Beautiful Days

Chapter 21 -A Baby Shower With Complications-

“Hazel again,” Carlisle wondered as he gazed into my eyes. He was leaning against the headboard of the bed and I lay cuddled in his side. “And fever,” he sighed and lay his cold hand on my cheek. “That feels good,” I sighed and leaned into his touch. “It’s so frustrating… Now we seem to know what is happening but we have no idea why,” he grumbled. “I feel better ever since I drink that whenever I change,” I told him. It was still weird to say that. I never experienced such a peculiar thing. My temperature changed from hot to cold every few hours without a recognizable pattern. The fast changes wore me out more than anything and it still made me rest in bed. Other than that though I felt like my condition was improving and Edward, Rose and Carlisle confirmed that. Carlisle all but cheered when the color returned to my cheeks, what had made me blush even more… Our family seemed to come to rest again; Alice smiled again, Jazz and Emmett were having their usual struggles and I finally could see my daughter again. Carlisle had stayed close by when Bella had brought her in. She had held onto her hand and watched me with worried eyes. I had smiled softly and opened my arms for her. Carlie had immediately let go of Bella’s hand and run into my arms. I had cuddled her to me and kissed her tiny face several times. We had been both content with staying in each other’s embrace until my fever went too high and I felt so incredibly weary again. Carlisle had taken Carlie into her nursery for a nap whereas Edward stayed with Bella and me.

“Maybe it has something to do with my gift so to say?” I wondered. Carlisle stopped stroking my arm and looked down at me. “We have thought about that, too, but why would it happen now. It didn’t happen with Carlie,” he argued. “Every pregnancy is different,” I mumbled. Carlisle chuckled. “I have said that sentence so often to expecting parents,” he laughed. “See,” I giggled. “It does not always have to have a supernatural reason,” I went on. “But what can we do to stop it? The baby is just as worn out as you with the rapid changes. The heartbeat is so unsteady… And feeding you blood cannot be the solution, you didn’t need it before,” he thought out loud. “Maybe the baby needs it and thus plays around with my body,” I told him my silly thoughts. “You think so?” his head snapped up and he looked deeply in thought. “But why should the change still happen when you are drinking blood?” “It was just a random thought,” I sighed. “But it might as well be the reason. Our baby is gifted and we know that…” he wondered. “You mean he or she could do that to me?” “The baby tries to change you back but your body refuses it naturally. You have tried before to change back to a vampire on your own and it hasn’t worked, so your body fights back. Thus causing the temperature and eye color changes.” “You think that’s the reason?” I wondered. “I would say it’s plausible. But that would also mean that our little one is very powerful… He would have also inherited your gift: to change from human to vampire…” “And why right now?” I asked skeptically. “He or she is developing so fast right now. His brain and senses are developed nearly fully and she might as well start to manipulate your body as normal babies cause headache or nausea…The healing might have been a natural instinct at that stage,” he argued. “So the changes won’t stop,” I sighed. “It could be that way,” Carlisle sighed and kissed my hair.

As days passed after our comfortable talk in the bed, it proved to be the right explanation. The more I drank blood, the fewer were the changes. The baby’s heartbeat steadied and with it the changes. I would change once a day, sometimes more, but that was endurable. After all, in probably a month we will be able to welcome our second child into the world. Carlisle had measured the abdominal girth and made a blood check and still thinks that the baby will be due around the middle of January. He exactly calculated the 7th of January and Rosalie already joked that her little sibling might have the same birthday as she does, that is the 5th of January. She hadn’t seemed to be very opposed to it. We were all occupied with Christmas shopping, decorating and stuff. Though because it was only a month more, Alice insisted on throwing a baby shower before Christmas…