Chapter 22:

Bella POV:

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt so heavy. I could hear a monitor beeping. Hospital. I'm still in the hospital. The baby!

I tried to speak, but my mouth was so dry. I licked my lips and tried again, "My baby?" I heard myself croak out.

"Bella? Oh thank God, Bella." Jacob? I tried again to force my eyes open. They fluttered and finally opened.

"Jake. Tell me. Please?" was all I could get out.

Jacob took my hand and held it. "The baby is still there. We almost lost both of you." He put his forehead on mine. "God, Bella. I almost lost you, again," he whispered.

He finally pulled back and said, "Carlisle says that it is critical for the next 24 hours. He said that if the baby survives that long, then chances are good that it will be OK. Do you understand?" he said quietly. I nodded. He went on, "You have to stay very still, for the baby. He is giving you some medication through your IV that is supposed to help. You've also had a blood transfusion because you lost so much blood. How do you feel right now? Do you feel any pain?" he asked.

"No," I answered. "I feel groggy, but no pain."

"That's good." He smiled at me. "I love you, honey. Thank you for fighting so hard. Thank you for not leaving me," he said. I could see tears in his eyes. He leaned down and placed a very soft kiss on my lips and I smiled.

Then my eyes closed and sleep took me again.

What is that? Snoring? I opened my eyes. I was still in the hospital. A monitor was beeping. I looked over to see Jacob sitting in a chair that he had pulled next to the bed. His head was laid back and he was sleeping. And snoring! I smiled at him. He looked exhausted. I looked around for a clock and found one on the wall – it said 6:10. I didn't have any idea if that was AM or PM. I looked at the window, but the blinds were closed.

I put my hands over my stomach and hoped that the baby was alright. I wanted to ask Jake, but I hated to wake him. Just then a nurse came in. She saw that I was awake so she said softly, "Hello. I'm Jackie. How are you feeling?"

I tried to answer, but my throat and mouth were so dry. I cleared my throat and tried again, "OK. Water?"

"Sure, honey. I'll bring you some ice water. Here, put this under your tongue," she said as she stuck the thermometer in my mouth. "I just need to check your vitals first." She pulled it out, threw away the liner, and wrote something down on the chart.

"My baby. Is it . . ." I couldn't get the words out. I looked down at my hands. It was like I was trying so hard to hold it in there.

She smiled. "Yes, your baby is still there." She continued to check the monitors and jot things down. "OK, I'll be right back with your water. Anything else I can get you?" I shook my head, and she walked out.

I looked over at Jacob. He had his eyes open and he was looking at me. He sat up and stretched then he leaned over and said with a smile, "Good morning, Mrs. Black."

I smiled back at him. "I like the sound of that."

He stood up and leaned over the bedrail and kissed me on the lips. "I've been waiting a very long time to say that."

Nurse Jackie walked back in with my ice water. "Here we go," she said as she pulled a little table on wheels over to the bed and put the water on it for me. She looked at Jacob. "Can I get you something?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Jacob said.

"If you need anything, push the call button on your bed, OK?" Nurse Jackie said. "I'm right outside." Then she left.

We sat there listening to the IV machine and the monitor beeping. Jake held the cup of water for me and I took a few sips. He looked so tired and worried. What all has he been through tonight?

I took a few more sips of water then Jake set the cup on the table. "Jake? I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I should have." I stopped and cleared by throat. "I thought it would be a beautiful surprise. To tell you on our wedding night. While we were alone, in our big bed, in our own house." Tears were spilling out and rolling down my cheeks.

"Bella, it's OK. I understand. I would have loved that," he said tenderly. He leaned toward me and took my hand. "How long have you known?

"Do you remember when I asked you about having a summer wedding?" he nodded, so I went on slowly, "Well, I had suspected I might be pregnant, so a couple of days before that, I went to see a doctor in Port Angeles. He examined me and took a test and told me he thought I was at least 8 weeks along. That's why I wanted to get married so soon." I took the cup and sipped more water. I wanted to get this out while I could. I went on, "I wanted to wear the dress I had already bought, and I thought that would be enough time before I started to show. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Jake. I really didn't even think about getting pregnant, which was stupid, I know. Remember when I told you about the doctor in Phoenix who told me that I would probably have trouble getting pregnant? I guess he was an idiot, huh?" I smiled then went on, "I wanted to tell you so many times. But, I was also a little scared. I was afraid you might be upset."

