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 Thirty-four: Hemorrhage
Being wheeled into the hospital calmed me in some ways—at least I won't be having the baby in the cruiser—and intensified my nerves by tenfold—is Edward going to get here, and will everything be all right? I was thankful that the nursing staff, or at least the nurses who knew the hormonal imbalance of a pregnant woman, were so nice. The nurse who brought me into the hospital wheeled me in slowly and asked if I needed anything. I wanted to say that I wanted her to go look for my husband, but that was too dangerous on so many levels.
Once everything was situated, and I had a room to myself, I sat silently with Charlie, waiting for whatever was coming next. I haven't really been admitted to the hospital yet, but at least I had a room. I flipped through my paperwork; Edward did a really good job writing everything in my own handwriting.
I was beginning to sense my contractions before they came now, and I took a deep breath and grabbed the railing on my bed. Through the corner of my eye I saw Charlie move to the edge of his seat. I took a huge breath, and then welcomed the contraction the best I could.
They were starting to really hurt now.
"Should I try and call Edward?" Charlie asked, his voice more nervous that I've ever heard it. I couldn't answer him until the contraction finished, and then I looked at him, nodding my head enthusiastically. That was probably the best suggestion anyone has ever offered me. Charlie picked up the phone and looked at me, waiting for the number. This time, the phone number was on the tip of my tongue.
"His number is—" I stopped when there was a knock at the door. My hopes soared high as I said, "Come in!" I was praying that it was Edward, just so some of my nerves could be put at ease. He couldn't miss his child's birth—scratch that, I wouldn't allow myself to have the baby unless he was here. I don't care how long I'll have to cross my legs! I thought decisively.
But instead of seeing the angelic face of my husband, it was a nurse with a gown. I tried not to seem too disappointed, especially when I was told that I would be admitted this evening. But it did get a little awkward when I realized I had to put my gown on, and I would need someone to help me in and out of the bed.
Charlie was getting a little red in the face by the time the nurse left the room, and I cleared my throat hesitantly, before I looked away from Charlie. "Well…"
There was another knock on the door, and I didn't bother to hide my excitement when I once again called, "Come in!" Another nurse. I sighed inwardly and leaned into my bed. The nurse smiled at me a little hesitantly, and then picked up the chart that was on the end of my bed.
"Well Isabella," she began, looking away from my chart and looking me in the eyes. "As soon as we can get you in the gown, we'll start bringing in the machines, but there has been a little bit of an unforeseen…problem."
"What?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat. I sat up a little farther in my bed and looked at the nurse nervously. Was there a car accident? Was no one available to deliver the baby? Were they closing the hospital due to weather? Oh goodness, if they close the hospital, what will I do then? There is no way in heck that I'll go to Port Angeles. I won't leave this bed if they make me go to Port Angeles! I was getting myself worked up, and I had to take a deep breath before I could look at the nurse again.
"Doctor Snow—" The nurse paused and turned around, looking into the hallway. I listened for a second, and I was sure that my heart and mind were getting overly excited, because it definitely sounded like Edward was he—
"Bella!"
"Edward!" I shouted before I could stop myself. If I had the energy to, I would have leapt out of the bed and met him at the door. Edward appeared in the doorway, and then suddenly, he was at my bedside. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his cheek. I could feel his nose gliding discreetly down my neck, checking my scent.
I don't think there have been any changes.
"Is everything okay?" he asked in a breathless whisper, looking in my eyes so intensely that I forgot to breathe. "Bella?" he said quietly, knocking some air, and his scent, into my lungs.
"F-fine."
"You're in labor, you can't be fine." Edward said, before pecking my cheek and sliding into a chair that was beside the bed.
"As I was saying," the nurse said, reminding me that Edward interrupted her preplanned speech. "Doctor Snow is currently out of state—"
"What?" I said, not able to hide my surprise.
"He had a family emergency—"
"When will he be back?" I was beginning to feel annoyed. Edward grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently before smoothing his thumbs over my knuckles.
"Next week." I felt as if all the energy in my body disappeared. I leaned heavily into my pillows. The nurse continued on. "He sent his apologies, he knew you were going to have the baby soon, but he had to go. There are other doctors in the area who are more than willing to come in and help with the delivery."
