Chapter 15, The Wait
We made the trip to Charlie’s place in minutes. Emmett’s jeep was sitting in front of his house. Jasper must’ve transported the generators in it.
Rose and I hopped out of her M3 and rushed to the door.
Jasper had the door open before we knocked. “Is she ok?” I breathed.
“She seems to be doing fine, but she’s hungry. I hope Jacob and Emmett don’t have to go far.”
“Me too.” I brushed past him, not waiting for him to move out of the way.
Leah and Nahuel looked up at me in surprise. Their hands were on her tummy, and I could see the baby roll. I didn’t remember Nessie being this active. Of course, Edward had been able to communicate with her and had been able to share with her what hurt me. I wouldn’t have been able to live through the kind of acrobatics this child was exhibiting. I smiled tremulously at Leah. “Are you doing ok?”
“Yeah. It just hurts when the baby stretches. The rolling doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
I sat on the floor where I could keep an unobtrusive eye on things. Rose moved over and sat in Charlie’s armchair. He had gone to bed in anticipation of his early morning fishing trip. I could hear his gentle snoring. I was glad he’d been able to fall asleep after all the excitement.
Jasper walked over and handed me a package. “This is the solution you asked for.”
I smiled my thanks, and he moved to the far wall.
I turned to Nahuel and Leah. “Carlisle should be in Forks around six in the morning. Esme has left a message on his cell phone. If he gets it, she’s asked him to come straight here instead of going home.”
I glanced at Nahuel. “Have you heard from Emmett or Jacob?”
His brow creased in concern. “I thought they’d be calling you. I don’t think I gave them my cell number.”
“You’re probably right. Let me give them a buzz.”
I called Jacob but there was no answer. “They must be out of range.” I was worrying about Jacob again. He wasn’t immortal. I hated to think of him hunting as a human. He always did it as a wolf. Maybe he phased with Emmett helping out. I hoped he had.
Rose had been dialing Emmett’s number. “No luck with Emmett, either. They’re probably chasing the bear right now.” She didn’t look concerned. But Emmett wasn’t mortal. Knowing Rose, she was probably hoping the bear would get a good swipe at Jacob.
I stood up and walked up the stairs to my old room. Orange extension cords ran to a surge protector near the window. I could hear the comforting hum of the generator rising from the yard below. The cords plugged into the heart monitor, the oxygen monitor and the blood pressure monitor. They weren’t particularly big machines, but they needed more power than the lonely outlet in my room could provide. I didn’t know how often the generators needed refueled. The hospital staff told Jasper everything he needs to know, I comforted myself. I can trust him to keep the generators working.
I stood at the window remembering all the nights Edward had climbed through it. Jacob had entered my room through it, as well. I smiled at the memory. I might as well have had a door leading from the yard to my bedroom. The lack of stairs had never bothered my supernatural visitors.
I turned and made my way back down the stairs. Huilen had taken up her spot next to the TV. She could’ve been a marble statue. Rosalie was rock still as well. Her eyes were concentrating on the small movements from Leah’s huge belly. Sue was the only human in the room, and all of us had quit trying to behave like humans. We were too stressed.
We all jumped a little when Leah groaned. “I don’t know if I can make it up those stairs again.” The only bathroom in the house was the one up the flight of stairs.
“Maybe it’s time to move to my old room,” I suggested.
“Ugh. Those hospital beds are so uncomfortable,” Leah griped. I had to agree with that.
“The Cullen house has a bathroom on the main floor.” I reminded her.
A look of distaste flitted across Leah’s face. She didn’t bother to respond. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Leah stood up awkwardly. Huilen rushed to her side. Nahuel held her hand, and the procession worked its way up the flight of stairs. Nahuel was in front to guide her and Huilen walked behind to catch her if she fell.
Rose whispered as they disappeared up the stairs, “I have to say, Bella, Leah looks tons better than you ever did.”
I smiled ruefully at her. “Maybe she’ll make it through this, after all.”
