Chapter 14, Bella’s Room
I walked slowly into Charlie’s house, wondering how I would approach Leah.
She was sitting up again, sipping from her ice water. Nahuel was sitting next to her, his arm around her shoulders.
Sue hadn’t come out to watch when Leah was feasting on the bear. I wondered if she’d ever seen her daughter feed. Maybe that is something she isn’t interested in seeing.
Jacob and Nessie were on the floor. “How ’bout a game of Liar?” Jacob asked. He sensed Nessie was getting bored with UNO. I shook my head, and he started to deal out the three hands. Huilen was stretching herself with all these card games. I’d never seen her play before.
Charlie was trying to ignore the activities around him. If he didn’t know about the bear kill, he wouldn’t be required to report it. I suppressed a giggle. The fluctuating color of his face gave his feelings away.
“Dad,” I paused while he turned to look at me, “Billy was telling Jacob the fish are biting. I’m sure he’d love to go fishing with you tomorrow.” I could see relief wash over his face.
He turned to Sue, “Do you mind if I take Billy out tomorrow?”
Sue looked almost as relieved as he did. “Of course not. I’ll pack a lunch for both of you in the morning. What time would you like to leave?”
I could hear the wheels spinning in his head. He probably wanted to say “as early as possible.”
“Let me call Billy, and I’ll let you know.”
Sue nodded. Charlie walked into the kitchen. Everyone but Sue could hear the conversation. It didn’t take long for Charlie to persuade Billy that the next morning was a very good day for a fishing trip. Billy had been shocked by the invitation.
Since Charlie’s wedding, they hadn’t spent much time together. Charlie wasn’t going to let this marriage end in the kind of disaster his first marriage had.
I was touched by his love for Sue, and she had blossomed under it. Harry had loved her, but Charlie was devoted.
Charlie sauntered back into the front room. “We’ll be leaving at five thirty in the morning.” I coughed to hide my laugh. Dad desperately wanted to be out of the house.
Sue stood up. “I’ll fix your lunches right now. I’m not sure I’ll be up to making anything that early. I’ll stick something in for breakfast as well.”
Charlie kissed her tenderly. “Thanks.” He planted himself back in his armchair and Sue headed for the kitchen.
I turned to Charlie, “Dad, do you mind if we put up a hospital bed in my old bedroom?”
Charlie’s eyes grew wide. Having a baby born in his house wasn’t something he anticipated, but he wasn’t going to say anything. It was Sue’s daughter, after all.
“Dad,” my voice was a little impatient, and I tried to moderate it, “Leah really can’t have the baby in the hospital. Jacob can explain the reasons behind it.” Charlie started to shake his head. He wanted to keep Jacob out of our conversation. “Carlisle will be here in the morning. You won’t need to do a thing.”
I smiled then. He looked a little more relaxed. “You’re not going to be the one delivering. Don’t worry. You know Carlisle. He’s a competent physician.”
Charlie nodded. He’d seen Carlisle perform miracles on some of the accident victims he’d had brought in. “It’s your room, Bells. Do whatever you want.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I hugged him. “I really appreciate this.”
Sue’s voice came from the kitchen, “We really appreciate this.”
Charlie smiled at her voice then settled down harder in the armchair, like he wished it would swallow him whole. All this strangeness was getting to him.
I heard a vehicle pulling in front of the house. Emmett. I stood and walked to the door, opening it as I heard steps on the sidewalk. His approach would’ve been soundless to a human.
“Did you want some help with the bed?”
“Nah. I can get it.” He turned to wrestle the bed out of the Escalade. It had been a tight fit. I hoped he hadn’t done any damage to the paint or upholstery. Alice wouldn’t be happy. He carried it like it weighed no more than a croquet mallet. I led the way up the stairs to my old bedroom.
We disassembled my old bed, stacked all the parts against the far wall, and set up the hospital bed in moments.
“Did you get the generators?” I asked.
“Jasper is bringing them straight from the hospital. He’s also bringing a heart-monitoring machine, an IV stand, and some anticoagulation solution.”
“What’s the solution for?”
“Esme said it was for preserving the grizzly blood.”
“Did she mention the volume ratio?”
“The dosage amounts are probably listed on the package.” Emmett sounded impatient.
