Second update of the day! I wonder if I'll get the rest out today... The next chapter is the last, then there is an epilogue. Then a new story... Yay, reviews! And I don't own. :)

When morning came (okay, actually noon), no progress was made. We took turns showering, then attempted to eat something. Attempted. Jamie, the best cook in the world made homemade chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry waffles, ham and cheese omelets, anything to make us eat. Most of the food ended up in the refrigerator. All of us, however, accepted travel mugs of coffee, unsure of how long we would go without refueling once we left for the hospital.

When we arrived, Bella and Jasper left to find Charlie and Renee, and Rosalie and I went to check up on Edward. Mom was waiting outside of his room, and we could hear Daddy inside talking.

"They think they may have to operate on his leg, the fractures were so close together," Mom said, looking distraught. Vicky gave her a huge hug and led her away from the door, to an area to sit.

Rose and I waited in tense silence, trying to decipher English from the medical talk from inside the room. Finally Daddy came out of the room, looking like he'd aged ten years overnight. I gave him a huge hug, not saying anything.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, holding me and kissing my head. "Did you sleep well?"

"No," I said, muffled by his coat. What was with me and suffocating myself on men's clothing?

"Your brother is fine, no surgery for him right now," he said. "Emmett is...stable. He's in the intensive care unit, he was rushed into emergency surgery, and he could go back at any moment. I think all we can do right now is pray and hope."

I nodded, tears threatening to spill back over. I couldn't even see him, ICU visitors could only be family. "Thanks, Daddy."

He lifted my face to look at him. "I'll make sure he gets through this, Alice. I love you. And someone wants to see you."

I let him lead me to the long term area. He took me into a familiar room, and there, sitting in the bed was Mr. Danny. Daddy left me to talk to the old man whom I hadn't seen in a while.

"Hello, little girl," he said, smiling and patting the space on his bed he always had me sit.

"Hi, Mr. Danny," I said weakly, sitting cross-legged beside him.

"I heard that a friend of yours isn't doing very well," he said. Then he cussed because he dropped a fig newton down the front of his gown…

"Yeah, he's… He's not doing very well at all," I said, chewing my lip to keep from crying.

"Damn things…" he muttered, dumping a few in his lap. "Did you know that when I first was put in this place, the doctors weren't counting on me living past six months?"

"But you've been here since I was ten," I said. "Nearly five years."

"Exactly," he said, patting my hand. "These doctors can only control so much. We have meaning to our lives and we have things to live for. That boy hasn't had his time. He's going to be okay, Alice."

I gave a watery smile, reaching out to hug the old man, whispering in his ear, "Thank you."

"I'll bet you're very close to him."

"Yes, we're best friends," I said, trying to hold back my tears.

"It's always hard to watch someone you care about struggle. You love each other, but you hate to see the other in pain, physical or emotional. And between you and me, I think you'll be playing a big part in his life." I gave him a quizzical look. "Okay, your daddy told me he was your little boyfriend."

The absurdity at my Emmett being called 'little' made me start to giggle uncontrollably. Mr. Danny smiled and patted my cheek. "There's my little girl."

After my short visit with Mr. Danny, I sat in Edward's room for a little while, until they had to change his wound dressings, then I went to the waiting room. Bella had visited Emmett and said only that he was asleep. I chose not to pry, but I kept thinking about what Mr. Danny had said. I started to think about the different things Emmett and I had gone through together...

Two little children played in a small shed outside-a small boy and smaller girl. The little girl was standing in an old claw-foot tub, reaching over the edge for the little boy, who was swinging a yard stick around.

"I'll save you, princess!" he said, hollering as he fought an imaginary dragon.

"Oh prince, please! Hurry!" she called, playing the perfect damsel in distress.

With a 'hiyah!' the little boy threw his sword down, then grabbed the little girl's hands and climbed into the tub.

"I knew you would save me, brother!" she cried, throwing her arms around his middle.

"I'll never let the dragon get you, sister!" the boy said, picking her up as best he could.

A knock came from the door-frame and a man and woman came into the shed, laughing. The man picked up the little girl, who squealed as he blew raspberries into her tummy where her little t-shirt was riding up. The woman picked up the little boy, who gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek and a little hug. The parents carried the little kids outside and walked into the house situated near the building.

