44. Contingency Plans

The babe was developing at an alarmingly rapid rate. Everything about Bella's pregnancy had been accelerated, and watching his senses become more acute by the minute was both fascinating and terrifying. Carlisle's estimates of four days were much too generous. He needed to return soon! It was time for our child to be born, but that required a surgery - which couldn't happen without the doctor!

Careful to disturb neither the sleeping girl nor the child within her, I slid off the bed, opened my bedroom door, and softly called, "Rosalie."

She'd heard the door open and was hastening down the hall before I had finished speaking her name.

"I need to phone Carlisle. Will you stay with Bella, please?"

Rose gave me a strange smile, but nodded and made to stride past me without speaking. She seemed to be trying not to think of it, since I would of course see it, but she couldn't help comparing the way I'd spoken to her over the past two weeks with the way I'd spoken just now.

Though it wasn't her intention, I felt slightly ashamed of my behavior and the way I had treated her, no matter how justified I had believed myself to be at the time.

"Rose." When she looked over her shoulder at me, I held her eyes and said, "Thank you."

Before she could respond, I was already downstairs and dialing the number for the hospital. Someday, somehow, I was going to have to find a way to repay her. It wasn't going to be easy; the debt I owed her was incalculable. Because of Rosalie, Bella was going to have my child.

Pigheaded, I'd called my sister. As though I wasn't the stubborn fool in the family. If it weren't for her tenacity, I wouldn't now be planning for the birth of my very own son - or daughter. Bella admitted she didn't know for certain. I didn't care either way. I was going to be a father, to have a child I would get to watch grow and live, when such a thing should have been impossible. If I wasn't the luckiest creature on the planet, then I didn't know who was!

"Carlisle," I breathed in relief when he answered. It had taken five different nurses to track him down. I should have guessed he would be with the blood bank and tried there first. Jasper had told me he was trying to secure more units!

"What happened?" His voice was full of alarm, but I hastened to reassure him.

"Nothing bad. Nothing's wrong. Quite the opposite."

"Jasper and Alice returned?"

"Oh. Yes. They got back some time ago."

"Then what is it? If nothing is wrong, I would love to hear something good. I could use it right now." He said the last words in a weary sigh under his breath. I guessed he was having more trouble obtaining what he believed Bella to need than Jasper had known.

My free hand gripped my hair as I repeated my father's name and then simply stood there holding the phone to my ear. He waited patiently while I tried to find a way to tell him what I'd seen and heard, but as my silence stretched, he intervened.

"Is it Bella? Has something happened to her?"

"Bella is... fine." I blew out a huge gust of air and laughed. "No. Bella's not fine. She's incredible. Carlisle, she's right! The child, the babe she's carrying, it's good."

"Wh-"

The words began to tumble out of my mouth. "I heard him! Or, well, Jasper thinks it's a girl, but I heard the baby, Carlisle! As clearly as I've ever heard you. He's sentient, intelligent, curious. He likes when I hum and - "

"He what?"

" - the sound of Bella's voice and the way her hands look, which he likes hers more than mine, but he likes mine too, and the sound of Rose's laugh - "

"Wait - "

" - and he didn't realize he was hurting Bella before, but he seems to know it now - "

"Edward, slow down."

" - but he can't help it because he's too big and growing too fast. We need to deliver him as soon as possible, so don't worry about getting more blood. Just come home now!"

"Son," he said when I paused expectantly. "Back up a moment. When did this happen?"

"Almost immediately after you left."

"And what, exactly, did you hear?"

I was puzzled by the sound of his voice. It was wary, cautious. Hadn't I told him the child was good? "He repeated the words he heard us saying."

"He spoke to you?"

"No. It was more... parroting. He liked our noises is all. The sounds we make are pleasing to him."

"And you think that makes him intelligent?"

"Well... It wasn't just that. He reacts to us. He's curious. He is learning already, Carlisle! Not even a month old, and he's capable of reason. Yes, he's intelligent."

"That is reassuring to know." His voice was strange again, almost as though he meant the opposite.

