3 months until due date

Carlisle drums his fingers on the kitchen counter. Esme's eyes are locked onto the envelope with "CULLEN" written on it in bold, black marker. Breakfast is waiting on the table, but this envelope holds all of their attention.

"The name on it is going to be a problem." Carlisle says.

"I know, but I don't want to open it to put it in another envelope." Esme responds. "Jasper should be the one to open it, not us."

"Do you think he'll want to open it?"

"No."

"Then what do we do with it?"

Neither have an answer, so they just stare at it in silence for another moment before Esme digs through a drawer and pulls out a fine tip marker. She scribbles over "CULLEN" and writes Whitlock next to it. At least one problem is solved.

"If he doesn't want to open it," Esme finally breaks the silence. "Then I guess we won't open it. We'll wait until he's ready."

"But what if he's never ready?"

"I don't know, Carlisle," She sighs heavily.

Their eyes fall on the envelope again until they hear a pair of feet coming down the stairs. Esme snatches the envelope, opens a drawer, and shoves it under the plastic silverware organizer. Rosalie prances into the kitchen with a smile.

"Morning, Esme," She greets happily. "Morning, Carlisle,"

"Good morning, dear," Esme responds with a forced smile.

"Morning, Rose," Carlisle does the same thing, making himself push the worry away.

Upstairs, Jasper waits in the hallway outside of the bathroom.

"Are you almost done?" Jasper calls as he knocks his knuckles against the door.

"Almost." Edward yells back.

Edward can't help but scowl as he loads his toothbrush with a glob of toothpaste. Why the hell is Jasper trying to rush him out of the bathroom? Jasper is doing online school, so he doesn't have to be on time to catch a bus like Edward. Edward shouldn't have to rush for him. Jasper has screwed up Edward's life enough already, so there's no way in hell he's hurrying up.

As he brushes his teeth, he can't help but worry about this baby. Sure, everyone says he won't have to take care of it, but that's not true. His friend Tom from school has a one-year-old little brother and Tom always has to help with the baby. And babies cry. Loudly. And all night. He won't be able to sleep. He'll have to change diapers, wash baby bottles, and probably get spit up on. All because of Jasper.

He leaves the bathroom, half expecting Jasper to be waiting impatiently in the hall, Jasper isn't there anymore. He heads downstairs and to the kitchen where he sees Jasper, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Esme sitting at the table with plates of breakfast in front of them. He sits at the open chair and takes a pancake and a scoop of scrambled eggs from the serving plates in the middle of the table. He looks around and realizes he's missing something.

"There's no more bacon left?" Edward interrupts the family conversation. Esme looks over to one of the empty serving plates.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't realize we didn't have enough. I'll make some more." Esme says, rising from her seat.

"There's not enough time to make more before the bus gets here." Edward grumbles.

"Here," Jasper grabs three strips of bacon from his plate and sets them on the edge of Edward's plate. "You can have mine."

"That was kind, Jasper." Carlisle praises.

"Thanks." Edward says quietly. Great. He gets secondhand bacon. Jasper has even fucked with his breakfast.

Edward's sour mood doesn't go unnoticed. Carlisle mentally runs through his schedule for the week. Sometime this week he and Edward will do something together. Maybe some one-on-one time will pull him from this funk. Until then, though, a short family breakfast will have to do.

Edward and Rosalie are hurrying out of the door to catch the school bus. Carlisle helps Esme clean up breakfast and tries to get Jasper started on his schoolwork for the day.

"I need to shower before I get started. Between Rosalie and Edward I didn't get a chance to get in the bathroom." Jasper says.

"Didn't you shower last night before you went to bed?" Esme questions.

"Oh, yeah. Well, my live meeting with the teacher isn't until eleven, so I really don't have to log in right now. I could ride my four-wheeler until then."

"Nice try, but no," Carlisle laughs. "If you get your work done this morning then you'll have more time on it this afternoon."

"Fine," Jasper smirks and grabs the laptop, notebook, and folder from the counter before sitting at the kitchen table again. He powers on the laptop, and searches through the folder for the class schedule. He groans when he sees that he has Family Development today. "God, I hate that class."

Carlisle and Esme don't have to ask which he is referring too. Part of the reason Carlisle and Esme chose this particular online school was because of the different parenting classes offered. Jasper has made it clear to them that he has zero interest in learning anything about parenting.

"What lesson are they on today?" Carlisle asks.

"Infant milestones." Jasper grumbles.

"Do that work first, then it's out of the way." Esme suggests.

"I'm not doing it."

"Then you're not riding your four-wheeler," Esme reminds him. Jasper lets out another heavy huff.

"I'll help you." Carlisle offers. "Then you'll get it done quicker."

Jasper shifts around in his seat before finally nodding. He clicks to the internet and logs into the schools website. He clicks through the subjects until he finds Family Development, then clicks to read the online textbook.

