ah, the much awaited eighth chapter! haha. sorry it's been so long since my last update. I'm trying to get back into the rhythm and get some of these stories going again and hopefully finish them. xD
enjoy, just some more Bella, Paul, and baby love. can't have too much of that, can we? hopefully some plot action in the next chapter or two? not even I know...which is sad. :)
-isabellthelooser
Chapter 8: What If
Isabella Swan
Paul's hands envelope my bulbous stomach. A shiver runs through me as his palms massage the tender skin stretched taut across the tiny body inside. His thumbs press into the outermost point, rubbing away the ache from the tiny kicking feet.
I let my shoulders relax, then the muscles in my neck, and let myself sink into the bed, closing my eyes. I hear Paul's soft laughter, his warm hands pulling my shirt back into place - giving my stomach a last rub and pat. I feel him lean over me, carefully positioned so as not to put any weight on the baby, his lips pressing to my forehead.
"Someone's tired," he whispers jokingly, smoothing back my hair.
I sigh, smiling. "It's hard work doing nothing. You should try it some time."
Again I hear his soft, shoulder-shaking laughter. "You don't give yourself enough credit. I wouldn't want to lay around with a bowling ball strapped to my chest."
"Ugh. It's more like a horse!"
He leans his forehead against mine, smiling. "You know, I feel terrible calling our baby It."
"What else are we supposed to call it?"
"Well…I was thinking it'd be nice to know if it was a girl or a boy…"
I open my eyes. "And you want me to tell you this?"
"Of course not," he says, grinning. "But can't you go to a doctor and they do that…thing…with the machine?"
"An ultrasound?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "I suppose…but wouldn't it be a little bit of a shock to the doctor when we tell him that I've only been pregnant for a month and a half, or when he looks at the monitor and sees puppies in there, or some weird kind of…of MUTANT!"
Paul leans back, looking shocked. "You think our baby's a mutant?"
"Well…" I glance down at my elephant of a belly. "Maybe…?"
"Bella," Paul says, "I had a human mother and a werewolf father, and I'm not a mutant!"
"I know…but…" I grit my teeth. "I just can't help feeling like I'm doing something wrong."
"Like what?"
"Like…I don't know…maybe I should be taking some vitamins or something…I don't know."
Paul laughs, rubbing my belly again. "Bella, the baby's going to be fine. You're doing everything perfect."
"I'm not doing anything."
He smiles. "Bella, all this baby needs right now is your love. Just like me." He places a kiss on my lips. "In about a month you can start to worry about the other stuff."
"Ugh, don't remind me."
I feel him take a deep breath, but he never breathes out. "What do you mean?" he asks.
"I…I don't know…" I hide my face in his chest when he leans down to my level.
"Bella?" he pulls me away, holding my face in his hands. "Don't you want this baby?"
"Of…of course I do…I just don't feel ready." I frown. "I don't feel like a mother. Emily…well, she's older, she's married. I'm…I just don't feel ready."
Paul smiles softly at me, stroking my cheek with one thumb. "Do you think I feel like a father? I'm far from ready to be a dad to a kid, trust me, I know. But you just have to have faith in yourself, okay?" He tries to push the corners of my lips up into a smile. "We can both screw up together, alright? Don't worry."
I feel a smile creep onto my face. I bury my face in his shirt again, hugging him. "Thank you. You always know how to cheer me up."
He laughs, pressing his face into my hair and pulling my closer to him, almost lifting me completely off the bed. "I love you."
"I love you too," I say, leaning back into the pillows. As soon as the words pass my lips, I feel the baby shift inside of me. My stomach muscles automatically tighten, waiting for the inevitable. From inside the tiny feet kick out, hitting my tender abdomen, making me wince and rub the wore spots.
Paul laughs again at my expression and moves to lay back down beside my belly, his hands taking over, massaging my lump expertly. He lifts my shirt and smiles down at the baby hidden away under the layers of skin. "Don't worry, I love you too," he says, smiling.
I laugh, and the movement shakes my belly, causing even more frenzied kicking. Paul glances up at me, smiles wider, and scoots closer to me.
Laughing and smiling, our lips meet again, and then again, even more frenzied than the baby's kicking. Our bodies press together, my lump stuck tight between our two bodies safe and loved. The baby gives one more kick and then settles back down, lulled back into sleep by Paul's warmth, just as I am.
sorry about the short length. :\ i'm just trying to get back in the rhythm, as I said, and there will hopefully be some action going on soon.
thank you to all who have review, favourited, and alerted (? lol). it really warms my heart to know that you guys like my work and appreciate it. xD keep it up. you guys power my output at this point, so please review some more. please, please, please.
much love and thanks,
-isabellthelooser
