Carlisle POV
"Edward! Alice! Emmett! Come on!" I was starting to get frustrated with them. As much as I love all of my kids, I don't love trying to get them up and herded out the door first thing in the mornings. "Now!"
Since it was summer vacation, I could have let them sleep in, but I'm not in a generous mood. Rosalie was already in the living room, sending eye daggers at me for daring to breathe the air in my own house.
Ever since we lost Jasper, my oldest girl has been on a rampage. Oh, she didn't scream or cry. That had been Rose's style years ago, but not anymore. Now it's a cold anger that seeps out of her until the entire room is frozen. She had not only lost a little brother, but a friend and someone she was used to taking care of. But more importantly, another person who she had thought would be there forever had just strolled out of her life. She was hurting, and she was determined to make all of us suffer for it. She had come a long way since we adopted her, but she would always struggle with family relationships, especially towards me.
I usually don't bother correcting her for silence or glares. I don't like them, but you have to pick your battles and I wasn't going to pick this one. So I let her simmer in silence. I leaned back up the stairway. "Guys!"
"Maybe Jasper would still be here if you yelled less."
That was the line. I try to never raise my voice in anger at the children. If I'm shouting, it's to make them hear me, not because they've made me mad. "You know that that isn't true, Rose. Name one time I ever yelled at Jasper."
"I never said you yelled at him. I just said that maybe you yell too much period, and he doesn't like that."
The trick with Rose is to remain calm and logical. "How often do you think I yell?"
She shrugged and didn't reply, so I pressed on. "Every day? Every other day? Once a week?"
"Not very often." She said it grudgingly, but at least she said it. "Maybe once a week, but not in a mean way."
"Ok." I looked around hoping that the rest of the kids would come down and help break up what had just happened between Rose and I. She usually needs a little extra time to reflect on things before she's ready to talk about them.
"I don't really think that this is your fault." It was so soft that I barely heard it. "It's not anyone in this family's fault. It's Maria's."
That isn't really true either. Jasper had been failed so many times in his 18 years on this earth by the people who should have taken care of him that it was impossible to say what had finally broken him.
The sad thing was, Jasper had been in the system since he was five years old. He was the property of the state of Washington, and therefore should have had more eyes on him then the average child. But none of them detected something wrong. For 12 years, he had been available for adoption, but it had never happened. What if we had gotten him at 6 or 7, instead of 17? He would have never been abused. His most visible brain damage had been caused by a blow, but the PTSD was damage in itself, and not something that he had entered care, or even Maria's home with. Who could he have been, if he was adopted into a loving home?
Not Jasper. At least not the Jasper I knew and loved. Actually, he wouldn't have been a Jasper I knew at all. If I passed him on the street, or in a restaurant, I wouldn't look twice. He would belong to someone else's family, not mine.
But he wouldn't have suffered the way he had. The military would still be an option, or college. He was obviously smart, and had a determination that went way beyond his years. Jasper could have been anything that he wanted to be. He still had many options available, but his health, both mental and physical would always be fragile.
I could have talked Rose down from her accusation, the same as I had when she accused me, but I didn't. I do try to see the best in people, but Rose was right. Maria was the one who had broken my child. "I know."
"I wish that she would have to suffer the way he does. The way he's suffering right now." She was pushing me, trying to see how far I would let her go.
I wasn't going to fight her. I'm a compassionate man, but even I have my limits. "I do to." Rose was offering me an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up, so I spoke casually. "How is really doing?"
"How do you think?" Her voice wasn't a sarcastic snarl. "He's fucked up. He's scared. Every single night, I'm getting calls because he hears things, or he thinks he hears things, I don't know which. He just can't do it by himself." She looked down. "He won't tell me, but I think he's seizing, too. He just doesn't sound right."
That was my worst fear. If Jasper wouldn't call us when he was scared, and he wouldn't call us when he was ill, when would he call? Ever? "What do you mean he doesn't sound right?"
She started to reply, but the rest of them chose that moment to come thundering down the stairs and she clammed up. She was loyal to the end, and she would never do anything to break Jasper's privacy.
