A/N: OMG, how good was New Moon? I loved it so much. All that eye candy was nearly too much for my blood pressure!

I hope all of you in the States had a great Thanksgiving. I wrote this chapter in 3 straight days of 40 degree heat (about 108 fahrenheit) which was ghastly. And it's not even summer yet!

Thanks to all of you who have been reading and following this story and especially everyone who's left a review.

Thanks to MrsKatyCullen for checking it for me.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 17

The next few weeks passed by in a seemingly happy blur for Bella.

Life at the hospital returned to normal as did Bella and Edward's working life and there were no more secret assignations, although that didn't stop Bella thinking of the archive room with a certain fondness.

When they weren't working, they spent all their free time together. Although Edward kept his house, he spent most nights with Bella. Most of his clothes were hanging in her wardrobe, only going home on the odd occasion when Bella was on night shift.

As predicted, they were no longer the object of gossip around the hospital. Everyone was used to the sight of them arriving and leaving work together whenever possible. It was nothing unusual to see them together having lunch, holding hands.

Bella was really pleased when she ran into Carol Evans who had come in for her six week check up.

"Carol! Hi!" cried Bella, giving her a hug.

"Hi Bella. It's great to see you," replied Carol, returning the hug tightly.

"You're here for your check up, are you?" asked Bella.

"Yes, can you believe it?"

"Time flies, doesn't it?" said Bella. "And how's little Danielle?" she asked, looking into the pram at the rugged up baby. "Can I?" she asked Carol.

At Carol's nod, Bella picked up the infant and cradled her in her arms, stroking the soft skin of her cheek. Danielle stared up at her with her big blue eyes, and gave her a gummy smile.

"Hello gorgeous," cooed Bella. "My aren't you a pretty little girl?" Bella couldn't help feeling a special affection for Carol and her daughter. Danielle was the first baby she and Edward had helped deliver together, back when Bella didn't know why she got goosebumps in the presence of the new doctor.

"She's been smiling for the last couple of weeks," said Carol. "I cried when I saw her first one. One that wasn't caused by gas," she chuckled.

"And how are you now, Carol?" asked Bella, unconsciously rocking the baby in her arms. "Things settling down?" Poor Carol had been suffering a severe case of the baby blues the last time Bella had seen her.

"Oh yes, I'm much better. Danielle and I have developed a sort of routine. Haven't we sweetie?" she asked her baby, getting a wide grin in return. "I took your advice and stopped worrying about the housework and accepted help when offered and it took a lot of stress off my shoulders. I'm getting the hang of this mothering business."

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Carol."

"Yeah well, it's still hard but I'm getting used to things. She still wakes a couple of times a night but we're getting quicker at feeding and settling her back to sleep. And I've learnt to sleep when she sleeps during the day."

"And how's the feeding going? Still breastfeeding?" asked Bella.

"Yeah I've persevered with that. I can finally feed her without gritting my teeth," laughed Carol. Then she looked at her little girl with such love that Bella felt like an intruder. "Despite everything, I wouldn't change a thing. She's the most precious thing in my world and I can't imagine my life without her now."

They were both looking at Danielle and didn't notice the footsteps behind them.

"Hello Mrs Evans." Both women were startled out of their introspection and turned to see a smiling Edward watching them.

"Oh, hello Doctor. Are you running the clinic today?" asked Carol.

"Sure am. Here for your final check up?" asked Edward. As Carol nodded, he gently ran his hand over Danielle's wispy hair. "Hello beautiful. Haven't you grown?" he cooed softly. Danielle reached up and took hold of his finger, gripping tightly.

"I see Danielle already knows how to hold on to a man," joked Bella, looking up into Edward's smiling eyes.

"Don't let Dave hear you say that," laughed Carol. "He's already said she's not allowed to start dating until she's at least 30."

