Disclaimer: All Twilight related material is the sole property of the original author. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N : Thank you all for your support with this story. There will be a more detailed note at the closing of this chapter. For now, enjoy!
FoolforEdward edits.
Mask'charade Chapter 20, Elizabeth Masen
BPov
I arrive home from work, and rush to the bathroom with the pregnancy test in hand. I read over the instructions twice, before removing my underwear.
"This shouldn't be too difficult."
Midway through, a thought enters my mind.
"No." I quickly dispel the prospect. "If I'm pregnant, this is Ned's baby. I'm sure of it."
I place the little stick on the edge of the sink and wait the required two minutes. I can't say that I feel nervous, excited is more the feeling I'm having right now. Maybe a little shocked. I would never have imagined my life on this path; meeting Ned, falling in love with him and now, possibly having his child. It's all mind-blowing.
I blow out a breath and check my watch.
This is the longest two minutes ever.
The doorbell rings, and I quickly adjust my clothing and hurry downstairs. It must be Ned. He said he would be waiting impatiently, but I had no clue this is what he meant. He knocks three times now. A smile springs to my face, as I cross the room to open the door.
"So impatient." I chuckle, anticipating his amazing face smiling back at me.
"Yay or nay?" He says immediately and walks in, quickly pecking me on the nose.
"I have no clue, you interrupted me in the middle of taking it."
"Yikes, that sounds messy." He jokes, and I playfully swat his arm.
"I was done with that part, smarty. I was just waiting for the stick to turn pink or blue, or whatever it's supposed to do."
"Oh…well, where is it? Let's find out, yes?" He responds eagerly, and we head upstairs together.
He waits in the bedroom, while I stand in the doorway and stare at the test, sitting on the edge of the sink. This is it, the moment of truth. I think.
Game changer.
I enter slowly and pick up the stick.
"Hey, do you have any intention of buying a bed for this room, or what?" He yells out sarcastically, but my focus is on the faint black symbol staring back at me. Suddenly my mind goes into overdrive.
"I um…haven't…had time…." My voice trails off, as my eyes remain fixated on the object in my hand. Ned walks in, and I jump around to face him. He frowns at my reaction, then his eyes travel to my hand.
"That's it?"
I nod, and my thumb instinctively brushes over it.
"This is it." I say with a shaky breath. "The game changer."
He wraps his hand around mine, and looks me in the eyes. I can feel tears well up.
"Life changer." He amends. I nod, knowing he's completely right. He turns my hand over and reads the results. I inhale deeply, as I watch him. His expression doesn't change much.
"Does this mean what I think it does?" His voice is low and calm, but I can sense that he's nervous.
"Yes…I'm pregnant." I say quietly, and the tears spill over.
"I knew it." His smile erupts, and he wraps his arms around me, lifting me off my feet. "We're having a baby!"
"Ned…"
His lips are on mine, before I have a chance to utter a word.
"I'm going to make you so happy, Bella, I promise; you and this little nugget in here." He sinks to his knees and kisses my belly. His face lit with such pride; I can't help but smile.
"Of course this….the test results are still sort of up in the air. I will have to confirm it with a doctor to be sure…."
"Absolutely. We should contact a doctor right away." He rises and plants kisses along my collarbone.
"Ned….we….there's something we need to…."
"Shhh, not now. I want to show you just how much you mean to me." He lifts me up bridal style and walks toward the bedroom
"But….there's no bed."
"Not to worry. I've always viewed you as precious cargo, even before the unexpected news." He laughs and kicks the door open. "Ta-da."
The floor has been neatly covered with a new comforter and pillows I'd purchased a few weeks ago, sprinkled with rose petals.
"Wha-when…." I gasp in amazement.
"I'm full of surprises, Isabella, and I'm going to show you what an awesome life we can have, starting right now." He gently places me down and shows me just how true that statement is.
.
.
.
