'For Ben'

[Georgia]

Thank you so much for the comments, and I hope the character of Jed makes a bit more sense now. I hope 2010 brings you everything you hope for, and everything that you secretly wish for.

Chapter Eleven:

Belle smiled and climbed out of the car, waving goodbye to Jasmine. She had already thanked Jasmine twenty three times, and she knew that she had made a good friend there.

Jasmine drove away as soon as Belle had made it to the doorway, with a cheerful smile. She felt extremely sorry for the young girl; she could tell that Belle was terribly sick, and Jasmine hated stories like that.

Belle walked inside without knocking; she could hear Nicole singing karaoke very badly, and knew that none of them would be able to hear her knocking.

“Hey Belle”, Aden called, as soon as her saw Belle. He noted her puffy red eyes with concern, but didn’t say anything, merely following her as she walked into her room.

“What happened?” he asked, as soon as she had settled on her bed. Belle burst into tears, and Aden quickly put his arms around her, and hugged her tightly.

“Please let go, you’re hurting me”, Belle sobbed, and Aden just as quickly withdrew his arms, his eyes filling with concern for the woman who still owned his heart.

“What’s wrong Belle? You aren’t fooling me; just tell me what’s wrong”, Aden demanded, and Belle looked at him, evaluating if he’d be strong enough to stand by her, and hold her while she cried.

“I met Jed two years ago”, she began, and Aden frowned at her.

“I don’t want to know the story between you and Jed... I just want to know why you are crying”, Aden told her, and she glared at him.

“You need to know the whole story first, and that’s what I’m trying to tell you”, she informed him, and Aden made the motion of zipping up his lips, which drew a small smile from Belle.

“I met Jed two years ago, and we got together pretty quickly... I didn’t love him the same way I loved you, more like a brother, but I relied on him. After a year though, I was hardly ever feeling well, so Jed made me go to the doctors, and they told me that I had secondary bone cancer”

“Cancer...” he whispered softly, but Belle carried on talking, as if she had never heard him

“I had to have chemo, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy, and a couple of surgeries, and after a six month battle, the cancer went into remission. I had beaten it, and I was so happy. I felt like I was on top of the world”

Aden nodded his head, and smiled softly, understanding how Belle felt.

“And then Nicole called me, and I tried not to come. I didn’t think my marrow would be healthy enough, but Nicole begged. I agreed to come, but I made her call you as well. I didn’t want to let Nicole down, in case I didn’t match Ben, or my marrow was unhealthy. Dr. Welsh somehow knew that I was sick, and while my marrow was being taken, he took a biopsy...” Belle trailed off, not wanting to go any further.

“And it’s back”, Aden finished for her

“Yeah, I have an appointment in a couple of days, so that Dr. Welsh can schedule the chemo and stuff... but if the treatment doesn’t work, I’ll only have nine months left”, Belle explained; avoiding mentioning the fact that she wasn’t the best case scenario.

“Is that why you’re crying?” Aden asked, praying that there was no more bad news

“I picked up Jed from the airport, and told him that the cancer was back. He walked out of the airport, and didn’t come back, even when I called him. This lady I met in the airport had to give me a lift here...” Belle edited what had really happened, not wanting to scare Aden anymore.

“Oh god Belle, I am so sorry”, he whispered, and he leaned forward and delicately wiped a solitary tear off of her cheek.

Belle sighed, and swore, as her phone rung loudly. She quickly grabbed it, and frowned when she saw the caller ID: Jed

“Hey Jed”, she whispered softly, staring at Aden. Her eyes filled with tears all over again when she saw Aden stiffen.

“Did you get home ok?” Jed asked, and Belle frowned. It wasn’t like Jed to skip the greetings, or ask her how she was.

“Yes, a lady at the airport gave me a lift home”, Belle told him, her forehead creased with lines of confusion.

“Good... Belle, we need to talk. I thought I could get past the lies that you told me, after all I love you, but now that the cancer is back... I don’t think I can deal with it all at once”, Jed admitted, and Belle nodded her head, suddenly understanding everything.

“So this is the end”, she whispered, feeling empty inside. Jed had been her rock for so long, and it made her sad to think about their relationship coming to an end.

“Yes, and I’m sorry Belle”, he told her quietly, and Belle could tell that he was upset and annoyed at himself, for not being strong enough to get through this.

“Don’t be, it was my fault”, Belle said fiercely, and then quickly put down the phone, not wanting to hear the static when Jed hung up the phone.

“What just happened Belle?” Aden asked, concern and confusion both evident on his face.

“Jed just ended things with me”, Belle stated, her voice emotionless, but her eyes telling a different story. It was clear she was in quite a bit of pain, but she didn’t want anyone to see.

“Belle, I am so sorry”

“Everything seems to be hitting me at once, and I can’t cope”, Belle admitted, her eyes welling up with tears once again. She needed Aden right now... she needed someone to help her through this, and he was the only person that would... in this moment, they were just Aden and Belle, two separate people... they had no past that joined them

Aden leant forward, and hugged her tightly against his chest, moving back slowly when he heard her cry out in pain.

Belle looked up at him, tears clinging to her eyelashes. She felt herself lean forward and delicately put her lips against his, softly kissing him for the first time in years.

The kiss was over quickly... Belle pulled back, her face a mask of horror. The past swam in front of her eyes, and she frantically wiped her lips, trying to get rid off all the traces of that kiss just seconds ago.

“Not again, please not again”, she begged, and Aden’s eyes widened in shock. Belle thought that he would hurt her again... after all this time, she was still carrying the mental and physical scars of that one night.

“Belle, I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve spent four years trying to make up for my mistake... I’m not going to commit the same mistake again, I’m not that stupid”, he whispered, trying to convince her that he wouldn’t hurt her.

Belle’s brain absorbed the words, but she was too far gone to comprehend them as she quickly pushed herself away from him.

“Get out, just get out”, she screamed, “don’t you dare touch me”

Aden stood up, and walked out of the room, leaving Belle crying on the bed.

[Georgia]

Thank you very much for the reviews, and I'm sorry this is so late ! I had chapter 12 written and proof read, but when I re-read it, I realized I didn't like it, so I had to re-write, and have it proof read again ! Thanks go to Bec, for putting up with me

Chapter Twelve:

Belle walked slowly down the stairs, her eyes rimmed with a bright red; a reminder of all the tears she had cried last night. Aden had left her by herself, and for the first time in years, she had allowed that broken part of her to cry until it was out of tears.

“Morning Belle”, Nicole chirped from the kitchen, where she was gleefully flipping pancakes, as an enthusiastic Ben, and a slumped over Aden watched from the bar-stools.

“Good morning Nic, did you sleep well?” Belle asked, trying to find out if she had kept the whole house awake with her loud hysterics.

“Not really... someone next door was crying all night. I’m going to go next door this morning and see if they’re ok”, Nicole explained, her brow crinkling in concern for the unidentified crier.

Aden finally looked over at Belle, and she beckoned with her hand, asking him to follow her, before turning on her heel and walking outside, not checking to see if Aden was trailing behind her, as she could hear his footsteps.

“Look Belle, what do you want?” Aden asked, as soon as Belle was facing him again. “You made yourself quite clear last night... you still think I’m a monster”, he hissed, trying to mask the pain he was feeling by putting on an angry facade

“I need to apologize. It’s taken me a while to realize, but I know you aren’t a monster. It’s just two different things: knowing you’re not a monster, and actually allowing you to touch me... and it’s not just you... it took me three months to even kiss Jed”, Belle admitted, her eyes dropping away from his, as she tried to cover the tears that were starting to well up.

