Over The Midnight Moon Chapter 34: Tears Remind You You're Alive, a twilight fanfic

Indigo sat in her assigned seat at the round gray table in her small third grade classroom at Forks Elementary school, home of the Puddle Jumpers.

It was recess time, but because it was raining, they had an indoor recess where they could work on homework, play games, or read. Some days, as a whole classroom they would play games together.

She adored her classroom. Most of the floor space was taken up by three medium-sized round tables, all gray and each having their own set of four different colored chairs. The walls were papered with colorful drawings and projects that the students had completed over the course of the year. Even the whiteboard was colorful with fun magnets that held up a calendar sheet marked 'April' and cute handmade posters that held their schedule, their objectives for the day and a list of their weekly vocabulary words.

"Wow, that looks like a fun book."

Indigo peeked up from the book. She was reading 'Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!' The book had recently come out, but Melody, who was also one of her table mates, had let her borrow it after reading it a million times.

Ms. Johnson was the woman who had spoken. She was a nice lady with curly brown hair and pretty jewelry. She was kind of old, with a lot of wrinkles that deepened every time she smiled and laughed; which was often. She had a soft voice and smelled like cinnamon.

"It is," Indigo responded, nodding to herself, "Melody let me borrow it."

"Ah," Ms. Johnson nodded too, her curls bouncing, "I see. You be careful with that," she tapped the book with her finger, "If you'd like to play or have me get a different game for you, let me know."

"Okay."

Her friends had already invited to her play a board game, but she had been so excited about the bright pink book Melody had brought, she had decided to read instead and was already halfway done.

The phone by Ms. Johnson's desk rang and she excused herself. Indigo didn't mind. She was all too content to get back to her book.

"When you're done with the book," Melody appeared, close over her shoulder and Indigo looked up again, exhaling softly, "We should make pink cupcakes. Like in the book," she smiled at Indigo, hopeful with her suggestion.

Indigo gasped, enthralled by the idea, "We could bring them to soccer practice!"

Melody Rojas-Egger grinned. She was Colombian, the medium deep complexion she inherited from her mother, though her light brown eyes and straight brown hair that was chopped above her shoulders and held back by a green headband, features that must have come from her father.

"Yeah!" Melody agreed happily. She pulled out a chair next to Indigo, "But what about the boys?" she made a face, "They won't eat pink cupcakes."

"Mr. Finn always says you get what you get and-

"-You don't throw a-

"Excuse me, Indigo?"

Melody and Indigo who had been reciting Mr. Finn's slogan he said during PE class, both looked up.

Ms. Johnson was looming over the table again and this time, she looked funny, Indigo thought. Her wrinkled hands were clutched in front of her and she lowered them, placing one on the table.

"Indigo, you need to go to the front office," Ms. Johnson instructed, "You know where to go, don't you? Remember, you went with Aiden when he fell down at recess?"

Indigo slipped her paper bookmark into the book, "Okay. I'll be right back, Melody."

"No, no hon," Ms. Johnson's hand fluttered, then fell back onto the table, "You need to take all your stuff with you. Your book, backpack, everything. You have an early dismissal."

Indigo's eyes widened. She got to leave school already? But they hadn't even done science yet! They were all going to make a vinegar and soda balloon and then for math they were going to make their own family "money."

She usually found the subjects boring, but she liked making stuff and doing projects like Kitty always did.

"Why don't I get your backpack?" Ms. Johnson offered, patting the table, "It'll getcha movin', huh?"

Indigo nodded dumbly and stood up. She pulled her binder closer to her and placed the book on top of it. She turned her head when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Elliot, a boy with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She had seen him pick his nose once or twice.

"Why'd'you getta early dismissal?" he asked, "Do you have to go to the dentist or the doctor?"

She scrunched up her nose, "I hope not! I don't remember my mommy telling me."

"Oh," he simpered a little when Ms. Johnson returned with Indigo's neon pink backpack polka-dotted with equally bright white dots and her pink jacket, "Well, I hope you don't have to get a shot. Bye, Indigo."

"Byyyyee."

"Bye."

"Bye-bye."

Different calls of farewells rang out in the classroom and Indigo smiled and waved, giggling when Lillian, Mae, Riya and Jasmine ran up to hug her.

"I'll see you guys, tomorrow," Indigo said, wrinkling her nose when Jasmine's fluffy curls tickled her face, "Ow, Melody, your squeezing too hard!"

"All right, girls, all right," Ms. Johnson interjected, "Come on, Indigo has to go," she held out her arm to bring Indigo around her table and gestured with her other, "Go back and play before recess is over. You too, Melody."

