I don't own any characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Carlisle and I were rushing down the halls of the hospital. Our speed was barely matching humans', but we had no time to waste. Isabella wasn't talking, she was silent ever since those three words escaped her mouth. Carlisle was in shock; he never knew there was a possibility for that kind of thing to happen. A human and a vampire having a child? That was unheard of! My father was trying to bounce ideas off of me. Me! I was no good for that, Edward, maybe, he at least took some night classes in med school, I; however, was a literature and languages girl, completely humanities, no science.
My thoughts kept going to Felix and how I'm going to rip his head off when I meet him. She is my little girl, only seventeen. Her life was just starting and now it's over. The fetus must be a danger to her, there was no doubt about it. It is half-vampire, after all.
Carlisle called home, so Esme was waiting for us there. I wasn't sure where my siblings or husband were, but I hoped they would be there too. I needed Alice's cheerful personality, and Jasper's gift, but mostly I just needed Edward, and his hands to hug me tightly and never let go. I met my family, my little Isabella, and now I was losing her after a few months! The pain was unbearable, it took all of my efforts to stay focused and not give in to freaking out and sobbing.
I opened doors for the wheelchair and counted every step that Carlisle took. We were finally in the parking lot. The emergency exits and a shortcut through the OR hallways, which were clear at the time, let us escape without anyone noticing. The parking lot that we were in right now was only for hospital staff, so no one was waiting for us here either. I thanked the universe, at least something is going my way today! Carlisle tossed me the keys, which I caught mid-air, and got Isabella out of a wheelchair and into the car. I ran the engine and we were out of the hospital perimeter.
I didn't stop for any red lights, ran all stop signs, and never looked at my speedometer. I needed to get Isabella into our house as soon as possible. I needed Carlisle to start looking into removing the fetus. It needed to be done as soon as possible, there was no way to know how much it already affected Isabella's health.
I checked on the girl every few seconds through my rearview mirror, she was staring out of the window. No expression on her face. Why did I get stuck with a shield instead of reading minds?! I was dying inside not knowing what was on her mind. It was driving me insane. Carlisle, who was sitting on the backseat with her, had his hands crossed, his eyes set on one spot, he was thinking.
It took me only 15 minutes to get to the house. Esme was waiting in the driveway, she looked worried. I got out of the car, nearly taking the door handle with me. Isabella tried to protest when I pulled her out and lifted her, but I wasn't listening. Her ankle might have been broken, so there was no way I would let her walk. I carried her into the house and set her down only when we reached Carlisle's office. I saw that Esme pulled out a hospital bed as well as all other medical supplies and machines that we had, out of the attic, which I was grateful for. I helped Isabella get on the bed, and Carlisle hooked her to a heart monitor.
"When I told you guys, I was pregnant, I didn't think you would steal me out of the hospital only to bring me to a private one in your house." Isabella laughed.
I gave her a look, which I hoped said this is not a place or time for jokes right now.
"Wow. Tough crowd." She spoke, no laughter in her voice anymore.
"Your heart is stable, nothing wrong." Carlisle breathed out. "Let me check your belly."
Carlisle lifted Isabella's shirt and started the exam. I saw him frowning, which meant something bad. I could feel it was something bad.
"Carlisle?" I asked.
"Do you know how far along are you?" He asked Isabella.
"Ten days."
"You are certain about that?"
"Yes, my period is never late, and that's the last time Felix and I…you know. Besides, I have been sick, every morning for a few days now."
"But that doesn't happen until…Carlisle? Can it?" I was freaking out.
"I'll need to examine your belly, do an Ultrasound, alright?" Carlisle asked her.
"Sure."
I looked at her belly. Ten days? That's not possible. I could clearly see a small bump already. It was growing. My whole knowledge about pregnancies was twisted now. Women don't start showing until what the second/third months? And morning sickness? That doesn't happen until what week 6 or 7?
I watched Carlisle push around on Isabella's stomach first before he poured the gel on it. The ultrasound machine made a noise when it started working, but there was nothing on the screen.
"Why is it not working?" I asked.
"I'm not sure." He answered.
"What do you mean you're not sure?! When will, you be sure? Do you at least have any ideas?" I yelled.
"Bella," Esme called. I sighed and left the room.
"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do."
"None of us know, dear, it's the first time this is happening. Maybe Alice can see it, they should be home any minute, I called the school."
"Edward is coming?" I asked.
"Yes, all of them are on their way. We'll figure it out."
"There might be no time to figure it out!"
