RENESMEE’S POV
We ushered here in immediately. All of the females surrounded her, trying to comfort her. She wasn’t crying as much and I could only guess that it was Uncle Jasper’s doing.
“Tell us what happened,” Aunt Rose urged sympathetically, rubbing Ms. Hill’s shoulders. We were all seated at the dining room table.
“He said he didn’t want me anymore. He said he loved me but it turned out he was just bored when he found me and couldn’t resist. Now, I was no use to him,” she said covering her face. I hated Zachary for doing this to Ms. Hill. One day, he’d pay for what he’d done to her. It seemed like Aunt Rose read my mind when she suddenly declared, “Zachary won’t get away with this. If he ever comes back, we’ll rip him apart and burn him to hell.” Ms.Hill finally looked up from her hands and said, “I don’t want him to see my baby.” I’d never seen her so mad before. Poppa nodded and added, “Don’t worry, Leila, we won’t let any harm come your way. We suggest that you stay here with us so that we can monitor your progress.” She was quiet while she thought over the offer. “Okay, I’ll stay,” she finally said.“Good. We should also let you know that this pregnancy is very different. The fetus will grow quite rapidly and instead of carrying it for 9 months, you’ll most likely do so for about 1 month” my dad said. “Okay,” she replied and continued with a question, “will my baby be like Renesmee?”
“Yes, it will be half vampire and half human.” Daddy also answered her silent question. “We won’t know if your baby has powers until he or she is born and something out of the ordinary happens.” I was quiet the whole time. I was too stunned and hurt to see that someone as wonderful as Ms. Hill was taken advantage of like this. I did wonder, however, if she wished to be turned, just how my mom did when I was born. My dad flinched and my mom noticed. “What’s wrong, Edward?” Momma asked. My father was apprehensive as to whether or not he should actually ask my teacher my question but he did anyway.
“Nessie’s asking if you wish to be turned, just like Bella had done after giving birth."
Her expression was disturbed when she replied, “I don’t want to become like you.” My face dropped when she said this. She quickly explained herself. “I mean I don’t want to be the same monster as Zachary. Just like I said earlier, I don’ want him to see my child or me for that matter.”
“In that case, you should know that the baby you’re carrying will literally rip you apart. Trust me, I should know,” my mom said.
“I understand,” was Ms. Hill’s response. Even without Zachary coming, we still ate dinner. Ms. Hill was a lot calmer now. She was at the house for just about 4 hours but her stomach grew in just that short time. Maybe she didn’t have to wait for a month after all. As I thought of this, it became clear that in that same time she would die. She had left with Aunt Rosalie to pack some of her belongings since she would be living here for the time being. She lived by herself; her parents lived in Chicago and her siblings lead their own lives with their families. We had a guest room right next to the music room. Gramma was busy tidying it up for Ms. Hill. I offered to help.
“Sure, sweetheart,” my grandmother said. “Here, you can change the bed sheets and put these lilac pillow cases. After you’ve done that, puff them like this,” she instructed me.
In about an hour, Uncle Emmett had come in, carrying Ms. Hill with Aunt Rosalie carrying her luggages. I panicked and dashed straight to my uncle.
“What happened? Is she hurt? What do we do?” I asked at super vampire speed.
“Relax,” Aunt Rosalie said putting her things away while my uncle placed her gently in the center of the bed. “She fell asleep on the ride back. I didn’t want to wake her so we carried her in. She’s gone through so much in one day,” Aunt Rose added shaking her head slightly in dismay. She tucked Ms. Hill in and we quietly left the room.
2 WEEKS LATER
A couple weeks past and Ms. Hill’s stomach grew significantly. It if were a normal pregnancy, it would’ve been her 8th month because that’s how big she looked. I was getting worried and I wasn’t the only one.