"Awww!" Melody moaned, but did as she was told and trudged away.

"Okay, sweetie, you got everything?" Ms. Johnson asked.

"Yes, I have everything," she walked towards the door with Ms. Johnson's hand on her back, "Thank you."

"Yes, of course," Ms. Johnson smiled tightly and opened the door for her, "I'll see you soon."

Everything at Forks Elementary School, besides the playground, was inside and Indigo liked that. At her old school, some of the classrooms led to outside and they had separate buildings for the gym, the music room and the front office.

Here, in Forks (which she and Jasmine liked to call "Spoons"), the school was very tiny. At her last school, there had been, like, thirty kids in her class! At this one, there were only eleven and she had counted them all and knew them all by name!

She walked down the hallway. It was broad and straight, the carpet brown as well as the walls that showcased some framed art and Indigo had no idea what any of them were supposed to be.

'Kitty would know,' Indigo decided and perked up. Maybe Kitty was picking her up. She had done so before.

"Hey, there, Indigo! What are you doing?"

Indigo beamed up at the tall sixth grader. She was a heavyset redheaded girl, that Indigo recognized as Lucy. She had helped out in Indigo's classroom once.

"Hi, Lucy!" she greeted, but quickly quieted when Lucy held a finger to her lips. Right, she was near the library, "Hi," she whispered.

"What are you doing?" Lucy repeated.

"I don't know, yet," Indigo shrugged, "I have to go to the front office. What are you doing?"

"I had to pick up something from Mrs. Palmer's inbox," Lucy held up the small stack of papers, "It's my job for the next two weeks. You'll understand when you're in sixth grade. I should go give them to her, but I'll see you later."

"Okay," Indigo smiled, "Bye, Lucy."

"See ya' around," Lucy hesitated, "Do you know where you're going?"

Indigo pointed down the hall, where there was a pair of double doors that led outside, "To the very end, but turn left and don't go outside."

Lucy nodded, "Right, okay. Just making sure."

Indigo waved and continued walking. She liked the front office. She didn't go in there often, but the older ladies who ran it were really nice and it was always really, really warm in there. It was like summer, but cozier like Christmas. Sometimes, Mrs. Smith, who ran the desk, gave her candy.

She went into the office and had the urge to take off her jacket. The space was cramped, the walls, like her classroom, decorated with children's coloring pages, pictures that had been drawn and cards that had been given. There was a row of four chairs near the large windows that overlooked the rainy outside. It had been sunny earlier.

Besides a few teachers milling about, the office was mostly empty and Mrs. Smith spotted Indigo, while carrying a cup of coffee back to her desk.

"Hi," Indigo said, going to stand at the front desk, "Ms. Johnson sent me."

Mrs. Smith smiled with bright red lipsticked lips, "Yes, I can see that, dear. Someone is here to pick you up an—oh, here she is, coming out of the bathroom," Mrs. Smith's dark eyes slid over to the side and Indigo gasped loudly.

"VANESSA!"

She didn't care that she was loudly hushed or reprimanded for her volume. Indigo bolted forward and jumped up into Vanessa's arms, who laughed, a very happy and contagious sound that made Indigo laugh as well.

"Look at you!" Vanessa gasped in her modulated voice, "Oh, my sweet girl, you're so big and it's been so long!"

Indigo giggled as Vanessa began to kiss her forehead and her cheeks. She remembered this woman well. Vanessa had worked for the choir that her parents, grammy and Kitty were in when they went to church. Indigo had never actually gone to the church service on Saturdays or Sundays She had never wanted to and instead stayed home with her mommy.

But that didn't mean she never saw Vanessa. Indigo would see Vanessa when going to church during the Christmas party and to go grocery shopping there instead of going to the real store. Vanessa and her family had been really nice about it and she had once let Indigo pick out two extra desserts to take home.

That had been when they lived in the very itty bitty house and once they had moved to the giant castle house, Indigo never saw Vanessa anymore for a long time. Then, they came to Forks.

"I missed you!" Indigo declared when she was set down, "Wow, you're here, I can't believe you're here, what are you doing here!?"

Vanessa chuckled and took Indigo's hand to pat it, "Calm down, now. Let's get out of here first. You hungry?"

Indigo nodded and tried her best to settle down. She wasn't hungry, not really, but if Vanessa was asking, that meant they would probably go out to eat and Indigo liked going out to eat.

She still clutched Vanessa's hand when the woman turned to speak to Mrs. Smith.

"Do I need to sign anymore papers or are we good to go?"

"You are good to go! See you soon, Indigo."

"Bye," Indigo was eager to leave with Vanessa.

