A/N: I'm a terrible person, I know. I absolutely refuse to scrap my story before it's done but I get SOOO frustrated when I have to wait ages for updates and I have failed to post SEVERAL fanfiction stories because I didn't want to be one of those authors. I apologize for the wait but I would also like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has read my story and especially to those who took the time to review it I really hope you're all still reading.
Life gets crazy and I have been DRAINED with two retail jobs, finishing my classes I had to take for my promotion and just trying to stay on top of everything so I took the day to just chill and have a marathon of Chasing Life to hopefully get me back into the writing mood. I hope this isn't a terrible chapter for you guys.
THANKS AGAIN! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!
I crawled into my bed just before lights out and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to sleep with all my thoughts of Leo but before I knew it I was waking up to the sunlight streaming into my window. It was my last day of chemo. Part of me was thrilled but most of me was just anxious to find out whether or not I would be in remission after the fact and with three weeks left before I could even leave the hospital…I didn't feel like I had all that much to look forward to yet.
I sat up in my bed as the nurse came in with my breakfast. I was surprisingly hungry, at least compared to what I had been feeling the last few days so I figured I'd give it a shot. I was halfway through my fruit cup when there was a soft knock at my door. I couldn't help but smile as I looked up and saw Leo standing in my doorway.
"Good morning!" I said with a smile
He smiled. "Mind if I join you?"
I scooted over and patted the side of my bed. "Of course not. Want some of my Cheerios?"
"Nah, I already ate. How are you feeling today?"
"I should be asking you that question. You just had surgery yesterday. Should you even be up and walking?"
"I may have bribed a couple nurses to let me sneak out of bed so I could sneak into yours," he replied with a smirk.
"Well, you're more than welcome to crawl into my bed anytime you'd like," I said as I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"This wasn't how I wanted to start a relationship with you but I can't imagine being anywhere else."
"Yeah, it's not the most romantic of places to be stuck in but I certainly don't mind the company. How long are you going to be stuck here?"
"Well, they're running a few more scans today to assure there hasn't been any tumor growth elsewhere but at least a week."
"I think you'll be sick of me by the time you leave," I teased him.
"Not a chance, Cancer Friend. Not a chance in this world." He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into his chest. "How about a movie morning?"
"Good luck finding anything good on that thing," I teased.
"Ugh, you're not kidding. I am totally going to have to hook you up with some of my goodies. How have you managed this madness for a week already?"
"I've hardly been left unattended since I've been in," I laughed.
He settled on a Disney special of Frozen after in insisted that we watch it. I loved the little snowman, Olaf. I thought I was really going to die though when I realized Leo knew all the words to every song.
For once I had the opportunity to just be me. Since I'd been in the hospital everything was centered on how I was feeling or what my cancer was doing. It felt amazing to just smile and laugh and be myself. That was the best thing about Leo. I could just be me when he was around. It was almost lunch time when the movie finished.
I was giggling at his impressions of Olaf and Sven when Martine came in to take our lunch orders.
"Good afternoon, lovelies. I thought I heard some laughs coming from in here."
"Hi, Martine," I said with a smile.
"What can I get you guys for lunch today?"
"I'm not sure," I replied.
"I got this," Leo responded. "How about some soup and sandwiches from the café downstairs?"
"Can we do that?" I asked.
"I'm Leo Hendrie, I can do whatever I want," I said with a smirk.
"Sounds good to me."
After lunch, nurses came in to take Leo down for a couple tests. When he came back I was listening to music in my bed. I rolled onto my side and patted the bed next to me. He climbed in next to me and rolled onto his side to face me.
We were silent as we listened to the music play and he grabbed my hand. "I want to take you away from this when it's all over," he said quietly. "Travel the world."
"I'd go anywhere with you, Leo," I replied softly.
"Where do you want to go first?" he asked.
"Maybe we could just start with Europe," I said with a smile. He kissed my forehead. "Do you really think I'll make it through this?" I asked quietly.
"I know you will. You are the strongest person I've ever met."
"Are you just trying to give me something to look forward to and to occupy my time while I'm stuck in here for the rest of the month?" I teased.
"That could have something to do with it," he smiled. "I want a future with you, April. I want to finally live my life. I know I can finally do that with you by my side."
"I can't think of anything else I'd rather do or anyone else I'd rather be with," I smiled.
We snuggled up with dinner and watched another movie before he had to leave for his own room.
The next morning I was washing my hair when I noticed I had quite a bit falling out. I wasn't sure if I should be upset. I had expected it and Beth had helped prepare me for this moment. I felt like the best thing to do was just shave it all off. I sent Leo a quick text asking if he could track down an electric trimmer for me.
Five minutes later he was walking into my room. "You know I trust you a lot but I don't trust anyone enough to shave me," he said with a smirk.
I smacked him in the chest. "It's not for you, doofus. I need help shaving my head."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" he asked.
"Why? Will you not find me attractive with no hair?" I teased.
He approached me and placed a hand behind my head and brought his lips to mine for the most amazing kiss ever. When he finally pulled away. "You will always be the most amazing and beautiful woman whether you have hair on your head or not."
I smiled and pulled away. "Then get your butt in here and help me. I don't know anything about shaving heads."
When we were all done I stood staring at myself in the mirror. Leo was standing behind me and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Like I said," he whispered, "still the most beautiful woman I've ever known."
I smiled. "I figured I should probably do it while I was still feeling pretty good. Hopefully my mom doesn't freak when she comes in this afternoon. I didn't tell her what I was planning."
"She'll be fine with it. Your family loves you and they just want you to be happy."
"I know. So what are your plans for when you're out of here?" I tried not to think about it often but it was starting to bother me. The idea of having 2 solid weeks in here after he got out was killing me.
"Well, there is that amazingly soft cot next to your bed I figured I could utilize on occasion. I was definitely planning on bring in some more entertainment. Otherwise, nothing super crazy planned."
"You know I don't expect you to spend every waking moment in here, right?"
"I know but I want to be with you as much as I can. I know I'll still have things I need to do on the outside but we still have a lot of planning to work out for our travels so I will need to be here with you." He said with a smile.
"How could I forget? I was thinking, if it wasn't too much maybe we could do a year stint and go a little everywhere?"
"Sounds perfect," he said. "For today, I thought we could take a walk around the hospital. I want to show you something."
I grabbed my sweater and slipped on my slippers so I could join him for a walk. I wasn't sure what to expect from our walk but knowing Leo I was sure I would enjoy it.