“The baby is growing at such a fast pace. With Renesmee it was only about the beginning of the 4th week when Bella looked like this,” Poppa said shaking his head in disbelief. Ms. Hill was sleeping soundly in the recliner in the living room with Aunt Rose seated crossed legged at the foot. She’d been at her side since Daddy announced she was pregnant. Momma told me Aunt Rose was the same when she was pregnant with me. Do you think the fetus is in danger, Carlisle? Or maybe there’s some other complication?” Aunt Rose asked gently rubbing the growing bump.“I can’t really say,” Poppa replied, “like with Renesmee, I can’t properly monitor the fetus. Getting an ultrasound would be no use; we won’t be able to see anything.” I was sitting cross legged, too, on the other side of the recliner with both hands on my chin. My brow creased in worry. I knew how everyone felt now when I was in my mom’s stomach. I was literally tearing her apart. It’s no different now with Ms. Hill’s baby. I knew that even in this stage, the fetus could hear what’s going on, because I knew I did. I hope that if we ask for it to not move around as much so that it wouldn’t hurt her, it would obey. Just then, Ms. Hill suddenly sat up from the recliner. Her expression was full of pain and then there was crack. She gasped loudly and then began crying.
Aunt Rose and I surrounded her. “Leila!” she exclaimed.
Daddy carried her upstairs to Poppa’s office. Her breathing sped. “Her spine cracked slightly. I’m going to give her some morphine to ease the pain and heal the fracture,” Poppa said. He injected her and her breathing gradually went back to normal. Momma came in with Uncle Jasper.
"Jazz, help her, please." He nodded and Ms. Hill smiled."This was what? The 6th time this little kicker broke my spine?” None of us responded.This was also why we were worried so much. This happened more than enough times over a course of a few days. This baby was a lot stronger than I ever was. After about an hour, Ms. Hill was back downstairs. She and Aunt Rose were watching Full House on DVD. It was Ms. Hill’s favorite show. My aunt was feeding her lasagna. As I was watching them from the dining room table, eating some dinner myself, an idea popped into my head. Before I got a chance to say what was on my mind, daddy had already gotten the blood out of the refrigerator. He poured it in a red plastic party cup and placed a white straw into it.
“Love, I think you should be the one to do it.” My mom nodded. We both walked over to the living room. Ms. Hill was so worn out. There were dark circles under her eyes and even with us feeding her nearly every 2-3 hours, she still looked malnourished. The smell of the blood diverted her attention from Danny Tanner and Uncle Jesse. Her eyes we so full of hunger.
“Leila, I think it’s time we did something different,” my mom started. “This may seem repulsive to you but it’ll help keep the baby healthy and make you feel so much better.” She replied with a quick nod and eagerly reached out for the cup of blood. She took one sip and in 15 seconds it was gone. Her condition improved dramatically. She had so much energy now but just to be safe we still had her in the recliner. Uncle Jasper came in with my aunt. He was absolutely beaming from the happy aura Ms. Hill was emanating. I guess the baby was happy, too. Everyone gathered toward the white leather couches. Daddy came over and placed me on his lap with Momma on his side.
“Leila, you’re glowing with joy,” Gramma said with utmost affection in her voice. Ms. Hill thanked her with her flawless smile. Even with this tough pregnancy, she was still really beautiful.
“I’m glad all of you are here,” Ms. Hill said finishing her second cup of blood. I felt daddy move slightly and I looked to see him smiling towards Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie.
“Originally, I wanted the baby to go to Edward and Bella because they were the ones experienced in raising a hybrid, but I’ve done some thinking and I’m confident in giving my baby to Rose and Em instead." If my aunt could cry, she could’ve filled a million rivers. Uncle Emmett looked a bit emotional, too, because Uncle Jasper had to calm him down as well.
“Leila,” Aunt Rose whispered, “you have no idea how much this means to us.” Tears were streaming down Ms. Hill’s tantalizing gray eyes.
“I know that my baby will be better off with this family. He or she would be so loved.” She turned to my parents and I and said, "No offense, you two, but Rose did tell me her story and how much she wanted to adopt.” Momma shook her head. “Edward and I are perfectly happy with out little nudger,” she said kissing my nose. I smiled and nodded. “I’ll still treat your baby like he or she is my little sibling,” I added.
“Thank you,” Ms. Hill replied.
“So what are you going to name the baby if it’s a girl?” Gramma asked her.
