Chapter 7: Homecoming Truths

Edward's POV

The chilly wind blowing against us caused Bella to shiver so I pulled the thick polar fleece blanket more securely around her. After two days of bed-rest my wife had begged to sit outside on one of those rare days that the sun was actually shining. Now she was happy even though it was a cold February day. Bella took my hand turning it as the sun reflected from my skin. She still worried about Charlie, but her father was improving daily and would be home soon according to Carlisle.

"I'm glad you brought me out here," Bella murmured sleepily. She was leaning against my left side as I was trying not to touch her too much not wanting to make her any more cold than she already was.

"It's nice that Charlie has this swing," I responded as she nodded. We were sitting in the backyard and as the wind began to blow again, I felt my wife shiver.

"I think I'm ready to go back inside," Bella admitted as her teeth began to rattle.

Carefully I stood up and turned, gently lifted my wife to rest cradled in my arms while keeping the blanket around her.

Before I could shift Bella to open the door, Alice arrived and did that for me smiling at both of us. "How was sitting outside?" she asked as she shut the door behind me.

"Colder than I would have liked," Bella answered as I headed toward the stairs, with Alice following from behind.

In my wife's old room I put Bella back on her feet, and let Alice help her with her coat while I pulled back the clean covers and sheets on her bed. Bella still grumbled that we were doing too much for her, but hadn't gotten angry since that first day when Carlisle told her she needed to remain on bed-rest.

Once in her bed, Bella had a difficult time remaining awake, "I feel like I'm sleeping my life away," she grumbled as I settled in bed next to her.

Knowing that she was frustrated by that fact I phrased my next words to her carefully, "You've been awake since early this morning."

Bella nodded resting her head more fully against my chest as she moved her hand against my left side, "I know I'm just not used to feeling this tired, not unless I'm sick. I bet other women don't have to go through this," she whispered through a yawn.

Before I could give her an answer, Bella had fallen asleep. I remained in bed with her for a while longer shutting my eyes as I focused on listening to her heart beat and the fluttering beat of our baby's heart. Unable to resist I placed my hand against the swell that was our child and an instant later felt our baby moving against my hand. Bella told me that in her dreams our child had been able to react to my voice not kicking her once it knew how much harm that caused. So far those kicks had not harmed my wife, but we still had three months to go and as time moved on I found myself growing more apprehensive, not just about the baby growing and what those kicks might do, but also how we were going to deal with the delivery. It was for that reason that I left Bella to sleep and went downstairs aware that Carlisle had stopped by.

"How is she?" Carlisle asked in a whispered voice as we went into the living room and sat down on the worn sofa.

"Tired. Bella wanted to know if that was normal," I said as my father looked off into the distance. In his mind I heard him thinking about Bella's heart beat and the other things he was able to pick up from my wife just from listening.

Once Carlisle had assessed she was alright he turned his attention back on me, "Given her condition with the hypertension and the stress of the current situation I find all of this relatively normal," he said. His thoughts conveyed the same message to me and I was glad that Carlisle wasn't trying to hide anything.

"We haven't had a chance to discuss the birth," I said keeping focused on this conversation and on Bella with ease.

My father nodded once, "I'm not sure she will be able to deliver on her own even if all of that happens in a normal manner. We can't see the baby on the ultrasounds which leads me to believe that the placenta won't rupture without some assistance."

Hearing those words didn't come as any great surprise, and I tried not to let it add to the worry I already had about all of this. Carlisle seemed to be in tune with my thoughts and reached out placing his hand on my shoulder, "We need to come up with some sort of plan and be prepared for any situation."

I nodded, recalling Bella waking up from one of her dreams drenched in sweat last night, "She had a dream about the placenta detaching and said the baby kicking broke her body. Do you think as it grows that will become an eventuality?"

My father didn't have to answer me for I could already hear his thoughts in my mind. He still had his hand on my shoulder and gave another squeeze before voicing allowed what he had thought and as well explaining. "I think her dream was born out of fear. There may be some similarities but I don't think your baby will have that capability." Before he could continue Carlisle's pager went off and as he got out his cell to see what was going on, I headed back upstairs needing to see my wife and be with her to ease my worries.

~Bella~

Even before I opened my eyes I knew Edward wasn't next to me. My room was shaded but not completely dark and as I gazed at the clock on the bedside table someone knocked at my door. "Come in," I called out rolling on my side so I could sit up. The bigger I got the harder it was do things that were once so simple. As I did the door opened and Alice walked in smiling at me, something was up. "Okay, Alice, what is it?" Alice and Jasper had arrived yesterday along with Esme and they were all taking turns looking after me when Edward needed to hunt.

"You missed all the excitement," she said as she sat on the edge of my bed while helping me prop a pillow up behind me. When she didn't answer I starred.

"Mike and Jessica came by earlier. They wanted to see you and convey their thanks for what Charlie did at the store."

"They?"

Alice kept smiling, "She had a ring, but their future is unsure right now."

