Chapter 23: Mad Dash Toward The Finish Line
A/N: See? Longer chappy. AND early! How 'bout them apples? To all my glorious reviewers. I love you. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to you. If I haven't answered a question, please let me know. It's been a crappy few days at work and I dealt with the stress by writing in what little spare time I had. So again. Sorry for not replying this round. Forgive me?
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer I am not. I'm just playing with these kids for fun.
"You're in a good mood," Mike observed, looking amused.
Edward looked up at his editor, trying to tame the wide grin on his face. He failed miserably. "Good lunch," he said with an evasive shrug.
Mike didn't take the subtle hint. "You sure it was the food and not the company?"
Try as he might, Edward couldn't be irritated at Mike's persistence.
A week had passed since Bella's birthday, and things were significantly better between them. They'd spent the majority of the weekend together under the guise of finally deciding on a name they both liked. In reality, it was just an excuse to be around each other a little more. Now that all of their cards were on the table, they were both trying to lower their defenses and really feel out how they worked together in all areas of their lives.
All weekend, Edward had touched her tenderly, but haltingly. They were little touches: two fingers caressing her cheek, hands intertwining for a quick squeeze, or his hand stroking her arm. Though she never pulled away, and squeezed back when he held her hand, Bella hadn't initiated any physical contact.
But that day, he'd surprised her at lunchtime by bringing pho over to her house - complete with spring rolls. They'd spent an hour together, and when she walked him to the door, she had shocked the hell out of him by kissing him. It was a soft, chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth, but she had lingered a moment instead of pushing him away. Then she'd stepped back, her expression bashful as she said goodbye again and closed the door.
"Ahh, things are going that well with Bella, huh?" Mike said, grinning.
Edward's smile faltered. "What do you know about Bella and me?" he asked, suddenly tensely aware that the last time he and Mike had spoken of Bella, Mike was putting his foot in his mouth. Edward didn't know if he'd forgiven his friend and editor for his tactless comment.
Mike had the decency to look guilty. "Leah is rubbing off on me. She and her co-worker, what's his name…"
"Jacob," Edward supplied tightly.
"Right. They gossip like old women. I swear," he rolled his eyes.
"I can only imagine," Edward said wryly, a stab of anger churning in his gut. He and Bella had also had this conversation. While he was entirely open to getting to know her father better, he was reluctant when Bella suggested a group hang out with her friends. Jasper and Peter weren't a problem. Lizzie was an unknown. But Jacob, the last time Edward checked, didn't like him. And Edward wasn't sure he'd forgiven Jacob for his part in the clusterfuck he was only barely starting to recover from.
But, Bella had pointed out that she was at least attempting to be around his sister. Fair was fair. He was going to have to face the other man eventually. As much as he didn't like to think about Jacob being around his child, Edward knew that Bella's friends were as much her family as his blood related family was. They fought. They made mistakes. They overstepped their boundaries. In the end, though, they only wanted what was best for their loved ones.
"Nothing bad was said about you," Mike placated. "I swear!" he defended when Edward cast him a skeptical look. "He wants her to be happy. And you… make her happy, apparently." Mike waited a beat while Edward contemplated how Jacob and Leah knew Bella was happy with him – half the time he wasn't even sure that she was happy when he was around. "And she makes you happy?"
Edward rolled his eyes, but then his look became soft. "She does," he admitted. "And that's all you're getting from me."
Mike chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "You used to be one of my boring writers, Cullen. I mean as far as your personal life. Come to discover your twin sister is a lesbian ex-model, and your sperm can actually knock up women you've never even met."
"Can we talk about food, now?" Edward said dryly.
Laughing again, Mike obligingly changed the subject.
~0~
"Bella, you're not going to start cooking with your boob milk, are you?"
Bella's fingers, flying over her keyboard a second before, stopped suddenly. She blinked, trying to process the words coming out of Jacob's mouth before she eloquently answered, "What?"
