Bella's POV
Edward moved towards my lower half and removed my shorts. He placed a blanket over my knees and took a deep breath. I was really going to have this baby a month early. I felt Edward's cold touch and I tensed up trying to move away from him.
"Love, you have to work with me here"
"It hurts too much" I cried but Edward grabbed my legs and pulled me back down towards him
"It's okay Bella"
I could feel that the baby was ready to come out and I knew that I needed to push but it was too painful. I arched my back up and squeezed Rosalie's hand tightly.
"Do you know what you're doing?" she whispered towards my husband
"I'm going to have to"
"Oh god" I panted
"Everything will be fine sweetheart" he rubbed my knee "Can you give me a push?"
I shook my head violently suddenly scared. If Edward wasn't sure of himself then… I just wanted Carlisle here.
"Just a little one?" he pleaded
"I'm scared" I sobbed tears running down my face
"I know but it's going to be fine, trust me" he looked at me with his golden eyes "I need you to push"
Emmett came around to my other side and grabbed my hand and helped me sit up. My eyes met Edward's and he gave me a weak smile while nodding.
"On your next contraction I need you to push"
I nodded and when I felt my muscles tighten again. Edward went into doctor mode.
"Push" he yelled
I tightened my grip on their hands and pushed as hard as I could, letting out a terrifying scream in the process.
"Keep going" he encouraged
"I can't" I cried
"Go right back into it Bella, come on. Bare down this time"
I took a deep breath and pushed again, this time Rosalie counted down from ten and I wanted to smack her for going so slow.
"Good, love" he smiled at me
"Anything?" I panted
"No" he muttered "One more big push and you can rest. Try and push down this time okay?"
"Edward no" I gasped but another contraction cut my talking short
"Now" he demanded
Emmett was suddenly holding both of my hands and Rosalie disappeared. But all I could think about was the unbearable pain I was experiencing. I screamed again and Edward looked frustrated.
"Okay love, take a break"
I lowered back down on the floor and closed my eyes. Rosalie came back with some water and a cold washcloth.
"You're doing so well" she praised dabbing my head
"I'm not making any progress"
Edward moved over to sit next to me and kissed my forehead. I leaned on him, wanting to go to bed.
"You will" he smiled at me "You're doing beautifully"
"There's nothing beautiful about this" I argued
"Just think, you're almost done then you'll have nothing to do but stare at his/her face" he smiled and moved my sweaty hair off my sweaty neck
What if the baby doesn't come out?" I asked taking a sip of water
"You've only been at this for about 20 minutes. Give it a little more time"
I suddenly got the urge to push and shifted slightly uncomfortable.
"Ow, I need to push"
At vampire speed he was at my legs again getting ready. He nodded and I went at it again. And for a while that's how it went, push after push but nothing happened. I was sweating and dizzy and I knew that I was close, but the baby wasn't coming.
"Should it be taking this long?" Emmett asked when I took another rest
It's been about two hours and Emmett looked like he was getting restless. We all were and I could almost see the sun starting to rise over the clouds.
"It can" I told him "I want to push again"
"Okay love, go"
I retook their hands and pushed.
"You need to push harder, you're not getting anywhere"
"It hurts" I was panting heavily
"I know honey but it's going to hurt until the baby is out"
"Can I try a different position again?"
"Yeah, I think there's one you haven't tried yet. Let's try squatting"
He moved to help me so I was squatting. Emmett stood behind me and held on so I wouldn't topple over. Edward was in front of me and grabbed my two arms. I looked like a frog.
"Okay try and push now"
I did and it seemed by moving in this position gravity was starting to do its thing. It almost felt like the baby was going to fall out.
"Better?"
I nodded and moved so my head was lying against his shoulder one of his hands moved to check me. I looked at Edward and his eyes widened
"I think that did the trick, I can feel the head"
"Oh thank god" I said still pushing
"I think I can get the baby out in the next couple pushes. Do you want to rest or keep going?"
"Keep going" I demanded "But I want to lie down on the bed"
"Okay"
At this point I just wanted to see his/her face and I didn't care how much pain I was in. They helped me get into bed which was a struggle and I braced myself for the hardest part. Edward moved the pillows under my legs and took his position.
"Ready to push?"
"Yeah"
Just holding Rosalie's hands I pushed again and felt something change.
