Chapter 26: Pink or blue

"Come on, Bella, we're going to be laaaaate," I yelled from in the door entrance.

"I'm coming!"

And that's exactly what she had been saying for the past five minutes...

Didn't she understand I was more than excited about this appointment?

"We have more than half an hour left to get there, why are you so hasted?" she asked annoyed while scooping up her handbag and walking past me.

I knew better than to annoy her, especially in her state, but it's not like I did it on purpose. I couldn't even understand why she was so casual about this. I had been counting down to this day since the very first day I knew we were going to have a baby and now it had finally come, I needed to get at that doctor's appointment as fast as possible.

Today was finally going to put an end to our endless discussions and I would finally be able to prove Bella I had been right from the start. Today we were going to know if there was a baby boy or baby girl growing inside of my Bella.

People had often said pregnancy was amazing, like rainbows and sunshine and all shit like that but I surely didn't always see it. I mean, it was wonderful at some points but to say everything had gone smoothly would be an outrageous lie. Sometimes I felt like I had to walk on eggshells around Bella, afraid that she'd started calling me out on the most stupid things.

Yes, we argued more than we did before and I had already spent numerous nights on the couch, much to my dismay. I knew I needed to be understanding and all but it was so easy to forget that Bella's mood swings were caused by her pregnancy since there was no visible proof yet. She wasn't even showing a little by now. Of course, if you lifted her shirt you could already see it but when she was clothed there was no way to tell she was pregnant.

And that hadn't been in my advantage.

One moment Bella would be all happy and flirtatious and when I would act to it, she would clamp down and turn away from me. The first time I hadn't really been bothered by it, but the second time I had carefully called her out on it, wanting to know if I had did something to make her feel uncomfortable. That had only led to another snap from Bella and an entire speech about how I didn't know what she was going through and that I should be more understanding.

That was the first night I had spent on the couch.

I didn't know how to be as understanding as she wanted me to be, because when I was trying to take care of her, like helping her out with regular stuff like cleaning, she said she didn't need my help and that it wasn't because she was pregnant that she had to lie down in bed the entire day.

It confused the fuck out of me.

I didn't help that the bliss of the new relationship had just passed as well. We were starting to see flaws in each other, no big things of course, nothing that would make you want to run away as fast as possible but little things that made you feel annoyed.

I was starting to wonder how I would get through another six months of this because I'd always heard that it doesn't get particularly better towards the end.

But then there would be an evening like the old days, where Bella would snuggle against me and lay her head on my chest while we watched a silly movie. I cherished those moments because they made me see that we would get through everything no matter what.

My love for Bella was still intact, even more present than before now I knew she was carrying my child and after our heated arguments I always made sure she knew how I felt and how grateful I was. In return she would apologize and tell me that she loved me too. I would shrug it off even though some of her words hurt me because that's what I was supposed to do. I never really blamed her for her actions as mood swings were very common but still...

"Baby, I'm sorry I'm so agitated but...," I started, as I really didn't want us to have another argument in front of the doctor, but was quickly interrupted by Bella.

"I know, you want to know the sex, I understand," she said, offering me a genuine smile.

I quickly enveloped her in my arms, loving the feel of her tiny body completely wrapped up in mine. "I love you," I whispered against her hair.

She sighed against my chest, squeezing me tighter. "I love you too."

We spent the drive to the doctor in silence, apart from Bella's humming. She started doing it more often, just silently singing to herself and it was one of the things I had grown to love. Especially because it indicated that she was in a good mood. And that always resulted to me being in a good mood as well. It was startling how much our moods matched and I guessed that was one of the reasons why were bickering that often lately. Two annoyed persons in one room didn't always end up good.

But I was determined that I wasn't going to let anything ruin this day. That minor accident before leaving would be the only bad thing between us today.

When we were seated in the waiting area, I took hold of her hand, casually playing with her fingers. Her eyes instantly trailed to mine and I gave her a big smile. My leg was bouncing with excitement and she had noticed as well. She carefully placed her other hand on it to stop the movement but it was useless. She giggled when she realized that my nerves weren't going to leave until I knew if we were going to have a son or a daughter, but still she didn't let go of my leg.

