A/N This chapter is shorter because the boys haven't been talking to me as much lately. I usually like to stay at least 6 chapters ahead of the game, but I am now resorting to writing as I post, which I consider to be very amateurish and unfair to my readers. If I cant get my act together enough to put at least 3-4 chapters to rest by the end of this next week, I will most likely put this story on hiatus for a little while. I haven't been getting as much feedback lately, so I am thinking interest is waning, so rather than sacrifice the quality of the story, I will just take a break and wait for my muse to come back. Its not set in stone, my writing muse is a fickle bastard, so I may be able to get back on it this week, but if not, I will let those of you still reading, know what is going on.

Exhaustion had settled over Jasper again fairly quickly after Emmett had left, and with Edward already deeply asleep due to the pain medications, he saw no reason to even to attempt to stay awake, so he followed soon after into a deep and somewhat restful sleep.

Epov

Trying to sleep in the damn hospital is never an easy thing. I don't know how the hell they expect you to recover when they are waking you up to take your blood pressure and poke and prod you as well as ask you all kind of stupid questions when you are trying to rest, it all seems to just go counter to what they are supposedly trying to accomplish.

I had been sleeping pretty damn good until around 0430 when some sadist decided to come in and deliver what they consider to be breakfast. There wasn't even any coffee on the damn tray! Who in there right or very damn wrong, mind would think a grown assed man, let alone a cop, would want orange spice hot tea?

Jasper was beginning to wake up and I knew the time to talk was coming. I hoped we would have some peace and quiet so we could actually talk without an audience. I wasn't sure what I was going to say to him. I cared about him, I hoped he knew that, but I had warned him from the beginning that my career came first.

This was getting so fucking complicated. I didn't know if I could handle that. He was a great guy. He was so damn giving and in reality probably was everything I needed, and he had been so willing to put up with my bullshit.

"Hey, You awake? Jaspers voice was really quiet and kinda raspy, he was laying there looking at me with a smile on his face and I didn't want to do anything to make that smile go away.

"I'm awake, how are you feeling? "Like I got hit by a Mack truck. What the hell happened?" Jasper apparently couldn't remember much about last night, so I filled him in on the details as he shook his head and looked dismayed.

"Its my God damned fault. I relied on the military to get my records sent to where they were needed, I should have a medic alert bracelet or something so they will know. This isn't the first time this has happened to me. Did I hurt anyone?"

"No, you didn't hurt anyone, in fact you were pretty determined you were going to save me. Jasper groaned in dismay, "Oh God! No wonder I am sore and worn out." He looked over at me and grimaced, "How are you doing?"

That was a fucking loaded question if ever there was one. I was waiting for the nurse to come in and get the tube out of my dick, and then I was supposed to hear from the guy who rebuilt my knee about how the hell I was supposed to get around with a metal cage banging into everything. "I'm alive, sore as hell even with the drugs they have me on, but I guess I will live."

Jasper looked like someone had just stomped on his puppy, "I am really sorry about that. I had no idea what was going on and if I had been able to I would have stopped it, you didn't deserve it."

"Hey, its not like you did it. Don't sweat it. We will figure this shit out somehow. I have a feeling we will have some time to talk and maybe sort some things out, unless of course, Emmett kills me in my sleep or something."

Jasper snorted, Emmett wouldn't be so subtle as to kill Edward in his sleep and he knew it.

EPOV

Maybe the time spent together in the damn hospital would be just what we needed to sort some things out. I knew he understood that things had to be kept under wraps, I just hoped that nothing else was going to happen to me, I felt like hell. I was going to be out of commission for about 90% of my damn job, and I had no idea how I was going to run my ranch when I couldn't fucking walk. Maybe I could get some help from Jasper until I was back on my feet.

We didn't have much time to talk before the parade of knuckleheads started. I was shocked to see the sheriff come in first and head straight to Jasper, glad-handing him and chatting him up like he was his new best friend. He told Jasper then and there that he had been selected to go full-time with the department and that he already had his first assignment, as soon as he was up and about. It appeared the High School job was on and Jasper was going to be sent in to try and infiltrate the drug gang that was dealing meth. I was both happy and worried. It was still 3 weeks til graduation and Jasper hadn't even had his Field Training, yet he was being thrown into undercover work? It was dangerous and though I knew it was likely to get us what we needed, I also knew that Japer could get hurt. I was losing my God Damned objectivity when it came to him and I didn't like it. He was not supposed to get under my skin. He was supposed to be a casual fuck when the mood hit. A kind of friends with benefits that I really didn't think about except when I was up in him.

JPOV

Jasper was as surprised as Edward by the sheriffs treatment of him. He had expected to be either put on probationary status as a cadet, or to have to make up the days he missed during the next academy rotation, he never expected to be told that he had already been hired to be a full-time officer, or that he was starting off undercover in a High School of all things.

The sheriff was very reassuring and supportive as any politician could be, and Jasper could tell that Edward was as shocked about things as he was. " Thank you, sir. I am looking forward to getting out of here and getting to work as soon as possible." He really didn't know what else to say, other than to ask if Emmett had been picked up as well.

The sheriff laughed and said, " I would be afraid to not hire Emmett! Rose would kick my ass or worse, and considering she runs things around there, God knows we want to keep her happy." Jasper agreed that keeping Rose happy was very integral to every ones survival, and honestly he was thrilled that Emmett had been hired on as well because he wouldn't have wanted to work for the department without Em around.

The sheriff gave Jasper a few more details about who he would be reporting to and where he would be stationed out of once he got though his initial orientation to how things were done on the undercover squad, but after he got squared away with his new team, he wouldn't be wearing a uniform or reporting to the main station for the duration of his assignment, he would be going to high school and essentially living as a high school student! This was going to complicate things beyond belief, but without the stress of the academy, maybe things would settle down enough for us that they would be able to sort things out.