Sitting in the back seat with Kit, Emmett had her tucked against his side, stroking her hair. Kit held his hand, toying with his fingers while Carlisle had reclaimed the driver's seat, throwing glances in the rear view mirror every minute.

No words were spoken, but that was all right. It was a comfortable silence.

When Emmett let his fingers trail down Kit's hair, touching her temple, she giggled quietly and shifted against him.

"Cold," she murmured.

Emmett cocked his head to the side and shared a glance with Carlisle before he dropped his gaze back down to Kit. She wasn't looking at him, but had her head on his chest, looking absently out the window.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "You know I run a little colder, baby."

It felt so right to use his term of endearment for her and he grinned, showing off his teeth when she peered up at him, smiling shyly.

When she tilted her head back down, Emmett's grin faded from his face.

In a voice that only Carlisle could hear, he muttered, "She does remember that we're vampires?"

He had expected an abrupt, "Of course she does, Son!" or maybe a casual, "Don't be silly, Emmett! Give her some credit."

Carlisle said neither.

"I'm…not sure," his voice was troubled, "I'm also her doctor, Emmett. Our nature doesn't really come up during our appointments when I'm supposed to be checking her vital signs."

Emmett didn't comprehend this. Kit…she had to know. Brain damage or not…memory loss or not; how the hell could it be possible for Kit not to remember that they were vampires!? Was it really a possibility that she had forgotten what had happened when they had all played baseball? Did she not remember James or Laurent and how terrified she had been? She had threatened to throw herself from his Jeep when Edward had tried taking them away. Victoria was still out there…

It had been when they first kissed.

He looked out the window, everything flashing by in a blur. While he could still see every leaf, every raindrop, every speck of dirt, it didn't erase the fact that Carlisle was going well over the speed limit. The needle neared 100.

Just when he was about to make a comment about the speed, in hopes that Kit would take a hint, Carlisle spoke up.

"We're almost there, Kit," he told her gently, "We're getting close to the house, now."

Kit pushed on Emmett's shoulder in order to sit up fully.

Emmett could hear her heart start to race and she bit her lip nervously, her grip on his hand tightening.

After a moment, she let go of his hand and brought it to her necklace. She pulled on the chain, tugging out the locket pendant that had slipped underneath her shirts. She looked down at herself, adjusting it, until it lay over her clothing and faced the right way.

Emmett spotted something that made his breath catch, "What's that?" he was weighing the pendant in his large hand.

Swinging on the chain, was the promise ring he had given Kit at the garden. He fingered it, letting the locket pendant hang by itself.

"What?" Kit sounded genuinely confused, "…You gave it to me."

"Well, yeah," Emmett said obviously, "You put it on your grandmother's necklace?"

She simpered, "It…my fingers are too…" she wiggled them, "…It can't fit," she shrugged one shoulder, averting her gaze.

"We're here!" Carlisle announced cheerfully before the awkward silence could settle.

Emmett opened his door and when he shut it, having stepped out of the car, Carlisle did the same.

"You can give her a hand, Emmett," he said, nodding slightly towards Kit, "I'll go make sure Alice isn't going to break down the door or jump through the window."

Emmett laughed, the sound cutting off when he saw Kit getting out of the car. She was holding onto the door with her right hand, her left hand loosely wrapped around the door handle. She looked like she would fall over any second.

He went around to meet her and not wanting to make a big deal out of it, he fixed an easy grin on his face.

"You're not planning on going in without me, are ya'?"

"No," she turned her head, looking up at the house with awe. Her heart was beating wildly and she had her lip between her teeth again.

He took her right hand and tugged gently, getting Kit to come to his side. He let go of her hand, putting his arm around her shoulders, keeping her steady.

He closed the passenger door with his foot, grimacing when he heard Carlisle scold him from inside.

"You ready?" he asked her, and she nodded slowly in reply.

The walk up to the house was a slow one. It had been different watching Carlisle help Kit to the car when they had left her house. It had looked so natural.

He carefully adjusted his arm around Kit's shoulders. She favored her right side, leaning heavily into him. Not that he minded. Her left foot struggled to keep up.

Bending his head, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head right before they reached the door. Everyone was waiting in the living room and Edward was at his piano with Bella, while they all pretended to be casual.

