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 37

Restlessly Calm

Bella couldn't remember the last time she felt so restless. She needed to keep moving. Walking back and forth from the kitchen to the living room, she wondered if it really was possible to see a permanent path in the carpeting. Even Diesel seemed to be tired from just watching her. Edward, bless his heart, had been working like a maniac. When he wasn't working an odd training schedule of six pm to one am, he was home helping her get things ready. The nursery was put together, the washing machine was back in working order, and all of the boxes that had been waterlogged were gone through and cleaned up. Still, things haunted her.

First, there was always the worry in the back of her mind about Carlisle. The calls home that Edward made were relatively happy ones. Emmett and Rosalie had finally set a wedding date for the end of August, Tommy and Jasper seemed to be adapting pretty well to life, and Emmett had even seen Jacob Black at the club the other night and Bella's friend seemed to be doing well. He had a girlfriend now and was just finishing up his schooling. Carlisle and Esme, though, were definitely struggling. The way Edward's family had treated Edward before now infuriated her. He may have had a bit of a badass streak going with the fights and the Janie situation but he had held them together.

Edward had been there when Carlisle hadn't. He'd been there for Esme when his father hadn't been. To think that they would doubt him so often really just simply pissed her off. She was secretly a little happy that they now knew what it was like to deal with things on their own without leaning on him but she could tell that weighed on Edward. He wanted to fix things. It's what he did when he was around them and it was what he was now doing for her.

Currently, she was home alone and was surprised to find that she was wishing there was some female friend she could have over to just hang out. She hadn't done something like that since high school. Alice would have been perfect for it and Rosalie seemed to have been nice enough. Hell, when she thought of girlfriends, she realized she didn't even have anyone to be in their wedding. Edward had already stated that Jazz would be their best man and Tommy the ring-bearer. She was sure Emmett and Rosalie would be in it. At least that was one girl she could count on to be on her side at the altar. The only females she spoke to beside Rose and her mother were her gynecologist and her therapist. Yeah, definitely kind of pathetic. Of course there was also Liz and Bella smiled at the memory. It made her feel better just knowing she had the woman behind her.

Honestly, it surprised her that the only friends that were closer to her than Liz were men. You'd think with her history, she'd flinch away from that particular gender. With a deep sigh, she looked over at the front door and wished to leave. Sadly, there was nowhere for her to go. Her parents were working and she didn't even have a vehicle at the moment. Edward had gone into town to get some groceries and Bella had chosen to stay home.

In front of the back window now, she wanted to go out and wade in the pool. Being that it was only about fifty degrees outside and the winter cover was still over it, she knew it was out of the question. Still, the water would take some of the pressure off of her ever-aching back. Bored out of her mind, she decided to get out of her mopey moment and find her cell. Tyler answered on the first ring. "You pop her out yet?"

"No. I haven't," laughed Bella. "Just calling to say hello."

"Well, sweetness, we miss you. James is at the club right now or else I'd hand the phone over for you to say hi to him. What have you been doing with yourself?"

Bella went through the pleasantries and bit her lip before asking the big question. It had been one she was throwing around in her head for a while and she wanted someone else's opinion. "What would you think of Edward and I getting married out there?"

"Really? I think it would sweet!"

"Do you think it's fair to my mom...or the baby for that matter?"

"You'll bring the baby with you guys, right? Do you have a date set?"

"Of course we'd bring her! Jesus, Ty, she's our daughter. I'm not just going to up and leave her... No date has become official yet. Edward quit the academy which I think turned out to be a really good thing but he got a new job working strange hours. It's good pay and he likes it. He's always been more of a physical person so it lets him get out some of that energy..."

"Physical, huh?" Tyler asked teasingly.

"Shut it, Ty. I've told you enough when Edward and I first started...seeing each other for you to know that."

"So, I would love for you to come out here for the wedding and if you think about it, besides your parents-who I'm dying to meet, everyone is already out here. You could visit James and I if you'd like and crash here if you need to. We'd be happy to have you and the baby both."

"Well, it will depend on when we decide to do it. We're going to wait until she's a little older. Traveling will be hard and we don't really have the money for it right now anyway. Well, we kind of do but we want to save it. The baby's our primary concern, though, at the moment pretty much over everything else."

"I'm really happy for you, babe. I'm glad you're getting to have this experience. I know it means a lot to you."

"Thanks. Hey, tell James I said hi and let the girls know I miss them. I'll try to visit when we come in for Emmett's wedding."

