Happy Sunday, all! Here's the next chapter in my continuing saga. Thanks as always to my BFF and beta BittenEV for making me look better than I am.

The song for this chapter is "Team" by Lorde.

Disclaimer: Not mine. SM owns Twilight.

Chapter 7—Team

I awoke early the next morning after a fitful night's sleep. Edward's diagnosis had been such a shock. Cancer was the last thing any of us had expected. Unfortunately, Edward did have cancer, and we would all be there for him.

Edward called me before I left for school. Thanks to his meds, he had slept soundly. In fact, he slept so soundly that he didn't even know he had a night sweat. He was getting nervous about his oncologist appointment later in the morning, but I managed to calm him down. He promised to call me after school to tell me about his appointment.

News of Edward's cancer hadn't really spread, which was unusual for a small school. Alice did tell Angela, Ben, and Nessie before school since they were Edward's friends, and they were understandably upset. No one really talked much about it, though. We wouldn't know much about Edward's condition until after his doctor's appointment, and no one was willing to speculate.

School turned out to be an excellent distraction for me. I focused on my work and tried not to worry too much about Edward. I missed him sitting next to me in biology, but I concentrated on taking notes so I could share them with Edward later.

My phone rang as I was getting in my truck after school, and I quickly fished it out of my bag. "Hello."

"Hey." Edward sounded tired, but I was relieved to hear his voice. "I missed you today."

"I missed you too. How did everything go?" I smiled even though Edward couldn't see me.

Edward sighed. "Exhausting. I just woke up from a nap. I promise to tell you all about it later, but I have an emergency appointment with my shrink. I'm getting ready to leave now."

"I really don't like it when you refer to your psychiatrist as a shrink," I chided.

"I'm sorry. It just helps me deal when I can make light of it. Dr. Sanchez really is great. He's helped me so much," Edward explained. "Anyway, do you mind if I come over to your house after my appointment? I really need to get out of my house for a while."

"Of course. You can stay for dinner with Charlie and me."

"Good. I need some normalcy," he said. "Crap. I've got to go. I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too," I told him as we ended our call.

When I got home, I did my homework then started on dinner. The doorbell rang about 4:30.

"Edward," I said happily as I opened the door. He stepped inside and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm so happy to see you," he breathed. "Being near you is so calming."

"I could say the same about you. Tell me about your day," I said as I led him into the kitchen.

"What smells so good?" he asked as I checked the chicken I had on the stove.

"Chicken alfredo and don't change the subject," I admonished.

Edward sat at the table and sighed. "I guess things went as well as they could. Dr. Denali is a little younger than I expected, but she seems to know her stuff. I had so much blood drawn that I'm probably anemic by now. She also ordered some tests to stage the cancer and see how far it's spread. Tomorrow I'm having a chest x-ray, CT scan, and PET scan. I have to have something injected for the PET scan. I'll probably glow in the dark or something," he laughed. "Anyway, on Friday I have to have a bone marrow biopsy."

"More surgery?" I grimaced.

"Not exactly," he replied. "It involves sticking a large needle in my hip bone and taking a sample of the marrow from inside the bone."

I grimaced again. "That sounds really painful."

"I'll be sedated for the procedure, and the doctor will use a local anesthetic before sticking in the needle," he explained. "Unfortunately the bone can't be numbed, but it shouldn't be too painful." He paused. "Do you think Charlie would let you miss school on Friday so you could come to the hospital? I know you can't be with me during the procedure, but I'd feel a lot better knowing you were there."

"I'll talk to him. I don't think he'll mind," I said. "How was your other appointment?"

"Fine," he sighed. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything, but talking to Dr. Sanchez helped some. He wants me to take my Ativan if I need them, but I hate them. He also gave me some strategies to help me cope. So yeah. Enough about that. How was your day? What did I miss at school?"

I told him about my day and what he had missed. I was offering to make Edward a copy of my biology notes when Charlie arrived home.

"Edward! How are you today?" Charlie shook Edward's hand and clapped his other hand on Edward's shoulder.

Edward gave a genuine smile, obviously happy to be treated normally. "I'm better today. The oncologist gave me a rundown of all the tests I'll be having over the next couple of days."

Dinner was ready by this time, so the three of us fixed our plates and sat at the table before continuing our conversation.

"So what kinds of tests are you having?" Charlie asked as we began to eat.

Edward swallowed the bite he had taken and then answered. "Tomorrow I'll be getting scanned all day. PET scan, CT scan, and x-rays. Friday I'm having a bone marrow biopsy. Basically, I'm having a needle stuck inside my hip bone. I'm not looking forward to that one."

