Bella's POV

"I feel overall, fine. Tired most of the time, and my back aches – but there isn't any pain, pain. Just the annoyance of the constant aches and the exhaustion." I explained to Dr. Whitman as he asked how everything was going. He had already done his basic vitals and measurements for the week.

"I am happy overall with how things are progressing at this point." He said simply and smiled at us. It was another huge relief. With the stress of everything that Kate had put us through it was amazing that my stress levels hadn't skyrocketed through the roof and sent my blood pressure crazy.

"Are we still on track for 32 weeks for delivery if everything remains stable?" I asked cautiously, silently worrying as I realised it was only four weeks away. Four weeks longer with only Masen and Ellie at home, four weeks to ensure our safety, and four weeks to really breathe before life would drastically change again.

"I think if everything remains steady 32 to 33 weeks will be our goal; of course though things can change quickly from this point on out. Realistically you can of course expect that labour could begin at any point in time between now and then. The absolute latest that I will allow you to go is 34 weeks. Next week we will set a scheduled date for your caesarian." He explained and I nodded. We had already been over all of this, but with the results of my latest scan still showing all three healthy and with no concern, I was happy when I heard that he had changed the goal line slightly.

As we left the office, Edward grabbed my hand and squeezed it slightly. Looking over at his face I could see a range of emotions crossing over his features – relief, worry, and a constant awareness as he scanned the area around us. This awareness had been there consistently since Kate had first rear-ended my car months ago, but with the more recent events it had become heightened for both of us – neither of us really relaxing, especially when we weren't home.

Edward was convinced she was going to try something again immediately, though I wasn't as sure. I didn't doubt that she wasn't finished trying to insert herself into our life; I just didn't think it was going to be right away. She seemed to like to give it space between appearances.

Kate had been released to her father's care. Despite her threats and beliefs, and the trouble she continued to make once she had been taken into custody at the station; there was never a psychiatric exam ordered, and she was once again out and waiting for court. Obviously, Edward and I had been furious when Jasper had called to give Edward the news and I shook my head sadly. I knew from growing up with my father that at times, hands were tied. The justice system was overloaded and until someone was seriously injured, there was nothing that could be done aside from continuing to arrest whenever the restraining order was broken.

"What are you thinking about Love?" He had helped me to get into the car and get comfortable – something that I had never imagined could be that difficult before carrying triplets – and had gotten in himself, fastening his seatbelt and turning towards me before starting the car.

"Just that we need a holiday…" I chuckled slightly. Though neither of us was currently working; it wasn't exactly a vacation. Constant stress and worry had existed throughout most of our relationship in some form or another. Realistically we still weren't married and we had never been away together.

Edward laughed as well. "You're right." He said simply and I smiled at him. Some days he could simply read my mind and know what I meant.

"Once these guys are out and stable and growing and healthy; let's go away for a few days… even a week… all of us." I suggested quietly, biting down on my lip while I waited for his answer.

"Anything for you." He responded simply and I felt my heart swell with love for the man next to me who would truly do anything for me.

"You decide where and…" Edward trailed off as he glanced down at his phone. "…and Mom asked us to stop at Watson's bakery and pick up some bread for dinner." He finished with a smirk and I smiled. We could definitely do that.

"Alright, let's get going!" I laughed lightly, feeling just a touch of the tension evaporate as we settled and pulled out of the parking lot.

As we wove through the streets of Forks, leaving the main road and heading towards the little side-street that housed the relatively new "Watson's bakery", I felt myself begin to breathe a little bit more. Trying to push the stress of Kate and high-risk pregnancy out of my head; I watched the little houses as we passed them before pulling into the little home on the corner – the front of which now housed a small bakery. It was a unique spot, and when the Watson family had first moved into town and set up this little spot out of their home, we were all a little wary of it. No one in Forks trusted easily – our little town a little too close knit at times; and being outside of our small downtown, everyone wondered what this family was thinking. But the product they made, sold itself and the family turned out to be some of the kindest people we knew.

"Edward!" Julia Watson exclaimed as he walked into the front door ahead of me and I caught an instant whiff of delicious fresh bread.

"Hello Mrs. Watson, how are you?" He asked as he turned and took my hand. There was a rather high step up into the shop – the reason he had gone ahead of me was to take my hand and help me step in.

