A/N: Thank you once again for all of your reviews! I know this chapter is late once again, but I think I'm still doing pretty good after being gone all weekend. ;)

I don't think a warning is needed any longer, but just remember that the abuse aftermaths will continue to show for quite a while.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, these characters, or the song lyrics.

Song for chapter: I'll Be by Reba McEntire

And when you're there with no one there to hold

I'll be the arms that reach for you

And when you feel your faith is running low

I'll be there to believe in you

When all you find are lies

I'll be the truth you need

When you need someone to run to

You can run to me

Carlisle POV

Esme and I decided to spend the night at the hospital, but truthfully, it wasn't much of a decision. Esme's already strong bond with the children was not a surprise to me. I knew she would love Rosalie and Jasper from the moment she saw them; she probably loved them before that. I was also not surprised that they appeared to feel strongly for her as well. It was nearly impossible not to love someone who projected the feeling out to everyone around her.

I had been nervous at first before telling Esme about Rosalie and Jasper. I hated the thoughts of her getting attached and then the situation not working out. But after the evening at the hospital, I didn't regret telling her. Even if we only had a couple of days to spend with them, we were still providing love and a feeling of safety that they needed for their recovery.

It seemed that Charlotte had been right about Jasper missing me. As soon as I walked into the room to see him, he almost jumped out of his crib. The nurse who was sitting in the room had to stop him, but I quickly welcomed into my arms. The feeling of his little arms wrapped tightly around my neck was indescribable, as was the knowledge that another child could possibly love me.

I had heard before that parents with one child often worried about whether or not they could ever love another in the same way. In my opinion, only experience could show how much hearts could expand. My heart had already expanded with the addition of Emmett to my life. After loving Esme for so long, I had never imagined having another person who meant just as much to me. It was a different kind of love, but it was love all the same, and experiencing that love made me believe that my heart could easily expand again.

What I wasn't sure of was whether or not another child would feel the same way Emmett did. I had known that he loved me even before he understood the words enough to say them. I had no reason to doubt another little one would be the same way, but it still surprised me a little to get the same feelings from Jasper.

Our evening was spent playing together while giving Esme time with Rosalie. I wanted to meet her as well, but I wasn't willing to overwhelm her just after she woke up. Jasper kept me well occupied with all the interesting toys he found in the playroom. Peter even joined us for a few minutes, which made Jasper a bit uneasy, but my assurances calmed him down quickly.

I questioned Peter about why Jasper wasn't speaking. Throughout all the time I had spent with him, I had never heard him say one word. Peter's only guess was that it was his own way of dealing with what had happened since the last time he had seen him, he had no problems with talking. Even though he remained silent, Jasper did seem to remain happy, but I really had no idea how children so young dealt with trauma. If we did get to take Rosalie and Jasper home with us, I knew one of the first things we needed to do was talk to Siobhan.

I decided that playtime was probably over for the night when Jasper started yawning and acting a bit sluggish. His energy level still wasn't up to what it normally would have been, so I knew he needed the sleep. He didn't put up a fuss about leaving the playroom, especially after I picked him up. So far, he seemed to like for me to hold him as often possible, and I had no problem with trying to appease him.

I started to walk straight back to Jasper's room, but then decided to go to Rosalie's instead. I wasn't sure how Rosalie would handle seeing me, but I knew Esme would want to finally meet Jasper. When I made it to the doorway, I found that my worries weren't needed. Rosalie was sleeping soundly in Esme's arms, and Esme had her eyes closed as well, the smile on her face showing how completely blissful she was. As I observed them and then glanced at Jasper who had laid his head against my shoulder, I knew we were exactly where we needed to be. There was no other explanation for how content I felt other than simply being where God wanted me.

Once I had Esme's attention, I didn't waste any time to start getting Jasper used to her. Of course, he didn't really need my help and readily accepted the invitation into her lap. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the Jasper and Rosalie sleep while snuggled up to Esme. I knew she loved them without her telling me, but it was amazing to hear the conviction in her voice as she verbally expressed all of her feelings. My fears were relieved slightly as I realized that nothing could stand in the way of Esme Cullen when it came to her children, and Rosalie and Jasper were most definitely already hers.

I was completely honest with her about my feelings about Rosalie. I would be patient with her, loving her from afar if need be. But I would still love her and give her the support she needed to heal. The situation had to be handled delicately, and that brought my mind back to Siobhan. I knew we would have her support if we asked for it, and she worked with abuse victims every day. She knew what she was doing and would make sure that we did everything we could to help Rosalie.

