Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I know everyone is excited about meeting baby Pumpkin, so let's get to it!
A bazillion thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.
Carlisle POV
"Your water…broke? Right now?"
I was stunned by Esme's whispered confession. I never fully believed that making love could help start labor, but apparently I was wrong. Very wrong.
My first instinct was to jump into action, but I was frozen in place with my hands on Esme's shoulders. She was frozen too as she looked up at me with wide eyes.
We were having a baby. Really having a baby. There was no going back on this now. Even though we had been waiting for this to happen, it suddenly seemed to be happening so quickly. And even though I had tried to plan for every possible situation, I had no idea what to do.
"I think so," Esme whispered.
For a second I didn't know what she was talking about, but then I remembered that I had asked her a question.
"What do we do now?" I asked, moving my hands down to Esme's abdomen.
Esme smiled and moved her hands to cover mine. "We should probably get out of the bathroom first."
I nodded. "Right. Get out of the bathroom. Then what?"
"Carlisle," Esme said with a giggle. "You look more nervous than I am. I'm okay right now."
"You're okay?"
"Yes. Are you going to repeat me from now on?"
I titled my head slightly. "I'm repeating you?"
She nodded.
Smiling sheepishly, I kissed her forehead. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm a little lost here." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess all that planning doesn't really matter once it's time for the real deal."
"No, your planning is wonderful," she promised. "We have everything ready for the hospital, and I'm going to call Dr. Banner now. Everything's okay."
I was glad Esme snapped out of her frozen state before me, but I felt bad that she was the one comforting me and not the other way around.
"So you're okay right now?" I asked again. "No serious pain?"
"Honestly, I don't really feel anything new," she said and then shrugged. "My back hurts, but that's pretty normal."
"I'll take care of you, sweetheart. Do you want to lie down first?"
She agreed with my suggestion, and as she dried off and slipped on one of my t-shirts, I prepared the bed for her, situating her pillows and putting towels down so she would be comfortable.
Once Esme was relatively comfortable in bed, I ran downstairs to get her some water. When I returned, we called Dr. Banner, but she wasn't worried or ready for us to act just yet. Her suggestion was for Esme to try to get some rest and to wait for regular contractions. Esme was more than happy with the plan, so we settled under the covers to wait it out.
Since Esme's back was bothering her, I did my best to relieve some of the tension and pressure. I hummed as my hands worked, and my wife finally relaxed enough to doze off.
I tried to sleep, but I couldn't go for more than an hour without waking up. I was worried about Esme and the baby and wanted to watch over them all night, but I also didn't want to disturb her by tossing and turning.
After trying and failing to go back to sleep, I carefully rolled out of bed and went around to the other side so I could have a final talk with Pumpkin.
"Hey, Pumpkin," I whispered as I softly rested my hand against Esme's protruding middle. "Daddy loves you so much, and Mommy and I are excited about getting to see you later today. We can't wait to hold you and kiss you, so you be good to Mommy and cooperate, okay?" I leaned in to give Pumpkin a kiss, but as I did, I could feel the tightening of Esme's muscles. This had to be a contraction.
Esme shifted suddenly, her hands going directly to her abdomen as she winced in her sleep. Based on how painful it looked, I had a feeling she wouldn't be asleep for long.
A few minutes later, she winced again, moaning softly this time. This was the part I had been dreading. I hated seeing Esme in pain, even if the pain was completely worth it in the end. Being able to witness her contractions gave me a job, though. Glancing at my watch, I started timing, and when eight minutes passed, another contraction hit.
"Oh!" Esme gasped as her eyes popped open.
"Breathe through it, sweetheart," I whispered as I placed my hand in hers. "You can do it."
She gripped my hand tightly but relaxed her face as she breathed through her contraction. Her composure was amazing, but I hadn't expected anything else. There was no way she wasn't strong enough to do this.
When the contraction passed, I brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles. "Amazing, sweetheart. You're amazing."
"I think I'm contracting now," she murmured, still breathing through the pain.
I climbed back into bed and snuggled behind her, and she refused to let go of my hand. With every contraction, I anchored her with my touch and soft words as I timed them. They remained at a consistent eight minutes apart until eight gradually became seven and then six.
"When did Dr. Banner say we should go to the hospital?"
