CHAPTER 70

Embry POV:

Leah and I settled into married life very easily. Living at Sue's was a little strange at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I went back to work and Leah went back to college and work. At least now we could see each other in the evenings and sleep together every night. On the weekends, when she would work at the restaurant, I would help Dad work on their new house. It was coming along really fast now. They were right on target to move out at the end of April.

Jake and I moved into Mr. Collins' garage. There was room for all our tools and we had not one, but two lifts! We were like kids in a toy store. And Mr. Collins was great to work with. He had already taught us so much, but now he also spent time with Jake on how to run the business. I told him I was a grease monkey, and that was OK with me. He could take care of the business end of things. I would trust Jake with my life. I knew he would do a good job and watch out for us both.

Emily and Leah threw a birthday party for Abby and she really had a great time. She invited her fellow cheerleaders and Sam allowed her to invite a few boys. He put me on make out patrol because he said I knew all the tricks! I did my job well. When it was over, Abby thanked us over and over. She said it was one of the best days of her life. That made me happy and sad. She had to wait 17 years for her birth to be celebrated. It gave me a new appreciation for my mom. We didn't have much growing up, but I always knew she loved me.

Moving day finally came and Sam and I helped Mom and Dad move to the new house. Dad moved in his stuff from storage, so Mom left us the living room furniture and the kitchen table and chairs. Leah and I took a couple of days to repaint Mom's bedroom a nice turquoise color. I told her she could paint, but I didn't want anything too girly. This was our compromise. We moved her bed and dresser into that room, and put her desk in my room with her laptop. That way, she would have somewhere to do homework.

Once we moved all of her clothes and things in, I said to her, "Come with me." I took her by the hand and walked her outside. She looked at me curiously and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Right here," I told her as I stopped on the front steps. I reached down and scooped her up into my arms and said, "I want to do this properly and carry my bride over the threshold." She laughed at me as I carried her back inside and shut the door. "There, now it's official. We're home."

She leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. "There's nowhere else I would rather be," she said with a smile. I had to agree with her. Home was perfect.

"Embry, wake up. Your phone is ringing," Leah said sleepily as she shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone. "Hello?"

"Embry! It's your dad. I'm taking your mom to the hospital."

"Now? It's too soon!" She still had almost a month until her due date.

"Look, I'm driving. I'll call you again when I know more." And he was gone. I closed the phone and sat there staring at it.

"What?" Leah asked as she sat up. "Embry?"

"Um, that was Dad. He's taking Mom to the hospital."

"Oh, that's what you meant by too soon."

I got out of bed and pulled on my jeans. "I'm going to the hospital," I told her. I walked over to the drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and slipped it over my head. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and by the time I got to the living room to pull on my shoes, Leah was dressed and going into the bathroom. When she came into the living room I asked her, "Should I call Sam?"

"It's the middle of the night. Let's wait until we know more, then we'll call." I nodded and stood up and looked for my keys. Leah already had hers in her hand, so we left the house and took the Jeep to the hospital in Forks.

We parked and walked in through the ER entrance and Leah walked up to the desk and asked for Angela Uley. The lady there told her that they had just taken her up to maternity. We headed for the stairs and when we got to the maternity ward, there was Sue!

"Mom!" Leah called. Sue turned and walked toward us. "Do you know anything? Is Angie and the baby OK?"

"I just got up here. I was on my lunch break when they brought her in. When I got back and saw her name, I came up here to see how she is. Let me go and see if I can find out, OK?" She smiled and touched my cheek as she walked by me.

Leah had a hold of my hand and we just stood there waiting. I had never been in this position before – having to worry about Mom. She was never sick and she had never been in the hospital. She was always worrying about me, and now I felt bad for all the worry I had caused her.

Sue came back and told us, "She is in labor. It's a little early, but not too early that the baby couldn't survive. Her doctor just got here and is in with her now. I'll go back and tell Josh that you are out here then I have to get back downstairs."

"Thanks, Mom," Leah said. She nodded and went through the double doors. Leah led me over to a chair and had me sit down. She sat next to me and kept my hand in hers. "She'll be OK." I looked at and gave her a small smile. I hoped she was right.

Sue was gone for around ten minutes when Dad came through the doors. I jumped up and went to him. "Is she OK?" Dad looked tired and worried.

"She's holding her own right now. Her blood pressure is causing them some concern. It's too high. They are giving her something for that and they put a monitor on her to keep watch on the baby. The doctor is trying to decide whether he can stop her labor. I guess sometimes they can do that if it hasn't progressed too far. That's what he is trying to determine now. I have to get back to her, but I wanted to come out and let you know what's going on. I'll come out and get you when it's OK for you to see her. She knows you're here."

I just nodded. I was so scared, I couldn't say anything. Dad squeezed my shoulder and then turned and walked back through the double doors. Leah led me back to the chair and I sat down. "She's really strong and healthy, Embry," she said. I looked at her and nodded. She laid her head on my shoulder and we sat, and waited.