Two minutes ago I had been irritated with how slowly they were moving, and now I wished they could have stayed up there for just a few more minutes. Emmett was already yelling about something, and Edward was cranky. Only Alice was ready with her usual amount of cheer. What did she know that we didn't?
Wait, what did she know that we didn't? One of the things that I've always loved about Alice was that she had no secrets. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and there was no masking how she really felt. If she was this happy and calm, she had to believe it herself. I made a mental note to ask her about it in private.
"Why can't we just take the credit card and go shopping by ourselves?" Emmett was scrubbing at his eyes and trying to wake up.
"Because we're a family, and we haven't done much together lately. Not to mention the fact that the last time you got your hands on the credit card, you came home with two new game systems and no clothing."
He shrugged. "You said to buy what I needed, so I did. I have lots of clothes, but no new video game systems."
That was Emmett for you. Always cheerful and respectful, but with an eye out for turning things to his advantage. If he could harness that and pay more attention to his school work, he would be set. "Well now you have your game systems, so I'll be going with to make sure that you don't end up running around campus naked."
After much sweat, blood and tears, Emmett was now a high school graduate. As much as he claimed not to care, he had certainly been proud when he accepted his diploma. I had been hoping that Jasper would show up, since I knew that Rose was in contact with him and he had to be delighted for his brother, but it didn't end up happening.
He gave me a blank look. "I thought the whole point of going to college was running around naked."
And this was why I was insisting that he take at least a year of community college before moving on to a regular university. I love the boy, but Emmett is not mature enough to live away from home just yet. None of them are, and that includes the one who is actually doing it.
"The point of going to college is to study what interests you in a less restrictive environment, not to run around covered in body paint and acting like a moron. And for that, you need to be fully clothed."
He rolled his eyes, so I pulled out the big guns. "Behave and get some decent clothes and I'll let you pick the restaurant for dinner."
"Deal. Let the shopping begin!" He clapped his hands with joy.
Let it never be said that I was above bribery when it came to the kids. They had me outnumbered, and a little treat never hurt anyone.
Most parents dread going clothing shopping with their kids, but I never minded it. Emmett was perfectly happy with just jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. It didn't have to be fancy; it didn't have to be expensive. The hardest part was finding things that actually came in his size.
Rose is as beautiful as a model, but she's also very modest. I never had to tell her that her skirts were too short or that her tops were too tight. She did have rather expensive tastes in jewelry, but she's generally content with a few classic pieces. And if she isn't, Emmett is the one who buys her new things these days.
Alice is my true fashionista. How that girl can take a $10 skirt and one of Emmett's old T-shirts and turn it into something that looks like it should be on the runway in Paris is an enduring mystery to me. With her pixie-like face and flair for accessorizing, she was always going to look amazing.
The hardest one to shop for was actually Edward. He had very definite ideas about what he did and did not like, and what he liked was not what was in fashion for young men. No T-shirts, no shorts. Nothing with visible logos or words. No sneakers, unless he had to wear them for gym class. Slacks, button-ups, and boots were the order of the day. He looks incredibly dashing and almost heartbreakingly adult when he dresses like that. Nothing like the chubby toddler I had brought home so many years ago.
"Do we have to stay together the whole time?" Rose was doing something on her phone. "Because Princess Edward takes way too long."
"Shut up Rosalie!" And just like that, they were off and fighting.
I resisted the urge to bang my head in to the steering wheel. For a while, things had actually gotten better between them. When we had Jasper, everyone fought less, even Oil and Water over there in the backseat.
I had two theories about that. The first was that Jasper was so timid, and no one wanted to upset him. It wasn't acknowledged, but we all knew that it had been a fight among foster siblings that had lead to his near fatal beating. Any time there was the smallest disagreement between my children, his eyes took on a worried look that nobody like to see, so they kept it quiet.