"I don't blame you. It sounds painful," Charlie replied with a frown.

"About the biopsy," Edward began. "Charlie, I was wondering if Bella could come to the hospital with me on Friday. I know she'd have to miss school, but I'd feel a lot better if she were there."

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Of course. I don't mind. Bells, you haven't missed any school since you were here, and your last report card was straight As. I think you can afford to take a day off."

"Thanks, Dad," I said. "I promise I'll make up the work I miss."

"Thanks, Charlie," added Edward with a smile.

Charlie and Edward began talking about sports after that, so I just smiled and followed along where I could. I tried to shoo both of them out of the kitchen after dinner, but they insisted on helping with the dishes. Edward stayed for a while afterwards and watched TV, but it was obvious he was getting tired. He told Charlie goodbye, and I walked outside with him.

"Thank you," Edward said as he pulled me close to him.

"You're welcome but for what?" I laughed.

"For agreeing to come with me on Friday and for treating me normally," he replied. "If I had been home this evening, my family would have probably walked on eggshells around me. I know they love me and that this is hard on them too, but I just want to be treated like the same old Edward. You and Charlie are concerned, but you still talked to me like I was me, not some poor cancer-stricken teenager."

"You are the same old Edward. Cancer doesn't change the way I fell about you." I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.

Edward deepened the kiss, and I wove my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to me. When we finally broke the kiss, Edward rested his forehead on mine. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you too," I told him. Edward gave me one last quick kiss on the lips before going to his car and heading home.

I went straight to the Cullen home after school the next day to be with Edward and see how he had fared with his scans. Charlie, Rosalie, and Jasper were also coming by since Esme was cooking dinner. Esme wanted things to get back to normal.

When I arrived at the Cullens, Carlisle and Edward were watching TV in the den. Edward looked a little loopy, and I became worried. "What's wrong?"

Carlisle laughed. "Someone had a problem with the PET scan machine."

"Hey, I was just a little nervous," Edward countered.

Carlisle laughed even harder. "A little nervous? I believe your exact words were, 'Get me out of this fucking machine.'"

"Oh all right. I was scared," Edward admitted. "I felt claustrophobic and started to hyperventilate. I can't believe I needed an Ativan to get through it."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Carlisle assured him. "Those machines can be a little scary if you've never had those tests run before. Thank goodness you'll be sedated tomorrow," he added with a chuckle.

"Yeah cause sticking a giant needle in my bone isn't my idea of fun," Edward said. "I guess this is only the beginning of the poking and prodding, though."

"Get used to it," Carlisle told him. "You'll feel like a human pincushion before long."

Dinner was fun as usual. Emmett and Alice kept us laughing the whole time. Edward laughed and joked with his family, and he was visibly relaxed. Near the end of dinner, though, Emmett became serious and cleared his throat.

"Something I've learned through playing sports is the importance of teamwork," he began. Everyone looked around wondering where he was going with this, but we let him continue. "The team has to work together if they want to win. That's the common goal. Beating the opponent."

"That's really deep, Em, but what are you talking about?" Rosalie asked.

Emmett explained. "Well, we have a serious opponent to beat right now. Edward's cancer. He can't do this alone, so we have to work with him. We're a team. Team Edward. If we all come together, we can support Edward and help him kick cancer's ass. What do you think?"

Edward smiled, and his eyes got teary. "I think it's the greatest thing I've ever heard. You're right. I can't do this alone. I need all of you. I'd love it if you were all on my team."

Carlisle raised his glass. "To Team Edward. May we all do our part in kicking cancer's ass!"

Everyone laughed, and Edward and Emmett got up to hug each other. I knew Edward was worried about his family babying him, but I hoped Emmett's speech let him know that we were all in this together.

Team Edward came together the next morning to get Edward off to his bone marrow biopsy. Edward called about 7:00 to tell me that he and Esme were on their way to pick me up. Then Alice called. Edward had had a freak out moment before leaving, and she and Emmett had to give him a pep talk to calm him down. Their talk must have worked because Edward seemed relatively calm when he rang my doorbell a few minutes later.

"Pajamas. That's a good look for you," I teased when I noticed his attire.

"Oh shush," he laughed. "There's really no sense in me getting dressed up to have a medical procedure." He kissed me sweetly and walked me to Esme's car.

"Good morning, Esme," I greeted her as Edward pulled me into the backseat with him. "Where's Carlisle?"

