A/N- I would put in a nice, long author's note, but let's just get back to the story.
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EMPOV
I pushed the Volvo's accelerator to the floor, my cell phone at my ear already.
"Hello?" Carlisle said.
"Carlisle? It's Emmett! Bella has gone into labor!"
"I'll make sure that we can get her in immediately- call the rest of the family. This is not good." he emphasized before hanging up.
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EPOV
While Emmett multitasked, calling our families and speeding towards the hospital, I sat in the back seat, holding Bella close to my chest.
"Edward," she whimpered as one of her first contractions ripped through her, "I'm so scared. It's not supposed to happen this way!"
"We can't stop it, love." I said gently, kissing her hair, "But you are going to okay, the babies are going to be okay. I promise."
She was shaking as we arrived at the hospital doors, and were greeted by Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Charlie, and about six or so members of the hospitals medical staff, already armed with a gurney for Bella. I sat her down on it, and as they began to wheel her into the building, she caught my hand in a vise tight grip and wailed;
"Please don't leave me, Edward!"
I squeezed her hand tightly, walking at a slow but brisk pace to keep up with the gurney and said gently "I'm here, Bella. I'm here."
The medical team, with Carlisle's help, got Bella undressed and into a hospital gown before laying her on a bed, pulling her legs into the stirrups on the sides. Carlisle took his place at the foot of the bed while a nurse stuck an IV into Bella's arm- she winced, but then moaned at the pain of another contraction. Carlisle announced that she was fully dilated already, and that she needed to begin pushing. Bella squeezed my hand, grabbing onto Alice's also. I shot Carlisle a worried look, but he just nodded and told Bella what to do.
"Bella, when I count to three, I need you to push as hard as you can, and hold it until I tell you to stop. Okay?" he asked.
She nodded, her face glistening with sweat.
"Okay, one…two…three!"
She pushed as hard as she could, squeezing my hand for dear life- she screamed as she did this.
"Stop."
She stopped. "God, Edward, it hurts!" she told me.
"I know, love. I know."
"No you don't!" she insisted as she began to resume pushing at Carlisle's signal.
"Come on, Bella," Carlisle urged, "The first baby is crowning!"
She pushed even harder, still screaming. I wanted to go and see for myself, but Bella needed me to be with her. But I watched the first miracle occur through Carlisle's mind- I watched as my first-born child slid easily into my fathers arms, wet and bloody. Carlisle cut the umbilical cord and gave the baby a quick once over, holding it up.
"We have our boy!" he exclaimed.
I smiled broadly; my son had arrived. He was wiggling in Carlisle's arms, his face red. He opened his tiny mouth, took a deep breath and began to cry a loud, strong, healthy cry. His skin was ivory stained pink by blood and a lovely blush, and he had a full head of bronze hair, wet and matted from his birth. A nurse took him and moved to clean him off, and wrapped him in a blanket.
"One more, Bella!" Jasper encouraged, "You're doing a great job."
Bella pushed and pushed, desperate to have this pain over, but there was something wrong.
"The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck!"
I gulped- my daughter was strangling to death before she had been brought into the world.
"Cut it!" a nurse ordered sternly.
Carlisle nodded and cut my babies lifeline- he ordered Bella to push, for a life was on the line. My wife pushed with all her might, and Annabelle slid out as well, already screaming her own cry. Her skin was cream and roses, her head covered in chocolate curls as the same nurse cleaned her hand wrapped her in a fleece blanket, like Anthony's, only it was pink versus Anthony's blue. Bella sighed, and slumped against the pillows, exhausted. I bent over to kiss her damp, hot forehead; she leaned into the kiss to the best of her ability, and I smiled at her as everyone cleared out, whispering their congratulations. I gulped as two nurses carried my children to the maternity ward. Carlisle encouraged me to let Bella rest for a while, to regain her strength- she grabbed my wrist, the identification bracelet that read 'Cullen, Isabella M. 12/16/07' dangling.
"Edward," she said weakly, "I-"
"Sshh," I hushed her, stroking her face lovingly, "You need your rest. Tell me later, alright?"
She nodded and leaned back, quickly falling asleep. I sat there for a few minutes, grabbing the lights to help her rest, when Carlisle opened the door.
"Are you ready to meet your children?" he asked, a warm smile on his face.
I kissed Bella's forehead before moving to the door and walking down the hallway with my father turned grandfather.
"So," I asked uncomfortably, "are they…alright? No deformalities? No health issues?"
He shook his head. "None. Both are fully formed, healthy, and cute as buttons. Anthony's strong, and Annabelle has that certain charm that Bella has- she's already won over everyone."
"She's five minutes old."
"That's my point. But, anyway, I'm surprised that they are both so healthy after being two months premature." he said as we reached the door to the private room where that children were. I smiled and opened the door- there was two small beds with glass sides, and a nurse watching over them. She came up to me and smiled.
