My Hero

Chapter Nineteen

Carlisle's POV

I walked into my house, completely happy and satisfied by how the day had gone, when Alice suddenly ran towards me, nearly knocking me off my feet. I barely had a chance to recover before she started frantically talking to me.

"Carlisle!" she exclaimed breathlessly and I placed my hands on her shoulders, trying all I could to calm her.

"Alice, Alice, what's wrong?" I asked, keeping my eyes on her. I had a horrible feeling at the pit of my stomach that I knew what she was going to say, but tried to ignore it.

"It's Bella," she said and I stood completely still, unable to move. The name coming from her lips made my stomach turn even colder and it took me a moment to close my eyes and structure a reply.

"What's... what's wrong with h-her?" I asked, trying to compose myself. I wasn't doing a very good job, though.

"She fell, Carlisle, I saw her," she said. "She's on her own... she fell down the stairs and-"

I didn't hear the rest of her sentence because I was sprinting outside, using all my strength to make it to Bella's house as speedily as I could. I had the horrifying feeling that I wasn't going to arrive in time, so I pushed my feet down onto the ground faster and faster, physically pushing myself harder than I had ever done before. Bella was my life now... if something happened to her... I couldn't even bear thinking about it. Just imagining her in pain...

It was best not to think about it at all.

But, naturally, that was impossible.

I shuddered violently and felt nerves pass through my body as her house gradually came into view, something which was completely out of my nature. I rushed forwards, eventually slamming into her door and kicking it open with all the force that I could manage. It crumbled into pieces beneath me, wood splintering everywhere, and I staggered on the spot, taking in the sight before me.

Oh God.

Bella was sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by blood, not moving at all.

I sat by her side in a daze, trying to understand what was happening. It sickened me thinking of her in pain; I quickly checked for any signs of life and exhaled a shaky sigh when I suddenly found a faint, thready pulse in her neck. I placed my hand on her cheek, completely appalled at the scene. Her usually beautiful skin was pale and cold.

"Oh Bella..." I sighed, my voice quiet and like a whisper. "How did this happen?"

She remained completely still and I reached for a phone that was on the kitchen counter at lightning speed. After frantically requesting an ambulance, impatient from the woman's constant questions, I knelt by Bella's side, examining her fragile body. It looked like she had hit her head because the warm blood was mainly pooling around that area. It also seemed that she had broken her leg because it was sticking out in an awkward position. My stomach turned and I closed my eyes.

This was just too painful to see.

It was only during my panicked thoughts that I realised something very important and I felt even more sickened.

Her child...

If her child was somehow hurt during this accident, Bella would be heartbroken, not to mention the pain I'd feel at seeing her suffering...

I clutched at her icey hand, completely lost and worried. I stared ahead helplessly, unable to look at her still face. It was frozen in such a shocked expression that it was heartbreaking to even look at.

It was only when the blue lights from the ambulance flashed inside the house that I moved rigidly upwards, meeting the paramedic in the doorway. He looked puzzled at the remains of the door scattered on the floor, but I didn't care.

"Bella's in there," I said in a toneless voice. "She... she fell down the stairs..." He nodded, and I followed after him, "Please hurry, she's... she's five or six months pregnant."

I leaned against the wall as they proceeded to give Bella oxygen and gently put her onto a stretcher. Her body seemed to flop like a fish when they did so and my still heart seemed to ache even more. This wasn't happening...

I took one last look in the house, noticing the book which I had given her earlier shoved on the floor and what looked like the card I had also given her ripped into hundreds of tiny pieces. I had the immediate feeling that her partner was responsible, but didn't think about it too much. There were much more important things which needed my attention.

I turned on my heel and hastily stepped up into the ambulance, sitting by Bella's side. The drivers shut the door after us and the vehicle suddenly began moving, the ominous siren filling my ears. I clutched again at Bella's hand, intertwining her fingers with mine.

I'd never forget this moment.

"Bella," I sighed, looking at her in desperation. "You're... y-you're going to be alright. You're strong. Stay with me, p-please."

I could have imagined it, but her body stirred slightly and I froze in shock.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?"

There was a pained moan and her eyes suddenly snapped open, firstly flickering around the ambulance in panic and then landing on mine with an unmistakable fear. I stared right back at her, holding her hand tighter than before.

"Bella, you'll be alright," I convinced her, and myself. "W-we're going to the hospital now. You're okay, I promise."

Before I finished my sentence, her eyes scrunched up suddenly and her back seemed to arch on the bed. Her hands fluttered towards her stomach.

"C-Carlisle..." she gasped weakly, and I edged closer towards her.

"Yes, Bella, I'm here," I whispered.

"My... my baby," she screeched, before grinding her teeth together and drifting back into unconsciousness. I was now even more filled with worry; something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Not my Bella... please.

I knocked on the ambulance walls with all my strength. "Hurry up!" I shouted towards the drivers. "Hurry!"

There was a grunt of a reply and I sank back into the chair, completely terrified and anxious for Bella. And her child. I hadn't felt this much pain since the day in which I was changed and just thinking of what Bella was going through...

When we finally arrived at the hospital, I assisted the other doctors in wheeling the stretcher down the corridors, pushing with all my strength until I gained an odd look from the man in front of me.

