Bella's Point of View

The air was stale, with just the slightest odor of urine lingering throughout the narrow hallway. Doors to each patient's room were left wide open, bells were going off, people calling out to anyone that walked by. Most of the patients were in wheelchairs, appearing old, white-headed and sickly. Some wore normal clothing, while others all had matching hospital gowns on. The staff that watched us as we walked through the unit watched us with sour expressions. They each wore scrubs, different colors and patterns. As cheerful and upbeat as their scrubs were, it was obvious they didn't think us showing up here was wonderful news. As if the sight of us being there was a burden. They avoided making eye contact and scurried off to finish their work. The overall mood of the staff was pretty negative.

I felt completely out of my element here. It was all so foreign I've never been in a nursing home. But it seemed just as depressing and awful as Charlie and Rene had described. Everything seemed so off-putting. The white, blank walls, the chestnut floors that were so sticky that my feet stuck to the floor with each step. Even as we approached the end of the hall, where the nurse's station sat, the bland atmosphere continued.

Ana didn't seem to notice, she just approached the desk with a polite smile. "I'm here to see my dad."

The nurse behind the desk barely looked up, she just slid a clipboard over to Ana. "Leave your name, the date and time. Everyone will need to sign." Her tone was flat and completely unfriendly. I struggled to not make a face. I thought the staff of a nursing home would be more compassionate, like Carlisle. They were all working here to help these poor old souls, weren't they? Surely they didn't get into the line of work, just for the money? I couldn't imagine the pay would be that well?

As Ana passed the clipboard off to Edward, she turned a serious look to the nurse. "How is he doing today? I didn't get a chance to come in or call yesterday."

Again the nurse barely looked up, she shuffled some things around the desk, picking up a binder filled with papers, she searched casually through the pages. "There aren't any changes to his status. He still needs assistance with all his care needs. Therapy has been working with him lately, but they have deemed that he no longer will need their services. He has lost complete mobility, he will not be able to move without assistance. So, he will be transferred out of the rehab unit and into long term care. I'll have more paperwork for you to fill out when he gets his room changed. But for now he is comfortable. Compliant with his medications. But he still hasn't responded verbally since he has been admitted." She read off the paper, in a robotic fashion. The words didn't even reach the surface of her face. It's like nothing she just said mattered. But the look on Ana's face was heartbreaking.

Emmett finished signing the paper for the both of us and slid it back to the nurse. While Edward pulled Ana in for a hug. She clung to him, dabbing at her tears. Finally the nurse seemed to notice that Ana was getting upset.

For the first time since we arrived, a warm smile was presented to us. The nurse stood from behind the desk now, passing over a box of tissues to Ana. "Don't worry dear, he is in good hands. He may be a little different than the father that you remember, but it's still Phil. He may not be able to tell you with words, but he loves you very much. When you come in to visit, it seems to really put him in a good mood. He smiles. He never does, unless you are here." The nurse spoke kindly, before walking around the desk and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come, I'll take you to his room."

Ana sniffed, a small smile coming to her face. The words from the nurse seemed to help a bit. I was relieved to see that at least someone here acted like they cared. I'm not sure how genuine it was.

We all followed closely behind the nurse, but I could tell something was up. Edward suddenly wrapped a tight hold around Ana, forcing her to slow her pace down. She seemed frantic. Her eyes were set on the door at the very end of the hallway. At the same time, Emmett wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me back behind him slightly. I peaked up at him in concern. His jaw was tense. His golden eyes flickered down to me.

"Do not react when we get inside the room." He muttered to me quietly.

I swallowed hard, but nodded. I wasn't sure what was going on, but there was no time to think. The nurse approached the room, unlike the rest of the rooms in this hallway, the door was shut. She quickly opened the door, just as Ana pushed herself inside with a little force.

There was a woman inside the room, standing directly over Phil's bed, a cup of pills were clutched in her hands. Her hair was in a wild disarray of fiery red curls. Edward and Ana looked as though they were about to attack her. They seemed to recognize her.

