I have to thank my a fantastic trio of friends for helping me with this: m0t0b33, teamalltwilight and Pyejammies! ;)
As always, I don't own anything Twilight related or anything else you might recognize in my story. I DO own the idea.
We'll just call them Hot Mama and Jailbait. :) Check the pictures in my FB group: Addicted-to-romione-bedward Fanfiction (link on my profile)
Edward's POV
It's finally here.
The big day has arrived.
I'm a mass of nerves and there's churning in my stomach – but I'm blaming Emmett for that one. I drank myself stupid last night.
Thank God, we went back to his house because Bella didn't want me to see her before the wedding.
My head is pounding and I feel like I'm about to vomit any moment. So much for my dream wedding.
Emmett's mom is fussing about my hair, trying to create order in the chaos…not succeeding.
When it's time to head to the church, we take Emmett's car, but I make him stop after a few minutes and make a mad dash to the trashcan on the sidewalk, emptying my stomach. He rushes after me, making sure my suit is clean.
I want to punch him for even allowing me to drink, but we all drank last night.
I don't even remember much. I know we had a private booth and Jasper talked with the bartender making him believe our fake IDs said the truth when he eyed our group dubiously. Jasper was a horrible chaperone.
One thing I remember clearly is him encouraging me to down five shots of tequila on some dare.
At some point, there might have been lap dances, but I'm not sure.
I pinch the bridge of my nose as Emmett takes me back to his car and gives me some water and chewing gum. Apparently I'm the only one so trashed. I might have combined a lot of drinks.
Fuck if I know what happened.
He drives slowly, telling me to pull myself together. I want to punch him.
I groan loudly when my phone goes off way too loudly.
I check the ID caller: Alice.
"What?" I mumble.
"Where are you?" she shouts. "Are you bailing or something? People usually wait for the bride, not the groom!"
God, she's so loud…
"We're almost there," I promise.
"You better get here soon!" she snaps and hangs up.
"Hurry," I beg Emmett. "Apparently we're late."
He chuckles. "Sorry. If you hadn't thrown up…"
"Shut the fuck up, dude!" I mutter, running my hands through my hair as he parks in front of the church.
There are a lot of people around the church. I wonder why they're not inside.
"There you are!" Jasper shouts, rushing to me. "Okay, everyone! Inside!" he shouts, gesticulating for everyone to go. "Look at you!" He moans, straightening my tie. "Bella will kill me. You can see from miles that you're hangover."
I close my eyes and sigh. "Let's do this. How's she?" I whisper.
"Anxious. Everyone is. You're thirty minutes late."
"Story of my life," I grumble, making my way inside. "Late for my own wedding."
We make our way to the front of the church. The priest eyes me shocked, shaking his head.
The people who insisted on the bachelor party right before the wedding are at fault.
When Bella appears at the other end of the aisle, my heart jumps in my throat. She's so fucking beautiful.
Even though her stomach is huge and it's been hell to adjust that dress. She's been nervous for the best part of last month.
I grin, forgetting about how crappy I feel.
Her eyes narrow at me as she approaches, but I hope she will forget about it before we reach the restaurant. I don't want to fight today.
The ceremony seems to last forever, but when I'm finally allowed to kiss my bride, I'm the happiest person on earth. Bella grasps at the lapels of my jacket and kissing me hungrily.
"Missed you, sweetie."
I grin. "Missed you too. Love you." I peck her cheek then take her hand and turn to beam at our guests. Only a few rows are occupied, but who needs hundreds of people? We have the closest friends here. Oh, and Grandma.
She took the news well enough considering we left her out ever since we started this relationship…
By taking it well, I mean she said she'd disown me and then she started calling Bella some names I'd rather not think of. But she's here.
On the way to the restaurant, Bella starts questioning me about my night and why I look like I've been run over by a train.
It's a mistake to tell her because she starts panicking and that triggers the moment I've been dreading so much. She clutches her stomach, whimpering. I tell the driver to take us to the hospital.
I bet we're a funny sight to everyone, but I'm having a mild panic attack. As I'm filling in papers for Bella, my phone rings.
Emmett.
"I can't talk now," I whisper to him, handing the paper back to the nurse.
"Did you get sick again?" he jokes.
"Actually…we're at the hospital. Bella's…" I gulp. "It's time. You should tell everyone to move the party here."
By the time everyone arrives, I'm pulling my hair out and Bella is yelling at me. The doctors keep telling her she needs to have a cesarean, but she's fucking stubborn and wants to give birth naturally.
I don't want to lose her or the baby, but every time I open my mouth, she manages to yell over me.
Finally, the nurse and her doctor tell me to go chill, so Bella can relax, too.
Defeated, I trudge my way to the vending machine and buy a can of soda.
"There you are!" I hear someone shouting. "We aren't allowed in," Jasper says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You okay, kid?"
"No," I mutter. "I'm not fucking okay. Bella won't listen to the doctors and all the fighting isn't good for the baby or her."
"Oh, Alice was the same. I remember her yelling a lot."