Carlisle had instructed everyone to be patient, but as soon as Kit walked through the door, Alice couldn't help herself and ran forward at a human speed to greet Kit, stopping right in front of her.

Emmett had never seen his sister look so uncomfortable. She stood there, her arms raised, but she looked scared.

Kit who had her lip between her teeth again, shifted against Emmett.

"Um," she said quietly, "You can hug me, Al—

With exceptional gentleness, Alice pushed Emmett aside and threw herself at Kit, letting a whimper escape her throat.

Emmett recovered easily and placed his hand on Kit's back, just like he had seen Everly do.

Kit wrapped her right arm around Alice when she whimpered again, "It's all right, Alice…"

Alice nodded against Kit's shoulder, "I missed you," she whispered, pulling back to kiss her cheek.

Emmett glanced at Jasper. He was all ready altering the mood, taking away Kit's anxiety and making her feel welcome and more at ease.

"I missed you, too," Kit replied and went to hug Esme, who looked like she was going to cry.

"Hello, sweetheart," Esme squeezed her, "I'm so glad that you're here. I missed you, so, so much."

That continued on for five more minutes. Kit hugged everyone while she was told how much she was missed and finally, Emmett was able to take her to sit down and relax. Her breathing had gotten a bit harsher.

They were all gathered in the seating area near the TV. Edward and Bella had moved from the piano to join them, occupying the chairs and couches along with Esme and Carlisle. Alice and Jasper sat on the floor.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Esme asked.

Kit hesitated and Emmett watched her carefully.

"I'm doing well…" she said nodding, "Doing better."

Esme beamed, "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"Yes," Kit said.

She didn't smile back at Esme or continue. Emmett had also noticed, that when Everly and Kit said goodbye, they said "I love you." And that had been it. There was no "Yes possible/Not possible." No, "I love you more." or any of the mantra Emmett was so accustomed to hearing.

A lot had changed, apparently.

"You look like you're doing better, sugar," Jasper said kindly.

Kit didn't comment on the nickname and scooted closer to Emmett. She ran her right hand over her hair lightly tugging on the end of her ponytail.

"I feel better," she confirmed, "Not 100%, but…" she trailed off with a shrug, "Each day is, um…it's getting better."

Alice was getting impatient, "What have you been up to?"

Kit blinked, "…What do you mean?"

Emmett thought Alice would look confused by Kit's question, but instead, she perked up.

"Tell me what's new in your life," she said eagerly, "Do you still draw?"

"Oh," Kit nodded, relaxing, "Yes, I did..." she shook her head, "Do, I mean," she was clearing starting to become uncomfortable.

When she didn't say anything after that, Bella said, "You're homeschooled," she reminded, her cheeks pinking.

The scent of her blood increased in the room and Emmett swallowed thickly. He was getting used to Bella's scent and it didn't bother him as much as it had when he had first encountered her.

"Oh!" Kit gasped, "That's right, thank you," she lightly hit her forehead, "I'm such a scatter brain."

"You're homeschooled?" Esme's eyes were wide, "Really?"

"Yes," Kit laughed, a weak sound, making Alice and Jasper smile.

Emmett could feel the emotions that Jasper was pushing at Kit. It worried him. Was Kit so incredibly anxious that Jasper had to make her this present and talkative? Talkative or not, Kit still spoke very quietly.

"I stared last week," Kit continued, speaking mostly to Esme, "My mom homeschools me and," she glanced off to the side, then said, "I have to," she paused, only for the briefest second, "Um…I have to…do my Sophomore year again, but my mom's a good teacher. I was surprised, but don't tell her I said that."

Laughter bubbled around her and Kit looked embarrassed.

"It's kind of nice," she bit her lip, fighting back a smile, "I get to, um, sleep in late and stay in my jammies."

"Well, lucky you," Alice scowled at her, "We," she gestured to herself, Edward and Bella, "Still have to go to regular school and won't get to see you."

Emmett looked at Kit again, gauging her reaction. She had looked down, but had a faint smile on her face.

"Yes," she mumbled, "But…we text, sometimes."

Esme gaped, "You three are texting? You're texting Kit when she's supposed to be in school!?"

"Well, we don't—"

"No!" Alice said firmly, interrupting Kit.

Catching on, Kit gasped, "Never," she giggled, stifling the noise with her hand.