"Did you have a good day at school?" Vanessa asked once they were outside, "Pull your hood up. I don't want you catching any cold."

Indigo used her free hand to yank her hood up, "School was good. We were having indoor recess. Oh! And I'm in soccer!"

"Are you?" Vanessa's voice was light and Indigo nodded. She loved talking about soccer.

"Yes!" Indigo started to skip as they went to Vanessa's car, "I play with my friend Melody and…" she had been about to launch into a funny story when one of her teammates had knocked the ball into the goal with her head, but she stopped when she saw Vanessa's car. It looked like her daddy's car.

"What's wrong, honey?" Vanessa inquired. She opened the door, "I ain't gonna kidnap ya'."

Was this the day? Was this the day she was finally big enough!?

"I don't have to use my booster seat!" she squealed, bouncing up and down.

"Oh, are you supposed to? Your parents didn't mention it. Well, today can be your free day."

"Yay!"

"Just buckle your seat belt," Vanessa reminded and Indigo complied.

"This is so cool!" Indigo said. She felt much smaller and couldn't see as much, but the real seat was much more comfortable and less restricting.

Excitement bubbled in her, though it diminished as Vanessa pulled out of the parking lot. She knew better than to go home with strangers, but Vanessa was no stranger and had said she wasn't here to kidnap.

"Do you live here, now?" Indigo asked.

"No, hon. I'm here to visit and take care of you."

Indigo tilted head her to the side. She liked Vanessa and she hoped that Vanessa felt the same way, but she already had people to take care of her. She had her mommy and her daddy and Kitty. As long as she had them, she was happy.

"But…I have people who take care of me…" she bit her lip, starting to feel anxious, "I want to go back to school…"

"No, baby girl, oh no," Vanessa cooed to her, "I didn't mean to frighten you. Trust me, your school wouldn't have let you come with me if it wasn't safe. Your daddy called and he had a handwritten note faxed over. It's all right."

Indigo had no idea what faxing was, but she took Vanessa's word for it. Still, if her daddy had time to do all that, why couldn't he come and get her? What was he so busy with?

Beep.

Whoosh.

Those sounds were going to haunt Everly for the rest of her life. They would go along perfectly with the image of her finding Kit that morning, lying still in her bed and covered in vomit from being sick all over herself.

Beep.

Whoosh.

The sounds were coming from the railed bed behind her. The ICU hospital room was devoid of any beauty. The walls were an off-white. There was no decoration at all, save for the curtain that hung limp over the window that showcased the dreary, gross outside.

She leaned heavily against Blake who held her in his strong and trembling arms, his chin atop her forehead. She cried, her knees threatening to give out on her any moment as the blonde doctor started at them with pity.

This is the second time she had been in the presence of Dr. Cullen and again, it was not a social call.

Beep.

Whoosh.

She tried to stifle her cries in order for Carlisle to speak. Upon coming into the hospital, he had immediately petitioned to take over Kit's case from Dr. Snow. Dr. Cullen, knowing Kit on a personal level could have technically been against the Code of Ethics, but he had already treated Kit and the petition was granted.

The well-renowned doctor looked just as haggard as Everly was sure she looked. This pain was awful, coupled with her shock and disbelief. All she could do was cry. She didn't know what else to do.

Beep.

Whoosh.

Carlisle took a moment and pressed his lips together, clearing his throat into his fist.

"Kit was admitted Thursday, this morning. After running a number of neurological tests, Kit was deemed unresponsive from an overdose of hydrocodone and Advil. She has slipped into a coma due to a low respiratory rate from severe aspiration on her vomit and a lack of oxygen reaching her brain called hypoxia. We are unsure how long she had been that way before being found and given resuscitation," he nodded at Blake, "At this point, it is a waiting game."

The words were practiced, Everly noticed. As though Carlisle had practiced them in front of his mirror until they became nothing but a monotonous script that he could recite without breaking down.

"I don't understand," Blake's voice cracked and Everly let out another sob. She felt Blake turn his head, then turn it back to address Carlisle, "I-I—a coma!? That's, like…" he trailed off.

Beep.

Whoosh.

Carlisle nodded and Everly was glad he said nothing in response to Blake's stuttering. Tears fell unchecked down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. There was no reason to wipe them away as her eyes would only brim up with more.

"Is she," Everly hiccuped, her breath hitching with every word, "Is she…in a-a-any p-p-pain?"

"No," Carlisle was quick to assure her, "No pain."

"She's not-" Blake cut himself off again, "I mean, can she…?"