“Well that’s completely up to Rose and Emmett now,” she answered, looking to my aunt and uncle cuddling on the love seat.
“If it’s a girl,” Aunt Rose said, “we’ll name her Emmie; a combination of my name and Emmett’s.”
“That’s perfect,” Ms. Hill said.
Uncle Jasper asked, "And if it’s a boy?”
“I got it!” Uncle Emmett exclaimed. “Emmett Junior.”
I snorted. “Really?” At that same time, Aunt Rose poked him in the ribs.“Babe, that’s not what we talked about,” she scolded him“If it’s a boy, then he’ll be Rommel, another combination of our names.” I grinned. “Much better and WAY more clever than Emmett Junior.
We all laughed. A minute later, Ms. Hill winced. “The baby’s kicking an awful lot.” Aunt Alice got up to get another cup of blood but her gaze altered and she collapsed back down. It was clear she was having a vision.
“Alice, what do you see?” Poppa asked. I looked to daddy for an answer in his expression, whether it was good or bad. His face was just as bewildered as Aunt Alice’s. She was back in the present a few seconds later. She and Daddy were totally speechless.
“It looks like you’ll be needing both of those names,” she said slowly.
Everyone, besides daddy and Aunt Alice, was utterly confused. It took me a full 2 minutes to decipher her vision. I shot up from my dad’s lap and I jumped up and down in thrill.
“Ms. Hill is having twins! Baby Emmie and Baby Rommel! TWINS!” I proclaimed. Gramma had her hand on her heart. Uncle Emmett was completely frozen on his seat. Poppa congratulated my aunt and my teacher.“Wait,” Momma said, confused beside daddy. “Alice, how on Earth did you see that? Your power is based on the decisions people make.” My aunt shrugged and said, “well apparently SOMEONE decided.” To further support her premonition, daddy said, “she’s right. I can hear their thoughts now.” He paused but continued, “I think it’s Emmie asking for more blood.” This time Aunt Alice was successful at retrieving some blood.“No wonder my spine keeps getting damaged,” Ms. Hill said sipping her cup of blood happily Poppa was pacing. “This makes a lot more sense now. Your stomach grew significantly these past weeks because you’re carrying twins. A lot more sense.” My grandfather was talking to himself now.
“This means the babies will be coming a lot sooner than anticipated,” daddy said looking to Ms. Hill. I was ecstatic that I was going to have 2 younger siblings that I had completely forgotten that it also meant Ms. Hill was just going to be in more pain and eventually she’ll be gone.
This finally sunk in and the atmosphere immediately shifted from excitement to sullen. And to think that in a couple of days it’ll be a new year.
“I’m willing to make that sacrifice,” Ms. Hill said breaking the silence. “Em and Rose deserve to have their wish granted and my babies would be neglected if they went to Zachary. This is my fate and I’m accepting it.”
Poppa nodded and patted her stomach. “We’ll do everything we can to make this a lot easier for you.”
I walked over to the recliner and did the same. “Yeah, and you two need to go easy on your mommy here. Don’t kick too much, okay?” Ms. Hill smiled weakly and then her eyes fluttered shut. The next thing I knew she was snoring softly.
The next couple of days zoomed by. Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett didn’t leave Ms. Hill’s side. This was because she grew weaker and weaker by the hour. I had a feeling that we were going to ring in the new year with 2 new Cullen members.
We were prepared. Ms. Hill was in the hospital bed located in Poppa’s office. She was attached to an IV that dripped morphine. We even gave her some sleep medicine so that she wouldn’t feel the pain so much either.
Gramma and Aunt Alice went straight to work on the guest room, which was Ms. Hill’s room, for the twins. It was big enough to add a king size bed for Rommel and the queen sized bed would be Emmie’s.
I was so preoccupied with all the baby commotion that when Jacob came by to visit I totally forgot that not too long ago we said we loved each other. It took all of my strength NOT to run to him and kiss him.
Instead of running over here, he had taken his new Black Mercedes Guardian that was given to him on Christmas from my parents.
