Chapter 6 Principals and Ultrasounds
(EPOV)
Bella and I sat outside the principal's office at the high school, waiting to speak to him about Emmett and Rosalie. The two teenagers had left after school to go get Rosalie's things from her parent's house. We would help them after our meeting.
Looking over her wire-rimmed glasses at us, the secretary sneered slightly and said, "Principal Brandon will see you now."
We walked into a small office and sat in the only two available chairs across from a large balding man.
"Doctors Masen? Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. Emmett and Rosalie came to me today and I felt I needed to speak with you regarding their futures," the tone of his voice didn't give us any indication as to how the conversation was going to go.
Sitting in the small office, my thoughts were instantly transported seventeen years back in time to an almost identical office and a very similar situation.
Principal Duncan shook his head and sighed after I told him our news. He stared at Bella and me as we sat on the two chairs he had in front of his desk. Wordlessly, he stood up and walked over to a filing cabinet in the corner of the room and removed some files. He sat back down at his desk and then turned to his computer. He began to type and after a few moments, we heard the printer whirl to life as it started to print something.
He gathered the papers from the printer pulled a few sheets of paper from the files he had gathered and then asked, "How do you feel about graduating early?"
"Are you kicking me out of school?" Bella asked in a worried voice.
I leaned forward and was about to let him have a piece of my mind when he held up his hand. He placed the papers in front of us and said, "I would never kick you out of school. You have just as much of a right to be here as everyone else; however, not everyone will see it that way. The first semester will be over in three weeks and I think you both would benefit with independent study for the second semester. There are two couples in their senior year that are in a similar position as you are. The six of you could work together to complete your graduation requirements. You are both are already taking advanced classes and if you're able to work hard and complete the additional senior requirements next semester you could graduate in May." He paused to flip through the papers. He put our current transcript reports on the top.
He continued, "I'm assuming that you both are still planning on going to college. The notes in your files from the guidance counselor state that you are both interested in the University of Washington. Edward, your ACT and SAT scores and grades are high enough that you could go to college in the fall. Bella, you could still audition for the music program at the University of Washington and get accepted for this fall also. UW has great facilities and resources for both married couples and student parents. Don't let your futures suffer just because of a change. There's financial aid, scholarships, and government programs to help you. If you would rather continue on in your regular schedules and attend your senior year next year, you can do that; but we don't have the resources you would need next year, like a daycare, and that might make your senior year that much harder for you." He stood up from his desk and walked toward the door. "Please take some time and think about what I'm offering. I'm going to go get some information from the guidance counselor and I'll be back in a few minutes," he said before he slipped out the office door, closing it behind him.
I didn't know what to think about his proposal. I had always imagined spending my senior year with Bella, Felix, and Jane, goofing off, applying to colleges, and enjoying being at the top of the school. Obviously Bella's and my plans changed once we got pregnant. Things would be easier if we could graduate before we had our baby.
"I want to do it," Bella's voice broke me from my thoughts.
"You do?" I questioned.
She bit her lip and nodded her head. "Yeah. I mean, the senior year we had planned will never happen now. We won't be going to parties and goofing around with Felix and Jane. We're going to be parents instead. If we go to UW in the fall, we can get married housing and get out of my parent's house. They shouldn't have to raise our baby and take care of us too. We acted like adults; it's time we become them," she said, sounding confident.
"What about Julliard?" I asked reminding her of her parent's dream for her.
She smiled wistfully and said, "I never wanted to go there. It's all the way across the country, too far from everything I know, too far from you. I told my parents last year that I didn't want to go. UW has a great program and I think I'm ready to audition for it. Besides, like Principal Duncan said, not everyone will be accepting of us. I know Lauren Mallory and her followers will give us a hard time. Getting away from her would be a bonus."
By the time Principal Duncan returned with information on admission to UW, the audition process for Bella, married housing, and daycare on campus, we had made up our minds. If Bella was in, I would be in too.
Principal Brandon shifted in his brown leather office chair and the seat groaned under his weight. I noticed Bella fidget slightly and I wondered if she too was imagining our own experience seventeen years prior. I nodded at him in response to his previous statement about talking to us regarding Emmett and Rosalie.
"Emmett and Rosalie each have bright futures ahead of them. I tried to give them information regarding adoption since they are adamant about having this baby, but they wouldn't even consider it. Do you both feel that getting married and raising a baby is in their best interest?" he asked us.
Bella and I looked at each other briefly before she responded, "It's not going to be easy for them; but what they want is to become a family and we will support them both."
"Unfortunately we have quite a few girls in Rosalie's condition. None of them, however, are talking about marriage. I don't doubt that they think they're in love. But they're only sixteen years old. I'm worried that they're not thinking through their decisions," he added concerned.