Emmett chuckled. Kit was so cute and he hoped that he would hear her giggle more often.

Esme didn't look happy and folded her arms across her chest while Carlisle chuckled beside her.

"I never write them back," Kit quietly defended herself, flushing, "I'm a very good student and I like. To learn," she flicked her eyebrows at Alice who stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

"She texts me all the time," Alice told Esme, "On her mom's phone and I personally, don't think it's appropriate considering I'm getting ready for my nervewracking senior year of high school."

When she finished her speech, Kit rolled her eyes towards Alice, "Because you're so worried about your grades?"

"Yeah, Kit, I am!" Alice declared, "And you would be too, but you're texting all the time."

"I'm not!" Kit laughed, a true Kit laugh and everyone joined her.

Despite Esme having laughed, she still scolded her children and that included Kit.

"No texting during school," she warned them all, "I mean it."

"Okay," Kit agreed. She snickered, "I promise. Unlike some people, I don't get the—" she stopped again, "I…I...didn't go to school a million times."

'Oh, thank God!' Emmett cleared his throat to keep from screaming the words to whoever would listen.

That's all he needed was that one comment. While he couldn't say for certain that Kit was confirming she knew they were vampires, it was confirming that she knew they weren't human and that was enough. Though, he still liked to think that he knew his girl and he knew that she knew.

"A million times," he groaned, deciding to interject, "I can't even think about that."

"Hey," Jasper said, "You're done, for now."

"That's right!" Kit said, her eyes widening, "You graduated. I forgot."

"It wasn't anything special, sugar," Jasper assured her, taking away her guilt, "It was boring, actually."

"Emmett, she's cold," Edward informed, disguising the words as a kiss to Bella's hair.

Emmett nodded. Wordlessly, he pulled the afghan from where it was hanging over the back of the couch, draping it over both himself and Kit.

Kit pulled the afghan further over herself, "Still," she said to Jasper, "My parents and I could have sent a card or something.

"How are your parents?" Esme asked. She worried about Everly, Emmett knew. The two had grown close during Kit's stay in the hospital.

"Better!" Kit said, sounding very relieved, "They're doing a lot better."

"That's good to hear," Esme snuggled into Carlisle's side, "Vanessa, too?"

"Yes!" Kit said happily, "Yes, she is. I talk to her a lot more, now. My godsiblings, too and that's really nice. I missed them a lot. Um…" she was still picking at the afghan, "My parents and I spend a lot more time together…more than before if you can believe it and I get to see Indigo a lot more, now."

"With her fun pink hair?" Carlisle asked warmly.

Kit nodded, still smiling, "My mom let her do it. She loves it and has so much fun with it. She's still in soccer and she starts school soon, I think."

"She's so cute," Alice chirped, "I miss her. Does she still feed the cats?"

"No," Kit sounded disappointed, "No, there's not a lot of them near the new house, but when I feel well, we go to the park or just outside and we play. Well, I watch her play," she corrected herself again, "With Sparkles."

Seeing Bella's confused look, Emmett said, "The dog."

"You got a dog?" Bella gasped, "When?"

"I don't remember," Kit said, "I didn't know. I came home once and he was just there. My uncle Mark got him for my sister—he's been staying with us, sometimes, but he's on a business trip, right now. He had to go back to…um…where he was before. To his office, I think."

"That's great, Kit," Bella said sincerely, "I want meet your dog, sometime."

Kit nodded, "Um, we do, like family dinners," she shrugged, "We were always doing them and cooking together, but my dad's mentioned inviting you and your dad to come, if you want."

"Really?" Bella's eyes widened in surprise, "Yeah, that'd be nice. Charlie would love that. He can't cook to save his life and he gets tired of leftovers."

"I'll let my parents know and we'll plan something," Kit promised.

Sighing dramatically, Emmett glanced up at the ceiling longingly, "I guess I'm not invited."

Kit laughed again, but it sounded weaker than the first time, more forced.

"You don't e-ea-a—" she coughed a few times into the crook of her arm, "Y-you—" she tried to speak again, but was cut off by more coughing.

It was a dry, hacking cough and it sounded painful.

Emmett grew concerned when Kit doubled over where she sat, her cough growing louder and more aggressive.

"Kit!" he placed a hand on her back.

