AN: I didn't actually plan for this chapter to fall on Mother's Day, but what better way to celebrate the day than a chapter about Bella becoming a mother! Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Daughter of Three Suns

Chapter 28

By the time Alice and I made it back to my home, Mother was waiting with first meal. She took one look at my ashen face and replaced the food with a gourd of cool water. "Tiny sips," she told me. "You don't want anything heavy in your stomach. If you feel lightheaded, you can have ripe berries to suck on."

I nodded. "I need to sit. Emmett made me a chair. It's in my room."

Mother hurried away, then returned with Emmett's gift. With a sigh, I sank into its comfort. "Thank you."

It wasn't long before Esme came looking for Mother. Rosalie, Emma, and Elise arrived soon after. "Are Charles and Emmett coming?" I asked.

Mother shook her head. "This is only for the women of your family and your mate, not for other basherti."

I nodded. No one had to mentioned that my mate wasn't here. We sat. We talked. Emma worked on her sewing, and Elise watched everything wide-eyed. After a while, I stood and began pacing again. The pressure in my stomach increased until I felt as if my insides were falling out.

"Mother?"

"Esme and Rosalie, help lower her to her knees. Emma hand me the birthing pad."

With their help, I sank to my knees, straddling the pad. Mother's hands reached up between my legs. "I can feel her head, Bella. When the next contraction starts, I want you to push." I did, and with a great easing of pressure, Hope slipped into my mother's waiting hands.

I sat back on my heels, watching while she cleaned my daughter and wrapped her in a soft blanket. She handed her to me, but when I leaned forward to take her, I was gripped with an agonizing pain. A scream escaped my lips at the same time a great gush of blood soaked the birthing pad.

Mother drew back in shock. Auntie Esme and Rosalie seemed unable to move. It was Alice who stepped forward and took control.

"Rosalie, go get the healer. Quickly! Esme, fetch more water for cleaning, and, Mother, pull some pillows behind Bella and help her lie back. Now!" Alice's instructions sent everyone scrambling to obey. "Emma." Alice turned to our nieces who were huddled in a corner of the room. "Take Elise and go home."

"But …" Emma started to protest.

"This is not for your eyes, and your sister is much too young. Now take Elise and go home."

Emma nodded and took her sister's hand to lead her from the room. She stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. In my haze of pain, I was vaguely aware of her worried face and the frightened tears on Elise's cheeks.

Before I could say anything, my view was cut off by Alice's face. "Bella, listen to me. In the desert when your back was burning, did Rosalie tell you to pant through the pain?"

"Yes," I managed to mumble.

"That's what I want you to do now. Take a deep breath with me and hold it. Then breathe out with three short puffs. The healer will be here soon with something to ease the pain."

I concentrated on Alice's face while I followed her instructions. We breathed together and puffed together. It helped somewhat, but pain still wracked my body. Then the healer was kneeling beside me.

"Did you bring the herbs?" I heard Alice ask. The healer said something, then a gourd of cool water was placed against my lips. "Drink it all, Bella," my sister instructed.

Things became very confusing after that. I felt the healer's hands on my stomach, and then inside me. "There's another child there, but it's turned wrong." I thought I heard her say. There was prodding, pushing, and more pain.

"Mother!" I remembered calling out.

Her face wavered in front of me, and she held my hand. "You're going to be okay, daughter. Just a little more and your baby will be born."

"Hope?"

"I have Hope, and she's fine." I turned my head to see Rosalie beside me, holding my daughter in her arms.

"Then who?" I mumbled, confused. I must have closed my eyes or drifted off because when I opened them, Alice's face was before me once more. Her eyes were the dark, fathomless holes I remembered from my vision. "Am I dying, Grandmother?" I asked.

"No, my child," her voice echoed in my head. "You're fulfilling your destiny and restoring balance to this world."

"But you were gone."

"I was always here. You just lost your way for a little while."

"Where is Edward, Grandmother? I miss him so much."

"I'm here, Bella."

"Wha …" The circle on my chest was glowing; filling the room with its crimson light. Edward knelt beside me, a loving smile on his face. "My mate," I smiled back. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I loved you."

His fingers smoothed the lines on my face and cupped my cheek. "You didn't have to. I knew you loved me."

"I'm tired, Edward, and it hurts too much. I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Just a little bit more, my warrior woman. You can't give up now. You have to stay and take care of our son and daughter." His face began to waver and fade. "Remember, I love you." And then he was gone.

"Edward!" I screamed and sat up. The room came into focus again. I was on my knees straddling another birthing mat. Mother and Esme supported my sides. Alice and the healer knelt in front of me.

"One more push," Alice said. "The head is right there."

My muscles bunched again, I bore down, and with a great push, my baby slid from my body into Alice's waiting hands. I sagged in relief, watching Alice clean the blood away.

Suddenly, the healer drew back in alarm. "What is it?" she asked, staring at my baby in shock.

"Not it," I answered, "he. He's a little boy, and he's my son." I held out my hands and Alice placed his wrapped body in my arms.

Beside me, Esme leaned closer, peering at his face. "Oh, Bella," she whispered with a smile. "He looks just like Edward."