"Hear you?" Carlisle suggested and nodded when Blake hummed, "Yes, she's still there. When light is shone directly into her eyes, her pupils still constrict and that's a good thing, though she is a three on the Glasgow coma scale. Talking to her," he began to talk with his hands, "Reading to her, holding her hand…it all helps, okay?"

At this point, Everly had to cover her mouth with her hand to hold in any pitiful noises that wanted to escape. Her baby was in a coma. An actual coma like in all those Lifetime movies. It didn't seem real—like it could actually happen. Coma. Coma. Coma. Coma.

Beep.

Whoosh.

The sounds were getting quieter, Everly's brain already getting used to them or maybe it was shutting down. She felt a little faint.

She turned her own head. Kit lie in the hospital bed. There was a clear tube taped to her nose and a ventilator hose shoved down her throat, also held by tape covering the lower half of her opened mouth and her cheek. There was another plastic tube inserted into one of her veins, feeding her fluids, nutrients and some kind of medicine. She was hooked up to a catheter for urine output, the blanket pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were closed.

Everly couldn't look for long. She felt her face crumple again as Blake's hands began to run up and down her arms. Crying was supposed to be a healthy release, but it felt like anything but.

"H-h-how lo-long?" she choked out. The raw emptiness was physically painful.

If at all possible, Carlisle's face fell into a deeper frown, "Right now, we can't tell you that. Every case is different and we're not sure of the damage done."

"Dama-" she was cut off when Blake squeezed her arms. A silent plea.

"So, what do we do, what can we do?" Blake asked desperately.

"The best thing for you two, is to take care of yourselves," Carlisle said firmly, "This is so, that if and when Kit comes out of this state, you both are able to take care of her. I know you have your youngest child, Indigo?"

"Mhm," Everly gasped through a sniffle, "I-I called my friend, V-Vanessa and she f-flew down…:" she hiccuped, "S-she's getting Indigo from school to take her o-out and sit with her at home," she looked up at Blake, forcing him to raise his head, "I told Blake—asked if I should call someone, but-

"I'll be fine," Blake smiled in the pained way of someone who really wanted to cry, "I just-" he shook his head and pressed his lips together.

Beep.

Whoosh.

Everly glanced over at Kit, then back at Carlisle, "She lied," she told him, looking into his eyes.

Carlisle was watching her with concerned eyes, "Excuse me?"

"When you called me after the appointment and told me about the marks on her wrist," she reminded him, "I…b-believed her," her voice cracked, "I always have and-" she covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook.

Blake tried to soothe her and she let him turn her into his chest, "Okay, darling, okay. Shhh. Come on, let's go sit with Kit."

She nodded against him and let him take her over to the rocking chair where he sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Blake said, "Thank you so much."

Carlisle forced the same smile Blake had. He didn't deserve thanks, "I'll leave you be. Nurses will be coming in every two hours to move her. It prevents bedsores and atelectasis. Everyday, they'll come in and clean her teeth, bathe her and take care of her needs."

Everly kept her eyes on Kit and heard Carlisle's footsteps retreat. She reached out and took Kit's hand. It was still warm. Whether she was in pain or not, with all the tubes, she didn't look peaceful or comfortable.

"Mommy's here," she assured Kit in a broken voice, "And daddy is too," she breathed in shaky sobs, "We're r-right here, Kit Kat and it's gonna be o-okay. You're gonna w-wake up and I'll be here. E-everything will be okay."

She looked down at Kit's hand. She was still wearing the promise ring Emmett hand given her. The locket was placed carefully in Everly's purse. It had been removed when the doctors had stripped Kit to put her in the standard hospital gown.

Emmett's name had only been a brief, whispering thought and she blinked.

"How are we going to tell Indi?"

Apparently, Blake had already thought of it, "Kit's sick," he tried, "And in order for her to get better, she has to sleep for a long time. Who knows if she'll believe it," he said when Everly snorted, "But I don't want her to be scared. We still need to keep a routine, she still needs to live her life and go to school until Kit wakes up."

"Agreed," Everly whispered, squeezing Kit's hand, "I'm going to stay here tonight."

She let her head fall back against Blake's shoulder. It felt like she was in shock. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Her brain was short-circuiting and she couldn't think straight.

Beep.

Whoosh.

"Daddy!"

Blake swept Indigo up into his arms when she ran close enough and he held her close, pressing his chin into her shoulder.

"Hey, Princess," he murmured softly, "Did you like your surprise? You got to see Ness?"

"Yes!" Indigo gasped, pulling back to look at him, "She took me out to eat and Vanessa said living here would drive her crazy and it's like living in a cereal bowl and it's sad and pathetic and I got to leave school early and oh, Melody asked if we could make cupcakes, but-

Blake's lips twitched only slightly and he looked over Indigo's shoulder as she continued to ramble. He nodded at Vanessa when she came into the living room, drinking from a to-go cup.