"I don't know any of the other doctors!" I snapped, my fists clenching. I could feel a lump forming in my throat, as if I was going to cry. Edward moved his chair closer to the bed, and I rubbed at my eyes tiredly. Charlie shifted in his chair; I know he was starting to feel a little anxious about this entire ordeal. First Edward wasn't here, and then he comes, and then my doctor up and goes away. Great luck!
The nurse shifted on her feet, I think she was trying not to upset me. "Well, you think about what you want to do, and I'll be back to put you on the machines. Make sure you put on your gown." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Do I have any other choice?" I asked to no one in particular, rubbing at my eyes again. Hormones were surging through my veins and I was bouncing from one emotion to another.
"I'm sorry Bella," Edward said, kissing my hand. "I know things aren't going as planned—"
"Of course things are not going as planned!" I snapped, tugging my hand from his and crossing my arms over my chest. "First you disappear and then the stupid doctor leaves! What next? Is this going to turn out to be a false alarm, because God forbid I actually have the baby!"
Before Edward could attempt to calm me down from my most recent hormone induced temper tantrum, Charlie stood up. "I better go into the waiting room." I think he was just afraid that I might bite his head off too.
I was close.
When Charlie left the room, Edward moved from the chair and sat down on the edge of my bed. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my tear stained cheeks. "This is not the Isabella Swan Cullen that I know. Take a deep breath and tell me what you're thinking."
I did as he said, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. After a few seconds, I did it again. I could feel my anger slipping away slowly, and when I felt calm enough to speak, I looked at Edward. He smiled at me and kissed me until I was dizzy. Then he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine.
"Where is everyone else?"
"They're in the waiting room. Alice saw that there was going to be a fight, and she didn't want anyone else to witness it."
"Fight about what?" I asked, my hand fluttering to Edward's face. He sighed quietly and said,
"About your doctor."
And without skipping a beat, I said, "It's Carlisle, isn't it?" Edward nodded his head slowly, and I sighed. I was emotionally put out right now, and I honestly didn't care anymore. I said so, and Edward very gently kissed me and apologized once again. I just wrapped my arms around him and sighed quietly, closing my eyes. Now that he was here, things could only get better…at least, I hoped so.
After a minute, Edward pulled away from me and looked me up and down, concern shining in his eyes. "Tell me about your condition."
I thought for a second, and then I said, "My water broke between 11:45 and 11:50, and then I started having contractions about ten minutes apart." Edward checked his watch and then he looked at me surprised.
"You haven't been here long—not even an hour."
"Thank goodness," I said, resting my head against his shoulder. Edward hugged me again and kissed the top of my head.
After a few minutes of resting contentedly, Edward murmured, "I don't smell the venom. Did Jacob say anything to you after your water broke?"
I struggled to remember what happened when my water broke. Jacob didn't say much…but… "He didn't say anything, but he got a weird look on his face, as if he smelled…well, no offense, but as if he smelled you."
Edward sighed, "That is good news, I'll let Carlisle know." We were quiet again for a few fleeting seconds, and then Edward shifted. "Do you need help into your gown?" he murmured. I nodded my head slowly, and added,
"I need to use the rest room too."
After I had my gown on and I used the bathroom, I was back in the bed, exhausted from head to toe. Edward spoke to me quietly, encouraging me to sleep, until there was a knock on the door. When it opened, it was Carlisle, and he was looking at me warily. I just smiled at him the best I could and said, "Are you ready to handle my mood swings?"
He smiled at me then, and he immediately seemed more at ease. "I've delivered a lot of babies Bella, I'm sure I can handle this."
"I don't know Carlisle," Edward began, and I mock glared at him. He smiled and kissed my cheek.
"I heard you tell Edward about your contractions." Carlisle looked at my chart. That seemed to be a very popular thing to do. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your contractions?"
"A ten."
"And your water broke, correct?"
"Yes."
"And how are you feeling otherwise?" He was writing on my chart, and if I wouldn't have felt guilty afterwards, I would have glared at him. I wanted to ask him how he thought I was feeling, but I bit my tongue instead. At my silence, Carlisle looked up at me and took in my expression before smiling halfheartedly at me. "I know these questions aren't pleasing, but this is normal doctor procedure. I'm sure what you wanted to say wouldn't have been the worst I've ever heard."
"Sorry," I mumbled, looking at my hands. Edward sighed quietly, and then the weight on the bed shifted as Carlisle sat down on the edge.
