Chapter 33
Disclaimer: We still own nothing but a reformed Doucheward who is becoming rather Swoonward.
**We know nothing about medicine, so we did tons of research. If we didn't get it right, please don't hold it against us.
To all of you who continue to add our story to your alerts, faves and communities…THANKS! A special thanks to our pre-readers Jasper's Woman, L, Jiff Simpson, Luee Fishes.
Chapter Songs:
"Parachute" Train
"Love Remains the Same" Gavin Rossdale
"Give Me a Sign" Breaking Benjamin
"Keep Holding On" Avril Lavigne
EPOV
I shook my head hoping that what I was seeing was actually a figment of my imagination. It wasn't.
Dad, well after this there is no way that any of us would consider that he was a dad to us at all, had just said some absolutely horrendous things about Rosalie and the twins. Hell, it was probably the most horrendous thing I'd ever heard anyone say about another person, much less his own daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
As I watched in shock, Emmett threw his arm back to get ready to punch Carlisle. In the blink of an eye, I rushed to his side and grabbed his arm before he could throw the punch.
"Edward. Let. My. Arm. Go," Emmett ordered through gritted teeth.
"Everything he said was to get a rise out of you, Emmett. Don't do this. You need to think about your wife and your children." I leaned into his ear and whispered, "I wouldn't put it past him to have the police throw you in jail. Where would you rather be, here with your family when they need you most or behind bars for assault?"
I felt the fight leave Emmett as his knees almost gave out. I grabbed him, and Jasper came to help me get Emmett seated in the waiting area.
I looked up and saw Mom cautiously approaching Carlisle. "Did I just hear you right, Carlisle?" she asked him. "Did you really order Rosalie to have an abortion?"
He grinned – fucking grinned - at her when she asked him the question. "Of course I did. Someone had to protect his finances. Someone like her could only be using him to get to his huge trust fund that your mother set up for him. Once she gets her hands on it she will be gone, and Emmett will be left with absolutely nothing."
We watched stunned as the short silence was interrupted as Mom slapped him forcefully across his cheek. That wiped the smug look off his face.
"You bastard," Mom hissed. "First, you tried to keep Bella and Edward apart by trying to find a way to hurt Edward. Now I find out that wasn't the first time that you interfered rashly with our children's lives. How dare you try to have the love of your son's life kill their babies? How can you say that she is using him for his money? Did you even take a chance to get to know her at all? Obviously, you didn't or you would know that she has more of her own money than Emmett will inherit on his 21st birthday."
The man who I once thought of as my father finally lost his smug attitude when he learned this revelation.
"Look around you, Carlisle," Mom said as she motioned to all of us. "This used to be a family that loved an honorable man who seemed to be a great father. I don't know what happened to you, what caused you to be so jaded, but I have no doubt that tonight you've managed to lose every single one of us for good," Mom declared. "I don't know who you are anymore, because you are definitely not the man that I married. I hope you enjoy every single second of being a lonely, lonely man the rest of your life. You could have had everything that makes a life worthwhile, but now you have nothing. Absolutely. Nothing. I've filed the papers with my lawyer. Rest assured that you won't end up with a single cent of my money."
She stormed away from a shocked Carlisle and sat down next to Emmett who grabbed her hand and held onto it for dear life. Carlisle stood there speechless as he looked at all of us. We didn't have to say a single word to him for him to know that Mom was right. There was no way that a person so vindictive, so heartless and cruel, would be in our lives ever again. I don't know how long he stood there with us ignoring him before he finally left.
"Emmett, I am so sorry that he said those things to you and Rose," Mom said through her ragged breath, as she fought the tears that were threatening to break free.
"Mr. Cullen?" A doctor approached Emmett as he stood up.
"I'm Dr. Moore. First I do want to let you know that your wife and your babies are in stable condition right now."
"Thank God," Emmett sighed with relief at the doctor's words. "What happened with Rose? How are the boys doing? It was two boys, right?"
Mom's face lit up when she heard that it was twin boys. I wondered if Bella and I would also have twin boys when we had children. I could even see her pregnant with our children, and my heart swelled with joy at the thought.
