Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Author's Note: Well, here it is... the epilogue. I stayed up until half past one this morning writing it out on paper, because that's just how much I love you guys. And now...it's the end.
I want to thanl all of my readers that I've had since the beginning of Hard Descisions. You guys have been great from the beginning, and you've all encouraged me to keep writing and finish the story. This story has recieved A TON of hits since it began, and a lot of favorites and alerts as well, and I owe it all to you guys! THANKS!
Enjoy the epilogue!
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Epilogue
(BPOV)
Much to everyone's relief, James and Philip never bothered us again. We let it pass as just a thing of the past, and Edward and I made an agreement to put it behind us and never talk about it again. Elizabeth still didn't know Edward wasn't her real father, and we agreed that we wouldn't tell her about her real father until she was eighteen, when she was old enough to understand.
After she got over the chicken pox and strep throat and was allowed to go back to school, Edward and I noticed that Elizabeth was a whole lot more shy than she had been in earlier months. Though she still talked to people that she knew and trusted, she was quiet around people she didn't know.
I was worried about this, but Carlisle and Edward reassured me that it was normal, and that she would be alright if we just gave her a little space for a bit.
The months faded past quickly with smoothness.
Thanksgiving and Christmas passed with happiness and warmth, and with the beginning of the new year came Jasper and Alice's wedding. The wedding was beautiful, and it passed without a hitch, much to Alice's relief. As the months passed, my stomach grew bigger, and by February, my eighth month, I was about as big as I had been at eight months with Elizabeth.
Everyone was anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Nathan. Alice – of course – and all the women in the family kept on wheedling me and Edward for the name of the baby, which of course we wouldn't reveal. Elizabeth wanted to tell everybody the name of her little brother, but Edward and I explained to her that the name of her baby brother was a secret and no one could know until he was born.
Edward and I – with, of course, the help of Alice – got the new nursery for Nathan ready, painting the walls of it light blue with a wall bordering with stuffed animals on it. We decorated the room with a stuffed animal theme, seeing that it was a cute idea that went along with the border.
In the middle of January, Alice threw me a baby shower, much to my horror, but I managed to get through it, and by the time it was done, I was glad to just lie down and fall asleep.
At the beginning of February, I was ordered by Carlisle to keep off my feet, and stay sitting down upstairs in the apartment. At this, Edward jumped at the chance of convincing me to get someone to help downstairs in the bookshop. The next day, Esme showed up, half self-hired, half hired by Edward and Carlisle to help around the apartment and the bookshop.
I was a little ticked off for a bit (only because of my raging hormones), but I tried not to show it.
Though the baby wasn't due until the beginning of March, by the end of January I was all too ready for him to be born.
I just…didn't know how quickly he was going to come….
00
At the end of the second week in February, Edward went with Jasper and Emmett to somewhere in Washington a few hours away for three days for an all boys weekend. This left me, stuck at home on my butt, with Alice – who was staying with me while Edward was away – to keep me company and look after me.
On Friday afternoon – the day after the boys left – I was on the couch (where I had been for the last two weeks) with Alice and Elizabeth. We were watching a movie and eating popcorn. I could tell a storm was coming because whenever a huge storm was coming (any type of storm), my shoulder acted up and hurt like crazy. Right then, my shoulder hurt like crazy, and that made me a little nervous.
All day my back had been hurting, and it was making me a bit uncomfortable. Throughout the movie, I tried as best I could to get into a comfortable position, without much luck. It was also getting a bit warm.
Alice kept glancing at me throughout the entire movie, shooting me concerned looks.
Halfway through the movie, a sharp pain went my midsection, and Nathan kicked repeatedly in response. I rubbed the top of my extended belly to calm him down, and I let out the breath I'd been holding in when the pain went away fifteen seconds later.
Oh, no, no no, no, no. This wasn't happening now. It couldn't.
Alice leaned over and asked quietly, "Are you okay?"
I quickly nodded my head. "I'm good.
The sharp pains happened throughout the rest of the afternoon, and by the time it hit 6:30 in the evening, I knew that it was happening – the contractions were getting sharper and were now lasting for thirty seconds each, each being twenty minutes apart.
And then, at quarter past seven, just as I was about to leave the bathroom, a warm and wet substance went down my legs, soaking my jeans.
It was time. Four weeks early. Oh, no.
"Uh, Alice?" I called out, my voice wavering a bit. I knew that she was hovering outside near the bathroom.
"Yes? Are you alright?" she answered back. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," I said, placing my hands on my stomach where Nathan was kicking.
Alice poked her head around the doorframe. "Bella?" She looked me up and down, no doubt looking for any sort of injuries. "Why are your pants soaking?"
I swallowed and smiled nervously at her. "My water broke."
Alice's eyes widened. "You're not due until March!"
"I know, I know. I've been having contractions all afternoon, and now, my water just broke," I said. "He's too early! He's not supposed to come for another four weeks."
Alice laughed and said, "Well, I think your kids like to be born early. Come on, we have to get you to the hospital."
She led me carefully out of the bathroom and back to the living room. Elizabeth jumped up from the couch as soon as she saw us. "Mommy, are you okay?" she asked, following us to the kitchen where Alice helped me sit in a chair at the table.
"Yes, sweetie, mommy's fine. Your brother's just deciding to come a little early," I said, wincing as a contraction passed through.
"Lizzy, why don't you go put on your shoes and your coat? We're going to take your mother to the hospital," Alice said, handing her coat and shoes to her.