Esme hugged me and ran her fingers through my hair. Her motherly hands always worked magic at calming me down, sometimes even better than Jasper's gift.
"Shhh. I know, but we'll figure it out anyway." She kept whispering in my ear. "Just keep it together, for both Isabella and yourself."
"I don't think I can." I started sobbing in her chest.
"Keep it together anyway." She whispered.
"She might be dying!"
"Keep it together anyway." She repeated. "Edward will be here any minute. And Alice and Jasper. We will figure out what to do next. But until then, keep it together. Isabella needs you."
"I can't lose her."
"I know, sweety, and you won't."
"How can you know?" I asked.
"I don't. I just hope."
A few minutes later, I heard a car getting into our driveway. A few seconds later a pair of strong hands were already getting me away from Esme, and closer to Edward. I breathed in the smell of him, and the world stopped turning for a moment. I needed this moment. I needed Edward to be here with me, create a bubble between us and the rest of the world. He was holding me close to his body, I felt his thumbs going up and down my spine. I heard his voice telling me everything is going to be okay, that we'll figure it out. The same words that Esme told me a few minutes ago, now I believed them. I knew Edward would keep his promise, I knew we would do everything to save Isabella.
"Thank you," I whispered into his chest. Edward squeezed me once more before letting me go.
Carlisle came out of the room.
"How is she?" I asked.
"She's fine, no fractures or broken bones after the accident. The Ultrasound didn't show anything, I want to do an X-Ray later. Maybe that will give me an idea, but for now, I don't know. It seems like her placenta is closer to our skin in density than humans. It's impossible to see through it. According to the measurements, I would say she is about 15-19 weeks pregnant."
"It's growing too fast." I sighed.
"I would say she can be in delivery by the end of March."
"You have to do something! It's going to kill her!" I raised my voice.
"Bella, shh!" Esme shooshed me.
"Can you take it out?" I asked.
"I can, but she doesn't want me to."
"Then make her want to!"
"You know I can't do it, and you can't either," Carlisle replied calmly, which only made me madder.
"Alice?" I asked.
"I don't know, Bella. I can't see the fetus, and I can't see her future anymore." My sister said.
"We need to get it out of her." I kept whispering.
"We can't," Carlisle repeated.
"Well, what can we do? Because I'm sure as hell not going to let her die!"
"Call Tanya, she's been around longer than me, maybe she heard something. I will write to my friends, Amun has seen a lot. Someone needs to find Felix, we can't risk Aro reading his mind, not now. That's all we can do for now." Carlisle spoke.
I looked at Edward, in hopes he had a plan of some sort. He gave me a sad smile and kissed my forehead.
"I'll call Tanya, go talk to Isabella. Maybe, you'll make her change her mind." Edward said.
"Okay."
I walked to the door and stopped myself. Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder and waited to come in with me. What was I going to say? How do you tell someone that they need to get rid of their baby for their own good? I know I wouldn't be able to if I was in her position, but I was older, more mature. Back in my time, I was considered to be old enough to get married and become a mother, but in this time, it was stupid and outrageous. I pulled myself together, Esme's words still playing in my head when I turned the doorknob.
"Hey," I spoke.
"Before you say anything, I want you to know that I know how stupid I might sound or look like right now." She was twisting her fingers.
"Isabella, I understand, the hormones are making you happy and you feel like you can do it, but it's not true. The fe…" I stopped myself. "The situation that you are in right now is very complicated and dangerous. Carlisle doesn't think you'll survive this."
"But I can survive this, I feel like I can."
"What about Charlie and Renee? What would you tell them?"
"Oh please, do you really think they would care if I was gone? I nearly died today, and my dad left the hospital without even saying a few words of support, he just took a statement about the accident."
"I would care if you were gone. I just got to know you, just got you into my life, what about me? If you die…"
"I'm not going to die, will you shut up about it now? I can carry until term, give birth, and then Felix can change me. The venom will heal me!"
"Carlisle?" I asked.
"Isabella, do you see the heart monitors? A person your age should have a bp 120/80, yours has already climbed to 150/90. Those are the readings of an 80-year-old person. Your heart will not take it, even if you carry until term…Your heart will not survive labor, you will die on the table, the venom won't help you." Carlisle spoke. "You haven't been eating, the fetus is rejecting all the food. It's already stronger than you. When it starts kicking, it might break your bones or injure your internal organs. I'm sorry, but the best prognosis is you'll live another few days, maybe a week, at best, if you don't eat."