"Stop!" Edward demanded looking panicked
"What's wrong?" I panted stopping my movements
He ignored me and concentrated on what was wrong. He lifted the blanket off my legs but refused to meet my eyes. I started crying, getting really scared that we would need Carlisle.
"Emmett get me a blanket and the umbilical scissors" he said suddenly
"Edward tell me what's happening" I pleaded
Another contraction came and I couldn't help it, I just started pushing. Edward placed his bloody hands on my knees. I started panicking again at the sight of that.
"Bella try not to push" he cautioned
"She's bleeding!" Rosalie said scared
"I know, it's alright" he calmed her "It's normal"
He took the blanket and scissors from Emmett and Rose was trying to keep me clam. Emmett looked nervous and somebody better tell me what the hell was happening.
"Please, what's wrong with the baby?"
"The cord is wrapped around the neck" he answered
"Do something" I cried trying to sit up
"I am but try not to move and don't push until I tell you to"
His voice broke so I could tell he was scared but he was trying to hide it for my sake. I didn't know what he was doing but what I did know is that it hurt like hell. All I felt was pressure from trying not to push and a sharp pain from whatever Edward was doing.
"Ow" I cried arching my back
"Sorry love" he muttered
"I have to push"
"Wait a minute Bella" he shot
"I can't…it hurts" Rose rubbed my shoulder "I have to push"
"Bella don't"
"Edward… please"
"Wait a minute…okay give me a little push"
I did and after a minute he relaxed letting out a breath and smiled slightly.
"We're in the clear" he looked up at me
"Thank god" I blubbered
We all cheered quietly but I wasn't done yet.
"Okay we're at the shoulders now"
I knew that this was the part that would hurt the most but I kept pushing and screaming and Rosalie wiped the sweat from my forehead. Emmett smiled and Edward looked like he was ready to hold his baby.
"One more love"
Squeezing the hands I was holding even harder I pushed till the vein in my forehead was protruding. Edward was smiling really wide so I knew I was close and I wanted my baby out but my body stopped.
"Bella don't stop" Edward gasped
"It hurts too much" I cried Rosalie wiping my tears "I can't"
"Yes you can" she praised
"I really can't"
"You're almost done" Emmett chanted
"Come on love" My husband muttered
"Edward I can't" I was utterly defeated at this point
"Bella I promise you, one more push and you can hold our baby"
"No" I cried shaking my head "It hurts"
Rosalie rubbed arm trying to sooth me but I couldn't be soothed right now. I was done pushing, done being in pain.
"I know it hurts and I know you're tired but I promise you just one more push okay" Edward said
"No" I shook my head back and forth, sweat pouring down my face
"Bella, look at me" he demanded "Either you need to push or I'm going to have to pull the baby out. I don't want to hurt you or our baby. You need to push, you can do it"
"Okay" I whined nodding
"Alright come on love" he coached
Emmett held my head up trying to help. I felt Edward pulling slightly and with another scream and strong push…
"Ow…Ow…Oh god" I yelled "Edward please…Ow"
"Oh my god" Edward gasped smiling "It's a boy! He's out love, you did it"
"A boy" I cried happily. I had another son "I did it"
"You did it love" Edward dry sobbed "My little man"
"It's over" I sighed
"Born at 7:25 am" Rose said
Edward held him up for me to see and he was absolutely perfect. Emmett and Rose cheered while I had tears streaming down my face.
"He's perfect" I cried
Edward then placed my wriggling baby on my chest and cleaned him with a blanket then took the nose cleaning thingy to clear his airways. He reached behind him to pull out a pair of scissors again to cut the umbilical cord and our little boy found his lungs. His crying was the most beautiful sound I could ask for right now. I looked down on him and I already wanted to comfort his cries.
"I'm going to weigh him okay?" Edward smiled at me
I nodded and Edward carefully laid him on the blanket and lifted him with the scale so we could see how much he weighed. He wriggled in the blanket and it was adorable.
"About 5 pounds 13 ounces" he announced putting him back on my chest.
"My little peanut" I laughed
I took the blanket and wrapped it around him and he grunted and reached his hand out to cover his face from the light.
"Mommy's here" I cooed and his hand wrapped around my finger "I can't believe you're finally here"
"Oh my god" Emmett gasped leaning down so he could see him
"Wow" Rosalie muttered placing a hand on his back "He's beautiful"
"Oh my god we have another little boy" I cried
Edward then came to join me while we stared.
