YIPPIEHH!
It works again. Thank God!
I hope you had a good holiday season and a happy new year.
But now to the new chapter. We are slowly but surely coming to the end of this story. Have fun reading it!
Chapter 216
Welcome
Edward
As planned, Bella and Ced slept through the return flight.
But this long flight time was also annoying. However, if paradise were 'next door' and available to us at any time, it would probably lose its appeal. The vacation had been very nice. Twelve days of pure relaxation. But now we had to go back. Now we also wanted to go back. We missed our other children very much.
The sun had already risen, theoretically at least, as I sat on the couch at Bella's feet.
Overnight I had pretended to be asleep and lay on the wide couch with them so the co-pilot wouldn't think he had to keep me busy or entertained.
My two angels were still asleep.
Bella had really taken on color. But it was also hard to escape the constant sun in Brazil. On the back of her hands she had a very slight sunburn.
She had forgotten to apply sunscreen and I noticed too late.
Ced's skin had also darkened a bit, although it was much fainter.
Ced had had the most luggage of us. In the large bag had been almost exclusively blood. Safely stowed in various thermal bags with cool packs, so that it remained reasonably cool. Because of the possible activities, I had calculated two bottles more than usual and was exactly right. There was one bag left in the bag and he would get that right away when he woke up. Regarding the diapers, however, my calculations had been incorrect. They had taken up a significant portion in his suitcase, but still were not enough. I had had to ask Kaure and her son Gustavo Junior to bring some Pampers as well as fresh supplies. I had heard Kaure gasp on the phone. She guessed what the owners of the island were, but people always thought her opinion was the fantasy of a superstitious woman who clung to myths long gone.
With an enchanting smile my goddess lay there, and she kept it even after waking up.
It was probably because of my little gift. A snow globe from Rio.
It didn't contain snow, but it did contain tinsel in the colors of the Brazilian flag. I had wanted to give it to her last night, but somehow we never got around to it.
I smiled at the sweet memory of the beach.
In fact, it was because of Ced that I couldn't give my gift yesterday. Ced also got a snow globe, a smaller one with the statue of Christ, but he had almost fallen asleep while eating.
A small breakfast, a cup of coffee, a bottle of blood, and a little time to snuggle later, we landed in considerably colder Portland Friday morning.
Bella sighed as we stepped off the plane.
Hopefully, the climate change didn't bother her as much this time as it did on the island.
We drove home quickly, but only to Saco. We unpacked, threw our vacation clothes into the washing machine and later into the dryer. In between, we took showers and did the necessary chores.
Ced helped out and ran around with a feather duster.
Esmé came by as we had discussed.
I was going to pick up my kids at the airport who were coming back from Forks/La Push that afternoon.
Bella, meanwhile, would take Esmé and Ced shopping.
The last two weekends we had not been to our house on the Saco River, so a bulk purchase was imminent, with which Esmé wanted to assist my wife. What beverage supplies alone were needed! Let's not even get started on the food!
I set off in good time.
It was hard for me today to separate from Bella temporarily. Probably only because of the last days, because we had been together day and night. I had liked it too much. But I also had a very good reason to really leave now. Our beloved children!
They were still long in coming.
Their flight was delayed.
Impatiently, I stood at the airport waiting, texting Bella so she wouldn't worry.
More than an hour after the scheduled arrival, the plane finally landed.
I knew every square meter of the airport by now, by the way. It took some time until the passengers had left the plane and entered the terminal. Then I finally saw her and I smiled with relief.
They looked good. Becky maybe a little overtired, but nothing to worry about. She had probably slept on the flight and was not yet awake again.
"Dad!", Leah ran into my arms, and I hugged my princess tightly.
Also Jake, Becky, and Marcus.
I was so glad to have them back here safe and sound. Admittedly, the likelihood that it could have been otherwise was very small indeed.
On the ride home, they narrated quite a bit.
Fortunately, as a vampire, I had no trouble keeping up everywhere.
They had been to Disneyland, surfing, the movies of course, hiked to the Hollywood sign, jet skied, shopped on 'Rodeo Drive', had seen Granny Ciara and Billy again, Charlie and Sue, the old pack, had run up to Canada with Seth, ...
