Disclaimer: Anything that seems familiar belongs to the wonderful Stephanie Meyer. Kaylee and her mother, however, are mine.
I want to thank all of my readers that have favorited and followed my story so far! I also want to give a shout out to my first reviewer! They were signed in under a guest account, so I can't thank them personally, but it means the world to me. I have a lot of stories planned out in my mind, it will just take a little while to get them all out! Thanks to all my readers!
Chemotherapy was hell on my poor body. I was always exhausted, and my muscles were sore. I was nauseous all of the time, and I threw up most of what I atse. My clothes hung off my thin body due to my weight loss. I've been going to treatments for about two month now, and thankfully I haven't lost too much hair.
Jacob was there for me almost every appointment, holding my hand. Mom didn't come to the appointments as much because she had to work extra shifts. I tried to work as long as I could, but I've called in the last two times I was scheduled to work. They say that they understand, but I think they are getting frustrated.
I told everyone about my illness not too long after my treatments began. Quil was the one who noticed I was more fragile than normal.
\flashback begins\
"What's going on, Kaylee? You just don't look good." Quil said bluntly, watching me nibble at a very large and warm blueberry muffin Emily had just taken out of the oven. I sighed. I knew that I would have to tell everyone eventually, might as well tell them now and ruin the evening.
I was perched on Jacob's lap, I could feel his body start to shake. I laid back against his chest, trying to calm him. "Well, I've had some trouble eating and swallowing, so I scheduled a doctor's appointment. I had a tumor in my throat, and they biopsied it. When the results came back, it was positive for esophageal cancer. That was the day I met Jacob. I started treatments about a month ago. That's why Jacob is always going to the hospital with me." I admitted.
They all gave me sad looks. Of course Embry already knew what was going on, considering he was still my best friend. He had only been to one of my appointments, and it was because Jacob said that there was something super important going on and he couldn't make it. I understood.
Emily was teary, as was Kim. Leah actually looked pitying. The guys loved me like their sister. They made me feel like part of their family.
"Kaylee. If you need anything, anything at all, let any of us know. We will do anything we can to help you out." Sam said gently, making everyone else nod in agreement. I felt my eyes well with tears. Everyone was so compassionate and genuinely concerned.
Emily always made food and sent it over to my house. I would eat what I could, which was never much, but my mother appreciated it since she was working all the time. They were the best friends a girl could ask for.
\flashback over\
Jacob was perfection. He held me when I would cry because I was tired of being poked and prodded almost every day. He let me sleep with my head on his chest and his warm arms wrapped tightly around my cold, thin body. He held my hair while I threw up and comforted me when I was just upset or depressed.
That was anything I had been struggling with since I started treatments. Depression. It was terrifying. I hated being alone because I would get so caught up in my feelings. When my mother wasn't at home, I was normally with Jacob. If I wasn't with him, I was usually curled up at Emily's. That woman had practically became my second mother.
"Baby, how are you feeling?" Jacob asked me quietly, stirring me out of my daydream. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
"I'm fine, just tired." I curled closer to his warm body. Mom was at work so it was just Jacob and I at my house. We ate chicken noodle soup and watched Grey's Anatomy reruns. He snuggled me close to him and it made me smile.
"Jacob? Why did you call Dr. Cullen a bloodsucker?" I finally asked, sitting my half eaten bowl of soup down on the table. He looked shocked.
"When did you hear me say that?"
"When we were at the hospital for my first appointment." Jacob sighed.
"Can I tell you later tonight? We have the bonfire tonight, and I think you need to go." I huffed loudly. Deciding not to argue, I picked my soup back up and continued to eat slowly.
Thankfully, it wasn't raining that night when we went to the bonfire. I was wrapped up in one of Jacob's large jackets that he never really wears. Everyone was so happy when we pulled up at the beach.
Seth and Embry ran over and hugged me. Seth was incredibly sweet, but also very young and innocent. Leah nodded her head at me and offered me a very small smile, and Kim and Emily also attacked me with hugs.
"I've missed you two so much. Sorry I've been so distant, I've been so exhausted and sore." I said, sitting down near Kim and Emily. The food had already been cooked, and everyone had a plate except for me. The looked at me sympathetically.
"Sweetie, we understand. You have a lot going on." Emily said. Kim nodded.
