I don't have much to say other than PLOT TWIST! Thank you to all who reviewed/favourited/followed! I love you all! Also, a special thanks to Kate203457, for asking questions and being an incredible reader! Also, happy birthday for Sunday! Hope you have an aca-awesome day! (I'm sorry, I had to.)
"Luke answer me, is it true?"
All the manager could do was stare back. He knew that Beca was closed off, and very rarely allowed her true self to emerge from her shell. Would she really want him to say it, when she had only told him through a moment of weakness?
The stern glare of Aubrey Posen was drilling into his head, so he went for the safest option.
"Aubrey, what are you doing here?" Luke was surprised at how calm his voiced sounded. Aubrey just rolled her eyes, before fixing them on the small girl sleeping on the couch.
"I was going to tell Beca that if she is going to keep bunking out of practice to hang out with you, she can forget being a Bella." Luke's eyebrows shot up. He had never pegged the alt-girl as a Barden Bella.
"oh. Well I'll tell her when she wakes up. I think she had a pretty rough night- "
"Luke cut the bullshit. Even if I hadn't heard the conversation, no one goes out on a Monday." The blonde's eyes softened slightly. "is what she said true? Does she really have…" Luke met her gaze. There was something in Aubrey's eyes that he had never seen before. Was it pity? He couldn't tell. The station manager sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I don't know. I mean she got to work and even I knew something was wrong. She was pale and sweaty, and walking around as if she was drunk. And limping," Aubrey's eyes widened slightly, remembering that Chloe had mentioned it a few weeks ago. "I don't know whether she hurt her leg or not. When I went to ask her about it, she just started throwing up." Luke's voice faltered, remembering the events. "she started crying straight after… I guess you know the rest." He said softly, gesturing to Beca who was still fast asleep. Aubrey could feel a twinge of sadness in her heart. Everyone knew her disdain for the brunette, but secretly Aubrey liked her. She liked her spirit, her passion for music. But there was something deep rooted in the blonde's heart that just could be shook away.
"I don't think she wants anyone to know." Luke was staring at her, almost pleading to keep the secret. "I don't know the full details myself, but I know she wouldn't open up like that normally. And I want to be someone she trusts to come to for this, you know? I'm sorry, I know it's a lot to- "
"Luke stop. Its fine, I understand." As much as it pained her to keep secrets, Aubrey knew this was important. Luke visibly relaxed.
"thank you so much… I'll let her know what you said when she wakes up if you want?" guilt shot through her heart. She couldn't tell Beca that she was essentially kicked out the Bella's for something she couldn't control. No, Aubrey definitely wasn't that heartless.
"no, it's okay. Maybe don't mention I was here? Keeps things a little less complicated." A small smile escaped the blonde's lips. Luke smiled back, knowing Aubrey Posen was a woman of her word.
The two seniors smiled at each other, a mutual agreements set in place. Aubrey walked over and slowly, not wanting to wake the sleeping girl, pulled the blankets up higher over her shoulders. Beca's eyebrows were furrowed, and there was a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her face was scarily pale, accentuating the dark circles under her eyes. It took all Aubrey had to walk away, feeling the situation finally settle in her brain. A young girl has just been told she has a life threatening illness, and was clearly suffering. As she walked out of the radio station, she made a silent promise to look out for Beca, to make sure she was doing okay but keeping her distance to ensure the brunette didn't know that she knew.
No, Aubrey wasn't heartless at all.
Beca was woke by the deep throbbing in her head. Like someone was pounding on the back of her skull with a sledgehammer. She brought her shaky hands up to rub her face and eyes before opening them. She was met with the soft glow of a computer screen and rows of CD cabinets. She could feel soft leather under her, and had to blink several times before she remembered where she was. Her eyes widened. Oh no. Luke saw me throw up. Was he there when I broke down? Oh god did I tell him-
"hey sleepy head." Beca snapped her head to where Luke was walking into the booth. He was holding a stack of CD's and smiling lightly. His smile dropped however when he seen the look on her face. It was the embodiment of terror and the station manager instantly became concerned.
"are you okay? Are you going to throw up again?" he started to reach for the trashcan when a soft voice cut him off.
"no, I'm okay." Beca pulled herself up to a sitting position, watching the blanket fall to her lap. Hell, it was better than looking at Luke.
