The next few days passed by like any other. I didn't see any of the Cullen boys and I couldn't help but be relieved. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the card that Edward Cullen had given me. I wasn't even sure why. Then, everything changed.

My world stopped on October 2, 2013.

All four of us had just gotten back to the apartment. Reed and Wyatt wanted to watch a movie so we all sat down on the beaten up, blue couch. I looked down two my two boys and smiled. Reed's brown hair was almost identical in color to mine. It also had the prettiest curl to it. Wyatt's hair was blonde but a slightly darker shade than his Rose's. They both looked up at me with matching blue eyes and facial features. The pair could easily pass for brothers.

They could even be brothers.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the phone ringing in the kitchen. I quickly got up and answered it.

"Ms. Swan?" A deep voice asked,

"Yes?" I answered.

"This is Dr. Black at the clinic. We just got Reed's test results in and I was wondering if you could come down to the clinic so we could review them?" The doctor sounded confident but he also sounded very tired. I wonder if he's been working too many hours at the clinic?

"Sure, it you aren't busy I could probably pop in there in an hour or so?"

"Yeah, yeah. That'd be great. Just tell the receptionist who you are and she'll get you in to talk to me."

"Okay, thank you Dr. Black."

He answered with, "You're welcome Ms. Swan." And the line went dead.

I changed out of my Brandon's uniform and said bye to the boys. I turned to Rose and she looked grim.

I laughed, "What Rosie Posie?"

"Bella, doctors don't normally make a big deal out of people coming to get test results and they especially don't give them to you themselves." She replied and I just shrugged it off.

"He seems really young, maybe he has to do things like this?" I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door, "Be back in a bit!"

I made it to the clinic at almost exactly the time I had said I would be there. I told the lady at the desk everything that Dr. Black had told me too and I was quickly taken to a comfortable little office. They was a large cherry desk and a cushy chair behind it. I couldn't complain though either. The chair I was sitting in was especially comfortable and a thousand times better than the chairs in the waiting room. Dr. Black and another woman came into the room. I stood.

"Ms. Swan, this is Dr. Carmen Denali, she is going to help me give you the results. Dr. Denali was a pretty woman with high cheekbones and pretty hazel eyes. Her dark brown hair was pinned up and she looked sincere.

I smiled and shook her hand, "I'm Bella Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you." We all sat. Dr. Denali sat next to me and Dr. Black sat in the big cushy chair behind the table. I was starting to get a very bad feeling about all of this.

"Bella, I'm sure you know that we took Reed's blood samples the other day and sent them to an amazing lab to get them tested." I nodded slowly. "Well, I was thinking that Reed might he anemic or something like that."

"But he isn't. He's got something serious doesn't me." I slumped in my seat. They sat silently for way too long and I got pissed. "Well? Just tell me already. It's now or never."

Carmen answered me gently, "The blood results showed that Reed has an extremely high number of cancer cells in his body."

"My baby has cancer?" I was completely numb. My baby boy has cancer. Carmen nodded grimly. "What kind of cancer?" I wanted the facts.

"We can't tell you that. The blood test we did was very generalized. The clinic just doesn't have the ability to give you the answers you need. You'll have to go to the Children's Memorial Hospital or Lurie's Hospital. I can get Reed an appointment with a great doctor at either of them." Dr. Black interjected.

I nodded dumbly. "Set up the appointment as soon as possible please." He nodded made a call and got it set up for tomorrow. I ended up making my way out of the clinic and back to the apartment. I put on a brave face and got ready and left with Rose but I broke down in the car.

"Rose, Reed's go cancer." I told her. She almost hit the brake.

"What?! What kind of cancer?" She was just as shocked as I was.

I shook my head, "I don't know Rose. He has an appointment with a specialist tomorrow at Children's Memorial." I groaned, "Rose, how am I going to tell him?" I started crying. "Rose I can't lose him. He's my baby. I can't lose him." I cried for what felt like forever when I noticed that the car was parked in Legs parking lot and Rosalie was holding me. I dried my tears and we got out.

"Bella, I'm sure Garrett can get you the night off. He of all people would understand."

"Rose, I need this money. Now more than ever. I'll talk to Garrett about it but I'm not going to not come to work anymore. My boy needs me. Oh God, how am I going to tell him?" I almost broke down again but I pushed through. We made it through the night when Garrett came up to me.

"Bella is everything alright? You weren't on your game tonight." He looked concerned. I wondered if Rose had said anything to him.

"Reed's been sick here lately and they did some blood tests on him." I took a deep breath and he nodded for me to continue. "Garrett, Reed's got cancer."

Garrett rubbed his hands all over his face, "Do you have an appointment with a specialist yet?" I nodded, "Good, the sooner you get in the better. I remember when Kaylee," he choked up saying her name, "Was going through all of this. We just didn't work fast enough and Kaylee didn't let on how sick she really had been. I wish I could go back and change so much." A single tear made its way down Garrett's cheek and he made no move to wipe it off. "Not a day goes by when I don't miss her with every bit of my heart. But your Reed, now he's a strong little man. He won't let this disease bring him down." He hugged me tightly and we both cried. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he brought his around his waist and we both kept sobbing. Eventually, there were no tears left and we let each other go. He kissed my cheek and told me to say home tomorrow night. I was so lucky that he actually understood.