“Jake, what are you doing here?” I asked after our hug.“I just wanted to drop by and congratulate the parents-to- be. And…to give you this,” he replied, jiggling a charm bracelet with hearts, stars, a crescent moon, and a wooden wolf.
I gasped and took it out of his hand. He smirked and his hands snaked around my waist, bringing me closer to him I was mesmerized. The hearts and stars were carved from opal and pink tourmaline. The moon was quartz but my favorite was the wooden wolf. When I was done looking at it, he secured it around my left wrist and it fit perfectly. I smiled and coiled my hands around his neck. We stared into each others eyes nearly all night.
"Sorry we couldn't spend Christmas together," I said he turned me around so that he was hugging me from behind. "S'okay, babe, I know that things have been a little chaotic lately," he said with his chin resing on the top of my head. I laughed a little and said, "got that right. It's so exiting that Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett are finally going go have kids of their own even if they're adopted. But I'm going to really miss Ms. Hill."
He hugged me tighter but it was too late for the tears. "If only she'd agree to being changed..." I whispered. To lighten up the mood, Jacob said, "not everyone wants to be a bloodsucker, Ness." I escaped from his hold but not without nudging him in his ribs. I wiped my tears away and crossed my arms. My eyes were fixed on the starry New Years Eve night. "Ness, you know that I didn't mean that. I was just trying to cheer you up."
I reluctantly sighed and went back to his open arms. (I know you didn't. It's just hard to let her go because she's my favorite person.)
He looked offended that it was uber hilarious.
"I thought I was your favorite person," he whined with a pout.
"Mia will ALWAYS be my bestfriend and Ms. Hill will always be my favorite person. Now you...you'll always be mine and I'll always be yours."
"Okay, fine, I'll settle for that."
I chuckled at his sillyness. We stayed quiet, enjoying each others company, for a good portion of the night. He fidgetted after a while to check his cellphone. "Expecting a call? I asked playfully with an eyebrow shooting up. "No, not really. Just checking the time."
"What for? Does Sam need-"
Before I could finish my question, his hands found my waist bringing me closer to him. In 2 seconds, our lips touched and I found my fingers tangled in his hair. This kiss was totally unexpected and a complete surprise but I wouldn't have it any other way. Being this close to him was so different than what I had thought. His lips were ultra smooth and they fit mine perfectly, like they were made to match mine exactly. TV shows and movies say that when you have your first kiss, sparks fly and they erupt into fireworks. I guess it was only appropriate due to the New Year. His lips were an explosion of bliss and ultimate pleasure. His familiar woodsy scent was more stronger like this and it was like a drug. As we kissed, I realized that I couldn't go on another day without my Jacob; I needed a daily dose of this much potency. He broke the kiss all too soon but we needed more oxygen. Once our breathing caught up, he leaned forward again but to only give me a soft, gentle peck.
I frowned, wanting more, but he said, "I really want to continue this but your dad only allowed me the 3 minutes."
"Wait, what 3 minutes?" I asked confused. I swore it was longer than that...
"I was checking the time because I wanted to kiss you at exactly from 11:59 to 12:01. That way, we ended the year together and entered a new one together."
"Wow," was all I managed to say. "Pretty cheesy, but hey I'll take it."
He smirked, leaning along the railing of the back patio.
"Unfortunately, my time is up, officially now, because I gotta patrol. But don't worry, I'll come back as soon as I get some sleepy after my duties."
"Fine," I said. "But first you gotta kiss me goodbye."
"Don't have to tell me twice, babe."
I tippy-toed so that my lips could reach his and then he left.
It had been about 5 minutes after his departure when a painful, piercing scream came from Poppa's office. Before I got a chance to take the first step of the stairs, Aunt Alice stopped me.
"Aunt Alice, I have to see Ms. Hill! I said, panicking.
"I know but you can't, sweetie. I'm sorry. Your father asked for me to keep you here. We weren't sure the babies were coming this early. She was due next week!"
I plopped onto the leather loveseat with my hands in my face. Ms. Hill was dying and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I faintly heard the murmurs upstairs. Ms. Hill's weak heartbeat was drowning out everything else. And then the sound I dreaded to hear became audible. The beartbeat of someone I truly cared about, halted.
