Flabbergasted Phenomenon

Summary: "This is the most unique situation I have ever heard of with a human and a vampire," was what Carlisle said, but all I could think was, "I'm going to have a baby."

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse. I just own the scenarios where I thrust my favorite vampire and his family and the love of his life! Yay for me!

Chapter Twenty-eight: The Kidnapping

I held the phone in my hand weakly. Edward promised that he would get me soon, and today was March 15th. It has been over a month! I stared at the phone. I knew I shouldn't call Edward, I didn't recognize the phone number, which meant it could have been from anywhere, and then what if it was a cell phone? Someone from the Volturi could answer it or be listening, and I'm sure they're good trackers. They would find me, and then the Cullen family's attempt at protecting me would have been worthless.

Finally, I lost all hope and put the phone beside me, trying to ignore it. Edward said soon, and thirteen whole days passed. Thirteen! I got off the bed and went to the bathroom. What made me more distraught than not being home with Edward? I think I lost weight. My face was definitely looking gaunt, that's for sure. My face was skin and bones, but my stomach still looked big, and whatever nutrients I was getting from the food here went directly to him, making me hungry almost all the time.

I was walking back to the bed when I felt an uncomfortable pain, and I stopped. This felt nothing like the contractions I had in January, they didn't hurt as bad. And that worried me. In my pregnancy books, they said these kinds of contractions meant my body was beginning to get ready to go into labor, and I was a little more than a month away from my due date. The books always said be concerned if it's before your 37th week, and I was a day from beginning my 35th.

With new found determination, I walked to the bed and got the phone. I halfway dialed Edward's cell phone number when I stopped. I can't endanger him. I closed the phone and closed my eyes. I could see Doctor Franklin, but with a glance at the clock, I knew it was too early to wake someone I barely knew up, especially since I wasn't sure if this was anything to worry about.

My heart began to slow as I relaxed into the bed, forcing myself to stay calm. The minutes swept by swiftly, and before I knew it, the news was on instead of infomercials. I watched the weather, rain was expected for the day, and I glanced out the window. The dark clouds seemed more menacing than what it said on the news. If I knew where I was, I'd be able to determine what the weather would really be like.

I stood in front of the window, resting my forehead against the glass. The rain was making me miserable. I stared at the darkening sky, it wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning yet, and the sky was already dark, as if it was evening. I jumped when lightning flashed in front of my eyes, and I scrambled away from the window, sitting back down on the bed. Just as I did, the windows rattled from the thunder. Immediately after that, all the lights went out, as did the television. I sighed, staring around me in the quickly darkening room.

There was a knock at the door, and then it opened. "Hey Bella? You hungry?"

I shook my head, looking at Richard." Not yet." He smiled at me, dimples appearing in his cheeks.

"Well good, 'cause the power just went out and we can't cook nothin'. Doctor Franklin sent me up here to tell you that she'll be gone for the morning; there was a house call on a farm about two miles from here."

"Okay."

"Shout for me if you need a snack."

I nodded my head, and he closed the door. That boy…whoever is engaged to him is lucky. Even though he was a little different, he was extremely kind and friendly, making my stay here as comfortable as it could be. And since no one else seemed to be staying in this hotel, he frequently kept me busy with conversation. At least he doesn't—I froze, my eyes opening wide, and my hands went to my stomach. "Ow, ow, ow!" I whispered, looking down. Those uncomfortable contractions were back.

I looked around for the cell phone, and I saw it resting innocently on the windowsill. I stood up and walked towards it, holding my breath as the uncomfortable pains became more apparent with each step I took. When I got the phone, my hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold it. I went back to the bed, even slower than I did getting up from it, and sat down.

It took me almost a full minute to regain my composure and get my hands to stop shaking. And then, without thinking, I dialed the number to the hospital in Forks. I memorized it when I first began visiting Charlie as a young child.

"Hello—"

I didn't even wait for the woman to tell me that I called the hospital. "Is Doctor Carlisle Cullen available?"

"One moment please."

I was put on hold. My heart was hammering and I knew if I didn't take a breath, I was going to faint. I struggled to get one huge breath, and I exhaled slowly. My heart was still racing though. I felt like I was on hold for an eternity before there was a click and then, "This is Doctor Cullen, how may I help you?"

"Carlisle," I whispered, unsure if there would be evil vampires lurking in his office, or wherever he happened to answer the phone. "It's me."

