Well, not much to say. xD Read and review. :)

Chapter Twenty-Five
Edward's Point Of View

I sighed, running my long piano-player's fingers through my bronze hair, walking fast through the forest. I hadn't been back to the house since the day I confronted Bella. I still couldn't believe I had done that. I kissed her, and she's dating my father. My father. Carlisle. She was dating Carlisle.

I had also heard through the grape-vine that she was engaged.

..And pregnant. Which made absolutely no sense, because vampires couldn't conceive children with humans. But, apparently, they could. Unless.. No. She wouldn't do that. And especially with that mutt. I could smell them in the forest the last time I'd come. The werewolves were back.

I could see the lights from the house, and blocked out my mind. I wasn't in the mood for thoughts to assault my head.

I finally made it up to the side of the house, and I held my breath.

No one spoke. There was a quiet dripping sound that I couldn't place. I heard their low breathing—and I could separate Bella's from the rest. It was harsher, labored. It hitched and broke in strange rhythms. I could hear her heart. It seemed.. too fast. Way too fast to be healthy. I paced it against what it normally sounded like. Yes, way too fast.

"Don't touch her! You'll wake her up," Rosalie whispered.

Someone sighed. "Rosalie," Carlisle murmured.

"Don't start with me, Carlisle."

"Rosalie, I'm a doctor. I think I know what I'm doing."

"Carlisle?" I looked up. A voice came from the very top of the house—the attic. It sounded like Alice's voice. Why was Alice in the attic?

"Coming," Carlisle said, leaving the room.

I looked back down. I could see up through the windows—see the top of the walls and the ceiling, the unlit chandelier that hung there. I was tall enough that all I would have to do was jump up onto the low window sill to look in while staying crouched.

I hopped up, silent, and I peeked into the big, open front room, expecting to see something other than what I saw. What I saw made my insides curdle.

The furniture was dragged out of the way, with Bella curled up awkwardly on a narrow bed in the center of the open space. Not a normal bed—a hospital bed. Also, just like in a hospital, there were monitors strapped to her body, the tubes stuck into her skin. The lights on the monitors flashed, but there was no sound. The dripping noise was from the IV plugged into her arm—some fluid that was thick and white, not clear, was dripping through it.

She choked a little in her uneasy sleep, and both Carlisle—who had returned from downstairs—and Rosalie moved in to hover over her. Her body jerked, and she whimpered. Rosalie smoothed her hand across Bella's forehead. Carlisle's body stiffened—his back was to me, but his expression must have been something to see, because Emmett lodged himself in between the two before I could even blink. He held his hands up to Carlisle.

"Carlisle, calm down. We've got other things to worry about."

Carlisle turned away from them, and his eyes were burning. His eyes met mine for one moment, and then I dropped off the window sill. The front door opened, and Carlisle came out.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" he asked, his voice strained and tired.

"I heard that Bella was pregnant. Why is she in a hospital bed? Is she hurt?" I knew I sounded more worried than I should be, because I was.

"Yes." He sighed. "She's hurt. It's killing her." He sat down on one of the steps, running his hand through his hair.

I swallowed. "And you're going to let her die."

We sat in silence. I could hear the others in the house. Emmett, Alice, and Jasper, somewhere up in the attic. Esme was humming in the kitchen. I could hear Rosalie breathing in the living room, and could immediately distinguish her breathing from Bella's labored panting. I could hear her heart, too. It seemed.. uneven, like it was going to give out any moment.

I looked up. His face was very.. very tired, and he looked like he was in agony. I knew exactly how that felt.

"I can imagine what you think of me for that," he finally whispered. "But I can't ignore her will. It wouldn't be right to make such a choice for her.. To force her. She already said she wants to keep it."

I wanted to be angry with him—furious, even—but he was making it hard. It was like he'd just thrown what I had said back into my face. They'd sounded right before, but they couldn't be right now. Bella was dying, and she wanted her.. last.. wish.. to be keeping this child, and he just couldn't save her and take away what she wanted. Not like I had. But Bella loved the things she shouldn't. We all had to come to grips with that.

"Do you think there's any chance that she'll make it? I mean, as a vampire..?" I cringed at the thought of Bella, stone hard and cold as ice. "Esme.. survived.. So.." I trailed off.

"I'd say there's an even chance at this point," he answered quietly. "I've seen venom work miracles, but there are conditions that even venom cannot overcome, Edward. Her heart is working too hard now; if it should fail.. I can't do anything for her." His voice broke at the end.

Bella's heartbeat throbbed and faltered, giving an agonizing emphasis to his words.

"What is that.. thing.. doing to her?" I whispered. "She looks so.." I couldn't finish the sentence. He hadn't even protested to me calling it a thing.

"The fetus isn't compatible with her body," he mumbled. It sounded like he had a hard time saying fetus. "Too strong, for one thing, but she could probably endure that for a while. She has endured that for a while—it bruised her whole stomach." I cringed. "She has no choice. The bigger problem is that it won't allow her to get the sustenance she needs. Her body is rejecting every form of nutrition we can think of to give her. I'm trying to feed her intravenously, but her body just won't accept it. Everything about her condition is accelerated. I'm watching her—and not just her, but the fetus as well—starve to death by the second. I can't stop it, and I can't slow it down. It's killing me that I can't figure out what it wants." His voice broke at the end again.

I hated the thing that was hurting Bella. It wasn't enough for the monster to apparently beat her from the inside out. No, it was starving her, too. Probably just looking for something to sink it's teeth into—a throat to suck dry. Since it wasn't big enough to kill anyone yet, it settled for sucking Bella's life from her.

I blinked, amazed that I had thought that way about my father's child.. But it was true. It was killing Bella from the inside out. "Carlisle, have you ever tried feeding it?"

He looked up. "What do you mean, feeding it? Did you not just hear what I said?"

"No, I mean.. feeding it." I raised my eyebrow, and his eyes widened in comprehension.

"Oh. Like a vampire. Feeding it." He blinked. "We never thought of that."

"Well, it is half human and half vampire. It's going to want blood eventually." I sighed, and Carlisle nodded, getting up.

"Goodnight, Edward."

He closed the front door, and I turned around, heading back into the forest.

I apologize for so much dialogue from the book, I really do. I mean, I changed.. some of it. I just.. We needed to get Edward into the loop, you know? I still swear that it will get closer to mine in a while. I'm just trying to get everyone in the loop! D: DON'T PELT ME WITH ROCKS !