AN: Howdy readers! This is a random, cute little idea I got one rainy afternoon! Hope this makes you smile even just a little bit! Read on!
Gabriella stood in front of the mirror and frowned at herself with a sigh. No matter how she dressed, she was no longer happy with the girl looking back at her. She was skinnier than she used to be, courtesy of the Chemotherapy drugs that were running through her veins, and her skin had lost most of its colour, leaving her pale and unhealthy to the eye. The problem for Gabriella, though, was her hair.
Her chestnut curls hung loose and limp down to her shoulders, and the colour was lacking. Her hair frizzed more than it used to, but no matter how frustrated she got, she would never tie it up. She knew that it wouldn't be too long before it was gone and she'd be wishing for that frizz again. In the morning, the first place Gabriella looked was her pillow, counting how many hairs had fallen out of her head during the night. It was never many, 50 or 60, but each day the number climbed higher and higher.
Gabriella gently fluffed her hair, ignoring the strands that fell to the floor, and squeezed her eyes shut for a minute, trying to picture how she used to be, not the ghost that was there now. It was hard though, to ignore the reality staring at her in the face. She had a long road in front of her, and she would need all of her strength and good will power to get through it. Not to mention a good support network.
Footsteps approached her from behind, and Gabriella opened her eyes, meeting Troy's in the mirror as he gently massaged her shoulders with a grim expression. She didn't have to say anything, he knew what was going through her mind.
"I know you hate it when I say this, Brie, but it's just hair. There are so many other things that you could be missing." He murmured quietly, letting his hands drop to her waist and pull into a hug from behind.
"I know." She replied just as quietly, still watching him intently. "Sometimes its just hard. I just want to look like a normal eighteen-year old and not like someone who is fighting for her life. You know?"
Troy nodded silently, tightening his grip on her.
"I get where you're coming from. But you're going to be healthy. The doctors said that you're responding well for this early in the treatment phase. You've got so much good going for you, hon, don't let this tear you down. Your hair will be back before you know it!" He smiled and turned her around to hug her properly.
Gabriella listened to his heart beating and let it take her to the place that she always felt safe, letting her worries trickle away one at a time. Troy held her for a long time, the two of them silent and calm, drinking up the tranquillity of being healthy, here, and alive.
Eventually, however, Gabriella bumped back to reality when her stomach churned all of a sudden. She took a step back from her boyfriend just in case, but the discomfort went away after a minute, leaving her relieved.
She turned back to the mirror and tried to get used to seeing the girl looking back at her. Try as she might, though, it still shocked her. She started to wonder if she was ever going to see the reflection and say 'Oh, that's me.' She wondered if she wanted to.
"I'm proud of you, you know." Troy said suddenly, crossing to sit on the couch a few feet away and watch her from there.
"Yeah?" She replied with a small smile. He nodded.
"You didn't have a choice to start this, I know that, but you take it all in stride and you never waver from what you're supposed to do. I mean...if I were in your position, I'd be scared out of my wits right now, and there you are thinking about what you have to do today. I don't know how you do it."
"I am calm, Troy, but I'm also terrified. I have moments where I can't even move because I'm so scared. But they pass eventually, mostly because I remember that no matter how bad it gets, I'm always going to have you and my mom to fall back on. It's indescribably helpful to know that I have the best support system in the world, you know?"
"Yeah, I get that, but there's only so much that we can do. The rest is you...the power to get through all of this comes from inside of you, not outside."
Gabriella took a step away from the mirror and thought about that for a minute, her eyes darting back and forth. Troy said nothing, giving her the chance to mull it over in her mind. The smile stayed on his face, though, and when she came back to herself again, it made Gabriella's heart warm.
"I need to ask you a serious question."
"Shoot."
"Why did you stay?"
The smile slipped from Troy's face, leaving confusion to take over. He got up and put his hands on her shoulders when he reached her, holding her gaze with one of his own intense ones that gave Gabriella a rush of energy. This time was no exception, though it was no longer the same calibre that it was before her diagnosis. This saddened her even more.
"Why did I stay? Brie, how could I not have? Without a doubt, you are the strongest person that I know and watching you go through this...it's just inspiring. It's hard, knowing that you're in so much pain, but watching you fight this battle and be winning it so easily..." He paused, his mouth moving silently as he searched for the right words. "When you love someone, you don't give up on them. So how could I have gone anywhere when you've got me rooted right here at your side come hell or high water?" He finished quietly, still watching her.
Gabriella didn't bother to reply, there was nothing that she could say to do his words justice. She just smiled – a real one – and let him hold her for a long time. Eventually, though, the familiar fatigue took over and she swayed dangerously. Troy led her over to the couch and gently stroked her hair.
"You could braid it."
"Huh?"
"Your hair – I can tell from your expression that it's driving you crazy. Do you want me to braid it for you? I've been getting better!"
Gabriella laughed weakly and nodded, closing her eyes as he carefully brushed the curls and separated them into equal parts. Though she couldn't see him, Gabriella could picture the determined expression on his face easily, his eyebrows drawn together and eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he worked. As careful as he was, strands of hair came loose and when he finished, he swept them out of sight before Gabriella could open her eyes.
