CPOV
"Happy Anniversary." I whisper coming up behind Esme and putting me arms around her. In one hand I'm holding a small bouquet of daisies in honor of our 7 month anniversary.
"They're beautiful." She says and I can hear the smile in her voice.
"You're beautiful." I whisper and leave a trail of kisses up her neck.
"I'm a whale." She grumbles.
I chuckle.
"You're not a whale."
We're in that final stretch of Esme's pregnancy at 36 weeks, and she's exhibiting all of the normal symptoms: irritability, trouble sleeping, slight discomfort, heartburn, and extreme nesting. The latter is most likely why she's in the nursery right now.
"What are you doing, love?"
"Just tidying up. It's so dirty in here."
She appears to be unfolding and refolding all of the baby clothes and towels in the closet.
"Do you want any help?"
"No, I'd rather do it myself. Thank you, though."
"Okay, if you're sure. I'm going to go make sure everything in the birthing suite is ready. Call me if you need me."
"Don't make a mess in there. I just got it clean." She says without looking up from the stack of clothes in front of her.
"I'll be very careful, angel." With a kiss to the back of her head, I leave the room. It's best to just leave her alone while she's on a mission, and absolutely make sure to stay out of her way.
When I enter the birthing suite, I make sure not to mess anything up. Esme has the room just how she wants it and I don't want her up all night cleaning—if she thinks a room is dirty, she can't sleep.
Everything seems to be in order here, I just need to check the medical provisions that Esme wouldn't know anything about. We are prepared for every home-birth complication possible. We want to avoid needing to call an ambulance, and with three doctors in the house, we shouldn't have to. Looking over all for the medications in the drawer, I check each one off the list in my head. We also have plenty of supplies for IVs and sutures, just in case. Making sure I'm prepared is the only thing that will keep me calm if something goes wrong with my mate or child.
Once I'm sure everything is where it should be, I take one last glance of the room, and the little touches Esme added make me smile. There's a dog bed in the corner for Samson, a soft pink blanket folded next to the crib, and several books from my office on the nightstand. It's quickly becoming a reality that Peanut will be here soon, and the closer it gets, the more excited I am.
Making sure to leave the room exactly how I found it, I switch off the light and softly close the door.
I'm not surprised when I find Esme still in the nursery straightening the pictures on the walls.
"Esme it's after 1:00, why don't you take a break and have some lunch."
"I'm not hungry." She sighs and I run to her side.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just a little queasy. I'll make sure I eat a good dinner since I'm missing lunch."
"Are you sure you're alright? Do you want to try eating some crackers? They might settle your stomach."
"No I don't want to put anything in my stomach in case it makes it worse."
"If you're sure…" I tell her warily. I don't like that she's feeling sick. "Why don't you lay down and rest?"
"I can't. This room is too dirty. The baby can't live here with it like this."
"Okay, love, but why don't you call it a day once you're done here. You need to rest. Your body is getting ready for labor. That will take a lot out of you, and it would help if you would rest now."
"Okay. I'm almost done in here and then I'll go lay down for awhile."
"Thank you." I tell her before leaning down for a kiss.
I leave her to do her thing and go in search of the kids, all of whom I find in the living room. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper are playing some kind of video game. Bella's reading a thick book that looks like her favorite, Wuthering Heights. Alice and Rosalie are both flipping through magazines, Alice's is Vogue while Rosalie's is some kind of car and truck issue.
"Hey old man, wanna play?" Emmet asks looking up at me. Jasper chooses that moment to blow the head off Emmett's character making him spit out a curse.
"No thank you. I just wanted to come down and discuss your plans for when the baby's born." We talked about this last week; I expressed Esme's wishes, and they all wanted to discuss it with their mates before deciding.
"Well I'm staying here, obviously" Rosalie speaks up first, "and Emmett will be staying here as well, but downstairs."
"Jasper and I have decided to stay away from the house until the birth is over. Between the blood and the intense emotions, we feel that would be best." Alice says very diplomatically.
"Bella and I have also decided to stay away during the birth for the same reasons." Edward says taking Bella's hand in his.
"Thank you all for your honesty. Esme will be happy that she wont be causing anyone pain." I tell them honestly. "Now, anyone who is staying needs to be vigilant with their hunts. Be sure you are full and satisfied often. I don't want any temptation or problems while Esme is giving birth to our child."
"Alright, let's go." Emmett yells, dropping his controller onto the couch. "Maybe I'll find a bear."
"We'll stay here," Alice says, "and keep an eye on the mommy."
"Thank you." I tell her sincerely. "I have my cell if you need to reach me."
She nods and Rosalie, Emmett, and I run into the forest to search for our prey.
