The Dancer's Daughter (1D)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alright, so I apologize in advance. I'm in a crappy mood, and I can almost promise I'll take it out on my cast. And I really am sorry for that. I didn't mean to do half of these things... yet. My intention was to wait for the last chapter, at least for some of it. Oh well. This is what happens when you have a bad day and then decide to sit down and write. I refuse to scrap it. :P So don't kill me for this chapter, because I promise it gets brighter.

P.S. How many of you have heard the CD yet?! I heard it today (but I don't own it yet), and I LOVE IT! Thoughts, feelings? Share them below! Which is your favorite song? Mine is Half a Heart.

One month later: Nashville, TN

"Thank you, and have a good night!" Liam shouted, running off the stage. The other boys followed him quickly, ignoring the screaming protests. Paul had told them that I was in the bathroom again, throwing up my entire day's worth of food. The stomach pain and throwing up had just gotten worse the longer I hadn't spoken to Beth... or anyone but the boys, Mica, and Skylar. Sky was holding my hair back while I was gagging, and she was crying.

I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for later that week, and I was thinking about moving it forward. Maybe tomorrow. And I knew the boys would agree with me if I mentioned it. Liam might even suggest it first. I was terrified that the cancer had struck. I was no longer sure of a history of cancer in my family, but I knew that it was in my system. Or at least the start of it.

"Is she okay?" I heard Zayn ask. I tried to lift my head and speak to him, but the nausea hit again, and I couldn't speak. I settled for giving him a thumbs-up and hoping he saw it. "Oh Haley, you're not though." Guess he saw it.

"She's been at this for almost five minutes. I don't know how she has anything left!" Skylar said, clearly panicking. And she hadn't even seen the blood that had just come out. Yep, I'd be going to the doctor tomorrow.

"She needs to see the doctor sooner. Maybe tonight. She's just getting worse!" Liam said, pushing his way into the bathroom. It was now pretty cramped, with the four of us. I could hear the other three arguing with each other just outside of the door, and it made me want to smile. They really did care. They were the reason I was fighting, the reason I would fight to the end. Because unlike my 'mother', I had something to fight for. I understood now why she felt that she had nothing. I wasn't really her child. And while it hurt to think she didn't care enough for me, at least I could understand better.

Finally, the nausea subsided enough for me to speak. "Tomorrow. I'll be going tomorrow. I'm not up for going anywhere but the hotel tonight," I rasped, hoping they'd be able to understand me. They didn't.

"What was that, love?" Zayn asked, crouching down beside me. And his face changed the second he saw the blood. "Liam, we need to get her to the hospital now!" I tried to shake my head, but ended up heaving again. I couldn't go anywhere. I saw Liam step forward and notice the blood for the first time too. His gasp was far too loud, and he took off running out of the room. Zayn took my hair from Sky and sent her out of the room too. "Louis, come in here!" he called.

Lou came in and immediately crouched down beside me to rub my back. "It's okay, Haley. You'll be okay. Just let it out, don't fight it," he whispered soothingly. I tried to smile at him, but I just couldn't.

I knew that the stress was just adding to the pain and the illness, but I just hadn't been able to call Beth. I saw her at the concert, and I smiled at her, but it had hurt. I wasn't ready to see her, or to speak to her. Not yet. Louis knew exactly what it was doing to me, and I think Niall did too, but none of the other boys (or Sky) had put it together yet.

Liam came racing back into the room with Paul. I had just finished, for sure this time, so I made Zayn and Louis help me stand. Paul gave me a disapproving look before making Zayn carry me. "She's too weak to be walking. We'll get her to the hospital now, and you can stay with her tonight. Preston will be there with you both," he told us. I sighed softly and buried my face in Zayn's shoulder. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Instead, I felt myself losing consciousness.