I hated leaving Esme for the night, especially since we had rarely spent the night apart in our whole marriage, but we were both needed in separate rooms. I wanted Esme to have more time with Jasper, but there was no way to do that without leaving Rosalie alone and that just wasn't a feasible option. I made a note in my head to talk to Peter in the morning about moving to a room that they could share which I knew would be best for them as well as Esme and me.

My night with Jasper was long with not much sleep involved. Jasper woke up every couple of hours, and I each time, I worried that he was scared from waking in a strange place or had had a nightmare. However, he never woke up crying or upset. Instead, he would simply reach for me, and it was easy to get him back to sleep when he was in my arms.

After he woke up at 5:30, I decided not to put him in bed once I rocked him back to sleep. I continued my rocking slowly as I tried to doze along with him. I didn't have to work until sometime in the afternoon, but at least a couple of hours of sleep were needed to make it through the long day.

I was woken up by someone knocking and opening the door, and I opened my eyes to see Peter enter.

"Good morning," he whispered. "How was your night?"

I yawned and then glanced at my watch, seeing that it had only been an hour and a half. Jasper was still sleeping, and he looked very comfortable curled against my chest. I smiled as I rubbed his back lightly as to not wake him up.

"I think you should have stayed last night. I have a feeling that my experience was very similar to having a newborn. You could have used the practice."

Peter laughed lightly at my teasing. "That bad, huh?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say 'bad.' Jasper just woke up every couple of hours. He seems to sleep the best in someone's arms." I tightened my grip on him which made him sigh and snuggle closer, effectively proving my point.

"I think they probably need the contact," Peter said with an understanding nod. "I don't know a whole lot about their home life before all of this, but from what I've observed, I would say that they have been yearning for contact for quite awhile. After the kidnapping, it has just intensified. I think they like having someone close by. Maybe Jasper woke up because he subconsciously needed to make sure you were still here."

Everything Peter was saying was making sense, and his idea about Jasper waking up seemed plausible. I wanted to always be there for both him and Rosalie, but ultimately, the fate of mine and Esme's relationship with them came down to the actions of the social worker. The nerves were starting to set in when I began thinking about the meeting on the following day, but I knew I could only pray that everything would work out in the best way for the kids.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to wake you up," Peter continued. "I wouldn't have, but I'm going to remove Jasper's IV, and I thought it would be better if he was still sleeping."

"That will be good," I said with a smile. I knew Jasper was already tired of having something stuck in his hand. He had tried several times to pull it out, and he wasn't too happy when I stopped him.

"He doesn't really need it since he's drinking well, and it was time to change it anyway. I just figured this would make him happier," Peter explained. "I would get a nurse to do it, but Charlotte won't be here for another two hours, and I don't trust the other nurses to not wake him."

As Peter put a pair of gloves on, I tried to shift Jasper in my lap so his hand with the IV was visible. I wasn't very difficult since he had it resting against my chest, and I placed it in mine to hold it out to the side to give Peter better access.

Just as he was about to begin removing the tape, a bloodcurdling scream came from somewhere down the hall. It was followed by a second and third one, and I looked to Peter with an expression of worry. His own dread-filled face clued me in to what I was thinking. Even though I had not previous heard her cry, scream, or talk, I knew in my heart that it was Rosalie who was screaming in absolute terror.

"They're probably changing her diaper," Peter mumbled. "Would you like to come with me?"

As he moved toward the door, I took a moment to figure out what I wanted to do. Jasper was sleeping, oblivious to his sister's wailing, and even if I couldn't comfort Rosalie, Esme probably needed me. Just hearing the sound from down the hallway was horrible, and I could only imagine what Esme was feeling.

I stood up as quickly as I could, trying not to jostle Jasper as I placed him in his crib. He shifted slightly, and I wrapped the blanket tightly around him to keep him warm. After making sure he wasn't going to wake up, I followed Peter down the hallway to Rosalie's room.

The door to the room was closed, but it wasn't very effective at blocking the sounds. When Peter opened the door, the first thing I noticed was Esme standing back against the wall, silent tears flowing down her face. I immediately stepped forward and pulled her into my arms. She relaxed against me, and I leaned down to kiss her tears away.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"They came in to change her diaper, but woke her up in the process. She started squirming, so they held her down and that's when she started screaming," Esme replied in a broken voice.

