Checking my watch to be sure I have enough time before my brother meets me, I give in to temptation and order the overly iced, huge, heavenly cinnamon roll that calls my name—even though I have a bag full of cupcakes. God knows I should probably not be eating this, but I think I deserve it. And as long as I finish it before Emmett gets here, no one will be the wiser. Sliding my debit card with a smile as the barista pulls out the deliciousness, I almost drool and know I have a problem.

"Oh, could you write decaf on the cup?" I ask, taking the pastry from her. "I need to lie to someone."

Caira, as her name tag reads, laughs and grabs a marker. "Sure thing. Have a good day."

She hands it over, and I grin, telling her, "You too," before finding a table in the empty corner of the small hospital cafe.

I take the biggest, most embarrassingly gross-sized bite as I sit down and moan as the incredibly delicious cinnamon and cream cheese frosting blend together. Mouth orgasm. The only words to describe what's happening as I savor each bite.

I definitely deserve this, so I don't feel an ounce of guilt as Emmett walks in, and I stuff the last bite into my mouth. He heads straight over to me, cocking his brow as I ball up the wrapper and nearly choke, chewing it and swallowing as quickly as possible.

"Jesus, at least taste your food, Bells." He chuckles as I stand up to hug him. Standing a foot and a half taller than me, he wraps me into his warm bear hug as I finally swallow the last of it. "What'd you eat?"

Pulling back and sitting down, he takes a seat across from me as I lie. "Just a blueberry muffin."

He smirks, nodding slowly. "Hmm, didn't know muffins had frosting." Reaching out toward me, he wipes my cheek before licking it off his thumb. "Cream cheese frosting. Delicious. I should grab one."

"Jerk." I roll my eyes as he laughs. "I don't think one cinnamon roll will kill me, and it was super yummy, so whatever. I deserved it."

"I'm sure you did. It's fine, Bella, but I am going to get me one. Your coffee better be decaf though."

I lift it up, taking off the lid to put creamer in. "Of course. See? It even says so."

He looks at me suspiciously but seems to let it go as he heads to the counter. Stirring my cup, I take a sip and find it at the perfect temperature for the cooler autumn weather. Hot but not quite burning. We still have about twenty minutes until my appointment, and I'm really not looking forward to it. My heart's already racing, and the familiar tingle in my fingertips back. Whether it's nerves or the whole failing heart thing, I'm not sure, but it's annoying as always.

"How are you feeling, Bells?" he asks, sitting back down across from me as I take another sip.

I shrug. "Fine. How's your day been? Save lots of lives?"

He smiles as he relaxes in the chair, his large frame dwarfing it. He went to college on a sports scholarship—linebacker, unsurprisingly.

"Trauma's been slow, but I did just finish an appendectomy. Hopefully, people will continue to not do stupid things so I can be all yours for the next hour. Now really, if you're not … oh, let's say nervous, terrified, or stressed out of your mind, what happened to your thumbnail?"

Ugh, it's a nub again. The mint nail polish I just put on a few nights ago is mostly gone, and I've chewed it down to the skin without even realizing. "Okay, I'm nervous. Duh," I admit as I feel the heat across my cheeks. "I can't stand doctors—present company excluded—and I just want to wake up from this nightmare."

Taking my hand on the table, he sighs and squeezes it gently. "I'm sorry you're going through this, Bella. I'm here for you through it all though. I'll be your strength when you can't find any, and I'll take care of you."

"Like always." I sigh, feeling guilty for interrupting his life once again.

He deserves so much better—you know, like a wife and kids. It feels like he put all that on hold to get me through to adulthood, and when I left for college, it was finally his chance. But once again, I've put his life on hold.

"Don't look at me like you feel bad or something. You're not a burden on me. You're my little sister, and I'll always take care of you," he says

I wipe my cheeks, smiling faintly. "So, tell me about this Edward fella you're making me see."

He smirks, catching one last tear with his thumb and brushing it away. "I think you'll really get along with him. He's brilliant and extensively trained—did both internal medicine and surgical residencies, so he'll perform any surgical procedure you may need. He's a great guy, too. We've been hiking together a few times since he moved to the area."

"You think he can help?"

"I know he can," he says, nodding as he checks his watch. "Are you ready to head up?"

I shrug, taking another sip of coffee before standing with him. "Do I look like I've been crying?" I ask as he takes my purse, slinging it over his shoulder. "I don't think that purse matches your shoes, bro."

"Well, it weighs thirty goddamn pounds, so I'm not letting you carry it. Seriously, you need to lighten this thing. And for the record, these shoes go with everything." He chuckles.

I look down and pretend to gag at the Croc-like shoes. "Sure. So, face?"

"As hideous as the day you were born," he teases as I mumble, "Asshole," while he laughs. "I'm kidding. You're gorgeous, Bells." Pulling me into his side, he drapes an arm over my shoulder and fucking noogies my head.

Honestly, I don't think he'll ever grow up.


Thanks to May, Nole, Fran, Brier, and Meg for prereading and Sally for Beta'ing.

Thank you all so much for reading!