Beauty in Everything

Chapter 24

Beauty in Everything chapter 24

^June 24th 2017^

That June they all graduated, Pearl planning to move to Empire City to start at the Empire City Ballet company, Garnet with her to begin her new job at fire station 25, also in Empire City. They had a small one bedroom apartment all picked out and they would be moving in around late July.

^August 1st ^

The kitchen was small but had just enough room for them, gray cabinets and white marble counters. The living room contained a small white couch centered the back wall with a small wooden coffee table, a few boxed lay scattered around but they'd mostly unpacked. Their shared bedroom was a soft cream color with a light teal bedspread and dark wooded dressers. Both Garnets mothers and Blanche had refused to let the girls get an apartment that they could afford due to the rats and drug dealers that would have been included, they'd all chipped in and rented this much nicer one.

^December 25th ^

Thanksgiving passed quietly with just Amethyst and Blue making the trip to the apartment. They had hopped to make it home for the holiday but Pearl had rehearsal and Garnet couldn't get the day off. They'd driven down to Beach city on the 23rd and stayed at Blanches house, then had a large get together for Christmas dinner at Ruby and Sapphires.

Xx

Birthdays and recitals passed in a blur, a few close calls with Garnet had raised Pearls blood pressure but other than that they'd been living a quiet little life.
New Years passed with a small party at the apartment with all their old and new friends. Loud music, cups of alcohol and many kisses at midnight are all the party left in its wake.

^February 5th 2018^

Garnet drives Pearl to her one year check up. The ride is mostly silent as the news they would receive either being a weight lifted from their shoulders or a giant anchor added to weigh them down. In all honesty, Pearl wasn't sure she could make it another round. She was grateful yes, that it had worked, and quickly she knew, but that didn't make the process any easier on her, physically and emotionally. She fussed with her pink sweater, then pulled down the mirror behind the visor to check her face and hair. She tucked a piece of her short hair behind her ear, its almost as long as it had once been, not quiet though, she couldn't get it all in a bun yet, only a low pony tail. Garnet reached over and placed her hand on Pearls knee that she hadn't even noticed was shaking. Pearl smiled at her, a weak and struggling smile, but a smile all the same.
"So..." Garnet started, "Is your mom meeting us?" She asked, her eyes on the road but still focused on Pearl.
"Um.." she hesitated, "I didn't tell her about it."
Garnet looked over at her then, her face shocked. "why?" she asked.
"I just can't deal with me, my stress and hers right now." She explained, she knew it wasn't the right thing to do, her mother would surely be angry with her, but she was nearly ninetine now and she needed to be focused on herself today. "When we are done we will go and see her and tell her.... whatever they tell me." She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, she needed to remember that she felt fine, she was healthy and feeling good, no muscle crams or anything else like it had been before.
When they pulled up to the hospital parking garage Pearls anxiety reach a whole new peak.
"You're going to be fine." Garnet said with such certainty that Pearl just believed her without hesitation.
The wait in the quiet waiting room seemed to be hours, but in reality it was more like fifteen minutes. "Pearl White?" A nurse called from the side door. Pearl didn't recognize her, but then again she was too old for a PEDs wing now so she was in the normal oncology floor.
Pearl stood then, her hand gripping Garnets tightly and dragging her along.
"You can come right on in here and we'll get you set up with the CT scan. The gown is on the bed, just change into that and the techs will be in to bring you up." She said sweetly before leaving Pearl and Garnet alone. She glanced around and swallowed hard, maybe she should have had her mother come, maybe that would make her feel less like she was about to through up. Garnet placed her hand on the small of her back and helped her to change, never saying a word. It made Pearl calm down more than she'd like to admit.
The CT goes off without a hitch, and Garnet waits for her in the exam room. When she gets back her girlfriend is just where she left her.
"Now you can get dressed again and as soon as the doctor reviews the scans he'll be right in." Pearl does nothing but nod, the sinking feeling in her gut increasing by the minute.

X

A knock at the door broke Garnet and Pearls soft conversation about how long they could stay in beach city before they needed to be back for work, the consensus being about two days. "Hello" a deep voice said behind the door as I opened slowly. A tall man walked in and sat in the swivel chair, never looking up from the scans in his hand.
"So, most doctors would come in here and start reciting a bunch of doctor crap that no one understands, instead I'm going to cut right to the chase. You, Pearl White, are currently caner free." Pearls shocked, wide, blue eyes and Garnets wide smile were all the mad need to see for a small smile to crack his own face.
He pulled the scans in front of her, "This is your first scan," he pointed to a small white blob on the mostly black scan of what she had to assume was her thigh looking from above, "and this was your tumor, after this they hit it with chemo and it continued to spread", then he pointed t the middle scan where the white blob was bigger and moving upward toward her hip. This scan was from a front view. He pointed to the next scan and said, "this is from today. No cancer." She thought she might cry, right then and there but she held it in. She didn't even know this doctors name, let alone knowing him well enough to cry in front of him.

X

The car ride to Blanches house was mostly them blasting very loud music and crying with joy. When they pulled up Garnet killed the music and pulled Pearl into a deep kiss. She pulled a small box from the glove department and looked into Pearls eyes. She looked from the little box to Garner and back again. "Don't say anything." Garnet said before Pearl could form any words. She just got out of the car and walked over to Pearls side and bent down on one knee. "I was going to wait, until I had a whole big event planned but right now seemed like the best possible time for me to ask you. Will You Marry Me?"
Pearl just looked at her blue eyes wider than they had ever been.