I looked over to the crib to see that two nurses were holding Rosalie down as a third worked at changing her diaper. Even with them restraining her, Rosalie still found a way to move around which didn't make the job any easier, not that I could blame her. Her face was bright red from her screaming which had yet to cease. Peter stern gaze as he looked on alerted me to the fact that the nurses were not handling the situation in the way they were supposed to.

I could only imagine what was going on in Rosalie's head. To her, this was probably just as bad as being tortured by that monster, and memories were undoubtedly haunting her. It was no wonder that she was terrified by the hospital.

"Okay, we're finished," the third nurses announced. The other two stepped back, and as soon as they did, Rosalie sat up and began frantically looking around. Esme was out of my arms and by her side in an instant, and she carried her to the other side of the room as the poor girl held on to her like her life depended on it.

I smiled sadly when Rosalie's screaming stopped as soon as she was in Esme's arms. Her heartbreaking sobs continued, but began to lessen as Esme cooed soothing words in her ear.

"Esme," Peter called over the sound of Rosalie's cries. Esme turned back to look at him, but she continued shushing Rosalie.

"Try to calm her down quickly," he instructed. "She has asthma and a panic attack would not be good, especially since I can't touch her and Char isn't here yet."

Esme nodded and turned back around, heading over to stand by the window as far away as possible from everyone else in the room.

I thought about the news Peter had shared. I had no idea that Rosalie had asthma. The more I thought about it, I realized that I didn't know a whole lot about either one of them. I knew they were two years old, but I didn't know when their birthday was. Nothing was known about their health or development either, but I was hoping we would be able to know more soon.

The nurses finished cleaning up, and started to leave the room.

"Wait for me in the hallway," Peter instructed them in a tight voice. They nodded and seemed nervous about Peter wanted to talk to them about. I chuckled internally, knowing that they were probably about to get an ear-full.

"I'll be right back," he said to me. I nodded, and he glanced once more to Rosalie and Esme before he left the room. Thankfully, her cries had died down to whimpers, and I could hear Esme singing softly as she slowly swayed back-and-forth.

The atmosphere of the room seemed much calmer once it was just the three of us let in the room. I noticed that Rosalie's pacifier had fallen out of her mouth and was laying in the crib. I went over and picked it up and then walked slowly toward them as to not startle Rosalie after she had finally calmed down.

When I reached them, I lightly rubbed Esme's shoulder to get her attention. She turned her head to look at me, and I was happy to see that she was no longer crying. Once again, her strength, especially as a mother, amazed me. She had been hurting for a child she already considered hers but was able to put that hurt aside to offer comfort and security.

"Thank you," Esme whispered as I handed her the pacifier. "Here you go, baby," she said and slipped the pacifier between Rosalie's lips. I could hear her mumbling something into Esme's neck as she held on tightly, and after listening closely for a few seconds, I finally figured out that she was saying "no more" over and over. My heart broke even more since her request couldn't be honored. Diaper changes were unavoidable even though they caused her such pain and anxiety.

"I'll get a tissue," I said softly after noticing the tears drying on Rosalie's pink, splotchy cheeks. Esme nodded, but when Rosalie heard me, she immediately tensed up and raised her head to stare at me with fear showing in her eyes.

"It's okay sweet girl," I said as I backed up. "I'm not going to hurt you." She continued to eye me warily but did relax ever so slightly after I was several feet away.

I found the small box of tissues on the table that had been moved beside the regular hospital bed. When I turned back around, Esme had already moved to the rocking chair and was working to get Rosalie comfortable on her lap. I handed Esme the tissues I had grabbed and then quickly moved a chair away from them so I could sit down without being close enough to intimidate Rosalie.

Esme had Rosalie's face cleaned up in no time, and she looked like she was about to fall asleep in her cozy position wrapped in a blanket on Esme's lap. She had only been awake for a few minutes, but her struggles had depleted her already small energy reserve.

A few minutes later Peter came back in the room, still looking very annoyed. I raised my eyebrow in question, but he just shook his head.

"I took care of it," he said. "They now know to never do that again. How is she?"

"Better," Esme said as she rocked. "But I think she's ready for a nap, aren't you baby?" She moved a piece of hair from Rosalie's forehead and leaned down to kiss her.

