A month later, I lay in the Cullens' basement on a padded metal table. Carlisle had managed to acquire a sonogram machine, and he had already spread warm goo on my lower abdomen. Everyone was gathered around me, anxious to see.
Carlisle started the machine and my womb appeared on the screen.
Two heartbeats resounded through the room, loud and in sync. I squeezed Emmett's hand. I could see the tiny forms of two babies huddled together, holding hands. Their legs were tangled, and their heads were huddled together. I started to bawl, laughing at the same time.
Carlisle moved around to the side. "We have one boy…and one girl."
I looked at Emmett and he kissed me hard before he beamed a smile so bright it made my heart stop. He looked so happy, I knew things would be okay.
"They don't seem to have any visible vampire qualities, but it's hard to tell. They're more developed than the norm, but that happens with human babies too."
"They're beautiful." Alice said. All of the women nodded, and only Jasper agreed. Edward glanced at him with a raised brow. Jasper shrugged.
I laughed.
They have eyelashes and eyebrows now. Their fingerprints and footprints are now developed completely. They can swallow now, they have taste buds; maybe they even suck their thumbs. They might even be able to hear me now, their ears are developed enough. They might be able to breathe on their own now; alveoli are formed. Their immune system is developing, antibodies and such.
According to the books.
Carlisle had told me they were further along than that. I put a hand to my belly and smiled at my reflection. I had on a light blue maternity sun dress and even I could see that I glowed with the beauty of pregnancy. Soon after my ultrasound, I had begun to show that I was indeed pregnant with twins.
I slipped on sandals and went downstairs. I had decided that today I would tell my Mom and Dad. I walked into the kitchen and the smell of eggs made my stomach growl. I walked in and Esme smiled at me, setting a plate at the island bar with milk. I sat down gratefully and ate two scorching eggs before I paused.
"Good morning."
Esme laughed and handed me some toast. I ate that, another egg, and two pieces of bacon before I felt full. I ate like a maniac these days, but I had only gained thirty pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. At six months, that was good for my figure, and Carlisle said it wasn't bad for the babies. He estimated that I would only go eight months also, due to the twins' rapid growth. He told me that he was keeping an eye on them.
A jerk in my abdomen brought me from my thoughts. I scooted back my stool slightly so I wouldn't hit my belly again. I took a drink of milk and felt the same jerk again, slightly more to the right.
"Esme! They're kicking!" I yelled.
She ran over and put a hand to my stomach just as another kick landed lower.
"Feisty little guys, huh?" she asked me, still feeling for the kicks.
"Yes. They're going to be strong." I smiled and put my hand beside hers.
Em walked in. "Did I hear something about kicking?"
I pointed to my belly and laughed at the little boy expression that took over his face. He came over and put his hand next to mine. Multiple kicks jumped to attention at his touch and he looked amazed. He kissed my hand and got on his knees and pressed his ear close to my belly button.
The others filed in and soon I had seven hands and a few heads on my belly, listening and waiting for kicks. After the kicks became fainter and longer in between, I stood and smiled. God I loved these people.
"You tired them all out now. And I have to go." I gave Em a significant look. He nodded and offered to drive me, but I told him I could do it. I was hoping it would go better if they only had one person to target.
I drove slowly, my belly almost too big to fit in my car. I didn't knock when I got there, just walked into the kitchen. My Mom had her back to me, washing dishes. She turned smiling at my entrance, probably thinking my Father was home early, but the smile vanished when she saw me. She looked at my dress and dropped the dish in her hands, tears filled her eyes.
"Oh my God." She put a hand over her mouth and dropped to the floor to pick up the glass. I bent down also, cursing my size for the first time. When she saw what I was doing, her eyes widened and she shooed me to the island bar stools.
After she was certain the glass was cleaned up, she handed me apple juice and sat down beside me.
"How far along are you?" she asked first. I studied her face, but the only thing I detected was open concern.
"A little over six months."
"What is it?"
"They. A baby boy, and a baby girl."
