Chapter Twenty Two
Pregnancy Bliss?
Alice

Over the next two months, the baby grew so fast that I could barely keep up with it. By my second month, I was so big that Carmen estimated I was in my seventh month.

To keep me strong and the baby nourished at the same time, Carmen started me on a blood and pure protein diet. The woman literally gets animal blood and puts it in a travel cup for me to drink, and the freaky part is that I enjoy it way more then normal food. Carmen thinks that the baby's taste is what's affecting me.

Carmen likes to think it's a girl but I know it's a boy, I can just tell. I can't see it however, and every time I do try to see it, I get awful migraines. Carmen is very happy about how strong I am, I'm able to get around like any other normal very pregnant woman, and that's apparently a first when it comes to these hybrid children.

But, I'm afraid my mental state has snapped from the pressure of Edward leaving me and having his son. It started with me hearing whispers and thinking it was Carmen singing under her breath like she does all the time. The whispers only got stranger however, more frequent.

And then they started to taunt me.

They started calling me crazy, having full conversations in my head, I heard familiar voices, saying things to me that I knew would never come true. I realized that the whispers were the voices from my visions, voices I was never going to hear in reality because those visions weren't going to happen.

My visions started messing with me too. Now that I was carrying a child I couldn't see in my visions, most of them were just blank, but they still gave me a strong feeling of dread. Something bad was going to happen, I just didn't know what, and I was feeling so helpless already being so limited that not having my visions to rely on was driving me mad.

Carmen is currently in the kitchen, fixing another cup of blood for me, my fifth one in the few hours I've been awake today. I decided I wanted a hot bath and thought I would try and be sneaky and do it myself.

I had managed to stand up and waddle over to the stairs and had just planted my foot on the first step when the dark haired vixen appeared in front of me.

"What do you think you're doing?" She frowned at me, her hair piled on top of her head messily, holding out my cup for me to take.

"I want to take a bath, by myself." I sighed, knowing that wasn't going to happen now.

"Okay, well, at least let me help you into the tub." She sighed and my eyes went wide in surprise that she had actually agreed.

We went upstairs to my bathroom and she sat at the vanity while I got undressed and put on a robe from behind my special privacy screen.

She helped me step into the tub and sit along the thick siding at the head of the deep bathtub.

"There you are dear, call if you need anything." She smiled as she made sure I had my cup, towels, shampoos and soaps nearby.

"Thank you Carmen." I smiled genuinely at her.

"Of course dear." She smiled back and ruffled my hair as she left the room.

I took off my robe and sunk down into the hot soothing water happily. I put in some bath salts and relaxed as my tight and sore muscles eased.

I took my time, really enjoying this rare luxury as I shampooed and conditioned my long black curls.

As I soaked, I thought about my baby boy. I hoped that he would look like me, but my gut instincts were telling me that would not be the case. He was going to have Edwards strange bronze hair color, with my curls and green eyes. He was going to be the spitting image of his father with very few hints that he even belonged to me.

After I had finished my rituals and drained my cup dry, I successfully got out of the tub by myself and put on a walking dress. After drying my hair and feeling very proud of my granted independence, I walked very slowly downstairs and met Carmen in the kitchen.

"Well, well, look at you!" She smiled happily, taking my hand and having me spin in a slow circle.

"Not bad if I say so myself." I giggled.

"How did you know I wanted to start taking you on walks?" She asked me, still giggling.

"I caught a little flash of the woods and your hair color and hoped it meant going outside." I laughed.

"Walking is a good and safe way to induce labor." Carmen nodded. "And that little girl should be coming out very soon." She cooed.

"It's a boy." I smirked and she patted my cheek.

"Of course dear, whatever you say." She spoke affectionately but playfully as she took my arm in hers and led me into the living room.

I sat down and patiently waited while she put my white silk socks and Mary Janes on my feet for me, then ran upstairs to change herself.

She came back down looking ready for war. She wore a long sleeved black shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black jacket.

"What's with the black?" I asked her.

"Oh, I just felt like it." She shrugged, helping me to stand to my feet and leading me outside.

"So, let's talk baby names." She smiled happily as we walked through the woods leisurely.

"I was actually thinking about Anthony, for a boy." I smiled.

"After Edward? Are you sure?" She frowned slightly.

"Yes, I am. I really like the name Anthony Carlisle Cullen." I nodded, my pregnancy hormones threatening to send me into emotional turmoil if she didn't like it.

"I like it too." Carmen nodded. "It's a good strong name, very fitting." She smiled, not wanting to hurt my feelings. "What about a girl?" She asked excitedly.

"Oh, I haven't really thought of one." I admitted guiltily.

"May I make a suggestion?" She asked excitedly and I nodded. "Isabella Carlie Cullen." She sighed wistfully.

"That's very pretty." I nodded. "I like it."

"Great!" She clapped. "Isabella it is then."

"Or Anthony." I reminded her playfully.

"Or Anthony." She smiled tip lipped at me.

Suddenly, Tom came running towards us.

"Alice, I'm glad I found you. I have some news from the pack." He huffed breathlessly.

"Really?" I asked, instinctively shielding my stomach. "What is it?"

We haven't heard anything from the pack in a month, they were still upset about my baby then, but they were hesitant to do anything about it because they were afraid that the Cullen's might reappear. 

"They're coming, soon." He spoke grimly, guilt clouding his expression.

"What?" Carmen roared. "How soon?!" She asked frantically, shielding me.

"A week." Tom sighed. "I really tried to get them to see reason, to see that you're not a threat, but they just wouldn't listen. To me or Grandma." Tom sighed.

"It's okay, everything's going be okay." I nodded and turned to Carmen. "We've got to do something to get the baby out as fast as possible, if we can get him out before the wolves come, then maybe we can hide him."

"Or her!" Carmen nodded "That's a great idea!" She cheered and we turned back towards the house, Tom took a few steps to follow us however and we both stopped in our tracks.

"Tom, what are you doing?" I asked him.

"Coming along." He shrugged.

"I'm about to have a baby, I really don't think you want to be there for that." I shuddered.

"Yeah." He nodded, a little horror stricken. "Yeah, you're right, I don't want to see that." He grimaced and kissed my head before heading back off into the woods.

"Lets go home and get you a nice C-section." Carmen giggled. "Oh I just can't wait to meet our little girl!" She cooed.

"Or boy." I nodded playfully.