Forever And Ever

Scares

Warning, following chapter may be intense to read if you have a loved one with cancer. The lyrics Ava sings in this chapter are in fact mine.

A while has passed now, a lot can happen in such short time. Joe and I were going great, though we have only been a couple for four weeks, it felt like four years, like I had known him forever. Ryan thankfully isn't jealous that I'm always around, in fact he is happy. He always asks Joe if I'm coming over or if they are coming to ours. Tiffany was alright, she was responding to treatment quite well, they said soon they would try to remove the tumour with surgery. We counted the days to it, in fact it was on our calendar in a huge circle, October twenty-fifth. It was October fourth now, three weeks away. Tiffany was in the hospital, getting chemo done again. Unfortunately in such short time, the tumour grew again and radiation was not enough. They were now doing both treatments, radiation and chemo. It was torture for poor Tiffany, she was sick all the time. We assured her all the time that it would soon be over. That day Tiffany was pretty sick, she just sat on the bed with a tub, throwing up. 'It's ok Tiff' Mum rubbed Tiffany's back as she threw up. Tiffany stopped throwing up and laid her head back on the bed, she was very pale and sweaty. I put a wet towel on her head. 'Are you ok'? I asked. She shook her head no. I tried to stay strong, but I felt like was going to cry. I squeezed onto her head. Mum was about to move her tub away, when she sat up again gagging. Mum quickly put the tub back, Tiffany threw up again. 'It's ok, get it all out' I said. I rubbed her back this time as Mum kept the tub in place for her. It seemed like it would never end, she just couldn't hold anything back. It finally did end though. 'It's ok you're all done' I said, dabbing her face with the towel. Tiffany was exhausted and just laid down in response. 'Do you want to listen to Niall'? I asked. Tiffany nodded. I got out my phone and headphones, I picked the song and placed the headphones in her ears. 'Good'? I asked. Tiffany nodded and smiled a little. 'I'm gonna get some air' I said to Mum. I walked outside the hospital, I just needed a minute to breathe and not smell hand sanitizer. I still couldn't believe how the year went. Everything was just fine earlier, but the last three months had just been a living hell. I couldn't imagine what Tiffany must have been feeling. Joe texted me telling me that him and Ryan were here. I told him were I was and waited for him. 'Hey' he said, finally arriving. 'Hey' I said, giving him a kiss. I kneeled down to Ryan and kissed his cheek. 'Hello' he said. 'Are you ok Ava, what are you doing out here'? Joe asked. 'Thinking' I said. 'What about'? Joe asked, as we walked back inside. 'You know Tiffany was meant to have surgery within the first month of her diagnosis' I said. 'I know' said Joe. 'Yet here we are, three months later' I said. 'I know it sucks' said Joe. 'She was so sick today Joe, she can barely move and her hair is almost completely gone, she thinks she's ugly, how long are they gonna keep torturing her' I said. I almost started to cry. 'Take it easy Ava' said Joe. He put his hands on my shoulders. 'I'm sorry' I said. 'I know how hard it is, I do' said Joe. Ryan even wrapped his arms around my leg. I immediately kneeled down and hugged him. 'Please don't cry' he said. I looked him the eye and smiled. 'I'm not sad anymore' I said. Ryan looked very proud of himself. 'Should we go up'? I asked. 'Sure' said Joe. We both took Ryan's hands and went back to Tiffany. I must have been outside a while, Tiffany was already perking up. She was on the couch with Mum, being read to. 'Joe' she shouted. 'Hello princess' he smiled. 'Tiffany' Ryan shouted, going to sit next to her. 'You're feeling better aren't you' I said. 'Yeah' she said. 'How are you, Joe'? Mum asked. 'I'm good thanks, Linda' said Joe. 'And Ryan'? Mum asked. 'Good to' Joe smiled. 'Are John and James on their way'? I asked. 