Fifty
"Are you sure?" I asked, shifting in my hospital bed for the umpteenth over the last seven weeks. This bed and my back did not like each other and made their dislike painfully clear.
"Yes," said Charlie, sitting on the end. "It was Colonel Mustard, in the garden, with the hammer."
I shook my head as I looked over at Edward, who was sitting next to my bed, feet propped up, and laughing silently. "Tell the man he's wrong."
"Am not," grumbled Charlie.
"You are, too," I smirked. "It's Miss Scarlet, in the conservatory, with the revolver."
Charlie scoffed and turned back to Edward. "Well, tell us who's right."
Edward pulled the three cards our of the small brown envelope and smiled. "Miss Scarlet, in the conservatory, with the revolver."
"Ha!" I exclaimed, tossing my paper on the small, rolling hospital tray. "I won!"
"You cheated," he grumbled, standing up and gathering up the game board, tossing it all back into the box.
"How'd I cheat?" I asked, snickering. "I've been laying here in this stupid bed, like I have been for the last seven weeks."
"The boy was giving you signals or something," muttered Charlie, causing me to laugh. "It's not funny."
"Oh, it's entirely funny," I giggled. "You always were the worst loser when we played games. Mom would always have to get on you to stop being such a baby."
"You always cheated," he laughed, siting back down on the bed. I smiled, leaning back on the bed, and stretching as much as I could. "You ok, Kid?"
"Super duper," I murmured. "Kind of getting tired of this bed."
"You've already made it longer than Charlotte ever expected you to." Edward stood up, and stretched as he came over to my bed. Leaning down and kissing my forehead, he said, "I'm going to take a walk. Be back soon, ok?"
"Don't go far," I whispered, bringing my hand up to his face.
"I won't," he promised.
As Edward left, he clapped my father on the shoulder, silently telling him what he did every time he left in order to give us a few minutes alone; don't make me cry. It was futile effort, seeing as everything made me cry these days. Most of the tears were tears of happiness or joy but sometimes, my insecurities got the better of me and my tears reflected those moments. Charlie smiled as he turned back to me, placing his hand on the tray between us.
"So, how's he doing?" asked Charlie, gesturing toward the door.
"He's doing as good as can be expected since he hasn't left the hospital in seven weeks, either."
"School giving him any shit about taking this semester off?"
"Not since Esme went in and talked to Tex Selvidge," I laughed, placing my hand on my belly. Any little movement was uncomfortable, and jarred the babies around. They didn't much like it, as they usually started kicking the crud out of me. "She set him pretty straight."
"I bet she did," grimaced Charlie. "I wouldn't want to get on that woman's bad side."
"Me either," I murmured. Shifting again, I groaned. "Help me roll onto my side."
"Um, ok," muttered Charlie, standing up.
I lowered my hospital bed a little so that I was laying a little flatter, but not too much, or I wouldn't be able to breathe as easily. My babies took up every inch of extra space inside of me, but at least they were still in there, for now at least. Charlie took my hand and gently pulled so that I rolled and laid on my left side, sighing in relief.
"Better?" he asked, patting me awkwardly on the arm.
"Yeah, thanks," I said. "My back is killing me today."
"Oh," he murmured, sitting back down next to me.
"So how's everything back in Clarendon?" I asked. "Miss anything big?"
"Um, let's see," he smiled. "Reverend Matthews out at Calvary Baptist caught his wife cheating on him with Coach Jack."
"No," I gasped, giggling.
"Yes, in the sanctuary," chuckled Charlie. "We got the call about a disturbance and found the good, old reverend beating the snot out of the coach. Course, he refused to press charges considering his pants were still down around his ankles and Martha had her panties in her hand."
"Ew," I shuddered. "That's so gross."
"I know," laughed Charlie, as the door to my room was opened. He stood up quickly as I looked over my shoulder. Only one person made him fidget like a little boy with his hand in the cookie jar. "Hello, Mary."
"Hello, Charlie," smiled Mary Jacobson, pulling her equipment behind her.
