A month had passed and now it was nearing the middle of October. The leaves on all the trees had turned to gorgeous shades of reds, yellows and oranges. I really felt in control of my teaching and was having a far better time of it than I had anticipated. Edward had shown up for work the following Monday after my ultrasound as his usual self. He was completely at ease, even teasing me the same as always. But something was definitely missing that had been there before.
I tried not to let this turn effect me, but I had to admit I missed the casual ease we hadn't shared since the morning he looked at the ultrasound photos. Although we still spent a lot of time together, he always seemed to have other things to do during our prep periods.
It took me almost two weeks before I could pinpoint what exactly was missing, but realization dawned when it began to bother me that other people felt they had free reign over my belly. Even Esme's loving touches were beginning to irritate me. When I almost barked at her for patting my back, I realized something was wrong with me. Thankfully, she did not notice my knee-jerk reaction. At first, I thought I was simply angry because everyone felt they had the right to pat my belly whenever they felt like it. After a couple of days, I figured out that it wasn't casual touches that bothered me so, but the fact that I wished it was Edward every time someone else would reach out to me. That's when I realized he no longer touched me.
I was now twenty-five weeks pregnant, and felt like I was smuggling a bowling ball under my shirts. My feet were in a constant state of swollen, and all the extra water I had been consuming to combat it left me needing to pee every half hour. Thank God for Esme - she would wordlessly show up in my room every hour like clockwork to allow me a potty break.
My new-found girth meant that I moved around much more slowly than I was used to. While I had never been a morning person, lately it was practically impossible for me to roll out of bed on time. And I literally do mean roll. I was petrified to think that I probably waddled as well. It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone that there were days when I would leave my apartment without grabbing anything to eat. There simply wasn't enough time.
This morning was one of those mornings when I didn't have time to eat. I was usually able to grab a snack of some sort from my stash, but replenishing it was one more thing I was supposed to do today that slipped my mind. I felt the morning falling out of my control as everything around me seemed to be in a constant state of chaos. My kids were great, rolling with the punches and liking the out-of-norm morning.
We were hastily getting ready to head to art when I felt the world closing in on me. I suddenly couldn't breathe, and blackness was pushing at the edges of my vision. I tried to grasp onto something, anything, as I stood at the front of the room with students milling around me without a notice of anything amiss. I felt my legs go out from under me and pudgy, small hands grabbing onto my arms as I collapsed to the floor.
I had no idea how long I was out for, but I soon found myself in a state of semi-consciousness, with full awareness just out of reach. I could still hear what was going on around me, even if I could do nothing about it. The class erupted into mass pandemonium, with several students yelling. Several were shouting orders, and one student had the presence of mind to call the office.
The next thing I was aware of was strong, capable hands gently pulling me up. His smell engulfed me and I took comfort in that, at least. "It's okay, Greg; I got her. You can let go." I felt the pudgy hands drop from my arms, and Edward's heat began to seep into my too cold body. He began rocking me back and forth, brushing the hair away from my forehead. "Come on, Bella. Open those beautiful eyes for me." I tried, but they felt laced down. "Bella, honey, open your eyes." Slowly, I was able to pry my eyes open and noticed the huge grin spread over his face. "There you are. Welcome back." I just stared into his eyes, afraid that if I looked away I would faint again. "Aaron, run over to my room and bring me a candy bar out of the top drawer of my desk. Grab a couple."
Despite the calm, authoritative voice he was using, I could feel the tremors in his hands. I had scared him. "Are you okay?" I nodded a little, still not trying to move. "Alright guys, let's line up quickly so we can get to art. We're already a couple minutes late." I heard a few groans and voices expressing their concern. "Miss Swan's fine, she just forgot to eat this morning. We'll get some sugar into her and she'll be back to bossing you guys around like normal by the time you get back." I tried to smile at my students, who were all still staring with concerned looks and a little bit of fright.
Esme ran into the classroom, taking stock of the scene before her. "Edward, what's going on?"
"She's okay, just low blood sugar, I think. Ma, can you take her class to art? They're already late. And could you stop in the lounge to see if there's any fruit lying around? She should eat something more nutritious than a candy bar." Esme nodded and led the class out. Edward fumbled one-h--anded with the shiny, silver wrapper, eventually tearing it with his teeth before holding it up to my lips. "Bite," he ordered, and I did. "I'm right, aren't I? You missed breakfast this morning, right?" I nodded weakly at him while he held the bar up for another bite. "What am I going to do with you, Bell? I guess I'll have to start bringing you cinnamon rolls every morning so I can be sure you eat." He sounded serious, but I could see the teasing glint in his eye.