'Yep should be here soon' Mum smiled. Tiffany and Ryan spend most of their time colouring pictures while we were there. Ryan came up to me holding something behind his back. 'This is for you' he said, passing me a piece of paper. On it was a coloured in picture of Buzz from Toy Story. 'Ryan thank you' I said. 'To infinity and beyond' he said, punching his fist in the air. 'I like it very much Ryan' I said. 'Will you put in on your fridge'? Ryan asked. 'I definitely will' I smiled. 'That was so nice Ryan' said Joe. 'Don't worry daddy, I'll make you one to' said Ryan, running back to the table. Soon after John arrived with James. 'Hi daddy' said Tiffany. 'Hello beautiful' said John. 'Eff, eff' James shouted from John's arms. James had just started talk, not actually words though. When he wanted Tiffany he would just say "Eff". 'I think he wants you' said John, putting James next to Tiffany at the table. 'Here James, you can colour to' said Tiffany, as she handed James some paper and crayons. 'Does she need to stay again tonight'? John asked, sitting next to Mum. 'Yeah, more radiation tomorrow' said Mum. 'They said she can come home on Friday' I said. 'That's good at least' said John. 'I just hope she's home next week, for James's birthday party' I said. 'I'm sure we can work something out' said Mum. 'At least we have this weekend, we can see that movie you wanted to see, right Tiff' I said. Tiffany looked up and suddenly turned away. 'No thanks' she said. 'Why not' I said. 'I don't want to' she said. 'Tiff, princess, you wanted to see this for so long' said Mum. 'No' she said, quietly. I walked over to Tiffany kneeled next to her. 'Why sweetie'? I asked. 'The people' she said. 'What people'? John asked. 'The people, the ones who laugh at me' said Tiffany, her eyes filling with water. 'Who laughs at you'? Mum asked. 'The big kids, they call me ugly, they ask where my hair's gone' Tiffany cried. 'Oh Tiff, you're not ugly' said Mum, she walked over and kneeled with me. 'Yes I am, I have no hair, I look like a boy, I'm disgusting' Tiffany cried. I felt my heart sink at that word, "disgusting". Tiffany had never used it before. I guess she heard some of the kids say it. 'Don't say that' I said, wanting to cry myself. 'I want my hair' Tiffany broke into a fit of sobs. I started to cry and cradled Tiffany in a hug. Mum joined us in a group hug. We were also joined by John, Joe and Ryan. James even joined in. 'I'm so sorry' I whispered. 'None of this should have happened'. We spend the rest of that afternoon and evening trying to cheer up Tiffany. She did eventually stopped crying, but still I could see sadness. I even put on videos of Niall Horan singing, but it didn't help, she would just watch for a second and turn away. Before I knew it, visiting hours were done. I once again promised Tiffany I would return the next day, thankfully she had calmed down. Joe could see I was upset. Him and Ryan didn't say a word as they walked me to my car. They just held my hands, and that's what I needed. Once we got to my car, Joe and I embraced each other. 'Do you want to stay at our house tonight'? Joe asked. 'No it's ok, I'll be fine, I'll just see you tomorrow' I said. 'Whatever you want darling' said Joe, he kissed my forehead. I kneeled down to Ryan and gave him a hug. 'I still think Tiffany is beautiful' said Ryan. 'That's very sweet Ryan' I said. After our goodbyes, we parted ways. As soon as I got home and jumped in the shower. In there I finally let my cries out. I knew the sound of water would muffle them so John wouldn't hear me. I felt so bad for Tiffany, I had no idea she thought so little of herself. Four-year-old's shouldn't have to have self-esteem issues. And those big kids that laugh, how can anyone do that to someone who was ill. I started to dry off once finished and got dressed. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was still wet. I ran my hand through my damp black hair. All I could think about was Tiffany crying about her own hair. Her long beautiful blonde hair which was no more. I opened the bathroom cupboard we had above the mirror. I searched around and found the scissors Mum sometimes used to trim the kid's hair if she couldn't go to the hairdresser. I looked at them for a second. "I have no hair, I'm disgusting". All I could hair was Tiffany's cries. I looked in the mirror, I saw a tear run down my cheek. I don't know what I was thinking. In fact, I wasn't thinking when I grabbed a bunch of my hair and chopped. I kept going though, grabbing more of my hair and chopping away. All my hair was falling in the sink, but I kept going. I felt my hair getting thinner and thinner, and more hair was bunching in the sink. I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was now up to my chin. I stopped there. It was very uneven, with long bits still around. I tried to cut those away to make it neater. My long hair was gone. I put the scissors away and wrapped my head in a towel so John wouldn't see. I cleaned out the sink and left the bathroom. I quickly said goodnight to John, practically running past him. Once in my room I jumped straight into bed. I don't know why I did what I did. I guess I didn't want to Tiffany to feel bad anymore. I touched my newly short hair. I wasn't bald like her but it was different. I barley slept that night, I just kept tossing and turning. I knew the next day John wouldn't happy. It was the longest night I had ever had. I pretty much only got about two hours of sleep. I could hear John already awake, I guess it was time to face him. I got out of bed and got dressed. I took a deep breath and went to the kitchen. 'I made us some coffee' he said, not looking up. I took a deep breath again. 'John, don't be mad' I said. 'Why would I be mad'? John asked. He looked up and saw me. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open as soon as he saw my hair. 'Oh my God' he uttered. He walked over to me quickly. 'Ava what did you do'? he asked, in disbelief. 'I'm sorry' I said. 'Ava you can't just give yourself haircuts, what were you thinking'? John demanded. 'Tiffany just feels so sad and I don't know I just did it ok' I said. 'I don't believe this' said John. 'John please I'm sorry' I said. 'It's ok Ava, I'm sorry to' said John. 'Look what's done is done, and I want it this way' I said. 'I guess you can't go back now' said John. 'Exactly' I said. John and I ate breakfast together. He was still shocked about my hair but at least he wasn't mad. John left for work and I with James left for the hospital. I was a little nervous about how Mum would react to my hair, but I knew it would be ok. I arrived at the hospital pretty quickly. I knew Tiffany would still be in the ward. I put my hood over my hair before I entered. 'Hey' I said, as I walked in. 'Hi Ava' said Mum. 'Ava' Tiffany smiled. I took James out of his pram and let him wander. 'I have something to show you' I said. 'What's up'? Mum asked. I took yet another deep breath and removed my hood. Mum and Tiffany gasped. 'Ava' Mum whispered. I sat down on the bed with Tiffany. Tiffany reached out and touched the remains of my hair. 'Ava, your hairs gone' said Tiffany. 'Not all of it' I said. 'Why is it gone'? Tiffany asked. 'We are in it together' I said, giving her a hug. Tiffany smiled at me after the hug. Soon after Tiffany had to get ready for radiation. 'Will you be ok'? I asked. 'Yes Ava' said Tiffany. 'I'll see you when you get out' I said. The nurses wheeled her out of the room. I turned to Mum. 'Ava what did you do to your hair'? Mum asked. 'I'm sorry Mum, I just didn't want Tiffany feeling bad anymore, I just chopped away' I said. 'Ava you're twenty-two years old, how could you be so irresponsible' said Mum. I started to cry, I hated seeing Mum so disappointed. 'You could have just made an appointment, not just chop away' said Mum. 'I'm sorry, is it that bad'? I asked. Mum put her arm around me. 'Not at all baby, I think it kind of looks cool' said Mum. 'I know it's not the same having none, but now we both look different' I said. 