[Fanfiction] Twilight Saga - Waning Crescent :- Chapter 2 - Imprint
Okay LJ hates me as says adding a 4000+ word chapter makes a post too long -_-
So anyway enjoy the 4x longer Chapter 2.
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Chapter 2 - Imprint
I went downstairs ready to do some damage to the unsuspecting wolf only to get there to see Rosalie standing in front of Jacob with the half breed baby’s hands on her cheeks giggling while Jacob held her.
That surprised me for a moment that Rosalie would even allow Jacob to hold her. But the surprised was half lived as I remember my whole reason for leaving my transforming wife’s side. I stood behind Jacob whose mind must have been off elsewhere not to have noticed my presence. I gave Rosalie a look and she just smiled knowingly.
“Rosalie, take her away from here.” My voice was a deathly low and I watched Jacob jump and flinch though his hold on the little one tightened a little.
Rosalie did as I asked at took her from a reluctant wolf and once she was gone with the hours old baby I watched Jacob turn towards me as he took a step away. His expression actually showed his fear instead of being in his defensive wolf mode.
I took a step forward, Jacob backed away two. I did the same thing and just as before Jacob backed away further.
“I ah...I can explain...?”
I was not impressed even with his fear and his mind running a hundred miles an hour trying to think how he would explain.
“No, you can’t...” I stated, my voice must have told what I had planned to do because more fear and dread crossed his face.
“You’re right man, I can’t. I didn’t ask for this. Okay yeah I had asked for it when you gave me the car for a joyride but what I mean is...I didn’t ask for it to happen with your daughter.”
Jacob’s voice ran quiet as he said the last word. No thought had crossed his mind to faze into the wolf. It was obvious that he didn’t want to even harm me. Not that I could say the same to him right now. As if by instinct I was about to crouch down to attack him when I saw Rosalie walk back into the room with Renesmee. The brown eyed baby’s hand on Rosalie’s cheek while the other reached out in our direction and Rosalie nodded and confirmed that I was the girl’s father.
Still ready to attack I felt a calm come over me and Jacob stance became less frightened and more casual, where as mine became less stiff and I straightened up from my half crouching position. I knew it was Jasper’s doing. He was by the bottom of the stairs now.
“Rosalie, I said take her away from here.” I gritted my teeth lightly. My anger still deep within me.
“No, Nessie wants to talk to you.” She now stood by us with the baby reaching out to me. She had grown quite a lot which shouldn’t been surprising considering the time she was conceived but it still shook me a little. “Well?” Rosalie questioned as the baby reached out to me.
I took the child into my hands and her thought as she was in my arms was, happy. The little baby reached up a small hand to my face as she giggle and in front of my eyes flashed all she had seen. There was me rushing to save Bella, a lot of Rosalie taking care of her for the past day and a bit, Alice and Jasper. The only image she had of her mother, all blooded. At that moment were it possible for me to cry I would have. Seeing the happiest look I’d ever seen on her face despite the mess and how frail she looked. And last of all were the images of Jacob and her adoration for him and the knowing she couldn’t live without him. Had I seen it through another’s eyes I probably would have felt sick, but through Renesmee’s I didn’t. When the images stopped I gave her a little nod and kissed her forehead.
“Jasper, you can stop.” I didn’t look at him but I could hear his reluctant despite I felt totally calm. He knew I could manipulate my feels which is probably the reason of his reluctance but none the less, he lift his control on our emotions.
I glanced at Jacob who was just smiling down at Renesmee with a truly happy smile on his face and I returned my gaze to her. I ran a single finger along the features of her face. She looked so much like her mother it was remarkable but that was a good thing. As I ran my finger along her lips and she bit my finger with a vice grip which surprised me. I looked up when I heard Jacob laugh and raised an eyebrow at him.
“She has a habit of biting.” He showed me his hand that had little healing bite marks on it. “That has got to come from her vampire half.” He continued to laugh and I was bewildered.
“She’s not venomous?”
He shook his head but either way I should have known. The young wolf would be dead otherwise as vampire’s venom was lethal to the wolves. She laughed and cooed like she knew exactly what was going on, but I knew she was intelligent from when she was in the womb. I suddenly felt the burn in my throat make itself known due to the smell that filled my lungs...blood. Human blood. I looked up to see Rosalie returning with a bottle of warm blood.
“Nessie’s din din time.” She cooed to the girl as she came closer. I held my breath to block out the scent. I hadn’t hunted in the longest time and the smell of human blood was just too tempting.
“Nessie?”
“My fault. Bella...she gave her a too hard of a name to pronounce all the time. So I shortened it.” Jacob confessed looking up at me for the first time since my nearly ripping his throat out.
“You nicknamed my daughter after the Lockness Monster?”
“Now that though never had crossed my mind. It was the closest thing I could get between the two names.”