We ushered here in immediately. All of the females surrounded her, trying to comfort her. She wasn’t crying as much and I could only guess that it was Uncle Jasper’s doing.
“Tell us what happened,” Aunt Rose urged sympathetically, rubbing Ms. Hill’s shoulders. We were all seated at the dining room table.
“He said he didn’t want me anymore. He said he loved me but it turned out he was just bored when he found me and couldn’t resist. Now, I was no use to him,” she said covering her face. I hated Zachary for doing this to Ms. Hill. One day, he’d pay for what he’d done to her. It seemed like Aunt Rose read my mind when she suddenly declared, “Zachary won’t get away with this. If he ever comes back, we’ll rip him apart and burn him to hell.” Ms.Hill finally looked up from her hands and said, “I don’t want him to see my baby.” I’d never seen her so mad before. Poppa nodded and added, “Don’t worry, Leila, we won’t let any harm come your way. We suggest that you stay here with us so that we can monitor your progress.” She was quiet while she thought over the offer. “Okay, I’ll stay,” she finally said.“Good. We should also let you know that this pregnancy is very different. The fetus will grow quite rapidly and instead of carrying it for 9 months, you’ll most likely do so for about 1 month” my dad said. “Okay,” she replied and continued with a question, “will my baby be like Renesmee?”
“Yes, it will be half vampire and half human.” Daddy also answered her silent question. “We won’t know if your baby has powers until he or she is born and something out of the ordinary happens.” I was quiet the whole time. I was too stunned and hurt to see that someone as wonderful as Ms. Hill was taken advantage of like this. I did wonder, however, if she wished to be turned, just how my mom did when I was born. My dad flinched and my mom noticed. “What’s wrong, Edward?” Momma asked. My father was apprehensive as to whether or not he should actually ask my teacher my question but he did anyway.
“Nessie’s asking if you wish to be turned, just like Bella had done after giving birth."
Her expression was disturbed when she replied, “I don’t want to become like you.” My face dropped when she said this. She quickly explained herself. “I mean I don’t want to be the same monster as Zachary. Just like I said earlier, I don’ want him to see my child or me for that matter.”
“In that case, you should know that the baby you’re carrying will literally rip you apart. Trust me, I should know,” my mom said.
“I understand,” was Ms. Hill’s response. Even without Zachary coming, we still ate dinner. Ms. Hill was a lot calmer now. She was at the house for just about 4 hours but her stomach grew in just that short time. Maybe she didn’t have to wait for a month after all. As I thought of this, it became clear that in that same time she would die. She had left with Aunt Rosalie to pack some of her belongings since she would be living here for the time being. She lived by herself; her parents lived in Chicago and her siblings lead their own lives with their families. We had a guest room right next to the music room. Gramma was busy tidying it up for Ms. Hill. I offered to help.
“Sure, sweetheart,” my grandmother said. “Here, you can change the bed sheets and put these lilac pillow cases. After you’ve done that, puff them like this,” she instructed me.
In about an hour, Uncle Emmett had come in, carrying Ms. Hill with Aunt Rosalie carrying her luggages. I panicked and dashed straight to my uncle.
“What happened? Is she hurt? What do we do?” I asked at super vampire speed.
“Relax,” Aunt Rosalie said putting her things away while my uncle placed her gently in the center of the bed. “She fell asleep on the ride back. I didn’t want to wake her so we carried her in. She’s gone through so much in one day,” Aunt Rose added shaking her head slightly in dismay. She tucked Ms. Hill in and we quietly left the room.
2 WEEKS LATER
A couple weeks past and Ms. Hill’s stomach grew significantly. It if were a normal pregnancy, it would’ve been her 8th month because that’s how big she looked. I was getting worried and I wasn’t the only one.