Intelligence alone did not equate to goodness, or why else were the villains in pictures so often termed evil geniuses? I made my words slow to emphasize my conviction that our child was good. "And when he came to understand that he was hurting Bella, he began trying not to. He loves her, Carlisle. Jasper felt it, too. He'll be a Cullen. He is a Cullen."

He hummed softly. I didn't think I'd convinced him, but he seemed less skeptical. "If it is being careful, Bella is in less danger. Why the insistence that I return home without obtaining the supplies for which I came to town?"

"So you can deliver him!"

He made an inarticulate noise. "Now?"

"The sooner the better."

"The fetus - "

"Baby."

He paused for a beat. "Yes. It is less than one month old."

"I'm well aware of that."

How I hated telephones! I wanted to be able to see into his mind, to understand why he hesitated.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I tried to keep my emotions out of my voice and said, "How old he is doesn't mean anything. You've noted how rapidly he's been growing. A human at his stage of development would be in no danger if delivered, even if it would be considered a few weeks early. If you leave now, EJ can be born as soon as you get back, and he'll be perfectly fine. And so will Bella!"

"And what do she and Rosalie think about this plan?"

"They agree." He didn't answer, and I groaned into his silence. "What? Why do you hesitate?"

"Son..." He started to speak several times, but stopped before he got another word out.

Rarely had I heard him falter for words in this way and wondered if his reticence now was only because he didn't want to say whatever it was that troubled him for fear of my reaction. Considering the way I'd been behaving these past two weeks, I supposed that was understandable, but with all that I had to look forward to once this was over, I doubted there was anything he could say that would bother me.

My voice was easily calm and steady when I spoke. "Go ahead, Carlisle. Whatever it is, say it."

"It merely concerns me that, immediately upon learning of her pregnancy, Bella changed dramatically. Now you - and apparently Jasper? - have made a similar turnabout."

"If you could have heard what I did - "

"But that is what concerns me. You have had direct contact with the fetus - "

"Baby."

" - and it has instantly influenced you in an extreme way. I am forced to question whether your determination that Bella's child is good is truly your own, or due to the influence of the child itself."

Taken aback, I didn't answer right away. I knew I wasn't being influenced, but the more I tried to protest that fact, the more I would convince him otherwise.

"You asked me once to prove to you that I love Bella."

"So I did."

"Come home. Allow my son the chance to do the same."

The sound of his light breaths came to a halt. I smiled to myself, certain I knew what his answer would be.

"My son... Edward... Bella is in no immediate danger. It will do neither of them harm to wait another day - "

"Another day! But - "

"But! If I were to come home now, we run the risk of delivering the child only to have nothing to feed him."

"Well, it doesn't have to be O negative once he's born, does it? Get some that's more readily available. A, or O pos, or - "

"It is not that simple, son. There is paperwork involved, and I must be able to account for all that we have used. Switching would draw attention."

Muttering under my breath about the humans' bureaucracy, I began to pace and run my fingers through my hair. His chuckle stopped me in my tracks, and I demanded, "What?"

"You remind me of every other expectant father I have ever met. Pacing and badgering the doctor."

I wasn't particularly in the mood to be teased, but I liked his words too much to take offense. "Well, Doctor Cullen, what's your plan, then? Hmm?"

"I am waiting on a call from the Red Cross. This is leaving a paper-trail that will be a mess to clean up later, but I have already taken steps to obtain a large enough supply to keep - " He stopped suddenly, and when he spoke again, his voice lost the detached doctor façade he'd taken on. "Did I hear you name him?"

"Bella did. She wants to name our son EJ, after me and Jacob."

At the sound of his hearty laugh, I grinned at Jasper and Alice through the window, positive that I had my father convinced this time. When he was able to speak again, he said. "Well, that certainly sounds like Bella."

Rocking onto the balls of my feet while Jasper laughed at me, I had to caution myself not to crush the phone in my excitement. "Does that mean you're coming home now?"

A sharp tapping came through the phone, as though he were drumming his fingers on a surface. Finally he sighed. "No. If the child is good as you say - "

"He is."

" - then that is even more reason why we will need as much blood as I can obtain. Assuming your goal now is to keep him alive once he is born."

