Chapter 7

Alice's POV

It was late. I wasn't really sure how late as I hadn't bothered to check my cell in quite some time, and the exam room held no clock. All I knew is I'd had time to count the number of celling and floor tiles, pinholes in each section of the suspended ceiling, as well as the number of specks decorating the floor. I could tell you the name of each and every staff member who'd graced the room with their presence and what kind of cologne, perfume, deodorant and toothpaste they used. Emmalyn was exhausted, and though she slept soundly for now, I didn't dare leave her alone. To be honest, I had no interest in being anyone else right now. The child needed me, and I was grateful I might be able to help her. While she slept, I hummed softly, wiping her curls away from her face from time to time. Jasper and I had wanted a child for more years than I could track, but given our "condition", it wasn't in the cards for us. Having Renesmee and now Bree in the family helped slightly in that it drew on my maternal side and gave me an outlet. The girls were both teens though, and our relationship had morphed a lot.

My heart broke for this family. To go from five to three in just moments was such a loss and to experience it on Christmas of all days could only make it worse. No matter how hard I tried to shake it, I couldn't bring my mind to erase the memories of the scene I'd witnessed this evening. A drop of venom stung my eyes as it slipped down my cheek falling to the flooring below. Beside me, the child whimpered in her sleep, shifting from one side to the next as she popped a chubby thumb into her mouth. Her eyelashes flickered open and she looked around with obvious disorientation. A cry escaped her throat as she cried out for her father.

"Daddy..." she whimpered, pathetically.

Her cry grabbed at my heart and I leaned down to caress her cheek, "Shhh, sweet girl, you're all right," I soothed.

"I want Daddy..." she looked around frantically, "Where's my Mommy?"

"Oh, sweetie," I sat on her bedside and reached out, but she pulled away.

"Mommy?" her body shook with fear as she pulled at the iv in her arm. "I want Mommy...Mama? Mummy?"

The door opened and a nurse named Cyon stepped in, "You're awake," he smiled as he approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I wa...want my Moooom," her little nose bubbled with snot and she looked pathetic.

Cyon prepped his stethoscope to check her lungs, but paused as she pulled the covers up over her head.

"Emmalyn?" I didn't want to scare her anymore than she was already so I hesitated to remove her shield, but my heart felt as though it was being ripped open as I watched her. The monitor to her left showed a decrease in her 02 levels and her pulse began to race.

"Dad, we need you," I spoke barely above a whisper, but I knew my father would hear it. Sure enough, within seconds, he appeared in the doorway.

"What's the problem?" he asked with concern, taking the scene in with one quick glance.

Emmalyn only pulled the blanket tighter over her head.

The expression on his face expressed sorrow at the little girl's reaction. I watched as he leaned down, lifted the covers and popped his head beneath.

Carlisle's POV

The child's behavior was to be expected, but my heart went out to her just the same. To be so young and experience such loss...I couldn't possibly imagine. Right now, though, her cognition was disoriented enough, I wasn't sure how much she actually remembered. Beneath the covers, I found her staring straight into my eyes with her large, curious globes. "Hey, little one," I greeted. "I'm glad to see you awake."

There was no response, instead, she focused on sucking her thumb even more furiously than before. My acute hearing picked up on the slightest shift in her breathing. I didn't like what I was hearing. She was due for another breathing treatment soon. "I heard you've been a very brave big girl tonight. You know, I was thinking maybe just maybe you might like to take a walk with me and go see your brother. What do you think? Hmmm?"

There was a slight hesitation then a nod and a stray tear that streaked down her face. I reached out slowly to wipe it away before offering a hand.

Emmalyn's POV

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. Something was wrong. My body hurt, and there was a tube sticking into my arm with some sort of water running into it. A pretty lady stood by my bed speaking too me, but I couldn't hear what she was saying not when I couldn't see my Mom or Dad in the room. A man with a nurse's outfit came in. He seemed nice too, but when he talked to me, I got scared and pulled the covers up over my head. I tried to remember why I was here. It was Christmas, I thought. We were going home from opening presents with Grammie and Grampy. I got a new doll and a really pretty new dress for church. And Mommy let me wear my princess shoes home. People were talking me, but I didn't answer. I sucked my thumb even though Daddy normally told me not to because it would hurt my teeth. The nice doctor who brought me a special purple blanket and a stuffed puppy earlier popped his head into my tent.

He spoke softly to me. I didn't understand what was going on. It was scary especially without Mom and Dad. He made me feel a little less frightened and I wasn't sure why, but I knew he was going to take care of me. When he held out his hand, I grabbed it.

Carlisle's POV

"All right, little one," I detached her from the medical equipment before lifting her into my arms and wrapping her in a blanket. Her arms snaked their way around my neck, squeezing tightly as though for dear life. "Let's go find your brother." I smiled at her soft sucking sounds, her poor thumb was going to become dinner if she wasn't careful.

Together, we traveled down the hallway to Dillan's room. Esme looked up at our arrival.

"Look who I found," I said, brightly.

"Hello, Emmalyn," my wife greeted, warmly.

"Hi," Emma sniffed before sticking her thumb back into her mouth.

"I thought maybe she could spend a bit of time with you while her brother sleeps so she can be here when he wakes up." In all honesty, I was hoping to get the child tucked in somewhere that she might actually rest and feel secure.

"Of course, sweetheart," I pushed myself off the bed to make room for her. "Here, why don't you lie down next to him. I bet he'll be surprised to find you here."

Emma's eyes were drooping as she cuddled up beside her brother and I found myself fighting the urge to lift her up into my arms and never put her back down. Instead, I set to work prepping her for another neb treatment. I watched as my wife's fingers traced lines up and down the child's bruised little arm. Emma stiffened at first, but soon relaxed melting into the gentle touch. I wished I had some reassurance that these kids were going to be able to remain with family, but if I recalled from our encounters through the years, their grandparents were elderly and their grandmother had quite advanced stages of alzheimer's requiring her husband's full attention. I knew they wouldn't be able to create a home for the three orphans. Perhaps they might have a aunt or uncle nearby. I couldn't stand to watch if they ended up in the system where more than likely they would be split apart. Emma would be the easiest to place and would probably be set for adoption quickly due to her age. The older two would be more difficult as typically people looking to adopt or foster preferred the younger kids. I was afraid Hope would bounce from foster home to foster home before aging out of the program. I could only wait to see what the night might bring and keep my fingers crossed that it would be good news.