"It's all right," Carlisle was the only one who looked calm. He stood up and came to kneel in front of Kit.

A minute and three seconds went by before Kit's coughing came to an end in a shaky whimper. She remained doubled over, her back heaving under Emmett's hand as she gasped for breath. He could feel every ridge of her spine.

Emmett began to rub her back in firm circles and slowly she sat up. Her eyes were closed, her heart was beating fast, and her cheeks were pinker than the rest of her face that had flushed during the ordeal.

When Carlisle took Kit's right hand to check her pulse, Kit opened her eyes and pulled her hand away, hiding it under the afghan.

"I'm fi—it's okay," she panted, "I…had a little…cold a c-couple weeks ago," she cleared her throat and coughed once, "It's fine."

'A little cold!?' Emmett's eyes widened, 'What is she talking about!? Blake said it was pneumonia!'

"Kit—

"I'm okay…Emmett," Kit's breath was still forced, "Really."

She rubbed one of her eyes that had watered, glancing up when Carlisle stood.

"Would you like a little water?" he asked.

In a second, Esme appeared in front of Kit, holding a glass of water that she had fetched from the kitchen.

"Here, this might help," she said, holding out the glass.

"Thank you," Kit took the water, but didn't sip from it, "I feel better, all ready. Um, sorry—I'm sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize," from the floor, Alice jumped up and went to sit at Kit's other side, lying her head on Kit's shoulder, "You sure you're all right?"

Kit nodded immediately, placing the glass between her thighs, "Just a cough."

Emmett looked at Carlisle. Like him, he was frowning slightly.

"If you say so," Alice closed her eyes, "I'm glad that you're here, Kit."

"Yes," Kit's voice was barely a whisper. Her picking became more insistent and she reached down, pulling down the sleeve of her hoodie over her left arm, that lay flat on her lap, her palm facing the ceiling.

Emmett could tell that she was trying hard not to move it. Sometimes, her fingers would twitch.

"So, never again?" Carlisle asked gently and Emmett's eyes widened at the invasive question.

Kit laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound like earlier. It lacked any positive emotion and was laced with discomfort.

"Nooo," she said. She bit her lip, still picking at that stupid afghan, "Never," she sighed, "Never again," her lips became a thin line.

"Look at me, Katherine," Carlisle whispered firmly.

Emmett frowned deeply. He had never quite put Kit's full name together, but now, it was obvious. He'd come back to that later. Carlisle's eyes were full of so much pain and grief. Kit had almost died under his hands. Literally. Emmett knew that would haunt his father for the rest of his existence.

Kit finally stopped picking at the afghan and she flicked her eyes up.

"Never. Again," Carlisle's voice wavered and Kit nodded quickly. His eyes were unmoving.

"Yes," she muttered, still holding his gaze.

.

.

.

.

That evening, Carlisle drove Kit back home so that she'd make it in time for dinner. Emmett tagged along, sitting with her in the back.

Carlisle hadn't even started his car, when Kit settled against Emmett and fell asleep.

"I guess she wore herself out," Emmett commented, kissing Kit's head.

'I don't know how,' he thought worriedly, 'She just sat there.'

Maybe it was from the coughing. Afterward, she had reacted to things a lot more slowly and seemed much more tired. Still, things had flown into a light and easy conversation and Emmett had gotten Kit to laugh a few more times. So did Jasper.

She kept stumbling over her words or stopping in the middle of her sentences. Emmett had helped her out a couple of times, but it only appeared to make Kit more frustrated, so, he had kept his mouth shut and Kit had gotten quieter.

With Kit asleep, he told his father, "I don't know what to say. It's—I almost don't know how to act in front of her."

"Yes," Carlisle said, "Believe it or not, that's quite normal. When a loved ones become ill, it's a shock and it's hard to know what to do, what to say, how to react, what questions to ask. Some people talk openly about their illnesses and others prefer not to speak of it, at all. That's up to Kit."

Emmett nodded. He was immortal and never had to worry about getting sick or dying. He never got so much as a paper cut, let alone a cold or a terminal illness. After sixty-nine, almost seventy years of being a vampire, the concept of illness was odd to him.

"Despite all that, whether Kit chooses to speak about her heath or not, her blatantly lying and downplaying things is something that's not acceptable."

