A Witch Thing

• 13 •

She nodded, looking at Jasper closely. He gave her the best smile he could manage to get her through. "I'm here, I'm here. Breathe."

She continued breathing. She needed to breathe.

"Push," Carlisle said.

She obeyed, pushing as hard as she could. Her sounds of strain slowly morphed into a yell. "I know," Jasper told her gently, "You've got this. You're doing great."

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded again, getting ready as she breathed through it.

"Push," he told her again.

And again, she pushed. She gripped Jasper's hand tightly. Mariah and Eileen dared not try to grab her other hand, they liked them.

"You're doing great," Carlisle encouraged, "Just give me one more."

She took in a deep breath and pushed one last time. Jasper dabbed at her forehead again, "So great. You're doing great."

Elizabet nodded, resting her head on his shoulder as she continued breathing.

Then she heard it.

Jasper looked over, his eyes locked on the crying baby Carlisle held in his arms. He blinked a few times and Elizabet looked over, her breath almost stopping entirely.

Carlisle smiled and slowly handed the baby over to Eileen who wrapped the baby in a towel. "It's a girl," he said softly.

Elizabet slowly smiled, looking up to Jasper. He was so shocked that he wasn't moving, he just stood there in place and stared.

"Can I hold her?" She asked softly, her voice quivering. Mariah looked at Carlisle, she was still concerned about the broken rib.

Carlisle nodded, "Of course."

Eileen handed her over, carefully and slowly laying her down in her arms. Elizabet smiled as she looked at the child.

Her child.

"Hey, little one," she cooed softly.

The baby had stopped crying, cooing back. Elizabet looked over at Jasper, a smile plastered on her face.

"Jasper...she's your daughter," she told him.

He finally reacted, his warm golden eyes lighting up as he smiled at the small child. "Hey," he said softly.

The baby cooed again. "What are you going to name her?" Jasper asked. He didn't want to do the naming, she wanted to give her that right.

She smiled as she gazed back at her daughter, "Althea. Her name is Althea."

He smiled, "Althea." He kissed Elizabet's forehead softly and said, "It's perfect. She's perfect."

Elizabet chuckled lightly, kissing him back. But as she stretched, the reality of her broke rib came back to her and she winced.

Althea stirred and cried again. Carlisle grabbed the baby again and handed her to Eileen to clean her off. Mariah stayed, having Jasper back up slightly so she could heal the bone.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

Elizabet nodded, "Yeah."

Mariah closed her eyes and settled her hands over the broken rib, muttering a few words. The bone repaired and Elizabet took in a deep breath. She went to sit up a little and Carlisle said, "Woah, take it easy. You need to rest."

She nodded, laying back down. Jasper pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. He kissed her cheek, "You did amazing, sweetheart."

She smiled, "You, too."