"Bella? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Charlie asks, while I'm seated on the recliner- the only chair I can find any sort of comfort on this late in pregnancy.

"Yeah," I respond, putting down my book and looking up to find Charlie standing in front of me. "What's up?"

"And I need some honesty here, okay?"

"Okay..."

"I mean it, Bells. Honesty."

"You're kind of scaring me, Dad. Can you just tell me?"

"I looked at your phone records- since you wouldn't tell me who you were talking to."

I freeze. My eyes move away from my father and stare at the coffee table, I know exactly where this is going. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I think I'm well within my rights here."

"I would've told you eventually."

"It's been two weeks. Two weeks!" I knew there was no point in running away, I didn't really have anywhere to go that Charlie wouldn't find me. Still, I started to stand from the recliner, letting my book fall onto the floor. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Away from this conversation. Possibly to people that actually trust me."

"That's not fair! I trust you plenty." But I was already pulling on my sweater and shoving my feet into whatever shoes I could find. "You can't run away from this, Bella."

"I can certainly try."

"Why don't you sit back down and tell me what Renee said?"

"Renee?"

"That's who was on your call log. Renee's number."

I faltered when I realized the mistake I just made. "Oh."

"Why? Who was on the phone, Bella?"

Still frozen, I felt an intense cramp coming from my swollen midsection. False labor pains weren't unusual, so I was told, but something about the intensity felt like this wasn't a fake labor pain. Just as quickly, I felt a trickle of water down my leg. It felt like time was frozen as the trickle kept increasing at a dizzying pace.

"Bella?"

"I, uh, I think my water just broke."

I'd never seen my father's face go pale like that before. Not when I told him I was pregnant. Not when my mother said she was leaving him. Not even when she took me with her. For someone whose water hadn't just broken, he didn't look too good.

"Dad?" And just like that, he was back. He shook his head as if to shake off the anxiety and went into overdrive. I remained standing in a puddle of amniotic fluid, while Charlie whirled around the house gathering all of the things I'd packed for this scenario. And with the amount of shit I'd gone through, I was pretty good at planning an escape.

"Where's your hospital bag?"

"Uh, by my bed."

He nodded urgently, taking no time before running up the stairs and coming back down with his hands full of bags.

And then he was ushering me out the door. To his cruiser. "Not the cruiser. Please not the cruiser."

"This is not the time to argue about what car we take, Bella. Besides, It'll get us there quicker."

I was about to open my mouth to argue when I felt another intense cramp. A pained groan left my mouth and suddenly felt no urge to fight about anything else. I doubled over in pain as the painful pressure built up and then eased away, the entire time Charlie stood right next to me holding me upright.

It is true what they say about moments like this, because I could not say how long it took to get us to the hospital. I'd never believed that time was meaningless until this very moment, the way it dragged on yet seemed to fly by all at the same time. I didn't remember arriving at the hospital, nor did I remember calling Edward or any of the Cullen's. It was strange. Time lost all meaning, and I wasn't sure how long I'd been in labor. It could have been hours, it could've been minutes. But the moment after I woke up in the hospital felt like the world had stopped just to prolong this tortuous reunion.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was my giant, swollen belly. I was wearing one of those paper thin hospital gowns. I took a deep breath and reached for the button to sit me up. I was halfway up when I noticed that I wasn't alone in my room.

I let go of the remote and heard it crash to the floor leaving me with no way to call for help. I was frozen. Staring at the monster that had hurt me so many times over the years. The heart monitor I was wearing started racing as I realized I was in a room alone with him.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" he snarked. I guess when I'd gone into labor Charlie finally told Renee, or maybe he assumed that the conversation we supposedly had didn't go well and he'd called her over here himself. It didn't matter how any of it happened, all that mattered was that she told him. "You weren't going to tell me about having my kid, Bella?"

I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

He stalked over to me like a predator getting ready to kill its prey.

"You shouldn't be in here," I spoke as loudly as I could even though I knew my voice held no power.

"You think I'd miss the birth of my own child, Bella?" He whispered in my ear. I flinched away from the hot breath in my ear. He roughly grabbed my hair and wrapped it around his fist. I craned my neck to try to relieve the pressure on my scalp, but he maintained a firm, painful grip on me. "You stupid bitch," he thundered, gripping my hair even tighter. I tried to lift myself, but it was completely futile. "You didn't think I'd find out? You think that you could keep this from me? You're even dumber than your mother."

