Author's Note: I own nothing. I just like to play with the characters that were created by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Also, thank you for those of who have commented and offered well-wishes in my difficult time. It means a lot to me. Writing these stories has been my strength (as silly as that sounds) and has grounded me.
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me. More than you can imagine. These stories (this one in particular) are my babies and I adore the reviews and comments I receive. Much, much love to ALL of you!
Chapter 35: The Baby
We slowly calmed down and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you, Bella. Happy Valentine's Day," Edward said with a lopsided grin.
"Hmmm, I think Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday now," I giggled. "I love you, so much, Edward. Happy Valentine's Day. Do you like your present?"
"Very much," he said as he ran his hands over the boning of the corset. "Especially these," he said as he snapped the panties. "Easy access."
"Perv," I laughed.
"But, I'm your perv," he countered. Edward cupped my face and kissed me sweetly. Things were getting more and more heated when Edward's cell phone rang on the nightstand. "Fuck my life," he grumbled. I got off his lap and he picked up the phone. "Dr. Masen...Slow down, Jas...We'll be right there." Edward hopped up off the bed and pulled up his jeans.
"Edward? What is it?" I asked.
"Alice is in labor," Edward answered.
I blinked a few times. Alice is in labor. As in, having a baby. As in...HOLY SHIT! "It's too soon. The baby is not due until March, right?"
"The first week in March. It's not too soon," Edward said, a grin over his face. "Are you going to get dressed or am I going to have to drag you to the hospital wearing that?"
I looked down at my clothes, or rather lack thereof, and blushed. I hopped off the bed and ran into the closet, grabbing some yoga pants, fresh underwear and a fleece. I ran into the bathroom and stripped off my clothes. I ran a washcloth between my legs and got dressed in my comfy clothes. I walked out of the bathroom and I slipped on my socks and sneakers. Edward walked out of the closet, wearing a button down shirt that was untucked and a pair of Chucks. I licked my lips, wanting round two. "Bella, get your mind out of the gutter. We have to go. Our nephew is going to come into the world."
"Right," I said. I swept my hair up into a ponytail and we headed down to the garage. Edward started the Volvo and we drove to Craven. We got there in record time and headed up to labor and delivery. Carlisle and Esme were there, waiting for news. "Anything?" I asked.
"They just brought her into surgery," Carlisle said with a look of distress on his face. "The baby is breach and the cord is wrapped around his neck. They're prepping her for an emergency C-Section."
"When did she go into labor?" Edward asked.
"She was feeling it all day," Esme answered. "Her water broke around five this evening."
"Will Alice and the baby be alright?" I asked. "That doesn't sound good, 'breach' and 'cord wrapped around his neck.'"
"As long as they get the baby out quickly, they'll both be fine," Carlisle assured me.
"How long does a C-section take?" I questioned, looking at the two medical experts.
"Depends on how risky the pregnancy is. She should be in recovery in a few hours," Edward said as he led me to the chairs in the waiting area. Esme sat next to me and she nervously fidgeted with her pants. Edward took out his Blackberry and appeared to be checking email. I looked around the room for anything to do. In my haste, I didn't grab my purse or more importantly my bag filled with papers to graded. I mentally slapped myself for that oversight, but Edward was excited to get here. I found a discarded magazine and idly flipped through it. There was nothing of interest in it. I hopped up and began pacing. "Bells?"
"I'm nervous. I have nothing to do and..."I rambled
"Come on, love. Let's get something to eat from the cafeteria. I know it's not romantic or anything, but we didn't get to eat the dinner I prepared," Edward said. "Call me if anything changes."
Edward and I rode down in the elevator to the main level. Edward wanted to swing by his office to pick up his laptop. For something for me to do. I shot him a look and he just chuckled. We went through the cafeteria line and got some dinner. I got a salad and Edward got a burger and fries. We sat down in one of the booths in the cafeteria and tucked into our food. "I'm sorry about our Valentine's day being ruined," Edward said quietly.