Her friend was lounging on her couch, flipping through some travel magazines he'd brought over. His and Lizzie's anniversary was coming up in December, and he wanted to take her somewhere special so he could propose. But, as Lizzie was fond of pointing out, he didn't have a romantic bone in his body. He'd come over looking for help, only to remember that Bella wasn't an overly romantic girl. They'd both come to the conclusion that he would just have to wait and ask Jasper.
"Some people do that, I hear," Jacob said idly. "They use their breast milk to bake," he clarified, seeing the flabbergasted expression on her face.
Again, Bella just gaped at him, trying to come to grips with this concept. "What like… Boob Bundt Cake? No. I'm not going to do that. And before you ask, I have no intention of eating the placenta either."
Jacob looked up from his magazine, horrified. "What? Who would do that? That's gross."
"I hear it's very nutritious," Bella said innocently, enjoying Jacob's discomfort immensely.
The doorbell rang then, and Bella furrowed her eyebrows. She wondered if Edward was back and automatically started worrying about the inevitable Edward/Jacob face-off. They would have to speak to each other again eventually…
"I'll get it," Jacob offered, hauling himself to his feet.
"No!" Bella said. "I'll get it."
Jacob raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Instead, he helped her up. "You're a planet, Bella," he teased, pretending to struggle as he pulled her up.
"Thanks," Bella said, sticking her tongue out. "I still have six weeks to go, jackass. I'm only going to get bigger." She grimaced and rolled her eyes, heading toward the door. He was right behind her as she made her way to the door.
She found Alice on her front stoop, balancing a tray of cupcakes on a belly that looked like it was half as wide as she was tall. How the girl managed to stand upright, Bella couldn't imagine. "Hi!" she said, startled to see the other woman.
"Hi!" Alice greeted. "Is this a good time? I'm sorry. I wanted to call, but I realized I forgot my phone. The girls threw me a little party since I'm going on maternity leave early - my back is killing me and... well... I can. They're so delicious, Bella! Red velvet. To die for. I thought you'd appreciate them as much as I do, and can I come in?"
"Jeez, you're going to tip over. Let me take those," Jacob said, reaching around Bella to take the tray from Alice.
Alice blinked at him, appearing to notice him for the first time. "Who are you?" she inquired. She looked back to Bella. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had guests."
"Don't be sorry. Come in," Bella waved Alice inside. "You're my third unexpected visitor today. This is Jacob."
"Ohhhh, Jacob," Alice said, suddenly wary. She looked Jacob up and down.
Jacob put the tray down. "I come in peace, I swear. We… kind of met that day your wife went off at Bella at the baby things store."
Alice made a face. "I remember. Vaguely." She sighed. "Rosalie and I got in such a huge fight that day; it's hard to remember anything else." She clucked. Then she fixed Jacob with a narrow-eyed glare. "But you would know all about unnecessary rudeness, wouldn't you?"
For a handful of tense seconds, the two glared at each other, tiny, very pregnant Alice standing her ground against Jacob's almost 7 foot tall, muscular frame. Then Jacob started laughing. "I like her," he said to Bella.
Despite their rocky introduction, Jacob and Alice got along well. It helped that Alice was a lot better at the notion of romance than Bella was. When she heard that Jacob was planning to propose, she took over helping him brainstorm without being asked.
By the time he left, the three of them had consumed a very healthy 8 cupcakes between them, and Jacob actually had a plan for how he was going to propose. "It was good meeting you, Short Stop."
"Likewise, Jolly Giant," Alice grinned, shaking his hand. Then she squeezed his hand hard enough that Bella saw Jacob grimace in pain and surprise. "Fair warning, you mess with my family again, and I will kick your ass. I don't care what condition I'm in at the time."
Jacob laughed again, this time a little nervously. "I believe you. Point taken."
Afterward, the two women sat at Bella's kitchen table, their swollen feet propped up on chairs. "You know what sucks?" Alice asked. "I have been eating all damn day today... and I'm hungry."
Bella laughed. "I know what you mean."