A few days…That's all she has left…Just a few damn days…I couldn't be in that room anymore, I had to get out of there. I knew it was impossible, but it felt like I was having migraines. I needed fresh air, a hunt maybe. Edward was following me, giving me some distance until I needed him. I took down a mountain lion but didn't stop. As soon as I drained it, I continued running.
It was twilight when I saw a clearing in the forest. The clearing looked so familiar and brought up memories from the time when Jasper, Alice, and I used to live in Montana. My first real house, to which I brought flowers from this exact clearing. The flowers were still buried underneath the snow, but I could see a stem picking out here and there. I came to a complete stop in the middle of it. That clearing was my safe space. That's where I went when Jasper and Alice needed time to be together. I spent hours under that oak tree reading, spent whole days taking in as much sunshine as I could.
I completely forgot about this place until now. I was so happy with Edward and my family; I didn't need to have a safe space anymore. Now though, it seemed as the universe only uncovered it for me when it knew I needed it. I sat on the frozen ground and put my ice-cold hands into the snow. Funny, but at this temperature, the snow was running through my hands just like the sand would. I've never noticed it before today.
"You can come closer," I spoke to Edward.
"So, you found my clearing." He smiled at me when he sat down.
"Your clearing? It's been mine since 1949, Mister."
"It's been mine since 1937, though. You lose, it's my clearing." He chuckled.
"How about it will be our meadow instead."
"You think you can put a fancy name on it and it will suddenly give you rights to my clearing?"
"Oh, shut up! I was trying to be romantic; you know how bad I am at that." I laughed.
"You are very bad, especially considering how many novels you've read."
"You know you say it every time I try to do something romantic?"
"You're hopeless."
We both laughed. Edward pulled my back towards him, and I laid on top of his chest for what felt like hours. The stars were appearing on the dark sky, not a cloud in sight, which was extremely rare for Forks.
"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked.
"Alice."
"Why?"
"I remember when Jasper and I found her grave at the asylum. I was devastated, spent so much time sobbing at her grave. I thought I lost her. I wasn't scared of pain or grief. What I really feared was time. That's the devil making us go on when we'd rather sprawl, so the present sprints by, impossible to grasp, and it is suddenly past, past that won't hold still…And I felt like my heart had been so thoroughly and irreparably broken that there could be no real joy again, that at best there might eventually be a little contentment. Jasper wanted to help me rejoin life, pick up the pieces and move on, and I tried to, I wanted to, but I just had to lie on her grave with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, sobbing, until I didn't have to anymore. I know Isabella is still alive, but if she refuses to get rid of the fetus, what else am I supposed to think? Carlisle gave her a few days. I don't know what I am supposed to feel." I blurted.
I looked back at Edward. He kissed my head and held me closer.
"The worst part is that I will have to live through. She will be gone, and I will only have these few months of memories with her. I want more than just a glimpse of her, I want to know her whole story, I want to see her grow into an amazing woman. Maybe marry someone, maybe have normal human babies who won't try to kill her."
"You want her to be happy," Edward spoke for me.
Isabella moved into our house the next morning. Carlisle got Charlie and Renee to believe he found a serious heart condition when doing Isabella's exam, and he recommended sending her to an institute of heart diseases somewhere in Europe. So, we had a few months before we would have to tell them she was dead. Emmett left as soon as Isabella got here to seek out Felix.
The conversation with Tanya didn't help anything. Amun; however, had some friends in Brazil that had legends about half-human, half-vampire babies. He shared them with Carlisle last night when Edward and I were on the meadow.
There were two cases of these kinds of babies being born somewhere near the Amazon. Both; however, resulted in the human mother dying. That and Rose's sudden aggression towards anyone who would want to hurt the fetus were not making the situation any better. Isabella and Rosalie were like conjoined twins now. Wherever one went, the other followed.
Carlisle was constantly measuring the growth of the fetus, Isabella's weight. But with each hour, she looked skinnier, at least to me. Edward didn't see the difference, but I knew it was there. By the end of the day, she lost two pounds.
There was a constant buzz of calmness around the house now, Jasper was trying to do everything he could, but even that wasn't helping. Alice didn't open her eyes for hours on end trying to see any glimpse of the future, but that was in vain too.
Emmett came back with another male two days later. I assumed it was Felix, just like I imagined him. Tall, muscular, it was strange to see Emmett standing next to that man. They were like brothers, except for the eyes, of course. Felix's were red.