“The baby is growing at such a fast pace. With Renesmee it was only about the beginning of the 4th week when Bella looked like this,” Poppa said shaking his head in disbelief. Ms. Hill was sleeping soundly in the recliner in the living room with Aunt Rose seated crossed legged at the foot. She’d been at her side since Daddy announced she was pregnant. Momma told me Aunt Rose was the same when she was pregnant with me. Do you think the fetus is in danger, Carlisle? Or maybe there’s some other complication?” Aunt Rose asked gently rubbing the growing bump.“I can’t really say,” Poppa replied, “like with Renesmee, I can’t properly monitor the fetus. Getting an ultrasound would be no use; we won’t be able to see anything.” I was sitting cross legged, too, on the other side of the recliner with both hands on my chin. My brow creased in worry. I knew how everyone felt now when I was in my mom’s stomach. I was literally tearing her apart. It’s no different now with Ms. Hill’s baby. I knew that even in this stage, the fetus could hear what’s going on, because I knew I did. I hope that if we ask for it to not move around as much so that it wouldn’t hurt her, it would obey. Just then, Ms. Hill suddenly sat up from the recliner. Her expression was full of pain and then there was crack. She gasped loudly and then began crying.
Aunt Rose and I surrounded her. “Leila!” she exclaimed.
Daddy carried her upstairs to Poppa’s office. Her breathing sped. “Her spine cracked slightly. I’m going to give her some morphine to ease the pain and heal the fracture,” Poppa said. He injected her and her breathing gradually went back to normal. Momma came in with Uncle Jasper.
"Jazz, help her, please." He nodded and Ms. Hill smiled."This was what? The 6th time this little kicker broke my spine?” None of us responded.This was also why we were worried so much. This happened more than enough times over a course of a few days. This baby was a lot stronger than I ever was. After about an hour, Ms. Hill was back downstairs. She and Aunt Rose were watching Full House on DVD. It was Ms. Hill’s favorite show. My aunt was feeding her lasagna. As I was watching them from the dining room table, eating some dinner myself, an idea popped into my head. Before I got a chance to say what was on my mind, daddy had already gotten the blood out of the refrigerator. He poured it in a red plastic party cup and placed a white straw into it.
“Love, I think you should be the one to do it.” My mom nodded. We both walked over to the living room. Ms. Hill was so worn out. There were dark circles under her eyes and even with us feeding her nearly every 2-3 hours, she still looked malnourished. The smell of the blood diverted her attention from Danny Tanner and Uncle Jesse. Her eyes we so full of hunger.
“Leila, I think it’s time we did something different,” my mom started. “This may seem repulsive to you but it’ll help keep the baby healthy and make you feel so much better.” She replied with a quick nod and eagerly reached out for the cup of blood. She took one sip and in 15 seconds it was gone. Her condition improved dramatically. She had so much energy now but just to be safe we still had her in the recliner. Uncle Jasper came in with my aunt. He was absolutely beaming from the happy aura Ms. Hill was emanating. I guess the baby was happy, too. Everyone gathered toward the white leather couches. Daddy came over and placed me on his lap with Momma on his side.
“Leila, you’re glowing with joy,” Gramma said with utmost affection in her voice. Ms. Hill thanked her with her flawless smile. Even with this tough pregnancy, she was still really beautiful.
“I’m glad all of you are here,” Ms. Hill said finishing her second cup of blood. I felt daddy move slightly and I looked to see him smiling towards Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie.
“Originally, I wanted the baby to go to Edward and Bella because they were the ones experienced in raising a hybrid, but I’ve done some thinking and I’m confident in giving my baby to Rose and Em instead." If my aunt could cry, she could’ve filled a million rivers. Uncle Emmett looked a bit emotional, too, because Uncle Jasper had to calm him down as well.
“Leila,” Aunt Rose whispered, “you have no idea how much this means to us.” Tears were streaming down Ms. Hill’s tantalizing gray eyes.
“I know that my baby will be better off with this family. He or she would be so loved.” She turned to my parents and I and said, "No offense, you two, but Rose did tell me her story and how much she wanted to adopt.” Momma shook her head. “Edward and I are perfectly happy with out little nudger,” she said kissing my nose. I smiled and nodded. “I’ll still treat your baby like he or she is my little sibling,” I added.
“Thank you,” Ms. Hill replied.
“So what are you going to name the baby if it’s a girl?” Gramma asked her.