"Oh, lets order something. There are a thousand places that'll deliver, and Rosalie is filming late tonight. I picked up this flier for a place near here that seemed interesting," Alice said as she stood. "We can order a whole bunch of things and try them a-"
She cut off suddenly, her face contorting as her hand reached blindly for the edge of the table.
"Alice?" Bella was up and over to her friend as quickly as she was able. By that time, the other woman was bent over in obvious pain. Bella looked down, her eyes widening as she saw a smattering of oddly hued drops of liquid on the floor between her friend's feet.
"I think my water just broke," Alice said breathlessly. "And... Oh!" she cried out, her free hand going to her belly. "Contractions? I don't... I don't know what's going on, but it hurts. It hurts! Bella."
"Okay. It's going to be okay," Bella soothed, though her heart was racing. She patted the other woman's back a little helplessly as she tried to think.
"It's early. He'll be too early," Alice fretted.
"Hon, breathe in, okay? I know 34 weeks is early, but he's going to be just fine. He'll be a little small, that's all," she said firmly, hoping she wasn't lying. Logically, Bella knew that every baby was different. At 34 weeks, Alice's son had every chance of survival, but that was dependent on his condition. "Here, we're going to get in my car, and we're going to the hospital right now, okay?"
She waited, not moving until Alice nodded, acknowledging her words. Alice took deep breaths, calming herself. "Okay. Okay, let's go," she said shakily.
Bella grabbed her purse from her office, digging through it for her phone. They hadn't taken more than five steps toward the front of the house when Alice cried out, stopping suddenly. Bella turned to find the other woman staring forward in sightless horror. She lifted the hem of her dress, sticking her hand down her underwear. "Alice? What's going on?"
"Something came out!" Alice said, her voice twisting with terror. "Bella, that's not right. That can't be right."
Bella's heart dropped down to her stomach, and her throat seemed to close. After she very nearly given birth to her daughter at 27 weeks gestation, the extraordinary guilt that she'd had no clue what to do in an emergency situation led her to read entirely too much about possible complications. Her head was full of the horrors that could befall a pre-term fetus. The result, though, was that she knew what was happening to Alice, and she knew what to do.
"Listen to me, okay?" Bella said in a calm but commanding voice as she pulled out her phone. "Get on your hands and knees and stick your butt as high in the air as possible. I'll explain in just a second."
Alice stared at her for one beat, her eyes completely lost and frightened like a child's, but she dropped to her knees and followed Bella's instructions. Bella's heart twisted when she heard the little gasps the other woman made as she tried to keep her breathing under control. She dialed 911, wishing she could take the time to comfort her friend first.
As quickly as she could, Bella gave the operator her address and what she knew. "My friend is 34 weeks pregnant. I'm pretty sure her water broke, and I think the cord is prolapsed." She addressed her next words to Alice. "Honey, I'm just going to unlock the door so they can come right in, okay?"
Without waiting for Alice to answer, Bella all but ran from the room to the front door. She unlocked it and flung it open, and then went back. "She's doing that," Bella assured the operator. "Look, I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I'm putting the phone down. I need to calm Alice down before she hyperventilates!" she said to the protesting man on the other end of the line.
Putting her phone close by on the floor, Bella carefully got to her knees beside her friend. Rubbing Alice's back lightly, she explained what she thought was happening and what would happen when the medics came. If it was a prolapsed cord, the priority was to keep the pressure off of it so the baby wouldn't suffocate. The position Alice was in was the best until she could be examined. She would probably need to hold that position all the way to the hospital. Bella left words like emergency c-section out of her explanation. Alice was smart enough to figure that part out.
"Rose," Alice whimpered. "Please, I need Rose."
"Where's your phone?"
Alice groaned. "Fuck! I left it at home, remember? Oh!" She clutched her arm around her stomach, grimacing in pain and crying in earnest – huge, helpless sobs.
"Honey, listen to me," Bella said, assuming the same position and putting her head down near Alice's. She reached out, stroking the other woman's hair with one hand while keeping herself braced on the other. "Just breathe. It's going to be okay. I can already hear the ambulance."