As Bella hung up, she thought back to the last time she had seen the two guys who were there for her before even Edward came along. They'd come in for her shower, which was wonderful and low-key and exactly what she had wanted. Her therapist, her mom, Esme, Liz, Rosalie, Tyler and James had been there. They had it at Bella and Edward's, giving them the chance to show it off and not have to haul everything. For the few people that came, there were a lot of gifts to open and Bella could never thank them enough. Emmett, Pete, Jasper and Tommy had come in then too but the shower was more for the girls. Tyler and James were allowed for obvious reasons. As she unwrapped and enjoyed the party, Edward and the guys hauled everything upstairs. Tyler and James had cut out of the party early to help the boys upstairs put things in order. It had been great.

A strange sensation made Bella stop her pacing and look down in surprise. She wasn't like some of the other people from the stories she had heard about. No, she did not mistake this wetness for merely peeing her big girl panties. This was labor. Her water had broken. There was no pain. She expected immediate pain, the inability to walk, maybe having to even drag herself to the bathtub. Instead, she went for her phone on the counter and realized she was feeling fine. Labor sometimes went on for hours so she did what felt natural, she kept pacing. Edward would be back any minute now, having left almost an hour ago, and she had her phone firmly in her hand. She was okay. She could do this.

Diesel seemed amused by her as she kept up the kitchen to living room path and only slowed down slightly. She debated on calling her mom but decided against it. She was comfortable and unafraid. Her little daughter was on her way. She wanted to cry in excitement. Two more trips from the kitchen to the living room later and Bella was hit with her first contraction. It wasn't too strong but it was surely a very uncomfortable feeling. She just bit her lip, braced herself on the back of the kitchen chair, and waited it out. It lasted about a minute and she was back to pacing again.

About fifteen minutes later, another one hit. This one was more intense and lasted a little longer but they were still far enough apart that she didn't feel the need to panic. She still had time. She paced a little slower. The wetness was uncomfortable and she very carefully went up to her bedroom. Taking one step at a time, she felt a seriously painful contraction hit about another fifteen minutes after the last one. Thankfully, she was changed and coming back down with Diesel beside her when it happened. The dog didn't mind her leaning on him.

Her hips felt funny and when she began pacing again, she let herself rock back and forth in front of the window that showed the backyard. Moving her hips seemed to help and she knew she probably looked ridiculous but she didn't care. Her baby was coming. "I love you," she whispered to her unborn child before making her way back to the kitchen.

The sound of the front door opening and plastic bags ruffling would usually bring her over to greet Edward on a normal day. Instead, she stayed focused on the task at hand and kept pacing. She made it to her window again just as he joined her in the living room. "Hey, baby."

"Hey," she said quietly, still focusing as another contraction hit. She gripped the window seal this time and leaned forward a little.

"What is it? Are you feeling tired?"

"Nah. I just need...a minute."

Rocking her hips a little she kept looking at the floor. Finally, as the contraction left her, she started for the kitchen again. "I'm going to go put the groceries away. When was the last time Diesel was out?"

"I'm not sure," she responded, knowing she sounded distracted.

"I'll take him out, then, too. Do you need anything?"

"Actually, can you call the midwife?"

"Yeah," he called over his shoulder as he went ahead of her into the kitchen. Her pathway was getting more difficult to walk and she was taking a little longer than usual. "Do you have a specific thing you want me to ask her?"

"No. I just need you to get her to come," Bella said breathlessly. Her baby was on the way. Her daughter was coming.

"She's supposed to be coming by tomorrow to go over everything one last time," Edward reminded her over the sound of closing cabinets. Bella was in the kitchen now, doing her little rocking thing and taking deep, leveled breaths.

"It can't..." she gasped as a heavy contraction hit her hard and she grabbed onto the counter top to steady herself.

"Bella...holy shit! You're in labor?" Edward asked, incredulously.

"Shh. I'm fine," Bella whispered as calmly as possible, trying to focus on what she was doing.

"How long have you been this way? Why didn't you call me?" Edward demanded, grabbing his cell and all but ripping at the number that was attached to the refrigerator.

Calmly now, Bella just shrugged and glanced at the clock. "About an hour or so..."I went upstairs and changed after my water broke..."

"Yes. This is Edward Cullen. Bella's in labor. We need you..." she heard Edward say into the phone as he jogged towards the bathroom and she heard the sound of water filling the bathtub.

Bella just kept rocking and then decided to walk towards the window again. This wasn't bad. Compared to the pain she went through those many years ago, this was a walk in the park...and also something she would never regret. She was having a baby. Halfway back to the kitchen, she heard Edward come back in.

"Bella, what the hell are you doing?"

"Calm down. I'm fine. This feels...right."

"You should be lying down or..."