Luke sighed before moving to his computer. He cued up a playlist that could play in the background so that he could talk to the younger girl. He knew this would take a while.
"Beca I know you don't want to talk about it." The brunette started to cut him off but he held up his hands, silencing her. "hear me out. You told me what was going on earlier, and I don't know what you expect me to do. I'm not going to freak, or turn my back on you. I want to help." He put his hands on Beca's. she looked up slightly, tears in the corner of her eyes. She nodded slightly, and that was all Luke needed.
"okay. In order for me to help you, I need to know exactly what's going on. You can take your time, but for this to work," he gestured between them. "you have to be able to talk to me." Luke watched the girls conflicted face. It seemed to be waging war with her emotions – watching as she came out of her shell, before quickly recoiling back behind her walls. He watched as she finally settled on defeated; shoulders slumped and head hanging low.
"I have cancer." She spoke softly, Luke straining to hear. Every time Beca said it out loud, it became more real. She glanced up and made eye contact with the senior, watching him nod encouragingly.
"I have stage 2 osteosarcoma on my tibia and has spread to the surrounding area. They have started my chemo and are hoping to reduce the tumor sizes and stop the spread…" she trailed off. The DJ felt warmth on her hands, and looked to see Luke had taken her hands. He squeezed slightly, letting her know it was okay.
"there is a 70% chance that the chemo won't work. It's possible that they could spread to another part of my body. But they are trying it before they go to last resort." Beca know what was coming next. When Dr. Carson told her this information, it was if her life fell through the floor.
"what's the last resort?" Luke asked softly. Beca sighed, knowing if she didn't say it now, she would never be able to say it.
"in the worst case scenario, they said that it is possible that my leg will have to be amputated, or I could die." She finished simply, voice cracking on the last work. She internally scolded herself for letting her emotions getting the better of her. Sack up Mitchell, you're better than this. She looked up to find Luke's stare fixed on her. He looked a mixture of sad and determined.
" does it hurt?" Beca pondered the question, her mind automatically screaming no it doesn't hurt I don't want your pity. But she would be lying. It hurt all the time, more so now than ever before.
"it does. Like it doesn't hurt as much when I'm sitting down. But when I'm walking around or just standing it hurts a lot. I can bare it though." She added that last bit as an afterthought, hoping she didn't seem weak. She watched Luke's face, trying to gauge his reactions, when he finally smiled.
"thank you for telling me Beca. I know it wasn't easy. But from now on there are going to be some ground rules. First of all, when you're on shift and you start to feel pain or nausea or anything along those lines, you come into the booth and sit down immediately. I don't care what you're doing, and I don't mind for how long. Just until you're able to stand without pain. The second rule is I'll be escorting you two and from your chemo sessions." Beca started to argue, but Luke cut her short. "this is non-negotiable. I need to know that you're okay, and not collapsed in a bush somewhere okay?" Beca could see it wasn't up for debate, so she grumbled her response. "you're not going to come in with me are you?"
He looked at her, almost amused. "unless you want me there, no. I won't." The look of relief that flooded Beca's face brought out a chuckle from Luke. "you know we could try being friends. If that tiny body of yours can handle all that attitude, I'm sure I can." He added with a wink. This earned a smile, and he was more than happy when a chuckle accompanied it.
"don't get your hopes up, you'll be disappointed." She responded, but they both knew she was joking.
"hmm. We'll see about that." Luke winked again, but then quickly thought of something. "shall I get your number? Saves looking for each other whenever we need to make a dash." His English accent came thick with the words, and Beca smiled. It was refreshing, knowing that someone cared. She wasn't about to admit that out loud though. "sure, here you go." She handed the manager her phone, watching him but his number in and text himself. His phone chimed from the desk. Handing back the phone, Beca noticed the name he was saved under.
"Bossman? Really dude?" she raised an eyebrow at him. Luke know this would get a reaction, and was glad to see the old Beca surfacing.
"oh come on Becky, you love it." The brunette's eyes widened. "I knew you were just doing that to piss me off! Not cool man!" Beca's faced scrunched up and she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Luke laughed at her antics, comparing her to a small child. He slung his arm around her shoulders. The brunette tensed momentarily, but relaxed. It was brotherly, and she really could get used to this new friendship.
