The Way It Should Have Happened…

Chapter 3

The plane landed, taxiing to the gate in the pouring rain. They were back in Washington State, the weather as dismal as both Edward and Bella felt. Disembarking, they saw the entire clan, minus Rosalie, waiting by the baggage claim. The greetings were subdued, the other passengers watching the group of people, clearly a family, who were so much better looking than anyone else anyone had seen. It was almost surreal, the beauty of those people, despite their clear sadness. Though they kept completely to themselves, it was obvious that something was seriously wrong.

The luggage finally loaded onto carts, they headed to the parking areas, Emmett staying close to Edward along with Alice and Jasper as they found the Volvo, Bella being guided by Esme and Carlisle to his Mercedes.

“I want to ride with Bella.”

Emmett took his arm, hard. “Ride with us, Edward. C’mon, get in.”

Alice’s thoughts backed that up, “Let them speak with her, please, Edward. Let them try.”

He nodded reluctantly and climbed in the front passenger seat, trying not to look at Bella crying again as Esme helped her as she stumbled on the curb.

“She simply doesn’t understand. She doesn’t think it will come to…she doesn’t want to believe the reality of the situation.” Edward face was turned towards the woods going by outside in the gray light. “She thinks that even if the worse case were to happen that I could just change her and everything would be all right and everyone will have what they want.” He shook his head. “She refuses to listen…”

“She may be right.” Alice’s voice was quiet but carried the weight of what she’d said.

“You’ve seen something?” Edward half turned towards the back seat, only reluctantly urging Alice to continue.

“I see the baby being born alive and that you’ll try to change Bella at the same time, or right after the birth.”

“Try? What does that mean? I won’t succeed? There will be some kind of problem?”

It was Alice’s turn to look out the window, Jasper holding her hand. “It means just what I said; I see you trying to save her. I can’t see whether or not you’ll be able to.”

“And the baby?”

“I can’t see what happens to her, either.” He answer was evasive and Edward read her thoughts, against her will. Alice had seen what the likely outcome would be and Edward resumed staring out the window and considered how far he could go along with what had to be done.

The large Mercedes was almost a mile ahead of them with a different conversation going on inside. “Bella, I’m speaking as a doctor now, not your father in law nor as your friend. You may choose not to believe Edward but you know I only want what’s best for you. What you’re attempting to do is exceedingly dangerous to you, your child and, frankly, to Edward as well.”

Bella shook her head; that was ridiculous; after all, she was the one carrying a half-breed vampire, wasn’t she? “But Edward isn’t in any danger, how could he be?”

Esme spoke softly from the back seat. “Sweetheart, you remember how he was last year when he thought you’d died?”

Bella’s eyes were wide; she hadn’t considered that possibility, not for a moment. “He wouldn’t, he…couldn’t. No, Esme, he wouldn’t—he promised you when we came home. He told you he’d never do anything like that again.”

“Alice sees that as a strong possibility if something should happen to you. Bella, honey, he blames himself for your being pregnant, he feels that he should have either restrained himself or used some sort of protection—he believes that this is his doing and his alone.”

“But that’s stupid. I mean, we were both…you know. It wasn’t just him, not at all.” Bella blushed a little at her understatement.

“That may well be true, but he won’t ever see it that way. He feels that as he’s older—don’t forget that while he looks seventeen, he’s actually over a hundred years old and he should have known better. He puts this entire situation on himself.”

Bella turned her body so that she was half facing Carlisle while he drove. “But he couldn’t have known. He said, all of you were telling me all along that vampires can’t have children and so we thought that…”

“Yes, you’re right but I didn’t stop to consider that there’s almost no record of human women and male vampires being together. It’s almost always been the other way around and even those examples are incredibly rare; less than a dozen through all our records.”

“So it’s stupid for him to blame himself.”

Carlisle sighed; this was getting them nowhere and didn’t really matter. “The question now is what we’re to do, Bella. I have to emphasize that what you say you want may very well kill you and your child, as well as drive Edward to do something irrational. You have to understand this.”

She knew where this was going. “I won’t have an abortion. I won’t—you can’t make me, no one can. I want this baby and so does Edward—he’s just scared. As soon as it’s born you’ll all see it’ll be all right.”

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look in the rear view mirror. “Let’s at least wait until we get back to the house and I have a chance to really examine you, all right? No one is making any decisions right now.”

The stress and moving car finally getting the better of her, Bella had to quickly beg Carlisle to pull over, her hand covering her mouth. He did so with mere seconds to spare before Bella jerked the door opened and lost everything left in her stomach. Esme got out, using a damp Kleenex to wipe Bella’s face and handing her a bottle of water to rinse her mouth. The other car saw them along the side of the road and pulled over, Edward having read their minds and knowing the problem as soon as his parents did. He was beside her in moments. “Bella, are you…what can I do?”

“I’m fine. Really. Let’s just get there, all right?” The stop was a short one, but long enough to bring home the severity of the situation before everyone got back in their respective cars to finish the trip.

They rode in silence for another ten miles or so before Esme asked; “Do your parents know?”

“No, I haven’t had a chance to tell anyone yet.” They were all quiet for the rest of the ride. Finally they pulled off the road onto the long driveway leading up to the big house, the rain had finally stopped and the late afternoon sun was trying to come out. Emmett pulled the Volvo directly around to the garage while Carlisle parked by the front, making it easier for Bella to get inside.
 

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