"Well, if I had a little beauty like this for a daughter, I probably wouldn't let her date until she was 40 at least," agreed Edward with a chuckle. Straightening up, he gently disengaged his finger from the baby's grasp. "I'd better get going. I'll see you in the clinic, Mrs Evans. Call me when you're ready to leave, Bella. We'll stop and pick up some dinner on the way home."

With a final wave, Edward walked away, both women admiring the view. Carol turned her head, one eyebrow raised. "Dinner? Home? Are you and the gorgeous Dr Cullen...?"

Bella blushed and nodded. "Yes, we're together."

"Smart girl," said Carol admiringly. "That is a fine specimen of manhood."

Bella nodded. You have no idea. Placing Danielle back in the pram, Bella grabbed a notebook and wrote her phone number on it. "Here Carol. I'd love to catch up with you sometime. Give me a call and we'll try to arrange to get together for coffee or something."

Taking the page, Carol wrote her number, ripped it off and handed it to Bella. "I'd love that, Bella. I'll give you a call soon and we'll work something out." Giving each other a hug, Bella watched Carol go to her appointment with a smile.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Nearly ready, love?" called out Edward.

"I'll be there in a minute," replied Bella from the bathroom.

It was mid February and they were getting ready to go to Carlisle and Esme's house to celebrate Carlisle's birthday. Bella was just finishing her makeup, brushing her hair for a final time and walking out to put her shoes on. Seeing as it was special occasion, Bella had made a special effort with her appearance.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said as she entered the lounge where Edward was watching the news headlines. He turned his head and gave a small groan.

"Bella!"

"What? What's the matter? Don't you like this dress?" asked Bella in confusion.

Edward stood up and placed his hands on her hips. "Baby, you don't know what this dress does to me." She was wearing the same deep red dress she'd worn to Alice's dinner party all those months ago. He pulled her hips close to his, letting her feel exactly what the dress did to him. "You drove me mad with wanting you that night at Alice's. You're so damn sexy in it." Leaning down her kissed her, his tongue tasting the spearmint flavour of her mouth. Pulling back but still touching his lips to hers, he whispered huskily. "How about a quickie?"

Bella felt herself grow languid at the suggestion and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. "Edward, we can't. We've got to be there in twenty minutes."

Edward groaned in disappointment. "Aren't you tempted just a little bit?" he asked with an adorable pout.

"I'm tempted a lot," replied Bella, caressing his cheek. "How about you hold that thought and when we get back..."

"I'll probably fantasize about doing you on the table the whole time," he murmured, his hands cupping her breasts and squeezing.

Bella couldn't help leaning into him as his thumbs flicked her nipples. "Edward, please."

"Please what?" he teased.

"Please, can we go before we don't turn up at all? I could never face your father if we didn't show up for his birthday dinner because we were having sex," she told him, her eyes languorous.

Edward chuckled and removed his hands. "Okay, love. No more teasing. Let's go." Stepping back, he waited while Bella reapplied her lipstick, straightened her dress and picked up her bag.

"But I'm going to ravish you when we get back," he murmured as he kissed her throat when she walked past him out the door.

"You'd better," was all the reply he got.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Besides Carlisle's immediate family, a few members of the hospital board and their wives were at his house, along with a couple of friends from Esme's charity work. Bella recognized one of the women from the clinic a couple of weeks ago. She was due in about four weeks and was married to one of the town's prominent businessmen.

"Hello, Mrs Clark," greeted Edward as Esme introduced him and Bella. "I didn't realise you knew Esme and Carlisle."

"Please, call me Sophie. Yes, we've worked on a few charities in the last couple of years. I must say, I didn't realise you were related either," she replied before turning to Bella. "Are you two...?" she pointed between the two of them.

Edward nodded, his arm around Bella's waist. "Yes."

"Bella and Edward make a lovely couple, don't they Sophie?" smiled Esme, watching them both proudly.

"They certainly do." Sophie Clark absentmindedly rubbed her back.

"Why don't you come and sit down, Sophie. You shouldn't be standing for too long," urged Esme.