"Five minutes apart. She's afraid because it's my second baby. Doesn't want a home birth."
"Well, you're at six right now," I said, smiling against her neck as I kissed her.
"Really?" She turned to smile at me, the hope clear on her face.
"Really. Want to get ready to go?"
"Yes, please," she sighed.
Our earlier hesitance and shock had disappeared, and even though the anxiety hadn't gone anywhere, excitement was now the dominate feeling. We were ready to get the hard part over so we could meet our baby.
Esme promised me she could dress herself, so I slipped some comfortable clothes on before taking the bags down to the car. I put our three small bags and Esme's pillows in the trunk, making the car seat the only thing we were missing. Someone was going to bring it to us when we knew which one we needed. I smiled as I realized that in a matter of hours, we would know if Pumpkin was a boy or a girl and he or she would have a real name. That was more than enough motivation for me to finish my task quickly, and after getting Esme's seat ready, I rushed back inside.
The house was completely silent, but that was to be expected just before five in the morning. I debated on what do next between checking on Esme, waking the kids, or waking Chelsea and Alec. We also needed to call Carmen and Eleazar as well as Charlotte and Peter to make sure they were going to be at the hospital. It seemed my short-term to-do list was actually longer than I thought, and my internal debate was taking up more time than I had to spare.
Since I was downstairs, I decided to wake Chelsea and Alec first. I knocked quietly on the guest room door and waited a few seconds before knocking again. Soon, I heard footsteps come closer to the door until it was opened by a groggy Chelsea.
"Good morning," I whispered, smiling as she huffed at me.
"Carlisle, I love you, but I hope this is more than just a wake-up call or else you will face my wrath."
I chuckled and shook my head. "Will a newborn be enough to shield me from your wrath?"
"What? A newborn? Is it time? Like right now?" Her face changed expression quickly, going from annoyed and sleepy to happy in excited, and I couldn't help but chuckle again.
"Esme's water broke around ten and contractions are six minutes apart right now," I informed her. "We're leaving in a few minutes, so you can watch the kids, right?"
"Of course, of course," she said as she nodded. "What do you need me to do right now though?"
"I think I'm going to wake the kids so they'll know what's going on. Can you check on Esme for me?"
Chelsea immediately agreed, and as she told Alec what was going on, I headed up to the boys' room. I hated the thoughts of waking the kids since they had trouble going to sleep in the first place, but they already knew something was going on. We had kept them informed up to this point, so it made sense to tell them where we were going and why.
I stepped quietly into the room, going to Jasper's side of the bed first. His eyes opened before I could even touch him, and when he saw me, he reached up.
"Morning, buddy," I whispered as I lifted him into my arms. "Sleep good?"
He nodded and placed his head against my shoulder as he yawned.
"Hey, bud…do you know what today is?" I asked. He wasn't completely alert yet, but we didn't have time to waste, and I wanted to make sure he understood a little of what was happening.
"I no know, Daddy," he mumbled.
"Well, today's a special day. Pumpkin is coming out of Mommy's belly today, so Mommy and I are about to go to the hospital."
"No, you stay wif me, Daddy. No go away now."
I kissed the top of his head and sat on the bed so I could see him better. "It's okay, Jasper. You'll get to come to the hospital in a few hours to see your new brother or sister. Doesn't that sound good?"
"Yeah, but Mommy stay wif me all da time. I want Mommy." His lower lip trembled as tears filled his eyes. "Mommy not leave me."
"Oh, bud, it's okay," I soothed, rocking back and forth slowly. "Shh…I promise you'll see us soon and then you can hold Pumpkin. It'll be so much fun."
Jasper wasn't convinced though. He wasn't crying loudly, but his sniffles were breaking my heart. I knew he was just tired and nervous, but that didn't help my worries.
I often worried about our timing and whether it was too soon to bring another baby into the family, not that we weren't excited about our little miracle. Rosalie and Jasper were recovering and growing more and more every day. They were just normal toddlers at home with us. I didn't want anything to inhibit their progress, including the new baby.
I couldn't let myself think like that now though. I had to keep our main goal in the forefront of my mind: get Esme to the hospital and have a healthy baby. If the kids weren't completely calm when we left, there wasn't much we could do.
"Do you want to go see Mommy?" I suggested softly. "You can sit with her for a while, okay?"
