A/N: Thank you for checking this out. Sorry I did not update in sooo long, stupid school is to blame. I'll try to update as soon as I can, and i assure you this is not near the end. Please Read & Review.

Chapter Nine:

Sleep

EPOV

This new "girl" mesmerized me a way that Bella never did. Then her tinkering, familiar laughter woke me up from my trance, and vengeance overtook my body. How could I be so ignorant?! Victoria! She finally got to use her powers on me! She got into my head!

Bella! Where is she?! How long have I been in this trance?

From half a mile away, I heard a typical frantic heartbeat. "Bella?!" I gasped.

Look at how pretty she is! Pregnant?! What a bitch! More thoughts filled my head, thoughts of a man, a pervert.

"Leave me alone," I hear her scream, and then there was a punch. I ran and was at the mouth of the alley before the man could lay another hand on my beautiful angel.

"Don't you dare put another finger on her!" I yelled not caring what will happen if I was exposed. I looked around frantically, my eyes sweeping every corner of the dark alley until I found my Bella. I couldn't care if the pervert ran away; all I cared about was my angel. I eventually found her in the darkest corner, lying on her stomach.

"Bella!" I cried. My medical training from years ago kicked in and I checked for any signs of trauma. I gently pulled her onto her back and softly pressed my fingertips onto her lower abdomen, checking on the baby. I finally felt the gentle movements of our child and a sigh of relief flowed out of my mouth. I held Bella's broken form against my cold hard chest and took off my jacket to cover her shivering body. "I love you," I whispered and all her muscles relaxed as she slipped into unconsciousness. I gently wiped all the blood away from her face where she was punched and took off running toward the hospital.

When I finally reached the front desk of the emergency room, the receptionist looked up from her US weekly magazine and asked, "how may I help you?" in a bored voice.

"I NEED a doctor right now! She's out cold and I NEED her tended to right now!" I looked worriedly at Bella's battered body as the receptionist called for doctors. This is all my fault. If Bella was with someone else, she wouldn't be here and the baby's life wouldn't be in jeopardy. She could live a full and happy life. I'm such a merciless monster. What did she do to deserve me!

"Take her in here," the receptionist told me. I followed her into a room and carefully placed Bella on the hospital bed. Out of nowhere, Carlisle ran into me as I went to shut the doors.

"Carlisle," I was breathless. "You've got to help Bella. You're the only one I trust. Please?" I asked in a small whisper. I started to break down. Carlisle yelled at the lady at front desk, telling her that his team would take care of Bella, before walking past me to check on my beautiful angel.

"Edward, tell me what happened," Carlisle demanded warily.

"Bella and I went out for dinner and everything was fine until Victoria used her mind control on me. When I finally snapped out of it, Bella was… gone," I choked out. "And when I found her, she was motionless, her face, covered in blood."

Edward, he thought. I think Bella is comatose.

"What?" I thundered. "Are you sure?!"

I'm sorry, but I think…

I growled. "Be sure, Carlisle." I had never spoken to him this way; I've always showed him respect and gratitude for the fact that if he hadn't changed me, I would have never met Bella, but losing Bella to a sleeplike state drove me into a rant.

I'm sure, Edward. Right then a few more doctors busted through the doors. I recognized one of them, Bella's doctor, Dr. Gerandy.

"What do we have here, Dr. Cullen?" one asked. I didn't know which one for I was too busy worrying about my Bella.

"Isabella Swan. Eighteen year old female," Carlisle explained but stopped, meaning her wanted me to explain the rest.

"She ran away and someone tried to rape her, but instead punched her in the face and ran away." I was about to lose it, so I took an unnecessary breath to calm myself. I drew another shaky breath before continuing. "When I finally found her, she was lying face down in an alley, blood staining her face and to add to all that, she was soaked from the cold rain." Tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill over. I blinked them back and continued staring at Bella's beautiful face.

"Is there any other medical history that developed recently that I don't know about?" Dr. Gerandy asked me.

"Yes," my voice grew soft. "She's about two and a half months pregnant." New tears formed but before I could blink them away, they spilled over the corner of my eyes.

"And I'm guessing you are the unborn child's father?" Dr. Gerandy asked. I nodded weakly. I dropped my head to whisper in Bella's ear. "I am so sorry, Bella," I sobbed softly. "I love you, I will always love you." I gently swept the hair from her face and kissed her cheek softly before the doctors asked to have their privacy.

I hesitated, but they told me that if I didn't leave the room, they couldn't help Bella in any way. So I got up and left Bella in the room with those doctors. I stood outside the door when I heard one of the doctors yell, "We need an ultrasound." More unnatural tears made their way down my face. That moment it hit me. What if I lose Bella and our child? What would my life be worth living? It's all my fault. Bella and our child may be dying now and I can't do anything about it. I hope that God damns me to the deepest, darkest pit of hell.

"Edward," Carlisle called from the room.

"Yes," I answered softly.

"I think that there is something that you should see." I warily pushed my body off the wall.

"How's Bella doing?" I asked worriedly.

"We have done what we can for her. Like I said, she's in a coma, but her vitals seem good. All we can do now is wait for her to awake from the coma." For some reason, Carlisle blocked his thoughts.