"I'm fine dear. And Bella honey… how are you feeling? Are those babies behaving themselves in there?" She asked sweetly and I smiled back at her, placing my hand over my belly and feeling them dance around.

"Oh yes, they are running out of space but being very well behaved at the moment." I laughed as she came over and looked at me, silently asking my permission. Nodding my head slightly she placed her hand over my stomach when I moved my own and I watched her smile widely as she felt them moving beneath her hand.

"Two more weeks… are you ready to meet them in less than two weeks?" She asked as she pulled back and headed back towards the counter, lifting the small piece that would allow her to go back behind the register.

"What makes you say two weeks?" I asked her as I moved about, picking up a coupe of fresh loaves of sour dough and handing them to Edward, continuing to glance through the display of products.

"The little one hiding in your back." She smiled and I nodded at her. Over the past few months I had spoken to Mrs. Watson on several occasions and she had shared some of her prior experience with me. Baking was her passion and Mr. Watson enjoyed it as well. It was why they had chosen to live out their retirement running this little bake-shop with their grand-daughter Grace. But prior to moving to Forks, Mrs. Watson had spent nearly forty-years delivering babies as a midwife. And while I didn't put much stock into old wives' tales or prenatal baby-whispering, she clearly did and I was beginning to trust her instinct more and more. She had correctly guessed that I was pregnant before we had told anyone else, as well she had predicted early on that I was carrying three little girls. And while she seemed to have an intuition and knowing disposition, she was never anything but kind, and never pushed her insights onto anyone, simply just smiling and chatting as though what she knew was common knowledge. Though a little eccentric, I really liked the woman… and I knew Masen and Elizabeth always enjoyed coming in and seeing her as well.

Grabbing a few more things, Edward followed me to the cash register, slipping in a small tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies and smirking at me. The man knew me well.

By the time we returned to the car, the stress had returned – the what-if's and the worry. Two weeks. If there was any sign of truth to what Mrs. Watson believed, the time I had before the birth was half of what I thought.

"Relax Bella. We're prepared for any time." Edward grabbed my hand as we drove towards his parent's house. Once again, he could read my mind and see the panic beginning to swirl on my face.

"It doesn't matter how much time we actually have… less than a month and we'll have five children." I breathed out slowly, trying to picture it in my mind.

I couldn't.

It wasn't that I was unprepared… perhaps I was too prepared. There were so many details, so many 'ifs' and so little time.

"Bells, stop it." Edward sighed and I nodded in agreement. But I couldn't just stop.

"Look at me." He had had already pulled into his parent's driveway and I blinked my eyes as I realised I had been panicking the entire drive.

Doing as he ordered I looked up into his face. I looked into two emerald green eyes and I felt myself begin to relax instantly. Edward was worried too. It was obvious. But in his face and in his eyes, in the touch of his hand against mine I knew that I wasn't alone. He was with me. His family was with me. I wasn't alone anymore. And that thought meant more to me than anything else. I could handle whatever came next because I wasn't doing things alone.

Up until Edward had collided into my life, I had been more alone than I had thought – I had Mike, but he wasn't present. My dad had passed and my grandparents were all deceased. And then there was my Mom. She hadn't cared… she had left. Willingly. Leaving me behind. But I wasn't alone anymore.

"No you're not." Edward's voice was firm and I hadn't realised that I had whispered out so many of my thoughts while we had sat waiting in the car.

"You're not alone. I'm here. I'm with you." He reminded me again before leaning in and pulling me against his shoulder.

When we finally joined the family inside, I was still a little worried, but overall I felt calmer… once again more at peace.

"I don't know how Esme does it all." Rosalie, Alice and I were sitting outside in the sun watching Ellie, Mase, and Haley in the sandbox. It was a rare dry and sunny day and we were taking full advantage while the men cleaned up the kitchen following dinner.

"I know what you mean." I sighed as I watched our children interact.

"She raised three amazing men." Rosalie piped in and I nodded in agreement. All three of our guys were amazing… they were family men, here for their wives and children. They bantered and played and teased each other… but all were respectable and kind and had massive hearts.

