Dearest Bella,

I wish I could have been there with you when you found out that we're having a boy and a girl. I'm so happy, I can't even say. I never really pictured us as parents, even when we found out you were pregnant. It's all becoming so real. I cried like a baby when I watched the video of the ultrasound. Some of the guys did too, remembering when they were missing out on the same things, or in anticipation of missing out. I'm not the only one here with a pregnant wife back home, holding down the home front. You're doing a wonderful job of it.

Are you feeling okay? I got the pictures. You're getting huge! :) You're beautiful, as always. Even more beautiful now, though I never knew that was possible. I hope you're feeling well, and that Rose is helping out. Any word from Emmett? How is Rose coping?

I don't really have any opinions on the nursery colors. Do whatever you feel should be done. I'm sure my mom would be more than willing to help out, if you'd like. She's chomping at the bit to come down there and help you with everything. I got an email from her this morning going on and on about it.

Things have been the same here. I do the same thing almost everyday. Wake up. Wait around. Go fly. Come back. Wait around. Sleep. Somewhere in there I eat three square meals each day. Work out at some point. But I'm always thinking about you.

They're saying that I'll probably be sent home when my time with the squadron is up. Flying me out to a civilian airport and then back to San Diego, but I don't want you to put any stock in that. Just go on as if I have to do the entire deployment, because at any time, even ten minutes before I'm supposed to leave, they can come back and extend me out here. It's happened before to just about every pilot in the Navy. Besides, I think it'll be more fun to just show up and surprise you.

I've gotta go, love, duty is calling. I love you, and I miss the hell out of you. Make sure Rose kisses your belly for me. I'm sure it's weird, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Love,

Edward

P.S. Are you still sure?

Edward,

The furniture we picked out has come in. Rose and I had a hell of a time putting it together. There were quite a few profanities flying out of the nursery while we worked on it! It's beautiful. Two cribs, two dressers, two changing tables, two rocking chairs... it makes it all so real now. Obviously it's real, but it seems that every new thing we take care of makes it even more real. Each day is another day closer to me giving birth, which I'm terrified of doing, yet so excited to meet our babies. I wish you could be there with me, but Rose and I have been going to some childbirth classes on base, and I think we'll handle it just fine. Thank God that I have Rose to lean on during this.

We've painted the nursery a deep, stormy sea blue, and gone with quite an interesting theme. Rose and I split the room down the middle and one half is done in airplanes, for our little boy. Jasper even came in this past weekend and painted an aircraft carrier mural on the wall. He is so talented with art, I wonder why he didn't pursue it as a career? No matter now, I guess. He also painted a silhouette of a magical kingdom on the other side. We chose a basic chandelier to hang from the ceiling and Rose managed to install a dimmer switch. I am so impressed with her, she didn't even electrocute herself.

I'm going to be ordering the bedding as soon as I get your opinion. I've attached photos of what I've narrowed it down to.

I'm feeling fine, but fat. Huge as a cow, actually. The doctor says everything is moving along nicely and the babies are completely healthy. I've attached photos from the latest ultrasounds as well. I had a 3-D ultrasound done as well, and it's amazing. Really, it'll blow you away. I put the video of it in the package I sent out at the end of last week. Have you received it yet?

Rose is yelling at me to come eat a snack, so I better go before she loses her mind. :) She's taking care of me, though I'm not sure if she thinks she's my mother or my drill sergeant. No matter. I'm grateful for all she's done. She keeps me healthy and sane.

I wish you were here. I miss you so much I can't even describe it. I love you.

Love,

Bella

P.S. I am SO SURE!

Bella,

I got your package today. I'm sorry I haven't been responding as quickly as before. Flight Ops have really picked up lately. I think I'm in the air more than on the ground, these days. All is well, just training operations, but there is no email in the jet. :)

The ultrasound video blew me away. They're beautiful. I think they look like you! I'm glad they're healthy, and that Rose is keeping you healthy. I can't wait to see you again, and I can't wait to see our babies. I love you all so much.

Hmm, baby bedding. I think the airplane one matches the nursery pretty well. I like that one. As for the other, I like the castle one. It matches, and of course, she is going to be a spoiled little princess. May as well stick with the theme. :)

I don't have much time today. I need to get a certain amount of sleep if I'm gonna be going out again tomorrow, so I need to grab something to eat and hit my rack.

I love you, Bella. I've never missed anything as much as I miss you.

Edward

Edward,

Had a little scare today. I thought I was in early labor, and Rose took me to the hospital. Apparently it was Braxton Hicks, like practice contractions. The doctor tried to tell me they were minor and not all that painful. I almost punched him in his stomach. Not painful my ass. If labor is going to be worse than that, I'm gonna need an epidural!

The babies are fine, and I am fine, everybody's fine. :) Though I am exhausted lately. I'm getting so huge, I'm convinced my stomach can't possibly get any bigger. One day it's just going to split open and the babies will fall right out!

Rose had a video chat with Emmett this morning. He seems to be doing well. He's at his halfway mark for his deployment, so he'll be coming here for his R&R. He and Rose were supposed to meet in Jamaica, but she refuses to leave my side. I told her to go spend time with her husband, but she refuses, and Emmett says he wants to come see me and Rose, so he should be here in a few days. I'm looking forward to seeing him, but I'm jealous. I wish the Navy had R&R halfway through deployment.