"Yes, you have two sons. Despite the fact they were premature, they are fairly large for preemies, particularly twins. One weighs 4 pounds 5 ounces. The other weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces. Both babies are 18 inches long. We have them in the NICU. They're doing remarkably well. They are breathing on their own, but are on oxygen. We also have feeding tubes inserted as well as IV's to help provide them the nutrition they need. They are also in incubators to help keep their body temperature regulated." As the doctor talked, I could feel Emmett growing more anxious. "I know this is a lot to take in, but those boys are the most active preemies I have ever seen, which is a very good sign," Dr. Moore reassured him with a gentle smile.
"Like father, like sons," Mom said. "You and Edward were little wiggle worms when you were born." I gently punched Emmett in the arm with my fist, and he smiled back weakly.
"As I said, your wife is stable, but it was touch and go for a while," Dr. Moore told Emmett, causing him to take Mom's hand in his for support. "During the delivery, the placenta detached causing your wife to bleed internally. This in turn caused the twins to become distressed. As we delivered the twins via C section, your wife's heart beat became very irregular. We began giving her units of blood, but before we could get the bleeding under control, her heart stopped."
"Oh God," Emmett gasped through his raspy voice. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She's stable, and we're monitoring her heart closely. I have no doubt that the blood loss caused her heart to stop. After repeated attempts to stop the bleeding, we had no choice but to perform a hysterectomy. Had we not done so, she would have bled to death. Once the hysterectomy was complete and her blood supply replenished, her heart rate improved dramatically."
"Hysterectomy. There was no other way to save her? Rose always wanted a house filled with lots of kids," Emmett said.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen. If we had not done the hysterectomy, I have no doubt that we would have lost your wife. It was the only way for her to live," Dr. Moore clarified. "You will be able to see your wife in about 30 minutes. I can take you to see your sons now if you'd like. You can't hold them yet, but once we get you in scrubs and sterile gloves you will be able to touch them through the incubator."
We followed Emmett and the doctor to the NICU. Our eyes were glued on Emmett's every movement as he saw his children for the first time. There wasn't a dry eye to be seen when we saw Emmett's tears as he stroked first one baby's face and held its hand before doing the same with his other son.
I held Bella tightly in my arms, and she reached her hand up to gently wipe the tears away from my face. My brother, my twin, was a father. I was an uncle. I couldn't take my eyes off of the babies. Emmett pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and snapped some shots of them before leaving the NICU. They were so tiny, but absolutely perfect. And the doctor was right; they wriggled and kicked furiously in their individual isolettes. I wondered briefly if they were lonely. Until this evening, they'd spent every moment of their lives curled up with one another. It must be confusing to suddenly be alone. Maybe it would be possible for them to be put together, that way they could get the care they needed, but find some comfort in one another's presence. Maybe then they would fall asleep.
The entire family surrounded him as he came out. His earlier worried expression was now one of awe. We all took our turns hugging him and giving him our congratulations.
"Emmett, let's see the pictures of my beautiful grandbabies," Mom ordered him, and his eyes lit up as he pulled out the phone.
"Everyone, this is Liam Edward Cullen," Emmett said as he looked at me.
"I'm truly honored," I told Emmett as I fought the lump in my throat as I hugged him tightly with one arm.
Emmett kept his eyes on mine as he showed us the second picture. "This is Anthony Allen Cullen."
"Hey, you named both babies after Edward and none after me?" Alice pouted playfully. Well, we all hoped that it was for play.
"Allen was the closest boy name to Alice that Rose and I could find," Emmett laugh. "Edward, you're my twin and forever a part of me. You've been my best friend even when you didn't have to be just because we were brothers. Rose and I felt it was apt to name both boys after you. I love you, man."
"Love you too, Emmett. Thank you so much. That means the world to me," I said through my raspy voice. I looked at Bella, and she hugged me tightly then rested her head on my chest. For all his goofiness, my brother was still one of the best, kindest people I'd ever met.
