Here is the third part of Edward's POV of Breaking Dawn. I wanted to get this out today. Many apologies if punctuation/grammar is awry, I didn't get it beta'ed, my bad!
Sorry to those of you waiting for Elevators, that will definitely be up next week!
I'm following pages 122 to 130.
I don't own Twilight.
Resurrection – Part 3
The TV was on CNN, but I wasn't bothering with it. Instead, I kept a watchful eye on Bella. After her bout of vomiting I wanted to make sure she was all right. Perhaps it was just food poisoning. She'd eaten the eggs I'd made her easily enough.
She was lying in my lap, her eyes half-lidded with fatigue. After a little while she turned and started to raise up towards me. Abruptly, she lurched away, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Panic flashed in her eyes as she pushed herself away from me, stumbling towards the kitchen.
I was more than a little worried at this point, as I'd never seen Bella sick before. Twice in the span of half a day seemed too much. I kept her hair back from her face as she finished emptying the contents of her stomach into the sink.
"Maybe we should go back to Rio, see a doctor," I said, unable to keep the anxiety out of my voice. Bella shook her head as she rinsed her mouth out.
"I'll be fine right after I brush my teeth," she said, making her way down the hall towards our bedroom.
Normally, I didn't mind her human moments, but I couldn't push away a feeling of foreboding. Resisting the urge to shadow her, I waited in the kitchen, pacing the length of the room restlessly. After about ten minutes of this, I gave up on being patient and hurried to the bedroom where I saw the door was closed. Knowing that tearing it down was not an option Bella would approve of, I forced myself to knock.
"Are you well?" I asked. "Did you get sick again?"
"Yes and no," came her muffled reply. Even through the door I could her the stress colouring her tone. Now I was beyond worried and into the realm of dread. What was wrong with her? Was it more than food poisoning? I'd never dealt with human illness before. Yes, I possessed a few medical degrees but it was one thing to look at a stranger and another to try and diagnose the woman I loved.
"Bella? Can I please come in?" Despite my earlier restraint, I was ready to take the door off its hinges.
"O…kay?" I was in the room the next instant. Bella was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, looking straight ahead with a strangely bemused expression on her face. She didn't look noticeably worse, I thought, relieved, as I sat down next to her. I put a hand on her forehead. Her temperature was normal too.
"What's wrong?"
"How many days has it been since the wedding?" Bella asked in a barely audible whisper.
"Seventeen," I said without pause. "Bella, what is it?" Her blank look and stilted conversation were driving me crazy with anxiety.
She held up a finger, to indicate I needed to wait. I watched her mouth silently form words I couldn't decipher. After a brief pause, she started again. Having no idea what she was doing, I was becoming more and more agitated by the second.
"Bella!" I wanted to shout. "I'm losing my mind over here." In response Bella drew out a box of tampons from her suitcase, holding them up for me to see. Now I was confused, why would her period be causing a reaction like this from her? Wasn't it a normal enough occurrence?
"What? Are you trying to pass this illness off as PMS?"
"No," Bella sounded strangled. "No, Edward. I'm trying to tell you that my period is five days late."
The implications of what she had said quickly ran through my head. Late. I knew my biology, I knew what she was trying to tell me. I just couldn't believe it.
"I don't think I have food poisoning," she added when I didn't respond. I sat where I was, frozen. It wasn't that I didn't want to try and comfort her, I just wasn't physically able to move. "The dreams," Bella continued on, "sleeping so much. The crying. All that food. Oh. Oh. Oh!"
Every word she uttered served to drill the impossibility of the situation into my head. Her appetite had been bewildering, considering that Bella usually ate like a bird. Though I usually cooked well in excess for what both of us would need, she'd managed to consume it all. The lack of sleep-talking should also have been a huge tip off. Since I'd started staying with her at nights, she'd never gone without mumbling something during her sleep. And the hysteria when she woke up from her good dream...that hadn't made any sense either.
I'd attributed it all to the climate and our…heightened activities. Not once had I thought that Bella could be pregnant. Now, when I thought back it seemed too obvious. Yet, how was it possible? I was a vampire, she was human, theoretically it couldn't happen. I'd never heard of a vampire impregnating a human before, no one had.
If it was possible then why hadn't any of the Denali clan fallen pregnant? They certainly had enough escapades under their belt. And Rosalie, who so desperately wanted to be a mother, she'd been with Emmett for decades. They're female. It made all the difference. Once transformed, females became unable to reproduce as their organs froze in the state they had been changed in. Perhaps the same didn't hold true for males…our bodies didn't need to undergo a change to father children.
But then, why hadn't any of us ever come across something like this before? Why wasn't there any precedent? Too well I knew the answer, how many male vampires were able to be with human women without killing them and how many would want to be with them that way? I knew of only Bella and myself.
Perhaps it was a mistake. We didn't know for certain that she was pregnant. Maybe it really was food poisoning or some other illness. Deep down I knew I was only fooling myself.