"No. I'm comfortable. I don't want to sit still. Let me do this. I can do this." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well but she knew she was fine. This was going to be okay.

"Bella, I don't know what to do. What do you need me to do?" He came towards her and put his hands on her shoulders but she stepped back.

"Don't touch me. I'm sorry. Just let me do this. See, I'm fine."

About another hour later, Annie, the midwife was there with a very anxious Edward. Bella was glad for the woman even though Bella was handling the situation just fine on her own. Annie was comforting a nearly hysterical Edward. When a doozy of a contraction hit, Bella took a deep breath and finally nodded. "Honey, can you make sure the water is still warm?"

Edward sprang up like his life depended on it. Bella, who was smart enough to put a skirt on, had already been checked by the midwife when she'd arrived and things seemed to be progressing normally. Still, she was starting to tire and needed a rest. A warm bath would be wonderful after all this walking. Edward came back in. "We're good to go. What do you need me to do?"

"Calm down. That's all you have to do," she said easily, rubbing his shoulder as she walked past him into the bathroom.

"Alright, Bella, you're doing wonderfully. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the most, are you in pain?"

"I'm about a seven," she replied calmly. "I'm doing okay."

"Alright. Just keep doing what you're doing. The baby will come when she's ready."

Edward fed Bella a spoonful of crushed ice with a shaking hand and kissed her forehead. "You're incredible."

"Can you call my mom? I wanted to wait until I was a little further along but I think it's time. I don't want her to miss it."

"Absolutely."

While he called Renee, Bella realized the water was tinted red now and her contractions were getting worse. Sucking in a deep breath, she braced herself on the sides of the tub. The towel that was sticking to her chest to provide some modesty was a little cold but it helped. She felt like she was burning up. In a steady back and forth motion, she moved her right leg through the water over and over again. It helped her focus, although she had no idea why. Annie was timing her contractions and they were definitely close now. It wouldn't be much longer. She could feel it.

"Where's Edward? Annie, where did he go?" she asked between pants.

"I hear him talking in the next room. He'll be back soon. I heard what happened at the doctor's office. Are you worried he's going to pass out again?" Annie asked, obviously trying to distract Bella as yet another contraction hit. "I'm going to check you again, is that okay?"

Bella nodded frantically and realized she had a couple tears on her cheeks. Edward came back in then, his face falling as he dropped to his knees beside her. "I'm okay," she said through gritted teeth, forcing herself to focus.

"It's time, Annie," said seriously, nodding her head at Bella and looking to Edward with a smile.

Before they could situate themselves, Bella took a second to rest in between the pains and rested her head back against the towel Edward had rolled up behind her. Knocking sounded on the door and Edward yelled loudly for whoever it was to come in, he obviously wasn't going to leave Bella at that point. Her mom peeked in a few seconds later and smiled widely. "How are you doing, baby?"

"Good. I'm okay. It hurts like hell, though," Bella breathed out.

"That it does," Renee nodded and laughed.

"You wouldn't know it by looking at her," Edward beamed. "She's like supermom or something..."

As another contraction hit, Annie took control. "Alright, we're doing this. Bella, you gotta start pushing."

Fifteen minutes later, with Bella now crying and praying to God that Allison would come out already and Edward soaked from trying to help her, she heard it. It was loud and awe-inspiring. Annie reached down and scooped up the baby, cleaning out the baby's nose and wiping off her face. Bella wanted to know what Edward was doing, she wanted to see his face, but she couldn't look away from her daughter. As his hands came into view to cut the cord, Bella heard him crying and finally tore her eyes away from Allison. Edward was sobbing with a smile on his face as he ran a finger down their daughter's cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Bella, you can hold her for a minute while daddy gets an area cleaned up to clean up the baby. We have a little more work to do yet..."

She quit listening as the newborn was handed to her and Allison took over again. The only reason she knew she was crying was because it was hard to see her daughter through the blurriness. Still, she knew Allison was beautiful. Her eyes weren't very open but Bella could definitely see green in them. They were Edward's. The love she felt for him doubled just for that. The baby made her feel that much closer to him. This was her family. No matter what had happened in her past, Edward nd Allison made it feel not so bad to have lived through it.

There were a couple nights she had wanted to give up, when she'd silently prayed for death, but she now knew that this was why she held on. This was what she'd gone through everything for. Looking away from her daughter, Bella felt exhausted and tilted her head back to rest it on the rolled up towel. As Annie said something about the placenta coming out, Bella just let the tears fall freely now. Allison was home and so was Bella. Edward was what it took for her to realize that.

