Chapter Twenty- Six
"God, he's so peaceful looking when he's sleeping," I said dreamily as I looked over Mason's cot. Charlie, who was standing next to me, put a hand on my shoulder and nodded. But it was so true, in everyone single detail and word. He was so peaceful and beautiful and everything I could have ever imagined. He was, truly, one of a kind, and I was so glad that he was mine. All mine, and no one else's.
When Charlie left, I was left alone in my room, which was now painted half pink and half blue, I still looked over Mason as he slept, just looking at his face. His chest rose and fell evenly in his sleep, and ever now and then he would whimper, and I would put my hand on his just to let him know I was right there by his side. Always.
I hadn't pictured motherhood to be this way. Not by a long shot. I pictured it being like what you saw on TV, with the screaming infants in the shopping cart as you tried desperately to get what you needed and get out. Before I had him, I pictured it being somewhat like hell, with loud noises that kept you awake all night and screaming in the day enough to make you cover your ears and run. I thought it would be terrible, just at the beginning, but I was wrong. Very wrong.
Motherhood was enjoyable, to me, at least. I know, when I say that having a baby at eighteen is fun, most people would look at me oddly or pass me off at something I wasn't. But, truly, having Mason brought out another side of me. A side of nurturing and caring, a side I never knew I had. Until now.
I walked across my room to my bed, and quickly stuffed a few diapers into the pocket of the diaper bag. The plan for today was that I would be hool, where I would proudly show off my new joy. I would look as all the popular girls laughed at me, wondering how I could be so stupid, and I would look back, wondering the same about them. Some of the teachers would whisper to each other about how I was wasting my life and geting off to a bad start. Mike, would be upset that I actually happy, and wish that I was still sad so that he could comfort me. And, when all this was happening, I would laugh.
I quickly donned my jacket from the chair next to my computer, and put it on. I then went over to Mason's cot, where he was now awake, looking at the different patterns of shapes we had painted on the ceiling. I scooped him up in my arms, kissed his head, and brang him downstairs.
Charlie wasn't working today. He was sick with the flu and forced to stay home. He didn't seem to mind, though. He liked to stay home and watch some lame sports on TV or pig out on takeout and drink beer.
He looked up at me. "Oh, hey there, Bells." I could tell by the way his voice sounded that he was congested. I walked over next to him, and smiled.
"Well, I'm going to take Mason out to the school for a little visit. I promised some people that I would, so I figured it would be a good time."
"Alright," he said, as he came over to stand in front of me to look at Mason, but far enough as not to spread the virus. "Put a hat on him. It's very chilly outside."
I nodded, grabbing the hat from the table. "Since when is it not cold in Forks?" I laughed, and Charlie chuckeled aswell.
"You got a point there," he said, still laughing. I quivkly put the wamr blue hat on Mason's tiny head, and wrapped him tighter in the dark blue blanket he was in. I took the liberty to add other blankets to the bag, just in a case, God forbid, the pyjamas and blanket he already had were not enough.
I quickly told Charlie goodbye and then left. I put Mason in the backseat, making sure he was tucked in with his blanket wrapped around him secerly. I gave him a kiss on the nose before closing the door and getting into the front seat. I started the truck, listening as it roared to life, then quickly backed out of the driveway, and onto the main road, en route to hell.
I hated school, everything about it annoyed me. I hated the way everyone had their own clique with their own lunch table and spot to sit outside. I hated that it was so orignized and put together, so much you could never feel comfortable. I would make sure this time would be different for me. I would enjoy this, showing off Mason and seeing all my old friends again.
The school parking lot was already half full when I got there, and by the looks on everyone's faces, they were surprised to see my bright red truck pulling up into the parking lot now. And when I stalled the car, taking deep, calming breaths, I felt so watched.
It took me awhile to gete my barings together enough so that I could get out of the truck. When I did, everyone who was passing turned their heads to look at me, and I could hear muffeled whispers being said from every single direction imaginable. But, depite the fact that I was being uncomfortably watched, I made my way to the back seat to get Mason. I opened the door and put a blanket over the carrier, to protect him from the wind, and from anyone who was brave enough to approach me, and turned around, coming face to face with Savannah, Lauren, and a girl I'd known from bioligy, Kate Anders.
"Well," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking at me. Lauren and Kate did the same, and as I looked around, I realized a large group of people were circuling around my truck, waiting for something interesting to happen. "Look who is finally back at school."
"I am back at school," I told her, now suddenly brave. I wasn't going to let her break me down. "And if you have a problem with it, don't bother to tell me, because I don't give a fuck."
"That isn't proper language to be displaying in front of your kid, you know," she said, her snarling, high pitched voice become irratating. "You really should step up."
"And you should really mind you own buisness," I spat. "Because you have no idea what you are saying."
She started to say something, but I cut her off, pushing through the line of people to get into the school. When I did, the stares were even more intense, if that were even possible. I could feel their stares burning a hole in the back of my head, and it made me a little uncomfortable. I tried not to care.
"That's Edward's baby in there," I heard someone say, and I clenched onto the carrier tighter, grinding my teeth. "Poor Edward. He doesn't even know he has a baby."