"Kay, Daddy. I wanna see Mommy."
I rubbed his back and stood up before crossing the hallway. Chelsea was sitting on the edge of the bed with Esme who was breathing through yet another contraction. It appeared to be the end of this one, and when she relaxed and opened her eyes, I sat Jasper down next to her.
"Someone wants his mommy," I told her. "Feeling all right?"
"It's tough," she said with a grimace, "but I'm okay right now. I can do it. And I'm so excited that my sweet boy is with me now."
I smiled at them as she hugged Jasper to her side and leaned in to kiss her temple. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. I'll wake the other two, and then we'll go."
I left the room, hoping Esme could calm Jasper as I woke Emmett and Rosalie.
Emmett was my next target. I knew he would probably go back to sleep after we left, but I didn't want him to miss anything.
"Wake up, little man," I said as I nudged his shoulder lightly. He sighed and rolled to his side but refused to wake. I tried again, and this time, he opened his eyes long enough to see me but then closed them again.
"No, Daddy. I'm sleeping," he mumbled.
I chuckled. "I see that, Em. But you have to wake up now. Mommy and I have to go to the hospital."
"Pumpkin time?" he asked, still not opening his eyes.
"It is Pumpkin time. You can go back to sleep when we leave."
Instead of agreeing, he held his arms out for me. I sighed but picked him up without another word and carried him to the master bedroom. After sitting him in Chelsea's lap, I went to get my baby girl.
Rosalie was more agreeable when I woke her, but she insisted that I cuddle with her in her bed. Even though I felt like we were running out of time, I couldn't refuse her.
"It dark outside," she informed me. "Why, Daddy?"
"Mommy and I are going to the hospital in a few minutes. Sorry it's so early, baby." I kissed her head and she snuggled closer.
"Goin' to get baby Pumpkin now?" she asked.
"Mmhmm. And soon, you and Jasper and Emmett will come to the hospital to meet Pumpkin. Is it okay if Aunt Chelsea and Uncle Alec stay with you till then?"
She placed her hands on each side of my face as she looked at me. "I not go with you? I'm a good girl in the icky hopsickle."
"You are such a good girl, but you can't go with us right now. You can come in a few hours, okay?"
She sighed as she nodded and rested her head against my chest. I was honestly surprised that she wasn't protesting, but questioning it seemed counterproductive. If Rosalie was okay with the idea of staying here with Chelsea and Alec, we needed to leave before she changed her mind.
I carried her to join everyone else, and thankfully, Jasper was much calmer after spending a few minutes with his mommy.
Chelsea managed to hold both boys and carry them downstairs as I carried Rosalie and helped Esme. When she was in between contractions, she could move fine, so I wanted to make sure we made it down before another one hit.
Once downstairs, Esme and I gave hugs and kisses to the kids, and they seemed okay with us leaving. Alec was now awake, and Chelsea dropped the boys in his lap as she set a movie up for them to watch. After she took Rosalie from me and sat down, Esme and I managed to sneak out without anyone noticing.
As I drove to the hospital, Esme called Dr. Banner to let her know that we were on our way, and I called Carmen. I knew my aunt would let everyone else know what was happening, so I didn't have anyone else I needed to call except Peter. He wasn't at the hospital yet, but he promised that both he and Charlotte would be there before the delivery. Just hearing the word 'delivery' gave me a chill. This was really happening, and it was happening soon.
Esme held my hand as I drove and continued to squeeze it tightly every time she needed to. I was stunned at how calm she was.
"You're amazing me right now, Esme. You're incredible."
I glanced over at her, smiling when I saw the small smile gracing her lips. I knew her current calm and quiet demeanor was helping her through the pain, so I didn't pressure her to speak. From the stories she had told me, this labor was already vastly different than her labor with Emmett. I hoped my support would continue to get her through this smoothly.
We arrived at the hospital just as the sun was rising, and I grabbed the bags and wrapped my other arm around Esme's waist as we walked to the entrance. Dr. Banner told Esme to meet her on the labor and delivery floor, so we went there straight away.
The nurses all seemed to be waiting for us, and we were admitted and led to a labor suite almost before we realized what was happening.