Somewhere in the midst of my rapidly shuffling thoughts, I saw Bella stand up. She seemed to be peering down at her midsection, her eyes widening at what she saw there.
"Impossible." I heard her say. I assumed she was referring to her pregnancy. Truer words were never spoken. Part of me knew I should go to her and tell her everything was going to be all right, that she'd be fine and we'd be fine. Unfortunately, I did none of those things, and stayed rooted to the floor, frantically trying to come up with another reason for Bella's symptoms. If I had known better, I'd say I was going into shock.
If I were a human male, Bella's being pregnant would be a cause for celebration. I knew many humans set great store by having children. It was something I hadn't wanted her to miss out on. Ironically, it seemed she wouldn't be. Yet, I was a vampire. What kind of child could I possibly father? I had no idea if it would even resemble a human. What if she was carrying a vampire? How could she support a being like that? Vampires drank blood, we had bodies of stone, a fetus like that would kill her. There weren't many scenarios I could think of that would end happily for us.
I wished I had gone with my first instinct and never touched her; then none of this would be happening. Again I'd been thoughtless and again it had put her into harm's way. Would I ever stop hurting the one I loved the most? Every single time when I think there's a chance for us to be happy, something comes along to let me know otherwise. I was selfish, to take something that didn't belong in my world. Now, Bella was paying for it. It was too much to bear.
I'm not sure how long we stayed like this, with me seemingly becoming a part of the floor and Bella staring at herself. Dimly, I heard the piercing ring of my phone coming from my pocket. Neither of us made a move. I wasn't ready to respond to anything or talk to anyone just yet. And I was sure I knew who was on the other line.
The ringing didn't stop and finally Bella crouched down to search out the phone herself. She glanced at me before flipping the phone open.
"Hi, Alice," she greeted somewhat croakily. With my acute senses, I was able to hear both sides of the conversation.
"Bella? Bella, are you okay?"
"Yeah. Um. Is Carlisle there?"
"He is. What's the problem?" I wondered what Alice had seen that prompted her to call.
"I'm not…one hundred percent…sure," Bella said carefully.
"Is Edward all right? Why didn't he pick up the phone?" Alice sounded strained.
"I'm not sure," Bella sounded tired. I wasn't being much support for her.
"Bella, what's going on? I just saw--" Alice cut off abruptly.
"What did you see?" Yes, Alice, what did you see? Bella with a half monster baby in her arms? Bella dead from whatever it was inside her?
"Here's Carlisle," Alice said after a painful silence. I listened to their conversation as Carlisle, ever the doctor, asked Bella routine questions about her monthly cycle.
"…I know it's way too early for any of this," Bella was saying into the phone. "Maybe I am crazy. But I'm having bizarre dreams and eating all the time and crying and throwing up and…and…I swear something moved inside me just now." At hearing this I snapped out of my frozen shock. The fetus was already able to move? Oh God, it really was a monster inside of her!
Needing to talk to Carlisle, in the faint hope that he would tell me we were being ridiculous, I held my hand out for the phone. Bella placed the phone gingerly into my outstretched fingers.
"Is it possible?" I asked, my voice ragged.
"I wouldn't have thought it, Edward. But Bella's symptoms, her emotions, nausea and the fact she can feel movement, would all point to pregnancy. I'm afraid I don't understand it any better than you do, son. I'm so sorry, I never thought to warn you of any…repercussions. All we knew was that vampire women couldn't become pregnant, their bodies won't permit it. I never thought about humans…"
"And Bella?" I knew the answer, but I had to hear it from him. I put my arm around her, bringing her close against me, needing her support as I listened to Carlisle.
"She's human, and apparently compatible with vampire men. If our venom can fertilize a human egg, then yes, pregnancy is possible. I wish I could tell you otherwise, Edward but I'm sure she's pregnant. The accelerated nature of it makes me uneasy. Normally, human women wouldn't exhibit symptoms for several more weeks. I know you're on your honeymoon but this situation warrants fast action, considering how fast she's progressing. Can you bring her back here so I can check her to make sure? And, Edward, don't scare her with what I've told you. Just get her back here safely."
"Yes. Yes, I will," I said, mechanically. I pressed the 'end' button then dialed the airline to book the next flight home.
"What did Carlisle say?" Bella asked, looking annoyed.
"He thinks you're pregnant." I stated. She shivered when I said that. My mouth tightened. She's obviously terrified, she doesn't want this…thing that's inside her. I can't do anything right. Better to get her home as quickly as I could.
"Who are you calling now?"
"The airport. We're going home." We'll fix this, Bella, don't you worry. I'll keep you safe and Carlisle will know what to do.
A/N: I hope that was all right, I wasn't completely happy with it, but I thought the scene was quite pivotal in BD. And I know I over used the words "never" and "couldn't" in this chapter! I couldn't (there it is again!) think of other words that would fit. Please don't flame me.