"Should I call an ambulance?" All teasing was gone from his worried voice.
"No," I slipped out, still too weak to find my full voice. "I'm sorry," I croaked, feeling traitorous tears slipping out of my eyes.
"Silly girl, no apologies," he whispered before pulling me close again to rock me. I took the rest of the candy car from his hands, capable of holding it myself now. He continued to rock me, humming a tune that I was all too familiar with while dropping kisses in my hair intermittently. "Are you sure you're okay? I'm not comfortable with you not getting checked out."
"I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I'll tell him about it." He took the wrapper from my hand before replacing it with another full bar.
"Should I call someone for you?" He almost sounded scared with his question, but I chalked it up to the morning's events. I shook my head no while trying to pull myself closer to him. He responded by adjusting me so that my head could rest in the crook of his neck rather than the bend of his elbow. The large swell of my belly was now pushing into his hard stomach. Without thinking, for the first time in a month, he reached down and caressed my belly.
"You're touching me." His hands paused for a split second before he slowly began rubbing small circles on my belly again. "It's been over a month since you last touched me."
"I didn't think you'd noticed."
"Of course I did. So did the baby. He likes you, ya know?"
"I think we need to get more sugar in you, Swan, you're talking crazy."
"No, it's true. He starts doing somersaults whenever you speak."
"Really?" he asked, his voice full of wonder.
"Yeah."
"Come on. Let's get you comfortable."
"I am comfortable." He laughed at me, but it was true. I had practically fallen asleep in his arms. He stood to his feet and effortlessly carried me over to the reading corner where I had bean bags and oversized pillows for the kids. He pushed the pillows around with his feet, arranging them into a make-shift bed before gently laying me down. I snuggled into the cushions, barely noticing when he stood to walk across the room.
Esme walked in while he was fiddling with something over by the window. Her voice caused me to open my eyes, and I saw Edward was drawing all the blinds and now turning one of my CDs on down low.
"How is she?" Esme's concern was deep, and she was looming over me in no time. Edward joined her after turning the lights off, both staring down at me as if I wasn't actually in the room and couldn't speak for myself.
"She'll be fine. She just missed breakfast, and I think she needs some rest."
I kept my eyes closed, unable to handle the blatant fawning these two were doing over me. "Maybe I should call in a sub for the rest of the day?"
"No, Esme. Edward's right. I just forgot to eat breakfast this morning, and it caught up with me. I'll be fine by the time the kids are ready to come back. Honestly."
"If you're sure? I'll be back to check on you in a bit. Edward, I assume you will be staying with her for now." I missed whatever his silent answer had been, as my eyes were still sealed shut. "I'll leave you to get some rest. Take care, Bella."
I smiled for her, hoping she was looking to see. "Thank you, Esme."
I had just about drifted off to sleep when I felt the cushions shift beneath me and cool fingers pushing hair away from my forehead again. I opened my eyes slowly to take in the man beside me. He was in a semi-reclining state, perching himself up with his left elbow as he loomed over me. I shut my eyes again and snuggled closer to him, wanting to be in his comforting aura. I felt his heavy exhale on my chin as his right hand returned to my belly, rubbing certain, wide circles over me. The baby let loose a powerful kick, right to the palm of his hand. "I told you, he likes you," I murmured.
"Wow, that is so amazing." His voice was again coated with wonder. "I can feel him!"
"You could have felt him a lot sooner, you know."
"I'm sorry." I didn't answer, letting the moment be. I continued to lay there while he traced patterns on my belly, chasing the movements of our son with his fingers. The soulful moans of Van Morrison reached my ears as one of my favorite songs began playing. He noticed my smile instantly. "What?"
"I love this song," was my simple reply.
"I know." I realized this was the song he had been humming to me earlier. "Why do you love it so much?"
"I don't know. It reminds me of when I was a kid. It's one of the only clear memories I have of my mom before she left my dad. I can remember my dad playing this song all the time for her because she loved it so much. And even though he couldn't dance and hated to, he always asked her to dance right in the tiny kitchen with the sunlight streaming in through the window. She'd stop doing whatever housework she was attempting, and he'd put down the paper before they just melded together." I paused for a minute, remembering the dust particles floating through the air, illuminated by the sun, and my mom's magical laughter as my father swirled her around. "That's the only way I can remember the sound of her laugh," I finished, feeling a tear escape my tightly closed eyes.
