Emmett leaned against the silver car, arms folded across his chest and legs crossed at the feet, pose relaxed and casual as he waited patiently for Kit to come out of gym class. The weather had changed, so he had been able to attend school that day. Lucky him.

He wasn't sure how her day went, having only seen her when he picked up her and walked her to class. They had spent lunch together, like usual, and she hadn't bothered to take out her lunch. He wondered if she was still thinking about Victoria, but hadn't asked.

He looked over when Alice skipped to stand next to him. She craned her neck to look up at him with large, elfin eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he said coolly.

Alice frowned, then peeked up at Jasper, who in turn arched a single eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Jasper asked, snorting.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "Do you ever turn off?"

"Ooh, snappy," Alice scowled. She placed a small hand on Emmett's large arm, "Hey. What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking," he said. He shrugged a shoulder, "That's all. I didn't know it was a crime."

Alice opened her mouth, but Emmett was distracted by the sight of two girls approaching him, both flustered and dressed in gym uniforms.

"That is him," one of them hissed, a bit shorter than her friend.

"Obviously, don't you think I know that, ugh," the other girl scoffed, flipping her ponytail, "So, go tell him."

The taller girl's face colored even more, "No, you!"

"You go!"

"No way!"

"Mrs. Hammond said-

"All right, all right, jeez!"

Emmett was surprised his eyes didn't fall out with how hard he rolled them and he glanced at Alice and Jasper, but both look expertly unbothered, something he occasionally failed to do.

He kept his gaze somewhere else, but could see the girl clumsily stumble over to him out of his peripherals. Most humans didn't get too close to them, but this one did and he could see how visibly uncomfortable and shaken up she was. He could hear her teeth chattering and see the goosebumps break out on her body as well as the hair on her arms stand up. He wondered if she was going to wet her pants or burst into tears.

"Well, Emmett," Alice said, eyes darting to the girl, then back to him. She squeezed Jasper's hand, "I guess we'll see you at ho-

"Kit Algren collapsed!" the girl blurted.

He was sure he had heard her wrong. He was sure he had just made the words up—he hadn't. He repeated the girl's words in his head a few times in order to fully grasp them.

Kit had collapsed. His mate had collapsed.

"What!?" he exclaimed, face paling.

The girl took some steps back, "…i-i-i-In g-gym."

Emmett stood there, mouth agape. It was tiny, little Alice, grabbing his hand and tugging that got him to move from his spot by the car.

"Come on," she said quietly, helping Emmett keep a normal, human pace. Jasper was beside her and somewhere in the back of Emmett's head, he swore he heard Rosalie cursing him out. He didn't have time for that shit.

Mentally, Emmett ran through the times he had seen Kit. She looked fine and smiled at him as she always did when he picked her up that morning. She didn't eat lunch, but that was nothing new. She had been a little nervous—this was the day Emmett wanted to "talk" to her and it wasn't anything bad. He just planned to bring up speaking with Carlisle again, then teach her the rules of soccer.

"She's in here," the shorter girl said, leading the trio of siblings into the gym. She looked back nervously, than took her friends hand, rushing off to the locker room at surprising speed.

The sight that greeted Emmett caused him to stop short.

Kit was on the floor, turned over on her back, face looking deathly pale in her unconscious state. Bella, Mrs. Hammond, and Angela were blotting Kit with ice packs, the zip-up hoodie she had worn for gym having been unzipped so that they could reach more skin. Ben was crouched near, clutching a bottle of opened Gatorade, Mike was glancing at a stopwatch and Edward lurked behind Bella, eyeing Mike with death stares.

Shit would have gotten primal if it wasn't for Jasper practically drowning Emmett in calm and he managed to turn his head when Coach Clapp spoke.

"How long, Newton?" Coach Clapp demanded.

"Two minutes and five seconds," Mike answered.

Coach Clapp nodded, "If it gets to three, phone an ambulance."

Finally, when he had a good head, Emmett went forward, falling to his knees beside Kit. His large presence startled a few people, Ben physically scooting away from him, but Bella looked up and smiled grimly at him.

"What happened!?" Emmett touched Kit gently. His skin was colder than the ice packs.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen…" Mrs. Hammond greeted uneasy, eyeing Jasper and Alice who went to converse quietly with Edward.

