A single heartbeat echoed through the house, appearing as though it mocked the Cullen and Denali families as it raced along. Three days had passed, three agonisingly slow days. Yet there was still no change to Amelia, no relief from the torment that was burning through her veins.
"Eleazar, should it be taking this long?" Carlisle's voice was tortured as he paced the study.
"Carlisle, listen to her heartbeat. It is strong. She just needs time."
"What have I done to my daughter, old friend?" If agony had an expression, it would be the one on Carlisle's face.
"You have saved her life, that is what you did. Please stop beating yourself up."
"It's been three days. She should be nearly done. Instead she is burning up," Carlisle placed an icy hand on Amelia's forehead, "she has not burned like this since she got pneumonia the last time you visited."
"Alice keeps seeing her waking up. Try to relax."
"But everyone else's transformation took three days!"
"Amelia is not everyone else. She had significant damage to her body," Eleazar explained kindly.
"So did Bella and Esme! They had broken vertebral columns and spinal damage for goodness sake!"
"Their bodies had structural damage, for lack of a better term. Amelia's bodily damage is on a cellular level. She had significantly more wrong with her than a handful of broken bones," interjected Blythe, joining in on their conversation. She had been sitting quietly next to Amelia along with Samantha and Alair, watching the conversation between Eleazar and Carlisle like a tennis match.
"Should we remove the oxygen?" queried Alair.
"She still needs to breathe," reminded Samantha, "the venom has not yet healed her lungs."
As if to emphasise her point, Amelia coughed loudly. Samantha tapped her back a few times to try to dislodge the mucus obstructing her airway. She had arrived only an hour prior, after Emmett had called her. The Denalis had arrived only a couple of hours after Amelia had slipped into the coma that triggered the change to begin with. Carlisle had phoned the hospital to inform them that he would not be in, as Amelia had taken a turn for the worse. Alair had arrived ten minutes later. Sixteen vampires were assembled Forks, waiting. The four vampires proficient in health care, namely Carlisle, Blythe, Samantha and Alair, along with Eleazar, were ensconced in Carlisle's office, surrounding the teenager whose transformation was taking a tad longer than expected.
Rosalie and Emmett were downstairs, trying to keep everyone's spirits up. Jasper and Alice had left the house temporarily, and were lurking in the woods, far away enough that Jasper would not be so badly affected by the generally gloomy environment of the Cullen mansion, and close enough that Alice could notify them of any changes. Bella and Edward were on the Reservation with Renesmee, determined to shield their daughter from what was transpiring.
Edward had confirmed that he could not hear anything from Amelia just before they left, a fact which worried Carlisle. Amelia's gift would not kick in until she was turned, so how was it that she seemed to be affected already? Jemima was sitting in Tanya's lap; even she had picked up on the morose atmosphere and was pining for her owner. Garret and Kate were in the garden, unsure what to do with themselves.
Carmen had taken Esme out of the office for a little while. Esme's nerves were shattered, and she was becoming increasingly concerned that Amelia might never wake up. Her daughter had been so quiet; the only noise she ever made was when she was coughing. Just like Bella. Amelia seemed to be locked in her coma. Esme had initially been worried how she would manage listening to her sweet baby girl crying out as the venom spread, but now she would give anything to listen to that agony. The silence was deafening.
---
"Any change yet?" Esme whispered, coming to sit in the office once more. Carlisle shook his head. Esme was not alone, in her arms sat the Scottie who was desperate for her owner. She put Jemima on the bed, next to Amelia, and the small dog immediately climbed over her and licked her face. When she received no response, Jemima playfully attacked Amelia's ears. Still no response. With a whine, she looked up in confusion at Carlisle and Esme, before nudging Amelia. Carlisle reached out to stroke Jemima, soothing the dog. With her ears down, she curled up in the crook of Amelia's neck, sighing loudly. She rested her head on Amelia's shoulder, determined to keep her owner safe while she healed.
