I tried not to brood over the next several days. I reminded myself that Carlisle would arrive in Oregon soon and would gladly offer his professional expertise in assessing Bella's and the baby's conditions. Even so, I secreted several medical texts in my bag and pored through them while Bella slept. I read and reread every detail about pregnancy and gestation, ensuring that my knowledge was as accurate as possible. I suppose, in retrospect, that I learned little new information, but seeing it again, printed on the page, assured me that all the information I possessed was comprehensive and correct.

At the end of the week, we received a letter from Carlisle. It had been mailed from Salt Lake City, which surprised me. This seemed a circuitous route from St. Paul to Eugene. Carlisle's neat script informed us that he and Esme had decided to take a detour so that they could see the Grand Canyon. He explained that his position in Eugene did not begin for another three weeks so neither he nor Esme felt any rush to reach Oregon. He informed us that they were having a lovely time, marveling at the natural beauty as they explored the West.

While I was happy to know that they were enjoying themselves, I was disappointed that their arrival would be delayed. At best, they would reach Eugene in a week's time.

"It sounds like they're having fun," Bella commented after she finished reading the letter. "I'm glad they're taking some extra time to enjoy the sights."

I nodded impassively. Bella, of course, sensed my disappointment.

"Our news can wait a few more days," she said gently.

"Yes," I replied, trying not to sound as despondent as I felt.

Bella wrapped her arms around me and held me. "Don't worry, Edward. I really believe that everything will be all right."

I tried not to cringe at her eternally optimistic sentiments. Why did they feel like a harbinger of doom to me?


Bella had, in fact, been feeling quite well. She had not vomited in five days, and she was eating more and seemed to be gaining a bit of weight. She still slept very soundly and for at least nine hours each night, but she appeared less fatigued during the day. Her heartbeat was steady and strong, as was the fetus's. Objectively, I had nothing to worry about. Yet the diminution of the common first-trimester symptoms continued to concern me.

So it was particularly ironic that their return did little to ease my mind. I think Bella and I were both caught off-guard when she stood up from the breakfast table on Sunday morning only to be assailed by a fierce wave of dizziness. I was in the kitchen, pouring a second cup of tea for her, and did not realize what was happening until I heard the crash.

I spun around to face the breakfast room, terror seizing me when I saw Bella crumpled upon the floor. I smelled blood, too. I dashed to her side, falling onto my knees as I tried to assess the situation.

"Bella," I said, my tone stricken. "Darling…"

Immediately I pressed the fingers of my left hand over her wrist while I brushed the hair away from her face with my right hand. She was ashen. Her eyes were half-closed, and her breathing was shallow.

"Oh…" she murmured, moving her head to the side. "Edward. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what, love?" It was so like her to apologize for something that was in no way her fault.

"I felt so dizzy all of a sudden… I couldn't get my balance…" Her face pinched in pain as she shifted her arm. "Ow."

I lifted it carefully to find blood seeping through her sleeve just below her elbow. Several shards of glass lay beneath her; she must have dropped her tumbler then fallen upon it. I rolled her onto her side to check for any other cuts, but I saw no evidence of additional lacerations.

I slid one hand beneath her shoulder and the other under her knees then lifted her from the floor. I carried her to the sofa and gently set her down, slipping a pillow beneath her head. In an instant I had brought a clean towel from the kitchen and wrapped it loosely around her arm.

Then I knelt beside her and took her wrist again as I rested the back of my other hand against her cheek. She was not feverish; her skin was slightly cooler than usual. Her respiration and pulse had steadied somewhat, which gave me a small measure of relief.

"How do you feel now?" I asked.

"Better, I think, but the blood…"

"Let me see, darling."

I removed the towel then swiftly unbuttoned her blouse. I knew she could not wear it again until the bloodstain had been laundered. I removed the garment quickly then inspected the wound. There was no glass in it, but it was fairly deep and ragged. I pressed the towel gently over it then set Bella's arm upon her stomach.

"I need to get my bag," I told her. "I'll be right back."

"I know you will." She gave me a little smile, which proved surprisingly comforting.

I retrieved my bag from the hallway then carefully cleaned the laceration. I knew the carbolic solution stung a bit, but Bella remained stoic as I worked.

Once the wound was clean, I said, "It needs a couple of sutures, love."

Her pretty brow furrowed at this news. "Oh. All right…"

"It will only take a few moments," I promised.

While my work was not quite as fast as Carlisle's, I did manage to suture the laceration in a matter of seconds. I knew Bella felt some pain, but it was over quickly. Soon I had wrapped a bandage around her arm and kissed the skin above it. I disposed of the bloodied items then returned to her.

She thanked me, and I kissed her lips softly. She remained paler than I liked, though, and her heartbeat was still rather rapid.

With renewed concern, I asked, "Do you hurt anywhere else, sweetheart?" I lifted her head a little so that I could check her scalp.

"No… not really," she replied.

I found no evidence of injury to her head. "Are you still dizzy or nauseated?"

"I'm not dizzy anymore, but my stomach hasn't settled yet."

I nodded and rested my palm over her brow. "Just stay here for a while. Would you like a blanket?"

"No, I'm not cold." She swallowed then looked up at me with wide eyes. "I haven't felt like that since the funeral. Does it mean… that something's wrong?"

