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-nine: The Epitome of Life

I felt a very cold hand caressing my face, and I fought hard to wake up. I was barely able to keep my eyes open, but I forced it. Sitting in front of me, as still as only he could get, was Edward. His face was tight, as if it was taking everything he had to not move, but his eyes were the familiar topaz that I knew, except now…they held so much pain.

"Look at what I've done to you," he whispered, when he realized I was awake. His hand continued stroking my face. "You're so thin…" He didn't move again, and I was sure he thought he was going to break me. I blinked tiredly at him. I wasn't going to be awake much longer than this. I told Edward so, my voice sounding even weaker than what it was the last time I used it. Edward didn't waste a second, he called Charlie and told him that he took me home, and in the same second, he gathered me up, as if I was a china doll, and carried me to the door.

Edward's Volvo was behind my truck, and he very carefully put me inside, still on the phone with Charlie. Edward had a look of surprise on his face as he spoke to Charlie, and he stood outside the car. I took this time to put on my seatbelt, when I was still able to. Then Edward got inside the car, and we were zooming out of the driveway, and onto the highway.

I was unconscious faster than what Edward was driving.

When I forced myself to open my eyes again, I was afraid that I would wake up on a lumpy bed in a slightly familiar hotel room, but I was even more shocked to see a white ceiling, and the sound of steady beeps. I groaned and tried to move, but I felt too weak to even turn my head. Before I could fully panic, Edward appeared in my vision. His dazzling features kept me hypnotized for a few fleeting seconds, and then I was gone again.

"She'll be fully awake in thirteen seconds. She can probably hear me now."

Slowly I dragged my eyes open, and the fatigue that I've been feeling wasn't as strong. I was able to move a little easier, if not sluggishly, into a sitting position. For a moment I was wondering why I was moving so smoothly, and then I noticed that someone was behind me, helping.

I looked at myself. I had an IV and a lot of little monitors were around me, hooked up to various spots of my body, but mostly my chest and stomach. After trying to decipher which machine went to what body part, I looked up.

All around me was my family, except for Edward. My heart panged painfully, and for a second I couldn't breathe. I looked around the room, trying to find my husband. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting beside each other, and Jasper and Alice were sitting in the same chair. Esme was standing by the door, as if she just walked in. As my heart beat wildly, I croaked, "Where's Edward?"

"He's with Carlisle, honey," Esme said soothingly, taking only four strides from the door to my bed. She kissed my forehead and smoothed my hair back. "He'll be here soon."

I managed to mumbled, "I need him now," before I was overcome with sobs. I was finally awake enough to have conversation, and all I wanted was for Edward to be near me. Crying took a lot of energy from me, and I could feel myself getting weaker as the seconds passed. I didn't care though. I didn't care about anything, about my family sitting around me, watching as I spiraled into my own little hole, I didn't care about the IV or the machines…All I needed was Edward!

Suddenly, I heard simultaneous shouts of Edward inside the room, and I jumped, looking up. For a second there was nothing to see, and then the door opened, and standing in the doorway was the man I was waiting for.

In a flash, I was in his arms, his lips on mine briefly, before they trailed off to my cheeks and forehead. He wiped at my tears, murmuring apology after apology as I tried to form one coherent sentence. And then I just stopped thinking. All I needed was to bask in his presence, because I knew I would never be able to explain the relief and joy I had for him being with me again. Our lips met briefly, again, and I whispered just as we parted, "I love you so much."

"More than you know," Edward whispered, before kissing me again and again. I was dizzy by the time he actually pulled me away from our embrace. In a blur I saw someone push a chair beneath Edward's knees, and he immediately sat down, grasping my hand tightly in his own. He brushed his nose against my wrist, and I watched as he reacted. His jaw tightened and his mouth clamped shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then his eyes closed. It was an immeasurable amount of minutes that I watched him slowly desensitize himself…and it made my heart ache. We should never be away from each other for this long! I waited until his eyes opened before I let out a breath of relief.

The topaz was still there as he looked at me, a small smile gracing his lips. He kissed my wrist and my pulse quickened for a second. I heard the echo from one of the many machines I was hooked up to.

There was a knock at the door, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from Edward. It opened slowly, I'm not even sure if anyone answered it. The only time I looked away from Edward was when his head snapped hard to look at the visitor. My eyes slowly followed the path and landed on Carlisle, who was shutting the door. I saw his lips moving, but no sound came out. As Carlisle moved, my eyes followed him, and I saw Alice and Jasper through my peripheral vision, and Alice's head was in her hands. Jasper was nodding his head slowly. What is going on? I thought weakly, hoping everything was alright for my family.

"No…" Edward breathed as Carlisle sat down in a chair beside him. Finally, Carlisle looked at me, and I was shocked to see such a melancholy look on his face. He whispered,

"How are you feeling?"

"Weak," I croaked, trying to find something to distract me. I fiddled with my engagement ring as I added, "And a little hungry." I needed Carlisle to get to the point, the suspense of whatever he told Edward felt like it was actually killing me.

"We did some testing while you were unconscious."

"A huh."