The next few hours were a little hectic and since Edward had brought his new daughter in and handed her back to Bella, cleaned up, diapered and dressed, she hadn't been unable to let her go. Bella didn't realize how easily she could stare at one little person for that long. The way Allison wriggled, cried, stretched...even slept...was enough to make her smile. She was hers. This was Edward's child and she was just as perfect as Bella would have imagined.

Phone calls were made after Annie and Renee helped get Bella out of the bathtub and into her own dry, clean clothes. Annie had made sure that nothing had ripped and said that things looked pretty normal, still Bella felt a lot of pain and had some trouble walking without tearing up. Hence the reason she was now leaning against Edward as he leaned back against the headboard of their bed. Their little baby was safe and secure in Bella's arms as Edward made one phone call after another. Esme and Carlisle were called first, followed by Emmett and Rosalie, and then Jasper, Liz, and Tyler.

According to Edward, Esme was booking a flight and should be there the next day. Bella didn't even bother to ask about Carlisle, she knew he wasn't supposed to leave the state no matter the reason. It just reminded her one more time of the frustration she and Edward both felt towards his father. Emmett and Rosalie were going to fly in with Esme. Rosalie had dresses and things to show Bella for the wedding as well. Edward seemed genuinely ecstatic as he called each person and proclaimed the news of his new daughter and how perfect she was.

Feeling her eyes drift closed, Bella worried that she would fall asleep and Allison would slide out of her arms. Trying to sit up, she felt Edward's hands on her shoulders, holding her to him. "What's wrong, baby? What do you need?"

"I'm okay. I just feel like I'm falling asleep."

"I can't blame you," he chuckled. "You should be resting anyway. Come on, I'll get you settled in and take my daughter for a little while. It'll be nice to get to hold her..."

Bella just smiled a shy smile. "Sorry. I guess I am kind of hogging her..."

"Hey, you did all the work. I just can't believe how well you handled it. You were so...strong. It's like you just knew exactly what to do and you were so calm. I was expecting screaming and yelling but you were so calm. Well, you have a couple hours before your mom is coming back with dinner for us, anyway. Sleep..."

Bella just nodded and slid forward, wincing at the pain and turning to hand the baby to Edward. Her mom had been great after Allison was born. She had helped Edward with her new granddaughter as they got her cleaned up and clothed. She'd even showed Edward how to suction her mouth and nose. He hadn't needed too much help, having taken care of Tommy when he was a newborn. Still, Renee had helped him and then helped Bella get situated after the birth. Bella knew it hadn't been pretty but Renee had jumped right in with helping her get herself cleaned up and feeling human again.

She had also been there to help Bella try to feed Allison for the first time. It was frustrating at first and the baby wasn't latching on like Bella expected her to. Annie gave her some pointers but it was Renee who really stepped up. While the baby cried and cried, obviously hungry, Edward had been completely clueless on how to help the situation and Bella thanked God that her mother was there for her. She helped Bella position the baby better and told her some things she had done with Bella. A couple tries later and Bella had felt the pulls from the baby as her milk let down and little Allison got the hang of it.

As much as Renee had wanted to hold Allison forever, she had refrained from holding her too long and gracefully bowed out once the new family was settled. Charlie was out on a call but she promised to bring him and some food over in a few hours so Bella and Edward didn't have to worry about dinner. The woman was a saint; not crowding them and still letting them know that she was there if they needed anything.

As she watched Edward gently rock his daughter and kiss her forehead before helping Bella get under the covers with his other hand, she felt ridiculously happy. Even Diesel was handling the new baby well but he was still currently at the end of the bed watching Bella closely. It was as if the dog realized he now had not only Edward but also this new little creature as his competition. The last thing Bella remembered as she fell asleep was that she had to remember to take some time to pet him and give him some doggy treats when she woke up. He was part of the family, too. Allison's little baby noises were sounding from out in the hallway and was the perfect sound-scape to fall asleep to.

Woohoo! Baby Cullen is here! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and would love, love, love to hear from you! Please review!

PS For the first time ever, I will be putting up another story while continuing this one. I'm not sure when it will happen, possibly within the next week or so, but keep a look out for it. Darkest Valley will still be updated regularly on Monday nights, still. I have 12 chapters of the other story done already and have been writing it alongside this one so it will not cause any delays or take away from this story.

The new story is based on a twenty-four year old Edward who lives in the city and has a lot of responsibility that he just about drives himself crazy over. Bella comes into the picture and kind of shakes up his way of life. When he begins to fall for her, Jacob Black makes an appearance causing the two to compete a little and a lot of drama for Edward's family situation. I hope you will all check it out and enjoy it :)

Letzy xx