I don't quite understand Emmett's obsession with bears, but he manages to find one quickly. He also ruins his shirt by taunting it and making it attack him. I just roll my eyes and go in search for my own lunch.
Venom pools in my mouth as I catch the scent of deer on the wind, and immediately change my course to track them. I can sense that there are 7 in the herd and I move quickly and silently to ambush them.
I quickly break the neck of 3 deer before they can run away with the rest, and drain them completely. I can feel the warm blood running through me and filling me up. Softly I pet the snout of the animals who just died at my hand, thanking them before quickly digging a hole and burying their bodies. I still need something more so I quickly go on the prowl. There's a mountain lion close by drinking from a stream and I let my instincts loose. I'm tracking close behind it when my phone rings. I instinctively spin around and growl when I hear the noise, but quickly come back to myself and answer it.
"Hello" I say, my voice gruff and unused.
"Carlisle…um I think you should come home." Bella says and I can hear the worry in her voice.
"What's wrong?" I'm already running toward the house before I even speak.
"Well Esme's been taking a nap for a few hours and she just got up and got in the bathtub. Edward and Jasper can feel that she's in pain, but she's not saying anything. Alice is looking in the future to see if she's in labor, but she isn't getting any visions. She thinks since it's completely up to Esme's body, and nothing definite has happened, it's all up in the air."
"I'm on my way." I say and snap the phone closed. I pass Emmett and Rosalie on my way to the house, but I don't bother stopping. I'll call if I need them.
I don't slow down when I come through the front door of the house, I just run right up to our room. All of the lights are off, but I can see light from flickering candles, and smell Esme's bath salts.
"Esme" I whisper before walking into the bathroom so I don't startle her. She's laying in the bathtub with her head back and eyes closed, but her brow is furrowed and she doesn't look as relaxed as she normally is in the bath.
"Hey angel." I whisper kneeling by the tub and running the back of my finger along her cheek.
"Hey" she says smiling and opens her eyes to look at me. "You're home early. The kids said you probably wouldn't be home before I went to bed."
"I could never miss seeing you covered in bubbles." I wink at her and she grins.
"…but why are you really home early?"
"Jasper and Edward can tell that you're in pain and they called me to check on you. That's all."
"They didn't have to do that. It's just my legs and hips are cramping. I think I just spent too much time on my feet today."
"Are you sure? Maybe I should check you over to make sure."
"I'm fine. I'm pretty sure this isn't how labor feels. Besides I think the bath is helping."
"Okay, I'll let you relax, but call me if you need anything."
She nods and kisses me softly.
I'm not completely convinced that she's being honest with me so I go in search of Edward. It's not that I think Esme would lie to me outright, but she knows how much I worry and if she has an opportunity to lessen that worry, she will. I find Edward in his room with Bella, and he calls for me to come in before I even knock. They are both sitting on the floor rearranging Edward's extensive CD collection when I come in and take a seat on the couch.
"I need you to tell me how she's really feeling." I tell him, not bothering to sugar coat it.
"She mostly told you the truth. Her hips and back are aching, but she doesn't think it's labor. She was hurting a little after she finished cleaning the already clean nursery, so she decided to lay down for awhile. When she woke up and was still hurting, she was a little worried, but brushed it off and started a bath. She was remembering how a warm bath helped with…other aches and pains she's had in the past and hoped it would this time too."
"Do you think she's okay? Physically?" I ask him.
"Well I've never heard the thoughts of someone in labor, but I know that she wasn't really on her feet that long today so I have a hard time believing that she's just tired."
"Me too." I whisper and Bella comes over to put her hand on my shoulder. I'm sure anyone can tell I'm worried out of my mind right now.
"Carlisle." Esme calls from our bathroom and I'm standing in front of her in a flash.
"What's wrong, love?"
"Nothing's wrong. Will you help me out of the tub? I don't want to slip and fall."
"Of course." She hold her arms up to me and I pick her up like a child. I quickly dry her off and help her into one of my t-shirts. I call feel how tired she is so I set her down in bed and strip down to my boxers before joining her. She rolls over on her side and I gladly wrap my arms around her and press myself to her back. I love the feel of her against me; I'll never get used to it.
"Goodnight Carlisle." She says through a yawn.
"Goodnight." I kiss the back of her head and listen to her breathing even out.
It's around midnight when I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a peculiar smell.
"Carlisle." Esme grumbles lifting her head and frowning at me.
"What's wrong, love?"
"I think I peed the bed."
"I don't think so." I tell her and flip on the light. She pulls back the blanket and we both see that the sheet is soaked with clear liquid. She gasps and looks up at me with wide eyes.
"My water broke."