I contained myself, not even a single threat came out of my mouth. All I wanted to do is give my little Isabella at least a little bit of happiness before I had to say goodbye to her. Once that was over, I had a right to rip off Felix's head, and I knew my family would be on my side.
Isabella looked a lot more round now, I would have guessed, 5-6 months in when in reality it was only two weeks. I could see her ribs now; she was that thin. It was harder for her to walk and breathe. We needed to figure out a way to feed her. Neither real food nor the feeding tube had any results.
"This little sucker will need you, Felix. He's going to need his dad." I overheard the conversation between Isabella and Felix
And then it clicked in my head. Sucker. The fetus was indeed a little sucker, bloodsucker to be exact.
"Carlisle?" I raised my voice. My father was next to me in a second.
"What?"
"We've been trying to get Isabella what she needs. Human food and her body is accepting it about as well as one of ours would. Perhaps we should address the needs of the fetus first. Maybe, if we can satisfy it, we'll be able to help her more effectively."
"I'm not following you, Bella," Carlisle said.
"Think about it! If that creature is more vampire than human, can't you guess what it craves, what it's not getting?"
"Oh," he said in a surprised tone. "You think it is…thirsty?"
"How many bags of O negative do you have in our fridge?" I asked.
Rosalie and Felix hissed. But none of them expressed any negative thoughts about my idea, maybe it's because there were no other ideas.
"Hmm…" Carlisle put his hand to his chin, lost in thought. "I wonder…And then, what would be the best way to administer…"
Rosalie shook her head. "We don't have time to be creative. I'd say we should just do it the traditional way."
I saw her move past me into the kitchen.
"Do you think it might actually work?" Felix asked.
"You have better ideas?" I asked. "Because please, I would like to hear them. Ever since you got here, you were nothing but unhelpful."
"We could try another method," Carlisle said quietly.
"No," Isabella whispered. "No, I'll try this first. We don't have time..."
Isabella reached out and took the cup from Rosalie's hands. Her hand shook a little, and I could hear the sloshing from inside. She tried to prop herself up on one elbow, but she could barely lift her head. A whisper of despair brushed down my spine as I saw how frail she'd gotten in less than a week.
Rose put her arm under Isabella's shoulders, supporting her head, too, as one did with a newborn. I felt jealous, it should be me supporting her, not Rosalie.
"Thanks," Isabella whispered and looked around at all of us. All eyes in the room were now on her which made her nervous. I bet she didn't enjoy being the center of attention now.
"Don't mind them," Rosalie murmured.
Her movements made me feel awkward. A human drinking another human's blood. Yuck!
"Sweetheart, we can find an easier way," Edward said, still holding his hand in mine.
"Plug your nose," Rosalie suggested. She glared at Edward and me like she was about to rip our heads off. I was frustrated with her behavior. Isabella was my family, and all that blondie was thinking about was the stupid fetus!
"No, that's not it. It's just that it - " Isabella sucked in a deep breath. "It smells good," she admitted in a tiny voice.
"That's a good thing," Rosalie told her eagerly. "That means we're on the right track. Give it a try."
Isabella shoved the straw between her lips, squeezed her eyes shut, and wrinkled her nose. I could hear the blood slopping around in the cup again as her hand shook. She sipped at it for a second, and then moaned quietly with her eyes still closed.
Edward and I stepped forward at the same time. I touched her face.
"Isabella, sweetie… "I started.
"I'm okay," she whispered. She opened her eyes and stared up at me. Her expression was... apologetic. Pleading. Scared. "It tastes good, too."
"That's good," Blondie repeated, still jazzed. "A good sign."
"Where's Felix?" She asked.
"He had to step outside, not all of us are okay with human blood being in the same room," I whispered. "I'll call him back when you're done, okay?"
"Okay."
The girl sighed and put her lips to the straw again. She took a real pull this time. The action wasn't as weak as everything else about her. Like some instinct was taking over. It reminded me of the hunt. None of us were able to do that since Isabella got here. Jasper had it tougher than everyone else.
"How's your stomach? Do you feel nauseated?" Carlisle asked.
Isabella shook her head. "No, I don't feel sick," she whispered.
Rosalie beamed. "Excellent."
"I did it," she said, sounding pleased. Her voice was clearer - rough, but not a whisper for the first time today.
I patted Isabella's forehead, and Rose and she exchanged a hopeful glance. There was no point in me being unhappy right now, anyone could see it - the cup full of human blood had made an immediate difference. Her color was returning - there was a tiny hint of pink in her waxy cheeks. Already she didn't seem to need Rosalie's support so much anymore. Her breathing was easier, and I would swear her heartbeat was stronger, more even. Everything accelerated.