“Well that’s completely up to Rose and Emmett now,” she answered, looking to my aunt and uncle cuddling on the love seat.
“If it’s a girl,” Aunt Rose said, “we’ll name her Emmie; a combination of my name and Emmett’s.”
“That’s perfect,” Ms. Hill said.
Uncle Jasper asked, "And if it’s a boy?”
“I got it!” Uncle Emmett exclaimed. “Emmett Junior.”
I snorted. “Really?” At that same time, Aunt Rose poked him in the ribs.“Babe, that’s not what we talked about,” she scolded him“If it’s a boy, then he’ll be Rommel, another combination of our names.” I grinned. “Much better and WAY more clever than Emmett Junior.
We all laughed. A minute later, Ms. Hill winced. “The baby’s kicking an awful lot.” Aunt Alice got up to get another cup of blood but her gaze altered and she collapsed back down. It was clear she was having a vision.
“Alice, what do you see?” Poppa asked. I looked to daddy for an answer in his expression, whether it was good or bad. His face was just as bewildered as Aunt Alice’s. She was back in the present a few seconds later. She and Daddy were totally speechless.
“It looks like you’ll be needing both of those names,” she said slowly.
Everyone, besides daddy and Aunt Alice, was utterly confused. It took me a full 2 minutes to decipher her vision. I shot up from my dad’s lap and I jumped up and down in thrill.
“Ms. Hill is having twins! Baby Emmie and Baby Rommel! TWINS!” I proclaimed. Gramma had her hand on her heart. Uncle Emmett was completely frozen on his seat. Poppa congratulated my aunt and my teacher.“Wait,” Momma said, confused beside daddy. “Alice, how on Earth did you see that? Your power is based on the decisions people make.” My aunt shrugged and said, “well apparently SOMEONE decided.” To further support her premonition, daddy said, “she’s right. I can hear their thoughts now.” He paused but continued, “I think it’s Emmie asking for more blood.” This time Aunt Alice was successful at retrieving some blood.“No wonder my spine keeps getting damaged,” Ms. Hill said sipping her cup of blood happily Poppa was pacing. “This makes a lot more sense now. Your stomach grew significantly these past weeks because you’re carrying twins. A lot more sense.” My grandfather was talking to himself now.
“This means the babies will be coming a lot sooner than anticipated,” daddy said looking to Ms. Hill. I was ecstatic that I was going to have 2 younger siblings that I had completely forgotten that it also meant Ms. Hill was just going to be in more pain and eventually she’ll be gone.
This finally sunk in and the atmosphere immediately shifted from excitement to sullen. And to think that in a couple of days it’ll be a new year.
“I’m willing to make that sacrifice,” Ms. Hill said breaking the silence. “Em and Rose deserve to have their wish granted and my babies would be neglected if they went to Zachary. This is my fate and I’m accepting it.”
Poppa nodded and patted her stomach. “We’ll do everything we can to make this a lot easier for you.”
I walked over to the recliner and did the same. “Yeah, and you two need to go easy on your mommy here. Don’t kick too much, okay?” Ms. Hill smiled weakly and then her eyes fluttered shut. The next thing I knew she was snoring softly.
The next couple of days zoomed by. Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett didn’t leave Ms. Hill’s side. This was because she grew weaker and weaker by the hour. I had a feeling that we were going to ring in the new year with 2 new Cullen members.
We were prepared. Ms. Hill was in the hospital bed located in Poppa’s office. She was attached to an IV that dripped morphine. We even gave her some sleep medicine so that she wouldn’t feel the pain so much either.
Gramma and Aunt Alice went straight to work on the guest room, which was Ms. Hill’s room, for the twins. It was big enough to add a king size bed for Rommel and the queen sized bed would be Emmie’s.
I was so preoccupied with all the baby commotion that when Jacob came by to visit I totally forgot that not too long ago we said we loved each other. It took all of my strength NOT to run to him and kiss him.
Instead of running over here, he had taken his new Black Mercedes Guardian that was given to him on Christmas from my parents.
“Jake, what are you doing here?” I asked after our hug.“I just wanted to drop by and congratulate the parents-to- be. And…to give you this,” he replied, jiggling a charm bracelet with hearts, stars, a crescent moon, and a wooden wolf.
