Chapter 13: Divine Intervention
One month later -October /Bella's second month of pregnancy
"and let's see? Miss swan! Can you tell me the legal definition of insanity, the person must have a mental disease that….?"
"makes them unable to discern right from wrong!" Bella shouted as she hit the buzzer. her
"you are correct!" her professor shouted.
"yes! Way to go Bella!" her teammates cheered.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen that's the end of our class. Have a great day! Mrs swan, may I have a word."
"we'll be in the hallway B!" one of her friends shouted.
Bella waved and gathered her psych book.
" hey, professor. Is everything ok?" She asked nervously.
As far as Bella knew her grades were good. Every Friday Professor Lang allowed the class to play Psychology Jeopardy to get extra credit. Bella was her team's star player.
"Everything is perfect. You have been working hard considering your pregnancy. I think you'd make a great candidate for our Excel program."
"Excel?" Bella questioned.
"It's a program for really gifted students in their field. It enables you to take two years' worth of in-class hours and shadow someone who has the same career path as you. so instead of graduating in four years, you can graduate in two."
"But.. I'm only a freshman!"
"yes that is true but this program is geared towards freshmen. The state of New Mexico signed a new law a few years ago that lessens the time students spend in the classroom and adds more hands-on experience. If it helps your other professors already signed off on this and we have a glowing recommendation from Professor Ajana. Listen by the time the spring semester comes you can be shadowing a psychologist and botanist. You have a bright future ahead of you Isabella. Please just think about it."
"Can I give you an answer next week?"
"tell you what take the four-day weekend to think about it ok?"
"thank you, professor."
…..
"Everything alright B?" Sydney asked as she joined them in the quad.
"oh yeah, Professor Lang just wanted to talk. Any plans for the week you guys?" Bella asked.
One thing about moving away from Forks was that Bella got to start over when it came to friends.
She didn't have to worry about her supernatural ex-boyfriend hanging over her shoulder telling her who she should and shouldn't be friends with.
Sydney, Brian, and Liam. All of them are psych majors just like her. it was a breath of fresh air.
"Well, Amanda Roswell is having one of those desert parties, Saturday night, you want to come?" Sydney asked.
Bella chuckled as ate a few carrot sticks. She hadn't told her friends she was pregnant. She wasn't quite ready yet. She made sure to tell her professors just in case they wondered why she leaving classes early but she liked having her pregnancy between her and her family.
She was going to keep it that way a little longer.
"I'll think about it." She told Sydney. "that's all I ask. besides all the hot sports jocks will be there, we need to get you set up with a man! I mean out of the four of us, you're the only single one."
Bella was going to say something but then her alarm rang.
"crap, sorry you guys I gotta go! I'll see you later!"
Twenty minutes later, Bella found herself in the doctor's office, on her back with the nurse between her legs.
"Alright, Mrs. Swan we are going to get started, are you sure there is no one you want to be here with you?"
Bella opened her mouth but was startled when the office door opened to reveal Quil. His hair was braided back and he was wearing what looked like a very expensive suit. Strapped to his side was a firearm.
"Baby, I'm here. I'm here." He said between deep breaths.
"Q! You made it!" she said with tears in her eyes. " I am so glad you're here."
"I wouldn't miss this for the beautiful." He told her as he kissed her on the head.
"Should I expect any more family members to burst through the door?" the doctor questioned with a smile.
Bella blushed.
"no mam."
"alright. now, today we are doing a vaginal ultrasound. We just want to hear a clear and steady heartbeat. For someone in their 1st trimester, you have gained a healthy amount of weight. Your blood work looks good and all your levels are normal. Let's hear this heartbeat."
Bella squeezed Quil's hand, as the doctor inserted the wand. She felt her body relax, as Quil hummed in her ear.
"That's it, little girl, you just relax. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He assured her.
And then the first time parents heard the most beautiful sound.
Bump
Bump
Bump
bump
Bella felt tears fall. but they were happy tears.
"Well, I will be a monkey's uncle. I believe we are hearing two heartbeats. Mrs swan you are having twins. I'm going to go run some tests and I will give you two a moment of privacy." The doctor said as she removed the wand.
Bella grunted and squeezed Quil's hand.
As soon as the doctor was gone, he helped her sit up and grabbed her underwear.
"Q, is that what you hear all the time?" she asked him.
"yeah, baby I do. How are you feeling?"
"I am so freaking happy Q. You have no idea. i…I didn't get this moment, the first time I was pregnant. They couldn't hear or see anything. And…Edward wasn't very supportive. Not to mention the pregnancy wasn't a celebration or a time to be happy. But…things are different now..things have changed… and... I am really happy to be with you Q."
Quil smiled at her.
"Baby you have no idea how happy I am to be with you. and I am so happy you having our babies. Now I had to run and kiss but I gotta get back to work. The old fart of a supervisor gave me an hour."
"I am just so glad you could come. Will you be over for the family bonfire? Aunt Monica has some of her family coming over."
