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This update is early, a way for me to say thank you to the awesome readers!

Rose Mellisa Ivashkov, seriously, she's the best beta around.

Disclaimer: Do not own anything VA. Richelle Mead does. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two

It is called Severe Aortic Stenosis.

I didn't even know it existed—who in the world would know it existed with it having such a complicated name?—until I collapsed one day in gym.

I was an active person—still am—but my heart couldn't take the exertion I put it through. I had to give up so much and sacrificed so much of my well being. Soccer, basketball, and lacrosse were a definite no-no. The doctors encouraged that I continue my yoga and I still ran but I couldn't run for too long.

Several test and x-rays showed my little problem.

Well, not that anyone would classify it as little.

I sure wouldn't.

After a series medical tests and all types of medical procedures, I was given two years.

But that was a year and six months ago.

I was completely denied for open heart surgery. And with open heart surgery being the most reliable cure for my disease—there was no hope for me, for my life.

Janine was devastated and Abe sold everything he could to pay for the doctor bills. The paycheck of a minister wasn't much and well, the bills. . .that was much. He devoted his extra time in research and information on the disease. He had so much faith that something could be done.

I gave up on that hope months ago.

"Are you ready?" Janine's voice took me out my musings.

I smiled at her in the mirror while I fixed my wild hair. It was a shame I inherited her crazy curls. I mean, usually I loved it. I would get compliments all the time but this heat did not cooperate with them. It's a good thing it wasn't humid; could you imagine the horribleness of my hair if it was humid in this place?

"You look lovely."

"It feels like I have an extra 5 pounds of heat attracter on my head."

She giggled and grabbed the sapphire clip from the dresser. "The woes we curly haired chicks must face." She grabbed the thick hair into her hands and placed the clip to hold it in place. A few tendrils fell in front of my face but she left them there.

"Sometimes, I wish I got the red," I spoke while eyeing her fiery locks.

"Nope, you weren't that lucky. Brown, brown, and brown."

I playfully scowled in the mirror. "It is not just brown."

"Whatever you say," she cheered before bending down, so her face was levelled to mine in the mirror.

The only reminders I have of my father were my eyes and hair. I was happy for that; he was an asshole. I didn't want to look like him and be reminded of the fact that I wasn't good enough for him to stay. I looked so much like my mother. When I was younger, I doubted it. How could I look like this glorious women who glowed with majestic beauty? But now I couldn't deny the similarities.

"Now you're perfect," she whispered before kissing my cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

I glanced at the green dress and black straps that held my tiny bikini in place. I really needed a new bikini. This one was purchased before my growth spurt. "I guess."

"I hear Dr. Belikova is wonderful in her profession. We really are in the best hands."

I finally asked the questions that I was dying to ask since I heard about the doctor three months ago. "What if they don't accept me? What if I'm not viable?"

She rapidly blinked before looking into my eyes through the mirror, "You will be."

I stood from the white ornate chair—the only furniture from home—and followed her to the front yard.

It was sunny again but there was a delightful breeze that accompanied the heat. I had to get used to this weather since it was going to be Sunny most of the season. We got into the car and made our way to the Queen's Medical Centre, located in the heart of Lihue, not too far some hotels.

This clinic was the last chance at saving my life, the last thread of hope for me. The problem was that not everyone was chosen for the clinical trial. The tests made in Chicago were sent to the clinic but psychiatric and further evaluation was needed before I could be accepted.

It found it humorous that they wasted a month of therapy work before they would even consider letting me have the surgery. I didn't have a month to spare. My time was ticking away and they were wasting my time. I wanted to know now so I wouldn't cling to the tiny thread of hope that I could be given some help. I just wanted to know—bluntly and quickly—if I was going to die or not. Was that so hard?

"Here we are," Janine announced as she turned off the ignition.

It looked like any other hospital, which was a depressing thought. I hated hospitals—I was sure many would hate them too, if they practically lived in them for the past year and a half. The inside was no better. The clean and unpleasant scent of hospitals wafted into my nose and I mentally cringed at the smell.

Janine knew where we were going, so we didn't need to ask for any help. We quickly approached the elevator and Janine pressed the fifth floor. The generic elevator music filled the silence and we quickly arrived at our destination.

She smiled at me before making our way through the bland hallway. Sometimes I wished they made every hospital floor the way they made the children's and nursery wing. You know, with the fun colours and cheerful atmosphere. If I hadn't turned 18 in March, I would still be on that bright floor. I guess being an adult meant drab and dreadful surroundings and truth basically slapping you in the face at every second.

We approached a cheerful looking blonde who smiled wider as we got closer. "How can I help you?" she asked in her overly happy voice.

"We are here to see Doctor Belikova," my mother answered, just as cheerful.