I walked slowly into the room wallowing. All the doctors were too occupied with moving the machines out that they really couldn't focus. All I could hear from their thoughts were that they were so happy—happy for me. That was when I heard an uneven thumping sound. I looked around and saw the ultrasound machine and walked over. I studied the monitor carefully, pacing my breathing to the pounding. Thump, thump, thump, thump. It seemed as if there were several heartbeats at the same time.

I looked at Carlisle worriedly, but his expression was much different from mine. He was happy and smiling genuinely. "Congratulations, Edward! You are the father of a healthy pair of twins!" I gentle smile spread across my face, as the thought of fathering twins settled onto the bottom of my heart.

"Do you hear that, Bella? We're going to be the parents of twins," I murmured softly before kissing her warm cheek. Hopefully she could hear me in her sleep-like state. I wanted her to know how happy I was to be the father of these babies. Our babies will have the best mother out there, I know they will.

The doctors were finished up rolling the machines out of the room and the only people left in the room were Carlisle, Bella and I. Carlisle clapped me on the shoulder and placed the babies' sonograms in my hand. I smiled at my adoptive father and he left the room, leaving me with the love of my life. I walked with exaggerated slowness to her hospital bed and climbed in careful not to jostle the tubes and wires that hooked Bella up to machines. I pulled her warm body into my arms and placed a light kiss on the top of her head. How many times have I put her in danger? How many times have I hurt her? She doesn't deserve someone like me. I am a monster, but I'm much too selfish to let her go. Sometimes, it seems like the world is against us. While I watched her sleep, I couldn't help but think of right and wrong.

BPOV

I can't believe after all the times Edward said that he loved me; he still had the courage to let me go. All of a sudden, I heard a soft chuckle coming towards me.

I shivered and looked through the blurry vision that my tears caused. "Edward, is that you?" The chuckle grew to laughter and I though that my heart would burst through my chest. The man walked over to me, his eyes roaming my body. My hands protectively folded over my womb. "Leave me alone!" I warned, but before I could take a breath to continue my threat the stranger's big, hard fist connected, meeting my face. Warm, red liquid spread on my face.

Just then, I saw another shadow at the mouth of the alley. "Don't you dare put another finger on her," a velvety voice yelled toward the man. His golden eyes looked around, searching for something, leaving the man time to escape, but he didn't care. He walked swiftly to me, his eyes looking over me worriedly, his cool hands pulling me gently onto my back. His cool hands comforted me as they pressed onto my lower abdomen. I stared up at him dubiously, staring into his agonized and pained eyes. My vision blurred, then, the dark slipping through the cracks. The last thing I felt was Edward covering me with his jacket. I was with him and safe, that is all that matters.

*****

Instantly, I knew that I was in a hospital, by the familiar beeping, that I knew all too well. But I couldn't open my eyes and I couldn't move, yet I could hear everything around me. Someone wake me up! I tried to scream. I have to protect my baby!

I strained to hear more clearly and that's when I heard my angel's frantic yelling, his soft sobbing. All I wanted was reach out with my hands and grasp his face, telling him everything is going to be okay. But I couldn't move. I felt his cold, smooth lips press against my forehead and heard his soft whisper. "I am so sorry, Bella. I love you, I will always love you." He gently swept the hair from my face and when he kissed my cheek, I felt tears slide onto my clammy cheek. I didn't want him to be miserable, I never did, not matter what he does to me. That's when I felt his cool hand leave mine. I want him with me. NO, I need him with me. I willed myself to speak, but all that came was a small whimper, even then, his hands did not return to mine.

The next thing I felt was cold goop being spread on my stomach and hard plastic being pressed against it. I managed to whimper again, but no one heard my plea. That was probably because several thumps filled the room at the same moment. Thump, thump, thump, thump. What is that? I struggled out of my state of sleep to no avail. Why couldn't I move? But then comfort overcame my body as my angel's voice filled the room once again.

"How's Bella?" he asked.

"Like I said," a voice started—Carlisle I instantly remembered. "…she's in a come, but her vitals seem good." A coma? Was that why I couldn't move at all? How could these kinds of things keep happening to me? WAIT! If I'm in a coma, what will happen to our baby?! As he approached my hospital bed, his soft footsteps comforted me—knowing that soon, I'd be back in his arms. His breathing grew quicker and I managed to figure out that his breathing kept pace with the thumps. I could picture the confusion and the frustration that must be playing on his face right now—I yearned to see it, just one glimpse would be enough for now. Thump, thump, thump, thump.

"Congratulations, Edward!" I heard Carlisle start. "You are the father of a healthy pair of twins!" Twins? I struggled to smile as the thought of raising twins settled onto the bottom of my heart.

"Do you hear that, Bella?" Edward murmured into my ear, as he softly pressed his lips to my cheek again. "We're going to be the parents of twins!" he whispered. The cool breath coming from Edward tickled my ear and I couldn't help but be happy even though I was stuck in this state. Edward being happy is what makes me happy, no matter what ever happened to me. Edward is going to be the best father to these twins I know it. After a few moments, his cool arms embraced me, wrapping around me, forming a cage of protection stronger than steel chains. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. All I wanted to do then was to look into his gorgeous golden brown eyes and tell him how much I love him, even though it was impossible, but all of a sudden, breathing got difficult.

A/N: I hate begging, but please review more because I don't think that you guys are enjoying my story anymore. Please let me know. I'm not going to stop the story or anything, I just need to know.

XOXO,

Felicia