"I gotta read this whole chapter," Jasper complains.

"I'll read it to you," Carlisle offers.

Esme's head snaps over to the two at the table as Carlisle pulls the laptop closer to him and starts reading. Jasper relaxes in his seat and actually listens. They've spent so much time fight that Esme stares at them, waiting for one of them to say the wrong thing and cause the other to fly off the handle. She never thought they would get to this point.

Carlisle finishes the chapter, and Jasper clicks back to the assignment and reads the multiple choice questions out loud. He confirms the answer with Carlisle before selecting it, and they go through seven of the ten questions without an issue.

"Question eight. At five months old, an infant will start doing what. Rolling over, recognizing your voice, walking, or smile and laugh. It's recognizing voices, right?" Jasper asks.

"No. Look at the other questions we've already answered. We already said babies recognize voices at three months, so that can't be the answer for five months old."

"Ugh!" Jasper holds his head in his hands as he scowls. "Why do I have to know this crap?"

Here it is, Esme thinks to herself. Jasper's getting frustrated. Carlisle will meet that with irritation. There goes the happy moment.

"We know it's not recognizing your voice. Do babies walk at five months old?" Carlisle asks calmly, earning a head shake no form Jasper. "That leaves roll over or smile and laugh."

"I don't remember this!"

"I bet you will remember if you take a deep breath and calm down."

Jasper crosses his arms over his chest, but reluctantly breathes in, then out. He leans in closer to the screen.

"Roll over?"

"Yes!" Carlisle smiles proudly. Jasper tries to hide it, but he cracks a small smile too as he checks the box next to the correct answer. "I knew you would know it."

"Thanks, Carlisle." Jasper says.

Esme lets out a relieved sigh as Jasper and Carlisle finish the assignment and decides to see how far the good mood will stretch.

"Jasper, we do need to talk about the baby. We got some news," She says, pulls the envelope out of the drawer, and joins Carlisle and Jasper at the table. She slides the envelope towards Jasper. "Carlisle picked this up from the lawyer's office yesterday."

"What is it?" Jasper asks skeptically. His face hardens at the mention of the lawyer.

"It's some sonograms of the baby." Carlisle explains.

"Those are pictures of it, right?"

"Yes," Esme nods. "And it shows the gender."

"Oh," Jasper mumbles. "So, is it a boy or a girl?"

"We haven't opened it. We wanted to leave that up to you." Esme says. "Some people want to know the gender before the baby is born, and some people like to wait until the baby is born.. It's up to you."

"I don't want to know," Jasper responds quickly and shoves the envelope back to Esme.

"Okay," Esme nods and changes her aim. "I'm going shopping for the baby tomorrow afternoon. It would be nice if you would come with me to pick some things out."

Jasper grumbles and glances from Esme to Carlisle.

"I think that's a good idea." Carlisle agrees.

"How long is it gonna take?" Jasper asks.

"I'm not sure."

"What kind of things are you going to get?"

"Whatever we find that we need. There's a baby store about twenty minutes from here and it has plenty of things to pick from."

"Esme," Carlisle interjects as he watches Jasper's face twist and contort with each overwhelming word Esme says. "Maybe a short shopping trip would be the best place to start. What if you just stop at the Wal-Mart for some things?"

"Okay," Esme agrees and reins back her plans.

"What are we gonna get?" Jasper asks again with a huff.

"We could get some outfits, some diapers, some toys. I'm sure we can find lots of good things there."

"What about one outfit, one set of pajamas, and a pack of bibs?" Carlisle continues to help guide Esme towards a plan that won't scare Jasper off or send him into a fit of rage. "Jasper, it would be good for you to pick out some things for the baby."

"I don't want to," Jasper says.

"This baby is coming, Jasper, even if you keep putting it off," Esme sighs.

Jasper wiggles in his seat as he mulls it over before finally giving in.

"Fine. One outfit. One pajama set. One pack of bibs. That's it." He reluctantly agrees.

"Okay," Esme smiles.

"Thirty minutes, tops. No more than that."

"Sounds like a great plan."

"Can I ride my four-wheeler now?"

"Finish the rest of your schoolwork first," Carlisle says. Jasper's face twists even more, so Carlisle quickly changes the plan. "Actually, go take your shower. You have plenty of time before your live meeting. Take a break."

Jasper doesn't say anything. He just pushes his chair back and stomps away. Carlisle and Esme hear the upstairs bathroom door slam.

"We have to start getting things for the baby," Esme says. "And he should be a part of that."

"I know." Carlisle agrees.

"Am I pushing too much?"

"I think a trip to a store just for babies is too much for him right now, darling," Carlisle leaves the table and wraps his arms around his wife. She hugs him tightly. "We need to take baby steps with this."

"Alright." She sighs and squeezes him a little tighter. "Thank you for working so hard at getting along with Jasper."