The older woman had long dark brown hair, pulled up into a bun, and bright blue eyes. She was thin, with soft ivory skin and a beautiful smile. She had been with me nearly everyday over the last seven weeks and had become a trusted friend. She was a widow and didn't have any children. Mary and Charlie had hit it off since the first day they met, even if they never said more than a few kind words to each other.
"You're looking very handsome today."
"Oh, well, thank you," muttered Charlie, blushing like a love-sick fool. Clearing my throat, I looked at Charlie, before shifting my eyes back over to Mary. "You look beautiful today. Your Scooby Doo scrubs are really nice."
I stifled my laughter as I rolled over onto my back. Men could be so cute when they were trying not to be too obvious with their flirting. I winced, sucking in a deep breath, as I felt a sharp pain in my side. Mary looked down at me, forehead scrunched up.
"You ok, Sweetheart?" she asked, sitting on the side of my bed, putting her hand on my stomach.
"No," I gasped, clenching my fist as tightly as I could. "Pain."
"Where?" she asked, as Charlie tensed up and nearly ran out of the room.
"Here," I cried, gesturing to the right side of my stomach. Just as the pain was starting to lesson, I felt a gush of fluid from between my legs. "I'm wet," I nearly screamed.
Mary stood up, and pulled the blanket off my legs. My shorts were soaked, as was the bed under me. She picked up my room phone and called a number. Waiting just a moment, she entered a different number and hung up. She reached over to the baby monitors that had been monitoring their heartbeats and started reading the strips following out of them. Less than a minute later, the phone in my room rang. Mary reached out and grabbed it, pulling it up to her ear.
"Dr. Davis, Bella Cullen's second sack has burst, I believe, and she's been contracting for at least two hours...yes...yes, Dr. Davis, I'll tell her," said Mary, before hanging up the phone. She smiled as she looked down at me. "Dr. Davis is on her way. You're having your babies today."
"It's too soon," I cried, shaking my head violently. Mary smiled as she placed her hand on my cheek.
"Sweetheart, they're coming so you had better start accepting it," she said, calmly. "You made it to thirty-three weeks, Bella. Your babies are ready, and you are ready."
"I'm not," I whimpered. The door to my room opened and Edward came rushing in, followed closely by Charlie, who was out of breath and very red in the face. Edward was at my side in a heartbeat, wiping the tears off my face as they fell. With a trembling chin, I cried, "Thanks, Daddy."
"Anything for you," he muttered, uncomfortably. Mary smiled as she looked from me to my father.
"You're a good man, Charlie," she smiled. "Now, why don't you do us a favor and step out in the hall so I can get your daughter changed into a gown."
"Oh, yeah, ok," mumbled Charlie, stepping away from the door.
"Daddy!" I called. He pushed the door open and looked back at me. "Stay close, ok? I'm gonna need ya."
"I'll be right here," he promised.
"Ok," I murmured.
Charlie let the door shut behind him and Edward stood up, helping me peel my t-shirt off. If I hadn't spent seven weeks in this room, in the bed, I would have been terribly uncomfortable with Mary seeing me nearly naked. As it was, she had seen me with nothing on and all I could really focus on right now, were my babies. Edward leaned over and kissed me before helping me slip on my pink hospital gown, and pulling off the shorts and panties that were now ruined. He lifted me out of the bed so that Mary could change my sheet and place a cover on it, that way I wouldn't mess the sheet again. Edward held me in his arms, forehead leaned down against mine and a smile on his face.
"We're having babies," he whispered.
"I know," I murmured. "It's early, though."
"They're ready."
Meaning every word that I spoke, I said, "I love you."
"I love you, too," he whispered, leaning in and kissing me.
"Ok, lover-boy, put her back down," laughed Mary. Edward blushed as he set me back on the bed. She reattached the fetal monitors around my enormous belly. I smiled, taking a deep breath. "Are you better now? Calmer?"
"No," I laughed, nervously. "I'm scared to death."
"I know you are, Sweetheart," she smiled, pulling the blanket back over my legs. "We're in this together, though. Ok?"
"Ok," I murmured.
"Good girl," she giggled. "Now, are you ready for Charlie to come in?"
"Mary, my dad is a really good guy," I said, quietly. She smiled and sat on the side of my bed.
