My child was beautiful in my arms.

Love overtook my heart in an overwhelming wave, consuming me all at once. Everything that I'd been through - getting pregnant in high school, the drama with my mother, Emmett's aunt hating me - everything was worth it to me. I'd go through it again ten times over.

The hospital room I was in was empty, though. There was absolutely no one around. I blinked against the bright lights in confusing, wondering why I was in a room that had nothing more than a bed in it. No bedside stands, no televisions, no cupboards. There was nothing.

I looked back down, almost forgetting the off putting circumstances when I gazed once more at my child. How had I gotten so lucky? Just when I was about to lift my son up to kiss him, something in him began to change. His shockingly blue eyes began to fade, turning quickly into a dramatic red. His skin began to grow hot to the touch, something much more sinister than a simple fever.

My newborn son began to smile then, revealing four teeth that weren't supposed to be there. Razor sharp teeth. I dropped him them, tossing him to the cold hospital floor. As soon as he fell from my arms, a pair of black wings sprouted from his back and he flew away, out of the window I hadn't noticed was open. A loud, ear piercing screech came from the direction in which he flew away.

I sat up with a start, my hand flying to my chest.

My heart was beating erratically, and my breath was coming out in fitful gasps. A cold sweat lined my forehead, and I pushed my damp bangs out of my eyes. What the fuck kind of dream was that?

I blinked hard a couple of times, finding comfort in the fact that I was safe in sound in Emmett's room and was still very much pregnant. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I placed a gentle hand on my belly.

My son seemed know of my discomfort, for he was waking up in a much more gentle way than what was normal for him. It was as if he was moving around to let me know he was okay, but doing it in a way that would not cause me any discomfort.

I walked downstairs after brushing my teeth to find Emmett in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee before he headed outside to take care of the animals.

"What are you doing up so early? It's hardly seven o' clock."

"Bad dream," I explained, still a little bit freaked out by it.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I had the baby, but he turned into a demon or something."

"A demon?" Emmett asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, I think so. He was normal at first, but then his eyes turned red and his skin got really, really hot. He smiled at me, and he had fangs. I dropped him...Or threw him, really. He flew away after he grew wings."

He blinked a few times, as if he was unsure how to respond to me.

"That's weird," He responded finally. "Pregnancy is weird."

"You're telling me," I said, laughing as I stepped around him to make some tea. "No way in hell was I going back to sleep after that."

"Yeah, I don't blame you," He replied, putting his empty coffee cup in the sink. "What are you going to do, now that you're up?"

"Probably watch a movie or something."

Emmett reached up, pushing some hair behind my ears.

"I've got a busy day, so I won't be able to hang around the house a lot. Brooke's going to come over to hang out with you. She should be here in about an hour and a half."

"Ooh, good. I haven't gotten to see her in a while."

I knew most people would probably feel irritated at the thought of being "babysat", but this was something that was my idea. Being this far along in my pregnancy, I didn't feel comfortable being at home alone. I knew my aunt or Emmett and his family were only a phone call away, but something could always happen with the phone service or they could be far away.

This was just more comforting.

Emmett left at about eight thirty after he fed and watered all of the animals. Brooke and I talked for a long time, catching up. She did a lot of gushing over my belly, and soon after noon I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up, not feeling very well.

I had a pretty bad headache, but I decided to shake it off as nothing more than that.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked when she walked into the living room.

I shook my head.

"Nothing, my head just hurts."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," I answered, giving her a reassuring smile.

She shrugged it off, and continued to dart around the house as she did a bit of cleaning. I told her she didn't have to, but she didn't listen to me. Emmett didn't let me do much these days, and sometimes he was just too tired coming home from work to do much.

There was a pile of unkempt laundry, which she started on immediately. She was just as stubborn as her brother, and didn't listen to me when I told her again she didn't have to do that. Emmett came home at about five to a spotless house and a cooked meal, none of it (besides helping with desert) done by me. Brooke had insisted doing it mostly by herself.

I should have known the headache was not simply that.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I'd gotten hit by a bus. My entire body was sore, my nose was stuffed up. I couldn't really swallow and my throat hurt. I also had an earache. I actually woke up before Emmett, the time on the clock reading just 6 a.m.

"Emmett."

I reached over, shaking him. He didn't stir at first, the heavy sleeper that he is. I shook him harder, saying his name louder.

"What's wrong, Charlotte?"

"I don't feel good," I said, my voice wrought with emotion. Between the hormones and feeling like I'd gotten rain over by a train, I wanted to cry. Emmett sat up then, moving over so he was sitting behind me on the bed. He began to rub my back.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked soothingly.

"I've got a head cold or something," I explained, "I feel like death."

"I'll go get a thermometer. You feel really hot."

He scooted off the bed, and returned from the bathroom with the thermometer. My temperature was 102.

"Stay here, I'm going to call the doctor."

I laid back down, pulling the covers up to my chin. My concern wasn't with me, but with the baby. I knew it couldn't be good for him to have my body temperature this high. I hadn't had any health concerns the entire pregnancy, and this had come on very suddenly.

"The doctor's office doesn't usually open until seven, but he said that he's already there so he wants you to come in now."

I got dressed in sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt, then put my coat on over it. My muscles were even sore, so I was moving slowly.

Since there was no one at the doctor's office, we were seen right away. It wasn't my normal doctor, but this one seemed to be friendly and understanding. It was just a cold, but he checked on the baby's vitals and declared that they were just fine.

"This will probably be gone in a day or two. You'll need lots of rest and fluids. With such a high fever, I'm going to put you on bed rest until you feel better. The baby should be fine, but if you notice any lack of movements or bleeding or anything unusual, come in right away."

"But he's okay now, right?" Emmett asked.

"Yes, the baby is fine now. Very healthy. But keeping the fever down and resting is very important for the baby right now. I'll send you with some Robitussin, some cough drops and vapor rub. All of which are safe to take during pregnancy."

We got the medicine and were sent home, and I immediately parked myself on the couch. I laid down with a big blanket, and took some of the Robitussin. The TV was on and Emmett was moving around the house, but it wasn't long until I fell into a deep, hard sleep.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, guys! I've been very busy with work. :/ And don't worry, I will tell you when the last chapter is coming up!