Her eyes widened and a tear spilled over. She gave a laughing sob and stopped with her hand a few inches from me. She looked at me, asking if she could feel. I took her hand and pressed it right in the middle, and I felt multiple kicks. She started crying in earnest then, and I was so surprised that I cried too.
"Oh Baby. Twins." She laughed and swiped her cheeks. "Wait until your Father sees. You're practically glowing." She paused. "Pregnancy suits you."
I was startled yet again to hear a compliment. I thought she was going to be pissed, demand that I take care of the problem. Yet here she sat, weeping with me. I pinched myself once or twice to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
She made me a Panini and sat back down to talk. "I'm sorry about how I reacted at first. These are his aren't they?"
At my nod, she nodded as if this was obvious.
"I'm glad for you; I just wish they had come from better circumstances."
"Me too. But Emmett's happy about them, and that's all that matters right now. He can't have kids."
She looked surprised at my admission, but didn't ask questions. We heard the door shut and my Father walked in. His face brightened at the sight of me, but he stifled it under a scowl. I stood and watched his gaze become darker as his eyes swept over me.
His face crumbled. My Mother hurried to his side and guided him to a chair, I sat beside him. He took my hand.
"They're his?" he asked. It was funny how no one would say Royce's name now, after they had taken his side. Maybe now they believed me.
I nodded and he put a hand on the back of his neck and sniffled.
"Twins." My Mom told him. He looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back and took his hand, pressing it to me like I had everyone else. After a few tentative kicks, I was pretty sure one kick was almost visible. I laughed, startling my Father more than the kick did.
After visiting for another hour or so, I left with an invitation to return soon—something I wasn't expecting. Maybe they weren't as mad as I had thought, maybe it was just shock speaking. Denial.
When I got back home, I went to our room and laid flat on my back. I was starting to have back pain, and that shit hurt like a bitch. Emmett came in, and after frowning at my swollen ankles, he set to rubbing my feet. By the time he was done, I was practically purring. When I stood to go shower, he followed. He unzipped my dress and put his hand on my stomach for a while, cooing and laughing while we talked to the babies. After we were done playing, I showered. When I got out of the tub, Emmett had me lay on my side and he rubbed my back. I got to thinking about our future, and remembered Bella's promise. Now was as good a time as any.
"I need to talk to Bella. Will you get her, baby?" I asked Em.
"…Sure. Do you want me here or..?"
"It's girl talk." The forced lightness in my tone made his jaw tighten. He stood and disappeared. Bella came in soon after, eyes guarded.
"We need to talk about your change." I breathed.
She came forward and sat on the side of the bed, bringing her face close to mine for my benefit. She could hear everything I said, but me hearing her was a different story.
"I felt everything. The morphine only made me unable to move or cry out. I was okay with that though. It kept Edward from worrying." She whispered.
"I want the same. Tell Emmett I want it."
She nodded. "After the kids are born?"
It took me a minute to answer. I had a few months to change my mind. "Yes. What if Emmett fights?"
"He won't hurt me." Bella said, but she didn't sound so sure.
"Be careful. And try not to kill me." Her shocked giggles made me laugh too.
"I'll shield you from now on so Edward doesn't find out." She told me. I nodded and she left quickly, probably so I couldn't guilt her into anything else.
Em came back in. "What was that about? I hit up Eddie, but he said Bella was shielding the whole thing."
I buried my face in a pillow.
"What was your Mom's name?" I changed the subject.
His face scrunched in concentration, but he gave me a look that said my blatant subject change did not go unnoticed. "Kathleen. My father was Clayton."
My Mom's name is Marie, and my Dad's Nicholas.
"How about we name them Clayton Nicholas and Kaitlyn Marie?"
He beamed at me, and kissed the middle of my back. "That sounds perfect."
"I thought so too." I sighed, already slightly falling asleep.
