A month
Chapter 2
Telling my free spirit of a mother was harder than I thought. She had changed phone numbers and forgot to tell me, so we had to phone phil. This was extremely awkward because Charlie was the one phoning, giving me a rest so I was filming. I lay down on the couch with Charlie wandering around in front of me, we had to phone the school and let them know about what's happening to me. I insisted on still going to school for at least another couple of weeks. I am only allowed to go on Wednesdays to Fridays and even then they are half days so I will only be in till lunch. "Bella the headmaster wants to talk to you" said Charlie handing me the phone. "Hello?" I said "Hello Bella dear who are you?" Is he an actual idiot, except for dying then yeah I am fine.
"I good" I replied casually "I am glad now Bella I want you to stay strong throughout this okay? We will need to inform the student body of what's going on, so on Monday if you are okay with this happening in your absence we would like to hold an assembly explaining this." He spoke in a morbid tone and di wished he would at least sound a little optimistic about it. "I am absolutely fine with this, though I would like you to explain about the camera as well, I take it my dad explained?" I told him "yes he did and I would like you to know that we are fine with you filming but don't let it distract you in lessons" "I understand sir" no I didn't. It's not like I will need to know Pythagoras theorem when I am gone. "Of course we will have a proper meeting on Wednesday about this" "yes sir thank you goodbye" "goodbye". I threw Charlie the phone and lay back down.
"How are you Isabella Dear? Oh I am fine thank you for asking apart from slowly dying I am just peachy" I mumbled as Charlie went through to the kitchen. "So what do you want to start with filming I mean?" he asked as he came through with some cocoa. "Well seeming as I don't go back to school till Wednesday now and today is Monday I think I would like to tell me friends tonight. You don't need to be there I know you are still upset, I will explain everything to them, see if they want to help with filming, it might be a good idea to start match making again. I was planning on setting up Angela with Ben, and I need to find someone for Eric." I said Charlie just nodded and smiled, I was prattling on about stuff that had nothing to do with me dying. I sighed oh well if I am going to die it didn't matter if I went a bit insane
I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon. I shot up, Charlie cooking! I ran to the kitchen, well stumbled quickly to the kitchen only to find Charlie at the kitchen table and billy at the stove. "Thank god I thought Dad was cooking!" I said as I flopped into one of the chairs, as Billy chuckled and my dad scowled. I mouthed a sorry at him before grabbing a glass of orange juice. "Dad why aren't you at work you are usually gone by the time I am up" I asked with a furrowed brow. He looked at me like I was stupid "Bella you need taking care of I am cutting back on my shifts for a while the station is fine with it, and the time I do need to go in Billy has agreed to check in with Jake and some people from the reservation. " he explained I didn't like being babysit but I know I would be stupid to try and do everything by myself. I nodded and gulped back the rest of my juice.
"I am going to call Angela" I said I would catch her just before school started, "you need some breakfast" called Charlie, "I will" was my only reply. I dialled her number.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ang it's me"
"Hey Bella where are you, your trucks not here yet?"
"I am not coming in today, but I was wondering if you would like to come around tonight around 6.00 I want to talk to you."
"Alright I think I can come"
"Good can you ask Mike, Tyler, Eric, Ben and Jessica if they can come as well?"
"Yeh they are actually here at the moment let me just ask… yeh they can all come"
"Good I will see you tonight"
"See you" I hung up and sighed I would need to think of what to say to them, it was easy with the pack because they knew about the tests I have had done, but the guys at school didn't. The headmaster told me that the assembly wouldn't be until Tuesday so I could tell who I wanted in private. The thought of telling people made me think of the Cullens. What would I have said to them, your human pet is going to die in a month, yes Emmet I would love to play halo with you. I sighed if they were still here I wonder if they would change me, that was stupid why would they turn me into a beautiful graceful creature, where's the fun in it for them? I looked out the window, wonder what human they have roped in this time to become the perfect pet.
I didn't do anything all day except record some things in my room that I wanted to be a surprise for Charlie. I had gone through all my photos and made a virtual timeline of my life in Forks and in Phoenix. I started from my first ever picture, then my ballet classes which I still had the shoes for, then my latest picture of him and me going fishing and me getting cut on the hook, which I had the scar to prove it. It took best part of the day to find the pictures. I was now cooking some dinner for when the guys came around, they were due in half an hour, and I was making chicken pasta. Charlie had gone out to the diner with Billy and was going back to his till the guys had left. I was touched at how well he had been taking this, but I know I would have to talk to Billy about him. I wanted him to be taken care of, I am going to ask billy to let Charlie move in with him if he looked like he was struggling. I was putting the pasta in a big bowl when the doorbell went, I ran to get it and was met by all of my friends grinning. Here goes nothing.