"It wasn't ruined," I said. "This is a wonderful thing. Your nephew is being born."
"Our nephew," Edward corrected. "I never got to give you your Valentine's day present."
"Trust me, what we did was present enough," I said, fanning myself. "You are...there are no words."
"That good, huh," he teased. "I'm the shit. I know."
"And humble too," I said, tossing a crouton at him. "You didn't need to get me anything. Just being with you is present enough for Valentine's day. I never really celebrated it anyway."
"Why not?" Edward asked.
"I know I've said it before, but Mike and I never really exchanged gifts. The only thing he ever got me was my engagement ring," I said, looking at my fingers. "The presents we did exchange were very impersonal. Gift cards and the like."
"That's horrible," Edward muttered. "I'll spend the rest of my life spoiling you, Bella."
"It's really not necessary," I replied. "Just be respectful and loving. I'll be a happy camper if you do that."
"Bella," Edward chastised. "You are my life. You will always be my life. It is my goal to ensure your happiness. Your safety. Please let me spoil you."
"Well, turnabout's fair play, Dr. Masen," I said giving him a crooked smile. "I love spoiling you. You loved your present, right?"
"I nearly creamed my pants when you took off your clothes, Bella. You are so fucking unbelievable. I can't believe that you are with me. Forever," he said fervently. "So, aren't you at least curious as to what I got you for Valentine's day?"
"I'm curious, but you know what happened to the cat," I giggled.
"Funny, Bella," Edward said dryly.
"What did you get me?" I asked.
"You'll have to wait until we get home to get it," he said with a smirk. I threw another crouton at him. Edward angled his head and caught it with his mouth. "Thanks. The fries were gross."
I rolled my eyes and finished my salad. We were nearly done with our dinner when Edward's phone rang from its perch on the table. "Hello?"
I raised my brows, waiting for his response. Edward's face told me my answer. He broke into a beautiful grin and he started throwing his trash onto the tray. He reached for my salad and tossed on the tray before putting the whole thing in the garbage. "We'll be right up. Alice had the baby. 8 pounds, 7 ounces, 18 inches long. They named him Edward," he said brokenly. But a good type of broken.
We bypassed the elevators and ran up to labor and delivery. I was huffing and puffing by the time we reached the floor. Edward chuckled and he hadn't broken a sweat. I smacked his ass and tried to regulate my breathing. We strode past the nurse's station and into Alice's room. Carlisle, Esme and Jasper were in the room. In Esme's arms was a tiny, squirming bundle. Baby Edward. We walked into the room and Jasper smiled at us. "We hope you don't mind that we named him after you," Jasper said.
"I don't mind," Edward said quietly. "Why?"
"We want you to be his godfather. And Bella, we want you to be his godmother," Jasper said, tears filling his eyes.
"We'd be honored," Edward whispered as he looked at the tiny baby in Esme's arms. She stood up and handed him to Edward. He cradled him against his chest, cooing quietly. "Hello, Edward."
"EJ," Jasper clarified. "Edward Jackson Whitlock."
"EJ," Edward smiled as he kissed the baby's forehead. "Welcome to the world, EJ. Your mom is crazy, but I love her."
"Don't be telling my son about how crazy Alice is," Jasper chided. "We all know that she's a hyper one..."
"I know, I know," Edward laughed. He kissed the baby one more time and he passed EJ to me.
I cradled him and he burrowed against my chest. "Hi, Peanut. We've been waiting for you for a long time. You are so handsome," I said as bounced back and forth on my feet. "Just like your daddy."
"How's Alice?" Edward asked as he made silly faces at EJ.
"She's fine. Feisty as ever. She's itching to get out of recovery and into the room to take care of EJ," Jasper laughed. "She just had a baby an hour ago."
"Only the elf," I laughed as I pressed several kisses to EJ's soft forehead. He smelled so sweet. I loved the baby smell. I couldn't wait for my own baby. I rocked him as he started to fuss. "No cry, Peanut. You're fine."
