Chapter 17

Carlisle met up with Esme, who playfully glanced at him, "Five minutes, huh?" She gave him a smile, one which he returned and gave her a single kiss before pulling her away to go hunt.

On their travels, he picked up on a slight hindrance in her ability to capture her prey, though he knew she was still more than capable despite becoming more pregnant looking by the day.

"Esme!" he called, while he knew she had just picked up on the scent of an animal in the woods. She glanced at him briefly, though the hunting instincts took over and she went after what she would soon make her dinner.

Carlisle decided that she was fine to hunt on her own for the time being and tracked down his own source of food.

"Sorry," she said with a smile, as she met back up with him, "I had a one track mind when you called me before."

"It's fine," he said, smiling back softly.

Esme looked at his eyes, which did not fit at all with the smile he threw in her direction. "What?" she asked him, now changing her expression.

"Huh?" Carlisle attempted to hide what he was feeling for Esme's sake, an ultimately for the sake of whatever stress could cause the baby.

She put her hands on her hips instinctively and looked up at him with questioning eyes that she attempted to keep firm, though her concerns shined through even brighter, "I can tell something's wrong. Is it because of the tests? I'm sure you'll find something," she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him in a comforting hug, "Masen's okay. You've been working so hard."

Carlisle closed his eyes and hugged her hard, thinking over what decision to make in regards to telling Esme about what Alice had seen.

"You okay?" she asked him, running her hands across his back.

The simple question made his throat tighten, and he decided that there was no way he could keep something so significant from his wife. If a tragic event happened, and Masen's time with them was limited, he would never forgive himself for taking that time away her.

"Esme," he said, leaning back to face her, though not letting her go, "Alice had a vision."

Her eyes scanned the expression on his face and he could tell she was thinking the worst. Before he continued, she began to shake her head.

Carilsle closed his eyes, "I'm going to talk to Charlie-"

"What exactly was her vision?" Esme asked him.

He met her eyes, regretting having to say the words that were already bringing her such pain, "We need to figure out what's doing this to him. And with the tests we've done so far-"

"Carlisle," she said firmly, "Tell me what Alice saw."

He paused and swallowed hard before telling her more directly, "His condition... it's going to, uh..." A wave of emotion hit him and he used the technique Alice had earlier to try fighting off tears, biting down on his tongue for a few seconds.

"What?" Esme asked him again, "Carlisle."

"She saw him progressively getting worse."

"How much worse?"

He looked down, feeling too much pain looking into her eyes, "A lot. Unless we find a way to help him."

"When? When did she tell you that?" Her words were a combination of angst and sadness.

"Just after you and Edward came into the room. Just before we came out to hunt."

"You didn't... you didn't tell me right away?" Esme shouted. Tears began to fall down her face, though her voice was still angry. She pushed herself back from him.

"Esme," he pleaded, "I was thinking of how to tell you. I couldn't find it in myself to give you that kind of information right away." He reached for her hand but she stepped back and tried to keep her sobs in.

They stood a few feet apart from each other for several minutes while she soaked what he had just told her. His body faced her, wanting to comfort her in the best way possible. She stood at angle, shifted slightly away from where he still had his arms partway open.

Esme dried her eyes, feeling new tears emerge, and looked at him, "Is he going to die, Carlisle?"

"No," he answered, then changed his words, "I don't know."

"How bad is he going to get? Did Alice tell you anything specific."

Carlisle took a step in her direction and she turned to fully face him, "She saw him collapse. He'll have some trouble walking and Nicole saw Leah trying to keep him warm, because he'll begin to feel cold."

Esme felt her world begin to crash around her. It was the same feeling she felt when she thought Carlisle was surely dead years ago after the battle with Olivia. It was something that she never wanted to feel again, though now that heart wrenching feeling was magnified even greater. She pictured Masen suffering and the two of them unable to do anything to help. At that moment, she thought it was almost possible for her to pass out and reached for Carlisle's hands as he brought himself back to her.

"Esme, I'm sorry," he whispered to her, "I'm sorry. I'm going to do everything I can to figure this out."

Her arms clung to him and she pushed her body against his. The minutes ticked by like seconds and she felt like she was in some form of a bad dream. All she could hear were the echoed sounds of her own sobs that sounded hallow against Carlisle's chest where she'd placed the side of her face. Even his voice sounded far away as he tried to console her over and over again. All she saw was blackness, as her eyes were pressed shut so tightly over the course of what ended up being nearly a half hour.

When she opened them again, she took in a long, deep breath of the night air and glanced around at their surroundings. The woods stood dark, and quiet and a wind whips streams of leftover snow around them.

Carlisle sighed and looked down at her, draping a hand on the side of her face. The baby kicked and both of them reacted, having felt it at the same time.

"We have to get you back to the house," he whispered, wiping her forehead of the tears he shed while comforting her.

Esme ran a hand over her forehead and looked up at him, "What are we going to do? He can't die."

"He won't," Carlisle whispered again.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she told him, shaking her head.

"Will you come home with me?" he asked her, "I didn't tell you right away because I didn't want to stress you out with the baby. That's the only reason I waited."

Esme let a few more tears drop from her eyes, "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I didn't mean to."

Carlisle wrapped his arms back around her, "You don't have to apologize." He kissed her forehead, "I'm going to do whatever it takes to figure this out."

She sighed and found the strength to keep it together, "I'm going to see him."

"Okay," he agreed, taking her hand in his.

Esme looked up at him again, "I'm sorry, Carlisle."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," he told her again, "Let's head over there."

She looked back him as they walked, "Has Alice told Leah?"