Carlisle spoke firmly and Emmett was surprised by the tone he used. It was one of a coven leader and one of a father.

"It's very dangerous for her," the blond continued, "It's something I'll speak to her about, privately."

Emmett looked down at Kit, sleeping against him. He wanted to ask more about the coughing, but knew it was something Carlisle couldn't tell him.

He sighed, frustrated.

As if reading his thoughts, Carlisle said, "I know it's frustrating, son, but this is a process. You have to be patient."

Emmett grimaced, "That's not really my forte."

Neither was worrying, but in the hours he had spent with Kit, all he did was worry, worry, worry. It was driving him crazy and he didn't get it. Kit's health was something out of his control and usually, he would have left it at that and moved on with his eternal life.

"It's something you'll grow accustomed to," Carlisle assured him, but it wasn't comforting, "The more you're around, the more you'll fall into the routine. It's normal to fuss and fret and worry too much. Try to treat her as you usually would. Which means you need to let her figure out some things for herself."

Emmett made a sound of agreement, willing himself to snap out of this worrying reverie.

There was a long silence and Emmett closed his eyes, listening to Kit's breathing. In her sleep, it sounded too fast, the rise and fall of her chest proving his theory.

Carlisle pulled into Kit's driveway, putting the car into park, "Emmett, do you—oh."

Emmett felt a stupid smile crawl across his face. Kit, asleep against him, was clutching his shirt with feeble strength, looking quite comfy in spite of Emmett's stone-like skin. If Emmett moved, Kit would slump over.

"I'll get her," Carlisle offered, climbing out of the car, "Get her seat belt?"

Emmett unbuckled it, the sound not disturbing Kit in the slightest. Carlisle had the door open and Emmett leaned away, allowing his father to gently take his mate into his doctored, practiced arms.

Carlisle cradled Kit against his chest, propping up her head where his still heart lay beneath his granite skin.

Emmett got out of the car and shut the door. Kit stirred a little and Carlisle hushed her, heading towards the house where like earlier that afternoon, Blake had the door open.

"I thought she'd be sleeping," Blake smiled fondly, "Put her on the couch, please."

Emmett recalled a similar situation only sometime ago. Kit had fainted in gym class and he had carried her to the car, then inside her old house, lying her gently on the couch.

Upstairs, Sparkles started barking.

"It went well," Carlisle was saying as Emmett removed his shoes, "No serious anxiety," he pulled the Rx bottle out of his pocket, "However, she did fall into a coughing fit and her cheeks have remained pink since then. She's been asleep since we left the house."

Emmett frowned, joining his father by the couch. What did pink cheeks matter? He'd have to look it up online or in one of Carlisle's books.

Carlisle told Blake the gist of what they had all talked about, then informed Blake about Kit's downplay and his plan to speak to her about it.

"I don't think that Ra—" Blake glanced at Emmett, "Everly and I always tell her that she doesn't need to keep a smile on her face all the time, but, yes, feel free to give you're own two cents on the matter. Thank you for picking her up and bringing her home."

"Anytime," Carlisle promised. He shook Blake's hand, "It was nice seeing you again, Blake. My wife sends her well wishes. Everly is always in her thoughts."

"Maybe they can get together, sometime?" Blake suggested with a smile, "They're always gabbing on the phone."

Carlisle chuckled lightly, "Yes, they are," he turned to Emmett, "I'll be waiting in the car."

He left, the door shutting in a quiet click, leaving Emmett alone with Blake and a sleeping Kit.

"Thank you for letting me spend some time with her," Emmett stared down at Kit's sleeping face. He used to like watching her, but now it made his granite stomach twist. He had watched her sleep for eighteen days…

"We had a good time," he continued before his thoughts could, "It's nice hearing her laugh again."

He expected Blake to scoff or mutter under his breath, but when he didn't anything, Emmett looked up.

Emmett didn't need to be Jasper to see that Blake was bathing in profound distress. His posture sagged, his mouth twisted in a sad scowl.

"What's up?" he asked and Blake scrubbed a hand over his face, muffling his groan.

"Emmett," Blake said irritably, "There's…something I need to tell you. Come over here, let's sit down."

Sitting in Carlisle's office, Blake didn't know how to react. He could barely feel himself clutching Everly's hand as she to, stared at the doctors that Carlisle had called in from the bigger hospital in Port Angeles.

