Aunty Alice said it would happen this day… mid-spring when the first flower blossoms on the olive tree out front. It is warming out and some sun peeks through the clouds and then through the forest to make beautiful streams of sparkling light… the brightest stream highlighting the beautiful bloom opening in slow motion.
I knew it was the big day when I awoke that morning. I could feel my abdomen quickening and my babies were communicating in their way to me general feelings of "arrival", "awakening" and "new beginning." As Jacob and I nervously enter the living room where my family is gathered, I catch my father steal a quick glance through the front room window to the tree for confirmation. He too could hear my children through the ever-thinning membrane that has been the walls of their home for the past four months.
"It's time Dad, I know it is."
He gave me an apologetic look that was quickly replaced by that same mask of fear and uncertainty he's been wearing since the beginning. I immediately flitted to his side and placed my palm to his cheek and his mask melted away.
Don't worry, my wonderful papa… everything will be just fine. I put my message into his mind through our contact. I am rewarded with his special smile… the one he saves just for me, that I love so much. I feel his cool, stone-hard cheek warm under my palm from the love I can feel that radiates from him.
"I know... it's just that Alice hasn't seen the children… "
"Well, that's simply because they are part wolf," I say out loud to everyone.
"That, and my kids are extra-fricken special!" Jacob yells.
"Wow, someone has really become quite the leech-lover," Uncle Emmett adds.
"No-one doubts that they'll be very special," Gran Esme kindly supplies. "Great-grandchildren are well… great!" She takes my arm and spins me halfway to face my mother. I gasp. I can swear there are tears in her eyes except she really cannot cry.
"Mommy," I say as I reach out to her. She flies into my arms a little too forcefully but I can handle her super strength even in my condition.
"Oh, my love, I am so excited, I love you so much my dearest Renesmee."
I place both my palms to each of her cool cheeks and I blast her with an overwhelming flow of pure unconditional love and I can feel the same emanating from her heart to mine. Together, our love gives off a heat and I suppose it might even burn if I knew what that felt like.
"Ok, Ok! Let's get those children outta ya so we can hold them and kiss them and love them forever and ever!" Aunty Rose says with an air of anxiousness.
"Your birthing team is ready to go when you are!" Aunty Ali tells me as she gently leads me to the birthing room.
Inside the birthing room, the light-blocking drapes are drawn, the ceiling is painted black and there are one hundred tiny twinkle lights hung and glowing to simulate a starry night. There are also one hundred unscented tea light candles lit and placed all around. It looks so cozy and inviting. There are piles of freshly-cut birch and evergreen branches all around, my request because I love their relaxing scent. In the center of the dimly-lit room, there is a large, low-to-the-floor, overly-cushioned bed. At the foot of the bed, there is some medical equipment and a sonograph machine but they are not too noticeable. Grandpa Car is already waiting patiently sitting on a stool at the foot of the bed.
Jacob suddenly sweeps me off my feet and into his arms. "Are you ready to start, beautiful?"
I blush and nod and he places me on the bed and then gently pushes some pillows under my head. He kisses my brow and then the tip of my nose as he cuddles next to me on the bed. He continuously strokes strands of my hair and curls them around his fingers. Mom and Gran settle at each side of my head and Aunty Rose and Aunty Ali fill the spaces next to Grandpa to help him clean and hold the babies.
"Soo… how will it begin Doc?"
"Jacob, you know I have no idea, but in the meantime, I will start will another ultrasound."
Carlisle places a slippery probe to her abundant stomach and moves it around. There is a recognizable picture on the monitor screen. It looks like a gray linen laundry bag full of puppies. Not see-through but thin enough to sometimes make out a baby's hand, arm or a foot when it pushes straight into the uterine wall.
"Just as usual, the uterine wall has thinned a bit, as it does every day, but not enough to really see the babies. You can just make out basic things like their forms and sizes."
"Well, no need to wait long to see them… I can feel something happening." I start to squirm. "I feel a strong tightening in my belly… I think it's pushing the child… " The pressure is uncomfortable but of course not painful.
Carlisle lifts her slip just enough to inspect her progress. "You are fully dilated and I can feel the child's head descending. Uncomfortable pressure and tightening alternate and after a few minutes, water mixed with blood and a black haired baby slide from the birth canal. Everyone squeals and cheers.
