Here we go for the second part of the story. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it so far…it's been a real tearjerker already, I know. This chapter has some things that I'm going to been to explain to you.

The time is time divided up by months, but some will be shorter than others, such as 'March 2011' later on in the chapter. There isn't a lot of dialogue in that section, but there are only so many things that can be said. This chapter focuses a lot on Bella's life after the fact. I also have to warn you…Bella will be moving on, eventually. Definitely not right away, but she isn't going to be alone forever, and this chapter flashes pretty far into the future.

…

December 2010 Continued:

"You're pregnant. You're only about a month along now." As the words of the doctor sunk in, I very nearly fainted again. I had wanted this, but suddenly I was terribly aware of the fact that my husband, and the father of my child, was dying. Small sobs erupted from me, and I clutched at the sheets, crying to stop. But I couldn't. I had cried so much over the past few months, you'd think all my tears would be gone. No, the reason for my tears was lying in the bed next to mine, and it wasn't even his fault. There was absolutely nothing in the world anyone could have done to prevent Edward from getting sick. The cancer had started in his blood, leukemia. But now it was spreading to his kidney, bones, and liver, and his doctor thought that his lungs would be next.

I continued to cry, and the nameless doctor continued to try and comfort me to no avail. "This that your husband?" She asked softly, tilting her chin in Edward's direction. I nodded hopelessly, and she got up for a moment and walked across the room, picking up his chart. She flipped through it for a moment, and when she looked back up at me, her eyes were full of pity. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "Would you like to talk about your options?" I shook my head furiously, looking up at the ceiling in disgust instead of at her. "I didn't mean to offend you, Mrs. Cullen. I'm Dr. Weber…would you like something to drink? A bottle of water, perhaps?"

"Sure." I rasped out, and Dr. Weber scurried out of the room, probably relieved to be rid of me. I tried drying my tears on the corner of my sheet, but more just kept falling down my face.

"What's wrong? Why are you in the hospital?" I jumped at the sudden words, and I whipped my head around to see Edward sitting up slightly in his own hospital bed, his eyes heavy with sleep and pain. I started to get up, and Edward protested. "No, no, if you're sick don't get up-"

I shook my head, still unable to talk thanks to my crying, and stumbled out of my bed and over to Edward's. He moved over, making room for me on the small mattress so that I could climb into the bed with him. "I fainted earlier." I explained, barely managing to get the words out. "And when I woke back up a few minutes ago, a doctor told me that I'm pregnant." I looked up with Edward, and his face was like stone.

"How long until…it's born?" He asked faintly.

"Eight months." I whispered, and Edward's shoulders slumped slightly. And I knew why- the doctors estimated that he had four to sixth months, but it could end up being less than that if something else went wrong.

After a long period of painful utter silence, Edward spoke again, this time with pure conviction and determination laced through his tone. "I'm going to be there." He said, his voice stronger than it had been before. "I have to meet our baby, Bella. I have to."

"I know. And you will, I promise." I said simply, and then I just let myself cry.

March 2011:

The cool feeling of the goopy gel made me shiver slightly, but my gaze on the little screen couldn't be faltered. And then the noise of a soft, constant heartbeat met my ears, and Edward squeezed my hand tightly in his. His promise, the one that he had made after finding out I was pregnant, had not been broken. It had been nine months since the doctors gave Edward the nine to twelve month estimate, and he was still hanging on. As a precaution, he had been cooped up all through the winter, so that his already weak immune system wouldn't be exposed to the flu or a cold that other people carried during the winter. Today was his first time out of the house since early February, and it was for the most wonderful of reasons.

Our baby was four months now, growing inside of me. The bump on my stomach was evidence enough, but it was still wonderfully reassuring to hear our child's heartbeat and she the blurry little image on the screen in front of us. It helped me remember that, despite the fact that Edward had to leave me, I would have a small piece of him with me forever. And I would never forget Edward, and I wouldn't let our child forget him either.

"Did you want to find out the sex of the baby today?" I was startled by the sudden question, which caused me to hesitate.

"Yes, we would." Edward said, his voice rough and hoarse. "Please."

The technician smiled at his politeness, and then looked towards me. "This might be a little uncomfortable, because I'll be pushing a little more on your bladder to try and get a good look at the baby. Just try and relax." She advised, and I simply nodding, taking deep breaths. "Alright…" She moved the wand around on my stomach, pushing down, but I remained relaxed, holding Edward's hand and staring intently at the screen. "There it is!" The technician said, and she pointed to the screen, holding the sonogram wand in place. Edward and I both leaned forward eagerly. "Congratulations, you two. You're going to have a beautiful little baby girl in the beginning of August."