"It was right when we were done with gym," Bella started, pressing the ice pack firmly against Kit's neck, "We were talking and then she just fell over," her cheeks colored and she shrugged, "She didn't say she was feeling sick or anything and she was fine in Spanish."

Emmett nodded, his eyes sweeping desperately over Kit's face, then looking up at his siblings. Jasper still stood by Edward, but Alice wasn't there.

'She's been hiding food,' he thought at his brother, 'I found a sandwich in her drawer.'

Edward's response was the faintest lift of his chin. A nod. Yes, he knew, of course he knew. He had probably seen it in Kit's thoughts days ago.

Emmett, while focused on Kit's face as he stroked her forehead, couldn't help but be curious.

'What else do you know?' he wondered, glancing up.

He only looked for half of a second, but it was enough time for him to see Edward move his head somewhat towards Jasper. A shake of his head. He would keep Kit's secrets, Emmett knew. It was the least Edward tried to do for all of them as he involuntarily invaded their minds—learned everyone's secrets.

"Newton?" Coach Clapp asked again.

As Mike opened his mouth to recite the minutes, Kit inhaled a sharp, gasping sound, her eyes fluttering.

"There she is, there she is," Mrs. Hammond announced, blotting Kit's cheeks, "It's okay, Kit, you're all right. Can you hear me?"

If she could, Kit didn't acknowledge it and her head slowly rolled around to the other side. She didn't make a sound. She was dazed and confused, her large pupils indicating her loss of consciousness and she soon closed her eyes again, her face paling even more. She was shaking and Emmett could hear her heart pounding as her chest heaved. Her blood sugar was low and she was dehydrated. He could smell it in her blood.

Mrs. Hammond moved away from Kit's head, to feel for her pulse, "Can someone support her back for me?"

Mike looked ready to jump at the chance, but Emmett immediately moved to do just that, elevating Kit slowly so that her back rested against him.

It was Ben who shuffled forward in his crouch and he held the bottle of red Gatorade to Kit's lips.

"Drink that," he demanded, gently tipping it back.

Emmett supported her head, worried that she would choke and he overheard Angela whisper to the nurse that Kit got low blood sugar. How did she know?

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" Mike asked, placing the stopwatch down.

"No," it was Alice who spoke, Kit's regular clothes folded in her tiny arms and satchel over her tiny shoulder, "We'll take her home."

Ben coaxed Kit into drinking more Gatorade much to Emmett's pleasure and while he could tell Kit was slowly starting to recover, she was still really weak. She hadn't said anything and he questioned if Kit even knew she was still at school.

Hooking Kit's limp arms around his neck, he stood up, lifting Kit into his arms bridal style. When she whimpered and sluggishly turned her face into his neck, he soothed her.

"It's okay," he promised, "It's okay, I've got you."

"I'm going to call her parents," Mrs. Hammond said, straightening up with a wince, "Let them know what's happened."

Emmett nodded at her, "Thank you," he jerked his head for Bella and his siblings to follow, "C'mon."

He left the gym, feeling eyes on them the whole way. Emmett walked, trying his best not to jostle Kit and Alice was closest, eyeing Kit worriedly.

"Emmett, I'll drive," Alice offered, "You can sit in the back with her."

He nodded curtly, looking away from Kit when Bella spoke. Her eyes were large with fright. They had never really interacted before.

"Will you call me?" she asked, nervously, "And let me know how she's doing?"

"She'll be okay, love," Edward promised, kissing Bella's hair, "It's just her blood sugar."

'Just her blood sugar,' Emmett thought back with a heavy eye roll, 'Right.'

"I'll deal with Rose," Edward offered with a grim smile, "You three go ahead."

'Thanks,' Emmett thought. He didn't have to be Jasper to feel Rosalie's anger radiating from across the parking lot and he wasn't in the mood to tolerate Rosalie badmouthing Kit.

Jasper opened the back door for him, then climbed into the front, leaving Emmett to easily maneuver his way into the car, Kit in his lap.

When Kit lifted her head slightly, he looked down. He was about to ask how she was feeling, but then Alice tore out of the parking lot and Kit lurched a bit. She hid her face again, her shaky grip on him tightening slightly.

"Is she going to be sick?" Alice asked, in a voice only he and Jasper could hear.

Emmett rubbed Kit's back into soothing circles, "I don't think so."

