Chap 9:

Embry's POV

It was killing me to see Elise crying over something as silly as her hair. Yeah, it was beautiful, but I could care less if it was neon green as long as I had her. Her hair was the least of my worries, but I handed her the iPod and ran off to find some hats for her. As I was running out I ran into the Cullens.

"Embry, I'm so sorry about Elise!" Alice exclaimed, "Carlisle told us all about it."

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk to the leeches, "Embry?" Edward called gently to me, his face full of compassion he handed me a hundred dollar bill, "Get her a lot!"

Ugh! I couldn't stand it when he read my mind, talk about lack of privacy.

Edward laughed, "I'm sorry Embry, but I truly feel for you. I couldn't imagine loosing Bella that way."

"Thanks, Edward," I said to him, meaning every word I said, "Your not so bad for a leech."

The Cullens laughed like I had told them the funniest joke. Emmett patted my back as I ran out to my car, pocketing the bill as I went. I drove to Port Angeles figuring that I'd find some pretty decent hat shops there, or at least places that sold a lot of hats. I found this little antique store on a corner that had some pretty hats in the window. I walked in and went up to the old woman sitting at the counter.

"May I help you young man?" she asked, her blue eyes lighting up. It appeared that I was her first customer in a while.

"Yeah, um, my girlfriend has cancer and um, she's really upset about her hair. I told her I'd get her some hats so she won't have to see it…" I faded out, feeling uncomfortable talking about Elise's cancer.

But the lady looked sympathetic and understanding, "Poor thing!" she muttered as she walked to the front window, "We have some wonderful old hats here, take your pick! And for you their half off."

I thanked her and began looking at the hats.

"That's a pillbox hat," she told me, "Very popular during Kennedy's presidency, his wife Jackie often wore them."

I looked down at the hat, it was very pretty. It was all white with an angled edge, a white veil-like thingy hanging down, attached at one end by a white flower, where the net was tied in a bow. Elise would like it a lot.

"I'll take it," I told the woman.

She nodded, "I think it was a woman's wedding hat, but you never know. It is rather pretty!"

I bought the one hat there, it was nearly $50 with the half off. I then headed to a dollar store where I bought a bunch of prank hats. I drove back to the hospital feeling very self satisfied.

I walked in Elise's room to find her dad sitting at her side. She was almost completely motionless so it took me a minute to realize that she was sleeping.

"You know I love you don't you sweet heart?" he was asking her over and over, "I guess I didn't show that so well after your mom died, but I love you so much…I never did show it well did I?" He laughed, but it was hollow and a little creepy, "You can't stop fighting Elise, you've got to keep going!" He was crying now and I turned my back and headed for the cafeteria, I couldn't deal with that now.

Elise's POV

I woke up to find my dad crying in the chair next to my bed. It had been a while since he had been here, he said the case was getting crazy.

"Is it that bad?" I managed to ask.

"Is what that bad, honey?" he asked.

"My hair!" I moaned, sitting up a bit to pick up another handful from my pillow.

"Your hair doesn't matter baby doll," he told me, "It'll grow back soon."

I nodded and took one of the books that he had brought from home off the little table next to the bed and began reading it. I loved Gone with the Wind, well everything except the ending which is too indecisive for me. Soon I was no longer Elise, I was Katie Scarlett O'Hara, belle of the Old South. Embry's voice shook me out of the other world and I looked up at him.

"I brought hats!" he told me handing me a huge bag from the dollar store filled to the brim with funny hats.

"A clown wig?" I asked him, giggling too, it had been so long since I laughed for real, "Oh cool! One of those hotdog hats!" I put it on and we both giggled. We spent hours playing dress-up with the hats. "Seriously, though, Embry these had to have cost a fortune!"

"It didn't cost me a dime. One of the leeches gave me the money, they're actually not that bad, if you get over the whole bloodsucking thing," he told me, "They actually didn't cost that much so I got you a special hat…" he took out an old fashioned hat box and handed it to me.

I opened it and saw the most beautiful hat I had ever seen. It was a pillbox hat, a style from the 50's and 60's. The hat was entirely white with an angled rim. A white veil hung off of it and it formed a bow at one end where it was attached by a flower. I put it on. It didn't quite cover my balding head but it was beautiful.

"I love it," I whispered, pushing the veil up, "Thank you."

Embry leaned down and kissed my cheek, "You look beautiful," he whispered.

I smiled, for the first time in a very long time I felt beautiful too.