Sorry for the wait on this guys, but I do hope you enjoy. I am hoping to at least get another update of this out this week. And hopefully SGMW will be complete in the next month or so. Thank you for all your reviews.

Thank you to Kyla713 for looking this over, and to Packy for being all shouty cap in my doc.

Errm, well...I will just leave you guys to it.

~.~

The first day Jasper and Alice were in town, we all headed out to breakfast. It would be the first time it was just Bella and myself without my parents, but instead spending time with friends. It gave me a sense of normal that I felt had long been missing. I hoped that it would immerse Bella in some happy times; a couple of days where she didn't have to think about treatment, pain or being sick.

Jasper suggested that we should visit Shedd Aquarium first, then maybe do Navy Pier if Bella felt up to it. We all knew the aquarium would most likely take all of her energy, so I looked into renting a wheelchair on my phone while we waited for our food to arrive.

Bella and Alice were chatting away, and it was nice to see Bella so relaxed and happy. I leaned in and kissed her cheek as Alice prattled on about some fandom drama Bella, I was sure, was grateful to miss. Meanwhile, Jasper was quiet, watching the girls, off in his own world.

Our food came and the waitress refilled our coffee. Bella was the only one drinking juice. I think it was the first time I had seen her ingest a full plate of food since her last treatment. I just hoped it stayed down for her.

Soon, we were finished and getting ready to leave when Bella jumped out of her seat and hurried to the bathroom. I looked over at Alice, silently pleading with her to follow and check on Bella. I paid, and then Jasper and I waited for the girls.

"She'll be okay," Jasper said, his hands at his side.

"I know. I just can't help but worry. I just want her to have one day that she can enjoy where she won't be sick," I explained, leaning back on the rail outside.

"It's hard to have a normal day during treatment. I think we hope for normal days, and then stress out about them, anxiety ramps up and we get sick anyway. We hate to be burdens, especially if we are going out to things such as what we are doing today. But I think she's stubborn and strong-willed, she'll get through it."

I was reminded that Bella wasn't the only one who was or had been sick. Jasper had fought for two years. I hoped this time, his remission would stick and he would never have to have chemo or radiation again.

"You're right. She's more than stubborn." I sighed and bent my head. "Just want her to enjoy her day. I know I've already said that, but it's really all I want."

The girls came out a short time later, Bella immediately folding herself into my body, her head on my chest and arms around my waist.

I kissed the top of her head and gently squeezed her to me. "You okay?"

She nodded her head and held me tighter.

I noticed Alice was looking at her, a soft smile upon her lips. "She wasn't too sick. But I do think we should get her some 7Up to sip on while we're out."

"We ready?" Bella asked as she pulled away from me.

We piled into my car and we made our way to the aquarium. Before we went to buy our tickets, I pulled Bella to the side and asked if she felt she needed a wheelchair. She glared at me and I knew then that her attitude was more than fine. "Nope. I'm perfectly okay, Edward. Plus, what fun is it to watch animals from a wheelchair?"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry, but I just don't want you to get overly worn out. This is the biggest thing you've done in a while. I'm just trying-"

Bella interrupted me. "I know you're just looking out for me, but I will let you know, okay? You just have to trust that I'll be okay, just like I have to."

We paid, grabbed a map, and made our way in. None of us wanted to split up so we made our way to each exhibit, taking our time and admiring all the animals. Alice was snapping pictures everywhere, and I was trying to sneak some as we went, hoping Bella wouldn't notice. I knew she hated snapshots of herself, even more now that she lost her hair due to the high dose chemo treatments.

It was at the dolphin and shark exhibits that Bella hung back a little bit. She sat down, looking more pale, and the doctor in me instantly worried about her oxygen stats. I tried not to call attention to it; I didn't want Jasper or Alice to worry.

I sat down next to her and pulled her into me. "Just checking in. You doing okay?"

She sighed and crossed her arms. "Yes. Just a little winded and I only wanted to watch the dolphins a bit more." I knew there was more to it, that she was quickly wearing out, but I didn't want to make her mad and suggest that maybe we should head home. I had to leave it up to her. It was the same at the shark exhibit, only there, she was trembling a bit, so I sent Jasper to find a concession stand and grab something sugary to hopefully pick her up a bit.

We all sat and watched the sharks for a while, letting Bella rest and eat, discussing what to do next.