“Belle, don’t apologize, it’s all my fault” Aden whispered, his voice softening, as he put his hand under Belle’s chin, and tilted her face upwards.

“Aden, please don’t”, she whispered, “I need time. I want us to be friends, I want us to talk about things, but that’s all I can give you at the moment”, she explained, and Aden nodded, understanding what she meant.

“Belle, I will always be here for you. I will wait until you are ready, no matter how long it takes”, he told her, and she smiled through her tears

“What if I’m never ready?”

“I will still stand by your side. You are it for me Belle Taylor... I can’t see anyone else. It’s only you” he said romantically, but before he had a chance to say anything else, Nicole called him from the kitchen.

“Aden, leave Belle alone... we need to go to the hospital. You have your appointment this morning” she yelled, and Aden smiled regretfully, before walking into the kitchen.

Belle could hear their sounds of laughter... she could hear Ben squealing, and she could tell that Nicole was smiling with hopeful anticipation, and joy. She knew that Aden would be putting the cancer, and ideas about their relationship out of his head, and concentrating on the little boy who needed to be distracted.

Before long, the sounds of laughter disappeared, and Belle could hear them all getting ready to leave for the hospital. “We’ll see you later Belle”, Nicole yelled, and Aden called out a goodbye. Ben didn’t say anything, as he had his head down, buried in his newest Nintendo DS game.

When the door slammed, Belle sighed with relief. She could finally drop the mask she had been wearing for most of the morning. She had been in terrible pain ever since Aden had left her last night, but she didn’t want anyone to know.

She had called Cameron and scheduled a session of chemotherapy before emerging from her room this morning, but neither of them had sounded very hopeful about the outcome. Cameron had seen too many cases like Belle’s, and he knew that there was only a slim chance of survival. And Belle... Belle knew that they were only going through the motions. She knew that the treatment probably wouldn’t work, but she had to do something. She had to appear to be fighting, despite the fact that the odds were against her.

Breathing deeply to get through the pain, Belle slowly walked over to the couch, and collapsed, before massaging her joints, wincing at the pain.

Her phone rung loudly from her pocket, and she quickly fished it out, thankful for the distraction. The screen read ‘Jed’, and Belle sighed before answering, fairly sure that a long conversation was about to take place.

“Hey Jed”

“Belle... oh thank god you are alright. I called about seven times yesterday, but your phone was switched off. I was terrified”, he admitted, and Belle smiled softly at the sound of his voice. It was so familiar... it somehow felt like home.

“I went to bed early, that’s all. I turned off my phone so that it wouldn’t disturb me”, Belle explained, skipping out the part which contained crying herself to sleep over Aden. “Why did you need to talk to me anyway?”

“I wanted to apologise again. I didn’t sleep at all last night Belle... I feel awful”, he whispered. It sounded as if he thought that saying the words any louder would make the situation a whole lot worse.

“It isn’t really your fault. It’s a lot to handle at once... I’m having a hard time accepting it myself”, Belle informed him; trying to reassure Jed that she didn’t hate him. Life was too short to harbor nasty feelings towards anyone.

“Belle, this is a hard time for you, and you need to have someone by your side. That someone should be me”

“Jed, don’t worry about me. I have Nicole, and Cameron, and Jasmine, and Ben”, she began, running through the list of people that could help her. “And at the end of the day, I can always count on Aden”, she choked out, not used to saying that sentence. Aden had been the villain in her story for a long time, and it seemed strange to cast him as a hero now.

Before Jed could say another word, Belle felt her joints tighten up even further, and her eyes rolled back in her head, pain overwhelming her small body.

“Look Jed, I’ve got to go”, she whispered, before pressing the end call button, and letting the phone slip to the floor. It smashed into hundreds of little pieces, and Belle swore, before struggling to stand up.

Very slowly, she bent down to pick up the pieces, trying not to jostle her body anymore than was necessary. Just as her hand closed around the first piece of her phone, one of her legs jerked suddenly, sending her flying forward, straight through the glass coffee table.

Unable to move, Belle laid face down in a pile of glass, waiting for unconsciousness to overwhelm her, while praying that someone would find her sooner rather than later.

[Georgia]

Thank you very much for the comments. Sorry this took so long !

Chapter Thirteen:

People say that before you die; your entire life flashes before your eyes. It’s supposed to be a haunting experience, where you relive all your mistakes, and you get a chance to see just how messed up you truly are.

But for Belle, lying on the floor, surrounded by glass, everything was black.

There were no scenes from her life flashing in front of her eyes, and for that, she was glad. Belle was fairly sure, one hundred and ten percent sure; that she wouldn’t like what would be shown.

After all, who wants to watch happiness being snatched away... and who wants to feel the pain that almost killed them, all over again? It was better just to be in the dark, to be numb, to not feel the man you love shattering your heart, and ruining your life.

The fall, and the pricking glass, and the unconsciousness... well, it was like an anesthetic, and Belle had no idea how she had lived her life without this feeling.

So you can imagine her disappointment when noise started to burst the peaceful bubble she was enveloped in. It didn’t matter that it was the sound of Nicole, her voice loud and joyous, calling out for Belle, anxious for her to join in the celebrations.

“The treatment worked! Ben’s going to be ok!”, she repeated over and over, her voice triumphant. After all her years of looking after Ben, he had finally beaten the disease that had been trying to steal him away from her.

After a while of yelling for Belle to get ready, and go to the hospital, Nicole’s voice finally stopped, a loud whimper escaping her mouth instead.

“Oh god Belle, oh god, oh god”, she whispered, tears pouring down her face. In front of her was the worst thing she had ever seen. The beautiful glass coffee table was smashed, and Belle was lying in the middle of the shards, not moving, not breathing.

There was blood everywhere, and Nicole’s eyes widened in horror as she frantically tried to move away from her friend, who looked like death had already taken her.

After taking a couple of steps backwards, Nicole could feel the couch pressing against the back of her legs. Sighing with relief, she collapsed, allowing the fear she had been holding at bay to consume her.

While she had been celebrating the news that her son would live, her friend was dying in the house. What Nicole didn’t understand was why Belle hadn’t picked herself up, and moved out of the glass. As tears streamed down her face, Nicole heard a small grunt and she looked around in fear.

Had someone been inside the house? Had someone thrown Belle into the table, and held her down, letting the glass cut her all over? Had they watched her blood leave her body, and done nothing to help her?

As Nicole looked for the source of the grunt, a small whimper reached her ears. She looked down, and saw that the noise was coming from Belle.

Nicole’s hand flew to her mouth in horror. She had assumed that her friend was dead, and started to grieve, while Belle was still fighting for survival.

“Oh god Belle, oh god, oh god”, she repeated, and rushed to Belle’s side, struggling to pull her to her feet. She needed to get Belle to the hospital, and there was no time to wait for an ambulance. Her car was still idling in the driveway. Nicole had only wanted to come home, grab Belle, and then head straight back to the hospital to see Ben and Aden.

After a brief struggle, Nicole had managed to lay Belle in the back seat of the car, and soon enough, they were speeding up to the hospital’s emergency entrance.

