Charlie Swan – September 13th 1989 – Forks General Hospital – Maternity Wards.
"One more push Mrs Swan, just one more," the nurse coaxed my screaming wife.
"Come on Ren," I whispered in her ear, "one more honey."
She gripped my hand tight and squeezed as she tried to push our child into the world, no doubt trying to inflict pain on me in return for the pain I was causing her at this moment. Three minutes later, my wife's screams of agony were joined by a smaller cry.
"Congratulations Mr & Mrs Swan, it's a girl." The same nurse announced to us with a smile.
I have a daughter.
I looked down at Renee smiling. "We have a daughter Ren." I grinned wider when the nurse asked me to cut the cord.
"Do you have a name for her?"
"Isabella." Renee gasped from her spot on the bed, closing her eyes, "Isabella Marie Swan."
"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." The nurse noted as she took our daughter away to get cleaned up.
After Isabella was cleaned and wrapped up, she was handed to my wife. I looked down at my two girls. My family.
In the maternity ward, I sat at the side of Renee's bed while she slept, holding our daughter in my arms. I was still having a hard time getting my head around the fact that she was here and real, in my arms.
I heard a squeal from across the room and noticed another man in my position, next to his wife but holding a blue bundle and trying to keep the little squirt in the pushchair quiet.
"Shh, Emmett." I heard him say, "Mommy's sleeping."
"Daddy, Em baby." The little boy frowned. It was comical seeing that little boy frowning up at his father.
"Emmett, if you promise me you'll stay quiet, you can hold the baby."
I watched the little boy nod furiously in agreement with his father, who arranged himself so that the little boy was sitting on his knee whilst he clutched the blue bundle with his chubby little hands.
"Emmy baby Daddy!" He squealed.
"Emmett!"
"Emmy shhh." He smiled.
"That's right son, Emmett be quiet while mommy sleeps."
The man looked over at me, "Sorry about the noise, he's a little over-excited today." He smiled apologetically.
"Don't worry about it," I smiled back, "Congratulations."
"You too!"
"Emmy baby!" The little boy squeaked again before squinting up at his father and saying firmly, "Emmy night-nights Daddy."
"Ok, son, give me your brother."
The little boy squealed indignantly as he let go reluctantly of his little brother and climbed off his father's knee and into his pushchair.
I got up and walked over to them, re-arranging Isabella in my arms, "Do you mind if I sit with you, my wife isn't very talkative at the moment." I chuckled.
"Of course. My name's Carlisle. The squealer there is Emmett and this little one is Edward Anthony Cullen." He smiled at his son.
"Charlie." I said, sitting down next to him, "this is Isabella Marie Swan."
"Nice to meet you both. How much does Isabella weigh?"
"Seven pounds on the nose." I said proudly. I looked down at my beautiful girl then back to Carlisle, "what about Edward?"
"Six pounds and thirteen ounces." He smiled down at the blue bundle.
The conversation flowed easily between us. I found that Carlisle and his wife, Esme had just moved to Forks from Seattle with their adopted son, Emmett.
"We had a lot of problems trying to conceive," he told me with a sad smile, "We were told there was a high chance it would never happen, so we adopted Emmett when he was four months old, two months later, Esme tells me she's expecting. I was shocked to say the least. We now have two kids under two. "
"That's gonna be tough. How old is Emmett?"
"He's fifteen months old now. Just walking and no more, but quite a talker for his age we've been told. Everyone thinks it's cute, but you try getting him to pipe down." He chuckled.
We talked about our careers. I told him of my recent promotion to Chief of Police in Forks, while he was a doctor here in Forks General and a successful paediatric surgeon. We spoke about our wives, I told him about my scatter-brained Renee, her art, all the little things she does that make me smile.
We were mid-way through discussing the pros and cons of home schooling when two nurses came into the room.
"Feeding time." One of them announced with a smile.
"I'll talk to you later no doubt." Carlisle smiled at me before gently shaking his wife. I crossed the room to do the same.
Renee fed her first. The nurse showed us how to burp her and wash her. Then came my favourite, nappy changes.
Wipe front to back. Wipe front to back. Wipe front to back. Wipe front to back. Wipe front to back. Wipe front to back.
I ran it like a mantra through my head. I didn't know girls had to just wipe one way. The nurse mentioned infections in certain bits. I was grossed out. Very grossed out. No way in hell my daughter is getting an infection in her… her… flower.
I looked over at Carlisle and his wife; they were both confident, it was apparent by the way the nurse was standing, just observing them. I gave him a shaky smile.
"Don't be nervous Chief Swan," our nurse said, "You're doing everything just right." She patted my arm and started talking to my wife. I held my newly fed, burped and changed daughter in my arms. She wriggled slightly in my grip and opened her eyes, staring right up at me.
"Hey baby girl." I whispered to her, grinning like the fool I was, "How're you doing?"
Her dark eyes were trained on my face for another few minutes before she shut them and fell asleep again.
"I guess you've had a hard day too." I whispered to her. I looked back to the bed where Ren was. She was exhausted, I could tell by the little smile she had on her face, her eyelids drooping, "Ren, get some sleep hon. you look beat."
Three hours passed by. Carlisle and I talked most of the time while our wives slept. I reluctantly handed my daughter to her mother when we were ready to leave.
Carlisle and I swapped numbers as we were heading out of the door with our respective wives and children.