I stood silent for a moment and kissed Renesmee on the forehead again. Hearing Rosalie’s annoyed grunt as she wanted to feed her, I reluctantly handed her over. The invisible taste of the blood was getting too strong and I had no air in my lungs to speak and further. Giving the girl one last glance I returned to my brides side to see her cleaned and dressed and on a new bed with Alice by her side.
Going to Bella’s side, I gave Alice a thanking glance and she smiled which seemed brighter now. I leant down to Bella’s ear whispered into it not sure if she would hear me but still I did so regardless.
“She a picture of perfect beauty, just like her mother.” Pulling back I kissed her forehead and took her hand into my own as I straightened. “Where are the others?”
They should have been back already. I had heard the television earlier saying that the date was indeed a day later.
“Carlisle said he needed a few things from the hospital. Esme went to the shops to get more clothes for Nessie and she took Emmett with her to carry it. She wouldn’t let me go. Said I would take hours because I would buy the whole shopping mall for her.”
I heard the disappointment in Alice’s voice which made me chuckle and her to frown. After a few seconds things settled and I heard two cars pull into the driveway from down the highway. From the colour of their eyes it had seemed my ‘siblings’ that had stayed with me during Bella’s birthing had already gone hunting. I was the only one who hadn’t gone yet.
“You should really go hunt. You look terrible.”
I knew that it wasn’t from her premonition but it did always annoy me when she knew what I was thinking. A bad side effect from being able to have mental talks with her. While I read her mind, she read my eyes.
“No. I’ll wait. I’ll go when Bella does.” I would not leave her side ever again and once through this I won’t have too. Or at least that is what I hoped.
I heard a knock on the door and turned to Carlisle. My mind was slipping, I hadn’t heard him approach but I could now hear the thoughts of everyone.
‘I wonder if I could pry lil Nessie way from Blondie so I can change Nessie. The new blue dress Esme got would be so cute on her.’
I rolled my eyes to myself at his thought and noticed Carlisle beside me his hand on my shoulder like a proud father.
“You did a good job Edward. The venom injection directly to the heart...it would not have been something I have thought of.”
I didn’t need his praise; there was still a chance this wouldn’t work. I could have forced too much venom into her system or even yet, not enough. As usual Carlisle picked up on my worries. I guess that’s something I should have known was bound to happen when you have spent eighty or so years out of ninety with your...creator.
“Edward...” I could hear his question in his mind and his tone just missed the question mark that should have sounded. “You should go hunt son. You look awful.”
I was caught off guard by that. His mind asked me what I was worried about but his mouth told me to hunt. I shook my head telling him ‘not now’ with my eyes. What was most important to me was currently lying in front of me like a coma patient.
“Her injuries...how bad?” I squeezed Bella’s hand lightly, rubbing my fingers over her still unbelievable fragile skin. The skin had harden but only a little
“Three broken ribs, spinal cord snapped & pelvic bone broken as well as cracked in two other places.” I held silent of a moment. It still amazed me something so small could do that. But she did hold my strength. “She’s strong Edward. She’ll pull through.”
I nodded, she had to pull through. She wouldn’t leave me. She couldn’t leave Renesmee. The young child wanted to see her so much and she didn’t need her only memory of her mother to be one all covered in blood.
“She’s getting clearer, still mostly fuzzy but getting clear.”
I turned to Alice; she must have been talking about Bella. I hadn’t been paying attention once again and let my thoughts be on Bella. She was stunning even now with faint lift of her chest and the frantic heartbeat that should have caused her to have a heart attack or for her heart just to give up a day ago. I hope I did things right. I don’t want her to go through the scorching flames that ran through your body as you changed. Burning every inch as if you were in hell burning your soul.
“He has seen Renesmee yes?” Alice must have nodded as I didn’t respond and Carlisle continued. “Edward, Renesmee is a unique child. I mean she’s half vampire and half human. She doesn’t have any of our drawbacks. She doesn’t need blood but favours it. Body wise she is human. Soft skin to touch but it has a slight hardness to it. No needles can penetrate it. I wanted to get a blood sample just so I could have a more detailed look but...it couldn’t pierce her skin.
She can walk out in sunlight and not draw attention to herself like we do. But what worries me is she keeps growing so fast. Because she’s not...frozen in time like us, I would expect her to grow. Just not this...well not this rapidly.”
I took in Carlisle’s words though my mind was not really processing them at the current time. “Otherwise, she’ll grow up and become an old lady and die within a matter of years.” I started to him only to receive a nod.
“I don’t think that is something Bella could handle. No parent wants to outlive their child and with Renesmee aging it is bound to happen just not so fast.”
Carlisle’s face showed he was worried. Frown marks on his forehead show this to be true though his face stayed the same. I watched as he went to a mini-fridge set up in the room and pulled out a couple of small glass containers, each with enough to fill one syringe whole. That was when he got the syringes out and started filling them and placing each syringe on a tray.