The next day went by in a blur and before I knew it, Reed and I were waiting in an examination room.

"Mommy, what's wrong with me?" Reed asked in a small voice. I could tell he was extremely scared about all of this.

I tried to calm him, "Baby, I told you, they did some tests and they think you might be very sick but we don't know yet. It's going to be okay Reed. I promise." I hoped in my heart that I could keep my promise.

I was surprised when the door opened and Angela and an older woman stepped into the room.

"Angela!" Reed jumped off of the table and into her arms. She and the other woman just laughed.

"Hey Reed Bear. You wanna come with me so we can do some cool tests?" I remembered that Angela was a doing her clinicals to become an RN. I was just surprised that she happened to be doing them here. The older woman stopped me from following.

"I'm Dr. Cope. If everything goes wrong I'll be your son's primary care physician." I had to kind of laugh at the statement. We talked so more and then we waited for Angela to bring Reed back. They did several tests and we were just waiting for the results. Then a man came in and gave Dr. Cope a file. She looked through it and sighed. My heart dropped to my stomach.

"Well Reed, it looks like you are sick." Reed looked scared. I held him close. "You have been diagnosed with a type of cancer called Neuroblastoma. It means that there is a tumor growing in your body. You are going to be alright. We are just going to have to do certain things to make you get better, okay?" Reed nodded slowly and Dr. Cope motioned me outside while I left Reed with Angela.

"Dr. Cope what is Neuroblastoma?" She sighed.

"It is an extremely rare cancer that occurs when neuroblasts grow and divide uncontrollably instead of developing into nerve cells. Reed is an interesting case because this is normally an infant type cancer. At the latest it's diagnosed before the age of five. Reed is in stage three so all hope is not lost yet. You need to keep your chin up and make sure he keeps his up as well. He is an absolutely fantastic kid. We are going to fight this to the end." Then she hugged me.

I was teary eyed, "Thank you Dr. Cope."

She nodded but then looked weary again, "Bella, there is also the issue of paying for all this." She said slowly. I froze. "There is a fantastic benefactor that pays half on all children who need medical treatment and procedures but that's only half."

I nodded, "How much are we talking about Doctor?"

"Well, a single treatment will cost around $4,000 discounted."

"How many treatments do you think he will need Dr. Cope?" I asked.

"At least ten, probably more than that Bella. He has a tumor in his abdomen and surgery to remove it will probably cost around $10,000." I teared up some at her response.

"I'll get the money Doc." I said with determination. "I will get the money." I got Reed and we made our way home. He was very quiet and I couldn't blame him. He barely understood what cancer was let alone why it had to happen to him. A tear slid down my face. I wiped it away before Reed could see it. When we got back to the apartment Alice was there and Rose had already left. She could see the look on my face and she took the boys to the ice cream parlor that as down the street.

When they were well enough away I lost it. I screamed. I cried, I kicked stuff. I punched stuff. I threw stuff. I pulled out my hair. I stomped my feet. I fell to the floor. I laid there and cried. I did everything that I could think of to make myself feel better and none of it actually did.

I was broken. I was lost. I hated myself. I hated fate. I hated my parents. I hate the fucker who had got me pregnant in the first damn place. The tears couldn't come fast enough and I couldn't breathe enough. It felt like I had asthma and no one would give me my inhaler.

Reed Nicholas Swan was my life. The only reason I was still alive today is because that little boy had given me everything that I ever needed. He loved me unconditionally. He was my oxygen. He gave me the will to live. Everything I did, I did so that I could give him the most amazing life ever. He was my sunshine and my skies were gray when he wasn't there. I could not lose him. I remembered the hell I went through with potty-training, and walking, and reading, and talking, and everything! It was all worth it then and it is all worth it now. I would do absolutely anything for that boy. I would become a prostitute just so that he could grow up and be everything he was supposed to be.

I dusted myself off and started cleaning stuff up. I was almost finished when I noticed a little rectangular card sitting on the floor. I sighed and realized what I had to do. I grabbed the phone off the table and called the number. A deep, rough voice answered me.

Then I replied, "Mr. Cullen? I need your help."


This chapter is shorter but I think it's a nice bridge into the rest of the story. It was definitely a tear-jerker for me to write it. I hope it's emotional to you guys as well. How would you guys feel as Bella? Or even as Reed? Let me know! If any of you have any ideas or anything just tell me in a review or PM. I'm always open to ideas. I also what ya'll to be real with me. If you don't like something? Tell me. I can't guarantee that I'll change it but I might look deeper into it to see what's going "wrong" with it. I only posted BMA yesterday and I've already got more than 1,000 hits. I can't thank all of you enough. My writing has evolved a lot in a short period of time and I'm glad it's be received well.

Don't expect another chapter tonight but you never know!

XOXO

Katie