Chapter 51

Edward briefly made eye contact with everyone in the room and he felt Rosalie right at his back.

Carlisle continued giving Leah commands and she tried hard not to panic, though the discomfort of the delivery was enough to sidetrack her anxiety. Masen encouraged her from the side and kept his hands locked over hers, dimming the pain as much as possible.

"Is the baby okay?" Sue asked. She looked over at Edward.

"Two or three more pushes," Carlisle said, "You're doing great Leah."

She took in a deep breath and continued to follow his instructions. A matter of minutes went by, that seemed to everyone like hours.

In the hall, Jasper and Alice held hands and each stood with their eyes closed for awhile until they both seemed to spring to life at the same time. They looked at each other before Jasper cradled Alice's head to his shoulder for a moment.

Jacob, too, held Renesme close and his lips moved in a rapid fashion, reciting something over and over quietly.

Edward's eyes looked on fearfully as the baby fought it's way into the world, finally landing in Carlisle's waiting hands.

A loud sound, like a combination of coughing and crying, rang through the room from the baby's mouth.

"Carlisle..." Esme's worried voice echoed off of Masen's eardrums. He spun around for a second to face her before he rushed toward his father, who was holding the baby in his arms.

Leah cried out in pain the second he removed his hand from hers and Masen ran back to relieve her of it.

Carlisle hurried to his son's side so he could place a free hand on the baby, who continued to cough wildly.

"Dad," Masen's eyes were glistening tearfully, "What's wrong with her?"

Carlisle looked up at him and Edward closed in.

"There was nothing around her neck," Carlisle shook his head and looked at Edward before setting the baby gently on his chest near his shoulder. Carefully he patted the baby's back, though it didn't seem to help. He then checked the interior of the mouth to see if there was something caught in her throat.

Masen switched his eyes from Leah to the baby frantically, "Dad!"

"I'm doing everything I can, son," he managed to choke out, "Edward...?"

"I don't know," his eyes squinted and he shook his head, "I'm trying to figure it out." His voice was more panicked now.

Masen turned to Leah, "Bare with me. I love you." He removed a hand from hers and took the baby entirely in his hands. She winced momentarily, though was immediately consumed with what would come of Masen's actions.

His eyes looked down at the olive skinned baby with golden eyes. They seemed to be asking him for help, though he had no idea what to do to make her pain and discomfort go away. Though he coughing fit stopped as he took her into his arms, the painful expression still lingered in her newborn eyes.

"Something's wrong," he said, "I think I stopped the discomfort, but she's not okay. Alice!"

Alice swooped into the room.

"Alice," Masen cried, "Can you see anything at all?"

She put a hand up to her face and had an anguish filled expression on her face before she shook her head, "I'm sorry Masen. I can't see anything."

"Please," Leah begged from the hospital bed, "Anything will help. Edward! Edward, can you read her mind?"

A helpless expression still clung to his eyes and mouth. He slowly shook his head and broke eye contact immediately from Leah as tears welded up and fell down her face.

Masen looked down at the seemingly lifeless baby in his arms. He stroked the side of her face as his tears landed on her tiny body. He looked back up at Carlisle, "You have to do something for her."

Carlisle's composure finally broke as he wiped a single tear that managed to drop from the corner of his eye. He looked back to Edward for a moment, "Can you hear her thoughts?"

"They're fading," he admitted.

"You have to do something," Masen urged, "You're a doctor!" He then turned to Edward, "And you can read minds. What does she need?" His voice was loud and frantic.

Carlisle's face looked defeated and he adjusted his gaze to meet Esme's, who was trying hard for Sue's sake not to completely lose it, though tears streamed down her face. Her eyes asked him if all hope was gone, but he stared blankly at her.

"Dad!" Masen screamed. He looked down at the baby again, then to Leah and eventually back to Carlisle.

Carlisle extended his arms and asked for the child. He looked down at it's nearly lifeless eyes as they began to blacken slowly. Her arms moved slightly and she began to cough again upon leaving Masen's arms.

"She's having a hard time breathing," Edward said again. His eyes scanned what appeared to be an imaginary book as she dug deep in his mind for an answer.

"There's nothing she could be choking on," Carilsle said. He gently edged open the baby's mouth again to make sure there was nothing he missed.

"Her eyes," Alice said.

