Devotion, Jasper Hale

Chapter 38

August, 2006, Cullen residence
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Bella was doing terrible.

The baby was eating her up from the inside out. She had gotten paler than before, her cheeks were hollow, her hr was losing color and her eyes were slowly losing their light. Still, Bella insisted on keeping her baby.

Ultrasounds didn't work and needles couldn't penetrate the womb, so they had no idea what was truly growing inside of Bella. Alice also said that she couldn't see the baby, or Bella for that matter.

Catherine, Emmett, Rosalie and Esme had all taken Bella's side, but even they saw her life slowly slipping away. Rosalie had grown very protective of the mortal she once hated. This could make her dream of having a child finally come true. Catherine was doing everything she could to make Bella as comfortable as she possibly could, all while avoiding Jasper. If the two were in the same room, only snarky comments would me shared between the two.

She simply wasn't ready to have a normal conversation with him. It had been a very fast week and they just needed some time apart. Instead of staying in their bedroom like she always did, Catherine mainly locked herself in in Rosalie and Emmett's room.

Currently, Catherine and Emmett were doing Bella's laundry. Bella had been laying on the couch all day long so they took turns changing the sheets daily.

"How have you and Jasper been since... you know?" Emmett suddenly broke the  comfortable silence. Catherine looked up from the blanket she was folding. She had been lifeless the last week. Without her mate, her favorite person, she was merely a shell of how she used to be.

"Well, we haven't been good, as you might have noticed. I really, really miss him." She quickly went back to the laundry to avoid Emmett's eyes. Emmett pulled the blankets out of her hands and placed them on the table. She looked up at him and frowned at his concerned expression.

"You still love each other, right?" He asked as he sat down on the table. She softly smiled and sat down next to him. "I love him more than anything in the world. I know he loves me too. It's okay that were fighting, Emm." She softly, weakly smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Emmett wrapped a brotherly arm around her shoulder. "It's been years, maybe even decades since your last fight," he stated. Catherine nodded, "you two are gonna make up, right?" He comfortingly rubbed her shoulder as she sighed.

"Of course we're gonna make up, just not yet. The fight is still a little raw and we just need some time apart. Plus, we're both still a little... very mad at each other. And that's okay. It's healthy for couples to fight every once in a while," Catherine raised her head and smiled at Emmett. A small smile, but still, a smile.

"Good, if the two of you break up, then I don't think there's any hope for Rose and I." He joked, nudging her. That elicited a small chuckle from Catherine, making Emmett proud of himself.

They heard footsteps approach. Rosalie was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. "Can I take the bedding with me?" She asked with a knowing smile, probably having heard their full conversation. Catherine nodded and jumped down from the table. She handed Rosalie the blankets and pillowcase.

Rosalie kissed Emmett's cheek before walking out of the room.

Little did Catherine and Emmett know, Jasper was standing outside of the door with a small smile on his face. When he heard Catherine and Emmett getting ready to leave the room, he quickly left to avoid getting caught.
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"Hey, Bells, how're you feeling?" Catherine sweetly asked as she placed a plate with waffles on it infront of her as she sat on the couch. "I'm fine, Cath, thanks, just a little tired." Bella smiled and leaned forward to take the plate.