"Before you can be admitted into the hospital, I need to check to see how far you are dilated." I cringed, but took a deep breath. I knew it was going to happen eventually.
After the initial embarrassment, I found out that I was four centimeters dilated, and I was beginning Active Labor, which basically meant that the hard part was coming up next. Carlisle asked me who I wanted in the room with me, and I said whoever wanted to come in and suffer with me was more than welcome. That announcement alone probably would cause my downfall—Emmett might act like this is one giant party.
Carlisle then announced that before I could be hooked up to anything, I would need an ultrasound, just to make sure my placenta previa hadn't changed and to make sure Gabriel was facing the right way. I was a little more than anxious for this part; it was the all or nothing part of my checkup. If the placenta previa was back, I would be getting a Cesarean section, and if the placenta was in the right place, I could go on with a natural birth, or as natural as it gets with an epidural.
It took a few minutes for me to get situated enough to have the ultrasound, and I held my breath as Carlisle checked the placenta.
"Everything is in good order Bella," he said, once he determined everything was all right. Even Gabriel was being well behaved and in the head down position. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
When I was hooked up to the fetal heart monitor, I couldn't help but smile. His heartbeat was strong, and it was nice to hear it. Edward even seemed more at ease since he could hear the heartbeat out in the open.
And then everything went…well, downhill and uphill from there. Downhill for me, my contractions suddenly went from ten minutes apart to six minutes apart, and they were a lot more intense. I could definitely feel when they started, when they peaked, and then when they slowed, and six minutes apart was no where near long enough for me to get over the pain and rest. But it was going uphill for the baby. Gabriel was on his way.
"You are doing such a good job, Bella," Edward whispered in my ear. I just whimpered in response. I was lying on my side, my hand holding onto the railing with a near deathlike grip. Edward began stroking my hips, and I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth as another contraction was coming.
"Don't touch me there!" I snapped, my other hand finding the railing as I struggled to breathe. Almost immediately, Edward moved away from my body, but I had no time to think about it, these contractions took over every thought I had.
When the contraction finished, I opened my eyes slowly. Esme was standing in front of me, a cup of ice chips in her hand. I took the offered ice cube greedily, my mouth was dry, and so were my lips. I was surprised by how my attention span changed from everyone in the room, to only the people who were close to me, like Esme. It was like she was the only one in the room.
"Bella, you are doing such a magnificent job. I am so proud of you," she said, smoothing the hair out of my face. I couldn't help but smile as I felt relieved that I was doing everything okay. I took another ice chip, and then I requested for help to turn to my back. Once Edward very gently helped me to my back, I almost burst into tears.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you," I mumbled, looking at him with wide eyes. He just smiled in response and kissed my forehead.
"Being in labor for as long as you have can do it to a person." He sat down in the chair beside my bed and stroked my arm. He looked concerned, and I could tell he was feeling a little guilty. I held his hand and asked,
"What's wrong?"
"It's been ten hours Bella. Your labor is progressing slowly." I just nodded my head. I knew it was progressing slowly, it almost felt like time stopped, and I was close to asking for medication, for something to help with the pain. There was movement behind Edward and I looked to see Alice moving her chair closer to my bed. I was surprised, I didn't even know she was in here. Doing a quick look around the room, it was just Esme, Edward, and Alice with me. Where is everyone else? I thought. I should have known where they were, but I guess they left during one of the many contractions I've been having. Alice smiled warmly at me and kissed my cheek.
"Go ahead and ask Bella, you're going to need it." She winked at me.
"Can I have the epidural, please?" I begged, without skipping a beat. I could feel another contraction happening. Edward reached over me and pressed the nurse call button. It only took a minute for a nurse to come into the room, and Edward said,
"She needs the epidural."
Only about two minutes passed before I felt my contractions, and dear lord, I felt them. "Holy crow! Holy crow! Holy crow!" I shouted as I sat nearly straight up in bed. Esme had one of my hands, Edward had the other, and if I couldn't get the epidural in ten seconds, I would kill the nurse. I had two back to back contractions without any rest, and they hurt.
"Just breathe Bella, breathe," Edward reminded me. I looked at him, and I could have spit fire. I wanted to tell him that the only thing I could do was breathe, but words were not forming. As the contraction finished, I fell against the bed, tired.