"You never cease to amaze me" he kissed my forehead
"You didn't do too bad yourself" I laughed "You delivered our son. I knew you could do it"
He smiled stroking our baby's cheek.
"Hey buddy, you didn't want to come out huh?" he whispered
He gave another grunt and his lip quivered, snuggling closer into me. I laughed bringing his tiny hand up so I could kiss it.
"He was comfortable"
"Have you thought of a name?" Rosalie asked
We both looked at his face but I couldn't really tell at the moment. My baby moved again, this time picking his head up so I could really get a good look at him.
"No, he doesn't really look like a certain name" right now he was just bloody, wrinkled, and pink
"I can't believe I witnessed a live birth" Emmett sounded exhausted "I mean that was intense"
"Tired?" Edward laughed not moving his eyes from the baby
"Yeah, actually"
"I didn't scare you did I?" I smirked
"Nah…but that's not a side of you I want to see that often" he laughed "I can't believe that little baby came out of you"
"Me either. This one hurt way more" I turned towards my husband
"Well this one was longer and you did it without medications" he leaned his head on my shoulder "I'm so proud of you"
"Thank you" I sniffed holding back the tears
"Nothing new there" he laughed
"Do you want to go meet your daddy?" I cooed
Edward sat up and gently lifted our son from my embrace to cradle him in his own arms. He pulled his blanket around him. He gave out a frustrated cry and Edward hushed him gently.
"Hey little guy, why did you give your mother such a hard time huh?" he scolded "You decide you want to come a month early and then you give us a hard time"
"But he's perfect" Rosalie said
"He has your nose Bella" Edward laughed tapping it
"His skin seems like mine" I noted clasping his foot
He scrunched up his nose and he stretched in Edward's arms yawning. This little miracle was honestly worth all the pain and waiting.
"Our last little miracle together" I stroked my hand up and down my son's back
"Our last little miracle" Edward repeated and noticed his sister watching us "Rosalie, would you like to hold him?"
She nodded happily and rose from her seat to gently take the baby in her arms. She rocked him gently, cooing in a cute baby voice.
"Hi, I'm your auntie Rose"
Emmett moved to stand next to her and he grabbed his little hand in his big one.
"I'm your uncle Emmett and I'm so happy you're a boy. Those girls were starting to out number us" he laughed
Just then the phone rang and Emmett moved to get it. I didn't notice that I was pretty much naked and exposed. I'm surprised Edward didn't make me cover up. It was hitting me now that I was extremely sore and tired, I wanted to sleep. Rosalie put my baby on my chest and he snuggled closer. He immediately started to cry when the cold air touched him and I threw his blanket back on.
"I'll leave you guys alone" she gave me a kiss on the cheek "Oh, congratulations"
"Thank you"
Edward cleaned all the blood, and whatever else was on him. He started crying again and I rocked him gently. He was so little, definitely smaller than Ryan or Abby.
"Edward, it's Carlisle" Emmett said handing him the phone
"Hey Carlisle" he answered then smiled "It's true, he's here"
It was amazing how quickly the mood had changed. Everything was so tense and stressful and now we were all floating on clouds it seemed. My baby opened his eyes and I was surprised to see that they were dark brown.
"You have my eyes" I laughed and unwrapped his legs from the blanket and held the little foot in my hand.
"Bella and baby are doing just fine" Edward continued
I could tell he was annoyed that his father wasn't here. I mean if something did go wrong-well I don't even want to think what would've happened. I looked down at my son and stroked his cheek. After another minute he hung up and put his arm around me, kissing the side of my head.
"You feel okay?" he asked watching me
"Yeah just a little sore"
"Carlisle said that they'll be back in a couple hours and that he was sorry for how this played out"
"It's okay, we're both fine" he kissed my forehead
We spent the next several minutes just staring at our son and we laughed at his different facial expressions.
"He's so cute" I laughed
"He takes after you" he smiled
"I just can't believe he's here. I've waited so long to meet him"
"Are you happy he's a boy or did you want another girl?"
"I didn't care as long as the baby was healthy" I looked down at him "He is healthy right?"
