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Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter Twenty-Seven-Horror

Bella stared up at the hospital ceiling. Her hands clasped her rounded belly, stroking the taut skin. She could feel the baby moving. God, she hated hospitals. After spending so much time in them over the years for one reason and another she had grown to loathe the places. She knew that she had to be here, that she had to put the baby's welfare before her own fears, but it didn't stop the panic from rising in her chest. The doctor had told her that her baby was going to come early, just like Ethan. She had hoped and prayed that this pregnancy would be different, that she would be able to go full term and have a much easier birth. Ethan had been premature and she didn't think she could cope again with the gnawing anxiety that his little sister would suffer too. She tried to breathe deeply just like she had been taught. But the breathing exercises didn't calm her nerves, in fact they only seemed to exacerbate them.

The door to her room opened and Bella's lower lip quivered as she saw Jacob enter the room. He had finally returned after dropping Ethan off with Leah. Bella was so glad to see him. She reached out one hand and Jacob immediately clasped it in his warm one. He lifted her trembling fingers to his warm lips and kissed them.

"How are you doing?" He asked in concern as he pulled up a chair. He was so worried about her. She was much too thin and her complexion was almost white. Dark circles underscored her beautiful brown eyes and her brow was furrowed with anxiety.

"I want to go home." Bella pleaded as she lost control. She wanted to be brave but she had the instinctive feeling something was very wrong. Even though she'd had a difficult birth with Ethan, some internal instinct was telling her that this was going to be much worse. "I don't like hospitals, Jake. I think I would feel better if I got to go home."

"You heard what the doctor said, honey." Jacob reminded her as he tried to be patient. He knew how freaked out she got in hospitals. She had good reason to considering her past history with Renee. But he wished she would try and conquer her fears for their baby's sake. The extra stress was only adding more strain on Bella's already fragile body. "You need to be monitored. I know it's hard but the best place for you and the baby is here."

Bella struggled to sit upright and groaned as she clutched at her aching belly. Pain shot through her abdomen and her face lost all colour. Her skin looked almost translucent. "Oh, God! Get me out of this hospital, Jake. Please, I'm begging you. Something isn't right. The baby is struggling. This reminds me of when Ethan… NOOOO!" Bella wailed as another sharp pain ripped through her body. Perspiration broke out on her forehead and her eyes rolled back in her head.

The heart monitor attached to Bella pinged. Jacob began to panic as the room was suddenly swarmed with medical staff. He was abruptly pushed out of the room as the senior physician began to bark orders at the others. "What's going on? Bella?" Jacob cried out as he tried to get back into the room.

An exhausted looking nurse smiled at him kindly. "Let us do our job, sir. Wait our here, please."

Jacob wanted to burst back into the room to be with Bella. Her last words kept resonating around his head. "Something isn't right…. something isn't right!" She had been so fretful since she had been admitted. In fact, she had been putting off going anywhere near a medical professional since becoming pregnant. She had relied on Sue to monitor her condition, but as the months passed her condition had worsened until Jacob had no choice but to bring her to the hospital after even Sue had become alarmed at her low blood pressure and how thin she was becoming. But even hearing all this hadn't made Bella want to stay. It had been hard to persuade her to trust his judgement, but what if he was wrong. Jacob paced back and forth as he waited anxiously for news.

Bella was being prepped for theatre. The senior physician had finally come to tell Jacob that he needed to perform an emergency caesarean. The baby was in trouble and Bella's blood pressure was so alarmingly low that they were very concerned about her and the infant's wellbeing. They wanted to get the baby out right away.

"Can I see, Bella?" Jacob demanded as he tried to let this news sink in. He wished now he had thought to call for support but he had been afraid to move in case something went wrong while he was gone making phone calls. "I need to…."

"Let me be frank with you, Jacob." The physician told him sternly. "Your fiancée is in no fit state to talk. Do you understand? Her life is on the line here. I am sorry to be so blunt but I need you to be strong and let us do our job. I suggest you try and remain calm. Is there anyone we can call for you? The receptionist will contact anyone you need."