"Upset? Why would you think that?" he asked. "Bella, I love you so much. Don't you think that I would love our baby just the same?"

"Yes, yes I knew you would. But the timing . . ."

Just then the door opened and Carlisle came walking in. "Bella! It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" He picked up the chart and looked over it.

"Um, OK. A little groggy, tired. No pain," I told him.

"Mmm, hmm. Good," he said as flipped papers in the chart. "Your test results look good." He put the chart down and came over to stand beside the bed. "You gave us a good scare, Bella. You blood pressure dropped and I had to shock your heart back into rhythm. You aren't quite out of the woods yet. I need you to lay here and stay still, alright? Your baby is still fighting, but I need you to fight, too. You need to rest. Very little movement. If you need anything, you call the nurse. You are not to get out of this bed for any reason, do you understand?"

"Yes." I answered.

"You can roll to your side, but please do it slowly. Notify the nurse immediately if you feel any pain or notice any bleeding." He smiled at me. "If you have any questions at all, or you need to talk to me, you call me at this number, day or night, alright?" He handed me a card. "You, too, Jacob."

"Thank you, Carlisle. For everything," Jacob said.

He smiled. "I just finished speaking to your parents a few moments ago and told them what is happening. I told them that Jacob would come and get them when you were ready to see them. But I cautioned them not to stay long. You need your rest." He reached down and took my hand. "I need to go. Rest, Bella. I'll be by again soon." Carlisle squeezed my hand, then let go and walked out.

"Do you want me to go get your parents? Are you ready to see them?" Jacob asked me.

I nodded. "OK. I'll be right back." He leaned down and kissed me. "I love you, Bells," he said softly. "Thank you for not leaving me." He kissed me again then turned to leave.

"Jake, wait. Is it still night? Is it still our wedding night?" I asked.

He smiled and walked back over to the bed. "Bella it's after six in the morning. You were out for quite awhile."

"Jake, our wedding night. This was supposed to be our wedding night. I'm so sorry," I said, my voice wavering as tears sprang to my eyes.

He reached down and gently took my hand. "Bella, I promise as soon as you and the baby are better, we will have our wedding night, OK?"

I nodded as Jacob leaned down and put his lips on mine. He kissed me very softly and tenderly then walked out of the room.

Please little baby. Please fight! I had gotten used to talking to the baby for the last few weeks. While I felt awful for keeping it a secret from Jake, I had enjoyed it being just the two of us for awhile– just me and the baby. Every night, before I went to sleep, I would talk to the baby and tell it all about the things I wanted us to do together someday.

Just then, Mom came in the room and hurried over to the bed. "Bella, honey," she said as she leaned down to hug me. "Are you OK?" I nodded. She sat down on the little stool by the bed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was waiting to tell Jake, tonight. I wanted it to be a surprise. Stupid, huh?" I said.

"No, it's not stupid. You were trying to be romantic. That's sweet," she said with a smile.

"Bells?" Dad walked in, and behind him, Jacob pushed Billy's chair into the room. Dad walked around to the other side of the bed and bent down and kissed me on the forehead. He pulled back, smiled and said, "How ya doing, kiddo?"

"Not so good, Dad," I whispered. I could feel the tears coming again. What was about my dad that could make me feel like a little girl again?

"Aw, honey. It's gonna be OK," he said as he smoothed my hair off of my forehead. "You're a fighter, Bells, so this baby will be a fighter. You just rest and take care of the both of you, huh?" He reached down then and took my small hand into his large one and gave it a squeeze.

I smiled at him. He was trying to put on a brave front, but I could see in his eyes how scared he was. "I'm trying, Dad."

He kissed me on the forehead again and moved back so Billy could see me. He wheeled closer. "Hello, Bella," he said quietly.

"Hi, Billy."

"You gave us a pretty good scare. You know we all care about you, and we'll take care of things for you. You just get better, OK?" he said with a small smile.