I had to admit that made sense. "How much are you trying to get?"

"At least enough for the next two weeks."

"We don't need that much right this moment, do we?"

"I believe we should get as much as we can while we can. We may not be able to do this a second time, and there is no way to know when Bella or the babe will be fit for travel."

My frustration vanished instantly. "Oh. Right." The last thing we needed was for my newborn Bella or our son to snack on a gas station attendant. Back when it had been Emmett, there had not been cameras monitoring the customers and their vehicles.

"My contact at the Red Cross is trying to organize it so that we can retrieve what I have ordered ourselves without needing to wait on human delivery drivers. Emmett and Esme are already on their way to the largest hubs near Vancouver and Portland. As soon as I get the call to verify where else we can go, I will leave, too. We will be well supplied for his first days."

"Vancouver. Portland. You're already talking of running for hours!"

"I know, but we have used all the emergency units here, and cannot tax Seattle for any more. We have to spread out to the greater network."

Grunting in understanding, I muttered, "I suppose it's still faster than waiting on humans to drive."

"Indubitably. We will be home by noon tomorrow at the latest. And then, I promise, if it is still what you, Rosalie, and Bella wish, I will perform the cesarean as soon as we are back."

"Fair enough."

After I hung up with him, I returned upstairs. Rose had heard my half of the conversation with Carlisle, and I quickly explained his reasoning. She approved wholeheartedly of his desire to secure as much blood for the baby as possible. Naturally, she would be behind any plan that would benefit him.

Not more than a few hours ago, I would have resented her for that.

Jasper was trying to avoid thinking of all the blood that was going to be delivered to our house by concentrating on the polar bears he and Emmett would be stalking soon. Despite having just fed, my newest brother was struggling. Not only was there a human living in his home, but there were already bags of human blood here which he could feast on without directly harming the girl I loved.

...just order a pizza and the blood would deliver itself...

He and Alice remained on the front porch, only now they stood with their arms wrapped around each other. Her head was aching again, but he soaked in the positive emotions Rose and I were brimming with, amplified them, and projected them directly to her. As happiness filled his usually cheerful wife once again, it didn't make her pain go away, but it made it easier to bear, and he sighed with relief along with her.

A thick blanket covered Bella that hadn't been there when I'd left. Keeping my voice low, I asked, "She got cold again?"

Rosalie nodded. An image flashed through her mind of Bella shivering in her sleep, and then one of Rose spreading the blanket over her. I mouthed my thanks. As much as I wanted to return to my position snuggled against Bella's back, I was loath to disturb her, especially if she was already cold. Rose made no move to leave, and I wasn't about to ask her to do so after all she had done. We positioned ourselves so that we could see Bella and each other - with Rose leaning against one of the bed posts and I against the wall - and waited.

This time, when images of small children formed in Rose's mind, I had to fight not to laugh aloud. My hand clamped tight over my mouth as her eyes danced mischievously. Instead of strapping boys with mops of black, curly hair, the images she formed were similar to those I'd had on the island. Red headed boys and brunette girls paraded through her thoughts.

Rose's lips twitched as she imagined Bella and myself standing outside of a school bus stop, each clasping one of our child's hands - whose features and gender kept morphing as Rose's mind changed. A giggle escaped my sister as she then imagined Bella and I climbing aboard a bus of our own, heading to high school.

Smiling, I shrugged and looked intentionally unconcerned. The thought of once more attending high school, only this time with Bella as my wife, did not cause me the same feelings of frustrated stagnation which endless repeats of freshman English used to engender. I had enjoyed Mike's dejection when Bella had turned him down, as well as Eric's awkward bumbling, not to mention crushing Tyler's delusions of taking Bella to the prom.

That had been my privilege. And would be again, and again, and again.

This next time around, with none of the uncertainty, temptations, or dangers that had plagued us the first time, I might actually enjoy high school. And I would definitely enjoy watching Bella turn down those hopeless boys so that she could say yes to me.

Rose was teasing me with more images of our futures when an angry voice entered my thoughts. Jacob was back.