Our assigned nurse, Kim, instructed Esme to change into a gown. Esme was already prepared, though, and I smiled as she returned from the bathroom in her special purple print gown and purple slipper socks. Her hair was pulled up in a messy pony tail on the top of her head, and I was positive she had never looked more beautiful.
I helped her get comfortable in bed and then stepped back for Kim to do her job. She was very efficient as she took an assessment and managed to get the IV in on the first try and hook Esme up to the monitors in only a matter of minutes. She was almost finished when Dr. Banner knocked on the door and walked into the room.
"I'm here, I'm here. You haven't been doing anything without me, have you?"
Esme started to chuckle when her breath caught and she reached out for my hand. I gave it to her and looked over at the printout that showed that she was having a contraction. She breathed through it with a grimace, and opened her eyes when it was over.
"I guess you have been doing something without me," Dr. Banner joked lightly. Only when Esme laughed did I allow myself to chuckle.
"I'm finally doing something," Esme quipped, grinning slightly. "Pumpkin was taking his or her sweet time to come into the world."
"And your patience is now being rewarded," Dr. Banner said as she washed her hands and donned some gloves. "So right now, I'm going to check to see where we're at, and then we'll go from there," she explained. "Sound good?"
Esme nodded, and after the next contraction, Dr. Banner checked her dilation and delivered good news.
"You're at a solid four, almost five, centimeters right now, very thin. Baby's head is low, and the heart rate is strong. Good deal."
She placed the sheet back over Esme's legs and stood, disposing of her gloves before coming back to sit on the edge of the bed.
"So do either of you have any questions at all before I leave you to it?"
"How long?" Esme asked softly.
"We can't be sure, of course, but I would say before lunch."
"That's so soon," I murmured, turning to smile at Esme as she squeezed my hand.
"Very soon," Dr. Banner agreed. "You're almost halfway there now, so go ahead and cruise through the rest of it too. Kim will be in and out over the next few hours, and I'll be right outside if you need me. I know you two want to keep things nice and quiet so we'll do our best to make that happen. All right?"
Esme nodded. "That's perfect, thank you. Can I get up now? Lying is doing nothing for me."
"Of course you can. This room is your space. Do whatever you want, within reason." She gave me a pointed look. "No funny business, doctor."
I chuckled but had to defend myself. "Hey, now. Why am I the "funny business" instigator? Esme's the one you should watch out for."
"Rule one of this floor is that the wife is always innocent and can do no wrong," Dr. Banner said with a wink. "Be prepared, Carlisle."
"I'm ready to take anything," I promised. I would readily take blame for anything if it made Esme's job easier. She was the one doing all the work, and if being the scapegoat helped her, I was all for it.
Once Dr. Banner left the room, I helped Esme out of bed. Kim made sure all the wires and monitors were situated for us before she too started to leave the room.
"I'm right outside so call me if you need anything, okay? I'll be back around seven or so to see how you're doing," she said with a smile.
Esme and I thanked her, and then we were left alone.
I wasn't sure what we were going to do now, but Esme decided for us when another contraction hit. She buried her head in my chest and fisted my shirt in her hands. I wrapped my arms around her and massaged her lower back as I placed my head next to hers. I talked her through it, keeping my voice low and soothing, and soon, she released her grip on my shirt.
"Oh goodness," she gasped, taking in a deep breath and blowing it out.
"Good job, sweetheart. Was that a bad one?"
She nodded against me. "Mmhmm. They're getting worse."
"Just remember, you don't have to do this naturally. I'll be right here supporting you no matter what."
"Thank you, Carlisle", she said as she lifted her head. I kissed her forehead, and she smiled. "This is definitely more painful but so much easier than my first labor, and that's because of you. I love you so much."
"I love you too. Just let me know what I can do to make it easier. No 'funny business' though," I reminded her which made her laugh. "Do you want some music now?"
She nodded. "Yes, please."
I went over to the couch where our bags were waiting and searched through the pockets until I found the iPod we had loaded with songs. The suite we were in had its own docking station, and once I had it hooked up, the room was filled with the soft sounds of the "Pumpkin delivery" playlist. It was mostly classical music and a few other songs Esme considered soothing, and I could tell it helped relax her right away.
With the music set up, I dimmed the lights and returned to Esme. I placed her hands around my neck this time, encouraging her to literally use me for support.