"thank you Luke."
Chloe was nervous as she made her way through the dorm halls. It had been a couple of days since the night at the river, and she was worried that minimal contact had been held between the redhead and Beca. It was as if she was escaping back behind her walls again, but this time heavily fortifying them; permanently blocking out the world. But Chloe would not let that happen.
She made it to the room Beca and her god awful roommate shared, and knocked. Silence. Chloe was determined to talk to the brunette, so she knocked again. This time there was a muffled "coming", followed by some grunts and groans. The senior giggled slightly, knowing who was making those sounds. The moment was short lived however when the door swung open.
Chloe came face to face with Beca, who was wearing low-slung sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt. Her hair was tousled and wild as if she had just woken up, but Chloe was unable to focus on any of that. She took in the brunettes face. It was ghostly pale, aside from the dark circles around her eyes that seemed to increasingly get worse every time the redhead seen her. Her eyes were clouded, but not the usual sleep haze that Chloe had seen on multiple occasions. This was different, and it terrified Chloe that she couldn't read her best friend.
"hey Chloe." Her voice was laced with sleep, and she started rubbing her face and stepping aside for the taller girl to enter. The door was closed behind her and Beca went to resume her position on her bed, tucking the blanket to one side.
"hey Becs." Chloe replied, sitting down on the bed. She had so much to say, and was eager to start before she lost her nerve. "so I haven't really seen you around recently… and you've not been showing up to Bella's rehearsals. All the other girls have said they haven't heard from you too." Chloe sighed, meeting Beca's eyes. They still held nothing. "what I'm trying to say is that I'm worried about you. We all are." She watched Beca's face, looking for any indication that yes, there is something bigger going on. A look of trepidation crossed the brunettes face, but was quickly replaced with a fake smile.
"tell them not to worry. I'll be back causing havoc with Blondezilla next session." Beca winked, trying to sell herself more. This time Chloe wasn't buying it.
"Beca please don't shut me out. I meant it when I said that id support you. All of the girls will." She grabbed the younger girl's hands, surprised when she felt them trembling. Chloe could see the anxiety growing on her face, further supporting her negative thoughts. When the redhead was met with silence, she ploughed on.
"we can go to the doctors together if you want? We can get through this togeth- "
"no." the placid look that had dominated her features was now filled with fear. Chloe didn't think Beca knew she was pulling this face. It was quickly replaced with a tight-lipped smile.
"I mean; I already went to the doctors. It is all sorted. Seriously, don't worry." Beca squeezed her hands, trying to send the message that she didn't want to talk about it.
Chloe nodded slowly, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere like this. "okay." She stood up and started walking out the door. Beca, for reasons unknown, didn't want Chloe to leave. Without thinking, she grabbed the redheads hand. Chloe turned, startled, waiting for an explanation. If Beca wasn't going to talk, there was no point in Chloe being there.
Beca shifted nervously, trying to quell her anxiety before asking, "will you stay with me?".
Chloe just stared, feeling shocked at the brunette's initiation of contact. Snapping out of her daze, Chloe nodded, starting to pull off her shoes. Beca smiled, relieved and started organising the blankets so that Chloe could lay next to her. They fell into their position, Beca's head resting under Chloe's chin. They linked their hands over the senior's stomach, playing with each other's fingers. The silence that surrounded them was comfortable, and Beca was just drifting off to sleep when a soft voice floated through the room. Beca smiled when she recognised the song, the meaning not going unnoticed. When the chorus rolled around, Beca joined in, harmonising with Chloe so perfectly – as if the song was writing for them.
Lights will guide, you home.
And ignite, your bones.
And I will try, to fix you.
Beca glanced up to see Chloe staring at her, her impossibly blue eyes boring into her. The song was right. There was no light brighter than the sparkle in Chloe's eyes right then. She could see a million possibilities within them, sending a tingling across her spine. Her bright eyes were bringing Beca back, pulling her out of the stone prison she had made for herself, and bringing her into the open. Into safety. Beca realised that she had found her home within Chloe.
With a warm feeling in her stomach, she settled into the deepest sleep she'd had in weeks.
A/N – be prepared for more fluff in the next few chapters. Did you expect what happened? What do you think comes next? I love you awesome nerds!