"He's probably hungry, but we need to wait for Alice. She wants to breast feed," Jasper said.
"Well, I'm sorry Peanut. I have boobies but no milk for you," I laughed. "You have to get that from your mommy."
"Can I have my son back?" Jasper asked. I smiled and handed EJ back to Jasper. He held him awkwardly, unsure what to do. Edward assisted Jasper in holding EJ correctly. Jasper looked frustrated but accepted Edward's help. "How do you know this, Edward?"
"Um, I'm a doctor, you moron," Edward laughed. "I did do a pediatrics and gynecology rotation in my medical training. I kind of learned how to hold a baby."
"Oh, duh," Jasper laughed. "Did you have to do that too, Carlisle?"
"Yep. I toyed with the idea of being a pediatrician, but decided against it. I couldn't handle seeing a child die," he said sadly. "It's always hard to see a child die."
"Right. I hated when Taylor died. To tell his parents," Edward said, his eyes glistening. "However, this is time for us to be happy. Alice and Jasper have this perfectly healthy baby boy who has an AWESOME name."
"Damn right," I laughed. "Oops, sorry. Darn right."
"He's not talking yet," Jasper laughed as he put EJ into the bassinet.
"But he will be. My child is a genius," Alice chirped as they rolled her back into the hospital room. "Is he being good?"
"He's perfect," we all answered before we broke into laughter.
Alice rolled her eyes and settled into the hospital bed. Her eyes were tired but she had a wide grin on her face. She looked at Jasper expectantly and he picked up EJ, placing him in her arms. He nestled against her chest, obviously looking for dinner. "He's hungry. I don't know how to breast feed," she said, panicking slightly.
"I know it might be weird, but Carlisle and I could tell you," Edward offered.
"You, Edward. That would be too bizarre to get breast feeding tips from my dad," she said wrinkling her nose.
"We'll head out, then," Carlisle said with a chuckle. "Congratulations, Mommy. I love you." He kissed Alice's forehead and tickled EJ's chin. "Congrats, Dad."
"Thanks, Carlisle," Jasper said. Esme gave him a tight hug and kissed Alice's forehead, along with EJ's.
They left and Alice looked at Edward with a look of fear and apprehension. "What if it doesn't work?"
"It'll probably take a few tries to get him to latch on, but he'll feed," Edward said. "Are you sure you want me helping you?"
"I trust you more than Nurse Ratchet," Alice grumbled. "She was downright cruel when she put in my IV." Edward snickered and instructed Alice in how to get EJ to breast feed. He was compassionate and professional. Like Edward had predicted, it took a few times for EJ to grasp the concept, but when he did, it was quite pronounced. "Shit, he's like the damn Hoover."
"What's it feel like, Alice?" Jasper asked as he watched his son suckle the milk from Alice.
"Weird. He's got some power in those jaws. He will make some woman very happy," she laughed. "Thank you, Edward."
"My pleasure, Elf. Weird, though," he teased.
"Shut it, Masen," she smiled. Alice then yawned and shifted EJ to her other breast. He eagerly latched on. She groaned and fell back against the pillows. "I'm so tired."
"We'll go," I said. "See you tomorrow, Alice. I love you."
"I love you, too, Bells. Thanks for being here," she smiled. "You too, Baby Brother."
"Love you, Elf. Be good to your mommy, EJ," Edward smiled.
We linked hands and headed down to the car. When we got back to the house, it was after midnight. I had the day off, as it was Saturday. Edward, unfortunately had to go to work. We crawled into the bed, holding onto each other before we dozed off into a deep, contented sleep.
xx AFS xx
"Bella, you need to buy your wedding dress. The wedding is less than two months away," Alice chided as she rocked EJ. "You've chosen the bridesmaid dresses for me and Rose. Now, choose a wedding dress. It's not that hard."