He shifted Indigo in his arms and placed a hand over her mouth, "Thanks for picking her up from school, Ness."

"Of course, thank you for letting me use your car," Vanessa laughed, "We had fun. She didn't have dinner, yet and I made some coffee for you."

"Daddy!" Indigo shrieked in laughter when she removed his hand.

Blake kissed her forehead, "Why don't you go watch TV in mommy and daddy's room for a minute?" he suggested, placing her down, "Did you get any homework?"

He watched her shake her head absently, more interested in their guest, "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Not yet," Vanessa managed a small smile, "But your daddy will come get you when it's time to say bye."

Blake's heart twisted when Indigo fixed her big eyes on him. His baby, his little girl. He wanted to cry.

"Go upstairs," he pressed, "I'll call you and we'll make dinner together. Whatever you want and you can sleep in my bed tonight."

Indigo looked delighted at the fact and hurried to go upstairs.

Immediately, when he heard his door shut, Blake brought his hand up to cover his eyes, having to press his lips tightly together to hold in a sob. He gasped in a loud breath, then lowered his hand, trying to pull himself together.

Vanessa looked at him with pity and in a low voice, asked, "How is she doing?"

He shook his head. It was a little past 5:00PM, which meant it had been almost nine hours since Everly found Kit. They were planning to just let her sleep and go in late to school due to their meeting with the superintendent.

What a mistake that had been. He remembered the exact time his wife had screamed for him to call an ambulance. 9:37AM. Luckily, Indigo's school had started at 8:45AM and she hadn't been home.

"Blake? Oh, honey, come sit down."

He must have been crying louder than he intended and he held his breath, letting Vanessa guide him to the couch where he sat down. He was wearing his glasses and they were falling down his nose.

"An overdose," he breathed, "Oh my gosh," he buried his face in his hands, "That's my kid…I-I should have known—she cried about how much she didn't—and I made her stay," he sniffled into his hands, "I've taken care of her, her whole life…I didn't think—I-I-

"Shhhh, hush," Vanessa soothed, him, touching his shoulder, "It's taught that as parents, we're supposed to keep our kids in school, off the streets and off the pole, if you know what I mean," Blake did know what she meant, but said nothing, "I know that raising Kit was hard. Especially when Everly was pregnant with Indi and ya'll moved into that shoebox."

Blake nodded. After Kit was born, it was such a struggle to get on their feet, that they all moved in with Everly's mother, Katherine. Then, when Kit was eight, Everly discovered she was pregnant and already feeling like a burden and a chore for her mother—while the old woman would never ever say such a thing—they had decided to get a place of their own and moved into a one bedroom apartment.

It was a struggle each and everyday. Living paycheck by paycheck. Everly worked one job, at a desk, he worked two and while Katherine would babysit, Blake could tell it was easier than having them all live in her house, no matter how big it was.

When Katherine had died, she had left them everything—literally. They had all moved back into her house and it gave Everly and Blake the base to start their art careers. Kit had been so happy, then…

"It was hard," he choked out, "And it was worth it. I'd do it all over again. I'd do it right."

"You did it right, this time." Vanessa assured quickly, "You did, Blake, I promise you that…you're still doing it right. Kit was loved and happy…" she sighed, "Look, I know this must hurt and I bet there's a whole lotta questions running through that thick skull of yours, but you can't change what happened. Right now, you need to stay in the present. You have a little girl upstairs waiting for you and you need to be there for her too."

He nodded in agreement. On the drive home, he had practiced dialog both in his head and out loud, putting together what he could to say to Indigo. He couldn't recall ever reading about this in parenting books from the library.

"How is she doing?" Vanessa asked again.

"'Bout the same…she's no worse, so…" he trailed off, shrugging, "I don't know what Eve and I are going to do—you know, who comes home when and who stays," he shook his head again, "I really appreciate you coming down here. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Vanessa said, "God has a special plan for Kit. He's keeping an eye on her and your family. Always has, always will. You have to have faith."

Blake nodded again. It had been a few years since he had attended church. They had stopped going when Katherine passed. As time passed, the praying before meals stopped and they no longer read stories from the bible together. It had been too hard.

Was now a good time to turn back to his faith?

"I still have my faith," he answered Vanessa's question, as well as his own, "I'm just not as…public as I used to be."

"I don't blame you," Vanessa looked around the house, "I only spotted one church and it was Lutheran. It's an interesting little town. Can I ask…has anyone here ever seen a black person?"

