Authors Note: This chapter is a little different. It gives us a little break from Alice's babbling (Though we know we love her for it). I hope you enjoy reading it (fingers crossed!). Please let me know what you think, because if you do you might just get a little sneak peak of chapter 5, hehe.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Nuf said.

January 16th 2005

Even in Texas it was cold this time of year. A light snow had been falling all through the night and the frost glittered as the sun slowly rose in the clear blue sky of Austin. Jasper waited for his alarm to buzz at 7:30am. It was currently 6:58am. The green numbers gave the small room an eerie glow, just enough light to make out the soft lines of furniture. Jasper traced over them with a weary eye, he imagined the room transforming, bigger, smaller, higher, squarer, circular, octagonal… The possibilities were nearly endless. His eyes moved quickly from corner to corner as he pictured different scenarios, what kind of beams would you use to support octagonal room? What is the most economical wall length that would provide maximum floor area? Where in a building would you position such a room and what rooms would you place adjacent to it? How would you design said rooms to optimise space?

If he wasn't going to sleep all night he might as well think of something semi constructive. It wasn't for lack of trying; he had been exhausted when his head hit the pillow. His eyes had been consumed by the dark circles beneath them and fatigue had set into his bones. But minutes later he needed to use the bathroom. After that the dull ache in his left side had kept him half conscious for hours, that and the effort of getting up ever ten seconds to use the bathroom. When Jaspers heard his father getting ready for work at 5:00am he gave up on sleep altogether.

His clothes sagged on him a little, after two straight weeks with zero appetite anyone is bound to loose a few pounds. Jasper opened his bedroom door forcefully nearly ripping his 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' poster that he had pinned there years ago. His mood was nothing less then fowl. He was about to go and make some toast when the phone's shrill ring filled the air.

"Hello," Jasper barked.

"It's just me son," His dad softly, always a patient man…even when he shouldn't be.

"Oh, hi dad," Jasper mumbled reeling in the contempt in his voice.

"Just phoning to let you know that I made an appointment for you with Dr Webber, it's at 12:30." He said quietly.

"Dad I told you, I'm fine! I don't need to see a doctor, and anyway I have lectures all day I can't make it." Jasper expressed tiredly, hoping his father would not notice the stain in his voice.

"I've seen your schedule and you have class in the morning and late afternoon, you can go to the appointment and you will…Jasper," He said, his voice more pleading than angry, "please go to the appointment. You haven't been yourself recently and I want to make sure you're okay. Please."

Jasper and Rosalie were all he had left, and his job of course. Jasper knew that. "Okay," Jasper finally said. "I'll go see Dr Webber but I bet you a nights cooking there is nothing wrong with me!"

Dad chuckled though there was no humour in it, "I'll see you tonight son." Then he hung up.

With that Jasper put his phone back in his pocket and started getting ready for a Tuesday morning at the University of Texas School of Architecture. Nothing like a lecture on Victorian masonry to get the brain in gear, right?

The sun made the cold morning bright and Jasper was glad he had slipped on his Longhorns cap before setting off across the city. He pulled his jacket over his broad shoulders as a gust of icy wind cut through the air. The tall buildings of Austin provided next to no shelter against the elements, maybe that's why Rosalie moved to Los Angeles.

Yeah, Jasper thought sarcastically, she moved because of the weather! Maybe it was just the prestige of UCLA, the career prospects, the 'celebrities'. What ever the reason she hadn't been home since she moved there three years ago, three years was a long time. It was the length of time it took Jasper to play football with any skill; the length of time it took his father to be promoted to Chief of Neurosurgery at Seton Medical Centre; the length of time his mother had been dead…

She didn't even call on Jaspers 18th Birthday. She didn't even care enough to pick up the phone. But it didn't matter, not really. What with his dad demanding job and Rose being gone Jasper had become quite the chief in the past few years, and had got himself a great job working for one Austin's top Architectural Design firms, STG Design. He pretty much only fetched the coffee but didn't bother him much.

It felt like no time had past at all before Jasper had felt like nodding of in his Victorian Masonry lecture, talked to his professor about a paper on 17th century Russian design and grabbed a cup of coffee for lunch. Now he was sitting in a plastic waiting room outside of Dr Fraser's consultation room, Dr Webber was busy but apparently his college was 'Just as good, in fact probably even better!'