Alice sobbed miserably. "I'm really scared. What if Dash is dying inside me?"
"Dash – is that the baby's name? You never told me," Bella kept her voice even, keeping up the soothing, stroking movements at Alice's temple.
"Short for Dashiel," Alice said, sniffling.
"I really like that name actually. It's unique but not unheard of," Bella continued, trying to keep Alice talking so she wouldn't panic.
Another gasping breath, but Alice answered. "Rose thinks it sounds old Hollywood." Her face crumpled slightly again. "Rose…"
"You hear the sirens, Alice? They're almost here. And as soon as they're here, I'm going to hang up the phone with 911, and I'll call Rose. She can meet us at the hospital." Bella could hear the sound of vehicles pulling up in front of the house. She reached for Alice's hands and squeezed tightly. "You and Dash are going to be fine. Okay?"
Alice only whimpered, but she squeezed back. Then there was a clatter of feet in the direction of the front door. "Hello?" a voice called out.
"We're back here!" Bella called. She pushed herself upright so she was sitting back on her feet and looked around, trying to decide the best way to get up and out of the way. "I'm fine," she said, waving the man and woman who came into the room over to Alice. "Help her."
The medics arriving and getting Alice into the ambulance was all a blur. Bella did her best to keep out of their way, telling Alice that everything would be okay and that she'd meet her at the hospital.
The minute Bella got in the car she slammed her phone into the dock, scrambling for who to call first. It took her a moment to realize she didn't know Rosalie's phone number. Settling the Bluetooth headset in her ear, Bella told the phone to dial Jasper.
Luckily for her already frazzled nerves, Jasper picked up on the second ring.
"Bella? What's up? I'm a little-"
"No time. Jasper, I need you to get Rosalie. I don't have her number. Get Rosalie and get her to Cedar's Sinai right now."
She heard his breath catch and then his footfalls as he started running. "Is it Alice?"
"The baby's probably got to be born today. I don't know. I think…" she gulped, trying to calm her racing heart as she drove, the ambulance far ahead of her now. "I think something might be wrong."
"Fuck," Jasper cursed under his breath. "I'll get to Rosalie. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Fine. I'm following the ambulance… or trying to, anyway. Look, I'll call you if anything changes. Just get here. Please."
As soon as Jasper disconnected, Bella dialed Edward. She was almost to the hospital, and didn't realize she was holding her breath until his voicemail clicked on. Then she shrieked an enraged, "Dammit!" pounding her fist against the steering wheel. Until that very moment, she hadn't realized how much her entire being seemed to ache for him. She needed him so badly.
Before despair could overtake her, the phone rang. She hit the connect button on her headset. "Hello?"
"Bella? Sorry I didn't answer you. I was in the restaurant."
The dread that clasped at her heart seemed to loosen its hold slightly, and she felt strong enough to deal with whatever was about to happen. "Edward, Alice's water broke and there are… complications. I already called Jasper. He's getting Rosalie. How close are you to Cedars Sinai?"
"Jesus. Um. I'm really close actually. Thank God," he answered.
"Good. I need-" Bella pulled into a parking space and closed her eyes briefly, reminding herself that it was Alice who needed support. "I mean, Rosalie's going to need you when she gets here. I think."
"I'll be right there," he promised.
By the time Bella got to the hospital they'd already whisked Alice away. She was directed to a waiting room and told that someone would be down to talk to her as soon as they knew what was going on.
Ten minutes crawled by. Though it felt wrong, Bella had to take a bathroom break. The minute she got out, she bugged a nurse, checking to see that she hadn't missed any news. Then she sat, trying not to let the anxious feeling that made her skin crawl overwhelm her. Every time she heard approaching footsteps, she would look up, hoping and praying to see a familiar face – to see one familiar face, in particular.
The twenty third time it worked, and Edward appeared. "Bella?"
She launched herself out of her seat and into his arms. "You're here," she breathed in relief, burying her face momentarily at his neck.