When the next contraction hit, my hands continued their massaging, and Esme leaned on me as we swayed together. Gravity was the biggest ally at this point, so I hoped it would help get this done faster. I wasn't sure how long I could stand to see her in pain before I requested some pain medicine.
We spent the next two hours in the same pattern. Esme leaned on me and worked through her contractions quietly and with more strength than I had witnessed from anyone before. Every minute I was with her, my love and appreciation grew. The incredible woman in front of me was bringing our child into the world and doing so without complaint or aide.
When Esme wasn't standing and swaying against me, she sat and rocked on the birthing ball that Kim provided for us. The one thing she didn't like was lying in bed, so that was avoided as much as possible.
It was difficult for me to not "doctor" Esme. She didn't want me in that role, and I didn't want to be in that role. As much as I wanted to study the printouts of the contractions, I resisted so I could focus on my wife. She needed me to support her, not assess her health. That's what Dr. Banner and the nurses were for, and they were doing an excellent job.
Kim peeked her head in to check on us every so often but didn't exam Esme until eight. We received the good news that she had progressed to seven centimeters, but we were warned that the last few could come slower or faster than the previous progress. Either way, I was just happy that neither Esme nor Pumpkin was having any issues so far, and the goal of a completely natural deliver seemed very attainable.
Esme's contractions were even closer together and more painful, so we called Carmen while she was still able to talk between them. The whole family had decided to camp out at our house, and Carmen assured us that everyone was fine. The kids had eaten breakfast and were happily playing with their cousins. We only talked to them for a minute before they had to return to their playtime. Knowing they were distracted and not worried provided a great deal of relief for us, as did the fact that we would see them again in a few short hours.
Carmen wanted us to call as soon as Esme was completely dilated, and we promised to do so. I knew Carmen was dying to be here with us, but she respected our wishes. If Pumpkin had decided to come at any other time of the day, everyone could have visited with us before, but our child had other plans.
Esme and I weren't very good company anyway. She was tired already, and I didn't even want to imagine how exhausted she would have been if she hadn't slept before we came to the hospital. And I was too focused on her and how to ease her pain to have a conversation with anyone besides Dr. Banner and Kim.
Our routine continued until just after ten thirty.
Esme's breathing changed, and since she had been doing so well with breathing deeply through every contraction, I noticed. She also stood still even though she hadn't stopped moving since getting out of bed.
"Sweetheart, is it bad?" I asked softly, kissing her temple.
"Umm…yeah," she whimpered. "Really, really bad. Fast and…ohhhh…different bad."
She didn't to tell me that it was different. Just her tone alerted me to that fact.
"Different…like you need to push? Do we need to get Dr. Banner?"
She nodded, whimpering again as she clung to me.
"Okay, sweetheart," I said, trying to stay calm. "Let's move over to the bed and hit the call button."
I shifted us toward the bed slowly and managed to hit the button. Kim didn't even ask what we needed before coming to the door and knocking before letting herself in.
"When the quiet ones hit that button, I know something up," she said quickly. "What can I help you with?"
"She said the pain is different now," I informed her. "More intense, I think, and the contractions are coming faster. And she says she might need to push." Esme nodded, agreeing with everything I was saying, as she attempted to control her breathing.
"You work quickly," Kim joked as she went to the door and motioned someone to enter. My heart rate sped as Dr. Banner followed Kim back into the room. This was real, and it was very possible that we would be holding our baby in only a few minutes.
"How's my star patient?" Dr. Banner asked as she washed her hands. "Feeling some pressure?"
"Yeeesss," Esme breathed. "So much."
"Excellent. I know it doesn't feel good, but that's your baby's head telling you it wants out." Once her gloves were on, Dr. Banner had me help Esme into bed so she could check to see what was going on.
"Well, your baby Pumpkin is definitely ready to come out now. You're complete and at about plus two station. You could push now, but I want to try something different with you this time. Give me a minute to set everything up, and we'll get down to business."
Everything seemed to move so quickly, and I could hardly keep up.
As Dr. Banner suited up for the delivery, Kim left the room. A few seconds later, she returned with another L&D nurse, Charlotte, and Peter following behind her.
"Hi, guys," Charlotte whispered happily. She came over and kissed Esme's forehead. "It's baby time, huh? Don't worry about us. We'll be over here waiting to take care of Pumpkin."