"Then we should name him after his father." I returned her smile. "Meet your grandson, Auntie Esme. His name is Ward."

…..

Later, after we were clean and fed, I lay in bed resting, my babies beside me. I'd placed one on each side, but they'd cried, refusing to be separated. Now they slept, snuggled together against me. Mother sat in Emmett's chair, which she'd pulled up closer to the bed.

"I like this," she admitted, patting the seat beneath her. "I may ask it to make me one."

"He. Mother. Emmett is a he, not an it, and so is my son. They are people, not things."

My mother squirmed uncomfortably in the chair. "I understand what you're saying, daughter, but it's a habit that will be hard to change. When I look at Charles, I see a basherter. Not a thing—as you say—but a completely different being. The form it takes following the Anamnesis is to seal our bonding and to produce children. I've never heard the word 'he' before."

Mother's face reflected the truth of her words. I knew she meant no offense when she referred to Charles as an "it". "But wouldn't you like for Charles to spend more time in his man form? You could sit and talk like we're doing. He could sleep beside you and touch you."

"We do sit and talk, Bella. I can hear Charles' words and thoughts, and it can hear my words. We do share a bed, and we do touch, but always in its basherter form. Daughter, you must understand, this is all I've ever known. This way is all everyone has ever known. What you're saying changes everything."

I nodded. "I understand, but you must know that Ward's birth will change everything, too. He will always be in his man form. You cannot call him an 'it', Mother."

"I know. He"—she grinned at me—"is a beautiful child. I look forward to seeing him grow. Your basherter," she stopped, then corrected herself. "Edward, must have been a handsome man."

I glanced down at the faces of my sleeping children. "He was. He would be so proud to see them." A wide yawn interrupted my words. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"No. You need to rest. Their birth was …"

I turned toward her when she quit speaking. "Mother?"

Her face twisted with emotion, and her eyes filled with tears. "Their birth was very hard. There was a time when I was afraid you would not survive, Bella."

I stared at her. "I … After I drank the healer's potion, things were very confusing. I thought my ring was glowing and the room was full of red light. Grandmother Spirit spoke to me, and I saw Edward. Did that happen?"

My mother shook her head. "We saw nothing, but you did call out for Edward, and …" She stopped and hesitated.

"Mother?"

"Your circle." Her fingers touched her chest in the same spot where my ring was. "It does glow. It has since you returned."

"No." I shook my head confused. "It doesn't. It's been dull and dead since I killed James."

"Bella, it does."

I threw back the blanket that covered me and stared at the metal ring on my chest. Mother was right. It was glowing, not hard and bright as it had at times, but a soft, comforting, rosy gleam that spread across my body.

"Why didn't you say something? No one ever asked about it."

"Because you didn't speak of it, and most of the time, it was covered as if you were ashamed for it to be seen."

"But I … I thought. Is this why everyone looks at me strangely or speaks of me when I pass?"

"Not everyone. You know this, my daughter." Mother pulled the chair closer and reached for my hand. She rubbed it soothingly. "Change is hard. We've already spoken of this. There will always be those who do not want change and will refuse to change. But most of our people love and respect you, Bella. You were so lost in your grief and despair that it was difficult for anyone to know what to say or do."

"I'm sorry. I should have—"

"No," she interrupted me. "No apologies. There has never been a woman like you before. Your sister trained you to be a warrior, one who could travel to another world and be strong enough to defend herself and bring our people home. You did that, but you paid a great price in doing so. It is painful for us to see a woman without her basherter."

Mother continued to rub my hand and arm, gently kneading the muscles. She was humming softly. It was soothing and relaxing. I yawned, thinking about all she had said. Had I been so lost in my grief that I had turned away from those who would have helped me?

My other hand still rested on my chest, my fingers absentmindedly rubbing the hard circle there. Grandmother Spirit said she had always been here; I had just lost my way. Perhaps it was time to find my way back to some kind of happiness, at least for my children's sake.

…..

Esme was sitting in the chair when I woke. She held a tray of food and water and smiled when I opened my eyes. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, starving in fact."

"We thought you might be." She chuckled. "Sit up a little, and I'll put this on your lap."

A groan escaped me when I tried to move. "Why am I so sore?"

"Because you worked hard delivering your children. The healer said it would take some time before you will feel normal again. She also said you need to eat as much as possible because your body will be feeding two children instead of one."

While I ate, Esme cleaned Hope and Ward and rewrapped them in fresh blankets. By the time she finished, they were both crying and hungry. I had watched Rosalie nurse her daughters and thought I knew what do to, but trying to feed two hungry babies wasn't easy. By the time they were finally satisfied, all three of us were in tears, and I was a frustrated mess.

"I'm going to need a lot of help, Auntie Esme."

"That's what your family is for, Bella. We'll help in any way we can. Now hand me those babies so I can hold my grandchildren, and you can get some more rest."

I fell asleep listening to her singing softly to Hope and Ward.

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Thanks for reading. We're getting very near the end. I've been a complete fail at answering reviews, but I'm doing lots of writing on this story and on Fore!(Play). Hope you understand.