The next three days had been something close to a nightmare. Ana was safely in Boswell and legally under my guardianship. Thanks to some of Edward's connections, it only took a few phone calls. Cauis had an extensive criminal record and on Christmas day my mother was arrested. This wasn't the first time she had done something stupid and landed in jail. In fact, when my father died, she went missing for a few days. I had assumed she was just sleeping at the bar. But no, I got a call from the jail in Everglade Harbor. She was drunk in public and had been caught at the store, shoplifting for our dinner for the week.

This time was a little worse. When she found out that Ana had left and that she wouldn't be coming back any time soon, she must have gone a little… insane. She was getting charged for assault, public intoxication and evading arrest. I had filled Uncle Charlie in on everything before the three of us left. He was furious about the situation our mother had Ana in. I made sure to leave out the details on Ana's sexual assault. She didn't want anyone else to know. So, out of respect for my sister, I will keep it to myself.

So, when my mother and Cauis came back to the house and saw we were gone, Uncle Charlie was there to explain everything. That's when all hell broke loose. I was thankful we were already boarding our flight at the time this was happening.

My mother went after Uncle Charlie with a knife, she was drunk and overly emotional. She lashed out wildly, even managing to slice Cauis as well. Luckily the boys had gone with Uncle Charlie. Matthew ran and called the police. Daniel and Scott were able to restrain her. By the end of it, my mother was in handcuffs and Cauis slipped away before the cops showed up, probably in an attempt to avoid capture. I'm sure he most likely had a warrant for his arrest already.

Uncle Charlie didn't want to press charges, but the cops that showed up charged her anyway. She managed to escape from them, they ran about a mile down the road until she was captured. So, she most likely would be sitting in prison for a long time. Maybe this was a good thing for her. She couldn't drink. She was safe. And fed. Had shelter. I didn't have to worry about her anymore.

But this news has been a bit stressful. Not to mention moving Ana into my apartment. It was a huge transition. She had a lot of medical supplies that we had to put together and get set up. Her bedroom looked more like a hospital room. But she seemed happy enough. Since she has moved in, things have been pretty lively. Ana wanted so badly to start exploring the city, but her health made that challenging. I planned on waiting for a day that she had a bit more strength. Especially since she was currently dealing with a cold.

Thanks to Katlyn the apartment looked stunning. After getting a call from Edward that we would be coming home early, she showered the entire apartment in festive decorations. She even picked up a Christmas tree. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with a smell of cinnamon lingering in every room. Dashes of red and gold accents hung from the tree. Garland, lights and chrysanthemums. A soft whisper of Christmas music. Warm mugs of hot chocolate waited on us as we arrived on Christmas day. I wasn't sure how, but it truly did feel like Christmas, the one from my childhood.

Ana was delighted and wasn't shy as she opened gifts that had been left under the tree. All of which Katlyn had gone out and shopped for herself. It was incredibly kind. She really went out of her way of making it a joyous holiday for my sister.

As amazing as all of it was, I've been managing an illness that I can't quite get over. It has basically kept me in bed for these past few days. I was battling strong waves of nausea and I just couldn't seem to stay awake very long during the days. I slept so much it was beginning to affect my day-to-day life. Even with Edward right here by my side, I couldn't stay awake long enough to spend any time with him. I've tried everything, coffee, exercise, nothing kept me awake.

The only thing that kept my spirits high was Edward. Even though Christmas hadn't turned out how we expected, we still ended up having a good time. We wouldn't be expected back to work until after New Years. So, we had all kinds of free time. For the time being Edward didn't want to talk about Jacob's note, or any of the possible threats the company may be having. He was more concerned for my health.

Today, I haven't managed to get out of bed just yet. It was getting close to lunchtime now. Katlyn was in the kitchen, preparing a meal for us. Ana was assisting her. As I expected, the two of them got along really well. They were so much alike. It warmed my heart seeing Ana making new friends and leaving behind the sadness and fear that she has been holding onto. Uncle Charlie and the rest of the family would be making a trip up to the city to spend New Years with us, since the holidays had pretty much been ruined. Edward rented out a little venue close by for a little party. The whole family would be coming. So, it was going to be really nice.

Edward has remained in the bedroom with me all day. Taking my temperature, bringing me water and at times massaging my feet. It was all really appreciated, but I hated feeling this way. I had written this off as some kind of flu or pneumonia, but the symptoms weren't adding up.

"I really think you should see a doctor," Edward commented as he took a seat next to me on the bed. I moved into his lap, settling myself comfortable in his arms.

The nausea was still lingering, but there was nothing left in my stomach to puke. I felt a little better, just being close to him.

"I'm not the biggest fan of doctors."