I nodded. "OK."

He took my hand and said, "I called Rachel and she let everyone know what was happening. I hope that's OK? Seth had come into the house when you left and told everyone that you were bleeding and that Jacob was rushing you to the hospital. Everyone loves you both so much. They were worried sick! They all send their love."

"That's fine, Billy. Thanks. I love them all too." I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks again. I was so lucky to have so many people that cared about me and Jake . . . and the baby.

"Alright, we're gonna get out of here so you can get some sleep. We'll go home, get some rest, clean up and be back later today, OK?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I would like that," I answered.

"Bella, do you need anything? Do you want me to bring you any of your things?" Mom asked.

"I don't know. I can't think real clearly right now," I told her.

"Alright. I'll put some of your things in a bag to bring you later. If you think of anything special, you call me," she said with a smile. She stood up, bent down and gave me a hug. "I love you, Bella. Be strong."

"I'm trying," I told her. I was. I really was.

Charlie kissed me again then went over to Jake. He pulled him into a hug, patted him on the back then went to stand behind Billy's wheelchair. Billy waved at me as Charlie pushed him out the door. I looked over at Jacob. He was a mess.

He sat down in the chair and scooted it as close as he could to the bed then he lowered the bedrail and said quietly, "Come here." I scooted very carefully to the side of the bed to have him put his arm around me and lay his head down beside mine. "I love you so much, Bella. I was so afraid of losing you."

"I love you, too, Jake. So much."

It was still technically our wedding night. We fell asleep together, but certainly not the way either one of us had imagined.

Jacob POV:

I can't feel my arm. I opened my eyes. Bella's head was laying on my arm and she was sleeping. She is so beautiful. I laid there just looking at her. Her eyelids fluttered then opened and I smiled and said, "Hey."

She smiled. "Hey back."

I leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I hate to ask, but I really need to move my arm. I can't feel it . . . it's asleep."

She laughed softly and raised her head. I pulled my arm out and tried to shake it a little to get the blood flow going again.

She rolled slowly to her back, and stretched a little. She brought her hands up and put them protectively over her belly. I reached over and put my hand on top of hers. She looked up at me and smiled. "I was thinking, if it's a girl, maybe we could name her Sarah, after your mom," she said quietly.

I looked into her eyes and felt such a rush of emotion. I had to compose myself before I could answer her. "Yeah, I'd like that, a lot," I finally got out. I hadn't allowed myself to think of this baby as a person. I was too afraid to get attached to it. Now, all of a sudden, I realized, this was OUR baby. A baby to name, and to love. I felt a rush of love for this tiny little being. God, please let this baby live.

"Hello, you two. I hope you both got some rest?" Carlisle said as he walked into the room.

"Yes, we just woke up," Bella answered. I stood up and stretched.

"Jacob, I hate to ask, but could you please step out for a few minutes? I need to examine Bella," Carlisle asked as he took his stethoscope from around his neck.

"Sure, sure. I'll walk down to the bathroom." He leaned down and kissed me on the head. "I'll be back, Bells." She nodded and smiled at me as I left the room.

I walked down the hall and found and used the bathroom. I splashed some cold water on my face to help me wake up a little. I better find some coffee somewhere, I thought as I wiped my face. I left the bathroom and stopped at the nurse's station to ask about coffee. She told they had some at the end of the hall in the waiting area. I thanked her and made my way there to find the coffee, pour a cup and take a drink. Ew. Maybe I should have asked where the GOOD coffee was. I took another sip. At least it was caffeine. I moved over to look out the window. It was gray and rainy . . . how appropriate, I thought as I forced myself to sip more coffee.

God, what a night. I closed my eyes and saw Bella on that table. So white, her lips blue. I opened my eyes and shook my head. I could hear Edward yelling at me "JACOB! LET ME SAVE HER!" Thank God, it didn't come to that. I wondered where Edward was now. Did he go back to the house? Or was he lurking around here somewhere? I drank more coffee then tossed the rest in the trash. Suddenly I felt I had better get back to Bella's room. I headed back down the hallway and stopped at the door. Carlisle was sitting on the stool by the bed jotting notes in her chart. "Can I come back in, now?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, Jacob. Come in," Carlisle answered.