The other had to do with Jasper himself. He just had a…a way about him. You wanted to talk to Jasper and tell him all your secrets. Esme says that he's an old soul, but it's more then that. Jasper had an almost physical draw to him. I didn't see it very often, but when he puts his mind to it, he's very charismatic. He could talk you into do something, and not only would you be agreeing to something that you usually wouldn't, but you walked away thinking that it had been your idea in the first place.
God I missed that kid. 18 years old or no, Jasper was still a kid in my mind. I missed his dry sense of humor, and his quiet laughter, and the way he would occasionally put his chin on my shoulder when he wanted to read something over my shoulder. My Iceman had thawed, and I had barely even realized it. Now it was too late.
"Both of you, shut up." The voice was quiet and not at all the one I expected. "We're trying to have a good time here. Don't look at each other, and don't talk to each other and that's it. Our family's already screwed up and broken. Let's not make it worse."
Emmett so rarely argues with anyone that it did shock them into silence. I looked over at him, trying to catch his eye, but he wasn't looking at me. He wasn't looking at Rose or Edward either. He was just staring at the floorboards.
He's taking losing Jasper hard, much harder then I thought he would. Yes, I knew that he loved his brother. They shared a room, and Emmett always made sure that he made time for Jasper. But I hadn't realized just how bonded they were. He had left that mattress up for over a week, hoping that Jasper would come back as suddenly as he left. He set him a place at the table; he saved a spot for him in the car. He would still be doing that if I hadn't taken him aside and told him to stop. Jasper would come home when he came home (if he ever did, but I wasn't ready to admit that to myself, much less say it in front of the rest of the family), and it was a simple matter to grab an extra plate or rearrange the seating in the car. Seeing the emptiness just reminded us all what we had lost.
The rest of the ride was quiet, with everyone absorbed in their own thoughts. Rose and Edward were both pouting, no doubt, and Alice had her headphones in. She heard us, of course, but she obviously didn't want to talk, and I would respect her request for privacy.
At the mall, they tried to scatter, but I managed to corral them with a combination of threats (Edward and Rose), bribery (Emmett), and flat out begging (Alice). "Come on, guys. I'm on call tonight, so we only have a few hours for food and shopping. This is the main trip for the year, so don't mess around in there." I strong armed them towards the first department store. "You all know your spending limits, so choose wisely."
I put myself in between the men's and women's departments, sitting down and waiting. They were beyond the age where they needed my help to choose, and it had been made very clear that my suggestions were not appreciated, either.
Within 20 minutes, Emmett had a stack of clothes. 6 pairs of jeans, a dozen T-shirts, and two button-downs. "I still have slacks that fit from last year."
That was a first. Could it have finally happened? Was Emmett finally at his full height and weight? "Are you serious?"
He beamed. "Yep! Everything is the same as last year."
I counted one more time. "Shoes. Sneakers only if you're the same shoe size, too." He had worn his dress shoes a grand total of three times this past year, all to hospital functions. "Give those to me, and then you're done."
"Cool." Since Emmett finds shoe shopping to be the most exciting part of this, I figured it would be a while before I saw him again. I don't ever remember caring about my shoes when I was younger, but it was a huge deal for boys now. Just another thing that I don't understand.
"Daddy? How about this one?" Alice popped out at my right, wearing a cute denim jacket and miniskirt. With her dramatic eyeliner and earrings, she looked like she belonged on a campus at a fancy college, studying fashion design.
Unfortunately for her, she was still a high school girl. "The jacket is fantastic, lose the miniskirt."
Last year, she would have never dared wear such a thing. I had never seen her in anything above the knee, or tight in the bust. She was a very late bloomer in that regard. But as soon as she got Jasper, that changed. She wanted to look like a grown woman instead of a little girl. And when she was 18, she could dress however she wanted. But until then, she was going to be dressing like the teenager she was.
"Ok." She didn't fight me on it, but I had already known that she wouldn't. She knew that she was crossing the line, but she had to try and get away with it.
"Done!" Emmett threw a shoebox down in front of me. "I believe I'm owed some pretzel money?"
There was nothing preventing Emmett from reaching into his pocket, getting his wallet, and buying his own soft pretzel, thus bypassing both me and the hated chore of going clothes shopping. But he never would. Getting that $5 from me was just part of the day.
