EPOV

It had been six hours.

Six hours of waiting to see whether or not I needed to tell my daughter that she has lost her mother.

Six hours of watching Carlisle pacing around the waiting room.

Six hours of me worrying about Charlie Swan thinking I'm a total degenerate and unsuitable for his daughter because he was taking this all in. I knew it was true, even though he's all the way in Brooklyn.

I groan, running my hand over my face.

When my hand drops I see the eyes of the packed waiting room on me.

A hand with a cup of coffee slides into view.

Emmett.

I look up at him.

He gives me an easy smile nudging the coffee toward me again.

"Thanks," I mumble.

I accept it by taking a sip.

He moves to Carlisle next, handing him a coffee too.

I've only seen Emmett behave as some kind of a knucklehead. People are definitely eyeing his pants, but he has been offering his quiet support since we left the house.

I almost understand why Bella sent him with me.

Almost.

She didn't go into details on why she was sending him with me, only insisting once I asked her to stay with Hadley. As soon as I asked her to stay, I could see how seriously she took the role.

Esme could have easily stayed with Hadley, but I knew Bella would be there for my daughter. Their bond had not gone unnoticed by me and I knew how much she confided in Bella about her feelings for her mother.

I only wish that Bella and mine's relationship held more normalcy. I hope Rose survives this so Hadley can still have her mother. That we would be able to co-parent and I don't have to worry about Hadley's well-being when she is with her.

"Dude, don't do it," I hear beside me.

I turn my head to look at Emmett.

"What?"

"Don't get in your head about this, man," he advises.

I raise an eyebrow.

"You have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Bella sometimes says you're intense—"

"She says that?" I ask surprised.

"With her I get it, you love her," he says so easily, words I wish I could say to her but it feels like they will be even more on hold. "I'm also not ignorant of what you're going through right now. Your baby mama has been off the rails for a while now and you're doing your best to shield your kid from all of this. So, I see your gears turning."

I blink and watch the man sitting next to me in his Thanksgiving meal maternity pants.

"I know what it's like to have a parent struggling with addiction and I have also seen that same parent come out on the other side," he explains to me with a sad smile.

"When Hadley's mom gets to the other side, she'll surprise not only you, but herself," he says, like he knows Rose is going to make it out of this alive.

Carlisle pauses his movement and is listening to the wisdom of Bella's sage man-child of a roommate.

"Who did you know?" I ask hoarsely.

"It's who I know and my Mama is a recovering alcoholic," he explains.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Carlisle says empathetically.

"I don't remember much, only that I didn't live with her for a bit but she got sober, met my step-dad, Luke, a few years later, and had my brothers. She only regrets how she handled things when I was a baby," he says, looking between both me and Carlisle.

"I know this is much more of a dire situation for your Rose, but this might be the wake-up call she needed so just be there for her, she is the only one that can make the decision to get clean."

"Hale," a nurse calls from the doorway while she reads the clipboard.

I stand walking with Carlisle to the door, I turn to look back at Emmett and he sends me a reassuring smile.

"I'm her uncle," Carlisle says to the nurse. "He's her daughter's father."

"She's stable, the doctor does want to go over everything we found in her system," she says as she glances up from her clipboard. "She is being moved from the ICU to a room."

"ICU? So, she was critical?" Carlisle asks in frustration.

"Sir, you rode in with her, yes?" she snips.

I hated nurses who didn't have a bedside manner.

"He did and he's well aware of the condition she was in when she was brought in, so we'd appreciate it if we could hold our questions until the doctor gets here to answer them respectfully," I snap while eyeing her badge.

Margaret.

Good to know.

"Edward?" I hear being called across the waiting room from the other set of doors.

I turn to see Garrett.

He looks worried.

"Hey," I say, running my hand over the back of my neck.

I didn't want to bother him, assuming he'd be having dinner with Kate's family for the holiday. Turns out he was here.

"You're working today?"

"On call," he answers, brushing it off. "What happened?"

"Rose overdosed," I tell him.

Garrett glances at Carlisle, then at the nurse who looks like she wants to bolt.

"How about you guys wait in my office," he offers.

I look back toward Emmett and wave him over. He stands to make his way to us.

"Garrett, you know Emmett," I say while Emmett holds his hand out.

I remember Bella ranting about how it was mostly Jake who gave her a hard time about Garrett when he removed her stitches. So I knew Emmett had met him before.

They shake.

Garrett dismisses the nurse and she hurries away.

The three of us follow Garrett down to his office which is on the other side of the floor. I knew he shared an office with another trauma surgeon.

"My office, I'm going to stop at the nurse's station and see if I can find out about Rose's case," he explains.

"The nurse said something about her leaving the ICU," I tell him the only piece of information we knew.

He nods before we head into his office.

While we sit and wait, Carlisle's phone pings.

"Has Vera gotten in touch with you?" I ask knowing he was trying to reach his sister.

He nods with a frown.

"When will she be here?"

"She's not coming," he says flatly.

"Her daughter just overdosed on God knows what and she can't find the time to be by her side?" I yell.

Emmett gets up to close the door.

"Edward—"

"I'm here for Hadley and to make sure Rose is okay, but her own mother can't be bothered," I continue while interrupting Carlisle.

"I'm here, I'll make sure she gets the help she needs—"

"I'm sorry to butt in here guys, but Rose has to want to get help, you can't just force her into rehab," Emmett says interjecting. "She can't do it for Carlisle and she can't do it for Hadley. It will only take if she wants to get clean for herself."

Carlisle and I look at each other then at Em.

I was again surprised by the guy.

He diffuses the argument quickly leaving us without much to say until Garrett comes back giving us a sad smile.

"So, do you want the good or bad news first?" he asks.

"Good," Carlisle says.

"She's alive," Garrett says carefully.