"Jasper, the woman that gives birth usually curses their husband, threatening to cut his dick. Bella says no one is cutting her! She won't be able to do it naturally. Fuck." I crouch down, grabbing my stomach.
I can't breathe.
There's an odd buzzing in my ears and I see black spots.
"Stay with me, kid." Jasper grabs my shoulders.
It gets blurry after that and I hear people talking around me, but I'm not really there. Then I feel a plastic chair under my ass and I slouch on it. A hand gives me the can of Coke I bought.
I sip and it does me good. I feel a little better.
"You need to regroup. You're the only one allowed in there," I hear Alice saying in my ear. "For Bella."
I nod jerkily and drink some more. When I stand, I'm wobbly but Jasper is quick to grab my arm. "Are you sure you can walk?"
"I need to be there," I whisper, starting to walk toward Bella's room. Just as I arrive, Kate runs out looking wild and crazy. "What's wrong?" I ask panicked.
"We're taking her to OR. Now."
"NO!" Bella yells as she's rolled out of the room with her bed.
"I suggest you stay in the Waiting Area," Kate tells me quickly. "You're white as a sheet and we'll be focused on her. No extra hands to attend to you if you faint on us."
"But I want…" I protest, going to Bella's side and taking her hand. "Let them do their job, baby. I don't want to lose either of you," I beg her.
"This is going to happen my way!" she hisses. "I'm going to fire you, Kate, if you cut me!"
I stand in the hallway and watch as they roll her away, while she's screaming in pain and throwing threats left and right.
A hand on my shoulder stops me from sprinting after them as a pair of doors close after them.
"You heard the doc."
"Emmett," I mutter, closing my eyes. "I thought everything was going to be okay...what with the looming cloud above with her complicated pregnancy...now she's making it worse."
"The doctor will do what she knows best. Let's sit down. You look ready to faint."
"I'm going to puke," I groan, grabbing my stomach again.
"Not here." He pulls me to the bathroom right in time for me to bang a stall door to the wall and heave in the toilet. "Man, do you want me to find you a doc?"
"I'm nervous. That's all," I promise, slumping next to the toilet, ripping toilet paper and dabbing my mouth. "I can't even think of something happening to her."
"She'll be okay. Just like the baby," he assures me.
Deep down, I know he's lying. I have this horrible gut feeling.
I turn to retch again. Fuck.
Sometime later, Emmett helps me to the sink and I rinse my mouth, then we go into the Waiting Area.
I sit on a chair with my knees pulled up, gripping my now empty can of Coke, staring at the door.
Come on, Kate.
What the fuck is taking so long?
Hours pass and no news.
When someone calls my name, I jump up and stumble ahead, catching myself on time. "Yes?" My eyes are on the nurse.
"Would you like to meet your daughter?" she whispers gently.
I feel a smile forming on my lips as I follow her, dazed. She takes me to a room where there are many babies. She points to the third bed from the right. A small pink bundle – perfect.
"Can't I go in?" I beg. "Wait!" I shout when she nods. "How's Bella?"
She looks away, opening the door.
No.
"Wait," I beg her. "Bella? Tell me she's okay." My heart is in my throat.
"My job was to make sure the baby was okay. The doctors were working on your wife. She lost a lot of blood."
"Fuck, no. No. No." I slump against the wall, burrowing my face in my knees.
"They're trying to do their best. Do you have a name for the baby? I will write it on her tag and you can go in to see her whenever you're ready."
My mouth is as dry as the desert. "Kristie," I croak out. "Kristie Jennifer Cullen."
The nurse gives me a small, sympathetic smile and slips inside the door.
I don't know how much time passes but suddenly, I have Alice in front of me. She's freaking out and I can't understand anything.
I finally stand up and wipe my tears. "Bella's still in OR. And uh..." I point behind me through the glass wall. "There's our daughter."
"Edward, Bella's no longer in the OR," Alice informs me. "She's in Intensive Care. The doctors said that it can go either way, she is critical but stable. It all depends on her body and what happens overnight."
Feeling a fresh round of tears gathering in my eyes, I slip inside the room behind me and before I can head to Kristie, a woman jumps from a chair scaring the crap out of me. She makes me wash my hands and wear some sort of gown then I can hold my baby girl.
My hands are shaking so badly that I'm afraid I'm going to drop her. Carefully, I pick her up, minding her head as the nurse instructs me, then I'm holding this small person in the crook of my elbow.
I look up and find Emmett with a camera on the other side of the glass. I grin then look back down at the beautiful little girl. She's sleeping peacefully, unaware that she may never meet her mommy. I feel a tear sliding down my nose and falling on the pink cloth around Kristie.
"I love you, baby. Let's pray for mommy," I murmur, holding her tighter to my chest. "I'm not very good at praying," I mumble. When I shift her again I realize she's opened her eyes – they're already turning dark—they'll be the same brown as Bella's.
God, please let her survive.
I promised a HEA so you know what that means, right? :)
Pictures in my group on facebook.