Beautiful Days

Chapter 61 -Worries and Worries-

(Carlisle's POV)

The first night back in Forks was pure torture for our family, especially Esme. I tried as best as I could to cope with it all, but I hadn't felt so worn out in a very long time, emotionally I was a wreck...

Haven was stable for now, but he still couldn't breathe on his own and the antibiotics didn't kick in. My hopes were still up, but my experience and knowledge told me that it must have by now or it simply wouldn't. My own weird logic, or just the fact that I was a daddy, told me though to keep on hoping, keep on waiting for it to work, keep on waiting for him to wake up...

I would be ecstatic if he would only take a small breath, just a sign that he was fighting, but nothing... The hardest thing for Esme was that he wouldn't wake up. I had to give him pain medication so that he was in a nearly coma-like state and thus couldn't wake up. She had been so exhausted from the last two days that we all feared for her to break down. She had already been emotionally and physically stricken from the fight, then she had hardly slept more than two hours on the plane and now she had to see it all unfold before her eyes...

Robert, Edward and I had tried to convince her to go home, if only for a few hours so that she could eat something and get some sleep, but she simply refused, staying right next to Haven's bed, holding onto his hand while she talked and sang to him and soothed him.

Robert had given up shortly after having tried it twice every time he checked on Haven. Edward had tried persistently to get her to go home, but she refused, not even looking at any of us, only weakly saying no. He gave up after trying to convince her for a few hours. I knew that it did no good, honestly I could understand her and wouldn't act differently. I would never leave Haven's side right now.

So after Esme had cried herself empty emotionally, it had already darkened and night was descending. She had been so exhausted that she was too weak to keep her eyes open as she half lay on the incubator, her palm and cheek resting against the plastic. I had stayed in the background the entire time, of course I had tried to soothe her, but I also knew all too well that nothing but Haven's recovery could soothe both of us. But I also knew her well enough to know when it was time to pull her into my arms and she allowed me to soothe her as much as only she could soothe me.

That time came just as the sun set and I tucked her into my arms, she protested weakly as I pulled her away from Haven, but quickly cuddled against my chest, not stopping crying though. I sat down in the chair against the window and kept her in my arms. She laid her head on my shoulder, burying her face in my neck, her hands loosely resting around my neck from when I'd carried her. I sighed and stroked her tousled hair out of her tired face. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying all day when she peeked up to me. I smiled, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. She sighed quietly, the exhaustion from the last days reflecting in her eyes.

I stroked her hand absentmindedly, but noticed how she flinched. I looked confused, but the remembered the burn. "I should check on it again, darling," I murmured. She simply shook her head, too exhausted probably to talk. "It won't hurt and Haven needs you healthy," I argued and with a silent sigh she let me cradle her right arm in my hands. I shifted her a bit so that I could put the bandage off. It wasn't ideal what I was doing here, but it was the best we could do here in our state.

I cringed when I saw the fire red skin that surely must hurt a lot. Her entire forearm was affected, some places worse than others. "I need to get some cooling balm and new bandages, love. I'll be back in a second," I told her and carefully set her down in the chair. She merely nodded, cradling her arm against her chest. I walked out of the room to get to the supply room. I luckily still remembered their location and it didn't take long for me to get the right supplies and I could rush back to Esme. I kneeled down in front of her, taking her arm into my hands again. She closed her eyes in pain as I applied the palm, but relaxed as soon as I put the bandage around the wound again. I smiled, got rid of the things and then lifted her back into my embrace. She was dead on her feet, forcing herself to keep her eyes open.