Morphine...I recognised the smell of it. It stung my nose so I held my breath and I watch as he brought the tray to the side of the bed and injected to syringes full into each arm. I knew the reason for this. We had talked about it a few times. It was to see if it would nullify the burning in the veins during transformation.
The one thing I hated most right now was the waiting...and the fact that Bella’s mind was one I could not read. I could not tell if she was in a lot of pain or if the morphine was having any effect. A sound broke my line of worry when I heard a sound coming up the stairs of giggling and baby noise of someone, more exactly Emmett going ‘Nahm nahm nahm!’ to who I could only guess by the squealing and giggling was Renesmee.
As expected I was right, Emmett walked in the room with Renesmee in his arms pretending to eat her stomach. The sight of Renesmee laughing made me smile. The laugh I heard from her I was sure came from her mother. The more she inherited from Bella the better as far as I was concerned.
“Grandpa, its Nessie’s measuring time.” Emmett imitated a child’s voice which sounded too disturbing due to his voice being too deep to ever pass off for even a fake child’s.
Carlisle crossed the room to the table that Emmett now held Renesmee up on. All the others had flocked into the room but Alice stayed by me. I looked over at Emmett who flicked his head back a little as a gesture for me to come over. It seemed that Renesmee wanted me to hold her up from what I read in her mind.
Slowly I released Bella’s hand and giving her lips a light kiss and I walked over to the table. Just as I was about to grab Renesmee she fell forward and placed her two small hands in mine. Using me strength to hold herself up. I watched as she leant forward and placed her head in my hand she held.
Momma...?
I smiled; I knew she was picking up on Bella’s scent from my hand directly because I had been holding it for so many hours.
“Yes. I’ve been beside her when away from you.”
Can I see her?
It surprised me that she hadn’t seen her since she was born but I had guess they wanted for her to wake first.
“Soon...when she wakes.”
I watched as the angelic face lifted from my hand and she frowned at me. Just from the face alone told me that she had been told the same thing from everyone else and it made me laugh lightly.
“Can you hold her waist for me Edward please?” Carlisle noticed our conversation was over and I moved around the table as not to be in his way.
Placing my hands on her waist she put her arms out as if this was a routine. She was barely days old but yet she looked as if she was a month or so old. She could support her upper body but seemed she couldn’t yet stand on her own. This was the reason for my assistance. Carlisle got a measuring tape out and ran the tape along her body and around it while Esme wrote now the measurements he read out. It seemed he’d been taking regular measurements to try and figure out the rate of her growth. I didn’t like the idea of knowing how soon my daughter was going to die but I guessed it was necessary if we were going to try and stop the rapid growth.
“Renesmee, would you try and drink some baby formula please? It’ll make you big and strong, and you want to be strong when you see your mother don’t you?”
Carlisle was over to the fridge and back in barely half a second. A bottle of baby formula mixed in it and I wrinkled my nose at the smell of it and laughed as I saw Renesmee crawl up into my arms and do the same. She was too smart to fall for something like that. The others laughed as Carlisle’s request was shot down again. It seemed this wasn’t the first time he’s tried and each time losing the battle.
I held Renesmee in my arms for a bit longer talking quietly with her before handing her back to Rosalie when she asked. Giving our daughter a little kiss and headed back to Bella’s side and looked at Alice who had been unusually quiet. Carlisle had returned and was looking over Bella, checking her condition.
“Still no change?”
“None” Carlisle didn’t even look up at me. As I leant down and ran my nose along her arm taking in the scent of her skin and her blood
“There is no scent of the morphine left.” I stated.
“I know.”
I pulled back a little and took her hand into mine, not sure whether she could feel it but I squeezed it lightly.
“Bella? Can you hear me?”
There was no morphine in her blood anymore, did that mean she was in pain. Were the flames of the transformation scorching at her soul and through her veins. I looked up at Carlisle, I’m sure my eyes were pleading but she shook his head telling me there was probably no use giving her more since it went through her too quickly last time.
“Bella? Bella, love? Can you open your eyes? Can you squeeze my hand?” I squeezed her hand lightly.
The thought of the morphine no longer in her system scared me and I wasn’t afraid to show it. I had to see her more than ever but so did our daughter. She needed to see her mother. Her only image of the beauty that was Bella Cullen was a bloodied image. And I knew they had not let her see Bella in this state because she looked...dead.
“Maybe...Carlisle, maybe I was too late.” I tried to hold the strain in my voice and the break in it.
“Listen to her heart, Edward. It’ stronger then even Emmett’s was. I’ve never heard anything so vital. She’ll be perfect.”
I knew Carlisle was trying to reassure me but my little time with Renesmee made me realise that not only I could not survive without her but more importantly Renesmee couldn’t either.
“And her~ her spine?”
“Her injuries weren’t so much worse the Esme’s. The venom will heal her as it did Esme.”
“But she’s so still. I must have done something wrong” None of the others had been so still during their transformations. Some had to be restrained and others screamed.