The nurse was the first to jump to action. She marched over to the woman and ripped the pill cup out of her hands. "Victoria, what the hell are you doing with these?" She demanded.

The woman turned with an innocent smile. "I came in to check on him and found these sitting on his bedside table, I was just helping him take his pills."

This woman was off. Her skin was so pale. Her features were crisp, perfect, cat-like. In a word, I'd describe her as dangerous. There was no doubt in my mind that she was a vampire. And if I remembered correctly, Edward had mentioned that the nomad vampires that got away, one was named Victoria. Was this one of them? Did she come here to finish what she had started?

"These aren't Phil's pills. I was just in here before dinner trays came in, I gave him his pills not even an hour ago." The nurse barked, now sorting through the cup. "Don't tell me you were able to give him any of these." She appeared panicked.

Victoria shrugged her shoulders, remaining innocent. "Just a couple, I think Phil is really tired today. I can barely get him to open his eyes."

Ana quickly rushed from Edward's arms to Phil's side. She took his hand, watching him closely. "Dad, are you alright?"

Edward followed her closely, keeping a cold glare on his face. He stared at Victoria with open hostility. The room was completely tense.

"Shit," The nurse swore under her breath. "Victoria, come with me, you need to explain yourself to the supervisor. Ana, stay with your dad. We are most likely going to need to send him to the hospital. He may have been given some very potent medications that might lead to an overdose." The nurse rattled off quickly, snatching Victoria by the wrist, to begin dragging her out of the room. Victoria allowed her, offering all of us a sickly sweet wave.

My blood was boiling now. I can't believe they just left us alone in the room with Phil like this? What were those medications? Shouldn't the nurse have stayed in the room to make sure that he was going to be alright? What if something happens right here, right now?

Ana lifted her head, tears sliding down her flushed cheeks. "There is an AED on the wall behind you. If something were to happen, we would strap it up to him and perform CPR, until the ambulance comes." Her voice sounded so hollow. Broken. I couldn't believe that Victoria was actually here. Pretending to be human. Working at this nursing home. What did she intend to do?

"She is punishing us. Because of her mate getting killed… she wants me to suffer. She wants my dad to suffer as well. She has already ruined his life, does she really have to take it this far?" Ana cried.

Edward held her close, trembling in fury. "I'll kill her myself. She won't get away with this. I promise."

I turned to Emmett, getting an awful feeling. "I think I'm going to call Charlie real quick. Just to make sure everything is going alright."

Emmett nodded, lightly releasing me from his grip. "I'm coming with you."

The two of us excused ourselves from the room. Just as we left, the nurse came flying back in, along with two other men. They had EMS written across their jackets and wheeled in a stretcher. That was extremely fast. They already got an ambulance to show up. I was thankful for that. Hopefully this meant that Phil was going to be alright.

I stood right outside the door and dialed Charlie's number. It only rang a few times, before Rene's voice floated through the other end of the phone.

"Yes dear?" She answered.

"Just checking in, how is everything going?" I asked nervously, chewing on my nail for a moment.

"Everything is wonderful. Greyson fell asleep while he was playing, I just laid him down for a little nap. Emerson and Charlie are watching the baseball game. They have a bowl of popcorn. Nothing to worry about Bella." She sounded a bit amused.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear, I was just making sure."

"How is Phil doing?" Rene's voice shifted slightly. I couldn't tell what she was feeling at the moment. But there was an edge to her tone. Was she worried? Did she feel guilty? Or was she just trying to be polite? After all, she had been married to this man not long ago. They were in a very serious relationship. And just as quickly as it had started, it ended. In complete heartbreak. But Rene seemed to be the only one hurting at this point. I didn't know what was going on with her. I didn't understand how Rene's mind worked. But if it would have been Emmett in the same situation as Phil, I never would have left his side. I wouldn't have thrown him away the moment things started getting too complicated.