The moment definitely ranked as one of the most incredible moments of my life ever. I thought back to my talk earlier in the day with Mom and knew what the most incredible moments of my life would be. I could see those moments clearly in my mind as I watched my nephews squirming in their cribs, and Bella's smile as she watched them. I couldn't wait for those unforgettable moments in my head to become my reality.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
A few minutes after seeing the babies, we were told that we could visit Rose. Emmett didn't want to go alone since he wasn't sure how he was going to tell Rose about the hysterectomy, so he asked Mom and me to go with him. He hesitated before opening the door. The moment he saw her, Emmet ran and carefully threw his arms around his wife. He kissed her forehead and then her lips.
"God, Rosie, you gave me the biggest scare of my life," Emmett choked out, emotion coloring every word. "I was so scared that I'd lost you, baby."
"You could never lose me, Emmett," Rose said weakly. "The babies, how are they?"
"They are the most beautiful babies ever! I can't wait for you to see them, Rosie. You did so great, babe." Emmett bragged and pulled out his phone to show her the pictures causing Rose's eyes to fill with tears.
"When you're right, you're right, baby," Rosalie agreed as her fingers stroked the faces of the babies on their photos. "They're really okay?"
"Perfect," Emmett assured her. "They are a little small, but the nurses said that they are definitely good sized for being preemies and twins. And why wouldn't they be? Look at all of this," Emmett motioned to himself. "I am quite the big hulking fellow, and they will be just like me."
"Rose, if they are just like Emmett you will definitely have your hands full," I told her jokingly.
"I won't be the only with their hands full," she smirked at Emmett.
Mom went up and kissed Rose on the cheek. "Thank you for giving me the most beautiful grandchildren ever."
"You're very welcome. I guess they were more ready to meet their family than I thought," Rose said with a tired smile. "I just hope the next grandchildren I give you come as scheduled."
Emmett looked at me and Mom before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Rose. He took both of her hands in his and kissed the back of each hand before looking at her will worry-filled eyes.
"There were major complications, Rosie," Emmett said in a serious tone. Emmett very rarely used this tone of voice causing Rose to reach one hand down to her still slightly swollen abdomen.
"What happened?" Rose asked him. "Don't leave anything out, Emmett."
"It was bad, baby. Really bad," he told her as a single tear slipped down his cheek. "You were bleeding and the doctors couldn't stop it. They got the twins out as fast as they could, but they still couldn't stop the bleeding." Emmett closed his eyes and shook his head when he saw the flood of tears leaving Rose's eyes.
"There won't be any more babies, will there?" Rose whispered sadly. Emmett shook his head and squeezed her hands.
"No," he croaked through his broken voice. "You lost so much blood, Rosie. Your heart stopped because of the blood loss. A hysterectomy was the only way for you to live."
Rose pulled her hands from Emmett's and rubbed her stomach again. "No more babies will grow in here ever again?" Rose cried.
"The most important thing is that you are alive. Our babies are alive. I almost lost you forever, Rosie. I can't live this life without you. You are my heart. It beats only for you. Only for you," he said softly through his tears as he placed her hand on his chest and his hand on hers. "Just like this beats only for me."
I moved to stand next to Mom and wrapped her in my arms as we watched my brother comfort his wife. It was so hard to see Rose's and Emmett's hearts breaking for what they could never have. Emmett was right though. She was still alive, unlike Emily. I would never forget the moment that Jake found out that he had lost the love of his life, that she was never coming back, and they would never have their happily ever after. They wouldn't have their forever.
Despite everything, Rose and Emmett were going to have their forever with Anthony and Liam. God definitely worked in mysterious ways. You never knew whether tomorrow would come.
I remembered the conversation that I had with Mom right before Rose went into labor. I smiled as I recalled what she gave me. Bella and I were definitely going to have what Rose and Emmett have. I was ready for forever to start now. I just prayed that Bella was as ready as I was. Maybe God would give me a sign.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
The rest of the holiday weekend passed in a blur. We were constantly at the hospital to see Rose and the twins. We were thrilled to be able to witness Rose and Emmett hold them in their arms for the first time on Saturday night.