"I know he is," she murmured.
"He deserves to be happy," I added.
"He does," agreed Mary. "But he has to see that for himself. I can't make him see it."
"I know," I said. "I just worry about him."
"Of course, you do." Standing back up, she smiled. "I do, too, Bella."
Mary brought her hand up to my face once more before walking over to the door, and telling Charlie that it was ok to come in. He walked in awkwardly, clearly unsure on what to do. I reached out for him as I was hit by another contraction. Charlie took my hand as Edward held my other, keeping it pressed against his lips. After a minute, the pain started to subside and I took a deep breath.
"Are you ok?" asked Charlie. I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Stupid question, I know."
"Did you call Carlisle and Esme, everyone else?" I asked.
"I did," confirmed Charlie, pulling a chair up to the side of my bed. "Well, I called Carlisle. He told Esme while on the phone with me and she was already calling Alice. I'm sure the news will be all over town in the next ten minutes."
"And they will be here in forty," laughed Edward, placing his free hand on my belly. "I think they are almost as excited to meet the babies as we are."
"Almost," I said, quietly. "But not quite."
Over the next half an hour, I had two more contractions, and managed to squeeze my father's hand so hard that he winced, but he never let go. I was laying on my side, while Edward rubbed on my lower back when the door to my room opened once again. Mary came in, smiling at Charlie, with Charlotte right behind her, already wearing a pair of hot pink scrubs. Charlotte noticed the look between my father and Mary, too, smirking to herself as she came over to me.
"How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" she asked, taking a look at the long strips coming out of the machines.
"I'm hanging in there," I murmured. "They hurt like a bitch."
"They're supposed to," smiled Charlotte. She settled down on the side of the bed. "I know you are still scared but the babies have been doing so great. You made it longer than I thought you would be able to and it's ok now."
"How can you be sure?" I asked.. "They are still seven weeks early."
"True, but most twin pregnancies don't make it past about thirty-five, thirty-six weeks. You already beat the odds by lasting seven weeks after your water broke with Baby A."
"You really...oh crap," I cried, grabbing Edward's hand.
Charlie nearly bowled Charlotte over as she moved and he grabbed my other hand, holding it as tightly as he could. If I hadn't been in pain, I would have laughed but I was, so I didn't. After a moment, the pain began to ease up and I went to let go of my father's hand but he refused to let me. Smiling weakly at him, I shifted on the bed.
"Better now?" asked Charlotte.
"Yeah," I murmured.
"Good, I would like to do a quick exam," she explained, looking at Charlie, whose eyes sprang open and quickly let go of my hand.
"I'll be outside," he muttered, uncomfortably walking over to the door.
"Daddy," I murmured. He stopped and smiled, looking back at me.
"I'll be just outside the door."
I nodded and he walked out, Mary following him out. Looking back at Charlotte, I noticed her watching Mary and Charlie, too. "How long before he tells her that he likes her?" she asked.
"I don't know," I replied, honestly. "He's kind of stubborn."
"Hmm, so is he the one you get it from?" she asked, standing up and grabbing some gloves.
"Yeah," I admitted, placing my free hand on my belly. Edward was still holding my other one. "Being stubborn got me through a lot, though."
"Yes, it did, and it's getting your babies through a lot, too," murmured Charlotte, pulling the blanket off my legs and sitting back down on the side of my bed. "Now, I want to check and see how much you are dilated."
"Ok," I whispered.
Edward brought my hand back up to his lips as I put my ankles together and let my knees fall to the side. Charlotte gently pushed her fingers into me, or tried to be gentle at least, but if I was honest, it hurt like a bitch. After a moment, she pulled her fingers out and ripped off her gloves, tossing them into the trash.
"Five centimeters down," she smiled. "Five to go."
"Wow," I murmured.
"When you get closer to delivery, I want to move you to the OR," she said, quietly. My eyes bugged out of my head. "It's just a precaution, Bella. I just want to be prepared for anything and everything with your babies."
"Ok, if you're sure," I whispered.