"And I'm not a fan of watching you suffer like this." He gave me a firm look. "I'm going to schedule an appointment for you. It probably won't be until after the holidays. But please go. For my sake."

I considered his words carefully. "And if I get over this sickness before the appointment?"

"I'd still like for you to be seen. Just to be on the safe side." He sighed, lightly stroking my cheek. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Please do this for me." His hand lightly swept through my hair, distracting me for a moment.

"Alright, but I still think you're overreacting. Humans do get sick once in a while."

At my words, Edward's eyes narrowed a little. There was a puzzling look on his face. I could tell he was deeply in his thoughts. Something was bothering him. With our bonded emotions, I could sense his concern growing.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"It's probably nothing," He paused, before looking away from me. "I haven't been able to get into contact with Emmett. It's not like him to not check in."

"Should we head over to his apartment?"

Edward shook his head. "I'm not sure if he is really in the mood for company… After Esme spilled the truth at the Christmas party, Emmett has been on a path of self destruction. He hasn't been showing up to work. He's been held up in his apartment with different women arriving every night, he hasn't been sober for more than a few hours a day. He's in rough shape."

I knew this was a shock for Emmett, I had no idea what he was going through. But I didn't think something like this would happen. But maybe I just didn't know the depth of Emmett's feelings. Or what he has gone through to get to this point.

"Has something like this ever happened before?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Emmett has always been… overly sensitive. An explosive temper when he is angry. Unwavering joy when he is happy. Full blown obsession when he falls in love. It's one extreme to the other with him."

"So when something makes him sad… he begins a spiraling depression."

"Exactly, but usually when he goes through things like this, he always calls and keeps me informed. Daily. So, needless to say, I'm a bit worried. He won't return my phone calls. It's been a few days now."

"I think we should go check on him." Without thinking I moved out of his arms and went to swing my legs over the side of my bed, but stopped as I was hit with another bout of nausea. I clamped my hand over my mouth and dashed into our bathroom.

I hunched over the toilet and began to gag. Nothing but water came out. There was a sour taste in my mouth. My eyes watered. I continued to heave until nothing came. The feeling was still there, but I had nothing left to puke. I must be dehydrated by now.

Edward was behind me quickly with a cold wet washcloth, he patted my forehead for a minute, watching my expression closely. "You aren't in any condition to leave this apartment today. I'm sure Emmett will call eventually." He lightly stroked my back.

"No, let's just pop across town and check on him." I protested as I slowly sat down on the toilet. I reached over to start brushing my teeth. The lingering taste in my mouth was disgusting.

"No, not until you are better." He commented stubbornly.

"Look, Emmett is your brother. Family is important. You're worried. Go ahead and check on him. I'll stay here."

Edward bit down on his lip, his eyes flickered down my body. Analyzing every detail. "I don't want to leave you in this state."

"Katlyn is here, everything will be fine. And if you start missing me too much, you can just give me a call." I teased.

He cracked a smirk in response. "Fine, but if anything happens at all, you call me, or have Katlyn call." Gently, he walked me back to the bed after I finished brushing my teeth. He helped me into bed and covered me with a warm blanket.

"Don't worry about me. I'll see you when you get back." I waved to him as he collected his jacket from the foot of the bed. He tossed it over his shoulder, giving me a serious face.

"I'll be as fast as possible. I love you."

My heart fluttered aggressively in my chest, leaving me feeling winded. "I love you too, be careful."

Edward chuckled, before nodding and walking out of the room. The silence was deafening. This was the first time I've been completely alone to my thoughts. Normally I would have found this moment of peace to be a blessing. But I was flooded with emotions.

Tears ran hot down my cheeks. Sadness, loneliness, the feeling of being abandoned. These were new feelings to me. Even when I moved away from my family last year, I never cried. I never felt alone, or isolated. There were times I was a little homesick, but what I was feeling in this moment was soul-crushing. Like my entire world was about to end. I struggled to get a handle on myself.

I slowly laid down, hiding my face in the pillows as I silently wept. Desperation. Angst. Overwhelming misery.

There was a gentle knock on the door, causing my heart to drop. Quickly I wiped at my tears and shifted to a sitting position. "Come in,"

Katlyn emerged from behind the door with a cheerful smile. "Hey, lunch is done, are you ready to eat?"

As our eyes met, the smile slid from her face. "Bella, are you alright?"

The moment she came into the room, all those negative feelings vanished as quickly as they had appeared. "I think I'm losing my mind Katlyn." I sighed heavily.

She moved over to take a seat on the bed with me. "What's going on? Maybe I can help."