Blake didn't understand and for a moment, thought he had misheard, "What?"

"Now, I'm serious," she told him, "People were lookin' at me like I was a unicorn or had five heads," she rolled her eyes, "I swear, I thought the restaurant we were in thought I had the whole entire building in my pocket. Believe it or, we don't just exist on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'

Unlike Hampton, where the racial makeup of the town was more diverse compared to Forks, Forks was a town that was predominantly white and sure Blake had seen and met a few people of different ethnicity and was aware of the Reservation on La Push, but he hadn't seen any black people. Truthfully as friendly as the townsfolk were, it was a small town and there was the stereotypical undercurrent of racism that mostly pervaded the logging communities on the Peninsula.

"They probably haven't," he admitted to Vanessa, "No one's given you any trouble, have they?"

Vanessa waved him off, "I can handle myself. I was simply curious. Seriously, Blake…they were taking pictures," she winked at him as she stood up, "I'm going to head to the hospital and check on Everly, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Need anything?"

"No. Dr. Cullen said it's best to keep a normal routine," Blake responded monotonously, "Which I'm all for. It means cooking dinner and doing everything we'd usually do, I guess," he looked up at the ceiling, "Indigo! Come down here, please! Ness is leaving!" he called up to her.

"Do you need me to get her from school, tomorrow?" Vanessa asked in a rush.

Blake hesitated, "I don't know. Depending on how she's feeling, I might keep her home. It's almost the weekend, anyway. We'll see."

"Okay," she said, just as Indigo hopped off the last step.

"Bye, Vanessa," Indigo drawled, giving her a hug and turning to Blake as she did so, "When's mommy and Kitty coming home?" she looked back up at Vanessa, "Did you only come to see me?"

"I'll see them soon, honey," Vanessa promised. Blake saw her swallow thickly, "I'll see you soon, too," she bent down to kiss Indigo's forehead, "Bye-bye, be good for your daddy. Goodbye, Blake."

"Bye," Blake said. He should have been a gentlemen and showed her to the door, but he stayed where he was, "Will you call me tonight or text me?"

"Ugh, texting," Vanessa shook her head, "Boy, I will call you, like a real person," she stressed opening the door, "And you do the same if you need anything."

"You have somewhere to stay, tonight? You know that you can stay here."

"Stay here, stay here!" Indigo begged.

Vanessa smiled at her, "Maybe. A cute little old lady runs some kind of lodge and I'll stay there if…" she paused and stepped outside, poking her head over the door, "We'll talk about it. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Night night!"

Blake slumped further into the couch. He was exhausted. The gloom crept into his veins, seeped into his pores and aided his beating heart that even sounded sad. He imagined a black storm cloud was hanging over his head. Kit should have been here with him, laughing and chattering and helping him and Indi make dinner while Everly set the table or fixed a plate of cookies for later.

"Daddy, what's wrong?"

He had to straighten up as Indigo climbed onto his lap and he winced when her elbow dug into his thigh. He placed his hands under her armpits and helped settle her on his lap.

"Honey, I need to tell you something," he bit his lip. He had to stay strong for this, "And it might be hard to understand. So, if you have questions, then that's okay."

She was immediately wary, picking at her nails, "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong."

She bobbed her head up and down, biting her own lip.

"This morning—princess, you know that sometimes…sometimes when people get really sick, they have to go to the hospital and get better medicine?"

"Yes…"

He paused, looking away for a moment. He hoped he was doing this right. He wanted to be honest, but he didn't want to frighten her. Especially because it was Kit.

"Well, Kit's really sick right now and has to be in the hospital, but Carlisle, Emmett's daddy is taking really good care of her…" he trailed off again, testing the waters to see how she would react.

"Oh," deep wrinkles creased Indigo's forehead, "What kind of sick?"

"The kind of sick where she has to sleep," he explained, "She's in a really deep sleep and she has to sleep in the hospital, so that doctors and nurses can keep an eye on her."

Indigo's eyes became glassy with tears, "Why can't we keep an eye on her here?"

Blake soothed Indigo's forehead with his hand. He wished they could bring Kit home and keep an eye on her, like Indigo suggested, but Kit obviously needed the medical care and realistically, through this, he would still need to work.

"We can't watch her here. She needs doctors who will make her better and help her rest. Mommy's with her, making sure she's not lonely. So it's just gonna be you and me tonight."

Indigo's lower lip quivered and Blake's heart dropped. She looked so unhappy, her lips turned down and he tsked when a tear slid down her face. He didn't want to hasten her not to cry, for fear she would cry even more and then he would cry.

