Chapter Thirty-Five

No Big Deal

Bella's Point of View

The first half of the car ride was quiet, with me staring silently out the window and watching the green trees fly by. Alice's words clung to my skin, making my stomach seem to churn faster and my nerves hyper-aware of the pain coursing through my body. Every time the car drove over a bump in the road, I winced, my weak bones colliding with each other. Edward would look at me with concern each time this happened, and he eventually pulled to the side of the deserted road.

"Bella, are you all right?" he asked earnestly. He set a gentle hand on my shoulder and looked deep into my eyes. I nodded, but Edward could read the lie in my face. "Bells, you can tell me."

I looked away from my husband and blinked away the tears forming in my brown eyes. Mumbling under my breath, I told Edward of Alice's unintended words. Each sentence crossed over my lips in time with the throbbing pulse of muffled pain. When I paused to take a breath, I felt the soft pad of Edward's thumb wiping the tears from my cheek.

"You'll be all right, Bella," he assured me. "Alice was just being cautious, okay? She didn't mean anything by it. We all know you are going to get better."

"How can you know that?" I asked. My arms clenched over my stomach with another flash of nausea and I looked at Edward pointedly. "I certainly don't feel like I'm getting better."

My head fell to my chest in defeat and I felt Edward pick up my hand. "I know you'll be okay, Bells," he told me. "You are all I have. You are going to live. I promise that. I will do anything to make sure you live."

-o-

When we got to the mall, I was feeling slightly better, more hopeful. I shooed Edward away as soon as we stepped in the building, but of course, he wouldn't leave. Instead, he just smiled as he leaned in to kiss me, whispering, "I love you," in my ear.

A shiver raked up my spine and Edward chuckled. "Goodbye, love," he breathed, and then turned around and walked off towards the west wing of the mall. I sighed, suddenly realizing that I had a long day of shopping ahead, and headed in the opposite direction. I walked for a few minutes before spotting a booth selling pretzels. Remembering Alice's words and feeling a slight gurgle of hunger in my stomach, I decided to stop and buy one.

I found the end of the line and stood there impatiently, hyper-aware of all the stares I was getting. A young child and her mother walking by, a couple smiling wistfully as they passed, the old man in front of me turning around and offering a tentative clap on the shoulder.

"That chemo is a killer, ain't it?" he said, smiling sadly. "I watched my wife wither away from me on that poison a few years ago. Breast cancer, she had." He shook his head in sad memory before asking, "What about you? What do you have?"

"L-leukemia," I stammered, taken off guard by his frank words. "Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia."

"Oh, that's a tough one from what I hear," the man told me as he stepped up to the counter and ordered. He turned to me and asked what I wanted. "I'm paying for this little lady, too," he told the cashier.

"You really don't have to do that," I protested. "Really, it's fine."

"No, no," the man combated. "What would you like? I'm paying." When I didn't respond, the man sighed. "Get her a plain pretzel and a glass of water." The cashier, slightly confused, proceeded to get the two orders and handed me my food.

The old man smiled as he paid, and then turned back to me. I squirmed uncomfortably, wishing I could just leave. "Thanks," I mumbled, shuffling my feet and coughing awkwardly.

"No, no, dear," the man said again. "You just get well now, ya hear? Don't let that leukemia get you down." And with that, the man patted my arm once more and walked away, leaving me utterly confused.

I took a careful sip of my water as I continued on my way, half expecting it to be poisoned. Of course, it wasn't, and the water actually helped with my pounding head. I sighed and looked around me for a store that would sell me a mask, even now, in early winter. I just wanted to get my shopping done and get home as soon as possible.

Overjoyed, I spotted a store across the atrium that looked promising. I battled crowds of shoppers and finally made it to the door, a bell ringing as I stepped inside. A young girl who worked there looked up as the door silently closed, and she sighed tiredly.

"You can't have food in here," she muttered monotonously, but her manager cut her off, looking pointedly at my scarf. "Oh," the girl mumbled awkwardly. "Never mind. I guess it's fine. Have a good day, and feel free to ask if you need anything. My name's Rachel."

"Thanks," I answered, even more confused by those around me than before. I guess this was the first time I was out in the presence of strangers since my hair had fallen out, and it was now impossible to hide the cancer. I shook off the sad thoughts though, knowing that I needed to get my shopping done. My legs ached already, but I forced them to maneuver me around the store while I scanned the shelves around me for any sign of masks.

The shimmer of glass caught my attention and I directed myself towards a glass case filled with delicate looking masks. The manager, seeing my interest, walked forward and paused beside me. "Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" she asked kindly.

"Um, yes," I answered, still looking at the selection of masks. "I need an outfit for a masquerade ball, actually. I like that mask, the one in the middle right there," I told her, pointing it out. "Is it possible that I could try it on?"

"Of course," the manager responded. She pulled out a key chain and unlocked the cabinet, gently plucking the mask from its shelf. She handed it to me with careful fingers and stepped back to admire the mask. I held it up to my eyes self-consciously and tied the ribbon over my scarf. The manager smiled brightly and pointed to a mirror that hung behind me.

I turned around and saw the manager still beaming over my shoulder. "It looks great," she said sincerely. "You look like a modern-day Juliet." An idea must have come across her, because her eyes lit up and she scrambled around in the dress rack beside us. She came out a minute later with a flowing white dress and handed it to me with an accomplished look.

I held the dress up in front of me and found myself smiling. I did look like Juliet. The mask, which was pale white tinged with gold, fit perfectly on my face. It made me look more human, less like the alien the cancer had transformed me into. The dress that the manager had found was white and gold, looking like a modern take on an Elizabethan style dress.