"you know I will baby. I'll be late but I'll make sure to bring you some olives and cheesecake cream cheese on a bagel."
"Oh, you know me so well."
Quil smiled at her and made sure to kiss her deeply before he dashed out the door.
She couldn't do anything but smile.
…..
"Bella bee, you don't have to do this." Uncle Chester said over the phone.
"Uncle Chester, will you please stop it? you have to finish up at the office and Aunt Monica has to finish the food. The least I can do is stop at the store for her. so please relax."
"We just don't want any more stress on you than what you already have to deal with. With school, the babies, therapy, and your part-time job at the flower shop, we just don't want you taking on too much."
"your right, I am doing a lot but I am balancing. I promise if it gets too stressful I will tell you."
"That's what I like to hear. Your dad is picking up our guests from the airport, they are staying with us for the weekend. If it gets too uncomfortable for you, you let me know."
"yes, Uncle Chester now let me get to the grocery store."
With that said, she and her uncle said goodbye and Bella headed into the grocery store.
…
Bella was about twenty minutes into her shopping when of course, her clumsiness got the best of her.
All she was doing was reaching for the stupid can of soup when of course the whole display came crashing down on her.
"oh no.. ow." She said annoyed. " of course, I would knock the display over."
She was having trouble getting up when a gentle hand helped steady her.
"Are you alright Bella? That was quite a fall. Of course, you would be the one to knock over the display case. How you get into these predicaments, I'll never know." An old voice laughed.
Bella came face to face with a man with dark skin and black hair. His eyes radiated nothing but kindness.
"oh um thank you for helping me, sir. How did you know my name?" she asked with a tinge of fear.
Did this man know who she was? Who she was connected to?
"I am not a creature of darkness if that's what you thinking Isabella. I am doing everything in my power to keep those soulless ones away from you. however, I cannot take away their free will. Either way, no harm will come to you. come, let us finish shopping. " he told her as he took her shopping cart and offered her his elbow.
" wait how-"
"Enough questions for now child. focus on one thing at a time." he chided gently as he patted her arm.
Bella however, didn't understand. She had no clue who this older man was and yet he was acting like he knew her for years.
" steak cubes are needed yes?" he questioned.
"yeah, Aunt Monica wants Shish Kabobs for the appetizer. She can be picky. Why do I feel comfortable around you? you are a stranger."
He smiled down at her with eyes that made Bella want to pour out her soul.
" In your own time, you will know. Are you excited to meet your children?" he asked as they continued to shop.
"how..never mind. I won't get an answer anyway. Um, I am feeling very happy. I heard their heartbeats today and it was the most beautiful sound in the world. Of course, I am scared I'll be a horrible mother. My mother and I don't have the best relationship."
"yes, Renee does have her problems. She had you when she was young and she felt like her whole life had stopped. But please do not doubt her love for you. She loves you in her own way. you should give her a call. she's been worried about you. Charlie can only stall her temporarily. Eventually, she will want to find you and that won't be good if those soulless creatures that are lurking around her for information. I have kept you hidden Isabella but your choices affect that if you leave my covering."
"leave your covering? What are you like guarding me?" she asked
"Yes, preciously. I have known you since you were an infant and yet you have not known me."
"You talking in circles again," Bella told him in frustration.
"it will all make sense eventually. " he told her as he pulled out some money and handed the cashier the bills.
"Hey, I was going to pay for that." She complained.
"I know. Come on child, let me get these groceries in your truck."
"I can carry them." She tried to reason.
"just because you can do something Isabella, doesn't mean you should. You have to learn how to accept help, my dear. Let's take Quil for example, he wants to love you and take care of you but you won't let him because you are scared. You are scared he will leave you, you are scared he will hurt you but Isabella, but most of all you are scared to depend on him. Having to depend on someone requires a certain vulnerability and trust. You may love Quil but do you trust him? Your trust has been broken so many times. First, your parents, and then the soulless ones. But I must ask you, from the first day you met Quil has he ever given you any reason to doubt him?"
He was quick to put her groceries in the truck And then right before her eyes, the man was gone.
Bella blinked and blinked again.
What exactly was she supposed to say?
"let's just get the heck out of here." She mumbled to her belly.
As she drove home, she had to admit that the man was strange but he had told her the truth.
She loved Quil but trusting him was completely different.
She had trusted her mother to raise her and she abandoned her.
She trusted her father to guide her but he left her lost emotionally and lacked any affirmation.
And most of all she trusted her ex-husband and his family to embrace her and love her and look where that got her.
But the more she searched the more she realized that her parents had done the best they could with what they had.
And her ex-family? They had tried too. They tried to love her in their own selfish way. and to a degree, they trusted her too.
They trusted her to love their son and be a member of their family.
And just like them, she broke that promise.
So could she really look into Quil's eyes and place her shattered trust in his hands?
She couldn't give herself an answer, but she would have to just risk it.
Wasn't Quil Ateara worth the risk?
…