Catherine (J. Black)

Chapter Twenty One

Catherine takes Jacob's hand and pulls it to rest on her abdomen, he closes his eyes and presses his head to the side of hers.

"Do you feel that?" Catherine asks smiling a little.

"Cat" he whispers curling his hand around her middle.

"I feel better," she tells him.

"You don't deserve this," he tells her. "You don't deserve to die, not now, not after everything....you don't get to die, you're not allowed to die" she looks to him.

"Jacob" she whispers. "You should eat...and sleep," she tells him, he shakes his head.

"Not till I know you're going to be okay" he pulls her closer, setting her across his lap, she curls against his chest, letting him wraps her up in his arms. He kisses her head. "You've got to be okay, Cat" he whispers to her. "What will I do without you?"

...............

Rosalie holds another mug out to Catherine who shakes her head.

"I can't drink anymore," Catherine tells her. Rosalie sits beside her, Jacob sleeps with his head in Catherine's lap.

"You already look better, just a little more, please, Cat" Catherine takes the mug and sighs. "I can't believe you're going to be a mother," Rosalie tells her with a smile. Catherine smiles a little.

"If I survive" Catherine corrects.

"You're a Hale" Rosalie points out. "We're survivors and we come back stronger....come on, the mutt will be unbearable if you die..." Catherine leans against Rosalie who kisses her head. "Are you going to pass out again?" she asks.

"Maybe" Catherine answers. "I can feel it coming on" Rosalie takes the mug from her and nods.

"I've got you," Rosalie tells her softly. Catherine passes out. Rosalie looks to her sadly and then to Emmett who stands in the doorway.

"I can't lose her, Em," Rosalie tells him.

"I know" he whispers back moving to her, he takes her hand and kisses the back of it.

.......................

Carlisle sits with Catherine, later, Jacob sits with Leah against the wall behind them eating, Rosalie stands looking out the window.

"Well you look better" Carlisle states touching Catherine's cheek. She nods. "I can't tell you how this is going to go, Cat," he tells her softly. "You're a vampire so most of your internal systems are pretty much for show...they have no purpose....."

"Did you find out anything?" Rosalie asks turning to them, Carlisle shakes his head.

"Cat and Jacob's relationship is so rare....soo rare...in that they're the first" Carlisle looks to Rosalie. "I have no idea about any of this....for now, I'm going off Bella's pregnancy"

"That was half human" Leah states. "Surely this is half wolf?" Carlisle nods in agreement.

"Yeah, it is, so I'm guessing for the most part, but the vampire side is why there was a rapid pregnancy, you wolves also has a rapid growth spurt...which I why I think....that Cat's pregnancy may be shorter than Bella's......if I knew when....conception took place" Catherine looks to Jacob who shrugs.

"About three weeks?" Catherine asks.

"And you are sure that that is when it happened?"

"Well, we've only had the chance to do it once.....soooo" Jacob states. "You know...before everything kicked off"

"Okay..." Carlisle states. "And given that you've just 'passing out', I think it's soon," he tells her. "I think that's the last...line"

"Am I going to die?" she asks, Jacob stiffens and pauses eating to look to them. Carlisle looks to her sadly.

"Catherine...I don't know.....but I can't see a way around it..." she nods and looks down. "But I will do everything I can, Cat," he tells her, she nods again. "You are as a good as my daughter and yes, Jacob was right, we have been neglecting you and I am so sorry if we made you feel at all unwanted or unwelcome here and that you felt you couldn't talk to us about it" he takes her hands. "We love you, and I'm sorry if we made you doubt that" he kisses her forehead. He stands and looks to Jacob. "Jacob, Rose....a word" Rosalie and Jacob share a look before following Carlisle out of the room.

...................

Carlisle stands in his office with Jacob and Rosalie, he sighs and leans against his desk.

"She's getting worse," he tells them.

"But you said..." Jacob tells him before sighing. "You were trying to make her feel better"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Jacob..."

"Getting worse how?" Rosalie asks.

"Her insides, her organs, though technically she does not need them anymore, having them shattered inside of her...and the fact that the child is taking all the blood from her that she drinks, that's why she's drinking soo much of it, it's going to starve her..."

"So what do we do?" Rosalie asks. "How do we save Cat?"

"I've been thinking....about getting to the child, getting into Cat" Carlisle offers. "There is something strong enough to tear into vampire skin" he looks to Jacob.

"Our wolf teeth" Jacob states. "You want me to chew her open....what about after? What about Cat?"

"If we get in fast enough I can use our venom to repair the damage"

"Like reattaching limbs?" Rosalie asks. Carlisle nods.

"You can do that?" Jacob asks.

"It's why we have to burn the remains," Rosalie tells him. "So you can't put Humpty back together again" she teases. Jacob looks to her and smirks.

"That was a good, Blondie"

"I thought so," Rosalie tells him and then looks back to Carlisle. "Will it definitely work?"

"There is a higher probability of her surviving if we remove the child"

"Will it survive?" Jacob asks. Carlisle shrugs.

"I can't say, if the timing is the same then it is almost at full term and yes, chances are, it will survive"

"When?" Jacob asks.

"Before it's too late...I think the way she's going, the rate at which she is 'passing out', it may get to the point where she'll 'pass out' and not wake up again" Carlisle tells them. "And that will be when it's too late" Jacob nods and starts to pace.

"Okay....how long? How long till she's there?"

"In the last hour how many times has she 'passed out'?" Jacob and Rosalie share a look.

"Seven, eight times..." Rosalie answers.

"Ten" Jacob corrects.

"So every six minutes?" Carlisle offers.

"Like contractions?" Rosalie asks. "Is that what this is?"

"Possibly" Carlisle offers.

"But she's been like this for two days now" Rosalie offers. "Human labors don't last that long"

"Actually there was a Polish woman who was in labor for 75 days" Carlisle corrects, Rosalie raises an eyebrow, he nods. "And this is new, Cat is a vampire, her body is reacting differently, we just need to keep an eye on her, it could be another hour...or another day...."