"Baby, you're shaking. Is Alice-"
"Oh!" Bella disentangled herself from Edward. "I don't know. I mean – they said that she's in surgery. As soon as someone knows, they'll be here. I um. I name-dropped like crazy. Everyone knows this is Rosalie's wife and baby. I hope that's okay. I just… I figured it couldn't hurt. Maybe they'll be faster or better or… I don't know," she babbled nervously.
"Bella," Edward said softly, cupping her cheek to get her attention, "calm down. It's fine. I'm sure everything is just fine." He sounded as if he was telling himself as much as he was telling her.
His words soothed the nameless anxiety that was growing in the pit of her being only slightly. It was enough that she was able to think a little clearer. "Shit!"
"What is it?" Edward asked anxiously.
"I didn't even think about calling your parents. I should call them," she said, fumbling for her phone.
Edward stilled her hands. "I called them. Everyone's on their way. I even talked to Jasper." He grimaced. "He was having trouble getting to Rosalie, but he's trying."
"I feel helpless," she admitted in a soft voice.
He tugged her into his arms again. "Alice will be fine. The baby's going to be fine," he soothed, and again she wondered if he was telling himself that, as much as he was telling her.
The next person to join them was Peter. Twenty minutes had gone by. Bella frowned, knowing the studio was close to the hospital. "Rosalie was filming on location – a segment for her show," Peter explained. "Jasper got to her. They'll be here soon."
It was another fifteen minutes before Rosalie's voice could be heard, high pitched and somewhat hysterical, as she and Jasper came down the hall. Jasper's voice was calm, and he was obviously trying to calm her, with little success.
Edward stood, intercepting his sister as soon as she came into eyesight. "Edward!" she cried, her voice sounding ragged. "Have you heard anything? Have they said anything?"
"No-"
Rosalie whirled, looking around frantically. "I need to find someone who knows something. I need-"
Edward grabbed Rosalie's arm, pulling her back. "Rose. Rose," he called firmly. He waited until her wild eyes found his. When he spoke, his voice was gentle but firm. "What you need to do is calm down, okay? You cannot get in these people's way. They are trying to help Alice and Dash. You need to let them do that. Do you understand?"
For a tense second, Rosalie looked utterly furious, like she was about to hit her brother. Then she crumpled in his arms. Edward held her, rocking her slightly on his feet as she sobbed her terror out against his chest.
She had barely begun to calm when a nurse asked for the family of Alice Hale. All the nurse could tell them was that Alice had delivered a baby boy through caesarian section at approximately 6:47 PM. They were still assessing the baby boy's condition, but he was definitely alive. Small but alive. Alice had come through the surgery without any abnormal complications. They would likely know more – including when Rosalie would be allowed to see Alice or the baby or both, in a few more minutes.
By then Emmett had arrived, and it was his turn to hold Rosalie as she cried – this time in relief.
It was only another five minutes before a doctor came by. Edward and Bella both hung back, letting Emmett support Rosalie as they spoke in hushed tones. When they saw her sigh in relief, and even smile, Bella sagged against Edward, feeling the tension that had taken residence in her gut finally slide away. They were fine. They were both fine.
Whatever the doctor said had Rosalie looking over in Bella's direction. Rosalie looked back at the doctor, nodded, and shook his hand, and then was running at Bella. Bella didn't even have time to be surprised as the other woman threw her arms around her neck. "Thank you!" Rosalie said fervently into her ear.
"Wh-what?" Bella was completely lost as to what was going on.
Rosalie let go and knelt in front of her, so Bella wouldn't have to get up. "The doctor told me what you did for Alice. That you knew what to do. He said that if you hadn't known what to do, Dash could have suffocated or had brain damage. But he's perfect," Rosalie said, a huge, beautiful grin spreading over her face. "He's small, but he's breathing on his own. He's perfect," she repeated.
She grabbed Bella's hands in hers, squeezing tightly. "I should have taken time to tell you before. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for how nasty I was to you."
"Rosalie… you don't have to talk about that now," Bella said, a little numb and befuddled where this was all coming from.