"Thank you," I said with a smile, reaching over to squeeze Charlotte's hand.
"We wouldn't…want…anyone else," Esme agreed between breaths and winces.
Charlotte quickly joined her husband as they prepared everything needed for the baby, and the extra nurse left after helping everyone set up. Dr. Banner came back over to the bed, but instead of taking it apart as I had expected, she sat on the end like she had been doing all day.
"Okay, Esme," she began. "I know you don't like lying down, so we're trying something different that might be better for bringing the baby down anyway. We're going to raise the head of the bed so you'll be sitting up, and if it's comfortable for you, I'm going to have Carlisle sit behind you. With me so far?"
Esme nodded, and that was all I needed to see to also agree to the plan. It seemed a bit…different than any other birth I'd witnessed or seen on the TV shows Esme liked to watch, but I trusted that Dr. Banner knew what she was talking about.
Kim adjusted the bed for us and helped Esme to sit up as I climbed up to sit behind her. Straddling the bed was awkward at first, but after shifting around to get comfortable, I could see the advantages of this position. Esme was still upright but scooted down far enough so the baby could come out, and my body was her support. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I brought my arms around to rest on her abdomen, rubbing it for the last time.
"Fantastic," Dr. Banner praised. "Is this comfortable for you both?" We nodded. "Good. Now what we're going to try is probably different than what you've been exposed to before. No one is going to count or tell you when to push. I want you to decide that, Esme. As long as baby's heart rate stays up, you listen to your body and do whatever it says. Can you do that?"
Esme brought her hands around to rest on mine and entwined our fingers as she nodded. "Yeah, I like that. So I can push whenever?"
"Whenever and for however long you want to. Think of us as only being here to catch the baby. I know you can do this. We all know you can."
"She's right, sweetheart," I murmured, tilting my head so I could kiss her. "You made it this far, and now we get to meet Pumpkin. You can do it."
"And, honestly, this baby will be out within the next few minutes no matter how you push," Dr. Banner added.
This seemed to give Esme the last bit of encouragement she needed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, exactly how she had been doing all morning, but this time, I could feel the difference as I held her. Her hands gripped mine tightly and her muscles under our hands clenched.
She pushed for a few seconds and then stopped to change her breathing, panting through the pain.
"Yes! Exactly like that," Dr. Banner cheered. "Keep that up, and we'll have a baby in about three minutes."
Esme continued, and when my quiet wife started groaning, I knew it was close.
"Almost there, sweetheart," I whispered. "You're doing great. We're about to meet our Pumpkin."
Kim placed some blankets over Esme as she bore down again. I was nervous, nearly overwhelmingly so, when Dr. Banner reached over to assist Esme. I tried to crane my neck to see what was happening, and what I saw looked like a head.
"Okay, head's out," Dr. Banner confirmed. "Push slowly if you have to or just breathe. I don't want you to tear with the shoulders since you haven't so far."
Esme nodded and eased off the pushing to breathe again, and I couldn't do anything but watch. I didn't want to miss the miracle that was about to occur.
All of a sudden, time seemed to stand still. I faintly heard Dr. Banner say something and Esme cry out, but I was completely focused on the baby who was suddenly in the doctor's hands.
"Congratulations, Mommy and Daddy," she said as she placed the now crying and wriggling baby on Esme's chest.
My world stopped and started all in the same second, and my hands seemed to automatically follow Esme's. She cradled the baby in her arms, and I held both of them in mine as we cleaned our child off with the blankets.
"Beautiful baby," Esme murmured. "Hi, Pumpkin. Hi. I'm your mommy."
"What is it?" I blurted suddenly. Everyone in the room laughed softly, and I shook my head to clear it as I lifted the blanket off the baby's legs.
Esme gasped as she saw, and I felt myself smile.
"It's a boy," I announced to everyone then turned to nuzzle my nose against Esme face. "Thank you, Esme. Thank you so much."
"Oh, my baby. My sweet, sweet boy," she said, sniffling as the tears ran down her face. "Thank you, Jesus, for this baby boy. So beautiful."
