CPOV
Walking through the hospital with Esme on my arm makes my chest puff out in pride. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and she's with me. We agreed to be friends for now and see where it goes. Honestly, as long as she's staying with me and we get to spend time together, I'm ecstatic.
Today she's wearing a pair of Bella's yoga pants and a dark red sweater with a hood and a loose tummy. She's gorgeous with her soft curls falling just below her shoulders and a little smile on her face. Her hand is resting in the crook of my arm and I can feel how tense her body is, but she doesn't look down or try to run away; she just holds onto me and lets me lead her.
I've been a doctor for over 300 years. I've taken a shift in every medical specialty there is, including obstetrics, so I'm perfectly qualified of giving Esme an ultrasound. I know she is happy that she won't have to answer any questions or make a chart, but I think she might be a little nervous to have me give her the scan. Since it will have to be a transvaginal ultrasound due to how far along she is, I'm a little nervous too.
While Esme was getting ready this morning, I called and asked the nurses in obstetrics to reserve me a room with an ultrasound machine. This is one of the few times that my vampire charm has actually been useful.
I quickly whisk Esme past the nurses station, dodging the flirty nurses, and lead her into the private room. She takes a seat in a chair next to the bed while eyeing the stirrups like they are going to jump out and bite her.
"Esme, is it okay if I make a few notes during the exam? I just want to keep a record for your next ultrasound."
"That's fine."
"Okay great." I tell her while reaching into the drawer and pulling out a gown. "I'll need you to take everything off below your waist. Put this gown on, the opening goes in the back. Once that's done you can sit on the edge of the table and put this cloth over your knees. When I come back in, I'll help you get into the correct position." I tell her before heading out into the hallway. I'm exhausted from trying to remain professional while talking about this beautiful woman taking her clothes off in front of me. After a few minutes I knock softly on the door and she softly calls for me to come in. She's sitting on the bed just like I told her to with the sheet over her legs and the gown on. Before I can stop myself I take a glance at her naked back all of the way down to the beginning of her bottom. I have to bite my lip to stop from groaning. This is going to be extremely difficult. I quickly walk to the rolling stool and sit down next to the ultrasound machine.
"Okay Esme, the machine is ready. I need you to slide your bottom to the edge of the bed and then place your feet in these stirrups. This is the probe." I hold it up to show it to her "I'm going to insert this into your vagina and it will be able to give us a clear picture of your little peanut."
She does what I asked of her and to keep myself from staring at her bare legs, I prepare the probe. After the condom and lubricant have been applied, I look back to her face.
"Now you'll probably feel a little pressure here. If there's any pain let me know right away." She nods in response and closes her eyes.
The probe inserts normally and after some wiggling, I'm able to get a clear picture of her baby.
"There it is." I tell her with a big smile and point to the screen with my free hand. I'm conveniently trying to forget the feel of her warm, soft skin through the thin glove on my other hand. "It looks like you are about 8 weeks along. Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" She immediately nods and smiles. It takes a few key strokes, but soon a beautiful whooshing sound fills the room. I can hear it perfectly without the machine but I know this is the first time Esme has heard her child, and the look on her face is one I will never forget. She's smiling so wide, her cheeks must hurt and there are tears streaming down her face.
"Is she okay?" She asks me. I guess we're calling the baby a girl now.
"She's perfect." I tell her with a smile.
After a few more pictures, I carefully slide the probe out and dispose of the condom. They will come in to clean the equipment when we leave.
"Here are some pictures. I'll want to take another scan in a couple of weeks but right now everything is perfect. Do you have any questions?" I'm not sure she heard me because she's staring at the small black and white photo in her hands, and I am about to repeat myself when she shakes her and head and looks up at me.
"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you so much. This was perfect."
"Yes it was." I can't help myself anymore and lean down to kiss her forehead. "I'll be right outside. After you've cleaned up and dressed just come out and we'll go shopping." With another soft kiss to the top of her head I walk out of the room.
I'm glad it takes her a few minutes to get dressed because I need a few minutes to get ahold of myself. I'm in love with her, I know I am and about five minutes ago, I fell in love with that baby too. We're going to be a family and heaven help anyone who tries to stand in our way.