Still, Alice rolled down the windows in the back, giving Kit some much needed fresh air.

He clutched Kit closer to him, pressing his lips to her hair. She was still shaking and her breathing was fast.

Still speaking in a tone only audible to supernatural ears, Emmett asked, "Jazz, how is she feeling?"

"Embarrassed and confused, right now," Jasper said in the same quiet tone, "She's out of it. Give her time."

"We should have taken the Gatorade with us," Alice cursed under her breath, "She needs sugar."

"She needs to eat," Jasper corrected in a no nonsense tone.

"Shut up," Emmett told them firmly, "Enough."

It was silent the rest of the way until Alice pulled into Kit's driveway beside Blake's car. By the time Jasper had opened the door for Emmett, Everly and Blake were outside, ushering them all into the house.

Everly was frantic and looked tearful, "The school called. Emmett, honey, put her on the couch."

Emmett did as he was told, setting Kit down as though she were made of glass. Kit had her eyes squeezed shut, but at least she was still conscious.

Blake placed a thick blanket over Kit after removing her shoes. He held a large spoonful of honey in one hand and brought it to her lips.

"I need you to eat this," he instructed firmly, "Eat this and then you can sleep."

Emmett looked away, feeling as though he was somehow intruding on a private moment. Alice, he noticed, looked perfectly at home, while Jasper was standing way too still. That could be fun.

"Everly, I don't think you've met my brother, Jasper," he introduced with a grin.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure," Everly said, managing a smile, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Jasper!"

Everly hugged him and Emmett snickered at the look on Jasper's face, sharing an amused grin with Alice.

"She's a hugger," Blake warned, a little too late, "Eve, look at him, you're frightening the poor boy."

"Oh, am I?" Everly laughed and pulled back, "I'm sorry, sweetie. My Kit's very fond of you. She speaks of you often."

Jasper's blonde eyebrows rose, "Does she?"

Everly patted Jasper's arm, "She says very nice things. You're a good friend to her."

Emmett could feel the emotion Jasper was projecting. It was colored with astonishment and made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside which in turn diluted his worry for Kit who was on her way to dreamland.

"The school didn't say much," Everly said, going to the couch to fret over Kit, "She just fainted? Did she get too hot? Ugh, look at this sweatshirt she's wearing…"

"She hasn't been eating," Alice announced.

"Lunch!" Emmett interjected when Everly gasped. He shot a glare at his sister, "Today—Kit didn't eat lunch today. She's been studying really hard and she's designing the prom poster. She helped me with my history homework."

Right then and there, Emmett should have backpedaled and blurted that Alice was right. That Kit was hiding food during her bouts of not eating. That over a month ago, she had committed herself to some stupid diet that had now gotten out of hand. Rosalie and Alice always read those stupid girly magazines and even from cheesy infomercials, Emmett couldn't ever recall either one of those instructing its audience to hide food in your clothes drawer.

Only, he didn't say any of that and now Jasper was projecting at him and Emmett didn't react. Jasper was irritated and shocked at Emmett's lie. Why was he lying for Kit? Why was he dragging this out instead of telling them everything?

"I knew she was stressed out," Blake shook his head.

"Thank you guys so much," Everly said, looking over at them, "Thank you for taking care of her."

"We're going to keep her home, tomorrow," Blake informed them, standing up, "Make an appointment with a doctor and get her checked-out, an official diagnoses maybe."

Emmett's eyes widened and hope filled him, "Our father's a doctor and he'll be working, tomorrow."

"Perfect," Everly said, "We'll make an appointment with him. Oh, hold on, I'm going to get a cloth for her head," she scampered from the room.

"She had a little Gatorade before we got in the car," Alice told Blake who was raking his eyes up and down Kit's form, searching for some kind of injury.

Emmett went forward and knelt down by Kit's legs while Blake and his siblings talked. He placed his hand atop her blanket-covered hip. He could still feel her shaking, but she was asleep. He hoped that when she woke up, her parents would make her eat something and she'd be okay.

He looked up when Everly returned and he watched her place the wet washcloth on Kit's forehead with the gentle touch that only a mother could have. Everly reminded him both of Esme and a little of his human mother.

"There," Everly murmured to herself through a tsk, "Aww, Kit Kat…"

Making a disgruntled noise, Blake shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. He nodded towards the door.

