Chapter 16: Unspoken Favorites (Jake's POV)

As I was about to take my anger out on Edward, a crushing thought came into my mind.
My voice was unsteady. “I told her she would be ok… I knew all along that this was a bad idea and I went along with it. It’s all my fault… and here I am blaming everyone else. I’m sorry.” My head was spinning I had to get out of there. As I headed for the stairs a strange beeping started up in Amore’s room. A strange heart began to beat furiously. I paused where I stood about to head down the stairs. I slowly turned around ignoring everyone else as I slowly made my way back into the room where Renesmee lay.
Amazingly her heart was beating again.
Carlisle ran into the room behind me and examined her.“I don’t believe it, the change is beginning on its own.” He thought for a moment. “Wait a minute, do you remember when we took the last baby out, baby F… he was attached to her pretty well.” He peered inside Renesmee’s mangled womb and gasped. “He bit her! He must be venomous. He saved her life Jake.”
Carlisle ran to the hall. “Do not let any humans near the babies!"
He turned to Emily, “Were you bitten?” She shook her head. He breathed a sigh of relief, “For now until we figure out what these babies are everyone needs to be very careful… no humans are to be near them. Sam, Emily thank you for everything but for now I will feel much better if you and your children head home, just until we firgure out what the babies are. I don't want anyone to be in any danger.”
I only made out pieces of what Carlisle was telling them I was wrapped up in my own thoughts. Renesmee wasn’t going to die. She would be with me once more.
Carlisle tried to get me to go and wait downstairs with everyone else but I refused to leave her side. I had already almost lost her one time too many. I wasn’t going anywhere.
Once we were alone, I lay down next to her and cuddled her broken body to my side. I felt the sobs emerging from the recesses of my throat, “Nessie, I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have agreed to this. I have always just wanted to keep you safe and I have never been able to protect you.” I looked at her, there was no movement, I didn’t even know if she could hear me.
I stroked her colorless cheek with the back of my hand. My voice wavered as I continued. “We have six beautiful babies that are just waiting to meet their mama. You have to pull through this. I know that you can. You are so much stronger than I am. You are my life, I honestly don’t know if I will survive losing you…Please, please find your way back to me, I will ne right here waiting for you.”
I lay there for countless hours watching her motionless body, her face was peaceful as her heart continued its frantic race against the fire that was surely blazing on inside of her. I fervently hoped that she wasn’t feeling it, she had already been through too much pain in her short life.
Bella and Alice came into the room with Carlisle. I grudgingly got up so that I was out of the way while Carlisle checked her out.
“How is she?” I asked him nervously.
He smiled at me reassuringly. “The change is certainly taking place. Has she moved at all?”
I shook my head, “Not one bit, she hasn’t said anything or screamed- nothing.”
Carlisle pondered it for a moment and then his eyes lit up, “I need to study the boy’s venom. I wonder if it is a mixture between vampire and wolf, like yours. Remember when you changed Seth and Leah there weren’t any problems, it was quick and painless?”
My mind was at ease as I contemplated this possibility. I hoped that he was right.
Alice shooed me out of the room, “We are going to clean her up a bit, so get out of here.”
I arched an eyebrow at her, “Alice, I –uh have seen her naked before.”
She rolled her eyes, “I know that dog. I don’t need a birds and the bee’s lesson. We wanted to surprise you. I know she will want to look nice when she sees you again.”
Bella stood behind Alice and rolled her eyes and pointed at her mouthing to me, “It was all her idea.”
I cringed at the thought of leaving my wife.
Alice glanced at me and spoke more gently, “It’s just for a couple of minutes Jake. She will be fine, besides you should go check on the babies.”
I knew that she was right I painfully leaned over my wife and kissed her forehead, “I promise you I will be right back,” I whispered nto her ear, as I traced her finger ith mine. She looked much better, I noticed that her stomach had already healed itself as we had been lying there.
I turned to Carlisle, “How are the babies doing?” I felt badly that I hadn’t asked about them or seen them sooner but I was so consumed with Renesmee. It was a hard balance to get accustomed too. When they were born I was focused on them and that is when I lost my chance to save Renesmee. Now I was focused on her and who knew if they all even made it? They were all premature and Carlisle had been worried about them. Each measured about 3 pounds at birth and were in incubators in a make shift neonatal intensive care unit in Carlisle’s study.
He answered me quietly, “Why don’t you go and see for yourself?”