“Probably.” I grimaced then continued, “Esme said she was sending some bedding…”
“Yeah. I put it in the back. I’ll grab it for you.” Emmett headed down the stairs.
I followed slowly, still mulling over the best way to approach Leah about Rose.
Emmett was back with the bedding by the time I was down the stairs. I took the bundle from him then went into the kitchen. “Here’s the bedding. It will smell better to Leah if you’ve washed and handled it for her.” Sue nodded and took the pile from me. She immediately headed to the laundry room. I could hear the washer filling when she reappeared. She moved to the table to finish Charlie’s lunch.
I left her alone in the kitchen. I didn’t think she’d want my help with the cooking.
Charlie was still absorbed in his thoughts. He was staring blankly at the TV. His game had ended and he hadn’t made an effort to find another one.
“Can you both drive your Escalades? That way, you can bring back two bears.” I glanced at Emmett, then Jacob while I spoke.
Jacob looked at Leah. She seemed to be getting bigger by the minute, but maybe my imagination was taking over. “Good idea.”
He turned to Emmett. “I think we’ll need to go east. There wasn’t much up north, and I don’t think Canada would let us cross the border with bears in our SUVs.”
Emmett chuckled. “East it is, then.” He headed out the door. Jacob jumped up to join him.
Nessie’s eyes followed Jacob. Her face looked wistful. Jacob turned to look at her, and my eyes narrowed. If Nessie went alone with Jacob, I knew he’d let her have some grizzly. School starts on Wednesday.
Leah took a sip from her water and the ice clinked against the glass. The sound distracted Nessie. She glanced at Leah and sighed. She turned to me. “Mom, it’s getting late. Can we go home?”
I nodded. “It has been a long day.” I looked at Jacob. “Do you mind dropping us off at the Cullens on your way out of town?”
“No problem.”
I moved over to Leah. She looked exhausted but happy, and she had put Nahuel’s hand on her tummy so he could feel the baby move. I could see the roll of movement through her clothes. The baby was active tonight. A crack echoed in the room. She flinched, but her face relaxed quickly. I wish I’d been able to heal through all the broken bones.
“Leah, I really don’t have much experience with newborns.” She looked up at me, a look of apprehension flitting its way across her features. “Jacob and Rose handled Nessie for the first few days. I was wondering if you’d like Rose to help out.”
Leah glanced at Nahuel then sighed. “I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know later.”
She nodded at Sue, who had just entered the room, “Mom might want to take over in that department.” Her glance slid to Huilen. “And Huilen is an expert at caring for… babies.” I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t said the word ‘vampire’ in front of Charlie. Hopefully, he assumed all our problems had to do with werewolves.
My glance switched to Nahuel. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Leah gripped Nahuel’s hand, then reluctantly released him as he rose to join me. We stepped outside. He turned to me. “What’s this all abo
ut?”
“You know as well as I do that a male child will be venomous,” I hissed at him.
He dropped his head in his hands. “I know. I know.”
“The baby will need a vampire caretaker. Sue, Charlie, and Jacob can’t hold him unless he’s asleep. It took Nessie months before she quit biting Jacob.”
Nahuel looked startled. “Are you telling me that Leah won’t be able to hold her own son?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Nessie only bit when she was hungry. Leah can probably safely hold him after he’s been fed. Our understanding is that vampire venom is toxic to werewolves, and possibly half breeds. We aren’t sure, but it’s best to be on the safe side. If it’s a boy, Sue simply won’t be able to hold him—unless Leah wants her mom changed into a vampire. As far as Leah and you, you’ll probably want to consult with Carlisle.”
Nahuel shuddered. He knew how Leah would feel about her mother being transformed into a vampire. There was no need to ask. “I would rather not cause Leah any stress. Can we discuss this after the baby is born?”
I shrugged. “It’s up to you, of course, but maybe you’d better pull Sue aside and talk to her about the dangers of holding a grandson. Nessie bit me the first time I held her, so preventing a bite will be difficult. At least a daughter won’t be venomous. It’s too bad we can’t know ahead of time what gender the baby is.”
I gently put my hand on his arm. “Can you at least talk to Leah about the benefits of having Rose here? She is an expert with babies, and a bite from one isn’t going to be a problem. She and Huilen can share the responsibilities, at least until the baby is past his biting phase.” Nahuel nodded glumly.
