disclaimer: i do not own a:tla. "Skin" belongs to rascal flatts.
The order of sections go:
the hospital
that night
a month (or two) later
prom
prom again
Toph breathed in deeply through her nose, holding it in before slowly letting it out through her mouth. She shifted in the stiff chairs outside of the hospital room. All she heard were the quiet rustling of the pages in the magazine her mother, Poppy, looked through, her eyes glazed over.
"Excuse me?" Toph's eyes shot up at the noise, looking directly at the smiling nurse who stood in identical lavender garments to those who passed. "If you would please follow me, I'll take you to see the doctor."
Toph's mother stood quickly set the magazine down on the table next to her chair. Her father, Lao, who was already standing, rested a hand on Toph's shoulder as she rose. The walk down the white hallway was quiet. It felt as if someone was pummeling Toph's heart, trying to beat it out of her chest. Her throat was dry and scratchy and her mouth dry and sticky.
The nurse held open a swinging door, letting the small family pass her, into a new room.
The doctor, a kind looking man with beetle black eyes, smiled warmly at them as they entered. Her shook Toph's parents hands and gestured for them to sit. Toph took a seat on the patients bed, the paper crinkling beneath her. Her mother stood next to her, stroking her back.
The doctor stood before them for a moment, his hands clasped in front of him.
"We checked and double checked your test, Toph. It turned out positive."
Toph quirked an eyebrow. "Which means?"
"It means that yes, you do have cancer."
The person managed to beat Toph's heart into her throat, temporarily depriving her of air.
"The red cells are dieing at this point and, well. . . It isn't that bad." He continued. Toph just stared blankly at the floor, her mom rubbing her back more vigorously.
"We caught it before it could develop into something more serious. That bruise of yours saved you."
Lao clenched his jaw, his hands in fists. Toph's mom brushed Toph's cheek with her trembling fingers, her own tears slipping silently down her cheeks.
"What can we do?" Lao said finally.
"There's a new treatment we can try. It's been approved as the strongest treatment out there. There's a small chance the cancer can come back."
"It's not that bad. . ." Poppy said, her voice trembling. She brushed Toph's bangs behind her ear, but they fell back into their place in front of her odd green eyes. "It's not that bad. . ."
Toph shook her head and closed her eyes.
Toph leapt the fence easily and sprinted across the wet grass until she reached the side of the house. She stretched upwards and gripped the highest fern that was still in her reach. The fern wound it's way around the entire side of the house, all the way up the second story. She placed her foot in a groove in the plants vines and started to climb.
"Aang!" Toph knocked lightly on the window. She could hear him snoring lightly from outside.
"Aang!"
He grunted.
"Aang!" Toph hissed.
When he was unresponsive, she grew irritated. She drew her fist back and smacked it against the window. The boy jumped from his sleep, falling away from his place at his desk.
"Toph!" He growled angrily, crouching down in front of the foggy window. "What are you doing here?"
"Open the window!"
Aang complied, prying open the rickety window and moving to let Toph inside. She climbed through the small space easily and she maneuvered through the maze of cloth's, books and garbage like she could see.
"What are you doing here?" Aang asked again. Toph sighed and turned to face him. She bit both lips, her eyes downcast.
"I went to the doctors today."
Aang's expression froze. "And?"
"The test was positive."
His face screwed up in confusion. "Which means?"
Toph grinned, noting how she had responded the same way earlier.
"Um. . . it turns out that I do have cancer," Toph said simply, plopping down on his un-made bed.
She clapped her hands together and pinched her lips tightly.
Aang didn't say anything. He didn't so much as move. When he finally did move, he knelt down in front of Toph. Then, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down to him. Toph wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, trying to stop the sudden shaking of her shoulder. Moisture pricked at her eyes as she squeezed them shut, burrowing her face deeper into his sweatshirt.
He was shaking too, and he could feel his eyes start to get irritated with tears, but he just held her tighter as her tears slipped out and she started to cry.
