A/N: since you were all so amazingly patient with me, I thought you deserved the second half of Bella's hospital stay. Also, thank you all who have read and review (so far) for not pointing out any errors I made with her hospital visit. I don't actually know anything that a basic google search didn't tell me. I'm not a physician or connected to one in any way so... anyways... thanks :) -K
The words seemed to float around in my head forever, not really making sense, then there was a knock on the door and a nurse walked in carrying a little paper cup of water and an even small cup with the pills in it. "Here you go, Bella," the nurse smiled politely, handing me the cups. "You take those and I'll be back with something light for you to eat, get something in your stomach, and you'll feel so much better."
"Can I– I mean– is it," I hesitated.
"Of course, it's perfectly safe," he nodded encouragingly and I took the pills, eager to take the edge off.
"Thank you, Betty," he dismissed the nurse and she smiled politely, shutting the door behind her as she went. "I take it this wasn't planned?"
The bark of nervous laughter that escaped me cause more pain than before but I tried to ignore it this time. Instead focusing all of my energy on the bike churning in my stomach and threatening to rise. "Understatement."
"I see. Well as your Doctor, I'll remind you there is confidentiality here and I won't share anything we discuss with anyone else. But as a parent I have to ask, is it Edward's?" The question wasn't malicious and I wasn't offended; I simply nodded and he did seem a little relieved. "However the two of you decide to handle things, you will have my support and, should you choose to include her, Esme's as well."
"Do you think we should keep it," my voice was almost a whisper and I realized that I'd begun to cry.
"I can't answer that for you. I can only tell you that my family, especially my son, adores you and that whatever you decide we will continue to do so. Edward will be an amazing father though, I will say that much. As your Doctor, I can only support you and give you unbiased information on all of your options." This was getting really heavy, really fast and I couldn't handle it. Carlisle was in full on Doctor mode, his voice almost clinical if he weren't so compassionate, and it made me uncomfortable. I closed my eyes, resting my head against the pillow, and let my tears fall freely. "I'll give you a few moments. Edward went to get food from the cafeteria, perhaps I'll join him and let you have some time to yourself." I nodded, unwilling to respond, and heard the door close behind him as he left.
Pregnant? How could I be pregnant? I had my appointment for my next shot later this week and I always used a condom... No, that's a lie. I did always use a condom, when I was working... But now that I was with Edward we tended to be a little more careless. God, I wanted to beat myself in the head over and over again but the throbbing head ache was already doing that for me. How could I be so fucking stupid and irresponsible? Dreams of college; who was I kidding?
The nurse came back a few minutes later and I'd managed to pull myself together by then. Mostly. When she looked at me I was sure that I looked like crap because she diverted her eyes and focused on setting up the tray that slid into position over the hospital bed. "You eat something dear, keep it down and I'm sure Dr. Cullen will have you out of here in no time. That man's a miracle worker." I nodded and she dismissed herself.
Not that the food on the plate didn't look appetizing—though it didn't—but I opted for the tapioca pudding first. It was thick, rich, and sweet, and I swallowed it down easily. Then I picked at the bland peas and chalky mashed potatoes, avoiding the unidentifiable meat product all together. About the time I'd decided I was done, Edward was knocking softly on the door to my room.
As soon as he walked in, I felt a ball of tension I hadn't realized was there before loosen and I felt like I could breathe. He was dressed in his typical business suit, his tie loosened and his hair more ruffled than usual—probably from running his hand through it repetitively over the past... "What time is it?"
Edward checked his watch, "10:30." The thought made me grumble; they could've given me bacon or something breakfast related, instead I got unidentifiable lunch. Jerks.
"You should be at work," I half-heartedly chastised him.
"My gorgeous girlfriend passes out and hits her head, I think they can operate without me for a while," he smiles and I groan, remembering that I still probably look like crap. "You'll be out of here soon, Carlisle just wanted to get some food in you before he sent you home. He thinks you'll feel better in a few hours, a day or two tops and you'll be full speed again."
"It may take longer than that," I commented, chewing on my lip anxiously.
"What do you mean," Edward asked, his forehead crinkling with confusion.