"Garrett," Carlisle gives him a warning glare, but I know my best friend isn't making light.

"Carlisle let him tell us the bad news," I sigh.

"She's in a medically induced coma, they found cocaine and heroin in her system. They took her out of the ICU because she started breathing on her own. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, but if she wakes up, she won't be the Rose that you know," he tells us empathetically.

"She had to have surgery, I signed papers when she was brought in," Carlisle says.

Garrett nods.

"She had a brain bleed which has been successfully repaired," he explains. "Her doctors just don't know the extent of the damage."

I let out a heavy sigh realizing Rose might not have many options left regardless of what she wants or not.

There is a clear look of devastation on Carlisle's face.

Garrett has the charge nurse call him once Rose is up in her room.

When we arrive on the floor she's on, her doctor essentially tells us the same thing Garrett had and explains it's a waiting game.

Em and I hang back while Carlisle goes in to sit with her.

I call Esme seeing it's almost five.

"Any news?" she asks when she answers.

I tell her everything I know.

Her sobs hit my ear.

Em gives my shoulder a squeeze.

"Have you eaten?"

"Bella helped me finish the food but—"

"But what?" I ask stopping her.

"She's back now, but she took her dad back to her apartment—"

"What happened?"

"Edward, if you'd let me finish, she didn't know how much longer you'd be and wanted to get him settled for the evening at her place. I gave her some food for him. She came back and is eating in the living room with Hadley," she explains through her exasperation with me and the day in general.

"Carlisle is staying with Rose until visiting hours are over," I tell her. "Em and I are leaving soon."

"Okay, once you get back I can leave and bring some food to him," she says quietly as she chokes up again.

"Es, I really think this is her rock bottom," I murmur.

"And that's what makes this all so unfortunate, that she had to get to this," she responds.

If this wasn't her wake-up call, I don't know what else would be.

I hang up with Esme and turn to Emmett.

"I think we should head out," I tell him.

"Not to be insensitive to the situation, man, but is dinner ready?" he asks hopefully.

I nod, clapping my hand on his back.

"Thank God," he says.

Even with it being Thanksgiving, the subway is packed, I assume from people heading home.

"Do you know what you're going to say to the kid?" Em asks when we're near our stop.

"I've been battling with holding off telling her until we know more, or telling her what I do know now," I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck.

He nods, looking a little perplexed.

"What?"

"I don't have a kid but speaking from my own experience, maybe don't wait on it too long. Hadley is perceptive, she'll figure out something is up," he says frankly. "You don't want her to think you are hiding things from her."

Our stop gets called.

I mull over what Em said on the train.

I knew I wasn't going to discuss this with her tonight but maybe I'd tell her tomorrow. Rose's doctors said we needed to look at her recovery as a day-by-day sort of thing.

Hadley was going to have questions and she is definitely a worrier. I needed to proceed with caution when I do talk to her.

A part of me hopes that Bella will be by my side to support me. She makes so much of my life better, but I also know how much Hadley will want to lean on her.

I notice the lights are off In the living room but the TV is on. I kick my shoes off and look over the back of the couch to see my two favorite girls curled up and sleeping.

I feel Em looking over my shoulder.

"I bet that turkey is so fucking good," he whispers.

I shake my head.

I decide not to wake Hadley and Bella and lead us to the kitchen.

Esme is finishing up our plates for us when we walk in.

She hands Emmett his food first, which he thanks her profusely. I watch my sister for a moment seeing how close to breaking she is.

"Hey, I'm going to see Esme out," I tell Em.

He gives me a thumbs up with the hand not shoveling food into his mouth. Es grabs the plate covered in foil that she made up for Carlisle.

"I didn't want to wake the girls," she whispers once we're in the hall.

"It's okay, all that turkey knocked them out," I say with a slight smile.

"I'm going to be back tomorrow," she tells me.

I wave her off.

"No, I need to clean up more," she says firmly. "Just a little warning, Bella's dad is spending the week here."

I cringe.

"Bella hasn't said it, but I think you're going to have trouble keeping her away. She is overwhelmed with him being here, but she doesn't want either of you going through this without her," she says so earnestly

I nod.

"Let me know if you need anything," she says, giving me a tight one-armed hug.

"Same goes for you," I tell her honestly.

She gets her shoes and coat on and leaves for the hospital.

I go back into the living room and kneel down by the girls, only Bella stirs. She blinks the remainder of her nap away.

"You're home," she yawns.

"I am," I say with a smile as I brush her hair out of her face.

She carefully shifts Hadley and climbs over her. I take her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.

I catch her look of concern, but shake my head and lead her to my room so we can talk.

She takes a seat beside me on my bed.

"The suspense is killing me," she sighs.

"It was an overdose of cocaine and heroin and she had to have surgery for a brain bleed. She's in a medically induced coma but the doctors won't know the extent of the damage until she wakes up," I say looking at our joined hands.

"Jesus," Bella breathes out.

"I think I need to talk to Hadley in the morning," I tell her.

"I already told Charlie I was staying here tonight," she says, giving my hand a squeeze.

"Bell, he's here to see you," I sigh.

"Edward, my life is here. It doesn't stop because my Daddy decided to just show up and try to grab the reins on it for the week he is here. I can't let you both go through this alone," she says sincerely.

I lean forward and kiss her.

"Thank you," I say when I pull back.

"There is nothing to thank me for, this is what you do for your people," she says simply.

I search her face.

"I love you."

A/N: It took me a week to tinker with this to get it where I wanted it. I just want to say I read a review where someone said my chapters are too short and I'm losing steam.

1) I have a full-time job that takes priority.

2) I write about ten pages a chapter, I'm not writing just to make the chapter long. The chapter needs to make sense for the story.

I want to thank CoppertopJ for her edits, any mistakes are my own!