Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Stephenie Meyer owns it all. I am merely having fun with her characters.

Author's Note: HUGE shout out & thank you to my beta dolphin62598 for getting these chapters back to me so quickly! And another big thanks to my pre-reader teacher1209 for reading over these and giving me her thoughts! Another BIG shout out and thank you to LunaEclipse17 for creating the kick ass banner for this story! You can check it out on my Facebook page. I also have other pics posted for this story in an album called A Lie Upon Your Lips on my Facebook page. Song Inspiration for this chapter: Everybody Knows by Sigrid

Chapter 16

EPOV

Everybody Knows

By the time I finally made it to the hotel I was both mentally and physically exhausted. I ordered a pizza to the room, which I barely ate and sat in silence the whole time…thinking.

After a few hours of sitting there, not able to make sense of anything my life had become, I decided to try to at least get some sleep.

Sleep evaded me completely. All I could do was toss and turn in the bed. I could not shut my brain off no matter how hard I tried. Everything was running through my mind.

How do I fix things with Bella?

Should I go back to Forks tomorrow? Or do I stay until Bella talks to me? I had nothing with me so that might be harder to do. But I could always buy more stuff.

Were Renee and my mom, right? Do I just give Bella space and some time and then try to talk to her again?

Ugh! I called room service, thank goodness I caught them right before they closed for the night. I requested a cup of warm milk to see if it would help me sleep. My mother swore by it when I had trouble sleeping as a child and it always seemed to help.

After drinking the warm milk, I seemed to feel a little more relaxed so I tried laying down again. Sleep still didn't come so easily at first but I made the decision before I finally drifted off that whatever my first thought was when I woke up in the morning was, that would be my decision of what to do.

When I woke up early the next morning, the very first thing on my mind was Bella. I needed to fight for her even though she sent me away. The question was do I stay here now and keep pushing? Or did I give her the space like I was advised by both our mothers?

I decided since Renee and my mom had been around longer than Bella and I, that they were much wiser than us in these matters. I was going to get back to the airport and catch that flight and go home to Forks to strategize with my parents. I felt good about that decision and that it would be the best course of action to win Bella back.

I grabbed a shower before I left the room and made my way down to check out of the hotel. As I walked to the front desk, something kept making me walk slower, some feeling in my gut. Something telling me, don't go.

That was just my mind playing tricks on me. It had to be. I shook those thoughts off quickly and checked out of the hotel and stepped outside to wait for the ride to the airport I had ordered.

On the way to the airport, my phone started ringing. I looked down to see who it was, and the area code was for a Forks number but not one that I recognized.

"Hello?"

"Edward?" The voice said frantically.

"Yes, this is Edward. Who is this?"

"It's Leah."

Why would Leah be calling me? Trying to threaten me away from trying to win over her sister? I'm sure she knew everything about me and what happened between Bella and me. I knew that Bella told Leah everything ever since they had become sisters.

I was going to stay strong and I would not let Leah talk me out of anything. I had a half a mind to hang up on her all together, but something told me to hear her out.

"Okay, what can I do for you Leah?"

"You need to get to Phoenix Memorial like twenty minutes ago!"

"Why? What is going on?"

"Bella's in labor. You need to go, and you need to go NOW!"

Bella was in labor!? Already? I was frozen in shock and before I could respond, Leah continued.

"Charlie and I are stuck waiting for a flight out. You need to get there. Just stop whatever you are doing and GO! I know you're in Phoenix Edward. Renee told me she met you. She called me to ask me what I knew about you after she left Bella's apartment yesterday. Well, and then this happened early this morning."

"I'm happy Bella's in labor, Leah. I'm very excited for you guys. But I don't think she will want to see me. And I don't want to upset her during this time. She needs to focus on labor."

"Listen to me, just please go to the hospital right now."

I guess if Leah felt this strongly, I should go to Bella, perhaps I should. If Charlie and Leah were stuck in Forks and Paul was in Alaska, I would do what I could to help the family and show Bella I will always be there for her no matter what.

"Okay, I'll tell my ride to head that way. But Leah, do you guys need me to contact Paul for you? I doubt he will make it on time since he's in Alaska, but he could be here as soon as possible to meet his children. I could call him for you guys. I don't mind."

I would show them all I could take the high road.

I heard Leah chuckle. "Jesus, Edward. It's a really good thing you are so damn cute, because you really are stupid. How you made it to be a doctor is beyond me."

Excuse me?

"YOU are their father Edward."

The phone fell from my hands as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Me? Mine? I was the father? But Bella said…everyone said…Jesus, everything made sense now. Everything came rushing into my mind and all the unexplainable feelings I had been pushing aside…I knew all along if I had really thought about it.

Everyone telling me things weren't as they seem.

Bella didn't meet Paul until that day in the hospital, how could he have possibly been the father?

The looks I was getting from Emmett and Jasper yesterday.

I felt as if I had been hit by a ton of bricks as all the realizations struck me.

I could hear Leah's voice still coming from my phone.

"Did you hear me, Edward? Hello are you there? You are the father, Edward!"

I reached down and grabbed my phone back. I had to snap out of my shock. Everything was so clear now. I couldn't even be angry at Bella for keeping this from me because I had made such a mess out of everything it was my own damn fault.

"Leah, I'm here, one second."

I then told the driver, "I need to get to Phoenix Memorial now instead of the airport."

"I'm back Leah. I'm really the father?"

"Yes, Bella is probably going to kill me for telling you. Like really kill me but I'm hoping because she loves me so much, she will get over it quickly. Besides, Renee is in agreement with me that you need to know the truth so she can help me handle She-zilla."

