A/N: The reviews for the last chapter were awesome, and I'm so happy that you guys are really liking this so far. This chapter is called Arms of an Angel by Sarah McLachlan. It's a really sad song, but it's very touching. Anyway, continue to leave reviews for me to get back to. Thanks so much!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 6- Arms of an Angel

Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction, oh beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
They may be empty and weightless, and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

Bella's POV

After Esme informed me of Edward's...condition, I'd immediately broken down. It was as if someone had come and ripped the oxygen that was once flowing through my blood stream right out of me. Edward was my life, and if his was flawed, then so was mine. I've said this many of times before, and I'll say it a billion times after: If you took Edward from the world, then I'd be going right along with him. We were the same person and tearing us apart was what I considered the unthinkable.

What made this even worse was that I wasn't entirely sure if I could face Edward without falling apart. I knew that he wasn't stupid. He knew that his APL was back, but he didn't tell me because that's who he was. Edward didn't like to set off an alarm and worry people when he felt that there was no need to. But he was wrong this time. There was a need to.

Didn't he understand how much I loved him? Didn't he understand that we weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other? Especially ones that were that crucial? Edward was my best friend, my companion, my lover, my life. Didn't he understand any of that? And if not, then why?

He was only seventeen years old for God's sake. Things like this just don't happen to people like him. Edward was athletic and smart and a well-liked by his peers. He was kind to everyone and always wore a smile. It wasn't right for this cruel disease to take over his being. Why did he get diagnosed with this when there were perfectly, healthy criminals who deserved to go through this tragedy?

The world just wasn't being fair.

When Carlisle had come back with the coffee for Esme, he'd dropped it once he caught sight of her and I holding onto each other for dear life. Carlisle had come and wrapped both Esme and I in his arms. He didn't say a word because he knew there was nothing he could tell us to make things better. Even if he was a doctor, Carlisle was not a miracle-worker.

After her and I had eventually calmed down, Esme had asked Carlisle if Alice and Emmett knew that his APL was back. He said that they didn't, but he was sure that they'd had there suspicions. He said Emmett and Alice were in Edward's room talking with him about the swim race that he'd won.

Talking as if nothing was wrong when in fact everything was.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen?" Carlisle and Esme turned as their names were called. A nurse gave them an apologetic smile and motioned for them to follow. "The doctor would like to speak to you both about your son, Edward." Her voice was monotonous, as if she were afraid to show any type of emotion.

Esme glanced back at me, seeming reluctant to follow the woman, but I shook my head and forced a smile. "Go on. I'll be fine," I reassured her.

She nodded once and leaned forward, embracing me in her arms. I reached my hands around her back and hugged her tight against me. I was afraid that if I let go, I'd crumble to pieces. Again. When she pulled away, Carlisle laced his fingers through hers as they headed toward the doctor's office, brave as ever. I watched them until they were out of sight and were no more than a memory.

"Bella?"

I swiveled at the sound of my name coming from my short, pixie-like friend. "Alice, hi."

I was aware of the fact that she was taking in my overwhelming appearance and searching my face for some sort of explanation. And if I didn't act quickly, she would find it. Alice was my best friend and could always read me like an open book. So, I grinned at her, forcing my lips to turn upward as if I were okay.

And I knew she wasn't buying it. Tears began to flood my eyes for what felt like millionth time today before I allowed them to stream down my cheeks. Immediately, Alice reached for me and took my hand in hers. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up," she whispered to me, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the top of my hand.

My head nodded fiercely as Alice guided me toward the woman's bathroom where she didn't ask what was bothering me or why I was crying. And that's when I understood that Alice knew about Edward relapsing. She didn't have to say anything. Her face said it all, but unlike me, she was so much braver.

Alice stood by me, rubbing my back while I splashed cool water over my face. I needed to wash away the sadness, to make everything okay. To bring it all back to normal.

Normal.

What was normal now? I wasn't sure if there was even such a thing.