Jacob and Nessie stepped out of the house. “Mom, I’d really like to head home.”
“I know. Sorry, Nessie.” I dropped my hand and moved to Jacob’s Escalade. Emmett started up Alice’s. I looked back at Nahuel as we loaded into the SUV. He was heading into the house, his shoulders slumped. I’d never seen him look so dejected.
“I hope Carlisle’s flight isn’t delayed,” I whispered to Jacob.
“No kidding!” Jacob shut Nessie’s door and walked around the SUV.
Emmett drove off. He’d be calling Jacob when he found something. I hoped there were some grizzlies within a reasonable distance. They really didn’t have time to run to Yellowstone and back tonight. Leah was going to be hungry soon.
Jacob dropped us off at the Cullen home. We watched as the Escalade disappeared from our view and waited on the porch until we could no longer hear the tires on the pavement. Nessie was the first through the door. “I’m starving,” she announced to Esme.
Esme jumped up. “I had dinner planned for seven, but it will only take a few minutes to prepare. Everything’s ready. I just need to heat it up.”
Sheesh. I felt like a horrible mother. How could I forget that my daughter needed fed? “I’m so sorry, Nessie,” I apologized. “I forgot about everything when I saw Leah.”
Nessie smiled at me. “No worries, Momma.” She walked into the kitchen. “I like Esme’s cooking.” I followed and sat at the table. I usually let Jacob and Nessie eat by themselves, and I didn’t want her to have to eat alone. Nessie was pulling out dishes for herself.
I looked at the clock. It was just after ten. “What time is the flight due in?”
Esme looked up from the stove. “Carlisle said we should expect them home around six tomorrow morning. It was an early arrival.”
Eight hours. Ugh. I sat, still as a statue. Worry for Leah left me frozen. Hopefully Nahuel and Sue could keep her immobile until Carlisle arrived. My own pregnancy would’ve had a different ending if I hadn’t reached back to grab my spilling cup.
Nessie had finished her meal and was loading the dishwasher.
I stirred and asked, “Did you want to sleep in the cottage tonight, or in Daddy’s old room?”
Nessie looked at me with wide eyes. I’d never given her the choice of staying in this house before. “Why, where are you going?”
“I’m going back to Grandpa’s house. Leah might need me.”
She nodded her understanding. “I’d rather stay here in Dad’s old room, then.”
We were probably the strangest vampire family of all time. None of us liked to be alone.
Esme looked as surprised as Nessie. “I’ll just go make the bed up for you.” She rushed up the stairs.
We walked into the front room. Rosalie was sitting on the couch, her eyes asking the question I didn’t have the answer for.
Alice was sitting on the couch next to her. Jasper was gone. He was probably delivering the generators.
“I guess we know why you couldn’t see the future.” I smirked at Alice.
She sighed. “These holes in my vision are so… frustrating. I don’t have any answers for you except that Carlisle and Edward’s plane will arrive on time. What that means for any of us, I have no clue.”
I nodded then looked at Rose. “Leah didn’t want to commit, but maybe you can join me tonight. Even if Leah doesn’t want your help with the baby, I need some support. I feel so,” I thrust my palms forward in frustration, “helpless.” My hands were at my side then, balled into fists.
Rose stood up and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know how you feel. I’ll help where I can.” A glimmer of something was brightening her eye. Hope? I couldn’t be sure.
“My car or yours?”
Rose pondered for a moment, “Mine, I think. I’m a little less frazzled than you are.” She smiled at me. “Let’s go.”
Esme was already back. She walked to Nessie’s side.
I kissed Nessie and touched her face. “Sleep well, sweetheart. Grandma Esme is here if you need anything, and I’ll have my cell phone with me.”
“I’ll be fine, Momma.” A worried pucker furrowed her brow. “I just hope everything will go ok with Leah.” She touched her hand to my face and a crystal-clear view of me at her birth ran through my mind.
I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes. “Hopefully things won’t be like that. I just want Carlisle and Edward back!”
“We can only hope.” Alice murmured.
“No.” I corrected her. “We can pray.” I turned to follow Rose out the door, three shocked pairs of eyes staring after me.