"Mr. Brandon, with all due respect, we believe they have thought through their decisions. As Emmett's parents, it's our decision whether or not we let him marry at the age of sixteen. Will they succeed? We can't know that; but we can give them the opportunity. We understand the challenges that come along with teenage pregnancy and marriage. We were in the same position as Emmett and Rosalie and we found both criticism and support. We want them to succeed for themselves and for their child. I hope that they will be able to find similar support here at school from you and your staff," I told the principal.
I watched his jaw clench slightly before he nodded in response. "Of course Dr. Masen. We have plenty of resources available for both Emmett and Rosalie. We offer parenting classes and extra tutoring if necessary. There is also an onsite daycare that is available for their use. They won't be given special treatment in classes for excuses such as being too tired because they were up all night caring for the baby. They will be expected to attend class, participate, and complete class requirements. They will both be excused for doctor's appointments, but will be required to make up missed work. The nurse recommends that Rosalie meet with her once a week to make sure that she's staying healthy during the pregnancy; Emmett is welcome to attend also if he's interested," the tone of his voice lead me to believe that he didn't completely approve of the situation; but he wisely chose not to voice that disapproval.
"Wonderful. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss with us today?" I asked him shortly.
The principal's nostrils flared slightly before he replied, "No. If this is really the route they want to travel, and they have your approval, I guess the only thing I will need is for them to fill out some paperwork that my secretary will give you on your way out. Thank you for taking time to meet with me today. I wish them the best." The tone of his voice, once again, didn't match the sentiment; however, we chose to ignore it and said our goodbyes. We left the school with a few forms and met Emmett and Rosalie at the Hale's house where we helped them gather and remove Rosalie's possessions.
"Okay Mrs. Masen, if you can just lie back, I am going to tuck a cloth along the top of your pants and lower them just a bit. I'm also going to lift your shirt a bit so I don't get any gel on it. Relax and get ready to see your baby for the first time," the ultrasound tech instructed.
A swooshing sound filled the room and Bella grasped my hand as she strained her neck to look at the monitor. The screen was filled with white, grey, and black masses until suddenly the tech stopped and there on the screen was a baby. The head and abdomen were round and the little limbs were shorter, everything was a bit disproportionate yet, but moving around on the screen was a perfect 14 week baby. A little hand appeared to wave at us.
Bella's eyes were filled with tears as I held her. We watched as Emmett reached out and touched the monitor where the hand was. "That's our baby, Rose," he said softly.
Rosalie's face had tears streaming down it and a large smile graced her lips. She sniffled and Emmett turned around and his face was lit with wonder and awe. He leaned down and kissed Rosalie and whispered something in her ear. She giggled and nodded. The tech printed took a bunch of measurements and continued her scan as we all watched the new life on the monitor.
Later that night in bed, Bella stared at our copy of the little strip of pictures that the tech had printed. When we returned home, Emmett had given each of his brothers and sisters their own copies. Rosalie put a set in an envelope and addressed it to her mother. I hoped that sending the pictures would make a difference and wouldn't end up hurting Rosalie in the end. Irina had taken Bella aside when we picked up Rosalie's things two weeks earlier and told her that she and Royce didn't approve of the situation and that Rosalie had no place in their lives anymore. Bella told her, "I hope you change your mind; but if you don't, it will be your loss." None of us had seen or heard from the Hales after we left that day.
"So Grandpa, what did you think of seeing your grandchild for the first time today?" Bella asked teasingly.
"Well Grandma," I replied as I rolled my eyes. Her nose crinkled at the title, but I continued before she could say anything else, "It was pretty amazing, and a bit of a relief at the same time."
A look of confusion settled over her face and she asked simply, "Relief?"
I nodded, "I was glad it wasn't twins."
Bella laughed and nodded in agreement.
"Okay Mrs. Masen, if you just lie back and get comfortable we will be able to get the first look at your baby," the ultrasound tech told Bella. I nervously glanced between the monitor and my wife of almost a month. Bella lifted her shirt and I stared for a moment at the bump that seemed to have appeared overnight. We were hoping to get an accurate due date from the ultrasound.
The tech squirted some gel on Bella's abdomen and began to move a wand around. The room was silent as we stared at the screen. "I'm stuck with our old equipment today. The new machines are being used for training this afternoon. Hmmm, the sound seems to be shorting out on this machine again. Give it a minute, as I move the wand, it will probably pick up the sound of your baby's heartbeat soon. Hmmm, well that's odd, oh wait, no, just surprising. I wonder…"the tech was mumbling to herself and Bella and I exchanged worried looks. The screen went black as the tech lifted the wand to apply more gel toward the side of Bella's stomach. As soon as the wand was replaced, we saw what appeared to be four large, blurry masses on the screen.
"What's wrong?" Bella whispered as she reached up to grab my hand that was resting on her shoulder.