"One moment please," Carlisle said, and then there was silence. It lasted about ten seconds, and then there was a click, before Carlisle said, "Bella." Relief was flooding his voice, and it made me smile. "How are you feeling?" Obviously, he knew that I wouldn't be calling if I was fine.

"I think I'm having contractions." I chewed on my bottom lip, hoping Carlisle would be able to help me over the phone. I knew the chances of that, but it was all I was hoping for.

There was hesitation in his voice, as he said, "Okay," and then he said, quite calmly, "Do you feel any pressure from the baby pushing down?" If he was trying to hide fear from his voice, he was doing a great job. It was as if this happened every day. It probably did actually, he was a doctor.

I pressed my hand against my stomach, closing my eyes. "Maybe these aren't contractions…" I paused as Gabe shifted, and then I whispered, "This pain…they're like contractions, but more uncomfortable than painful, especially when I walk."

Carlisle's voice was soft and gentle, putting me at ease, "What were you doing when you felt these contractions?"

"Most of the time, just walking."

Carlisle sighed, and I could imagine him closing his eyes. "Is there a doctor there with you now?"

"No. She's gone for the morning."

"Is there a bathtub in your room?"

"Yes." I glanced to the bathroom. What does a bathtub have to do with anything?

"Take a warm bath," Carlisle spoke, dragging my attention back to the present conversation. "It'll help you relax. After that, I want you to get into bed, and don't move. Your contractions seem to be most uncomfortable when you walk."

"Okay."

"Have you eaten today?"

"No, there's a storm and all the power went out."

Carlisle sighed, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was; I'd be better off at home. "Are you bleeding? Is Gabriel moving more or less?"

"No, no changes like that."

There was more silence, and I was holding my breath. Then Carlisle said, "I can't do too much over the telephone, Bella."

"I know. I just…wanted to talk to someone." I'm sure he heard the underlying tone in my words. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I could have called 9-1-1."

"Don't hesitate, Bella. If you feel pain that's unbearable, new, or in a different place, don't call me, call an ambulance. You'll be better off in a hospital than where you are with no doctor." But you would be even better here. Even if he didn't say it, I knew he thought it.

"Okay."

"I'll be at the hospital until seven o'clock, Bella, so keep calling and updating me every couple of hours—" Carlisle paused, and I heard a knocking in the background. I knew that our conversation was over, and I smiled sadly, feeling a lump form in my throat. It felt nice to be able to talk to someone, other than Richard, especially if it was family. "Try to rest Bella, and remember, call me or an ambulance if you feel any more pain."

"I promise," I whispered, trying to hide my disappointment from my voice. I'm sure I was failing. I heard Carlisle sigh, but I knew he had to go, someone was at his door. "Goodbye Carlisle."

"Bye Bella."

I closed the phone, my shoulders shaking as I tried to suppress my tears. I kept the phone with me and went to the closet, grabbing yet another maternity outfit and underwear, and then I went into the bathroom. The storm let up, and I was feeling confident that I wasn't going to be electrocuted in the bath. I turned on the water and waited for the tub to fill up.

After it filled up, I poured shampoo, at least it smelled good, into the water to make bubbles, and then I climbed in, sighing as my very pregnant and fatigued body sank into the water. The tears didn't fall as I tried to relax in the water. I think the sudden heat surprised Gabe, because he was moving all around.

It was taking too long to relax, so I began to think about relaxing one body part at a time, first my toes, then my ankles…

When I was finished with my bath, I got dressed slowly and brushed my hair before swaddling it in a towel and then leaving the bathroom. It was strange to take a bath in the dark, but I got through it. I went to the bed and crawled inside of it, surprised to see cereal and a glass of milk.

I hastily ate my breakfast before lying down and pulling my covers to my chin, watching as the storm rolled passed; the thunder and lightning kicking up again and rain splattering against the window.

The day passed by in a blur as I stared out the window. I feigned sleep when Doctor Franklin popped into the room with lunch, but I did eat as soon as she left, because I was famished. Then I was back to laying on my side, staring out the window.

A hopeless feeling consumed me. No one was coming to get me; no one really wanted me back, because someone would have called me or something. My phone call to Carlisle was a part of his job, he couldn't just ignore me.

What if this was what they wanted? Edward wanted to get rid of me without having to kill me? My mind ran wild with this thought, and every horrible scenario came to mind about Edward finding someone else.