After what seemed like a century – and was only two minutes – Bella's name was called and we were led inside a little white room by a young blonde woman.

"Doctor Webber will be with you in a second. Make yourself comfortable please," she said before disappearing again.

I was looking at all the sonograms that were hung up on the wall, showing the growth of a child inside the uterus. I had been trying to figure out how big our child would be when a soft feminine voice pointed me towards the fourth picture.

I quickly turned around, afraid that I was caught doing something I wasn't supposed to do.

"Angela Weber," the woman in the white coat said and extended her hand. I genuinely took it, happy she didn't comment on the fact I had been so free to roam around her office. "Edward Cullen."

"Nice to meet you. And this is your wife?" she asked, while shaking Bella's hand.

"Girlfriend,"I explained before sitting down on the chair next to the examination table.

Doctor Webber quickly gave us some facts on the child, nothing new to me as I had already read a lot information in books and online before proceeding to the actual tests.

"So, what do you think, are we going to see whether the little one wants blue or pink in his nursery?" she finally asked after all of the formalities had passed and she had run a few tests to check the baby's health. I had been so anxious to know the sex that I didn't even think for a second that there could have been anything wrong but I could easily see that it had been on Bella's mind because when Doctor Weber declared that everything was perfectly fine, Bella let go the biggest sigh of relief in human history. I must say that there is nothing that beats the sentiment of hearing your baby's heart beat for the very first time. It's like the biggest proof that you're going to be a parent and I almost cried from happiness when I heard the soft drum of the heart echoing though the room. It was really there. Our child was really in there.

I was now practically bouncing in my seat at the mentioning of knowing the sex and both of the women laughed at my enthusiasm.

"He's convinced it'll be a boy," Bella clarified, sounding happier than he had seen her in days. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that she knew the baby was healthy and to be honest I hoped that was the reason because that would mean that everything would calm down a bit now.

"Well, let's see if he's right," Doctor Weber said while ordering Bella to lie a bit more on her side to get a better view.

I was trying to read her features, waiting for the moment when the doctor her eyes would tear away from the screen and tell us the gender.

"Bella, I'm very sorry," she started and my heart stopped beating right that second, anxiety taking over my entire body. Doctor Weber looked away from the screen and into the eyes of two anxious parents with a huge grin on her face. "I'm afraid you'll have to live with the fact that Edward has been right all along."

What? Right?

And then it dawned on me, right at the same time Bella seemed to get it.

"A son?"I asked, still not completely believing it even though my eyes were already starting to tear up again.

She nodded, obviously amused by it all before allowing us some private time to let it all sink in.

A boy. We were having a boy. A little baby boy.

I quickly looked at Bella who was also crying by now, clinging to my arm.

"A boy," I whispered.

"You were right," Bella said, holding back a sob.

"Aren't I always?" I said, trying to sound smug but it kind of sounded wrong because of the emotion in my voice.

"We're going to have a son," she said again, looking back at the monitor, her gaze lingering there.

I softly pressed my lips against her temple, feeling a tear run down my cheek. "We are."

We were both staring at the screen, perplexed by the realisation of having a baby boy. My hand was trailing down as I desperately wanted to put my hand on Bella's stomach, just to have any type of connection with my son in there. I laid my hand flat on her belly, grimacing a bit when I noticed the gel was still there but not caring enough about the substance to remove my hand again.

Too soon Doctor Webber returned, an apologetic look on her face as she told us she would have to disconnect the monitor now.

Afterwards she presented us the dvd with all of the images and I was practically floating on air as we walked out of the hospital.

"So I guess we'll have to tell Charlie now, right?" Bella said hesitant once we were home again. One name and my happy mood was demolished instantly.

We had yet to tell Charlie about the whole pregnancy and we had found ourselves constantly postponing the phone call. Yes, it had to be a phone call as he wouldn't be able to strangle me through the phone for knocking up his daughter.

