A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. Work is stressful and I've been listening to tons of books as an escape. Three chapters left and maybe and Epilogue. I just had to bring Ruby in again.
"I'm really excited for you to meet Ruby!" I said, my knee bobbing. We were sitting on the couch waiting for the helicopter.
"I know. You've only said that like eight thousand three hundred and sixty nine times," Bella said. I raised my eyebrow at her. "What are you smirking at?" she asked.
"You said sixty nine," I replied.
"After four years of college and three years of law school, you are still such an adolescent." She made a swipe at me and I pulled on her into my lap.
"That doesn't seem to bother you when you're horny, does it? And you have been veeeerrry horny lately," I growled into her ear, my hands running down her hips. I was really enjoying pregnancy hormones.
"Jake, stop!" she giggled. "I'm too big to sit in your lap." She squirmed but I was not letting her go. I moved my hand over her swollen belly.
"Did you hear that, Little Blip? She just called you fat!" I said to her belly. I felt the baby kick and smiled at Bella who winced.
"I'm glad you think it's cute," she said, poking her side. "Stop hurting your mother, Blippy!" she admonished.
"It's amazing!" I said as I watched the side of her belly bulge and recede with the baby's movements. She winced again and I saw her take a deep breath.
"He hasn't turned yet, but at least I'm not sick anymore." She was always looking on the bright side.
"How's your headaches?" I asked. I picked up her hand to check her swelling in her fingers. She wasn't wearing her rings so that was a sign it wasn't good.
"Fine right now. But I can see the floaters," she admitted.
"Did you check your blood pressure today?" I asked.
"Yes, Dr. Black. It was still high, but not dangerous," she said and smiled at me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a squeeze. "I'd be annoyed, but I know you're just worried about me and Blippy. I'm taking care of myself like I promised. You convinced me to come up here for my bedrest." She gave me a kiss then. "And, as annoying as you are checking up on me all the fucking time, I also think it's cute and makes me love you even more."
"Well, I'm glad my annoying doting is cute, and I love you, too," I said. I pressed my lips to hers. I felt her tongue swipe across my bottom lip and I granted it entrance. She really was quite a vixen despite her swollen belly. I was happy to indulge her moods by pounding her from behind.
"I think I hear the chopper," Bella said, pulling away and leaving me breathless.
"Bells, it's not a chopper," I chuckled. She was right, I could hear the chopping of the rotor blades.
"It means the same damn thing. I'm using the more colloquial term, thank you very much!" She pulled away and I let her stand up.
"You stay here. I'll bring them in. I don't want you out there with all that noise, okay?" I asked. She nodded and walked with me into the kitchen and sat at the table.
I watched her for a few beats and considered how much she had changed over the past six months. She wasn't afraid to fight with me, stand up to me, tell me what she was thinking—especially when she disagreed with me. She'd told me that she was changing back into the person she was and she liked that person so much better. I was happy to be by her side while she rediscovered herself.
I was also glad she agreed to stay inside. Bright lights and loud noises provoked her headaches and there were both as the helo landed. I helped Ruby out, ducking low, hugged her and led her and her son, Eli, into the house.
"Jake! This is far too much!" Ruby said with a childish giggle that totally negated her aged appearance. I loved seeing her care-worn face so happy. "I can't believe that Eli convinced me to go up in that contraption, but I'm glad he did. Is the room moving? I feel like it's still moving." She dramatically grabbed onto the countertop for support.
"No, ma. You're fine." Eli smiled. It was the same toothy grin as his mother. "Jake, it was just beautiful, man! Thank you so much!" Eli said. He was shaking my hand vigorously. He only stopped when Ruby finally noticed Bella.
"Is this your Bella?" Ruby asked, her eyes full of wonder. She clasped Bella's hands happily and spread them so she could get a good look at her.
"It is. Well, she's not mine, but this is Bella," I said. Bella smiled and Ruby looked down at her huge belly. "Jake, you have been a naughty boy!"
"Ma!" Eli reprimanded, looking a little embarrassed.
"Jake is not the father," Bella spoke up, but looked at me lovingly. "But he's willing to be the daddy," Bella smiled at me and my heart melted. I was going to be a daddy. It still felt so surreal.
"Child, you must tell me this story right now," Ruby said, still clutching Bella's hand. "Show me where I can plop down and not move for a while. I've been traveling a long time." Bella did as she was asked and I smiled as she led Ruby into the living room.
"I'm so sorry. She thinks because she's old she can say and ask what she wants," Eli apologized.
"She can and it's fine. Ruby's taken good care of me. I don't mind Bella telling her the details. And Bella is the best person to do it." I followed the ladies down the short hallway leading the way for Eli. "How was your trip? How did you finally talk her into taking me up on my offer?" I could hear Bella telling Ruby about her relationship with Edward and how she and I rekindled things—without the spicier details.