"I'll tell them-I swear to God, I'll tell them," I stuttered out.

"And who'd believe you?"

Something inside of me snapped or maybe what had broken the day I was forced into a life I never wanted suddenly fused back together. But it- but I snapped.

He was wrong. People believed me. People believed me in spite what he made me believe. That the years of him saying the cruelest words imaginable were no longer playing on a twisted demented loop in my head. None of it was true.

Suddenly it wasn't fear or shame that flowed through me. Maybe it was just adrenaline, but a new determination bubbled up. A renewed sense of protectiveness for my child.

My child.

Not ours.

Not his.

Mine.

I cracked a smile and suppressed the urge to laugh in his face.

"Get out before I start screaming," I actually demanded this time.

"You wouldn't-"

I didn't give him a chance to finish that sentence before I let out a bloodcurdling scream. His other hand roughly clapped over my face, but the damage had been done. Seconds later, Carlisle, Renee, Charlie, and Edward were running into the room. Phil removed his hand from my face and hair in the nick of time.

"What happened, sweetie? Are you alright?" She rushed to my bedside and held my hand.

I stared at them. At every person in the room and decided to do the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. "No, no I'm not okay."

"Bella?" Renee and Phil said at the same time. Phil's tone was one of warning- warning me that there would be consequences if I didn't keep my silence. Renee's was one of confusion, and possibly concern. I realized that my silence had given him so much power over me, but I would do him no more favors.

"You want to know who the father is, Mom? He's in the room. Right here."

She immediately looked to Edward. Carlisle and Edward both knew, they knew what that monster had done- I was shocked that he'd even gotten into the hospital. Charlie kept his on eyes trained on me. I kept my eyes on Phil. I saw the look of confusion leave Charlie's face as he put the fragments of truth I'd given him together. I could practically see the lightbulb turn on over my father's head.

What I did not expect was for my father, the law-abiding police chief, to curl his hand into a fist. And that white-knuckled fist to collide with my abusers jaw. Time slowed once more as I saw his fist fly at Phil, my eyes widened in shock. Then it sped up again as Edward and Carlisle both moved to pull the two apart. Renee remained by my bed as we watched the entire altercation rooting for two very different people.

Time lurched again as they were both pulled out of the room, leaving Carlisle, Edward, and a very emotional Renee in the room together. I wasn't sure where they hauled the two of them off, nor what was to become of them, but all that held my attention was my mother looking around the room for answers.

"It was Phil, Mom. Phil's the father..." The tears that pooled in my eyes had nothing to do with the physical pain I was enduring right now, and had everything to do with the fact that I knew how this would all end. That I was not and had never been Renee's priority in life. "He hurt me, Mom."

She chortled without an ounce of humor in her voice. The tears already forming in her eyes. "No..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Mom."

Her reaction gutted me like nothing else. She dropped my hand and backed away from me. Her eyes were wide and it almost looked like she was scared of me.

"Mom?" I whispered through the tears.

"No. It's not true. Phil wouldn't..."

"I'm telling you the truth, I swear."

"No, Bella! This is too much, these accusation are serious. You're a liar." A choked gasp left my mouth at her words. She sounded hysterical, nothing like the person I'd known my whole life.

"Mom?" I begged again.

"Liar," she mumbled again, before turning on her heels and stumbling out of the room.

I was frozen in shock, time once again stopped as I looked at the whirlwind of emotion in the room. I could tell that neither Carlisle nor Edward knew exactly what to say. So I made the choice for them. "Can I just be alone for a minute? Please."

"Bella..." Edward whispered. I knew what he was going to say- that it wasn't a good idea and I shouldn't be alone right now. But I needed to be alone more than anything else right now. I couldn't tamp down the emotions that were suffocating me because I couldn't even begin to identify what I was feeling in the first place.

"Just a few minutes? Please. Go find out where they hauled off Charlie to. Please? For me." I knew I wasn't making sense, but those few words were all I had at this very moment.

"Okay."