"He has to go to work after the procedure, so he took his own car," she explained. "He'll meet us at the hospital, and he's going to stay with Edward during the procedure. He had a few patients to check on, so he left a little early."

We arrived at the hospital, and Carlisle was indeed waiting for us. After filling out a few forms at the admissions desk, Edward was brought back to the pre op area. Esme and I settled in the waiting room.

Carlisle came out a short while later. "Edward's ready to go in, but I wanted you to see him before he goes." We followed him back to the area where Edward was being prepped. "I should warn you that the sedative is kicking in and he's saying some pretty entertaining things," he added with a laugh.

My heart broke a little when I saw Edward lying in the bed. He was wearing a hospital gown, and a blue cap covered his hair. An IV had been inserted in his hand. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when we approached the bed.

Edward smiled when he saw his aunt. "Esme! I love you soooo much!"

Esme laughed. "I love you too, sweetie."

Then he saw me. "Bella," he slurred. "Come here. I've got a secret." I leaned over to hear what he had to say. "I loooove you the most."

"I love you, Edward, but you are stoned right now," I giggled.

Edward held up his hands and looked at them in confusion. "I'm not stoned. See? My hands work just fine."

The three of us were laughing hysterically at poor Edward when an attractive woman in scrubs walked in the room.

"Judging from the laughter, I'd say someone's good and loopy," she said.

Carlisle stopped laughing and introduced me. "Bella, this is Dr. Tanya Denali. She's Edward's oncologist. Tanya, this is Bella Swan, Edward's girlfriend."

Dr. Denali reached out and shook my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Bella. Edward talked about you the other day when he was sober," she chuckled.

Edward was right when he said Dr. Denali was young. She was absolutely stunning, tall with strawberry blonde curls and deep blue eyes. Carlisle trusted her, though, so I knew she had to be good.

"All right, Edward, are you ready to get this show on the road?" Dr. Denali asked.

Edward looked confused. "Show? We're going to see a show? Can we see the one with the minions? They're pretty funny."

We all laughed again. "I'd say he's ready," Carlisle said.

Esme and I kissed Edward goodbye and went back to the waiting room. I brought a book to pass the time, and Esme did some work on her iPad for her interior design business. Neither of us spoke. I think we were both too nervous.

Dr. Denali came into the waiting room about 45 minutes later. "Edward did great," she said, sitting next to Esme and me. "He slept through the whole thing. I want to keep him in recovery for at least an hour to make sure there's no bleeding and to keep an eye on his pain level. You'll be able to go back there once he's settled."

"When will you have the results?" Esme asked nervously.

"I'll have the biopsy results along with all of the scans when Edward comes in on Wednesday," Dr. Denali replied. "We can also begin discussing treatment options then." She stood up. "I'm going to check on Edward, and I'll see you shortly." She smiled and then headed back to the recovery area.

Esme seemed relieved. "I'm glad he slept. Otherwise he'd have freaked out. My poor Edward. He never freaked out about things before his parents died. This is just too much for him to deal with."

"He's going to beat this," I assured her. "He has to. I need him. We all do." I didn't know if I was saying this for Esme's sake or mine.

"Edward was always quiet but very intense, even as a little boy," Esme mused. "He had this fire inside him, but it burned out when my sister and brother-in-law died. My sweet, passionate nephew became an asshole." I looked at her in shock, and she laughed. "What? It's true. I remember that night the two of you collided on the stairs. I couldn't believe the way he talked to you. It was also the first time I saw that fire in him again. You've brought my nephew back, Bella. He's back, and I can't lose him. I've lost enough, and I won't lose Edward."

I reached over and embraced Esme as she cried silently. It was then that I realized Edward wasn't the only one who had suffered a great loss. Esme was likely hurting more than anyone knew.

"Esme? Bella?" We looked up to see Carlisle entering the waiting room. "Is everything OK?"

Esme wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes, dear. Just having a moment. Is Edward awake?"

"He's coming around. You can come back and see him now." We got up, and Carlisle led us to the recovery room.

Unfortunately, Edward wasn't silly or loopy like he was before the procedure. His face was twisted in a grimace. He was obviously in pain.

"Edward!" I cried out, rushing to his side. I brushed his hair off of his forehead and kissed him.

"It hurts," he whimpered. "Why does it hurt so much? Make it stop."

"Carlisle, do something!" Esme pleaded.

Thankfully, Dr. Denali walked in at that moment. "Is everything OK?"

"Edward is apparently experiencing some pain," Carlisle replied.