I watch through my tear-drowned eyes as my baby takes a first breath. The tears roll down my cheeks but Jacob is kissing them away in between telling me that the baby is a boy and that he loves me. Jacob wipes at his own eyes as he bombards Carlisle with questions concerning the baby's health and appearance.
"Come over here and cut the cord Jacob and see how healthy he is!"
Just as Jacob is making his way closer, our baby cries out a beautiful sound. His cry sounds like a wonderful melody and I have heard this song before… every night in fact, in my dreams, through-out the whole pregnancy.
"It's Nightingale, my Nightingale… my little songbird of the evening."
Jacob looks into my eyes and smiles his gorgeous, sweet smile, "That's perfect, my love... " He cuts the cord and takes the baby from Grandpa Car. Nightingale is still "crying" until Jacob holds him close, "…and so are you, my little boy." He places Nightingale on my chest and as soon as his skin touches mine, I am overwhelmed by a bright, white and gold light in my mind that is Nightingale's heart and soul. I know it to be his heart and soul… good, pure, golden and merry. Distantly, I hear and feel my mother praising me and congratulating me but I am transfixed on my son. He looks up at me with the palest golden eyes and smiles a heart-breakingly lovely smile with his set of tiny, white teeth. I am in love with this child of mine. I will do anything and everything for him.
Bella tells everyone that Nightingale is advanced for a newborn just like his mom. "Well, looks like the babies will be like you in that matter."
It is Rosalie's voice that breaks the trance, "Well I'm first in line to hold him! Give him here so I can clean him off and dress him up."
"That's a good idea Aunty because here come the contractions again."
Jacob comes back to my side, "Are you ok?"
"Yes, my love, it is merely uncomfortable." I kiss his lips lightly to help ease his concern. With a few more contractions, another baby with a head of shiny, blackish-hair with a bronzy-purple tint to it slides into Grandpa's hands. This baby comes out crying hard. Except the crying sounds more like cackling.
Jacob jumps up and grabs the scissors, "It's another boy!" He takes the baby, holding him under his arms, feet dangling and puts his face to his, "This pup looks like me! Look, he's got my face and my eyes… except for the dark yellow color."
I look between the two, "Yes, he does look like you, but he's not a pup… he's a Grackle. Just listen to him!"
When the baby hears her speak, Grackle abruptly stops crying and looks straight to his mother. He looks across the bed into his mother's eyes. As they make eye contact, he telepathically sends his loving thoughts to her mind but she also thinks she might sense a darker side to him or maybe it's just that he's gonna be a lil' troublemaker. Grackle then actually smirks at her.
"Did you see that?" I am amazed at Grackle's advanced expression. Actually, everyone was pretty amused by it and I think he's definitely a troublemaker.
Grandpa Car remarks that the boys are even more advanced than she was at birth and it should be interesting to see how quickly they develop.
Jacob brings the baby to his mother. As she holds him, they smile and giggle back and forth at each other. She places her palm to his brow and cheek.
Good you shall do my son, to do this, bad you shall be. I'm not sure how I know this, but I know it to be true so I kiss his forehead after sending him that thought and he sends a message back to my mind as my lips leave his skin, Yes, momma.
Aunty Ali giggles and takes the baby from my arms, "I will tidy up this little cutie now since I'm guessing your third and final child will be arriving shortly." And with that, the contractions do start up again.
Carlisle helps deliver the last baby with reddish-brown hair, light caramel-colored eyes and holds him up for all to see.
"Another Boy! Oh my God… triplet boys… we're so lucky!" Jacob yells.
Esme giggles, "Many broken vases and TV screens!"
Everybody is congratulating us and Jacob is cutting his cord while gushing about his team of all-boy wolf pups but I am noticing the baby's size difference.
"Wait. He is smaller. Is that ok?"
Grandpa takes the baby back from Jacob. Now, Jacob's light banter turns to alarm as he waits for the Doctor's assessment. All of the women quit their happy chatter too and wait for Carlisle to say something.
Carlisle weighs the boy in his hand, "Yes, smaller. He is about 3.7 pounds lighter than his brothers."
Jacob's face goes white, "What does that mean Doc?"
Carlisle appears unalarmed as he gently hands the baby back to Jacob, "It could mean that he got less nutrition in utero or it could mean nothing… I am not worried about it."
The smaller boy just smiles and points to his mom. Jacob hands him over and he cuddles into her arms. They look into each other's eyes. He reaches up and places his palm on her chin. He communicates to her the same way that she does by showing her pictures. He shows her shots of the inside of the orange, glowing womb and hearing everyone talk to them through the belly. Or being entwined with Grackle mostly and the time that Grackle elbowed him in the side because he wanted more room. The little boy kicked Grackle back and refused to move an inch.