"No, no. I've wanted to tell you. I've needed to tell you." Rosalie was obviously completely overcome with her emotions because she wasn't making any sense. She growled in frustration, wiping away a stray tear. "Just thank you, okay? I know I was wrong about you. I know. And I promise I'll make it up to you." She hugged Bella again. "Thank you."
"Doesn't count unless it's coherent, Rose," Emmett said, helping his sister to her feet. He grinned, showing her that he was just joking, trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere.
Rosalie laughed shakily. "Shut up."
Emmett pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations, Mommy."
Rosalie's hands shot to her mouth, her eyes shining. "Oh, my God. I'm a Mommy," she giggled.
Bella watched, smiling at all the happiness around her. She breathed a silent prayer of thanks that this had ended the way it had. If there was one thing she knew it was how terrifyingly fragile the tiny, helpless lives of babies were. She rubbed her hand over her belly, feeling the baby move beneath her skin.
Rosalie was passed from Emmett to Edward, and he kissed her cheek, his happiness for his sister evident on his face. She pushed away from him, her eyes on Jasper, and hugged the blond man tightly. "Thank you so much for this," Bella heard her whisper.
It seemed Rosalie had much to be thankful for today.
Edward returned to Bella's side then, wrapping one arm around her, and resting his free hand over hers on her belly. Bella moved her hand, placing his so that they could both feel the baby. Edward breathed deeply, his nose pressed against the side of her hair. "When you called tonight, I knew something was wrong," he said in a soft voice so only she could hear. "And when you said it was Alice... God help me... I was so relieved that it wasn't you. That it wasn't our baby."
As her lower lip began to quiver, Bella turned her head to bury her face against his neck. The emotions she'd barely been able to keep at bay over the past hour hit her all at once. She was close to breaking down. She could feel the quiet storm brewing in her blood stream. So many fears. So many variables. And she was desperately aware, especially now, that any number of things could still happen to the life inside of her.
Before she had a chance to really grapple with these emotions, a nurse came, telling Rosalie that she could see Alice now. It would be at least a couple more hours before she would be settled in a room where she could have other visitors. Rosalie hugged everyone - Bella included - before she disappeared with the nurse.
"Edward," Bella said, feeling horribly guilty for what she was about to ask. "I don't want to take you away from your family but... do you think you could take me home? I'm feeling a little bit too shaky to drive." She would have asked Jasper, but she was sure that her best friend was almost as eager to see Alice - and Dash, if he could - as Rosalie had been. The bond that had developed between Jasper and Alice was strong, and he loved her dearly.
Besides that, Bella felt strangely needy for Edward's presence just then.
"Of course," Edward said immediately. He gave her a once over, concern evident on his face, but he didn't question. Instead, he walked over to Emmett to tell him where he was going. Then, uncertainly, he offered Bella his hand.
Bella slipped her hand in his, the physical connection a reassurance she desperately needed at that moment. They ran into Carlisle and Esme on their way out, stopping to tell them all they knew.
"We have a baby boy?" Esme squealed in delight. She turned, throwing her arms around Carlisle's neck. "We have a grandson!"
The happy couple kissed in joy, and then rushed off to join the rest of the family. Again, Bella felt guilty for dragging Edward away. "You know," she said in a small, unwilling voice. "This is stupid. You should be with them. I can call Jacob or Lizzie to come get me."
"Bella, trust me. I will feel much better if I see you home safely tonight, okay?" Edward said, looking her straight in the eye.
Bella nodded, not arguing again. He walked her to his car, letting go of her hand only long enough to open her door and then climb in the other side. While the drove he held her hand over the gear shift.
When they got to her house, Edward pulled her over to the couch. "Talk to me, please," he murmured into her hair, putting his arms around her. "You're shaking again."
"I don't want you to be angry," she mumbled, curling against him. She wouldn't miss this: the over emotional mess she was some days. Still, she didn't think she could take him being mad at her. Not today. Not right then when she felt so entirely overwhelmed.
"Talk to me," he implored again.