"I wanna rock your gypsy soul," I heard Edward's shaky voice join in with the song as he gently wiped my tears away. "Just like way back in the days of old. And together we will float into the mystic." I smiled as I felt his lips on my forehead. I rolled onto my side, towards him. Honestly, I was just trying to find a more comfortable position, something that I found hard to do in my own bed let alone on the hard floor of my classroom, even with the pillows. But that magnetic pull that brought us together during the party was still at work, and as I turned towards him, he slid his body towards mine and into a fully reclined position, pulling me effortlessly to him. There was a moment of awkwardness, at least on my part, as I sought a comfortable position against him before settling with my head just under his shoulder on his chest and my knees pulled up, resting against his thighs.
We lay there in silence for several moments listening as 'Into the Mystic' flowed into Sinatra's, 'The Way You Look Tonight'. The relaxing mood Edward had been trying to create by turning the lights off and setting the radio to a low volume was lulling me to sleep, along with his steady heartbeat under my ear.
"I think you should go home." Even though he was speaking softly, his deep, scratchy voice startled me from the light slumber I had fallen into.
"Edward, I'm fine."
"How do we know that? I should have taken you straight to the hospital."
"Stop it, Edward. I really do feel much better. I knew there was something wrong with me this morning – I just felt out of sorts. But I'm okay now, just tired."
"My mom can call in a sub, and hopefully one can be here before lunch is over. If you can wait until lunch time, I'll run you home then. I don't want you driving until the doctor says it's okay for you to do so. Or maybe my mom can take you now and I'll watch both classes when they get back – it's only forty-five minutes that I'd have them both until lunch time. I can do that, it's no big deal."
I pushed myself up on my arm to look at him more clearly. I had never heard Edward ramble on about anything before, and I had to admit, it was kind of endearing. Gone was the calm exterior from earlier; now he positively looked nervous, scared even. "I'm not going home. If I start to feel dizzy again, or any other thing feels off, I'll send a student to get you right away and you can drive me straight to the hospital. Deal?"
His face was still distressed as he listened to my words, but I could tell he had given in. I lay back down into his arms, exhaling a sigh of relief knowing I had just won that battle. "Alright, but you have to eat the orange Esme found before your class gets back."
"No problem."
"What time is your doctor's appointment?"
"Quarter after four – I'm going there straight from work."
"Isn't Jacob taking you?"
"Jacob? Why would he go with me?"
It was silent for a moment as I watched the emotions flicker through his eyes as he looked back at me, searching for something in my own eyes. "That day I ran into you in the park, you said you were going to a doctor's appointment then, too, and he was taking you. Was that for the baby?"
"Yes, but that was the only time he went. Umm, my relationship with Jacob has been really strained these past few months, and I don't really want to talk about him right now."
"Fair enough, but who takes you to your appointments?"
"Alice has gone a couple of times, and I went on my own once."
"So is Alice taking you today?"
"No, she's working and it's not that big of a deal anyway. It's just a routine check-up."
"Can I take you?"
Holy shit, he wanted to take me! Maybe he wanted to be involved after all. Maybe he was ready to be a father and the past month was just his way of preparing himself for it? Whatever, I'd take what I could get.
"Yes."
"Really? That easy? I thought for sure you'd be just as pigheaded about this as you are about everything else."
"Hey! You better watch yourself, Cullen!"
"Bella Swan?" I looked up from my silent stare-down with the coffee table in front of me as the nurse in peach scrubs called my name from the door she was propping open. Edward was already on his feet before I could gather my thoughts, hand held out towards me to help me up. I flinched – I couldn't help myself. I had been a nervous wreck ever since the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and I wasn't sure why. Well, that's not entirely true – I knew the man next to me was the culprit for my anxiety. But why he was making me nervous was the mystery.
The rest of the school day had been quite uneventful, and Edward had given me no cause for the knots currently rolling in my stomach along side the baby. We had spent the remainder of our prep period in silence. Well, he was silent, I napped. At lunch, he took me to the same café we usually frequented and nothing was amiss there, either. About the only thing out of the ordinary had been at last recess, when he decided he would take my recess duty and demanded I rest. And to be quite honest, that irritated me more than anything, because Jessica joked that he wanted to spend more time alone with her, except I know it wasn't a joke. Stupid bitch.
But for some reason, when he helped me into the car and held doors open for me during our trip to the doctor's office, it felt entirely different than when he did the same during our normal, daily activities. Even the fact that he insisted on driving was taking on a whole new meaning in my mind, which was just absurd because Edward always drove when we went to lunch, and I had never thought anything of it before.