"Quil told her that you were back with Bella and she wanted to meet her," Eli said, looking a bit embarrassed. "That's all the convincing it too, really."
"Good!" I said to alleviate his fears. "I want her to stop worrying about me." I gestured for Eli to sit in the chair next to his mother and I took a seat on the other side of Bella on the couch. She leaned back into my waiting arms and melted in. It was still easy as breathing. Bella finished up the story about being briefly kidnapped and Maggie dumping me so we could be together. Ruby gasped in all the right places and looked at me with teary eyes. She was happy for me. So was I.
"This must be Ruby!" my dad said, walking in the room. He'd been in his pajamas all day helping Rachel who was miserable. I was glad he changed before emerging to meet our guests. "Heard the helicopter. Nice to finally meet you." I made the introductions. "My daughter is sulking in her tub or she'd be out to meet you. She's a week over due and cranky."
"Well that's just fine. We got us some two weeks here, thanks to Jake," Ruby said with gratitude. Bella shifted in my arms uncomfortably.
"You okay?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said, but she didn't sound too sure.
"Is that baby comin'?" Ruby asked. She looked concerned and a little excited.
"No," Bella breathed out. "I have another week before they induce. I've been having Braxton-Hicks for a weeks now. I just have to walk it off." She stood up with a little bit of trouble. I gave her a little boost and she smiled appreciatively.
"But you had one while we were waiting. That was about fifteen minutes ago," I said, looking at my watch, concerned. She stopped walking and looked at me at the same time Rachel screamed down the hallway.
"JAAAAAAAAAKE! Call my husband! It's time!" I stood up and then realized that Bella's pants were wet.
"My water just broke," she said. I stood up not knowing who to help first.
"On it, Rach!" I yelled back, but moving towards Bella. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and excitement.
"Ooooo wee!" Ruby said, standing up. It looked like the news revived her. "I done got here just in time! You," she pointed to Billy, "go get your daughter and her bag that I assume is packed. Get her into your car. And you," she pointed at me, "call your brother-in-law, wherever he is, and tell him to meet you at the hospital. Eli, you're gonna drive those two. Jake where are your keys?" Billy was already in motion at Ruby's commands.
"What? I can't leave you here while we go have babies," I objected.
"You think I'm gonna let you attend to me while these women are in labor? You're three cans short of a six pack it you even think that's a possibility. Get moving! I got stuff to get ready around here." she commanded. Then she started muttering a list to herself about what to cook and what freezes best.
"I'd listen to her. There a'int no fightin' her when she's in mom mode," Eli said. "Where are your keys?" I pointed to the bowl by the door. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Paul's number.
"Is it time?" he said without a greeting and before the first ring had ended.
"Yeah. Meet us at the hospital." And he was gone.
"My bag is in the truck," Bella said. "I'd like Eli to drive so you can pay attention to me. I'm scared, Jake," she admitted.
"Child go change your pants. You don't wanna be sitting in that all the way to the hospital. You have some time," Ruby urged. "Eli, you get yourself back here as soon as you can. I need to get to the store and your phone is gonna find one for me." Eli and I nodded our agreement and Bella obeyed. I called Charlie who was as verbose as Paul. Dad and Rachel were gone first and Eli drove Bella's truck like a pro. I was a mess. I had to hide that from Bella, though. She was set to be induced early, but that wasn't until next week. This was not a good sign.
"Call Carlisle?" Bella asked when we'd almost reached the hospital.
"I tried. It rolled straight to voicemail so I left a message," I reported. She nodded and bit her lip with worry. The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity.
"Jake!" Carlisle said, rushing towards me in the hallway of the hospital when I was getting more ice chips for Bella. It looked like he was talking to the nurses at the station, getting information. "I got the call on the ferry—very bad reception. I had an idea it'd be soon and I just headed up on a whim. How is she?"
"She's doing okay. Blood pressure is way too high and her headache is back. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you. My sister is across the hallway having her baby, too," I explained.
"Goodness!" he said. "Let's go see Bella!" he suggested, looking down at my cup of ice chips.
"Okay," I said and took a deep breath. Bella was struggling, but the epidural helped quite a bit.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" I heard Rachel scream and Paul exited her room quickly and leaned against the door with a sigh.
"What'd you say now?" I asked. Carlisle looked startled.
"I told her to look on the bright side during a contraction," he said and shrugged.
"What do you think the bright side is?" I asked, shaking my head. The fact that my sister's marriage thrived on their contention still boggled my mind.
"She won't be too fat to tie her own shoes," he explained. "That's a good thing, right?"
