Appointment

(Part 1)

I was jolted awake for the third time by sharp pains in my back. With a groan, I turned onto my back seeking relief that didn't come. Any position I slept in my back just kept hurting. I could feel the sweat on my back.

I looked up into a pair of familiar amber eyes.

"Good morning, love," Edward said softly kissing my forehead.

I stretched. "Good morning." I winced as I moved to sit up.

"Are you okay?" Edward's hands went to support my back.

"My back is just hurting again, Edward."

"These are the same ones from last night?" he looked at me concerned

I nodded and I closed my eyes, relishing the way Edward increased the pressure with his hand, messaging my back. It felt so good. A soft moan escaped my lips.

He stopped suddenly. I opened my eyes and ran a hand through his thick bronze hair. He purred involuntarily.

He leaned forward to press his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling myself up to meet his lips. Edward's hand slipped underneath my night gown, tracing light patterns up and down the side of my stomach being very gentle. I pulled away blushing. It'd been a while since Edward and I were intimate. Though it wasn't his fault, it was more of my self-conscious reasoning. The bigger I got the less confident I felt and I didn't want him to see the stretch marks that I counted on my now ballooning stomach. I just didn't want him to see them or me.

"I love you," he breathed, kissing my neck.

"Me, too," I whispered back.

I could see a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as his hand caressed my belly again. Edward and I were going be parents soon. Maybe too soon. It still hadn't kicked in yet that our lives would be changing dramatically when our babies were born.

"We have an appointment with Carlisle at ten-thirty," he reminded me.

I pouted. I wasn't even sure I could move yet and Edward had made me thoroughly light headed and breathless.

Then my stomach growled; I ignored it and held Edward's arms fast against me, burying my head in to his chest, knowing he would leave to start on breakfast.

"Breakfast and then we can have all day to spend together at our meadow after we go for our second trimester examination," he promised placing a cool kiss in the crook of my neck.

"Okay," I assented ruefully. "Remind me again why I set the appointment this early." I stretched.

"You were so excited to see out little bundles of joy you begged for the earliest time Carlisle had."

"You could have talked me out of it." I threw a pillow at Edward's head; he turned around quickly and caught it, gently tossing it back to me.

"I have faster reflexes, love."

"You're no fun," I complained and then stuck my tongue out at him.

I eased out of bed carefully; this was no morning for me to fall. In search of something to wear, I rambled through the closet. According to the weatherman, a snowstorm was approaching Washington so I wanted to dress warmly. I sighed and glanced out the large window.

Everything was covered in snow. The treetops shuddering against the bitter wind shed more precipitation on the already white valley below.

"Staring at it won't make it go away, Bella." He said pulling a clean sweater over his head.

Edward pecked me on the cheek. "I know," I said. "I just really hate snow."

I heard him chuckle as he strode out the door to go downstairs to start breakfast. I threw a swift glance at the digital clock. I had an hour to get ready now.

I padded down the hall way into the bathroom. I hopped into the shower. I closed my eyes and let its calming effects take me over. My thoughts, after a while, started to wonder. Christmas was right around the corner and I hadn't gotten around to telling Charlie and Renée Edward and I were expecting. I had been through this before, worrying about their reaction, and I knew the out come. Charlie had taken the announcement of our engagement better than I had intended. So did Renée for that matter. I could count on them to respect my judgment. Good or bad, I was having these babies. Together, I knew Edward and I could do this. I had to tell them soon...

The warm water was starting to cool down. I shut it off wrapping a soft towel around my body, slipping out feeling cleansed and refreshed. I breathed in. My hair smelled of sweet, calming lavender and strawberries.

After blow drying, brushing through knots and pulling my hair back in to a ponytail, I noticed an object glint in the light.

Around my wrist a resplendent gold bracelet hung and it matched the necklace Edward had bought me a month ago. The baby bottle and pacifier charms on it shimmered. I tried my best to hold the tears in my eyes at bay. I threw on a soft blue cashmere sweater that hugged my figure yet draped loosely over my stomach and a pair of maternity boot cut jeans and black, knee length, Prada boots. I stumbled down the stairs big belly and all and found Edward waiting for me at the foot of the staircase. I leaped into his arms tears already on my cheeks.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." I kissed him deeply forgetting about everyone around me.

"Excuse me," Emmett guffawed. "We don't need a public display of how she got pregnant."

I flushed.

"Emmett," Edward hissed.

He grinned smugly from where he sat on the couch beside Jasper.

Jasper rolled his eyes and just continued watching television with a snicker, "Hormonal and pregnant today, Bella?"

I didn't answer.

"The food is this way, Bella," Edward teased, regaining some of his good humor back while carrying me to the kitchen. Alice pecked me on the cheek, wishing me good morning as the arrangement of food lined up on the table.

The savory smells wafted towards me. I inhaled deeply, my mouth watering.

I'd never craved food like this before. Usually, a wave of staggering nausea would send me to the nearest sink. The sensation in me to eat was unnerving. I shrugged the strange feeling off eyeing the steaming sausage and bacon, scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes on the table greedily.

I downed two plates. Edward stared at me slack-jawed. Alice seemed pleasantly amused but Edward looked frightened.

"What? I was hungry," I said blushing again. "I'm eating for three you know. You shouldn't be so shocked."

Alice's light, chiming laughter filled the room. "She's right. You shouldn't be so surprised. Now close your mouth you're catching flies, Edward."

Alice cleared the table in front of me.

Edward smiled. "I'm not feeding you enough, am I," he mused, offering his hand to me. "We should go."

I followed him into the next room with Alice to retrieve our coats. He handed me his tan, leather coat I insisted on wearing because it smelled like him and I could tell it calmed the babies. I slid my arms into the too, long sleeves, inhaling his sweet, intoxicating scent. Edward turned back towards me donning another fitted leather jacket.

We walked to the garage; Edward held the door open for me, and then helped me into the Volvo. He was sitting beside me in half a second.

Alice knocked on the window rapidly. Edward sighed and rolled it down for her.

"Don't forget to bring me back a picture of the twins." She stuck her skinny arm in to pat my stomach. "Bye my unborn nice and nephew.

"Can we go now, Alice?" Edward asked impatiently.

She looked as if she wanted to say more to me but unwillingly replied to Edward, "Can't I just…please," she whined. Her bottom lip quivered.

"No, Alice. We'll talk it over when we get home."

Her eyes narrowed. "Fine. Have it your way. It's going to be a lot worse," she said quickly then flitted out of the garage.

He murmured something quietly to himself before, fluidly pulling out on to the dirt road.