So, has Emmett been purposely hurting Alice, or is he innocent of what Bella thinks he has done? Let's find out, shall we?
As ever, nothing is owned by me except for the plot.
Thanks as always to my beta, sue273, for her work on this.
Chapter Eleven
I looked up as the door to the family room opened and Emmett walked in. I calmly got up from my seat, walked over to him… and slapped him as hard as I could. I half expected him to start shouting at me, but he just stood there looking at me.
"If Alley-Bean dies because of what you have done to her, I will make it my personal mission to kill you myself!" I hissed.
"What do you mean because of what you have done? I haven't done anything to her," he mewled.
"You fucking liar! Green tea, huh? You sure that's all you've been giving her? Because whatever shit you have been putting in her system is shutting down her organs. The doctors have no idea what it is and they don't know if any of it has passed to the baby. Oh, by the way, you have a daughter," I sneered.
"You mean she's here? Now? Where is she?" he demanded.
"Until I know why my Alice is sick, you aren't allowed anywhere near her or the baby. I'm next of kin, so I've warned the nurses and doctors and they have agreed with me."
Emmett started to argue and realized quickly that I wasn't joking. Alice was in serious danger of dying, but he seemed more concerned about the little one, which worried me. I'd read of people who used women to get a child and then left the mother as if she was nothing. I tried not to think of Emmett as that kind of person, but his behavior was really unusual.
"Sit down. Bree said she'd come and find me once she knew something," I sighed.
"Who's Bree?"
"The nurse who's helping to look after Alice. Once they have some results on the tests, she said she would come with some answers."
"What… what kind of tests?" stuttered Emmett.
I looked over at him. He had suddenly gone very pale and began sweating, which made me think he was definitely hiding something. Why would he be concerned over some tests if he hadn't been giving her anything? Then I remembered the tea leaves I had found. Deciding to subtly enter it into the conversation, I hoped he would say something about them. "Alice told me you've been giving her Green Tea. Why Green Tea and not something else?" I asked.
"Well, the doctors said that Green Tea could help with some of the problems she's been having, like going to the toilet and her cholesterol has been really high lately."
"Right, and was Alice with you when you consulted a doctor over the Green Tea?" I asked.
"Um… well, no. I didn't want her to worry over it, so I left out who the tea was for and spoke to them as if I was asking on behalf of a friend," he stammered.
"Oh, so you never once thought to check the side effects and possible damages that can be done to a pregnant woman, then," I chuckled coldly.
"Well, no, I mean, I just assumed it was a herbal tea."
"Well, if you had bothered to do your research you would have known that Green Tea contains caffeine, which is harmful to babies in the womb. That's why all mothers are told to avoid large doses of coffee, tea, green tea and any other products high in caffeine and why women are told to avoid Pennyroyal tea when pregnant, because if has abortive ingredients in it. Women in poorer parts of the world were known to use it has a homemade abortion method…"
I trailed off as something came to my mind—because of Pennyroyal tea causing severe uterine contractions, expectant mothers were told to avoid it at all costs. Some women had used it when their pregnancies were overdue, but because the contractions were so severe, the babies often died in the womb. So, some women chose to use Blue Cohosh, which has been known to kick start labor, especially when given in a couple of small doses in tea.
I looked at Emmett in horror. He couldn't wait another four weeks for the baby to be born, so he thought he'd speed the process along and induce labor early! I felt like I was going to be sick. He had used Alice as a baby machine and planned on doing God knows what once Alice recovered.
"You bastard! You wanted her to have the baby early! That's why you weren't in a panic when she stormed off, and why you never bothered to ring me to see where we were, because you knew before long I would call! Motherfucker! You're a fucking dead man, Cullen!" I screamed.
Running from the family room, I tore toward Alice's room in ICU and was grateful when I found a doctor and Bree in there.
"Bree! I know what it is! It's Blue Cohosh! It was used years ago to kick start labor for women who were overdue! But if given in high doses, it can cause damage to organs. Her dosage wasn't watched, so she was taking in too much!"