"I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole," Carlisle said.
"She's right, you're an asshole. But I wouldn't stray too far," I suggested.
"I know, she'll want me back in there in about—"
"PAUL! Get your scrawny ass in here!" she interrupted him. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before winking, grinning, and heading back in.
"He's a character, isn't he?" Carlisle said, reflectively. I nodded, opened the door, and went straight to Bella.
"What took you so long?" she panted. Her face glowed with perspiration and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her hair had grown quite a bit since her post-Edward haircut and it was pulled back a long braid that hung over her shoulder and down her front.
"I found someone at the nurse's station," I said and moved so she could see him.
"Carlisle!" she exclaimed, relief settling on her face. "How did you get up here so fast?"
"I was on my way. I just had a notion and I wanted to check up on you," he explained with a sympathetic smile. "How are you feeling? I see they gave you an epidural. Good." He went and checked the other monitors and the charts. Carlisle was always working.
"This is wearing me out. I wish he'd just come already," she said. "And it's weird. I can see I'm having a contraction," she pointed at the monitor, "but I can't feel much. And I'm sweating like a pig. Why is it so hot?"
"Here!" I shoved the ice chips at her and she took them gratefully.
"Hey, Doc," Charlie said from the corner. Carlisle greeted him as Billy came through the door.
"It's happening. My grandson is coming. Rachel kicked me out because she said that I didn't need to see her nether regions and I agreed. Oh my goodness! It's happening!" Billy paced the room.
"So you came in here?" I asked. "What if Bella's baby comes. I don't want you seeing her nether regions, either!"
"Then we'll both leave because I don't need to see that," Charlie said. Dad was still pacing.
"Stop, old man! You're making me more nervous!" I said, and my dad quit and had a seat.
"So, have you thought of any names?" Dr. Cullen asked, to change the topic. I was pretty impressed with his skill.
"Well, since I'm pretty sure it's a boy I was thinking about Charles William," she said. Charlie blushed every time she mentioned it.
"You said pretty sure?" Dr. Cullen asked. Bella was panting a little and her forehead was covered in sweat. I answered while I dabbed at her head with the cool cloth.
"The little booger was always turned the wrong way on ultrasound day. But she had a dream about a little boy." I smiled down at her and she wasn't looking good.
"I was thinking about calling him C.W," she said, but her voice was weaker.
"After the truck driving singer?" I asked with a laugh. "I am not calling that kid C.W." She looked up at me and tried to smile, but she didn't. "I'll call him Chuck."
"You will not!" Bella asserted, but it was weak.
"Chuckie?" I asked. I was discouraged that she didn't even smile. Something was wrong.
"Bella, how far apart are your contractions?" Dr. Cullen asked, noticing the same thing.
"They were about five minutes, but I've had two since you guys came in," she answered. She was turning white and I didn't like the way Carlisle was looking at the monitors.
"Jake, go get her doctor," he said in a quiet, yet commanding tone. It worried me. I obeyed immediately. I ran to the nurse's station and asked for the doctor.
"Dr. Sandy is with your sister and there was a car crash that called the others to the ER," the nurse reported. "Dr. Cullen has privileges here, is he willing to help?" she asked, and picked up the phone to call for more help.
"He already is. Shit," I said on the way back to the room. When I got back in there, Bella was white as a sheet.
"Everyone is busy!" I reported urgently, crashing back through the door. "But she said something about you having privileges…" He nodded and his face turned grim.
"Charlie, Billy, it may be time to leave." They both rose with worried faces. "Charlie, maybe poke your head in Rachel's room and tell the doctor there is a concern." Charlie nodded. "Bella, may I help?" he asked.
"If you think something is wrong, hell yeah!" she said. She shifted to try to get comfortable.
"Okay, then," he said. "Jake, my bag please?" I remembered he placed it on the table when Charlie stood to shake his hand. I retrieved it quickly and placed on Bella's bedside table. Carlisle had opened the front of Bella's gown and was feeling around on her swollen tummy. "Jacob, go sit behind her. Comfort her. That is your job, now. The baby's breech and that's not helping the preeclampsia."
His voice was calm and soothing. I don't remember much of anything else. Deep in my heart I knew that Carlisle was working to save his grandchild and I trusted whatever he said. I watched as he pressed on her belly. He whispered to him much like I did. I urged Bella to breath, wiped her forehead and tried to calm her nerves. Her big brown eyes swung up to meet mine and I felt the worry, panic, and fear swirling around in there. I kissed her forehead.
"Everything is going to be just fine, Bells," I whispered. It was more of a prayer than and affirmation.