June 2011:

It had officially been one year, and Edward was still with me, hanging on as tightly as he could. Even in the middle of the sweltering heat of summer, he was always cold, because there was practically no fat left on his bones. He couldn't really leave the house anyone, either. We were both dangerously on edge, so close to falling off. He was sick…so sick and miserable and in pain. One of his kidneys was completely shut down, and as the doctors had predicted, his lungs were just getting worse and worse.

I didn't want to try and…prepare him for dying or anything, but I tried to make everything special and comforting. But I was getting bigger now, and it was harder for me to move around so much. And Edward knew that, and we were butting heads over it. Edward wanted me to be off my feet at all times, but I couldn't do that and take care of him at the same time. Our solution came in the form of Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

They arrived in a flurry of designer suitcases and gift bags, and I was unbelievably grateful for them. With them there to help, both Edward and I were able to relax at least at a little while. At the moment, we were both lying in bed, exhausted. It was only four in the morning and we had both been up most of the night, unable to sleep. We were both scared and didn't want to be apart. All night, we just held each other close, taking in each and every detail of each other. I had gotten my entire life to memorize Edward, but I still didn't feel like it was enough.

A year after he was gone, would I still remember the little freckle under his right ear? Or the deep scar that ran down his thumb? Those were the little, insignificant details that I wanted to remember along with all the really important things about my husband.

August 2011:

Edward was in the hospital again. I was only four days away from my due date, and here I was, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmet, Alice, and Jasper. Edward had gotten pneumonia, and we all knew that before long, there would be nothing left of Edward. He had made it longer than the doctors had originally thought, but the doctors were now sure that it would only be a matter of time before Edward left us.

He was going in and out of consciousness, but he had already gotten to say goodbye to his sisters and their husbands, as well as his parents. But I hadn't been able to force myself into his hospital room. In fact, I hadn't gotten out of my chair for a few hours now. I had a terrible backache, and although I thought I knew what was coming, I was too afraid to say anything to anyone.

"Bella, are you alright?" Carlisle asked, touching my arm gently.

I nodded, digging my nails into the soft armrest of my chair. "My back hurts." I said through my teeth, and Esme and Carlisle exchanged panicked looks.

"Okay, come on." Carlisle said, standing up and offering me his hand. As I stood up and took his hand, I felt a gush of fluid splash down my legs and heard it hit the floor. Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Carlisle squeezed my hand gently. "Come on, Bella. Your water just broke, and you need to get to a doctor.

…

"I talked to Edward." Esme said lightly, and I looked up at her desperate for information.

"Could he understand...what did he say?" I asked, bracing myself as I felt another contraction wash over my body, causing me to call out and grit my teeth, praying for it to pass.

Finally, it did, and Esme answered my question. "He could hear me." She murmured, wiping the sweat off my brow. "Honey…he told me he didn't know how much longer he could hold on. And said that if…if he was still with us, he wanted you to come down and see him as soon as you could. I really doubt the doctors will let you do that, especially with the baby, though. But don't worry, I will do everything in my power to sneak you into his room. No one should deny a father the chance to meet his daughter." The look in Esme's eyes was fierce, so I stayed silent, agreeing with her. Edward had to meet our daughter.

…

I wished with all my heart that I could have Edward by my side as I pushed and agonized through every painful contraction that overwhelmed me. Esme and Carlisle were in the delivery room with me, and my own parents would be in Chicago by tomorrow morning. I wanted Edward there to hold my hand, to whisper in my ear, and to cut the umbilical cord when I finally gave birth to our daughter. Instead, Esme did it for me, while Carlisle watched proudly.

In this most joyous of occasions, I felt like everyone, including me, was falling apart with the absence of Edward. I cradled our daughter in my arms, and more and more tears fell down my face. I had given her a name that Edward and I had agreed on months ago- Charlotte. It suited her perfectly. She was beautiful, and I could already see that she would have Edward's reddish brown hair. I didn't want to let her go.