Stroking her forehead, I said, "Light-headedness is common during the first part of a pregnancy. It can come and go, but it's most likely to occur when you stand suddenly."

"Oh. I did get up quickly. There was a spider on the table, and I jumped up to get an empty glass to catch it."

"Well, that probably explains it. You just stood too abruptly."

Bella seemed to harbor some doubts about the veracity of my words. Hesitantly, she asked, "Does the baby's heartbeat still sound all right?"

I could hear the faint flutter unaided, of course, but it was best to assess more thoroughly. I reached for my stethoscope. "I'll check," I replied.

She unfastened her skirt so that I could easily slip my hand beneath the waistband and press the bell directly over her womb. The tiny beat was steady in my ears. I nodded and smiled at her.

"It sounds just fine, darling."

"So you think everything is all right?"

"I believe so. Are you having any cramping or back pain?" I knew she was not bleeding.

"No, just the usual little backache. It hasn't changed since I got up this morning."

"Let me take a quick look at you," I said.

I felt gently over her lower abdomen and inhaled carefully to assess her scent. I could detect no obvious physical changes. Still, it was best to err on the side of caution. While her near-fainting spell was probably the result of changes in hormones and blood flow, there were other possible causes. Anemia was the most likely.

I knew I would have detected a severe iron deficiency by smell alone. However, it was possible that a more subtle insufficiency would be less obvious to me. I gently inspected her lower eyelids to assess the color then checked inside her mouth for pale gums. I also looked carefully at her fingernails in case I had failed to notice any changes in the nailbeds.

"There are no signs of anemia," I reported, "which is good. But let's be sure you eat plenty of iron-rich foods, just in case."

"All right," she agreed. "I feel better now."

"Even so, I'd like you to take it easy for the rest of the morning."

Her incident must have frightened her rather badly, because Bella did not argue with me. She simply nodded and reached for my hand, which she held tightly for some time.


I felt ambivalent about the return of Bella's symptoms. On the one hand, they were normal at eight weeks of pregnancy, which should have been a comfort to me. On the other hand, they had vanished for a time, as though she had passed through her first trimester and entered her second. If the pregnancy were accelerated—and I still had no solid evidence one way or the other—the dizziness and nausea could be her body's reaction to changes that were occurring too quickly. I had no real precedent for this, but it seemed logical to me. However, I desperately wanted a second opinion. My judgment was, admittedly, not the most objective.

Over the next week, Bella had two more incidences of minor dizziness, both times upon standing. Her nausea returned intermittently, too. One day exposure to blood left her queasy and chilled, while the next she experienced no effects. She vomited after breakfast early in the week but was eating hungrily and feeling fine by the weekend.

As we lay in bed on Saturday morning, my hand moved to Bella's abdomen, where I felt gently above her pubic bone. I thought I could appreciate a slight firmness; was it the upper edge of her uterus?

"Edward?" she questioned. "Is something the matter?"

I realized that I was frowning in concentration. Rearranging my features, I replied, "No, darling, everything seems fine."

"Maybe you should listen to the baby's heart again," she suggested.

I gave a nod of agreement then retrieved my stethoscope. The heartbeat was slightly stronger now. The fetus was definitely developing; the question was, how quickly?

"Edward," she said as I reached up to remove the instrument from my ears,"when will I be able to hear it? I know you said my ears aren't sensitive enough to detect the sounds now…"

"You should be able to hear the heartbeat in a few more weeks," I replied.

"May I try anyway?"

"Sweetheart, you won't be able to hear it—"

"I'd still like to try."

"Of course," I assented. It was difficult to say no to my determined wife.

She sat up, and I placed the earpieces in her ears then rested the bell over the area where the heartbeat was the strongest. Suddenly I realized that Bella's human senses might provide me with critical information. If she could hear the baby's heartbeat now, it meant the fetus was abnormally developed. Human ears, even with amplification, could not discern a fetal heartbeat until twelve weeks at the very earliest.

I tried to keep my hand from shaking as I held the instrument over her belly. Her face tightened in concentration, and she closed her eyes. Suddenly she inhaled sharply, and I felt my entire body freeze. She had heard something.

"Oh!" she gasped softly. "What's that?"

"What… what does it sound like?" I asked. It was difficult to maintain a steady voice.

"Mmm, sort of a soft murmur, but it's not very rhythmic."

I moved the stethoscope and rested my ear over her belly. I picked up some subtle bowel sounds, but I would not describe them as rhythmic. I replaced the instrument and asked her to continue listening.

She listened intently for about half a minute then shook her head. "I'm not sure," she said hesitantly. "There's definitely something…" Her brow furrowed.

"Tap out the sounds with your finger," I said anxiously.

I took her hand and placed it in my open palm. Then I waited until her fingertip touched my skin, once, twice, three times. As she indicated each subtle sound she heard, I listened for the baby's heartbeat. Her taps were slightly out of sync with the tiny beat, but they were not far off. What did this mean?

"I think I can hear it," she said with a nod and a smile. "I'm fairly certain that I can."

I swallowed nervously. "Possibly…"

"Maybe your super-hearing has rubbed off on me," she suggested playfully. She was excited and happy.

However, my despondency grew. It was far too early for this. Something must be wrong; the fetus was surely growing too quickly. What did this mean for Bella? I could offer no joyful words; the best I could do was to mask my deep fear with a wan smile.


To be continued…