Or maybe, no one was calling me because they were dead. The Volturi didn't believe the Cullen's story about me being dead, maybe they found a hair in Alice's hairbrush, or they just didn't believe them. They left Carlisle alive because he was a big part of the hospital.

Maybe that wasn't Carlisle at all? Maybe it was Felix or Jane, or Aro even, and they knew how to disguise their voices? I don't know the extent of their powers, they could have done it.

I was sick with dread by the time dinner came around, and I ignored whatever they gave me, actually throwing it on the floor so I wouldn't have to look at it. The plate broke, but I knew they had more plates, and if not, they could just buy a new one.

Finally, what I was waiting for finally came. Sleep took me, and my gaze finally left the window to look at the back of my eyelids.

I woke with a start, and almost screamed. "Edward!" I gasped, reaching for the porcelain Adonis that stood in front of me. He shook his head, and I flinched from the look in his black eyes. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you leave me alone for so long?"

"I can't love you Isabella. Not with you and a child." I stood unsteadily to my feet, my hand holding my stomach. Is he serious? "You hold me back, I have been hiding for a month from you, and you can't show anything for it."

"What do you mean? Gabriel—"

"He is dead to me, Bella. He is the reason why I can't love you, a human."

"Don't say that Edward!" I screamed, walking towards him. "I can change—"

"You can't change; you'll thirst for the blood of your own child." Edward's gaze turned dark and a grimace settled on his features. "This is for your own good, Bella."

"Edward, no," I begged, taking another step towards him. He shook his head again, and I felt like I was going to get sick. My breathing was becoming labored; it was as if I wasn't getting enough oxygen. "Please stay Edward! You promised!"

"I can't promise anymore, Bella. Gabriel is the cause of all our problems. If he wasn't around, then Rosalie and Jasper would still be here."

"What?" I asked, the word coming from my mouth before I could stop myself. My knees began to quake and I began to fall as I drowned in despair. Rosalie and Jasper…Rosalie and Jasper…they're gone? The room around me was slowly fading to black and all I could do was scream—

"EDWARD!"

I was screaming when I sat upright in bed. And then, suddenly, I was flush against a stone, cold body. I didn't care who or what it was, I just clutched them as I sobbed, almost painfully, repeating Edward's name over and over again. That dream felt so real!

By the time I stopped crying, I was exhausted and I didn't even look at my own personal comforter before I blacked out.

My eyes opened slowly, and I couldn't see. My vision was blurry and I had to force myself to focus. Even after those few short seconds, I couldn't see.

And that's when I realized I was in the dark. I moved my head, and noticed that I was against a glass window. I looked out the window and saw that the scenery was not still. It was actually going past quite fast.

Holy crow! I've been kidnapped! My heart was trying to escape from my chest and just as it started to speed away, the vehicle I was in swerved. Oh no! They know I'm awake. What am I supposed to do?

Before I could stop myself, I started to scream and cry. Part of me knew that this was going to get me nowhere, except for maybe more danger, and the other part of me thought that maybe I would be kicked out of the vehicle. The car stopped and in an instant, the person was out of the car. The speed of him or her shocked me, but didn't stop my screaming.

"Belly! Belly! It's me, Emmett! Calm down."

All at once, my screaming stopped, as did my heart.

Suddenly, he had my shoulders and was shaking me. "Breathe!"

I gasped for breath and then choked out, "Emmett?"

"The one and only."

And I started to cry all over again as I threw my arms around him and hugged him. I felt weak and tired, but I hugged him with as much strength as I could. There was another car door opening and closing, and then there was a shadow. "Emmett, is she alive?"

"Just barely, I think," Emmett very carefully disentangled me from our embrace and got out of the car. I saw a glimpse of his wife, and I immediately felt at ease. If Rosalie and Emmett were taking me somewhere, then life was okay. "I say we take her home, Carlisle will be there anyway."

"I'll continue following in the Jeep."

They embraced tightly for a second, and then Rosalie ran off to the much bigger Jeep. Emmett shut the car doors and then got inside the drivers side. I was sitting in the back all by myself, but with Emmett in the car, I felt safe. "You still alive back there?"

"As alive as I can be," I croaked, wiping at my eyes. "How far away are we?"

"Less than five minutes. You woke up just in time, everyone at home probably heard you."

"Sorry." A heavy blush covered my cheeks and I looked sheepishly at the floor. "I didn't know—"

"No problem, Belly. All I care about is the fact that you're home." It was hard to believe Emmett was being serious.

