20th June 2010

Edward POV

I was more than sure that it wasn't the fact that my body clock was wrong which meant that I slept through right until ten AM the next morning. It wasn't even because I was lazy and wanted to spend my birthday curled up in bed doing nothing.

It was the fact that my wife, at five months pregnant, was struggling to get comfortable sleeping. She would sleep happily on her back until it hurt her shoulders and spine, then she moved onto her left side, then the other, until eventually she would feel nauseous and have to vomit two or three times before finally settling to sleep after crying and apologising against my chest.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed just as Bella pushed open the bedroom door to Allow Emma to carefully carry my present up onto the bed, I beamed and settled her in between my lap after making her giggle and squeal by hugging and kissing her repeatedly.

Bella laughed and settled down beside me, kissing my cheek causing me to smile wider.

"Happy birthday." She whispered.

I smiled and thanked her before helping her lean back onto the mound of pillows and making sure she was comfy.

My daughter started to get impatient, "Open your present daddy."

I smiled and set it in front of both of us where she was sat in between my legs.

"Are you going to help me?" I asked quietly, kissing her neck quickly.

She giggled and nodded putting her hands next to mine on top of the wrapped present.

I smiled, "Okay then, ready? Three... two... one..."

We tore off the wrapping paper and I beamed at what I saw wrapped up.

Lying in my hands was a montage of pictures in a frame. Most of them were of me and Emma, but there were some of me ad Bella, Bella and Emma, and a few of my family and hers.

IN the centre was a blank space, and I looked at my wife who leant her head on my shoulder and rubbed her stomach.

"That is for when this little one arrives, so we can have one of all of us." She whispered and I smiled.

I wrapped one arm around each of my girls as they curled into my chest as we watched TV. I smiled to myself, wondering how I could possibly have valued my work over my family at any point.

Everyone at one point in their life should spend twenty four hours doing my job. Because it makes you realise just what the ones you love mean to you, and that one day they could be there, and then the next they could not.

"What's the most bizarre case you have worked on this week?" Bella asked and looked at me where she was sat in the passenger seat of my Volvo, Emma in the back, me driving as we drove to her fathers. Her hand was in mine over the gear stick, and I bit my lip, thinking about her question.

"Well yesterday I treated a boy who was shot in the leg." I told her.

She gasped and I smiled reassuringly at her.

"He was fine, but it transpired that he had been trying to shoot the label off the back of his trainers, and that is how he had shot himself in the leg." I told her and we both laughed.

"He was only eighteen." I chuckled.

She squeezed my hand, "Let me remind you that when we were eighteen I gave birth to Emma." She told me.

I smiled, "I remember." And I did, because that had been one of the best days of my life.

April 7th 2005

Bella's hand gripped mine where she was laying on her back in the hospital bed. Her legs were bent and there were midwives dotted around, and a doctor stood at the foot of the bed between her legs. If I was honest, at first I had not been overly keen on this idea, but when I realised, well thought about it some more, I knew that I should just be quiet.

Bella looked at me and let out a stuttering breath, I pushed some hair out of her face and she looked at me anxiously.

"Don't go anywhere." She moaned.

I kissed her forehead and ten her knuckles, her newly established engagement ring pressing into my lips. "I'm staying right here."

"Okay Bella just one more push then your baby will be here." The doctor told her gently.

Bella whimpered and I kissed her forehead.

"Just one more sweetheart, you can do it just one more push..." I urged and she swallowed, tears rolling down her face, I wiped them away hurriedly.

"Shush shush its okay..." I whispered.

"Can you do it for me?" She asked.

I sighed and shook my head, "not this time baby."

She groaned and shifted slightly, "Don't call me that."

I smiled and kissed her temple, reaching around her back with my spare arm so I was holding both her hands. She leant her shoulder into my chest and I kissed the top of her head.
"Come on Bella, just one more then... ready... you squeeze my hands." I breathed.

She swallowed, her eyes shut as she hung onto my words.

"We'll do it together?" She whispered.

I nodded and leant my forehead against her temple to whisper into her ear.

"Always."

Bella nodded and groaned, tensing and crying out as the doctor fought to help our baby out.

"Well done love keep going..." I whispered and couldn't help the enormous smile that exploded onto my face when Bella flopped back into my chest and our babies cried filled the room.

I smothered her face in kisses had she sobbed and laughed at the same time, as I chanted out how much I loved her, as she gripped onto me and buried her face in my chest.

The midwife walked over and handed me the wriggling bundle. My own tears spilled over the edge as my daughter, so small and tiny in my arms, suddenly seemed so real, so dependent on me, and I swore then that I would ever let her down.

I smiled and swallowed at Bella, before gently handing her over to her. I bent forwards and kissed her forehead.

"You did wonderfully love." I whispered.

I heard the click of a camera and there was a flash and both of our heads snapped up to see Sarah, the midwife who worked on Bella, but new my father well, as they had trained together, smiled sheepishly at me.

"Your mother begged me to." She laughed.

It was that picture, of me and Bella with our arms both around our daughter, me kissing my wife's forehead as I handed her to her, tears on both our faces, and enormous smiles on our mouths, that sat proudly on my desk at work, and remained to this day, the background on my phone.

We sat quietly beside one another on Bella's hospital bed, me with m arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her gently into my side. Emma was safe in Bella's arms and my own free arm was outstretched, as my daughter had a tight grip round my index finger.

Bella chuckled and sniffed, fighting the urge to cry, "She doesn't want to let her daddy go."

I swallowed and spoke earnestly, "I won't let either of you down I promise."

Bella smiled and leant her head on my shoulder, "I know you won't."

JUNE 20th 2010

I looked in the rear-view mirror at my sleeping daughter just as we pulled onto the road that let up to Charlie's. I smiled at her and felt my heart swell. Bella took my hand and smiled at me, giving it a squeeze, and I could tell she knew what I was thinking about.

"I haven't let you down have I yet?" I breathed and she smiled, leaning to kiss me as I parked the car in front of her father's house.

"And you never will." She breathed against my lips.