In their minds, the memories of their vacations were even more hectic. I saw some of the things they just couldn't manage to fit into their stories. Drinking cocktails on the beach, a beach volleyball game between the four of them. I also saw some private scenes that were none of my business, however, these short flashbacks came and went so quickly that I didn't feel bad or uncomfortable. Overall, I heard little relaxation out of their many words, but for that they had experienced a lot and were happy about it.
I drove straight to Carlisle's house.
There were also a few more people to greet there.
Esmé and Carlisle. They had been in Europe for four weeks and we had gone on to Esmé's island, or rather our children had gone on to La Push. My parents had come back in time to welcome David and his entire family here in the house, who were now present, of course. Also Bella and Ced.
The greetings lingered for a moment until everyone was appropriately welcomed back.
So I hugged David, asked Sonya how she was doing, cuddled Cookie through her fur, teased Emmett about his time-defying walks with the dog, twirled Emma through the air, and so on.
Only the dinner prepared and arranged by Esmé interrupted the stormy reception.
After that, however, we retired to our house with our children.
Sonya needed rest after this whole mess of started vacation reports, hugs and such and our family still had a lot to tell each other from the past days.
We threw on comfy clothes, stocked the living room table with drinks, snacks and candy, spread out on the sofa, Ced got a bottle of blood from Jake, and we talked half the night away.
We were home again!
While Easter is primarily a religious holiday it has turned into an even bigger commercial holiday. Easter Sunday was not a public holiday, but always fell on a Sunday anyway. I knew that in other countries sometimes even Good Friday and/or Easter Monday were public holidays and thus free of work and school. There was the normal Easter egg race and Easter egg hunt, along with our own special traditions and a few gifts for younger kids. This year we only broke with that tradition. A little bit at least.
I had been the first back in the living room after changing and had hidden the presents.
All my angels were then looking for them.
"You too, my heart!", I pushed Bella out of my arms where she was about to get comfortable to watch our children search.
Surprised, she looked at me, but began to search tentatively.
For each of our children, of course, we had brought T-shirts from Rio, which were hidden here.
Bella had successfully distracted Ced with ice cream while shopping for shirts.
In addition, there was only one special Easter bunny for each, which I had ordered from the chocolatery in Wells and which Esmé had picked up for me. For each his preferred variety. There was one for my wife, too. Bella, however, had to find something else instead of a T-shirt.
"I have nothing to do with this!", I raised my arms defensively as she found a jewelry case and punished me with a disdainful look.
It had become such a package only by chance, because the contents had fit perfectly in there. And I was actually innocent!
Her evil eye wandered over our children.
"Don't look at us so reproachfully!" said Jake.
"Complain to the Easter Bunny!" added Leah.
Becky and Marcus just laughed, already wearing their new T-shirts. Jake and Leah had found theirs, too. Leah's Easter bunny was already missing an ear, but they watched their mom open her present instead of worrying about their shirts.
Bella pulled down the big bow and flipped open the lid. Very carefully she pulled out the wooden painted figure and looked at it from all sides. Silently ... but I held out a handkerchief to her.
It's beautiful!" my wife mumbled, touched and in tears. "Look, Ced!" she pulled our son a little closer to her and he marveled as well.
"That's me," he stated with surprise.
I left my angel for a moment and picked up the jewelry box that the twins had given her for Christmas. It was here in the house in the bedroom.
Leah took it from me, Jake and she opened the lid of it together and held it out to her mother. Her lullaby sounded and two wolves danced to it inside. One rusty brown, one white. Jake placed a small wooden plate in the middle.
"Put Ced in," Jake urged his mother.
She looked a bit surprised, looked at the figure again carefully, also examined the wolves, the added pane and looked at me seeking help. I took her hand and guided her fingers to the right position. There was an opening in the new plate and the matching counterpart under Ced's foot. Jake closed the lid again and Bella opened the music box again.
My wife shed new tears as she watched spellbound with Ced as now our three children danced equally to her song.
However, Jake was already thinking about two more figures and that they would probably fit easily on this new floor plate between the wolves. Becky and Marcus.
I nodded in agreement.
In his ideas I already liked it very well. This was immediately followed by the mental question of whether I would then in turn rework the faces.
I nodded again.
We stayed in family comfort in the living room for some time, but eventually we went to bed.
I had to smile about my wife.