'That is very nice Ava' said Mum. The morning started to pass by as we waited for Tiffany to be done. I felt really sleepy due to my lack of sleep. I laid down on the couch and felt my eye lids flutter. The last thing I felt was Mum putting a blanket on me, then I fell asleep. Soon after I felt Mum shaking me awake. Still groggy I opened my eyes. 'Ava, Ava' she said, panic in her voice. I jumped awake. 'Is it Tiff'? I asked. 'No, no, she's asleep, it's Joe' she said. 'He's on the phone right now, Ryan is down in emergency'. 'What'? I asked. 'Joe what is going on'? Mum asked into the phone. I didn't have time to listen, I quickly got up and ran out of the room. 'Ava' Mum called out. I didn't turn back to Mum, I just ran to the elevator. It seemed like ages before it finally opened. I jumped in pressing the ground floor multiple times. The doors closed and I waited the longest five seconds of my life. Finally, it reached ground and I ran out, straight to the emergency room. I spotted Joe straight away. 'Joe' I called out. 'Ava' he responded. I ran into his arms. 'What happened to your hair'? he asked. 'Never mind that for now, what's going on'? I asked. 'He collapsed' said Joe. 'What'? I asked. 'Ryan, he was just playing and then he collapsed' Joe's voice was shaking. 'Where is he'? I asked. 'In here' said Joe. He guided me behind some curtains. Ryan was awake. 'Hey' I said. 'Hi' he said. 'They've already taken blood tests' said Joe. The doctor explained to us that they were waiting for the blood tests and it should take two hours. They also said that Ryan needed a scan. 'Is there a chance that it's back'? Joe asked. The doctor took a deep breath. 'It is always a possibility' said the doctor. Joe nodded, looking at his feet. Joe and I walked with the doctors and Ryan to the scan area. 'You've done this before Ryan, you'll be ok' said Joe. 'I know daddy' he said. Joe gave him a hug. 'I'll see you soon' said Joe. They took Ryan into the scanning room and Joe and I were left alone. We sat down in the waiting room. 'Are you ok'? I asked. 'As I can be I guess, I don't know I just, I guess I'm thinking the worse' said Joe. 'We all think that' I said. 'When Ryan was first diagnosed, we didn't even know it was there' said Joe. 'He had headaches but they always went away, than he got really clumsy, one day he just hit his head hard the playground so I took him to the doctor'. 'Yeah' I said, listening to the story. 'They sent him for a scan, to rule out a concussion' said Joe. 'And they found it, the tumour'. 'Oh my gosh' I said. I was quite in shock from his story, Ryan was just having routine checks when they found out about it. Tiffany had a seizure when we found out, but Ryan was fine. 'They found it early, so we got the treatment done' said Joe. 'Oh Joe, that's good they found it when they did' I said. 'But now it could be back, and we'll have to start again' said Joe. I could see tears in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him to give him comfort. 'I'll be here for both of you' I said. Joe started to calm down. I felt so bad for him. 'Ava' he said. 'Yes' I replied. 'What did you do to your hair'? he asked. I started to laugh, and he did to. I explained the whole situation to him. 'That's so nice of you to comfort Tiff like that' said Joe. 'I felt like I had to, it's a sister thing' I said. 'And it looks beautiful on you' said Joe. 'Thank you' I said. The nurse approached us with Ryan. 'Ok all done, lets get you back to the emergency room' said the nurse. Once we got back there, the doctor explained that the resalts should take a couple of hours. Mum had called me saying Tiffany was awake and wanted me. Joe was completely fine with it and said he would call me to let me know what happened. I went back to Tiffany's room. 'Hey princess, how you feeling'? I asked. 'Good, where did you go'? she asked. 'Just to see Joe' I said, sitting on the bed. 'Ava' she said. 'Yes princess'? I asked. 'I don't think I'm ugly anymore' said Tiffany. 'That's good' I said. 'But I do miss my hair, do you miss yours'? Tiffany asked. 'Not at all' I smiled. Tiffany smiled back. 'But if you miss yours, maybe we could get you a wig' I said. Tiffany shook her head. 