw up at how horrible I probably look. He runs his hand through his hair, then rubs his forehead. He puts his hands on his hips and looks down at his shoes. He stands like that for a while, frozen in place like a status.
"I love you, Jasper. Don't do something so stupid ever again." Rosalie says.
"I p-promise."
"Good evening, Cullen clan!" A bubbly nurse exclaimed as she barges into the room. She gives Carlisle a phony disapproving glare. "Visiting hours are over, Dr. Cullen."
Carlisle smirks and rolls his eyes. The nurse laughs at him before coming over to my bedside. She messes with a few things, examining machines and charts and whatnot.
"What happened to the copy of his lab results?" Carlisle asks. "I asked for those three hours ago."
"You know how things run around here, Doc. The patients who are first priority are the patients with the most serious problems. You should be happy Jasper's results aren't our first priority."
"Glenda," Carlisle sighs and gives her a frustrated huff.
"Don't look at me like I'm one of your residence." Glenda scolds him. "You've already seen them once. Calm down, Papa Bear. Your little cub will be just fine."
Glenda gives Carlisle a pointed look, one that I've seen Esme give him before. His face softens and his lets out a defeated sigh.
"Don't worry, Dr. Cullen. Every level and count is exactly where it should be." Glenda says in a nicer tone. She puts her hand on my shoulder. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Any pain?"
I hold up five fingers.
"Okay, honey. Just another half hour before your next dose. Let your daddy know if it gets too out of hand." She tells me with a smile. I smile back and nod. Out of all the nurses, Glenda is my favorite. The others either act like I'm in a coma and don't say anything when they come in, or try to force me to talk to them.
Glenda leaves, and Carlisle comes over to my bedside.
"Emmett, Rose, you need to go home. You have school tomorrow. Call your mother to ask her to pick you up." Carlisle tells them.
"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you. One on one." Emmett says.
"About?" Carlisle asks.
"One on one, Carlisle." Emmett repeats.
"Actually," Rosalie puts her hand on Emmett's shoulder and speaks quietly just to him. "You could talk to Jasper, too. He should know."
"What about your ride home?" Carlisle questions. "It's not very fair of you to ask Esme to come pick Rose up, drive her home, then turn around to come get you."
"I can just spend the night here." He suggests.
"You need to go to school tomorrow."
"Carlisle, please." Emmett looks to him with begging eyes. "It's important."
Carlisle lets out a big, heavy sigh before finally giving in.
"You better be explaining why you've been calling my Carlisle." He tells him. Emmett nods, and Rosalie smiles as she stand from her chair.
Rose hugs me the best she can with me in the hospital bed, then hugs Carlisle. He wraps one arm around her shoulders, hugs her, and kisses the top of her head. She says her goodbyes and leaves the room. Carlisle sits down in Rosalie's seat and looks to Emmett.
"What is it, son?"
"Yeah, I'm going to need you to stop calling me son. At least for a little while." Emmett says. Carlisle's eyebrows shoot up, egging Emmett on to further explain. "Well, you know how I'm not legally your son? I mean, you raised me and everything but legally I'm still a McCarty."
Carlisle nods slowly.
"And Rosalie is legally your daughter."
"Where are you going with this, Emmett?" Carlisle ask skeptically. I already know, so I sit back and wait for Carlisle's reaction.
"I love Rosalie. I want to be with her forever, like you and Esme."