She had pulled the blanket up to her chin. She was cold. It was no longer tropical nights here, where my body temperature was considered more than comfortable.
The next day, everyday life had us back again.
The ladies of the family continued to work on their story. I already knew one paragraph of it, I had liked it very much and I was already very excited about the rest of it. Everyone could hardly wait to read the story, since everyone already knew that the character traits would not match the original in anyone. Names had also become partially known.
But this leisure activity also meant that I was in Rosalie's workshop with my sons.
Tinkering with Jake had always given me a lot of pleasure. After the Harley shone in new splendor and ran like clockwork, we had already procured a new object.
A 1959 Cadillac Sedan. With real tail fins. There weren't very many of them left, except in classic car circles of course, which is why it was a stroke of luck. Besides the monstrous engine block, almost all that was left was the body. Working on this Cadillac would take a longer time and I was looking forward to tinkering with it with Marcus. His bus was by no means finished.
Jake and I were just taking the dirty car apart and making an inventory.
The kids had a date with friends in the evening, we spent the evening with David and Sonya.
On Sunday there were various dance lessons, a long walk around the grounds with our two families and then the weekend was already over.
David took Daniel back to boarding school and Bella and I took Luces and Deacon back to our place.
David, Sonya, and Emma would stay at home with Carlisle and Esmé until the delivery.
The boys had school again, so they would stay with us in the guest room for the time being.
Their parents had emphatically reminded them to behave and be well-behaved, not to forget to brush their teeth in the evening, generally not to grumble when we sent them to bed, not to watch too much TV, do homework ...
The list was long.
Contrary to our initial concerns, the presence of Deacon and Luces fit very smoothly into our routine procedures.
In the morning, when Jake and Leah left for the woods, the two boys were still asleep. When the wolves returned, they were busy in the bathroom.
In the evening, the twins did not set out on their rounds until Luces and Deacon were already in dreamland.
I enjoyed helping the boys with their homework. It was far less challenging than my own - not that mine was challenging for me in general - but it was finally something I hadn't been hashing and rehashing over and over for a century.
We would drive to visit their parents, or they would talk to them on the phone. They accompanied us to the kids' games, I played basketball with them in front of the garage, with and without Jake and/or Marcus. Our kids took them with them when they were out with Ced.
On weekends, of course, we were at our glass palace as usual, taking the boys to their parents' house, of course, and they used that time as a family.
Sonya felt good, but she was tired of the strain. She would be very happy if she could have the baby right now. But the body was apparently not ready yet. She took it in stride. Between her laments.
David became more and more nervous every day, the closer the calculated deadline came. At some point, he had also given up trying to distract himself from it with his work.
One evening I had grabbed him, and we had gone out.
Man date!, Sonya and Bella had been amused.
We had been to the movies in Sanford.
Daniel had a date with a pretty blonde.
The fact that we were there at the same time had been purely coincidental, of course.
We found it exhilarating how Daniel stretched yawning and then his arm came to rest quite unintentionally over the girl's shoulders. Holding hands and with a milkshake in hand, Daniel escorted his date home after the movie.
Sanford was not very big, so many things were within walking distance without any problems.
We followed the two of them, of course, only for safety reasons. Not that they were mugged.
We also witnessed a very complicated kiss goodbye.
Complicated because they were both pretty nervous and reserved, even though they both wanted it. Cute.
Afterwards, Daniel joyfully boarded a bus that took him back to the boarding school and we entered a pub and played darts while David downed a few beers. David was now much more relaxed than he had been at the beginning of the evening.
There was also a bit of activity in our family.
The double wedding was taking more and more shape, and Leah and Becky had been to Alice with initial conspiratorial ideas for their dresses.
For a whole Saturday!
Ergo, Bella had not been able to continue writing her story, I had not been allowed to dance with them, and Marcus and Jake meanwhile sat around after the workshop quite bored.
Marcus no longer worked at the diner, but went there regularly for meals. He couldn't get out of his skin and usually pitched in a bit.
The school's baseball season had begun long before Easter. Since Jason was on the team, the group now had to manage three athletic encounters generally in terms of time. This had become increasingly easier, however, as the basketball season neared its peak. The standings for each of Maine's districts had been played out, and the top two teams in each district now competed in a knockout format, with much more time between games.
Marcus and Jake's teams were leading the standings in our district and had each won their quarterfinal matches handily.