My due date is getting closer and closer. I'm a month out, and I'm ready for it to be over. I'm technically full term now, and I've made it further than the majority of twin pregnancies, but my doctor won't induce me. Rose read online that having sex will put you in labor at this point, but I don't really have that option. :) If you were here, we would so be doing it to get these babies out of me!

Esme flies in tomorrow morning with Alice. Carlisle has arranged with the hospital to be able to leave and get on a plane as soon as we call and tell him that I'm labor so that he can be here. Jasper will come down with him if he can get off of work. It'll be nice to have the whole family here with me then, but I really wish you could be here. As much as I love them and am grateful for all their help, I'd trade all of them for you in a heartbeat.

I keep hoping that you'll be sent home instead of extended and will just show up when I least expect it, but I'm not counting on it. I refuse to get my hopes up, just as you asked.

Please stay safe.

I love you, and I miss you.

Love,

Bella

Edward,

Bella has been admitted to the hospital here on base. She went into labor late last night so we brought her in. The doctors have stopped labor for now and are giving her steroid shots, just as a precaution, to make sure the babies' lungs are as strong as possible. While it's not technically early, the longer we can keep them in the better.

Bella is doing well. Everyone is here except for Jasper, who got called out of town at the last minute. Even Emmett is here, who surprisingly, has been her biggest comfort. He hasn't left her side in fourteen hours, not even to go to the bathroom. He said he's doing what you would do if you were here, or if it were me.

You can reach Bella's room at 555-555-4938 Room 1205. Alice and I are taking tons of pictures and videotaping everything for you.

Alice has just informed me that Bella's contractions are starting again, so I better go. Don't worry Edward, everything will be fine. The doctor said the babies are in a perfect position to deliver vaginally, so Bella shouldn't need a c-section, which is a good thing. I'm taking care of her, we all are.

I have my cell on me if you can't get through the hospital system. Everything about the military is fucked up, after all.

I'll give Bella a kiss for you, but no tongue, that's pushing it. Be safe, Edward. And be excited, you're about to be a daddy!

Rose

EDWARD

"My wife is in labor," I said to myself after finishing Rose's email.

"Right now?" Newton, one of my guys, asks from beside me. I didn't realize he was there.

"Yeah, right now."

"Cheney!" he yells out to one of my other guys, get a video line set up, Cullen's wife is having the babies!

"Right now?" Cheney called back, and Newton confirmed. Suddenly our squad room was a flurry of movement as the guys get to work with some plan that I wasn't a part of.

"Cullen," Mike yelled to me, "Call your sister in law, tell her to get a laptop with a video feed in there right now. We're gonna hook ya'll up so you can be there, even though you're not really there."

"I have to be in the air in half an hour," I argued back, "I can't."

"Bullshit, I'm taking your flight. You're babies are coming man, you're not gonna miss it entirely."

EMMETT

"You got it, babe?" I ask as I feed Bella another spoonful of ice chips.

"Right here," Rose answers as she sets a laptop down on the rolling table and pushes it over Bella's hospital bed. She handed a cord to Carlisle and he plugs it in, "Do your thing, Alice."

Alice immediately starts typing away and clicking on things and suddenly Edward's voice rings through the room.

"Bella? Bella? Are you okay?"

Bella looks up at the screen, "Do I look okay?" she growled, "Two babies are clawing their way out of me!"

"You didn't get the epidural?" he asked.

"Do you know the risks of pain medication during childbirth?" Bella demanded.

"It's okay Bella, you're okay. You're the strongest person I know, you can do this."

We'd been at this for going on 29 hours. Bella had been in active labor for well over a day, and I had only left her side once, because I had to pee so bad I was about to pee down both legs, but I did it in record time and was right back by her side, where my brother should have been but couldn't be.

The doctor suddenly comes in and checks Bella again. At first it was weird, being in the same room while a doctor shoves his hand into my sister in law, the girl that had been like my little sister for as long as I could remember. Especially when she would cry out in pain from it.

"That better be the last fucking time," I growled at him, "She's in enough pain as it is."

"That's it," he sat down on a chair at the foot of the bed, "Bella, it's time to push. The baby's already crowning."

The rest of the experience is a straight up blur to me. I was holding Bella's hand and feeding her ice chips. Rose was wiping the sweat from her head while Alice and Esme each held a leg up. Carlisle was videotaping, making sure to not get any nether regions, at Bella's demand, and Edward was on the webcam, seeing everything from Bella's waist up, cheering her own, encouraging her. She responded much better with his voice in the room than she had been before.

After the first baby came out, a girl, Bella got a few minutes reprieve before the pain started up again. A couple of pushes and she had given birth to a boy. Then they delivered the placenta and, ugh, nasty stuff.

I carefully carried the laptop over to the warmer's where the babies were so Edward could see his children. He cried, but we were all crying.

"Ava...Masen...daddy's here, kind of. Daddy loves you..." he kept saying over and over again.

I brought him back over to Bella and after a few 'I love yous' and 'I'm so proud of yous,' Edward's time was up and he had to go, but he hadn't missed it. Not exactly, and that was enough for Bella. It had to be.

"Ava Sophia, and Masen Marshall," Bella announced as we all passed the babies around.

"Oh, Bella," I said, still determined to stay by her side, "They're beautiful. I can't believe you guys made that."

"I just want him home, Em."

"I know Bella, me too. Me too."