Dr. Denali frowned and placed her hand on Edward's shoulder. "I'll get you something." She turned to one of the nurses in the room and spoke softly. The nurse left the room, and Dr. Denali turned back to us. "Hopefully this will help. If not, we may have to admit him to manage his pain."

I sat in the chair next to Edward's bed and took his hand. "It's going to be OK."

Edward's eyes were shut tightly and his face was still contorted in pain, but he nodded slightly. The nurse returned quickly and handed a syringe to Dr. Denali.

"All right, Edward, this should help," she said as she injected the syringe's contents into Edward's IV. "I'll be back shortly to check on you."

I could feel Edward relax a few minutes later as his pain medication took effect. Carlisle and Esme were standing off to the side talking. I remained in the chair next to Edward as his breathing evened out and he fell asleep.

Apparently I had fallen asleep as well because the next thing I remembered was Esme gently shaking me. "Bella dear. Wake up."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked as I stretched.

"About an hour. You and Edward both. Dr. Denali will be in soon, and I think she's going to release Edward," Esme explained.

I looked over at Edward. He was awake, and judging by his relaxed facial expression, he was feeling better.

"Hey." He gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand.

"Hey yourself. Feeling better?" I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.

"Yeah. It still hurts, but it's not as bad as it was before. I just want to go home. I want to sleep in my own bed," he said.

Dr. Denali came back a few minutes later and, after a quick examination, decided that Edward could be released. She gave him strict instructions to apply ice to the biopsy site to help with pain and swelling and to take his pain medication when needed.

We arrived at the Cullen house a short time later, and Edward went up to his room to rest. He was actually a good patient and followed doctor's orders.

Thankfully the weekend was quite relaxing. I spent time with Edward as well as the girls. He was feeling much better as the weekend went on.

Since he was feeling better, Edward wanted to go back to school on Monday. He knew he'd have to miss classes once his treatment began, and he was anxious for some normalcy. Carlisle agreed that it was an excellent idea.

Edward knew he'd get a lot of pity, but he wasn't prepared for the amount of support he received. Many of our classmates stopped to give Edward their good wishes. As a result, he was able to relax and get back into his routine.

Tuesday was an uneventful day, but I knew Wednesday would be rough. Edward had his appointment with Dr. Denali after school. Today she would be going over his test results and outlining his treatment. I was going to the appointment along with Carlisle and Esme, so Edward picked me up for school.

Carlisle and Esme met us at Dr. Denali's office. She called Edward in first so she could examine him. I nervously flipped through a magazine until the receptionist called us back. She led us to a conference room where Edward and Dr. Denali were already waiting. I sat next to Edward, and Carlisle and Esme sat across from us. Dr. Denali sat at the head of the table with Edward's chart. Edward took my hand under the table. His face was devoid of any emotion.

Dr. Denali opened the chart. "I know you're anxious to know what's what. Edward, the type of NHL you have is diffuse B-cell lymphoma. The good news is that it hasn't spread to the bone marrow. The bad news is that the cancer is in the lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm and in the spleen."

"Will you need to remove his spleen?" Carlisle asked.

"Probably not," Dr. Denali replied. "We don't like to remove the spleen unless it's absolutely necessary. Anyway, based on the location of the cancer, it's at a stage III."

Carlisle nodded. "Which treatment regimen are you going with?"

"Based on the type of lymphoma and being a stage III cancer, I want to go with R-CHOP," Dr. Denali explained. "Rituxan is a monoclonal antibody. It attaches itself to the cancer cells to help kill them. It's used in conjunction with three chemotherapy drugs, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine. You'll also take large doses of prednisone for five days beginning on the day of your chemo. You'll have chemo once every three weeks."

Esme spoke up. "What are the side effects?"

"Hair loss and nausea are the most common side effects, although now we can often prevent nausea," Dr. Denali began. "We can give anti-nausea meds prior to the treatments. Mouth sores are also common, so you'll want to have a dental checkup to take care of any problems. You're more susceptible to infections, so we can't ignore even the slightest cold. Neuropathy is also a problem. You may have tingling or pain in your hands and feet or even stomach cramps." She paused. "Edward, you're awfully quiet. Do you have any questions?"

Edward just shook his head, looking slightly bewildered. "I'm fine. I'm just taking it all in."

Dr. Denali continued. "I'll order some tests to check your heart, liver, and kidney function before you begin chemo. Now I know you probably haven't even thought about being a father, but there's a chance that the chemo may make you sterile. Sperm banking is something you may want to consider."