I paused a moment, then spoke a little louder so Sue could overhear. She had remained sitting on the couch and was looking as helpless as I felt. “I’m just hoping the baby isn’t male.”
Rose, not understanding my purpose, matched my tone, curiosity raging in her eyes, “Why is that?”
“Unless Nahuel is an anomaly, the male half breeds are venomous.” I could see Sue tense as she absorbed the news. As I suspected, Nahuel hadn’t shared this vital information.
“Ouch. I forgot about that part. What is that going to do for Leah?” Rose asked, genuinely curious.
“Well, Nahuel and Leah won’t be able to hold him unless he’s been fed. Remember how often Nessie used to bite Jacob?”
Rose nodded, a smile forming as she remembered it. We both turned as Sue stood up, anger flushing her cheeks. “Does Leah know about this?” she growled at us.
I shrugged, and answered her quickly, “I don’t know. If she doesn’t, we didn’t want to stress her out.”
She took a couple of steadying breaths, concern for her daughter calming her anger. Fear entered her eyes, “What can we do?”
I looked at her warily. I hoped she’d be able to keep her head. “Carlisle will hopefully be here for the delivery. A vampire needs to be the one to first hold the baby. With my delivery, it was Edward. When he handed Nessie over, she bit me.”
Rose looked at me in astonishment and interrupted, “I thought you couldn’t remember anything about the delivery.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at her grimly, “I remember a lot more than I’ve ever said… a lot more… and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t let Edward know.”
Understanding dawned in her golden eyes. The only thing I wouldn’t want Edward to know about was the excruciating pain from being transformed into a vampire. I had pretended for years that I couldn’t remember a moment from when I passed out after my placenta separated until I woke as a vampire. I shuddered. I could never forget the searing pain, but I didn’t want Edward to know how much I’d suffered.
I continued as if Rose hadn’t interrupted, “If the baby is a male, we can’t risk anyone except a vampire holding the baby. His bite will be poisonous.”
Sue dropped back onto the couch, a look of defeat on her face. This confirmed all her worst fears. The creation of a deadly grandchild. She groaned and put her face in her hands. I didn’t know what to say.
Leah’s procession was moving back down the stairs. When Leah was safely planted back on the couch, she grimaced. “I’m so hungry.”
Sue ran back to the kitchen. I could hear her crack the eggs. Another plate of scrambled eggs.
Leah looked at Nahuel. “I hope they hurry with the bear.”
I flipped open my phone to call Jacob. He answered on the third ring. “How’s it going?” I asked.
He sounded a little out of breath. “Great. We sacked two of the monsters. They were fighters. I’m glad Emmett was around. I was having a tough time ’til I phased.”
I gasped. “Did any of your pack mates hear you?”
Jacob chuckled. “Nah. Everyone’s asleep. Besides, my pack isn’t on any kind of watch. Sam keeps his pack on guard, but I just don’t see the danger.”
“Sue doesn’t want Sam finding out about this, you know.”
Jacob turned serious. “I can see why.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’ll be careful about when I phase. I wasn’t thinking…”
“When will you be back?”
“If w
e can keep the SUVs floored, we should be there in about an hour.” I glanced at Leah. She stared back at me. It was obvious she’d heard Jacob. An hour. That’s the best they could do. “Thanks, Jacob. I’ll see you then.” I shut the phone.
Sue hurried in with the eggs and some ice water. They’d have to do for now.
“Have you tried elk or deer?” I asked.
Leah nodded. “They aren’t very appetizing right now.”
I knew well from my own pregnancy that I had to eat what the baby needed. I couldn’t keep anything else down.
Nahuel squeezed her hand gently. A look of terror flitted across his face, then he smoothed his features. I knew what his greatest fear was. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his beloved Leah from birthing his child. There wasn’t much any of us could do at this point, though, and I was sure neither of them had anticipated this. Leah had been a non-cycling female for years.
Silence hung heavy in the room except for an occasional crack from Leah’s direction. I wondered if we should be setting up an X-ray machine, but she didn’t seem to be feeling the kind of pain I’d been in.