“Or something right, Edward. Son,” I had learnt that Carlisle usually only used the term ‘son’ when he was worried or sure about me, “you did everything I could have and more. I’m not sure I would have had the persistence, the faith it took to save her. Stop berating yourself. Bella is going to be fine.”
I lowered my eyes to her still face and whispered, still afraid. Feeling like I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
“She must be in agony.”
“We don’t know that. She had so much morphine in her system. We don’t know the effect that will have on her experience.”
I let the fingers of my free hand run up above her forearm and rub lightly at one of the bite marks in the crease of her elbow.
“Bella, I love you. Bella, I’m sorry.” I whispered into her ear softly.
It was silent for some time as I thought to myself. Wondering how much pain Bella was in. I hadn’t notice everyone leave the room until there was a yelling downstairs between Rosalie and Jacob over none other than Renesmee.
You should go down there and stop that. - Carlisle’s told me through his thoughts
“No, I’m staying right here,” My voice still a whisper as I spoke to only Carlisle. “They’ll sort it out.”
“An interesting situation...and I’d thought I’d seen just about everything.”
“I’ll deal with it later. We’ll deal with it.” Jacob’s imprinting on Renesmee was becoming more of a hassle then anything else. I pressed a light kiss to Bella’s palm as I ignored the noise then headed out the front door.
“I’m sure, between the five of us, we can keep it from turning into bloodshed”
I sighed in defeat, “I don’t know which side to take. I’d love to flog them both. Well, later.”
Carlisle chuckled and I gave him a look, “I wonder what Bella will think~whose side she’ll take.”
That comment made me give a little chuckle of my own. “I’m sure she’ll surprise me. She always does.”
I watched as Carlisle left the room, off to join the others in place of Alice who entered the room.
“How much longer”
“It won’t be long now. See how clear she’s becoming. I can see her so much better.” Alice gave a sigh.
“Still feeling a little bitter?” I couldn’t help but give half a smile.
“Yes, thanks so much for bringing it up. You would be mortified too, if you realised that you were handcuffed by your own nature.” Her voice grumbled as she spoke. “I see vampires best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. But I can’t see these odd half-breeds at all because they’re nothing I’ve experienced. Bah!”
“Focus, Alice”
Alice poked her tongue at me like a little kid but concentrated. “Right. Bella’s almost too easy to see now.”
I watched Alice’s vision through her mind and once it ended I gave a happy sigh. “She’s really going to be fine.”
“Of course she is.”
“You weren’t so sanguine two days ago.”
“I couldn’t see right two days ago. But now that she’s free of all the blind spots, it’s a piece of cake.”
“Could you concentrate for me? On the clock~ give me an estimate.”
I knew I was pushing her but I needed to know.
“So impatient. Fine. Give me a sec~“
I watched as she looked at the grandfather clock in the room and focused on it. I saw the time on the clock go faster and then it stopped at a time and the view went to Bella’s eyes opening then back to the clock.
“Thank you, Alice” I smiled happily at her. It wasn’t long now.
“She’s going to be dazzling.”
I gave a growl, “She always has been”
“You know what I mean. Look at her.” She snorted and I looked at Bella more closely. She was right.
She left not long after and I just stayed quiet watching Bella and listening as her heartbeat. It had settled massively, now it was only just a bit faster than a human’s. Something had changed before not that I had taken much notice though I should have.
I was enjoying the peace and quiet downstairs (or the closest thing a vampire could get to peace and quiet without locking oneself in a vault made from 50 inch thick concrete if not more), until I heard Rosalie snap at Jacob.
“It’s my turn.”
A growl from Jacob, and a hiss from Rosalie.
“Hey, now.” Emmett said in a cautioned tone. He was on baby sit duty it seemed.
~~~
Time passed as I stayed still beside Bella, I had grabbed one of the many libraries books and started reading it. Seeing if I could find anything that would give some insight to Renesmee’s growth issues.
Just as I closed the book I had been reading I heard Bella’s heartbeat pick up and I looked at the time. It was getting close.
“Carlisle”
I heard him come from the kitchen where he’d been with Esme talking and Alice leave Jasper’s side from the window seat in their room. Both entered the room, Alice just in front of Carlisle. My fingers graced the palm of Bella’s warm hand.
“Listen” I was sure they could all hear her heartbeat even outside.
“Ah, it’s almost over.”
I looked up at Alice with a questioning face. “Soon. I’ll get the others. Should I have Rosalie...?”
“Yes~ keep the baby away.” It was then I felt her fingers twitch and I gave them a squeeze. “Bella? Bella, love?”
“I’ll bring them right up.”
I watched Alice take off and then dragged my attention back to Bella. It was nearing the end. I knew this. The arching of her back while the last of the change happened. The part where your heart said goodbye to being a mortal.
My breath held in my throat as she collapsed back on the table. Not only was my breath held but so was Carlisle’s. I kept my eyes on her face watching as her eyes slowly opened for the first time in two days. This was the moment I had waited for.
