Chapter 35

BPOV

It had been three weeks since Edward and I returned from our honeymoon. Each day has more stressful than the one before. The Cullen family was ripping apart at the seams, dividing down a line I didn't think could ever be fixed.

Upon our return, the family had learned of the new baby on the way. As soon as the news left Edward's mouth, the family split up into two groups. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme stayed by my side through my decision to keep this half vampire baby. Edward, Alice and Jasper were totally against it. Carlisle stayed in neutral territory. He respected my wishes, but also had hoped I would want to save myself from the baby that was growing inside of me.

Edward continued to beg me to get rid of our baby. Could he not understand how much I needed this baby? I needed this baby just like I needed him and Sophie. It was already a huge part of my life. There was no way I was giving this baby up.

Edward and I had our fights, always ending with me in tears and waddling away as fast as I could with my always growing belly. But not before Edward would catch me in his arms and pull me close. I would push against him with everything I had left in my body, but he wouldn't let me go until I accepted his apology. By the end of the night, I would be sleeping in his arms under his watchful eye on the couch in the Cullens' living room.

My health was deteriorating with every day that passed by. Each time I tried to eat, I would only end up puking it back up minutes later. I could barely keep water down. There were rare times I could keep eggs down, long enough to get some nutrition in my body. But it wasn't enough. I could no longer see my feet or skinny legs, which was probably a good thing, but in return I could see my ribs. My arms were barely an inch thick, and my cheek bones became more prominent as the days went on.

"From my measurements, you're at the time of 35 weeks into your pregnancy," Carlisle said, taking the measuring tape from around my stomach.

Edward stood behind me, keeping his hands under my arms to help me stand up. I couldn't exactly stand, let alone walk by myself anymore. I hated being carried everywhere, but I knew it kept our baby safe from my clumsiness.

"So, he'll be here soon?" I asked, hope filling my voice.

Carlisle nodded with a no emotion.

"Yes. We will be prepared. If my measurements are correct, you should be ready to deliver in a week's time," Carlisle said.

I nodded. I felt Edward sigh behind me and turned to see a pained look in his eyes. He quickly masked it, then pulled my shirt down for me, taking me in his arms. He walked me down the stairs and lightly laid me on the couch.

He sat down in front of me on his knees, taking my hand in his. I smiled and laid my head against the arm rest of the couch.

"Pretty soon our baby will be here," I said, staring down at our hands.

Edward said nothing, which caused me to look up at him. The pain was back in his eyes as he stared down at my bulging stomach.

"Edward?" I asked.

His eyes shot up, trying to mask the pain again with a tiny smile on his face.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Please tell me what you're thinking."

"Isn't that my line?" he asked, laughing half-heartedly. He was trying to change the subject.

"Edward," I said, giving him a look.

He sighed, looking back down at my stomach.

"In a week you'll be gone," he said.

"Edward, I won't be gone. I told you, if complications arise, you can change me. I was going to change all along, it won't be any different."

"But it will, Bella! You don't understand. Look at you! Look at your stomach! A normal baby doesn't kick their mothers so hard that it leaves bruises on the outside of her stomach. There's a possibility that I won't get the venom into your system fast enough. You have to understand that."

"I told you, I would keep my heart beating for you. Everything will be alright, Edward. I promise," I said.

Edward bowed his head before whispering, "You can't promise me that. Because even you don't know that. Alice can't see your future anymore. You don't understand how much that scares me."

I did the only thing I could think of. I took his head into my arms and held him against my chest in a comforting manner. He started sobbing tearlessly against my chest. I just held him and ran my fingers through his hair.

"I can't live in a world where you don't exist," he said.

"You won't have to," I whispered into his hair.

He pulled away looking into my eyes. He moved a stray of hair away from my eyes, tucking it behind my ear.

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

I shook my head. The thought of food, suddenly made my stomach queasy. Edward saw the look on my face, pulling the trash can in front of me. My stomach heaved, but there was nothing for me to puke anymore. Edward rubbed a soothing hand against my back, waiting out my heaving. When I stopped, I sat back, laying my head back on the arm rest.

"We need to find some way to get food into your system," Edward said.

