A/N: So….please read this: some of you are going to want to junk punch Edward in this one-shot! I TOTALLY understand! If you've never had a child with a significant other – there's no way to describe what it can do to your relationship! It is one of the most wonderful, beautiful things and it can put a HUGE strain on your relationship at the same time! Please keep that in mind while reading this!
Super huge thanks to breath-of-twilight for hosting ANOTHER countdown and for beta'ing this for me! She's the bees knees and I flove her!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or these characters!
Double Revival
Muted sunlight filtered in through the curtains in Isabella and Edward's bedroom. Quiet humming filled the room as Isabella struggled to fit the clean sheets to the bed, her bulging belly proving more of a hassle these days. For the most part, Isabella was happy and content with her life. She married her high school sweetheart, Edward Cullen, and after four years of marriage, they were preparing to welcome their first child into the world.
The news of their impending arrival had both Isabella and Edward's families over the moon with joy. Isabella's mother, Renee, was excited to shower her first grandchild with gifts, while her father, Charlie, was excited with the prospect of a new fishing partner. Edward's father, Carlisle, shared in Charlie's joy of a new fishing partner as well, while his mother, Esme, was planning future birthday parties as well as purchasing every adorable outfit that she'd set eyes on.
Isabella shared in their joy too, planning a beautiful nursery of blue and tan shades. She could hardly contain her excitement for little Greyson's arrival. Edward was excited in his own way, but didn't seem to have time to plan anything when it came to their future child. This puzzled Isabella because getting pregnant was a shared decision between them and now she was second guessing herself. Not that she'd ever do anything to take back getting pregnant, but she wondered if maybe her version of events leading up to her being impregnated was skewed.
As she was smoothing out the comforter over their bed, Edward's iPad chimed brightly from beside the bed. Glancing over, Isabella noticed that the screen was lit up with an iMessage. She caught the words hottie and Harry's and couldn't contain her curiosity. Seating herself on the edge of the bed, she picked up his iPad and unlocked it. After she clicked on the iMessage icon, her stomach dropped. The text conversation between Edward and his best friend, Ben was very incriminating. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she read the messages.
E: Dude, new hottie at Harry's. She's training to replace Marcy as bartender. Fuckhot with an amazing rack!
B: You're at Harry's? How long you staying?
E: I've got time, Bella doesn't expect me home for another few hours. I told her I had to work late tonight.
B: Awesome, I'll be there in ten!
The contents of Isabella's stomach heaved as she rushed to the en-suite bathroom and emptied her insides. After a few minutes, she stood and flushed the toilet. She felt as if her heart was swirling down the drain as well. She knew that Edward was a typical guy that checked out other women. She would think him abnormal if he didn't look, but being seven months pregnant and struggling to complete normal household chores along with raging hormones had her in tears and wondering why he couldn't just come home and spend time with her.
She approached the offending iPad again as it once again chimed.
E: Hurry up, dude! You don't want to miss this!
Not for the first time, Bella wondered if they married too young. Edward never had the opportunity to go out and experience the world, but at the time he assured her that he didn't need anyone but her and he didn't need to have any time alone to figure that out.
Numbness overtook her body as she placed Edward's iPad back on the bedside table and retreated to the kitchen. She checked on the roast in the slow cooker, wondering when Edward was going to text her informing her that he was going to be late. She glanced at the clock and cringed, curious how he'd been able to leave work at three in the afternoon. They'd been working on a huge project and she was certain that the deadline was at the end of the week. After that realization, her mind spiraled, questioning if he'd been lying about having a project at all. Maybe he was coming home late every night because he couldn't stand being around her.
She found herself sitting in the living room in her favorite chair, staring out the window. Tears rolled down her face silently as her mind wiped itself clean. She didn't hear her phone chime from the kitchen either. After another hour of mindless staring, she approached her phone to find a text from Edward.
E: Hey, baby, I'm going to be at the office late tonight. Sorry for the short notice, but we're almost done with this project so it should be the last late night.