Jasper turned to Bella, gently placing his arm around her shoulder. "So, what do you feel up to? And you do know that it is completely okay to say you need a break or want to go home. We won't hold it against you. I know it's taking a lot out of you," he told her and hugged her gently. "When I was going through the harshest round of chemo that first go around, I insisted that I had to go and see the newest Avengers movie. I knew I probably shouldn't have, since I had just recovered from a fever, just had a major dose the day before, and wasn't keeping anything down, but I insisted that I had to go. I made it thirty minutes into the movie before I passed out in the theater and my oxygen stats plummeted. I ended up staying in the hospital for the remainder of my chemo. Which was a four-month long cycle that time. I am only telling you this to let you know that it's okay to not push yourself, and not worry if you're calling a day short. You come first." He kissed her cheek and pulled back.

"I know, and thank you Jasper. I appreciate you sharing that with me. I just...You guys came a long way to surprise me and spend the weekend with me. I just want it to be good. I really am okay. I am not entirely worn out yet, just a bit queasy at the moment. But I do think I will take Edward up on using a wheelchair for the remainder of the weekend."

That admission made me feel a little bit better. It was rare when Bella gave in and needed at least a little help.

"Sounds good, B. So, Navy Pier? Maybe a movie?" Jasper asked.

"I feel in an animal mood today. Think we should hit up the zoo next."

We then spent the rest of the day at the zoo, with Jasper and I taking turns pushing Bella. We made sure she had a good time, even if she was a tad grumpy at having to rely on a wheelchair, but at least it was safer and she wasn't pushing herself too hard. The elephants were the hardest thing to pull her away from. She didn't want to leave them.

It was nearing dinner time, and although we had snacked here and there, I knew we all had to be starving. I decided to take them to a pizza restaurant near the zoo, so that they could get an authentic Chicago-style, deep dish pizza while they were in town. Bella chose a salad instead, since it would be a lot easier on her stomach.

That night was the first since she began her treatments that she actually slept the whole way through; no fever or chills waking her up, and no mad dash to the bathroom to be sick. I kept waking up during the night to check on her, placing my hand on her chest to feel her breaths and heartbeats to calm my worries.

The next morning, Charlie called and checked in. Bella seemed to be in a very happy mood, the happiest she'd probably been in a few days. Her eyes were bright, her smile huge and more color to her. Once she hung up, my parents descended. Mom insisted on making everyone breakfast, and my dad wanted to check in on her. In his words, he had to make sure that our girl was all right.

"Brought you a little treat, Bella, and hopefully your stomach won't hate you afterward," Dad told her and then handed her a Starbucks cup. "Vanilla bean frap with a banana. The barista said it is the best thing ever, and close to a milkshake." Dad laughed and shook his head. "I hope you like it. I was going to get us all some coffee, but I figured this might be a bit lighter on your stomach."

Bella took a sip, and her eyes grew wide. "Whenever you want to get one of these for me, Dad, go ahead. No complaints from me. So good!"

I secretly loved that she called my parents Mom and Dad. I couldn't explain it; there was just something about it, and I knew by the way my dad smiled that he liked it, too.

That day was spent down at Navy Pier. My parents went with us, Dad and Jasper chatting almost the whole time about history, wars, and battles. My dad was an avid reader, and I knew he was in his element with Jasper being a history buff.

Bella was in her wheelchair, with Alice pushing her and bending down to chat with her every so often. Alice must have said something funny because the next time I looked over at Bella, her head was thrown back and she laughed to the point that a tear came out of her eye. It made me feel warm inside to see her just be.

Jasper and Alice had one last dinner with us before they left that night. Alice made Bella promise to call them with the results of her scan once she knew. Bella in turn made her promise that they'd call as soon as they got home. We tried to get them to leave in the morning, but they insisted that they had to get going. We were sad to see them go, but knew we'd see them again. Only next time, we hoped it would be us going to see them. Hugs were given and away they went.

Bella had long since passed out and was curled into bed when my phone pinged with a text message from Jasper letting us know they made it back home safely. It was close to one in the morning by then, and only then did I let myself cuddle up to Bella fall asleep. She slept as well as she did the night before, but I knew it could only last so long.

After our weekend with Alice and Jasper, our reality made itself known and crashed into our happy. We had the results of the scan looming over us. I prayed that we would get nothing but good news, but I also couldn't lie and say that there was that nagging feeling of doubt in the back of my mind, threatening to break my heart.

We only had one appointment that day, and it was her next dose of chemo, but her doctor had other plans. Bella's cell phone went off, waking us both from sleep. My eyes felt like it had thousands of shards of sand swirling around in them. I felt like I had just fallen asleep, not all wanting to wake up and wishing I didn't need to. That I wouldn't have to face the day.

Bella answered and her voice hitched, though deep with sleep. I couldn't hear what the doctor was saying, but I took notice at how pale she suddenly looked.

"Okay. I will see you in an hour. Thank you for taking the time to see me early." She hung up and placed her phone in front of her, and then fell into my waiting arms and held onto me like she never had before.