Alice passed me a paper towel so that I could pat my damp skin dry. I brought the brown cloth to my face and rubbed it over, removing the excess droplets of water. I tossed the paper towel into the black garbage can and turned toward Alice who was leaning against the white sink with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Her makeup was completely perfect and in place from the way she must have fixed it for her date with Jasper. Her hair was styled into her usual spiky haircut and looked wonderful just like always. I, on the other hand, looked a complete wreck when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. The whites of my brown orbs were completely blood-shot and the bags beneath my eyes seemed much more defined. The tip of my nose was a rosy red as if I had been outside during twenty degree weather while my hair had turned flat with absolutely no volume.

I looked a mess.

"How can you be so brave?" I whispered, afraid that my voice would betray me if I spoke any louder.

I could tell that Alice was gnawing on the inside of her cheek, contemplating on what to say. Her round eyes met mine, and I was surprised to find that they were filled with deep sadness. Even though her tears were not evident, there was still that look of lost hope buried deep within her pupils. "Bella, I'm not brave, and you don't know how badly I wish that I could be. The truth is, I'm just as scared about this as everyone else."

I bit down on my lip, nodding. "But you don't show it. Alice, you're so strong and have so much confidence." I paused a minute when I felt my breath getting caught in my throat. "How can you hold your head high, knowing that your brother..." I trailed off, not wanting to speak the words allowed. Saying it only made it feel more real. And I didn't want that.

"Bella," she said, taking a slow step toward me. "I was the same age as Edward when he was diagnosed with APL so my memory of the treatments and doctor visits is vague, but when I got older, I understood that there was something wrong with him. That he was sick. Edward was the reason why my family moved to Forks. My mom heard that the the doctors here were more efficient and could give him the best possible treatments there was."

She paused once, glancing down at the linoleum tiles on the floor. "And my parents and the doctors thought it was a miracle when Edward went into remission. They said that they'd never seen anything like it especially from a four year old child." Her eyes turned up toward mine. "But everyone knew that there was a chance Edward could still relapse so my parents continued to take him to the hospital for his semi-monthly checkups. When nothing showed up years later, they'd assumed that Edward had fought and won the fight against leukemia. So his visits turned to every few years instead of every few months."

Alice sighed once and closed her eyes while shaking her head. "They never would have guessed that it was possible for it to come back thirteen years after it had been gone for so long."

I watched as tears began to glisten in her eyes, but Alice held them back. "Edward and I are twins," she stated. "And sometimes I wonder, why him and not me? Why do I get to be healthy while he has to suffer with this disease?" She stopped once, catching her breath. "What makes me any different from him? Why don't I have APL?"

Her questions were ones that I didn't have the answers to, and it made me sad to know that Alice beat herself up over them.

"I've known you practically my whole life, and you know me better than I know myself," she whispered. I swallowed hard when I watched a small tear slide down her cheek. "You know that I'm the happy, peppy, cheery one who always has the smile stretched across her face." It was true; that was just who Alice was. "So I don't show my sadness because I need to be brave. I have to be or else who'll be there for my mother and father and Emmett?"

That's when it all became so clear to me. Alice felt like she was the rock that people needed when the going got tough. And in all honesty, she was. I'd gone to her when I received my first period, fearing that I was going to bleed to death. I'd gone to her when my parents were arguing about my mother's ways of disciplining me. I'd gone to her when I felt frustrated and upset. I'd gone to her because she was brave.

Braver than me. Tougher than me.

"Alice, you know that whenever you need to talk, I'm here, don't you?" I asked cautiously. Hearing these words from Alice made me wonder what else could possibly be floating around in her head. She was going through an internal battle that I wasn't even aware of. "You don't need to be so tough all the time. It's okay to be afraid."

She let out a puff of air that was meant to be a laugh without humor. "Speak for yourself, Bella. I have to be tough as nails. End of story," she whispered.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, Alice shook her head and sighed. "I need some air, and I might head home."

Her high-heeled shoes began to strike the floor as I watched her exit the bathroom, no longer seeing my best friend the same way.