"Hey guys come in" I said plastering a smile on my face, "hi Bella" they all chorused back. I lead them in and to the living room, I had the camera set up already and I could see the clogs in Mikes head turning out of control. "Bella why is there a camera set up?" he asked looking at it, I would hate to be in his head right now. "Eew not for that reason Mike so get it out your head" everyone laughed at Mike and he did to, I don't think he will be laughing when he sees it playing at my funeral. "Why weren't you at school today?" asked Angela eyes full of concern. "I won't be in till Wednesday so before you ask I need to tell you what I brought you here for." I said Angela still looked worried and even more so when I got out the plastic wallet with my medical papers in it. "Right I need you to wait till I get to the end and please don't be mad that I didn't tell you what has been happening to me." I was close to tears already, I took a moment then began.
"These past couple of months I haven't been myself, I had been off school half the time and I was more reserved than usual. Most people thought I was being pathetic and the reason behind my actions was because of my break up with you-know-who" Tyler gasped "you went out with Voldemort?" everyone laughed and even me, I felt less nervous now. "But it wasn't because of him, the first couple of week's maybe it was but I have been ill. I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want anyone to fuss or worry and it was easier to just let people let their imaginations do the talking for Me." they were all silent and hanging on the edge of their seats, I must be better at telling stories than I thought. "When he left me we broke up in the forest now me being stupid and clumsy and just me I forgot the way back to my house and got lost. I fell hit my head and woke up in a hospital bed with pneumonia."
The boys looked livid and the girls were clutching each other's hands, I regret not sitting on the couch with them all instead of in the lonely armchair. "I got out of hospital with in a few days, I wasn't a serious case or so they thought. I started getting stomach pains and cramps all over my body some days I just couldn't get out of bed. Charlie wanted me to go to the doctors but I wouldn't I thought it was just flu. But one day I passed out from the pain in my gut. I woke up in hospital and had to have what seemed to be millions of tests all of them spread out of the course of the month. I was on heavy pain medication of the pains and half way through the second month of tests, I found out I have a tumour on the side of my gut."
They all gasped and Angela had to wipe away a tear. "I didn't bother with any of the technical names but if you want to see they are all on these pieces of paper." I said handing them over, Jessica took them and scanned them before passing them around. "I had to have more tests done to see which treatment I would need, but they did start me on three types of medication, all of them are as annoying as hell and make me slower, drowsy and throw up half the time. Yesterday I finally got the test results back, it turns out I don't need any treatment." They all looked hopeful, maybe I shouldn't have built them up just to drop them again. "Because I wouldn't last the first course of antibiotics, I am terminal and I have been given a month to live." I had my eyes closed and I slid the sheet forward with the fancy words and graphs that all screamed you are going to die.
I heard a body shaking sob and looked up Jessica was cradling Mike like a baby, Tyler had his head in his hands, Angela wouldn't stop looking at me while silent tears fell, and Ben was hugging himself wiping away tears. I couldn't find Eric then I saw him sat on the floor cross legged with the sheet of paper in front of him. "Bella" I looked up to Angela, she had stood up and came in front of me. I stood up and gave Angela the first proper hug I had ever given to one of my friends. They all piled on then. "Alright guys I know I am on a clock now but that doesn't mean I don't need to breathe." I rasped out from the middle of them all, they all laughed and let go. "I need your help, that is if you don't mind?" I asked looking at all their tear stained faces they nodded eagerly.
"I am filming my last month for everyone to see, I want my life to look worthy of an Oscar. And I need everyone's help, I am going to film my bucket list essentially and I want you guys to be a part of it. I am allowed to film at school show everyone what model students we are"" I said they chuckled at that, I heard the timer go off. "What's that for?" they asked, "my pain meds" I answered simply, they nodded and only Angela followed me to the kitchen to get the drinks and food. I opened my container full of tablets. The foil tray they were kept in had been labelled for the days of the week, Angela frowned at them. "do they not think that you are capable of knowing the days of the week?" she asked, I chuckled "I don't know Angela maybe a couple of brain cells fell out of my head, wouldn't surprise me with the amount of times I have hit it." I replied swallowing them down, "Bella aren't you upset?" she asked I looked at her she seemed to be concerned that I wasn't more worried over this. "Yes Angela I am, I am petrified but not of dying, of what I am leaving behind. I could have had kids a family of my own, I could have helped Charlie grow old. But then in that way I am relieved, relieved that this didn't happen later in my life when I did have all those things to lose. I am relieved that I won't have to have this pain in my gut anymore, relieved that I have such wonderful friends and family to help me through this." I said wiping away my tear, I looked at her she was crying to. "Look at us Angela made into crying wrecks all because a bit of dead tissue wanted to be noticed."