"And she took all three of us in." Alice added and again we all nodded along. Not one of us three had much if any relationship with our parents now… Alice was the opposite of me. Her mother had passed away when she was quite young, and her father had tried to accuse her of being insane – he had been controlling and manipulative and when he had met another woman when Alice was just a teenager… he kicked Alice out to the streets to make her own way. And Rosalie had been raised in a wealthy family – but neither parent put her needs first and when she graduated high school, they had sent her to finishing school and planned out meet-and-greets where she would choose a husband from a suitable selection of suitors. It was something out of a fairy-tale. But Rosalie was no shy, quiet, girl. When she had an opportunity – she ran. She put herself through school and she met Emmett along the way. The two of them clicked.

So, in a way, Esme and Carlisle had been the parents that not one of us had ever had, and not only did they embrace us and bring us in – but they had never done so with anything other than a positive outlook on it. In their eyes, they had truly gained family from bringing us in.

"If I turn out to be half the woman and mother that Esme is…" I trailed off and couldn't even finish that sentence. There were no words to explain. "She has handled Masen and Elizabeth; she has cared for Haley at times – she's juggled both Alice and I being pregnant and high-risk, spending time with each of us and caring for us constantly. I don't know how she does it." I said instead and the other two hummed their agreement.

"Her birthday's in September." Rosalie added in a minute later. Nothing else was said after that, but we all knew what the implication was. This wouldn't be just any birthday for Esme. This would be a birthday where we worked together to repay just some of her kindness towards us. As the sun lowered in the sky, you could practically see the wheels turning in each of our minds as we tried to come up with a way to repay even some of her kindness towards us.

It seemed that time was out of control. One day it moved incredibly fast, shooting us further towards the end of my pregnancy and speeding up Ellie and Mase's growth. And the next it crawled by… the achy days, the ones where I couldn't get comfortable dragging on for an eternity.

But when you combined it all together, time just was. Each day was another step closer to meeting our three newest additions. Each day was another day without interference from Kate. Each day was another day spent watching Masen and Ellie grow and play and learn with us.

One week passed, and then six more days. I was thirty weeks pregnant and Alice was now twenty-eight. While I had tried to push Julia Watson's two week guess out of my mind, it still sat there, monitoring each and every twinge that I felt. The closer I came to that two-week mark, the more I began to believe that she was right… it was a feeling inside of me.

"Are you alright Bella?" Alice was sitting next to me on the back porch of our house. I had convinced Edward and Jasper to take the kids to the hardware store to look for a little kiddie pool for the backyard. We were in the middle of a heat wave and I thought it would be nice for them to splash in… but more than that I thought it would be nice to splash in it with them. I was huge and I was hot.

"I'm good… just the usual backache." I groaned as I shifted again. I hadn't been able to sit still. My back aching more today than usual. Alice looked at me, watching my expression carefully.

"What did Mrs. Watson say… didn't she say that they'd want to make their entrance around now?" My friend asked me with a smile, trying to joke around while also trying to gage my pain level.

"It's just my back being a pain…" I sighed as I stood up, intending to shift and stretch a little bit. "I know that you can relate to this discomfort…" I gestured to Alice's own protruding belly and smiled. She smiled back at me, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was obviously worried, buying even more into Mrs. Watson's predictions than I did. She had had her own encounters with the woman who had been scarily accurate in regards to Alice's own pregnancy.

"Where are you going?" My friend asked as I waddled down the three steps and into the backyard, grabbing a large bucket on my way.

"To fill this with cold water so that we can soak our feet and cool down a bit." I smiled at my friend. She didn't move. She wasn't supposed to be walking around much – another hospital trip and round of heavy bleeding had kept her moving to a minimum.

Reaching the corner of the house where the tap for the garden hose was, I bent over to turn the tap on. As I reached out, two things happened at once; the first was that I felt an intense pop, right before a flood of fluid began to run down my legs. The second was that I felt something hit the side of my head, sending me stumbling sideways, my head pounding and dizzy, though not rendering me unconscious.

"Bella!" Alice's voice rang out, but within an instant, a louder voice countered it.

"Get in the house. Now." Kate's voice was distinct and as I felt her grab my arm and try to shove me back towards the house, I tried to push back… until I saw the gun in her other hand… pointed right at my stomach.

"Both of you. Inside. Now."