Bella suddenly felt anger boil through her veins. It took all of her restraint not to throw her phone at the wall and watch it smash into a million pieces. What she really wanted to do was to go down to Harry's and call Edward out on his bullshit, but she wasn't sure if she had the strength or energy to fight with him about this. She resigned herself to the fact that if he was going to cheat then it would happen. She mustered up the last bit of trust she had for him and decided to ignore this situation for the time being. She wanted a happy household, not a miserable one, even if she was miserable on the inside.
. . . .
On Saturday, Bella was up early preparing for the day of her baby shower. The last couple of days since the iPad incident had been tough for Bella to get through. Edward barely noticed that she wasn't her normal self, but he didn't say anything. Edward slumbered peacefully while Bella got dressed and gathered the things she'd need for the day. A week ago, she'd have woken Edward with a kiss to tell him she was leaving, but she decided that she wasn't going to do that today.
The drive to her mother-in-law's house was short, and judging by the look on Esme's face she wasn't expecting Bella so early.
"Hi, sweetheart." Esme greeted her with a warm hug and ushered her into the house that Edward grew up in. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but what are you doing here so early?"
"Oh, I couldn't sleep," Bella said with a shrug. "I figured you could use some help so I got dressed and headed out."
"Where's Edward?" Esme asked, preparing a glass of juice for Bella.
"Sleeping," Bella replied quietly.
"Alright then, let's have some breakfast and then we can start preparing for the party."
Several hours passed with excited chatter about the baby and the gifts Bella would receive today. Around lunchtime Bella's phone chimed with a text message. She scooped her phone up while still giggling at something that Esme had said.
E: Where are you? You're going to be late for the shower!
Bella rolled her eyes and wondered if Edward was just waking up for the day.
B: I'm at your parent's house already.
She kept it short and sweet and went to set her phone down, but Edward replied immediately.
E: Why didn't you wake me up before you left?
Bella shoved her phone back in her purse without replying. She must have had a disgusted look on her face because Carlisle piped up from across the kitchen.
"Has he done something to piss you off, angel?"
"I don't…I think I'm just hormonal," Bella admitted with a blush rising to her cheeks.
"You let me know if he steps out of line. I'll set his ass straight, and I know I won't be the only one," he said warmly, referring to her father and Edward's brother, Emmett, as well. She had a lot of support around her and she knew that if Edward ever did something to really upset her, his family would be the first in line to kick his ass.
"Thanks, Carlisle," Bella whispered and headed to the dining room where Esme was setting out trays of snacks.
Guests started arriving and Bella felt like she was walking on air. Her friends and family members chattered excitedly throughout the party. Everyone was more than happy to discuss all things baby. Rosalie, Bella's sister-in-law, was quite protective of Bella, and when Edward and Emmett's Aunt Millie approached with her fingers poised for feeling the bump, Rose stepped in and distracted her with food and drink so she couldn't touch her. One thing that had drastically changed for Bella once she'd gotten pregnant was her fear of germs. She didn't want anyone but close family members touching her. It made her cringe when strangers approached her wanting to feel the baby.
Time flew by and her guests were leaving with well wishes and promises of lunch or dinner before baby Greyson made his appearance. Renee, her mother, hugged her tightly and promised that she'd be by later next week to help her set everything up that she got that day.
Emmett came through the front door, hugging Renee on her way out, and smiled widely. "I'm ready to load up my Rover," he said excitedly. "Where's Edward?" he asked, peeking around the corner into the living room.
"I have no idea," Bella admitted with a shrug.
"He should be here to load everything up," he scoffed and grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed his brother. He walked into the dining room and kissed Rosalie on the cheek.
"Bro, where the hell are you? The shower is over and you're supposed to be here loading this shit up," Emmett spat into the phone and then ended the call. "I got his voicemail," he said pocketing his phone.
"We can load it up, bear," Rosalie soothed him. "There's more than enough room between my car, Bella's car, and your truck."
"Okay," he nodded and started hauling boxes out to his truck.