"I know," Carlisle said back, recognizing Alice noticed the baby's darkened pupils.

"What?" Masen asked them.

"Her eyes are becoming darker," Alice told him.

"Help her," he said, "Save her. Someone do something."

Tears drained from Leah's eyes and Masen found himself unsure of what to do, or who to comfort. The baby? Leah?

"Leah," Carlisle said finally, snapping out of his agony filled daze, "Did you have any... blood included in your diet when you were pregnant?"

She shook her head, "No. You mean, did I drink blood?"

"Yes."

She shook her head again, "No."

Alexandra and Michael suddenly burst into the house and made their way to where everyone was gathered. "We got your calls," Alexandra's voice called, "Sorry we weren't here sooner."

Carlisle continued on his thought, "Emmett, Jasper! Someone go hunt something down. Now."

The sound of a lamp, or something, shattering rang through the house as the back door quickly opened in shut all in the same second.

"What are you doing?" Masen asked.

Carlisle took the baby out of the room and out into the night with Masen right on his heels.

"Leah! I'll be right back. I love you!" He called, "Mom! Stay with her."

"Yes!" Edward called out loud, also following them.

"What?" Masen asked through his tear filled eyes. He recognized the hope in his brother's voice.

"She's thirsty. She wasn't choking. She needs to eat. She needs to feed."

"She hasn't needed it throughout Leah's pregnancy," Masen protested.

"Well for some reason she does now," Edward told him with a half smile, though still worried about the consequences to not getting her the blood sooner.

Emmett and Jasper each brought their own animal into view of the yard and Carlisle carefully made his way to them. He quickly dipped his hand in the animal blood, causing his own eyes to blacken slightly.

The baby's eyes became a deeper shade of black and fixed onto Carlisle's fingers as he brought them to her mouth. Without warning, she latched onto his hand and a smile spread across his face.

"Give her more!" Emmett urged.

"I'll get a bottle," Jasper said. He sprinted inside and quickly returned with one of the bottles that had been stored away from either Masen, William or Alexandra's baby days. When it was filled with blood, he handed it to Carlisle who began feeding the waiting, hungry baby. Her tiny hands latched onto the bottle and she began to drink.

"Her heartrate is back up," Edward said aloud. He looked at Masen with a smile, "And her thoughts," he laughed out loud, "She's happy. She's... satisfied."

Tears fell down Carlisle's face and he handed the baby to his son, who began to sob uncontrollably with Edward, Emmett and Jasper now gathered around him.

Carlisle made his way into the house to relay the news to Leah, Esme and Sue, passing the rest of the family on their way outside.

Leah's eyes met his first as he entered back through the door. She focused in on the blood on his hands, "Is she...?"

"She's fine," he told her, unable to smile in his emotional state, "She's alive. She's breathing. Her heart rate is up. Her thoughts are secure and happy according to Edward."

"Oh my God," Leah said, continuing to cry, "I need to go see her."

"We'll bring her to you," Sue said, putting her hands on Leah's shoulders. She turned to Esme and the two of them shared a long hug. "You're sure?" She turned her attention to Carlisle.

He nodded, "She needed to consume... blood."

"I don't care what she needs to survive," Leah said aloud, "I want her. I need to see her."

Masen suddenly rounded into the room with their baby secured in his arm and the refilled bottle attached to her mouth. A smile hung on his face, though his cheeks were still damp. "Here."

Leah's expression was the same as his and she happily took her into her arms. The baby's head of black hair matched hers, and the color began to come back to her hungry eyes that matched Masen's. "She's okay?"

"Yeah," he looked to Carlisle, "I think so."

Carlisle nodded, "Yeah. She's okay."

Masen finally found a second to give Leah a series of kisses and they stared down together at their child.

Sue's phone went off with a text message from Charlie saying he was five minutes away. She smiled and hurried to text him back.

Esme made her way to Carlisle and hugged him tightly for a long time while they looked on at their son, daughter-in law to be, and grandchild. He kissed her forehead and dried her eyes before givingher one solid kiss. She closed her eyes for a minute, feeling the warmth of his chest against her face before keeping her eyes on the baby girl in Leah's arms. She took a deep breath, "Do you have a name picked out?"

Sue's eyes landed back on the baby, "Yeah. I think it's about time you tell us her name."