---
Amelia floated in a dark abyss. Her comatose state was peaceful. There was no pain, no struggle to draw in breath. How strange. Was she in heaven? Where was the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel? Was she dying? If so, thank goodness it was so quick. But wait, what about Carlisle and Esme? Where were they? Had she abandoned them? Panic began to overtake her. She needed to get back to them. She shut her eyes, and willed herself back to the living world.
When she opened her eyes, she was next to a river. She stifled a giggle, how quaintly medieval. Oh wait, wrong time frame. Ancient Roman mythology preceded the middle ages. Was this the River Styx? Was Charon the Ferryman going to come and ask for his money so that she could pass? She patted down her pockets. Nope, no money. Wait, no pockets either. Oh, she was in those cute Winnie the Pooh pyjamas that Alice brought home with her from a trip to Olympia. Oh great, was she doomed to spend all of eternity in those pyjamas?
"Amelia Bedelia!" came an awfully familiar-sounding voice. It was the second time that day she had heard that voice. It brought her such joy to hear it once more.
"Maman!" she cried, throwing her arms around Abigail Theodore. Christopher stood behind her, a large smile on his face.
"There's my girl," whispered Christopher, hugging his daughter as well.
"You know, I was always more of an Enid Blyton girl, rather than Peggy Parish," she commented slyly. Her parents blinked in confusion, then burst into laughter, understanding the joke.
"Alright, Amelia Jane," teased her mother.
"That's much better."
"We miss you sweetheart. We watched you at the concert. Heavens, I thought Simon and Peter were going to cry!" commented Abigail.
"We are so proud of you. We are sorry for everything that you had to go through, sorry for leaving you when you were so young," Christopher's voice trembled with emotion.
"You know about all of that?" Amelia's voice was tight with horror and relief. Horror – they had seen everything she had gone through; relief – they had never left her side.
"We have always been, and will always be, nearby. Whenever you need us, just call. Even if we cannot see you, we are still here."
"All those times I cried for you when he-" she shut her eyes, willing the images to go away. Seeing that she was struggling, Abigail took over.
"Yes," she whispered, placing her hand on her daughter's cheek. Green eyes met blue ones. Amelia nodded.
"What happens now?" she asked her mother.
"You need to return to your family," explained Bree, suddenly appearing. The pair executed a complicated secret handshake before dissolving into giggles.
"But you guys are my family," Amelia spoke softly, once her and Bree had composed themselves.
"We always will be in here," Abigail placed her hand over Amelia's heart, "but your family needs you. Your mom and dad are counting down the hours until you can spend eternity with them. Your brothers and sisters cannot wait for you to join them. You are so loved, and your father and I are most grateful to them. Please Amelia, I know you told them already, but please tell them from us once more, we are forever appreciative."
Amelia nodded, a single tear falling down her cheek as she hugged her parents and her best friend one final time.
"Be free, Amelia. Live your life," her mother whispered as Amelia once again floated into the abyss.
---
Several hours later, as the inky blackness of the night slowly began to lighten, something changed. It was Jemima who raised the alarm, starting suddenly and giving a soft whine. Carlisle and Esme watched in amazement as Amelia's chest appeared to deflate with an audible creak. Her rib cage lost its rounded, barrel-like appearance and took on a more normal shape. Her dark hair thickened and grew longer. Her fingers and toes, which were clubbed, began to take on a more normal appearance. She grew a couple of inches, Carlisle estimated that his sixteen year old was close on six feet. Her greyish skin, which was tinged with red as her fever burned, began to pale, taking on the porcelain colouring so typically of vampires.
"Is she crying?" whispered Esme, her voice tinged with awe.
"I do believe she is," replied Carlisle. Esme was right. A single tear rolled down Amelia's cheek.
"Amelia, can you hear me?" begged Esme, desperate for some sort of indication that her Amelia was alright. Amelia gave none.
Edward? Thought Carlisle. The vampire in question was upstairs in a flash and speaking softly to Amelia as he helped her shift through her confused thoughts.
