~*~TLaDoIS~*~

At the tender age of three Isabella Swan had her daddy wrapped around her teeny, tiny finger. Charlie doted on his little princess and protected her fiercely. But all the muscle in the world couldn't protect her from the terrible illness that seemed to plague her short life.

A trip to the emergency room at midnight here. A three day stint in the hospital there. Isabella was under near constant medical supervision. Between Renee nursing her at home and the doctors and nurses at the hospital, Isabella was used to seeing more adults than children in her life. It was her "normal".

Isabella was just waking from sleep in her too big bed, in her too hot bedroom when her mommy came in to check on her. She wished that her ceiling fan was on to relieve some of the heat but her mommy said it might make her feel worse. So the fan remained still.

She loved her mommy so very much for always taking such good care of her. Especially when she was sick.

"Good morning, Princess," her mommy whispered. She was probably afraid she had another headache and didn't want to hurt her. But she didn't. She only felt a little dizzy. Nothing more.

"Hi, mommy," she replied sweetly.

"Did you have good dreams?"

Isabella nodded.

"Feeling better?"

Isabella nodded.

Renee sat on the edge of Isabella's bed and leaned forward to feel her forehead. She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips after pressing the back of her hand to her head and then her cheeks.

"You're still a little warm, Princess. I'm going to go downstairs and get you some more medicine. Okay?" Her mommy nodded her head with a smile and encouraging eyes.

Isabella simply nodded along with her, worried that if she told her mommy that she didn't want to take medicine that she would be upset with her.

"Good," Renee smiled. "I'll make you something to eat too. Does that sound good?"

Isabella didn't particularly like her mommy's cooking. It always tasted funny. Sometimes her daddy would even make faces and would make her giggle. But her mommy didn't think it was funny.

"Can I has a Pop Tart? A cinnamon kind?" Isabella asked. She wasn't sure how well that would go over with her mommy. She knew that when she was sick, she needed to eat special things that only grown ups knew about.

Her mommy tilted her head and looked like she was thinking about it. A little smile appeared on her lips and she nodded. "Okay. A Pop Tart. But you need to drink orange juice with it. Hmm?"

Isabella grinned really big, happy that her mommy thought she was well enough to not have to have sick food. Except for the orange juice. She hated orange juice. But it was worth the little bit of yuckiness to get the Pop Tart.

"With butter?" Isabella asked. She loved butter melted on her warm cinnamon Pop Tart when it first came from the toaster.

"Of course." Her mommy smiled. "I'll be back in a bit. Stay in bed." She gave her a pointed look.

Isabella nodded. She really wanted to just get up and stretch, but mommy said stay in bed…so she did.

She turned over on her stomach and pulled herself up on her hands and knees. She crawled across her big bed and headed for the nightstand that held the remote control for her television. Once she sat back and settled against her headboard she clicked on the television and surfed for some cartoons.

Her mommy came back with a TV tray and placed it across her lap. When she looked down she saw the butter glistening across the top of her Pop Tart and smiled. Her smile quickly faded when she noticed the large sippy cup of orange juice and little cup of liquid medicine. She didn't like either one of them nor did she want them.

"Isabella, I know you don't like the orange juice but it's good for you. It has lots of vitamins to help you feel better. Go ahead and take a sip," her mommy encouraged.

Isabella twisted her face up into a scrunchy frown but picked up the cup anyway. If her mommy said it would help her feel better, she was willing to try.

She gagged on the first sip.

"Now, Isabella," her mommy scolded. "It's not that bad. Stop being so dramatic."

Isabella wondered if she was drinking the same drink her mommy said tasted good and was good for her. She made another face but brought the cup to her lips again. She held her breath, something she'd learned while eating her mommy's cooking, and took a big drink. She shuddered slightly at the bitter taste running down her throat.

Renee smiled really big and nodded her head. "Good girl. See, it's not that bad."

Isabella nodded but didn't agree. She learned that simply nodding, whether she agreed or not, was the easiest way to get her mommy to stop hovering.

"Now, let's take that medicine and you can have your Pop Tart."

The medicine was pink and she briefly wondered if it tasted like bubble gum. Her mommy gave her the little cup and encouraged her to drink. Isabella drank the medicine and was happy to find out it was one of the better tasting kinds she had to take. She licked her lips clean once it was all gone. Now it was time for the Pop Tart.

"Alright, sweetie. I've got a few things I need to do downstairs. I'll leave your door open and you just come get me if you need me. Okay?"

Isabella nodded, relieved to finally be alone with her Pop Tart. She removed the crust and ate the center first. She liked to save the crust for last. It was her favorite part. She watched cartoons and enjoyed the sweetness of her breakfast.

But she didn't get to eat her favorite part. By the time she got to the second pastry's center she was bolting to the bathroom. Her stomach revolted and heaved. She made it to the toilet just in time.

Renee ran up the stairs with her heart pounding. "Isabella! Oh my…my Princess. Are you okay? Oh, I knew I shouldn't have let you have sweets for breakfast. No more Pop Tarts."

Though Isabella's little body heaved and discarded her breakfast, she thought how sad she'd be if she never got to eat another Pop Tart.

Once she was wiped down, clothes changed and back into bed, her mommy brought her some ginger ale and salty crackers to help calm her stomach.

She looked up at her mommy with tears in her eyes. She hated that she was always sick.

"Oh, Princess. It's okay. You'll be alright," she soothed while hugging her princess and cupping her little face.

The worried look on her mommy's face didn't make her feel better about her sudden stomach bug.

"I'll get you some more medicine since…well since you need a little more now. Then you can rest. Alright?"

Isabella nodded and snuggled into her too big and too hot bed, wishing again that her ceiling fan was twirling so it could cool her off a bit.

More than anything she wished she was like other little girls…not the sick little girl that she was.

~*~TLaDoIS~*~

Hey! Go and review my stuff! Sheesh! What's an author gotta do around here to get some feedback? *runs off to find little Edward for the next chapter*

~*~TLaDoIS~*~

So…I have some rec's for you guys!

My prereaders are both in the midst of writing stories that are pretty great!

BellaScotia has written, An Education

www . fanfiction . net / s / 5903446 / 1 / An _ Education

Summary: 21yr old Bella has never been kissed. When her bff and room mate Jasper moves out, player Edward moves in. How far will he go when Bella asks him to teach her about dating and sex? Mostly fluffy and lemony, minimal angst.

I LUZ IT CUZ BELLA'S TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH EDWARD AND DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IT!

AND

MandyLeigh87 has written, Wild Horses

www . fanfiction . net / s / 7680652 / 1 / Wild _ Horses

Summary: They say wild horses should run unbridled or the spirit dies. They weren't meant to be contained. Neither was I. Sometimes you have to go back to who you were to find your place. All it took was one summer. And one smile from a boy I used to know.

THIS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH AND CRY (in a good way).