"I love you,"

"I love you, too,"

-JWiD-

Carlisle smiles as he tidies his office. This is his last task of the day, and then he gets to go home. It's been a long shift, but now he can finally relax. There's a knock on the office door, and he happily invites the knocker in.

"Dr. Cullen," a young nurse says as she takes one step into the office. "Dr. Cobb needs your assistance."

"For what?"

"A difficult patient in room 453."

"What?" Carlisle stops his cleaning and gives the nurse a puzzled look.

"He can't get the patient to cooperate and requested your help."

Carlisle pulls his pager from his pocket to double check that he didn't miss a call. There's nothing there, making him even more confused.

"If the patient is combative, have security take care of it." Carlisle says.

"He was very insistent that he wanted you to come help, not security."

"What the hell," Carlisle huffs, but abandons his desk and follows the nurse out.

As they go down the hall, Carlisle's confusion grows. They make a few turns, then walk quickly towards room 453. Whatever issue Dr. Cobb is having better be solved quickly. He was so close to leaving.

Soon, Carlisle can hear the issue. Someone is arguing. The tone is angry and hateful. He can start to hear the commotion better with every step he takes.

"I said you're not fucking touching me! No, I'm not going to calm down! Get Carlisle!"

Shit. Carlisle grits his teeth as he recognizes the voice. It's Jasper.

"I'm not taking any damn meds! Get Carlisle!"

Carlisle doesn't bother to knock. He flings the door open and Jasper, Esme, and Dr. Cobb all turn to look at him. Jasper's right hand hovers over his left shoulder. Jasper doesn't dare touch it, but he's also not giving Dr. Cobb the chance to do anything with it.

"Carlisle, tell this asshole to keep his fucking hands off of me!" Jasper demands, nodding then wincing towards Dr. Cobb. Esme lets out a heavy sigh, and Dr. Cobb rolls his eyes.

"Shut up, Jasper!" Carlisle hisses. "People in the hall can hear you. What's your problem?"

"He rolled the four-wheeler in the woods," Esme explains with an exhausted voice. "He dislocated his shoulder."

"Tell Dr. Douchebag that he can leave now," Jasper growls.

"We got him down to x-rays immediately." Dr. Cobb explains. "A reduction could have been done by now if he would cooperate."

"Why are you being so difficult?" Carlisle asks the irate teen.

"Because I'm not letting some stranger touch me!"

"He won't even let me explain what needs to happen." Dr. Cobb says.

"He wants to give me pills!" Jasper speaks rapidly.

"Pain relief and muscle relaxers," Dr. Cobb adds on, getting a hateful glare from Jasper.

"I'm not taking those fucking pills!"

"Be quiet!" Carlisle tells Jasper again. "Jasper, you have to let Dr. Cobb do his job."

"No!"

"The only other option is walking around with a dislocated shoulder!"

"You can do it!" Jasper says.

"I can't treat you."

"Why not?"

"There's policies and laws about it. We're legally related, so I can't give you medical treatment in this hospital."

"I'm not letting anyone else touch me!" Jasper continues his protest. Esme takes a seat in the chair against the wall and stressfully rubs her forehead. "I don't trust any of these fuckers."

"Watch your mouth! There's no other option, Jasper."

"No! I'll only let you do it."

"That's not an option, son," Dr. Cobb attempts to help. As soon as that awful S-word leaves Dr. Cobb's lips, Carlisle drops his head because he knows he can't stop what is coming next, and a fire ignites in Jasper's eyes.

"I'm not your fucking son!" Jasper screams.

"Step out to the hall." Carlisle turns to Dr. Cobb. "I'll talk to him."

Dr. Cobb nods and happily leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Carlisle pierces his lips.

"He's fucking lucky that my goddamn arm is fucked up, or I'd knock him on his ass for that!" Jasper yells. Carlisle shakes his head, and Esme's eyes tear up.

"He didn't mean it like that. You have to calm down."

"I'm not letting anyone other than you do anything to me!"

Carlisle sighs defeatedly. He knows Jasper will fight to the bitter end, and the last thing he needs is his coworkers hearing how out of control Jasper is.

"I need you to calm down. I'm going to take a look at the x-rays." Carlisle lowers his voice. "I might be able to take care of it, but if you keep yelling like this, you'll draw too much attention, and someone might see. If you want me to treat you, you need to stop shouting."

Jasper nods, and the angry look on his face melts away. It's replaced with worry and anxiety.

"Thanks, Carlisle." He says, his voice weak and shaky. Carlisle just gives him a nod and leaves the room. As he leaves, he can hear Jasper and Esme talking. "It hurts so much, Mom."

"Do you want the pain meds?"

"No. Medication doesn't work." Jasper whimpers as the door closes.

"I'm just going to do it. He's so fucking stubborn. He'll stand his ground. I want to see the x-ray first." Carlisle mutters the plan in a whisper to Dr. Cobb. Dr. Cobb nods down the hall, and the two colleagues walk down to another room to view the x-ray.

