DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. All are human.
Birth – Part 3 -- this starts just after Edward is forced out of the delivery room
"Have someone take the baby to the nursery. I want an IV hooked up to her and order some blood from the blood bank. We need to work quickly, or we could lose her," the doctor said.
I tried to be worried about what my doctor was saying, but I was cold and tired. I just wanted to sleep, so I closed my eyes again. I hissed when the nurse stuck me with a needle full of...well, I wasn't really sure what they were doing by that point. I just knew I wanted to sleep and get away from the pain, but they were poking me all over, or so it seemed to me.
"Bella, stay with us," the doctor ordered me.
"I'm tired," I complained.
"I know, Bella. I'm working as quickly as I can, but I really need you to stay strong right now. Edward's right outside waiting for you. The sooner we get you fixed up, the sooner he can see you again," Dr. Johnson told me.
"I just want to sleep for a little while," I muttered, still not opening my eyes.
"Bella, you need to stay awake right now. I promise you can sleep later," Dr. Johnson said. "Just think of Edward and the baby, okay?"
So that was exactly what I did…I thought of Edward. I thought of how we'd met and how I'd instantly felt at ease with him. I thought of our first kiss during a dare, in the middle of his living room. I thought of our second kiss in my room, when he'd tried to make up for the dare. The memories came faster after that—our first dance together, our first kiss after becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, movies with our siblings and friends, dinners with his parents, afternoons lounging around in the backyard…
And then there was the night I'd moved into his parents' home, sharing his room with him. We'd been lying in bed together, holding and kissing each other. He'd suddenly stopped and looked at me; his green eyes had been so dark and fearful. I remembered his words so clearly…I love you so much, Isabella. It would kill me if you weren't here with me.
I clenched my fists and forced my eyes to open.
The doctor noticed and I could hear in his voice that he was pleased. "Welcome back, Bella. Just hang in there a little while longer."
"I will," I whispered. "For Edward."
"We're doing everything we can, but we need you to help us, Bella. Just keep fighting and holding on."
"What's wrong with me?"
"I'm going to have to take you to surgery to find out for sure. You're bleeding heavily and I'm afraid I can't seem to stop it."
The nurses lifted the sides of my bed and started to wheel me out of the room. I tried to look for Edward, but it all happened so fast.
"Bella, we'll have to put you under for this part. Just stay with us and soon enough, you'll be waking up to see Edward and that beautiful new baby of yours," Dr. Johnson said as another nurse put a mask over my nose and mouth. I wasn't even used to the feel of it before I fell into a deep sleep.
Sometime later, I woke up, not completely sure of where I was or why I was there. There was a nurse holding my wrist and staring down at her watch. I tried to talk to her, but my tongue felt swollen and weird.
"It's good to see you awake, Mrs. Cullen," the nurse said smiling at me. "You'll probably find it hard to talk right now. The anesthesia can make your mouth feel dry. Would you like some water?"
I nodded my head, glad that she knew just what was wrong with me…Well, at least that part. I still felt tired and cold, but I was hurting more than I remembered.
After drinking every drop of water she had given me, I cleared my throat and tried out my voice. "What happened to me?"
"Dr. Johnson will let you know everything in just a moment. Let me go and alert him that you've woken up."
"What about Edward? When can I see my husband?"
"After Dr. Johnson speaks with you and clears you for visitors."
"Alright," I sighed, knowing it wouldn't do me any good to argue.
An unbearably long time later—which was probably only minutes in reality—Dr. Johnson stepped into the room. From the look on his face, I knew whatever he had to say was going to be bad. "Bella."
"Dr. Johnson, what happened? Can I see Edward now?" I asked, feeling agitated by the look on his face and the way he'd said my name.
"You need to calm down, Bella," he cautioned. "I don't want you moving around right now. You had to have surgery and it's important for you to rest and stay relaxed to help with the healing."
"What kind of surgery?"
"Bella, your bleeding was severe and we couldn't stop it. We were forced to do a partial hysterectomy to save your life."
I just stared at him, knowing what that word meant, but not wanting to say it out loud. Maybe if I didn't say it out loud, it wouldn't be true. And if it wasn't true, then none of the consequences of that type of surgery would be real.
"Bella, I'm sorry there wasn't more we could do. But you are extremely lucky. You're alive and you have a healthy baby boy."
I was glad I was already on my side—it made it all the easier to turn my head away from the doctor. "I want Edward."
"Bella, I need to explain the implications of this sort of surgery to you."
"I want Edward," I repeated, slightly louder than before.
"Alright, Bella. I'll get him, but just know that we have to talk about this at some point."