Her jade green eyes widened before looking towards her computer. "Of course. . .Mrs. Hathaway. Right this way."

The woman was tall, especially in her heels, but she couldn't be that much older than me. She looked so young. She led us into a waiting room where they at least attempted to make the place nicer looking with yellow walls. Don't get me wrong—the hospital was the best in Hawaii, but the decor lacked. And seriously, it made me even more depressed about being stuck inside the place.

"I'm Lissa, if you need anything just ask. Doctor Belikova will see you shortly." She smiled lightly at me, before returning to her desk.

We only waited for about a minute before the doctor made her appearance. She was beautiful, tall, and sophisticated. She walked with an air of confidence that you could only find in a few and she was oddly familiar.

"Janine. Rosemarie. It's so nice to meet you both. Please, follow me." She spoke before leading us to another door which led to her office.

The office was much more personalized and appealing than the rest of the hospital. Diplomas hung on the walls and several pictures were scattered across the room. She led us to the two blue chairs before sitting in her own leather seat.

"I hope you had no trouble with locating the place."

Janine nodded politely. "Oh, it was no trouble at all. The directions were very thorough."

"I'm delighted." Her dark eyes glanced at me before speaking again. "And you, Rosemarie. How are you feeling today?"

"Fine."

She raised an eyebrow but decided not to press further. She opened a file that was placed on her desk and quickly glanced at it before looking back at us.

"Now, we've discussed this already, but I'm just going to repeat myself since I wasn't able to tell you all of this in person. The procedure is clinical trial called a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement that will help with the narrow heart valves that don't allow enough blood into your heart. Since you were denied heart surgery, this really is the only option for you. We will begin therapy and run a few more tests to see if you are viable for the procedure. I hope you guys went through the papers that explain the procedure more thoroughly?" We both nodded, so she continued, "If you are, we will do the surgery right away and if you are not, well, we will face that fate, if we come to that."

"Thank you, doctor. How soon can we start the therapy?"

She smiled at Janine, "As soon as possible. It takes a few weeks for the evaluation, but the surgery will be immediate after being accepted. Now, I've evaluated your Medi-Care Insurance."

"Yes. . ." There was worry filling up Janine's tone.

She sighed before speaking again, "It doesn't cover the entire procedure. I'm sure your insurance has informed you this?"

"Yes they did. We've sold our apartment in Chicago and used the money to pay the bills in Chicago and we have some money left over for the rest."

"I can create a bill to show how much it would be, but you will have to provide for 20% by this week, and, if you are accepted for the surgery then you will have to figure out the rest."

"I have five thousand right now. Umm. . .the rest we will figure out."

"We can discuss this later." She smiled sweetly before standing up. "Do you have any more questions?"

"No, doctor."

She smiled again, before shaking both our hands. "Lissa, my assistant, will schedule your therapy sessions and arrange a time when your physical exams can be made."

"Thank you, doctor."

She quickly dismissed us and sent us to Lissa so the proper appointments could be made. Lissa continued to smile brightly at us while she worked. A therapy session with Dr. Petrov was made and several other appointments for tests were scheduled.

We left the hospital in the same silence that we came with. It wasn't until when we reached a shopping area that my mother spoke. "You were really quiet back there. Are you sure you didn't have any questions for the doctor?"

I shrugged as my response.

She sighed in aggravation. "Rosemarie, please talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything."

"There isn't anything to say. We can't know if this will work. There are only more tests and I'm tired of it. I'm just. . .tired"

"There are only a few more tests. Everything will be okay."She grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently before letting go. "Just have some faith Rose."

Faith! Faith. . .my life revolved on clinging to hopeless faith!

"Okay. I'm going to shop. I'll see you later?"

"Alright, sweetheart. I'll see you soon. Call me when you're finished."

I left the car with a heavy heart but I couldn't turn back and watch her drive away. I wouldn't be able to hold in the tears if I did. I used to consider myself as a strong individual and I never cried. I fought for what I believed in and never let anyone get me down. Now, it seemed like everything and anything brought me down.

The shopping trip lifted my spirits immensely. I think any girl could get lost in choosing outfits, colours, and styles. It was the first normal thing I had done in a long time.

"Hey, beautiful. Haven't seen you around before."

I turned towards the voice and noticed the lanky red headed kid in front of me. He couldn't be older than 16 years old. Perhaps he was younger. "Well, this is a tourist town. I'm sure you haven't see a lot of people around."

He quickly blushed but continued to try and flirt with me. "Does that mean you're just visiting? I can show you a good time while you're here."

I couldn't help but laugh. I noticed a group of boys laughing too. "I don't know about that."

He nodded and looked towards the guys before staring at the floor. "Are you sure?"