* * * * *

"Bella, honey, there you are."

I raised my head from my knees to find my mother and father power-walking toward the spot where I sat. When Alice had left, I was going to head to Edward's room, but I still wasn't sure if I could face him, especially knowing the condition he was in. So, for the past twenty minutes, I sat down the hall from it with my knees pressed to my chest and my arms wrapped tightly around them.

"Hi," was all I managed to say, my voice cracking and raspy. It sounded like I'd smoked two packs of cigarettes.

My mother's eyes were blood-shot as well. She'd been crying which could only mean that Esme or Carlisle must have told her, too. It was only natural for my parents to be just as upset as everyone else. They'd known him for almost his whole life and watched him grow into the man he was becoming. Sure, my father had his issues with Edward at times, but the look in his chocolate eyes said that he would have never wished for this to be his fate.

Renee knew me well enough to understand that hugging me and telling me everything was going to be alright was not at all what I would want. So, thankfully, she acted normal. Or at least, tried to act normal. A forced smile tugged at her lips as she bent down to where I established myself.

"You're father and I are going to head home since it's getting late. You should come with us and get some rest for school tomorrow. You-"

Immediately, I cut her off with the shake of my head. "No," I said forcefully. "No, I have to stay with Edward. He needs me."

Charlie glanced down at me, and I could tell that he was trying to be nice about whatever he was going to say. "Bells, I'm sure that Edward wouldn't mind if you went home and got some sleep. You could come back here tomorrow after school, and most likely, you won't miss a thing. Just-"

"I said I'm not going home or to school tomorrow. I need to stay with him." My voice was insistent and stern as if I were talking to a young child who just got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. "When Edward leaves the hospital, then I do, too. I'm not going any time before that. End of discussion."

Renee bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at my father who's face had turned tight with anger toward the tone I'd used with them. She seemed to be having a conversation with him due to the fact that their eyes were wide with expression. My mother turned toward me and smirked. "Even Esme went home to take a shower and try to sleep. Your father and I think that it's-"

My hands went up to my ears and covered them. "Stop it, mom! Just stop! I don't want to hear about what Esme is doing, or what the fucking president of the United States is up to, for that matter! I just want to be here with Edward! So why the hell can't the two of you respect that?" I lashed out on them, my words high and loud. People began to turn their heads but looked away when I made eye contact with them.

Renee nodded quickly, trying to do anything that would calm me down. "I know, honey. We know. We're just...worried about you."

"Well, stop because I'm fine. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself. So...just go and let me stay," I pleaded.

To my surprise, it was Charlie who nodded his head and allowed it. I could tell that Renee was going to open her mouth to object, but Charlie reached behind her arm and dragged her to her feet. "We'll call you off school for the rest of the week," he began, "if you promise to call us."

I nodded, completely grateful. My mother bent down once and kissed the top of my forehead while Charlie soon did the same. I watched as they headed toward the elevator wrapped in each others arms, concerned about me.

Edward's POV

You know, I'd always hated hospitals, having been to too many of them when I was younger. The scent of them still made me sick to my stomach when my sense of smell discovered that the scent of the building never really changes. It just stays the exact same. Did that bother anyone else besides me? I couldn't understand how most people tolerated it without actually throwing up everything they ate.

I remembered when I was a toddler, I was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. We were practically regulars in the oncology wing of the hospital, getting to the point where the staff on duty called each member of my family by their first name without having to even glance at my chart.

I was also aware of the fact that it was back before I ended up here. I knew from the moment my head started pounding like the way it did when I was little. The pressure would build in the back of my head and slowly make its way toward the space behind my eye sockets. It was painful, but they were usually fleeting headaches. I wanted so badly to believe that I was just imagining that there was a possibility that my APL came back.

But then I noticed the large, purplish bruises gliding down my back.