I tossed him a twenty. "Go hit the arcade, too."
His eyes widened. "Really? Cool!" He bolted before I could change my mind.
I wasn't about to. Since we were currently down a child, there was plenty of extra money to go around. If we got Jasper back, I would be too ecstatic to worry about the money.
"Dad? How do I look?" Rose came popping out of the dressing room on my right.
How did she look? Like she was 25 and ready for work in a professional job. Not at all like someone still in school, and not like the grease-monkey I usually saw. "You look fantastic."
She smiled shyly. "I need something to wear to interviews."
I don't now whether she meant job interviews or college interviews and I was afraid to ask. Of course I want Rosalie to transfer to a four year college if that's what she wants. Her grades are excellent, and I have no doubt that she'll be able to maintain them. And she's an adult and I know that I've had more years with her at home then most people get. But I had missed most of her childhood. It's still painful to think that the kids will be going soon. First Rose. Then Emmett will go to college or move after Rose. Then it will just be Esme, Alice, and I. Until she leaves as well. She might not choose college right out of high school, as I believe Edward will, but she'll get there eventually. Then our nest will really be empty.
"You'll knock their socks off in that one."
She smiled again, this time with more confidence and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Dad."
There had been a point where I never thought that she would either hug me or call me 'dad', so I guessed that I shouldn't complain so much. "No, problem"
The moment was interrupted by Alice coming back. "How about this one?"
The jacket was still there, but it was now paired with a tasteful, colorful skirt that almost brushed her knees. "Beautiful."
"I like that one better. You're too short for a mini; it makes your body look stumpy. Besides, it was slutty." Rose had to offer her opinion, too.
"Rosalie!" The skirt was too short, but I hated to hear any woman described that way, especially my own child. Especially Alice, who struggled so much with her self-esteem.
She gave me the death glare, so vicious that it took me aback for a second and drove me to silence. What was going on?
But I had underestimated my youngest. She put her hands on her hips and scowled. "That's rude and disgusting. What I'm wearing doesn't make me a slut, and it doesn't give anyone the right to think that about me. It's not my fault that boys are disgusting." Her hazel eyes snapped at her sister, and I couldn't have been prouder. Not only was she right, but she was actually defending herself.
When the corners of Rosalie's mouth tucked back, I realized she had played both of us. She had deliberately provoked Alice, hoping that she would stand up for herself. Not what I would have done, but I couldn't deny that it was effective.
"Ok, chill out. I'm sorry, alright?" Rose held out her arms, and Alice ran into them. Over her sister's head, Rose quirked an eyebrow. See? I'm a good sister, and I love her dearly. But we both know that it's a mean world, and she has to toughen up a bit.
This round went to Rosalie, so I nodded at her. Emmett chose that moment to reappear. "Good news! They were having a sale, so I got two." He looked Rose up and down. "Babe, you look like a naughty librarian. I like it. Buy that one."
I really miss the days when they at least tried to be sneaky about the sexual side of their relationship.
"Gross." Apparently so did Alice.
"One day it won't be." Rose blew her sister a quick kiss.
Alice rolled her eyes. "You and Emmett will always be gross together."
I couldn't help but laugh at her disgusted face. "Enough, guys. Emmett, please go find your brother. He's the only one we're waiting for. Tell him if he can't hurry up, he's going to be wearing last years clothes and I don't care if they fit or not."
I wouldn't actually do that, of course, but sometimes Edward needed to be hurried along. Emmett nodded seriously at me. "Eddie! Eddie! Dad says hurry up or he's leaving you here!"
"That's not what I…" I stopped there, because he was already gone. I love Emmett's enthusiasm, but there are definitely times when toning it down would be a plus.
"Are you girls done?"
They both nodded primly. "We'll have a girl party and get some accessories later. I'm pretty sure Emmett will die if we make him wait much longer."
I couldn't exactly say that I was thrilled by the idea of spending a few more hours looking at earrings and scarves either. "I'm sure he appreciates that."