"Looks like Ginger freak strikes out again!" One of the plumper boys bellowed. The other boys laughed loudly.

I looked back at the lanky fellow and decided to cut him some slack. "You know, I could use a tour guide. You up for it?"

The boy looked at me with a delighted smile, "Ya—I mean—sure." He cleared his throat before speaking again, in a much deeper voice. "Sure, beautiful."

"Thank you? Uh, whatever your name is. . ." I stuck my hand out to greet him properly.

"Oh." He wiped his hands on his shorts before taking it. "I'm Mason."

"Rose."

He blushed again, "Rose—wow, that's a beautiful name. It suits you."

"Thank you."

I looked back to the group of boys who looked at us in disbelief. We walked towards them as Mason stood tall to show off his success. He was beaming and I was glad I could help him out.

"So, where do ya wanna go?"

"I'm kind of in the mood for a swim, so maybe we can head to the ocean?"

"Sure, I know just the place. My cousin is having a barbeque with some of his friends." I was about to comment on his suggestion but he didn't give me the option. "Well, he's not really my cousin. I mean, it's weird. His family helps my family out. You know, with bills and stuff. I mean. . ."

"I get it," I interrupted him, before he could pop a blood vessel. Mason was adorable but he didn't know when to quit it.

"So, how old are you? I'm 13, but I'll be 14 really soon."

"Just turned 18."

"Cool. Umm—where are you from?"

"Chicago."

"Awesome."

I giggled at the manner in which he spoke. It was like a race to him. He had to speak as quickly as he could before the time ran out.

He looked at me with wide eyes. "Wow, that's a pretty sound."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

We walked the rest of the way in complete silence. I didn't think he had anything else to say. Before we reached the beach we stopped at a shiny SUV truck. "Can I take your things?"

"Huh?"

He pointed to the bags I held. "This is my cousin's truck. I can put your stuff here while we spend the day at the beach."

"Oh! Ya, thank you." I took the towel from one of the bags and kept my purse. "I'm just going to bring these things."

"Makes sense. You know, towels are for drying. You'll be in the water. You'll need it."

"Exactly."

We made our way to the relatively empty beach. There was only a couple frolicking in the waves like they were stuck in a romance novel. I didn't even know people actually frolicked in real life. It was pretty awkward, if you asked me.

"Where's your cousin?" I asked Mason.

"Oh! We have to walk a little more for that. Do you want to?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever you want."

"I'd like to stay here for a while."

"Okay, Mason."

We laid my towel on the sand horizontally, so we would be able to sit on it together. The waves were large and the water crystal clear. I had only gone to the beach once in my life before moving here. It wasn't even a beach. It was a lake and no lake could compare to the magnificent sight. It was like those screensavers that people used. Everything was perfect and nothing could taint the sight.

"So, watcha doing here and how long are ya staying?"

That question tainted it.

"My family moved here for personal reasons."

He didn't get the subtle hint that I didn't want to delve further. "Really? What personal reasons?"

"Oh, you know, a desire for new scenery, stuff like that."

"Cool. My mom moved here to work at Belikov Industries two years ago. It was hard but it's alright. I don't really have any friends but Dimitri always loves to hang out with me."

The last name rang a bell. "Wait, Belikov? As in Dr. Belikova?"

He smiled at the mention of the good doctor. "Ya! That's Mr. Belikov's wife. He's my mom's boss. They're both cool. They always say I can call them Aunt Olena and Uncle Victor. That's why I call Dimitri my cousin. But he's not, you know, my cousin. It's just what I call them. Wait, how do you know Aunt Olena?"

"Oh. . .I just do."

"Cool, I guess."

I tried to think of a subject change but Mason did it for me. "You know there's caves here?"

I smiled at the freckled boy in front of me. "Really? That sounds cool."

His blue eyes sparkled with delight. "Oh, so cool. That's where my cousin is now. If we walk a little further there are caves. He's probably surfing with his friends. Oh! Let's not forget the barbeque!"

"How could anyone forget the barbeque?"

"Do you wanna go? I'm kinda hungry now."

"Sure, that sounds fun."

He quickly grabbed my towel right as I stood and took my hand before leading me along the beach. He abruptly stopped and I almost collided with his back. "You know," he turned his head to smile at me, "it would be kind of cool if I called you my girlfriend."

It was difficult to keep up with his track of mind. Little kids nowadays. "Huh?"

"You know, if my cousin asks. I can tell him that you're my girlfriend."

"I think I'm a little too old for you, Mason."

His smile vanished before he nodded his head. "You are right. Can I call you my friend then?"

I squeezed his hand. "Of course."

"Thanks. I'm really glad you're my friend and that I met you."

"Me too, Mason." It felt refreshing that I actually meant those words.