Time stopped again as I laid my head down and sobbed into my pillow. It was one thing to resent your mother, quite another to have her hate you. I knew this was what I expected, that this was always on the horizon, but the foolish child in me honestly believed she'd come through for me. Just this once.

In between tears, I felt the contractions come and go as my only indication that time was actually passing.

Hearing a knock on the door, I wiped away the tears and sat up again. My doctor walked in with an apologetic smile. I couldn't blame her for that one, how often was it that such a dramatic altercation took place when a teenager was getting ready to deliver. "How are you holding up, Bella?"

"As well as can be expected, I guess."

"Have you thought about pain management? I know we talked about different options, but if you'd like anything it needs to be now."

I felt like kind of a wimp for asking for an epidural, but Dr. Smith assured me that anyone who could birth a human was anything but a wimp. As much as a big needle in my spine sounded fucking terrifying, it did help with most of the pain.

"Would you like to have anyone in the room with you?"

I almost started crying again. It was supposed to be my mom. I felt too embarrassed to have Charlie or Edward in the room, and that wasn't going to change. Not that Charlie was even an option right now, God knows where they hauled him off to.

A knock interrupted the conversation. Hope bubbled in me as the small part of me that would always believe in my own mother wondered if maybe she'd changed her mind about me. Esme walked in with the same motherly smile and warm demeanor that seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face. I tried to hide my disappointment when it wasn't her that walked through the door. I didn't even know that she was here. She turned to the doctor. "Can I have a moment with her?"

Dr. Smith turned to me for an answer, so I nodded. "Just keep it brief."

Esme took the seat next to me, gently laying her hand on top of him and lightly squeezing it. "I heard about your mother. I'm so sorry, dear."

I nodded and cleared my throat. "It's nothing less than what I was expecting."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"No, it doesn't," I agreed.

"Are you going to have Charlie in here?"

I shook my head. "I don't- I don't know where he went."

"Anyone?"

I shook my head again.

"Well, I know it's not the same and I don't want to overstep, but what about me?"

My brow furrowed as I thought about it. Esme had been like a surrogate mother, more of a mother than my own, since I'd met her. The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded. "Thank you, Esme."

My doctor walked back in and agreed that it was a much better than doing this alone. I felt that sadness tugging on my heart again because what I really wanted was my mom. I wanted her here, holding my hand, telling me stories about when I was born. But she didn't even believe me.

As another, much more acutely painful contraction hits, I'm full on sobbing again. "I'm not ready for this. I can't do this. I can't."

She squeezes my hand and offers a comforting smile that tells me she completely understands what I'm going through. "You know it's always the people that worry about whether or not they'll be a good parent that turn out to be the best parents?"

"That's not a thing."

She shakes her head, hand still clutching mine. "It's true. That's parenthood- constantly worrying about your children. Wondering how you'll mess them up. Even now, I'm always worried sick about my kids."

"But you make it look so easy..."

She laughs quietly. "Thank you."

"I'm not ready for this- I don't even have a name picked out."

"No one's ever ready for this type of thing. Just take it like you take any challenge- one day at a time."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

We remained in silence for a few moments, letting all the excitement and adrenaline in the room slowly taper off.

"Esme? How did you pick out names?"

A fond smile grew on her face, like she was recalling the very moment. "I picked out the boys' names. Emmett and Edward. I thought about the people that meant the most to me. The people that I admired- my father and his father. Something that means a lot to you- you can't go wrong like that."

"Thank you, Esme. For everything."

Another knock cut off Esme before she could say anything. The door cracked open as Charlie poked his head in. "Bella? Can I come in?"

Esme looked at me, waiting for my answer, and I knew without a doubt that she'd kick Charlie out herself if I said no. I wasn't sure if I should have been upset with my father, but I wasn't. I found it comforting that he was at least in the same building as me and not sitting in a holding cell at the police station. "Yeah, Dad, come in."

"I'll let the two of you talk," Esme said and with another quick squeeze of my hand, she left.

Charlie silently walked over to the seat right beside me. He gently took my hand and I could see the slight swelling of his knuckles from the earlier altercation. "Dad! I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry- it just got out of hand so quickly. I didn't mean to worry you."

"I was worried they'd arrest you or something."