Emmett and Edward returned at the same time as my phone rang. "Hello?"
It was Aro. "Carlisle, I need you to come in as soon as you can."
I handed my credit card over to Rose and gestured for her to get in line. "Aro, I'm shopping with the kids and I'm not on call until tonight. I'm sorry, but I can't come in right now."
"This isn't about work." His tone was very serious, and I suddenly felt afraid. "They brought a kid in today and…well; he looks a lot like your missing one. I need you here to make an ID."
My heart fell into my stomach. Not Jasper, not like this. "Is…is he alive?"
"Yes, but it looks bad. The faster you can get here the better. I didn't want to call your wife."
This couldn't be happening. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
With just a few strides, I caught up to the kids. "Everyone, I've got some bad news. I've been called into work, so we're going to have to take a rain check on lunch. Rose, can you come over here for a second?"
The rest of them groaned, but this wasn't the first time a family outing had been interrupted by my job. Rose knew that something was up, though, and gave me a worried look. I leaned down to speak to her quietly. "Call your brother. This is serious and I need you to at least check in on him."
For once, she didn't second guess me. Her phone was in her hand in seconds, already being dialed. She chewed her lips as it rang over and over, finally shaking her head. "Voicemail. What's wrong?"
"Jasper might be in the hospital again. Don't tell your brothers and sister until we know for sure, ok? I'm counting on you here, Rose."
She nodded. "Come on, guys, we'll dump Dad at the hospital and we'll go out ourselves."
I think that everyone sensed that something was wrong, but no one was going to speak up. They all hurried to the car, where I turned on the radio to avoid any questions. Rose dialed Jasper over and over, her fingers tightening on the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Alice spoke up. "Is it Jasper?"
Of all the things that she could have wondered about, why did her brain go straight to him? Rose shook her head. "I'm calling school. My schedule was all messed up, and they were supposed to have it fixed by today. Of course they haven't called."
It was a believable lie, and told quite convincingly. Alice didn't seem 100% sure, but she nodded. "That sucks."
The ride to the hospital was too long and too short at the same time. I had to go to my child, and that couldn't come fast enough. But the gravity of Aro's voice, and the slight hesitation before he confirmed that Jasper was still alive meant that I might not have a child tomorrow, or even by the time I got there. What would I tell the kids? Esme? Oh, God, what would I tell Alice?
I shouldn't have let Jasper go. I should have chased him down, had him declared incompetent if I had to, and drug him home kicking and screaming. His opinions didn't matter.
Even though I knew how wrong that was, and that it only would have made Jasper resentful, frightened and even more ready to run the next time the chance presented itself, I couldn't help but think the trade-off might be worth it.
The hospital, usually a place that brought me such joy, now just made me sick to my stomach. Was my child in there, dying?
"I'll call either your or your mother to pick me up after my shift, alright? Rose, I'm leaving you in charge, tell your mother that I'll give her a call." As much as I couldn't imagine having to break the news to Esme, I also couldn't leave it up to my child.
"Got it." She pulled away, trying to keep a brave face. I took a deep breath and dialed Aro, calling him to meet me at the door.
His grim face told me everything I needed to know. "Is he…..?" I couldn't even say the words.
"He was brought in not breathing and with no heartbeat. He apparently collapsed in a gas station, after the owner said he was turning in circles and behaving oddly. Tox reports aren't back, yet, but things don't look good. His brain function is very low, and we have him on full life support."
My knees wanted to buckle, but I wouldn't let them. I had to be strong here. "Can I see him?"
"Yes. Remember, it might not even be him. It looks like him, but why would he be back in Forks? I just wanted you to come in privately, and not hear it from someone else."
Because he was trying to get back to us. Had he known that something was terribly wrong with him? My stomach rolled again and all I could do was nod.
Maybe it was my imagination, but I couldn't help but feel like the rest of the hospital staff was staring at us as we walked. Was I the last one to find out?
I held my breath, praying that we would go to the regular floor, but we bypassed it for the ICU. Aro paused at a room that had the curtains closed. "Do you want me to stay?"