I shifted uncomfortably on the bed, pushing the tray aside to make room for him, "sit with me?" Edward sat down anxiously on the side of the bed and waited for me to talk. "I'm pregnant." The words were surprisingly easy to say but the sound of them coming from my own mouth was like having a bucket of ice water thrown on me and I felt the tears coming again.
"You're... But you... We... What?" I nodded, feeling the moisture dripping down my cheeks again and swatting at it angrily with the back of my hand.
"Apparently not far along, but definitely there."
"How did... How did we..." Edward's speechlessness might have been comical in any other situation but not so much right now. He was sitting there, eyes glazed, lips slightly parted, as he processed.
"That's what I'd like to know. I guess we just got careless, relied too much on the shot." He didn't respond and I sniffed, which seemed to bring him back to reality. Edward stood quickly and headed into the bathroom, grabbing a box of tissues and bringing it back to me. When he still didn't talk, I started to babble, "your dad said we have options and that we don't have to tell anyone we didn't want to. He said he would support us no matter what we decided and that's good. I mean, I know if we don't keep it then it's kind of shitty that your dad knows but at least we don't have to worry about Esme and..."
"You don't want to keep it," he asked, green eyes fixed on my face.
I shrugged, sniffing again, "I don't know. I know it was so quick and not planned and everything seems to be so unorthodox with us that I just figured this is something that should definitely be orthodox and I know that you've got so much going on with work right now and the last thing you need it..." Edward's lips crushed against mine in a bruising kiss that made my head throb, but it effectively shut me up.
"I love you," he whispered. "I want to do what you want to do, but if we have this baby... I would love it so much." His worlds floored me and I started crying again, "please stop crying, beautiful."
"I can't," I hiccuped and he smiled, amused. "I just feel so stupid that this happened and now I feel even more stupid for thinking you were going to be mad at me."
"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? Shocked, yes, but never mad."
"Rose is going to be mad," I sniffed, reaching for a tissue and blowing my nose. Very unsexy.
"Rose loves you; she was terrified when you passed out earlier. Hearing you're pregnant is going to be a relief because right now she thinks she killed you."
The thought made me laugh, "I'm sorry about the magazine too."
Edward waved his hand in the air, "if I got upset about everything ever written about me, I'd have no time for anything else. Quit apologizing for things that aren't your fault."
When we got home, Alice and Rosalie called to check on me. Rosalie felt terrible, she blamed herself for the ordeal. I didn't want to tell her that fainting could be a symptom of pregnancy so I just assured her that my blood sugar was low and that I was fine.
Carlisle had insisted on plenty of rest and water, then he'd advised Edward to take the rest of the day off so that he could keep an eye on me. I was mostly okay now that the acetaminophen had kicked in, just a little sore, and Carlisle admitted there was probably nothing to worry about. Personally, I was pretty sure the hospital wouldn't have done half as much as they did if I wasn't Edward Cullen's girlfriend... Or maybe it was because I'm Carlisle Cullen's son's girlfriend. Either way.
Esme sent an edible arrangement, which was amazing, and a text telling me to call if I needed anything. "Your family's amazing," I whispered to Edward that night as we lay in bed together. His head rested on my stomach, eyes closed while I massaged his scalp.
"Hmm," he grunted and I smiled. "They love you, you know?"
"They barely know me," I argued and his tired eyes fluttered open. "I barely know you and I love you."
I grinned, "I love you too."
Edward lifted his head and moved up to lay beside me, pulling my body snuggly against his. "I know this is how you planned everything working out."
I had to smile at the irony, "my life isn't how I planned it to work out." He smiled and kissed me softly.
"I love you and I want this baby. But if you don't, I will stand by you and love you still."
It took me a long moment to process his words in my tires state but he waited, patient as ever. "I want this baby, too," I whispered my response.
The smile the broke Edward's serious face was unlike anything I could explain. It was blinding, enthusiastic, filled with love. Then he kissed me deeply, passionately, and rolled me onto my back so that he was covering my body. "We're going to make amazing parents, baby. Our kid will want for nothing and they're going to be so loved..." He trailed off and I smiled, running my fingers into his hair and pulling him back down for another kiss. Jesus Christ, parents?