My fury at Leah returned as her thoughts, too, found their way into my mind. She and Seth followed Jacob as he swerved down the long driveway toward our house.

"I'll be right back," I whispered. "Jacob is here."

The amusement vanished from my sister's face instantly. ...stinking, interfering mutts...

As I headed outside to wait, I doubted that Leah would leave the shelter of the forest to confront me a second time, but I didn't want to take the chance that I might be tempted to tell her off if I were to see her again and made for the garage, where I assumed he'd be returning my car.

The car entered slowly. Jacob wore a sour look. Apparently my happiness only emphasized the pain he knew awaited him here. For his sake, I tried to contain it, but I wasn't going to fake a misery I no longer shared.

Casting a critical eye over the Vanquish as he pulled it back into place, I was pleased to see that it seemed to have taken no damage, either during its stay in the airport garage or during Jacob's drive. Judging by his memories, he'd barely pushed the car at all! I may as well have given him Bella's old Chevy for all the speed he'd coaxed out of her.

Then again, images of him driving my favorite car off a cliff flashed through his mind when he seemed to regret the missed opportunity, so perhaps it was better that he'd been too distracted with his misery to pay attention to anything more than moving forward.

Or, running away.

But he'd come back of course. Pulled to the last place he wanted to be by the undeniable bond between him and my Bella. Well, I only had to put up with that for another day at most. Surely, as usual, Bella was correct in her belief that once she was a vampire, Jacob would want nothing more to do with her. Their bond would be broken, but ours would be stronger. If such a thing was even possible. I couldn't imagine loving Bella more than I did already.

And for her, I would put up with the werewolf she said she loved like a brother.

Hmm. A brother. That, I supposed, I could accept. Before Rosalie, I'd been an only child, just like Bella. Although my adopted sister and I didn't always get along, that didn't mean we loved each other any less.

Rosalie and I had never kissed, nor held any desire to do so. The one Jacob and Bella had shared had not exactly been sisterly, no matter that she protested her feelings for him were platonic. She never had been a very good liar, even to herself, but if it made her feel better to think of Jacob as a brother rather than a love lost, I wouldn't challenge her assertion.

However, while I might admire Jacob's courage and would forever be indebted to him for all that he had done for Bella, Leah was another matter. If Jacob could have heard what Leah had said to Bella and seen her reaction as the wolf girl made her accusations, he surely would have stopped her. Since he hadn't been there this time, I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a next time.

His mental tone hadn't improved from the drive. Before he could start in with one of the cutting comments flittering through his mind, I said, "A few things, Jacob."

As though to prepare himself for an ordeal, he took a deep breath and got out of my car with exaggerated slowness. He tossed the keys to me and grumbled, "Thanks for the loan. What do you want now?"

"Firstly... I know how averse you are to using your authority with your pack, but..."

"What?" He blinked, and his eyes widened. ...dream of even starting in on this one!

I didn't blame him for being displeased. If it were my family risking their lives to save his pack, and he'd dared to criticize them, he'd better have a damn good reason! Unfortunately, I did.

"If you can't or won't control Leah, then I - "

"Leah?" The muscles stood out on his arms as his hands balled into fists. "What happened?"

"She came up to see why you'd left so abruptly. I tried to explain. I suppose it might not have come out right."

"What did she do?"

"She phased to her human form and - "

"Really?" Jacob's jaw dropped. Leah may have agreed to protect us as part of the price she had to pay to escape from Sam's pack, but we were still her enemies as far as the wolf girl was concerned. Her wolf form wasn't invulnerable, but it was far better suited for a confrontation with a coven of vampires than her human form was, though not as suitable for berating them.

"She wanted to..." I tried to find a mild enough term that would still get across how her words had hurt Bella, but finally said, "...speak to Bella."

"To Bella?"

"I won't let Bella be upset like that again. I don't care how justified Leah thinks she is! I didn't hurt her - of course I wouldn't - but I'll throw her out of the house if it happens again. I'll launch her right across the river - "

"Hold on. What did she say?"