"Is she gonna be asleep forever?" she sounded so heartbroken and Blake was desperate to make her feel better.

"No," he promised without thinking, "No, not forever."

"Well, why can't we go sleep with her!?" she whined, more tears welling up in her eyes, "Why can't I be with Kitty!?"

"You can be with her," another promise that he didn't know if he could keep, "Okay? Just not, tonight. It's too late, I let Ness borrow the car and we need to make dinner."

His voice cracked again and he reminded himself that he had to hold it together. He kissed her head.

"It's all right. It's going to be okay."

Indigo nodded, sniffling against her plugged up nose. She wiped it on her arm, leaving a shiny patch on her sleeve. Blake didn't admonish her.

"What about Emmy? Is he there? Why does he get to be there?"

It took Blake a moment to understand who Indigo was talking about.

"No, Emmett's not there," he said, "Only mommy and Vanessa. That's it."

He thought that would make her feel better if only slightly, but she looked the same and when she spoke, there was a meekness in Indigo's voice that Blake had never heard before.

"Is Kitty gonna die? Like Grammy?"

Blake quickly scrubbed his tears away. Indigo had been six when Katherine passed. He and Everly had decided that she was too little to be in the room when she passed.

"Carlisle's the best doctor ever," he answered, "He's going to do his best to take care of her. You know what? How about, I keep you home from school tomorrow and even some days next week? Ness can go and get your schoolwork-

"I don't wanna miss school," Indigo interrupted. Another tear slipped down her face, "Or soccer. But maybe…" she wheedled, "Maybe I can just miss tomorrow?" she wiped her nose again.

Blake tried to smile. He would have to call Sofía, Melody's mom and ask if she would be able to take Indigo to soccer some days. First, he would see how Indigo did over the weekend.

"Sounds like a plan," he wiped another tear away from Indigo's face with his thumb, "Do you have anymore questions?"

Indigo placed her pointer finger on her chin, "Mmmm. Can we have mac and cheese for dinner? With lots and lots of cheese?"

Blake was shocked. Perhaps kids processed things differently and that's why Indigo was taking things in stride. Or maybe he hadn't explained things right and Indigo really didn't understand what was happening. Did she think that Kit could be woken up with 'True Loves Kiss' and Emmett would swoop in and save the day?

'I should have taken her to Carlisle,' Blake thought, dejected, 'Maybe he would have done a better job. I'm sure he's dealt with children before…he does have five of his own.'

"Can we?" Indigo pressed, getting impatient, "I'm hungry," her breath still hitched.

"Whatever you want," he told her, "And we'll have ice cream after."

"Yay!" Indigo gasped, "Come on!" she rushed off into the kitchen.

Alone, once more, it was like all the energy left Blake's body. In order to make dinner, he had to get up and he didn't know if he could do that. His whole body hung limp, like each limb was made of lead. Even his eyeballs felt heavy in their sockets.

"Daddy, I can't reach the box!"

Blake did get up, but it was a slow, painful effort. Snails and slugs probably moved faster then him. He couldn't be like this, not in front of Indigo who he so desperately wanted to shield her from this.

Being in such a small town who had nothing to do but gossip, that wasn't likely.

'Keep a normal routine,' he chanted in his head. It would be his new mantra, 'Keep a normal routine,' he entered the kitchen, 'Normal, normal, normal, normal…'

"Up there," Indigo pointed to the cupboard, cutting off his chanting, "The Fairly Odd Parents one!"

Blake reached up and opened the door, plucking the box from the shelf, "Why don't you get a chair and the cheese from the fridge?"

"The milk too?" Indigo asked, going to pull a chair from the table. It screeched against the floor and was probably leaving marks, but Blake didn't scold her for it.

"Yes," Blake answered. He bent over to the drawer under the oven and pulled out a stockpot. This was normal. This was really normal.

He itched to call Everly to check on her and ask about Kit, but he couldn't do that right now. Vanessa was with them and Carlisle was too, so that brought him a little comfort—no, it didn't. He was lying to himself. It brought him no comfort.

Nothing regarding this situation would ever bring him comfort until Kit opened her eyes and she was brought home.

"We need butter," Indigo interrupted his thoughts once more, holding the stick, "And I can't cut it."

"You can cut it," Blake said, lifting her up on the chair, "Just not by yourself without adult supervision."

Cooking dinner was usually a fun and happy time. It was something they all enjoyed doing.

Blake tried his best to keep that fun and happy air. He didn't want Indigo to worry or be upset anymore than she already was. So, he tried to laugh and have fun and smile and pretend like everything was okay.