"Maybe we should call Madelyn first?" I said in another attempt to avoid talking to her father.

"Good idea," Bella said, obviously relieved as well.

I quickly dialled the number and waited for my sister to pick up the phone.

Bella

Every ounce of stress I felt left my body the moment Doctor Webber announced that our child was healthy and everything was going according to the plan. I had been fed up about it ever since the day I found out I was pregnant and I knew I had been irritable because of it.

It had annoyed me so much that Edward only seemed to care about the gender of our baby and never worried about his or her health. But instead of asking him about it, I had always snapped at him. Every single time.

And it was only when I was lying alone in bed at night I realized how stupid I was being but I had never had the guts to admit it.

Anyway, it didn't matter anymore because everything was fine and I really was going to change my behaviour towards Edward. I didn't understand how he had been able to put up with me the past three months but it only made me love him more.

Apart from the baby's health there was another part I was worried about. My father. He still didn't know anything about the fact that he was going to be a grandfather soon and I wasn't looking forward to telling him. But I guessed there was no avoiding it anymore now.

I listened as Edward was talking to his sister on the phone. We had told her about the doctor's appointment last week, mostly because Edward had let something slip and we could hide it anymore and afterward we had promised to keep her informed about everything. She had been very enthusiastic about the pregnancy because now her little girl, Caroline, would have a playmate. She had been born only two weeks after we had returned from Vancouver and we had already visited once, before I had known I was pregnant.

I was snapped out of my thoughts of the tiny little girl when I heard Edward mentioning Emmett to his sister. I almost slapped myself when I suddenly remembered I had planned on calling my dad to see if he could get tabs on Emmett but with the unexpected pregnancy I had all forgotten about it. I made a mental note to ask him about it once I got him on the phone.

I realized that maybe now was the perfect timing because Edward wouldn't be able to overhear the conversation while he was still talking to his sister. I wanted to keep it a secret for Edward, mostly because I didn't know how much my dad would be able to do and I didn't want him to have too many hopes on it.

I quickly retreated to the bedroom and dialled Charlie's number. He picked up at the second ring with his usual stern voice, "Charlie Swan speaking."

"Hi dad,"I said casually, trying not to sound nervous because of the important news I had yet to tell him.

"Hi Bells!" he said enthusiastically, "Decided to give your old man another phone call?"

"I guess," I shrugged.

"So, why are you calling?"

"Do I need a reason to call my father?" I said, playing faux-shocked.

"No, but you usually have one." Touché.

"So, what's it this time? Nothing wrong I hope?"

I swallowed again because there wasn't anything wrong but it might be wrong to him. I quickly pushed back that idea and focused on Emmett instead.

I quickly tried to explain the situation and asked if he could do anything to find Edward's brother.

"I don't know, Bella, I can try of course, but I'm only chief of police in tiny Forks."

"Yeah, I know, but it's worth a shot, right?"

"Of course it is," he said, "I promise I'll try my best."

Charlie had started to ask a few random questions about what I had been up to since I hadn't really kept to my promise of visiting more often. I tried to give him a few excuses but I couldn't help myself from feeling bad because of it.

Edward suddenly came into the room, obviously having ended the phone call with Madelyn, mouthing 'does he already know?'

I shook my head and padded the place next to me on the bed. He quickly came to sit next to me and took my free hand between his, playing with my fingers once again. I loved it when he did that even though he only did it as he was nervous about something.

"Dad, I actually have to tell you something big," I finally managed to say, causing Edward to squeeze my hand even tighter. We had nothing to worry about just yet, because Charlie was a three hour drive away from us, but still...

"There is something wrong, isn't it?" The sound of his voice almost made me want to not tell him after all, but I knew that was the worst way to deal with him. He had to know and he had to know it now.

"No, nothing is wrong, everything is fine, there is just..." I was trying to find the right words but they didn't come. I didn't really want to blurt it out but I didn't know how else to get the message to be clear so that was exactly what I ended up doing. "Dad, I'm pregnant."

I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the outburst on the other side of the phone.