I ignored him, choosing to close my eyes and block him out completely. I didn't want to talk to him about this or hear about implications, or hear how lucky I might be in his eyes. I wanted my husband—I wanted him to hold me and tell me this was just a nightmare and that I was safe at home. I wanted to hear from his lips that I was okay. That we were okay. I needed Edward now more than ever before.
Whatever medicine I was on was making it hard to stay focused with my eyes closed. I heard the door open and a chair move on the floor, but I was having trouble remembering why I wanted to be awake. A warm hand smoothed my hair back, tucking a lock behind my ear and I knew I wanted to hold that hand. I struggled against the urge to sleep, forcing my eyes open and finding my beautiful Edward crying.
"Edward," I sighed, so happy to see him.
He wiped his eyes and smiled at me. "Bella. I was so scared."
"Me, too," I admitted, tears immediately filling my eyes and running over.
Edward climbed into the bed with me and held me tightly against his chest, stroking my hair and my back. "You're safe now, Bella. Everything will be okay. I promise you."
"Did…did…did he tell you?" I sobbed, still hoping that it wasn't really true.
"Yes, Love."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Aren't you upset?"
"No, Bella. I don't care. You're alive and safe. That's all that matters."
"But you…we can't have anymore children."
"I've told you this nearly every day since we met, Bella. I hope you'll believe me when I tell you now. You are all I need in this life. I'm very happy we have a son, but Bella, I need you."
"I need you, too. It would have been so easy to just let go of the pain…I didn't think I could take it anymore, every part of me was aching so badly, Edward. But then I thought of the night I moved into your parents' house…You crushed me against you, telling me you loved me and that it would kill you if I wasn't with you. That's why I wouldn't let myself give up…It would have hurt you and I love you too much to ever hurt you." We were quiet for awhile, just holding each other, but I needed to know something. "Is the baby okay?" I asked.
"He's fine. He's in the nursery now. Dr. Johnson wants you to rest for a while before they bring the baby."
"What if he gets hungry?"
"They'll give him a bottle. You're too weak to feed him right now. Maybe in a few days."
"Is the family still here?"
"Yes, Love."
"Do they know?"
"Yes."
"I guess that's for the best," I sighed. "At least this way, I don't have to tell them myself."
"You should try to sleep now, Love."
"You have to stay with me."
"I had no plans to leave," he assured me, kissing my head and hugging me just a little tighter.
I closed my eyes, comforted by the tight grip he had on me, and let sleep overtake me completely this time.
I didn't know how much time had passed, but I knew it wasn't enough since I was still tired. I had been warm until a few minutes ago, but now I was getting cold and I knew Edward wasn't lying with me anymore. I needed to find him, to make sure he was still here in the room with me, so I forced myself to wake up.
I caught the end of what Edward was saying. "You, sister dear, are going to stay rested like your doctor told you to. We are not going to be in the position of having to worry about you."
"Edward's right," I said. They all turned to look at me.
Edward rushed right over and helped me to sit up a little. "Did you sleep well?"
"I'm rested," I told him, nodding my head. "Can I see the baby now?"
Edward pressed a button on the remote on my bed and one of the nurses that had helped to deliver the baby appeared seconds later. "Bella! You're awake. Are you feeling any pain right now?"
"No. I'm fine. I was hoping to see my baby," I replied. In truth, I was hurting pretty badly, but I wanted to see our baby.
"Let me check with Dr. Johnson," the nurse said. "I'm sure it won't be a problem." A few minutes later, the nurse returned, pushing a small cart with a blue bundle nestled inside of it. She gently lifted the baby and put him into my arms.
His skin was a little red and splotchy, but he still looked absolutely gorgeous to me. He had the faintest hint of bronze hair and wide brown eyes, with Edward's nose and my lips—he was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. I kissed his forehead and held his little hand in mine as Edward hugged us both. "Edward, I have an idea for a name," I said, smiling up at him.
He nodded for me to go on, my favorite grin on his beautiful face.
"What do you think about Charles Edward Cullen? We could call him Charlie for short."
"I think it's beautiful, Bella," he said sincerely before kissing my lips gently.
"Works for me!" Alice chirped.
"Dad would be very happy about that, Bella," Emmett said solemnly.
"He looks like a Charlie," Rose offered.
"Now we can finish his room!" Esme beamed. "Carlisle, we must go to the décor store when we leave. I know just what style lettering I want to get for him."
"Look up you two!" Carlisle called.
Edward and I looked toward his voice, and I was surprised by the flash of his camera.
The door opened and the nurse came in, carrying a bottle. "It's time for his feeding. I thought you two might like the honors this time."
