[DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse or any of it's characters.

CHAPTER 6: HOPE

carlisle. day 4, 2:30 pm.

A knock resonated through the wood of my door. "Come in."

"Dr. Cullen?" The hospital receptionist opened the door timidly, looking in. She was a younger woman, likely just out of school, and new member of the hospital staff. "Can I have a word with you, about Miss Swan?" She looked thoroughly intimidated. By position or beauty, it was likely one or the other or both.

"What about her?" I asked, motioning for her to step out of the doorway.

"Um… I… Well… We seem to be having a hard time connecting to her parents. Her mother seems to be out of the country according to her machine, but we can't reach her father at all." She spoke softly, her voice shaking.

"Okay…" I said, taking a piece of note paper off the pad, "Try Mr. Swan at his work. Here." I wrote down the number from memory, and then my own and then handed her the slip of paper. "And leave Renee a message telling her to contact me as soon as she gets back from her trip. Give her this number." I said, indicating the number.

"Okay… I'll see what I can do…" And she left.

alice. day 4, 2:00 pm.

Waiting. He's been in there for 2 hours, but he'll be out in ten minutes, when the nurses change her dressings. He'll come out looking like hell, he won't say anything. He will sit down in the chair across from her door, still as a statue. He'll wait with us in silence and the moment the nurses are finished, he will enter her room again. He'll sit beside her again, cold hands stroking her hair, fingers running over her pale skin. He will be sad. He will feel loss. And he won't know what to do. He won't try to think about it. Right now, he wants just to be with her. To remember, because it doesn't hurt as much right now, with her here. And then she will speak, not consciously or intentionally, but she will say something in her slumber. A name. And it's a name he knows nothing about, and any other day, it would just be a name. But today it is so much more, because it sends all hope out the window. Because of the words that came after it. Three small words.

"Jake, I love you."

He had had hopes. He wanted to leave again, and continue to not exist, he had thought he would leave. But he knew he wouldn't. He was going to stay know, protect her. Love her. And he hoped she would love him back. He would do anything for her, to get her back. To make her happy. Anything for her happiness. That was his hope.

But her love no longer belonged to him. It was a Jake's. And in all likelihood, Jake probably hadn't ever committed a serious offence, wasn't a murderer, wasn't a monster, wasn't a vampire.

He probably had a soul. He probably made her happy. Happier than she could ever be with a vampire. He could give her things that a vampire never could, he could grow old with her, die with her. Be human with her.

So this would be his punishment.

And then Edward would leave the room. He would walk right past us and out the hospital doors.

The vision fades.

carlisle. day 4, 7:00 pm.

"Dr. Cullen?" It was the same nurse that had entered my office six hours before. "Um, It's about Mr. Swan, Bella's father."

"Yes?"

"He died about five days ago. His funeral was today."

A/N: I know it's short, and I know Alice can't see inside his head when she's having a vision, but I needed to get the idea across. Her vision is set approximately an hour into the future. Oh, and quotes or information on the upcoming chapters to members who submit ACTUAL reviews. Short reviews like "I loved it." or "Amazing chapter." are nice to hear, but they're a waste of space. Really. They do me no good, they just take up space in my inbox. If you're going to review, then review. Tell me what you like, tell me what you didn't like, tell me what you think is going to happen, what you want to happen, what you think I need to improve upon and what you think I'm doing well with the piece. Of course, it doesn't have to be all those all at once, but pick three and donate a sentence to each at the very least. "I loved it", isn't a review. It doesn't matter if what your saying is positive or negative. It just isn't a review