Kit had only been awake for two days. Carlisle had said that wasn't enough time to asses the level of Kit's brain damage. Kit still wasn't "fully awake", her eyes hazy for the short amount of time she could keep them open.

But with Kit awake, Carlisle and the team of doctors were able to asses other things and come up with a whole treatment plan.

"The pneumonia and the aspiration have damaged Kit's lungs as Dr. Cullen told you before," Dr. Smith, a black-haired man said, "It's a condition called pulmonary fibrosis and that means scarring in the lungs. But, pulmonary fibrosis is more serious than a simple scar. In pulmonary fibrosis, the scar tissue builds up in the walls of the air sacs of the lungs, and eventually the scar tissue makes it hard for oxygen to get into the blood."

Blake glanced down at the mirage of pamphlets he and Everly had been given.

"When she wakes fully and is weaned off the vent, we'll be able to run a series of pulmonary tests on her, determining her lung function as well as her oxygen and carbon dioxide levels," another doctor, one whose name Blake couldn't remember, chimed in.

"But…" Everly whispered, then spoke louder, "Dr. Cullen said…she's already in kidney failure."

She said this as if that was an excuse. As if Kit having kidney failure, meant that there was no reason for her to be diagnosed with anything else.

"Yes," an older female doctor with short black hair, spoke optimistically, "We're going to keep Kit on the catheter, until I'm able to determine what dialysis access would be best for her."

This was Dr. Huang and she would be taking over the role as Kit's nephrologist. She was located at a dialysis center in Port Angeles. There were no dialysis centers or kidney doctors in Forks.

"Dialysis?" Everly parroted. She looked down at the pamphlet in her hand. She had read it a million times.

"I know it sounds scary," Dr. Huang smiled sadly, "But she could conceivably live for years on dialysis. This is something we'll all be able to talk about."

This time, Blake repeated her words, "Live for years? But she won't have to," he took the pamphlet from Everly's shaking hand, "It says right here. She can get a transplant," he said this matter-of-factually.

It would be easy, he thought. She could apply to get on the list, do dialysis and wait for her name to be called or a pager to beep. Perhaps Carlisle would do the transplant here.

However, all the looks that the five doctors in the room shared, swept that possibility from Blake's mind. He didn't understand. It sounded like the transplant idea would fix everything.

They all took turns, spouting numbers, statistics, research and percentages, but none of it mattered. It all led up to the same thing and Blake felt his throat swell shut.

Kit was dying.

"On average," Dr. Smith had said, "Many people with PF live for about three to five years; 20% survive for more than five years, but with the added kidney failure…Kit will be lucky if she gets close to three years. Maybe two."

Tears fell down Everly's cheeks and she let out a sound that was akin to a wounded animal, a drowning gasp.

"The transplant won't help?" she whimpered, "K-Kit can't die. Not again," Blake squeezed her hand.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Dr. Smith continued and Blake pegged this guy as the asshole doctor who just went around breaking bad news, speaking with no compassion, "There are a lot of ethical considerations and that's something you can discuss if you decide to go forward with getting her evaluated when the time comes. It's a very long process."

"From a medical standpoint, I can tell you that pulmonary fibrosis is progressive and that means neither it shows any sign of improvement on its own, nor does it improve with treatment," Dr. Smith cleared his throat, "And that's a problem because to qualify for a kidney transplant, patients are required to have acceptable lung function."

Blake was on the verge of tears and he tried to keep his voice strong, "But Kit will still need to do treatment for her lungs?" when Dr. Smith nodded, he asked, "If it doesn't get better, does that mean she'll need a lung transplant? Is that a thing? Can she get both transplants?"

"There is such a thing as double organ transplants," Dr. Smith confirmed, "Unfortunately, many lung transplant patients suffer from renal problems afterward—a common long-term complication and suffering from kidney failure is a contradiction when qualifying for any kind of lung transplant."

Everly's crying grew louder, but Blake needed another moment to understand.

"So, what you're saying is…" he gasped in a breath, "Kit won't be able to get a kidney transplant because of the lung disease and she won't be able to get the lung transplant because of the kidney…?" he trailed off, confused.