Toph blinked wearily, her eyes still sticky with sleep. She could feel the heat of the morning sun un her cheeks as she rolled onto her back. She groaned, just wanting to get some more sleep, but she started to sit up anyway. She pushed herself up, moving her hand behind her to steady herself. Her fingers traced something soft and long, something that certaintly wasn't her pillow. Her eyes widened and she snatched the stuff up with the hand. She ran them through her fingers, her frown deepening.
"Mom. . ." she croaked desperatley, her voice shaking. "Mom. . . MOM!"
Poppy rushed into her daughters room, Lao not far behind her. Poppy stared at her trembling daughter, worry etched into her features, before spotting the stands of onyx hair handing from her pale fingers.
"Oh, dear," Poppy sat next to Toph and hugged her to her chest, stroking her thinning hair and eyeing the clump of hair Toph's hand clutched too.
"It's okay to cry, Tophee," Poppy whispered in her ear. Toph shook her head. It wasn't the hair that she was crying about exactly- there was just no denying it now.
"Maybe you should wear your wig," Poppy said reprimandingly. Toph shook her head; no hair bounced around her shoulders.
"Just give me the cap thing."
Poppy sighed, but picked up the thin, silky, bandana-like cover that matched her dress perfectly. She slipped it over Toph's bare head, pulling the string tight and fixing the extra fabric that fell imbetween her shoulder blades.
"You really are beautiful, Toph," Poppy sighed, brushing invisible hair behind Toph's ears. Toph smiled.
"Thanks."
The doorbell rang from beneath them.
"That's him!" Poppy said, rushing out of the room. Toph chuckled.
After running a hand over her dress, she followed her mother, but stopped at the top of the stairs. She could tell her was there- his heart was beating faster now. She could hear the faint click of her mothers camera going crazy and she tried to suppress a smile.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, and Aang reached for her hand. The was a very soft sound, mostly drown out by the gasp from Poppy. The camera dropped to the marble floor and her soft crying was muted by her hands.
"Oh. . ." Lao's voice shuttered. Toph blinked in alarm at the sudden change of the atmosphere.
"Wha-" Aang lifted her hand and pressed it to the top of his head, his own hand sandwiching her hand in place. It was smooth. Instead of the usual thick, rumpled locks, there was nothing but skin.
Toph let out a low, quiet gasp. Her thumb stroked his bald head in awe and she smiled.
They went to the prom that night. And they danced, Aang holding Toph close the entire time.
"You okay?" He asked softly.
Toph sighed again and rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I'm fine."
Sarabeth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say
She hasn't been well
Since the day that she fell
And the bruise, it just won't go away
So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad
Flips through an old magazine
Till the nurse with a smile
Stands at the door
And says will you please come with me
Sarabeth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news
Between the red cells and white
Something's not right
But we're gonna take care of you
Six chances in ten it won't come back again
With the therapy were gonna try
It's just been approved
It's the strongest there is
I think we caught it in time
Sarabeth closes her eyes
And she dreams she's dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love is holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair
Sarabeth is scared to death
As she sits holding her mom
Cause it would be a mistake
For someone to take
A girl with no hair to the prom
For, just this morning right there on her pillow
Was the cruelest of any surprise
And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands
The proof that she couldn't deny
Sarabeth closes her eyes
And she dreams she's dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love was holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair
Its quarter to seven
That boys at the door
And her daddy ushers him in
And when he takes off his cap
They all start to cry
Cause this mornin where his hair had been
Softly she touches just skin
And they go dancin
Around and around without any cares
And her very first true love is holding her close
And for a moment she isn't scared
1st off- i can never picture toph bald.
2nd- i think she likes not having to do her hair
3rd- im sorry toph! you don't deserve this!
its just sweet. and you know aang would do that. and come on, toph would cry eventually when she found out she had cancer! she's a softy but i tried to keep her hard extirior.
this one goes out to my mom, the strongest cancer servivor out there!