Rosalie and Bella started cleaning up dishes and cups while Esme cleared out the kitchen. Carlisle appeared from his office and offered his help to Emmett. Bella checked her phone for the first time since she'd stashed it away at lunchtime.
E: I got called into work. Apparently there are a few things on this project that need to be adjusted before the final is sent out on Monday. Sorry I can't be there with you.
Bella rolled her eyes and grabbed her personal items before hugging Carlisle and Esme goodbye. Emmett and Rosalie followed Bella to her house, and Emmett started unloading all the boxes into the garage as Bella and Rosalie went into the house.
"Where the fuck is Edward?" Rosalie demanded once we were in the kitchen.
"I got a text from him this afternoon stating that he had to go into work. I didn't realize he texted me until after Emmett called him."
"Really?" Rose scoffed. "He got called into work on a Saturday afternoon?"
"Or he's at the bar," Bella whispered and looked down at the counter in shame.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Bella went on to explain the incident the other day with Edward's iPad. Rose's eyes grew wide with anger and disbelief.
"I don't think he realizes that iMessages that are sent to his phone also go to his iPad," Bella offered with a sad, watery smile.
"Do you think he's cheating on you?"
"I have no idea," Bella replied, her heart breaking slightly.
"I think after Emmett gets everything unloaded we're going to take a trip to Harry's."
"Please don't, Rose," Bella begged. "I just…the baby will be here soon and I just want to exist in this happy bubble for a little longer. If he's cheating then I'll deal with it after Greyson is born. I can't do it right now."
Rosalie promised that she wouldn't visit Harry's after they left, but Bella could see the anger simmering in her eyes. She knew that she wanted to find Edward and rip his balls off. She also knew that if Rosalie told Emmett about this conversation, Emmett would put Edward into a body cast. She just wasn't ready to face the problem that had developed in their relationship.
. . . .
November had passed without much fanfare. Edward was coming home every night and doted on Bella more than usual. This caused Bella's suspicion to grow, but still she ignored the growing pit in her stomach. She'd also refused to check Edward's iPad since that day in late October. She didn't want to know and even though her curiosity was peaked, she still refrained from checking his messages.
"Baby, do you want to go and find a take home outfit today?" Edward asked as he entered their bedroom just a few days before Christmas.
"I found an outfit already," she stated. "I got it last week. I told you that."
"I forgot," he chuckled. "Can I do anything for you before I go?"
"Where are you going?" Bella asked, panicked slightly. Her stomach had been hurting quite a bit lately and she'd been feeling contractions for a few days. They weren't regular or intense, but she constantly worried that she'd go into labor at any moment. Even though she was a few weeks early, she knew it wasn't impossible.
"I have to go into work," he said with a huff. "I told you that this morning."
"No you didn't," she snapped. "It's Saturday, Edward. Why do you have to go into work today?"
"Because, Bella, some of us have to work for a living. I work my ass off so you can stay home, and I'm sorry that I have to put forth extra effort so I can be off once the baby comes, but that's the way it is."
Tears filled Bella's eyes as she rolled over on the bed and ignored Edward's pleas for forgiveness. After a few moments he was gone and she was left with an empty feeling. She closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to just take her under and away from the turmoil that her life had seemed to morph into. She was lulled into a false sense of hope since Edward had been home so much the past few weeks.
She rolled to his side of the bed and grabbed his iPad before she could talk herself out of it. Once she was in his messages, her worst fears were confirmed. A string of text messages with Ben proved that he wasn't at work, but down at Harry's hanging out with the new bartender, who was apparently named Heidi and a group of her girlfriends.
A sharp pain shot through her belly causing her to drop the iPad on the bed.
"Fuck," she cried out, clutching her abdomen and rolling onto her side. After a few moments the pain eased slightly, but not much. Trails of tears streamed down her face as the pain intensified again. She attempted to get up, and when she couldn't stand she crawled into the bathroom. As she sat on the toilet and looked down she screamed at the amount of blood in her panties.
Using the last remaining strength she had, she made her way slowly to her cell phone on the other side of the bedroom. She called Edward first, praying that he would pick up, but after three rings, his recorded voice came over the line asking to leave a message.