I rolled my eyes at the comments and walked slowly up the stairs. People still looked at me, and even as I brought Mason to a part of the school I had never been in, the daycare, people still stared.
The daycare was on the second floor, in the very back, East side. It was easy to see, a bright colourful sign which read DAYCARE stood out among the light cream walls. As I opened the door, I noticed there we other children in there, too. Not the students children, but the teachers. There were teachers in there, too, leaning against the wall watching and talking as their kids played with a colourful block set. They seemed to be happy.
When I woman approached me, wearing a white blouse and black pants, she smiled at me. "Here to drop him off?" he asked me. She looked young, only he in her late twenties, I would say. She had light curly blonde hair that was held in a high pony tail on top of her head.
"Um, yes, actually, I am," I said and she reached her arms out, asking for his carrier. I quickly took the blanket off his carrier, exposing his little face, and she took the carrier and put it on the floor between us. "I'm Bella Swan, and this is Mason."
"I'm Joan," she said, pointing to herself. "Mason," she said grinning. "My son's name is Mason, too. It's such a nice name."
I nodded, agreeing. "It is."
"Well," she said as she looked over my head at a clock. "You should probably be headed to class now. The bell rings in two minutes."
I leaned down to Mason's level, and took his little fingers into my hand. "You be a good boy while mommy's at school, alright?" He gurgled, and I laughed, standing up.
"He likes his blanket," I said, pointing to the little blanket he had on him. "If he cries, just give him that and he should be alright." I just wanted to make sure she knew everything.
"Alright, Bella," she said. "You really should go though. Don't want to be late on your first day."
"Right," I said quickly, adjusting my book bag on my shoulder. "Bye."
My first class was just down the hallway, and then to the left. It was health, a subject I loathed.
When I entered the room, the teacher wasn't there yet, thankfully. And, just like outside, all eyes turned to me. I heard some people laugh, and then some whispers, but overall, I ignored it, and took a seat in back of the class, next to a girl whose name was Amy.
When the teacher entered, everyone turned around quickly, away from me. The teacher, Mrs. Sanders, was in her thirties, hated me for one reason. I could have a child, and she couldn't. She had explained to us that when he was a teenager, she was in a car accident, which left her infertile. I hadn't known why she would have bothered to share that with us, but she did anyway.
"Today, class, we are going to be learning about one of the most fascinating systems in the human body..." she paused to stare at me, "the reproductive system." Everyone turned around to face me as Sanders pulled down a very detailed poster of a man and woman.
"You see," she began as she pointed to the woman. I droned her out, not wanting to listen to what she had to say. I started to draw on my notebook a cartoon picture of a little baby, just to pass time. I made the baby have dimples and freckles and short curly hair, complete with a little bow. I was so caught up in my little drawing that I didn't even realize the teacher was talking to me until she called my name, loudly.
"Isabella Swan!" she said, slamming a book down on the table. I jumped up, surprised and a little shocked, as I looked up at her.
"Um...yes?" I asked, slowly.
"How does a woman become pregnant?" I decided at this moment, that I absolutely hated her. How dare she fumble me with this question? Why not Abigail Benson or Katherine Myer? Why me?
"Well," she asked in an annoyed tone.
"Um..well, you see...a woman and a man...have to...have...sex," I said finally, stuttering and stammering foolishly. I felt like an idiot saying this, and I'm sure that was Sanders purpose. She smiled grimly at me before turning to a boy in the class named Will Anders, and asking, "Will, what might happen if a teenage boy and girl have sex?"
Will looked at me, then back to Sanders. "She will get pregnant."
"And what will be the result of that?"
Again, he looked at me, grinning, and I knew what was going to come next. "The boyfriend leaves the girlfriend to take care of their bastard child all by herself."
She clapped. "That's right."
I stood up, now extremely upset. "No," I said as I walked down the space between the desks to stand in front of Sanders. "What will happen is a beautiful little baby that would add so much joy into someone's life. You're just jealous because you're too old and dried up to have a baby." When I said the words I felt a sort of rush, but I immediately regretted saying them.
She looked hurt. "Office. Now." She pointed a shaking finger at the door, and without even a single word, I grabbed my bag and turned around.
I spent the next few hours leaning up against the wall of the school, doing nothing at all, just looking at the few cars as they passed by. I didn't go to the office. What was the point? To be yelled at for five minutes and be sent back to class to have to face Sanders again? No thank you. I'll pass.
When the bell rang for lunch, I went up to the daycare to get Mason. It was my time to show him off.
Joan has passed me Mason, who was smiling brightly, and I took his tiny body into my arms, letting his head rest on my shoulder. When I turned to walk out the door, I took a deep breath.
Everyone stopped.
It had looked like I had paused a movie, everything was still and quiet. I took another breath and started to walk down the hallway. Everyone moved out of my way, still stone shocked, as I walked swiftly with my little baby in my arms. This was, how I would call it, perfect.
When I reached the cafeteria, it was so crowded that people hardly noticed me at all. I walked to the back, where Jessica and Mike and Eric and Angela were sitting, their backs facing me. I touched Mike's shoulder, and he swung around.