"Why don't you three get going?" it was posed as a question, but was really a command, "She's asleep and will be for awhile."

Emmett frowned at the same time Everly did and he could see that she didn't approve of Blake kicking them out, but didn't say anything on the matter.

"Thank you for taking care of her," Everly repeated, "We're so grateful."

"It was our pleasure," Jasper said with an easy smile, preparing to leave by wrapping his arm around Alice's waist.

"Emmett?" Alice flicked her eyebrows up, "Come on."

With a heavy sigh, Emmett stood up, going to kiss Kit's cheek. He touched the spot with his fingertips before following Jasper and Alice to go stand by the door, which Blake held open for them.

"We'll keep you in the loop," Blake said.

Emmett looked at Everly just as she looked at him and when she caught his gaze, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Ignore him, honey," she said, glancing at Kit, "He's just being a dad."

Emmett nodded slowly. He already drove Kit to and from school, they went out, kissed and he knew that Kit's parents knew he came inside after school to help her with homework. He didn't understand why Blake didn't fully trust him. Not counting all the supernatural crap that was happening with Victoria, if something bad was going to happen to Kit because of him or his family, wouldn't it have happened already?

Still, Emmett didn't push it and he said another goodbye, trailing slowly to the car. He huffed as he got into the backseat, sitting down with such force that the car shook.

"Stop pouting," Alice scolded, "You and Kit have gotten so close in such a short amount of time. It's bound to be a bit unnerving for her parents."

"Yeah, I guess…" Emmett chuffed. He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it, "Let's just get home."

Carlisle briefly skimmed the file in his hand and stood up from his desk chair with his work laptop tucked under his arm. He was on the way to go see his new patient.

He had first gotten the call at work from a Mrs. Everly Algren.

Algren. He knew the name well.

She had been calm with frenzied notes lacing her voice. She was both worried about her daughter and happy to finally have the chance to speak to him even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances.

Kit had fainted at school.

He had taken on Kit's case with no second thought. The appointment had been booked for the next day, he had continued his shift and returned home to chaos.

Rosalie was furious, Emmett, Jasper and Alice were defensive and worried, Edward was with Bella and Esme was trying to calm down their children, which eventually Jasper helped her do.

Emmett looked at him desperately, but there was nothing Carlisle could say that hadn't already been said. He could offer words of comfort, but he knew that was the last thing Emmett wanted to hear. Emmett wanted things to be fixed; and if Carlisle suspected what he suspected about Kit, it wasn't something that could simply be fixed. She needed help.

Carlisle approached the examination room. He could hear Kit's heart racing with anxiety, the paper crinkling every time she moved. By now, she was probably aware that he planned to speak about more than just the fainting incident. He hoped she had filled out the worksheets he instructed the redheaded nurse to give her.

He knocked a few times on the door and heard a barely whispered "Come in."

He opened the door and saw Kit shivering on the medical examination table, dressed in a scratchy gown, her arms wrapped tight around her middle.

With a kind smile, he greeted her as warmly as ever, "Hello, Kit," he touched her shoulder as he passed, "We need to start meeting on better terms."

One side of Kit's mouth turned up in a small smile, "Yes," she agreed, "We do."

He pushed the computer stand aside and took a seat on a medical stool, rolling over towards Kit who hugged herself tighter in response. He could easily, sit, talk to Kit and take notes at the same time.

"Ready to get started?" he asked, still a bit chipper. When Kit nodded, he asked, "Is it all right if I take notes while we talk?" another nod, "Great. How are you feeling, today?"

"I'm okay," Kit said shortly, "Better."

Carlisle waited for the brunette to continue, but when she said nothing else and proceeded to stare at her lap, he pushed a bit, "Can you elaborate a bit? No dizziness or headaches?"

"I was dizzy yesterday," she said, "And I had a headache when I woke up, this morning, but after I ate breakfast, I felt fine. I'm still a little shaky."

"Mhm," he hummed in his light British lilt. He typed quickly on his laptop, "Yes, I heard you gave everyone quite the fright yesterday in gym class. Care to tell me what happened?"

He peeked up at her and saw how tense she was, though she was trying her best to come off as nonchalant.

"Um, I fainted. Low blood sugar, I suppose."

He nodded, "Later, the nurse will come in again and get some blood work to check, but you, Miss Kit are hypoglycemic," he flipped open her medical file, "You should have been diagnosed a long time ago."