"Are you cutting the cord, Daddy?" Dr. Banner asked, breaking my focus on the incredible scene in my arms. I nodded readily, and with shaky hands, cut the cord between the clamps. She smiled and went back to her job of getting Esme through the rest of the delivery.
Kim took some of the blanket and helped us wipe off the baby. She rubbed more vigorously than us, so we just let her do it as we stared at our screaming baby. Our son.
After a hat was placed on his head, Kim unsnapped Esme's gown and helped moved the baby so they were in direct skin-to-skin contact. Almost immediately, he calmed as he began to root around, and Esme guided him to her breast. It took a few tries, but once he was latched correctly, he knew exactly what do to and looked up at us as he did it.
I was still amazed by this little person we had created. He was so perfect and beautiful…and ours.
"I love you…both of you," I said as I kissed Esme's cheek and rubbed Pumpkin's back.
"I love you too," she said, resting her head against my neck. "I can't believe he's here."
The room was quiet again as we stared at our baby and talked softly to him. Not even Charlotte could distract us when she came over to check his pulse.
"Sorry, guys," she whispered. "We're at five minutes now, and we didn't get his pulse at one minute."
I hadn't even thought of the required tests that needed to be done, including the APGAR. That was an important one, but Pumpkin seemed to be fine.
"Don't worry," Peter told us. "He was at seven without even checking it, and we could all see that he was fine. And now he's at…"
"Nine!" Charlotte informed us with a smile. "His little hands are still a bit blue, but that will go away soon. Congratulations on this little healthy miracle."
"Thanks, Char," Esme replied. "He's just so perfect."
"That he is. So does he have a name?"
"Yes, I want to hear this," Dr. Banner requested.
Esme turned to look at me, and I nodded to answer her unspoken question. She smiled and kissed me then turned back to Charlotte.
"This is Edward Anthony Cullen," she said proudly.
"Oh, I love it!" Charlotte exclaimed and everyone agreed. "I bet the other little guys are going to love baby Edward."
"Uh oh. I forgot to call Carmen," I said with a sigh. "The last twenty minutes were just a whirlwind."
Charlotte shook her head. "Don't worry. She knew you would probably forget so she told me to call her too, which I did right before we came in. They'll probably be here very soon."
"I hope no one's disappointed," Esme said. "The family's official guess was girl, and I know Rosalie wanted 'a pink baby.'"
"They'll all love him," I assured her with another kiss. "He's too perfect to not love."
She smiled and nodded. "He is. Yes, you're just a perfect, sweet baby boy," she said, leaning her head over to kiss Pumpkin's little head.
I was surprised that he was so alert and active. Even though he had calmed, he was still wiggling around as he fed, and his blue-gray eyes seemed to be focused on us. I reached under the blanket and gently ran the back of my fingers over his soft arm, ending at his hand. His fingers reflexively grasped one of mine, and I never wanted him to let go.
The bond with baby Edward was instant, and even though I'd heard that before, the stories weren't anywhere close to describing the actual feelings I had for my child. To have Esme and Edward still in my arms gave me a feeling of happiness I hadn't known before. The only thing missing was our other children. As soon as we were all together, everything would be more than perfect.
With Pumpkin holding all of our attention, I didn't even notice Dr. Banner still working and I didn't think Esme did either. I turned my head to see what she was doing and was surprised that she had already cleaned up Esme and everything left from the delivery. She then spread a sheet over Esme, finally giving her a little bit of privacy. When I looked at the clock, I was even more surprised to see that it had been almost an hour since Esme had first said she needed to push.
"Fantastic job, Esme," Dr. Banner said as she patted Esme's leg and stood. "This is probably the smoothest labor and delivery I've ever seen. Feel free to invite me to as many of these as you want."
"Not for a while," Esme joked with a tired chuckle.
Dr. Banner rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course, of course. Now, the hard part of the day is over. You can shower whenever you'd like to, and I would suggest you take care of that while the baby is being checked out. Kim will change your bed for you, and then when you're finished, sit and relax for the rest of the day with your baby and family. Eat lunch, take a nap – anything you want. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you, but feel free to call me if you need me."
"Thank you so much," Esme said as she motioned Dr. Banner over for a hug. "You helped give me the labor and delivery I wanted, and I will always be grateful."
"Yes, thank you," I echoed. "Your support made the whole experience fly by without stress." I still couldn't believe it was already over.