"Thank you, Leah. I appreciate you telling me. I've got the driver diverted from going to the airport and now heading to Phoenix Memorial instead. I'm on my way."

"Good! Whether she wants to admit it or not, she is going to need you. Thank you for going."

"You don't have to thank me. I love her with all of my being, and I will love our babies as well."

"You better not make me regret this! I will cut your balls off and feed them to you if you fuck this up and hurt her again, so help me God Edward I am not kidding!"

Okay, once she started talking about cutting my balls off, I checked out. "You got it, Leah. Thanks again. See you when you get here. Bye."

I ended the call at that point. I knew enough about Leah from Bella to know she meant every word of that. I would not give her a reason to come near my manhood with a knife. Lord knows I had done enough to hurt Bella. That was behind us. I was moving forward and focusing on doing everything in my power to show her we were supposed to be together.

Once I arrived to the hospital, I told the hospital staff that Bella Swan was my wife and I had been called because she was in labor. They took me right to her room. I was surprised since Bella worked here that they believed me but perhaps they didn't know Bella since she worked in the ER mostly. I could hear from the hallway that she was crying out in pain.

The nurse led me in, "Hi Ms. Swan, you will be happy to see that Daddy is here," she said with a huge smile.

I saw Bella's face turn red as she yelled, "YOU! YOU did this to me! YOU caused me this pain! I feel like I am being ripped apart from the inside! Get the fuck out of my fucking room NOW….UGHHHH!"

Another contraction must have hit her at that point because she started crying out in pain and did not finish her rant.

But what she said…I did this to her. I caused her this pain. Not that I needed any further confirmation that these babies were mine other than Leah telling me that, but Bella just confirmed it herself. I was ecstatic.

I cautiously moved towards her bed and it was then that I noticed Renee standing beside Bella's bed, holding her hand and brushing back her sweaty hair from her face.

"Isabella, please let me stay. I want to help you through this and be here to meet our children."

"NO Edward, I don't want you here. I don't…need…you…here….UGHHH!"

Renee's voice was very calming as she spoke, "Bells, sweetheart, why don't you let Edward stay? I love you sweetheart but my hand could use a break. I think he should be here to go through this with you and meet your babies together, sweetie. Please? I think it is for the best."

Bella was still in mid contraction as she yelled, "Fine whatever, then get your fucking ass over here and do something useful and let me squeeze your hand!"

I hurried to her side. I was trying to contain my smile because even though she was in terrible pain and being very mean, I had never found her more beautiful.

Things seemed to progress quickly, and then something happened. I heard monitors going crazy and Bella unleashed a blood curdling scream while her grip on my hand intensified to the point that I wondered if my hand would break. She collapsed back onto the bed and I knew something wasn't right. Being a doctor you know how to handle these things…until it is happening to you and someone you love.

I completely froze.

I did not know what to do.

I heard things being yelled around me…felt someone pushing…no pulling me from Bella.

"Mr. Swan, please move, we need to get to your wife."

I heard things like emergency c-section and rupture of uterus….not looking good…need to save her…need to save them…what was happening?

"Edward…Edward? Edward can you hear me? We have to go…we have to go now. We need to get to the surgery waiting room. Come on…"

I was being pulled again and realized I was now walking. Renee was pulling me…it must have been her voice I heard telling me we had to go.

What just happened?

Everything I wanted was right there in my hands. They had to save them. They had to save my Bella…our children. Our children who did not even have a chance to breathe yet.

Please let them all be alright and make it through this.

Renee sat me down in a chair and held my hand tight. I was finally snapping out of it. I squeezed her hand. I was an ass, she must be falling apart and here she was trying to be strong for me.

"I can't lose her. She is my baby girl."

I wrapped my arm around Renee and held her tight as she released her tears into my chest. "Bella is a fighter. She is one of the strongest women I have ever known. I am sure she gets that from you. She will make it through this and be angry at us both for being so worried and upset."

She gave a half-hearted laugh into my chest.

I felt her nod. "You're right. She is too stubborn to die. She has to be."

Yes…she had to be. Things could not end this way. The world would lose all of its sunshine if Bella were no longer in it.

I made a silent plea in my head, please doctors…save my Bella and my children.

Renee's voice broke me from my thoughts. "I'm sorry that my daughter kept the twins' paternity from you, Edward. I know once she is thinking clearly she is going to feel horrible about doing this to you."

I nodded in agreement. I knew Bella would beat herself up over this.

"But I have a favor to ask you," she said quietly.

"Anything, Renee."

"Please don't try to take them from her. I don't know how you guys will work through all of this…but please know she loves the twins with everything in her and it will kill her to lose them. I know you and your family have more money than us and you would be within your rights to take her to court but please don't take these babies from her."

How could she even think for one second I would do that? I held her tighter. "Renee…everything is so screwed up right now and I'm not sure how we will work everything out either. But if Bella will have me as her husband that is what I want. If she doesn't then we will work everything with the babies out a different way. I need you to trust me on one thing though, I have no intentions of taking Bella to court. I don't like what she did in the least…but I do understand why she did it. And we have both fucked up enough as it is…I just want to move forward…not dwell on the past."

"I know you two have done everything the wrong way, but my daughter is a fool if she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life with you, Edward."

I smiled lightly at her words. The pressing thought in my mind now was what was happening in the operating room with my family? All three of them had to make it out of this okay, they just had to. I wouldn't survive if they didn't.

We both sat there in silence after that, both of us praying and hoping that word would come soon on what was happening.

Author's Note: *going into hiding*

Story Recommendation: Bad Kind of Butterflies by Fragilelittleflame