"Yes, as far as I can tell he is completely healthy but Carlisle will check him and I'll call Dr. Thomason"
"Okay" I nodded
"Do you think you're ready for some visitors? Rose is telling them right now and their getting anxious"
"Yea" I smiled at him
He placed the baby's blanket against me so it was covering my bare chest and propped me onto some pillows.
"Oh, Edward we should probably call my parents too"
"Okay, I'll take care of it"
Once he left the room I yawned. I was so tired and couldn't wait to curl up under the covers and sleep. I could tell that my body would be really sore tomorrow. I couldn't wait for everyone to meet our little boy. It was such a long process for him to get here and I was happy he was finally here. Rose came back into the room distracting me from my thoughts.
"How are you feeling?" she asked sitting on the end of the bed
"Sore" I laughed lightly
"I wonder why"
Edward cleared his throat and I looked up to see him carrying Ryan and Abby was holding Emmett's hand.
"Are you ready for some visitors?" Edward asked
"Hey guys" I whispered "Come meet your baby brother"
Abby ran up to the bed trying to get a better look at the baby and Rosalie helped her up. Edward moved closer and lowered Ryan onto the bed keeping him at a distance.
"Can you give mommy a kiss?" I asked my eldest daughter
Rosalie helped her lean over so she could carefully give me a kiss. She surprised me by trying to give me a hug in the process.
"Careful" Rosalie said pulling her back
"Baby" she said placing herself next to me.
Edward was quick to get on the other side of me as his daughter reached for her new brother.
"No, no be careful" he cautioned sitting her on his lap "The baby was just born"
"Little" she pointed
"He's really little huh?" I agreed
"I wanted a baby sister" she pouted
"I know honey but mommy didn't really have a choice"
"But I don't want a brother" she cried
Edward leaned down next to her and kissed her cheek "I know you wanted a sister but now just think. You get to be my only little girl and my only princess"
"I like that" she laughed
Edward let her lean over so she could grab his hand. Ryan just crawled around on the bed oblivious to his surroundings.
"Can I hold him?" she asked
"Sure but you have to sit next to mommy nicely and let daddy help you" I told her, we didn't need her dropping her new brother
She perched herself right next to me and Edward showed her how to hold a baby and told her to keep his head supported. I carefully placed the baby in her arms, but really Edward was doing most of the holding.
"Look! I'm holding a baby"
"You are" Edward smiled at her
"Hold on I want to take a picture" Rosalie hurriedly ran out of the room to get the camera
Emmett lifted Ryan up and easily slipped him next to me. Edward scooted next to Abby, still keeping hold of the baby. Rosalie hurried back in and we all posed for the picture.
"Perfect" she smiled "You should send them to your parent's Bella"
"I'll do it later" Edward assured me
The baby started crying and Abby looked sad.
"He's crying" she pouted
"I think he's getting hungry" I told her grabbing him "Why don't you go wait for everyone to get home and let us know when they get here"
"Okay mommy" Edward lifted her off the bed while Ryan, Rosalie, and Emmett followed.
"We'll give you some privacy"
"Thank you"
At sat looking at my baby boy for a while before it really started to sink in.
"3 kids" I sighed "We have 3 kids Edward"
"I know and we thought we couldn't have any. I love you so much and thank you for giving me 3 beautiful and healthy children" he leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips
"I love you too and thank you for giving me 3 beautiful and healthy children"
I carefully laid my baby on the bed and unwrapped his blanket. He gave a grunt and his little arms flailed about as his cries got louder and louder.
"Edward can you hand me a diaper?" I yelled over his cries
"Yeah"
I fastened a preemie diaper on him and swaddled him back in his blanket and cradled him to my chest. His crying only intensified and I hurriedly tried to get him to feed but he refused to latch on.
"Come on baby" I held his head to help guide him and tried repeatedly but he kept pushing away
"Is he not eating?" Edward asked
"No, he won't latch on and keeps pushing away"
He came over to sit next to me in an attempt to help.
"I'm not sure how to help" he laughed
"Can you hold his head?" I smiled
He did as I asked and we tried to get him to feed. His cries got more frustrating as did I. I knew he was hungry but he didn't want to eat.
"Why won't you eat?" I cried
"Sweetheart relax" Edward hushed "It's okay"
"But why won't he eat?"
"Just relax, he can sense you're stressed. Take a deep breath and try again"
With another try I finally got him to latch on. I breathed a sigh of relief and laughed a little.