"It's like I'm thirsty, but when I think of any form of water I want to vomit," I said.

Edward chuckled silently.

"That's what I think when I smell any type of human food," he said.

It was silent between us for a minute. Then we both looked at each other with wide eyes. Neither of us had to be mind readers to know what the other was thinking.

"I thought of it first!" we said at the same time.

We started laughing before I stopped at looked at him.

"Do you think that's it? I mean, he's half vampire," I said.

"It wouldn't hurt to try. Just let me go get Carlisle," he said.

I nodded. He was gone for a few seconds before he was in front of me again.

"Carlisle is getting some blood we had stashed away. If you're okay with it, we'd like to test it first orally," he said.

I nodded. "I'll try anything."

Carlisle came in the room then, with a styrofoam cup in his hand that had a straw coming out of it. He handed it to Edward for inspection. Edward nodded towards him, answering his thoughts. Edward handed me the cup. I took it into my hands looking back up at Edward nervously. He nodded in encouragement. I took a deep breath before putting my mouth on the straw and taking a long pull from it.

At first, nothing seemed different. But the more blood I sucked through the straw, the more my body reacted to it, and better yet, my baby. I could feel him kicking inside my stomach with satisfaction, but not in any way painful. I could feel my pulse grow stronger with each drag. I use to have an aversion to blood. Just seeing it would make me vomit. Now, I couldn't get enough. And I knew that was not normal. But it helped the baby, and that's all that mattered at this point.

The contents of the cup disappeared as quickly as they appeared. I looked up at Edward and Carlisle who had similar masks of comprehension.

"It tasted…..good. The baby likes it," I said, rubbing my stomach.

For the first time in I don't know how long, Edward's face radiated with happiness. A true genuine smile graced his face.

"What?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable with the way he was staring at me.

"Your heartbeat is already strong, Bella. I can hear it," he said, taking my hands in his.

Carlisle sat down next to me on the couch, taking the hand that wasn't holding Edward's into his. He stuck two fingers against my wrist lightly. I realized he was feeling for my pulse.

"Your pulse is also already so much stronger than before. I think we found what we need to do to keep you and the baby alive. Maybe later, we can try eggs again. But you definitely need to stay on the blood diet. It seems to be helping," Carlisle said, going into doctor mode.

I nodded, truly happy that for once, the future seemed bright. I already knew everything would work out, but this little bit of news reassured me even more, and it seems Edward also.

Carlisle walked off, muttering about ordering more blood, leaving Edward and I alone again.

"This is great news, Edward!" I said, squeezing his hands tightly in mine.

Edward smiled a small smile at me, one that held nothing in comparison to the one I saw on his face just moments before.

"Why aren't you happy about this?" I asked my own smile fading.

"I am, I just-"

"Mommy? Daddy?" came a tiny voice from the doorway, cutting Edward off.

We both turned to see Sophie standing with her teddy bear Edward had given her when we had to leave to him to get away from the nomads. Her thumb was in her mouth, and her left cheek was red from where she had most likely been sleeping on it. I looked at the clock to see it was almost ten at night.

In all the drama over the new baby, I barely had been paying attention to my other baby. Upon realizing this, I hated myself for not being her mother. Once I became incapable of walking by myself, Esme helped me with Sophie by giving her a bathes and putting her to bed at night and cooking her food. What am I doing?

"Come over here, baby," I said, opening my arms for her.

She walked clumsily over to us, and crawled up next to me, cuddling into my chest like she always did when she was scared. She laid her tiny hand on top of my overgrown stomach, petting it softly like she would a dog.

"Why are you still up this late, baby?" I asked her, smoothing her bronze curls down.

"I had a nightmare," she said.

"What was it about?" I asked.

Edward chuckled lightly, twisting our daughter's curls between his fingers.

"That the baby wouldn't like me," she said, patting my stomach.

I chuckled softly, laying my hand over my daughter's.

"You're going to be the best older sister anyone could ask for. This baby is going to love you, baby. It will possibly love you more than me or your father," I said, turning my eyes onto Edward.

He looked into my eyes and smiled a true smile this time. He reached over slowly laid his hand over mine and Sophie's. It was quiet between us, the only noise was mine and Sophie's breathing.