Finally, about 30 minutes later, Dad appeared at the doors and motioned for us to follow him. We both got up and followed him through the doors and down the hall to Mom's room. I walked in and found her laying there with all kinds of things hooked up to her. She had a monitor over her belly for the baby, and blood pressure cuff on her arm and IV's. I walked slowly up to the bed and looked down at her. She looked so pale and so tired. She smiled at me and said, "Hi, honey."

I leaned down and put a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, Mom. How ya doin?"

"Not so good. The doctor says my blood pressure is too high for natural childbirth. He can't stop the labor, so he is scheduling the OR for a C-Section."

"How soon?" I asked.

"As soon as he can. The baby is under some stress, so he wants to get it out as soon as possible." I nodded. She looked up at me and whispered, "I'm pretty scared." I could see tears in her eyes and felt like I would be dealing with my own very soon. I took her hand and said, "It will be OK, Mom. You're strong and you've taken really good care of this baby."

She smiled at me and said, "I'm really glad you're here." I squeezed her hand and smiled.

Just then the nurse came in and said, "We have the OR. I need to get you ready to go."

I looked down at her and could see the fear in her eyes. "Be strong, Mom. You can do this," I told her. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "I'll see you soon, OK? You and little sissy." She rolled her eyes at that one and I kissed her again on the forehead and stepped over to Dad. "You OK, man?"

He shook his head. I knew this was killing him. I put my arms around him and hugged him. He held on tight and said, "Thanks, son. I'm glad you're here, too." I let him go and turned to see Leah telling Mom she was proud of her. She kissed Mom on the cheek and then walked over to us. She hugged Dad and told him to stay strong. He said he would try. Then she took my hand and we walked back out to sit . . . and wait.

Around five a.m. I decided to call Sam. I filled him in on what was happening and told him that I would call him back when the baby was here and Mom was out of the OR. He said he wanted to come over, but I told him to wait. He agreed and we hung up. Finally the nurse came to the door and we walked over to her. She said, "Your mother is doing fine. She's resting comfortably. Since the baby was born prematurely, we have her in the neo-natal unit as a precaution. Her lungs are good and her heart is strong. She weighs four pounds, ten ounces, so she will have to be in there for awhile until she gains some weight, but everything else looks good." I felt relief flood through my body.

Leah said, "She? The baby is a girl?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Yes." She looked at me and added, "Your mother found that very funny for some reason."

I smiled as Leah told her how I had been calling the baby "little sissy," and how Mom kept telling me and Dad that she hoped we wouldn't be disappointed when the baby was a boy.

"When can we see them?" I asked.

"Your Mom is sleeping right now and she really needs the rest. And as for the baby, once they are done with some testing, you can go back to see her. Probably within a half hour or so. Your father will probably be out soon to talk to you."

"OK. Thanks for coming out and letting us know what was going on," I said.

She smiled. "That's my job!" She turned and went back to work. I looked at Leah and smiled. "I have a baby sister," I said in awe.

"Yes, you do. I suppose you can't wait to tell your Mom, 'told you so.' I'm sure she's looking forward to that!" I laughed. Maybe I would wait a little bit, but I would say it.

Leah said, "I need some coffee! Even shitty hospital coffee. I'm going to stretch my legs a little and find us some, OK?"

"Yes, sounds good. I'll call Sam back and tell him he has a little sister and Lily has an aunt." She smiled and kissed my cheek then left.

Sam answered on the first ring. "Yea? Everything OK?"

"Yea. We have a baby sister."

"Awesome! Is she OK? Your Mom OK?"

I tried to fill him in on everything the nurse told me. "I'm still waiting to see them both. The nurse said Dad should be out soon, so I'll know more then."

"Em and I will be over sometime this morning. I'm sure Abby will watch Lily for us." Abby? Oh yea, it was Saturday.

"OK. See you then," I said then hung up. I walked back over to the chair and sat down. Man, I was so tired, but yet too excited to actually sleep. I couldn't believe my parents just had a baby! How bizarre.

Leah finally came back and handed me a coffee cup and a donut. I smiled and sipped the coffee and then grimaced. "Yea, I know. Shitty, right?" I had to laugh at that. "But it's caffeine, and I really need that right now," she added.

I did, too, so I drank it and ate my donut. We were wondering what they might name the baby when Dad came through the doors and plopped down in the chair next to me. "God, I'm so tired," he said as he ran his hand over his face.

"How's Mom? And the baby?" I asked quickly.

He looked at me and smiled. "Your mom is finally sleeping. She came through the surgery just fine. They gave her some good pain medicine, so she should be out for a little while. And your sister . . . well, she is beautiful," he said with a huge smile. "Since she is so small, they are keeping her there to watch her. But she is doing great. I'll take you back to see her." I didn't rush him. He looked like he really needed a break.

Leah offered to get him some coffee and he said, "Yes, please!" She smiled and said, "Be right back."

I looked over at Dad and said, "Geez, old man. What are going to do with a girl?"