"Try it on," the manager urged, pointing to the row of dressing rooms in the back of the store. I nodded and made my way to one, closing the black door behind me and taking a deep breath as I slid out of my jeans. I untied the mask and set it, along with my scarf, on the wooden bench behind me. I pulled the dress over my head with my eyes clamped shut, refusing to look in the mirror.

I took another breath, feeling a building nausea in my stomach and a hazy feeling in my head. I rubbed my head and tied the mask on underneath my scarf. I finally opened my eyes and looked into the mirror, finding a beautiful woman standing before me. The white dress hung low off my shoulders and flowed freely down my body, tapering off to the side and being replaced by soft gold fabric. The same gold was intertwined with the fabric, at the bottoms of the three quarter sleeves, over the top of the neckline, a delicate trim around my waist. I smiled and opened the door, spinning around for the manager to see. I felt like a princess, like a child reenacting her fantasies.

The manager smiled and gestured for the other girl, Rachel, to come see. "You look beautiful," the manager squealed. "The boys won't be able to keep their eyes off of you."

"Thank you," I blushed, feeling my body sway slightly underneath me. I blinked a few times and leaned against the dressing room door, regaining my stability. The two workers eyed me with concern, but I shook it off. "I'm fine," I promised them. "I just had another round of chemo a few days ago. It'll pass."

The manager nodded weakly, and Rachel paled. I sighed, knowing I had freaked them out, and stepped back inside the dressing room to put my jeans and tee-shirt back on. I had managed to get out of the dress and mask before I felt an overwhelming dizziness and was forced to lean against the solid wall. My head didn't stop to spin, though, and my stomach was churning more angrily than ever.

I slid to my knees weakly, fighting off the black haze covering my vision. "Help," I called out as I retched, the sickening sound meeting my ears and sending me off the edge. I slipped into unconsciousness easily; black peace surrounding my tired body as I vaguely heard startled cries.

-o-

"Bella," I heard a familiar voice murmur. "Bells, wake up. Are you all right?"

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring into a pair of bright green eyes. "Edward," I mumbled, my voice thick. "You aren't supposed…to be here."

"I know, love," he amended. "I was following you to make sure this didn't happen. You didn't look very well when we left the car."

"Alice will…kill you. Ruined surprise," I continued with choppy sentences.

"I made sure I didn't look at what you tried on," Edward promised, his eyes sincere enough to tell me that he wasn't lying to me. "But that really doesn't matter, Bella. We need to get you out of here, okay?" I nodded, and tried to lift my head with no success. Edward smiled weakly and scooped me up in his arms, ignoring the vomit smeared on my skin. He set me down on the bench and closed the door behind us, blocking out the gaze of two concerned employees.

He picked my tee-shirt off of the pile and was about to slip it over my head when he realized that my skin was covered in the foul-smelling liquid. Sighing ever-so-lightly, Edward peeled off his own tee-shirt and wiped me off with it before discarding it on the floor. He helped me get dressed and then scooped me up in his arms. I saw his eyes drift to where my dress lay abandoned, but he quickly checked himself and looked away.

Edward opened the door and stepped out to talk to the two women while I lay weak in his arms. "Will you ring up her things?" he asked softly, not wanting to disturb me. "I'm sorry about the mess. I can clean it up if you want."

"No, no, of course not," the manager protested. "It wasn't the poor dear's fault. We'll ring up her things and then you two can be on your way." I saw a look of disgust pass over Rachel's face and felt sick again. I buried my face into Edward's chest and closed my eyes, willing this mess away.

I stayed like that as Edward paid for my things, without looking at them, and then I took a deep breath and tried to form coherent words. "Sorry," I breathed, wincing as my lungs were forced to move. "I didn't…mean to…"

"Now you listen to me," the manager cut me off. "You do not worry about a thing. You just focus on getting better, understand?"

I nodded weakly and closed my eyes against another flash of pain. "Thanks," I murmured.

I heard the crinkle of plastic as Edward picked up my dress and the mask, and then we were moving again. How he managed to open the door, I wouldn't know, but soon I was bombarded with the sounds of hundreds of people cluttered around me. My eyes fluttered open and I realized that every eye was trained on me, carrying that same expression I had been getting all day.

A police officer raced forward and scattered the shocked people, and he was panting slightly by the time he reached Edward and me. "Is she okay?" he asked Edward in hushed tones. "I can get a paramedic here if she needs it."

Edward looked down at me for an answer, his green eyes filled with unspoken concern. I knew he was trying to block his emotions and be strong for me. "I'm okay," I breathed. "Really."

"No mean to fight with you, darlin', but you don't look okay," the police officer told me. "What happened back there?"

I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed out. "It was just a response to chemo," I told him. "I got sick and passed out. It's no big deal." Another deep breath. "I feel fine."

Edward looked skeptical, but he said nothing. The police officer nodded unsurely, but he nodded all the same. "Okay, then. Are you sure you've got her?" he now asked Edward. "We can get you a wheelchair."

"It's fine," Edward said, sighing. I knew he just wanted to get me out of here, away from the curious onlookers. "I've got her. Thanks for your help." And with that, Edward walked away, a clearing forming in the crowd without a word from anybody.

A/N: Yes, this is a new chapter a day after I last posted! I am on a good streak right now, so hopefully (finals and teachers cooperating) I will be able to update more often. Hopefully. So, send me a review with your thoughts! I would greatly appreciate it :D