EPOV
I literally sped home to get Mackenzie once they admitted Bella and put her in a room. Carlisle said he would have mom bring her, but I wanted to get her. She was still iffy on the baby subject.
Chloe had the excitement we wanted Mackenzie to have so I also let her come along with us thinking she would rub off on Kenz.
"I'll have a sister?" she asked from her booster seat.
"We don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl, monk. Don't you want it to be a surprise?"
"I don't like prises," she said bluntly. Two more months and she'll be five going on eighteen.
"Mr. Edward can we play with the baby," Chloe asked shyly.
"We get to play with her, Chlo, she's my sister," Mackenzie smiled.
Please God, let it be a girl and then we can avoid World War III.
"Ladies, Carl will be really small so we might not be able to play with her just yet." Shit, slipped.
Mom was following behind us in her car, as we pulled in Emmett and Rose were at the entrance.
"Why does it always feel like you wait for me here," I mumbled to him remembering the night of Bella's accident.
"I'm faster than you," he shrugged taking Chloe from me.
"Chloe your dress is really pretty," Rose smiled at her.
"Thank you Miss Rosie," she smiled laying her head on Em's shoulder.
Mackenzie placed both of her hands on my cheeks to get my attention. "Daddy."
"Yes?"
"Will Carl be nice?"
I tried looking at Esme, but my child had my face in a vice grip.
"The baby will be very nice," I assured as we entered Bella's room.
"Finally," Bella breathed reaching out for Mackenzie.
"Mommy, where's the baby?" Kenzie asked tilting her head in confusion.
"He's still in my belly."
"Bella," I said calmly. He!
She bit her lip and turned to mom. "I just said he didn't I?" she asked quietly.
"I'm afraid so sweetheart," Mom chuckled, and glared at me. "Edward get over it, us girls wanted to know. We had to do the nursery and buy him things so we needed to know so he had everything."
"You can't be pissy on our son's birthday," Bella said carefully tear welling in her eyes.
"If you don't suck it up, I'll take you outside and ruin that pretty face," Em threatened giving me a pointed look.
I sighed tracing her lips with my finger she sniffled a couple more times until her crying ceased.
"I love you," I said giving her a chaste kiss.
"So when will Carl be joining us?" Em boomed causing Chloe to jump in his arms. "Sorry."
"Your dad said in an hour they'll come to get me and Anthony should be here not too long after that."
"Anthony," I choked out.
"Yeah, I didn't want him to be a complete junior," she smirked.
"What if I wanted to name him?" I whispered against her lips.
"Little eyes," Mom announced next to me and I saw Mackenzie watching us as I pulled away.
"I did it for you," Bella giggled.
We sat around the room and talked until dad came in. The nurse also informed us we had a fan club in the waiting room.
"You ready Bellerina?" he grinned.
"As I'll ever be," she mumbled squeezing my hand as we walked to the operating room where Irina was waiting for us.
"Our game plan is to get him out and check to see if everything is good with him," She explained and then dad took over.
"Then my team will get you ready to make sure your pelvis and spine are healed correctly since we weren't able to do any scans during this pregnancy."
"Will I be asleep or anything?" she asked squeezing my hand even harder. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair or do something to comfort her but the cap on her head made that impossible.
"You won't be able to feel the c-section, but you will be awake so you can see the baby," she smiled as the nurse tied her mask.
"My team will give you something for the pain afterward," dad finished as he was suited up.
We were ready to go a couple minutes later and I stayed by Bella's head whispering words of encouragement to ease her nerves.
"I love you, Bella," I murmured in her ear. "It's going to be worth it when we see him."
She nodded as Irina said she had his head out and continued to talk Bella through what she was doing. I peeked over the paper curtain seeing my son's head. Within a few short moments I was a dad again, hearing his cries made my heart soar. If Em and Jazz heard my internal dialogue they would call me a little bitch, but that was okay by me.
"Do you hear him, love?" I asked in awe as Bella cried.