So anyway enjoy the 4x longer Chapter 2.
_______________
Chapter 2 - Imprint
I went downstairs ready to do some damage to the unsuspecting wolf only to get there to see Rosalie standing in front of Jacob with the half breed baby’s hands on her cheeks giggling while Jacob held her.
That surprised me for a moment that Rosalie would even allow Jacob to hold her. But the surprised was half lived as I remember my whole reason for leaving my transforming wife’s side. I stood behind Jacob whose mind must have been off elsewhere not to have noticed my presence. I gave Rosalie a look and she just smiled knowingly.
“Rosalie, take her away from here.” My voice was a deathly low and I watched Jacob jump and flinch though his hold on the little one tightened a little.
Rosalie did as I asked at took her from a reluctant wolf and once she was gone with the hours old baby I watched Jacob turn towards me as he took a step away. His expression actually showed his fear instead of being in his defensive wolf mode.
I took a step forward, Jacob backed away two. I did the same thing and just as before Jacob backed away further.
“I ah...I can explain...?”
I was not impressed even with his fear and his mind running a hundred miles an hour trying to think how he would explain.
“No, you can’t...” I stated, my voice must have told what I had planned to do because more fear and dread crossed his face.
“You’re right man, I can’t. I didn’t ask for this. Okay yeah I had asked for it when you gave me the car for a joyride but what I mean is...I didn’t ask for it to happen with your daughter.”
Jacob’s voice ran quiet as he said the last word. No thought had crossed his mind to faze into the wolf. It was obvious that he didn’t want to even harm me. Not that I could say the same to him right now. As if by instinct I was about to crouch down to attack him when I saw Rosalie walk back into the room with Renesmee. The brown eyed baby’s hand on Rosalie’s cheek while the other reached out in our direction and Rosalie nodded and confirmed that I was the girl’s father.
Still ready to attack I felt a calm come over me and Jacob stance became less frightened and more casual, where as mine became less stiff and I straightened up from my half crouching position. I knew it was Jasper’s doing. He was by the bottom of the stairs now.
“Rosalie, I said take her away from here.” I gritted my teeth lightly. My anger still deep within me.
“No, Nessie wants to talk to you.” She now stood by us with the baby reaching out to me. She had grown quite a lot which shouldn’t been surprising considering the time she was conceived but it still shook me a little. “Well?” Rosalie questioned as the baby reached out to me.
I took the child into my hands and her thought as she was in my arms was, happy. The little baby reached up a small hand to my face as she giggle and in front of my eyes flashed all she had seen. There was me rushing to save Bella, a lot of Rosalie taking care of her for the past day and a bit, Alice and Jasper. The only image she had of her mother, all blooded. At that moment were it possible for me to cry I would have. Seeing the happiest look I’d ever seen on her face despite the mess and how frail she looked. And last of all were the images of Jacob and her adoration for him and the knowing she couldn’t live without him. Had I seen it through another’s eyes I probably would have felt sick, but through Renesmee’s I didn’t. When the images stopped I gave her a little nod and kissed her forehead.
“Jasper, you can stop.” I didn’t look at him but I could hear his reluctant despite I felt totally calm. He knew I could manipulate my feels which is probably the reason of his reluctance but none the less, he lift his control on our emotions.
I glanced at Jacob who was just smiling down at Renesmee with a truly happy smile on his face and I returned my gaze to her. I ran a single finger along the features of her face. She looked so much like her mother it was remarkable but that was a good thing. As I ran my finger along her lips and she bit my finger with a vice grip which surprised me. I looked up when I heard Jacob laugh and raised an eyebrow at him.
“She has a habit of biting.” He showed me his hand that had little healing bite marks on it. “That has got to come from her vampire half.” He continued to laugh and I was bewildered.
“She’s not venomous?”
He shook his head but either way I should have known. The young wolf would be dead otherwise as vampire’s venom was lethal to the wolves. She laughed and cooed like she knew exactly what was going on, but I knew she was intelligent from when she was in the womb. I suddenly felt the burn in my throat make itself known due to the smell that filled my lungs...blood. Human blood. I looked up to see Rosalie returning with a bottle of warm blood.
“Nessie’s din din time.” She cooed to the girl as she came closer. I held my breath to block out the scent. I hadn’t hunted in the longest time and the smell of human blood was just too tempting.
“Nessie?”
“My fault. Bella...she gave her a too hard of a name to pronounce all the time. So I shortened it.” Jacob confessed looking up at me for the first time since my nearly ripping his throat out.
“You nicknamed my daughter after the Lockness Monster?”
“Now that though never had crossed my mind. It was the closest thing I could get between the two names.”
