Note: Hello! Thanks for reading this, and much love to the reviewers. I know that the summary really has nothing to do with the story so far, but I promise it will make sense soon. Love to Min, the dragon-lady editor (please don't hit me) who keeps me writing. She's also the one who corrects my atrocious spelling and grammar, and types for me. Without her, this story cannot be. Please review!

Edward was waiting impatiently in the small lobby of the Salem County Community Hospital. The last eight and a half months had been rough as they constantly moved from place to place, trying to avoid the public eye and their abandoned families. On the car ride out of Forks, both of them had come to terms with what they were leaving behind, and what affect their leaving would have on the ones left. Edward had insisted that his family was left out of it, but he had often urged Bella to at least call her parents. Bella had remained stubborn, and refused to contact Charlie and Renee at all. Although Edward didn't see why she was so reluctant, he grudgingly respected her decision.

A loud noise distracted Edward from his thoughts momentarily; but, after attributing the noise to a flustered nurse who had, apparently, dropped an armful of new bedpans while she had been trying to glance inconspicuously at Edward as she walked past a mirror at the nurses' station, he tried to calm his nerves again.

Edward had changed a lot during his time with Bella. He now found himself slightly paranoid as he constantly stood alerted for any possible threat towards her. Whenever he had to go hunting, he was constantly plagued with visions of her demise, but had always come home to find her save and sound.

A slightly plump and matronly nurse emerged from Bella's room and walked towards Edward, nervously, he rose from his chair, but before he got a chance to say anything the nurse started speaking. "Mr. Cullen," she asked in a slightly annoyed tone, "are you sure that you don't want to be in here with us?"

Edward looked worriedly at her, already moving towards the door. "Why? Does Bella need me?"

The nurse pursed her lips and set her face. "No," she said tartly. "Your girlfriend told me to tell you that she was fine, and if you were even thinking of coming in, I was to remind you that there is probably going to be a lot of blood, and she didn't need you fainting in there."

Catching the hint, Edward stepped away from the door and whispered, "Oh." Trying to ignore the thoughts of the nurse, which basically consisted of, "It's hard to believe that the fear of blood will keep fathers out of the room. Of course, he is so young that he probably doesn't even realize what's going on in there. Why, in my day...," Edward waited for the inevitable continuation of their conversation.

"Well," said the nurse, narrowing her eyes, "I just thought you might want to come in anyway, seeing that you're about to become a father and all. But I can see your mind's made up, so I'll just be on my way." With a final angry glance at him, and a few more nasty thoughts, the nurse turned and walked back into the room.

Slowly, Edward went back to his over-sterilized seat and sat down. A war of logic and love was constantly raging in his head. Every time he looked at Bella, he felt an overwhelming need to be with her, and to protect her. But oftentimes, when they had gone to doctor appointments, he had mixed feelings. The first time he had heard the baby's strong heartbeat he had been elated, but a nagging voice in the back of his head had reminded him that no child of his could have a heart beat.

Edward looked away and cursed himself; he knew Bella wasn't lying to him and that she loved him. How could he doubt her like this? Was it really so impossible to believe in this child?

Right then, he thought of himself as the most loathsome creature in existence, and he hated himself for it.

Resting his head against the cold hospital wall behind him, Edward focused in on the thoughts of the people in the room. The excitement emanating from the unfamiliar minds hit him in a shocking way. He could tell the doctor was encouraging Bella, and he caught the words "very soon" coming from his thoughts, although he was excluding these words from what Edward had perceived as the panicking Bella. So desperately did he want to be by her side, but he wasn't sure if he could handle it. It had been almost a week since he had last hunted, and he would not permit himself to put Bella in any unnecessary danger. Another nurse's thoughts interrupted his own then; apparently, this was her first birth and she was very nervously excited.

For the next hour and a half, Edward waited impatiently through the mounting excitement and tension. At one point he found himself about to break the flimsy arm of the chair, and had forced himself to stand up. As the anticipation finally reached its pinnacle, Edward was clutching the door frame and holding his breath. And then, relief came all at once. Letting out a long breath of air, Edward slid to the floor—it was over. Still shaking, he waited for the cry.

It may have only been a few moments, but it was the matronly nurse who was the first one to notice a problem. "Doctor," Edward heard her call, alarmed, "the child won't breathe."

Almost immediately, pandemonium ensued. A new wave of panic hit Edward as he listened to all their frightened thoughts, trying to figure out what was the problem. He ran at the door, but the matronly nurse was already standing there. "Sir," she pleaded, blocking the doorway. "You can't go in there right now."

Edward shot her an angry glare, and made to push past her. "And why not?" he growled.

