CHAPTER 3

Carlisle was going to be late getting to the hospital. After that one moment of silence the room erupted. Everyone was talking all at once.

"How will the baby grow?" Esme asked in worried tone and looked at Carlisle. Everyone knew about vampire women not changing, well everyone except Jacob, Alice whispered the reason to him, "Aww " he said " that sucks!"

Rosalie's eyes flashed, " Of course, we will do everything possible to ensure that the child is born, right, Carlisle?" she swung her face to his direction.

Jasper asked the most crucial question of all, "If this is true how will we get the child of Bella? Her skin is impenetrable now.'

'Yes, how can we?" Jacob asked.

As my best friend, he sounded worried. He grasped my hand from across Nessie's booster chair. He remembered all the gory details of my labor. How he tried to help Edward. He still had nightmares about it he told me once. No way he was making Nessie go thru that, I remember my reply was a growl and suddenly he was flying thru the air and crashing on a tree. I remember screaming she's only a baby. I know he screamed back. Those were early days of my being a new born. We made up after wards like all best friends do. Nowadays like Edward, I had to accept that someday Nessie will belong with him. But I still had years with her - I made that perfectly clear to Jacob who being Jacob only rolled his eyes and proceeded to play with the baby.

"Bella, love," Edward touched my face, "You are far away".

"Sorry, I was only remembering Nessie's birth." I looked at all of them and remembered that I had put my foot in my mouth again. Their faces fell. It still hurt them that I had almost died giving birth to Nessie. I know my family loved me. Edward put his arms around and gently lifted me from the chair and onto his lap.

"I know how scared you are, Bella" he said soothing me " We will find a way."

"Not the way you wanted before I hope', came Rose's angry reply." I will stand against you again.'

I could feel the tension in the room. Of course, I knew that Edward will again be blaming himself for this. I steadfastly held on to him and leaned closer to his body as I said, "Now Rose, we are past that. I think things will be different now that I am no longer human".

"Which still brings us back to Jasper's question," Alice bell like voice reminded us, "how will we get the baby out assuming that it is of course real - I can't see him, he's half-vampire"

"How is that still possible?" I asked. It was almost a year now since I'd been turned. Edward and I were even planning on going out dancing to celebrate. Alice and Rose had been planning on this for weeks. gowns picked and all. Edward and I even practiced dancing much to Nessie delight - she kept clapping every time.

"Your body still has remnants your own blood, Bella", Carlisle explained. "You're still have considerable strength correct? It takes a year or more for the organs to totally use up your human blood. This is why your eyes are still not the same color as ours."

Nowadays, my eyes were more amber - better than the blazing red! Besides, I hated contacts though I still put them on occasionally for Sue and Charlie's visits though I never pretended with the werewolves.

"Which is why Nessie keeps saying that the baby is getting weaker" I whispered. I was harming my own child!

"I believe that the child, like Nessie needs human blood in order to develop', Carlisle continued lapsing into doctor mode, "he is probably not getting the correct nutrition from the animal blood that Bella gets. AND most importantly, he should be in a membrane exactly like Nessie's."

I had Edward describe to me in great detail, even if I cringed, of how Nessie's birth has gone. Having assisted Carlisle during the 1920's and 1930s when Carlisle was a country doctor, Edward had, as you can call it, a hands on course on how living things were born. He knew what to do. Acting so fast, he cut open my stomach and quickly found the membrane. Wasting no time he cut it open with his razor like teeth and let Renesmee out. He bit then sealed my body with venom so that I would not lose anymore blood. Afterward, Carlisle sutured ,cleaned and performed all the required medical procedures while I was transforming.

"So why didn't we notice another membrane in her body?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"I told you Daddy," Nessie answered," I was in front and got bigger sooner." I touched Nessie and asked her to be quiet because this was grown up talk. She fidgeted and tried her best to drink from her metal cup.

"As in the case of human twins," Carlisle pointed out", one twin would always develop more than the other. The human female anatomy is naturally made only to have one offspring at a time. In this case, it maybe that due to the urgency of saving Bella's life, son, you and I didn't look closer."

Carlisle's mobile phone rang. It was the hospital. He was late for his rounds.

"I'm sorry to leave everyone in this state" Carlisle stood up. " I will finish all my appointments as soon as I can so I can get back to discuss this."

"Bella," he said before he left the room" I would need to examine you when I return."

I nodded numbly. Edward kissed me and tightened his arms around me. "You can be present Edward", Carlisle said and the door slammed.

