Another Chance (L. Clearwater)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Everyone is sitting around the second floor living room the next night. The baby broke another rib last night and Edward is anxious.

'Edward, please try to relax as much as you can,' Keiko demands mentally and Edward looks at mer. 'I'm not an empath but I can feel your stress from here and that's not good for me. I'm pregnant. Calm down now.'

"I'm sorry, Keiko," Edward says and he hears Bella take a shuttered breath as Rosalie perches on the chair arm of the chair Keiko is sitting in since Leah and Seth are patrolling. "Are you cold?"

"I got it,"Jacob says. He walks over and he puts Bella's head on his lap and he touches her arm. His 108° body heat heats her up and he sees her smiling. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Bella asks weakly.

"Smile like I'm your favorite person in the world," Jacob replies.

Bella smiles. "You're one of them." She curls closer to him because the heat feels amazing. "Feels complete when you're here, Jake."

'Easy, Edward,' Keiko warns. 'He's her best friend.'

Edward sighs and he calms down.   

"We need to find a way to get some food in her system and keep it there," Esme says.

'Edward, what if the baby's hungry for blood?' Keiko asks the mind-reader mentally after Rosalie and Alice argue over the word fetus and baby. 'You're the father. It's part vampire.'

"I think you might be right," Edward says. "Keiko had an idea,"

"What are you thinking?" Bella asks her,

"That the baby is part vampire because of Edward," Keiko says. "Maybe it's not hungry for food, got for blood."

"He's thirsty," Bella whispers.

"I know the feeling," Emmett grumbles.

"If it's craving blood, it won't want animal blood," Edward says.

"I have some O negative I laid aside for Bella," Carlisle says and he leads Edward to the kitchen.

"Dad... let's walk," Keiko says.

Haruto nods and he lets his daughter guide him outside and close to the woods but not close enough.

"Thanks," Haruto says. "How's my grand-baby?"

"I get my first sonogram as soon as the wolves back off," Keiko says. "But so far, so good. Morning sickness is a pain."

"And Rosalie or Leah is always there holding your hair back," Haruto says as Emmett joins them, as well as Alice and Jasper. "You guys had to get out, too?"

Jasper nods mutely and he looks into the woods longingly. Keiko sighs.

"Sam, you're being selfish," Keiko says. "What if Bella were an imprint?" Nothing. "I'm glad I left Forks. I don't want your sperm anymore after this baby. Leah and I will find a better wolf or a human."

Haruto wraps his arms around Keiko and Keiko reaches over to grab Jasper's hand as a comfort and he slowly calms down.