Copyright declaration: The Twilight series and its characters are the creation of and copyright of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing and this story is purely a not for profit work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's note: I finally - finally! - completed this story. It took me a long time to write and I am grateful to the patience of my readers. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, added it to their favorites and given me helpful feedback as I write. I hope you like this final chapter. Have fun reading and as always, don't forget to review! :-)
Chapter 23
We are Family
Jacob stayed in the hospital for another two weeks. After such a serious accident he was lucky, so very lucky, to escape with only broken bones. I say "only" but in reality, he was in serious pain. The doctors gave him morphine and he came home with a prescription for strong painkillers. He couldn't hold our son without my help and his cracked ribs meant that he found it agonizing to sleep in one position. He eventually ended up sleeping in the reclining chair downstairs every night because it was easier for him. Coping with a newborn and a husband who was reliant on me to help him while he recovered wasn't easy! But we managed with the help of my mom and dad.
Charlie arrested Rose and she was sent to serve a jail sentence, on account of causing grievous bodily harm to an individual and causing emotional distress from physical and verbal threats. When she got out of jail, she was issued with a restraining order which meant she couldn't come anywhere near Jacob, myself or our son. Every day I am thankful that she did not break us apart, no matter how hard she tried.
Shortly after Jacob got home from the hospital, I sat down with him after I had put our son down in his cot to sleep. "We still haven't given Baby a name," I said. "He needs one!"
"What, you mean we can't christen him 'Baby'?" Jacob teased.
I rolled my eyebrows, "Uh, no, we certainly can't. Imagine the teasing he'd get in school."
"Yeah, I guess. It's kind of original though, don't you think?"
I ignored him.
"I don't know what you'd think about it," I said carefully, "but I was thinking about Ephraim Carlisle. Ephraim Carlisle Black has a nice sound to it."
I saw Jacob purse his lips at the thought of naming our son after a vampire.
"I know what you're thinking, Jacob. But, like it or not, I will always be a part of the Cullen family as well as the Black family. I love you. I have always loved you. But Edward was part of my life too."
"I know."
"You're not angry with me?"
"How could I be angry with you?" Jacob looked at me, his beautiful tan face creasing into a smile. "The name is perfect. I like it."
"Good," I said, affectionately ruffling Jake's hair and leaning in for a deep kiss, before the sound of a wailing baby reached my ears.
"Uh oh," I laughed. "I had better go feed little Ephraim."
I turned back to smile at Jacob before I ran up the stairs. He smiled back. And I knew, right then, that here was where I was meant to be. Right here, with my happy little family.
Author's Note: I don't usually write sappy fiction. But what the heck? :)
For those of you who want to know what happens next (I'm not writing a sequel):
Jacob makes a full recovery from his injuries. Six months after the birth of Ephraim, Bella falls pregnant again. She has another healthy pregnancy. This time they have a little girl whom they christen Helena Rose. Helena completes their family and they don't have any more children.