That ghost of hope in both mine and Edward's eyes had turned into the real thing.
"Would you like more?" Rosalie pressed, while Isabella's shoulders slumped.
Edward flashed a glare at Rosalie before he spoke to Izzy. "You don't have to drink more right away."
"Yeah, I know. But... I want to" she admitted glumly.
Rosalie pulled her thin, sharp fingers through Isabella's lank hair. "You don't need to be embarrassed about that, Iz. Your body has cravings. We all understand that." Her tone was soothing.
Carlisle took the cup from her hand. "I'll be right back."
After Isabella finished the second cup, Carlisle was satisfied with her heart rate enough to let her sleep for now. I used this opportunity to go take a shower and change. I was civilized enough to let Felix know that the experiment was a success and he can now go back inside to be with her.
"Thank you." He spoke.
"I'm not doing it for you."
"I know, but she's very lucky she has you for family. I know you don't like me very much, frankly; I haven't liked myself very much since Izzy and I met, but I love her and it doesn't look like I can stay away from her."
"Okay." I was trying to get out of this conversation.
"I just wanted you to know that she's my priority, the only reason why I want to live and if this doesn't work, I won't fight you to keep myself alive."
"You have a deal," I spoke.
I ran into my room and turned on hot water. When I finished freshening up, I came back downstairs. Carlisle and Esme stood by the back windows, which were open to the river again. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were out of sight, but I heard them murmuring upstairs. Isabella was on the couch, with just one tube still hooked into her, and an IV hanging behind the back of the sofa. She was wrapped up like a burrito in a couple of thick quilts, so at least I knew she was warm. Rosalie was cross-legged on the ground by her head. Edward sat at the other end of the couch; Felix was holding Isabella's burrito'ed feet in his lap. Edward looked up when I came in and smiled at me - just a little twitch of his mouth - like something pleased him. Looking at him being so worried about Isabella made my stomach twist. He would have been a great dad if only I could give him a child.
Isabella didn't hear me. She only glanced up when he did, and then she smiled, too. With real energy, her whole face lit up. I couldn't remember the last time she'd looked so excited to see me, maybe a few weeks ago?
"Carlisle, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked.
"Of course."
My father stepped outside and looked at me.
"What's going on, Bella?" He whispered.
"She's been adding a centimeter every day, sometimes two. Her count is what now? 30? We might only have a few more days before the due date." I whispered back.
"Yes, four or five days, but I want to do a C-section before that, her heart will not make it if she goes into labor right now."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to go hunting before that happens. At least Jasper and you should go tonight, maybe take Esme and Emmett with you."
"Are you sure?"
"If anything goes wrong, Edward will be here, he might not have hands-on experience but at least he went to medical school before. You need to have your strengths if we are going to save both of them." I whispered.
"If you are alright with that."
"Yes, just do me a favor?" I asked.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Take Felix with you, I really dislike the guy and definitely don't trust him to be around Isabella while he's hungry," I whispered so quietly, just for my father to hear.
The plan was in action. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Felix were now gone for the hunt. Rose, Edward, and I were the only ones left in the house with Isabella. I was sitting on the couch right next to her. I was reading Shakespeare to the fetus, Isabella's idea. According to her, my vampire's voice was much nicer than her broken one.
And then Edward said, "Did you say something?" in a puzzled tone. Strange. Because I just finished reading, and because Edward's hearing was as good as mine, and he should have known that.
He was staring at Isabella and then switched his stare to me, and we both stared back.
"Is your shield down?" My husband asked me.
"No, it's still in my head," I answered confused.
"Did you say anything?" Edward asked Isabella.
"Me?" she spoke after a second. "I didn't say anything."
He moved onto his knees, leaning forward over her, his expression suddenly intense in a whole different way. His black eyes focused on her face.
"What's going on, Edward?" I asked terrified.
"Say something else," he whispered to Isabella.
"Like what? Edward, what's going on?"
"Okay, Bella, love, will you say something?" He asked.
His face changed, and he did something that made my mouth fall open with a pop. I heard a gasp behind me, and I knew that Rosalie was back, and just as flabbergasted as I was. Edward, very lightly, put both of his hands against Isabella's huge, round stomach.
'The f - " He swallowed. "It... the baby likes the sound of your voices."