We're both surprisingly quiet as we lie, legs tangled between the sheets. He looks content though, trailing his finger up and down my bare thigh. My silence is more due more to an internal panic. Ned is thrilled about the idea of having a baby. I am as well, except for the nagging feeling about its paternity. In my heart I feel this is his baby, but I could just be psyching myself into believing that. Realistically, I have to deal with the facts, and I haven't even given myself a chance to count days or check dates. This could very well be James' baby, and how do I bring myself to crush Ned with that tidbit. The fact also remains, that this is also very premature. Without the confirmation from an OB/GYN, I'm pretty much in the dark about the entire thing. I'm clearly aware that there could be false positives.
The past couple of days have been such a rollercoaster ride for Ned and me. I yearn for us to have a normal for a while, but I can't start our relationship off like this. He's had so much devastating news in his life, but I won't deceive him, not like this.
Cookie sashays through the open door and onto our makeshift bed. She immediately brushes against Ned, and he scratches her head softly.
"Well, look at you. You're, exotically beautiful, just like your mom here." He looks over and smiles at me.
"I hadn't taken you to be a cat person; hell, a pet person at all."
"I don't know what could've given you that impression. I love pets." He continues to pet Cookie, and she's eating it up.
"I see that now. Have you ever had a pet?"
He's silent for moments and then exhales.
"I had a pet named Alex once."
"Oh, was he or she a cat or a dog?"
"He was a field mouse."
"A rat?" My reaction comes flying out, before I have a chance to curb it.
"You sound exactly the way my mother did when she found out." He chuckles.
"Found out?"
"Yeah, I found him in our backyard, and he was sick. I knew because he just lying in the grass and didn't scurry away when I approached. I think he was just a baby…"
"So, you took him in and made him your pet?"
"Well, nothing that simple. I knew my parents wouldn't let me keep him, and I felt sure they would've just told me to leave him there and not to touch him at all, out of fear that he had some sort of disease. I couldn't just leave him there to die, though." He shrugs.
"What did you do then?"
"I ran into the house and got an old shoebox, scooped him up and raced to my room. I looked around to make sure my brother was nowhere in sight and put holes in the lid and all around the sides of the box, so that he'd have air.
Not long after that, my mother called for me to come down for lunch. I then quickly slid the box under my bed.
I remember, being antsy at the kitchen table, afraid that if I left Alex for too long, he'd die. My parents kept asking if I was alright, especially my mom. She had made my favorite, peach cobbler, but became worried when I didn't even eat it. Normally I'd have two pieces and beg for a third." He laughs, as he continues to stroke Cookie.
I smile, loving witnessing him having a pleasant memory of his parents.
"How long did it take you to convince them to excuse you from the table?" I ask knowingly.
"About two minutes." He bursts into full-blown laughter. "I also convinced them to let me take my cobbler and glass of milk upstairs."
"Well, at least you managed to have your cake and eat it too, so to speak."
"True, but I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to feed the milk to Alex."
"Oh, I see. Did it help him?"
"It did. After a few days he was starting to move around more, and I would bring him bread, cheese and other things to eat. He started to feel comfortable with me too. I could take him out of the box and play with him, and he wouldn't try to run away. I had to be careful though, that Edward didn't catch me with him."
"You think he would've ratted you out? Sorry, no pun intended."
He glances at me and smirks to let me know that he's not offended.
"He would've done just that. In fact, he tried when he found out I was hiding him in our room. I just beat him to it."
"You had to tell your parents about Alex?" I sit up with interest to hear the outcome.
"Yeah. One day, I was playing with him in my room and forgot to lock the door. Edward came bursting through the door and flipped out, boasting that he was going to tell. I begged him not to, but it became like a game to him, knowing that it was something I really wanted, and he could ruin it. That was something he did often, but not this time. I wasn't going let him get away with it. He took off running down the stairs, and I chased after him. My parents were in the living room watching the news, as we both approached them. Edward started spouting off, completely out breath, about how I was keeping a secret and proceeded to tell it. My mom reprimanded him right away and said if it was my secret, then I should be the one to tell it."
"Your mom sounds like the best."
"She was." He glances at me, and I immediately feel like an idiot.
"So…anyway. I told them about Alex."
He falls quiet after that, and now I'm more curious than ever to find out what happened.
"And…"
"And they freaked out, just like I knew they would and told me to get rid of him…"
"Oh, Ned, I'm so sorry." I place a comforting hand on his forearm, and he smiles.
