Chapter 26: Birth
One day in early April, I experienced the worst cramp yet. I was home alone because Paul had gone to work and when I'd gotten out of bed, I wandered into the washroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I met my own eyes in the mirror, seeing the clear signs of exhaustion etched into my skin. There were incredibly dark shadows bruised under my eyes and my eyelids looked heavy as if they were about to close on their own. My cheeks looked slightly hollowed out and my skin stretched tightly across my cheekbones. Sue had assured me that the weight loss was normal and came with carrying a wolf's child, but it was still incredibly concerning to see.
I was reminded of how my face had looked after I'd turned back into a human.
My body had changed so much over the course of the last little while and I was feeling the effects from it. I felt completely weak and shaky all the time and I found it difficult to even move around our apartment out of fear that I'd topple over. More than once, I'd needed Paul to carry me from the living room to the bedroom because of how weak I felt.
To my surprise, he'd been in near constant contact with Carlisle, updating him on my condition and voicing his concerns to him. I knew that Paul wanted nothing more than to take the pain and struggle that I was facing away, but there wasn't much that he could do to help except make me as comfortable as possible. He'd been incredible through the whole thing and I knew that I'd never be able to thank him enough. I knew that I wouldn't have gotten through this whole thing if not for him.
The cramp started in my lower back and crashed through me like a wave. I gripped the side of the sink tightly, trying to catch my breath and keep myself steady. I closed my eyes and stood still, waiting for the pain to end.
It took about a minute for the cramp to ease away and I took a deep breath, straightening again and continuing with my morning routine.
Fifteen minutes later, another cramp rocked through my body. It was just as bad as the first one and I felt my knees nearly buckle below me, gripping the sink in the bathroom to steady myself again.
I somehow made my way out to the living room and lowered myself onto the couch, taking deep breaths. I didn't understand why the cramps were suddenly so severe. The cramps continued and Paul called me, making sure I was okay. I assured him that I was fine and told him to stay at work, even though it felt like my body was tearing itself apart.
After about two hours of cramps, I felt a searing pain rip through my ribs. I held onto my side, gasping in pain. I didn't understand what was happening to me and as much as I wanted to call Carlisle, I felt like I could barely move to even pick up my phone to make the call.
Frantic knocking at the apartment door made me jump slightly and I called out, saying that it was open. It had become a habit of Paul and mine to leave the door unlocked in case of an emergency and Sue or the Cullens needed to come and help me.
Jared stood on the other side looking worried. "What the hell is happening? Are you okay?"
Just as I was about to answer him, another cramp crashed through me, rendering me silent. Jared rushed over to the couch and sat beside me, placing a hand on my arm. "How long has this been happening?"
"Pretty much since I got out of bed two hours ago," I said, finding it hard to get the words out.
"Where's Paul?"
"At work," I said. "I told him to stay there and not to worry about me."
"You should go to the hospital," he said sternly.
"No," I said. "This has been happening for a few months now."
"It hasn't been this bad," he said. "Mel…is the baby coming?"
Pain ripped through my ribs again and I gripped Jared's arm tightly, feeling my nails dig into his skin. I knew then that Jared was right—this wasn't normal and the realization dawned on me that I was going into labour. "Can you take me to the Cullens' house?"
"The hospital is closer, though."
"Carlisle's my doctor," I said, trying to breathe through the pain in my body. "He basically has a hospital room set up in the house for me for all of my appointments."
Despite still looking unsure, Jared obliged and lifted me off my feet and began to run to the Cullens' place. As he ran, he did his best to urge me to keep my breathing even and to take deep breaths, but I was having a hard time focusing on his words. I was in so much pain that I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment.
"Sorry to drag you into this," I said, forcing the words out. "I know there are other places that you'd probably rather be right now."
"Hey, it's still my job to make sure you're okay," he said gently.
We arrived at the Cullens' house and Carlisle ushered us into the makeshift hospital room that he'd set up for me. I explained what had been happening since I'd woken up and his eyes widened slightly at me as another cramp rocked through my body.
Carlisle began to examine me and he hesitated slightly before meeting my eyes again. "Mel…I think the baby's coming."
"What?" I asked, bewildered. "This early?!"
He nodded. "We're not going to have time to do a C-section."
Another cramp crashed through me and I gripped Jared's hand tightly, needing it to help me through the pain. Alice appeared on my other side and held my other hand tightly.
"Can somebody call Paul?" I asked. "I…I can't do this without him."
"I will," Jared said gently. I couldn't focus on Jared's words as he spoke to Paul on the phone.
"She's at six centimetres, Alice," Carlisle said.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It's almost time to start pushing," Alice said.
"No," I groaned. "Not without Paul."
"It's okay," Alice soothed. "Not yet. He'll get here soon."
"Alice, can you get Mel on her side?" Carlisle asked, approaching me with a needle attached to a long, thin tube. Alice obliged and I gripped Jared's hand tightly, trying hold onto something to keep me grounded.
Within fifteen minutes of Carlisle inserting the needle into my lower back, I felt a slight numbing sensation work its way through my abdomen. I was still in a lot of pain, but what Carlisle had given to me had eased it a little bit.
"Nine centimetres, Alice," Carlisle said once he'd taken his place in front of me again.
"Mel, it's almost time," Alice said.
"Is it usually this fast?" I forced out through gritted teeth.
"No," Carlisle said. "And that's what I'm concerned about."
Pain tore through my ribcage again and I gasped, clutching my side. "What's happening to me?"
"You've broken a few ribs," Alice said gently. "Don't worry, we'll be able to treat them for you."
"Ten centimetres," Carlisle said.
"Okay, Mel, it's time to push," Alice said.
"No," I groaned. "Not without—"
"I'm here," called a voice from the doorway—the only voice I wanted to hear. My favourite voice in the world. Paul took Jared's spot next to me and held my hand firmly. I could barely keep a hold on my sanity as Alice told me to push. I did as she said and pain tore through my entire body. The only pain worse than this that I'd ever felt was my transformation into a vampire.
Paul's hand on mine felt like the only thing that was keeping me steady and I tried to focus on that as I gave birth to our child.
Within moments, the pain from giving birth had subsided and Carlisle was holding my baby in his arms. Through my blurred vision, I could slightly make out its' features but I barely registered any details before Rosalie had entered the room and whisked the baby out of Carlisle's arms to get it cleaned up.
My mind wanted me to object to Rosalie taking the baby out of the room—I wanted to hold my child in my arms, but my body was too weak. I felt myself slipping out of consciousness and I could barely focus on anything in the room, my body and mind completely worn out. I vaguely felt Carlisle's hands on me, quickly working to repair any damage that the labour had caused. I heard voices, but I couldn't focus on them enough to figure out what anyone was saying to me.
Paul's face appeared in front of me, mouthing words that I couldn't hear. At that point, I wasn't sure if I was actually seeing his face or if my hazy brain had just imagined it. I vaguely felt the lightest prickle on the inside of my elbow and then the pain in my body completely vanished, my vision going black.