There were two paramedics standing outside, obviously waiting for someone to call an ambulance. It looked like it was a quiet day in Summer Bay, and Nicole found herself laughing at the irony.

“Please help”, Nicole begged them as she stumbled out the car, her brief spell of laughter already forgotten. “I came home and my friend was lying in a pile of glass. There was a lot of blood; I thought she was dead, but then she groaned”

The paramedics immediately sprung into action, one of them racing for a stretcher, and the other moving to the back seat of the car to inspect the damage.

“Your friend is lucky to still be alive. It looks like a piece of glass has punctured her main artery. It’s honestly a miracle; she should be dead right now”, the paramedic informed her.

“Belle’s always been good at escaping from life and death situations”, Nicole smiled through her tears, not realizing that at this very moment, Belle was already fighting a losing battle with cancer. “But why didn’t she just climb out of the glass shards instead of lying there?”

“We aren’t sure yet Miss. We’re going to concentrate on saving her life first, and then we’ll try and figure out what happened, ok?” the paramedic reassured her. Before Nicole had a chance to reply, the other paramedic came running back with the stretcher.

“Miss, where will we be able to find you?” they asked after they had managed to lift Belle onto the stretcher.

“I’ll be in Ben Franklin’s room”, she whispered, a ghost of a smile flitting back onto her face. The good news about Ben had long since been forgotten, and all she wanted to do was climb onto the bed next to her son, and hug him while he slept.

Without another word, the paramedics rushed Belle into the emergency room, and the silence was interrupted by people rushing everywhere. Nicole fought the temptation to go and peek in, not wanting to see what they had to do to save Belle’s life.

With a deep sigh, and a quick reapplication of her make-up, Nicole wiped away her tears and strode into the hospital’s main entrance, and straight up to Ben’s room.

Aden was lying on a cot in the corner, and she smiled, wondering how he had managed to convince the nurses to move him, in between bouts of unconsciousness.

As she settled into the chair between Ben’s bed and Aden’s cot, Aden’s eyes slowly fluttered open. “Hey Nic, I thought you were going to get Belle”, he asked innocently, not noticing that Nicole was blinking back tears at the mention of her name.

“I went back to the house but she wasn’t there. She left a note saying that she was going out for some dinner and a walk, and that she’d come and see you guys in the morning”, Nicole lied.

Aden smiled softly, accepting the excuse, and then drifted back to sleep, leaving Nicole to ponder the huge lie she had just told to Aden, who was obviously still in love with Belle.

It had seemed like a good idea to keep the truth to herself. After all, if Aden knew Belle was downstairs near death, he would get up and rush to her side, despite the fact that he had had his bone marrow taken that day. And Ben would beg to go to, despite the fact that he needed to rest, and let his body rejuvenate itself.

So, the lie was told, and Aden and Ben were protected. The only two that weren’t protected were Belle and Nicole. Belle was lying downstairs, alone, with no one there to hold her hand.

And Nicole was left upstairs, stewing over the fact that she had left her friend down there to die alone.

[Georgia]

Thanks to Bec, amz and RR1 for the reviews.

Chapter 14: ‘For Ben’

Morning came, and Aden and Ben slept on. Nicole quickly snuck out of Ben’s hospital room, and walked slowly down the hall to the coffee machine. She needed caffeine and she needed it fast.

Neither of the paramedics had come to find her last night, and she had sat up, guilt eating away at her. The more she thought about the lie, the more stupid she realized she had been.

Belle needed someone by her side right now, and Aden would never forgive Nicole for not telling him, and leaving the love of his life alone. Sipping at her coffee, ignoring the burn as it rushed down her throat, Nicole thought about her options.

She could either wake Aden and tell him the truth, let him rush down to find Belle, and discover that she might not have made it, or she could leave Ben in Aden’s capable hands, and go and find Belle herself.

Knowing in her heart that Aden would never recover if he went downstairs to find Belle dead, Nicole realized that the only viable option was to go down there herself.

Throwing the now empty coffee cup in the bin, Nicole slipped off her wedges, and picked them up. She’d never be able to run through the hospital in the shoes she had been wearing for the last twenty four hours.

After a quick scan of the hallway, checking to see if Aden had slipped out of Ben’s room, Nicole headed for the elevators. She had no idea where Belle would be, but she knew that the reception desk would know.

With bated breath, she approached the desk. She was terrified of what the receptionist would say, but she had to know. She already had plans ready, depending on what the situation was. If Belle was dead, Nicole knew that Aden would never recover, and she couldn’t have that. Aden had just saved Ben’s life, and he didn’t need any setbacks.

She would just tell Aden that Belle had heard the news, offered her congratulations, and gone back to her own life. After all, it was plausible. Belle hadn’t wanted to come in the first place.

If Belle was in a coma, then Nicole would let Aden know that Belle had gone away for a vacation, needing some time to clear her head, and that she would be back as soon as she possible could.

And if Belle was awake and talking, then there would be no need to tell any lies. She would just say to Aden that Belle was too tired to make it to the hospital until Belle was able to visit Aden herself.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Nicole stopped in front of the receptionist. “I’m here to enquire about Belle Taylor”, she said confidently, “she was brought in last night after falling through a glass table. She was taken through the emergency room, and the paramedics said they’d come and find me but they never did”

The receptionist smiled softly. “Let me just check for you. She would have been put in the system as soon as she arrived last night”, she explained, and began tapping away at the keyboard.

“Ok, there’s a slight problem Miss... we have two Belle’s in the hospital at the moment, and neither have last names”

“How is that possible?”

“Well, for some reason, they didn’t take down your friends last name when admitting her, so we have no idea which one she is”, the receptionist explained patiently.

“Can’t you identify them by their injuries?” Nicole fumed, not understanding why this was so difficult.

“I wish we could, but they both have similar injuries. They were both rushed into surgery last night...” the receptionist trailed off, and Nicole found herself leaning forward, her eyes widening in horror. If the receptionist had stopped talking, it meant that the situation was bad.

“Please just tell me”, Nicole begged, “I have my son and one of my best friends upstairs, recovering from a bone marrow procedure, and now I have my other best friend downstairs, and no one knows what’s happened to her”

“One of the Belle’s died on the operating table last night. The other Belle was recognized by a doctor as she was rushed to the operating room. He said that she had cancer, and would need to be put on a treatment program as soon as she got out of surgery. She’s upstairs being pumped with drugs, but her chances of surviving the cancer are slim. She hasn’t woken up from her surgery yet. I wish I had more to tell you, but that’s it”, the receptionist said sympathetically.

“So my best friend is either dead or dying?”

“The Belle that made it through the surgery is in room 542. I suggest you go and see her. Even if it isn’t your friend, hold her hand. She’s got a tough journey ahead of her”

Nicole thanked the receptionist and ran to the elevator, frantically pressing the elevator buttons, swearing when it didn’t come fast enough.

Finally she made it up to room 542, and after taking a deep steadying breath, she swung open the door. Lying in the bed was her Belle, her best friend.

She looked small and defenseless under the harsh fluorescent lights, and Nicole quickly rushed to her side, squeezing her hand gently. She didn’t respond, and tears began to blossom in Nicole’s eyes.

All night she had sat and thought about her, but hadn’t gone to find her, yet all this time, she had been lying unconsciousness in the bed next door.

Nicole had been sitting in room 540, praying that she would make it through the night, when she could have been holding her hand as she came out of the surgery.