'Not yet, I don't need it right now' she said. 'Are you sure'? Mum asked. 'Yes' she said. I gave her a hug. 'Can you sing to me'? she asked. 'What would you like me to sing'? I asked. 'Niall' said Tiffany. 'You didn't like him yesterday' I laughed. 'I like him today' she smiled. 'Ok' I laughed. "Then I think of the start, and it echoes a spark, and I remember the magic electricity" I sang the words to Flicker, as I held Tiffany in my arms. Tiffany joined in singing. When we were done, she asked to watch Niall sing it. I played a video of Niall singing it live. Tiffany smiled at the video. 'Ava' she said. 'Yes' I said. 'I want to meet him' she said. 'You want to meet Niall' Mum giggled. 'Yep' Tiffany nodded. 'Why's that'? I asked. 'He's special' said Tiffany. 'He is a good singer isn't he' said Mum. 'Plus quite the looker' I said. 'Oh you' Mum laughed. 'What does looker mean'? Tiffany asked. 'It means that his handsome princess' I said. 'Yeah he is, like a prince' said Tiffany. She kissed the screen of my phone. 'Can she come home this weekend'? I asked. 'Yep the whole weekend' Mum smiled. 'Great, in time for the party' I said. 'I'm not missing it' said Tiffany, all sassy. We all laughed together. The day started to pass, soon it was four pm. I still hadn't heard from Joe, I was beginning to worry for him and Ryan. Tiffany was alright though, happily playing games and watching tv. After what seemed like forever, Joe texted me to go and meet him. 'I'll be right back' I said. 'Ok' said Tiffany, who was playing with the slime I had brought her. I went back to the emergency room, where Joe and Ryan were. 'What did they say'? I asked Joe, who was sitting on Ryan's bed. Joe stood up, he took my hand and walked me out of the curtain. He took a deep breath. 'It was a false alarm' he said. 'What'? I asked. 'It's not back, he's ok' said Joe, smiling with tears in his eyes. I smiled and wrapped him in a huge hug. 'Oh Joe that's a relief' I said. 'I was so scared Ava' his voice was shaking. 'I know baby, I know' I said. 'He's fine, my sons fine' said Joe. 'Why did he collapse than'? I asked. 'They said the previous chemo has made him a little weak, a side effect, but it should go away with time' said Joe. 'Oh Joe' I whispered. We didn't break our embrace the whole time. 'Daddy' we heard Ryan shouting. We went back to him. 'I'm here son' said Joe. 'Can I go home yet'? Ryan asked. 'They're just sorting out the papers, and then we can go home' said Joe. 'That's good' said Ryan. 'You were very brave today' said Joe. 'I know dad, you always tell me' said Ryan. Not long after the doctor returned with the discharge papers and they were free to leave. 'Do you guys want to come up and see Tiff'? I asked. 'Thank you Ava but I think Ryan's had a long day, I think we'll go home' said Joe. 'That's fine, I understand, at least let me walk with you to your car'? I asked. 'Definitely' said Joe. We all walked hand in hand to the car park. Ryan was good, like nothing had happened. 'I'm gonna go back up to Tiff' I said. 'All good' said Joe. 'I'm glad you two are alright' I said. I kneeled down and hugged Ryan. 'Goodbye' he said. 'I'll see you soon' I said. I got up and hugged Joe tightly. 'I love you' I said. 'I was so scared' he whispered. 'I know you were, I know' I said, rubbing his back. Joe and I parted ways. Today must have been a really scary day for him as a father. It made me think of my role as a sister for Tiffany. All Joe wants is to protect Ryan from bad things, and I wanted to protect Tiffany. Maybe that is what made us a good couple, we were both trying to protect our loved ones from harm. The next few days passed on. Ryan was back to his active self, Tiffany was ready to face her treatments. Though thankfully she was allowed home that week. The weekend had come, it was James's first birthday party. I planned this one, Mum and John said I was the best at planning parties. Much like the others, it was gonna be huge. The theme was pirates and dinosaur's, two of the things he liked. I hired a jumping castle in the shape of a pirate ship, got a treasure hunt game ready for the kids, and Jess's partner Brandon was going to dress in a dinosaur suit. Tiffany was so excited to be home for her little brothers birthday. 