There was one short beat of total silence. I could not move a muscle, even to blink. Then -
"Holy crap!" I shouted
"You can hear him!" Isabella winced.
Edward's hand moved to the top peak of her belly and gently rubbed the spot where it must have kicked her.
"Shh," he murmured. "You startled it... him."
My eyes got all wide and full of wonder. I patted the side of her stomach. "Sorry, fe…baby."
Edward was listening hard, his head tilted toward the bulge.
"What's it…he thinking now?" I demanded eagerly.
"It... he or she, is ..." He paused and looked up into my eyes before switching to Isabella. His eyes were filled with similar awe as mine, only his were more careful and grudging. "He's happy," Edward said in an incredulous voice.
Isabella's breath caught, she looked at me and I knew it was impossible not to see the fanatical gleam in my eyes. The adoration and the devotion. Big, fat tears overflowed her eyes and ran silently down her face and over her smiling lips.
"You understand it now?" She asked.
"I do, oh, Isabella, I do." I gave her a very careful hug.
As Edward and I stared at her, her face was not frightened or angry or burning or any of the other expressions she'd worn since she moved into the house. She was marveling with us.
"Of course, you're happy, pretty baby, of course, you are," I crooned, rubbing her stomach while the tears washed her cheeks.
"How could you not be, all safe and warm and loved? Your family loves you so much, little Earnie, of course, you're happy." Isabella spoke.
"What did you call him?" Edward asked curiously.
She blushed again. "I sort of named him. I didn't think you would want to know."
"Of course, we do." I took her hand in mine.
"I named him Earnest, after my grandfather."
"Do you have a backup plan?" Rosalie asked then, leaning over the back of the sofa with the same wondering, gloating look on her face that was on Isabella's. "What if he's a she?"
She wiped the back of her hand under her wet eyes. "I was thinking Isabella at first, after you." She told me.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, you've done so much for me. And after all that you've been through, you're still compassionate and kind. I would want her to be like that too. But I think it would be better for her middle name, no one in this family has liked the name Isabella yet, let's not test the fate again."
Everyone laughed.
"So, what's the first name then?"
"I don't know, you pick." She smiled at me.
"No, I can't." I chuckled.
"Of course, you can! It will be a boy I know it, so just pick a name."
"Abilene."
"So fast?" She asked.
"I had chosen this name when I was still a human, for my future daughter. Well, that never happened." I smiled at her.
"That's a beautiful name." I saw a few tears running down Isabella's face.
Now that Edward was able to make out the child's thoughts, it was apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities. He could understand us, to an extent. He became real, not a fetus anymore, a child. A little baby growing inside Isabella. And now when we heard his thoughts, I wasn't able to hate him. He was alive, he was thinking, he was happy. And I found myself happy, truly happy for the first time in a week.
In the next few hours, I noticed that the child seemed to be attempting to avoid rough movements, but it was difficult. He was becoming too big. It was madness to wait when he's clearly developed beyond what Carlisle had guessed.
"I think Carlisle should do a C-section as soon as he gets back tomorrow before we empty our blood bags supply." I smiled at Izzy.
"You think he will survive?"
"I think he is ready to be out." Edward smiled at her and then me.
"Okay. Do you think…I mean if it's alright…Can I walk?" Isabella asked. "My legs are so stiff."
"Are you sure?" Edward asked.
"Bella or Rose will catch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily, since I can't see them."
Rosalie came closer and I set Izzy carefully on her feet, keeping my hands right at her shoulders. Isabella stretched her arms out in front of her, wincing a little.
"That feels good," she sighed. "Ugh, but I'm huge. One more day, right?" she said and patted her stomach.
"Just one more day," I promised.
"All righty, then. Whoops - oh, no!"
The cup Bella had left on the sofa tumbled to one side, the dark red blood spilling out onto the pale fabric. Automatically, though two other hands beat her there, Izzy bent over, reaching out to catch it. There was the strangest, muffled ripping sound from the center of her body.
"Oh!" she gasped.
And then she went totally limp, slumping toward the floor. Rose and I caught her in the same instant before she could fall. Edward was here, too, hands out, the mess on the sofa forgotten.
"Izzy?" he asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features.
A half-second later, Isabella screamed.
It was not just a scream; it was a blood-curdling shriek of agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body twitched, arched in Rose's and my arms, and then she vomited a fountain of blood. Isabella's body, streaming with red, started to twitch, jerking around in my and Rose's arms like she was being electrocuted. All the while, her face was blank - unconscious. It was the wild thrashing from inside the center of her body that moved her. As she convulsed, sharp snaps and cracks kept time with the spasms.