Nicole could feel herself getting mad, but it wasn’t at the paramedics for forgetting to tell her where Belle was. It wasn’t at the receptionist, for scaring her half to death. And it wasn’t at Belle for hiding the fact that she had cancer.

All of Nicole’s anger was directed firmly at herself, and in that one moment, she had never hated anyone more, until two minutes later, when a voice from the door interrupted her thoughts.

“What the hell happened here?” Aden asked, and Nicole’s tears finally overflowed.

She hated Aden Jefferies more than anything else in the world.

She hated him for hurting Belle; she hated him for running away when it got too much. She hated him for coming back and helping his son willingly. She hated him for having Belle’s unconditional love.

Most of all she hated him because he had the one thing she would never have: a bond with Ben, the child who would never be completely hers.

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm glad you 3 are still enjoying it

Chapter 15: ‘For Ben’

“What the hell is going on in here Nicole?” Aden asked; anger clear in his tone. He obviously didn’t like what he was seeing, and Nicole forced herself to be nice to him. It wouldn’t help anyone if she started yelling about how much she hated him, so she did what she normally did in complex situations: lie.

“I was waiting for you and Ben to wake up, and I fancied a coffee, so I walked down to the end of the hallway. On my way back, I could hear beeping, and it sounded like one of the machines was going haywire. It was coming from this room, so I walked in, and Belle was lying here”, Nicole explained, keeping her eyes away from Aden. He had always been able to read her like a book, and she didn’t want him to know that she was lying.

“What’s wrong with her?” Aden asked, his voice breaking in the middle of the sentence. He took a few steps closer to the bed, but made sure that there were still a few meters between him and Belle.

“I asked the nurse to get her doctor. He said that she was rushed into surgery last night as her main artery was punctured by a piece of glass. Apparently, she fell through a glass table”, Nicole continued with the lie.

“How did she get here then?” Aden questioned, slowly walking to the chair that was in the corner of the room. It was like he was too scared to come any closer to Belle.

“Someone walking by heard the crash and called the police. When the police arrived, they called the ambulance”, Nicole explained, sighing with relief at her quick thinking. “Aden... there’s something I have to tell you though...”

Aden nodded his head slightly, indicating that he was listening, but didn’t take his eyes away from the bed.

“When she was being rushed into surgery, a doctor recognized her. He ordered her to be put on a special drip when she came out of surgery... Aden, Belle has cancer”, Nicole whispered, her eyes searching for Aden’s as she said those words.

He didn’t look surprised, and Nicole felt her anger rise inside of her. “Why aren’t you shocked?” she asked, trying to rein in the anger she was feeling. It wouldn’t be a good idea to snap at Aden when he was obviously upset.

“I already knew... I know a lot of things that you don’t Nicole. I know that Jed broke up with Belle because he couldn’t deal with everything at once. I know that Belle has already fought the cancer once. I know that she’s supposed to start treatment soon. I know that she’s scared to death. I know by the look in her eyes that she hasn’t got long left. And I know that I love her”, Aden whispered, as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me”, Nicole said softly, the anger evaporating from her body. She couldn’t be mad at Aden for not telling her; after all, she was keeping secrets from him. And she couldn’t be mad when he was falling apart on the inside.

“It wasn’t my secret to tell”

The silence in the room was overwhelming. Both Aden and Nicole were trying to absorb the news they had just been given. Aden couldn’t believe he had almost lost Belle to a household accident, instead of the disease that was destroying her. Nicole was trying to come to terms with just how little she knew about Belle.

“Aden... Belle’s treatment has already started. She’s on a chemotherapy drip”, Nicole said eventually, needing to break the silence. “What I don’t understand is how she just laid there in a pile of glass”

“Nic... Belle has bone cancer. Her joints swell, and they lock up, meaning she is unable to move. I’m 99% sure that her joints froze, and she fell forward through the table. She would have been lying there, needing someone to come home so they could lift her out of the glass”, Aden explained.

“Bone cancer...” Nicole repeated, as the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. “That’s why she didn’t want to come to Summer Bay. She knew she wouldn’t have been able to help Ben, but she did it anyway, because I begged her. What kind of person am I?”

Aden didn’t say anything, not wanting to put anymore guilt on Nicole’s shoulders. “They won’t let her out of the hospital”, he said, changing the subject. He didn’t want to deal with Nicole’s pain as well as his own.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Nicole hadn’t had the chance to research Belle’s disease like he had. Aden had spent hours scouring the internet, trying to find a cure, but there was nothing.

“Usually, you just come in and out of the hospital for treatment sessions, but Belle’s cancer is advanced. Her joints lock up all the time, and she’s in excruciating pain. They’ll keep her on a morphine drip to numb the pain, but she’ll slip in and out of consciousness. It’ll help her deal with the side effects of the chemotherapy”, Aden explained, not bothering to spare Nicole’s feelings. Right now, he felt broken inside, and he just wanted to share the pain with someone else.

Nicole didn’t say anything. She sat in her chair, running circles on Belle’s hand, trying to understand everything that Aden had just told her. After a while, she looked over at him, and was surprised to see more tears in his eyes. She thought he would bottle everything up inside, and snap every now and then, not let it all spill out.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, earning herself an eye roll in return. She forced herself to chuckle, realizing that it was a stupid question. Everything was wrong.

“Yesterday I told Belle that I’d wait forever for her... I’d wait until she wanted to be more than friends. And now I’ve realized just how short forever might be”, he whispered.

“I have to check on Ben”, Nicole blurted out, feeling a little guilty as she got up, let go of Belle's hand and quickly exited the room. She didn’t think she’d be able to cope with Aden’s pain any longer.

Aden didn’t say anything, but looked down at his hands. A small noise came from the bed and his head immediately shot up, his eyes raking up and down Belle’s body, looking for the cause of the noise.

Finding nothing, he looked down again.

“Ouch”, a small squeak came from the bed, and Aden looked up, a smile breaking across his face as he saw Belle’s eyelids flutter open, and a small wince cross her face.

She was awake.

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, which was a LOT!

Chapter 16: ‘For Ben’

“Ouch”, she repeated, and began tugging on the wires in her arm. Aden immediately jumped up and rushed to her side.

“Belle, babe, you can’t pull those out. That’s your chemotherapy wire”, he told her, and gently grabbed her hands, moving them away from the offending wires.

Belle looked into his eyes for a second, before leaning over the side of the bed and vomiting. Aden quickly pulled her hair out of her face, and sighed with relief, glad that she hadn’t vomited on him. He had been expecting it, as it was a side effect from chemotherapy, but he didn’t realize it would hit so soon.

“I’m sorry”, she whispered as soon as she was done, and Aden smiled softly at her. At least she had managed to throw up in the bowl that was placed conveniently beside the bed.

“Don’t apologize babe. I’ll just go and empty this, and then I’ll come back”, he whispered, before grabbing the bowl, and walking into the bathroom.

He quickly flushed the contents of the bowl down the toilet, before looking at himself in the mirror. He didn’t recognize who he was anymore. He used to be the kind of guy who went after what he wanted, but that had all changed when he had hurt Belle all those years ago. He missed the past, and wished that he was still there.

Striding back into the room, Aden quickly dropped the bowl back beside the bed, and sat next to Belle, softly gripping her hand in his.