The walls were a faded powder green and the worn out carpet looked like it had seen its fair share of bodily fluids. Every piece of furniture was plastic, Jasper found it quite impressive. His chair squeaked when he leaned back against it. Despite the coffee, he was exhausted.

"Jasper Hale," Jasper opened his eyes and looked up to see a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair looking in his direction. Jasper stood and walked toward him. "I'm Dr Fraser, please come in Jasper."

"So what can I help you with today," Dr Fraser said as I took a seat nest to his desk, which was made of wood.

"Well for starters I don't think I need to be here at all," Jasper said quickly. "My dad made the appointment."

"Well the great Dr Hale wouldn't have made you an appointment with me if he didn't think there was something a miss, don't you think?" Dr Fraser said calmly looking me straight in the eye.

"I still don't think there's anything wrong with me." Jasper grumbled.

"Well you're here now so you might as well give me something to write on your file." The doctor shrugged.

"I suppose I've been tired?" Jasper said carefully. Dr Fraser nodded in encouragement. "But I haven't been sleeping much so that explains that."

"Why haven't you been sleeping?"

"I don't know, I guess my side been kind of sore, just here," Jasper said putting his hand over the left side of his abdomen. "And I need to use the bathroom all the time…and well…there's been some blood…"

"In your urine?" He questioned. Jasper stayed silent. "Jasper, has there been blood in your urine." Jasper looked down at his hands wriggling round awkwardly in his lap before giving a small nod. Jasper knew this wasn't nothing. He just couldn't think it.

"What about your appetite? How's that been?"

Jasper looked up, "Why do you ask?" The Doctor just looked at him, raised his eye brows and nodded for him to answer the question. "Not very good," Jasper admitted.

"I'd like to do some tests if that's okay with you, I'd like to take some blood and if you could…" He handed Jasper a clear plastic tube.

"I know what to do with this," Jasper quickly interrupted.

"The bathrooms are to the left if you could hand it into reception on your way out that would be great. First if you could sit up on the bed here and I'll take a little blood…it wont hurt you'll…"

"I'm not afraid of needles." Jasper cut in quickly.

Dr Fraser looked up with knowing eyes, "Good." He said quietly.

The smell of breakfast still hung in the air while Dr Hale busied himself with the washing up. Jasper had fallen asleep in front of the TV when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He woke with a start and quickly fished it out.

"Hullo," He huffed.

"Jasper this is Dr Fraser, I'm sorry did I wake you?" He said apologetic. Jasper glanced at the time 7:55am, he had only got up 25 minutes ago he shouldn't be falling asleep again already…where had the insomnia gone?

"No Dr Fraser it's, eh, it's fine." His brain was still a too addled to think it was strange his doctor was calling him so early…or that he was calling him at all. His dad, on the other hand, was quite alert and Jasper could feel his eyes turn in his direction.

"Could you perhaps come into the surgery this morning to see me?"

"Why?" Jasper asked quietly suddenly wide awake.

"I would like to discuss your test results with you and your family. Is your father available this morning?" Dr Fraser said tightly.

"Yeah," Jasper said dumbly. "I'm mean; yes we'll be there soon." Then he hung up the phone before Dr Fraser could get another word in. The doctor just wanted to dismiss his dad's worries in person, that's all this meant.

"Dr Fraser wants to see us?" His dad asked tight lipped. Jasper nodded once. Jasper was so tired his journey to the doctor's surgery was a blur. He put his coat on, his dad was driving, it was raining. Jaspers keys were chinking in his pocket but he didn't remember locking the front door. Oops.

The doctor's office was cold; after all they hadn't expected anyone to be in this early in the morning. The plastic furniture seemed even more alien than it had yesterday and the kids toys that were usually sprawled across the floor were still neatly packed away in their (plastic) box from clean up the night before. Dr Fraser welcomed them into his ice box of an office with a sad smile.

"Dr Hale I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances," He said once we were all sitting 'comfortably'.

"That's all right Douglas, it can't be helped." Jaspers dad said politely.

"No," Dr Fraser sighed. "I'm afraid it can not." He looked at me before continuing. "Your test results came back Jasper and I'm sorry to say they aren't good. The levels of certain substances in your blood suggest stage V kidney failure. I'm referring you to one of the best nephrologists in the city and from there he'll arrange further diagnostics and treatment. From your test results as they stand I would expect haemodialysis which means you will have to undergo minor surgery to from an access point in your arm and…

…and Jasper stopped listening. It was probably on of the most important conversations of his life, but he stopped listening all the same.