AN: This is the last regular chapter of Delinquent! The epilogue is already written and I will post it next week! And don't worry- the epilogue starts right with a lemon since I know there hasn't been much of that in this story ;)
Thanks for sticking with me all this time!


Disclaimer: I own nothing but some shirtless pics of Alex Meraz. SM owns all.

Chapter 32

Paul POV

When I saw Charlie grabbing at his arm and I could hear how fast his heart was pounding, I swore he was having a heart attack. From what I could hear the doctors saying, that wasn't what happened though. It was something about his blood pressure shooting up too high or something.

Bella sat there in the waiting room kind of numb, apparently unable to process anything that was going on around her. I kept my arm wrapped around her shoulders, rubbing her arm to try and keep her warm in the drafty room. Her mind was pretty overloaded at the moment.

I didn't realize that Tiffany hadn't told Bella about the baby yet. Embry knew as soon as he phased and heard the heartbeat, but he assumed that Charlie knew and was just still upset about Big Quil and the whole wolf revelation. None of us realized she hadn't even told her husband yet. The way Charlie's heart jolted when I mentioned it to Bella made me wonder if he heard me.

Speaking of, here she comes. "Bella! What happened? Have you heard anything yet?"

Tiffany's frantic voice seemed to wake Bella up, and she stood to pull the older woman into her arms. "I don't know! They haven't come out and said anything yet!" Bella wailed as she hugged her stepmother.

Embry came up behind her, holding the car keys, so he must have driven his mother to the hospital. He looked at me and raised his eyebrow, seeing as he wasn't getting anything from the ladies.

"Um, I heard the doctors say something about his blood pressure earlier," I volunteered before they could both get even more worked up.

They turned and looked at me with the same expectant expression on their faces—tears pouring out as they held each other up. I scratched the back of my neck, uncomfortable with them looking at me like that, but I figured I would at least need to tell them what I had heard.

"Yeah, the old doctor—Gerandy, I think?" I looked to Tiffany because I didn't think Bella knew any of the doctors in Forks, other than the leech. She nodded and wiped her face before dropping that hand down to cover her stomach. Real subtle there, Tiff.

"He was doing some kind of test—EKG maybe? Anyway, he said Charlie's blood pressure was way too high and they were giving him medicine to bring it down."

Tiffany turned and hugged Bella again, then reached for me. I endured her hug and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "I'm just so glad you kids were with him and you got him to the hospital so fast! I don't know what could have happened if you hadn't been there."

Embry snorted and shook his head, probably thinking the same thing I was—if Charlie wasn't with us his blood pressure probably wouldn't have shot up so high. Whatever. Someone had to tell Charlie where Bella was, and my money was on her brother. Before I could say that, the door to the waiting room opened and the doctor came out and looked around.

"Mrs. Swan?" he asked when spotted our group. Tiffany wiped her face again and turned to face him. Bella and Embry stepped up to either side of her, and I moved behind Bella to give her some support.

"The chief was brought in with a cardiac episode. We are running further tests, but it does not appear at this time that he has had a heart attack," he explained. "His blood pressure was dangerously high, however, and I want him to follow up with his general physician to monitor that. We gave him medication to bring it down quickly today, but I believe he should probably be on a maintenance medicine to regulate it every day. In the meantime, he needs to work to reduce his stress."

Embry snorted again and shook his head, drawing Tiffany's attention to him. "What?" he spluttered. "Charlie is the one putting stress on his own self! He's mad at all of us for basically being born, and he won't even be adult enough to talk to us! Not even you, Mom. He won't even talk to his own wife!"

We all just kind of stood there, the girls with tears streaming down their cheeks, until the doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. 'Yes, well, perhaps you should come back first, Mrs. Swan?"

Tiffany nodded, but grabbed Bella's hand to pull her along with her. Bella reached up and kissed me softly, squeezing my hand before she turned to follow the doctor.

When they cleared the doors and moved out of sight, I turned to look at Embry. Now that he'd spoken his mind he seemed to be a bit deflated. His head hung down and he had his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts, digging the toe of his shoe in the floor and staring at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. I reached over and clapped my hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Come on," I said when he looked up at me, "let's go sit back down."

We parked ourselves in seats facing the double doors the women had walked through, and I pulled a page from Sam's book and waited silently to see what Embry would say.

He didn't make me wait too long, but if I wasn't a wolf I probably wouldn't be able to hear him. "I told Charlie where Bella was."

It was just as I thought but I wasn't sure where he was going with that so I just nodded and stayed quiet.