“Belle... when I said I would wait forever for you to be ready, I meant it. But last night, seeing you here in this bed, I got really, really scared... and I realized that forever isn’t going to be that long”, he whispered, confidence draining out of him as he got further along in the sentence.

Silence enveloped the room for a while. Aden looked anywhere and everywhere, but made sure his eyes didn’t land on Belle. Belle was absorbing what Aden had said, while staring at the door. She wanted to be out of this bed; away from these wires... she didn’t want to be sick anymore. She wanted her forever to be a long, long time.

“I know what you mean Aden”, she said eventually, and Aden’s eyes stopped avoiding her. He looked up at Belle’s face, and his breath caught. Even when she was sick, and lying on what could quite possibly be her death bed, she was breathtakingly beautiful. “I’m not going to live a long life... it’s not fair to keep you waiting”

“Belle, that’s not what I meant”, he said softly, not wanting Belle to feel guilty. “All I wanted to say was that I love you, and I really will be by your side forever”

“Promise?”

“Promise what?” he asked, not sure what Belle wanted from him

“Promise that you won’t leave me no matter how hard this gets?”

“I promise”, he whispered, not realizing just how horrible the situation might get.

“Aden, it’s not fair to keep you waiting... I might die before I’m ready”, she whispered, and Aden’s eyes widened in horror. Before he got a chance to say anything, Belle raised a finger to keep him quiet. “I want to give us a shot”

“Really?”

“Yes... I can’t promise I won’t get scared or freaked out. I can’t promise that I’ll be the perfect girlfriend, but I will try Aden. I’ll try for you; I’ll try for us”

Aden leaned forward, and pursed his lips, but before he had a chance to reach Belle, she put a hand up to stop him.

“What are you doing?” she questioned, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I’m trying to kiss you?” he said, trying to sound confident, but the rejection forced him to turn it into a question.

“I just vomited... I’m not kissing you until I brush my teeth”, she informed him. Aden jumped out of his seat, rushed into the bathroom, and rummaged through the complimentary supplies the hospital had given Belle. He was grateful they had given her that stuff, but it was probably because they had assumed she was all alone in the world.

Less than a minute later, he was back in the bedroom, and squirting toothpaste onto the brush. He watched carefully as Belle slowly brushed her teeth, and frowned when she winced in pain. Obviously her arm was hurting to move.

When she was finished, Aden held out a paper cup so she could spit.

“You’re treating me like a baby, not your girlfriend”, she giggled, and Aden felt his heart swell with happiness at the world girlfriend. Jumping out of his chair, he quickly deposited the toothbrush, toothpaste and paper cup in the bathroom, before jogging back to his chair.

“So, can I kiss you now?” he asked rhetorically, and slowly leaned forward, not wanting to freak her out.

Just as his lips were about to meet hers, Belle turned her face away, so that Aden’s lips brushed her cheek instead.

“This is nice”, she whispered softly, and grasped his hand.

Aden opened his mouth to question her actions, but before he had a chance to say anything, Nicole’s voice drifted through the room.

“Oh Belle, thank god you’re awake!” Nicole sighed, and rushed to sit next to Belle, and opposite Aden, ignoring the glare that Aden seemed to be shooting her way.

“Hey Nic”, Belle said softly, obviously overwhelmed by the attention she was getting. “Do you have any news about Ben?”

“I keep forgetting that you don’t know! The bone marrow worked, and it looks like Ben will make a full recovery. It’s a miracle”, she exclaimed, before clapping her hand over her mouth in horror.

“What’s wrong Nicole?” Belle asked, concern creasing her forehead.

“I can’t believe I said something so tactless”, Nicole whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Aden looked down at the floor, and Belle sighed, anger colouring her eyes.

“Look, let’s get one thing clear. I may be dying, but I refuse to let you guys treat me that way. I don’t want to be reminded that I’m dying. I hate having to sit in a hospital bed all day, so I want you guys to distract me. I don’t want you to treat me like a child... I’m still me. I want Aden to bring me flowers because he’s my boyfriend. I want Nicole to gossip with me because she’s my best friend. I want to play games with Ben, and eat nice meals instead of crappy hospital food. I want you to make me forget I’m dying...”

Aden and Nicole looked at Belle in shock, but nodded in agreement.

“I want to live before I die”, she whispered.

Aden and Nicole looked at each other, neither of them noticing the two tiny tears rolling down Belle’s cheeks, as she contemplated her death.

[Georgia]

Three cheers for how quick I'm updating Seven thousand cheers for how awesome you guys are

Chapter 17: ‘For Ben’

It had been two months since Belle had been admitted to the hospital. It had been a blur of different treatments, each of them making her feel worse than the last, and a constant stream of visitors.

Nicole had come by daily, bringing magazines and chocolates, and staying until Ben woke up. Every afternoon, Ben would be wheeled in so that he could see Belle. Jasmine, the kind lady from the airport, had been in to see Belle every morning, and was patiently teaching her how to knit. Aden was there all day, only leaving when Nicole and Ben came by in the afternoon, and only leaving for a shower.

And every Thursday evening, when Nicole had gone back to Ben’s room to keep him company, and Jasmine had finished her knitting lesson, and Cameron had delivered the day’s progress, Aden would do something romantic.

On the first Thursday, he had spent the afternoon at Nicole’s, cooking up a romantic feast before bringing it in for her. On the second Thursday, he had helped Belle stand, and danced round the room to her favourite music. On the third Thursday, he re-enacted their first date. On the fourth Thursday he had driven three hours to buy her favourite chocolate cake, and they ate the entire thing, laughing in the flickering light of the candles. The fifth Thursday was the day he brought in a scrapbook, and every photo he could find, so that Belle could see just how many people loved her. On the sixth Thursday, Aden rented her favourite movie, and brought in a junk food feast, as they watched the movie on her laptop. The seventh Thursday flew by quickly as they reminisced about happy times, and shared stories. And the eight Thursday was when Aden told Belle that he had bought them a house, and when she got better, they'd be able to move in together. Belle didn't have the heart to tell him that she wouldn't be getting better.

One thing that all the Thursday’s had in common was the ritual Aden performed before Belle fell asleep. He kissed her forehead softly, followed by a quick peck on both cheeks and then a tiny, chaste kiss on the lips.

When she smiled up at him, her eyes wide with a deeply concealed emotion, Aden would pull the covers up to her chin, and go through the motions of tucking her in.

As her eyes started to drift shut, Aden would lean down to whisper in her ear.

“Sleep tight Belle, I love you more than ever”

Belle would look up at him, her doe eyes raking his face, before slowly rubbing her face as the tiredness set in. Aden would hover for a minute or two, trying to figure out what he could do to help her, before retreating to the chair next to her bed.

He’d hold her hand softly, and she’d give him another indulgent smile.

“Thank you for the amazing date”, she’d whisper softly, and Aden would pretend to be leaning forward so he could stroke her face, despite the fact that both of them knew he was leaning forward so he could hear her.

“I’d do anything for you Belle. I love you”, he’d whisper, keeping up the pretense that this was a romantic moment, instead of Belle drifting closer and closer to death.

“I know”, Belle would reply, and her eyes would drift shut, allowing sleep to overcome her small, fragile body.

When her eyes were shut, and her breathing had evened out, Aden would swear in frustration. No matter how many times he said I love you, Belle would never reply.