The day dragged by for us, well me mostly. I couldn't really get into any mood. I let Jacob have Nessie in most part. When nap time arrived Rose scooped her up and carried Nessie to her room. All the while telling Emmett to keep the volume of the TV down as the baby's going to be sleeping. Jacob and Emmett settled for watching the sports channel and tried valiantly not to holler when touch downs were made. So far their team was losing.

Jasper came to sit by us then. I was still all wrapped up in Edward's arms. I could feel the calm coming down on me. I looked at Jasper in silent thanks. "You're welcome" he gently smiled at me. Funny, I thought I would be most scared of Jasper because of his many scars, but really he was so gentle. Nowadays, he had completely embraced our "vegetarian" life. He wasn't nervous around Charlie and Sue when they visited.

"Edward," I said looking up to his face and gently kissing his chin, "can we go for a drive? overcast today."

"Of course love," he said. He immediately got up and took my hand as we silently headed up to the garage.

The Cullen garage looked more like a showroom for foreign cars than a garage. Rosalie had all the equipment needed to put up her own shop. This was still the only thing that she and Jacob could talk about without snapping at each other. They would spend hours under the cars making them more super than what they already were - and since I don't speak Car & Driver I assume that's what they are doing. Rosalie even helped Jacob with his Rabbit. But then again, that is only in the subject of cars, other than that, Emmett still had to referee between them most of the time.

"What would you like to drive today?" my husband asked me.

"Oh something simple like the Volvo" I said, looking for it amidst all the other glossy cars.

"Sorry," he said, "Rosalie and Jacob are going to do something with it this afternoon. I requested them to."

"Do what?" I asked.

"I don't even want to explain since you wouldn't want to understand", he laughed and walked towards the Ferrari.

"I said, I wanted to go for a drive not the Indianapolis 500!" I exclaimed. Ever since I got the Ferrari I had all but driven it 3 times. Once with Jacob because he kept whining until I agreed but on the condition that Nessie stayed home. Once with Alice when she went shopping in Olympia - she moaned that I still drove too slow for a vampire. And once with my husband to Seattle, who also claimed that I drove too slow and complained that I was choking the engine. A hundred and twenty and choking the engine?

I was more comfortable with the Volvo but I couldn't use it now. I frowned.

"How about the Aston Martin?" he said. "It's not so fast" His eyes twinkled at me, "How come we're not just running?" he asked casually.

My hand went over my stomach, "I don't want to stress out the baby".

His face got all serious and he nodded gravelly. "I would drive then," he murmured.

"No", I said taking the keys, "driving would calm me and besides you drive too fast." I told him as I got into the car.

"And you drive too slow," he said getting in the passenger's side.

"That's because I usually have our baby daughter with me," I emphasized as I started the car. The Aston Martin drove like a dream. Edward loved this car so much. I remember him telling me that he bought this car on the killing that he made in the stock market a couple of years back.

"Where are we going, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked as he played with my hair.

" I was thinking Seattle," I said. As we turned to the highway, I pressed the gasoline harder and he laughed. "Under an hour? ", he murmured.

"Of course not". I said. He laughed.

When we got to the city we drove around for a while and I noticed that we were near Madrona Park. I stopped the car and got out. To the people there we were just another couple walking around in windbreakers. I was still aware of all the looks that came our way. Of course, everyone looked at Edward. I told him so.

"What? He laughed, "more like they looked at you."

"Of course not!" I said - and we continued this banter until we reached the jogging path near Lake Washington. We found a spot to sit on. I curled myself against Edward and we were both silent for a long while.

"What are you thinking?," he asked me as he kissed the top of my head.

"I'm thinking of how this going to affect all of us. And how we are going to get this baby out." I patted my stomach. I still couldn't believe there was one more child and that he was still inside me. Nessie really threw us a curve ball this time.

"Carlisle and I will do all we can, research and everything so we can find a solution for this.", he gathered my hair as the wind was blowing up a bit.

I'm scared Edward. What if we damaged him in some way because he's been inside me all this time. Nessie said he helped me with my shield and he could read Alice's mind. Another gifted child for Aro to covet? ",My voice was worried.

"I think he would think twice before coming back with the guard. Besides this time, he knows the other families are watching him. Don't worry too much, love."

So Edward and I spent the afternoon walking along the beach. The thought of the child heavily bearing on our minds yet still grateful for this time alone together.

It was getting dark when Edward's mobile phone rang. My hand clasped his tightly as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Ow he still mouthed silently, I kissed his hand but still held on.

The caller was Carlisle and he was waiting for us back home.