The semifinal games, on the other hand, had been very nerve-wracking. Both. Now the two would actually face each other in the finals, set for late May in Portland. A few days before the final exams began.
The weather was also getting better and better, which is why we hadn't worked on the cars on Saturday, but had spruced up Jake and Marcus' bikes. David had left his old bike to me - he had gotten a new one from his wife for Christmas - and the three of us went on a little tour.
I then took care of Leah's bike and Becky just had a pretty old one.
I would have bought her a new one, but she beat me to it.
She had gotten the money from the 'Mike Hanks' foundation, she had said with a wink.
The money that had been awarded to her as compensation through the process.
After the redeemed birthday vouchers to a real 'pole dancing' lesson I had to rethink my opinion about it a bit. It really seemed like a sport. Becky and Marcus had considerable muscle soreness the day after in places where they had previously suspected no muscles.
Otherwise, the children have been studying for their final exams since Easter.
I had again created learning plans with them so that they could work through everything effectively. We took great care that their lives were not neglected.
Bella continued to work regularly on her doctoral thesis, while Esmé looked after Ced as usual. Only this time she always took him with her so that Esmé could keep an eye on Sonya and Ced, Emma, and Cookie could play together.
And then it was Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Luces was ten years young by now, and at dinner tonight he told about a girl who was constantly teasing him.
"Maybe she's just doing it because she likes you and thinks that by teasing you like this, you should finally notice her," Bella voiced a guess about it just then.
Luces looked drolly shocked while his younger brother laughed at him.
Ced's hand slid to her hand after Bella's statement. Questioning, chewing, and grinning at the same time, he looked at her and I heard his thoughts.
He showed pictures of Jake and Becky sometimes squabbling, or Leah and Marcus. Thereby the question if Mommy had meant it that way. My son was definitely growing up too fast!
Before I could complain about it further inside, our phone rang. I answered it.
"Sonya is going into labor!" I was told, all nervous and jittery.
I thought I could almost hear the racing heart through the phone, just as I could clearly hear the frantic breathing.
"David. Calm down! It's going to be all right! Sonya can't use you if you go crazy now!", I said in my most soothing voice.
Didn't help. David began to babble. He said that everything was fine before, but suddenly he started panting. Carlisle was already there, but he didn't do anything. Esme was also there, but she was doing even less. The dog barked continuously and flitted around his wife, tail wagging. He was already panic-stricken, imagining that it could be like Emma's birth. Only worse.
I could hear Sonya in the background, just complaining about David.
I managed to ask between his babbling how many contractions Sonya had had.
It was one!
I smiled.
"David! Have a whiskey and a big one! We're on our way!", I said and hung up. "God willing, you'll have your sibling very soon," I said to the boys.
They knew nothing of the danger in doing so and laughed at the good news.
"And a daddy who's completely out of it?" speculated Bella quietly.
I nodded.
"Shoes and jackets on," I determined with my index finger pointing into the hallway, and even my son and wife ran along.
I quickly checked that everything could remain as it was. That no device was still on, or something could tip over.
Then we drove over.
Bella had sent our children a text message so that they wouldn't come looking for us. They had been at one of Jason's games after school, eating out and would not be home until afterwards to study.
When we arrived, David was seemingly even more nervous. He spoke softly to Sonya, but nagged Esmé and Carlisle.
David's judgment that my parents were doing nothing was not tenable. They were already doing some things. Carlisle paid close attention to Sonya's vitals, while sitting behind her so she was more upright. He cooled her forehead and neck with his hands. Esmé had prepared the treatment room and now had a gentle hand on Sonya's abdomen to check the baby's position. They breathed together.
When Bella entered the room with Luces and Deacon, David jumped up frantically. He hugged his best girlfriend, looking for support.
I arrived with Ced slightly delayed because I still had to get him out of the child seat.
David reached out a hand to me in search of help.
With the constant thought: 'Save my wife!'
I could sympathize with him.
Emma and Cookie were with Rose and Emmett, so she didn't witness any unflattering scenes here. Alice was there and took Luces, Deacon and Ced directly to Rose.
We had already explained to them on the way that it could well take some time before the baby was born. Possibly it would even take until tomorrow. That would be a rather lengthy and probably very boring time for the two of them.