Was it because Rene and I are such different people? Or was it because their relationship wasn't as solid as she had let on? I may never know.

"Not doing well at all. One of the staff here made a mistake and gave him the wrong pills. They are sending him to the hospital as we speak. I'm not sure when we will be on our way back."

The other end of the phone was quiet for a moment. But eventually Rene replied, almost in a whisper. "Hasn't that poor man been through enough? Shouldn't they take him out of his misery? You can't tell me that he wishes to continue living this way. I didn't want to say anything to Ana. Phil is her father, afterall. But I had this conversation with Phil a long time ago. He never wanted this. He made it clear, he wanted no medical interventions. But how can you tell that to his daughter?"

I sighed, feeling a pinch in my chest. Her words sounded cruel. But I understood what she was trying to say. The way Phil was living at the moment… well he wasn't living. He didn't know who he was. He didn't know how to care for himself. He was in constant pain and discomfort. Ana was holding onto an image of her father that didn't exist anymore. But I think I would feel the same way if it was Charlie. I wouldn't want to let him go either. In fact, I would probably ask Carlisle to turn him, to save his life. I was truly a selfish daughter. But I just couldn't fathom the thought of losing my dad. Ana was an incredibly strong woman. She was going through something so traumatic. All I could do is offer my support. And one day, I hoped that I could be that strong, when I had to say my final goodbye to my parents.

"Well, anyway," I changed the subject. "I'll call you in a bit, when we are on our way back."

"Alright honey, I love you." She replied with a cheerfulness returning to her voice.

"Love you too," I hung up after a short pause, before looking back towards Emmett. He seemed distracted as he watched the commotion in the room. They had Phil loaded onto the stretcher and was placing the belt down over his body to hold him in place. Ana was standing with the nurse, signing off a bunch of papers. Her face was still flushed with grief and sadness. Edward stood close, keeping his arm around her waist. He was the only reason that she was still on her feet. I could see it so clearly now. Their relationship was different from Emmett and mine.

There was something beautiful about it, but also, something very sad. Ana relied so heavily on Edward. I wondered how truly deep their affection went. Could a heart so shattered and broken possibly have the ability to love. It wasn't my business. How could I possibly understand? I have never known such pain. And I hope that I never will.

The EMS team had Phil out of the nursing home quickly, they didn't mess around. The grim looks on their faces didn't offer us much hope for the situation. But as he was wheeled out of the facility and into the ambulance, the four of us stood in the parking lot, watching helplessly. His heart was still beating, he was still breathing, but other than that, I couldn't say how Phil was. He seemed to be sweating profusely, his body trembled violently against the restraints around his body. The sounds sliding through his parted lips were strange. It reminded me of some kind of noise an injured animal would make. It brought chills down my spine. He didn't at all look like the Phil I remembered.

Victoria would pay for this. Phil and Ana both have suffered enough by her hands. We needed to take action. We needed to tell Carlisle everything that happened here. It's time that we take action. Before more lives get destroyed.

Edward flinched, his eyes scanned over my expression with a raised brow. "I think I actually agree with you Bella. It may be time to have a meeting with Carlise about these nomads. We have let them live long enough." His voice was dark. The look on his face was frightening.

I felt myself stiffen, my instincts were telling me to run. But Emmett's arms came around me, pulling me into a cool embrace. I felt his lips at the top of my head. "That sounds like fun to me. Let's meet back up later tonight to have a talk with everyone. See what we can come up with." He suggested with a smirk.

Edward nodded, turning his sights back to Ana with a worried expression. Lightly he took her hand, but she didn't respond. Her hazel eyes just seemed lifeless.

I reached out to touch her shoulder. Again, she didn't respond. Emmett released his hold on me, to allow me to approach Ana completely. He lingered closely at my side. His face remained neutral.

"Ana," I spoke softly.