"And the results we received were a little disheartening." I think my heart stopped beating at those words. Edward gently shook my shoulder and I struggled to get oxygen in my burning lungs. What tests? And what kind of results? Is Gabriel okay? "When Emmett and Rosalie were bringing you home last night, Emmett noticed a distinct change in your scent." I nodded my head, unable to tear my eyes away from Carlisle's. Even though whatever news he was giving me would probably not be good, his eyes were soothing me. Edward squeezed my hand and I squeezed it back, only slightly though.

"We took some blood from two different parts of your body..." I just nodded my head, not caring where he got the blood from. I think I accidentally tuned him out with the beating of my heart for a second, but Edward squeezed my hand again, bringing my attention to Carlisle. "There is venom inside of your body."

"Wh-what?" I choked out, unsure if I was hearing him correctly. "Venom?" I was sure I was going to die as Carlisle nodded his head.

"Gabriel is protected inside the womb by the amniotic fluid, but the venom is trapped between the placenta and uterine wall, unable to get into your bloodstream. If the venom got into your bloodstream, you would have changed by now. I can't explain how the venom has managed to stay for so long without causing you or the fetus problems, but I can tell you that the venom will leave your body if your water breaks." I let out a sigh of relief, but Carlisle's expression didn't change, and I knew that there was more bad news.

"What else?" I asked in a broken whisper.

"Because of your placenta previa, we have to deliver Gabriel through a Cesarean-section. With this procedure, Gabriel is at a high risk of being infected with venom…and you."

It dawned on me then, and I felt like someone knocked all the oxygen out of my lungs, once again. I could barely get my voice above a whisper as I murmured brokenly, "He won't be strong enough to fight the venom…"

"I'm so sorry Bella."

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. I couldn't take any more bad news. My entire pregnancy was filled with bad news, and this was the last straw. "No," I whispered, finally finding my voice.

"No, you're lying Carlisle." I opened my eyes to look at him, begging him to tell me he was lying. "You're lying, you can't be—please!" I begged, my voice becoming weaker as I spoke. "Please tell me you're lying!"

"Bella, I wish I could—"

"No!" I screamed, shaking my head. "You promised everything was going to be okay!" I squeezed my fists tightly as I finally broke down, but the tears wouldn't fall. It was as if I just couldn't cry anymore. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders, lowering his head to my shoulder, but I tried to shake him off. I felt like everyone lied to me, but even more than that, I felt like a failure. "We can still try, can't we? He has a chance, doesn't he?" Carlisle nodded his head slowly.

"Yes, he has a chance."

I collapsed against the bed, unable to keep myself up. The overwhelming feeling to cry was bombarding me from all angles, but I couldn't let one tear escape. Was Jasper trying to take away this feeling? With one glance at Jasper, I knew he wasn't doing a thing. Before I could stop him, Edward had his arms around me and this time when he hugged me, I allowed him, holding on to him tightly.

Slowly, one by one, the Cullen's filed out of the room.

I squeezed Edward tightly, whispering, "Don't go. I need you right now." I felt like Edward was the only reason for my existence, to bring him this child, and if he left me, even for only a minute, I felt like I wouldn't succeed.

"I won't," Edward whispered gently into my ear.

My world seemed to dissolve into just two people in a room, Edward and me. He held me tightly, crying tearlessly while he held me. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and all I wanted was to sleep, but I didn't want to take my eyes off of Edward, incase he disappeared, and I woke up to find myself back in that room, all by myself. It would soothe me only slightly to know that this entire thing was a dream, but I would be even more distraught over the idea that Edward still wasn't with me.

I didn't actually wake up from my distraught daze until a nurse came into the room with my dinner.

And then I felt almost physically ill with my hunger. My hands were shaking and I could barely sit up, so Edward held and nursed the beef broth to me. I was disgusted with its taste, I tend to go for chicken broth, but food was food.

I felt stronger as I sipped at the broth though, and when I finished, I looked at Edward with wide eyes. "More?"

"I'll see what I can do." He kissed the top of my head and then pressed the call button on my bed. The same nurse came back and collected my dishes. That's when Edward put his dazzling charm on and said, "Can she have more to eat? She is still quite hungry." At the flash of his teeth, the nurse was a goner. Poor thing, I thought. I know exactly how you feel. When Edward looked back at me, he was worried. I just smiled, and it felt good to actually smile. "Anything for my wife," he murmured, kissing the top of my head.

"I love you," I whispered, kissing him lightly. He pressed me into his side and brought his hand to my cheek. He kissed me again, and I sighed against his lips, winding my hand into his hair.

I guess I was a little stronger than what I thought.

We pulled away as my heart pounded against my ribs. Only seconds later the nurse returned with a tray. Another bowl of broth, beef again, and this time a cup of orange juice. Edward placed my tray on a little table that slid over the bed, and once again nursed me the broth. When I finished that, I slowly drank orange juice, feeling full.

"Better?" Edward carefully laid down beside me in the bed, making sure that the thin sheet and blanket covered me before allowing his body to rest against mine. I sighed again, smiling, feeling a little tired.

"Now I am."