"That's good," Peter said with a smile. "I need to check her breathing, but Charlotte's not here. Can you help me, Esme?"

Esme nodded. "I'll be glad to help. What do you need me to do?"

Peter pulled his stethoscope down from around his neck and walked over to kneel in front of the rocking chair. "Just hold this on her back and move it where I tell you to," he instructed as he handed her the end of the stethoscope.

Rosalie was suddenly aware of Peter's close presence and whimpered as she tried to get closer to Esme.

"I know you don't want me this close, sweetheart," Peter said in a soothing, calm voice. "I just need to listen to you breathe for a minute, but I won't touch you, okay? It's just Esme."

Rosalie's whimpering stopped, but she continued to hide her face against Esme. Esme listened to Peter's instructions and moved the end around on Rosalie's back as he listened. He finished quickly and was satisfied that he didn't hear wheezing or any other indication that she was having trouble breathing.

Esme praised Rosalie for being such a big girl, and I was proud of her as well for not panicking with Peter's proximity. After he left the room for good, she relaxed even more to the point where she was able to fall asleep.

Once I was sure everything was under control, I left the room as well to go back to Jasper. I promised Esme that I would bring him to Rosalie's room as soon as he was awake, and when walked into his room, I saw that he was. A nurse was finishing up checking his vitals, and although he wasn't crying, he looked very uneasy. As soon as he saw me, he held his arms out for me. The nurse stepped aside for me and smiled as I lifted Jasper into my arms.

I hugged him tightly and rubbed his back, and his contented sigh let me know that he had missed me.

"Sorry I was gone, buddy," I said and kissed his cheek. I knew I was forgiven when he gave me one of his small grins that I had quickly grown to love.

"Um, Dr. Cullen," the nurse said softly. I turned to look at her, and her smile showed that she was enjoying the scene as well. "I know Dr. Reaves was going to take out his IV while he was sleeping, but would you like for me to still do it now that he's awake?"

I knew it needed to come out, but Peter original goal had been to avoid causing Jasper stress. It was obvious that Jasper wouldn't willingly allow any nurses to do anything to him, but then I had an idea.

"You know what? I'll just do it," I said. "Can you get some gauze and tape for me, please?"

The nurse nodded and I went to get some gloves from the box on the wall. I then sat down in the rocking chair, placing Jasper sideways on my lap so I had good access to his hand. After my gloves were on, I hummed softly as I began pulling the tape off from around the canula. I knew Jasper was paying attention, but I didn't say anything as I swiftly pulled the catheter from his hand, placing gauze over the site. He tensed, and I kissed his temple as I placed tap over the gauze.

I let the nurse dispose of everything for me which gave me a chance to focus on Jasper. He was still tense so I brought his hand up to place a kiss lightly over the "bandage." He looked up at me with a confused expression, and I sighed in relief at seeing that he wasn't crying and upset.

"No more needle," I cheered with a smile and kissed his hand again. "You are completely free, buddy."

He dropped his gaze from me to his hand as he opened and closed his fist repeatedly as if he was trying it out. After he was satisfied with the movement of his hand, he brought the index finger of his other hand over to hesitantly poke the gauze. I struggled to hold in my laughter at his behavior. The nurse did chuckle softly as she left the room.

"Alright, silly boy," I said as I stood up, adjusting him on my hip before grabbing the fleece blanket. "Let's go see Esme." His head popped up when I said her name, and he smiled brightly once more which led me to think that he remembered her.

Instead of heading straight to Rosalie's room, I took a detour down to my office to grab our bag of clean clothes and toiletries. As much as I hated to think about it, we would have to leave soon after the kids ate breakfast. I was excited about seeing Emmett, but I didn't want Jasper and Rosalie to be alone.

After our short detour, we finally made it to Rosalie's room. The door was open so I didn't take the time to knock. Esme and Rosalie hadn't moved from the rocking chair since I had left, and Rosalie was still sleeping. I stepped inside the room and Esme smiled when she saw us.

"Why don't you go show her your hand," I suggested softly as I placed him on his own two feet. I followed behind him as he walked slowly, and I had a feeling it was probably the first time he walked since coming to the hospital. He went right to Esme without any further coaxing.

"Good morning, buddy," Esme said once he was in front of her. I helped him climb up into her lap, and she kissed him multiple times until he was giggling. If the kids came home with us, I knew there wouldn't be any chance of them starving for love or affection.