"I was so mad at him this morning. He's been ignoring my mom all week, even after she cried and cried apologizing to his stubborn ass. She begged him to forgive her for not telling him about Bella, but he just kept pushing her away. He didn't even notice she's been throwing up all the time because she's pregnant with his baby this time!"

Embry reached up and gripped his hair as his knee started jiggling where he sat. "I just wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to know she was with you, because he's been ignoring her too. I know Bells is hurting and feeling all kinds of rejected, by Charlie and Quil both."

He turned and looked up at me. "Did you know Big Quil hasn't even been to our house once since that day? I see him in wolf form but he hasn't tried to talk to me or Bella either one. He's been stuck up his imprints ass, and spending all his time with that kid—I guess he forgot he has three others. Bella pretty much lost both her dads at once this week."

I had to agree it was a shitty thing Quil was doing—ignoring everyone but his imprint. It was nice that he showed up to save Bella and all, but he basically destroyed her family and then disappeared again.

"I got scared when Charlie grabbed his gun on and ran out—I phased and caught Sam to try and intercept him before he got to your house. I didn't want him going in there and doing something stupid and getting my sister hurt or killed."

I had to snort at that. "Thanks, Em. Good to see where I rank."

He shoved me and shook his head. "You know what I meant. Plus, hurting you would probably hurt Bells, too."

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Charlie POV

I had just drifted off to sleep when the curtain around my bed was pulled back again. Those damn doctors and nurses just wouldn't leave me alone.

"Daddy?"

My eyes flew open at the sound of Bella's voice so close. She was standing by my bed, tears on her cheeks, with Tiffany right next to her. I held my hand out and they both rushed over, hugging and patting me and talking all over each other.

Dr. Gerandy chuckled as he followed them in. "Well, Charlie, I was going to say you can go home if you have someone to keep an eye on you but it looks like you've got that covered pretty well!"

Walking over to the machine by my bed, the doctor looked at the readings and made a note on my chart. "Yes, I think another hour to monitor you and then we'll cut you loose, Chief," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "Why don't you relax here with your family for a bit and then I'll send a nurse to get you unhooked when it's time to go?"

I felt like he was trying to tell me something but I had no idea what it could be. My head was still a bit foggy from the little episode where my blood pressure shot up, but something was niggling at the back of my mind, trying to make me remember…

"Baby!?" I shot up in bed and looked at my wife. I remember hearing Paul talking to Bella like they were in a tunnel, but I know he said something about Tiffany and a baby. "Tiff? Are you pregnant?"

Bella blushed and stepped back, wringing her hands a bit. "Um, I'll just go back out in the waiting room with Paul and Embry. Let you two talk…"

I felt bad as she stepped away. "Bells, I wanted to talk to you too. I'm sorry about this morning, and all week really. I don't know why I got so stuck in my own head."

Her eyes filled up with tears again, but she nodded as she brushed them away. "Okay, Dad. We'll talk when you get out." She turned and left before I could say anything else, leaving me alone with my wife.

Tiffany stepped closer and took my hand. I looked up at her beautiful face, trying to figure out what I was so mad about. I loved this woman. I loved her with my whole heart, and she was my whole world—her and our kids. My dumbass cousin showing up from the dead didn't change that. I was an idiot.

"I'm an idiot, Tiff. Can you ever forgive me?"

She laughed through her tears and leaned over to hug me, careful not to pull on the iv and other lines I was attached to. "Of course, Charlie. I love you."

Her lips tasted just as familiar and delicious as always. I had no idea why I'd denied myself all week. I could have been in bed with her, holding her close to my body every night. Instead I punished myself by ignoring her and sleeping on that crappy sofa. And it apparently wasn't just her I was ignoring.

"Tiff?"

She sat on the edge of my bed and looked down where she was holding my hand with both of hers. "Charlie, I was going to tell you about the baby the day the kids were in that accident. With Embry hurt I didn't think it was the right time, and then everything else happened and, well…"

She didn't say well, you were being an idiot, and I loved her even more for that. Looking at her, I could see the dark circles under her eyes, and I was reminded of her early morning runs to the bathroom. She'd probably been sick every day and I didn't even notice.

"So I'm gonna be a daddy?" I asked her, smiling as I thought about the new little life currently growing in my wife.

I jumped in shock when she slapped me in the back of the head. "Charles Geoffrey Swan! You already are a daddy!"

My face got hot as I blushed under her indignant look. She was right, of course. I already had the best son and daughter, and I guess I had a future son-in-law as well. This new little one would come into our family surrounded by love and siblings. I couldn't wait.