"Thanks, I will," Sophie replied wryly. "My feet have been swelling up a lot in the last few days. I can't wait to finally have this baby."

Edward frowned slightly as he looked at Sophie Clark's legs, noting that it looked like her feet were too big for her shoes.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her.

Sophie nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just that I've been working long hours at the business. I'm trying to get everything done before the baby comes. I'm just tired, I guess."

"Where do you work, Sophie?" asked Bella.

"At Clark Printing. Ron and I own it," she replied.

Bella recognized the name. The company did a lot of the printing work for local businesses, including the hospital. "You really should take it easy, Sophie."

"I know, I know. It's not easy hauling this stomach around all day," she smiled. As she reached up and rubbed her temple Bella noticed that her hands looked swollen too, her rings digging into her fingers. The nurse in Bella couldn't help the feeling of unease.

"When is your next check up?" asked Edward, obviously thinking the same thing as Bella.

"End of the week, why?"

"I think you should ring up on Monday and reschedule for earlier," said Edward.

"What for? I've got meetings most of the week," frowned Sophie.

"I'm worried that you may be developing pre-eclampsia, Sophie. You've got a couple of signs of it. I'd like to check your blood pressure as soon as possible," replied Edward.

"Surely not. Don't all women in late pregnancy get swollen?" asked Sophie.

"To some degree, but you seem more swollen than I'm comfortable seeing," replied Edward.

Sophie paled a bit at Edward's words and rubbed her temple again.

"Do you have a headache?" asked Bella.

"It's just a small one. Nothing serious. Alright, I'll try to reschedule my appointment," she agreed. "It depends on these meetings, though."

"Good. I'll alert the hospital and instruct them to fit you in. Your baby's more important than some meeting," he pointed out. "In the meantime, if you feel unwell, you need to go to the hospital straight away."

Sophie nodded before she was called away by her husband.

"I suspect that she's feeling worse than she's admitting," murmured Edward.

Bella nodded in agreement. "Me too. I hope she comes in as soon as possible. It really looks like she could be pre-eclamptic."

"I might have a word with her husband later and see if he can encourage her to slow down. Working so hard at this stage of her pregnancy isn't helping," said Edward.

"Good idea."

The doorbell announced Alice and Jasper's arrival. Alice exuberantly hugged her father as she wished him a happy birthday. Jasper gave him a much more subdued handshake.

"Hey guys! How are you?" she greeted them, wrapping an arm around both their necks and giving them a simultaneous hug.

Edward and Bella had no choice but to hug her back. "Hi, Alice."

Alice stepped back with a wide smile.

"Looks like you've swallowed a balloon, squirt," teased Edward.

Alice grinned and rubbed her belly. "Ha ha," she giggled sarcastically. "This 'balloon' is your future niece or nephew."

"Well, I think you look gorgeous," said Bella. And she did. She was just about mid-way through her pregnancy and was blooming. "I love that dress Alice. Did you design it?"

Alice nodded enthusiastically. "It's from my pregnancy range. It'll give me room to grow." Looking up adoringly at Jasper, she grinned. "Still think I'm having a big baby, Edward?"

"Well, you're a bit bigger than most women at your stage. And Jasper is quite tall, so it looks likely. We'll keep an eye on it though."

"Everything about Jasper is big," she said cheekily, bursting into laughter when her husband blushed furiously.

"Alice! Geez!" Jasper mumbled as he looked at his feet.

Bella felt sorry for him but couldn't stop the gurgles of laughter erupting.

"Come on Jasper. Let's get away from that she-devil and get a drink," encouraged Edward. "Bella, see if you can do something with her, okay?" he said, shaking his head at his unrepentant sister. The two men wandered off, leaving Bella and Alice alone.

"Alice, you shouldn't embarrass Jasper like that," Bella admonished, still giggling.

"I know, but I love teasing him, poor baby," replied Alice.

"You're looking really good Alice," remarked Bella as they sat down on one of the lounges. Around the room, people were talking and laughing.