I took his hand and he hoisted me to my feet – quite the accomplishment these days. I hesitated after a step when he fell in step beside me. "Umm… are you coming back with me?" I didn't know what I had been expecting, but I thought he would ask or make a comment, not just wander back with me. Jake didn't come back with me, a, ,,,nd I didn't even think to offer. Actually, I had thought about it, and the thoughts were too uncomfortable for me to consider allowing Jacob to accompany me. I knew that being with child was one of the biggest miracles of life, but still, trips to the Obstetrician felt too much like trips to the gynecologist to me. Alice had come back with me, but that was Alice.
He paused, suddenly looking as uncomfortable as I felt. "Uh, I thought…I don't have to."
"No, you can. I just… I didn't think … Do you want to?" We stood there in the middle of the waiting room, expectant mothers and fathers-to-be surrounding us as we stared at each other, both with uncertainty in our eyes. Finally, he nodded his head, signaling that he did want to come with me. "Okay."
We turned and headed towards the nurse, who was smirking with a twinkle in her eyes at our mutual awkwardness. Edward guided me down the halls with his hand firmly on my back, his thumb rubbing up and down between the hemline of my shirt and pants. When we neared the alcove where I knew the scale was hidden, I turned to him and planted my own hand firmly on his chest.
"Wait right here." All the uncertainty that I had seen in the waiting room flooded back to his face with my words, which I immediately regretted. "I don't care what you've seen or what we've done. You don't need to know exactly how heavy I am."
I watched his face transform once again as the worry left to be replaced with a small smile lifting the corners of his lips. My face flushed immediately, reacting to his predatory glare that had taken over since he processed my words. I turned from him and went into the alcove where the nurse was waiting for me. Damn bitch also had a smirk on her face.
After that humiliating scene was complete, she led us down the hall to the exam room. "Up on the table, Miss Swan. You know the drill." Sure, I knew the drill, but for some reason the table seemed infinitely higher than it had last month. Why the hell did they make these tables so tall that people had to hop up onto them? I wasn't that short, for crying out loud! I knew this was a lost cause and turned to look at Edward only to find he had already figured out my dilemma. Without saying a word, he wrapped one arm around my back, gripping firmly under my arm, and lifted me up onto the paper-covered exam table behind me.
After removing his arm, he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Either I am freakishly, inhumanly strong, or you are still light as a feather if I can lift you so effortlessly with one arm." I rolled my eyes at him, and he stepped back to allow the nurse to check my vitals. She excused herself when she was finished, stating the typical remark that the doctor would be with us in a moment.
Surprisingly, the doctor did arrive after only a couple minutes. "Miss Swan, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Ferenti was a nice enough man. He was quite tall, taller than even Edward, with salt and pepper hair and black rimmed glasses.
"I'm feeling well, Dr. Ferenti."
"I see you've brought another friend with you?"
"Yes, sir. This is Edward Cullen."
"Cullen? You wouldn't happen to be related to Carlisle Cullen, would you?"
"Yes, sir. He's my father."
"Ah, how wonderful. Dr. Cullen is a wonderful man and an excellent colleague. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cullen."
"Thank you, sir. The pleasure's mine."
Dr. Ferenti glanced back down at the chart he was holding for a minute before looking back to me. "I see you've gained eight pounds since last month, Bella." Damn it, the blush was back. Please don't make a big deal of my weight in front of Edward. "Normally, I would say this is a bit high. But you know I've been concerned with your weight gain as it is, especially seeing as you were losing so much during your first trimester. Women begin to show at different times, and you were certainly a late bloomer, but I can see you're making up for lost time." He thought he was being funny - I wanted to kill him on spot.
"Bella's a little self-conscious about her weight gain, Dr. Ferenti." Both the doctor and I turned to stare at Edward. I gaped at him with my mouth wide open while Dr. Ferenti raised an eyebrow to him.
"I see. Well, she has nothing to be concerned about. Her weight is catching up to what we consider normal, and the baby has been developing within the normal range. I'm assuming you are over your morning sickness? It hasn't made a resurgence in the past month, has it?" I shook my head, letting him know that I was doing better.
"She hasn't been sick, but she did pass out this morning. It's the only time it has happened, and I almost insisted she go to the hospital, but I think it may have been her blood sugar – she skipped breakfast. She seemed to do better after eating." My astonishment over his previous comment turned quickly into full-blown anger at his words. Hopefully, for his own sake, he caught on quickly from the glare I was giving him. Or else we were going to have a long talk on the way home. "I would have still insisted, if not for this appointment."
"Miss Swan, surely you know the importance of eating healthy, especially in light of your condition."
"Yes, sir, I do. Time slipped away from me this morning, but it won't happen again."
"Can you vouch for that, Mr. Cullen?"
"Yes, sir, it won't happen again." I rolled my eyes at them both. What the hell? Was I no longer in charge of my own life or what?