"Your son is a little on the grabby side- he's put a move on all the nurses that have held him already. Could that be something he inherited from you?" she asked.
I chuckled quietly. "No- he probably got that from his uncle Emmett." I said.
She and Carlisle laughed lightly as they walked out, leaving me alone with my children. I walked over to the glass beds and peered over them- both were sleeping peacefully, curled up on their backs, dressed in nothing but diapers with their blankets wrapped tightly around them. I smiled emotionally and stood there for a very long time, just watching them sleep. But then, I went to sit in a rocking chair in the corner- the second I sat down, Anthony began to cry. I flashed to his side and saw him, his arms raised up, waiting for someone to hold him.
Pay attention to me, love me! his cry said.
I picked him up gently and sat in the rocking chair, but he continued to cry softly, rubbing his eyes- he had a small ID tag, just like Bella's, only his read 'Cullen, Anthony A. 12/16'.
"Sshh," I said gently, stroking his cheek with my thumb, "it's okay, Anthony. Daddy's here."
He stopped crying and opened his eyes…which were a stunning shade of clear emerald green. He sniffled, his eyes still brimming with old tears, and I let him hold onto my finger; he squeezed it in his strong grip, and his eyelids drooped, he snuggled his head into my stone chest and fell quietly asleep, so went to gently lower him back into the crib.
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LATER, BPOV
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I opened my eyes to see that I was in a hospital bed, the room dark and empty, except for the presence next to me. I could see my toes…meaning…
"We're parents, Edward!" I gasped.
He laughed freely. "Yes, that we are, love." he said, kissing my forehead, "Oh, Bella- they're both so beautiful."
"Was Carlisle and Emmett's prediction right? Does Anthony look like you?"
He smiled. "You'll have to see for yourself. Here." he held out his hand to help me up and into a wheelchair, "Hold this, please."
He gestured to an IV pole- I winced when I saw that it was stuck in my arm. He chuckled. "Still not a big fan of needles, I see." he said. I nodded as he wheeled me into the hallway- I made note of a sign outside the door that told me he wasn't wheeling me in the right direction. I opened my mouth to say something, but he had already guessed what I had to say. "Two things- one, they are not in there, they are in a private room, and two, there is a mob outside those doors."
"Mob?" I asked.
"Literally the whole town of Forks has shown up in the past two hours and demanded to have a look at our children."
"Wow."
We went in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up. "Edward?" I said quietly.
"Yes, my angel?" he asked.
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I'm sorry." I repeated, "For not believing you. And leaving. And for yelling at you. I should have known that it was Emmett, I should have trusted you. I don't know, it was just like, I know that I'm plain, and boring, and-"
"Bella," he hissed dangerously, "Stop it. You're are not plain or boring, and I love you."
"But do you forgive me?"
"Only if you forgive me." he said quietly as we made a right turn.
"What did you do wrong to be forgiven?" I asked, confused.
"Let me think," he said sourly, "I raised my voice at you, I let my temper get the best of me, I grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you, for God's sake!"
"I forgive you, Edward. You don't have to beat yourself up." I whispered as we stopped outside a large door. He was quiet for a very long time before lowering himself to get eye level with me. He stared at me with his glowing ocher eyes for a moment before he kissed me deeply, our mouths melding together in the silence of the hallway. He pulled away, smiling at me in that way that told me that he loved me. He pushed the door open, and I smiled widely when I saw two crib-like boxes with glass sides.
I stood, and he helped me over to a rocking chair in the corner before he turned to gather a two bundles in his arms, smiling softly at me. He gently settled the pink bundle in the crook of my right arm- it was Annabelle. She was so angelic and beautiful, her cheeks flushed with a light, healthy pink. She had a full head of chocolate curls just like mine, and her skin was a smooth ivory color. Then he smiled even wider and settled the blue bundle into my right arm- Anthony. My eyes welled up- he looked just like Edward. He had a full head of bronze locks and ivory skin. His eyes opened, and he stared at me intently with those big, green orbs of his. Annabelle stared at me as well, with my eyes, chocolate, endless pools.
I sniffled.
"What is it love?" he asked.
"They're so beautiful, Edward!" I wailed.
He laughed, but came to sit next to me, kissing my cheek and staring at our children. Anthony stared at Edward, possibly seeing a future version of himself. But then, Edward straightened up.
"Oh, no." he said.
"What?" I asked.
"One of the nurses opened the floodgate- here comes half the town."
I pulled my babies protectively to my chest. "We can handle it." I said.
He smiled. "Definitely."
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A/N- Okay, this whole chapter is to the tune of the song 'So Far Away' by Staind, but is NOT a song-fic. No. But, I do suggest that you listen to the song on YouTube, because it is very good. Ok, moving on…