"See?" Edward said wiping my tears
We sat in bed together watching our baby boy eat for about twenty minutes until he fell asleep against me and Edward continuously stroked my side. He reached over grasped the little tuff off brown hair that was on his head. I loved lying in bed with him like this, but the quietness was making me fall asleep.
"You must be exhausted, love" he whispered
"Mmm" was my response
He just laughed and kissed my cheek.
"Mommy they're back!" Abby yelled running down the hall
There was a knock on the door and Edward moved to get it and the rest of the family walked into our small bedroom. I noticed Carlisle already had a medical bag in his hand.
"Hi guys" I whispered
"Oh my god" Alice screeched running over to me "You just had to wait until we left to have him"
"Sorry" I laughed "Did you know it was a boy?"
"Of course I did" she shrugged
"When Carlisle told us I almost couldn't believe it" Esme sobbed pulling her son into a hug "Aw…he's beautiful"
"Thank you"
"My baby brother" Abby told them pointing
"You're a big sister again" Carlisle smiled walking over to the bed "Wow, he's little"
They all took turns holding him and Abby kept letting us all know that he was her baby and he was going to live with her. I was happy she wasn't ready to get rid of him after all the attention he was getting.
"I'm so sorry that you guys were left to do this on your own but it looks like you made out fine. Any major issues?"
"The cord was wrapped around his neck but I managed to get him out safely"
"I'm impressed" Carlisle smiled
"He's so cute" Alice cooed when she was holding him, Jasper carefully grabbed his hand
"So have you thought of a name yet?" he asked
"No, but I have an idea" I looked up at Edward and he gave me the okay "I like the name Joshua"
"Joshua? I like it a lot actually"
"Really?"
"Yes, Joshua Mason Cullen" he leaned over to kiss me
"Guys I hate to be the downer but Edward you probably know as well as I do that the Volturi will probably be keeping close tabs on us. I wouldn't be surprised if they already knew the she had him"
"You really think they have someone watching us again?" I panicked with the thought of someone being here while I was giving birth…
"I wouldn't put it past them" Carlisle continued
"I think we should have people running the perimeter of the house for tonight" Edward added sitting next to me on the bed "I doubt they'd be stupid enough to even get that close but…"
"We can do it" Jasper said gesturing toward him and Alice
"I'll be on look out too" Emmett winked at me "You guys will be totally safe"
"Joshua's crying won't annoy you?" I asked them
"Not at all" Alice said sarcastically
"Thanks guys"
They all hovered in our room till the sun went down. I think Edward could tell I was tired by that point. Maybe it was because my eyes kept drooping. I didn't want to be rude and tell them to leave but they had to know I wanted some rest, right? He took one look at me and laughed.
"Okay, I think Bella needs some sleep" he announced "Carlisle do you mind taking a quick look?"
"Not at all" he smiled
I was aware of them saying something to us but I was already too out of it to make out what it was. Edward passed Joshua over to his father and he brought him over to the changing table.
"I did a quick check over and he seemed fine…"
"Let's see what we've got here" he cooed at his grandson
Joshua, as predicted, screamed through the whole thing. I guess he didn't like being poked and prodded. Not to mention that he was probably cold from Carlisle's fingers and being unwrapped.
"He's perfect, just small. But you guys have a record of small babies" he said after a minute "Now onto you Bella"
Edward wrapped our little boy up and cradled him in his arms before coming to stand above me.
"I'm fine Carlisle just a little sore" I really wasn't in the mood to looked at
"I promise I'll be quick"
He complied to his promise and it was over quickly. He concluded that I had a small tear in my cervix from when Edward unwrapped the cord from his neck. Other than that I was in picture perfect health.
"Well I'm sure you guys would like some time alone. I'll be at the house if you need anything. I'll let myself out. Congrats again guys"
"Thanks" we both answered
"Alright my love time for you to get some rest" Edward said laying Joshua down in the bassinet
"Will you lay with me?"