In that respect, they were happy to go along with Alice.
Jasper, however, stayed.
As he did with Bella, he would support Sonya in his own way.
I had just sat down on a stool in front of Sonya and taken her hand, the kids were just out of the house when apparently a contraction came.
Sonya tensed from head to toe.
"Ouch ...!" my own angel cursed instead of anything being heard from Sonya.
David had squeezed her hand too tightly from his own tension.
"The how many was that?", I inquired as Sonya quieted down.
"The second one," Carlisle said calmly.
Two contractions more than half an hour apart. The opening phase. In an expected 'normal' birth, the obstetrician would still have plenty of time to eat a princely meal at his leisure and even watch a movie in addition. With Sonya, however, it was the case that every additional contraction posed a danger. Or could represent. With Emma, Sonya had grown weaker and weaker with each contraction until eventually it had become life-threatening for her. Her heart had stopped, and she had nearly bled to death. Carlisle's theory on that was pretty solid. With each contraction, Sonya's body convulsed in pain, with blood vessels and veins bursting throughout her body. At first, it was obviously harmless, as it had been noticed much too late at Emma's birth. But there became so many bleedings that Sonya was bleeding internally and too many for a doctor to be able to oversee it in its entirety and act accordingly. The attention of the doctors and nurses had simply been on the birth itself and they had not expected anything like this. We did not want it to come to that today!
Therefore, Carlisle focused a lot on Sonya and asked how she was doing.
"Shall we swap?" replied Sonya meekly, though still reeling from the contraction.
But she smiled a little.
"Let's take them upstairs," Carlisle indicated to me.
I nodded.
A normal confinement or not, we would not risk anything.
Sonya walked independently, but I supported her.
With the movement, she also got a bit of support from gravity, which is why I didn't carry her upstairs.
Bella pushed David behind us rather as he followed on his own.
He was too excited and feared the worst on principle.
It elicited a hearty smirk from me.
So that's what David had thought when he thought of Bella's labor at Christmas, that some dads go nuts when they give birth. And he had been waiting for me to crack up. Now he was. The one who was already helping his fifth child into the world. One would think that he would have a certain sovereignty for this situation. But he had apparently forgotten this somewhere. Well, it was not my baby and not my wife. So I was going to retire with Bella after Sonya arrived safely on the daybed and David was by her side. I knew Carlisle would have everything under control. We had talked about various medical options to keep Sonya alive as a human being. With Rose, who had also studied medicine, and with Bella, who was a mother of several. We had discussed various birthing techniques, possible medications, water birth, cesarean section, acupuncture, and anything else we could think of. We had then discussed our resulting opinions with David and Sonya. Above all, we wanted to ease the parents' fears about the delivery, because our suggestions were very promising overall. In this respect, we were confident. All … except David.
Esmé and Sonya just harmonized very well, while Esmé helped Sonya out of her clothes.
It was about the same as with Bella. Carlisle had to be able to act immediately under certain circumstances and then not have to bother with unnecessary clothing.
But David more or less stood around in the way. He was the purest bundle of nerves.
So I pushed Bella toward Sonya and pulled David into the hallway.
He hadn't really registered it at all.
I placed him against the wall, put my cool hands to his neck and thus raised his gaze to me.
He looked at me as if he were looking through me.
Jasper was also standing in the hallway, and I asked him for help.
It was difficult.
"You need to calm down, David!", I said gently. "The more nervous you are, the harder you make it for her. If she's worried about you, she can't get involved with the birth. You're not going to lose Sonya! I give you my word of honor on that! Carlisle is prepared for anything. But you must come to rest!"
He nodded cautiously.
"You're having a baby, David. Are you going to leave this to your wife alone? Be happy about it and let Sonya know that you believe in this miracle. That everything's going to turn out all right ... You know what you have to do. Be there for her, even if she will think it is hypocrisy. Your voice alone will give her the strength she needs," I continued, deliberately choosing words similar to the ones he had said to me.
It took him a moment to notice this.
His thoughts and feelings sorted themselves out. He recapitulated the situation. Sonya was with the best doctor he knew. We all knew how dangerous it could proceed and our common goal was to prevent just that. Sonya was in there in the room just on the point of giving birth to her fourth child. Any distractions to currently unnecessary things were not good, as she too knew what this was asking of her physically. She had been willing to take that risk. So David's job was to help her with it as best he could. Even if it would be hypocrisy, he smirked to himself.