"But I need to be with her." Jacob was becoming desperate. "She's scared of hospitals. She…"

"Don't force me to have you removed, Jacob." The physician dropped all pretence at politeness. "Bella and the baby are my immediate concern. Pull yourself together."

Jacob could have punched the man in the face. He clenched his fists at his sides as he forced himself to keep his wolf in check. He could feel it clawing to break free, which was a bad sign. Bella's fears were beginning to infect him. She had been so adamant that she wanted to remain at home, despite her health worries. His wolf was calling to Bella and the baby as if wanting to protect them. But Jacob hung back as he watched the physician stride away from him. This was a hospital for god's sake. She was in the care of proper health care professionals. So why did he feel as if had made the wrong decision in making her stay?

Leah jiggled Ethan up and down. The little boy was deeply distressed. His eyes were all scrunched up and he kept hiccupping loudly as he breathed in too much air and it caught in his throat. He had been like this ever since Jacob had left. Leah had never seen Ethan like this. Normally he was a cheerful, happy little boy. She could feel his skin heating up as she walked back and forth as she tried to calm him. As more time passed, she became increasingly alarmed.

"Sam, Sam…. SAM!" Leah yelled as she rushed into her mom's kitchen and began to hunt around for a thermometer.

Sam had been outside trying to fix a problem with his truck. He rushed inside to see what all the fuss was about. He found Leah sitting on a chair in the kitchen with Ethan propped on her lap. She had a thermometer stuck in his left ear as she took his temperature. He hunkered down next to them both and peered worriedly at the little boy. "Lee?"

Leah had pulled the thermometer out and her face paled under her tan skin. She swallowed thickly before she showed Sam the reading. It read 108 degrees. It was only then that Sam noticed that Ethan's eyes were ringed with yellow.

Bella was out of it. She couldn't think straight. The blaring strip lights on the ceiling blinded her. She could feel herself being moved as she was wheeled toward the OR. Everything was so hazy. She had heard the doctors and nurses whispering to each other as they had swarmed like flies around her bedside. She had heard her own weak voice begging to see Jacob, but they ignored her pleas. Then the senior physician's face had loomed above her, cutting out the bright lights momentarily as he informed her that the baby was in trouble and that an emergency caesarean was now the only option. His words sent Bella into a frenzy. She refused point blank to have one, some internal instinct telling her she needed to get out of the hospital and back home. Her skin was warming up under her fingers where she clutched her rounded belly. She felt a sharp prick in her arm then and everything went hazy.

"Everything will be fine, Bella. We have the best surgeon you could ask for. He is very experienced. You are so lucky. He only came back to us today." The nurse's eyes shone as she patted Bella's shaking hand reassuringly.

Bella was so weak she couldn't speak. She could barely move her eyes, but she forced them to open so she could see. The nurse was still waxing lyrical about the wonderful surgeon who was going to carry out the procedure. She sounded like a star struck fan.

"He has the looks of a movie star." The nurse gushed as she checked Bella's vital signs. "I know you've been feeling fretful, but once you see this guy, I assure you all your worries will vanish. I've seen him work his magic on distressed young mothers' countless times. One look into his eyes and you'll be absolutely fine."

"I need to get out of here." Bella rasped. Her throat was dry and she licked her lips to gain some moisture. "I don't want this. I want to see Jacob."

"No time now." The nurse smiled at her fondly as if Bella was a recalcitrant child who needed to be placated. There was something odd about the nurse's expression. She seemed as if she was in some sort of daze. Her blue eyes lit up as she gazed adoringly at someone approaching. "Ah, here he is, the man of the moment."

"Thank you, nurse."

A cold chill rippled down Bella's spine at the sound of the soft, smooth voice. It was one she immediately recognised. Her belly began to heat up alarmingly as the surgeon placed his cold fingers on the hot skin of Bella's swollen abdomen and patted it gently. "No." Bella whimpered as she stared up at the man hovering above her. His golden eyes peered down at her. A strand of his blond hair had escaped from under his cap. "Carlisle." Bella felt a tear trickle down her cheek as a sharp pinprick on her arm sent her under.

A/N-thanks for reading!