I felt liquid on my legs, but I hadn't laughed or sneezed or done anything else that usually set off my bladder. Lately the mild incontinence that went with pregnancy had really been hitting me hard. I sat up and glanced at Em apologetically. His nostrils flared and he stared at my legs. I looked down and pink liquid pooled on the rug by the bed.
Why was my pee pink?
"Rose. Your water just broke." Emmett said calmly, like he didn't believe what he was saying.
Wha—
And then splitting pain erupted in me, making me convulse. I screamed an unearthly howl at the explosion of pain and Emmett grabbed me so I didn't fall. I felt like a goddamn alligator was crawling out with its mouth open. I screamed again as my lower body convulsed and blood ran down my legs.
God, these babies are going to kill me! I thought, as my body felt like it was being split in half.
Another wave of agony had me doubling over. What a trivial word, agony. It seemed like a scratch compared to what I was feeling. My feet started to slip in the blood and Emmett growled in frustration. He scooped me up and ran me to the room down in the finished basement with the medical equipment.
"AAH!" I screamed digging my nails into the unrelenting skin of Emmett's arm and neck. Carlisle appeared with Esme and Bella on the way to the honorary birthing room. I was screaming nonstop now, my entire being revolving around pain. Pulsing, hot, stabbing, inconceivable pain.
"Something's wrong!" I half sobbed, half screamed. I felt a rip inside and screamed again.
"They're strong and pushing their way out." Carlisle explained after a look on the ultrasound machine. He sounded worried. Emmett's hands fluttered, not knowing what to do. I grabbed it again and squeezed him so hard it hurt me.
Bella and Esme put on gowns and gloves, getting Carlisle dressed too. Carlisle ripped my night gown and undies before he checked my dilation.
"You're ready to push Rose!" Carlisle said in surprise.
"Is something wrong with them?" I said around deep breaths that did nothing to calm me.
"No. It's just not exactly the norm for you to go into labor so quickly and so suddenly. It happens, but not often." He explained. "You went into labor two minutes ago and you're already almost done."
Had it only been two minutes? I started to answer, but I went from agony to something worse. I started to realize that a baby was coming out of a hole normally used for something much smaller and I started to panic.
"Wait! I don't know if I can do this!" I cried. Esme ran to my side.
"Just look past the pain. Think of the reward to come." She rubbed my legs and abdomen as Carlisle and the Bella got water ready in the sink to wash them when they came.
"Push!" Carlisle yelled. "Push Rose!"
I pushed. And pushed. And screamed.
"Goddamnit!" I wailed. I leaned forward and pushed until my ears popped. And then…sweet bliss. I fell roughly back against the bed, my sight going fuzzy. I came back from searing rips to just basic agony. And I was happy for it.
Carlisle cheered and handed a bloodied bundle to Bella, after Esme cut the cord, who wiped the squirming baby off.
"A boy!" she announced.
I laughed through my tears and took him from her outstretched hands.
"Shouldn't he be crying?" I asked as loud as I could, but it was still a whisper. Was something wrong? Was he okay? I nuzzled his head. I hurt everywhere. I felt like I was slipping away… I met Bella's eyes and she nodded. Pain flashed in her eyes.
"Maybe he just isn't a crier." Bella said, covering up our silent communication. Did no one else hear how husky her voice was all of a sudden? I hoped not.
"Rose. Don't forget, you're only half done."
At Carlisle's words, I handed off my baby boy and waited until he told me to push. The way had already been cleared so I didn't go through much more pain. I could feel myself starting to fall asleep, but this shouldn't be happening. Why was I so tired? I forced my eyes open so I could see her, but I could feel myself shutting down. I don't want to die.
"A girl." Bella said reverently, and unnecessarily. I had already known the sexes.
"Maybe she'll be a quiet bab—"
Emmett never finished. A scream from my baby girl cut him off, but she quit as soon as Bella put her in his arms and she settled in. Em's eyes widened like saucers.
"It seems she'll scream enough for the both of them." Carlisle laughed.
I tried to smile as my mind went fuzzy. A monitor went crazy and I felt my limbs get cold again.
Cold.