Before Charlotte could say anything else, I was hit by another contraction. My father was back in the room and at my side in a heartbeat, holding my hand firmly in his. Charlotte said something about getting an ultrasound machine, just to check on the position of the babies, and left the room. Mary sat at the end of my bed, rubbing my foot as the contraction started to ease up a little. Taking a deep breath, I laughed softly.
"What's so funny?" asked Edward.
"Nothing," I giggled, tears filling my eyes. "It's just...we're having babies."
"We are," he murmured, smiling. "Two of them."
I nodded as the tears sprinkled down my face. Edward smiled, leaning up and kissing me. His eyes were filled with tears that he was struggling to hold back. Pulling my hand out of my father's, I wrapped my arm around my husband and we cried together. Cried for the last forty-nine days that we had lived in this tiny room, hoping and praying for our babies to be born healthy.
"Why is she crying?" asked Charlotte, pushing the door to my room open and pulling an ultrasound machine in. "Did someone upset her?"
"No," said Mary, Charlie, and Edward. I laughed, leaning back on the bed.
"I'm just excited about the babies," I admitted, feeling silly.
Charlotte smiled. "Oh, good, cause I really didn't want to have to yell at anyone today," she said, sighing in relief. "Let's take a look at your babies."
"Ok," I murmured, swallowing thickly.
Charlie made to leave the side of my bed, but I reached out and grabbed his hand, silently asking him to stay. He smiled as he sat back down, slipping his hand over mine and squeezing gently. Mary flipped off the lights as Charlotte lifted my gown over my belly and started the scan. She turned the screen so that we could all see it. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my babies again.
"Oh my god," gasped Charlie. I looked up at him as he brought his free hand up, covering his mouth. He blinked several times, trying to stop the tears from falling.
"Aren't they beautiful, Daddy?" I cried.
"Yeah, Honey, they are," he murmured, nodding his head and looking down at me. "Thank you for letting me be here."
"I need you here, Daddy," I whispered. "I'll always need you."
"The babies look great," said Charlotte, breaking through the moment my father and I were having, causing us to turn back to her. "Baby A, your little girl, is head first and ready to meet the world. Baby B, your little fella, is still snuggling behind his sister. He's breach right now, but that may change when his sister is born."
"And if he doesn't?" asked Edward.
"Then we can try to turn him or we can try to deliver him breach," she explained. "This is why I want to move you into the OR to deliver."
"I trust you, Charlotte," I said, honestly. "I don't trust a lot of people, but I trust you."
"Good, because, Sweetheart, I am not going to let anything happen to your babies," she promised.
All I could do right now was believe her, and I did. I was in the middle of another contraction when Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett came in. Rose, Emmett, and Jasper stayed next to the wall, like they were afraid I was going to rip their arms off or something. Of course, it may have been the series of four letter words I was grunting under my breath. Alice and Esme were immediately at my side, trying to take over for Charlie.
"I've got her," he told them harshly.
Alice began to protest but Esme placed her hand on her shoulder and smiled at my father, understanding that right now, he needed to do this for me, as much as I needed to him to be here. Carlisle, being the man of medicine that he was, started looking over my strips.
"You're contracting nicely," he said, smiling at me.
"So glad you think so," I muttered, taking a deep breath as the pain started to ease up. Carlisle's smile fell. "Sorry."
"Don't be," he said, softly as he sat on the edge of my bed. "I should have known better."
"True," I agreed. Closing my eyes, I felt Edward start rubbing my lower back, trying to make me feel better.
"Dude, get your fucking hands off of her. She's in labor," snapped Emmett. My eyes sprang open and I saw him glaring at his little brother. "Don't you think you've done enough."
I burst out laughing, causing everyone to look over at me. "What's so funny?" huffed Emmett, crossing his arms in front of him.
"You would think you were the one going through labor with the way you are acting," I snickered. Edward chuckled and started rubbing my back again. Before anyone could say anything, I was hit by a new contraction, a particularly bitchy one. "Oh, sweet motherfucker," I cried, digging my nails into the hands I was holding.
"Breathe, Baby," murmured Edward, putting more pressure on my back. "In and out, slowly."
"Edward," I cried, pulling his arm up around my torso.
"I'm here," he whispered, leaning down to my ear. "I'm always right here."