"Doctor Cullen, you're not on duty tonight," he snapped and I kept my eyes on Bella as I replied.

"Bella is very important to me, so I think you'll find I am on duty."

We pushed the stretcher into a nearby emergency ward and the doctors immediately crowded around her, causing me to force my way past them.

"Listen, she's expecting a child, it's likely that there's something wrong," I said quickly, my voice layered with urgency. "We need to scan and check if there's anything wrong straight away. That's the priority at the moment."

One of the doctors gave me an incredulous look. "I don't think that's necessary."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Oh, so it doesn't matter if her child's dying?"

My words dripping with sarcasm and irritation shocked me and I stared ahead in despair.

"What I meant was that there's already some bleeding," the doctor said and I averted my eyes to Bella's legs; her trousers were stained in blood.

"Oh no..." I whispered, staggering on the spot.

I couldn't stop staring at Bella. This baby was going to be her life, and now it seemed that it was... dying.

Some of the doctors quickly started examining Bella. I looked carefully at Bella's face, but it seemed that she was still unconscious. This provided a little relief, the fact that she wasn't in any physical pain. Yet.

One doctor looked towards me ominously.

"It looks like the baby's been badly injured," she said. "We'll have to perform an emergency Caesarean to try to save it. Although it's incredibly unlikely, you must know that."

It was lucky that I had strong legs or I would have sunk to the floor. I nodded blankly and watched as she moved Bella towards the surgery ward. It was all a huge rush, and before I knew it, I was dressing with the usual clothing and placing a mask across my mouth.

The doctors began gathering the equipment for the Caesarean and I was truly in disbelief that this was all going on. Just a few hours ago she was so happy...

The other doctors quickly examined Bella; they concluded that she had a broken leg and a small wound in her head. They couldn't do anything about those yet, though, not with what she was about to go through first.

My heart produced a wave of pain as I realised that Bella was slowly stirring, her eyelids fluttering.

"No... no... not now..." I gasped, joining her side. Her eyes turned towards me and she blinked twice, clearly disorientated. Then, in a quick flash, everything seemed to come back to her and the pain that flickered on her face was, once again, heartbreaking.

"Carlisle..." she breathed, and I knelt down to face her, trying to avert her eyes from the doctor who was injecting painkillers and preparing the anaesthetic.

"Yes, Bella, I'm here," I said, feeling incredibly exhausted all of a sudden.

"W-what happened?" she stuttered, looking around the room. It was then that she caught eyes with the doctor.

"It's alright, Bella," I said, trying to catch her gaze. "Bella, look at me. Bella."

"C-Carlisle?" she asked, wincing through the pain. "Why... what... w-why is... what's g-going on?"

After she said the last word she writhed in a sudden agony and I looked towards the doctor in panic.

"What did you do?" I ordered and she joined my side.

"It's just the injuries," she said. "But I don't think the baby has much time, we really need to operate."

"Carlisle!" Bella suddenly sobbed, and I clutched her hand tightly. "What's happening to my child?"

I looked at her sorrowfully; she seemed completely distressed and I could see tears running down her pale cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Bella, your child... she's in danger, the doctors have to try and save her."

Bella's face crumbled and she broke down, covering her eyes with her other free hand. My heart ached for her and I clasped her hand even more tightly with a fierce hope, urging her not to move any longer.

"Bella... Bella, it will all be alright, your baby will be fine."

She looked at me. "Carlisle, she's only six months old! She's barely viable!"

The doctor suddenly spoke. "Bella? Bella, I need you to stay calm, you need to save your child."

Bella sobbed weakly. "But everything hurts."

I closed my eyes in despair; this was shattering me into pieces. I didn't know if I could bear it anymore...

No, I needed to be strong. For Bella's sake.

"Come on, Bella," I said with a sudden passion. "You can do this. I know you can." She looked towards me. "Think of your daughter, of all the wonderful times you could have together."

She sniffed and winced again, but seemed to be determined. She nodded and took a deep breath, flinching again.

"Okay, Bella, we're going to start now." The doctor headed towards her with a mask. "Now we need you to breathe in and count down from ten..."

Bella have me one last look and I tried to smile, but it didn't work. She closed her eyes tight. "Ten, nine, eight, s-seven, six, five, four..."

She drifted off and was soon unconscious. After a few checks, the doctors met my eyes and nodded. This wasn't good for her; afterwards she was going to be drained... I hated thinking about what she was going through.

I couldn't even watch as the other doctor reached for a scalpel.

"Come on, Bella," I shouted, even though she probably couldn't hear. "Stay strong!"

The doctors started operating, making the first incision, and once again the smell of her blood saturated the air. Bella continued staying strong throughout, trying to save her child's life, against all the odds. She was so inspiring, never giving in and I looked towards her with blazing eyes, praying that she would pull through.

All of a sudden, a bundle of red was removed from Bella's stomach and I watched as she remained still on the table. She was still breathing, thank God, but she was probably completely exhausted, and I turned towards the doctor who was quickly wrapping the tiny child into a towel and preparing to head towards the intensive care ward for premature children. I caught a glimpse of its hand; it was barely the size of a coin.

Before I could do anything else, though, the doctor disappeared and I quickly set about sorting out Bella's injuries, just continuously hoping and praying that the child would be strong enough to somehow survive.