Good, I didn't want to be the only one in town being talked about though so far I doubted very many people knew about the pregnancy, "Are they coming back?"

"Not today. Edward told them you were having a hard time with all of this and told Jessica you would call her."

The last time Jessica and I talked was at the wedding, and that already seemed like a lifetime ago. I wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to me now.

"Where is Edward?"

"Hunting with Emmett. He and Rose got here earlier this morning. Do you want to sit downstairs?"

When I nodded Alice helped me to my feet and to the bathroom first. She stood outside while I took care of that and when I was ready she carried me downstairs. My sense of balance mostly on stairs was off and for that reason I didn't care that she was carrying me.

Before Alice could get me settled the phone rang. She was gone and a second later Alice was back holding the phone out for me. "Hello."

"Bella, this is Angela. My mom told me about Charlie."

"He's doing better. I think he might get to come home a little earlier than they normally let patients out of the hospital since Carlisle is the attending physician. How is school going for you and Ben?" As Angela filled me in on what had been happening, I shut my eyes wondering what it would be like to be away at college.

"It's all so different," Angela said as Alice arrived with a plate full of food along with my cup. "So tell me what you and Edward have been doing?"

I took a long drink from the cup before answering her, "We've been getting settled in our new house mostly and taking classes." A part of me wanted to tell her about the baby but I was apprehensive. Right now the fewer people who knew the better.

When the call ended Alice had taken my plate of food and reheated it and as I began to eat Edward walked in. He eased me up and slid in behind me making sure there was a warm blanket between our bodies. I hated mine right now because I was always so cold. "How was your hunt?"

"It wasn't the fun Emmett had hoped. My mind was here with you." I felt his cool lips brush the top of my head and controlled my reaction not wanting him to know just how cold they made me feel.

While I ate he told me about the conversation he had with Carlisle, "I like the idea of having everything ready," I agreed as I finished the last bite of food. Esme came and took my plate leaving Edward and me to talk, "We won't be able to go to a hospital will we?"

"No, there is too much of a risk. Carlisle is already starting to get together the things we will need."

We still had three months and it all felt so strange to me. Sometimes I didn't feel like this was real even though I felt our baby moving around. Again I wondered what it would have been like if this wouldn't have happened and felt guilty after that thought crossed my mind.

"What are you thinking?"

It was hard on Edward not knowing my thoughts and I quickly told him, "Sometimes it doesn't feel real to me even though this baby moves around all the time. Is that bad?"

"No, I, too, find myself wondering if this is just a dream."

I was getting tired again and Edward took notice. I let him take me back up to my room wishing we had a bigger bed. There wasn't much room with my belly sticking out but we managed.

~*~*~

The next morning, not long after I settled in on the sofa, Jacob and Billy arrived with my father. Carlisle walked in behind them and I heard my father very clearly as he directed them to help him to his recliner. No one argued with him and that was good, though it was evident that it was painful for him as Jake helped him sit down. Once he was settled the rest of the family left and I felt like a little girl as he looked over at me. He was more coherent and I hadn't thought about that until this moment.

"Why didn't you call?"

I doubted he remembered what we said that day in his hospital room, "This is a high risk pregnancy, Charlie. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if it ends badly," I whispered trying not to think about my dream.

He shut his eyes for a moment, "I worry sometimes about you, Bells. I see you taking the same path your mom and I did."

"Charlie, this isn't like that, not at all. We didn't plan this because we didn't think it was a possibility"

"Why?" my father asked and I found myself at a loss.

Edward was the one who came to the rescue telling Charlie something about being sick when he was really young and being told that because of that he would never father a child.

Soon after that Charlie went to sleep and Jacob walked in the door from taking Billy home I guessed.

"How are things going?" I asked as he brought a chair in from the kitchen and set it down next to the sofa.

"Pretty normal. Leah's still running her mouth, but other than that we're keeping an eye on things as usual," Jake whispered as Charlie began to snore.

It was good to have my father home and now that he was, I began thinking about when we would head back to Hanover, and wishing we could just take Charlie back with us.

~*~*~

AN: I'm back as you can see and I'm sorry this is such a short chapter. I ended up with a trojan that forced me to have to wipe everything from my primary drive and start over. This unfortnantly means that all that writing I did ahead of time got wiped along with some other things. I had this chapter written and along with it the next chapter but no more. So this may mean the updates will be fewer and further between until I get back into the flow of the story. I haven't gotten to write anything either. All of that aside, I'm really grateful for all of you who have been checking on this story and who have added me to your lists to keep updated. I know this chapter doesn't have much action and I'm sorry but I kind of need to get back into the swing and wanted to give you guys something to read after such a long pause. I'm hoping that this is the last of the trojan and am backing my story up on my secondary drive as well as the primary one.

Thank you all for the awesome reviews I'll get back to answering them individually now that I'm back. Also thanks as always to Mac for the Beta reads.

~Ella~