"You're WHAT?" A jolt of fear shot through me at the intensity with which my father spoke those words. I guess Edward had heard it as well as the completely tensed up beside me.

"Pregnant,"I repeated weakly.

"Christ, Bella, you're only twenty two years old! You can't be pregnant! You're ruining your life and your career!" he shouted through the phone. The entire ramble went on for about two minutes before his voice turned into a low sound. "He talked you into this, didn't he?" I could almost picture my father's eyes narrowing at that statement.

I didn't need to ask him to specify the 'he' in that sentence as it was obvious my dad was referring to Edward.

"No, it was an accident," I said, trying to defend my boyfriend.

"Even worse!" Okay, maybe that was the wrong argument. But I wasn't going to have the sex talk with my father now. I didn't need him to lecture me about safe sex because that hadn't been the issue here.

"Dad, it doesn't even matter," I said, annoyed, "The point is that I am pregnant and that baby is going to come whether you like it or not. All I hope is that you can put everything aside and just be the grandfather he's going to need."

"HE? You already know the gender of the baby?" he shrieked out, "How far are you?"

I huffed before answering, "Three months."

"You already knew you were pregnant when you were visiting?" The anger was so noticeable in his voice, even through the phone and I could see Edward slumping down, his hands in his face.

I casually started to rub his back, trying to comfort him the best I could while trying to calm down my father as well.

"No, I discovered the weekend after we were back."

"Bella, you cannot have a baby yet," he said sternly. I was relieved to hear that he wasn't yelling at me anymore.

For the next hour I kept talking to my father, trying to make him see that we didn't choose this but now it was going to happen I wasn't going to wail about it. I wanted him to accept the baby just as we had to do. By the end of the conversation Charlie had finally come to terms with the whole pregnancy but it was easy to notice he still wasn't very pleased about it.

After another sigh I put away the phone, pleased with the outcome.

Edward had relaxing somewhat when he heard Charlie wasn't yelling anymore but I could still see the concern in his face.

"Charlie is the only grandparent he's going to have," he stated, his eyes fixed on the floor between his feet.

"I know," I said, not really knowing how to respond to that any further.

The reminder of the evening had been spent in a kind of awkward silence and I had fallen asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. That stupid phone call had worn me out, not to mention the whirlwind of emotions I had been going through today. Fear, relief, complete happiness, anxiety, anger,... Name it and I had experienced it that day.

A few hours after I had fallen asleep, I woke up, completely confused. I took a quick glance at the alarm clock and sighed with relief when I noticed it was only three AM. I turned around to let sleep take over again but I was met by Edward, who was sitting straight, staring into the darkness, obviously lost in thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Edward turned around and looked at me with a look of complete adoration. "I was thinking that I love you. Both of you," he said before placing his hand on my belly.

Tears were starting to fill my eyes at the sincerity of his voice.

"You know, I almost want to thank my parents."

"What?"I asked non-understanding.

"If they hadn't thrown me out, I wouldn't have been here now," he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

I snuggled closer to him and let my head rest on his shoulder.

"I think we would have met anyway." I really couldn't imagine a life without Edward anymore, as cheesy as it sounds.

"Yeah, how?" he challenged.

"Well, let's see, your sister is married to Jasper's brother," I started, thinking out loud, "So, if you hadn't been kicked out of the house, you would have gone to Madelyn's wedding, right?"

He nodded, probably already guessing where I was going but not really making the connection just yet.

"Well, Jasper was there, so with a little luck you would have met him and of course you two would have gotten along from the very beginning which would result in him asking you to his wedding as well."

"Where you would have been as Alice maid of honour," he completed my story.

"Exactly!"I exclaimed, proud of myself.

"Well, I'm glad I was supposed to meet you," he grinned before placing a kiss on my forehead.

"I am too," I said before allowing myself to drift off to sleep again.

A/N: Aren't they cute? *-*

Anyway, thank you for reading! :D

And lots and lots and lots of love to MidnightSun17 aka super beta! Thanks to her superfast betaskills you'll probably have the next chapter on Wednesday!

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Love , Ellen