Esme

Two weeks passed in a blur. Rosalie was often quiet and spent a lot of the time sleeping, or at least pretending to sleep. She didn't want to watch TV or do any sort of activities. Every day, she had time out of the restraints but whoever was with her watched her like a hawk and practically sat on her in case she attempted to pull out the nasogastric tube again.

The problem was, Rosalie was too quiet. She was too motionless and lifeless and that worried me. She was detaching herself completely from the situation going on around her, probably because she was afraid.

Her physical health was stabilizing. The daily nutrition and hydration were really helping. Her cheeks appeared fuller, and her heartbeat sounded a lot stronger. She didn't want to get out of bed much, but Alice was there every day encouraging her to freshen up and take part in some form of self-care.

Rosalie was left with Carlisle and me for most of the day, with the children passing in and out for school and work at the facility.

Bella had decided to let Renesmee stay with Charlie for the next few months. The situation in our home was a complex one and it was not the time for Rosalie to meet Renesmee. Bella would ensure Renesmee was okay with Charlie. Although Charlie wasn't quite sure what we were, he understood enough to know Renesmee was different. This would be enough for him to accept her ways whilst she stayed with him, and she was mature enough now to be careful.

Rosalie moved on the couch next to me which pulled me out of my musings. I was immediately alert to her movements just in case she reached for the tube but that wasn't her intention right now. Instead, she stood up shakily and moved towards the kitchen. "Can I have a drink?" she asked me.

I didn't want to make a fuss, but this was a major breakthrough for Rosalie. She hadn't allowed anything substantial to pass her lips since being with us and her lips were cracked and sore.

I had brought her down from Emmett's room today in the hope that a change of scenario would help her and it seemed to be working. Perhaps her being so close to the kitchen allowed her to think about it more.

I offered her a range of drinks once I helped her walk to the kitchen, but she settled on a bottle of water. I was okay with that, because at least it was something that would pass her lips.

I sat directly opposite her at the island, ensuring I was still within arm's reach of her in case she tried to make a move. She had started to cry silently but took a small sip of the water. She didn't take any more though and pushed the bottle away from her, but it was progress. I had to remind myself that this was a big step but at the same time I didn't want to make a big deal out of it in front of her in case it put her off.

She tried to stand from the island but lost her footing slightly as she did. She quickly gripped the counter and took a shaky breath. "I'm okay." She smiled at me reassuringly.

I nodded but encased my arm around her waist. "Time to go back to bed, I think. Your body still has a lot of healing to do, and we don't want to push it too much."

Rosalie was reluctant but settled back into Emmett's bed without protect. I refrained from putting the restraints on because she appeared unlikely to try anything at the moment. I wanted her to be out of them more than in and I knew she wanted that too.

I put on the TV in Emmett's room so that the both of us could enjoy the background noise.

Carlisle came home around noon and settled in his office that was just across the hall from Emmett's room. I spoke lowly to him about Rosalie's progress with the water and he was pleased with this.

"My breathing feels a bit tight," Rosalie said suddenly.

Rosalie was now fully sat up and she had pushed her head towards her chest. I touched her back in comfort, and called for Carlisle, although I knew he was already on his way.

Carlisle started up the oxygen and helped secure it on Rosalie's face. "It's okay, your body is still trying to heal. It's still quite weak and some days will be harder than others. Just take it easy, okay? Focus on your breathing and relax."

Carlisle was still very worried about Rosalie. Her health was improving from the nutrition but there could be permanent damage to her body from the starvation. Her lungs and heart had always been quite fragile, and I felt we would soon need to do more tests to see what was going on.

The oxygen seemed to help, and Rosalie soon settled into sleep. She was sleeping a lot at the moment, but it was a good thing as it allowed her body to heal.

"We need to do something, Carlisle." I walked over to the window once I knew she was settled, and he joined me.

"I'm going to book her in at the hospital for some more thorough testing. The nutrition is helping but it's likely her body is severely damaged at this point. We need to get to a safe stage physically as a main priority, but I am concerned about her mental health. She is still in denial about the severity of this situation and that's ultimately going to prevent her from recovering."

It was a difficult situation. Eating disorders were complex but we needed to make progress with Rosalie's physical health before anything else but the only way for her physical health to massively improve, would mean that mentally she would have to accept she was sick.