As the contraction started to lose power, Alice, Rose, Jasper, and Emmett took off out of my room, muttering something about too many people and that they would wait out in the waiting room. Charlie, Carlisle, and Esme all laughed at them but Edward kept his arm around me, holding me as I rested between contractions. Always holding me.
Over the next few hours, I continued to labor. Charlie and Edward sat on either side of my bed, holding my hands and whispering words of encouragement as I cried my way through one contraction to another, and another. Carlisle and Esme kept me in wet wash cloths and ice chips. I was glad they were there, and that they understood what I needed. They always understood what I had needed. Even when I wasn't sure that I needed them or deserved them, they were there.
"How are we doing in here?" asked Charlotte, as she and Mary came in for the fifth time in the last three hour.
"It hurts," I cried, hiccuping. "I can't do this. I'm not strong enough."
"You are," murmured Charlotte. "Let's check your progress."
"Charlotte," I sobbed.
"They're worth it," she said, thickly.
I nodded my head and let Edward help me roll on to my back. Instead of leaving the room like Carlisle and Esme did, Charlie simply brought his hand up to my head, brushing the hair out of my face and keeping his eyes locked on mine. I needed him to stay.
"You are just shy of nine centimeters," said Charlotte, slipping her fingers out of me. I looked over at her. "It's time to change rooms."
I nodded my head, unable to say anything more. Charlotte and Mary started getting everything ready for my move from the room I had been living in for weeks, and down to the OR where, I would finally meet my babies. Edward and Charlie held my hands as I had another contraction. Once I was able to get through that one, Charlotte and Mary pulled my bed out of the room and out into the hall. Carlisle and Esme were standing just outside the door, arms wrapped around each other.
"Stop," I said, shakily. Charlotte and Mary didn't question me. I reached out for Carlisle and Esme, taking their hands in mine. "Thank you...for everything," I cried.
"No, Sweetheart," smiled Esme, tears filling her eyes. "Thank you of coming home."
"We love you, Bella," murmured Carlisle, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. "We are so proud of you."
Unable to stop the sobs that rocketed through my body, I let go of their hands. Carlisle wrapped his arms around Esme as Charlotte and Mary pulled me down the hallway, past the amazing nurses and aides who had been there for me over the last seven weeks. All of them were smiling, anxiously awaiting the birth of my babies. Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper stood at the entrance to the waiting room, arms wrapped around each other and smiles on their faces. Charlotte pulled my bed into the OR where three more nurses and another doctor were waiting for us. It wasn't until he turned around that I realized it was Peter.
"Hey, Bella, you ok?" he asked, coming over to the side of my bed. He had been a pretty permanent fixture here at the hospital over the last seven weeks. Through getting to know him better, Edward and I learned that he was a pediatrician. The more we got to know him, the more certain we were that we wanted him to be our babies doctor.
"I'm trying," I sniffled, smiling weakly.
"It's hard, I understand, but we are ready and everything is going to be ok," he said, reassuringly.
"I know," I murmured.
Peter helped get my bed set up so that I could deliver. Charlie's eyes were wide and frightful but he never let go of my hand, holding on to me nearly as tightly as I was clutching to him. Edward brought my hand he was holding up to his lips, peppering my knuckles and fingers with kisses. A tear slipped from his face onto my fingers and I smiled at him.
"When I saw you sitting on the beach that day, I almost left," he whispered, keeping his lips down onto my hand. "Then you looked back at me and I saw it."
"Saw what?" I asked, vaguely aware of everyone watching us.
"That I needed you," he murmured, closing his eyes. "That for the first time, in so fucking long, Bella, I felt something other than just angry."
"Edward," I cried.
Opening his eyes, he leaned up and kissed me. "You always say that I saved you, but, Baby, it was all you. You came back to me."
"I came home to you."
Another contraction soared through me, breaking the peaceful moment between me and my husband. Charlie took the wet wash cloth from Mary and started wiping my forehead while Edward breathed through it with me. Charlotte was settled at the end of my bed, with my legs in stir-ups. Mary stood behind my father, laying her hand on his shoulder. Peter, and the three nurses with him, were standing by the bassinets, prepared to take my babies as soon as they were both and make sure they were ok.
