Chapter 14 A Diagnosis
Hi all! I have insomnia so I got this next chapter out quick. Hope you enjoy xxx
A week had passed and my relationship with Edward was strained to say the least. I couldn't help but feel unsettled about the Kate situation. I knew deep down I was just pushing him away because I was in over my head and insecure.
Alice and Esme respected my wishes and did not push me regarding my little situation. I wasn't ready to take a pregnancy test yet. Too much was happening. I was sicker than before. I spent the majority of the week in bed unable to keep much down.
I told Edward and his family it was just a bad stomach flu. Edward begged me to see a doctor but I denied any help. I was stubborn and told him it should resolve on its own. This was the longest we had not been physical. His eyes longed for me any time we looked at one another.
He wanted to fix what was wrong. He didn't realize I was what was wrong. I had brought so much disfunction to the Castle. I had affected everyone's safety and the guilt was literally eating away at me. I possibly was about to ruin Edward's life too. We both were not ready for a baby.
James had not revealed why he was here in Cordova. It was radio silence on the James front which made things even more worrisome. I considered reaching out to Kate but Edward and Alice convinced me it was a terrible idea.
I was constantly in fear of him breaking into the castle. My nightmares were more and more vivid. Each night I woke up distressed and convinced James had broken in. Alice begged me to talk to Edward about what was going on. I just told her I wasn't ready. Though she was not pleased, she respected my wishes.
"Bella you really do need to see a doctor." She sighed placing a rag on my forehead. I had thrown up a majority of my breakfast again. The nausea was overpowering. I sighed and knew she was right. I couldn't survive like this much longer.
Edward was due to travel for the day to another charity event. I agreed to let a doctor come evaluate me while he was gone. Alice hugged me tightly and thanked me.
"Bella I consider you one of my best friends, thank you for letting me help you." I smiled back at her. She was one of my best friends now too. I couldn't imagine my life without her. She ran off to make the arrangements as my stomach and I continued to battle one another.
I heard a soft knock at the door, it was Edward. He found his way over to me and sat next to me on the bed. I could barely look at him. What would he do if he found out I was pregnant? Surely we could not handle this bad of press. I felt so stupid. We were not safe and let ourselves get carried away. I could imagine the articles now. "A royal baby and a royal divorce" I shook my head at the thought and focused my eyes back on Edward.
"Bella, Alice said you agreed to let a doctor check you over. You don't look, good Love. I'm sorry I have to leave today. I'll be home fairly late. You'll be safe here. We have extra guards on staff the next few days while James is in town." He weakly smiled at me. I knew I had punished him enough regarding Kate. I grabbed his hand and swirled my fingers against his palm.
"I'm sorry Edward. I know I've been distant. I just have felt very overwhelmed by everything." his eyes seemed to light up and soften at my apology. He had been nothing but a gentleman and I had been pushing him away.
"You don't have to apologize. I understand it has been a lot for you lately. I hate seeing you so unwell. I hope your stomach bug passes soon." I weakly smiled at him. It may be a few more months before I was better if I was indeed pregnant. Some women get extreme morning sickness during the majority of their pregnancies. I prayed I was not pregnant but deep down I think I knew it was becoming more and more likely I was.
"Edward, can you promise me you will take Jake with you on your trip? James is still here in Cordova and we don't know what they have been planning." I bit my lip. I was worried for Edward, my dreams made me more and more paranoid about the safety of my family and friends.
"I promise I'll take Jake with me, love." He threw me a lopsided smile. I grabbed his cheek and kissed him lightly and hugged him tight before he left for his event.
"Bella I missed this." He sighed holding onto me a little longer. I had missed him too. If I hadn't just thrown up I would have deepened our connection.
"Me too Eddie." I smiled at him, I hadn't called him Eddie much since we had met. The memories of our origin flooded us both. It was a wild ride. We had grown so much in such a small amount of time.
"I l- I'll call you from the road" Edward quickly said. For a moment I almost felt as if he was about to say he loved me. My heart sped up but my brain immediately washed out that possibility.
The doctor came in shortly after Edward left. He looked over my body and was extremely concerned about my lack of nutrition. He hooked me up to an iv to get some fluids back into my body while he ran some tests.
I was nervous. Alice and Esme were by my side as we waited for the test results to come back. The iv made me feel so much better. I was able to eat a full meal without throwing it up.
I knew if I was pregnant I needed to take better care of myself. This baby didn't deserve bad treatment and neither did my body.
"What will I do if I'm pregnant? We aren't ready Alice." I softly sighed. I couldn't elaborate more with Esme being in the room. She still didn't know Edward and I's origin. She just believed we were not ready. If she knew the truth she would probably be disappointed in us both. We were both so irresponsible.
We heard a knock on the door and the doctor came in. He had some results. I decided to find out with Alice and Esme. I knew if I was pregnant I would need support.