"She's alright, Esme. She's awake but she's afraid to move or speak because she is in pain. She is worried that should she move, she will be unable to stop screaming. She says hi, and wants you to know that she loves you," Edward chuckled at the last bit. Typical Amelia.
"I love you too sweetheart," cried Esme, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Edward smiled at them and left the room, leaving mother, father and child in peace. Jemima trotted after him, eager to play with Renesmee a bit. The pair got on well and Renesmee often threw tennis balls and sticks for the Scottie. Jemima particularly liked chasing bubbles, a task which Amelia was incapable of managing. She had tried it once, and wound up fainting on the grass from hypoxia. She threw up as soon as she regained consciousness. Needless to say, she was more than willing to allow Renesmee the task of blowing bubbles. Emmett had tried to play fetch, but had wound up throwing the tennis ball into the forest. It was still missing.
---
A buzzing sound surrounded Amelia as she floated. She wanted to swat away at the fly that was bothering her but her arms were too heavy to move. The buzzing got louder and turned into distinct voices. A female voice cried out in sadness, calling her name. It sounded familiar. Amelia yearned to comfort the person with the sad voice but could not. A second person was in the room and the person sighed softly. Amelia was unsure who it was, but she suspected that it was a male. She was sure she had heard that sigh somewhere before. A third person entered the room and spoke. It was also a male voice. Suddenly the peaceful feeling disappeared.
Amelia felt her spirit slam back into her body. She was burning everywhere. It hurt. She daren't open her mouth to scream, she daren't move in case it worsened the fire that held her body in a vice-like grip. She also registered a small body nestled in the crook of her neck. It was a dog. It was Jemima. Her memories flooded back to her as she awakened from the coma that her body had put her into. It was Edward who was speaking and guiding her thoughts, helping her to remember. It was Esme who had called out to her in sadness, begging for a sign that she was alright. Amelia was willing to bet her Stradivarius violin that the other person in the room was Carlisle.
I'm alright Eddie Boy. Holy crumpets and syrup, it burns like... Let me not complete that sentence. I don't want to be the first vampire in history to be scolded by my mother during my change. I'm just going to sit this one out. It seems as though it will hurt less if I keep still and shut my mouth. Yip, I'm just going to do that. Hi Mom! I love you! Catch you on the flip side, Amelia thought to Edward in the hope of consoling her mother. She listened as Edward relayed the message, edited of course, and sent him a wave of gratitude in her thoughts. She then started humming Beethoven's 6th Symphony in her head in order to distract herself from the pain.
---
Amelia's breathing pattern changed and she gasped heavily as the venom finally began to affect her lungs. With each passing moment, Carlisle could hear the air moving through them a little easier. Amelia's breathing became erratic as the venom dissolved the thick, syrupy mucus that clogged them.
"Carlisle, she's going to cough up blood!" Alice's shrill voice broke through the noise just as Amelia began to cough violently. Apparently, there was too much mucus for the venom, and it was making a hasty exit from Amelia's lungs. Amelia's eyes snapped open as Carlisle eased her into a sitting position and placed a bucket in her lap. Sixteen years' worth of now-dissolved mucus literally poured from Amelia's mouth into the bucket. Even Carlisle was surprised by the sheer amount of blood that came up with it, but he soothed his daughter as she choked and retched on it. He heard the air starting to leave her lungs as the venom solidified them. Her heart rate increased as the venom finally began to shut down her heart.
Amelia shut her eyes, falling back onto the bed with a gasp of pain and waited as the burning intensified. She was sure that her heart was going to explode from the pressure. This took tachycardia to a whole new level. The burning slowly began to cease from her peripheries. Amelia could have cried with relief. Slowly all of the burning faded until her heart began to slow down again. She was dimly aware of someone holding her hand. With a final, deafening thud, her heart beat for the final time. It was over. The transformation was complete. For the first time as a vampire, Amelia opened her eyes.