Yelling at my sister may have been wrong, but I had only been trying to protect the woman I loved. Leah had had no business speaking to my Bella in such a way! Jacob was staring at me in confusion, and I realized I was clenching my hands in front of myself as though I already had the wolf girl in my grasp. I forced myself to lower my hands and relax their tight fists.

"Leah was unnecessarily harsh. I'm not going to pretend that I understand why Bella is unable to let go of you, but I do know that she does not behave this way to hurt you. She suffers a great deal over the pain she's inflicting on you, and on me, by asking you to stay. What Leah said was uncalled for. Bella's been crying - "

He held out a hand. "Wait - Leah was yelling at Bella about me?"

"You were quite vehemently championed."

Mouth gaping open, be blinked in astonishment, but seemed impressed, rather than angry. I would have thought, given his relationship with Bella and the mutual antagonism between him and Leah, that it would be Bella's side he would take, not Leah's, and pressed my lips hard together to avoid saying something I might later regret.

"I didn't ask her to do that."

"I know."

...course he does... thinks he knows everything.

Nearly laughing at how similar to Rosalie he sounded, I resisted the urge. He needed to take Leah's actions as seriously as I did, and my amusement wouldn't promote that.

...really something... woulda believed it? Leah walking into the bloodsuckers' place human to complain about how I was being treated...

Breathing heavily through my nose, I waited impatiently for him to finish being impressed with Leah's supposed bravery and see the point.

Eventually, he said, "I can't promise to control Leah. I won't do that. But I'll talk to her, okay? And I don't think there'll be a repeat. Leah's not one to hold back, so she probably got it all off her chest today."

"I would say so."

"Anyway, I'll talk to Bella about it, too. She doesn't need to feel bad. This one's on me."

At least he acknowledged that much. "I already told her that."

"Of course you did." He matched my sour tone, but then his expression showed his concern for Bella, at last. "Is she okay?"

"She's sleeping now. Rose is with her."

...the psycho is "Rose" now... completely crossed over to the dark side...

Trying to ignore him, I kept my tone even. "She's... better in some ways. Aside from Leah's tirade and the resulting guilt."

...better... 'cause Edward's hearing the little monster and everyone's all lovey-dovey. Fantastic.

"It's a bit more than that. Now that I can make out the child's thoughts, it's apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities. He can understand us, to an extent."

Eyes wide and mouth gaping open, Jacob gasped out, "Are you serious?"

"Yes." It was just like convincing Carlisle all over again, only my father didn't instinctively loathe everything about me. "He seems to have a vague sense of what hurts her now. He's trying to avoid that, as much as possible. He... loves her. Already."

...what changed him... monster has him convinced of this love. ...can't hate what loves her. ...prob'ly why he can't hate me. ...difference is, I'm not killing her!

Jacob had a point. EJ loved Bella, and she loved him. Of course I couldn't hate him. But it wasn't his thoughts that had convinced me as much as his actions. Love was a verb, something one did, and showed, and felt. People could say it all the time, but it was in their actions that the truth was revealed, and his actions showed me that our child loved his mother.

But it was so much more than just loving her here and now.

In loving her, he would want her approval, would seek her guidance and follow her counsel. He wouldn't wish to kill humans for the sole reason that she wouldn't want it. At least, at first. Once he got older, we would be able to teach him why, but that was the point. He would grow, and learn, just like any child.

We would teach him right from wrong, just as our parents had taught us. As Carlisle had always tried to teach me. I wouldn't fail my son like I had my father, though. Upon his return, I would see to it that our child was safely born, and then see to it that his mother survived.

"The progress, I believe, is more than we'd judged. When Carlisle returns - "

"They're not back?" In his mind flashed an image of the sentinels he'd seen by the road on his drive.

"Alice and Jasper are. Carlisle sent all the blood he was able to acquire, but it wasn't as much as he was hoping for - Bella will use up this supply in another day the way her appetite has grown. Carlisle stayed to try another source. I don't think that's necessary now, but he wants to be covered for any eventuality."

His eyes narrowed, suspiciously. "Why isn't it necessary? If she needs more?"

