My Original
by wizardtho
Chapter 15:
I had asked Carlisle to give me time to get cleaned up, seeing as I still felt yucky from getting sick before my exam. He graciously told us that he would keep the others occupied until we were ready to make the announcement.
On his way toward the bedroom door, Carlisle stopped, turned around, then suggested, “It would be beneficial for you both to feed Isabella a small amount of your blood. Not only will it reaffirm your bonds with her, but it would also bring the baby into the bonds, now that it has a heartbeat of its own. After today, a mutual feed once or twice a month would be beneficial to all, and help Isabella stay in top form throughout her pregnancy.”
Coop and Edward readily agreed, so Carlisle nodded before slipping from the room quietly.
My two originals took their time caring for me in the shower, each making sure to kiss my flat stomach as much as they could. They did both end up feeding me a bit of their blood, only taking a mouthful each of mine in return, stating that they didn't want to weaken me more after my episode of nausea earlier. I understood the reason they were being cautious, and if I was being truthful, grateful that they had taken that into consideration.
Once the three of us were dried off, Edward asked Coop to gather all of our clothing, while he sat me at the vanity and began tenderly brushing out my hair. I smiled at Coop's selection for me, saying as I started to dress, “This is perfect, Coop. Thank you. I know Ali will want to celebrate, but I don't think I could handle dressing up right now.”
He had picked out my 'Gentle Jade' bra and thong set, comfy blue tank, and Ed Hardy 'True Love' retro lounge shorts. “You’re welcome, Sweetheart. With what I'm sensing, you still need a bit of rest, so anything Alice would like to do to celebrate will just have to wait until you've rested.”
Edward agreed as he dressed, then placed my fuzzy slippers on the floor in front of my feet.
Once I stepped into them, we walked hand-in-hand out to the family room, then I looked at both of my handsome vampires. With a nod from each of them, I called in just above a normal tone, “Can we see everyone in the family room, please?”
Once they all found their way in and were seated, I saw Alice trying to hide her grin, so I knew we wouldn't have lasted another day without telling everyone. My men both wrapped themselves around me from either side, then I smiled as I said, “We have an announcement to make. In about 32...”
I looked at Carlisle to make sure. At his nod, I continued, “Thirty-two weeks, we will be welcoming a new little member to our family. From what Carlisle said after my physical, our time during my heat while Edward was human took splendidly. My pregnant state is the reason for the sudden increase in my napping, as well as the weird nausea I’ve been experiencing.”
Everyone rushed excitedly to congratulate us. Though at first, my mates were both extremely tense at the family's nearness, they relaxed noticeably at how gentle everyone was when they hugged me or touched my stomach. Rosalie's venom-filled eyes met mine, so I hugged her tightly before cupping her cheeks, asking with a smirk, “Are you ready for diaper duty and spit-up, Aunty Rose?”
She nodded as she let out an incredulous laugh, then said seriously, “Definitely. Congratulations. So... around 32 weeks? That's plenty of time. You three have a lot to figure out, now that your pregnancy is confirmed, but you have plenty of time to make the decisions.”
I gave her a questioning look, but it was Esme who hugged me while explaining, “Yes, of course. Since all of the rooms are light-tight capable, it won't be as difficult in this house, but you need to think of whether you'll be breastfeeding, if you'll be putting the baby on the same schedule as yourselves for sleep, and we'll need to make the room above yours the nursery, so a spiral staircase can be put in for direct access. Then you need to decide if you'll supplement with formula or pump for feedings that your mates or the family take, and...”
Edward chuckled as he kissed Esme's cheek, “Slow down, please. You'll overwhelm her before too long if you keep going. Yes, we have a lot to decide, but knowing Bella as I do, I think I know the answer to most of the decisions we need to make. With that knowledge, we can take one topic at a time to discuss, so that it doesn't overwhelm her.”
Esme gave Edward and Coop a sheepish look, then apologized. “I apologize, Edward. I'm just so excited for the three of you. A baby... Carlisle and I will be grandparents!”
Coop wrapped his arms around me from behind, right as Alice came out of a vision, grumbling, “Ah, crap! Why'd you have to take all my fun away? Why can't I do the nursery?”
I shook my head, but Coop said seriously, “Edward and I are invoking Father's right when it comes to picking out the furniture and design of the nursery, the baby's first outfit, and his or her first toy. That's something that the three of us will be doing as mates, Alice. You are more than welcome to help with anything after that point, along with Isabella's maternity wardrobe.”
Jasper whispered something to Alice, then she gave the three of us a tender smile before agreeing, “Okay... I can deal with that.”
