Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I am just using the names that she created for her wonderful story.

This story was pre-read and beta'd by the wonderful X-NessieCullen-X. Special thanks to you, my dear, for making this not so pretty story of mine a little more shiny ;)

Chapter 25

Against All Odds

"I'm right here. I'm not leaving your side."

"You said the doctor is a woman, right?" she asked anxiously, clinging to his hand.

"Yes. She's Liz's doctor. Liz has known her for years. You don't have to do this..."

"No. I do. My baby deserves to be healthy..."

Bella heard Edward sigh but felt him tighten his grip on her hand. She knew she was over-reacting. Liz had even called the doctor and explained part of the situation, as much as Bella was comfortable with. "Miss Swan?"

Trying desperately to control her need to run, Bella found the strength to stand and grabbed Edward's arm. Taking long, deep breaths, Bella finally calmed herself enough to walk over and head into the little room the nurse led them to. "I want to get your weight. Do you mind standing right here?" the nurse asked, motioning to a scale in the corner of the room. Practically striding over, Bella stood on it and glanced nervously back at Edward, receiving an encouraging smile in return. She could do this.

"Alright. You can use that bathroom right there to take off your clothes and put these on but I have a few questions first." Bella nodded. She could handle questions. "Can you tell me when your last period was?"

"No," she answered honestly.

"You don't remember or..."

"It's been months."

"Okay," the nurse nodded, jotting something down. "It says here you think you're pregnant. Is that why?"

Bella cleared her throat and tried to sit up a little straighter. "No."

"So your periods are always irregular?"

"Yes." This time, it came out a little more irritated.

"Okay. Do you smoke?"

The questions were rather basic after that and Bella had to wonder if the nurse was a little bit afraid of her. She had noticed that there was a cheery, yellow sticky note on the front of her folder that read 'trauma patient'. She had to bite back tears, wondering if that's what everyone who knew her secret now considered her. "I'll leave you to get ready. The doctor will be in shortly."

Bella nodded and let Edward help her down off the table. Walking into the one-person bathroom that was connected, she slowly began to remove her clothes. It took a ridiculous amount of time before the doctor actually made it in and she came in smiling. "Hello, Isabella. I'm Dr. Clessik."

"Hi."

"I spoke with Elizabeth earlier this morning and she informed me that an assault which occurred a few years ago left you with the belief that you couldn't be pregnant but you think you are."

"Yes. I took a home pregnancy test."

"Okay. Were you checked out after the assault?" Bell knew she didn't mean just the blood tests.

"No."

"Well, lay back and put your feet into the stirrups..."

Absolute panic flooded Bella's veins as she tried desperately to do what the doctor was asking her. As if Dr. Clessik understood this, she turned to Edward and began making small talk to give Bella some time. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name..."

"Edward. I'm Liz's nephew. If Bella's pregnant, I'm the father. We're...together."

"It's nice to meet you..."

Bella couldn't do it. Jumping up, she put her hand to her mouth and made her way into the bathroom. She barely got to the toilet in time. Everything Edward had begged her to eat that morning came right back up. The chit-chat between Edward and the doctor had stopped completely. The only sound in the room was her vomiting. Eventually, there was a knock on the door. It wasn't Edward. "Bella, is it okay if I call you that?"

Bella gave her a bitter smile; as if her name was her biggest concern right now. "Yeah."

"I know what you've been through was very difficult for you..."

"I can't do this. I'm sorry." Flushing the toilet, Bella pushed past the woman and stepped into the exam room to grab her clothes. Edward's face was hard to read and she couldn't help but think he was little disappointed in her when she only grabbed what she needed and went back into the bathroom. "Please go so I can dress."

"Bella, look, if you are pregnant..."

"I. Can't. Do. This. Please leave me alone..."

The doctor held up her hands in surrender and Bella felt ashamed of herself. Still, this just wasn't going to happen. "Fine. I'll speak with you when you're done."

After dressing, rinsing out her mouth, and taking many deep breaths, Bella emerged with the bravest face she could muster. "I'm ready to go, Edward."

He looked at her for a long minute from his seat before glancing at Dr. Clessik. "Bella, before you leave, would you at least allow me to take some blood. At least you'll know for sure."

Looking to Edward, he held his arms out to her and she ignored the doctor until she was seated comfortably in his lap. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

After the blood was drawn and the bill was paid, Bella hung her head in defeat and followed Edward to the car. He hadn't said much but looked upset. She didn't know what to say either; the ride home back to his apartment was silent. It wasn't until they were in the elevator that Edward turned to look at her. "Do you need me to call Liz?"

"No. I...um...I'll meet up with her later. I'll tell her."

"Do you...want to talk about it...with me?"

They were through his door now. Kicking off her shoes, she leaned against it. "You must absolutely hate me."

"Hey. Bella, I could never hate you..."

"I can't even be a mother..."

"If you are pregnant, you already are."

"I couldn't even hold it together long enough to make sure the baby's okay. I know you're upset with me. You're disappointed..."

"I am upset but it's not you. It's hard for me to see you like this. I hate that you are still going through this and I wish more than anything that I could take that burden from you but I can't."