I stood silent for a moment and kissed Renesmee on the forehead again. Hearing Rosalie’s annoyed grunt as she wanted to feed her, I reluctantly handed her over. The invisible taste of the blood was getting too strong and I had no air in my lungs to speak and further. Giving the girl one last glance I returned to my brides side to see her cleaned and dressed and on a new bed with Alice by her side.
Going to Bella’s side, I gave Alice a thanking glance and she smiled which seemed brighter now. I leant down to Bella’s ear whispered into it not sure if she would hear me but still I did so regardless.
“She a picture of perfect beauty, just like her mother.” Pulling back I kissed her forehead and took her hand into my own as I straightened. “Where are the others?”
They should have been back already. I had heard the television earlier saying that the date was indeed a day later.
“Carlisle said he needed a few things from the hospital. Esme went to the shops to get more clothes for Nessie and she took Emmett with her to carry it. She wouldn’t let me go. Said I would take hours because I would buy the whole shopping mall for her.”
I heard the disappointment in Alice’s voice which made me chuckle and her to frown. After a few seconds things settled and I heard two cars pull into the driveway from down the highway. From the colour of their eyes it had seemed my ‘siblings’ that had stayed with me during Bella’s birthing had already gone hunting. I was the only one who hadn’t gone yet.
“You should really go hunt. You look terrible.”
I knew that it wasn’t from her premonition but it did always annoy me when she knew what I was thinking. A bad side effect from being able to have mental talks with her. While I read her mind, she read my eyes.
“No. I’ll wait. I’ll go when Bella does.” I would not leave her side ever again and once through this I won’t have too. Or at least that is what I hoped.
I heard a knock on the door and turned to Carlisle. My mind was slipping, I hadn’t heard him approach but I could now hear the thoughts of everyone.
‘I wonder if I could pry lil Nessie way from Blondie so I can change Nessie. The new blue dress Esme got would be so cute on her.’
I rolled my eyes to myself at his thought and noticed Carlisle beside me his hand on my shoulder like a proud father.
“You did a good job Edward. The venom injection directly to the heart...it would not have been something I have thought of.”
I didn’t need his praise; there was still a chance this wouldn’t work. I could have forced too much venom into her system or even yet, not enough. As usual Carlisle picked up on my worries. I guess that’s something I should have known was bound to happen when you have spent eighty or so years out of ninety with your...creator.
“Edward...” I could hear his question in his mind and his tone just missed the question mark that should have sounded. “You should go hunt son. You look awful.”
I was caught off guard by that. His mind asked me what I was worried about but his mouth told me to hunt. I shook my head telling him ‘not now’ with my eyes. What was most important to me was currently lying in front of me like a coma patient.
“Her injuries...how bad?” I squeezed Bella’s hand lightly, rubbing my fingers over her still unbelievable fragile skin. The skin had harden but only a little
“Three broken ribs, spinal cord snapped & pelvic bone broken as well as cracked in two other places.” I held silent of a moment. It still amazed me something so small could do that. But she did hold my strength. “She’s strong Edward. She’ll pull through.”
I nodded, she had to pull through. She wouldn’t leave me. She couldn’t leave Renesmee. The young child wanted to see her so much and she didn’t need her only memory of her mother to be one all covered in blood.
“She’s getting clearer, still mostly fuzzy but getting clear.”
I turned to Alice; she must have been talking about Bella. I hadn’t been paying attention once again and let my thoughts be on Bella. She was stunning even now with faint lift of her chest and the frantic heartbeat that should have caused her to have a heart attack or for her heart just to give up a day ago. I hope I did things right. I don’t want her to go through the scorching flames that ran through your body as you changed. Burning every inch as if you were in hell burning your soul.
“He has seen Renesmee yes?” Alice must have nodded as I didn’t respond and Carlisle continued. “Edward, Renesmee is a unique child. I mean she’s half vampire and half human. She doesn’t have any of our drawbacks. She doesn’t need blood but favours it. Body wise she is human. Soft skin to touch but it has a slight hardness to it. No needles can penetrate it. I wanted to get a blood sample just so I could have a more detailed look but...it couldn’t pierce her skin.
She can walk out in sunlight and not draw attention to herself like we do. But what worries me is she keeps growing so fast. Because she’s not...frozen in time like us, I would expect her to grow. Just not this...well not this rapidly.”
I took in Carlisle’s words though my mind was not really processing them at the current time. “Otherwise, she’ll grow up and become an old lady and die within a matter of years.” I started to him only to receive a nod.
“I don’t think that is something Bella could handle. No parent wants to outlive their child and with Renesmee aging it is bound to happen just not so fast.”
Carlisle’s face showed he was worried. Frown marks on his forehead show this to be true though his face stayed the same. I watched as he went to a mini-fridge set up in the room and pulled out a couple of small glass containers, each with enough to fill one syringe whole. That was when he got the syringes out and started filling them and placing each syringe on a tray.
Morphine...I recognised the smell of it. It stung my nose so I held my breath and I watch as he brought the tray to the side of the bed and injected to syringes full into each arm. I knew the reason for this. We had talked about it a few times. It was to see if it would nullify the burning in the veins during transformation.
