Chapter 19 – Additions

Alice planned everything perfectly. The ceremony was at twilight, Edward's favorite time of day. She arranged a small reception on the beach. Phil had to calm my mom, because she couldn't stop crying. After the reception, Edward and I had our own beach house. Our physical love was more than I ever expected. We went for a midnight swim. We swam far into the ocean, but we couldn't wait until we reached back to the house. Our first physical act of love was under the water's surface. Breathing wasn't a necessity for either of us. Even in the water, I saw how beautiful he was. Our bodies sunk further into the water, until we were on the ocean floor, hundreds of feet beneath the surface. Now, we've been married for several months. College was wonderful, now that I don't have to worry about paying for it. Edward all but snapped at me when I promised to pay him back. "Bella, we're married. What's mine is yours."More good news. After our trip, Rosalie realized she was pregnant.

Her pregnancy progressed faster than a human's pregnancy. After a few weeks, she didn't hunt for herself. Her stomach was getting too big. She settled with drinking donated blood and eating food. When she was just 6 weeks, but her progress was similar to five months. The baby gave her a powerful kick and she groaned, "Wow, that was strong." Esme smiled, "That is Emmett's child." One morning, I was brushing Rosalie's hair when she gasped and clutched at her huge stomach, "I think this is it." Along with the kick, there was a muffled cracking sound. Carlisle dashed into the room, "I think you're right. Emmett!" He dashed into the room, to find Rosalie breathing deeply and clutching at her stomach. "What…. now? Can't you hold it in?" Rosalie glared, "Would someone slap him for me?" I caught Emmett in the back of the head, "Done." She was gasping in pain. Carlisle was unsure how to deliver the baby. Rosalie's stomach was solid as stone. The only movement was seeing the kicks from the baby. Standing her up, Rosalie groaned and almost fell over, but Carlisle caught her arm. She groaned and blood was sliding down the inside of her leg. She screamed and more blood flowed out and it soaked the carpet. Seeing this, Carlisle decided a traditional birth could work.

In the room, Esme helped Carlisle, while Emmett and I helped Rosalie. She pushed and pushed until the child was out of her body and crying. "It's a girl!" Carlisle announced. The child was small and covered with blood. Its black hair was matted with blood and specks of yellow particles. They wrapped the child in blankets, after cleaning off the blood. Carlisle speculated that the yellow particles were part of the placenta. Tears streamed down Rosalie and Esme's faces. I couldn't fight my own tears as Rosalie held her child for the first time. Watching Emmett and Rosalie leaning over their baby, "We have a baby girl," Rosalie cooed. I knew I wanted this. "Thank you, Bella." My tears were flowing as quickly as Esme's were. Each of us held the little girl. She opened her eyes and they were like Rosalie's. She had colors of golden blond in her hair. Alice and I stared at the child, when she smiled at us.

Looking at the child, Edward shared my feelings in becoming parents. We were alone in my, well ours now, house. "Bella, you want to have a child. That doesn't surprise me. That is what I wanted for you all along." We were locked in each other's embrace, in bed. The sheet was tangled around our bodies. "But is it something you want?" He grazed his nose along my jaw line, "Whatever makes you happy." I blinked, "Edward, do you want to know why I really want to have a child?" His lips pressed into my neck, "Umm-hmm." I tried to maintain my thought, but it was fading. "I want to give you something you don't have." That caught him by surprise. His eyes opened and his lips were frozen against my neck. He pulled back to look me in the face, "What do you mean?" My fingers caressed his cheek, "You are truly the man who has everything. There is nothing I can give you." "Bella," he smirked, "you have given me the greatest thing in the world. You gave me you and your love. There is nothing else you need to give me." My eyes saddened, "Please, Edward? I want to give you a child. I want you to have a small piece of me that is yours completely." Edward's arms tightened around me, "I have you. That's enough." My eyes closed contentedly. It was enough having each other, but I still wanted my own pretty baby. "Then, nevermind." His finger lifted my chin until our eyes met, "Do you really want to have a child? And not for me to have one?" A tear escaped my eye as I nodded. "Emma is so beautiful. From the second I held her, I wanted one for myself. For us." He smiled and pressed his lips to mine, "Then you'd better ask Rosalie for her advice on a nursery." My eyes widened and more tears fell, "Really?" He smiled at me, "It's not like we need to sleep. And we'll have a great deal of help. And, after watching Rosalie in her pregnancy, we know what to expect with you. So, let's have a child." I hugged myself closer to him, "Thank you, Edward." He kissed my neck, "I love you." I looked back at him, "I love you too." "Umm, Bella?" I looked at him and he had a different look on his face. One I haven't seen before, "When do you want to get started?" I smirked, "Now." Rolling across the bed, Edward looked down at me, "After you sure?" I smiled, "Ready when you are."