ESPOV
"You didn't have to buy me so much." I tell him for the fiftieth time today. Who knew that sweet, gentle Carlisle Cullen was also as stubborn as an ox?
"You need things to wear." He shrugs. "Plus Alice would kill me if I didn't buy you a complete wardrobe."
He laughs and I smile at the love he has for his kids. I haven't met Alice but I have a feeling I'm going to have to hide if she ever wants to take me shopping.
It's about 5 o'clock in the evening and we are on our way home. We went to Seattle and stopped at almost every store in the mall where Carlisle insisted that I buy anything I liked. Then we went to the grocery store because he doesn't have any food at home. He says he eats out mostly because he's so busy with work, but he wants the baby and I to have home-cooked and healthy meals. He really is sweet to us. Finally we pull in the driveway and I'm looking forward to putting dinner in the oven and having a nice soak in a bubble bath.
"Why don't you go get dinner started and I'll bring in the rest of these bags. I know you must be hungry." He tells me as he grabs the groceries out of the trunk.
"Sounds good. Peanut and I are starving." I smile at my use of the nickname he has bestowed upon the baby.
"Well I can't have that, can I?" he teases and throws me the keys so I can unlock the front door. We head straight for the kitchen and I immediately throw the chicken and vegetables into a glass baking dish. He really must never cook because all of his dishes and cookware look brand new. After adding some seasonings and foil, I put the chicken in the oven and set the timer.
"Carlisle." I call because I have no idea where he is.
"Yes?" his head pops inside the front door with a smile.
"I'm going to take a bath. If I'm not out by the time the oven timer goes off, will you take dinner out please?"
"Of course." He smiles. See? He's such a sweet man. "Make sure not to make your bath too hot. It's not good for peanut."
"Okay." I throw over my shoulder as I head up the stairs.
I'm not sure why the Cullens have such a luxurious bathroom in their guest room, but I'm definitely not complaining. If I thought I was in love with the shower last night, I was wrong. This bath tub is amazing. It's sunk into the floor and has two steps that lead down into it. There's a ledge all of the way around with candles all over it. There's no high step, so it's easier for me to get in with my sore legs. The last thing I want is to fall in the tub and have Carlisle come and rescue me. That's not attractive at all.
I wish that I could turn the water a little hotter to help with all of the aches in my legs and back, but the safety of my peanut comes first. The nickname that Carlisle gave the baby makes me smile. I don't know what's going to happen between us, but I'm excited to find out.
Eventually the water starts to cool off so I carefully stand and grab the towel that I laid out earlier on the towel warmer. After drying off the best I can with my sore ribs, I wrap the towel around myself and head into my bedroom. I smile when I see that Carlisle has brought all of my shopping bags to my room while I was in the bath. Knowing that he was in the room next to me while I was naked and vulnerable should make me nervous, but it doesn't. He was a complete gentleman during the exam he gave me my first night here and through my ultrasound. I know he would never take advantage of me.
Digging through the mountain of clothes that Carlisle purchased today, I finally find the pajamas I want to wear; red plaid pajama pants and a light grey Henley. I'll admit that one of the main reasons I chose this top was because of its resemblance to Carlisle's shirt today. Although I'm sure I will never look as good in it as he does.
I'm starving so I don't bother to dry my hair, just quickly braid it so it's out of my face and head downstairs. It smells like dinner is done and when I walk into the kitchen, my suspicions are confirmed. Carlisle is dishing food onto two different plates and the smell of the chicken makes my mouth water.
"Did you have a nice bath?" he asks while reaching into the cabinet to grab two drinking glasses. I try very hard not to look at the sliver of skin above his jeans that is exposed when he raises his arm, but I fail miserably.
"Yes, thank you. I wish I could have turned the temperature up some, but it helped some with my aches anyway."
"You can take a pain pill after you have some dinner. It should help with the rest of your discomfort."
"Okay, thank you." I tell him while grabbing some orange juice out of the fridge to fill our glasses. We seem to move so seamlessly around the kitchen together, like we've been doing this forever.
"I was thinking that we could eat on the back porch. I already have the fire going and some blankets to keep warm. I thought you might like to look at the stars, they're very bright here."
"That sounds great." I tell him and he hands me my winter coat (new and very expensive, of course) before putting his own on.
