42

Bella laid on a lounger on the front porch. Though it was barely the middle of September, she was covered in two blankets, and had a pillow under her head. There was an IV in her left hand, a tube leading from it up to where a bag of fluids hung, trying to keep her from staying dehydrated. It wasn't working, but that's whatever. Her arms were stiff, her legs swollen, her head hurt, and she was fucking exhausted.

"Here you go," Alice said, walking out of the house with a smoothie in her hands. "I know, I know, you're not hungry, but you need to at least try, Swan."

"Okay, Peanut," she murmured, too tired and weak to argue. She lifted her arm to grab it, but struggled to bend her fingers enough to grasp it. "I can't."

"Hey, it's okay." Alice sat on the edge of the lounger next to her, a recent addition to the front porch of the bungalow to give Bella options, seeing as the bed and couch were the only other places she could lay and not hurt — as much, at least. "How about I hold, you drink?"

Bella nodded and wrapped her lips around the straw, sucking a little into her mouth, but immediately pulled back. "That's disgusting! What kind is it?"

"It's a green pineapple coconut smoothie with little bit of spinach and kale."

"Ew, Peanut," Bella laughed, shaking her head. "It's taste like ass."

"Maybe I should have skipped the kale," Alice snickered, putting it on the floor on the other side of the lounger and laying back. "Are they going to be out there all day?"

"Probably," Bella murmured, watching Edward and Jasper trying to learn how to surf on their own. "Carlisle offered to teach them, but they insisted they could do it on their own, you know with the teaching of the internet."

"Idiots," Alice scoffed, turning on her side and looking at Bella. "Only a few more days left in phase two. Are you scared?"

She bit the inside of her lip as she nodded. "If this didn't work, Peanut . . ." Bella tried to be discreet when she used the blanket to wipe her tears. "I thought I'd accepted my fate, you know? I was dying and there wasn't anything anyone could do, but I'm not ready to leave him, Peanut." Bella looked at her best friend. "Or you."

"Oh, Swan," Alice giggled, through her tears. "You're not getting rid of me that easy." Alice turned back toward the water. "Or Cowboy, either."

"I'm not?" she asked and when Alice looked back at her she asked. "So he's skipping the next tournament, too?"

Alice nodded. "He's taking the rest of the season off. Felix suggested it, actually."

"He did?"

"Why does that surprise you?"

Bella shrugged, wincing as the soreness in her body radiated. "Just seems like Felix would be worried about Jasper and Edward not making PV any money."

"Oh, well, I'm sure he is, but Jasper told him that until Edward is ready to come back, he can consider him retired." Alice looked back at Jasper and Edward, who were dragging the boards they'd bought from one of the local shops out of the water. "Besides, he and I are going to be a little busy in say, eight months or so."

"Why?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alice grinned and looked back at her. "Because I'm pregnant."

Bella gasped and sat up. "You're pregnant, Peanut?"

Alice laughed and nodded. "Just found out this morning."

"Oh, my God," Bella cried, reaching for her. Alice climbed over and sat on the side of Bella's lounger, making it easier to hug each other. "I just can't believe it."

"I know," she giggled through her own tears. "Clearly, it wasn't something we were planning, but . . . just kind of feels right, you know?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "Does your mom know?"

"Of course not," she scoffed, shaking her head. "She thinks I'm a virgin."

Bella laid back and laughed. "Really?"

"I mean, surely she has to know that I've done the deed, as she would say, but I think it helps her sleep at night if she doesn't acknowledge that I'm not sleeping at night," Alice snickered.

"Oh, sweet, little Momma Brandon," Bella laughed with a shake of her head. "Wow, Peanut, a baby."

"Yeah, I know." Alice looked over her shoulder. Now Jasper and Edward were standing on the beach, clearly in deep conversations about what they were doing wrong. There was lots of hand gesturing and sand kicking. "He wants to marry me, Swan."

"Because of the baby?" Bella asked.

"No," she scoffed. "I mean, yes, but he actually asked me a few weeks ago. The night before your surgery. We'd left here, and he stopped at the Pit. He said that's where he was when he found the love of his life and he dropped to one knee and proposed."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Alice gave her a look.

"Peanut, you should have told me that you're engaged!" Bella scolded her, knowing that Alice had held back because of the trial, because she was barely surviving as it was, and there were no guarantees that she would be alive in six months.

"I haven't given him my answer yet," she said with a cringe.

"Why not? You're going to say yes, right?"

"I mean, I want to," she said, frowning. "But I don't know, Swan. I mean we've only known each other like two months, and yes, I know you and Mason got hitched after like ten days, but I don't know. I just . . . I love him so much, but my life is here on the islands, and his is everywhere else," she explained. "Do I go with him? Leave my parents and sister? Does he stay and leave PV behind? It's just a lot, and then you add the trial and . . ."

"And me?" Bella asked, and Alice nodded.

"I love you, Swan," she whimpered. "I can't leave you behind."

"You're not." And when Alice started to argue with her, Bella held up her hand to stop her. "Peanut, you can't put your life on hold because of me. It's not fair to you, or to Cowboy."

"But you're important to me," she cried, curling up against Bella.

"And you're important to me, but if the trial hasn't worked, if I die, I want to die knowing you're happy with someone who loves you the way Cowboy does. I need to know that you're living every day for me." Bella wrapped her arms around Alice, placing her hand on the back of her head. "And name your baby after me."

Alice laughed. "Swan Whitlock it is!"

"I love you, Peanut," Bella laughed, and looked over to where Jasper and Edward were still arguing, she found herself wondering if she would even be alive long enough to see little baby Whitlock born.