I went around the bed and sat down in the chair. Bella looked at me and smiled. I took her hand and smiled back.

"Bella is stable. Her vitals are improving, and she even has a little more color in her cheeks," Carlisle said with a smile he looked at Bella. "I still want you to lay here and be still, OK? I want to do another ultrasound this afternoon to look at the baby. Then we'll take it from there. Any questions?" he asked.

"No, not right now," Bella said.

"Jacob?" he looked at me.

I shook my head.

Carlisle smiled. "I will check on you later today after I take a look at the ultrasound. See you then." He got up and left.

"Oh, I just thought of something. I'll be right back," I said to Bella as I hurried out of the room. I looked down the hall and saw him at the nurse's station. I walked over to him and tapped him on the arm.

He looked up. "Yes, Jacob. Did you think of a question?" he asked.

"Yes. Where's Edward? Is he still here?" I asked him.

He gave the chart he was writing on to the nurse, and then turned and gently pushed me over to the end of the hall where no one could hear us. He said, "He went home – to our house. Why? Are you worried that Edward will do something to harm Bella? He won't Jacob. Whether you think so or not, he was here last night to help. He still cares about Bella very much. He also knows how much you love her. He won't do anything you don't want him to do. Do you understand what I am saying?" Carlisle looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, I understand. But you have to understand where I'm coming from. He lost it once out of anger and bit her. He almost took her away from me forever . . . there is no way in hell I will allow that again," I said angrily, looking him straight in the eye. Then I realized all Carlisle had done last night to save Bella . . . "Look, I'm sorry. Last night was . . . well it was pretty intense, to say the least."

"Yes, it was. But I promised you that I would do everything I could to save Bella, and I did. You do trust me, don't you?" he asked hesitantly.

I looked him in the eye and said, "Yes! Yes, Carlisle, I trust you. I'm sorry if you thought I didn't. I can't tell you how relieved I was when you walked into that room last night when I brought Bella in here."

He smiled at that. "Well, I'm glad I was here, too." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Jacob, your main concern now is Bella. Make sure she rests, and she isn't upset. Her blood pressure is still a little unstable right now. Please know that Edward will not do anything to harm Bella . . . I give you my word on that. He understands that I won't allow what happened before to happen again."

I could tell by the look in his eye that he meant that . . . every word.

Then he added, "And get some rest yourself. You look exhausted. And eat something! Doctor's orders."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. I will."

"Alright. See you later." He turned and walked back to the nurse's station.

I sighed and tried to calm down as I walked back to Bella's room. She looked up as I walked in. "Everything OK?" she asked.

"Yeah," I smiled at her. "He gave me orders to get some sleep and to eat something," I told her. "I guess I don't look too good."

"You look exhausted, Jake. Like you've been through hell. I'm so sorry I put you through that," she said quietly.

"Like you did it on purpose? Come on, Bells. Don't apologize." I sat down in the chair and took her hand. "I'll be alright. Let's just worry about this one, OK?" I said as I put my hand on her belly.

She nodded.

We were sitting like that when a few minutes later, Renee came to the door. "Hey, mind if I come in?"

Bella looked over and said, "No, come on in."

She had a couple of bags with her. I recognized one of them as mine. I got up and walked over to take them from her. "What's this?" I asked.

"Oh, Billy packed a bag of clean clothes and things for you, like a toothbrush, deodorant, you know. He sent it with Embry this morning, who dropped it off at the house. I packed one for Bella, too," she explained.

"Wow, that was nice of him. I guess should call him." I looked at Bella. "Bells? While your mom's here, I think I'll clean up and change clothes, then call my dad. Is that OK with you?"

"Yes, of course. And get something to eat. I don't want you to waste away," she said with a smile. "I like that body too much to see it go away."

I laughed. "Yeah, well, if you're going to put it like that . . ." I walked to the bed, bent down and kissed Bella then rested my forehead to hers and whispered, "It's hard to be away from you. Even for a few minutes. I love you, Bells."

"I hate being away from you, too. I love you," she whispered back.