"That's right. She is your wife and no one else can stand by her in there," I confirmed.
He nodded resolutely, ran his hands through his face and hair, took a deep breath and looked at me.
"Thank you!" he said, and went back to his wife with renewed courage.
No matter what would happen, his place was with her. No matter how it would turn out, he had to be there for her. No matter if afterwards as a human or a vampire, she was everything for him. The mother of his children. His anchor. His whole life.
I walked behind, but kept a proper distance.
It was neither my wife nor my baby.
However, Sonya looked quite relaxed at the moment. She lay sideways on the daybed and like once Bella was, was wrapped in countless sheets. One waited for the things which would come there. The opening phase of the birth had just begun, so to speak, and a delivery could take an average of about eight to fourteen hours.
"Well, did he remind you where you belong right now?" asked Sonya teasingly of her husband.
David affirmed and sincerely apologized for forgetting that for a moment.
The two of them forbade Bella and me to leave for the time being. After all, it hadn't really started yet.
Esmé brought a tea for Sonya laced with homeopathic drops and checked the temperature in the bathtub next door.
Sonya had decided on a water birth after our various suggestions.
Carlisle had connected Sonya to various devices so that he could keep an eye on blood pressure and the like at all times. In the meantime, he was also mixing up a small cocktail of medications.
Sonya would receive it intravenously as soon as the first signs appeared that the contractions were having the same effect as with Emma. Just because it had been so dangerous with Emma, however, did not necessarily mean that it would have to be the same again. Of course, we had considered that as well, since a natural birth always remained the best and healthiest choice for both mother and child. That was how we wanted to try it. However, the injection would cause the expulsion phase to begin immediately. Hours of labor would be bypassed, the very thing that had nearly cost Sonya her life with the last child. However, we did not know if it could have been due to the intensity of the contractions if they were getting stronger as the phase progressed or if it was simply due to the sustainability of experiencing this physical cramping over and over again for an extended period of time. This drug skipped the prolonged opening phase, the second of the possibilities for Sonya's health condition. This cocktail was a fairly new achievement in medicine and was actually still in the testing phase. There were side effects. On the one hand, the more or less usual ones. Circulatory problems, skin rash, headache, nausea. But also the uterus could be permanently damaged. However, Sonya was willing to take this risk. She had no intention of having another child. Four of her own plus Daniel. That was enough for her. Especially since if David could finally bring himself to have the vasectomy that had been planned since Emma's birth, they would not be able to have any more children together anyway. In addition, Sonya was not getting any younger. She was thirty-eight years old. Generally speaking, not too old for more children, but because of the offspring she already had, this baby was going to be the last one she would get up in the middle of the night for.
The third contraction did little to change Sonya's condition.
Of course, she wasn't in a particularly cheerful mood right now, and there was no denying the physical exertion, but she was fine.
Esmé led them to the toilet and then it was already into the bathtub. Muscle relaxation in the warm water.
Nevertheless, everything was prepared in the next room for an immediate cesarean section, if it would be necessary. Therefore, our original treatment room was quite sparsely equipped. Almost everything was next door.
Bella and I now stayed behind, but had still wished the two good luck and lots of fun.
"Fun?!" cursed Sonya, shaking her head.
"I suppose you had fun about forty weeks ago!", I countered.
Sonya blushed cutely and disappeared as fast as she could.
So Bella and I were now standing around in the actual treatment room.
Undecided what we should do. We didn't want to leave our best friends all alone, but couldn't really do anything.
Jazz sat down with us and did what he was here to do. To take some of the pain of labor away from Sonya.
We heard the fourth contraction and laughed out loud afterwards.
"Hop ... In you go!", David was namely asked by Esmé.
"How, in?"
"Well ... Take off your clothes and get into the tub," Carlisle explained a bit more purposefully.
Esmé explained that he would then be able to help Sonya better, since he could only act in a limited way from the edge. His closeness alone, that she could lean against him instead of the edge of the bathtub. He would come closer to her baby bump so that the child could feel his presence. During the birth phase, if we were to experience it in the tub, he could support Sonya. So he also got into the warm water.