The one thing I hated most right now was the waiting...and the fact that Bella’s mind was one I could not read. I could not tell if she was in a lot of pain or if the morphine was having any effect. A sound broke my line of worry when I heard a sound coming up the stairs of giggling and baby noise of someone, more exactly Emmett going ‘Nahm nahm nahm!’ to who I could only guess by the squealing and giggling was Renesmee.
As expected I was right, Emmett walked in the room with Renesmee in his arms pretending to eat her stomach. The sight of Renesmee laughing made me smile. The laugh I heard from her I was sure came from her mother. The more she inherited from Bella the better as far as I was concerned.
“Grandpa, its Nessie’s measuring time.” Emmett imitated a child’s voice which sounded too disturbing due to his voice being too deep to ever pass off for even a fake child’s.
Carlisle crossed the room to the table that Emmett now held Renesmee up on. All the others had flocked into the room but Alice stayed by me. I looked over at Emmett who flicked his head back a little as a gesture for me to come over. It seemed that Renesmee wanted me to hold her up from what I read in her mind.
Slowly I released Bella’s hand and giving her lips a light kiss and I walked over to the table. Just as I was about to grab Renesmee she fell forward and placed her two small hands in mine. Using me strength to hold herself up. I watched as she leant forward and placed her head in my hand she held.
Momma...?
I smiled; I knew she was picking up on Bella’s scent from my hand directly because I had been holding it for so many hours.
“Yes. I’ve been beside her when away from you.”
Can I see her?
It surprised me that she hadn’t seen her since she was born but I had guess they wanted for her to wake first.
“Soon...when she wakes.”
I watched as the angelic face lifted from my hand and she frowned at me. Just from the face alone told me that she had been told the same thing from everyone else and it made me laugh lightly.
“Can you hold her waist for me Edward please?” Carlisle noticed our conversation was over and I moved around the table as not to be in his way.
Placing my hands on her waist she put her arms out as if this was a routine. She was barely days old but yet she looked as if she was a month or so old. She could support her upper body but seemed she couldn’t yet stand on her own. This was the reason for my assistance. Carlisle got a measuring tape out and ran the tape along her body and around it while Esme wrote now the measurements he read out. It seemed he’d been taking regular measurements to try and figure out the rate of her growth. I didn’t like the idea of knowing how soon my daughter was going to die but I guessed it was necessary if we were going to try and stop the rapid growth.
“Renesmee, would you try and drink some baby formula please? It’ll make you big and strong, and you want to be strong when you see your mother don’t you?”
Carlisle was over to the fridge and back in barely half a second. A bottle of baby formula mixed in it and I wrinkled my nose at the smell of it and laughed as I saw Renesmee crawl up into my arms and do the same. She was too smart to fall for something like that. The others laughed as Carlisle’s request was shot down again. It seemed this wasn’t the first time he’s tried and each time losing the battle.
I held Renesmee in my arms for a bit longer talking quietly with her before handing her back to Rosalie when she asked. Giving our daughter a little kiss and headed back to Bella’s side and looked at Alice who had been unusually quiet. Carlisle had returned and was looking over Bella, checking her condition.
“Still no change?”
“None” Carlisle didn’t even look up at me. As I leant down and ran my nose along her arm taking in the scent of her skin and her blood
“There is no scent of the morphine left.” I stated.
“I know.”
I pulled back a little and took her hand into mine, not sure whether she could feel it but I squeezed it lightly.
“Bella? Can you hear me?”
There was no morphine in her blood anymore, did that mean she was in pain. Were the flames of the transformation scorching at her soul and through her veins. I looked up at Carlisle, I’m sure my eyes were pleading but she shook his head telling me there was probably no use giving her more since it went through her too quickly last time.
“Bella? Bella, love? Can you open your eyes? Can you squeeze my hand?” I squeezed her hand lightly.
The thought of the morphine no longer in her system scared me and I wasn’t afraid to show it. I had to see her more than ever but so did our daughter. She needed to see her mother. Her only image of the beauty that was Bella Cullen was a bloodied image. And I knew they had not let her see Bella in this state because she looked...dead.
“Maybe...Carlisle, maybe I was too late.” I tried to hold the strain in my voice and the break in it.
“Listen to her heart, Edward. It’ stronger then even Emmett’s was. I’ve never heard anything so vital. She’ll be perfect.”
I knew Carlisle was trying to reassure me but my little time with Renesmee made me realise that not only I could not survive without her but more importantly Renesmee couldn’t either.
“And her~ her spine?”
“Her injuries weren’t so much worse the Esme’s. The venom will heal her as it did Esme.”
“But she’s so still. I must have done something wrong” None of the others had been so still during their transformations. Some had to be restrained and others screamed.