Taking a step back, the nurse stared at him with wide eyes. "Well, s-sir," she stuttered, "the doctors are moving your child to the ICU temporarily. The baby had a little trouble with his breathing, but I assure you that our doctors are taking care of him as we speak. They'll probably just need to put the baby on oxygen until he's breathing on his own; there's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" Edward yelled angrily. "My baby's not breathing, and you're telling me it's okay?"

Edward stepped menacingly towards the nurse, but a small voice distracted him. "Edward," it called wearily.

His face changed to a look of concern as he pushed lightly past the terrified nurse. Bella laid on the bed in the dead center of the empty room, the doctors already gone with the child. Quietly Edward slid up to Bella and took her hand. Bella looked up at him with a slightly dazed look. As sweaty and hyped-up on morphine as she was, she was beautiful. "Yes, Bella?" Edward cooed softly as he knelt by her bedside.

Turning her head towards him she slurred, "What happened? They didn't even get the chance to tell me it was a girl."

Smiling sweetly, Edward leaned in. "And if it was a boy?"

Glaring, Bella replied tartly, "Well, I'm sure you already know, so tell me."

Shaking his head, Edward sighed. "It was a boy, Bella. I'm sorry," he added sarcastically.

"Oh," she whispered, and then turned her head. "Dammit."

"What?" he asked, still keeping up his smile. "Is a boy such a bad thing?"

For a moment, Bella just stared at him, studying his face. "What happened?" she asked again, crinkling her eyebrows.

A look of solemnity passed over his face, and he looked down. "Bella," he said quietly. "There was a problem after the baby was born. The doctors said that he was having trouble breathing. They had to give him oxygen, but the nurse said he'd be fine." It was sickening how easily the line had slipped off his tongue, the same line he had been yelling at the nurse for using, but he had to keep her calm.

Obviously the lie had comforted Bella, because immediately afterward she laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. "Edward," she sighed, succumbing to the drugs, "don't you know that vampires don't need to breathe?"

Edward was taken aback for a second, but then he just shook his head and laughed quietly. When he looked back at Bella, she was deep in her drug-induced sleep. After staring at her for awhile longer, he gracefully stood up and turned to stare at the still scared nurse. Smiling charmingly, Edward walked towards her. "Ma'am?" he asked politely. "I'd really like to see my boy now. Is there any way that's possible?"

The nurse stared back at him and stepped towards the door. "Yes, sir," she gasped. "I'll ask the doctors right away." Quickly, the nurse made her exit, not even looking at the door behind Edward that would have been the faster route. Smiling, Edward sat down and waited.

It hadn't taken the nurse more than two minutes to rush back. Her round face was red and her once neatly kept bun of gray hair was lying deservedly in her face. "Come, sir," she demanded politely, regaining some of her former attitude. "They say you can see him."

The walk down the hallway was torture for Edward; every few feet he passed the same light blue doors set in a plastery white wall. He could have easily made it to the ICU by now, but he was stuck behind Miss Social, who stopped every few seconds to chat quickly to someone. About halfway down the hallway, Edward realized his nervousness had given away to annoyance, and a scowl had set upon his face.

After what had seemed like an eternity (which was an especially long time for him), they reached the doorway. Stepping to the side, the nurse pushed open the door for him.

The first thing Edward heard was the faint beep from the heart monitor. A young nurse was hovering over the plastic box that encased his child. Smiling, the nurse turned to him, still blocking the boy from view. "Are you the father?" she asked, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.

Edward hesitated, and then nodded. Turning back around, the nurse started messing with the box. "I really shouldn't do this," she said uncertainly, "but I think he's strong enough that you could hold him." All Edward could do was nod and step forward. Still smiling, the nurse warned him sarcastically, "Be careful though; he's a biter. I've never met a newborn with such sharp teeth—or any teeth at all, really… He actually drew blood! Well, you'd better hold out your arms, and I'll hand him to you."

Trying not to shake, he held out his arms. He could barely tell when she set him in his arms, he was so tiny, so fragile. The boy gazed up at him with dark green eyes, reaching towards him with his small hands. Edward could feel the child's heartbeat pulsing strongly; it took him awhile to realize the child had stopped breathing again, but the boy didn't fuss at all.

"What's his name?" the nurse asked, leaning over Edward's shoulder.

Edward stared down at his child. There was no other explanation—how could he love something so quickly and so intensely? His former logical arguments made no sense now; how could he have ever doubted this? "I think," Edward smiled, moving the baby closer, "we'll call him Alexander."

Final Notes: Damn that Edward, who didn't even ask Bella what she wanted to name their son. –sigh- Alas, one cannot be angered by perfection for long. Please, I implore you, review. Parting is such sweet sorrow…