"That boy of yours sure is a trip," Dr. Cobb grunts.

"Tell me about," Carlisle scoffs. "He's a pain in my ass."

After looking at the x-ray, discussion some options, Dr. Cobb and Carlisle come to an agreement on a plan and go back to the room. The hall is quiet, but Carlisle is still on edge. He knows it doesn't take much to piss off Jasper. When Carlisle enters the room, Jasper wipes tears from his eyes with the back of his right hand. When Dr. Cobb enters the room and shuts the door behind him, Jasper scowls.

"What is he doing here?" He snarls

"You have to do what Dr. Cobb says."

"No!"

"I need you to take the medication, Jasper."

"No! Those pills don't work!"

"Yes, they do. It will help with the pain and will help you relax so Dr. Cobb can fix this."

"No! Get him out of here!"

Carlisle sighs and sets his jaw. He walks closer to Jasper.

"Lower your voice and lose the attitude. How are we going to say Dr. Cobb gave you treatment if he isn't in the room?" Carlisle reminds him quietly. "I need you to take the meds."

"No. You can set it without the meds."

"It's going to hurt."

"Just get it over with." Jasper demands.

Carlisle sighs and looks over to Esme. The stress is painted clearly on her face, and he knows watching Jasper in pain is just making it worse.

"Esme, you may want to step out for this."

"Wait, no!" Jasper says quickly. "Stay with me, Mom."

"I'll stay." Esme decides without debate. As difficult as this has been, she's not going to leave Jasper. She comes to his bedside and rests her hand on his knee.

"Look forward and sit still. I need you to stay relaxed and let me maneuver your arm. Don't fight against it." Carlisle instructs. Jasper nods, and Carlisle carefully positions his hands on Jasper's arm. As he moves it slowly, he watches Jasper's facial expressions.

Now that this emergency room visit is going the way he has demanded it to go, Jasper's anger has simmered down and made him even more aware of the pain in his shoulder. He does exactly what Carlisle has said. He locks his eyes on the wall over Carlisle's shoulder. His only movement is when he shifts his right arm to grip Esme's hand. Despite his best attempts to keep them at bay, tears overflow down his cheeks.

"Tell me about your Dad," Carlisle requests. Jasper clenches his jaw and gives the slightest nod no. His eyes dart over to Dr. Cobb, and Carlisle knows what the problem is. "Hey, Cobb, I think we'll be fine here if you have something else you need to do. Just tell them you already reduced the shoulder and have them bring us a sling in about ten minutes."

"Sure thing," Dr. Cobb wastes no time in leaving the room.

As soon as the door shuts, a whimper escapes Jasper's lips. He squeezes Esme's hand tighter. Carlisle tries again to get Jasper distracted with a story.

"What was your Dad's four-wheeler like?" He asks.

"It was green." Jasper starts to explain, but his voice quivers and breaks. His tears fall quicker. "And, and, it had,"

Jasper struggles to finish his sentence, and Carlisle feels a tough pull on his heartstrings. Jasper's arm is scraped and already bruised. Carlisle has done this plenty of times but seeing Jasper's mangled arm stirs up more emotions than his usual patient.

"Let me get you some pain meds," Carlisle says, quickly pulling his hands away from Jasper's arm. Jasper shakes his head no, and even more tears burst out of his red eyes like water rupturing through a broken dam.

"No."

"Why not? It will make this a whole lot easier if you're not feeling all the pain."

"Pills don't work."

"They will work. I promise."

"My Daddy took pills, and he still died. My Mom took pills," Jasper forces the words out through gasping breath. "And she still shot herself. Pills don't work."

Carlisle sighs and looks over to his wife. She mirrors his same hurt expression.

"I'm going to do this quickly, but it's going to hurt. A lot." Carlisle explains.

"Just do it." Jasper begs.

Carlisle replaces his hands strategically on Jasper's arm. Esme puts her other hand over Jasper's right hand and looks away as a loud pop and Jasper's pained cry is heard.

"Okay," Carlisle sighs heavily. "It's done."

Jasper bites his lip and clenches his eyes closed as tightly as he can. Tears roll down his cheeks.

"Do you want the pain meds now?" Carlisle asks. Jasper shakes his head no.

"It will stop hurting soon," Esme attempts to comfort him.

Jasper keeps his eyes closed and leans into Esme's side. She wraps her arm around his waist and lets him cry into her shoulder as she and Carlisle exchange concerned looks.

"Mom texted you, Carlisle," Jasper whimpers. "Why didn't you respond?"

"I don't carry my personal phone at work. Besides, I barely get service in the building." Carlisle explains.

"That's exactly what I told him." Esme adds on.

"How did this roll over happen, Jasper?"

"I was riding my four-wheeler in the woods. I guess I was going too fast when I turned because it rolled and I hit a tree with my shoulder.

