A/N: I decided to be nice and not make you wait after that cliffhanger. Just one more regular chapter, then the epilogue after this.

Chapter 20

I watched Edward sleeping in his hospital bed. He was bruised and beaten to what felt like was within an inch of his life. He had a severe concussion, most of his ribs were cracked, and his kidneys were badly bruised. It was going to be a while before he was back on his feet.

In reality, he was lucky he was even lying in that bed and not in the morgue. Things could have gone so much worse if the police hadn't gone in when they did.

—

"Bella?"

I jumped, turning around at the sound of a voice behind me. "Esme—" I started, but couldn't finish as a sob broke forth.

My dad had been in, Angela and Ben had even stopped by, and I'd kept it together in front of all of them. But Esme? She had already lost her husband, and now her son was laid out in a hospital bed by the hands of the same men.

"Nena, oh, nena. Shh." She wrapped her arms around me tightly, rocking me back and forth. "He's going to be fine. Es un tonto pero es fuerte." She gazed at him over my shoulder as she spoke. "He's got no choice but to be okay. ¿Vas a tener un bebé?"

My eyes widened at her statement, causing her to laugh through her tears.

"Edward called me on his way to meet with that hijueputa. He wanted to tell me he loved me. Don't be mad at him for spilling your secret though. He was so excited. 'Mamá, Bella está embarazada, we're gonna have un bebecito.'"

"We have so many plans, Esme. We're going to get married. But now with all of this..." I trailed off as a new round of tears started.

She held me to her, whispering calming words to me. "Te prometo, he's going to be fine. My Eduardo is strong. This"—she gestured to the bed—"isn't going to stop him." I knew she was being strong for her son and for me in the moment, but when I looked into her eyes, I saw a sadness there.

—

My eyes popped open, trying to adjust to the dark, as I heard him groan.

"Bella?"

It was the first time he'd woken up on his own since he'd gotten here, even with the nurses coming in every two hours to wake him and check how he was functioning. He'd be alert for a few moments, answer their questions, and then be out like a light the next.

"I'm here, papi,"I told him as I pulled my chair closer to his bed.

"You need to be at home." He winced as he struggled to sit up.

"Stop, Edward. You need to rest. Don't move too much. Do you need a nurse?"

He sighed as he gave up trying to sit, instead searching for my hand with his own. I reached out, gripping it tightly. "Nah, but you need to go home, you need to rest. You gotta take care of my bebecito. You been eating, right?"

"Um—"

He sighed again, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. "Mamita, por favor." His voice was tight. "I didn't know if I—if I was gonna see you again or ever get to see our baby. Please, Bella, I need you to go home and get some rest. Go to my mom's house, or your dad's if you don't want to be alone. But, mami, I need you strong and healthy."

"Okay," I whispered. He'd been through so much, the last thing I wanted was to cause him more stress. "But I'll be back in the morning."

"Damn straight. Dame un beso."His eyes were drifting shut already.

I stood up, leaning over the bed to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Te amo, papi,"I whispered in his ear before I left.

—

"I'm glad he got you to leave, Bells. Edward is right, you need your rest. You look dead on your feet."

I took Edward's advice and went to my dad's house. I just wasn't ready to be alone yet. It felt like every time I closed my eyes, I was haunted by images of when I first saw him, lying beaten in that bed. I glanced over at Charlie. "Dad," I whimpered and he was at my side immediately, engulfing me in his arms. I felt like a little girl again as I cried while he held me.

"He'll be alright, Bella. I know it's scary, but it's over."

"You don't hate him, do you?"

Charlie sighed heavily. "I feel like I should, but no. Anyone who loves you the way he does—no, I don't hate him."

"Promise?"

"Yes." I heard the exasperation in his voice. "I promise."

Maybe it wasn't the right time with everything that was going on, but I felt like he needed to know. I pulled back, looking up at him. "I hope you really mean that." My voice was quiet. "Because I'm pregnant. You're going to be a grandpa."

He stared at me blankly for a few moments, seemingly taking in my words. Finally, a small smile spread across his lips. "Grandpa, huh?" he said as he kissed the top of my head. "That's really great, Bells."

I hadn't expected that reaction from him. Part of me expected him to yell and curse, to tell me we were making a mistake. "You really think it's great?"

"Look, Bella, you're old enough to make these decisions. You obviously love each other, and after what he went through—I've got a lot of hope for that boy. So yeah, I think it's great."

A whole fresh round of tears started at his words, but this time they were happy ones.

—

Edward had been in the hospital for a week, but finally they were ready to release him. I stood by his bed, running my fingers through his hair. He'd always kept it a little long, but now it laid almost past his jawline. He needed it cut a while ago, but just never had the time with everything that had been going on. "You gonna chop this off when I bust you out of here?"

"You don't like my long hair, mami?"He smirked at me.

I leaned in, placing a kiss to his lips. "Actually, I think it's great," I whispered against them. "More for me to hold on to when you're at my cho—"

There was a loud throat clearing at the door. I stood up straight, turning to find my dad and Esme standing there, him with a scowl and her grinning ear to ear.

"Thought I'd stop by with Esme here to help you get this guy home."

"Thanks, Dad. That'd be a big help. I had no clue how I was going to help him up the stairs."

Charlie had a mischievous glint in his eye. "Not a problem. Got the landlord working on the elevator. Got him cleaning up quite a few things around there, actually."

I let out a sigh. "What did you do?"

"Just taking care of my daughter. I don't need you huffing it up three flights of stairs, especially with your condition." He fidgeted awkwardly as he said the last part.

"Thank you, sir." Edward sat up on the edge of his hospital bed. "We both know how stubborn she can be."

"Ain't that the truth, and call me Charlie, son."

I rolled my eyes as I looked between the two of them. It was hard to be annoyed that they were picking on me, especially when I could see they were finally starting to form some sort of bond.

Hopefully, it would last after we told him the rest of our plans.

—

Spanish:

Nena - baby

Es un tonto pero es fuerte - He's a fool but he's strong

¿Vas a tener un bebé? - you're going to have a baby

está embarazada - is pregnant

Bebé/bebecito - baby

Te prometo - I promise

Dame un beso - give me a kiss