The wait was unbearable.
“When did you find out about your…ummm …condition?” I finally asked.
Leah giggled. “Well, we were on our way to Nebraska when we stopped to gas up the Volvo. I’d been eating an awful lot of eggs and the thought of grizzlies was starting to make my mouth water. We were driving through Wyoming and Yellowstone wasn’t too far away…”
Nahuel laughed. “Leah actually asked me to bag her a bear. I couldn’t believe it.” He squeezed her shoulder gently where he’d been resting it. “Leah wanting raw bear? That was weird, but whatever makes her happy, I thought.”
Leah laughed with him. “I didn’t feel like running for some reason. I was so tired. I asked him to bring it to me.”
He interrupted her, “and when I brought her the bear, I noticed a very decided protrusion from her belly when she stooped to drink.” His eyes darkened at the memory. “It took me a while to come to my senses.”
Leah smiled. “He must’ve stood there for an hour. I couldn’t get him to move.”
I laughed. “I remember when Edward found out I was expecting Nessie. I was scared he’d gone into shock.”
I glanced at Rosalie. Her face was frozen, and I could see the pain in her eyes. Bearing a child was her greatest desire, and she would forever be denied that experience. My throat constricted with unsheddable tears.
Jasper had slipped out to check on the generators. I hoped he’d come back soon. I missed his soothing presence.
I was still curious about the timing. “So how long have you been here?”
“Ummmm. We got here about three days ago. When we drove to the Cullen place, no one was there, so we came here. Charlie said that you were in Alaska and that Carlisle had gone to Iraq and that you’d be back this weekend.” Leah was running out of breath. The baby was pushing on her lungs.
Nessie had been delivered before she got this big. I wondered how many pounds the baby was. We had six more hours. Would Leah make it? She looked about ready to explode. I had no delusions that this would be anything but a caesarian delivery. There was no way something that big would fit out of any living human.
I was glad I kept Dad so well informed on our travels. Leah would’ve panicked if she hadn’t known we’d be back in a few days.
Jasper walked back in the house, and I could immediately feel his soothing presence. It was impossible not to feel stressed at this point. I was glad Jasper had decided to stay. We needed his talent here.
“Do you have enough fuel for the generators?” I asked. The silence was heavy in the room. Anything to break it.
“I have enough to last the night. I’ll refill them in the morning.” Jasper moved closer to the couch where Leah had stretched out. Nahuel sat on the floor by her head and Sue had her feet resting on her lap. She was rubbing Leah’s feet in gentle circles. Jasper must’ve wanted to make sure his soothing presence was felt. Nahuel has to be distraught, but he hides it well.
We lapsed into an uneasy silence.
After a few minutes, we all heard the sound of tires on the road outside. Nahuel didn’t move. He didn’t want to disturb Leah. She’d just fallen asleep.
Rose and I jumped up and went outside. Jacob’s SUV was the first to park. It was covered in mud. I guessed that he’d used his four-wheel-drive feature on this trip. The air was heavy with the scent of the bear.
Emmett was right behind, and Alice’s Escalade looked even worse. It would need washing before he took it back. Alice would come unglued. I hoped the upholstery was in better shape. At least it was leather. Leather was much easier to clean than cloth.
Jacob had pulled his bear out onto the lawn. The thing was huge. The heartbeat was faint. It must’ve been a trick keeping it alive for so long. I could hear Leah’s steps behind me. The scent must’ve woken her.
Rose and I watched as Nahuel bent down to bite the bear. This time, he held the bear up so Leah wouldn’t have to bend over. She had him sucked dry in a few moments. I hovered close, afraid any movement would cause Leah to topple over. Her condition was a severe handicap.
Five and a half more hours. Ugh. This is going to be a long night.
Nahuel helped Leah walk back into the house.
Jacob, Emmett, Rose and I exchanged worried looks. I had been big, but Leah was enormous. We were all anxious for Carlisle’s return.