"…especially when I mentioned that Alex was a field mouse, all hell broke loose. My mom instantly stood up on the sofa, screaming hysterically at my father 'he has a rat in the house!' Now, that was funny. My father couldn't contain his laughter, neither could my brother."
"What did you do?" I giggle, visualizing his mother losing it.
"I convinced them to let me keep him. I told them how he was sick, and I took care of him, but mostly, I convinced them that he was my friend, and I couldn't just get rid of him. After thirty minutes of begging and whining, they gave in. I think they were more impressed by the fact that I cared for him and kept him hidden for so long, so yeah….they changed their minds; well, under the condition that I did not take him out to run around in the house. Later that day, my father took me to buy him this really cool mouse house, equipped with an activity gym and water dispenser."
"That was cool. How did…Edward deal with that?"
"Oh, he was cool with it. He even started to like Alex a lot."
I smile and join in petting Cookie. I have to say it's the first time I've seen him have a completely pleasant memory about his parents, and more surprising, a good one about his brother. I know he feels their relationship growing up was difficult, but I believe Ned to be the more timid of the two. With siblings as well as twins, there's always going to be one that's "livelier" than the other, to put it mildly, I feel.
"So, how long did you have Alex?"
"Oh….he died a week later. Edward killed him. Hey, you have anything to eat in the fridge?"
He gets up and walks out of the room as nonchalantly as he says it. I blink at him in bafflement, my mouth open in shock.
He killed him?
He returns minutes later, with two bottles of water and a box of cereal. I haven't had time to do a thorough shop, only buying enough to eat a proper breakfast.
He holds the box out to me after throwing a handful into his mouth. I decline, shaking my head, still perplexed by what he'd said moments ago.
"Ned, what did you mean when you said Edward killed Alex?"
"He did. I mean, he claimed it was accidental, but he died because of him."
"But….it was an accident, right? What happened?"
He sighs heavily and rolls his eyes. "It's not important okay. Just drop it."
"You told me I could ask anything. I want to know."
It's a cheap shot, tossing words what he'd said when he was vulnerable back at him, but I can't just let something like this drop; especially since so many things from his past hurt him. He huffs and takes a swig of his water.
"I was helping my dad in his office for a while, and when I went to check on Alex, Edward had let him out of his cage to play with him, after I'd told him never to do that. Alex had gotten lost somewhere in the room, and we searched all over, but couldn't find him. I was so upset with Edward, and he and I bickered throughout dinner. My mom was also not happy, because she thought Alex was running around somewhere in the house. It wasn't until after dinner, when I went to wash my hands, that I found him."
He looks down and fidgets with the corner of the comforter. His brows crease, and I can sense his discomfort.
"Ned, what happened to Alex? Where did you find him?"
"I uh….he was in the toilet." He admits quietly.
"Edward did that?" I ask, astonished, and his eyes shoot to mine.
"He said it was an accident. He even cried. He swore he just let him out to play, but Alex ran away. He said he called for him to come out, but he wouldn't."
"So, he got loose and drow-"
He immediately shakes his head, halting my assumption.
Oh God! What did his brother do?
"Edward claimed that he was rushing to come and get me to help him look for Alex, and when he dashed to open the bedroom door he felt something squishy under his foot."
"Oh…" My hand flies to my mouth. "Ned, that's terrible. You must've been crushed!"
"He said it was an accident." He shrugs and doesn't say another word.
I don't press the issue. I feel it will only upset him further and make him relive uncomfortable memories.
.
.
.
I wake the next morning to the smell of something delicious. I instantly think I'm being torn from a spectacular foodie dream.
"Mmm." I mumble softly and shift. The faint sound of metal clanking causes my body to go rigid and I slowly open my eyes.
"Good morning." He says kissing my cheek, still damp and smelling wonderful from the shower. I smile and rub my eyes, still groggy with sleep.
"Good morning. What's all this?" I refer to the silver tray that's straddling my lap.
"Well, you know that I have zero cooking skills, and you don't even have as much as a loaf of bread in your kitchen, so I went out to get breakfast. You're eating for two now, and I can't have you starving. It's unacceptable."