"I don't go to the doctor often," she said, "Um, but my dad said I'd probably get diagnosed."

"It's something we'll discuss with your parents. There are precautions that you can take to manage it; and help avoid severe episodes like the one you experienced at school. I'll give you some further information."

"Well, good," she murmured.

He looked up from his laptop to ask her another question, "Did you eat lunch, yesterday?"

She shook her head, nervous again, "I didn't eat lunch. I-I had homework to catch up on."

He nodded, "Is this the first time you skipped lunch at school?"

"…No," Kit whispered. She paused, "Though, I'm sure Emmett's told you."

Carlisle kept his face schooled in a mask of calm, "Yes," he admitted, priding himself on his honesty, "A lot of concerns have been brought up to me and I've been wanting to speak with you, but I want you to be aware: I take my job very seriously and what you say will stay between us. It's called HIPPA. You have your rights to privacy. Even from your parents."

Kit was silent for awhile and he let her ponder what he had just said. He wanted Kit to trust him. Nothing she told him would leave this office unless absolutely necessary and he was the one who would be the judge of that.

Finally, she responded, "Okay."

"Okay," he parroted, "How well do you eat at home?"

"Fine."

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

Simultaneously, their eyes widened, both surprised at Kit's harsh tone. He had never heard her speak that way.

"Carlisle, I am so sorry," she said sincerely, "That was very rude of me."

He reached out to place a hand on her arm, lowering it when he saw Kit stiffen.

"That's all right," he assured her "Food is a sensitive topic for you," it was a statement, not a question.

"I—" she stammered, pink filling her cheeks,"Kind of, I suppose…I don't know. No."

Her voice was a little hesitant as she continued, "I eat fine. I've always been a picky eater and…it's really not that big of a deal."

He smiled at her sadly, his fingers still moving across the keyboard. He left it open, then stood up to place it on the cart. He would come back to that later. They needed to get the physical exam started and as they moved on to more serious topics, there were certain things he needed to check for.

He went over to the sink to thoroughly wash his hands, "Fainting at school is a big deal, my dear," he turned to look at her, "Do you mind if we keeping talking while I look you over?"

He saw her shake her head and when he was finished washing his hands, he approached her, clipping a tiny heart rate monitor to her pointer finger. While that was going, his hands came up to massage her glands.

"I'm sorry," he apologized when she flinched, "Any smoking, drinking or drug use?"

"No," Kit gasped, sounding horrified, "Never."

"Good," Carlisle praised. He removed the heart rate monitor and checked the number, "Are you sexually active?"

"Nooo," Kit said through an awkward laugh and he allowed himself to chuckle as well. Considering who her boyfriend was, he supposed it was an uncomfortable question for her, but it was one he asked all of his patients.

After logging in the number of her heart rate, he pulled out his penlight and held up a finger, "Look here for me. Can you tell me the date of your last menstrual cycle?"

"Er, it was last month…?" she guessed, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but it's normal."

"And you haven't gotten it this month?"

She followed his finger from side to side, then up and down, "No. Not yet."

He ran a thermometer over her forehead, then removed the stethoscope from around his neck to place in his ears. He could still hear perfectly and pressed the circular piece to Kit's chest.

"Take a deep breath for me."

Kit complied and he did this a few more times, moving the circular piece to different spots, then moving it to her back. Her breathing sounded fine and he didn't suspect any lung disease.

While he replaced the stethoscope around his neck, he inquired, "Do you take birth control?"

"No."

"Is that something you'd like to look into?"

Kit was quiet again and he took this time to pull out his otoscope to look in her ears.

When she spoke, her voice wavered, "I kind of want to…I've thought about it, but…d-doesn't it—doesn't it make you gain weight?"

There it was.

He pulled back to look at Kit while he answered, "It's often a temporary side effect that's due to fluid retention, not extra fat."

This didn't comfort Kit and she scrunched up her nose, "But it's still weight gain?"

"Can you say 'Ah'?" he asked, taking out his penlight again.

"Ah," Kit opened her mouth, letting Carlisle check her throat and her tonsils.

When he was finished, he replaced the penlight, "Gaining weight is something that concerns you?"