He laughed and said, "I'm sure she'll have me wrapped around her little finger just like Lily does." I laughed at that. Then he said, "I can't tell you how happy I am right now. I don't think there are words adequate enough to express how I feel." I smiled at him. "Embry, my life has been a hard one. And yet, in the last year, I have been given such precious gifts: your mom, you and Leah, Sam and Emily and Lily, and now . . . this precious baby girl. I keep pinching myself to see if I'm really just laying in the woods somewhere dreaming all of this."

I reached over and pinched his arm and he jumped then he laughed at me. "Nope, you're awake," I told him with a smile. "Dad, I'm happy for you. You deserve this."

Leah came back then with his coffee. "Thanks, honey," he said to her. Then he took a sip and made a face. She laughed and said, "Well, I didn't say it would be good coffee." He smiled and said, "That's OK. I just need something to keep me going."

We let him drink his coffee then he offered to take us back to see the baby. We followed him to the neo-natal unit where we had to put on yellow paper gowns and gloves. Then we went in and Dad led us over to a clear plastic box thing. "Here she is. Embry, this is your little sister."

I looked down to see this very tiny little human being, sleeping on her back, her arms sprawled out to the side. It looked like I could hold her in one hand! She had a little shock of black hair on her head and she had an oxygen tube on her nose. Dad said that was for precautionary measures. Leah was standing beside me and I heard her say, "Oh Josh, she is so beautiful." I reached out and put my arm around Leah. I hoped she wouldn't react like she did when Lily was born. She was so worried about being able to have babies. I didn't want that to resurface right now.

"Does she have a name yet?" I asked.

"Um, I'm not sure." We both looked at Dad and he laughed. "Well, I mean, we had discussed several girl names, but I don't remember actually settling on one. So, when your mom wakes up, we'll talk about it then she'll officially have a name."

We spent several minutes watching her then we all filed out and went back to the waiting room. Leah told us that she wanted to find her mom and give her the good news. So she left, and Dad and I sat down. "Hey, how about some breakfast while Mom sleeps?" I asked him.

"Sounds good," he said with a smile. I called Leah to tell her our plan then walked with my Dad to the cafeteria. I still couldn't get over the idea of having a baby sister. Weird.

Sam and Emily came to the hospital around ten. Dad had just come out and told me that Mom was awake and that she wanted to see us. Sam said that was fine, they would wait, but Dad insisted they come, too. We all followed Dad to Mom's room and walked in to find her sitting up in bed sipping some water.

"Hey, look at you," I said. "You look better than the last time I saw you," I told her.

She smiled and said, "Well, I don't know if I feel better. This hurts."

"Sorry, Mom."

"That's OK. It was worth it. I just got back from seeing her. The nurse took me in a wheel chair. She's so tiny!"

"Yea, she is. I think I could hold in one hand," I told her.

"It's hard not being able to hold her right away. They told me the next time I go to see her, they will try and let me hold her."

Sam and Emily both greeted Mom and Dad and said they couldn't wait to see the baby. "What's her name?" Emily asked.

Mom smiled. "Well, actually, that's why I told Josh to bring you all back here. We have decided on a name."

"So? Is it officially 'Sissy' now?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "God, no! And stop calling her that!" I laughed and Leah smacked me. "Leah? Come here, honey," Mom said. Leah looked at me with surprise then walked over to stand by Mom's bed. Dad walked over to stand on the other side of the bed to look at Leah. "Josh and I talked and we owe you so much. We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for you. So, this baby's name is Leah Brianne Uley. We'll call her Brianne to avoid confusion, but we wanted you to know that we named her after you and we would like for you and Embry to be her godparents."

I stepped up to put my arm around Leah. I could see tears falling down her cheeks as she smiled. "Yes, of course, we would love to be her godparents! Thank you so much. But, you didn't have to name her after me."

Dad smiled and said, "Yes, we did. And someday, when she's much older, she will know our story. And I want her to know everything you did for us. We love you, Leah. We're so glad that you brought us all together."

She was really crying now, and so was Mom. "Hey, come on! This is a happy day! Enough bawling!" I told them.

Dad laughed and said, "Oh yea! And something else. I got a call from the lawyer yesterday afternoon. The name change went through. You should be getting a letter in a day or two. You are now officially Embry and Leah Uley."

I squeezed Leah closer to me and looked at Dad. This day was so overwhelming! I felt Sam put his hand on my shoulder and give it a squeeze as Emily walked to the other side of Leah and took her hand. I looked around the room and was so amazed at this family I now had. Dad was right. So much had changed in the last year, and it was hard to believe that it wasn't some kind of a dream. I was so lucky and so very thankful. I had it all: Parents, finally married to each other after all these years, who really loved each other, and now had a new baby to love; the best brother anyone could ever ask for and a sister-in-law that loved me unconditionally, and a cute little niece to play with; but mostly, a beautiful, smart, funny and amazing wife, who I would love forever and hopefully raise a family of our own with someday. Life was sweet! And I couldn't wait to see what the future would bring.