"Oh." I chuckle lightly and sit up, admiring all the trouble he's gone to make sure I have a proper breakfast. "This looks good."
"See, you have your protein and fruits and grains. I did good, huh?"
"You sure did, especially since you didn't have to cook it." I tease and immediately dig into the omelet.
He waits patiently for me to finish the first bite then asks, "How is it?"
"It's delicious. Here try some?" I offer him a forkful, and he happily accepts and gives me a thumbs up, before getting up from our makeshift bed. I continue devouring my breakfast, as he starts to dress.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Yeah, I have some business to take care of."
"Everything okay with the winery?"
"Everything's fine, just the normal ins and outs. I need to touch base with Emmett on a few things. I was referring to restaurant business mostly. I have to meet up with Phil today to check on progress."
"Oh my goodness, it totally slipped my mind! Wait, I should come with you." I attempt to get up, but he stops me.
"No. You're are going to stay and finish your breakfast, and then get a little more sleep before you call the doctor."
"But Ned, I haven't been to the restaurant since we've gotten back. I have to go and see what's going on. God, I have so many things to do." I cover my face and mutter to myself. He finishes buttoning his shirt and comes to my side.
"Listen, I'll take care of restaurant business for now, and you take care of life."
"But-"
"No buts. Your and the baby's health is more important. The restaurant can wait. We won't make any major decisions without you," he says, holding my chin, so I can't miss the sincerity in his eyes. "Alright?"
I nod, and he kisses my lips tenderly. He sneaks another bite of my omelet, before heading for the door, just stopping to turn and say he loves me.
I smile and exhale slowly, then I wait for the sound of the front door closing, before I call my doctor.
.
.
.
A feeling of eeriness creeps over me, while alone in the cold office. It's strange. It's never felt like this before. I focus on the light beaming from the ceiling, as I lie, legs still suspended in the stirrups. I suddenly feel frightened as I wait for Doctor Schwartz to return to the exam room.
He was quiet the entire time, except to say, 'I'll be back in a few moments.' It's strange. It's not like him at all. We normally joke and share tons of laughter about my ticking biological clock; but in the end, he always reassures me that I'm still young and healthy and shouldn't have a problem conceiving a child, even though James and I had tried often, but had never succeeded.
Something must be wrong. Maybe the test was defective.
I start to shiver involuntarily. I sit up and wrap my arms around myself, trying to warm my body through the thin hospital gown. Doctor Schwartz enters wearing an unreadable expression that does nothing to soothe my nerves.
"What is it, what's wrong?" I ask immediately.
"You're anemic," he says, as he sits down next to me.
"Oh…okay….but…" I blink in confusion, not expecting those to be the words to come out of his mouth. "….is….there anything else?"
"Not anything that I'm completely worried about, but I checked your chart from last month, and I noticed your blood work revealed that you're anemic. Have you been feeling drained or having dizzy spells lately?"
"Um…a little. I've had fainting episodes a couple of times," I respond, my heart sinking a little, realizing that it must be the reason for the false positive pregnancy results.
God. Ned is going to be so disappointed.
He looks up at me over the rim of glasses. "What's a couple?
"Um, two?" I say quietly.
"Bella?" He says in a warning tone.
"Two. I'm sure. One I had over a month ago, but I think it was more due to shock than anything." I admit, remembering the night I fainted at the dinner party after seeing Ned in my home. "The other, I didn't faint, I was just a bit dizzy. It was nothing."
"Apparently it wasn't, since I'm looking at low blood sugar levels on this chart. Like I said, I'm not overly worried, but it's not good for the baby if his or her mother is not getting the proper nutrients in her body to have a healthy pregnancy." A small smirk lifts the corner of his mouth, and he removes his glasses. "Congratulations, Bella. You and James are finally pregnant."
My mouth and eyes widen in shock. "But…I thought I was anemic?"
"Oh, you are, and I'm going to place you on a special diet and iron regimen, but you're also five weeks along."
"Oh…" I cover my forehead, trying to process what he's said. My heart regains its pace, and my stomach flutters with delight.