"Yes, because of the kidney failure. Kit's organ diseases unfortunately make it so that getting a transplant for either, or getting both, contradict each other," Dr. Smith summarized, "I'm sorry. I understand you have more questions, but a transplant is not on our radar right now. There's more we need to discuss—

The sound of the fridge opening caused Blake to let out a yelp as he jumped ten feet the air.

He barely registered that Everly had let out a startled cry of her own, dropping the water bottle that was in her hand.

"You scared me!" they accused in unison.

"No, you scared me!" they both said.

A laugh bubbled up out of Everly and she smiled tiredly at him, dressed in her robe.

She closed the fridge. Papers covered its front, tacked up by magnets. They were long lists of instructions to follow: when to and when not to call the emergency room, all the numbers to Kit's doctors, her hectic schedule alternating between her different types of therapy, her doctor appointments, when they were needed in Seattle, and all kinds of different pamphlets.

"What are you doing down here, honey?" she asked him.

Blake had to look around in order to answer that question. The sink was empty and there were no leftovers, waiting to be put in the fridge.

"Um," he drummed on the counter with his hands, "I was thinking," he looked at his wife, "What are you doing?"

"Kit woke up with another low grade fever," Everly closed the fridge and headed towards the walk-in pantry, "She wanted some water, but I think I'm going to give her the Pedialyte drink, instead."

"She doesn't like the orange flavor," Blake reminded her, turning his head, "Or the strawberry lemonade."

"I know," Every emerged, closing the pantry door, "It's fruit punch."

She placed the box of Pedialyte Powder Packs on the counter. Kit didn't like the regular drinks. She thought they were too sweet and the Powder Packs came in more flavors. She was still so picky.

Blake stood in silence, watching Everly prepare the drink. She opened the water bottle, then tore open the packet, pouring the powder straight into the bottle.

Everly met his gaze, holding it as she screwed the cap on and shook the bottle vigorously, turning the water dark red.

"I'll get you a cup," Blake said, leaving his place at the island.

From one of the cupboards, he pulled out a small, brightly-colored green cup. There were five of them stacked up all in different, equally bright colors.

They were cups that Everly had purchased at the store in the baby section. Each one held exactly 3.36 ounces of liquid.

These were Kit's night cups. In the morning, she got her morning cups which were darker colored and each one held exactly ten ounces of liquid. These had been purchased in the kids' section.

"Here," he went back to his wife, placing the smaller cup on the counter, "Or does she need more than that?"

Everly looked up at the ceiling, squinting as she counted in her head.

"She didn't have anything to drink with Emmett," Blake told her.

"I'll just give her the one," Everly decided, pouring the drink into the cup, "Six will be too much, right now. She's tired. You gave her, her night meds?"

It was a rhetorical question, Everly knew that he had, but he answered anyway, "Yes."

"Okay," she kissed him on the lips, "I'll be back."

"Okay," Blake stared at her butt as she headed up the stairs.

While Everly was gone, he went to one of the drawers and took out a small notebook that all ready looked worn for the short time that they had it.

He flipped to the page marked September 6th, 2005 and with a black pen, he wrote: 10:07PM. Pedialyte: 3.36oz.

He went to the bottom of the page, where he had written TOTAL:. He crossed out the earlier number, added it all up and wrote: 23.8oz.

It had been a good day.

Everly had returned just as he put the notebook away and shut the drawer. He went and joined her back at the counter where she abandoned the empty cup without washing it out.

"She drank it all," she said, "And I put a washcloth on her forehead. She should sleep through the rest of the night."

"Good," Blake said. He would check on her when he went up, "And Indigo's asleep?"

"Asleep," Everly confirmed, "How did Kit do with Emmett, today?"

"Ugggghhnnn," Blake leaned his elbows on the counter, dragging his hands over his face, "Emmett said everything went well. Kit hugged everyone, she talked and she laughed. Carlisle brought back the half tab of Ativan. She didn't need it."

"That's great," Everly spoke with a dreamy tone and placed her hand on her heart, "Aww, I'm so happy for her. It'll be nice for her to have him and all her friends."

"She has friends," Blake said, "What's wrong with Alexandra and Jackson?"

