32

Bella found it extremely difficult to leave Edward and walk around the pit to prepare for his match. Even though they were in the same place, the events from the morning, even the details she couldn't remember, haunted her. How could she have ran from him after everything they had been through? After the way he had loved her, needed her? It hurt Bella's soul to know that she had caused him pain. How could he ever forgive her for pushing him away?

"You okay, Swan?" Alice asked, hooking her arm in with Bella's.

"No," Bella admitted. "I'm scared, Peanut. Just seems like everything is out of control."

"I'm pretty scared, too," she murmured, biting the inside of her lip as they looked over to Edward and Jasper. "He's staying. He says it's to support me because he knows you're important to me, but while I know that's part of the reason, I think it's because you're important to him."

"I am?" she asked, and when Alice nodded, she added, "Why, Peanut? Why am I so important to Cowboy?"

Laughing at the use of the silly nickname, she looked back at Bella and said, "Because Edward loves you, and you make him a better man, someone Jasper can be proud to have as a partner. I don't think he can play with anyone else. Not right now, at least."

"I don't know what to say," Bella confessed, shifting her attention back to Edward and Jasper, whom were watching her with intensity. "I'm not used to being important to people. Other than you, Esme, and Carlisle, I mean. But I have this whole family, all these people who care about me. Love me. It's different, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." Alice sighed and pulled her arm out from around Bella's, causing her to look back at her, but Alice's attention was focused behind her. "I'll handle it, Swan."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, looking over her shoulder. "Ugh, what is she doing here?"

Standing just inside the entrance of the pit was her mother. Renee looked out of place compared to most of the people milling around, trying to find the best seat they could. Where the majority of people were wearing shorts, tank tops, sundresses to battle the heat, Renee was wearing a pair of jean shorts that reached her knees and a long sleeve T-shirt that reminded her of the one's her father used to wear.

"Don't worry about her," Alice said, reaching over and turning Bella's face toward her. "I'll handle her. You just get ready to start shooting, okay?"

Biting the inside of her lip, Bella nodded and watched as Alice marched over, grabbed Renee's arm, and gestured toward the entrance. Bella turned away when Renee looked back at her, not wanting to see the desperate look on her mother's face. She was grateful that the woman had agreed to donate stem cells that would hopefully save her life, she just wasn't ready for anything more than that with her.

"Bella, sweetheart."

Feeling her shoulders tense, Bella looked the other direction and found Charlotte and Peter standing a few yards away.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked, reaching for her, but pulling her hand back.

"Um." Bella paused and looked back at where her mother stood, watching as Alice gestured for her to leave. Renee sighed and walked out. Turning back to Edward's parents, she shook her head. "No, I'm not okay. I'm sorry about earlier. Dementia is a side effect of Kufs. It's something I knew would happen at some point, I guess."

"Don't apologize," Peter said, softly. "We were worried."

"Me too," she whimpered, and when Charlotte took a step toward her, Bella moved away. "Sorry, I just . . . I'm a little overwhelmed with everything, so . . ." She trailed off and looked over at Edward, who was sitting under his tent, his hands resting on his knees, and she knew he was getting his mind set for the task ahead. "It means a lot to him," she whispered, eyeing Charlotte and Peter once again. "You being here, I mean. I don't understand how you could have stayed away from him for so long, how you've never seen him play. When he's on the court, he's . . . The power, the way he dominates every inch of the court, it's breathtaking."

Bella fiddled with the camera in her hand. "I don't know if I'll survive Emmett's trial, or how much time Edward and I have left together. But he needs you so much, but if you're not going to be there for him when things get hard, you might as well leave now. He deserves better than part time parents."

Hoisting her camera back onto her shoulder, she gave them a look before she walked past them knowing she came off as rude, but they had hurt Edward more than even he wanted to admit, and she knew the road in front of them was going to be difficult at best. Could he handle losing both of them and her?

—BDBH—

Bella had been in awe as she watched Edward and Jasper in action. After she left Charlotte and Peter staring at her with shock and dismay on their faces. Maybe she had overstepped her bounds, but Edward was the most important person in the world to her. He was the reason she was fighting to live. She would do everything to protect him from hurting more than he would if she died.

As Charlotte and Peter made their way into the bleachers and found a place to sit, Bella got settled on the side line, putting a new memory card in her camera, and tried to calm her racing heart. She failed on the last one, especially as Edward served the first ball, hitting it with so much force the other team never even moved when it flew over their heads and landed in the back left hand corner. His eyes shifted to hers and he smiled. He going to win for her.

The rest of the match went much the same. Jasper and Edward moved effortlessly, setting each other for power spikes, perfect blocks, and several ace serves. They won the first match 21-10. The other team battled back in the second match, but Edward and Jasper won 21-18, landing in the finals against Garrett Mitchell and Ben Chaney, whom they would battle for the title the night evening after Rose and Tanya's own championship match against Kate Denali and Angela Webber, who had scrapped through and battled hard to make it to the finals.

"Hey, Swan," Felix called out, and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw him hurrying toward her. "How's it going?"