My mother and father wouldn't have known I'd relapsed because despite the seriousness of APL, I didn't want them to worry. I'd hoped it would just go away like it had the first time I went into remission, but that was just wishful thinking. All I wanted was to continue on with my life normally and act as if I hadn't discovered any of the symptoms that lead to the return of this dreaded disease.

Unfortunately, that backfired, and here I was in the hospital being held prisoner by these tubes and machines. Except I didn't feel sorry for myself. No, not for me, but for the others. I knew they were scared, but to be completely honest, I wasn't the least bit frightened. All I feared was that my life wouldn't be normal again, and people would treat different.

That was one of the reasons why my family and I hadn't told anyone here about it.

Including Bella.

Bella.

She was the last thing I saw before I collapsed onto the wet floor of the gym after I'd won my race. And I can safely say, that if I died right there, I would have left this planet a happy man. Bella was everything to me, and seeing her smiling face brought zings of pleasure throughout my entire body.

But although I'd caught her smiling and hooting with excitement over my victory, I also saw the shock and panic flash across her face when I stopped and fell to the floor. That image was enough to scar my brain with the worry and fear she wore. And as I laid there unconscious, I could still hear her voice even if it was a little distant. I knew she was there.

Bella was the reason why I couldn't die.

Heaven just was any other place to me if she wasn't there.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door to my room close quietly. Whoever it was stepped into the room and was practically tip-toeing the whole way to where I was. When she passed the bathroom and rounded the corner, I felt everything just get a whole lot better.

Bella.

She stood at the end of my bed, staring down at me and then around the room. I watched as her eyes darted to the soft, steady beeping of the machine hooked up to my heart and then to the flowers, balloons, and get-well cards that filled the night stand and window sill. In her hands was a stuffed, toy race car.

"I brought you this," she whispered. "We both know how much you like cars so I thought..."

I watched as her breath got caught in her throat, causing her to cut her sentence short.

She knew now, and I hated seeing her so confused and fearful. Her face was paler than it's normal alabaster color, and the whites of her eyes were a rich, red color. The light makeup that she wore was now blotted down her cheeks, no longer in its assigned place.

"Bella," I began, but her voice stopped me.

She shook her head once. "Edward, why didn't you tell me about this?" Bella asked breathlessly, while her feet began to guide her toward the peach-colored chair next to my bed. She hesitantly sat down as it creaked, but never took her eyes from mine. "We're not supposed to keep secrets from each other, especially ones that can have this big of an effect on everyone."

My eyes drifted from her face to her hands. I didn't know if I would be able to look at what she was doing to herself, and I didn't want to see the anger and sadness that was held in her brown orbs. It was too much. And Bella was never supposed to find out about this. At least, not yet.

Her soft hands reached out for my cheeks, forcing my eyes to meet hers. "How could you keep this from me?" A small tear escaped out of the corner of her eye, trailing down the side of her face.

I looked down at the stuffed-car in her lap and then at her face again. She was expecting an answer, but I didn't have one for her. Not now and probably not ever. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, though I wasn't sure which words would be considered the right ones to let out.

"What was I supposed to say, Bella? 'Are you coming to my swim meet tonight, and by the way, I was diagnosed with leukemia before I moved to Forks and I've been in remission for the past thirteen years?' Is that what you would liked to have heard?" I asked, knowing that it sounded ridiculous.

But Bella nodded. "That's exactly what I would have wanted to hear even if it was painful. Edward, do you understand that you kept this from me for thirteen years? Thirteen, long years! How could you be so selfish?" Bella bit down on her bottom lip, trying to fight back the sob that was building in her throat. I knew she was on the verge of tears because she always made that face before she cried.

"I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry, Bella. I know that it was wrong to have kept this from you, but I just thought it was pointless because I was in remission. It hadn't come back so I thought that it was gone for good, but..." I stopped short, inhaling deeply and then slowly exhaling.

"But it's not, Edward," she finished for me. "You relapsed, and now it's back." I was surprised by the bitterness in her tone, but I couldn't be upset with her over it. "Tell me something," she said. "What would you have wanted me to do if our roles were reversed?" Bella asked, her elbows now planted on the side of my bed while her chin rested on her hands.

