Chapter 31

Tia POV

As always with Life, time continued forward. Nearly three months have passed since the battle with Victoria and the newborns and our lives have returned to an almost normal pace. The Pack continued its patrols, safeguarding the Tribe and the people of Forks.

Since Quil was out with Sam running some sort of errand before he had to go to work, I decided to pay Emily a visit. Her pregnancy had progressed and her growing belly was beginning to really slow her down, not that she would have ever admitted to that. I had made it a habit to go over at least every other day to lend a hand whenever my own duties would allow. I enjoyed being a part of the Pack and the training that came with it but I was finding myself in need of companionship that couldn't see into my mind. As I walked into their home, I was immediately struck by the smell of freshly baked cookies.

"What did I tell you, Emily? You should have waited for me to come down to help. You didn't need to bake those by yourself." I gently scolded as I walked into the living room where she sat. She had a pleased look on her face and a book in her hand. Somehow, Sam had convinced her that taking time to relax was important and she was allowing herself more time to do so. It was my job, at Sam's request not order, to make sure she did that while he was away either at work or on patrol.

"I had a burst of energy this morning and I felt the need to bake. Besides, you have been so good to me Tia since I found out that I was pregnant. I wanted to give you a small thank you. I know how you love my cookies." She replied with a smile.

Unable to argue with her, I did what I knew would make her happy and grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate by her side. She had been expecting me so she set me up. For all that she was becoming large with her pregnancy; her mind was as sharp and quick as ever. Today, there was a gleam in her eye that told me something was up.

"So, are you two still arguing over what to name the baby?" I ask as this has been an ongoing discussion among them, as well as the pack, ever since their big announcement. I take a seat on the couch across from her to listen to the current bend of this tale.

"Actually, no we've made a decision." She smiled as she put her book down on the side table. "If it is a boy, we are naming him Joseph Aiden and if it's a girl, her name will be Christina Marie."

I mulled over the names for a moment. "Those are wonderful names Em. Are you sure that you two don't want to know the gender of the baby? It would make decorating the nursery so much easier." I grin, teasing her.

"No…absolutely not. We both want a happy surprise in our lives for a change. You, along with everyone else in this Tribe, will just have to wait for the day the baby decides to arrive." She laughs. We had been working along on the nursery a bit every day as her energy level would allow. We were close to having it finished with the exception of some odd bits and pieces, which were fun to pick out at our leisure.

It was time to start the preparations for dinner. Emily walked to the table as I brought her the items needing to be chopped or sliced. I did the actual cooking while she worked at the table with her feet up.

"Quil finished his classes online to graduate, didn't he?" she asked as she sliced tomatoes.

"Yes, he did and he received high marks not that that's any great surprise." I answered with a proud smile. "I have to finish up and submit one last paper to be done myself." The circumstances of the past couple of months have made us both thankful for the online option of finishing our educations so that we could move forward. Once Life had settled down for us, we had both made short work of our remaining courses.

Emily smiles, nodding at me. "I'm sure that you are both happy to have finished."

I brought in the pans and ingredients necessary to assemble the pans of lasagna. I set them between us so that we could assemble them faster. Working together, we were able to make six pans in no time.

"What do you plan to do with yourself now that you've finished high school Tia?" Emily asks casually.

I spread the final layer of mozzarella over the last pan of lasagna as I answered. "Both of us have plans to go to college. Quil wants to teach." I chuckle at the thought of him in front of a classroom of bright, smiling faces.

"What about you Tia? Still thinking about studying art?" she asks as she adds the last bit of chopped vegetables to the huge salad that we had made. The guys grumbled about her salads but none of them would dare go against Emily's wishes to see them eat healthy foods.

I snag a slice of cucumber from the edge of the bowl, nodding as I chewed. "Yeah, I think so, either art education or graphic design. There's a great program at the University of Washington in Seattle and I know that I can do most of it online."

Hearing a car door slam outside, I stand walking into the kitchen. The others would be here soon. "How about I fix us a mug of hot tea before the guys start piling in?" Emily smiles her response. Picking up the kettle, I turn the flame on the gas stove and the second I look at the stove to put the kettle on, I go under.