“Or something right, Edward. Son,” I had learnt that Carlisle usually only used the term ‘son’ when he was worried or sure about me, “you did everything I could have and more. I’m not sure I would have had the persistence, the faith it took to save her. Stop berating yourself. Bella is going to be fine.”
I lowered my eyes to her still face and whispered, still afraid. Feeling like I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
“She must be in agony.”
“We don’t know that. She had so much morphine in her system. We don’t know the effect that will have on her experience.”
I let the fingers of my free hand run up above her forearm and rub lightly at one of the bite marks in the crease of her elbow.
“Bella, I love you. Bella, I’m sorry.” I whispered into her ear softly.
It was silent for some time as I thought to myself. Wondering how much pain Bella was in. I hadn’t notice everyone leave the room until there was a yelling downstairs between Rosalie and Jacob over none other than Renesmee.
You should go down there and stop that. - Carlisle’s told me through his thoughts
“No, I’m staying right here,” My voice still a whisper as I spoke to only Carlisle. “They’ll sort it out.”
“An interesting situation...and I’d thought I’d seen just about everything.”
“I’ll deal with it later. We’ll deal with it.” Jacob’s imprinting on Renesmee was becoming more of a hassle then anything else. I pressed a light kiss to Bella’s palm as I ignored the noise then headed out the front door.
“I’m sure, between the five of us, we can keep it from turning into bloodshed”
I sighed in defeat, “I don’t know which side to take. I’d love to flog them both. Well, later.”
Carlisle chuckled and I gave him a look, “I wonder what Bella will think~whose side she’ll take.”
That comment made me give a little chuckle of my own. “I’m sure she’ll surprise me. She always does.”
I watched as Carlisle left the room, off to join the others in place of Alice who entered the room.
“How much longer”
“It won’t be long now. See how clear she’s becoming. I can see her so much better.” Alice gave a sigh.
“Still feeling a little bitter?” I couldn’t help but give half a smile.
“Yes, thanks so much for bringing it up. You would be mortified too, if you realised that you were handcuffed by your own nature.” Her voice grumbled as she spoke. “I see vampires best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. But I can’t see these odd half-breeds at all because they’re nothing I’ve experienced. Bah!”
“Focus, Alice”
Alice poked her tongue at me like a little kid but concentrated. “Right. Bella’s almost too easy to see now.”
I watched Alice’s vision through her mind and once it ended I gave a happy sigh. “She’s really going to be fine.”
“Of course she is.”
“You weren’t so sanguine two days ago.”
“I couldn’t see right two days ago. But now that she’s free of all the blind spots, it’s a piece of cake.”
“Could you concentrate for me? On the clock~ give me an estimate.”
I knew I was pushing her but I needed to know.
“So impatient. Fine. Give me a sec~“
I watched as she looked at the grandfather clock in the room and focused on it. I saw the time on the clock go faster and then it stopped at a time and the view went to Bella’s eyes opening then back to the clock.
“Thank you, Alice” I smiled happily at her. It wasn’t long now.
“She’s going to be dazzling.”
I gave a growl, “She always has been”
“You know what I mean. Look at her.” She snorted and I looked at Bella more closely. She was right.
She left not long after and I just stayed quiet watching Bella and listening as her heartbeat. It had settled massively, now it was only just a bit faster than a human’s. Something had changed before not that I had taken much notice though I should have.
I was enjoying the peace and quiet downstairs (or the closest thing a vampire could get to peace and quiet without locking oneself in a vault made from 50 inch thick concrete if not more), until I heard Rosalie snap at Jacob.
“It’s my turn.”
A growl from Jacob, and a hiss from Rosalie.
“Hey, now.” Emmett said in a cautioned tone. He was on baby sit duty it seemed.
~~~
Time passed as I stayed still beside Bella, I had grabbed one of the many libraries books and started reading it. Seeing if I could find anything that would give some insight to Renesmee’s growth issues.
Just as I closed the book I had been reading I heard Bella’s heartbeat pick up and I looked at the time. It was getting close.
“Carlisle”
I heard him come from the kitchen where he’d been with Esme talking and Alice leave Jasper’s side from the window seat in their room. Both entered the room, Alice just in front of Carlisle. My fingers graced the palm of Bella’s warm hand.
“Listen” I was sure they could all hear her heartbeat even outside.
“Ah, it’s almost over.”
I looked up at Alice with a questioning face. “Soon. I’ll get the others. Should I have Rosalie...?”
“Yes~ keep the baby away.” It was then I felt her fingers twitch and I gave them a squeeze. “Bella? Bella, love?”
“I’ll bring them right up.”
I watched Alice take off and then dragged my attention back to Bella. It was nearing the end. I knew this. The arching of her back while the last of the change happened. The part where your heart said goodbye to being a mortal.
My breath held in my throat as she collapsed back on the table. Not only was my breath held but so was Carlisle’s. I kept my eyes on her face watching as her eyes slowly opened for the first time in two days. This was the moment I had waited for.