I swallowed hard, knowing exactly what I would want Bella to have said to me. "The same thing," I whispered.

She nodded, predicting that I would say that. "You see, Edward. Even you would have wanted to know if I had leukemia in the past. Can you understand where I'm coming from right now?"

I nodded slowly, but the truth was that I didn't. I had absolutely no idea because our roles weren't reversed. And I knew if they were this would be so much more painful because Bella would be in this horrible hospital gown while I would be worrying over her uncontrollably. Just like she was doing now.

"I love you so much," she whispered, reaching for my hand. Bella laced her fingers through mine and kissed the back of my palm. "And I'm trying so hard to be strong for you because I know that's what you need. Someone to be there for you when the going gets tough, and I want to continue to be that person." Her voice was turning hoarse while her lips shaped into a frown.

I did the only thing that came natural to me after seeing her like this. I situated myself in the bed so that I was leaning toward Bella. She seemed so far away so I gently cupped both of her cheeks in my hands, staring at her. Bella turned her head and pressed her lips to one of my wrists, kissing me there.

She leaned forward and rested her forehead against mine, her hands sliding from my cheeks to the back of my neck, her fingers locking, and she closed her eyes. I brushed the pad of my thumbs over the soft skin on the apple of her cheeks, relishing the feeling of her skin touching mine.

My hands moved from her cheeks to her hair, wrapping a stray lock that had fallen out of her ponytail around my finger. "Do you remember the first time we met each other?" I asked her, trying to fight the smile that wanted to spread over my lips.

Bella nodded against my forehead, opening her eyes to meet mine. I pulled the rubber band that was holding her hair out so that her messy, chestnut locks fell around her face and shoulders while tumbling down her back. "My mom and dad and I brought a cake over to your house as a welcome to the neighborhood gift," she whispered.

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. "And my mom always told me not to answer the door when strangers were there. But I couldn't help my curiosity when I looked through the peep-hole and saw that you and I were at an eye-level." I licked my dry lips while a smirk began to tug at my mouth. "So I opened it, and I know it's strange to say this, but I knew that you weren't a stranger. That somehow you and I were going to have some sort of plan for each other."

A slight contented smirk pulled at one corner of her mouth as she listened to the words I spoke to her. "And I was right, Bella," I whispered. "I was right."

That made her smile – one of those rare smiles that was genuine and beautiful.

Slowly, I guided her head toward mine, and our lips met softly, gently. Our mouths moved together, caressing and tasting what felt so familiar and wonderful. I felt absolute warmth spread throughout my entire body, each nerve feeling as if it was tingling and vibrating with the sensation of my lips against hers.

Bella pulled away slightly to relax her forehead against mine. She sighed, seeming to be content. "Come here," I said, scooting over so that I could create a space for her. She smiled and climbed into the uncomfortable bed with me, resting her head on my shoulder.

I glanced down at her and kissed her again except this time it was more deep and thorough. My tongue delved gently into her mouth, in and out, mimicking the actions the lower half of my body would love to be doing with her, but I was more than satisfied with just kissing her. She caressed my cheek with her fingertips, running them along my jawline.

When I pulled back, I gave her my best crooked smile that I knew she loved.

She grinned back and snuggled closer to me. "We're in this together," she whispered.

And I nodded, knowing that it was the truth.

A/N: Okay if you haven't cried or gotten teary-eyed by now, then I am not doing a very good job of writing these chapters. Please, let me know what you thought by pressing the review button down there. You don't even have to be a member.

I'll try to get the next update out as soon as I can.

Also! Before you guys go, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in being my Beta Reader. A couple of you guys have mentioned some of the mistakes I've made, and I'm totally grateful for that. I do re-read my chapters, but I'm only human and tend to skip over a few of my errors. So if anyone Beta Reads or has any recommendations on a Beta Reader than please PM me or leave it in your review.

Thanks again guys!