Sure, she’d say: I know, and thank you, but the words Aden wanted to hear the most never passed through her lips. He was left sitting awake, night after night, wondering if Belle loved him, or was just feeling sorry for him.

After nights of wondering, it finally got too much for Aden. He walked in at about 6pm on Thursday, anxious to start another date night. This time, he was just going to talk to her. He wanted to share his feelings; he wanted Belle to know that he wouldn’t be able to live without her.

He’d smuggled in a bottle of non alcoholic wine, but froze in the doorway. Cameron was sitting by her bed, holding tightly to her hand. Aden felt anger rise through his body; how dare he sit there touching Belle on date night?

It was as if Cameron could read Aden’s mind. He spun around, and smiled softly. Aden’s anger rose again. This guy was unbelievable... first of all, he was holding Belle’s hand on date night, and now he was sitting there looking all smug about it.

Before Aden could step forward and punch Cameron in the face, his eyes darted to Belle, who was lying under the covers, obviously out of it. His anger slowly dissolved. She looked so fragile under the covers, so sick and broken. Aden forgot that he had wanted to force Belle to admit her feelings, and his face softened.

“Aden, I need to talk to you”, Cameron said quietly, and Aden nodded, not bothering to tear his eyes away from his sleeping girlfriend.

“You can say it here”, Aden replied, dropping into the chair that was waiting by the bed.

“Aden, it’s not going to be much longer”, he whispered, and then repeated the phrase slightly louder when Aden showed no signs of hearing him.

“Don’t”, Aden hissed, just as Cameron began to say the sentence for the third time. “I don’t want to hear about it”

“Aden, you can’t put this off for any longer. You need to hear this. You need to be prepared so that you can hold Belle’s hand through all of this”

Aden just nodded his head, and waited for Cameron to keep talking. The doctor took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, before launching into his spiel.

“Over the next few days, maybe the next couple of weeks, Belle’s going to be more and more tired. She’ll drift in and out of consciousness, and she won’t always know who’s around her. It might be hard for her to conduct a conversation. You need to be patient, and you can’t let her see how much this is affecting you. Any extra little bit of stress will hurt her more”

“So is this just going to be a stage she’ll go through? A brief setback while her body heals itself?”

“Aden... all we’re doing now is making her comfortable”

Aden just looked at Cameron, confusion clear on his face. He obviously didn’t understand what was going on. Cameron had a feeling that he knew more than he was letting on, but didn't want to deal with it.

“Aden... Belle isn’t going to get better. She’s going to die, and it’s going to be soon”.

[Georgia]

Ok, I have a song for you guys. For you are jolly good reviewers, For you are jolly good reviewers, For you are jolly good reviewers... so a million cheers for you

Chapter 18: ‘For Ben’

Aden had put his conversation with Cameron to the back of his mind. He didn’t want to discuss it with anyone, let alone Belle. How was he supposed to talk to her about her own death? Was he supposed to sit next to her, hold her hand, lean in and whisper: ‘Cameron told me that you were going to die soon, so I think we should discuss that’?

Instead of lingering over the horrible news, Aden threw himself into caring for Belle. Every time she winced in pain, Aden would let her squeeze his hand. Whenever she started feeling hot, Aden would hold a cold cloth to her head. And every time Cameron walked into the room, Aden would make sure that Belle was listening to her iPod, so she wouldn’t have to listen to the doctor discussing her death.

Nicole and Ben still came by to visit daily, and Jasmine had found plenty of other ways to entertain Belle, as knitting seemed to be driving her insane. Belle didn’t exactly have the patience needed for that particular activity.

However, one otherwise ordinary Wednesday, Belle almost gave Aden a heart attack. He was sitting in the corner, trying to plan an amazing date for the next night, when her small voice filled the room.

Just hearing her speak scared him, as she had been drifting in and out of sleep all morning, but the words pouring out of her mouth were enough to scar him for life.

“Aden, I know you’re lying to me”, she whispered, yet her words seemed to pierce his heart at the same time. He swallowed nervously and rubbed his hands together before looking up at her.

“What do you mean babe?” he said curiously, trying to deny the accusation before he even knew what it was.

“I know that you know something, and you’re choosing not to share it. I know that you try and get me out of the conversation every time Cameron comes into the room, but I have no idea why. But I have a good idea... you tell me why you’re hiding things from me, or I ask Cameron myself”, Belle said softly, but her voice had the hidden edge of a threat.

“Belle... I can’t...” he said apologetically, and Belle’s eyes flashed with anger. Immediately Aden could tell that was the wrong answer, and he could have hit himself when Belle reached over and pressed the nurse call button.

Within two minutes, a nurse was in the room, asking what Belle needed.

“I’d like to speak to Cameron”, Belle announced, and the nurse nodded, promising that he would be there as soon as he could. When the nurse left the room, Belle snuggled under the thin hospital blankets and shut her eyes. She was obviously trying to deter Aden from starting a conversation.

Aden took the hint, and pushed himself out of his chair. He started to walk out of the door, but Belle’s eyes snapped open, and filled with tears.

“I’m sorry Aden; I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t leave”, she whispered, and Aden’s eyes widened with horror.

“Belle, I wasn’t going to leave you. I’m just going down to the cafeteria to have a drink with Jasmine. She said she was going down there for dinner, so I thought I might join her”, he explained, and Belle’s hysteria faded a little bit, although she still wasn’t convinced.

“Are you sure I haven’t upset you? I don’t know what came over me Aden, I’m just really tired, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you”, she continued, and Aden smiled at her reassuringly.

“I’m just leaving you alone to speak to Cameron. I don’t want you to worry about me while you’re trying to talk to him”, Aden spoke quietly, trying to comfort her.

“Thankyou”

“Don’t mention it. I love you”

“I know”, she smiled wearily, and nestled back into the covers, leaving Aden to walk outside, still wondering how Belle felt about him. Instead of walking to the cafeteria, he sunk into a chair outside the door.

When Cameron walked towards Belle’s door, less than five minutes later, Aden beckoned him over. The doctor seemed hesitant, as Aden never seemed to be too comfortable around him, but swallowing his nervousness, he quickly walked over.

“Break the news gently”, was all Aden said, and Cameron nodded, his respect for Aden growing immensely with those four words. All Aden wanted was for Belle to be ok.

When Cameron walked into the room, Belle’s head snapped around. She smiled at him, but Cameron could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Her eyes tightened every time she made even a tiny movement, and Cameron struggled to smile back.

“The nurse said you wanted me”, he began, getting straight to the point.

“Aden’s keeping stuff from me. He doesn’t want me to talk to you, and I know that means that there’s news. I’m guessing its bad news, because if it were good news, Aden would be ecstatic, but he’s sad and withdrawn”, Belle rambled, and Cameron took the opportunity to sit down next to her.

“Just get it over with”, she whispered when he didn’t say anything. “You’re making me nervous”

“We can’t do anything else for you Belle”, he replied, his eyes roaming over her face.

“Well, at least you haven’t told me that you can make me comfortable. That would mean the situation was really bad”, Belle tried to make a joke when the silence became unbearable.

Cameron just stared at her.

“That was going to be your next sentence, huh?” Belle asked, her eyes looking down at the blanket. She didn’t want Cameron to see that she was about to lose control and burst into tears.

“You took the words out of my mouth”

Belle burst into tears, but made sure that her sobs weren’t too loud. She had a feeling that Aden was outside the door, and she didn’t want him to worry about her anymore.