All three of us were frozen for the shortest half-second, and then they broke. I whipped Isabella's body into my arms, and, shouting so fast it was hard to separate the individual words, Rose, Edward and I shot up the staircase to the second floor.
"Morphine!" Edward yelled at Rosalie.
The room I brought Isabella into looked like an emergency ward set up in the middle of our library. The lights were brilliant and white. Isabella was on a table under the glare, skin ghostly in the spotlight. Her body flopped, a fish on the sand. Rose pinned Isabella down, yanking and ripping her clothes out of the way, while Edward stabbed a syringe into her arm.
"What's happening, Edward? Talk to me!" I asked.
"He's suffocating!"
"The placenta must have detached!" Rose added.
Somewhere in this, Isabella came around. She responded to their words with a shriek that clawed at my eardrums.
"Get him out!" she screamed. "He can't breathe! Do it now!"
I saw the red spots pop out when her scream broke the blood vessels in her eyes.
"We will, sweetie. Hang on. Just look at me, I'm here." I stood right next to her, patting her face.
'The morphine," Edward growled.
"Now!" Another gush of blood choked off what she was shrieking. I held her head up, desperately trying to clear her mouth so that she could breathe again.
"We are doing everything we can. Try to stay calm. Everything will be alright." I kept repeating the words in hopes I myself will believe that.
In the bright light, Isabella's skin seemed more purple and blacker than it was white. Deep red was seeping beneath the skin over the huge, shuddering bulge of her stomach. Rose's hand came up with a scalpel.
"Let the morphine spread!" Edward shouted at her.
"There's no time," Rosalie hissed. "He's dying!"
Her hand came down on Isabella's stomach, and vivid red spouted out from where she pierced the skin. It was like a bucket being turned over; a faucet twisted to full. Izzy jerked but didn't scream. She was still choking.
And then Rosalie lost her focus. I saw the expression on her face shift, saw her lips pull back from her teeth and her black eyes glint with thirst.
"No, Rose!" Edward roared, but his hands were trapped, trying to prop Bella upright so she could breathe.
I launched myself at Rosalie, jumping across the table without hesitation. As I hit her stone body, my right palm smashed against her face, locking her jaw and blocking her airways. I used my grip on Rose's face to swing her body out so that I could land a solid kick in her gut. She flew into the door frame, buckling one side of it. When I threw her outside the door, I had to give it to blondie - she didn't put up an ounce of fight. She wanted me to win. She let me trash her like that, to save Isabella. Well, to save the baby.
"Bella, you got her out of here?" Edward shouted.
"Yes."
"Love, I need you!"
I wheeled back to the operating table, where Isabella was turning blue, her eyes wide and staring.
"CPR!" Edward shouted, fast and demanding.
"Yes!"
I judged his face swiftly, looking for any sign that he was going to react like Rosalie. There was nothing but single-minded ferocity.
"Get her breathing! I've got to get him out before - "
Another shattering crack inside her body, the loudest yet, so loud that we both froze in shock waiting for her answering shriek. Nothing. Her legs, which had been curled up in agony, now went limp, sprawling out unnaturally.
"Her spine," he choked in horror.
"Get him out of her!" I snarled, flinging the scalpel at him. "She won't feel anything now!"
And then I bent over her head. Her mouth looked clear, so I pressed mine to hers and blew a lungful of air into it. I felt her twitching body expand, so nothing was blocking her throat. Her lips tasted like blood, but that didn't seem to bother me.
I could hear her heart, thumping unevenly. Keep it going, I thought fiercely at her, blowing another gust of air into her body. Keep. Your heart. Beating.
I heard the soft, wet sound of the scalpel across her stomach. More blood dripped to the floor. The next sound jolted through me, unexpected, terrifying. Like metal being shredded apart. The sound brought back the war in the South so many years ago, the tearing sound of the newborns being ripped apart. I glanced over to see Edward's face pressed against the bulge. Vampire teeth - a surefire way to cut through vampire skin.
I shuddered as I blew more air into Bella. She coughed back at me, her eyes blinking, rolling blindly.
"You stay with me now, Isabella!" I yelled at her. "Do you hear me? Stay! You're not leaving me. Keep your heart beating!"
Her eyes wheeled, looking for me, or Edward, but seeing nothing. I stared into them anyway, keeping my gaze locked there.