I was a little nervous by his tone as I headed into the study. When I walked through the doorway I was amazed. They were no longer only 3 pounds each. They all looked like normal 8 pound babies. I looked at Rosalie in wonder. She was in heaven; she and Esme were surrounded by babies.
“What happened to them?”
Rosalie looked at me coldly, “I will not answer one question of yours until you apologize to my daughter dog.”
The baby boy that she held protested with a whimper, she leaned over him, “Oh, no honey, Aunt Rosie was talking to daddy not you. You are most certainly not a dog, you are a Prince.” He stopped crying and settled back down into her arms.
I looked down, “I know, you are right. I will apologize to her, I promise.”
Esme looked at her daughter reproachfully, “Rosalie, be nice he just underwent a very traumatic event, everyone knows that he didn’t mean a word he said.”
Rose sighed, “Fine… apparently these little guys are all very special. The gained 5 pounds over the last 9 hours.”
“What are they eating?”
She smiled, “That is where it is interesting…and confusing. Some want human blood, others animal blood and one of them wants formula.” She wrinkled her perfect nose at the word.
I looked at them in wonder, “How do you keep track?”
Esme smiled at me, “Spreadsheets.” She said as she held up 6 clipboards. “Relax Jacob, they are all fine. We are taking very good care of them”.
I hugged Nessie’s grandmother and as I walked by her I noticed Sarah staring at me. Her eyes commanded for me to come over to her.
Esme laughed, “She’s pretty sure of what she wants, that one.”
I was compelled to pick her up. She focused her eyes on me intently as she placed a chubby hand on my face with way more control than a baby who is merely hours old should have.
I gasped. She was so much like her mother had been.
Her chubby hand was firmly in place on my face as dark colors swirled through my head. Pictures of Nessie dying swirled through the anxiety tinted memories that she was passing to me. She whimpered.
I kissed her little forehead, “Shh, its ok, Sarah. Mommy is resting now she is getting better”.
Her hand shot back up to my face a cloudy memory of her being inside of Renesmee’s womb with her brothers and sisters. Edward’s muffled voice rang out asking her to stay still. One of her responses to him flashed through my head, “I will try grandpa but I have to protect them.”
After she talked to Edward she sent an alpha command to her brothers and sisters. “They don’t listen to me very well yet…” She thought to me. I gasped again. My daughter was the alpha of her own pack. She whined at me and I focused back on her.
Memories of her constantly telling them to stay still and calm down to save mommy came front and center in my mind. The oldest boy had been difficult, they would fight and it hurt Renesmee. She blamed herself for her mother’s death.
“No Sarah! Baby girl it was not your fault or any of your brother’s or sisters. Ok?” Tears slid down her chubby cheeks. She didn’t cry like a normal newborn; quiet tears flowed down her cheeks almost as an adult would cry.
I looked at her firmly as my voice broke, this poor little angel carried the weight of the world on her shoulders when she was only 9 hours old. She was secretly my favorite of the girls. “Listen to daddy mommy will be just fine. So you relax and take a nap. Before you know it mommy will be in to see you, ok?” She nodded once… SHE NODDED! Then, she leaned authoritatively towards her brothers and sisters. I had no doubt that she was deep in thought relaying their next orders as I placed her into her incubator with a kiss on her forehead.

Esme came up behind me placing her arms on my shoulder, "So much like Renesmee, isnt she?"
I smiled to myslef knowing that was an understatement.
I headed to Rosalie and hugged her. “Thanks for helping with them Blondie.”
She stiffened, but hugged me too.
“Congrats mongrel, they are adorable.” The little guy in her arms bit her.
“Ouch! Don’t bite Aunt Rosie that’s not nice.” I laughed so hard that I thought I was going to fall over.
“Which one is this?
She looked up, Baby B, the first born boy. He has an attitude problem already just like you in so many ways.” I smiled at my son and took him from his scowling aunt.
“Thanks for standing up for daddy.” I whispered to him, no one ever does." He looked at me through exact replicas of my human eyes and smiled my smile at me. Although I would never admit it to a soul he was secretly my favorite, along with Sarah. I made up my mind that he would be my namesake, Nessie could name the others whatever she pleased. He was too much like me.
Bella came tearing into the room as I started walking around to say hi to each of my sons and daughters.
“Jake,” she said breathlessly, “It’s almost over.”
Rose took little Jacob and I headed after Bella into the room where my wife was laid out; with bated breath.