"Now what do you have to show me?" she asked once he was settled on her lap next to Rosalie. He held up his hand, opening and closing it as he did before, and Esme looked up at me for clarification.

"See?" I said, pointing to his hand. "No more extra tubes."

Realization filled her expression. "Oh! Your IV is out, huh? That's wonderful, sweetheart!" She hugged him once more, and he looked to be the happiest I had seen him yet.

"Yes, he was such a brave boy for me. He didn't even cry."

Esme continued to praise him, but all of the excitement caused Rosalie to begin stirring.

"Look, buddy. You're sister's waking up," I pointed out. Jasper looked over at me and then back to Rosalie. As her eyes fluttered open, Jasper clapped her hands together. She obviously heard him which made her eyes pop open faster.

When Rosalie saw Jasper, her face lit up in a large smile, the first one I had seen cross her face. My heart warmed as I watched them. They didn't say anything to each other, but it was extremely obvious that they had a strong bond. Rosalie reached out for her brother, and he leaned over to tackle her in a hug. Esme quickly sat them back up so that they wouldn't get hurt, but they both seemed fine.

Rosalie was so absorbed with seeing her brother that she didn't even seem to notice or care that I was in the room. After a few more sweet hugs and kisses between them, they settled back down as they snuggled with Esme.

I didn't think it was possible for Esme to be any happier with them than she had been when they were sleeping in her lap the previous night, but she was beyond blissful when they were awake. Rosalie and Jasper seemed to be perfectly happy with just being cuddled and rocked, but I had a feeling that they would need something to occupy their attention eventually.

I found the remote to the TV and turned it on. The noise immediately caught their attention, and I changed the channel until I found a children's show. We all watched in relative silence, and it was clear that they were completely engaged in watching the show as they held hands as stared up at the TV.

Breakfast was finally brought in a few minutes later. Jasper moved to my lap so I could feed him as Esme fed Rosalie. The meal consisted of oatmeal with a cup of fruit, and even though they didn't seem to particularly enjoy it, they both ate a fair amount and drank all of their milk and juice.

A little while after breakfast, Charlotte came in. Her shift didn't start for another half hour, but she explained that she couldn't wait any longer to see the kids, and she was lonely without having Peter at home. Having her around gave Esme an opportunity to change clothes while Rosalie still had someone to hold her. Once Esme was dressed, Jasper went to her so I had a chance to change as well.

It was inevitable that we had to leave, but it didn't make anything easier. We tried to tell Rosalie and Jasper that we would be back, but our assurances did nothing to stop their tears. Jasper finally spoke, but I hated that the one word he would say was "no," and it was only in response to us leaving. Charlotte worked to distract them with the books Esme had brought, and we were finally able to slip out.

We headed toward the elevator, and I could tell that Esme was hurting from having to leave them when it was so clear that they wanted us to stay.

"That was harder than I thought it would be," Esme said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I hate leaving them."

"I know, sweetheart," I said and wrapped my arm around her waist. "But we'll be back in a few hours, hopefully with Emmett." Mentioning his name lifted her spirits as I hoped it would. "And we have a lot to do and talk about," I added.

The situation was not as simple as fall in love with the kids and then bring them home. There were many legal procedures that needed to be followed as well as preparations to be made if we did get to bring them home.

I had a feeling that Peter was already stretching some of the regulations by letting Esme stay with them. It wasn't so much of a stretch with me since I was a doctor at the hospital, but Rosalie and Jasper were minors and Esme was not a relative. Even if we were bending the rules, I hoped that the close bonds we already shared with the children would help our case with the assigned social worker.

I started a list in my head of people we needed to call, including Liam, Siobhan, and Mary Randall. We also needed to fill Carmen and Eleazar in on the whole situation. Our support system needed to be established and united, and it seemed like we only had one afternoon to get organized.

Esme and I also needed time to regroup with just the two of us. Nothing good would be accomplished if we weren't on the same page, and we also needed time to unwind together since our emotions had been heightened in the past 18 or so hours. And as much as I loved the feeling of a child in my arms, I was longing to hold my wife again. The night spent apart was definitely not something I was looking forward to experiencing again, but I was looking forward to spending some much needed couch time together to make up for it.

A/N: I know this chapter is a bit shorter than they've been in a while, but it was an important transition. Their lives are about to be very busy in the next chapter, and I'll try to have it finished by next weekend!

Thanks for reading! :)