"Okay," she said and sat down on the floor to put on her shoes.
Within the next five minutes, we were all in the car, heading to the hospital. The weather was turning bad, because of the oncoming storm, and I was worried about Edward.
Alice snapped her phone shut. "He's not answering his phone. Either there's no reception wherever he is, or his phone is turned off."
We reached the hospital fifteen minutes later; because of the mixture of sleet and freezing rain and snow, we weren't able to see a foot in front of the car. With the next twelve minutes, Alice had helped me change into a gown and into the bed. A contraction hit five seconds later and I sucked n my breath and held it, squeezing my eyes shut.
As soon as I could speak, I said to Alice, "Call Edward."
She nodded. "Okay. I'll call Esme and Rosalie. Carlisle should be here in a moment. Are you okay here by yourself?"
"Well, besides the fact there's a nurse in here hooking me up to different machines, yeah I'll be fine, Alice," I said.
"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes. Come on, Elizabeth," Alice said, extending her hand to Elizabeth, who hopped off the chair she was sitting on and took her hand.
Carlisle came in the room a couple moments later. "Bella, how are you doing?"
"Just peachy. I feel like every other woman on this floor who's having a baby, and it feels just wonderful." Sarcasm was beginning to seep into my voice. All I wanted was for Edward to be there.
Carlisle chuckled, ignoring my sarcasm, "Well, let's see how far along you are."
A couple moments later, he announced that I was about 2 centimeters dilated, and it would probably be a long night. "Let's just hope that Edward gets here before your son does," he added before patting me on the shoulder reassuringly and leaving the room.
Twenty minutes later, Alice still couldn't get a hold of Edward, nor Jasper or Emmett, all of whom she had left several messages on each of their phones. Esme and Rosalie and Angie arrived soon after Alice called them. After stopping at my room for a few minutes to see how I was doing, Esme and Rosalie went out to the waiting area with Elizabeth.
Two hours later, Alice was in the room with me when her phone rang. It turned out to be Edward. He got the thirteen messages Alice left on his voicemail, and he said that they were trying to get home to Forks as quickly as possible with the storm, which was still raging outside the hospital.
As she shut her phone, Alice squeezed my hand reassuringly and said, "He knows that you're in labor, and he and the guys are trying to get home as soon as possible."
Six hours into labor, I was still only 3.5 centimeters, and Edward still wasn't there.
"Where the heck is Edward?" I moaned as another contraction ended. I was in my seventh hour of labor and the contractions were getting stronger. I was 5 centimeters dilated – halfway to where I could start delivering.
It was one in the morning, and I was getting exhausted, but I knew I couldn't quit yet and fall asleep.
Alice, who was in the room at that moment, smiled sympathetically at me and handed me another ice chip. "He'll be here soon. You're doing great."
Around quarter to two, Edward still wasn't there. But the upside news was that Carlisle announced that I was ten centimeters dilated, and the baby was in position.
As the nurses were getting ready to move me to the delivery room, I heard hurried footsteps coming nearer and nearer to my room. Two split seconds later, Edward burst into the room, pale and anxious looking.
"Edward!" I said as he came across the room and captured my lips with his. "The baby's coming."
"I know. Oh, I'm so sorry I left," he said, kissing my sweaty forehead.
"Alright, we're ready," said one of the nurses. "Let's go."
Alice hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek. "Good luck," she said with a large grin on her face.
Within the next minute, I was being wheeled down the hallway to the delivery room by Carlisle and two nurses, Edward hurrying alongside me.
Once in the delivery room, and once Carlisle had taken his position at the end of the bed, Carlisle said, "Alright, Bella, on the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can."
I nodded and looked up at Edward. "Ready?" I asked.
He grinned and nodded, kissing the top of my head. "Let's do this."
00
Thirty minutes later, the sound of a newborn's wail filled the delivery room, and I let an exhausted smile part my lips as tears of happiness flooded down my cheeks, mixing with the sweat. I looked at Edward, and he had a grin on his face as he looked down at me and kissed my lips.
"Congratulations, it's a boy," Carlisle said as he walked over to us a moment later. He placed the wailing newborn he was holding in my arms.
Little Nathan was tiny and all red and still a little bloody, but he was so beautiful, so precious. He even had a thin layer of hair, which I could tell looked brown.
"Excuse me, I need the name for the birth certificate," said the nurse.
"Nathan. Nathan Isaiah Cullen," Edward said.
"What's the verdict, Carlisle?" I asked.
Carlisle smiled and replied, "Well, Nathan Isaiah was born on February 13, at 2:22 a.m., and he weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces, and he is 13 inches long."
I smiled and looked down at the red-faced baby in my arms.
Welcome to the family, my little Nathan Isaiah Cullen.
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Author's Note:
Say it with me --- AW!
It's OVER! - cries -. I hope you have enjoyed this story. This story is now officially over. I'm not planning on making this a threequel, but you never know - I might change my mind in the far future. But keep a look out for one (don't count on finding one, though). BUT, if I did make this a threequel, I would probably write when school lets out for the year and I have more time to write it (I just might do that, because I love little Nathan and Elizabeth!).
Once again, THANKS SO MUCH for your support! I really appreciate it! Merry Christmas! See you next story!
Signing off permanently for this story:
NerdyGuRu2
P.S. - I'm not going to stop writing, so look for Grandma Rose within the next two weeks. It's a story I started earlier this year, but I had to delete it because I couldn't find time to write it. But I'm redoing it now, now that I have finished this story. See you then!