It was another hour of us eating and the family all talking about my pregnancy, before Coop finally excused us to the library, stating that we needed to inform “someone very important” of our good news.
Once we were in the library with the doors closed, Coop dialed the number before putting the phone on speaker, since the family had all left to play on the beach for a while.
An automated voice saying, “Please enter your code now,” was the first thing I heard.
Coop responded flawlessly by inputting a series of numbers. After a second, a female voice asked, “Hello, and thank you for calling. My name is Jasmine. Please state your name and reason for calling.”
Coop replied with a slight smile to Edward and me, “Jackson, Cooper. I have Masen-Cullen, Edward and our female mate on the line. We wish to conference with her majesty. We have news.”
I could hear typing going on in the background, then the female said, “Yes, Mr. Jackson. It looks like Mr. Masen-Cullen was turned under two months ago. Have there been any issues to be concerned about?”
Coop chuckled, “Not at all. His turning was flawless, and his control is astounding for being so young.”
She seemed to let out a breath, then offered, “Excellent, Mr. Jackson. If you'll please hold, I'll see if her majesty is available to speak with you now.”
We were only on hold for a minute or two when a new female came on the line. “Cooper. How nice to hear from you so soon. Jasmine said your Edward is doing well?”
Coop chuckled, “Yes, Milady. He's doing quite well indeed.”
The queen hummed, then hedged, “I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. I assumed you both would be vying for the hierarchy position with your Isabella. Have you made it out of the bedroom so soon?”
All three of us laughed at that, then Edward offered, “My queen, it was my belief that the hierarchy should stand as it would have if we had met before my virus-bitten death. I spoke to both Coop and Bella about my feelings, and they agreed.”
She chuckled, then replied, “Not how I thought it would happen, given the amount of time you were a virus-bitten and their male-dominant nature, but a very wise choice, Young Edward. So, to what do I owe the nature of your call today?”
My mates both curled tighter into me from their positions on either side of me. At their smiles and nods, I took a deep breath. “Milady, we have news that you have been expecting, though not quite this soon. It seems that our intimate time together during Edward's human week actually took. Carlisle confirmed my pregnancy just a couple of hours ago. I had been feeling a bit under the weather lately, getting sick at the oddest times and napping more frequently. I thought it might have been stress with the new house being built and my parents, but then I saw something that got me thinking about when my last cycle had been. Needless to say, we asked Carlisle to check me over. It wasn’t long before he gave us the good news.”
Queen Felicity didn't take long at all to speak. She sounded pleased as she said, “Excellent news, Isabella. My heartfelt congratulations to the three of you. Do you have an estimation for the delivery date?”
Coop smiled down at me, saying, “Since due dates are calculated from the date of the woman's last cycle, Isabella is estimated to have around 32 weeks left in her pregnancy.”
She hummed thoughtfully, then I heard what sounded like shuffling in the background. It was only a second later that she said, “If it wouldn't be too stressful on you, Isabella, I would like to move my visit for this pregnancy up. My calendar looks to be pure hell for your last trimester, along with the first two months after the baby's birth. We also need to speak about how to handle telling your parents of your pregnancy, which I would rather do in person... the sooner the better. Since the lineage of all original turns is cataloged, I know that your Edward looks like the spitting image of his father, and his father before him. If the child you are carrying is a boy, or any of your subsequent pregnancies yield a boy, there is a high probability that the resemblance would be unmistakable.”
Edward looked to be thinking for a long moment, then his breath hitched. His voice was soft as he looked into my eyes, “It's blurry... fuzzy. I remember my father well enough, though. I did look very much like him. His father is the one that's blurry, but I remembered a picture my mother showed me of him and my grandmother holding me as a baby. I recall thinking that it was like a peek into my future... my father being what I would look like at his age, and my grandfather at his. They both had my unruly hair with the odd color, plus the features... her majesty is right, Love. There will be no getting around the child being mine if it is a boy, and the timeline...”
Queen Felicity stepped in then, saying tenderly, “Hence one of the reasons I wish to move my visit up.”
I thought for only a quick moment before I said, “Of course, Milady. As long as you can handle a cranky and hormonal pregnant female, along with her two over-protective mates and excited family, you are always welcome in our home. We only need your arrival date and a list of anything specific you'll have need of during your stay.”
She chuckled, then said, “It will be a treat to see the three of you interacting, and I have no doubt that I can handle all of the previously mentioned for a few weeks. How does one month from now work for all of you?”
I smiled at both of my mates. With their return smile, we all said together, “That sounds perfect, My Queen.”
She wished us well and promised to forward a list of her necessities to Coop's fax machine, then we all said our goodbyes.