However, it wasn't okay. All other emotion was pushed from his body. It was just a constant wave of sadness. He had no desire to sit at the table and shovel forkful after forkful into his mouth, when his eldest was in the hospital being fed by tubes and IV's.

But he also had a youngest. A sweet, fun, bouncy, carefree little girl who loved soccer, the beach, books, pink and her big sister—her first 'mommy' more than anything in the entire universe.

Is that when things had started to go downhill for Kit? When Dr. Cilia had requested that at age six, they make the transition from Indigo calling Kit 'mommy' to Everly? That had to have broken Kit's heart, despite her reassurance that she was fine with it.

Maybe that's when she felt like she could no longer talk to them.

"Indigo?" he asked hesitantly, peering into the pot. The water wasn't boiling, yet.

"Yes?" Indigo looked at him. Her eyes still didn't have that usual spark.

"Princess, you know—I know I joke around with you and cover your mouth, sometimes, but you do know that if anything happens or if you ever have something on your mind or a question…you can come to me or mommy about it? You know that, right?"

She answered, but like her eyes, her voice was still too quiet, "I know. Kitty tells me all the time."

His eyebrows knitted together slightly, "She does?"

"Uh-huh," Indigo nodded, "She's always asking me if I'm okay and if people are being nice to me at school and at soccer and she says if they're not, I have to tell you and mommy as soon as I can and she says if I feel like I can't tell you, then I can tell her. No matter what."

More tears welled up in Blake's blue eyes. Indigo understood that very clearly. Why hadn't Kit? What sign had he missed?

Something wasn't right. Obviously, he knew Kit was being picked on at school, but as soon as they had found out, he and Everly had been working on taking care of that. They had a meeting with the superintendent that very morning and Kit had known about it.

"Well," he said. He cleared his throat, "I'm very glad she talked to you about that," he began to walk towards the freezer, "Let's see what kind of ice cream we have, hm?"

He already knew what kind of ice cream they had. Cookies N' Cream.

'Emmett,' he decided as he pretended to look for ice cream, He needed answers. That boy would probably take Kit's secrets to his grave, 'And that's exactly what's going to happen if he doesn't talk to me.'

He wasn't even sure if Emmett was aware of what had happened unless he heard the ambulance sirens. Blake hadn't called the Cullen house, neither had Everly and Vanessa didn't know the number. Due to patient confidentiality, Carlisle wouldn't say anything to him.

Blake felt almost obligated to call them and speak to Emmett. He had never been keen on Kit dating an older boy, especially one of his monstrous size who had two brothers. Call him paranoid, but it had worried him. What if something happened? What if Emmett, one day, had taken Kit somewhere far into the woods and stabbed her or something? Or worse?

Everly had told him to stop being so paranoid and let Kit live her life. He was surprised that Everly was so accepting of Emmett right off the bat. Since the day she had found out she had been expecting, she had distressed over who to let be around Kit, where to send her to school, if she should give her pepper spray in sixth grade when she had her first male teacher.

His wife, bless her amazing and graceful soul, had awful things happen to her and so had Katherine at the hands of her father, Everly's grandfather, Kit's great-grandfather when they were both young girls.

The man had been sent to prison and he had died there soon after, murdered by his fellow inmates once they had found out what he was in for…

Blake shook his head to clear out the thoughts. He hadn't wanted his mind to take that path. He had gotten way off subject.

The point was, that he was surprised at Everly's reaction to Emmett as he, himself had been incredibly wary. But who the heck were they, Everly chastened, to try and keep their daughter from true love which she so clearly had for this boy and he, if not stronger, had for her? After all, he had given Kit a promise ring, declaring that he would always love her, no matter what.

Didn't he deserve to know, that his love was in the hospital? Kit probably wanted him…

"Daddy, the water!"

Indigo's keen exclamation brought him out of his thoughts once more. The loose top on the pot was shaking, steam leaking through the cracks.

He went forward and told Indigo to watch out, lifting the lid so that he could poor the macaroni in. The water settled down and he placed the box aside.

"Daddy?" she asked tentatively, "Before we go to bed, can we call mommy?"

Blake could hear the quaver in her voice. He wanted to hold Indigo tight and never let her go, "Of course we can, honey."

He forced another smile, trying not to look distressed. He passed a hand through his hair. He was so tired, but he wasn't working tomorrow and Indigo wasn't going to school, so at least they could sleep in.

Indigo must have noticed how awful he looked because in a hopeful voice, she chimed, "I love you."

Blake wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Indigo relaxed against him and with her head buried in his shoulder, he let a tear slide down his face. His daughter, his baby, safe and protected in his arms. The hug couldn't last long enough.

"I love you too, Princess."