I'm liking EPOV, so we'll stick with him for a little longer. :) The last two were outtakes, but this one will actually advance the story. Crazy, right?

More at the bottom...

Enjoy!

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Previously:

"I'll always be there for you," I vowed, both to Bella and to our unborn child, resting my palm lightly against her stomach. "Both of you."

Chapter 11
EPOV

I wanted to make one thing absolutely clear, so I made sure I had her attention. "Bella, I need you to know that this isn't just for the baby. I mean, I can't express how excited I am about that, but it's so much more. Honestly, whether or not you were pregnant, whether or not it was mine – I still want to get to know you, to spend time with you. To be with you. Is that okay?"

Her answering smile was blindingly radiant.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, trading grins between us. However, something Bella had mentioned earlier nagged at the back of my mind, and I just had to ask her. While some of it may have come from the curious and cautionary mindset ingrained into me as a doctor, a large part was undoubtedly due to the new and unfamiliar protective concern of a father.

I was going to be a father!

"Bella, can I ask you a question? It's about something you said earlier…" I trailed off, not knowing if she would find my inquiry too invasive.

"Of course," she replied immediately. "I know we have a lot to talk about, especially if – no, since we're going to do this together." Bella smiled again beautifully, but then her expression became serious. "I don't want to hold anything back from you, Edward. Just please be patient if I need a little time to explain some things?"

I admired her strength, and her honesty, and I told her as much. "That goes without saying. If you feel like I'm pushing you in any way, please let me know."

She nodded. "While I can't say we started out in the most … conventional way" – I hung my head in mock shame, causing her to giggle – "I wouldn't take it back for anything. We'll just have to take our relationship a little slower from now on."

"Does everything have to move slowly?" I winked at her, and was pleased to see her cheeks heat up with a bright blush.

"We'll see," was all she said.

I wanted to jump around in excitement – she didn't say no! – but that probably would not have gone over very well. Instead, I focused back on what I had originally wanted to ask. Bella could obviously tell I was getting serious again, as she sat up a little straighter. I grabbed her hand in mine, needing to anchor her to me in some way.

"You mentioned that you didn't think you could have children?" I figured I'd start us off easy (hah, like that question was "easy"), and she could share as much or as little as she felt comfortable with.

"Yes," she sighed, whether in sadness or regret I couldn't tell. "As I said, Jacob and I tried for three years, and it just never took. We ended up going to a fertility clinic here in the city to get some tests done, to hopefully find and fix the problem. Jake was fine, so apparently I was the problem, although they couldn't tell me why."

"Did you try any other methods, then?"

She shook her head. "No, since the cause was unexplained there were some options we couldn't use, and some I wasn't willing to. At that point in my life, in our marriage, it just wasn't worth it any more."

She looked so sad. I squeezed her hand gently, hoping she would find it comforting. "But you are okay with it now, right?" I asked tentatively.

"YES!" I practically jumped in my seat at her passionate shout. "Edward, I've wanted to be a mother since, well, as long as I can remember. It's not that I stopped wanting it when things ended with Jacob, it just … didn't seem like it was the right thing for us at the time, any more?" It came out as a question, but then she shook her head lightly. "I was in a really bad place in my mind then, and it took a while for my dad and my best friend Alice to pull me out of it. But now I'm exactly where I want to be."

I studied her, and felt her certainty on this. Bella was going to be an amazing mother, that much I knew already.

Something else she'd said had caught my attention. "You said you went to a clinic around here?" There was only one that I could think of, could it be…?

"Yeah, her name was Dr. Hale. Actually, I think her place was pretty close to here-"

"Hale?" I interrupted. "You mean Rosalie Hale?"

"Yes, do you know her? She was an amazing doctor." Bella looked remorseful. "I really wish I'd gone back at some point to thank her. Even though it didn't work out, she was so supportive and helpful. I almost felt like I could have had a friend in her, you know? I never really had many female friends…"

Hmmm, that was interesting to hear. Already a few ideas were forming in my mind.

"I do know her, actually. Hey, do you mind if I give her a call? It might be good to get her input on this. Not that I think there should be any increased risks, but just in case? Despite my involvement in the process of putting that little one inside you," I smirked at her blush, "that's more her specialty."

"Sure," she replied easily. "Do you want to go ahead and try now? I'm just going to run to the bathroom for a minute, though." She directed a mock glare at me. "Now that I know why, I blame your child for this constant need to pee, by the way."

"Oh, my child, is it?" I was giddy at the thought. "They're only going to be mine when they do something wrong, huh?"

"Damn right."

I helped Bella off the exam table and waited while she gathered her things. We walked out into the hall together, and I pointed out the bathroom as well as my office so she'd know where to find me. Plopping down in my chair, I grinned as I picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang at least six times and I was about to give up when the line finally clicked on.

"Hello?" She sounded out of breath. What on earth was that woman doing in the middle of the work day?

"Hey, Rosie."

"Ugh, it's you. What do you want? I was just going to grab lunch. You know what happens when I don't get fed regularly…" she left off with a threat.

I did know, indeed. But this might be a good chance. "Sorry about that. Actually, I was wondering if you had time to stop by? I have a former patient of yours here and was hoping we could go over her case, make sure everything's in the clear."

"Really?! Who is it? Your patient, right? Tell me everything!" she babbled happily, her earlier annoyed tone completely gone. Nothing in this world could get Rosalie Hale as excited as hearing about a successful case. I knew very well how personally invested she got with her patients. She truly felt their pain, as well as their joy, as if it were her own.

"I'll tell you if you bring us both some food, too." I realized I was starving, actually, and I knew Bella had been here a while and probably hadn't eaten much today due to her morning sickness. Rosie would know what was safe to bring.

"You drive a hard bargain, Cullen. Fine, I'll bite."

"Bella Swan."

"Bella, Bella…" There was a pause while she thought about it. "Oh! You mean Isabella Black?" Had that been her married name? Swan was so much better. Actually, Bella Cullen sounded pretty good…

Rosalie's voice cut in through my fantasy. "Seriously? You aren't messing with me, right?" Shit, she sounded pissed. "I'll fucking kill you if you're lying to me right now, Cullen!"

"It's the truth! I swear!" God, she could be scary. I opened my mouth to give her more details, but apparently it didn't matter.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Click.

Okay. I think that went well.

AN: Hello again! So sorry for the delay and for my utter fail at review responses... I tried to catch up a bit today, and I sincerely hope to do better next time. Hopefully the next chapter will come quicker, although I do have a few other things I'm working on this month.

Please keep sharing your thoughts on the story, I love hearing all of your opinions and feedback!