He chuckled slightly. "I'd like to see how that'd turn out. Deputies arresting the chief. I don't think there's a single person in the world that wouldn't understand what I did."

"So what happened?"

"They separated us and called the station. They're holding him right now. What we do next is up to you."

"And if I don't want to press charges?"

"I can't hold him without cause, Bells."

I nodded, but said nothing. There'd be time for this later, maybe even somewhere down the line, but right now I was very literally about to give birth. Just that was enough to overwhelm most people, I felt no inclination to add any more excitement to this day. "I'll think about it."

"I am sorry, Bella. Sorry that you had to be alone. Sorry about your mother. And I'm sorry that you didn't think you could tell me."

"No, Dad, It wasn't that- I-I was scared. I didn't want to ruin everything. But I guess I did either way."

"No, you didn't. We failed you, all of the adults in your life. We failed you- we ruined everything. I just- I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Dad. I'll be okay." I tried to talk more, but I was completely choked up. I wanted to tell him how much everything that he'd done for me meant. How much I appreciated that there was at least one person that was supporting me. I wanted to tell him that I loved him. That the mistakes made were not his fault, but I simply settled for squeezing his hand.

"Now, if you want to press charges, I'll be with you. It's not like DNA tests lie. And if you don't, well, I'll still be angry but I'll always be with you."

"Thanks, Dad," I choked out.

Before any more tears could be spilled or heartfelt words exchanged, Carlisle knocked on the door. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah, come in," I responded.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

I wasn't sure if he meant physically or emotionally, but I didn't feel like crying anymore so I decided to make a joke. "Like I'm in labor." My laugh was marred by the feeling of another contraction starting. Edward took the spot on the other side of the bed.

"Just squeeze my hand, Bella," Edward said, taking my hand.

"That might not be a good..." Charlie started, but was cut off by my scream. I squeezed both Edward's and Charlie's hand. They weren't kidding about the excruciating pain. As I calmed down, I released both hands and laughed at the way Edward clutched his hand in pain.

"I tried to warn you, my hand was as good as broken when Bella was born," Charlie laughed.

Time lurched again. And Edward, Charlie, and Esme were all sitting around while watching me go through the most unimaginable pain. With each contraction coming faster and faster, I knew it would all be over pretty soon.

"Have you picked a name?"

I looked over at Edward, who'd been patiently waiting and offering his silent, unwavering support. "Not yet. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. I hope I'll see them and I'll just know."

Another knock cut through all the chatter as Dr. Smith walked in and promptly ushered everyone except Esme out so she could see how I was progressing. "Well, Bella, I think you're just about ready to start pushing."

"Now?" I panicked.

"I'll let you know when you to push."

Finally, after 14 hours of active labor, the doctor announced it was a boy. I had a son. When I saw him in the doctors arms, I cried. I didn't care that he was covered in amniotic fluid. His loud cry sounded so beautiful as she laid him on my chest. I looked at him with tears in my eyes. He was so perfect, so tiny. How was someone so perfect created by something so ugly? But he was. So perfect. So pure.

I could feel my heart swell at the sight of him. I loved him more than anything else in this world. My son.

Even his little gurgling sounds and crying sounded perfect to me.

After all of the other medical stuff was taken care of my doctor asked if I wanted any company. I was exhausted, but I didn't want to be alone. Charlie walked in minutes later. The second he saw him, I saw the smile grow on his face. "I've got a grandson."

I looked at my dad, who was staring at my son with such adoration it almost made me cry.

"Do we have a name?" One of the nurses asked.

I looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Charles James Swan. C.J. for short." It made sense to name him after the one person that had always been there for me. The second I announced it, Charlie almost cried again. Holding my son in my arms, I decided in that moment that I'd do anything to protect them. Anything. "Dad, I want to press charges."

Hello, everyone! I can't decide if I love or hate this chapter. It felt like so much writing it, but editing it felt completely different. Let me know what you guys think- I'm not sure any ending would completely satisfy me at this point. This story was initially just a one shot, but it turned in to something that pushed me completely out of my comfort zone. Anyway, there is an epilogue after this- an epilogue that I absolutely love, for now.

Thank you all for reading, you have no idea how much your reviews and interactions mean to me.