"No, thank you. I'll, uh; I'll let you know, ok?" My voice wavered, and I wanted nothing more then to cry. But I had more important things to worry about.
The doctor in me took over as I walked towards the bed. Ventilator breathing for him. IV's in both arms. Monitor's showing heartbeat and oxygen saturation, neither of which were good. Doggedly I crept forward.
His eyes were closed and swollen, making it impossible to see their color. His hair had been cut short, but it was blond, and you could see where it was trying to curl. The jaw was sharp, and, when I looked down, I could see his hands were clenched, the same way Jasper's did when he slept.
But it wasn't my son. The resemblance was there, yes, but it wasn't Jasper. This boy was a little younger, with fuller lips and darker, straighter, eyebrows. His hands weren't clenched out of stress the way Jasper did it, but because of the massive brain damage he had suffered. The resemblance was there, close enough that they could have been cousins if not brothers, but it wasn't exact.
I had to be sure. I had sat with dozens of families who had insisted that the injured or deceased person couldn't possibly be their loved one. Carefully I reached out and brushed his hair aside, looking for the scar from Jasper's brain surgery. Missing. It couldn't be Jasper.
I collapsed in the nearest chair, the tears finally starting. I was so, so, grateful that this wasn't my boy, but there was a measure of guilt as well. This was someone's child lying here, and we didn't even know his name. Somewhere, there was a parent out there as worried about him as I had been about Jasper.
Or worse, this boy had no one looking for him. No one would come and hold his hand; no one would push for him to get the best care. He would live or die on his own. I stroked his arm, trying not to jostle any of the IVs. "I'm sorry, Sweetie."
Aro was waiting outside for me. I shook my head. "It's not Jasper."
He breathed out and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to get you so upset."
I wiped at my eyes, trying to calm down. It wouldn't do to have any of the patients see their doctor crying. "No it's ok. I appreciate you letting me know. I mean, I still don't know if Jasper's doing alright, but at least I know that he's not lying there."
"Tell you what. I'm going to give you a break and put Carlos on call tonight. You stay home with your family."
"Thanks, Aro." My hands shook violently as I dialed Rose. "Hey, baby. Everything's ok here, so I'm going to need a ride. Are you guys done eating?"
"It's not?" She couldn't say his name, but her voice rose excitedly.
"It's not." The rest of my reply was cut off by her excited squeal. "Lunch is over! Get boxes, we're picking Dad up at the hospital! We'll be there in 15 minutes." She hung up before I could say anything else.
True to her word, she was back quickly, honking the horn at me. I climbed in. "Guess what? They didn't need me after all, and I don't have to go in tonight, either. So we can do something as family tonight."
"Ok." Alice was happy to do something. Edward nodded, but I got the impression that he was inwardly rolling his eyes.
Emmett looked from me to Rose and back again. "What's going on? You and Rose are acting like you have a secret. Nobody gets that excited about playing Scrabble."
"We don't have a secret. And you're only jealous because you suck at Scrabble." Rose reached back to touch his hand.
"I'm dyslexic, you know that."
I rolled my eyes. "No you aren't, Emmett. We had you tested twice."
"Well then I'm…..autistic? Wait, no not that one. Um….ADD! ADHD?" He finally gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine, I just suck at spelling. I wish Jasper was still here. Then we could be a team again and kick everyone else's butts."
The two of them did make an awesome team. The best part was, the making words and adding scores was extra practice for Emmett and therapy for Jasper, who still had some trouble in that area. "I know. We all wish he was still here."
But at least he wasn't lying in that hospital bed.
Emmett shrugged. "He'll come back. He has to."
No one wanted to be the one who burst his bubble, so the conversation moved on. Even though I hadn't said anything, everyone seemed to sense that we had avoided some terrible event and they were grateful for it. Rose didn't pick any fights with Edward, Alice let someone else talk for once, and Emmett refrained from singing along and making up dirty lyrics for every song that came on the radio.