A half hour after Charlotte's birth, I was sitting in the recovery room, holding my baby in my arms again. Rosalie, Emmet, Alice, and Jasper hadn't been in to see her yet, but there would be time for that later. Right now, I was determined to sneak down to Edward's hospital room with Charlotte. Carlisle was against it, saying that Edward was sick and that he could get Charlotte sick as well. But Esme and I argued with him, knowing that this was the most important thing right now. They needed to meet each other. I had promised Edward, and I would make sure that it happened.

Finally, after whining and a little bit of negotiating, Carlisle helped me sneak out of the maternity ward with Charlotte in my arms. We made our way down the hallway to Edward's room, making sure that none of the nurses caught us. It was late at night, so thankfully the hallways were deserted. I knew that I was taking a risk with Charlotte…but this was something that I had to do.

When we reached Edward's room, Carlisle agreed to wait outside until it was time to take Charlotte back upstairs. I reached up and knocked on the door to Edward's room, and then quickly walked inside and shut the door behind me. I clutched Charlotte tighter to my chest as I saw Edward laying there, sickly and helpless. As quietly as I could, I sat down next to Edward on his hospital bed and took his hand in mine. After a moment or so, he stirred slightly and I squeezed his hand tightly, rearranging Charlotte in my arms so I had a good grip on her.

Edward's eyes, heavily framed by his dark lashes, peeked open groggily. He blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the room. "I had the baby." I whispered to him, reaching up and gently stoking his jaw. Edward blinked a few more times, and then his eyes widened.

"You did?" He croaked out, and I nodded, looking down at the little pink bundle in my arms.

"Her name is Charlotte Gabriella Cullen, and it suits her perfectly. She was seven pounds, two ounces, and she's so perfect-"

Edward cut me off, grasping my hand tightly.

"I…I have to talk…to you about something…first." He was having trouble speaking, and his voice was rough and unfamiliar. But I nodded, leaning closer to him so that I could hear all that he needed to tell me. Unfortunately, I wasn't really ready to hear the things he told me. "You have to promise me…" He took a deep, raspy breath, his green eyes piercing into mine. "That you'll…move on…when you're ready. Don't waste…your life away missing…me." I nodded wordlessly, my eyes filling up with tears that overflowed and ran down my cheeks. "She's beautiful…" He said, his voice so hoarse and raw that it didn't even sound like him anymore.

"I promise." I swore, sniffling and wiping at my eyes." Do you want to hold her?" I asked desperately, adjusting my beautiful baby in my arms. He had to hold her…he and I both knew that this was it.

Edward smiled wearily, shaking his head. "You don't…even have to…ask." He managed, extending his arms out so that he could hold his daughter for the first, and what could possibly be the last, time. He traced the chubby apple of her cheek with his long index finger, closing his eyes blissfully as he did so. "I love…both of you…so much." Edward said, and even more tears spilled down my face.

…

The funeral was on August Eighth, three days after Charlotte's birth.

I didn't know what to do with myself. As I got ready that morning, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and just…stared. I had expected to cry and feel hurt, but I hadn't expected to feel…not like me. With shaking hands, I managed to apply my makeup; just a touch of waterproof mascara and a dab of moisturizing lip balm. But before I could start taming my long hair into something presentable, I was interrupted by the shrill cry of my baby.

I practically jumped out of my skin, grabbing my robe and quickly shrugging it on as I made my way down the hall towards Charlotte's room. But by the time I got there, Renée was holding Charlotte, rocking her back and forth gently. She glanced over her shoulder when I stumbled into the room, and smiled slightly. "Oh, honey, I've got her. You go and get ready." She said soothingly, and I nodded numbly. I probably shouldn't even be taking care of a baby today, with the way I'm so disconnected from the rest of the world.

But this was to be expected, wasn't it? I had just lost my husband three days ago. I knew that this would be hard, but I hadn't expected it to be like this. It was like someone had punched me in the gut, and I walked around with a terrible feeling of loss hanging over me. There was nothing for me to do but think. And when I thought, all I thought of was him.

The funeral was blissfully short. I held Charlotte the entire time, refusing to let her go. It was amazing how Edward looked more alive, lying there in his casket, than he had three days ago, lying in his hospital bed. With the chemicals in his veins and the natural looking makeup on his face, he looked healthier than he had in years. But it wasn't him. I stood in front of his casket with Charlotte in my arms for what felt like hours at some times and seconds at others.

