One Life to Live
My first one-shot! Here you go! Hope you like!
EPOV
I stood there beside the hospital bed holding my little sister's hand. Alice was only eleven, and she had leukemia. Months ago, the doctors told us she had only three weeks to live. Months ago. I held on to faith after three weeks, because she was still alive. But now, her health was rapidly deteriorating, and there was nothing I could do. Doctors were sure she only had three weeks to live this time.
Our mom, Esme sat in a chair holding her other hand, crying softly. Alice was my only sibling, my baby sister. I couldn't lose her. Her condition was so horrible it was scary, her face was so pale, you could see her bones, she could barely lift a finger…and she was in pain. She did a great job of hiding it, but I knew her. She was suffering. And so were we.
Alice didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve getting cancer. She was a good girl; hyper and smart and funny and sweet. I asked her earlier was she afraid. She said no. She lived her life more in the past six months than she did in the past few years, thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation. I smiled as I remembered everything we did.
~One Life to Live~
Alice held my hand as we walked around the aquarium. She loved ocean animals, and always wanted to visit an aquarium. Make A Wish Foundation gave her that wish.
"Edward! Look!" she pointed toward the sharks that swam above us. It was such a neat sight. Mom took a picture. "This is so cool!" I smiled at her, glad she was willing to get out of the hospital while she was at her healthiest.
After her chemotherapy, Alice was too sick to do anything. She lost all of her hair, and was pretty self-conscious to walk around with a cap or carrying a machine. After a week, she started feeling better, and we convinced to her to come. Miraculously, she did. And she's having a great time.
We went to an exhibit where she was able to feed and pet dolphins, her favorite marine animal. Dad had an arm around her, both of them throwing food to the dolphins. That was the first time she has laughed in a long time. It warmed our hearts, and even the workers there, who knew about her condition.
"Hey Ali, come look at this!" I called. She turned to me and saw that I was petting a dolphin. She smiled and came over to me and Mom.
"Can I?" she asked me, holding out the hand that wasn't gripped to the machine she was carrying. I smiled and nodded. The dolphin made a satisfied noise, and even smiled when Alice petted him. She giggled and fed him some fish. "He's so adorable!"
We stayed until Alice was too exhausted to do anything else. As soon as we got back to the hospital, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
"Tomorrow, we'll do something even better," I whispered to her, kissing her forehead.
The next day we had surprised her by telling her that we were going to Disney World in California. It was a four hour trip, but she was ecstatic. She was jumping the whole way, all smiles.
"Whoa, Ali. You're going to make your self exhausted before we even get there!" She stuck her tongue out at me, and we all laughed. Typical Alice.
She couldn't ride everything she wanted, but she rode a lot. Even the teacups. She smiled a lot the day before, and laughed a lot today. And I laughed along with her.
By the next week, we've done everything she's ever wanted to do. The biggest, most exciting trip for her was when we took her to Paris. She was so happy, she cried. After that, she started getting sick again, and this time, it got worse.
~One Life To Live~
"Edward, what are you staring at?" Alice said weakly, snapping me out of my reverie. I looked down at her and smiled a little. She was so…so fragile,it broke my heart.
"Nothing sis, just thinking."
"'Bout what?" Mom looked at me and smiled, knowing exactly what I was thinking about.
"Two weeks ago," I told her. "All the fun things we did, even in here." She smiled.
"Those were the best days of my life," she stated. "I'm glad I got to do everything I've ever wanted before…" she trailed off, it pained us to talk about death, so we typically avoided that kind of conversation.
"Honey," Mom said to Alice. "Look what I have. It's from your classmates and your best friend." she pulled out a really big card from behind her. I never noticed that it was there. Alice's eyes brightened and she smiled as she opened the card. Not only was it from her classmates, but the whole school. There was another paper inside from her best friend, Bella Swan. She read every single note from every single person, crying. Mom cried with her. She saved Bella's letter for last. She smiled and started sobbing.
"I'm so glad I got these," she responded hoarsely. I cringed; she's gotten worse. Just then, Dad came in with a clipboard.
"Hey sweetie," Dad said. "How are you feeling?"
"Great," she lied. We could all see through her now. She was in pain, but of course, she hated putting people down.
"Be honest sweetheart. Tell me what hurts." she looked down.
"Everything," she explained, while gasping for air. Dad grabbed the breathing mask from beside her and placed it on her face. He turned the machine on to stabilize her breathing.
Nurses came in to check up on her. Their faces went pale. "Her heart's giving out," one nurse said. Dad looked up at her the same time we did. Alice's eyes fluttered open and closed.
"No. No, not yet. Please tell me this isn't it!" Dad looked back down at his daughter who was losing and regaining consciousness. Mom shook her head.
"No, this isn't happening. Not yet. Please!"
Throughout the commotion, I tried to get Alice's attention. I had a few more things to say to her. "Ali? Ali can you hear me?" I whispered as Dad the nurses frantically called for more help.
Her eyes opened weakly, but I can tell she already couldn't speak.
"I love you. Mom and Dad does too. We're going to miss you, so much. I hate that this is goodbye, but I much rather you not be in pain anymore than to suffer through this another minute. Quit fighting it; you've fought for a long time. You're the bravest person I know, little sis. And I love you for that. It's going to be hard, but I know that this was hard for you. We've done all we could do, we've spent the last few months together, and these will be the most precious memories of my life. Rest. I'll meet you in Heaven someday." I kissed her forehead. Mom walked over, tear falling uncontrollably from her eyes as she gently hugged Alice.
"We love you," she whispered. Dad came over and touched Alice's cheek.
"Don't forget us, Princess. We love you. So much. Rest now." Alice's lips lifted slightly at the corners before she closed her eyes slowly. The monitor gradually slowed its beeping until it was a steady hum.
Dad held me and Mom as we cried. I turned back to her and saw a peaceful smile on her lips.
She was home.
Did you like it? My first OS, so…. Well, I liked it! Review and tell me what you thought about it!