As much as Bella and I wanted to stay, we knew we couldn't afford to miss anymore classes with finals coming up. We promised everyone that we would be back for Christmas.
After an emotional goodbye to Emmett and my namesakes, even though I couldn't hold them yet, Emmett held up his cell phone next to their incubators so I could "talk" to them, Mom drove Bella and me to the airport early Sunday morning.
Sleepy Bella was always one of my favorites. I loved every minute of her cuddled into my side and snuggling as close as she could get while we waited to board the plane.
When they finally announced our flight, I had to shake Bella awake. The way she looked at me when she first opened her eyes and saw me, I had no words on how that made me feel inside. I kissed her tenderly on the lips and felt her smile.
"Good morning again, sleepy head," I told her as I brushed her hair behind her ears.
"Hey, baby," Bella said huskily. "Is it time to go already?"
"Yep, time to board the plane. OKC here we come then the short drive home to Norman."
Since we hadn't had a lot of time to rest the last few days with all of the excitement, Mom upgraded our tickets to first class. Normally, Bella would have had a fit about someone spending what she felt was an extravagant amount of money on her, but she was undeniably exhausted and she knew Mom was trying to give us a comfortable opportunity to rest before we headed back to the real world.
We got comfortable in our seats, drank huge glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice and covered up with our blankets so we could sleep on the flight home. We had been lucky to get a direct flight from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Those were definitely few and very far between.
I'm not sure how long we slept while wrapped in each other's arms, but a surprise announcement from the captain got us awake really quick.
"Ladies and gentlemen this is Captain Dean. Unfortunately, the visibility in Oklahoma City has become too low for us to fly in today because a freak snow storm has hit the area. The forecast calls for this weather to continue into the night, so flights to Oklahoma City today are being cancelled. The airline is sorry for this inconvenience. We will be diverting to Las Vegas. If you need help finding a hotel room and booking your flights to OKC, please check with representatives at our ticket counter. Again we are very sorry for this inconvenience."
"Did he just say what I think he did?" Bella asked me groggily.
"Yes, he did. It's snowing in Oklahoma. In November. Oklahoma weather is definitely wacky," I laughed.
"It definitely is," Bella agreed. "That was one of the reasons that Jake initially wanted to study at the University of Oklahoma. One day the weather could be sunny and 70 degrees. The next day there could be a foot of snow. Crap, we're going to miss more classes, aren't we?"
"Looks that way, love," I kissed her on the forehead. "Hopefully our professors will understand. We can send them emails from our cell phones once we land. I will also call Mom and let her know what's going on. She may know of a place for us to stay while we are there. Hopefully we can make it on a flight out tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest."
"If I have to miss a day of class, tomorrow is definitely the best day to miss it," Bella said with a yawn. "Professor Winchester said that we weren't going to start reviewing for the final until Wednesday and that is the only class that I am really worried about."
The moment the plane landed in Las Vegas, almost all of the passengers ran directly to the counter. A handful of passengers went to the slot machines that cluttered the walkways and started trying to win the big jackpot.
Bella began emailing her professors, and I made my way to a quiet area to make a phone call to Mom. I think I had just gotten the sign that I needed.
"Edward, you shouldn't be in Oklahoma City yet. Is everything okay?" Mom asked with concern.
"We're fine. A freak snow storm hit Oklahoma so our flight got diverted to Las Vegas," I told her and heard her gasp on the other end of the line.
"Vegas. Are you going to do what I think you are planning on doing, Son?"
"I've been waiting for the right moment. The perfect moment. If being in Vegas isn't a sign from up above when I have Granny Platt's engagement ring and wedding band with me, I don't know what is. I love her so much, Mom."
"I know you do, Edward," Mom sniffled on the other end of the phone.
"Could you help us with hotel reservations for tonight with a late check out for tomorrow and organize a flight from Vegas to Oklahoma City?"
"I most certainly can. Give me about five minutes, and I will call you back with the hotel information."
"Thanks a lot, Mom," I hung up and walked over to Bella who was still typing furiously on her iPhone in the crowded waiting area. "Almost done, B?" I asked.