"I'll be in a little later. I want to make sure Abby's not torturing Ryan first"
"Good thinking"
"Goodnight love" I heard him whisper
"Just taking a cat nap" I promised
Edward's POV
It was about time for bed and Bella was absolutely glowing by the bedside lamp. I had just gotten off the phone with Bella's parents and they couldn't wait to meet the newest grandchild. She had almost completely bounced back from earlier today. She was still complaining that she was tired and sore but at least she wasn't it constant pain anymore. I could hardly bare seeing her like that and it continues to amaze me how she could endure that much pain for that long. Abby hasn't left her side and Bella was currently telling her how her new brother was fragile and that she needed to be careful with him.
"He little" Abby said grabbing his hand
"You were this little too once" Bella smiled
"I little too"
"You were our first baby" I laughed grabbing her off the bed and kissing her cheek "It's time for bed though. Can you give mommy a kiss goodnight?"
"Night mommy" I bent down so she could give her a kiss "Night baby"
Abby laid her head on my shoulder and yawned. I tucked her into bed and leaned down next to her.
"You'll always be my first baby okay?"
"Okay" she asked yawning again
"I love you"
"Love you daddy"
That was the extent of our conversation because her eyes closed and her breathing became heavy. I gave her a kiss and quietly shut the light and the door on my way out. When I walked into the bedroom Bella was basically sleeping. I placed myself next to her and just cradled my son. Bella had dressed him in the cutest fuzzy blue onesie and he was already addicted to his pacifier. As much as I wanted another little girl to spoil, I was perfectly content with raising another little gentleman. His hand wrapped around my finger in a tight grasp. He gurgled in response and yawned. Bella rolled over and stared at me as I placed Joshua in his bassinet.
"Tired?" I asked stripping down to my boxers
"Very" she laughed "He's asleep now so I figured I could get a couple hours of sleep before he needs to be fed"
"Why don't you put the bassinet over on my side so I can get to him if he starts crying?"
"I'm going to have to wake up anyways" she shrugged "You can't feed him"
"True"
Bella positioned herself so she was snuggled against me. My arm wrapped around to stroke her lower back.
"I'm soo sore" she whispered
"I can see why" I laughed "I think you scarred Emmett and Rosalie"
"Was I that scary?"
"No, you were just a women in labor"
"I don't think I'll be able to move too much tomorrow" her eyes closed and didn't open again.
Our son was making his own schedule. He was either hungry, needed to be changed, or just wanted to be held every two hours. It was now a little past one in the morning when he started crying again. Bella groaned and switched the bedside lamp on. She rubbed her eyes tiredly before leaning over to pick him up. She said nothing as she pulled down her top to let him feed. It didn't go unnoticed that her eyes were half closed.
"Are they still outside?" she yawned
"Yes but everything's fine. No sign of anything out of the ordinary"
"Is the crying annoying them?"
"They'll be fine. You need to start pumping tomorrow" I said stroking her cheek "You can't even stay awake"
"I'm okay" she yawned "I just haven't had to do this for a while. I'll get used to it again"
I leaned over to rub her back but she winced when I hit a sore spot. After a minute she handed Joshua to me and shut the light off. She curled under the covers and closed her eyes.
"I don't want to pump yet. I like that time with him"
I laughed lightly and turned back to my son who was waiting to be burped. He gave out a frustrated cry and I leaned him against my shoulder. Once he quieted down I got up to place him back in the bassinet.
"Hey, go to sleep" I whispered when I caught Bella looking at me "I got the next one, so you have at least four hours to sleep if the next ones a diaper change"
She lifted up the blanket and I crawled in next to her. Her head rested on my chest and I quietly hummed her lullaby while rubbing her back. She fell asleep quickly. After the third time Joshua woke up Bella just decided not to go back to sleep. She was exhausted but didn't see the point in falling asleep. We put the TV on and Joshua was intrigued by the light. He squirmed in my arms and I stroked his cheek. I looked over and noticed that Bella was watching us.
"What?"
"Just admiring my two boys"
After a while Bella finally lost the fight and sleep took over her. I took this time to really get a good look at his features. His brown eyes were almost and exact replica of Bella's as was his cute little button nose. He had my mouth, ears, and facial structure. I was curious who he'd grow up to look more like. He was too little to tell right now. I grabbed his hand and unraveled the fist he was making to rub his flat hand. His skin was so soft and delicate that I wondered if my cold temperature was bothering him. I leaned down to give him a feather light kiss on his forehead. He gave out a wimpy little grunt and I rocked him.
"Just you and I now buddy"
My son was a night owl but at least he kept me company.