It was a short trip from the highway to the Cullen driveway. When we pulled up, I was shocked to see my truck sitting in front of the house. It's been so long since I've driven it…

Emmett stopped the car, and I winced when all the lights turned on in the house. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the car door. Before I could even try to get up, Rosalie was at my side, her hand out to help me. I took it gratefully, easing myself out of the car. My back ached and I felt like I hadn't walked in years.

It was a slow process to get to the porch, but Emmett and Rosalie stuck by me, helping me up the stairs and holding on to me as I wobbled on my feet. The front door was already open, and everyone was standing in the doorway.

I stood in front of the door, Emmett and Rosalie went into the house, but I seemed to be frozen. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here was my family, all seven of them, and it looked like someone had beaten them and tossed them in a closet. Each of their eyes had heavy bruise like circles, and I couldn't tell their iris from their pupil.

They haven't hunted one day since I've been gone. I shook my head slowly, taking a few steps back. "I can't be here," I croaked, shaking my head again. "You need to hunt; I can't torture you with my presence…"

"Bella, come here."

One glimpse of my husband told me I needed to get as far away as possible. I could see he was thirsty, that one drop of my blood would set his entire family off, and he would be the worst. I smiled brokenly at him. "Hunt, please. I'll go to Charlie's, you can get me there…"

A set of keys flew through the air, and landed at my feet. I stared at them, knowing there was no way I could get down far enough to get them. I heard a giggle and saw Alice break free from her family. "Sorry, I don't know why I expected you to catch those." She handed them to me, my old truck keys, and whispered, "Edward will pick you up tomorrow."

"She can't go. Bella, please don't go…" Edward's voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been screaming until he lost it. My heart broke in two, and I started to sob as I walked to my truck. I got inside of it without a thought, and started it, jumping when it roared to life.

I turned on the heat and began to back out of the driveway. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings, and then I was used to the loud noise coming from my engine.

I drove as fast as I could to Charlie's, hoping he was home. I hung onto the steering wheel tightly, on the edge of my seat. My seatbelt was choking me, but I didn't care.

Finally, I pulled in front of his house and saw that he wasn't home. Another sob tore through my throat and I parked the car in the driveway before dropping my head to the steering wheel, and losing all hope in everything. I was tired and felt incredibly weak, and I just wanted to sleep and forget this entire month ever happened. I didn't even look up when I saw flashing headlights. I just cried.

"Bella?" There was a knock on my window, and the voice I heard was muffled. Very carefully, the door opened and Charlie looked at me worriedly. "What are you doing out this late?"

"Can I stay here?"

"What's wrong?" Charlie immediately wrapped his arm around me, and I leaned heavily on him. He leaned into my truck and took my keys, turning off the engine. He shut my door and then helped me into the house, after unlocking the front door.

Charlie kicked off his boots, and that's when I realized I wasn't wearing any shoes. He helped me to the couch in the living room. I just about collapsed onto it. He turned on the light and peered at me, getting on his knees and leaning to look at my face. I think he recognized the hurt on my face, because his immediately crumpled.

It probably resembled the pain that I carried with me when Edward left the first time.

"Edward and I got in a fight," I lied weakly, hoping he wouldn't ask any questions. "Can I stay the night here?"

"You don't have to ask that, Bells," Charlie awkwardly swept my hair off my forehead. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything? Thirsty?"

"Just a blanket," I murmured, feeling as if I was losing consciousness rather than falling asleep. I was exhausted from head to toe and I felt like I couldn't move an inch. Charlie immediately stood from me and went up the stairs. I sighed quietly and wiped at my eyes. Another night without Edward…Even the last image I had of him wasn't pleasant. I hope I don't have nightmares; I'd hate to wake Charlie up in the middle of the night. Charlie came back downstairs a few minutes later, just as I was on the verge of sleep. He carefully spread the blanket over me and whispered,

"Goodnight," before turning off the lights. It was as if his action of turning off the lights turned me off as well, because I was asleep, or unconscious, whichever comes first, just as he did it.

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: Hello! I'm getting ready to leave for work, so I thought a quick update would be okay, since I'm not going to be home until later this evening, and I'll probably just go to bed!

Thanks for the reviews, and to all of my readers and reviewers, don't worry, every one of my stories has a happy ending, whether it's what you want to happen or not. :)

I'll try to update again, soon, I promise!

Love,
Bob Bennit