The tech typed on the keyboard and clicked on different parts of the picture with the mouse and everything became clearer. As she moved the wand just slightly, the room was filled with pulsing noises. Through the sound of the heartbeat, I heard Bella's breath catch. The tech smiled and moved the wand one more time.
She pointed to what we could now clearly see was a head and stomach and then she pointed to a second head and stomach. "Here is baby A and here is baby B. Congratulations mom and dad, it's twins," she said excitedly.
"Twins? But we only heard one heartbeat at our doctor's appointment," Bella questioned.
The tech smiled and replied, "Sometimes the equipment only picks up one heartbeat, especially if we aren't looking for two of them, or sometimes the heartbeats are simply synced at that moment in time."
Bella squeezed my hand tightly and I sat down heavily on the chair that was next to the examination table. Twins. I couldn't believe it. But there, on the monitor were two distinct babies. I could see four arms, four legs, two bodies and two heads.
"Wow," I said quietly. I watched as the babies moved and appeared to touch one another. I couldn't take my eyes off the monitor. It was amazing, scary, and overwhelming all at the same time. As I continued to watch the babies move, my anxiety faded and all I could feel was awe.
I glanced down at Bella and saw a huge smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers before wiping a couple of her tears away with the pad of my thumb.
"From what I can tell, the babies look great and they are both measuring right at twenty weeks and three days. Would you like to know what sex they are?" the tech asked us.
Bella's eyes sparkled and she glanced at me before she nodded and exclaimed, "Yes, please!"
We watched the tech draw a circle with her mouse on the baby she had labeled A before doing the same to the other baby. "Baby A is a boy. And it looks like Baby B is a girl. I'll just take a few more measurements and then I will print out these pictures for you to take home."
As incredible as it had been to see our babies and hear their heartbeats, I began to worry as soon as I was left alone when we got home. Bella was downstairs talking to Renee. I still wasn't sure how we were going to handle one baby, let alone two. I got out my notebook where I had made my original calculations to show Charlie and Renee and looked over the numbers again. Two babies would change things a bit. I ripped out a blank piece of paper and started to do some new calculations. Most of the things wouldn't change, but all of the costs for the baby I had to double. Until we heard from the University of Washington regarding our acceptances and married housing, I had to figure out the costs for off campus apartments, transportation, and off-site daycare.
I had been scratching numbers all over multiple sheets of paper for over an hour before I was interrupted by Charlie. He cleared his throat and picked up the papers from the desk. He looked them over and his mustache moved as his nose twitched occasionally. He appeared so tall standing over me as he silently studied what I had written in my panic.
He sighed and then sat on the edge of the bed. I ran my hands through my hair and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. A minute passed before I heard Charlie snort. I looked at him and he was trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, Edward. I can't help laughing. Bella has been downstairs panicking just like you're doing up here. No, no, don't get up. Renee is talking to her and I'm going to talk to you. Twins, huh? You're making me a grandpa twice over before I'm forty. I've gotta say, I didn't think I'd have grandchildren when I was still so young and handsome, but here I am," Charlie winked at me and I'm sure the look on my face was nothing short of incredulous.
"Relax, Edward. I know you and Bella are scared; but I also know you're excited. I've seen you as you look at Bella with so much love and awe and I know that those babies are never going doubt your love, just like Bella will never doubt your love. The fact that you and my daughter, your wife, are worried about how you'll take care of these babies and if you'll be able to provide for them makes me know that you are all going to be just fine. It may not be easy and you may not always have everything you want; but I know that you'll always find a way to have everything you need. There are two of you, and two of them—divide and conquer if you have to, but you'll probably have more success if you work together. You and Bella are sixteen and you won't have all of the answers no matter how adult your actions have been. Stop crunching numbers until you know what you're up against. Wait until you hear from the university and if things don't work out, Renee and I will help you figure out a solution. Take a couple of minutes and relax. Come on downstairs when you're calmer; we're going to the Lodge for dinner tonight to celebrate," Charlie finished with a wink as he stood and walked to the door.
"Celebrate?" I questioned.
He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder at me and said, "Yup. Renee and I found out today that in a few months we're going to have a grandson and a granddaughter. I think that's cause for celebration." A smile appeared on my face as I watched him leave.
I stood up from the desk and picked up the sheets of paper that Charlie had been looking at. The numbers on the page didn't seem as daunting as they had earlier. I was still worried and I knew that things would be even more difficult than we had originally planned; but Charlie was right—finding out that our baby was actually twins was a cause for celebration.
A/N: You may have noticed that we are jumping around a bit in the past reflections. We will eventually go back to Bella and Edward's wedding and even the conception; but they will both come in their own time.
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Random fact: If you leave your toddler alone in his room with his toys for 2 minutes while you get dressed, you will find him emptying your powdered laundry detergent container, scoop by scoop, onto every surface of your laundry room—i.e. floor, changing table, rugs, heating vent, washing machine, and garbage can.