"Edward, I'm absolutely fucking terrified that I can't do this."

"Dammit, Bells, you told me your mind was made up. Don't switch your story now. That baby is mine, too."

Bella was shocked by the outburst, putting a protective hand on her abdomen. Does he really think I would terminate the pregnancy? Rattled, Bella shook her head. "Edward, I would never..."

"Then calm down. Do you see that, Bella? The way you're almost trying to hide the baby from me because I mentioned something that might mean to bring harm to it? You can do this and that's why. You look like you'd fight me to the death before letting me get anywhere near the baby in a threatening way."

Shocked with herself, she dropped her hand and stared blankly at him. This was Edward. You trust him more than anyone in the world! Do you really think he'd hurt your child? "I'm sorry..."

"I would like to spend a little bit of time with Alice today."

"Yeah. Absolutely." Bella felt awful for dragging him down even further. It was obvious he was really stressed about his sister. So far, he was holding up well but she had no idea what to expect when the time came to say goodbye for good. She would have to call her parents; there was no way in hell she was leaving him to deal with this shit on his own. Renee and Charlie were going to freak if she really was pregnant.

While Bella found something for them to watch on TV, Edward brought in a couple plates with sandwiches. Her mouth watered when she saw the carved ham on them that Esme had sent over after one of the family meals. Halfway through it, her phone began to ring and Bella looked over to Edward. He rolled his eyes and grabbed it from the kitchen table before walking back over. Letting it ring two more times, he finally flipped it open and hit the speaker phone button. "Hello?" Bella got out.

"Isabella? This is Dr. Clessik's office calling. We have the results on the blood test. You are pregnant."

Bella brought her shaking hand to her stomach and gawked with an open mouth at the phone. "Hello? Miss Swan?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm here...I'm just..."

"Would you like to make another appointment?"

"No. Not right now."

Literally grabbing the phone from Edward, she hung up and tossed it aside. A million feelings were running through her: elation, love, terror, panic, even anger at not being able to have gone through with the exam. Reaching down, she grabbed the rest of her sandwich, causing Edward to look down at his own. When he started to eat as well, she looked over at him and noticed there were wet marks on his cheeks. Edward was crying.

Bella watched silently as Edward leaned forward to hold his little sister's hand. After he talked to her about everything from David Hale's death to the postponed wedding, he began to tell her about his and Bella's little surprise. His voice broke halfway through him telling her she was going to be an aunt. He started to cry when he told her how well her son was doing. He was so broken and Bella was touched by how much he loved his sister; it also broke her heart that he had to go through this.

The whoosh of the doors got their attention and Bella quickly wiped his face. Emmett strode in and came over as quietly as Emmett possibly could. "Ah, hell, Edward, don't hide it. I fucking bawl like a baby before I leave here every night."

The guys clasped hands and patted each other's backs in the way that only guys could do, Bella felt like an intruder. When they were done with their hellos, Emmett turned to Bella and stepped towards her. She practically jumped out of the chair, letting out a cry and absently brought a hand to her stomach. "Woah," Edward said, jumping out of his own seat.

Emmett looked embarrassed and stepped back quickly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...to..."

Bella felt horrible. He didn't do anything; that's why he couldn't finish that sentence. "It wasn't you. I'm sorry, Emmett... I'm having a...difficult day. "

Edward remained silent and patted Emmett on the arm before kissing Bella's cheek. "So," Emmett began, "you two are having a baby?"

"Yeah," Edward answered with a bit of a happy smirk. Bella smiled.

"Mom's going to shit but Rose and I are both excited."

"I don't know how dad's going to take the news either..."

"Who cares?" he replied with a hard tone.

"Em, he's still our father, despite the mistakes he's made..."

"Are you going to go down with him?"

Bella watched as Edward stayed silent. He gave his brother the 'shut up in front of Bella' look. Fear began to turn in her stomach. Emmett had a point, Edward and her both knew what Carlisle had done. "Good, you're here!" Esme said, stepping into the room as well and seeming to break the tension between the two men. "Edward, have you talked to your father lately?"

Emmett scoffed loudly and simply kissed his mother on the cheek before shaking his head and walking out the door she had just come through. Esme turned back to her youngest son. "I am so fucking tired of this..."

"I know..."

"We're a God-damned family. Look at Alice. Look at you boys... Christ, Edward..."

"Look, let me go call dad. I'll see if I can get him here. Can you take Bella down to the cafeteria and get her something to eat?" Edward pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty. "Grab something for yourself as well."

"Keep your money. I'd like to spend time with your girl by myself for a few moments anyway. We have some things we need to discuss."

Bella swallowed hard and had to prevent herself from touching her stomach. If she wanted this to be kept a secret, she had to get herself to stop with that particular habit. When they made it to a table with their trays, Esme wasted no time in getting to the point. "We need to talk."

Bella just nodded her head. "Sure."

"What do you plan to get out of your relationship with my son?"

Watching the way her jell-o was jiggling on the plate in front of her, Bella tried to figure out what to say. "Well, I'm hoping to be together for a long time. I love him, Esme."