He picked up the clipboard with the papers she had filled out and Kit, he noticed, followed him with her eyes. She didn't answer his question and he skimmed the first page:

Compared to others your age, do you spend a significant amount of time worrying about your body, weight or shape? She had left that one blank.

Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat? 'No'

Have you recently lost more than 14 pounds in a three-month period? 'Not that I'm aware of'

Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin? 'I don't know'

Would you say that food dominates your life? 'No'

Do you avoid food or eating?—OR—Have you experienced a lack of interest in food or eating? 'Yes'

Do you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full? 'No'

He was about to speak, but Kit beat him to it, "I don't have an eating disorder."

He nodded at her. He never thought she did have an eating disorder, but on top of the fainting, and with Emmett having told him that Kit was hiding food and eating less everyday—she was noticeably thinner—made him worried she was heading down that path.

He told her as much, keeping his tone non accusatory, "I don't think you have an eating disorder, Kit, but I worry that you may be heading down that path."

Gently, he pushed on her shoulder, getting her to turn around and lie back. He lifted up her gown, apologizing again when he felt her tense. He begin to press down on her stomach,

She was looking somewhere else in the room, "I don't throw up or count calories or anything," she said softly, "That's not what I'm worried about."

Carlisle began to tap on her ribs with his knuckles, "What are you worried about?" when she didn't answer, he asked, "Are you concerned about your weight?"

By the time Kit answered, he had finished this part of the exam and he took a step back, letting Kit sit up and rewrap her arms tightly around herself.

"I—yes," she sighed.

He made a sound of acknowledgment, beginning to probe her head, "You wrote down that you tend to avoid food. Is that because you want to lose weight…?" he trailed off.

"Yes," Kit admitted, "I mean, I wanted to lose a little bit of weight, not too much and…"

He flicked his eyes down to meet Kit's green orbs, but she was looking somewhere else again.

"You can tell me," he prompted gently, "This stays between us. And…?"

She nodded slowly, "And that's it. It's not that big of a deal," she repeated, "I just don't like eating in front of people. I eat when I get home."

Carlisle pressed his lips together, "Tell me what you eat at home."

She shrugged and begin to fidget, "I don't know…an apple…or something…" she trailed off again, biting her lip.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, he picked up the clipboard again and flipped to the other page. This particular worksheet had been longer. It was a depression and anxiety test. She was supposed circle answers based on her behavior and her fears over the last two weeks.

"This is something we'll talk about," he murmured, shaking the clipboard, "I want you to know, Kit that you're very close to becoming underweight," he held up a hand when she opened her mouth, "I'm not going to tell you any specific numbers, but it is important that you get back to a normal and healthy weight range."

Kit's eyes darted to the side, then back before she cleared her throat. It looked like she wanted to run out of the room or jump out of her skin.

"I-I have to gain weight?" she asked him quietly.

From the centuries Carlisle worked as a doctor, he encountered thousands of people—more in the recent years who struggled with food and their bodies. Speaking with Kit, her lack of eating habits concerned him. She had lost more weight than she believed.

"If food is too hard for you, we could try supplements?" he suggested gently, "Do you know what Ensure is?"

"No, I mean, I'll eat!" Kit corrected quickly, "I'll eat—it was just a question," she sighed heavily, "I don't want to talk about this."

"Do you understand why it needs to be talked about? I understand that you've been having a hard time at school," he poked at the clipboard, "And you've been feeling terrible over the last couple weeks, haven't you?"

Kit shrugged, "I suppose so. I've been stressed out. High school…" she sighed again with a shake of her head, "High school is not easy."

"Is that the main place where you feel stressed out?" he asked.

When Kit peeked up at him and nodded, he continued, "Is there something going on at school that's caused you to feel this way? That's made you stop eating?"

"I don't know…" her voice was so quiet and she didn't elaborate.

He waited, hoping that she would. She didn't and he wasn't sure why. They had been doing so well. Maybe it was something she wanted to handle on her own. If she didn't want help, there was nothing he could do. Being a minor, Kit's parents could force her in to treatment, but that often did more harm than good.

"I guess," Kit started again, "I've been having a rough time with the move and all."

When she said nothing else, he went over to a rack hanging on the wall. The silence was tense, "Well, let me check you blood pressure. Why are you having such a rough time with the mov-

He was interrupted when Kit gasped loudly, jerking away as he made a move to grab her right wrist.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded of him, too loud.

