Selcouth • J. Hale ✓

liii.

chapter fifty-three.

A week has passed since Bella and Edward left on their honeymoon. Karina checked in on the brunette regularly and was glad to know that she was enjoying herself despite Edward deciding that it wasn't safe for them to be intimate anymore.

Yeah, that wasn't something Karina wanted to get involved with. Bella could handle that on her own.

Karina was planning William's birthday party in the living room of the Cullen's home when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped and placed a hand over her chest just as Carlisle was instantly by her side. Jasper was out getting more blood for Karina since they were running low and didn't want to take any chances.

"Karina, what is it?" Carlisle asked and Karina pointed to her chest.

Carlisle didn't understand until Karina pushed him to the side and started vomiting black blood. Carlisle's eyes widened in alarm as he realized Karina's body wasn't able to stand the venom in her system from Victoria any longer.

Carlisle lifted Karina into his arms and rushed to the room he prepared for this moment. He didn't care that his shirt was covered in blood as he rushed into the room with Javier and Rosalie in tow.

The others could smell the blood and while it bothered Rosalie slightly, she was more focused on Karina.

"What happened?" Javier asked while Carlisle laid Karina on the table.

"She's been in bardo for too long, the soulmate bond is trying to keep her alive, but Victoria's venom has been killing her slowly. I believe her gift is what made it go so slow but now her body has reached its limit especially with her being pregnant." Carlisle explained and suddenly Karina couldn't breathe.

Her eyes widened and Carlisle knew that he had to act now. "Someone call Jasper!" Rosalie shouted.

"No need!" Jasper was suddenly by Karina's side and Karina relaxed but was still struggling to breathe. "What happened?"

"We don't have time." Carlisle shook his head, not wanting to explain again when Karina was literally dying.

Karina didn't know what was happening, she was trying to breathe when she suddenly felt pressure on her stomach. She wanted to cry out, but she was literally choking on her own blood.

Suddenly, a loud cry rang through the room and Karina's heart fluttered at the sound. "It's a boy." She looked up to see Jasper's glossed over eyes and then everything went black for her.

Jasper took hold of his son and looked down at Karina, but his heart sunk when he noticed her dull eyes and the small smile on her face.

"Jasper, it has to be now!" Carlisle told him and Jasper handed Javier his son before biting down on Karina's wrist.

He didn't stop with one bite, he continued to liter her arms with bites until finally he broke down. He couldn't cry, but he wished nothing more than to do so.

Carlisle walked over to Jasper and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Listen."

So, he did, Jasper could hear the sound of her faint heartbeat and he relaxed. Only to feel bad when her heartbeat started racing from the pain that she was most likely experiencing.

"Now we wait." Carlisle told Jasper and Jasper could only stare at Karina in silence, praying that she would make it through okay.

∞

For three days, the family waited for Karina to wake up.

No one but Jasper entered the room where her, now clean and changed, body laid. Unknowingly, in Karina's unconscious state, she was causing everything in the room to float.