I gasped and took it out of his hand. He smirked and his hands snaked around my waist, bringing me closer to him I was mesmerized. The hearts and stars were carved from opal and pink tourmaline. The moon was quartz but my favorite was the wooden wolf. When I was done looking at it, he secured it around my left wrist and it fit perfectly. I smiled and coiled my hands around his neck. We stared into each others eyes nearly all night.
"Sorry we couldn't spend Christmas together," I said he turned me around so that he was hugging me from behind. "S'okay, babe, I know that things have been a little chaotic lately," he said with his chin resing on the top of my head. I laughed a little and said, "got that right. It's so exiting that Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett are finally going go have kids of their own even if they're adopted. But I'm going to really miss Ms. Hill."
He hugged me tighter but it was too late for the tears. "If only she'd agree to being changed..." I whispered. To lighten up the mood, Jacob said, "not everyone wants to be a bloodsucker, Ness." I escaped from his hold but not without nudging him in his ribs. I wiped my tears away and crossed my arms. My eyes were fixed on the starry New Years Eve night. "Ness, you know that I didn't mean that. I was just trying to cheer you up."
I reluctantly sighed and went back to his open arms. (I know you didn't. It's just hard to let her go because she's my favorite person.)
He looked offended that it was uber hilarious.
"I thought I was your favorite person," he whined with a pout.
"Mia will ALWAYS be my bestfriend and Ms. Hill will always be my favorite person. Now you...you'll always be mine and I'll always be yours."
"Okay, fine, I'll settle for that."
I chuckled at his sillyness. We stayed quiet, enjoying each others company, for a good portion of the night. He fidgetted after a while to check his cellphone. "Expecting a call? I asked playfully with an eyebrow shooting up. "No, not really. Just checking the time."
"What for? Does Sam need-"
Before I could finish my question, his hands found my waist bringing me closer to him. In 2 seconds, our lips touched and I found my fingers tangled in his hair. This kiss was totally unexpected and a complete surprise but I wouldn't have it any other way. Being this close to him was so different than what I had thought. His lips were ultra smooth and they fit mine perfectly, like they were made to match mine exactly. TV shows and movies say that when you have your first kiss, sparks fly and they erupt into fireworks. I guess it was only appropriate due to the New Year. His lips were an explosion of bliss and ultimate pleasure. His familiar woodsy scent was more stronger like this and it was like a drug. As we kissed, I realized that I couldn't go on another day without my Jacob; I needed a daily dose of this much potency. He broke the kiss all too soon but we needed more oxygen. Once our breathing caught up, he leaned forward again but to only give me a soft, gentle peck.
I frowned, wanting more, but he said, "I really want to continue this but your dad only allowed me the 3 minutes."
"Wait, what 3 minutes?" I asked confused. I swore it was longer than that...
"I was checking the time because I wanted to kiss you at exactly from 11:59 to 12:01. That way, we ended the year together and entered a new one together."
"Wow," was all I managed to say. "Pretty cheesy, but hey I'll take it."
He smirked, leaning along the railing of the back patio.
"Unfortunately, my time is up, officially now, because I gotta patrol. But don't worry, I'll come back as soon as I get some sleepy after my duties."
"Fine," I said. "But first you gotta kiss me goodbye."
"Don't have to tell me twice, babe."
I tippy-toed so that my lips could reach his and then he left.
It had been about 5 minutes after his departure when a painful, piercing scream came from Poppa's office. Before I got a chance to take the first step of the stairs, Aunt Alice stopped me.
"Aunt Alice, I have to see Ms. Hill! I said, panicking.
"I know but you can't, sweetie. I'm sorry. Your father asked for me to keep you here. We weren't sure the babies were coming this early. She was due next week!"
I plopped onto the leather loveseat with my hands in my face. Ms. Hill was dying and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I faintly heard the murmurs upstairs. Ms. Hill's weak heartbeat was drowning out everything else. And then the sound I dreaded to hear became audible. The beartbeat of someone I truly cared about, halted.
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