"It's kinda messy, but it'll do the trick, right?" Troy announced proudly.
"Definitely, thanks Troy." She smiled, feeling the rope of hair delicately.
"So...I guess the next thing that I need to learn is how to knit!"
"What are going on about now?" She laughed, slapping him playfully.
"Well, if your hair is going to be gone, then I need to make you a hat!"
"Troy...how long have we been together, five years? It's taken you that long to master braiding. Knitting is much harder. By the time you get the hang of it, the cancer will be gone!" She didn't bother to list the other alternative, though she knew they were both thinking it: or I will be.
"Ouch! Have some faith, Brie! That hurts!" He joked.
"I'll believe it when I see it!"
"I can't wait any longer! Openitopenitopenit!"
"Are you three years old, Troy? Seriously! Have some patience!"
"Brieeeeee!" Troy whined, pouting as though he were three years old. Gabriella rolled her eyes and gently lowered herself into the hammock in her backyard, pulling her thick sweater closer to her as she shivered in the chilly air. Troy settled beside her and watched her eagerly, his eyes dancing with excitement.
It had been a few months since her hair had completely fallen out, and the side effects were still going strong. She was constantly cold and tired, and all sorts of fabrics made her uncomfortable. Jeans made her legs feel as though they were on fire, so Gabriella had been living in sweatpants. She wore loose t-shirts (though everything was loose on her now) and even bigger sweaters, trying to keep her discomfort to a minimum.
"Please? I've been waiting weeks for you to see this!" He put the brightly coloured gift bag on her lap and leaned back into the hammock beside her, rocking them slowly back and forth.
"Weeks? Don't you usually do your shopping at the last minute? My birthday isn't until tomorrow, Troy!" She protested, her tired eyes filled with laughter. "You know my rules! I won't break them!"
"Not even for me...?" His voice took on a childish tone and he kissed her gently, his eyes pleading so desperately that it didn't take more than a few seconds for Gabriella to cave in.
"Okay, fine. But just this once!"
"YES!" Troy cried, so loudly that Gabriella winced. "Oh...sorry, Brie."
With a dramatic sigh, Gabriella shook her head at him and then opened the gift bag, shifting delicately through the painful tissue paper to the goodies underneath. Carefully, Gabriella pulled out a multicoloured shape of fabric and put the bag to the side, holding it up so that she could see it properly.
It was a hat.
A beautiful hat. The yarns were a kaleidoscope of blues, browns yellows and greens, all blended together with a steady, practised hand. Gabriella gently stroked the material, grinned from ear to ear at the softness of it. On the inside, solid brown knitting provided a lining that made Gabriella's grin grow wider – baby's wool.
"Troy, this is...absolutely gorgeous! Where did you buy this?" She asked, a bit of energy flowing through her body.
"Buy? Brie! I made this for you! Remember that day when I braided your hair? I promised I'd learn how to knit, and I did!"
Gabriella was speechless for a moment, her mouth hanging open in shock. She didn't know whether to believe him or not, and her disbelief must have showed. Troy grabbed the bag from in between them and dug through it until he pulled out a small photo album, labelled "The Boyfriends Guide to Knitting" in his handwriting.
The first photo was Troy sitting in an armchair with bare knitting needles in his hands, attempting to thread a piece of wool onto them. The frustration was evident in his features and Gabriella couldn't help but giggle.
She flipped through a few more photos, smiling as the first few rows of wool made their wobbly way onto the needles, Troy's fingers clumsily making the stitches. The hat grew from photo to photo and so did his enthusiasm and confidence. The last photo in the book was Troy holding the finished product in his hands with a huge smile on his face. Gabriella laughed and grabbed Troy's hand, nodding.
"I believe you now. These are great. And the hat is beautiful!"
"Look on the inside of it..." Troy mumbled, leaning his head on her shoulder.
Gabriella obeyed and carefully turned the hat inside out, turning it around until she found the message on the rim. In embroidery.
"My mom had to help me with that part." Troy confessed when Gabriella gave him a look. She nodded.
"I thought so."
Gabriella turned her attention back to the message and felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes as she read the kind words, her fingers tracing the bumpy stitching across the wool.
Thanks for showing me what bravery is.
She didn't know what to say, so she just stroked Troy's hair in silence and let the tears fall freely, the hat clenched tightly in her other hand. After a while, Troy took the hat from her and gently slid it onto her head, pulling her close with a smile.
"I-I don't know what to say." She whispered when she got her voice back.
"You said it all with your eyes." He assured her, tightening his hold on her and wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Thank you." She breathed finally, curled into a ball for warmth and tucked securely into her safe haven.
"Still think I suck at knitting?" Troy asked after a minute. Gabriella grinned cheekily and drew back enough to look him in the eye.
"I never said that you sucked at knitting. But braiding is another story."
AN: Alright guys, hope this was good! I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope you had the same enjoyment in reading it! Let me know what you thought! If you're curious, the link to the photo I used for Gabriella's hat is in my profile!