Just as that contraction began to wane, another one started. Then another, and another. My body shook and trembled, my hair was soaked and my face saturated with tears. Charlotte smiled as she looked over my belly at me.
"You're ready to push," she said, confidently.
I opened my mouth to speak but found that I couldn't get the words out. Instead, I nodded my head and looked over at Edward. "We're ready," he whispered.
As the next contraction hit, I barred down and began pushing. Fire and burning soared through me, pressure and pain followed. Counting to ten, I let go of the breath I was holding and sucked in a new one. Leaning forward, as much as I could, I gripped the hands holding mine and pushed, trying to get my babies out. Over the next hour, I pushed and pushed, digging deep and trying to draw on every ounce of strength I had, then trying to find even more.
"Come on, Bella, one more and Baby A will be here," ordered Charlotte.
"Ok, ok," I murmured, weakly lifting my head off the bed as I felt the need to push again.
Gritted down, I leaned up and pushed as hard as I could, letting out a loud, throaty scream as the Baby A's head came out, followed closely with the rest of her tiny body. I leaned back onto the bed, panting as I waited to hear her start crying. Seconds later, I heard her cry echoing through the room. My body shook as I cried with her.
"Edward," said Charlotte. "Come cut your daughter's cord."
"Fuck that," he muttered. "I'll hurt her."
"Do it," I whimpered.
He looked at me with wide eyes before he stood up off his chair and moved around to the end of the bed. Taking the scissors in his hand, he leaned down and cut her cord, smiling up at me. Charlotte stood up and held our daughter up so I could see her. She was beautiful and completely covered in goo, but still beautiful.
"Meet your daughter, Mommy," giggled Charlotte.
"She's beautiful," I cried, gasping as another contraction hit.
"Oh, look, her brother doesn't want to be left out," laughed Charlotte, handing our daughter over to Peter. Edward looked torn on whether he should stay with me or go with her. "Stay with your wife, Edward."
He smiled bashfully as he came back over and took my hand back in his. "Sorry," he muttered.
"Whatever," I grumbled, fighting the urge to slap him but I knew he was just trying to be with our baby, too. Charlotte stood up and pressed down on my abdomen.
"Baby B is head down," she smiled. "You ready to go again?"
"I don't know," I muttered, humorlessly.
"Well, get ready cause he wants to play, too," she said, as a new contraction hit.
"AAHH," I cried, bolting forward and pushing down.
"He's close, Bella," she cheered, pressing my legs further apart. "Just a little more."
Squeezing the crap out of Edward and Charlie's hands, I screamed, "FUUUUUUCK!"
Fire and burning, pressure and pain radiated through me once again. As that contraction eased away, I fell back just to feel another one coming along after it. Barring down once again, I pushed as hard as I could, drawing on the very limited amount of strength I had left. My hair flopped against my face, mingling with the sweat and tears that poured down.
"One more big one, Bella," yelled Charlotte, standing up and kicking her stool out of the way. "Grab her legs, pull them back."
Without even thinking, Edward and Charlie grabbed my legs, just behind my knees and pulled them back. Digging my nails into their hands, I barred down and began to push again. Baby B came sliding out into Charlotte's waiting arms. Edward and Charlie let go of my legs and I flopped back onto the bed, crying. Just like with his sister, a moment after he was born, his cry echoed through the room.
"Oh my god," I cried.
"Edward," said Charlotte, holding out the scissors to him.
This time, Edward didn't hesitate as he walked down to the end of my bed and cut our son's cord, huge smile on his face. Charlotte held my son up so I could see him. He was just as beautiful as his sister.
"He's so beautiful," I cried.
"He is," she confirmed, turning and handing off to Peter. Edward didn't even think before he followed Peter over to where our daughter was waiting for her brother.
"Are they ok?" I asked.
"They are perfect, Bella," smiled Peter, looking over his shoulder at me. "We're going to take them down to the nursery, get them all cleaned up for you, make sure everything is ok, and then we will bring them right back."
"Edward," I murmured.
"I'm staying with them, Baby," he said, reassuring me.