Eventually, I moved away and took my seat at the front of the church. I listened as the minister spoke, and tearfully accepted hugs from friends, relatives, and even strangers as they made their way past Edward's casket. Some of them cooed over Charlotte, who was asleep in my arms, dressed in a black and purple dress that Alice had bought. But most of them gave their condolences and moved on with their lives in a way that I couldn't.

Charlotte was my reason for living right now, and the reason I was able to keep myself functioning. I would fulfill my promise to Edward to eventually move on…but right now, I wanted nothing more than to focus on my daughter and remember the man that Charlotte and I had both lost.

…

May 2016:

When you have a child, time passes at the speed of light. It had been almost five years, and I was still holding myself together. It was no secret to any of my friends and family that I missed Edward with every passing day, but now I could function like a normal adult. I went back to work when Charlotte started preschool, and unfortunately that meant I had little time to get the grocery shopping done. So here I was on a Friday night, still wearing my heels and skirt from work, and doing my shopping at a grocery store in a strip mall.

And here I was, running into a total stranger with my empty cart as I searched through my purse for my cell phone. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, pulling my cart back quickly and clapping my hand over my mouth. "Are you alright? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

The man held up his hand for a moment, trying to catch his breath, but managed a stunning smile. "I'm fine, ma'am. Wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, it was me, I was looking through my purse and…" I trailed off for a moment, locking eyes with the man. He had deep, dark eyes that seared into mine. There was an undeniable pull and inexplicable attraction between us, which I didn't understand. I had just met this man.

He must have noticed it too, because he hesitated slightly. Then he shook his head and looked down at my left hand. "Married, huh? Well, damn. All the good ones are taken." He said lightly. I smiled slightly for a moment, twisting my wedding band, which I hadn't been able to take off yet, around my finger.

"No, not married. Widowed." I corrected him, and his face instantly fell.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He quickly tried to amend himself, but I cut him off, shaking my head.

"It's fine." I assured him. "Why don't we start over…I'm Bella. And you are?" I extended my right hand towards him and smiled brightly, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

He smiled back, obviously relieved that he hadn't offended me. "Hello, Bella. I'm Jacob. I may be going out on a limb here…but would you like to join me for some coffee?" As he spoke, Jacob gestured over his shoulder towards the coffee place just a few doors down in the strip mall. I hesitated for a moment, which Jacob noticed. "Innocent coffee meeting, I promise." He said, holding up his hands. "I'm not about to push myself on a woman who is obviously still very much in love with her husband."

I managed a small smile then, because it seemed that Jacob honestly understood. I had briefly dated someone about a year ago, his name was Peter, but he had not been able to understand what it had been like for me to lose my husband. In fact, he had expected me to be completely over it, even though it had only been three years at the time. "Actually, coffee sounds great." I said, and let Jacob led the way to the coffee shop. "Thank you." I said, surprised when he held the door open for me. That had been something that only Edward, always the gentleman, had ever done for me. Jacob simply smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want, and I'll order it for you?" He suggested. "And then you can just go and get us a table."

"Oh…alright. Thanks again." I said, mumbling out what I wanted and thanking him yet another time for paying for me.

As I got us a seat in the back, I wondered what in the hell I was doing. Could I honestly be over Edward, just like that? No…I knew I would never really get over Edward; he was the love of my life, of my existence. But when I looked at Jacob, I knew that it was finally the right time for me to move on. I would never forget Edward, and I would never stop loving him, but I did need to find a way to be happy with someone else. I couldn't seclude myself forever, pining for a dead husband that could never return to me.

Jacob approached the table several minutes later, handing me my hot cup of coffee as he sat down across from me. At first, we sipped our drinks in silence, until Jacob cleared his throat, looking at my wedding band. "Do you mind me asking how long it's been?" Jacob asked, and I shook my head, smiling reassuringly at him.

"It's fine." I said for the second time. "It'll be five years in August. He died right after our daughter was born."

His face instantly became pitiful, which I ignored. I didn't need people to feel sorry for me anymore. "I'm sorry." Jacob said, like so many others had, but I could tell that he was sincere. "That must have been hard on you. Was he in the army?"

"No, he had cancer." I explained, unconsciously touching the yellow ribbon pendant that hung around my neck on a delicate silver chain. "We knew it was the end…but it was a true miracle that he managed to hang on until our daughter was born. He wanted to meet her so badly." I said, and then reached up to wipe away a tear that had collected in the corner of my eye.

"He got to, though. That's wonderful. At least she's met her father. My father died before I was born…my mother didn't find out she was pregnant with me until after his funeral." Jacob told me, his voice soft.