"Edward," she cried and dropped the phone to clutch her belly again. She took deep breaths and blew them out through her mouth practicing the breathing they'd been shown at the birthing class they'd completed last week. As the pain lessened, she picked up her phone again and dialed Rosalie.
"What's up girl?" Rose asked in a cheerful greeting.
"Rose," Bella whimpered. "Blood…help me," she coughed and cried as the pain intensified. She could hear Rose screaming on the other end of the phone, but she couldn't answer her. She slumped to the floor as everything went black.
Bella woke in the ambulance from the jostling of the gurney being unloaded at the hospital.
"Bella," Rose cried, looking down on her. "It's going to be okay," she soothed as panic started welling within Bella.
"Mrs. Cullen, can you tell me what day it is?" One of the EMT's asked her as they wheeled her into the ER.
"Um…Saturday," Bella replied uncertainly. The EMT nodded and helped the nurses move Bella from the gurney to a hospital bed.
"She's lost a lot of blood," the EMT told the nurse who was hooking Bella up to a blood pressure cuff. Her clothes were cut from her body as they placed a hospital gown around her.
"Baby's heartbeat is strong," another nurse called out as she held a monitor over Bella's belly.
"Are you ready to have this baby, Mrs. Cullen?" the nurse reading the blood pressure monitor asked her with a warm smile.
"My husband," I croaked.
"Your family is contacting him," she replied.
Over the next few hours, the room faded in and out as Bella slipped into and out of consciousness. She caught garbled pieces of conversation like stable, repair, baby, but she wasn't sure what any of it meant.
Suddenly, she felt an icy coldness sweep through her veins and all the pain left her body. She didn't know that her body was so tense until she felt every muscle contract and relax. A white light blossomed in front of her as the pain left her body, and for the first time in a long time, she felt happy.
"Bella," Edward's voice screamed. She looked around but couldn't see him anywhere. She couldn't see anything except for the white light. Her body felt as light as air as she moved towards the light.
"No," he cried, his voice so full of anguish that Bella paused and looked around again. She looked down and noticed the baby in her arms. He was tiny and wrinkly but so perfect.
"Greyson," she whispered with a smile.
"This can't be happening," Edward howled. "Bella…Bella, baby you have to come back to me."
Bella smiled down at the baby in her arms. All at once she knew that this had to be the end. Whatever had happened to her before she gave birth must have been enough to kill her, but she didn't understand why Greyson didn't make it. Bella felt sadness, but as much as she tried to hold onto it she couldn't. The light drew her in further.
"Bella," Edward called again. "Baby I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry…" he cried in a rush. "I've been lying to you about having to work. I've been going to the stupid bar with Ben. I don't know why I did it. I felt trapped almost, which sounds ridiculous, I know, but I knew my life was about to change and it was almost like I had to get the chance to party out of my system. I'm so sorry," he whimpered.
"Edward," Bella whispered. The pull to the light seemed to lessen slightly and she felt herself being pulled back. "Edward," she said again, but louder. As if she were in a tunnel, she was sucked back into the hospital room and the pain that wracked her body, though it was much less than before.
"Bella," Edward gasped. At the same time a tiny, perfect cry filled the room. Bella's eyes opened to find Edward gazing down at her, tear tracks dried to his cheeks.
"The baby," she croaked. "Go…"
He nodded and raced to the other side of the room where Greyson was on the warming bed.
"Heartbeat is strong," one of the nurses said. "We need to take him to the NICU though to run some tests on his brain. He was down for over a minute."
"Greyson," I whimpered.
"We'll let you know as soon as we know anything, Mrs. Cullen. Right now, you need to focus on getting yourself back on track," the nurse pointed out with a wink.
"Please go with him," Bella begged Edward.
"He can't come in until we get little Greyson settled," the nurse said before she whisked him out of the room in the bassinet.
"Baby, I'm so sorry," Edward repeated.
"I heard you the first time you said it," Bella whispered.
"You did? You were flatlined, Bella. I thought you…were gone."
"Where were you?" she asked as one of the nurses finished cleaning her up.
"We just need to hook you up to some fluids, Mrs. Cullen," the nurse said. You can sit back and relax, and as soon as the doctor clears it we'll see about getting you some food.
Bella nodded and relaxed into the pillow, awaiting Edward's answer.
"I was at Harry's," he said quietly, his head lowered in shame.
"Why…Edward? I mean, I understand that you felt like you were trapped and that your life was about to change. I understand that. I've had nine months to get used to the idea of having a child. Nine months of carrying him in my belly. Nine months of raging hormones and not being able to enjoy a glass of wine or partying with our friends. It was sobering once we found out that I was pregnant."
"I don't know. I can't explain it and there's no excuse for my behavior. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Will you please forgive me?"
"It's going to be difficult to trust you again," Bella admitted with a yawn.
"I'll do anything to earn your trust back, baby. You've given me everything and I'll never do anything to jeopardize that again. I thought…I thought I lost both of you. Bella, I can't live in a world where you aren't. You're too important to me," Edward stammered as a lone tear dripped from his chin.
"Then you need to start showing me that, Edward. I know I'm not perfect, and the past few months I've done things that are questionable, but I'm blaming it on the raging hormones."
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
"Did you know that with the iOS7 update, iMessages now go to your iPad as well as your phone?"
"Wh…what?"
"They sure do and it was a complete accident that I found that out," Bella admitted. "I'm sorry that I looked at your iPad when it chimed with an incoming message, but you had your cover off and the message was displayed on the screen when it came through. I was making the bed and couldn't miss the words flashing on the screen."
"Bella…baby, I didn't…"
Bella cut him off with a tired glare and her hand raised in the air. "Did you cheat on me with that whore bartender?"
"I didn't. I swear I did not cheat on you. I don't know why I was so attracted to her. I think she reminded me of you when you were younger. When we went out and had fun. Getting pregnant with Greyson was a mutual decision, but in the last few months I've felt completely trapped. I know I'm repeating myself, but I don't know how else to word it," he admitted, his face lowered in shame. Deep lines of regret lined his face.
Bella hadn't noticed how much he'd aged in the past few months. She hadn't fully come to understand what happened to her or their baby today, but she knew that above everything else she was happy to be alive and have a baby as well. She said a quick prayer that the time that Greyson had been flatlined hadn't affected his brain function. In her heart, she knew that Edward hadn't cheated, and she also knew that they would get through this tough time in their marriage.
The doctor came in and checked Bella over. He asked a dozen questions and ordered an MRI, but was certain that she was okay. She was alert, awake, and didn't seem to have any side effects from being physically dead. She knew that today would always be a special day and would celebrate her double revival with their son Greyson.
. . . .
One Year Later
"Happy birthday, little man," Edward said to the chubby baby toddling around the kitchen. Greyson giggled and clapped happily as he shoved a plastic block into his mouth.
"Happy birth day, baby," Edward whispered to Bella pressing a kiss against her temple. "Thank you for giving me a second chance," he said, rubbing the small bump that was already showing.
"I knew we'd make it through," Bella agreed, placing her hand over Edward's on her belly.
"Where's the birthday boy?" Renee squealed as she came through the door. Greyson screeched and waddled toward his grandma. "Oh you're getting so big."
"My turn," Esme cried as she entered behind Renee. Carlisle, Charlie, Rose, and Emmett followed close behind. Balloons, presents, and laughing filled the home as they came together to celebrate Greyson's first birthday, Christmas, and Bella's life.
Bella stood back at one point and smiled at her family. Edward had become an amazing father and spent as much time as he could with Greyson. He had more than proved his loyalty to Bella over the past year by signing them up for marriage counseling. He'd taken her out on dates at least once a month. He hadn't set foot in Harry's without Bella by his side. His family was the most important thing to him and everyone knew it.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it – even if you wanted to punch Edward repeatedly throughout the entire one-shot! Happy Holidays! See you all in 2014!