Edward smoothed his fingers over my forehead and I heard the soft vibrations of him talking too quickly to either Alice or Esme. I just laid in the bed and waited for my epidural. Carlisle came into the room not long after my contraction and told me that before I could get the epidural, he needed to know how far I was dilated. In response I said,
"I don't want an epidural anymore."
Edward had to hold my hand as I was checked, and I learned that I was a surprising eight centimeters apart. I was overjoyed, ecstatic even, and I could have pumped my fists in the air, except, my contractions were closer together now than they were before. Time stopped, I was sure, as my contractions were lasting almost a minute and they happened every two minutes. I was thankful Edward was a vampire at this point, because I probably would have broken his hand—and Esme's too, with the strength I was using.
Two hours later, I was nine centimeters dilated, and more than ready to have Gabriel. My labor progressed so quickly between my request for an epidural and my next contractions that I couldn't get the epidural, but surprisingly, I was handling the pain better than I expected.
My contractions were coming quicker, stronger, and longer than I have had previously; they were now almost a minute and a half long and they happened every minute. I was struggling to speak at this point because I was focusing so hard on the contractions, and when anyone spoke to me, they had to be almost in my face to get my attention. After nearly fifteen minutes of these contractions, I was struggling with fatigue and with my emotions. I let go of Edward's hands and covered my face. "I can't do this anymore Edward! I just can't!" I was shaking and almost crying—I was just so tired.
In an instant, Edward climbed into the bed with me and pulled me against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me gingerly and kissed me all over my face. "Bella, you are so strong, just a little bit longer love, and you'll be finished. You can do this; you've been doing a great job this far, just a little bit longer." I nodded my head, and he kissed my cheeks. "I love you."
"I love you too, so much." I whispered, turning my head to look at him. His brow was creased with worry, but I could see a spark of happiness in his eyes, and I knew that I would do this labor over and over again, just to see him happy. It was at this moment that I realized how much this truly meant to Edward, and I had to force myself to look away from him before I started to cry.
There was a knock at the door, and Carlisle stepped into the room. He was smiling at me, and I smiled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Very tired." I was being extremely verbose. I leaned closer to Edward's chest and closed my eyes. I could have fallen asleep. Edward rested his head on top of mine and gently began to run his hands up and down my arms. It was soothing, and I sighed quietly.
"You have been doing so well Bella, without an epidural, and I can't say I've ever seen anyone handle pain as well as you have."
"Thank you, but I couldn't have done it without my family." I opened my eyes to see Esme smiling down at me. She kissed my forehead and then sat down in her chair. Carlisle looked at the machine that monitored my contractions, which had me asking,
"Why have my contractions stopped?" Not that I want them back or anything.
"Your body is shifting from dilating contractions to pushing contractions. Do you feel the urge to push?" I shook my head and Carlisle nodded his. "You should take this time and rest. You're going to need it."
"I have no problem with that." Edward chuckled and kissed my forehead. I heard Carlisle chuckle too as he moved about the room, checking machines and looking at my chart. I took several deep breaths and then I looked up at Edward. "Hello," I whispered. He tapped my nose with his index finger and said,
"Hey."
"What time is it?" Edward's eyes flickered to his watch and then he looked back at me.
"Twelve thirty."
"Twelve thirty?" I repeated. Edward nodded his head and I half smiled. "That is a long time."
"Yes it is."
"But I don't regret one minute of it." I closed my eyes and rested my head against his chest, listening as he breathed. It calmed me, and I think he noticed because he kept his breaths steady and slow. It wasn't long until I was breathing just like him. There was a knock at the door, and then it opened.
"Belly!"
"Emmett!" I whispered, opening one eye to see the biggest Cullen enter the room. Following behind him was Rosalie, and lastly was Jasper. He was hanging behind, and I could see him testing the air. After nearly ten seconds, he came into the room and shut the door behind him. I smiled in relief, it meant a lot to me to see the Cullens at least one more time before the big pushing time came along.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Tired." Everyone crowded around the bed to look at me. I blushed and tried to cover my face. Edward caught my hands and kissed my knuckles.
"Is the baby coming soon, then?" Emmett asked, first looking at the machines, and then at me. "I'm not going to pretend that I understand what those squiggles mean. A lot of things have changed since the thirties." Carlisle went to the machine that monitored my contractions and I thought he was going to answer Emmett, but then he was quiet.
I shrugged my shoulders; I guess I was going to answer Emmett, when I felt the sudden urge to push. That automatically caused my heart rate to accelerate by tenfold. All the vampires in the room looked at me, and I felt Edward stiffen behind me.