"He is healthy Bella, six pounds two ounces a little bigger than what we anticipated, but that is also a very good thing for him," Irina said as the nurse handed me the baby.
He squirmed in my arms and I held him so Bella could see him. Irina's team closed her up before my father took her away for her pelvic scans.
"He is beautiful," she breathed.
He had Bella's lips, nose… her whole face basically. For him only being a few minutes old you could see her. He was a ginger kid as well. When Mackenzie was born she had dark reddish brown hair, but Anthony was full on redhead for now.
"He kind of looks like Benjamin Button," I teased.
"I will hurt you," she glared and then her face softened as she reached her hand up to trace his face. I leaned him down enough so she could kiss him. The nurse came back and took Anthony away from me after I kissed his head.
I walked back to the room where my family was. "He is perfect," I announced. Mom rushed over hugging me tightly and Em clasped his hand onto my shoulder. Kenzie and Chloe were sitting in the chair with Rose.
Moment of truth.
She watched me as I made my way to her. "Hey baby," I smiled taking her in my arms, where her brother had just been.
"Where's my sister?" she asked looking around.
"About that, Mackenzie," I could feel Mom standing behind me ready to jump in just incase this didn't go so well. "You have a new baby brother."
"No, I don't, I have a baby that's a girl."
"Kenzers the baby is most definitely a boy," I told her and she frowned even more.
"Take him back and get a girl baby," she demanded.
"Mackenzie Carlie," Mom warned.
"No boy," she pouted. "Boys can't where dresses."
"We can still dress him, just in boy's clothes," Chloe said tugging on her arm.
"I don't want a brother," she grumbled burying her face in my neck and I kissed her head.
Somehow… just maybe Chloe would be able to talk her into this being a good thing. I took her down to where the nurse said Anthony would be and we watched him in the nursery.
"That's him?"
"Yep, that is Anthony."
"Anthony?" she asked scrunching her nose.
"You can call him Tony if you want."
"I like Ani," she mused.
"Mackenzie you can't call him Annie," I argued.
"Why not?" she asked her brown eyes growing curious.
"Just because," I said scratching my neck. It's a girl's name and he is a boy.
"Dude, Padmé called Anakin Skywalker, Ani," Emmett supplied as I glowered at him.
"Yeah, Annie is also a name of a musical," I retorted.
"Suck it up, I like Ani!" he said punching my arm, which fucking hurt.
Mom laughed from beside me. "You two did real good."
"Thanks," I grinned stupidly.
When we got back to the room Bella had returned and was fast asleep. Mackenzie wanted to lay with her, but I had to tell her no. Dad wasn't in here to tell me if she would need surgery or not and there were also the staples they used to close her up.
"Daddy," she whimpered.
"Edward bring her here," Bella rasped, swiping at her nose.
She was high my guess was morphine.
"Bella, that's not a good idea you just had surgery and a baby all at once," I tried reasoning.
"I want my girl."
"Sit her on the bed next to her, just watch Mackenzie to make sure she's careful," Mom whispered and I obeyed.
Mackenzie went to snuggle up close to her, but I stopped her.
"I'm fine give me my child," Bella huffed pulling her back.
Dad came in to save me from a fight with Bella. "Mackenzie come see Gramps, I haven't seen you all day," he smiled and she shot up.
"Carlisle," Bella whined grabbing for the air as I sat on the edge of her bed.
"You have someone coming to visit you soon and you need all your strength."
"Gramps have you seen Ani?" Kenz asked as I groaned.
"Ani?" he chuckled.
"Yup, he's a boy can you get a girl baby instead?"
"Mackenzie," I hissed. She wasn't fucking trading in her brother, so she needed to stop it.
"You should be happy she wants to trade, Emmett just wanted to return you," Carlisle chuckled bouncing Mackenzie on his hip.
"Damn, I didn't get my way," he boomed and Bella giggled hysterically.
"If he got his way you wouldn't have me," I told her frankly. "What is she on, Dad?"