Edward took the bottle from her but wasn't saying anything. I chuckled at his lack of coherency, remembering quite clearly how it felt for him to do that to me. Our little man was only hours old and he was already dazzling his father.
"Thank you. We'd really like that," I told the nurse. I looked up at Edward and smiled for him. "Do you want to feed Charlie first? I figure we can each give him half the bottle so we both get to enjoy it."
Esme took Charlie from me while Carlisle held the bottle and Edward propped me against my pillows. He sat down next to me on the bed and Esme handed Charlie to him. Edward took a shaky breath as he looked down at our son.
"Kind of scary, isn't it?" I whispered, running my finger along the baby's soft cheek.
"Just a bit," he chuckled, taking the bottle from his father and carefully putting the tip in Charlie's little mouth. But Charlie didn't seem to want it.
"Wiggle the bottle a little, Edward," Esme instructed. "He needs to know it's there."
Edward followed her instructions and we watched in awe as Charlie started to suck on the bottle.
"He is so cute!" Alice chirped. "I just want to kiss him all over his little face."
"He's got your eyes, Bella," Emmett commented.
I smiled as I carefully touched the little hairs on Charlie's head. "That's okay. He's going to have Edward's hair and that's what I really wanted."
"Great," Alice sighed, sitting in the chair by the bed. "Another Cullen male with hair that's impossible to tame." We all chuckled at Alice, knowing how she tended to worry about the silliest things.
"I remember when Lily was that small," Rose mused. "Although, she wasn't nearly as quiet as Charlie's being."
"He does have a bottle in his mouth, Rose," Emmett chuckled.
"I think he's quiet because he's perfectly content," Jasper commented.
"He has the sweetest little face," Esme cooed.
"My son has a son of his own," Carlisle said proudly.
Edward pulled the bottle away from Charlie's lips and our baby immediately started to whimper.
"His cry is so cute!" Alice squealed.
Edward laughed as he carefully handed our baby to me. I shushed him softly, pulling him close to my body and getting him settled in my arms. Charlie's cries stopped as soon as I touched the bottle to his lips; he seemed to really be enjoying his meal. I couldn't believe how surreal this felt. I was feeding our baby with Edward sitting right next to me, his eyes so loving and tender as he watched over us.
"Visiting hours are nearly over and Bella needs her rest," Esme announced. "We'll all be back tomorrow, my dears," she said, as she kissed Edward's cheek and then the baby's and mine.
Everyone else agreed with her as they told us goodnight and gave us kisses and hugs. For a moment, I really thought Emmett wasn't going to let go. And when he finally had, he'd just sort of brushed his lips on my cheek and then flew out of the room. Edward told me not to worry, and that it was just because they'd all been scared by what had happened.
"That was so sweet of Esme to give us some time together without everyone hovering," I said.
Edward smiled, seeming just as glad for this private time as I was.
"So do you really like the name I picked?" I asked, slightly nervous for his answer.
"I love it, Bella. I think his name really suits him. And it's a wonderful way to remember your father fondly."
"I still can't believe we're parents, Edward," I chuckled, suddenly feeling giddy. I wasn't sure if it was the medicine or the tiredness making me feel so light, but I didn't really care. I had Edward and Charlie with me—everything else was unimportant for now.
"I'm having the same issues, Bella," Edward said, his voice rough with emotion.
"I didn't think he'd be so wrinkly, though."
Edward chuckled as he touched his large fingers to Charlie's small hand. "It's only temporary, Love. The wrinkles and redness will fade soon."
"How long do you think we'll both be in the hospital?"
"I'm not sure. Dr. Johnson wants to make sure there are no further complications before he releases you. Healthy newborns are usually kept for a just a couple of days."
"Are you going to be able to stay with me?" I asked, trying not to panic at the thought of being without Edward after everything that had happened.
"No one can make me leave your side, my love," Edward assured me, putting his hand over my knee. "I'm here with you until they release you."
"Can you take Charlie? I'm tired again," I sighed, not really wanting to let go of my baby, but knowing I needed to.
Edward kissed my forehead and took our baby into his arms. I fought to stay awake and watch Edward finish feeding Charlie while my husband laughed at my attempt to fight my sleep. He then decided to cheat and started humming my lullaby. I tried to call him a cheater, but I think my words were too garbled for him to understand me.
The last thing I heard before the sleep won was Edward's tender whisper in my ear. "I love you, my sweet Isabella. Thank you for not leaving me. I never would have made it without you."
Alright!! Show me some review love for caving and posting these two chapters today! LOL!!
Thanks to George for her wonderful help as my beta.