As far as he was concerned, changing Bella into a vampire was tantamount to murder. I wasn't sure how he would take the knowledge that I planned to do so within a matter of hours. Enunciating carefully, I said, "I'm trying to persuade Carlisle to deliver the baby as soon as he is back."

"What?"

My words were rushed now, as I hastened to explain, "The child seems to be attempting to avoid rough movements, but it's difficult. He's become too big. It's madness to wait, when he's clearly developed beyond what Carlisle had guessed. Bella's too fragile to delay."

The breath escaped him as though I'd punched him in the stomach. His face twisted with a grief I understood far too well. My face as it had been over the past few days, clenched in a pain far worse than his own, flashed through his thoughts. Somehow, my pain had eased his; knowing that I suffered for what I had done had made his own suffering less.

That grief was no longer necessary. Rather, I felt a hope akin to nothing I had known before. I could have it all: my family, my love, and our child. As usual where Bella was concerned, it was Jacob whose help was needed.

The four days Bella had assured him of this morning were gone. Now, as far as he knew, he might not have four hours. What did that matter, though? In the long run, he would still have chosen to see her as his enemy. He would see in her a mockery of the girl he loved, cast in stone and given a semblance of life.

Carlisle believed otherwise. Bella believed otherwise. Wasn't she always right?

Vampire or human, she would always be my Bella. She would prove the wolves wrong, as she had me, time and again. But for Jacob's presence, I would have grinned with delight. He must have seen something of it in my face, though.

"You think she's going to make it." It was almost an accusation.

"Yes. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about." I waited for him to prompt me or give any indication he cared, but he simply stared at me in silence.

"Yes," I repeated when he didn't speak. "Waiting, as we have been, for the child to be ready, that was insanely dangerous. At any moment it could have been too late. But if we're proactive about this, if we act quickly, I see no reason why it should not go well. Knowing the child's mind is unbelievably helpful. Thankfully, Bella and Rose agree with me. Now that I've convinced them it's safe for the child if we proceed, there's nothing to keep this from working."

"When will Carlisle be back?"

"By noon tomorrow."

His shoulders slumped, and he staggered slightly, gripping onto my car for support. If he'd have been a vampire, he'd have left a handprint at the least, and I nearly expected to see one as it was. Werewolves were strong in their human forms, too.

I reached out a hand to him, but dropped it. It was more likely that I would lose the hand rather than comfort him if I were to touch him, regardless of my intent.

If I couldn't use my hands, my voice would have to do. "I'm sorry. I am truly sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you. I think of you as a... a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize."

His teeth gritted together as I spoke. I supposed he wasn't appreciating my words any more than he would have my touch, but I was nearly done, and had to finish what I'd started.

Growling, my fists clenched in my determination to make my words real, I said, "But Bella is going to survive, and I know that's what really matters to you. So I hate to do this now, while you're already dealing with too much, but, clearly, there is little time. I have to ask you for something - to beg, if I must."

"I don't have anything left," he managed to say.

"I know how much you have given. But this is something you do have, and only you. I'm asking this of the true Alpha, Jacob. I'm asking this of Ephraim's heir. I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life."

He shook his head, but it seemed more like he was dazed than saying no.

Relentlessly, I insisted, "You know I'll do it anyway, but I don't want to break faith with you if there is any way to avoid it. We never intended to go back on our word, and we don't do it lightly now. I want your understanding, Jacob, because you know exactly why we do this. I want the alliance between our families to survive when this is over."

Sam. It's Sam you want.

"No. Sam's authority is assumed. It belongs to you. You'll never take it from him, but no one can rightfully agree to what I'm asking except for you."

It's not my decision.

"It is, Jacob, and you know it. Your word on this will condemn us or absolve us. Only you can give this to me."

I can't think. I don't know.

"We don't have much time." I looked back toward my home, to the beautiful mansion where my love slept with my child in her womb.

No. There is no time. My days just became hours. I don't know. Let me think. Just give me a minute here, okay?

"Yes."

He turned without speaking, and I followed, attempting not to laugh at the direction of his thoughts. I supposed I could understand; few of my kind would feel at ease strolling beside a werewolf.

No matter how they smelled.