My pregnancy was interesting. When I told my mom I was having a baby, she screamed so much over the phone, I thought her receiver would burn out. Of course, I had to wait a few months before telling her. In case she wanted to visit, I wanted my body to be in proportion with the allotted time. She and Esme gushed for hours over the phone. They made a long list of things the baby would need. Diapers had to be included. What kind of a baby wouldn't need diapers? Renee sent gifts on a regular basis. She was more anxious than I was to know the sex of the child, but that was something we had to wait for. Edward bonded with the child in his own way. A few weeks before it was born, Edward heard its mind. Edward could hear our baby's thoughts. Edward would play my lullaby for the baby. "The baby loves the song." Edward told me every thought our baby had. Edward told me how much the baby loved the both of us and the sounds of our voices. This made me more anxious for him or her to be born.

We knew, from Rosalie's pregnancy, ultrasounds were useless. The child was encased in it placenta and it was as hard as our skin. Studying from Rosalie's pregnancy, Carlisle deduced that the crack right before the baby is born is the child breaking its encasement, getting ready to get out and the blood that trickled out was from inside the placenta. It was the blood the child was feeding on. When I was in labor, there was no other term for it; a lot of blood came out, because I had just finished consuming a bag of donated blood. The child was thrashing, breaking its encasement. I groaned and almost ripped Edward's hand from his body.

Like Rosalie, Esme and Carlisle delivered our child, while Alice and Edward helped me. Soon, the baby was out. "It's a boy!" I leaned forward and held out my arms. Esme handed me the blood-covered child. Taking a towel, I wiped away the blood from his face. When he opened his eyes, he stared up at me with light green eyes, with some coloring of brown in them. Looking at me, he smiled widely. His hand touched my cheek. Edward smiled, "Bella, he's beautiful." The child looked back at the sound of Edward's voice. He reached his small arms towards him. I handed Edward our son. I could see on his face that Edward's heart was melting. "What should we name him?" I smiled as I brushed his dark hair, "EJ. Edward Cullen Jr." A tear fell down Edward's cheek, "All right." Esme's tears fell as her fingers grazed over her own bump. Alice stood by Edward, looking at EJ's face. She held up her daughter, Madison. Madison was a few months older, with her mother's face, but her father's eyes and hair color. Alice had taken to growing out her hair, something else we discovered. Our hair can grow, as well. Madison smiled and held out her arms, "No, Maddy, you can't hold him yet."

Edward chuckled as he handed me the baby. "Let me clean him up, Bella, and then you should go hunting." I felt the veins around my eyes grow as I was giving birth. Edward nodded, "She's right. I'll take you." I shook my head, "No way. I'll hunt tomorrow. I want my baby." Edward smirked, "So stubborn. All right, I'll bring you another bag." Esme smiled as she placed my little boy in my arms. EJ curled one of his small fingers through one of the curls in my hair. He smiled, showing snow white teeth. He grazed his lips with the back of his hand, he was thirsty. Edward was back, with a cup of blood for me and a steel-tipped bottle for the baby. Ignoring my own thirst, I took the bottle of fed our baby for the first time. Edward and I sat together, watching our newborn son.