"He flipped it back over with one arm," Esme says with a scolding tone.

"Well, I couldn't just leave it out there. I had to flip it so I could get it back to the house." Jasper defends himself as he cries. "Can we go home now?"

"Not yet. You're going to have to wear a sling to immobilize your shoulder, and we need to wait for discharge papers." Carlisle explains. Jasper lists his head and looks around the sterile, harshly lit room and memories flood his mind.

"Can I wait in the car or something?" Jasper begs. "Being here reminds me of…"

Jasper trails off and his eyes fill with tears again.

"Does it remind you of Avery?" Carlisle asks softly. Jasper nods frantically. Esme wraps her arm around him, carefully placing her hand along his waist instead of resting it on his shoulder. He leans into her shoulder again. "We can't really leave, but let's go to my office."

Jasper quickly gets off the hospital bed. He wipes his eyes with his right hand and tries to pull himself together enough to not embarrass himself in the hallway. Carlisle leads the way with Jasper hot on his heels and Esme behind him.

The office is a relief for Jasper. He notices a short, plush couch against the wall and quickly settles onto it, picking up the blue pillow and holding it close to his chest with his right arm. He closes his eyes and tries to pretend to be anywhere but here.

Carlisle finishes tidying his desk, and soon a nurse comes by with a sling. Esme tries to convince Jasper to let the nurse help him put it on, but just like before he refuses to allow anyone but Carlisle to help him. Carlisle quickly intervenes and sends the nurse on her way.

"I don't have to go shopping anymore, right?" Jasper asks.

"Is that what all of this is about?" Esme sighs. "Were you riding so roughly because you didn't want to go shopping for the baby?"

Jasper shrugs, and Carlisle frowns.

"You can't keep avoiding this responsibility, Jasper. You can be prepared and make this easier, or you can refuse to prep for this, and it will be much, much harder," Carlisle lectures. Jasper ducks his head and keeps his eyes on the ground. "We only have three months. We need to get serious about preparing. You need to be a part of this."

"It's basically going to be yours and Esme's baby," Jasper mutters. "I can't really raise it. Why do I have to shop for it?"

"Because it isn't mine and Esme's baby. It's yours, and you need to start taking this more seriously," Carlisle works hard at being mindful of his tone to avoid being too harsh.

"I don't want to go shopping today."

"We'll go another day," Esme sighs defeatedly.

"Thanks, Mom,"

Carlisle grits his teeth and adjust the sling properly, instructing Jasper to take it easy on his shoulder and trying again to convince him to accept some pain pills.

"I don't want pain pills. I don't want to shop for the baby. I just want to go home."

-JWiD—

"And I make a sharp turn, and the four-wheeler popped up on two wheels and the next things I knew, I was flying off of it and it was on its side. I didn't even realize my shoulder popped out of place right away. I went to flip the four-wheeler back over and my left arm wouldn't move," Jasper brags about his adventures of the day. Carlisle and Esme watch from a distance in the kitchen as Rosalie, Alice, and Edward listen closely on the couch.

"He's not going to take any responsibility for this baby." Carlisle grumbles.

"He has to." Esme says desperately. "He won't have a choice once the baby is here."

"He won't even shop for the baby. There's no way he's going to do anything when the baby gets here."

"I think once it's here he will step up more. It probably doesn't feel real yet."

"And if he doesn't step up?"

"If he doesn't, then I guess we're raising another child," Esme sighs. Carlisle pierces his lips. "But even if he doesn't take care of the baby completely, I'm sure he will do some things to help. Rosalie will also be a huge help. She's very excited about it."

"But is that fair to Rosalie to have to raise Jasper's baby?"

"Not if she was raising it, but she could take care of it occasionally to help out."

"I don't think Jasper will stick around." Carlisle voices his concerns. "I think once he turns eighteen, he will move out and we'll be the sole caregivers of the baby."

"I don't think so. He would be crushed if he thought he was letting Avery down, and Avery would not approve of him not taking care of his child."

"It's not just about the baby, though. He's always angry with me."

"Your relationship with him is improving. He didn't want anyone else to help him at the hospital," Esme reminds him. "That's because he trusts you."

"He wouldn't trust me enough to take any pain meds."

"Yeah, but that comes from some pretty heavy trauma."

"I'm worried about him, Esme."

"Me too," Esme admits.

-JWiD—

"C'mon, boys! Let's go!" Carlisle calls up the stairs. Edward comes flying down with a big smile on his face and his baseball bat over his shoulder.

"I'm ready, Dad."

"Great," Carlisle smiles. "Come on, Jasper! We have to go!"

Jasper drags his feet down the steps. He, Edward, and Carlisle leave the house and pile in Carlisle's vehicle. Edward chatters freely while Jasper loses himself in his own thoughts in the backseat.

"I'm totally going to kick your butt at the batting cages," Edward smirks.