"Mommy, Daddy! He saved me!" the little girl said, her brown eyes widening seriously, making her parents laugh.

"I had to save her!" he said, looking offended that his parents were laughing. "I couldn't let the dragon get her!"

The man grinned. "That's my little man, he knows how to treat a lady. You can always tell by the way he treats his mother and sister."

The woman smirked. "You torture your sister, does that mean I married badly?"

"No, it means I taught my sister how to be tough," he stated. "So Grampa wasn't lying when he said you two were back here all day?"

"No, they came in for food and that's about it. Had your mother worried they'd get sunburned," an older man said, reaching out to tickle the little girl's chin.

"In Forks?" the woman said, laughing.

"Don't ask me what goes through her mind," he said.

"Well, how was your day?" an older woman said, walking into the den from the kitchen.

"Great," the younger woman said. "We found a great little store. We'll be up and running as soon as the paperwork's done."

"I'm so proud of you, kids," the older man said, smiling lovingly at the young parents.

"Be proud of my girl, all I get to do is carry the heavy boxes. She does all the hard work," the younger man said, wrapping his free arm around his wife's neck and giving her a sweet kiss, earning a chorus of 'Ewww's from the children they were holding.

Wait… The children were siblings… The little girl had black curls and brown eyes, the little boy had dark spiky hair and green eyes… They were in the Swans' house…

"Al," someone called, faintly. "Alice."

I blinked as I came into reality. I hadn't realized I was asleep, and now Rosalie was waving a hand in my face.

"You awake finally?" she said, smirking.

"How long was I out?" I said groggily.

"Three hours. Are you hungry?" she asked, offering me a hand to pull me to my feet.

"Famished," I said.

We decided to skip out of the hospital for a little while, convincing Bella and Jasper to come too, and went across the street to a little burger joint. Let's face it: we all needed some plain greasy comfort food. Half an hour and four satisfied bellies later, we were back in the waiting room. I began to think about my dream.

What I didn't know was why I was having dreams about being married to Emmett. We'd barely been together for two weeks. It scared me that I could have feelings so deep for him, and even more-so that he was currently in no state to do anything, let alone be a father… I shuddered at the thought.

It was terrifying...yet beautiful at the same time. It was amazing how I'd felt in the dream, so in love and so happy and so blessed. But he was currently in such a bad state, I already felt sad, having woken up and realizing that it was all a dream in the first place. He was whole in the dream. Not broken and weak like the last time I'd seen him. It broke my heart to think of him so breakable, and I had to excuse myself again.

That night, Edward was able to come home. Daddy decided to come home for sleep finally, having only napped in the hospital, and Jamie and Charlie stayed at the hospital, giving the women a chance to get real sleep. When Renee had protested, saying Jamie shouldn't have to worry, that it wasn't his son or his responsibility, he said to her, "You would do the same for me. He's practically a second or third son anyway, so it's no more than hanging in there for family."

Even Charlie teared up at that one (okay, he turned his head and sniffed a little, excuse me for exaggerating his reaction to be more interesting). I'd never thought of it before, but our parents were friends. Maybe even as close as we were. It warmed my heart to see such selflessness.

Mom and Daddy insisted Renee and Vicky stay at our place since it was closer, up the road and back into the woods from the hospital. They each stayed in a guest room, in fresh sleep clothing that Mom had picked up for them on a quick run through town. Bella crawled into bed with Renee for a little while, the two comforting each other, then left once Renee was asleep. She, Jazz, Rose and I set up camp in Edward's room, where he was laid up on his bed, his leg propped on several pillows.

"Incoming," I said, jumping on my knees on the foot of his bed, crawling up to lay on my stomach next to him. "Hello, brother."

He smirked at me. "You missed me."

"No!" I said hotly, not appreciative of his accusation.

"Whatever," he said, shoving me off his small bed and making me land with a 'thud' on the floor. "You missed me."

I crawled to where we had set up some air mattresses. I chose a space farthest from the window, not liking the exposure, and laid down next to Bella. "Ha-ha, you get the middle this time."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, go to sleep."

Jasper turned out the light before laying down between Bella and Rose, who was closest to Edward's bed, holding his hand that was hanging over the side.

Everyone else had someone close to their hearts and physically close to them in our tragedy. Except me... In a way, I felt lonely.

A/N: Wow-ness, okay reviews. And what did you think of the dream sequence?

Sidney