I'm pregnant!
"You seem surprised. I mean you did take a test, and it was positive, so it shouldn't come as a total surprise. Besides, you and James were trying. I bet you can't wait to tell him the news."
"Uh….Doctor Schwartz….I…could we just keep the news about the baby between us for now?"
He frowns in confusion.
"Of course, Bella. You're my patient, and you know that everything concerning your health is confidential, but I'm confused as to why you would want to keep this from your husband?"
I look away and glance at my phone, noticing the missed call from Ned, realizing the debacle I've gotten myself into.
"Because….I'm not sure if he's the father." I exhale dejectedly.
"Oh." He replies with minimal surprise, but I know he's playing down his initial reaction. "Well….that could be a problem."
"Doctor Schwartz, I'm completely blown away by the news about being pregnant, but I'm also dealing with a lot of personal issues. I need to know the paternity of this baby a.s.a.p."
"I'm sure, but I regret to inform you that it's not that simple, Bella."
"But I thought there was a test-"
"Amniocentesis."
"Yes, that's the one. Can we do that?"
"We can in about two months."
"Two months?" I can't hide the disappointment in my voice. "Doctor, that's too long. I….
"It's not long enough in my opinion, and I have to be honest with you Bella, the only reason I will suggest administering the test is because of your age, and if after monitoring your blood work your anemia isn't under control. Amnio is a risky procedure, and my first concern is for the health of you and your baby. I understand it's important to know the paternity, but not at the risk of your unborn child's life."
I swallow hard and nod in agreement. He's right, I think to myself, as my hand instinctively covers my lower stomach. I can never do anything to hurt this baby.
"You said that you would suggest the test though?" I say with an uncomfortable clearing of my throat.
"Yes, simply because of the anemia and age precaution, but you do not have to agree to the test. It's all premature right now, and you may have a perfectly risk- free pregnancy."
"What are the risks of the amnio?"
"There are minimal risks with the procedure. I've performed numerous tests with no side effects, but at the greatest, it poses pre-term labor and even miscarriage."
"Oh."
"So, you see why I wouldn't just suggest it for the reason of obtaining paternity. Forgive me for sounding harsh, but the men in your life will just have to wait." He rises and instructs me to get dressed, after he provides me with a script for prenatal vitamins and an iron regimen.
.
.
.
I'm taken aback by all the progress Phil and his team have made. It almost looks as if we're ready for the grand opening tonight. He and Ned are oblivious to my presence, as they stand at the bar discussing something. Ned instantly comes to my side as I approach and kisses my cheek. Phil gets the attention of the workers and tells them to take a fifteen-minute break, while he brings me up to speed on progress.
"Phil, oh my gosh, I'm speechless!"
"I think that means she loves it." Ned teases, and I jab him playfully.
"It is beautiful, if I do say so myself. Let me show you the dining area." Phil leads us over to the dining room, and where the greeter's podium will be. It's breathtaking, all-black marble floor with faint white veins running throughout. Mirrors adorn the walls and ties everything together perfectly.
"What do you think, Bella?"
"It's perfect! It's going to look so perfect with the décor I chose."
"Are you still going with the black and white?" Ned asks.
"Totally. I can't see it any other way."
"Great, I'm glad you feel that way. Now, my guys and I can finish building the section for the lounge. I'm going to place booths and nooks all along this side. I will need to have them specially ordered to accommodate the size of this dining area."
"Okay." I agree and walk ahead, taking a more detailed look around.
"Are we square with the payment, Phil?"
"Yeah, we're all good, Ned. I will give you or Bella a call as soon as the order comes in. I'll put in an expedited request, just as you asked. It shouldn't take any longer than two weeks."
"Alright. Perfect."
They shake hands, and Phil gathers the crew and does some light straightening up before ending the day early.
"Hey Bella, you're gonna have to start building your own team very soon. This place is will be done before you know it." He winks and leaves with a wave.
"He's right, you know. Have you given any thought to the hiring process yet?"
"God no. I've been so preoccupied with things."
"I know, sweetheart. What did the doctor say?"
"Well, it's confirmed. I'm pregnant."
