Moth To A Flame

BIRTH

Bella's voice ripped through the bustle, clawing at my eardrums.

"Get him OUT! He can't BREATHE!" She shrieked as the four of us practically threw her onto the makeshift hospital bed in the jury-rigged emergency ward they set up in Dr. Cullen's library. Her chest heaved violently as her limbs curled inward in pain.

A bright white lamp shined down on her like a sick and twisted spotlight, washing her skin tone out into a ghostly white color. I tore my eyes away from her pale, almost lavender face when I heard a wet stabbing noise. Edward plunged a syringe into Bella's thigh before tossing it aside, the glass rattling onto the ground. My eyes glided over to her midsection as Rosalie tore open Bella's grey dress. Bruises covered her swollen stomach like the spots of a dog's fur. The purple and green-stained skin warped and rippled, thrashing Bella side to side. That so-called "baby" was going to fight its way out of her. I tried not to hurl.

Although everyone's undivided attention was set on saving Bella—well, more specifically, saving the thing—no one seemed to hear her. They worked over her as if she was an inanimate object. Like they were late for a party and needed to finish making their dipping sauce.

My hand clung tightly to her shoulder and I looked her deep in the eyes. She did not look back in mine. I tried to say something—for the love of god, Bella, hang in there—but my lips parted to silence.

"Alice, get Carlisle on the phone!" Edward instructed from the other side of the bed. She nodded frantically, her cell phone darting to her ear immediately.

"Do it NOW!" Bella screeched when no one listened to her before.

"Bella, the morphine has to—" Alice called to her, clearly serving as a middleman for Carlisle.

"I said NOW!" Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she pleaded.

"You heard her. We don't have time." Rosalie asserted. The blondie didn't have a speck of panic on her face. A scalpel was suddenly in her hand, like she just willed it into existence, as she raised it and looked at Edward with a fixed expression.

I heard some garbled voice on Alice's phone.

"Carlisle said the placenta must have detached." She said, shaking her head side to side as if she didn't believe it herself. "We're going to have to do it ourselves. He won't make it in time." Her unfocused eyes glanced up at Edward.

I shot my gaze at each of them as they spoke. I barely registered what they said, what the hell was truly going on. It seemed like everything disappeared into a fog where I only retained what I absolutely needed to.

Edward's face turned more stoney than I thought possible. He nodded at Alice and then at Rosalie. I could've sworn I saw the side of the blondie's mouth curl up just the tiniest bit in a smile. I swear, if she wasn't about to take a blade to the girl I loved, I would've mauled her where she stood.

I turned back to Bella. Her face was shiny with a sheen of sweat that permeated her hair and stained the pillow behind her. It made all the blood in my face drain when I realized she would feel all of it. I had to distract her. I kept my hand cupped around her shoulder and took one of her hands in mine.

"Bella," I choked out, slightly nodding my head. What the hell could I ever say to take away such a pain? I had to try anyway. "Bella, breathe," I commanded. I squeezed her frail hand in mine.

She took a shallow inhale in preparation before her scream ripped the room apart. I heard the damp slashing sound of the scalpel tearing at her skin. Her wild eyes were cast downwards in horror at her own body. She sealed her mouth shut as her scream still poured through her flared nostrils.