"School starts soon. Have you decided what you're going to do?" She asked. I had been torn about starting nursing school while feeling like this. I had planned on calling the Dean and asking if I could only take a few classes right now until I felt better, but I always have so much going on that I lost track of time.
"I'm going to talk to the Dean soon. I know we can't afford for me to go full time right now, and I'm not really feeling up to it anyway. I wanted to see if I could take a few basic classes that I would need for the nursing program just so I can get a head start." I sipped gently from a bottle of water.
Jacob sat beside me with a full plate of food, and he kept offering me small bites. I took a few bites of macaroni and cheese and baked beans. I didn't try to eat and hamburger or hotdog, they were just too thick for me to try and swallow.
He wanted me to follow my dreams and become a nurse, but he was so worried about my health. The college is in a small town just past Forks, and it wasn't a terribly long drive, but he doesn't really let me drive very much. He loves to take care of me and pamper me.
Billy Black was sitting at the head of the circle, laughing with Sue Clearwater and Old Quil. He had a plate of food on his lap. Once he finished, a serious look crossed over his face. The group got eerily quiet, and I looked at Jacob.
"What's going on?" I asked quietly.
"My father is about to tell the stories about our legends." I was confused, but stayed silent. Billy's voice boomed loudly as he talked about the Cold Ones and the ones who kept them away from their land. He spoke beautifully about imprints, finding one's soulmate. My eyes flickered in Jacob's direction during that story, but his eyes stayed glued on me the whole time.
Once the stories were over, the group seemed to lighten up. They began joking and laughing again. I walked over to Billy and hugged him tightly. He was a wonderful man, and he treated me like I was part of his family. I bent down and kissed the top of his head before going over to Jacob, who was waiting on me. He nodded at his dad.
"Let's go walking and look at the water." He suggested, and I agreed. I was getting tired, but I didn't really want the night to end yet.
"I wanted to wait until tonight to tell you everything, I wanted you to hear those stories first. Because, Kaylee, darling, those stories are true. We're wolves. We are protectors, and we are here to protect our lands from the Cold Ones." I felt my mouth hang open, and I stared up at him with confusion.
"Wolves? All of you are wolves?" It didn't make any sense,
"Yes. All of us except Emily and Kim. They are the imprints of Jared and Sam. They are their soulmates." He stopped walking and held my shoulders gently. His face was close to mine. I could feel his deliciously warm breath on my face.
"My love, you are my imprint. You are the woman that I am destined to spend the rest of my life with. We are made for each other, like two fitting puzzle pieces. You are the other half of my heart and soul, and I will never meet another person in my life that I will love like I love you." My eyes welled up with tears, and I kissed his lips.
"Show me." I demanded. He looked shocked. "I need you to show me what you can do." Jacob sighed and pulled away from me.
"I need to take my clothes off. They'll be destroyed if I don't." He told me, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them down. He was left standing in front of me in nothing but his cute plaid boxers. I desperately wanted to reach out and touch him, but this was a serious moment.
He backed up a good distance away and began trembling. His tremors were hard and shook his whole frame. Before I even realized it, he exploded into a big ball of fur. I jumped back fearfully.
A large wolf with russet fur stood before me. He was ridiculously large, my head barely reached his shoulders. "Jacob, baby? I can't believe this." I was cautious about getting close to him, but I finally reached out and gently grabbed a tuft of his fur. It was soft, just like Jacob's actual hair.
I looked into his big brown eyes. Jacob's eyes. I was dating a wolf. A wolf who protected the land from vampires. The Cullens? Were they vampires? "Jacob? Are the Cullen's the Cold Ones?" He nodded solemnly. I gasped. Dr. Cullen was around hundreds of people every day, and probably a large majority of them were bleeding.
Jacob picked his pants up in his mouth and retreated back into the darkness. After a minute or so, he came jogging back up to me. He looked nervous.
"Can you take me home? I'm tired." I asked, leaning into his body. I was worn down. There was too much going on. Jacob looked disappointed, but agreed. We walked back to his truck in silence.
The ride home was silent as well. He pulled into my driveway and looked at me with his brown eyes. "Please don't hate me. I can't help what I am." He sounded so broken.
I placed my hand against the side of his face. "I love you." I told him, leaning in and capturing his lips with mine.