I pulled back and looked at her. She smiled at me. "Go. Mom is here, and I'm surrounded by at least a hundred doctors and nurses. I'll be fine."

I smiled. "OK, OK. Not even married for a whole day and she's bossing me around," I teased.

"You haven't seen anything yet, mister," she teased back.

I kissed her one more time. "Alright, I'm going. But I'll be back. Be good," I ordered as I made my way to the door, bag in hand.

"You, too," she returned with a mean look. I smiled as I walked into the hall.

I went to the nurse's station and asked if they had anywhere I could shower. Nurse Jackie smiled and walked me down the hall and pointed me to a door that said "MEN'S SHOWER." I thanked her, walked inside, turned on the light and locked the door. I turned the water on in the shower, quickly took of my clothes and stepped under the water. I stood there for a moment and let the hot water slide over my tired, aching body then I leaned against the back wall and felt myself slide down until I was sitting on the floor. All of the emotion that had been building for the past 17 hours came to the surface, and for the first time since my mom died, I sobbed uncontrollably.

Bella POV:

"So, how do you feel this morning? What did the doctor say?" Mom asked, her eyes full of concern.

I filled her in on what Carlisle had just told us. "I guess we just have to wait now."

Mom brushed her hand gently down my cheek and smiled. I had a feeling she was seeing me as her little girl right now instead of a grown, married woman. "Well, I have a good feeling, Bella. If this baby is as stubborn as it's mommy, it will be just fine."

I smiled at her as she leaned back. "I'm glad you're not . . . I don't know, disappointed in me. Was Dad?"

"Disappointed? Why?"

"For being pregnant on my wedding day. Not really the conventional way to do things."

She let out a small laugh. "Oh, honey. First of all, when have you ever been conventional?" I rolled my eyes at her, but I did have to agree with her. "And second of all, of course we weren't disappointed in you. I hate to break the news to you, honey, but I'm pretty sure you are not the first bride to walk down the aisle pregnant on her wedding day."

"I know that, but . . . Dad . . . "

She leaned up and took my hand. "Bella, your dad loves you so much . . . he thinks you hung the moon. I'm sure he would have liked to see you married first and baby second, but I know how much he loves that husband of yours, so no, I know he's not disappointed in either of you."

I smiled as I told her, "I think sometimes he loves Jake more than me."

She laughed at that. "Well, he always hoped we'd have a son someday. I'm glad now, he has one."

"Me, too."

Just then, Jake walked back into the room. His black hair glistened from his shower, his tight white t-shirt hugged his muscular torso, and his jeans fit across his ass just right. I smiled as I realized I was one lucky woman. I looked over at Mom who mouthed to me, "He is hot!"

I cracked up and had to hold my hands over the baby as my belly shook from laughter. She laughed, too, as Jake turned to look at us, hands on his hips. "What's so funny?" he asked innocently.

Before I could say anything, Dad came into the room. "Hey, can anyone join this party?"

"Sure, Charlie. These women are up to something, but they won't tell me what it is," Jake told him.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't surprise me. They are two of a kind, you know."

"Dad? Will you do me a favor?" I asked.

He walked over to the bed. "Sure, Bells. What do you need?"

"I need you to take Jake down to the cafeteria and make him eat something. Carlisle ordered him to eat, and I figure he'll go if the Sheriff in town makes him."

Jake looked at me and started to protest. "Stop! Don't even try it, mister. Go, eat."

Charlie looked at Jake with a grin. "You know how stubborn she is. You won't win this one."

Jake finally rolled his eyes and walked over to me. "Fine, I'll go eat. Will that make you happy?"

I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him. "Yes, that will make me happy." Then I reached out to pull him close so I could whisper, "Try and sneak me some ice cream, will ya?"

He chuckled and whispered, "I'll see what I can do." Then he kissed me on the lips, lingering just a little before he stood up. "I'll be back in a little while. I have my cell phone . . . Dad put it in my bag. Call me if you need, me OK? Promise?"

"Yes, yes, I promise. Now go."

Dad winked at me as he put his arm around Jake's shoulder to lead him out of the room. Mom sat down again beside me and said, "You are a lucky girl. That's quite a husband you have there."

Husband. I really liked the sound of that.