"Yep, this is the last email," she told me. "Did you get a hold of Esme?"
I nodded. "She's working on hotel reservations for us as we speak." I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth when Mom called telling me she had gotten us a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. She also said to let her know if I needed any other special arrangements made for the night. I told her I would let her know.
Bella and I gathered our bags and found the car from the Four Seasons waiting for us outside the airport. It didn't surprise me that Mom had gone all out. Granny Platt came from old money, but she had a knack for knowing exactly what to invest in at the right time. Mom had more money than she could ever possibly hope to spend.
The love of my life just shook her head when she saw the limo. I handed the driver all of our bags except for one of mine. I didn't want to let this backpack out of my sight.
"Your mom is really spoiling us, Edward," Bella laughed as she stretched out in the back of the limo and popped open a cold bottle of Dr. Pepper.
"It makes her happy to do this," I said as I took the bottle from her and took a chug of it. She smacked my hand and took it from me.
"I know it does," Bella said as we pulled up outside of the hotel. "The Four Seasons? Oh. My. God."
"Bella, it's okay," I laughed. "Mom has never done anything halfway in her entire life. She got that from my beloved Granny Platt." I smiled as I pulled the backpack over my shoulders and helped Bella out of the car.
While I got us checked in, Bella was looking around the immaculately decorated lobby of the hotel. A bellboy carried our bags and led us to an elevator that went to the top floor. Mom had booked us the Presidential Suite, which overlooked the breathtaking mountains and deserts of Vegas, instead of the tourist trap of the Vegas Strip.
"This room is the most incredible thing that I have ever seen," Bella said as she went to the window to look out at nature's majesty spread before us.
My palms were sweating. My heart was racing. This was the moment. The perfect moment I had been waiting for. I grabbed Bella's left hand and started to stroke her ring finger.
"Bella, that is nothing compared to you. You are the most beautiful, incredible woman I have ever known, and that's saying quite a bit after having grown up under the thumbs of my mom and Granny Platt. You being with me, there is not much more that would make my life perfect. I love you so much."
"I feel the same way, baby," Bella said as she put her right hand on my chest. "I love you, too."
I continued to hold her left hand as I bent down on my right knee before her as I pulled out the faded blue Tiffany's box. I heard Bella gasp as I popped open the box that held the beautiful platinum diamond ring that had stayed on Granny Platt's finger her until the day she died.
"Bella Marie Swan," I started nervously, "I have loved you for what seems like eternity. I may not have always loved you the right way, but now I do. I love you the right way with every single part of me. I love the way you smile at me when you think I'm a goofball. I love how you nibble at your lower lip when you're nervous. I love the way you look when you wake up in the morning all rumpled, yet the most incredibly beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love the way you take care of those around you, sometimes not even knowing that you are taking care of them. I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life showing you how much I love everything about you. You are everything to me. You hold my heart in the palm of your hand and you always will. Everything I am and everything I will be is yours. You are my always and forever. Would you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?"
A/N: This is the moment many of you have waited for. What will Bella say to Edward's proposal?
It's about time that EVERYONE knows that Carlisle is a bastard. Thankfully, Rose and the babies are going to be okay. A friend of mine had preemie twins and the weights and time frame in the hospital were the same that we included in this chapter.
Oklahoma has been known to have snow in November. Just not as much as we made fall lol.
If the story goes missing you can find it on Archive of Our Own under our same pen name. Links to our stories are also on the front page of our blog twidictedbyrd . blogspot . com. We will also try to post the story on TWCS when we get time.
The story is starting to wind down, so if there is something that you want to see, let us know! There are likely 1 or 2 more full chapters left then at least one epilogue...maybe 2.
For those of you wanting Jake to have his HEA, he will have one. We even know who his love will be ;). She is really excited about it too!
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We have a new story, New York Minute. As teenagers Bella and her best friend dream of meeting their celebrity crushes. When they find themselves living in New York after college, they find out dreams can come true in a New York minute. ←This story is also on Archive of Our Own and TWCS.