I smiled weakly as he followed Peter, and the three nurses who were holding our babies. Charlie brought his hand up to my lips, kissing my knuckle, and I looked over at him. "You did good, Kid."
"Thanks for staying with me, Dad," I whispered, drowsily. "I know it's weird that I wanted... no, needed you in here, but I did."
"I'm glad I could be," he smiled. Shaking his head, he chuckled. "Your momma would have been so proud of you."
"You think so?" I asked. He nodded his head. "You know, she would want you to be happy."
Charlie dropped his eyes to the ground. "I know," he said, frowning. "I've loved her for so long."
"She knows," I whispered.
"Well, we're ready to take you back to your room, Bella," said Charlotte. Looking over at her, I smiled.
"You did real good, Bella. The babies looked good."
"Thank you, Charlotte," I murmured, sincerely.
"All I did was help push you not to give up," she smiled.
Charlie stood up as she and Mary pushed my bed back out into the hallway. Once again all the nurses were waiting by the nurses desk. As I walked by, they all started clapping, causing me to blush and smile. When they rolled me back into my room, I found Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme waiting to me, or rather the babies, with their arms full of balloons and two teddy bears, one pink and one blue.
"Hey, Sweetheart," smiled Esme, coming up to the bed as the got me into position. "You ok?"
"For feeling like a truck ran over me," I murmured. Charlotte laughed and hooked up a new bag to my IV.
"This is will help you. Something for the pain, don't be afraid to press it," she said, handing me the small slicker. I smiled and clicked it for her. "Good girl. I'm going to head down and check on your babies, but they should be back in here soon."
"Thank you," giggled Esme, giddy with joy. Charlotte left and everyone crowded around the bed, making me feel like quite the freak show.
"Give her some space," said Charlie, shooing them back as he sat next to my bed. "She's had a long day."
I smiled weakly as everyone scooted back a step or two. Closing my eyes, I brought my hand down to my flatter stomach, even though I still had quite the large pooch. I must have dosed off because the next thing I knew, was the feeling of someone stroking my cheek. My eyes fluttered open and I found Edward sitting next to me, huge smile on his face.
"Two little someones want to meet you officially," he said, quietly gesturing to the bassinets behind him.
"They're ok?" I asked, trying to push my self up but wincing at the pain. Charlie was by my side in an instant, helping me. I smiled and turned my attention back to Edward.
"They're perfect," he murmured, lifting our daughter first. He set her in my arm and she opened her little eyes, yawning widely. "She weighed five pounds, two ounces and was eighteen inches long."
"She beautiful," I breathed. Her eyes were dark, so I couldn't tell if she would have my dark eyes or Edward's green ones. Pulling her little hat off, I smiled at the small patch of auburn hair that sat on her head. "I was hoping she would have your hair."
"I hope she gets your eyes," he said, lifting our son and placing him in my other arm. Edward pulled off his hat, showing off the dark peach fuzz that covered his tiny head.. "He's two ounces bigger than his sister, and one inch longer."
"He's beautiful, too," I cried, laughing at the tears slipped down my face. Looking up, I noticed that everyone standing back against the wall, watching me meet my children for the first time. Alice, Rose, and Esme were all in the arms of their husbands, or fiance's, while my daddy was standing next to Rose. "Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes," they all murmured, so softly that I barely heard them.
Smiling as I looked up at Edward, I said, "I would like you to meet Elizabeth Renee and Lucas Charles."
"Elizabeth?" asked Esme, smiling. "After my mother?"
"Beth for short, but yes, after Nana," answered Edward. He looked over at Carlisle. "Luke, after Grandpa."
"Thank you," he whispered, thickly. My eyes were locked on my fathers.
"After you and Momma, Daddy," I murmured. Charlie's chin trembled as he walked over, leaning down and kissing the top of my head.
"Thank you, Honey," he whispered. "For coming home and letting me take care of you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
I looked down at Beth and Luke, who were watching me with wide, innocent eyes. My beautiful babies were here, they were healthy, and, as I looked up at Edward, I knew, that no matter what, we would be a family. He leaned down and kissed me before kissing the babies. Right now, that's all we knew and all that mattered.