"Everyone needs to leave the room." Carlisle's voice was stern; doctor mode was kicking in again. I knew at that moment that I was finishing up the final stages of labor. Rosalie and Alice both kissed me on the cheek, and Emmett gave me a quick hug. Jasper hung back a moment, and one look into his eyes told me that he was in control of his thirst. He hugged me quickly and then shook Edward's hand before leaving the room. Esme moved closer to my bed as Edward ran his hands up and down my shoulders.
It's almost over!
I groaned between clenched teeth as I struggled to push. It's been twenty minutes already, and I was starting to feel wore out. Edward was standing beside me, holding my hand as I squeezed as tightly as I could.
"Keep pushing Bella!"
I tucked my head down as I pushed again. I could feel Gabriel coming, and I was bursting with energy. Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel! I repeated in my head over and over again as I concentrated on pushing. Edward was whispering in my ear, "You're almost done Bella, just one more push, and you'll be done."
I tossed my head back and gasped for breath as the contraction finished. Esme dabbed my forehead with a cool towel and gave me an ice chip. Meanwhile, Edward hovered over me, peppering my face with kisses. I welcomed his contact, it made me feel like I wasn't doing this by myself.
When I felt my contractions again, I knew it was almost over. I pushed as I hard as I could, and Edward kept saying, "Push Bella, push," until I heard Carlisle say,
"He's crowning Bella!" I almost stopped as I leaned into my pillows, but Carlisle knew what I was thinking because he said firmly, "Bella, keep pushing."
I struggled for almost a full minute, and then time seemed to stand still as I looked at Edward. His eyes were open wide and he was grinning so broadly, I was sure the smile would break his face. I looked at Carlisle and he was smiling, along with the nurse. Esme was clapping her hands, and all I could do was push.
And then there was a high pitched wail.
"Oh Gabriel!" I gasped, leaning into the pillows. It took a minute for the nurse to clean Gabriel and put him in a blanket, but I was more than willing to hold him as he was. As the nurse was walking towards me, I held open my arms, but she froze to the spot at something Carlisle said.
"Oh no," Edward gasped, taking a step towards his father. I felt as if my heart stopped beating.
"Take him to the nursery," Carlisle ordered. "And get someone in here with Pitocin!"
I gasped when the nurse took Gabriel out of the room. "Where is he going?" I asked weakly, trying to move out of the bed. Edward sat down heavily in the chair, shaking his head rapidly. "What's going on?" I could barely keep my eyes open as I struggled in my bed.
"I can't Carlisle, I can't! She doesn't want me to!"
"You can't what?" I was feeling sick and dizzy, and I was sure something had just gone terribly wrong. Carlisle stood up and moved to a small cart that had different medicine vials and needles on it. I kept my eyes trained on him the best I could as he said,
"Bella, you're bleeding. Your contractions have stopped." Edward stood up suddenly, and I saw a blur move across the room towards the window. He opened the window and took a huge breath. I couldn't think as my breathing became shallow. "We can do an emergency hysterectomy to control the bleeding, but I don't think we have much time." I saw Carlisle look at Edward, and I looked at him too. He was shaking as he gripped the window, and I could see the wall crumbling.
And then I understood exactly what Edward meant.
"Edward, bite me."
Edward turned around so fast I nearly missed the movement. His eyes were tortured and black, my blood must have been getting to him, and he shook his head. "Bella, I can't. What if—"
Everything around me was swirling black, and I fought hard to keep conscious. If the scent of blood wasn't getting to him, it was getting to me.
I could hear people shouting and running down the hallway, and I knew that Edward only had a precious few seconds before I either died now or the nurses and other help would come in to try and save me. There was a sudden burst into the room, and it was Alice, her eyes frantic. I ignored her, instead staring at Edward as fiercely as I could, and the last thing I remembered saying was,
"Do what's best for Gabe."
xoXoXoXox
BB/N: My computer is still alive for now! This is the moment you've been waiting for, and maybe, just maybe, the answer you've been wanting.
Will Bella change?
Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them a lot! And thanks for sticking with me! This is almost the end!
Love,
Bob Bennit
P.S. My brother stopped by over the weekend and did magic with the computer! It's almost back to being an average slow instead of an extreme slow. To those of you who didn't know, I definitely have dial internet...Sucks mucho.