I, on the other hand, had ended up on the treatment stretcher with Bella until Sonya's fifth contraction. Just as we had been lying here shortly before Ced's birth.
Only this time dressed.
We remembered some moments of it smiling and sentimental.
Those moments when I thought I had never been closer to Bella. Physically and emotionally. This experience had left a great mark on me.
And then there was a knock at the door.
Ced came running in. He had been thirsty, but there was no blood for him at Rose and Emmett's house. That's why Alice came here with him and if he was already here in the house, he wanted to go to his parents.
So we lay there, just like shortly after he was born - with him on Bella's belly. And Ced remembered it, too. A beautiful moment between us.
Ced went back with Alice to the other children.
Our four teenagers called to ask how things were going.
They would not come here. On the one hand, it could take forever anyway, then they didn't want to sit around idly, and on the other hand, there were already enough onlookers. They would only welcome the offspring tomorrow, when Sonya would have rested.
Bella fell asleep lying on top of me.
I listened to more contractions.
Sonya got out of the water every now and then to use the toilet with Esmé's help. Thereby David came to us every now and then, had a drink, ate something.
"Your blood pressure is dropping a little," Carlisle remarked when it was already past ten in the evening.
For me, that was the moment from which I listened very carefully to my father's thoughts. The value was within an acceptable norm, if one included the general strains. However, with the course of Sonya's last birth in mind, this could be a first sign that it would be like that again.
"One more," Sonya said, however, and I listened to her for a moment.
She was not sure if she felt worse than she should. Therefore, she wanted to wait for another contraction before resorting to scalpels or the hard drugs. So far, she had felt very comfortable in David's arms, constantly pouring warm water over her with a cup and kissing over her forehead. At least between contractions. She could even have really enjoyed that if the circumstance they were just there for wasn't so painful.
One contraction later, Carlisle gave her the shot. From then on, everything happened quite quickly. Within two minutes, the next contraction was already coming, and it seemed to be many times more violent. Sonya was heard through the door between us, so Bella woke up on top of me.
If I hadn't held her, she would have tumbled off me.
"It's starting,' she noted to herself.
I nodded.
"Carlisle gave her the drug that induces birth."
"So ... it's going to happen again," she asked, cautious and concerned.
"Not inevitably. The blood pressure drops instead of rising due to the exertion, as would be normal. That doesn't have to mean anything bad, especially since Sonya is doing relatively well for this situation. She is fully conscious, can think clearly and is in no more pain than she should be at this stage. Carlisle just doesn't want to take any chances and keep the duration of labor to a minimum," I added.
"I can confirm that," Jasper agreed. "The pain I witness from her is roughly comparable to yours."
The contractions now came in quick succession, which of course sapped Sonya's strength. She was getting weaker and quite rapidly.
"Edward!" my father therefore called me over.
Esmé was an excellent obstetrician who knew what she could do because of her own delivery and her compassionate nature. But she was not a doctor. But now doctors were needed. The medicine worked as expected, but Sonya's body didn't cooperate. It could not be tricked into skipping the opening phase.
I quickly got up from the daybed and transferred Bella into Jazz's arms so she wouldn't lose her balance due to the rush.
When I entered the next room, I was startled.
Sonya was leaning against David in the bathtub, and she seemed, for the moment without contractions, quite calm. She was gathering strength for the next one. But on her neck, shoulders and upper arms hematomas formed, as if she had fallen or had a fight. At the moment, however, hardly visible to humans.
Sonya hadn't noticed me yet because she was lying there with her eyes closed.
She concentrated on breathing and held onto her husband's legs, between which she sat. Naked and with her legs spread. Something I registered only casually. David, on the other hand, had noted with eyes widened in horror that I had entered the room.
"Edward," he mumbled chokingly.
He knew what that meant.
Sonya opened her eyes, hissing as she sucked in air between her teeth.
She, too, was aware of what my direct presence entailed. Cesarean section.
I nodded in affirmation.
Carlisle was already preparing the anesthesia while Esmé moved the surgical couch a little closer to the bathtub.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine!", I gently stroked Sonya's temple and her cheek.
She nodded.
Of course she was afraid. It wouldn't be normal if she didn't have any. A C-section was an operation that inherently carried certain risks. Moreover, she was disappointed. It had started out so promising to be able to have the baby naturally after all. In addition, there was the thought of her, which amused me, that David finally had something meaningful to do instead of standing around in the way of the obstetricians. And getting on her own nerves. It was such a bonding experience to experience labor together with him in that pool of water. Now it would be over.