The look on Edward's face was priceless after that suggestion. I looked across the table and saw Carlisle successfully stifle a laugh.

"Edward, you'll also have to decide how you want your chemo. Do you want a port in your arm or chest?" Dr. Denali asked.

"Chest. I want a central line in my chest," Edward stated emphatically. "It'll be less noticeable there."

"Good. We'll have to set up that procedure. It needs to be done in the hospital," Dr. Denali said.

"What about school? Will I be able to go to school?" Edward asked quietly.

"Yes. As long as you feel up to it, there's no reason you can't go to school. Forks High is small, and cold and flu season is almost over. If you get sick, though, we may have to rethink school." Dr. Denali smiled. "Edward, our main goal is to get you better and to keep things as normal as possible. Cancer and chemo are rough, but being with your family and friends will help you tremendously."

Dr. Denali said she would schedule Edward's tests and call with the details. We thanked her for talking with all of us and then headed back to the Cullen house.

Edward was quiet during the ride home, but I decided to let him be. He had just had a lot of information thrown at him and needed time to process it.

When we arrived home, we found Emmett and Rosalie in the kitchen. "What are you two cooking? It smells great in here," Esme said.

"We saw that you had the fixings for tacos, so we decided on that," Rosalie replied. "Em and I figured you could use a break."

Esme hugged both Rosalie and Emmett. "Thank you. I do need a break."

"I'm going up to my room. I need to lie down for a while," Edward said before disappearing upstairs.

Emmett frowned. "How did it go today?"

Carlisle sat at the kitchen table and sighed. "We had a lot of information thrown at us." He then proceeded to explain what we found out today.

"Well shit," Emmett said when Carlisle was finished. "It's going to be rough. I just hope he knows I meant all that team stuff and that we're here for him."

"He does, but this is a lot to deal with," Carlisle replied. "We need to give him the time and space to process it all."

Dinner was ready a short time later, and Edward came down to join us. Alice had gone to Jasper's for dinner, so things were a little quieter than usual. Edward didn't say much. He played with his food and hardly ate at all. He reminded me of the old Edward, the one I had seen the first time I had dinner at the Cullens'.

"Edward, are you feeling all right?" Esme asked, obviously concerned.

Edward just shook his head. "Not really. I just want to take a shower and get in my pajamas. May I be excused?"

"Go ahead, sweetie. I'll come up after we're finished here," Esme replied.

Edward kissed his aunt on the cheek before going to his room. The rest of us went back to eating until we heard a scream and a crash from upstairs. We all got up and ran to see what was going on. We found Edward in his room yelling and punching a hole in the wall. His hand was bloody. Emmett grabbed Edward around the waist to stop him. Edward fought back, though, and they both landed on the floor.

"Let me go!" Edward yelled.

"No. You can be as mad as you want, but you are not going to hurt yourself."

Edward continued to fight, but Emmett refused to let go. Finally Edward stopped and began to sob. Emmett just hugged him and let him cry.

"It's OK," Emmett said. "You have every right to be pissed off, but you can't hurt yourself." He motioned for me to come over. I sat on the floor next to them, and Emmett gently placed Edward in my arms.

"It's not fair," Edward cried. "It's just not fair." I held him and rubbed his back to relax him. It took a few minutes, but his tears stopped.

Carlisle slipped out of the room but came back quickly with his medical bag. After a few minutes when he realized Edward had relaxed some, he asked, "Edward, can you sit on the bed? I want to take a look at your hand."

Emmett helped Edward off of the floor and guided him to his bed. Emmett gave him one last hug before he and Rosalie left the room.

I sat next to Edward on the bed, and he leaned against me. Esme went into the bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth. Carlisle took it, pulled up the desk chair, and began to clean Edward's hand. "Not too bad," Carlisle said. "Just bruised and a little scraped up."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think I was going to put a hole in the wall," Edward apologized. "Please don't be mad."

"We're not mad, sweetie," Esme assured him. "You just scared us. Next time take out your frustrations on something softer."

Edward smiled weakly. "Hopefully there won't be a next time." He paused. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

Carlisle shook his head as he wrapped gauze around Edward's hand. "Unfortunately it's not. Just remember that we love you and we'll get you through this."

"I suppose I'm lucky. I've got Team Edward to help me," Edward said. He pulled me close to him and kissed me chastely on the lips. For the first time all day he seemed to relax.

This experience wasn't going to be easy. I didn't want to see Edward suffer. I'd love him no matter what, though. I was on his team.