"I knew it." He smiles broadly and wraps his arms around my waist. "There was never a doubt in my mind. I am sorry I wasn't able to come to the appointment with you. That won't happen again."
"It's alright. It was just a lot of medical mumbo jumbo anyway." I reassure him.
"I have to say I was rather surprised that you got an appointment so quickly. Did he say everything was okay?"
"Yes, except that I'm anemic. He placed me on a special diet."
"Anemic? I don't like the sound of that." He frowns.
"I'll be fine, as long as I follow my regimen. Please do not worry."
"Oh, I'm not going to worry, because I'm going to take care of you and make sure you're eating properly and taking your vitamins. He did give prenatal vitamins, right?"
"Yes, Ned. You're very knowledgeable about this for a first time." I tease.
"Yeah, well, would you believe me if I said I read a lot of baby books in last few days?"
"No."
"Good, because It'd be a lie." He laughs and walks over to the bar counter and starts to sort through papers. I follow soon after.
"I thought I should let you know that Doctor Schwartz and I did talk about some special tests." I inform him hesitantly.
"Oh, of course for the anemia. That's a good idea." He agrees, but not really acknowledging me.
"It's called an amniocentesis."
"Uh huh."
"Ned." I turn him to face me. "It's a paternity test."
His eyes narrow briefly, then harden. He now understands. The repeated clenching of his jaw confirms it. He shakes his head.
"We're not going there, Bella."
"We have to be realistic."
"No. The baby is mine. We created this life together; you and I. There's no one else in this equation."
"Ned-" I try to reason, but he won't hear any of it. He simply places the papers in a neat pile and swipes his car keys off of the counter.
"Are you ready? It's getting late, I should be getting you home."
"Only if you're staying with me."
He smirks and looks down. "If I say no, does that mean you will not be letting me take you home, and you will be sleeping here tonight?"
"Try me." I hold up my chin, challenging him.
"And so it begins. The difficulties of pregnancy." He says, shaking his head and smiling.
"Yes. Nine months of it, buddy."
"Come on, let's go." He rolls his eyes and reaches for me.
I finally give in and join him at the front door, and we leave hand-in-hand.
.
.
.
I keep hearing this annoying buzzing sound. I roll over blindly, slamming my hand on the button of my alarm clock and snuggle back under the covers, but the buzzing starts up again. I suddenly realize that its morning, and someone is ringing the doorbell. I turn over and look at the sleeping man beside me, unaffected by the annoyance. I smile, happy that he's slept peacefully. I lean over and place a kiss on his shoulder and hurriedly throw on my robe. The person has now decided that the bell isn't enough, they knock instead.
I have no clue who would be at my door at this time of morning, and I'm not thrilled about them cutting my rest short. I open the door and blink, as I stare into the face of a very attractive, auburn-haired, well-dressed woman.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to seem so eager. I thought I'd knock in case the doorbell wasn't working. Her smile is as striking as her hair.
"Oh, that's alright, Can I help you?" I say hesitantly, assuming she has the wrong house. She senses my hesitation and shakes her head with a laugh, as she offers her hand.
"My apologies again, I'm the owner of this place; Elizabeth Masen."
A/N: Hello everyone. Firstly, thank you for reading. Secondly, this note is more of an announcement for the launching of my new site. I'm truly excited and hope you all will stop by and enjoy it. I will eventually add all of my stories to the site, but it's going to take some time. I will post two chapters for each story a day until caught up. Also the launch of my site comes with the reposting of my story Dissecting Edward. Some of you are familiar with the story and others have emailed me about reading the story since I pulled it a while back. The story will be available on the site and as I mentioned, I will be adding two chapters a day. Right now chapter 1 and 2 are up. I will still be fine tuning the site as time goes by and will keep you informed of any changes. Please feel free to sign up on the Guest List so I can add you to my mailing list.
I thank you all for your continued support and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the stories. The link to my website is :
breajohns1
wwwdotbreajohnsfictiondotwixdotcom/breajohns1
(no spaces and insert the actual dot symbols where the words are. You know how FF works)
PS: There will be one more chapter in Mask'Charade before Edward "shows up" and takes over the pov.