Very carefully I lifted her out of the water. Esmé came with a towel and dried her a little. In my arms came the next contraction. I held her very tightly and she clawed into my clothes. She was looking for support with her feet, which is why I squatted down with her, supporting her on my thigh so she could reach the floor with her feet. The contraction passed, Sonya gasped with effort, but she smiled.
Probably only because the pain was over. Gently I put her down on the daybed.
Sonya received only local anesthesia, which numbed the abdominal area.
Now we had to wait a little while for it to take effect. Meanwhile, I took off my sweater, washed and disinfected my hands, and Esmé put a sterile surgical gown on me.
Carlisle did the same while I disinfected Sonya's belly. David held her hand, his soaked boxer shorts wrapped with a towel. He was dripping next to the operating table, talking to his wife.
Two more contractions until the anesthesia took effect. Two more contractions that required a few more hematomas. Two contractions in which we connected Sonya to various devices. But then it started.
Sonya felt nothing and Carlisle reached for the scalpel.
Only a light cut to open the skin layer. The rest he did with his hands so as not to damage more than necessary. I handed what he needed. Clamps, swabs, injected already an antibiotic for healing, suctioned. It was pretty quick until Carlisle had the little angel in his hands. Rosy cheeks, hair fluff, cheese goo and blood. And the little thing was screaming at me! A beautiful sound. I put the clamps on the umbilical cord while Carlisle wiped the baby with a clean cloth. Esmé handed David the scissors. With none of his children had he refrained from cutting the umbilical cord himself. He was therefore far less hesitant than I had been with Ced.
Carlisle had still had the sex covered.
Sonya wanted a girl like nothing else in this world. Another little smooch ball like Emma. That was the only reason she had taken on all this danger. Carlisle had known for some time what it was going to be because of the regular ultrasound scans, but David and Sonya had not wanted to know. Sonya had feared that if she were to knowingly have a boy, she would then lack enthusiasm the rest of the way.
I placed the little crying thing on her chest and covered it with a warmed cloth. Its parents held it lovingly and smiled with affection and joy. I gave them a moment to enjoy and welcome their baby.
"A little princess!", I now resolved.
The fresh parents' hearty laughter swelled a bit, and they greeted their newest daughter by name.
Bella and I already knew the name. Emma was once named after Sonya's mother and had Isabella as her middle name. This little hickey would now be called Grace Esmé Mitchell. Grace after David's mother, Esmé on the other hand had only come into being in the last few days, while Esmé had so sweetly looked after Sonya's welfare at all times or simply kept her company.
Esmé was very touched.
Sonya, of course, had to get a little medical attention from Carlisle and me, but intoxicated with maternal bliss, she didn't necessarily get much of that.
"Bella's already got everything set up over there," Esmé commented as Carlisle sewed up the last of the stitches.
"Are you entrusting me with the little angel?", I checked with the parents.
"If not you and Bella, who else?" was the answer I got from Sonya.
She was exhausted, but obviously wide awake. Very carefully I picked up little Grace. She looked at me in droll surprise. And started to scream again.
Yes, on Sonya's bosom it had probably been more pleasant than in cold vampire hands. I could understand that.
"And don't drop your godson!" murmured David to me.
"I'll do my best," I said noncommittally.
So I took the little angel over to Bella. We washed her, I did the necessary initial examinations, we swaddled her and dressed her.
I had left a lot to Bella so that I didn't annoy her too much with my cold hands. Everything was so tiny. It was hard to believe that Ced had once been so small, too. At the same time, little Grace was now no longer screaming at me, but had gone from strange wonder to sleep.
Bella cradled the princess in her arms, looking like a proud godmother.
Glad that everything was over so well.
The danger was not finally over, which Bella also knew. For one thing, there was still the possibility that more blood vessels had burst than we had seen so far. For another, there were the normal after-effects of childbirth. But Carlisle was in good spirits and assumed the worst was over. Sonya's vitals looked much better than he had expected.
The little one, on the other hand, looked pretty scrunched up, but she was perfectly healthy, beautiful, and clasping a finger of mine. I was in love!
Thank you for reading!