"What was that?" Edward asked suddenly.

Sophie and I looked at him in confusion.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought I just heard….Say something else," Edward said, laying his other hand on my stomach.

"Edward, what's going on?" I asked, questioning his sanity.

Edward was quiet for a second before he broke out in to a breathy laugh and a smile that could break his face in half.

"The baby likes the sound of your voice," he said.

My eyes widened.

"You can hear him?" I asked, laying my other hand over his.

"His mind is so pure. I-I didn't think….I was wrong. He's not like me at all. He's like you," Edward said meeting my eyes, "Wonderful, beautiful and pure."

"I can't hear anything! What does the baby think of me, Daddy?" Sophie asked, putting her ear next to mine and Edward's hands.

Edward chuckled lightly, kissing our daughter's curls.

"He loves you and your mother very much….and…..me?" he asked himself, meeting my eyes.

"Of course, he loves you. You're his father," I said, turning his hand so I could intertwine it with mine.

Edward smiled at me, before leaning down and kissing the top of my belly next to Sophie's ear. The baby kicked softly where Edward had kissed my stomach. I looked up at Edward with happiness in my eyes, and his matched my own.

"Mommy! I felt the baby kick!" Sophie said.

We laughed at her, all of us putting our hands in the spot where he had just kicked. Sure enough, my baby didn't disappoint, and he kicked the same spot again.

"Bella, I'm so so-" I cut Edward off by kissing him softly.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is me, you, Sophie, and our baby," I said after pulling away.

"Mommy, what are you going to name him?" Sophie asked, pulling us apart.

I smiled down at my daughter, then looked down at my stomach.

"If it's a boy, I want to name him EJ, Edward Junior," I said, looking up at Edward. He laughed, laying his hand back on my stomach.

"I like it," he said, looking into my eyes.

"But what if it's a girl, Mommy? I think you're going to have a girl. I want a little sister! Boys are icky. So you better be a girl," Sophie said, talking to my stomach. We laughed at our daughter silently.

"I'll try to remember that," I said, moving the hair out of her eyes.

"But what if she's right, Bella? What if it's a girl?" Edward asked.

I smiled up at him.

"Well, I was playing around with our moms' names, Renee and Esme, and I figured, Renesmee."

I waited in silence as Edward processed what I had said. I began to grow nervous, until he smiled my smile at me.

"Renesmee, I like it. It's unique. It definitely fits the situation. Just let me give an idea for the middle name," he said.

I nodded, waiting to hear what he came up with.

"How about Carlie. It's Charlie and Carlisle put together, like what you did with our moms' names," he said.

I rolled the name around in my head. I loved it.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen. I love it," I said, smiling towards my husband. His returning smile could light up a room.

"But I still think it's a boy," I said, smirking.

"We'll just have to see, Mrs. Cullen," Edward said, sliding behind me.

He held me in his arms, and I held Sophie in mine. Each of us had a hand on my stomach. We looked like the perfect family, and that's almost what we were. All we had to do wait on our newest member of our family to arrive. I knew it would be hard, but in the end, I would be able to overcome the obstacles. I would have my happily ever after with my family.

So there's that chapter. I hope I didn't keep everyone waiting too long. I hope to have the next chapter up soon! I'm going to go about this pregnancy a little differently than SM did. You all want a story, not a repeat. So just be patient with me. Can't believe I'm almost done with this story *sniff*sniff* Good things must come to an end. I've worked on this story most of my high school career. It's going to be hard to let it go. I want to thank all you guys who have been patient with me and stuck with me throughout this story. I promise you won't be disappointed. Oh, before I forgot, I got my BD DVD today. And it's even more amazing when I'm watching on my TV at home. :) Happy V-Day! (SAD for me :'( Forever Alone) That stands for Single Awareness Day if anyone didn't know that. I have two dates that day, with two men named Ben&Jerry (the ice cream, I don't know anyone named Ben or Jerry) Like I said, Forever Alone. So, have fun all you love birds out there, because not all of us are so lucky :P Guys are just jerks. I have more important things to worry about. So, you know what to do. Hit that button below that reads "Review" and leave me some love to read on V-Day. Peace!

~Taylor~