"Oh, you know," she said with a wave of her hand before she placed her camera back in her back. "Got some really good shots today. Should have some proofs of the whole tournament in a few days."

"That's great, but I was asking how you're doing," Felix replied, kneeling next to her. "Are you feeling okay?"

Bella closed her eyes for a second before looking at him and saying, "No, I'm not. My head hurts, my legs ache, my hands shake, Felix. I'm never okay. I always hurt. Always, and I won't feel better for a long time."

"I'm sorry," he muttered, standing up. "Guess that was stupid to ask."

Bella shook her head and stood up. "Why'd you want me to shoot the PV?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why, after eight years, did you suddenly want me to be your photographer? And don't give me this bullshit about your guy leaving you at the last second. I'm not dumb. I know you and Peanut had been working this deal for months."

Felix pressed his lips together and shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki shorts before saying, "You're right, we have been."

"Why? Eight years ago, you threw me away when someone better came along."

"Because I realized I was an idiot," he confessed. "I was new to the job, desperate to prove Marcus hadn't made a mistake by taking a chance on me. When Jenks showed some interest, I thought he would be give PV the attention we deserved."

"Throwing our friendship away in the process," Bella quipped.

"And it was the biggest mistake of my life," he admitted. "Jenks doesn't have the passion you do, Swan. Your pictures . . . They show the soul of the game, the grit. I wanted to reach out to you so many times, but I knew you would tell me to fuck off."

"So why now?" she asked.

Felix pressed his lips together and looked around, his eyes pausing for a second before landing back on her. A glance over her shoulder told her everything she needed to know. Alice, who was standing with Jasper and Edward, had been the one to initiate everything. She'd reached out to him. She knew covering the PV would be the biggest accomplishment of her career. As always, Alice was taking care of her.

"Peanut," Bella whispered, before looking back at Felix. "It was her, wasn't it?"

Felix nodded. "Now, I guess I know why."

"I should be angry that you and Peanut conspired against me," Bella murmured, biting the inside of her lip before she looked over at Edward, who was watching her with an intensity that had her struggling to breathe.

"But you're not, are you?"

She shook her head and looked back at him. "I didn't even realize how lonely I really was."

"Mason might be a pain in my ass, Swan," Felix grumbled, before smiling, "but he makes you smile. I know you're about to go through a lot — a lot more than you already are, I mean, but know that I'm here, okay?"

"I've gotta go." Bella reached out of his hand, giving it gentle squeeze. "But thank you."

—BDBH—

"Are you nervous?"

"Not of the tests," Bella replied to Edward's question. They had just left the pit, stopped at the hotel to pack an overnight bag, and were on their way to the hospital so Carlisle and Emmett could run their tests. "Just worried that we might be too late."

"Me too," he admitted, placing his hand on her knee as she drove her jeep through the city.

They didn't speak again as she pulled into the parking lot and they headed inside. Carlisle had texted her earlier and told her and Edward to meet them on the tenth floor, that he and Emmett had everything set up. She couldn't keep from feeling anxious as they rode the elevator, feeling Edward slip his hand in with hers just before the doors opened.

She shouldn't have been, but Bella was surprised to find Esme, Alice, and Jasper standing with Carlisle and Emmett.

"Hey," Bella murmured. "We having a party or something?"

"Just trying to be supportive," Esme quipped.

"I know," she groused. "Sorry. I'm just tired."

"Then let's get started." Emmett gestured for them to follow him into one of the hospital rooms, which they did. "We're going to start with the urine sample and the EEG. We'll keep the cap on for about six hours to see what kind of data we can get."

"What's an EEG?" Edward asked.

Emmett looked at his brother before he explained. "An EEG, or an Electroencephalogram, is a test that detects abnormalities in your brain waves, or in the electrical activity of your brain. During the procedure, electrodes consisting of small metal discs with thin wires are pasted onto your scalp. The electrodes detect tiny electrical charges that result from the activity of your brain cells. The charges are amplified and appear as a graph on a computer screen."

"Will it hurt?" he asked.

"No," Bella replied. "I've had a few of these done, Edward. They just want to see what type of signals my brain is sending to the rest of my body."

"In the morning, we will do an MRI," Carlisle added. "Once we have those two tests done, we will evaluate all the data and know how, or if, we can move forward."

"And if we can?" Bella asked. "When will that happen?"

"Day after tomorrow, we will start your first infusion treatment."

"And what are the side effects of those?" she wondered.

"Nausea, headaches, muscle aches, fever. You could have itching, hives, a rash, coughing. In extreme cases, you could experience swelling in her lips, tongue, eyelids."

"You said we would do infusion therapy for four weeks, right?" Bella asked, and when Emmett nodded, she added, "How many times a week?"

"Two."

"And then you would need the donation of stem cells?"

"If you are able to proceed, we would collect the stem cells immediately in order to have the implant ready for placement in a month."

Bella bit the inside of her lip as she nodded. "And you still think it will work?"

Emmett's eyes flittered to Edward before he looked back at her and said, "I think it's the only chance you have, Bella."

Though she was terrified, she nodded, and said, "Then let's get started."

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