"Yeah, sure," Carlisle responds sarcastically with a big laugh. "You really think you can do better than me?"

"Absolutely!"

The playful banter between Carlisle and Edward continues, even when they pull up to the therapists' office and Jasper hops out of the car. Once Jasper makes it into the building, Carlisle pulls away and points the car towards the east end of town.

"I got an A on my history test," Edward brags.

"Great job," Carlisle smiles.

"And Mr. Graff said that I'm ready for harder pieces on the piano."

"I knew he would be bumping you up to another level soon. You've mastered the other pieces he's given you."

As Carlisle praises him, Edward's face lights up even more. He sits up straighter and wracks his brain for more things to tell his Dad.

"Did Mom tell you that I'm going to try out for the baseball team this year?"

"She did. I think that's a wonderful idea."

Edward keeps talking as they pull into the batting cages. Carlisle listens closely as he parks and the two make their way inside. Carlisle pays for the time in the batting cages. It's a school night, so there's few people here. Carlisle picks the cages as far away from the other customers as possible. He and Edward go into the side by side cages and chose their settings for the pitching machine. Carlisle hesitates in starting his so he can watch Edward.

"Choke up on the bat," Carlisle suggests. Edward nods and takes Carlisle's advice before Carlisle starts his own pitching machine. He hits the first ball, triggering some heckling from Edward.

"Looks like you still got it, old man," Edward sneers.

"You think you're hot stuff, don't you?" Carlisle teases back.

The duo keep the joking back and forth as they hit the balls being pitch towards them. Edward laughs, smiles, and Carlisle misses a few balls because he's too caught up in watching his youngest child be happy for the first time in a long time.

When their time in the batting cages ends, Carlisle fears that Edward's happiness and carefree attitude will come to an end as well. Instead, Edward's smile is planted firmly on his face as they leave the building.

"That was a lot of fun, Dad," Edward says. "Will we be able to do stuff like this even after the baby comes?"

"Of course we can."

"Promise?"

"I promise, kiddo," Carlisle responds quickly and confidently. He wraps his arm around Edward's shoulder and pulls him into a tight side hug. Edward smiles even bigger as they make their way to the car. "No matter what happens, I promise we will still do things like this together."

"But isn't the baby going to take a lot of time?"

"Yeah, but no matter how much time the baby needs, I will always find time for you," Carlisle assures. Edward rolls his eyes as if Carlisle said the most embarrassing thing in the world, but he hangs on every word.

Once in the car, Carlisle heads back to the therapist office. Edward chatters about what his friend Tom has said about having a baby in the house. Carlisle listens carefully, and Edward grows quiet once they park.

"Hey," Carlisle reaches over the center counsel and pats Edward's shoulder. "I really enjoyed this today. I know life has been difficult lately, but I want you to always remember that I'm here for you, and I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," Edward beams.

Jasper comes out of the office with his head low. He gets in the back of the car and doesn't speak until they get home. Once they arrive and park the car in the garage, the three enter the kitchen as Rosalie and Esme are setting the table for dinner.

"Hi, boys," Esme smiles. "You came home just in time. Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes."

Edward starts telling the family about the trip to the batting cages. Everyone sits down and fills their plates with food.

"Rosie," Jasper mutters as he pats Rosalie's arm with his right hand. "Can you help me?"

"Yeah, of course," Rosalie smiles and starts to fill Jasper's plate for him.

Jasper grits his teeth. He hates how much help he needs with his arm in this stupid sling. He can't do anything by himself anymore. He's still quiet as he eats. He looks back and forth between the other family members. Everyone else is so happy…

"Jasper, I was looking at the calendar and realized that you haven't left the house in two weeks. I have to going shopping sometime this week. You should come with me." Esme says. "We need to get you out of the house."

"I left the house last week when I dislocated my shoulder." He responds simply.

"Going to the ER doesn't count." Esme corrects him.

"You shopping for the baby?" Jasper asks with a grumble. Esme looks to Carlisle and remembers his advice to not push too much too fast.

"I was going to do some grocery shopping but if you want to get some things for the baby we can do that."

"Hmph." Jasper huffs.

"You do need to start getting ready for the baby," Carlisle reminds him. "You said you would pick out an outfit, pajamas, and bibs. You should get those tomorrow."

"I know." Jasper sighs and looks back down at his plate. Carlisle and Esme exchange questioning glances, neither one fully believing that Jasper isn't pushing back against their encouragement. "I have been thinking about it, though."

"You have?" Rosalie asks with a smile. The baby is her favorite topic.

"Yeah. I," Jasper pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. "I know what I'm gonna call it."

"You do?" Esme says.

"You picked a name?" Carlisle inquires. Rosalie turns towards her brother excitedly, and even Edward leans forward to hear the name.

"Yeah. I'm going to name it Avery, after my Dad." Jasper explains. "I don't have middle names picked out yet, but I want it to start with a J so we can call it AJ."