"I don't want a typical 'white' wedding dress, Alice," I said as I was packing her kitchen. Alice and Jasper had purchased a home in Edward and my neighborhood. They were in the process of moving into the home. Alice couldn't do much because of EJ and Jasper was thrown into a huge case.
"Edward has his outfit," Alice said as she burped EJ. He let out a loud belch. "Who's mommy's little angel?"
"Christ. The kid burps and he gets love. Does he get a cookie every time he takes a dump?" I laughed.
"Shut it, Swan," Alice said, narrowing her eyes. "My son is perfect. Back to your dress. Let's go to After Twilight Designs sometime in the next week if you want a unique wedding dress."
"Something in a pale blue," I said. "Almost white, but blue."
"What about the veil?" Alice asked as she put EJ back in his pack and play.
"No veil. I've been married before. The veil isn't needed. Neither is the 'tiara,'" I said dryly. "I wouldn't mind having some flowers in my hair, but that's about it."
"Pale blue, flowers in your hair. We can work with that," Alice said thoughtfully. "And you're the ring bearer."
"We'll make sure that we decorate his stroller," I snickered.
"And he's going to wear the cutest outfit that matches his uncle's," she cooed. "Thanks for your help, Bells. I have no idea what I would have done without it."
"Not a problem, Alice. You helped me so many times in the past year. It's the least I can do," I smiled.
We worked together as EJ napped. We managed to finish packing up the kitchen and most of the family room. I drove home after spending some quality time with my nephew. I pulled into the garage and went into the office. I logged into the computer and did some work on my resume. I had officially put in my application to be Mrs. Cope's replacement. I was nervous as fuck. I just needed to pull together the resume for the board of education. I got most of it done when I heard Edward come into the house. "I'm home, beautiful girl."
"In the office," I called.
"Hey beautiful," Edward said as he plopped down in the couch in the office. "How's Alice? And EJ?"
"Skinny and adorable," I answered. "I hate your sister. She had a baby two weeks ago and she's almost back to her pre-baby weight. It's nauseating."
"And EJ?" Edward snickered.
"Stinking cute. I brought over some more clothes. I swear, that boy is going to be so well dressed," I said. "I just can't help myself. When I see a cute outfit or toy, I have to buy it."
"I'm guilty of that too," Edward said as he held up a bag from a posh baby boutique. "I was running an errand on my lunch hour and I saw the most adorable lion stuffed animal. I had to get it."
"I brought over a stuffed lamb," I snorted. "The lion and lamb. Nice."
"It's appropriate. So, what are you working on?" Edward asked as he looked over my shoulder. "Resume?"
"Yep. For the administrator position. I'm almost done," I said as I made the final changes and saving it. "Can you grab that fancy paper from the table?" Edward grabbed the resume paper and loaded it into the printer. I printed out five copies and transmitted it to my work email. Edward kissed my neck and moved up to my ear. "Stop it, Edward."
"Hmmm, why?" he said against my hair as his hands moved to my breasts. "Don't you like it when I touch you?"
"I love it, Edward," I said, leaning into his touch. "Your hands are amazing. And don't get me started on your tongue."
"That good, huh?" he snickered as he turned me around. He knelt down in front of me and kissed me passionately. My fingers weaved in through his hair and I leaned forward in the desk chair.
We pulled apart abruptly when a loud crash echoed through the house. "What was that?" I squeaked.
"I have no idea," Edward said as he gracefully got up from the floor. He walked out with me on his heels. We searched the kitchen, family room and ended up in the living room. In the living room, on top of the piano, was a large brick. It had smashed through the window and splintered the lacquered wood of the piano. "What the fuck?" Edward seethed. He stalked over to the brick and saw that there was a piece of paper on it. Edward looked at it, but didn't touch it.
I'm watching you. You're never safe until you're dead. Both of you.
"Call 911, Bella," Edward said tersely.
A/N: Dun dun dun...and he's back. Mike, that is. Stupid, sadistic fucker. Leave me love!
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