Bella closed her eyes, leaning against him. "Just today... I remembered what it felt like. When I almost lost the baby." She gasped, tears hitting her suddenly. "I remember how scared I was. I kept trying to make it seem like I wasn't so scared, but I was terrified. And I wanted you. So bad. I just wanted you to be there. I don't think I was ever so alone.
"I don't even know what I'm feeling right now. I'm sorry. This must sound so ridiculous. I just... there's so much that could still go wrong. And what if I don't know what to do? Or I'm alone? Or... even if she's perfectly healthy when she's born she could just stop breathing." Bella clamped a hand over her mouth, overcome with anxiety and tears.
"Bella, shhh," Edward held her close, rubbing her back. He let her cry out her residual fear. It took her a few minutes to get a hold of herself enough that he could cup her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her tears away. "Are you listening to me?" he asked gently.
Sniffling and feeling completely, bewilderingly out of sorts with what was going on with her emotions, Bella nodded.
"I am sorry that you had to be alone for everything before, but I want you to know: I'm right here." His voice was soft but intense as he spoke. His eyes held nothing but sincerity. "Nothing is going to happen," he said fiercely, protectively. "Come November, we're going to have a stunningly beautiful, completely perfect little girl. But... no matter what happens now or years down the line, I'm here." One of his hands snaked down, finding hers. "I'm here for you. I promise. You don't ever have to be alone again."
Bella couldn't say anything, as moved and comforted as she was by his words. Instead, she wrapped her free arm around him and laid her head on his chest. It felt so good, so right, to just let him hold her like this. For all the long, long months that her world had been slightly - or severely - off axis, for those minutes, the world was finally as it should be.
And then her stomach growled.
Edward chuckled, reluctantly unwinding himself from her embrace so he could find her something to eat. He cooked her breakfast for dinner while they talked quietly about everything and nothing important.
After dinner, Bella yawned, suddenly more than a little exhausted. Edward led her by the hand like a sleepy child to her bedroom, tucking her into bed. He sat on the edge of her bed, stroking her cheek tenderly as their words petered out.
"I should let you sleep," Edward said softly, but there was something in his voice that made Bella think he didn't want to leave.
"Will you stay?" she blurted, suddenly intensely needy for his touch. "Just for a little while?" As she read the surprise that flashed across his features, she backpedaled. "I'm sorry. You should be with the family."
"No," Edward said quickly. "There's not a lot I can do right now."
"Rosalie needs you," Bella reminded.
"Not tonight. Tonight she and Alice need each other. Visiting hours are over; I won't be able to see Alice until tomorrow morning, probably. Rose will be with her." He traced her nose, and her cheeks with the pad of his finger. "I can stay if you want."
Bella's smile was shy but pleased. She scooted backward, lifting the blanket in invitation. Taking only enough time to kick off his shoes, Edward slipped under the covers with her. She could see he was trying to give her space, but he put his arm around her tentatively. "Is this okay?"
Giving in to her want to smother even the small distance between them, Bella scooted toward him so her belly was pressed against him and her face was only inches from his on the same pillow. "Is this okay?" she countered.
He raised his hand to stroke her cheek. "Yeah." He leaned forward, and Bella's eyes fluttered closed as he brushed his lips against her forehead and then, so softly, against her lips.
Bella felt the tension of the day finally start to slip away, and she sighed contentedly against his mouth. With his fingers gently stroking her hair and his comforting presence wrapped securely around her, she fell into an exhausted sleep.
~0~
Dashiel Brandon Hale
B: 9/21/2011 at 6:27 P.M.
Weight: 4 pounds 10 ounces
Length: 17 inches
~0~
A/N: Big thanks to GinnyW_31 for helping me with some of the deets of this chapter. If you haven't read Coming to Terms you're missing out. Many thanks to Twitina for emergency beta services. I am so insanely spoiled. I love this chick. Best WC'er evar.
Dashiel was named by my lovely sometimes beta, TwilightMundi. I think it's bootyful. Tell me about your beautiful babies names? How did you arrive at your decision? Was it a battle? Names are some of my favorite things. No lie.