"Nothing, they're great," Everly assured, "I like them. What's wrong? You know I adore Alice…"

"No, I know," Blake sighed, "It's Emmett. He's nice and I'm grateful for him and do I think he's good for Kit? Yes, absolutely, but…I don't think it's appropriate for Kit to have a boyfriend, right now. He isn't some knight in shining armor. This isn't one of those cheesy, romance films where he makes everything better or a Nicholas Sparks book."

"Why does it have to be?" Everly asked, "Why does he have to make everything better? Why can't he just make things…okay, sometimes?"

Blake remained firm, "I don't think it's appropriate."

"You know what I think?" Everly leaned her elbows on the counter, "Honey, I think that you're scared and that you want to keep Kit all to yourself."

His eyes shifted to the side and he felt them become glazed with a glassy layer of tears. He tried not to blink, knowing that if he did, tears would slide down his cheeks.

It was his lower lip trembling that gave him away.

"Two years," he pressed his lips together, "Three by a long-shot and even the two has been labeled as a maybe. That's all we get, Everly. That's it."

Everly stared at him. At first, she had cried about the news, but now she felt indifferent about it. It was hard for her to be upset when they had been told that Kit was going to die in her coma. It had been a miracle that she had woken up. How could she be upset at a miracle, no matter how short it was?

Blake knew that he needed to be strong. He needed to gear up and get ready to fight this. Despite what Dr. Smith had said, they still planned to get Kit evaluated and Carlisle agreed to help as much as he could.

They were waiting for Kit to heal a bit more before going forward with the evaluation.

It had only been four months since life had dealt them this hand and Blake was still learning to adjust and cope with it.

Everly went behind him and began to massage his shoulders.

"We have to let her live her life," she soothed him, "She's not only a sick person. She likes to draw and play with her sister and hang out with her friends and listen to music. After everything she went through, she deserves some normalcy. Keeping her home isn't going to change anything. It'll just make her more depressed."

Blake arched an eyebrow. Everly thought he was being overprotective? She treated Kit like a baby and anytime she thought something was wrong, she ran, in a panic, to the phone to call Carlisle.

He said none of this, of course. He tried to chalk it down to Everly being a mom.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he shook his head, "I told him," he admitted, "I told Emmett. Honestly, I thought it would scare him off."

"It didn't?" Everly asked sarcastically.

He shook his head, grumbling, "Emmett got kind of quiet. Kit fell asleep in the car and Carlisle carried her inside, then went back to the car. So, Emmett was alone, watching her sleep and he was so happy to be able to spend time with her, again. I just kind of felt bad…" he twisted around to look at Everly, "So, I told him and he got really quiet."

"Poor thing," Everly interjected.

"He didn't say anything for awhile," Blake recalled this, frowning, "But then he said: 'So, that's it, then?' and I said something like: 'No, we're trying. I'm not going to sit around and wait for her to die'," Blake's voice cracked, "And he said: 'Me, either' and I kind of got offended and told him that he should go."

"Blake!" Everly scolded him, "Stop being mean to him."

"I wasn't mean!" he assured his wife, "I made up an excuse that dinner was soon or that Kit had to take her meds. Something like that."

"Blake…" Everly sighed, "He really loves her. I think he actually loves her."

"I can't deal with that," Blake mumbled.

"I don't know what you thought was going to happen when he showed up at the hospital every single day," she moved to Blake's side so that he could relax his position, "No random, high-school fling boyfriend does that. He put no pressure on Kit to contact him or tell him if they were still together. He didn't call all the time or come over when he wasn't invited. You gave him a get out of jail free card and he didn't take it."

"Ha!" Blake snorted rolling his eyes, jumping when Everly whacked him over the back of his head.

"Leave him alone, honey," Everly rubbed the spot she had hit, chuckling, "He's such a sweetheart and Kit loves him."

"I guess…" Blake sighed. He decided to change the subject, no longer wanting to speak about Emmett Cullen, "Are Alexandra and Jackson still coming over, next week?"

"I think so," Everly confirmed, "On Saturday, if she's feeling well."

"Okay, that's fine," Blake nodded, "We'll both be here to keep an eye on them."

"Yes," Everly nodded, "Come on, now, honey. Try and relax. Let's go to bed. Come to bed with me."

"Okay," Blake took Everly's face in his hands. He kissed her once, twice, three times before she giggled against his mouth, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Everly was still giggling.

Hand-in-hand they went upstairs, shutting the lights off behind them.