"I feel fantastic. I seem to have all this energy."

"You are literally 'blooming'. Enjoy it. The second trimester's the best one. You're not too big to get around comfortably and you're over the morning sickness. Any cravings?"

Alice leaned closer. "Only for Jasper," she whispered, giggling at Bella's look of surprise. "I think I'm wearing him out. I'm so damned horny all the time, I virtually attack him as soon as I get home. I had him pleading for mercy the other night."

The vision of Jasper pleading for Alice not to ravish him had Bella in stitches. Alice joined in and they were soon the focus of attention. Calming down a little, Bella shook her head. "Oh God, Alice. I really feel sorry for Jasper."

"Me too!" giggled Alice. "Seriously though, is that normal? I mean, he always turns me on but lately it's like I've turned into a nymphomaniac. The smallest thing sets me off. He just has to look at me. Or he doesn't even have to be with me and I want him."

Bella placed her hand on Alice's. "Don't worry. It is normal. Your hormones are the culprits. Just enjoy it while you can. Tell Jasper to make the most of it, because he'll probably feel somewhat deprived after the baby comes," she joked.

"Mmm, suppose so. And to tell you the truth, Jasper's complaints are pretty half-hearted. I don't have to do much to coerce him into bed with me," grinned Alice.

"No, I'm sure you don't," agreed Bella.

They were joined by the men and by Carlisle.

"How's my little girl, today?" asked Carlisle, ruffling Alice's hair.

"Getting bigger, Dad," replied Alice, taking her father's hand.

It was during dinner that events took a turn for the worse. They were just finishing the main course and Edward was watching Sophie Clark with a worried eye. She kept rubbing her eyes and her temple, as if her headache was worse.

Trying not to draw attention to her, Edward asked quietly. "Are you okay? I'm worried about you. Is your headache worse?"

Sophie shook her head stubbornly. "No, I'm fine. I just need some sleep. I'll get Ron to take me home soon."

"I think you should get to the hospital. I'll go with you."

"Yes, I'll go too. Edward's right. You don't look well," concurred Bella.

"No...I….I…." Before their eyes, Sophie's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she lost consciousness and fell off her chair, her husband awkwardly catching her, preventing her from landing heavily on the floor.

"Call an ambulance!" yelled Edward as he and Bella rushed to her aid. The men laid her out on the floor, on her side.

To Bella's horror, Sophie began to convulse. "Oh God, Edward. She's having an eclamptic fit," she breathed.

Bella's suspicions of pre-eclampsia had been accurate and now it seemed to have quickly developed into full-blown eclampsia and both Sophie and her unborn baby's lives were in danger.

"I don't have any magnesium with me," muttered Edward, as they tried to ensure she didn't choke on her tongue. "Watch her, Bella. I'm ringing the hospital to tell them to have the theatre ready. Only delivery will save them now."

The other guests watched in horror as Edward, Carlisle and Bella tried their best to help Sophie. With a sigh of relief, the paramedics arrived within ten minutes. Edward said he'd ride in the ambulance and asked Bella to follow with Ron in his Volvo.

"Will she be okay?" mumbled Sophie's shocked husband as they followed the ambulance. "What's happening?"

"Sophie looks like she's developed eclampsia. It's extremely dangerous and I won't lie you, it could go either way," replied Bella. "She needs an emergency caesarian and even then, it'll be touch and go."

"Oh God!" cried Ron, his head in his hands. "What caused it?"

"She seems to have developed the condition fairly quickly as it wasn't detected at her last check up, it seems. It makes her blood pressure go so high that it's caused the convulsions. It can be brought on by stress and not enough rest during late pregnancy."

"I told her to slow down but she kept saying she needed to get everything sorted out before the baby came," he cried. "I should have just made her stop working."

Bella sighed. It was too late for recriminations now. "Has she been having headaches lately?"

"Yes. Every day. I thought it was from overwork. She complained earlier that she had spots in front of her eyes but dismissed it as nothing."