The mists surround me as I walk through the forest. I can hear the rustling of the night animals around me. Very quickly, the scene around me shifts and I'm standing in the waiting room at the hospital. My pack brothers stand solemlyn around Sam who is sitting with his head in his hands, sobs tearing from his throat as he cries inconsolable. EMILY! Forcing my will upon the vision, I rush through the door and into her room. She lies pale in death. I spin around looking for the baby who lies asleep in the crib. NO NO NO! Please….I run out of the room to find myself back in the familiar woods. The flames leap around me. Once again, I say "No, not this time!" The fire surrounds me as my emotions tear at my heart. I force myself to stand tall, walking through the fire. A strong hand touches my arm. I wake.

Breathing hard, I come back to see that Quil is standing beside me, worry clearly written on his face. "Tia…what is it?" He is now familiar with my visions and how I come out of them. He knew merely by the expression on my face that something was very wrong. I grab his hand pulling him with me.

"Emily, you're going to the hospital now." I grab her hand as we head for the door.

"But dinner..we can't…TIA! What is wrong with you?" she starts yelling at me, confused.

I look up at Quil. He nods, picks her up and heads for the car. She continues to snap at us, not understanding what was happening. We get her into the back seat of the car as gently as possible. I slide in beside her as he starts the car and drives to the hospital. About half way there, Emily screams. Her first contraction hits fast and hard. I grab her hand, letting her hold on as tight as she needed. I look down to see that the car seat was covered in blood. She's hemorrhaging.

She follows my gaze, seeing the blood. Panic sets in. Emily starts to cry, knowing that I saw this coming. Knowing that something was very wrong, she begins to wail. "Tia….oh…god…please…not my baby."

I look up into the rear view mirror. Quil's gaze meets mine and he speeds up, driving even faster. Emily needed medical attention now. Pulling up to the main entrance of the Emergency Room, Quil jumps out of the car, takes Emily out, carries her straight to the nurse's station. The moment the nurses take a look at Emily's state, they rush into action and Emily is whisked away to an observation room and the closest doctor that they could find.

Looking down at my hands that were covered in her blood, I begin to break down. My breathing comes hard. I can't think past my fear for Emily and her unborn child. I doubt my ability as a Dreamer. Did we get her here in time? I didn't have a chance to analyze my vision as I normally do to look for signs. Quil comes back out to the car where I still sat in the back seat. He pulls me into his arms, making soothing noises, not worried about the fact that he too was covered in her blood. "I've got you Tia. She's going to be alright. Trust in your instincts as I do." He kisses my temple, breathing in my scent, finding his own peace. "Let's get you inside and cleaned up before Sam gets here. I asked the nurse to call him so he should be here very soon." He helps me out of the car and into the waiting room bathroom where we both clean up as best we can. The nurses were kind enough to bring us some towels to help. As we walk out into the waiting room wet but somewhat cleaner, we see Sam rush in with Jake on his heels.

"Where is she?" he demands tense, his eyes darting, his own panic rising. Quil touches his shoulder to get his attention. "Come on Sam. I'll take you to her." Quil looks to Jake, an unnecessary silent communication passed between them. Jake walks over to me, putting an arm around my shoulders, and guides me to an empty chair in the waiting room, sitting beside me until Quil returned.

A few minutes later, my pack brothers come through the door, all worried and anxious. They huddled around Jake and me, being supportive and protective as usual. Embry came over to me to ask what had happened but one look from Jake stopped that from happening. I sat quietly huddled against Jake; my eyes closed praying that I had done the right thing, that Emily and the baby were alive and healthy.

Shortly thereafter, Quil walks out. He comes over, kneels in front of me. "Tia, she's ok. They are delivering the baby right now via c-section. Her uterine wall ruptured with her first real contraction." He reaches up, raises my head gently. "Tia, you saved their lives. The doctors said that being in active labor and hemmhoraging as she was could have been fatal. You are the one who saw it in your vision and acted." He smiles softly at me, wiping away the tears of relief that start falling down my cheeks. I throw myself at him. He wraps his arms around me murmuring soft words of love. The tense feeling that surrounded everyone lifted. We all felt like we could breathe again. Now all we needed to do was wait for the arrival of the Pack's first pup.