Jasper offered to take Lily home after the meeting, but she asked him to make a detour first. He wasn't sure what she was planning, but he could feel that she needed time to think and get things in order within her mind.

The caveat was that they had to go to the hospital first.

Jasper didn't enjoy hospitals, he never had. Medical practices were barbaric while he was human in comparison to today's medicine. People died of colds, a wound usually resulted in amputation, and the importance of modern-day antibiotics and antiseptic was without parallel in inventions regarding medicine.

It probably didn't help that his mother was often sick when he was younger. His childhood, while filled with vague memories of running through woods, helping on the farm, playing in creeks, and following closely behind his father as if his second shadow, Jasper had stark memories of his mother.

His sweet, wonderful, loving mother. Her coughing still haunted his memories. She had contracted Consumption when Jasper was around the age of six or seven. At first she had developed a cough that refused to go away. She started to lose weight next, something she couldn't really afford with her failing health. The fevers started next, and the cloths she coughed into started to become tinged with red.

Blood.

It never seemed to escape his notice that every stage of his life revolved around blood in some shape or form.

Cod oil, vinegar rubs, and keeping hemlock folded within her handkerchiefs did nothing to stop the couch.

Sanitoriums weren't invented yet, so the heat and sticky air of the south helped his poor mother waste away. The promise of refreshing cold air in the north away from everything wouldn't come for several years. Antibiotics wouldn't come until the next century.

He wasn't there when she finally passed. He had already been turned by Maria at that point.

Jasper hadn't found it within himself to visit her grave. Oh, he knew where it was. Where his parents had been buried, along with some of his siblings and their children. He just couldn't find it in himself to visit her final resting place to present to his mother what a monster her son had turned into.

The irony that his adopted father was one of the best doctors in history was not lost on him.

Lily was quiet throughout the drive, stairing out of the window. She was oblivious to the turmoil Jasper was experiencing within himself.

Hospitals were full of people. Sick, injured, and desperate people. Some hoping for a cure, like he was for his mother. Others wishing for the sweet release of death.

Hospitals were not the beacon of hope that they tended to be for others.

After parking the car in the parking lot, Lily gently took Jasper's hand before walking towards the front automatic doors.

Jasper wondered if she had picked up on his dark mood after all.

The florescent lights hurt his eyes as they walked through the main hall towards the elevator. Nurses greeted Jasper as normal, but surprisingly they also greeted Lily warmly. She smiled at their greetings before offering her own in her quiet voice.

"Darlin' where are you takin' us?"

"I wanted to show you something that means a lot to me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I usually come once a week at the least to the hospital. I volunteer here in the pediatric ward."

He had known she volunteered at the hospital but hadn't realized what she spent her time doing. He wanted to learn about her naturally, without stalking. Besides, that was more Edward's way of doing things.

Jasper didn't stalk his mate.

Prey and enemies? Of course. His mate? No.

That is, unless she wanted him to.

Jasper quickly shook the dirty thoughts from his mind. The beast inside him stirs at the idea of the slow stalk towards his little mate, but Jasper needed to get a hold on his thoughts.

Besides, they were in a hospital.

There it was. His dirty thoughts had evaporated.

Lily quickly pulled out a badge that she used to scan into the ward, leading them into a wing of patient rooms filled with natural light, plants everywhere, and the smell of antiseptic.

The flowers mixed poorly with the scent of sickness and death within the patients on this floor.

Suddenly, several small feet pounded up towards Lily, covering her in hugs from small children.

"Lily! You're early!"

"Lily, come play!"

"Lily"

Her name was called repeatedly from the mouths of several young patients, some in gowns while others were dressed in their own pajama clothing.

"Hello everyone! I brought my friend Jasper here to help read some bedtime stories to you all!"

A small girl with deep undereye circles, pale skin, and light brown hair that came to her shoulders looked up at Jasper, a book in her hand. She couldn't have been older than four years.

"Would you read to me please?" She had asked before having a coughing fit.

The sound of the small girl struggling to catch her breath broke his heart all over again.

"Of course, I would Lil' lady. Where's your bed?"

The small girl, who Lily had whispered was named Jane, took his hand in her small one and brought him to a room that seemed to share a bed with another patient. A partition separated the room into two separate ones providing privacy for the children.

A nurse came in to take the evenings vitals before administering some medicine and tucking the young girl in.

Lily had been dragged off by the other children, but Jasper could hear her voice reading what sounded like a chapter from "Matilda."

The book the small girl had chosen to be read had ended up being "where the wild things are."

Getting comfortable, Jasper opened the book to begin.

Not too long into the story he was interrupted for his reading skills.

"No! You're sapposta' make the sounds like Ms. Lily!" Jane demanded groggily at one point, upset that Jasper was not reading the story to her liking.

"My deepest apologies ma'am, let me try again" he said with a smirk.

after another 10 minutes Jane had fully passed into dream land, snoring quietly. Closing the book, Jasper started to stand only to realize Lily had been leaning against the door frame listening in to his reading.

He put the book down on the bedside table before walking to Lily and grabbing her hand gently.

She smiled up at him before kissing his cheek gently. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Anything for you Doll."

They had walked out to the parking lot and entering the car before Lily spoke again.

"I know this bothered you more than you were saying Jas. After today, I just wanted to do a little good in the world. These kids, they. . . they help me in so many ways. I'm so grateful for them, even though my heart brakes that they're so sick. Some, like Jane, with be okay sooner rather than later. A few antibiotic treatments and follow up care and she will be back to what a 4-year-old should be for the most part. Others, like my little friend Jamie have such a hard battle he's fighting."

Lily paused, closing her eyes before continuing.

"After the craziness of today, I just wanted us to remember some of the reasons why listening matters."

"What do you mean hun?" Jasper asked, concerned that she was upset at him for something.

"Alice and Edward didn't listen to me. Edward usually doesn't, but then again, it's like he hasn't been listening to your family for a while. It bothers me that he's so quick to dismiss people. Bella does it too. We should listen more to each other, even if we don't agree with what they're saying.

"Doll, what's going on in there?" Jasper pressed, putting a strand of hair that had gotten lose from her curls behind her ear.

"Something about the hospital was bothering you. You don't have to tell me, but I appreciate you still going through with it with me. Those kids. . . they make me feel more normal. Like I'm making a difference for someone. Something good when surrounded by so much chaos."

"Lily" Jasper tried to explain, but Lily grabbed his hand in her small ones again while looking down at them.

"You don't have to tell me, remember? I just want to say thank you for always listening to me. It means so much."

"Always."