Edward wrapped his arm around me, and rested his head against mine, breathing slowly. My eyes drifted closed and I rested, not wanting to fall asleep just yet. Our breathing soon became in sync. Just the sound made me relax, and I felt the most at ease for the first time in a month.

A knock at the door didn't disrupt our even breathing. I just chose to ignore it.

"Bella, are you awake?"

"Yeah…" My eyes slowly fluttered open, and Edward kissed my cheek.

"Carlisle needs to do an ultrasound."

"Okay…" I wasn't as awake as I hoped, but I felt his laughter as he shifted, and then my eyes snapped open wide as I was lifted into the air and then I was against Edward's chest, his legs on either side of my body. I turned slowly and looked at him. He just smiled and kissed my lips. It was a chaste kiss, and he pulled away after a second.

It took a minute for me to get situated so I could have an ultrasound. I was feeling a little queasy as Carlisle instructed me to relax and lean against Edward's chest, because he wasn't going to move.

I was shocked when Edward gasped and grabbed my hand, leaning around me to see the small screen. Even Carlisle's jaw dropped. "Oh my…" Carlisle breathed.

"What?" I demanded. If Edward and Carlisle were so shocked, then Gabriel must be talking or something! Edward kissed my forehead, and I could feel his breath quick against my skin, and Carlisle continued to look at the screen.

"I can't believe it…It was such a slim chance."

"If you don't tell me," I choked, crossing my arms over my chest. My heart felt like it stopped beating, which it probably did, because I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with anymore bad news. If something was wrong, my heart was going to stop. Finally Carlisle pointed at the screen.

"I'm not sure if you can see it, but there's the placenta."

"Okay," I squinted my eyes to see, but obviously this was going to remain a mystery to the untrained or un-vampire eye.

"That's the top of your uterus…"

Whatever Carlisle said after that was lost to me. My heart stopped, for real, and all I could think about was my baby. Gabriel is going to make it! And then everything around me dissolved into black.

"Bella? Bella!"

"She fainted. I can't believe she stopped breathing."

"Can someone get Alice? When is she going to wake up?"

"I hope she doesn't get brain damage, she doesn't breathe an awful lot."

"EMMETT!"

Everyone's voices were floating around me, and I wasn't sure if consciousness was in my best interest right now. I could feel the presence of people standing over me, and that made me nervous too. Who was all in the room?

"Is she angry with me? Do you know Edward? And she'll be awake in about a minute."

"No she's not angry."

Why would I be angry with Alice? I don't think she did anything…

"Bella really does need a breathing coach."

With a shuddering breath, I opened my eyes, waiting for the inevitable eye focus. Everything swam above me for awhile, and I blinked a few times to hurry the process. Finally, I could see everyone, but the major expression I saw was Edward's smile.

"Gabe's fine…" I whispered, and Edward nodded his head. I began to sit up, and it was as if a hundred pairs of arms came out of nowhere, all simultaneously saying,

"No Bella."

I laughed, lying back down. I think I was emotionally drained for the day, and all I could do was laugh.

Then suddenly I looked at Emmett, glaring the best I could. "I do not have brain damage, thank you very much!"

I was rewarded with laughter from my entire family. It warmed me to finally see everyone together. Carlisle had his arm wrapped around Esme, and they were standing at the foot of my bed. Alice and Jasper were to my left, Emmett and Rosalie to my right, and Edward was on the bed with me. I couldn't have been happier, except I was in a hospital, also surrounded by machines and an IV.

"Charlie stopped by, just as you fainted." Esme moved slightly and I saw flowers. "He was on his lunch break and had a few minutes."

"That man…he doesn't know what to do with me!"

"No one does Belly. No one."

Emmett made me laugh again, and I closed my eyes. To be honest, I just needed to sleep. Once again, I was exhausted from head to toe, and I knew I would need to deal with everything that's happened…but after a nap. A long, five day nap, if I had it my way.

"Visiting hours are almost over, and Bella can only have two family members in the room with her tonight."

I opened my eyes and said, "Goodnight," to everyone, and I wasn't surprised to see that Esme was staying with Edward and me. I hugged everyone goodbye, and even Jasper hugged me briefly. I think my little pep talk to him all those weeks ago really did something to his ego. Everyone soon left the room, even Edward, Esme, and Carlisle. I was alone only for about a minute, but I could see Edward outside my door, so that comforted me.

When they came back into the room, Edward climbed into bed with me and Esme sat down in a chair. I was falling asleep just as Edward and Esme began talking. It was comforting to have them in the room with me, and I hoped that a nightmare wouldn't jar me awake.

Not tonight.

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: Hello! I know there's a lot of explaining that should be coming, but I swear to goodness, it's coming! Promise! Scouts honor, or something like that. ;)

Thanks for the reviews. I honestly never expected this story to be so…popular. It has more than 1,400 reviews! Thanks mucho!

Quick question! Is anyone else experiencing little squares randomly breaking up paragraphs, or is it just me? Because it's annoying.

Thanks for the reviews, again! And I'm trying to update frequently, and more than likely, it's always going to be at the beginning of the day, before I head out to work!

Love,
Bob Bennit