Carlisle was astounded by her reaction and he froze for a hot minute, then his lips became a thin line, glancing down at her arm, then back to Kit's face. When he spoke, he struggled to keep his tone cool and collected.

"I need to check your blood pressure," he repeated, "And I wanted to talk to you a bit more before going out and fetching your parents."

Kit swallowed thickly, "Oh, okay. Sorry, you just…startled me."

"Can I have your arm please?" he asked as he reached for it.

Slowly, she unwound her arms from where they had been locked around her middle, allowing him to take her wrist. He flipped it over and had to close his eyes for a moment, exhaling softly.

Standing out on the inside of her ivory forearm that was currently void of any freckles, were bright red angry looking scratches. A few spots of the gouged skin had scabbed over.

He opened his eyes to focus on Kit and saw her staring back at him, her green eyes gauging his reaction. He knew what they were from. He could tell by the jagged lines and the placement. What were these people at school doing to her? Was something else going on and how had no one noticed that she was gouging out her own arm?

Still, professionally he couldn't jump to conclusions and he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment.

Gently, he ran his thumb over the scratches, "What happened here?" his voice came out even.

"Indigo and I feed stray cats," she said quietly, "And one of them scratched me."

Abandoning the blood pressure cuff on the medical table, Carlisle reclaimed his seat and moved closer to her, Kit's arm still in his grasp.

"I need you to be honest with me, Kit," he said firmly, "I care about you and I want to help you. I can't do that if you can't be honest with me," he paused, "I could recommend a therapist…" when Kit shook her head, he stopped.

"It's the stray cats, honest. Ask my parents, Indi and I just fed them the other day," she said, sticking to her story and Carlisle sighed again. He couldn't call her a liar and he wasn't a therapist or a psychologist. He was in no position to give Kit advice, or tell her what to do. All he could do was recommend treatment.

"Kit," he said softly, "If I feel that you're at risk of hurting yourself or-

Gasping, she interrupted him, "I'm not!" tears welled up in her eyes, "I'm not, I promise. Honestly…I've been stressed and I'm not…" she sighed heavily, for the millionth time, "I'm not dealing with it well. Please, don't tell my parents. I'm not going to hurt myself."

He regarded her for a long while, though she wouldn't meet his gaze. The scratches were very superficial and there were no other scars or marks on her body that indicated she had done something like this before. At the moment, he didn't suspect Kit to be at risk of hurting herself further, hurting others or suicide.

Only, he had seen too many of his patients over the years die from self-inflicted injuries. They cut too deep and were too scared to get help or their wounds became infected—they hid it so well, lost in the addiction.

It was his job to make sure his patients were healthy and safe; and if he suspected serious mental health issues like depression and anxiety at play, then he could inform the parents.

With Kit, he suspected both, but with diagnosing anxiety, both general and social, there was a certain protocol he had to follow before being able to officially diagnose her.

"You're depressed, Kit," he informed her gently. When she didn't respond, he asked, "Are you surprised to hear that?"

"I don't know," she said quietly, "I thought I was…okay. Do I have to be depressed? I mean, will it go on my record?"

"The diagnosis will be in your medical file, yes," he said, "It's not your fault and you did nothing wrong. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain. You're still you and hearing this can be very difficult-

"Can't you just ask me more questions?" Kit begged him, "I'll get them right this time."

"You did get the questions right," Carlisle promised soothingly, "You answered the questionnaires honestly and I'm grateful that you did. There's treatment for this if you would like."

After another stretch of silence, Kit shook her head, "…I wouldn't…like treatment. No, thank you."

Carlisle's lips became a thin line and he nodded. Getting a depression diagnosis wasn't easy and clearly, it was hard for her to take all of this in. Of course, she didn't need to come to terms with all of it right away. The most important thing was that she was safe and continued to live her life.

"Can you tell me more about what's happening at school?" he wrapped the cuff around her arm, being careful of the abrasions on her wrist.

"…No. I don't…want to talk anymore."

He could feel her wilt in his grasp. She sounded so tired and she was shutting down. He wasn't going to get anymore answers out of her. At least, not today.

"Are you going to tell my parents?"

Her voice was soft and mousy, barely a whisper and Carlisle kept his eyes trained on the cuff while he answered.