Rachel's doctor came in to check on Bella, but after remembering Dr. Cullen from Charlie's surgery he felt confident Bella was in good hands. There was a discussion about whether Carlisle should go help Rachel instead, but Rachel was being ultra-high maintenance and it was decided that Carlisle should stay put and Dr. Sandy would return to Rachel.
It was stressful, and simultaneously time sped up and slowed down. At some point a nurse joined us to assist Dr. Cullen. Bella and I breathed together and I urged her to push when Dr. Cullen told her. Then finally, finally, a weak little cry sounded through the room.
"Looks like you won't be calling her C.W. after all, Bella. You have a daughter!" Dr. Cullen announced. He brought the baby up and laid her on Bella's chest. It was gooey and gross, but Bella didn't seem to care.
"You did it, Bells! Look at her!" I said in awe, looking at the beautiful, gooey baby.
"She's beautiful," she said and then her arms went slack and Bella began to shake. She was having a seizure. She wasn't convulsing, but she was not alert. I looked over at her blood pressure monitor and it was 180/120. That was bad.
"Doctor," the nurse said, scooping the baby up off Bella's chest and taking our little Blip away. But I couldn't focus on that. Another nurse was at Dr. Cullen's side, looking worried.
"I'm on it. She's bleeding and she hasn't had the last contraction," he reported. But he sounded worried. "Get me suture kit and make sure there's blood on hand, please."
"Yes, sir," she said.
"Carlisle?" I asked.
"Don't panic now, Jake," he said. "We've prepared for this, you know what to do." He was right. We'd done quite a bit of reading on what could go wrong in labor.
"Bella, honey, you did just fine." She stirred a bit. "Are you back with us?" She nodded.
"I need her to push," Carlisle said.
"Bella, you need to push," I urged.
"I can't," she pouted. Her voice was weak, but annoyed. "She's here. Why do I need to push? I just want to sleep."
"Push Bella," Dr. Cullen said firmly. There was a kind but compelling element in his voice that she obeyed.
"That's it, honey, you can do it," I urged as Bella groaned through another push.
"That's it. Good, Bella," Dr. Cullen said. I could see the movement of his shoulders as his hands did all they could to fix whatever problems were down there. His brow was furrowed and his eyes focused. "There," he finally said. "You can sleep for a while now." I'm not sure if she passed out from the effort or if she was just that tired, but she was gone.
"Doc, she going to be okay?" I asked hesitantly. The cold hand of worry wrapped around my heart as I wiped at Bella's sweaty brow.
"She's losing a lot of blood." His brow was creased with concern. "Nancy, get a unit of blood going, please."
"Yes, sir," she said.
"Do you want me to move?" I asked.
"No. That would move her and I have to...found it!" he exclaimed. I saw him pick up various tools from the tray. "When I'm finished stitching her up, you should go hold and comfort your daughter."
That hit me hard in the gut. The sound of her weak cries filtered through my concern for Bella. Did he just call her my daughter? The judge married us one afternoon about a week after I proposed. My dad was beaming and Charlie grumbled through the whole thing. He didn't think Bella should jump back into it so fast after her divorce. Bella let him have a piece off her mind, reminding him that she was not him and didn't need to wait twenty years before getting back out there. But he warmed up to the idea when Bella's visits remained regular and she made it a point to see him every day when we were in Forks. I'd never been happier and Charlie was happy that Bella was happy. We had adjusted to our new life quickly, but hearing Carlisle call that little human my daughter made everything real all over again.
"Jacob?" Dr. Cullen called, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Yeah?" I said.
"Go hold your daughter. She needs some contact."
"Right," I said. I didn't want to leave Bella, but I really wanted to hold my daughter. I carefully moved Bella and lay her back against the pillow. I moved over to the bassinet where the little girl, wrapped in a pink blanket lay. She was clean now and very gingerly I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. She squirmed and let out quiet little cries, not like the loud wails you see in the movies.
"Shhhh, it's okay," I cooed in my most calming voice. I adjusted the blanket so I could count her fingers. Bella always talked about counting her fingers after she was born. I counted all ten.
"Hey, Little Blip. You wore your mommy out so now you're stuck with me for a little bit." I placed my pinky in her little hand and her tiny fingers wrapped around it and my heart melted into a squishy mess of warm goo. Her tufts of auburn curls were wet and her eyes squeezed shut. "Hey girly, girly, girly," I cooed. Her lashes lay against her chubby cheeks that were pink and rosy and her mouth opened wide as she let out a little grunt. I was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.
"Are you going to open your eyes for your daddy?" I asked. She didn't. But I didn't mind. I was completely, utterly, and irrevocably in love with this little girl. I was so enthralled, sitting in the recliner with that tiny human, that I didn't even notice them taking Bella out of the room on a gurney.
Two chapters left.
Thoughts?