"Well, to be safe I would like you to take the oral glucose tolerance test as soon as possible. It's just a precaution, but given today's events, I think it's necessary. There's nothing to worry about. It is a test that most women take around this time, anyway. What it does is check for gestational diabetes. You will have to fast beforehand, so we like to administer the test first thing in the morning."
"What do I have to do? Is it another blood test?"
"Yes, it is. You'll come in, and they will take your blood right away to check your glucose levels. Then, you will drink a sugary substance and give blood two hours later to see how your body is breaking down the sugar. It's not that invasive of a test, just time consuming."
"Can she come in tomorrow to do it?"
I turned to glare at him some more, because frankly I still wasn't over his last couple of comments. "Edward, I'm working tomorrow."
"But he said you should do it as soon as possible." He turned from me to his only ally in the room. "As soon as possible, right Dr. Ferenti? Shouldn't she come in tomorrow?"
"Actually, she'll need to go to the lab at the hospital for this test. It's just more convenient for everyone all the way around, as I'm sure you can understand. You won't even need to make an appointment, Miss Swan, just bring in the paper work that I'll leave for you at the front desk. And it doesn't have to be tomorrow. Just try to get there in the next few days."
"The lab is open on the weekends, right Doctor?"
"Yes, Miss Swan. This weekend would be fine."
"Thank you." I turned my menacing glare back at Edward, who didn't look too happy himself.
"Before you leave, I'd like to get another urine and blood sample from you to run a few more tests, just to be on the safe side. Now, let's get back to the check up, shall we?"
"Of course." And with that, he went back into his routine, asking how I'd been feeling, if I'd had any discomfort or pains, how much the baby had been moving. He also took some measurements to check the growth of the baby and declared that everything was still looking picture perfect. He concluded with listening to the heartbeat with his stethoscope.
"Heartbeat is strong. You've got a little warrior in there, Miss Swan." I smiled kindly at him. Didn't I know it; my insides were probably black and blue from all the constant kicking he was doing against me. I smiled over at Edward, who returned my smile from his spot in the corner. Dr. Ferenti noticed our exchange and turned to address Edward. "Would you like to hear the heartbeat, Mr. Cullen? I don't have the Doppler set up, but you can listen with the stethoscope if you would like?"
Edward sat up quickly, stunned by the doctor's offer. I think we were both a little surprised, to be honest. He looked to me first, and I nodded my head slightly, still smiling at him. Edward stood and carried the stool to my side.
The doctor found the heartbeat once again before wiping the earpieces off with a wipe and passing them over to Edward. I knew the second he heard the thump-thumping rhythm of our son's heartbeat by the way his eyebrows arched to the ceiling and the breathtaking smile that lit up his entire face. He took my hand into one of his before placing the outstretched fingers of his other hand on my belly near the head of the stethoscope.
After several minutes, Edward broke out of his spell and removed his hand from my belly to give back the earpiece to the doctor. "Thank you for letting me listen. That was incredible." I gripped his hand tighter, in as much awe of this moment as he was but for completely different reasons. I, too, was thankful for Dr. Ferenti's consideration, so thankful I wanted to jump up and kiss him square on the lips, which I swear I'd never done before to any of my doctors in the past. All the anger I had experienced a few minutes ago towards Edward was completely washed away the minute I saw him hear our son's heartbeat.
"You're more than welcome. We're finished here unless you have any questions, Bella." I shook my head no, unable to speak. "Alright then, I'll see you next month. I'll send the nurse back in to draw your blood and get you a cup for a urine sample. When you stop at the desk to make next month's appointment, make sure the receptionist gives you the form for the lab tests. I'll see you next month, Bella. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Cullen."
"Thank you, Doctor. You, too," Edward replied for the both of us. Dr. Ferenti walked out without a glance from me as I still couldn't take my eyes from Edward. He turned back to look at me after the door clicked shut. His brow furrowed when his eyes met mine.
"Bella, you're crying." I bit my bottom lip but otherwise didn't respond. He dropped his gaze from my eyes to my lips and reached up to wipe my tears away, then pulled my lip out from between my teeth with his thumb. He left his thumb there for a moment, staring at it before asking, "Do you think I can hear him without it?" Finally, he raised his eyes back to mine and I shrugged, uncertain of an answer or my voice.
He dropped his hand and his gaze from my face and returned both to my belly. Ever so hesitantly, he leaned forward and turned his head away from me, resting his ear to the spot where the stethoscope had been minutes before. I froze, completely unable to move and not wanting to do anything to disrupt this moment.
"Breathe, Bella," Edward whispered. I let out a shaky laugh, the sweet tension in the room breaking with his light tone.