I had planned on just not mentioning any of this to Esme, but I hadn't counted on my four teenaged blabbermouths. They all piled on her, showing off new clothes and telling the story (greatly embellished in the manner of all teenagers) of how we had to leave early so I could go to work, but then I didn't go to work, and did she know what was going on?
Luckily, she didn't bring it up directly to me. Our eyes met and we had a quick mental conversation. I would tell her tonight, after the kids were in bed. She nodded, and I felt another surge of love for her. How could I have been so lucky to find this woman, with whom I could have these conversations without speaking a word?
The rest of the afternoon was the best I could remember in a long time. Remembering the nameless boy in the hospital gave me a new appreciation for my active, loud, arguing teenagers. So they poked each other and made terrible faces and would gladly fight to the death over the rules of a game they made up themselves. They could all move, and interact, and draw breath on their own to fight. And that was a little bit of a miracle.
Since the kids all had leftovers from lunch, Esme and I were able to grill some steaks and sit out on the covered back porch, pretending that it was just the two of us. After dinner we all sat down for a game of Scrabble.
"Dad, please explain to my darling partner that 'swag' is a real word." Emmett was shuffling tiles. "He's being unreasonable."
"It's slang, and I'm not even convinced that it's real slang. We agreed no slang." Edward gave me an irritated look. "Dad?"
Emmet wasn't going to just take that. "You agreed no slang. The rest of us said fine as long as we agreed it was a real word. Both Rose and Alice say it's real. You're outvoted, Dude." Now they were both looking at me, each hoping I would be on their side.
Why had I made Edward and Emmett partners again? Usually I paired with Esme, Emmett with Rose, and Alice with Edward. Jasper had shaken things up, but he usually just wandered around and helped whoever needed it. When Rose was too busy to play, which was often, he and Emmett paired up.
"Sweetheart, just turn it into 'wags'. It's not that big of a deal."
Never in all of the years they had been brother and sister had Rose defended Edward against Emmett. Or anyone else for that matter. They were both startled, and the argument ceased. Emmett laid down the tiles for 'wags'. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
She kissed him on the cheek. "Nothing. Can't I just be happy tonight?"
"Ooo-kaaaayyyyy." He shook his head. "This whole family has gotten really weird."
Rose laughed and whispered something in his ear that made his eyes widen. "Ok, fine. No slang allowed."
Without the help of slang, Rose and Alice were able to squeak out a win. It wasn't that long ago that the only way the kids won was if Esme and I let them. I looked out across the coffee table, talking note of the scattered tiles, empty popcorn bowls and dozen cans of soda. "Winners put the board away; you boys help clean up this mess. Your mother and I are going to make it an early night."
It was barely 10, but I so seldom had a night off that I wanted to spend it just with her. She waited until we were snuggled together to ask the question that had to have been bothering her all evening. "So what happened today?"
I explained about the phone call and seeing Jasper's doppelganger in the hospital bed. She shook he head. "Poor thing. Will he be alright?"
I thought about the poor readings on his monitors, the clenched fists, and the swelling behind his eyes. "No. I don't think he has much of a chance."
On our wedding day, Esme and I had made a promise to each other to always be truthful, no matter how hard that was. I had always abided by that promise, even if it was giving her her diagnosis, or telling her that yet another child was leaving us.
"We can't save them all." She shook her head. "But we can save a few, and we have."
I never got tired of her ability to focus on the positive. "I love you, do you know that?"
"Of course I do, and I love you, too. I think that tomorrow we should get rid of the kids and have a day just for us." She gave me a poke under the covers, which I gladly returned.
"That would be wonderful." We spent a while talking about what we might do, and how nice it was that the kids were independent and no longer in need of sitters. Finally, I drifted off in my wife's arms, my absolute favorite place to be.
Which was why it was so irritating to be woken at 2:36 by the work calling again. Esme groaned. "Didn't Aro say you wouldn't be called in?"
"I'm not going." I grabbed the phone and picked it up. "This is Dr. Cullen."
"Carlisle?" I barely recognized the breathless voice on the other side of the phone. "It's Jasper. I screwed up really bad and-"His voice broke off in a miserable half-sob. "Can I come home?"