Damn, thought Bella. If only she'd gone to the hospital then, Sophie may not have worsened to this critical stage. Seeing spots meant her blood pressure was extremely high.

"What about the baby? Will it be alright?"

"I don't know. Unfortunately, pre-eclampsia prevents the placenta from getting sufficient blood to feed the baby. This means the baby doesn't receive the nutrients it needs and can be very small or in the worst cases, be brain damaged. It also causes the mother's organs to start failing and that's what the doctor's will be worried about. The only good thing is that we're getting to the hospital as fast as we can."

Ron began quietly crying next to her as Bella drove. Her heart went out to the poor man and she prayed that Edward would be able to save his wife and baby.

Sirens blaring, the ambulance pulled into Emergency and Edward was jumping out before the vehicle even came to a full stop. Bernard was there to escort Sophie to theatre as Edward ran inside to get changed.

As he changed and scrubbed, Edward was berating himself harshly. Why didn't you make her go straight to the hospital? You suspected she was pre-eclamptic and you didn't do anything? As he raced to the operating theatre, he was determined not to lose either Sophie or her baby.

The room was busy when he entered it. The anaesthetist had sedated Sophie and Bernard was swabbing sterilizing solution on Sophie's belly in preparation for making the first incision. The paediatrician had arrived to take charge of the baby once it was delivered. Edward was praying that since her condition seemed to develop quickly, that the baby wasn't too badly affected by lack of blood to the placenta.

"Ready?" he asked Bernard, who nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Bella enter the room in scrubs and instantly felt calmer.

The anaesthetist had administered a large dosage of magnesium to control Sophie's convulsions, as well as drugs to lower Sophie's dangerously high blood pressure. Edward prayed that Sophie's major organs hadn't been too badly damaged. She would need brain scans later to check that she hadn't suffered a stroke.

Working as quickly as possible, Edward reached in and delivered a baby girl within five minutes. Unlike a healthy baby, she was limp and didn't make a sound. Edward rated her APGAR around 2, very poor indeed. The paediatrician and his staff immediately took charge of the baby while he and Bernard dealt with Sophie.

Half an hour later, Sophie was wheeled into Intensive Care where she would be closely monitored. Her blood pressure was still dangerously high and she was on a number of intravenous drugs in an attempt to ease the symptoms. Her body was severely bloated due to the build up of fluids in her body.

Edward was washing up when he felt Bella's arm around his waist. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked gently, kneading his shoulder in support.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. His emotions were chaotic at the moment, guilt the strongest one. "I want to see how the baby's doing."

Nodding, Bella led him out and walked with him to the Special Care Nursery, holding his hand tightly.

"How is she, Doug?" he asked the paediatrician, who was writing down his case notes.

"I think she'll be okay. She's quite lethargic but she's not too small, so I'm thinking her mother's symptoms developed very quickly and didn't have enough time to affect her too severely. We'll keep her here until we're satisfied. Probably a week or two, depending on how she goes. How's mom?" asked Doug.

Edward sighed. "Still in a bad way. And I think you're right about the speed of the onset of the eclampsia. She had her last check up a couple of weeks ago and there were no real warning signs then according to Bernard. She's on a mixture of hydrochlorothiazide, propanolol and benazepril at the moment in an attempt to get her blood pressure down. She'll go for brain scans tomorrow."

"Let's hope she's okay," said Doug. "Where's the father? I'd like to speak with him and have him come in to see the baby if he's able to."

"He's with his wife in Intensive Care," replied Edward.

They left the nursery and walked back to the theatre. "I'm going to change and we'll go home, okay?"

"I'll wait here."

Bella took his hand when he re-emerged and they walked silently to the car. Bella looked at him as he drove home, his face tight. She knew he was blaming himself.

"Would you like a drink?" she asked as he dropped wearily onto the couch. Edward just nodded. Handing him a scotch with ice, she sat down next to him and took hold of his free hand.