"Holy shit," he said, putting a hand on his chest when he realized it wasn't something big or scary. "Holy shit, Bella!" The other's turned around now, and, like everyone else, their jaws dropped.
"Hey," I said quietly. "Long time no see."
"I'll say," Mike said. "Wow, you look different."
"More motherly?" I asked.
"No," he said quickly, then added, "Well, yeah. I mean, you have a baby with you. Surely that's got to count as different."
"Sure it does."
"Oh, my God," I heard a voice say. It was Jessica. "Bella, you're back!"
I nodded. "I'm back."
"Oh, my God," she said again. "You have no idea how much we've missed you and worried about you."
"I've missed you, too," I told her.
Angela stood up to hug me. "You look good," she told me and I pat her back.
When we pulled away, I moved the blanket from Mason's face. "Guys," I began. "This is Mason. My son."
Everyone moved forward to get a better look, and even Eric, who hadn't spoken yet, and only stood there, with a shocked expression laid across his face, took a few steps closer to see. When they stepped back, I said, "He's pretty, huh?"
"Hell he is," Mike exclaimed, then covered his mouth with wide eyes. "Oops, didn't mean to say that."
I laughed. "He's a baby, Mike. Calm down. He can't understand." Mike laughed, too.
That lunch was interesting. I sat with them at the table, like before, with Mason tucked neatly in my arms, sleeping soundly. But instead of taking about pointless things, I focused on telling them about Florida and my new friends there and about the fire and about how I was now stuck in Forks, but was happy. Mason made it all better.
They were happy I was here, they all had said. Glad to see that I was alright, and glad to see that Mason was here, healthy and striving normally. They seemed genuinely pleased with the fact that I had stayed strong throughout the entire ordeal with Edward and the baby and such. I was happy, too.
Then, when they bell rang and we parted our separate ways, I took Mason back up to the daycare, and left to go to my next class: Biology. But, thankfully it was still the first day, and I wouldn't be forced to take a seat where Edward and I used to. That was the best thing about the first day. A fresh start.
When the teacher came in, he nodded his head in my direction and I nodded mine back, just to say hello. Even in this class, where I sat in the very back, people still managed to stare at me, and whisper.
"I hear she's pregnant again."
"I heard that the baby isn't even Edwards, and that he was so heartbroken when he found out, that he left her. And Bella is telling everyone he left because he didn't love her. She is such a liar."
"I heard she took up drugs and her baby was born with a heart defect."
"Really? I heard that she checked into rehab in Florida for an eating disorder."
They were the most stupid rumours I have ever heard. But instead of tackling the girls who were saying them, like most would, I laughed them off, shrugging. I didn't want it to bother me, and I wasn't going to. I was going to go through the rest of the day as happy and cheerful as I could possibly be, and no rumour or person was going to stop that.
I will be happy one way or another.
I will.
The teachers started on about something, and I listened to him intently, taking notes and such, while other people were talking and flicking pieces of crumbled paper at each other childishly. I, on the other hand, was doing what I was supposed to be doing, and enjoying it. Nothing would bring me down.
That was, until, Joan burst into the classroom, Mason in her arms, hiccupping oddly. "Oh, my God. Bella!"
I stood up, rushing towards her. "What? What's going on?"
She shook her head furiously, Mason still hiccupping. "I don't know. He was fine, laying in a cot, sleeping. Then, all of a sudden I heard these weird noises, and I went to check him out, and he was breathing funny."
"Breathing funny?" I asked, taking Mason out of her grasp and holding him. I looked at him, his face nearly blue, his little body racking with attempts to get air. "We have to go to the hospital."
When I turned around, I saw everyone was standing up, concerned. "Sir, listen, I have to go, like, real..."
He cut me off. "Go. This could be serious."
I nodded, and dashed out the classroom, running through the hall and down the stairs, Joan couldn't leave, she had other children to attend to. As I ran down the stairs and out the door, I have never felt so scared in my entire life.
When I put Mason in his car seat quickly, I wasted no time getting in the driver's side and starting off the main road before turning off into the highway en route to the hospital. Mason, still making funny noises when he was breathing, was sitting in his car seat, and each time I glanced back at him from the rear view mirror, I felt a little bit of my heart sink. I clutched my hand tighter on the wheel and drove, drove so fast, that when I got to the hospital, I didn't even bother to turn the truck off before I got Mason and went into the hospital.
The same lady was working there from before, with red hair and, today, a pink shirt on. As soon as she saw my face, she rushed towards me, a panicked look.
"Dear, what happened?" she asked, looking down at Mason. I had realized I was crying hysterically until now, when it mattered.
"I don't know," I said shaking my head, more tears running down my face. "He just.. can't breathe. Please, help me, please. Oh, God, help."
"I'm going to get the doctor."
She walked down the hall a little while, and I followed behind her swifty, scared for Mason. He was getting even more blue, his little chest struggling to rise and fall. When the nurse came out of the room with the doctor, I froze.
"Carlisle?"
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A cliffy, I know. But I will update soon. Real soon. Tomorrow, probably. I really hope you like it. Give me tons of reviews, people, please!