"We put her on a light painkiller because we weren't sure if she wanted to breast-feed or not," he explained setting Mackenzie down. "Her scans came back clean, though she will need to go back to her physical therapy schedule."
I nodded, but was grateful she didn't need another surgery.
There was a light wrap at the door. The nurse came in pushing Anthony in front of her in his incubator. All the girls in the room started to squeal quietly except for Mackenzie who was now sulking in the chair across the room.
Mom gently lifted him and started crying. She helped Bella hold him since she was still loopy. Dad left saying he was going to get the others.
I should be on the bed with Bella staring in awe of our son, but my heartbroken, jealous little girl had me walking to her. She was crying quietly and everyone was focused on Anthony. Charlie and the rest of our family came pouring into the room. Bella looked at me concerned and I smiled telling her that I had this covered.
I picked Mackenzie up and sat her on my lap. "Why are you crying, monkey?" I asked her quietly.
"They don't want me no more," she sobbed in my shoulder.
"You're wrong," I murmured. "We all love you just as much as Anthony, no more or no less."
"I don't… like Ani," she hiccupped.
"That's not very nice, he loves you."
"He does?"
"So much because you're his big sister and you can teach him how to play with your games and show him how to read," I explained. Those are things she can do with him. Emmett never taught me anything; he was good at beating the shit out of me.
"I can't read that good," she frowned biting her lip.
"Well that is a work in progress and by the time he needs to read you'll know how."
"I will?"
"Yes."
Mom was sitting next to us with Anthony in her arms. "He wants to say hi to you Mackenzie," she smiled.
Kenz sat up on my lap leaning over her brother. "He's sooooo little," she mumbled.
He opened his eyes blinking a few times. "Hi, Tony," I cooed. "See Kenzers he wants to see you."
"His hair looks funny," she said wrinkling her nose.
"Daddy's hair was like that," Esme added.
"Daddy's hair isn't like that," she insisted.
"Mommy's lonely over here," Bella announced and I took Mackenzie over to her as Mom handed her the baby back.
She clung to me as Bella frowned. Mackenzie was crying again and I had no clue what to do. Was this jealousy? It had to be, but she wanted me and not Bella, shouldn't it be both of us she's mad at? I sat there holding my girl as the rest of the family fussed over Anthony.
"He looks like Benjamin Button," Jazz said. See I told you.
"You and Edward should be married," Bella growled taking Anthony back.
"Did it hurt?" Alice cringed.
"They numbed me, so not really?"
"I want a c-section," she whined to Jasper.
"Alright suga."
"Guys…" I don't think that's how it worked.
"Let them go," Bella said, patting my shoulder.
Everyone had their chance to hold Anthony before they had to leave. Rosalie had the hardest time leaving him and I think that just about killed Emmett. I bartered with him though, giving him Mackenzie and Chloe. Her mother was out of town this week and we offered to let Chloe stay with us. I didn't want Mackenzie leaving I wanted her with me. She felt rejected and that was something she should never feel. Mom insisted she would be fine.
After everyone left, I climbed onto the bed with Bella as Anthony latched on for his food. My boy wasn't going to turn down boob.
"Do you think Mackenzie will eventually like him?" Bella whispered, staring down at the baby.
"We need to work her into it," I sighed stroking his face with my finger.
"She wants nothing to do with me, either."
"Bella, she's jealous. This year a lot of things have changed for her, hell for us. She's adjusting, suddenly she has to share our attention with someone else."
"He's so loveable though and she doesn't even like him," she said her lips puckered as she was lost in thought, but her eyes never left him.
Hopefully we could change her mind and show her how awesome Anthony really was.
After he was fed, the nurse came in and got him. Bella fell was asleep when my dad came in with the birth certificate papers. She gave him a first name so it was only fair I gave him a middle name. Anthony Harrison Cullen.
A/N: So yeah… What are your predictions for the finale? My beta is Dolphin 62958 and she's basically great!