“Belle, it’s going to be ok”

“Don’t. It’s my turn to talk now. Don’t pretend it’s going to be ok. We both know it’s not. When I die...” she began, glaring at Cameron when she saw him wince at the word ‘die’. “When I die”, she continued, “I want you to ask out Nicole. You two would be perfect together, and she’s going to need someone to get her through this. Also, make sure Aden stays in Summer Bay... he had friends here; people like him. He needs to spend time with Ben. Look after them Cameron”, she whispered.

“I promise”, he said confidently, “I wish I could stay and talk more, but I have to look at another patient. I’ll send my mum up though; she’s found something else for you to learn. Oh, and I saw Nicole loitering around the coffee machine. I think she wants to talk”, Cameron finished, trying to make up excuses to get out the room. He hated having to slash a patient’s hope, and it was so much worse because it was Belle.

“I know you’re lying Dr. Welsh, but I’ll forgive you this time”, she said, in a fake stern voice.

Cameron just smiled and backed out of the room. As soon as he left, Belle collapsed in tears. She had been expecting bad news, but nothing could really prepare her for the words Cameron had uttered.

However, Belle didn’t get long to grieve for the end, as Jasmine and Nicole quickly piled into the room. Jasmine sat down on one side of the bed and held her hand, while Nicole sat on the other.

“Hey Belle”, they said in unison, and Belle smile gratefully at them, extremely thankful that they had dragged her out of her thoughts before she completely lost it.

“Cameron said you found something else for me to do”, Belle broke the silence after it had stretched on for a few minutes.

“No, my son seems to have been lying. He does that to get himself out of awkward or uncomfortable situations. I tend to just tune it out. I really just wanted to see you. We haven’t seen each other much during the last few days”, Jasmine explained.

“Well, I asked your son to ask out Nicole”

“You did what?!?!” Nicole exclaimed, whilst Jasmine stifled a giggle.

“He just needed a push in the right direction, that’s all”, Belle defended herself, while Jasmine nodded her head.

“Belle’s right. It’s obvious he likes you Nicole”, Jasmine stood up for Belle.

“Oh, what’s the point of arguing? Belle’s always right”, Nicole sighed.

The conversation kept flowing for another hour. Belle had started to get tired, and both Jasmine and Nicole could see her eyes drifting shut. They quickly said their goodbyes, and left the room, after promising to come back the next day.

As soon as they left, Belle straightened up, stunned that they had bought her act so quickly. She didn’t feel tired at all, she just needed time to herself.

As the tears began rolling down her face, Aden quickly walked into the room. He didn’t say a word, but jumped onto her bed, softly wiping her tears away, until she drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

When Belle’s soft snores filled the room, Aden allowed himself to silently freak out for the first time since he had got the news. The love of his life was dying, and the fact that he didn't know how she felt about him, paled in comparison. It seemed like a stupid thing to be worried about when she wasn't going to be around for much longer, and he hated himself for ever thinking about it.

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews guys Here's the third final chapter of 'For Ben'... are you guys getting excited for the end ? I am... I want to see what you guys think of it, especially because I've had it written for AGES !

Chapter 19: ‘For Ben’

“Belle, I am so sorry”, Nicole said for the third time that morning. Jasmine was babysitting Ben and was coming to visit as soon as Nicole went home. Aden hadn’t even shown up that morning.

Belle just nodded. She didn’t want to hear Nicole apologize again; after all, it wasn’t her fault. None of this was her fault, and hearing those words made Belle realize how stupid she had been. When Nicole died, she’d leave her mark on the world, in the form of Ben, but Belle had done nothing. She had wasted her entire life, and now it was too late to fix it.

“I am so sorry Belle”, Nicole whispered again

“So am I”, Belle said to herself, but Nicole didn’t hear, choosing to say sorry again, which was the last time Belle could hear it.

“Look Nicole, none of this is your fault. Please don’t sit here apologizing, it isn’t going to make anything better. I just want to talk to you Nic... I need my best friend back before I die ok?”, Belle whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She had never been good at goodbyes.

“I’ve always been here Belle. You just didn’t realize”, Nicole said quietly, leaning in and wiping one solitary tear off of Belle’s cheek. “I’ve always been here”

“I’m scared” Belle admitted, “and I can’t tell Aden, because he’s denying that I’m going to die. I haven’t even seen Aden this morning; he’s too busy researching miracle cures. And when he is here, he doesn’t look at me the same anymore. It’s like I’m dead already Nic; he’s already mourning, but I need him more than ever now”

“You have a right to be scared Belle, but Aden is scared too. He’s trying to save your life, because he values you more than anything else in the world. And you know why he can’t look at you?”

Belle just shook her head.

“He can’t look into your eyes because he’s terrified they will close for good. He sits next to you just treasuring the sound of your heartbeats and the intake of your breath, and at night, he doesn’t dare to move because he doesn’t want you to wake up alone. And when someone else comes in here to talk to you, Aden sits right outside so we can find him if something’s wrong, but he has his iPod on, because he doesn’t want to listen to all this death talk. He cares Belle, more than anything, and if he heard what you just said, he’d hate himself forever”, Nicole explained.

“I just need him to hold my hand Nic”, Belle sobbed, not even bothering to hide her tears. She didn’t want Aden out there trying to help her, she needed him in here.

“Until he can hold your hand, I’m here”

“Thanks Nicole”

Silence fell upon the room, as two best friends finally fixed their relationship. Both needed to say nothing, because Nicole had been there at the time Belle most needed a hand, and that would never be forgotten. It was a bond that could never be broken.

Eventually, Nicole broke the silence.

“Sorry Belle, I have to go. Jasmine wants to see you and I have to look after Ben”, Nicole said apologetically, before kissing Belle softly on the cheek and walking out to the room.

When she left, Belle turned on her iPod, refusing to cry, despite the fact that everything was falling apart. Hearing Nicole talk about Ben like he was her own son was her biggest regret... Belle should have been the one to hold his hand through the treatment and wipe away his tears. She should be his mum, not just his mother.

“Hey”, Jasmine said loudly as she walked in, jolting Belle out of her music induced stupor.

“Hey yourself”, Belle said quietly, after quickly disconnecting her earphones and throwing the iPod down onto the bedside table.

“How are you?”

Belle didn’t answer, but chuckled, obviously thinking it was a rhetorical question. Jasmine sat down, and stared at Belle, her eyes roaming over her body, taking in how sick she looked.

“I shouldn’t be here”, Jasmine said after a couple of minutes.

“What do you mean?” Belle asked, her eyebrows furrowing down, obviously confused.

“This is a time for close family and friends; not me”

“You are my friend”, Belle objected, but without much enthusiasm. She was too tired to make a big fuss.

“I shouldn’t be here”, Jasmine repeated. “So I’m going to say goodbye. Thank you for letting me be here Belle, for allowing me to feel useful. You’ll always have a place in my heart”

“Ditto”, Belle whispered.

“Aden’s waiting outside...”

“He’ll come in as soon as you’re gone. I’m waiting for a nurse as well”

Jasmine didn’t say anything, but kissed Belle’s forehead softly before walking out of the door, only allowing tears to fall out of her eyes when she was out of Belle’s hearing range.

Aden rushed in as soon as Jasmine left, and took the recently vacated seat. Belle felt slightly dizzy with the rush of visitors in and out of the room, but she didn’t have the strength to make them stay.