"Bella, I know about the strip club and this isn't anything to do with all that..."

"It's over. I don't...strip...anymore."

"So you aren't working?"

Bella was shocked by the personal questions this woman was digging into her. "I'm not...my parents and I..."

"Do you think this relationship is really a good idea?"

She was having trouble moving her jaw from the dropped position. "What...where...is this coming from?"

"Come on, Bella. The last relationship he had was with a lying bitch, his little sister is...well, we both know about Ally's condition, he's the best man in a wedding, and now he's being pulled into a whole different direction..."

It was hard for Bella to reign in her anger with this woman. If it wasn't for the fact that Esme was Edward's mother, she would have reached across the table and slapped her across the face. "I don't see how I'm pulling him..."

"I know about your past, Bella."

Feeling as though all the air had been sucked from the room with just that one small admission, Bella couldn't help but bring her hand up to cover her stomach, she felt like she was going to be sick. "He told you?"

"No...no. I overheard him and Liz talking about you the other day. So, you were raped?" This last part came out as a concerned-sounding question.

Standing up, Bella chair slid against the tile floor and she nearly tripped over one of the legs. "This is none of your business...You have no idea..."

"Edward is my son. This is my business."

Finding her legs, Bella strode towards the doors that would lead her closer to the front of the building-closer to freedom. From a distance, she heard Edward call to her but she didn't stick around to let him catch up to her. She saw in the reflection of the rotating doors that he was watching her curiously from the elevator he'd just stepped out of. After running a hand through his hair, he looked up to the ceiling and then began walking. He didn't come for her, though. He turned to go into the large cafeteria.

"Mom," Edward began, trying to stay calm, "what the fuck did you just say to her? You have no idea how hard it is for her to be here in a hospital. She doesn't need you doing whatever it is..."

"I know about what happened to her, Edward. I just wanted to talk to her about the two of you. I wanted to know where it was going..."

"That's between Bella and I. Seriously. Just stop this! All this bullshit with Alice and dad...it's making you crazy! You were never like this before!"

"What? I never cared about you?"

"I'm not justifying that with a comment. I need to go check on her..."

"Why? Are you putting the broken girl back together? Do you see this as some penance for what happened with Janie? I believe you. I know you didn't hurt her..."

"You have no idea what Bella has been through, mom. None."

"I do. I overheard you and Liz..."

"When?"

"The other day in the lobby. I know she was raped."

Edward gave a loud, annoyed sigh before hastily pulling out the chair across from her and sitting down. "She wasn't raped..."

"But I heard you say..."

"She was," Edward relented, holding a hand up to stop her. "It's not how you think, though. Mom, I swear to God if you don't let this go, I'll leave. I will take Bella and I will leave."

"You'd leave your family behind?" Edward watched as she tried to pull the tough-ass mother act but he knew as well as she did that she was failing miserably.

"Bella is my family." With the news they had received today that statement was absolutely true. Bella was carrying his baby.

"I'm your family..."

"Then accept her as one of our own." Shaking his head, he leaned forward and took her arm. "I don't know what's going through your head right now but I need you, too. This family needs you to hold it together just as much as you need me to keep things together. Em and dad will work out their problems on their own. Alice is where your focus needs to be. Jasper is taking really good care of Tommy. I'm going to be right here... I'm going to try to be there even if dad isn't. I want to be beside you for this but I can't be beside you if Bella isn't beside me. She's had a shitty life and she needs family now more than ever. I won't let you get between us."

"I want to do this on Saturday."

Edward could see the hurt in her eyes. "Alright. I'll be here."

"Go find Bella. I want to talk to her."

"Again? Really?" he asked in disbelief and total annoyance.

"I'll behave. I just want to apologize."

"Alright. I'll be back. You better take it easy with her."

Edward headed out to the front of the hospital but she was gone. Worry built in his stomach as he strode quickly towards his car. He pulled his phone from his pocket when he saw that she wasn't there. Kicking a tire, he listened as the other end of the line went straight to voicemail. "Eddie, man, relax!"

Emmett's voice broke through his frustration and he spun to see his brother lumbering towards him. He wondered how lost he actually looked. From the expression on Emmett's face, he figured it must be pretty bad. "Em, just...I can't find Bella..."

"She's inside. Dad's here."

"You left them alone?"

He briefly heard Emmett shout something about Edward being a hypocrite but Edward was already striding back towards the hospital. Bella was afraid of men. Bella was upset with him. Bella was probably hurt by his mom. Bella was pregnant. The thought completely stopped him and he could actually hear his sneakers skidding to a stop on the old tile floor. Of course he had been terrified but now that he was alone and thinking about it, he could barely breathe. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

Thank you for the kind words for X-NessieCullen-X and little Samuel Aiden. I know it means a lot to her! There are only a few more days left to vote for the Hope Springs Eternal contest. It is on my page under favorite authors. Please read through them and vote for your favorites. I'd really like to hear from you about this chapter and, as always, I promise to reply back to you. Your support means the world to me! LP xx