"Bella, I have some good news and bad news. Which would you like first?" The doctor softly added.
"Bad news I guess first" I hesitated. I took a deep breath bracing myself for the news was coming.
"So you are a bit malnourished. You have something called hyperemesis gravidarum, or HG we usually shorten it to. With medication, it can usually be managed okay. You will need to up your electrolytes as well as eat smaller more nutrient and protein-dense meals more frequently." I sighed the air I was holding on to, I was just sick. It was treatable too with nutrition and medication.
"You should hopefully grow out of this by the time you reach your second trimester" Alice and I locked eyes on one another.
"Second trimester?" I whispered. Esme grabbed my hand as small tears formed in my eyes.
"Sorry yes, that is the good news you seem to have a very healthy and viable pregnancy. I estimate you are about 12 weeks along. You are very close to being out of the first trimester. Most women see an improvement by the first few weeks of the second trimester. With HG it is more difficult to know." He started going over vitamins and the dos and don'ts of my nutrition. I was zoned out at this point. I couldn't believe I was pregnant.
I placed my hand on my stomach as he brought in a portable ultrasound machine. He placed the gel on my stomach and pressed hard to my lower stomach. My eyes fluttered and glued themselves to the screen. A little alien appeared on the screen. Movement was happening, yet I felt nothing. It felt a little foreign.
Alice and Esme were both tearing up now. "Oh Bella, this is so beautiful." Esme cried.
We heard the little baby's heartbeat next and I knew there was no way I could back out of this new role. My heart swelled and tears filled my eyes as well. I was going to be a mother.
"Would you like to know the sex? The doctor asked" overwhelmed I shook my head no. I knew I needed more time before I knew more details of this little growing being inside of me. We set up a follow-up visit for a NIPT test that made sure the baby was in good health, it also tested for the gender if I wanted.
He suggested I try some ginger and some acupuncture if the medication didn't help my HG. Alice ordered a few things to be delivered today and had the chef create a new food plan for me. One that would help my baby grow.
My baby. I still couldn't believe I was going to be a mother. Life seemed to have chosen this new path for me. Though a lot was unknown, I stroked my belly and thought of the new possibilities headed my way.
Esme went off to grab some more items to help with my comfort. I was relieved to be alone with Alice, she knew the real gravity of the new situation I found myself in. Things were so complicated. I was only supposed to be married to Edward for a few more months before we planned our separation. I couldn't help but feel guilty knowing I would be forever changing his life with this news. A baby would be in our lives for the next 18 years.
"Oh Bella, I know you must feel so overwhelmed. I had a feeling for a while that something was different with you. How are you feeling?" Alice bit her lip again. She clearly was empathetic to my unique situation.
"Overwhelmed, to say the least. How will I tell Edward?" I sighed. This was not part of any of our plans.
"Bella he will find out soon. There's only so much time before he notices a change. She glanced at my stomach there was a very small bump forming. It mostly looked like bloat to the untrained eye.
"Alice you know this was only supposed to be temporary. I'm supposed to leave soon. This throws a wrench in all of our plans. I would be locking Edward into something for life." I whispered. I knew I couldn't abort this baby. I knew he or she was a part of me now.
"Bella I think Edward deserves to know what's going on. His response could surprise you. You two are good together. Maybe this doesn't have to be temporary." She squealed. She was ecstatic about the baby. The joy was evident on her face.
I quickly shook my head. I wasn't ready to tell him just yet. I needed a few more days to process everything. She agreed to keep this all under wraps for as long as I needed.
"Bella I'm going to be an aunt!" She chirped as she skipped out of the room. I laughed at her and let some of my worries fade.
I held my hand to my stomach again. Unsure of everything going on in my life. All I knew was this little being had changed everything. I let myself cry a few happy tears as I looked at the ultrasound photo again. I tucked the photo away in my purse, to make sure Edward and others would not find it.
With the new iv and medication coursing through my system I was able to get some rest in. I felt much better though the HG was still a little uncomfortable.
I opened my phone and roamed Instagram distracting myself from the idea of how I would tell Edward the news he was going to be a father.
Something strange popped up on my feed. There had been a shooting a few towns over.
Alice came running in crying. Confused I looked at the post more thoroughly. There was a shooting at the charity event Edward had attended. My heart sank.
"Oh my god, Alice is he okay?" I cried. She shook her head and wept back in response.
"We don't know Bella" she was sobbing now. She gripped onto me as we held one another. Our worry for both Edward and Jake had overtaken us both.
I knew deep down that James had to be responsible. We both could not settle as we awaited more news. The whole family was distraught. I silently placed my hand on my stomach again and prayed Edward was okay. I realized I didn't want to do this alone.
I had extremely bad morning sickness in my pregnancy so I don't not envy Bella!
Is Edward okay?
Did you predict that she was pregnant or were you shocked?
Let me know if you have any ideas where this should head or any feedback xxx