"I love that, Jazz." Rosalie says and pats Jasper's knee.

"What a lovely tribute to your father," Esme interjects.

"That's a great choice," Carlisle says.

"Is that for a boy or a girl?" Edward asks.

"Either." Jasper answers.

"Cool," Edward smiles and nods.

"Now we don't have to call the baby 'it' anymore." Rose sighs happily.

"So, are we going to go shopping for AJ this week?" Esme asks.

"Yeah, I guess." Jasper reluctantly nods.

"Can I come?" Rosalie asks with a giddy tone.

"Yeah," Jasper answers quickly. "I'd like that."

Carlisle leaves the table, takes the calendar off of the wall, and returns to his seat with it and a pen. Between school, counseling, and physical therapy for Jasper's shoulder, they don't have any time that can work.

"What about on Friday?" Carlisle asks.

"That's when Jasper's physical therapy is." Esme points out.

"But what about before that?"

"PT is at 4:00. Rosalie gets home from school at 3:15. That's not enough time to shop."

Carlisle taps the pen on his chin, then shrugs.

"Let's pull Rosalie and Edward from school early that day, then."

Edward's eyes light up, and Rosalie rises her eyebrows questioningly.

"Seriously, Dad?" Edward asks.

"Actually," Carlisle tilts his head to the side. "You guys don't have to go to school at all on Friday. I have the weekend off and we all deserve to have some downtime.

"For real?" Rosalie questions.

"Yeah. You both do well in school. Missing one day isn't going to ruin that."

"What about me?" Jasper asks quickly. "Do I have to do school on Friday?"

"This is so Rose can go shopping with you. Do you promise to pick things out for AJ?"

"Yeah." Jasper agrees.

"Then you don't have to do school on Friday either."

Jasper smiles and his mood rises. As Rosalie and Edward chatter about their excitement as everyone eats. Once they're done, Edward goes to his piano to practice, and Rosalie drags Jasper upstairs to discuss middle names. Esme sets her jaw as she looks to her husband.

"I'm getting really tired of you not including me when you're making decisions about the kids." She tells him firmly. Carlisle sighs and starts to clear the plates from the table.

"Esme, it's just so he'll get excited about the baby."

"But pulling them from school?"

"I'm not fighting about this." Carlisle says. "We need him to get excited about the baby. Missing one day of school won't ruin them."

Esme grits her teeth but doesn't push the issue any further. She doesn't want to fight either, so this is one argument she won't pursue.

—JWiD—

"What about this?" Rosalie asks as she takes a tiny outfit off of the stores display rack. It's a soft white bodysuit with a pale yellow giraffe stitched on the front and a matching cap attached.

"That's cute." Jasper says with a forced smile. He feels like he could throw up, but he takes the outfit from Rosalie and holds it in his hands. "It's so small."

"It's a 0-3 month size." Rosalie says. "That's how big the baby is going to be."

"Do you want that outfit, Jasper?" Esme asks.

Jasper nods, but instead of putting it in the cart he keeps it in his hands. How is he supposed to care for something so little?

"What else do you need?" Rosalie asks.

"Pajamas and bibs." Jasper responds.

Rose heads to a wall where multiple packs of bibs are hung. She searches through for a pack until Esme walks over and places her hand on Rosalie's shoulder and whispers in her ear.

"We need to let Jasper pick the rest out. You and I can pick some things out for the baby another day."

Sighing, Rosalie nods and returns back to Jasper's side. She nudges him with her elbow.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just…" Jasper sighs. "It's a lot to take in."

"I know, but you're doing a good job," Rosalie smiles. "You're going to be a great dad, Jasper."

Jasper gives her a queasy smile. At least he has three more months to prepare…

Back at the Cullen home, Carlisle clicks through his laptop on the couch as he listens to Edward practice his newest piece on the piano. Edward hits a sour note, huffs, and starts it over again. Carlisle doesn't say anything to him about it. He's watched Edward master multiple pieces before and knows Edward will be planted firmly on that bench until he can get it right.

The house is peaceful, but his mind is stuck on Jasper. No matter what's happening, somehow Jasper always steals the focus from anything else that may be happening. Carlisle shouldn't be constantly worrying about Jasper, especially when he's shopping with Esme and Rosalie.

He can't push the worries of Jasper out of his head, so he goes to Google and types in Jasper's old address. He remembers when Jasper was so enthusiastic about talking about his life in Texas. He goes to the map and clicks until he finds Jasper's Uncle Beau's house. He opens another tab, types in that address, and scans through the sites that load.

Maybe he can find Beau's contact information. It could be so much help to have someone from his childhood to encourage him.

Carlisle searches and searches, and finally stumbles across a phone number. He pulls out his cell phone, dials the number, and holds his breath as it rings.

"Hello?" A gruff voice answers.