Jacob tossed the drained bear into the SUV.
Emmett had the other bear out on the lawn. I sighed. “How the heck are we going to bleed this bear?”
Rose shifted uneasily. “We’ll need a container of some sort.”
“Let me check with Sue. Could you hold this for me?” I handed her the package of anticoagulant solution then swiftly moved to the house. I didn’t bother to keep a human pace.
I entered quietly, not wanting to disturb Leah if she was already sleeping. I remembered how I could fall asleep in mid-conversation. Carrying a half vampire was tiring.
Leah was stretched out on the couch. This time her feet were in Nahuel’s lap. He was lightly stroking her lower leg. A pillow had been stuffed under Leah’s head. Sue was sitting in Charlie’s chair.
“Sue,” I whispered, “do you have something to store liquids?”
“Let me look.” She got up and moved to the kitchen. Her steps were sluggish. She must be exhausted, I thought. She opened her cupboards and found a couple of gallon Tupperware pitchers. “Do you need more than this?”
“Yes. These are perfect, but I’m hoping we need more.”
She looked at me a moment. “What, exactly, are you needing these for?”
“We’re trying to bleed that bear. Leah and the baby might need more blood, and he isn’t going to live much longer. It’ll be easier to store it than to try to keep him alive.”
Sue laughed. I jumped, not expecting that response. “It’s a good thing I’ve always been married to fishermen. Keeping blood in the fridge isn’t much worse than finding a container of worms escaping in a cooler. Remind me to tell Charlie not to drink from the Tupperware.”
I grinned at her. “Ok.”
She dug around in her cupboards and found several more lidded containers that could hold blood.
I headed out the door, my arms full. I hope we need them all.
“Jacob, I’ll need some help. Can you wash up, please?” He was a mess. He ran into the house without arguing and was back momentarily, looking much cleaner.
Emmett had tied a rope around the bear’s leg and had it suspended upside down from a tree at the edge of the forest. Rose was standing next to him. They were talking quietly.
I walked over with my collection of containers. “Jacob, can you hold the lids for me?” He grabbed all the lids, and I put the containers side by side under the bear. I was trying to keep this as clean as possible. It was difficult doing it outside, but there was nowhere high enough in the house to
hang this huge bear. “Rose? I’ll need some help closing the containers. You’ll have to add the solution just before you put the lids on.” She nodded her understanding.
Emmett slashed the artery at the neck and blood poured from the bear. He held the head out of the way so the blood could run straight into the containers. I switched containers and Rose made sure the correct dosage of solution was added and the lid secured. By the time the bear quit bleeding, we’d used all but one of Sue’s containers. Almost four gallons. I was impressed.
“How long do you think all this will last?” I asked Rose.
She snickered. “Leah’s been draining two bears a day. I’d guess this is one meal for her. I’m not sure about the baby. Nessie didn’t eat that much, but she was living on human blood. That might be more… potent.”
“What are we going to do?” my voice rose in panic.
Emmett and Jacob exchanged glances. Jacob stated the obvious, “We are going to hunt.”
They both jumped in their Escalades and drove off. I hadn’t had time to protest. With Leah so big, I didn’t really want to be left alone with her. Panic was starting to set in. Five more hours.
I need Jasper.
I looked down at all the containers. “I don’t think these will all fit in Sue’s fridge.”
“Esme has room in hers. I’ll take some home. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” We carried several of the containers to the M3. They fit on the passenger floor. I hoped none of them spilled, but Rose didn’t seem to care.
I picked up the two one-gallon pitchers we’d left outside and carried them into Sue’s house while Rose was driving away. I can find room in her fridge.
I wondered if we’d need to heat the blood for the baby. I’d never paid attention with Nessie. Everyone else fed her. I’d been a newborn vampire and hadn’t wanted to be so close to human blood. There are so many things I am clueless about.
I walked straight to the kitchen and carefully washed the outside of the containers where a little blood had splashed. It didn’t take long to move things in the fridge and fit in the pitchers.