I was rambling I knew it, but they needed to see what I meant. Emmett had been giving her the tea to start early labor so Alice would have the baby. I wasn't sure if Alice was meant to survive it, but I knew one thing was for sure, if she didn't, Emmett would never get his hands on the little one.
Bree nodded somberly, but didn't rush off to find anyone. I frowned. She should be running for a doctor to tell them what was in her system. Then the sounds within the room hit me. There was a long and constant beep. Alice's heart monitor was flat lining!
"Do something! Save her! Please! You… You're letting her die!" I screeched.
Bree held me back as I screeched that they were killing her. They were all murderers! Little one would have no mother, no one to take care of her. She was so tiny and all alone. Alice never even got the chance to see her, or hold her. Never got to see the beautiful angel that she had carried in her for so long. I sobbed as my best friend's life ebbed from her, as they finally turned all the machines off and left Bree and I alone.
Leading me to a chair, Bree knelt in front of my, trying to grab my attention. I saw her lips moving, but no sound reached my ears. All I could hear was the monitor singing its final beep as it counted my friend's last beats.
"Bella, listen to me. Alice changed her forms shortly before she was brought into hospital. She changed it to DNR. Do you know what that means? She changed it to a Do Not Resuscitate, which means that if she died within the hospital, no one was to try and save her life, she was to be left to go. She didn't want to be revived," Bree explained.
I could hear what she was saying, and I understood what it all meant, but she must have meant someone else. My Alice would never leave her baby without a mother. She was so excited about it, so pleased to be having Little One. Then I wondered, did she know what was going on and prepare for the possibility that her body might not be able to heal itself anyway? Unsure of exactly what was wrong, had she taken action so that no one could reduce her to a vegetative state?
"We tested the leaves, they were Blue Cohosh, you were right. I think Alice knew that something was wrong, had no idea what and couldn't prove it, so she started changing things. She mentioned a lot of things to me when she was in and out of the hospital sorting her forms out. I was the one who helped her with them. I should imagine that you will be contacted by the company she drew up her will with. She also sought legal help over who would take care of Little One if anything should happen to her. Alice planned everything out so that she was able to provide a comfortable and happy life for Little One," Bree said softly.
I was confused. It would have taken Alice some time to sort all this out. Had I really been that neglectful as a friend in trying to find my attacker that I failed to notice something was wrong, and Alice felt that she would have to take matters into her own hands?
"Emmett, he's here!" I cried.
"Ssshhh, Emmett is allowed nowhere near Little One until her custody has been sorted out. You are Alice's next of kin, so naturally you are allowed to stay here with her. Emmett will be given no access and asked to leave the premises. We will of course have to tell him that Alice has died, and that the baby is alive, but were are obliged to give him no details beyond that. We will keep her safe here, Bella, I promise."
With that, Bree rose and left me with Alice. I knew she was gone, but maybe she could still hear what I had to say.
"Alley-Bean, I know you can hear me. I know you're not gone just yet. I can feel you still here. I swear I will not let Emmett harm Little One, but why didn't you tell me your fears? You know I would have dropped everything to come help you. You were the most important person in my life, more so than myself, and I would have done anything I could to have helped you. Instead, you chose people who didn't know you, and secured a life for Little One because you truly thought you weren't going to make it. Why did you think that Alley-Bean? Did you know Emmett was up to something, or was there something else? Why did you have to go and leave me, Alice? You were everything to me. My world. My Sissy," I sobbed.
At Sissy, I felt something near me, something warm, yet I saw nothing. The curtains in the room twitched then nothing. I knew Alice had waited long enough to say goodbye to me. I knew that she heard my vow of taking care of Little One. I would not let her down. Despite all her fears, Alice had left me the greatest gift she could ever give, a child to love and cherish. I had a long way to go before I found out all my own problems, but for this moment in time, I could content myself with listening to her gurgle away in her sleep. Tomorrow, I would begin finding out what Alice had planned for her.
Okay, so maybe not the end of a chapter you were hoping for. I hope some more of your questions have been answered. Although it's still unknown if Emmett was intentionally hurting or oblivious to it all, at least we know there is some glimmer of hope after losing her friend. Bella may just have a shot at happiness.