She lifted her chin up just enough to meet my gaze. Ana bobbed her head slightly in response. It looked like she didn't even have the energy to open her mouth.

"I know this has been really hard, I can't even begin to understand what you are going through. But you aren't alone okay? As far as family goes, I consider you my sister. I will be your family." I offered with a gentle smile.

Tears rolled down Ana's cheeks, her bottom lip quivered. In a flash she sprang over to wrap her arms around me. I held onto her tightly, stroking her back as she sobbed. I knew that family really mattered to Ana. She always felt so strongly about the bonds she had with her mother and Phil. Unfortunately Rene had basically abandoned her once Phil was no longer in the picture. But I wasn't about to leave her alone to deal with all this alone.

"Are you sure Bella? Everyone that has ever been my family, seems to end up dying on me… I mean, I know that my dad is still hanging on, but I'm not sure how much longer he truly has. Especially now, after Victoria's stunt." She paused, wiping at her dampened face.

"Of course, we will get through this together from now on." I nodded.

Ana smiled weakly, taking a big breath. "Well, as long as you are alright with it. I'll try not to burden you too much."

With another squeeze, I let her go. "What do you plan on doing now?"

"I'm heading to the hospital to be with my dad."

"Did you want me to come along with you?"

Ana shook her head quickly, holding her hands up. "That won't be necessary. I think I'd rather just go by myself. If something happens or there is an update, I'll call you." She spoke quickly.

Edward gave her a pointed look. "There is no way that you are going on your own. I will be accompanying you." This wasn't a question. This was a demand. Edward wouldn't be taking 'no' for an answer. But Ana didn't seem to mind.

"Well, we can drop the two of you off at the hospital. Just call when you need a ride back home." Emmett shrugged his shoulders.

We all piled back into the car, Emmett taking the driver's seat. The overall mood of the drive was pretty bleak. I tried to keep myself distracted. I silently watched the rain drops hitting against the passenger window. I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose a bit. I still wasn't the biggest fan of the rain. Especially on a sad day, like today. It left the whole town looking gray and lifeless. It didn't take long to reach the hospital. As we pulled in, Emmett parked right at the doors to the emergency room entrance. I could spot Carlisle's car in the parking lot.

Edward opened an umbrella for Ana, as the two of them walked hand in hand to the hospital entrance. They didn't look back. My heart ached for a while, as Emmett drove away. I watched in the rearview mirror, until the hospital was completely out of sight. I wondered if Phil would survive. I wondered what Ana would do if he died. How much further would she break?

Would Edward and I be enough to keep her off the brink of full blown depression? I didn't have any answers to these questions. All I could do was wait and try not to worry myself. Worrying wouldn't help anyone. But I couldn't deny I felt a tense clenching feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Emmett remained quiet for a while, again he seemed distracted. I wished that I could get a peek inside his thoughts. His topaz eyes flickered over to mine for a moment, before suddenly he turned the car in a different direction. We no longer were heading towards Charlie and Rene.

I raised a brow at him. "Where are we going?"

"I've been waiting for the right time to do this. And I know today has been a bit… depressing… But I can't wait any longer." There was a nervousness to his tone. It made me feel a bit more anxious.

"What do you mean? What are you doing to do?"

He didn't answer right away, until he lifted my hand up to his lips, planting a tight kiss. "Just wait a few more minutes and I'll explain everything." He swallowed hard.

I've never seen Emmett so tense. He seemed really worked up about something. And I couldn't calm myself down. What could it be? Was there some kind of bad news he wanted to tell me?

I watched him closely for any signs. But all I could pick up on was that his eyes kept moving to his pocket. It was on the opposite side of me. But I could see just the slightest bulge. There was something in his pocket. Something small and square shaped. He wanted to give me something?

A/N: Can anyone guess what Emmett is about to do? Enjoying the story so far? Leave a review with your honest thoughts! I'd love to hear them. Thank you for all of those that have returned to read this story. It means a lot.