The sliding glass door in the kitchen leads outside and as soon as I have my slippers on, we step out into the cold. His back yard is beautiful. There is a covered porch with loungers and an old fashioned porch swing. To the left there are steps that lead out to a beautiful square fire pit that already has a roaring fire in it. There are two couches covered with pillows and blankets and two wooden benches surrounding it. While there had been a little snow in Port Angeles last night, there isn't any to be seen here. It is the perfect winter night. The sky is clear and it seems like I can see every star in the sky.
"Here, sit and I'll grab you a blanket. I don't want you to get cold." Carlisle tells me before taking the drinks out of my hands and placing them on the bench next to me. The soft pillows mold to my body as I sit down and I'm so comfortable. I could sleep out here during the summer. Carlisle takes a thick fleece blanket and covers me up before leaning down and tucking it around my legs. His face is inches from mine as he concentrates on tucking me in like a caterpillar. He is so beautiful. His straight nose and high cheekbones accentuate his beautiful soft eyes, but nothing is better than his full lips and strong jaw. I don't even realize what I'm doing when I bring my hand up and gently run my fingertips down his jaw line. He freezes and looks into my eyes. I know what he wants by how he's looking at my lips, but I don't think I'm ready to give him that just yet, so carefully and slowly I lean up and kiss his cheek. I can't help but linger and breathe in the smell of his skin before slowly pulling away. My cheeks flush as I look in his eyes again.
"Thank you" I whisper gesturing to the blanket.
"You're very welcome" he replies in a deep voice. He clears his throat and moves to sit beside me on the couch. He hands me my plate and my stomach once again makes itself known.
A smirk takes over his face before he laughs and says "I think you may want to feed that monster before he stages a rebellion."
I giggle at him and dig in to my food.
It doesn't take long for me to clear my plate and Carlisle offers to grab me some more from the kitchen. I'm so comfortable that I don't even argue with him.
While he's gone, I hear the oddest sound coming from the trees at the edge of the yard. It's a mix between a growl and a whine. Pulling the blanket off, I slowly walk toward the sound to decipher what it is. The lights from the porch and the fireplace illuminate the tree line enough for me to see a small light brown puppy. He has to be a stray. His coat is matted and is covered in what looks like a mixture of mud and blood. His ear has a cut on it and he's limping. Slowly I lower myself to crouch in front of him and begin talking to him in a quiet voice.
"Hi little guy. Do you need help? I know how that feels. Come on. I'll take care of you." He slowly is limping towards me so I continue to call him to me until he finally reaches me. I hold my hand out to him and he sniffs it for a second before giving it a tentative lick. Taking that as approval, I pet him softly on the top of his head. He licks my wrist before walking closer to me and sniffing my clothes. He continues to inspect me as I pet him softly until he reaches my belly where he sniffs and rubs his nose before crawling in my lap and laying his head there. When his eyes close and his breathing evens out, I know I'm a goner. I'll never be able to let him go.
"Did you make a friend?" Carlisle's soft voice startles me and when my body jumps, the little puppy on my lap snaps awake. He struggles to get down but when he does he plants himself between Carlisle and I growling. Carlisle laughs and stoops down, "Well if he's going to protect you like that, we might have to keep him."
My eyes light up at the suggestion and I know I've fallen a little bit more for Carlisle in that moment.
"Hey" I whisper to the little guy trying to protect me, "It's okay" I pet his back a little more and he looks back at me with uncertain eyes.
Carlisle reaches out his hand for him to sniff and he does. After about a few seconds, he licks his hand and then sneezes really loudly. It makes me giggle and Carlisle chuckles as the puppy runs back to my lap. He lays his head on my belly again but doesn't take his eyes off of Carlisle.
"Can we really keep him?" I ask him softly.
"Do you want to?"
I just nod in reply.
"Than I don't see why not. We'll have to take him to the vet to get his shots and make sure he's healthy. I won't have him risking your or peanut's lives." He says with a smile "Come on, it's cold. Do you still want more to eat?"
"No I don't think so. He needs a bath and some food before bed."
"Okay than lets go wash the little runt."
I glare at him and he throws his head back and laughs.
"He is not a runt. He is a sweet baby who needs our help." I tell him defiantly.
"Okay, okay." He holds up his hands in surrender. "Come on killer let's go bathe your sweet baby."