"It's not your fault, you know," she said gently.

Edward sighed deeply and squeezed his eyes shut briefly. "I should have insisted she go to hospital as soon as I saw her."

"I was there too. I could have said something as well."

"I'm a doctor. An obstetrician. I saw the signs instantly," he pointed out.

"Neither of us knew how sick she was. We didn't have any equipment to take her blood pressure. She played down how badly she was feeling. Yes, I guessed she had pre-eclampsia but I would not have guessed how badly. You're not a mind-reader, Edward."

"But if she'd gone to hospital earlier …"

Bella took his chin in her hand and turned his head so she could look directly at him. "Edward. Listen to me. It's. Not. Your. Fault. Bernard himself said there were no signs at her last check up but you know that we give women in late term pregnancies warnings about what to look for at every check up. Sophie chose to ignore them. You heard what she said about working so hard. She must have been feeling poorly for the last few days and still didn't go to the hospital." Lifting his hand up, she kissed it tenderly. "We can only do so much Edward. She's a grown woman, she knew the facts, so she must bear most of the responsibility for what happened to her. We only saw her for a couple of hours tonight. Stop feeling guilty."

Edward looked at her and saw the love and belief she had in him. "I love you so much, Bella." His head descended as he covered her lips with his, gratitude for her support filling him. His hand cupped the side of her head, his thumb stroking her cheek as he rubbed his lips over hers, before taking her bottom lip between his and gently sucking on it.

Bella knew he needed comfort tonight as she wound her arms around him, holding him tightly. She knew he felt keenly for his patients, let things affect him more than he should at times but it was part of why she loved him so much. And why he was a good doctor. And why his patients loved him. Bella was determined to give him all the love and comfort he needed tonight, hoping she could ease the ache.

"Come to bed," she whispered. Edward nodded and allowed her to lead him to the bedroom where she undressed him, kissing and caressing his skin as she uncovered it. By the time he was naked, Edward was literally shaking with desire. He stripped her of her clothes with a lot less finesse than he was used to but he couldn't help himself. He needed to lose himself in her tonight, needed her to help him erase the guilt he felt. He slowly lowered her onto the bed, covering her body with his.

"I'm sorry baby, but I've got to be inside you," he muttered. He wanted to pleasure her first but he needed this like he needed air. "I'm sorry," he groaned, as he placed himself at her entrance.

Bella stroked his hair back, his need for her making her so aroused that she was more than ready for him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she moaned into his mouth as she urged him on. "It's okay. I need you too. Please."

With a long, low moan, Edward slid home and buried himself inside her, his heart instantly feeling lighter. With her arms and legs wrapped around him, he felt enveloped in her love. Safe. Secure. Home.

Kissing her deeply, he slowly began to move, swallowing her whimpers of pleasure that drove him wild.

"Faster!" she pleaded.

Wanting nothing more than to please this incredible woman, he obeyed instantly, her cries of pleasure filling the room. Burying his face in her neck, he drove himself into her like a man possessed, grunting softly with each thrust. Their bodies glided easily over each other as they became covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Oh God, Edward ….I…love…you!" cried Bella as her body was flooded with pleasure, holding him as if her life depended on it, as she rode out wave after wave of sensation.

Her cries of pleasure, the tightness with which she clung to him and her pulsing warmth was enough to send Edward crashing over the edge, his hoarse cry echoing around the room.

As they came back down to earth, they lay panting, arms wrapped tightly around each other, neither wanting to break the connection that bound them so tightly.

Edward had never felt so close to anyone before. Never felt so loved. So cared for.

Reluctantly, he lifted his head and gazed down at her slumberous eyes. "I love you."

He kissed her gently, feeling overwhelmed. His next words came straight from his heart, bypassing his brain altogether.

"Marry me, Bella."

o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: If you haven't seen the movie, turn away now.

I didn't intend to have the chapter go this way but it seemed to almost write itself at the end. I took that line direct from the movie.

Let me know what you think.