I giggled at his pictures of a little version of him standing up to a much bigger Grackle. I knew he was smaller but that he'd be just fine. "He's smaller because he is Wren. And Wren is gonna be just as tough as his big brothers."
Everyone laughed and relaxed. A cooing Bella and Jacob stroke Wren's cheek. Rose and Alice went back to dressing and swaddling the other boys.
A knock on the door precedes Edward peeking in, "We hear everything is over and we'd like to come meet my triplet grandsons!" Jacob covers his wife with a light blanket to make her decent as Edward, Emmett and Jasper file in. Esme stands by her husband to give the guys some room.
"Yea, let's take a look at this lil' wolf pack you got goin," Emmett says. Jacob gives a lil' "ahhh oooo" of a howl and they both share a laugh. Jasper goes to Alice's side to do some adoring with her.
"This is your Uncle Jasper and he is the best uncle you'll ever have!" Alice coos.
Edward drops down to take his daughter's hand in his as he looks back and forth to her face and to Wren's. Bella leans next to them while watching in complete adoration and bliss of her blazingly perfect husband.
"He has your hair color, Dad."
Edward's face lights up, "And his eye color… that was also the color of my eyes, before… "
"I never knew…" I started to say but was abruptly chocked off by an intense pain.
"Arragh! I'm having another contraction and it actually hurts!"
"What do you mean it hurts?" Bella asks worriedly since her daughter has never really felt any real pain. Renesmee starts to twist and pant. Esme grabs Wren from her arms and he wails at the abrupt departing. Jacob squeezes in between Edward and Renesmee, grabs her hands and franticly tries to soothe her. "It's ok Ness… it's ok… tell me what to do... tell me."
"I. Don't. Know. It's so uncomfortable!"
"It's the afterbirth, the placenta… it needs to be delivered as well. It can't stay inside Renesmee, you need to push it out," Carlisle tells her as he shoos Edward out of the way. "I'm going to help you. Edward, turn around and you guys, don't look. I'm going to push on your belly now to help deliver the placenta, you push too, Renesmee!"
"Ow, ow, ok, I am!"
Jacob's eyes are glowing red and he is panting right along with her, "Carlisle, make it stop! Get that after-crap out already!"
"I am, Jacob! I am grabbing it… I am… grab… "
Edward turns around wide, blank eyes and paler than ever, "I hear her. She sounds so sad. What is… going on?"
Carlisle then pulls the afterbirth out which is actually a very small, petite, wailing baby girl. She is very pale and beautiful with rose-blushed cheeks and curly, midnight black hair that brushes her shoulders. Her eyes do not open as she continues her hauntingly melancholy cry. Carlisle holds the baby up and just stares in disbelief. Everyone is starring wide-eyed and dumbfounded, mouths hanging open. Renesmee is the only one making any noise as she cries uncontrollably. Jacob pats her absentmindedly as he too stares at the baby girl in dis-belief. Finally, Jacob shakes loose his stupor and comes forward to cut her cord. No one says a word as he takes her into his arms and gently rocks her as silent tears streak down his face. Slowly and gently he places her on Renesmee's chest.
Immediately, my baby stops her soulful cry and cuddles inward towards my warm skin. My hands come up around my daughter and then she gives a sleepy sigh. My daughter… I have a daughter. I am reeling. My body feels like it leaves me and sways back and forth in front of my eyes. I am falling. There are no words for my state of mind. I am stuck in this moment of pure, sheer bliss. I stop crying as I feel the most intense protective love bursting my heart into millions of pieces. Now I know how my mother felt when I was born… that is, before I bit her.
"Is it a miracle?" Jacob asks Carlisle.
"I don't know… This whole time, I could only make out three fetuses on ultrasound. I don't know how she could have been hidden from view day after day after day for four months."
"Carlisle, why hasn't she opened her eyes or smiled or done the other things that her brothers can do?"
"I don't know Jacob… none of us know much yet… I'm sure we will all have a great many questions to ask about your extraordinary children."
Bella's hand comes into Renesmee's view as her mother gently strokes the little girl's dark, long eyelashes. Renesmee, what will her name be?"
Unable to take her eyes away from her baby daughter she whispers, "Mourning Dove."