For the majority of my life, I was happy. I got sick more often than other kids, but my parents came to the conclusion that it's because I was always outside drawing. Their first inkling that something might be wrong, was the night sweats, my sudden weight loss and the frequent nosebleeds that never seemed to stop. So, like any good parent, they took me to the doctor to get checked out. Many scenarios played through our heads but nothing could have prepared us for the test results.

Leukemia.

I was only 15 years old when I was diagnosed. To say my life changed, was an understatement. We began treatment immediately with the help of my well off grandparents on my mothers side. They were the only family she had and they had been a constant rock. My father's side of the family, however, were nothing but trash. How my father turned out so good, I will never know. But that's a story for later on.

My life changed again when the children in my high school found out. They were horribly cruel and picked on me. Being a freshman was hard enough but now that this wrench had been thrown in my life, it made high school that much harder. Still, we struggled on. My grandparents offered to pay for private tutoring, but my mother and father were proud people, and they turned them down.

The worst day of my life wasn't even my cancer diagnosis. It was 3 days before my 16th birthday. I had just finished my chemotherapy treatment and was waiting in the lobby for my parents. They were looking into a private school to send me to and that's why they weren't there with me. The normally never missed an appointment. I had my earbuds in and was listening to my favorite playlist and watching the rain pound the earth outside.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see a police officer behind me and my favorite nurse, looking at me with tears in her eyes. Dread filled me as I took out the buds and shut off my music. The news that my parents had died in a car accident caused me to lose consciousness. When I awoke I was in a hospital bed, with the most beautiful person I'd ever seen standing over my bed and checking my vitals. He had his blonde hair slicked back and he was wearing a powder blue shirt and tie. The only thing I could think about were how strange his eyes were. I'd never seen such a honey colored hue before and I had to admit that I was entranced.

We made small talk and he left to finish his rounds. Blinking my eyes, I was surprised to see my grandparents were already there. They'd lived in New York and must have paid big money to get on the first flight. I must have been out longer that I thought. Through the haze, I heard my grandmother's voice.

"Oh, my poor baby..." Hearing her voice caused the floodgates to open and I lost it. I'd never felt so broken in my life. My grandfather watched us with a stern frown but I could tell by his watery eyes that he was trying to hold it together for us. My grandmother sat on my bed and held me in her arms as we both sobbed. I wasn't paying attention that, but if I had, I would have seen the sad honey eyes of my doctor watching us for a moment before he left.

After everything was settled down, my grandparents told me that they would be staying for the funeral and to get everything in order so I could go move to New York to live with them. The thought scared me because i'd never been away from Seattle before but I knew this was the best course of action. They did however tell me that they wouldn't be selling the house. They would pay upkeep and anything that needed to be done so I could have it one day. Hearing that meant more to me than anything and I couldn't believe that they would do that for me. However, they said that they knew it's what my parents would want. They would have never wanted me to lose my childhood home.

While we put our affairs in order, I saw Doctor Cullen at the hospital. He wasn't my normal doctor, but for some reason he felt he had to oversee my case and treatment. Not that I minded, he was quite nice to look at. However, after several months, it was time to leave. We'd had my parents funeral and I chose a favorite picture of them to place inside the locket my grandparents had given me for my birthday.

They went overboard every year but this year was worse as I had lost my parents. I couldn't believe I was celebrating this year without my parents but I was grateful to have somewhere to go. In addition to the locket, I had received almost an entirely new wardrobe, my room in their luxury apartment could be changed any way to my liking, the promise of a car (like i would REALLY need one in NYC anyway but, whatever made them feel better, I guess), and the gift that was second behind my locket.

The locket itself was from Zales, and my grandmother picked it out herself. It was a diamond accent oval vintage locket in sterling silver and it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I had ever seen. The second best gift, was a lock purse from Tiffany. It was one of their mini charm tote bags in green and the front looked like a heart jewel printed into the leather. It was frivolous and I should have never agreed to it, but how could I turn down a TIFFANY bag?!

Anyway, it was time for us to go. My parents things that we wanted to keep, and my things I chose to keep as well, were being shipped by a first class company. The house would be looked after by a very close friend of my grandparents, and would be ready for me when I chose to return. On our way to the airport, we stopped by the hospital so that I could say goodbye to the doctors and nurses that had helped me for almost a year. I hugged my favorite nurse as she shed a few tears and my eyes teared up as well.

During our embrace, I saw Doctor Cullen standing a few feet away, watching us with a polite smile on his face. His eyes, however, still looked sad. I ended the hug and stepped towards him, holding out my hand. "Thank you for everything, Doctor Cullen." His hand grasped mine firmly and I found that I would miss the feel of his cold hands. He'd been such a good doctor in the short time I'd known him. His eyes met mine and his smile was still as bright as ever. "You are very welcome, Bri. I hope to see you again one day."

(Yes, I made everyone call me Bri because even though I loved my parents, I HATED my given name. Britannica Marie Williams. What COULD they have been THINKING?!)

I smiled softly, a sad thought entering my mind. "I hope so too, Doctor Cullen." However, everything in me knew that would be highly improbable. I finished saying my goodbyes and made my way to the entrance of the hospital. Turning back to them, tears filled my eyes again as I waved slowly and left with my grandparents, no hope in me that I would ever return.

Our limo arrived at the airport and we boarded the private jet that my grandfather rented for the trip. I've never asked them how much they're worth, but my grandfather is a pianist and my grandmother designed clothes so I knew they were worth a lot. We settled ourselves in and once we were in the air, they served us lunch. We each had different things but my meal was the most yummy, I think. Garlic and Parmesan-crusted salmon over brown rice with avocado and a small spinach salad with light dressing. I finished every single bite. When I finished my water, I leaned my chair back and watched the clouds rolling by.

I felt my exhaustion start to creep up and before long, I was asleep on the way to my new life.

SHOULD I KEEP GOING?