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"If I thought there was anything they could do for her that we couldn’t, I would’ve already taken her there She just needs to rest and rebuild her blood"

"No offense, but you’re not a doctor How can you possibly know? If she’s dying, they can put her on life support," I said

"She’s not dying, not yet, but if you think she would be better suited at a hospital, or she would be happier living out the rest of her existence on life support, I will take her there," he said, not unkindly "But I have spentto keep the huhly that anybody at the hospital can make that same claim, but yes, they do have more advanced medical equipment than I do"

"I understand" I looked down at the steps "As long as she’s stable now, I say we leave her here But I reserve the right to take to her the hospital if her condition worsens"

"You’ve always had that right, whether it worsened or not" Ezra touchedto coo see her?"

I argued with hi her Ezra would always do as best for everyone, and I knew that If he couldn’t take care of Jane here, he wouldn’t have brought her back

But I didn’t want to see her, knowing how sick and frail she looked Jane had often been superficial and a bitch, but she was always powerful She carried herself with purpose, and the last thing she’d ever want anyone to see is her being weak and small

Slowly, I pushed open the door to Peter’s rooe bed, Jane looked even s her pulse and blood pressure, all by ear and touch Jane was just a thin little line down the center of the bed Her ar but skin and bone

Her nore covered the bite ain She kept her hair short, but her roots were showing Jane wasn’t even ed her out of her designer dress to put her in more comfortable pajamas, and left her dress discarded at the end of the bed It looked dirty and faded The only thing in life that had ever really mattered to Jane was her appearance, and she had cos tocould really make me feel any better about this When I saw Jane at the club before, I should’ve just dragged her away, no ht me

Or better yet, I never should’ve told her about vampires, or let her see Milo after he turned If Milo had never bit her, if she’d never found out, if she’d never even o to the club night after night, looking for a fix, but I had set this course of events in motion If I had a made a different decision any nu on death’s door

I stood at the end of the bed, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath Every tiain, and it was an eternity between heartbeats Every second she was alive, I was certain it would be her last I barely even noticed when Peter came in the room That’s how hard I concentrated on Jane

"Sorry I just cas," Peter said and hurried into his bathroo to sleep on the couch tonight, and if he was getting ready for bed, it et some rest yourself," Mae told ht It won’t do her any good if you stay up all day exhausting yourself"

"You’ll lethappens?" I chewed ht that when I stopped watching her, that’s when she’d stop breathing

"I’m just across the hall from you," Mae smiled at me "She’ll be just fine, love I can feel it"

Reluctantly, I went out into the hall and shut the bedroo for a , I started to believe that h of relief that sounded suspiciously like a sob, and I took another deep breath to try to keep back the tears Peter came out of his room and almost bumped into me, since I hadn’t bothered to a step away from the door

"Oh, Alice, sorry!" Peter put his hand onand needed him to stabilize me

"No, it’s okay" I shook ht?" He lowered his head, trying to look reat" I forced a smile, and my vision blurred froot my best friend and my brother’s boyfriend killed Not to mention, I have no idea where my own boyfriend is because I drove hireat!" Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I wiped them away

"What happened to Jane isn’t your fault," he said quietly

"Yes it is! I’estured widely to the hallway "Everything I touch gets destroyed! I mean, you had this stable fa it apart! You and Jack, and now Mae and Ezra, and I know that’s not directly my fault, but it is! It’s er of doom!"