—BDBH—

Later that night, after Alice and Jasper left, Bella found herself once again sitting on the front porch. Her saline drop had been disconnected, though the port was still in her hand, just in case Carlisle said when he and Esme came by to check on her. It had become a daily occurrence, which Bella knew was spurred on by Esme. She didn't mind, though. Her sister needed to help, and Bella needed her sister to be okay.

"Hey," Edward said, and when she looked over, she saw him leaning against the entrance to the bungalow. "You okay?"

Bella nodded. "As well as I can be considering, I guess."

Edward pushed off the frame and walked over to her, sitting on the side of the lounge. "Still cold?"

"All the time," she murmured, pulling the blanket up around her. "Must be the stem cells, or something."

"I can get you another blanket."

Bella bit her lip and shook her head. "I'd prefer my Edward blanket."

"You would, huh?" he laughed, but shifted so that he was propped up around her, his arm draped across her lap. He leaned his forehead against the side of her head. "Better?"

"Much," she whispered, snuggling against him. "I know everyone wants to help, and I appreciate them so much, but I really like when it's just you and me, Edward."

"Me too," he murmured, pressing his lips against the side of her head.

"Did you like surfing?" she asked.

Edward laughed. "Can't say I did any actual surfing, but I tolerated trying. I'm sore as shit, though."

Bella snickered. "It's a total body workout for sure." She sighed. "I miss it."

"You'll get to surf again. A few more days, maybe a week," he said, quietly.

"You really think it's worked?"

"I really hope so," he murmured.

"Me too."

—BDBH—

"Ugh, this sucks," Bella whined as she held onto the wall, trying to get her legs to move in front of her. She had just taken a shower, the first in several days if she were honest, but they just took too much effort at the moment. While Edward had taken a shower with her, he dashed out of the bathroom when he heard his cell phone ringing, which left Bella to get herself out of the bathroom and into their bedroom alone. And, boy, was it hard.

Maybe because her body hurt so much when she moved, that she moved as little as possible over the last few weeks, but her legs felt stiff. Her knees hurt and it was hard for her to bend them, especially her bad knee. She clutched the towel around her with one hand while using the other to hold against the wall in an effort to keep from falling on her ass. She had just reached the door to their bedroom, when he came around the corner, bumping into her, sending her to the ground.

"Motherfucker," she snarled, rolling onto her side. "That's gonna leave a mark."

"Holy shit, sweetheart, I'm sorry," Edward rambled, and gently reached down and helped her back to her feet. "What are you doing? I was coming back for you."

"I'm a grown ass woman, Edward. I should be able to get from the bathroom to our room without someone holding me up," she grumbled.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Bella sighed and took a deep breath. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just . . . I'm just tired. I didn't sleep very good, and well, I'm kind of scared."

"Me too," he admitted. "That was Emmett on the phone, actually. He, um, said they can fit you in for the MRI early, if we hurry."

"Oh," she said. "Um, okay."

"It's all right, sweetheart, we're not in a rush, okay? We'll get there, when we get there."

She nodded, knowing that he was anxious as she was to get through the next two days. A month had officially passed and today they would have the first of two tests done to see if Emmett's trial had magically cured of her terminal, incurable disease, and she was scared to death.

The trial hadn't been easy. Eight weeks of pure hell, if she were being honest. Her body ached, her joints were stiff, she'd had more IV's than she could count, which caused her arms to bruise. She had struggled to keep what little food she could tolerate down, which of course meant she had lost weight. Almost twenty pounds in eight weeks. The sudden and drastic weight loss had her hair falling out in clumps, and all she could think about was it being worth it? Because if she just went through Hell, and it didn't work, she wasn't sure how she would handle that.

Bella sat on the side of the bed, trying to keep from wincing as Edward hurried to the closet and began pulling out clothes for them to wear. When he grabbed a pair of her shorts, she said, "No, get me my black leggings. I'm cold."

"Right, duh," he muttered, tossing the shorts onto the floor and rummaging for her favorite black workout pants.

"They're probably still in the drier."

"Fuck," he hissed, tossing his T-shirt and shorts on the bed before hurrying out of the room, towel still wrapped around his waist.

Bella shook her head as she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the dresser, grabbing a pair of panties. She'd just dropped the towel on the floor when he came back in, stopping and letting his eyes drift down the length of her body, which had her laughing.

"Yo, perv, need some help here," she cackled.

"Don't think we have time for that kind of help," he said with a smirk as he grabbed the panties from her hand and knelt in front of her. "Lift."

It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to lift her left leg and step into the panties, followed by her right. He shimmed them up her legs and over her hips before helping her put her pants on. When he stood up, he reached for her bra, but she covered his hand.

"It hurts too much," she whimpered. "I need to sit down."

"Okay, lean on me," he murmured, helping her over to the bed, holding her as she sat down with a harsh hiss. "What shirt do you want?"

"One of yours," she said, feeling her blush creep into her cheeks.

Edward laughed and walked over to the closet, pulling out one of his T-shirts. He helped her slip it on and then grabbed his own clothes and began to dress. Once they had their shoes on, he sat next to her, slipping his hand into hers.

"Before we go," he started and she could see the tears already filling his eyes. Ever since the night she'd come home from the hospital, he hadn't hidden his emotions from her, something she knew was hard. Edward wasn't used to showing his emotions, it made him feel weak. Something she understood. "I just . . . I just want you to know that no matter what happens today and tomorrow, even if the trial didn't work, I'm here, okay?"

"Forever?" she asked, bringing their hands up to her lips.

"And ever, sweetheart."

Thank you for all the amazing reviews! Only two to three chapters left, I think!