“Aden, I need you”, Belle whispered when Aden refused to meet her eyes.

“I’m here”

“I need you to look at me. I need you to pretend I’m not dying. I need you to pretend I’m Belle, and I need you to pretend that we’re still the Aden and Belle we used to be”, she whispered.

“I can’t look at you because you might look away forever. I can’t pretend you’re not dying, because everyone keeps reminding me. I can’t pretend you’re the same person you used to be, because you aren’t Belle, and we aren’t the same couple. I’ve changed, you’ve changed, we’ve changed... I can’t pretend”

“I need you to pretend”, Belle whispered, but Aden didn’t get a chance to respond because a nurse walked into the room.

“Here’s the paperwork you requested Ms. Taylor”, the nurse said politely, handing over the bulky looking file and a blue pen.

“I’ll try to pretend Belle. I’ll do anything for you. I love you”, Aden whispered quietly, needing Belle to know that he cared.

“Thankyou”, she replied, before signing her name with a slow flick of her wrist.

Aden stood up to allow the nurse to grab the file back, but as she stepped away from the bed, it slipped from her hand. Aden quickly dropped to the floor to pick it up; his eyes darting quickly over the page.

Three bold red letters stood out, and his heart stopped beating, but he forced himself to hand over the file, and let the nurse leave.

The three words flashed in front of his eyes: DO NOT RESUSCITATE

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews guys Here's the second last chapter; enjoy !

Chapter 20: 'For Ben'

“I can’t believe you signed a DNR Belle; how could you be that selfish? After everything... how could you not think of me, or Nicole, or Ben, or Cameron or Jasmine? What about us? How dare you give up? Stop being selfish and fight”, Aden whispered furiously, after the nurse had left the room, leaving just him and Belle in the hospital room.

Belle looked small and tiny, shrunk under the starch white hospital linen, but he couldn’t contain his fury. He couldn’t believe that after everything, she would just curl up into a ball and let the cancer take her away from him.

“Your right... it’s selfish. It’s unbelievably selfish, and I would kill you if you made that choice... I’d yell at you to change your mind until I was blue in the face. But it’s not you in this bed. It’s me. I’m the one who has to breathe through the pain; who has to put a smile on her face so that none of you can see what’s really happening. I think that I deserve to be able to sign a DNR; to say that I don’t want them to go to extraordinary measures to resuscitate me... right now, I think I’m allowed to be the selfish one”, she whispered, her words pouring out slowly, as she struggled to speak clearly and legibly.

“But what about the treatment you’re supposed to be on? Cameron has this whole plan ready for you; remember?” Aden said, desperately gripping onto the last bit of hope he had left inside of him.

“Aden... the treatment is over... it’s failed. There is nothing more Cameron can do. They said nine months, best case scenario, if the treatment didn’t work. It didn’t work Aden; you just have to accept that I am going to die, and it’s going to happen soon. I have”, Belle said softly, wincing in pain as Aden’s face morphed into a mask of horror.

“I can’t do this Belle. I can’t sit around and watch you die. I can’t sit around and watch you give up without a fight. You aren’t you if you don’t fight Belle. You aren’t the same woman I fell in love with if you lie in this hospital bed and give up; if you don’t rip up that DNR... you aren’t Belle Taylor. Please, for me, be Belle Taylor again”, he told her, standing upright, desperately trying to rein in the tears that were threatening to spill.

“Aden, I have fought. I’ve fought long and hard, even before I got cancer. My entire life has been one long battle, and I’m tired. The first time I got cancer, I thought it was over. I fought, despite the fact that I thought I was going to die, and by some miracle, I won. And now it’s back Aden, and I can’t fight anymore. I’m tired, and it hurts so bad, all the time. There are times when you’ve gone to the cafeteria, and it’s impossible for me to move, and I have to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, waiting for you to come back. I don’t want to fight this anymore. It’s time for me to stop fighting”, Belle whispered, her eyes trained on Aden, needing to gauge his reaction. In these final days, she cared more about him than herself.

“I’m leaving, not you, but this room. I can’t do this. Not right now”

“You promised you’d stay, remember? You told me that you wouldn’t leave my side no matter how difficult all this became” Belle reminded him, needing him to stay, for both of their sakes. If Aden left and she died when he was gone, he would never forgive himself.

“I’m just going to get a coffee or something Belle... I just need to clear my head. I’ll be back soon. Do you want to speak to anyone?”

“I spoke to Nicole, Cameron and Jasmine over the last couple of days. I even called Jed to say thanks for everything... can you send in Ben... if he’s here?” Belle asked, thinking out loud, her eyes dropping away from Aden’s, unable to look at him after he had just let both of them down.

“I’ll send him in on my way out”, he said softly, shooting her a small, affectionate smile as he walked out of the door.

Less than five minutes later, Ben ran through the door, looking like the picture of good health. A smile lit up Belle’s face. Despite the fact that she was dying, she was thankful that she had come back to Summer Bay. At the end of the day, it had led her back to Aden, and given her the chance to meet her son, as well as watch Aden save his life.

“Hey Aunty Belle”, he trilled as he rushed up to the bed and jumped onto the end, carefully avoiding hurting Belle.

“Did Nicole tell you to call me that? Aunty makes me sound old!” Belle exclaimed, trying to disguise the tiredness that was leaking into her voice.

“Mummy just said that I had to be careful with you because you weren’t feeling well. Are you going to have to have surgery? Will you get a cool scar?” Ben asked, laughing as he saw Belle’s eyes widen with surprise at Ben’s attitude towards the whole situation.

“No, no surgery for me... no cool scar unfortunately. But I wanted to say goodbye to you”, Belle said softly, her nose prickling, a sure sign that tears were on the way.

“Are you going somewhere? Is it somewhere cool like China?” Ben questioned, a smile on his face, yet confusion was clear in his voice.

“I’m sure it’s pretty cool wherever I’m going... it’s kind of a surprise really. But I’m going to miss you”, Belle explained, not wanting to admit to such a young child that she was dying.

“Aren’t you going to come back for visits?” Ben said curiously, causing Belle to smile a watery smile, and bite back a sob that had been trying to escape throughout her conversation with Ben.

“It’s kind of hard to come back for visits, but can I tell you one thing Ben?”

“As long as it’s not all soppy and girly”, Ben said, extracting a giggle from Belle.

“It’s not girly or soppy... well, not in my opinion. I just wanted to say that I’m glad that you are all better. I wanted to say that I’m glad I got to know you. I’m glad I got to see your smiling face across the kitchen table, or your laughter drifting out of the other room. I’m glad your Mum raised such an amazing little person... and I want you to know that I love you”, Belle whispered, and sighed with regret as she realized just how much she had missed out on... just how many mistakes she had made in the life that was far too short for mistakes of that number.

“I love you too Aunty Belle”, he replied, and leaned forward to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Ben, let’s leave Aunty Belle alone... she has another visitor”, Nicole called from the door, and with a parting glance, Ben ran out of the room to join his mum.

“I know that was hard for you, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to hold your hand”, Aden said quietly as he walked into the room and sat down beside Belle, softly gripping her hand and squeezing lightly.

“You’re here now”

“I’m here now”

Amz: DNR is a form patients sign which says that they don't want extraordinary measures used to resusitate them. Hope that helps