And then her body was suddenly still under my hands, though her breathing picked up roughly and her heart continued to thud. I realized the stillness meant that it was over. The internal beating was over. It must be out of her.
She was.
Edward whispered, "Abilene."
So, Isabella had been wrong. It wasn't the boy she'd imagined. I didn't look away from her red-spotted eyes, but I felt her hands lift weakly.
"Can...," she croaked in a broken whisper. "Take her please."
I took the baby from Edward as she asked me and showed her to Isabella. Something warm touched my arm. That right there has caught my attention. I haven't felt such warmth in a while.
"Look, who is here," I told Isabella.
Izzy smiled, she blinked and then stared, finally seeing something. She moaned out a strange, weak croon.
"Abi...lene. So... beautiful."
I watched Isabella as her eyes rolled back into her head.
With a last dull beat, her heart faltered and went silent. I gave the baby to Edward. She missed maybe half of one beat, and then my hands were on her chest, doing compressions, I counted in my head, trying to keep the rhythm steady. One. Two. Three. Four.
Breaking away for a second, I blew another lungful of air into her. I was hyperaware of the sounds in the room. The unwilling glug-glug of her heart under my demanding hands, and another - a fluttering beat that was too fast, too light. Abilene had a heartbeat.
I forced more air down Isabella's throat.
"What are you waiting for?" I choked out breathlessly, pumping her heart again. One. Two. Three. Four.
"Take the baby," Edward said urgently.
"I can't!"
"Give her to me," a low voice chimed from the doorway.
Edward and I snarled at the same time.
One. Two. Three. Four.
"I've got it under control," Rosalie promised. "Give me the baby, Edward. I'll take care of her until you or Bella..."
I breathed for Izzy again while the exchange took place. The fluttering heartbeat faded away with distance.
"Move your hands, love."
I looked up from Isabella's white eyes, still pumping her heart for her. Edward had a syringe in his hand - all silver like it was made from steel.
"Carlisle's venom," he spoke as he pushed the plunger down.
I heard the jolt in her heart like he'd shocked her with paddles.
"Keep it moving," he ordered. His voice was ice, was dead. Fierce and unthinking. Like he was a machine.
It was harder to pump her blood now as if her blood was congealing there - thicker and slower. While I pushed the now-viscous blood through her arteries, I watched what he was doing.
It was brushing his mouth at her throat, at her wrists, into the crease at the inside of her arm. But I could hear the lush tearing of her skin as his teeth bit through, again and again, forcing venom into her system at as many points as possible. I saw his pale tongue sweep along the bleeding gashes, but before this could make me either sick or angry, I realized what he was doing. Where his tongue washed the venom over her skin, it sealed shut. Holding the poison and the blood inside her body. I've never seen anything like it!
I blew more air into her mouth, but there was nothing there. Just the lifeless rise of her chest in response. I kept pumping her heart, counting, while he worked manically over her, trying to put her back together.
I refused to believe she was dead; she just needed more venom in her system. I stopped CPR and followed Edward's example. All major arteries and vessels were taken over by our venom.
"She's not dead," I growled. "She's going to be fine."
I wasn't sure if I was talking to Edward or myself anymore.
Edward stopped me sometime later. I noticed the moon was giving its place to the sun already. She was gone. This was it, then. The ocean of pain. The other shore was so far away across the boiling water that I couldn't imagine it, much less see it.
I felt empty again, now that I'd lost my purpose. Saving Isabella had been my fight for so long now. Day and night that was everything I knew for a week. And she wouldn't be saved. She'd willingly sacrificed herself to give life to Abilene. It wasn't in vain.
I wanted to sprint away, to take the stairs ten at a time and race out the door, but my feet were not responding. I shuffled down the stairs like a dying old woman. I rested at the bottom step, gathering my strength to get into Rose's room.
Rosalie was on the clean end of the white sofa, her back to me, cooing and murmuring to the blanket-wrapped thing in her arms. She must have heard me pause because she turned around and stood up.
"Bella, I'm so sorry," Rose spoke sincerely.
"Can I…" I started.
"Of course." She passed Abilene to me.
I loved her instantly. Where was the love before? Where did I acquire it from? The way it is suddenly there, total and complete, as sudden as grief, but in reverse, is one of the wonders about being humane. I looked at her and felt a love so sharp it seemed my flesh laid open. I made a list of all the things I would do for her. Scald off my skin. Tear out my eyes. Walk my feet to bones, if only she would be happy and well.
"Welcome to the family, Abilene Isabella Swan," I whispered.
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