"I'm just having some troubles with my emotions lately. And honestly, this nausea is really getting to me." I admitted as I hung my head. Even now, there was a sick feeling tumbling around in my stomach. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat. My throat was still burning from the last time I puked.

Katlyn frowned, scanning me over. "I've noticed that you've been a bit under the weather. And now you are having some problems with emotions?" She lightly patted my shoulder. "I remember when I was alive, something like that happened to me."

I raised a brow. "Really, what was causing it?"

"My mother took me to a doctor, apparently it was just some undesirable side effects from my period, that was just about to start." She glanced away from me. "Maybe that's the problem."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt the wind get knocked out of me as realization struck. I hadn't even considered. So much has happened in the last few days, I completely forgot about my period. It never arrived this month. But I really didn't think anything of it. Since I've hit puberty my period has never been consistent. My mother always told me not to worry about it. She mentioned it most likely was because I was overweight. And most of her side of the family had similar issues with menstruating. And since I've moved to the city, I've always used protection, even with Edward. It didn't make sense. I couldn't be pregnant. I've been careful.

"It's impossible," I muttered.

"What's impossible?"

I looked at Katlyn, swallowing back my panic. "I couldn't possibly be pregnant. Right?" Besides, Edward is a reaper. It's probably not in the realm of reality for a reaper and a human to conceive.

Katlyn's eyes widened. "O-oh, well um. Are you sure about that? I mean… how confident are you about that?"

"Well… it seems highly unlikely." I shrugged my shoulders. "We were always careful."

"Every time, there were no slip ups?"

I paused, thinking back to the last few months. It was difficult to recall every time we had been intimate. There may have been an instance, just once. When we had not been quite as careful as we should have been. Possibly during a lunch break at work. We never made love at work, just the one time. It was spontaneous, neither one of us had planned on it going that way. But it did happen. That was the only time we failed to use protection.

"Just one," I said, letting my shoulders drop.

"That's all it takes,"

"But he is a reaper. This sort of thing can't happen."

"Why would you think that? You know Edward is a product of a reaper and a human conceiving a child." Katlyn said matter-of-factly. "I admit, it's not a common occurrence. It's taboo for a reaper and a human to have a relationship, but that's not the case with you and Edward. You're life partners."

"That's a good point. Sometimes I forget he is only half reaper." My face flushed a bit.

Katlyn slowly pulled a little box from her back pocket and wordlessly handed it to me. Her expression was a bit grim.

It was a pregnancy test.

I looked at her stunned. "Did you… suspect I was pregnant?"

She nodded. "Well, I just had a feeling… because of all the nausea you have been having. When I was alive, I had to take care of my sister when she was pregnant. How you have been acting lately… It reminded me of her. So I picked up a test. Just in case…"

I clutched the box in my hand tightly, refusing to look at it. This was too much. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to get a handle of my emotions again. I was failing miserably at controlling myself.

"Don't cry," Katlyn said, moving to pull me into a hug. "No matter what the test says, I'll always be here for you. You won't go through this alone."

My body trembled as I held onto her. "B-but, I'm not ready. And w-what is Edward going to think? We haven't even been dating for a year. We don't live together. We are nowhere close to getting married. The thought of all those things are terrifying. And now… I might become a mother? I can't do it."

"Calm down, it doesn't help getting worked up. All those things don't matter. Not really. What's important is to take the first step. Things will work out. I promise. Besides, we don't even know what the test will say. It could be negative." Katlyn said as she lightly stroked my back.

"And if it's positive?"

"Then I'll help you make an appointment at the doctor's office. From there, you will have some options. But, I highly recommend you discuss all this with Edward." Katlyn said gently.

"I can't take the test yet. I'm not ready." I said as she released me from the hug.

"That's perfectly fine," She said with a little smile. "Take it when you feel ready."

"Can you please keep this between the two of us?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I can certainly try. But you know how my abilities work. If someone asks me a direct question, I have to answer honestly."

"I understand, thanks for everything." I tried to smile, but I couldn't force it onto my face. This situation was stressful and I was absolutely petrified of what Edward's reaction would be. I didn't even have the courage to ask him to move in with me. Let alone have a conversation about having a child.

"Don't mention it." She stood from my bed and walked casually to the door. "Are you feeling up to eating?"

I shook my head. "Not at all, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll be able to later."

"That's alright, just get your rest. I'll watch over Ana." With that she left, closing the door behind her.

I had so many conflicting feelings at the moment. There was a war raging in my head. When should I take the test? What will I do if it is positive? I needed to come up with some kind of plan. For now, I hid the pregnancy test under the bed. It would stay there until I found the right time.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review with your thoughts on this so far. Do you think Bella is pregnant? Or is it something more sinister?