"I think," he said slowly, "It would be very beneficial for your parents to be aware of what's going on. Yes, there are certain laws in Washington state and you have your rights to privacy-

"Then I don't want you telling them!"

"This is something your parents need to be aware of," Carlisle said firmly, "Let's say I chose not to inform them, now; eventually, there will be a point where I will have no choice but to tell them and I would rather have them find out sooner than later. Trust me, Kit."

"I don't. Can I get dressed, now?"

Finished, Carlisle removed the cuff. He could tell she was upset; angry too and she had every right to be. If she wanted to take that out on him, then that was fine. For one appointment, this was a lot to take it.

"Yes, you may get dressed. Don't forget, the nurse is going to come in and draw some blood and give you a vaccine to bring you up to date."

She said nothing else, hopping off the table and making sure to keep her back towards it.

"Kit," he said seriously, "Are you sure there's nothing you would like to tell me?"

He watched Kit nod and he sighed dejectedly. If he was honest with himself, he was still contemplating whether or not telling Kit's parents would really be beneficial for her. In terms of getting treatment, it would be, but for her emotional state, he wasn't so sure. He feared that she would rebel or try even harder to hide the turmoil raging inside of her instead of being open like she had slowly started to be.

Perhaps while speaking with Kit's parents, he would leave a window open, giving Kit an opportunity to tell her parents, herself. It was really up to him. As long as he followed state laws and hospital protocol, every doctor had their own ways of dealing with their patients.

Still thinking, he headed towards the door, "Very well. If you ever want to talk then you know where to find me. I'll be back in a moment," he shut the door behind him.

Kit wondered if you could be so nervous about something you could suffocate?

Her hands were shaking terribly and it took longer than it should have for her to strip and dress in her regular clothes: a pair of high-waisted jeans and a navy blue sweater. It had to be something she could easily take off, knowing she was going to the doctor.

She felt lower than before she had come to the hospital and she couldn't express how upset she was at herself for panicking and not telling Carlisle what she should have. She had avoided his questions, sighed through a majority of her answers, deflected and remained silent. She regretted how this whole appointment had gone. She wished she could rewind time, keeping in mind that this had been the previous outcome.

'I'm such a screw-up,' she scolded herself, smoothing down her sweater.

Carlisle hadn't deserved the way Kit had spoken to him, but that seemed to be the case with everyone Kit talked to nowadays. She had gotten annoyed at Carlisle for doing his job and what kind of sense did that make? How could she be mad at him for diagnosing her…even though she was sure it was wrong.

She couldn't accept the fact that she was depressed. She just couldn't. That wasn't going to work for her and she decided that she didn't want to gain weight, either. She didn't want to balloon up—have her stomach get bigger or her face rounder. She barely fit into her clothes as it was.

But she also didn't want to be underweight. That had never been her goal. She wasn't sure of all the risks of losing too much weight, but she knew one of them was losing her period and Kit was pretty sure she would actually die if that ever happened. She desperately wanted children in the future, she wanted to be a mom, get pregnant, give birth and she couldn't do that without a period.

And now her parents were going to know all of this and it was going to mess up everything. Her mom and dad had so many other things to worry about and Kit knew they couldn't afford any kind of therapy or whatever Carlisle had suggested. She didn't want therapy, anyway. Her parents were lucky to be able to afford the fees for Indigo's soccer. Money-wise, since moving to Forks, things were getting better, but they were still only getting by and Kit didn't want to add to that stress.

She would have to play all of this off as her own stress from the move or her relationship. She was stressed about Willa's auditions while simultaneously trying to find another violin teacher in an affordable price range. Like her mother had said, she had been putting a lot off since moving to Forks. It was the end of the year too! Yes, that would work.

Of course, Kit hated herself a little more each time she lied, but it was something she felt she had to do. She hated it when people worried or fussed over her. She much preferred to be the one taking care of people. She loved taking care of people. She was always the strong one. She was always okay. She liked the fact that people could rely on her to do that. It was the one thing she felt she was truly good at. It was something no one else could do.

"I hate my life," she whispered to herself in dark and bitter tone.

Once dressed, she went over to the mirror above the sink station and looked at herself. She had the same eye color, same nose, same mouth, same eyebrows. Perhaps her freckles had multiplied, but other than that she was sure that she had all the same features.

So, why did it feel like she had no idea who she was anymore? Why couldn't she recognize herself?