I nodded, taking another hasty gulp of my coffee. "I'm sorry…I don't mean to be a downer." I apologized, offering him a weak smile. "It's just that…I still feel some regret for not wanting him to go off his medication. For a long time after he died, I was mad at him for just letting himself wither away over the last months…I tried to make everything special, but-"

"I don't know about your husband, Bella, but I'd personally rather have a few months of wonderful than a whole lifetime of nothing special." Jacob quipped, and I actually smiled. "Sorry…I always spout off little quotes. I'm a junkie for that kind of stuff, so I know a lot of useless sayings and quotes and stuff."

"That's really cool." I said. "I like them."

For a moment, Jacob and I just smiled at each other.

July 2016:

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked as she laid on my bed, kicking her small feet.

"To dinner." I said, shimmying on my blue dress and quickly doing my makeup in the mirror. "If you promise to be good, I'll bring you some leftovers." I tried bribing her, wanting to make things a little easier on the babysitter. Charlotte had become very attached to me lately, and her teacher at school said that it was probably because she was just now realizing that the other kids in her class did have daddies, and that not all of them had just a mommy. Since then, she's been clingier and has acted out, bless her little soul. "But mommy has to hurry, he's picking me up in a few minutes."

Charlotte sat up rapidly at the mention of a he. "Who?" She asked curiously, her green eyes full of curiosity. I hesitated for a moment, sighing. Setting down my tube of lipstick, I walked over to the bed, kneeling on the ground in front of my daughter.

"His name is Jacob." I explained in a soft voice. "He's taking me out to dinner tonight." Charlotte looked at me quizzically, and I wondered how I would be able to put this into terms that she could understand. Before tonight, I hadn't told Charlotte that I had been seeing someone. But now that my feelings for Jacob were growing stronger…I knew it was time. "Jacob is very special to me." I said, touching her soft cheek with my hand. "And I like him a lot."

"Like, or like like?" Charlotte asked immediately, and I stifled a giggle at the innocent, childlike expression.

But Charlotte's face was completely serious, so I answered her honestly. "Like like." I said in a serious voice. "Would you like to meet him, baby? I bet you'll like him too."

"Okay." Charlotte said in a small voice, clamoring off of the bed and wrapping her arms around my waist. "Is he like a daddy?" She asked softly, against my chest, and I winced.

Smoothing her soft brown hair, I shook my head. "No one can replace your daddy, Charlotte, and no one ever will. No one. He'll always be right here, in our hearts." I touched the area above my own heart softly, and I missed Edward unbearably in that moment. "Your daddy…he was special to me in one way, and Jacob is special in another."

"Do you still love my daddy?" Charlotte asked, and I muffled a whimper at her insensitive question. I knew she didn't know what was wrong with her asking that, so I paused for a moment, collecting myself and trying not to cry, before I answered her question.

"Oh, Charlotte…I will always love your daddy. And just because he's in heaven doesn't mean you and I can't love him." The sadness was obvious, laced through my voice, but Charlotte didn't comment on it.

She looked up at me, her little eyebrows furrowed. "But what if you fall in love with Jacob? How can you love him and daddy?" I wince slightly again at her question, pulling her into my arms and into my lap. She didn't understand, and she wanted me to explain it to her, like I always did. But I couldn't exactly do that when I didn't even fully understand.

"You know what, Charlotte? I think that everyone is loved differently. I love your daddy, so, so much, and I always will…but there's a possibility that, someday, I'll love Jacob, too. There are different kinds of love in the world, and there are also different kinds of people. Out of all the people in the world, I think that everyone sees love just a little differently than the next person. But do you know what else? I love you more than anything." I promised, and it was then I realized that I had started crying.

Charlotte was silent, her face buried into my chest. "I love you too." She said finally, but she didn't let go of me. "Tonight, when you're gone, can I watch the tapes of daddy?" She was talking about the countless videos I had of Edward, all put onto DVD's and labeled carefully. There were so many precious moments with Edward that I had filmed, and I knew that Charlotte had only seen bits and pieces of them.

"Of course you can." I promised her, hugging her tightly against me before kissing the top of her head and standing up.

…

So this chapter ran a lot longer than I originally planned. As a result of this, there will be yet another chapter to this story to tie things up. Please review and let me know what you think. Oh, and if you have questions don't hesitate to ask. I'll be sure to reply!

Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie