this is what you've been waiting for….

*I don't own Twilight*

Chapter Eighteen

Edward Cullen

I woke up the next day and Bella was still sleeping soundly. A glance at the clock told me it was almost one in the afternoon. I got up and took a quick shower, tossing on a dark green polo shirt and khaki shorts before getting back in bed.

Her lips were parted slightly and her hands were folded under her face. She'd told me she could never sleep without her feet covered and her hands under her face. She said when she was a little girl, she'd been scared of monsters under her bed pulling her off and became convinced if she kept her feet hidden under the blankets and her hands protected, they wouldn't be able to grab her. As an adult, she understood there were no monsters but old habits die hard. I thought it made her look adorable, like a sleeping angel. Her deep brown curls were all over the place, spread on the pillow behind her. Her lips looked so pink.

I couldn't help myself. I reached over and gently ran my fingers over her full, parted lips. She didn't stir. I moved closer to her and pressed my lips gently against hers. Her eyes opened slowly, blinking sleepily. I moved back and grinned at her. Her whole face lit up and she smiled back. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi, baby," I kissed her again then moved down and kissed her beach ball belly through her shirt, "Hi, baby."

She giggled sleepily and ran her fingers through my still damp hair, "Its summer break, why are we up so early?"

"Uh, Bell. It's one."

"Oh," her eyes widened slightly, "One?"

"One." I confirmed, nodding. "You must be starving, I'm gonna go make lunch. What do you feel like?"

"Ice cream," she said immediately but I shook my head. She stuck her bottom lip out like a three year old.

"You can have ice cream later. You need real food."

"I want… turkey and Swiss on toast with mustard and tomatoes and Salt and Vinegar chips. Then ice cream."

"Alright, then." I kissed her softly before getting out of bed and helping her up. "Go get dressed then come down."

Bella nodded her head, disappearing into the master bath. I went downstairs and made her sandwich along with another for myself. I set them on the table then cleaned up the mess I'd made, knowing she'd appreciate not coming down to a mess. Twenty minutes later, she came down wearing a dark blue sundress that scooped low at the neck. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she barely had any make up on. She looked beautiful.

"My ankles are swollen," she told me, looking sad. Bella sat in her chair and stuck out her legs for inspection. She was right, they were swollen but not too bad.

"A little, but that's normal. You've had a good pregnancy, if swollen ankles are the worst problem you have then that's great," I told her, sitting across from her. Bella scowled for a second before nodding in agreement.

"Ooh, you made this perfectly, Edward," she grinned and took a huge bite, the chips crunching as she chewed. I laughed and ate my sandwich. After we both finished, she went straight for the freezer and pulled out the Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and a spoon. Bella pulled the top off and dug in, not bothering with a bowl.

"Gross, you should use a bowl," I told her. She made a face at me and continued to eat.

"What are we doing today?" she asked between mouthfuls of ice cream. I shrugged, not really having anything planned.

"I have to install the car seats in the cars incase she decides to come early. We have to go through all that crap we got yesterday," I told her and she nodded in agreement again.

"I have an appointment tomorrow," Bella put the lid back on the ice cream and popped it back in the freezer before putting her spoon in the dishwasher.

We spent the rest of the day sorting through all the stuff from the shower. I was amazed at the amount of little pink outfits there were. Even more surprised that most of it was designer. Some people deviated from the pink and picked out other, still girly colors. There were a ton of books and something called a Diaper Genie. I thought it sounded gross. Why not just throw out the diaper and get rid of it right away?

I put together the stupid, too expensive stroller. Bella was thrilled with it though so I resisted saying anything. Installing the car seats, though, was fucking ridiculous. It took me forever to get the bases in so the seat would latch correctly. When I finally got it right in my car, I almost said fuck Bella's car but decided it wasn't worth hearing her bitch so I spent an hour getting it right in her car.

When I came back in from the garage, Bella wanted me to put together the swing. I was sick of putting shit together but I did it anyway. If we got it all out of the way today, we would be able to relax until the kid was born. After the swing was the bouncy seat then the bassinet was moved to our room. Bella spent the day cleaning the already clean house and washing and putting away all the clothes. She changed our sheets and the sheets in the guest room, even though no one had slept there. I wondered if this was that nesting thing Jasper had told me about.

I was sitting on the couch after everything was done, channel surfing when she came into the room with her hands on her stomach, frowning.

"What's wrong, B?"

"I'm having contractions."

~*~

Six hours, one trip to the emergency room and no baby later, we returned home. Bella's contractions weren't consistent and she was only two centimeters dilated. The only problem was that the baby was breech, upside down. She would probably need a c-section.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

"Sorry? Don't be sorry, I'm the one that made you go to the hospital. We should've just waited it out here," I plopped onto the couch, switching the television on.

"I feel so stupid," she whispered, sitting down next to me. I pulled her against me and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent.

"Don't. They said a lot of pregnant women go in like that, just relax."

"But your parents came and stayed and it's late and they were tired…"

"Bella, you need to not beat yourself up over this. My parents were happy to spend time with you, even if it was in the hospital. My dad was there anyway."

She laid her head on my shoulder as I settled on a baseball game. A few minutes later, I heard her breathing even out and knew she was asleep. It had been a long, stressful day. After the game was over, I woke her up and led her upstairs, helping her change and get settled in bed.

~*~

Bella's appointment was early. Too early after our late night. We were both yawning and struggling to stay awake in the waiting room.

Finally, Bella's name was called and we went back to the room. She changed into the gown then was weighed and her blood pressure was checked by the nurse before Dr. Morgan came in.

"Hello Isabella, Edward. I heard you had a little scare last night," she smiled at Bella who smiled softly back, "anymore contractions?"

"Um, just a few… nothing steady." I looked at her, surprised. She hadn't mentioned that to me.

"Well, the baby has flipped into the breech position which, at thirty-seven weeks, is not what we want. There are two options… see if the baby corrects herself in time for delivery or to schedule a caesarean section."

"C-section, only if it can be done on my due date!" Bella said immediately then turned slightly pink. Dr. Morgan shook her head, "Normally we like to do it ahead of time. There's a chance that you'll go into labor and there won't be any correcting her position and it's not often that fetuses change at this stage. Plus, it's very uncommon you'll go into labor on your due date."

"Oh. Well… alright," Bella mumbled, looking disappointed. I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"You're full-term so we can schedule it anytime. There is a spot the second or the tenth."

"I changed my mind. I want to wait to see if she turns on her own and if not, we can worry about it when I go into labor. I read breech babies can still be delivered, I want a natural delivery," Bella announced, rubbing her large stomach.

I zoned out as Bella and Dr. Morgan continued their conversation, thinking about how close we were. When the appointment was finished, Bella took a nap and I worked on perfecting the lullaby. Everything had to be right.

~*~

"I bet they make it there before us," she giggled softly, talking of my parents. Audrey had flipped at the last moment and Bella and I had been at Target, buying diapers when her water broke. The day before my birthday. When we got home, Bella took the bag with the diapers up to the baby's room. I followed behind her, stopping in the doorway. I watched as she put them on the shelf on the diaper table then put the newly washed cover on the diaper changing pad. Then she opened the closet, staring at the array of baby dresses with her bottom lip in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" She jumped and put her hand to her heart, clearly unaware that I had followed her and was watching what she was doing.

"Oh! I'm trying to pick out the baby's coming home outfit. Um, we'll probably take lots of pictures that day because it'll be her first day home so…"

I nodded. That meant the outfit had to be really fucking cute. I joined her by the closet, fucking amazed at all the clothes. This kid would never wear the same thing twice. I was looking intently then notice Bella flinching and holding her stomach out of the corner of my eye. "Contraction?"

Bella nodded, relaxing after a minute and pushing her hair behind her ears. I went back to pursuing the little dresses, looking for the Dior ones that had almost made me have a heart attack. Finally, I found my favorite and held it up. It was tiny, white and baby pink checked diagonally. It had these white ruffle things around the neck, sleeves and the bottom. There was a little button right under the collar. It was fucking adorable. Bella toyed with the hem then smiled and nodded.

"It's so tiny. Will it fit her?"

"I guess we'll know when we see her," Bella told me as she picked out a few more things that she would need. She grabbed a hat that we'd bought online that had Audrey embroidered along the edge. The hat was white and the thread was lavender, like everything in her room. Bella also picked up a few other tiny hats, a bunch of even tinier socks and a few blankets. She looked thoughtful for a few minutes before going to the dresser drawer and grabbing a few plain onesies.

"I don't think they'll really let us dress her but I hope they let us use our own onesies and hats and socks," she told me, carefully putting all the stuff she'd gathered into her Vera Bradley diaper bag. She smiled nervously at me as I put a bag in the Diaper Genie as she requested. I walked over after that to kiss her softly. She immediately threw her arms around me and kissed back with an enthusiasm I wasn't expecting. I groaned softly, pulling away.

"I…I'm sorry. I thought you wanted to…?" She bit her lip, staring up at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, fuck. I do. But baby, you're in labor," I reminded her. The baby's head could be crowning and shit. Plus, she was having contractions every five minutes on the dot.

"Oh, I just… one last time…" She smiled cheerily at me before walking through the door that attached our room to the nursery. She got out a suitcase and a list and started putting stuff in the bag. She packed a few pairs of pajamas, lots of socks, a light yellow sundress that I was guessing was her going home outfit, a pair of sandals, her iPod, a few books, the video camera. Then she went to my closet and got out three pairs of shorts and a few shirts.

"Wait, why are you packing shit for me?"

"So you can sleep over… I don't want to be there alone," she sounded small and scared so I nodded. I started grabbing some stuff of my own. My iPod, the charger, the charger for both our cell phones. I packed my laptop and her laptop.

She disappeared into the bathroom and came back with small bottles of her shampoo, conditioner, body wash. She had two new toothbrushes and toothpaste. She was also carrying my shampoo and soap.

"How long will we be there?" I asked, curious.

"A day or two? It depends on how everything goes." Bella placed the toiletries in a smaller bag then placed them in her big bag. I grabbed my razor and hers, knowing she'd want to shave, regardless of just having given birth.

What felt like hours later, we were packed and ready to have a baby tomorrow. Physically, at least. I was still mentally on the fence. Audrey. She was real. She was coming.

I dramatically flung myself onto the bed, groaning loudly. Bella gingerly sat next to me, moaning softly as a contraction hit.

"I think it's time to go."

"No, no… please let's…"

"Bella, we will as soon as we can. For now, you're in pain, you're having contractions every few minutes, and it's a thirty minute drive… let's go!"

"Let me just take a shower!"

I got all her bags together and in the car, using the guest bathroom to take a quick shower myself. I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and checked the time. It had been about forty minutes since I'd told Bella to take a shower. I peeked in the bathroom and she was drying her hair. I rolled my eyes because it didn't really matter and got my phone out to call my dad.

"Edward."

"Dad, we're finally heading over. Are you guys already there? Her contractions are coming hard and fast," I knew I had to slow down but I was in full out freak out mode.

"Take a deep breath, Edward. They'll get her hooked up to all kinds of monitors and go from there."

I checked my watch. 9:24 at night. She'd be born on my birthday. I grinned at the thought. "Alright. Well, we're heading over. We'll probably leave in like five so if you and Mom want to meet us…"

"Not a problem, my boy. I'll call you mother and I'm already here."

"Uh, hey. Can you do it?"

"Do what, son?"

"Bella's delivery. I would feel better if… you were the one…"

"Oh, Edward. How many times do I have to tell you? I'll see what I can do, maybe I can assist."

Bella came out of the bathroom, wearing black yoga pants and a light pink tank top. Her hair was blow dried straight and she had a little make up on. She looked nervous and like she was uncomfortable.

"Okay. Alright, I gotta go, dad. I'll see you soon." I hung up walked over to her, "We have to go to the hospital. The bags are in the car and… you're in labor, B."

She stared at me with wide, nervous eyes. Her lip was between her perfect white teeth and my girl looked so young and vulnerable. Her face scrunched up a second later and she put her hands on her stomach, groaning softly.

"It hurts that bad?" I knew she had no pain tolerance.

"Uh… uh huh," she whimpered and rubbed her belly. I put my hand on the small of her back and led her downstairs, through the house and to the garage. I helped her in the passenger side then got in and backed out, almost hitting the garage door before I remembered to open it. I grinned at her sheepishly but she was busy having another contraction. Two within five minutes. I couldn't remember if that was bad.

The ride to the hospital was about thirty minutes and within that time, she had six more contractions. All five minutes apart. She was definitely in heavy. She whined and complained through them and all I could do was try to calm her down. My parents were in the parking lot when we got there and my Dad opened her door, helping her out.

"Bella, dear. Any contractions?"

"Every two minutes, I think, Dad," I answered and she shot me a look that said she could answer for herself. We grabbed the bags out of the trunk. My mom held the baby's bags and I held the other two as we walked into the hospital.

They were expecting us, due to a phone call from Bella's OB/GYN's office and Bella got admitted to a private room right away. I was sure my dad had something to do with that. They hooked her up to an IV and the all of the monitors. Bella's contractions, like I was concerned about, were coming hard and coming fast. She was whimpering and her forehead was broken out with sweat.

My dad kept track of the machines as we waited for the doctor, saying Bella's contractions, while consistent, were mild. Which made Bella angry.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. You're not an OB/GYN. They are not mild! They hurt!" Bella shouted, making me chuckle softly. My mom shot me a look and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Now, dear. Calm down. Your girl will be here soon," my mom soothed, patting Bella's hand. Bella nodded and sniffled softly, quietly apologizing to Carlisle.

Dr. Morgan came in shortly after the exchange and I was glad she was in the hospital today and we wouldn't have to deal with that clown Crawford.

"Maggie!" Carlisle said, getting up to shake her hand, "Are you Bella's doctor?"

"Carlisle, it's great to see you. You too, Esme. I didn't realize Edward was your son!" she was smiling, obviously friendly with the Cullens'.

"Yes, this is our Edward and our Bella and our granddaughter. You be careful with her or else," Carlisle threatened jokingly. Dr. Morgan – or Maggie – laughed along with him before turning to Bella.

"Why, Ms Swan. I feel like I just saw you a few hours ago and there were no contractions."

"Well, um, I had a few. Then my water broke at Target," Bella turned bright red.

"Then my contractions started coming every five minutes and they hurt, don't listen to Carlisle!"

"Of course, what does he know about having a baby or delivering them?" Dr. Morgan winked at my dad. "Well, I need to examine you. So Carlisle, Esme, I think you might want to go grab coffee or a drink."

They nodded and left the room. Dr. Morgan waited for the next contraction to pass before checking Bella's cervix.

"Well, you're nine centimeters dilated and one hundred percent effaced. I'd say you'll be parents before midnight."

"No!" Bella screamed, "After midnight! I will cross my legs!"

I rolled my eyes, "June nineteenth is fine, baby."

"Well," Dr. Morgan laughed, "we're getting you into delivery now."

"I want my dad there," I told Dr. Morgan. She agreed and we quickly we wheeled to delivery. Bella kept crying out at every contraction and I didn't want to remind her how lucky she was that it was going that fast.

My Dad was already suited up in the room and they got things situated before they had Bella start pushing. I held one leg while a nurse held the other. I kept trying to peek but it was hard and Bella was screaming, because she hadn't had any pain medication.

"Edward," my dad said and I leaned further over. The view was my daughter's head – her bloodied, blonde head. I gaped at the sight before me and handed my camera to him because he had a better view than I did. Our baby was half way out. It, actually, kind of looked like something from Alien at this point.

"Bella, baby. She's pink and scrunched up and has a ton of hair!" I reached for Bella's hand, grasping it. I watched as Bella pushed one last time, her shoulders coming out. Audrey immediately started wailing. Bella was crying and gasping as she delivered the after birth and they got her cleaned up. I kept kissing her cheeks, her forehead, her mouth. I loved her so much in this moment.

"Time of birth, 12:01 AM! You made it til June 20, Mommy! She's got a set of lungs on her!" Dr. Morgan laughed, handing my girl to the nurse. I felt torn. I didn't want to leave Bella but our little girl. Her cries were so sad. I glanced at my fiancée, she had tears streaming down her face and made a gesture that I should go. I kissed her one more time then walked over to where they were cleaning all the gross stuff off her. My Dad took my place by Bella, talking to her quietly as I met my little girl.

"Audrey Elizabeth," I whispered, staring at the most gorgeous baby I'd ever seen. Her face was bright pink and she had my nose, truly had my nose. Her eyes were closed as she wailed as the nurses cleaned then weighed her.

"Seven pounds, nine ounces!" The nurse announced and I was shocked. I thought she'd be closer to Jax's size when he was born. The nurse put a bracelet on her ankle and bundled her up like a taco and put an ugly hospital hat on her. That would be changed as soon as possible. "Do you want to hold her, Daddy?"

I nodded, breathing a little hard as I awkwardly took her from the nurse and took her over to Bella, handing her to her.

"Mommy, meet Audrey. Audrey, this is your mommy. And you're so lucky because she's going to be an amazing mother," I whispered. Nothing else existed. I knew my dad was taking pictures, I knew they were still cleaning Bella up but in the moment, it was just the three of us.

Bella was smiling the biggest smile I'd ever seen, "Oh, my Audrey Elizabeth. You look just like Daddy. I've waited so long for you."

"Best birthday present ever, it's gonna be hard to top this one, B," we both giggled.

Bella peaked under her hat and smiled, "Strawberry blonde. I dreamt that," she murmured. Audrey finally stopped wailing as Bella gently stroked her face. "It's all alright, my little girl. I know today has been rough but it's the best of my life."

"And mine," I whispered in her ear. I knew they'd come take her to do whatever they did to newborns and that I'd be asked to leave so they could take Bella to recovery and that all our friends were in the waiting room, hoping to find out the name of our little girl but I was in no rush. This day, this moment, was the most precious of my life. A moment I would never forget and wouldn't change for anything.

~*~

reviews get BPOV of the water breaking in target, the birth and after. i hope you enjoyed the birth of little audrey!