She shrugged off our thanks as she stepped toward the door. "I'm just doing what I love. I knew you could safely do it, but even I didn't know it would be that easy for you. You didn't even curse at me this time, so I'm impressed."
"Actually, I'm slightly disappointed I didn't get to hear that," I said, chuckling. "I wanted to see how colorful my Esme's language could actually be."
Esme snorted. "Thanks, dear husband. I guess you'll have to find out some other time."
I smiled and kissed her as everyone laughed at us. I had missed our usual banter the last couple of days when she was miserable and then in pain. I loved having my happy wife back.
After Dr. Banner left the room, we stayed where we were, just staring at our baby. I was sure we already had his face memorized, but we couldn't stop. His sounds and movements were fascinating, and I hated the thoughts of him leaving our arms even for just a few minutes. But when Pumpkin lost interest in eating, we needed to get comfortable while we had a chance.
"We'll take good care of him and not leave this room," Charlotte promised as we passed the baby to her. "We'll make sure he's in your arms as soon as you're back in that bed. I can even call out what we're doing as we work."
Esme and I readily agreed to that option, and I helped her get out of bed and into the bathroom before grabbing our bag. I had a couple changes of clothes, so instead of helping Esme shower at a distance, I just got in with her. We had to behave ourselves, of course, but just being together and holding each other close again was as relaxing as the warm water.
Charlotte kept her promise and called out every measurement and every procedure as they occurred, and the only things we missed were seeing Pumpkin's first bowel movement and hearing his cries during the vitamin K shot. Personally, I was glad we managed to bypass the poop, and the thoughts of witnessing his pain didn't sit well with me either.
Once I quickly dried off and got dressed, I helped Esme get comfortable in her new pajamas and pull her hair back up. She could walk around fine and promised me she wasn't in pain, but I still insisted on placing my arm around her waist as she walked back to the bed.
Kim had changed the bedding, and Esme sighed in relief when she slipped under the fresh sheet and blanket. Charlotte brought our six pound, twelve ounce, twenty inches long baby over right away, and after some maneuvering, he was once again chest to chest with his mommy.
We were also given our new hospital ID bracelets and a copy of the footprints as well as all of his measurements.
"His temp isn't quite up to normal on his own yet, but I bathed him anyway," Charlotte explained. "Just keep him on your chest and under a blanket or he'll need to be under a warmer. But this way, you'll know when he wants to eat again."
"So what's the verdict?" I asked Peter.
He smiled. "One hundred percent healthy. I'll leave Char up here to monitor his temperature, and there's some other screening that needs to be done in a couple of days, but that's it. Congratulations, guys. And happy birthday to baby Edward."
I went over to shake his hand and pat his shoulder. I would trust my best friend with my life, so I knew he was giving my son the best care possible.
Charlotte offered to follow her husband out and leave us along for a few minutes, but Esme didn't mind her staying with us, so I didn't either. As long as Esme was comfortable, I planned to just go with the flow.
I started to sit in the chair beside the bed, but Esme scooted over and patted the bed.
"Sit with us. Please. I like having you by me."
"Well, I could never deny you, sweetheart," I said as I carefully sat beside her. I placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me.
She hummed contentedly and snuggled close. "Yes, like this. And now you can see Pumpkin. Sorry you haven't been able to hold him yet."
"I'm patient, though, so don't worry about me." I kissed her temple and placed my free hand on the baby. "Let's get him warm first."
I knew I would probably be waiting several hours for my turn to hold my son, but that was okay. I was one of the two people my son saw when he opened his eyes for the first time. I wouldn't trade that special moment for the world. That would be enough until I could find a quiet moment to bond with Pumpkin…my son, Edward.
As soon as the family arrived, there would be no more quiet moments until they left, but I knew they wouldn't be staying forever. Even so, I made sure to soak up the moment with my wife in my arms and Edward sleeping peacefully. It was only a matter of time before the family would attack.
A/N: Before anyone screams at me, I'd just like to point out that I like using as many canon elements as possible, including birthdays. I thought this baby was very obvious with the due date, but I think I was wrong. ;)
And don't worry, Alice lovers. She will be in the story. I can promise you that.
Reviewers will receive teasers, and hopefully the next chapter will be posted in ~3 weeks! =)