"Hi," Carlisle responds, and hesitates momentarily. He didn't think out what he would say. "My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and I—"

"Not interested." The voice grumbles and quickly hangs up.

—JWiD—

"He picked it all out himself." Esme smiles as the entire family looks at the outfit, pajamas, and package of bibs laying on the kitchen table.

"Is AJ a boy or a girl?" Edward asks.

"I don't know yet. I haven't opened the envelope." Jasper mutters. He points to the tiny giraffe outfit. "Look how small this is. Will AJ really be that little?"

"Yes," Carlisle nods.

"It's all so cute," Rosalie says.

Jasper nods, and the rest of the family is quiet. It won't be long until there's an actual baby in that outfit. Somehow Jasper is supposed to take care of something so little. Carlisle and Esme are going to have to do it, at least until AJ is bigger. He can't do this. He can't handle this.

"Do you remember how Dad had our baby boxes?" Rosalie asks Jasper, who tilts his head questioningly. "We each had a plastic storage box that he kept our baby stuff in. He had copies of our birth certificates, our first pair of shoes, pictures from the hospital, our hospital wristbands, stuff like that. He saved the first outfit he picked out for us in there, too."

Jasper pierces his lips. He can't image Avery feeling this scared over a baby. Avery wasn't scared of anything.

"That's a wonderful idea." Carlisle says. "Let's do that for AJ."

"Just like Dad did for us," Rosalie smiles at her brother. "You're going to be just like Dad."

Jasper nods. Maybe he can do this…

Carlisle pats Jasper's shoulder and tells him he's proud of him and turns towards Esme. He nods towards their bedroom door. She nods back, thanks Jasper for going shopping for with her, and she and Carlisle head towards their bedroom. Carlisle closes the door behind them.

"How was he?" Carlisle asks.

"He was nervous, but he did good. Rosalie pointed out the giraffe outfit and he decided to get it, but he picked the striped bibs and the star pajamas all on his own." Esme explains. "He didn't complain at all."

"Good." Carlisle nods. "While you were out, I did some Googling and I found something. Has Jasper told you about his Uncle Beau in Texas?"

"He showed me a picture of Uncle Beau's house."

"Well, I searched his address with his name, and I found a phone number. I tried to call it and a man answered but hung up on me before I could explain why I was calling." Carlisle sighs. "Anyways, I know I've been making a lot of decisions without bringing it up to you, so I wanted to see what you thought about it. Should I continue to try to contact him?"

Esme mulls it over for just a second before she starts asking questions.

"Have you mentioned this to Jasper yet?"

"No."

"Are you sure it's Beau's number?"

"I think so. The website had it listed under Beau Williams and the address Jasper gave me."

"What are you going to do if it is Beau?"

"Talk to him about Jasper and Rosalie, I guess. Maybe he'll be willing to talk to them. It would be great if someone from Jasper's childhood could encourage him about the baby. It feels like a long shot, but if it is Beau's number and he wants to talk to the kids then that could be very helpful."

Esme nods in agreement, sits on the edge of the bed and pats the space next to her for Carlisle sit next to her.

"Call him again."

Carlisle sits, pulls his phone out, and dials the number again. It rings multiple times before going to voicemail.

You've reached Beau Williams. Leave a message.

Carlisle hangs up, earning some questioning look from Esme.

"Why didn't you leave a message?"

"It might not be the right Beau. Williams is a popular last name." Carlisle frets.

"Call again. Leave a message this time."

Carlisle follows Esme's directions. This time, he gets an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Carlisle Cullen and—"

"Not interested!"

He's hung up on again, and he sighs defeatedly.

"He must think you're a telemarketer or something," Esme says. "You sound too formal. Relax and loosen up. Try again."

He calls again, and the other line answers and then immediately hangs up.

"One more time." Esme encourages.

"What am I supposed to say?"

"Stop the introduction. Get right to Jasper and Rosalie."

Carlisle dials the number one more time, and it is quickly answered.

"Why the hell do you keep calling me?" The grumpy voice shouts.

"The Whitlock's. Rosalie, Jasper, and Avery," Carlisle speaks quickly. "I'm calling about Jasper and Rosalie."

The other line is quiet, and Carlisle and Esme hold their breath.

"What do you have to do with the Whitlock's?"

"I'm Jasper's and Rosalie's foster father. They live with my wife and me. You're their Uncle Beau, right?"

"Yeah, I am." Beau says, then chuckles. "Wow. It's been so many years since I've been called Uncle Beau."

"I was hoping that we could talk about the Rose and Jasper."

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Carlisle Cullen."

"And are you in Washington?"

"Yes."

"So it's true, then, about Joann? She really killed herself?"

"Yes, it's true."

"Psycho bitch," Beau mutters under his breath, but then quickly changes his tone to one of excitement. "I'd love to talk about the youngsters. Tell me everything."

Please review and tell me what you think! Do you think baby AJ will be a boy or a girl?