I stepped to the front room. Jasper’s peace was permeating the atmosphere. Leah was already asleep again. Her tummy was a small mountain on the couch. Ugh.
Nahuel had taken her feet again. He looked like he was about ready to doze off.
Sue had apparently joined Charlie. She wasn’t in the room. Her human body needed some sleep.
I sat on the floor where I could watch Leah. Huilen was standing next to the TV. Jasper was standing close to the couch. I would’ve been at the panic stage without Jasper’s comforting presence. I was sure Nahuel’s emotions were in even worse shape. I hoped Jasper wasn’t going anywhere.
Rose was back in just a few minutes. I was grateful for her presence. She knew a lot more about taking care of infants than I did. She settled into Charlie’s chair.
The silence was once again broken only occasionally by a crack from Leah. I hoped all the breaks were healing properly. None of us knew how to tape ribs.
As long as her pelvis and spine weren’t involved, I figured that all the breaks should heal properly.
Her light snores filled the silence. Nahuel finally dropped off, his head slumped on the cushions. He didn’t look comfortable, but I was sure he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
The hours dragged.
Four forty-five a.m.
Car tires broke the silence of the house. Rose and I looked at each other anxiously, then silently stood up and walked to the door. We were outside before the SUVs had reached the curb. Jasper remained in the house. His talents were desperately needed inside.
Two more bears. “We’ll have to bleed them out,” I whispered to Rose. “I don’t want to wake Leah. I’m not sure it’s safe for her to walk across the room.”
She nodded her agreement. “I brought several more of Esme’s containers.”
“Nice planning.” I smiled at her then turned to address Jacob. “You know the routine.”
“Right.” He disappeared into the house to clean up. Emmett was already hoisting the bear.
We bled out both in a matter of minutes.
“This should keep us for the day. Jacob, you need some rest. Can you stay at the Cullens this morning? We don’t want Billy knowing about Leah just yet.” He yawned sleepily and nodded. He jumped into his SUV and drove off.
I was on the phone warning Esme about Jacob’s pending visit when the lights came on in Charlie’s room. Charlie was getting ready for his fishing trip.
When Charlie came out of the house with his fishing gear and lunch in tow, he looked startled to see Rose and me standing outside in the front yard. “Wow, Bells, don’t you ever sleep?”
I laughed. It was easier than lying. I turned serious. “Dad, we don’t want Billy knowing about Leah’s condition.”
He looked puzzled. Billy was his best friend. He’d never kept anything from him. “Why?”
“Trust me on this one. It’s vitally important. You can tell him after the baby has been delivered. He just needs to stay uninformed at the moment.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you say.” Charlie wasn’t usually verbose, so keeping the conversation centered on the fish shouldn’t be too hard.
“And, Dad?”
He was loading into his cruiser but stopped to look at me.
“Jacob spent the night at the Cullens. You might want to let Billy know.”
He nodded, then climbed into his cruiser and slammed the door harder than was necessary. I was glad he wouldn’t be there that day.
As he was pulling out, the phone rang. It was Edward. “Bella?”
“Edward!” Joy was too soft a word. Hearing his voice…
“We just picked up the message for Carlisle. How are things going?”
“We need you here now. Leah is much further along than I was when Nessie was delivered. She doesn’t have any time. How soon can you get here?”
“We’re on our way. We should be there in less than 15 minutes.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Leah should be able to make it that long. “I love you. I’ve missed you.”
“And I you. We’ll be there just as quick as we can.” Edward’s phone clicked off.
Rose and I exchanged a glance. “Fifteen minutes. I think we can do this,” her voice purred.
Emmett looked down at himself. His clothes looked like he’d been dragged up and down the street. “I’m gunna run the SUV through the car wash then go home and clean up.”
Rose snickered. “You’d better get that Escalade sparkling or you’ll pay the price.” Emmett nodded glumly. Alice had her own way of getting revenge. It wasn’t pretty.
Rose and I headed into the house, hopeful at last.