'Can I give him the present'? Tiffany asked. 'Of course' said Mum. Mum handed Tiffany a wrapped present for James. 'Happy birthday' she said. James was a little confused at first. Just picking up the present and plopping it down. 'No, no, no, like this' said Tiffany. Tiffany guiding James's hand to the wrapping paper and helped him unwrap it. They both managed to get it unwrapped, but they both became more interested in playing with the wrapping paper other than the toy. 'So much for that' John laughed. 'Ok you two enough, I have one more present' said Mum. Mum went into her bedroom. A moment later she pushed out a little push car for James. James's eyes went wide and he ran over. 'Cool isn't it' said Mum. 'Wow' said Tiffany. John helped James onto the car and Tiffany pushed him around. James smiled and laughed. They played for a while, while Mum and I started to set up for the party. Everything was coming along nicely. The cake arrived, Jess had set up her face pants, I had placed out all the food. Mum started to get James dressed and ready for his party, I helped out with Tiffany. She picked out a yellow dress to wear. Tiffany walked over to the mirror to check out her dress. She gave a little spin and looked at her self again. She touched her head, where her hair use to be. 'Are you ok, princess'? I asked. She turned to me and nodded. I kneeled down next to her. 'You look very pretty' I said. 'I know, but I still miss my hair sometimes' she said. 'I know you do' I said. I had an idea. 'Do you want to wear the scarf'?. We let Tiffany pick out a headscarf in case she ever wanted it. 'Yeah' she nodded. I went into her drew and pulled out her headscarf. It was pink with gold bedazzle, definitely Tiffany's style. I helped her put it on, tying it in a knot for her. 'Take a look' I said, pointing in the mirror. Tiffany turned to look at herself in the mirror. She smiled. 'Beautiful' I said. 'Thank you' she smiled. We hugged for a moment and then we joined the others. Jess had already arrived with Brandon. Jess gasped and walked over. 'Tiff, you look gorgeous' said Jess. 'Thank you' Tiffany smiled. 'Did Ava help you get dressed'? Brandon asked. 'Yeah, but I put on my shoes all by myself' said Tiffany, showing off her yellow flatties. 'Wow, your becoming a big girl' said Jess. Jess took Tiffany's hand and they went to find James. Soon enough the rest of the party guests arrived. Joe and Ryan had arrived to. 'You're here' I smiled, greeting Joe with a kiss. 'We said we were coming' Joe smiled. 'Hi Ryan, do you wanna see the jumping castle'? I asked. 'Yes' he smiled. 'Come on' I said, taking his hand. Ryan's eyes grew wide with excitement once he saw it. 'Ryan' Tiffany called out, from inside the jumping castle. Ryan disappeared into the jumping castle among the other kids. 'Wow Ava, you sure know how to throw parties' said Joe. 'I even threw my own eighteenth, wouldn't let Mum do a thing, though she was pregnant with Tiff at the time' I said. 'You really outdo yourself' said Joe. 'Yeah, your telling me' I said. I was about to poor Joe a drink, though I felt really tired. I felt myself go out of focus. 'Take it easy there sweetie' said Joe, taking my hand. 'Sorry' I said. 'Are you ok'? he asked. 'Just a little tired' I said. 'Come on, let's go sit down' said Joe. Joe guided me back inside the house and to the living room. We both sat down. 'You need to take a time out' he said. 'No I have to help out' I said. 'You've done enough Ava, everyone is having a good time, you can take a five' said Joe. 'Ok, maybe a ten' I said. I leant on Joe's shoulder to relax a bit. We started making small talk, about the party, about how big James was getting, and about Tiffany's upcoming surgery. We talked a little about what Joe had gone through with Ryan the other day. Though what had happened didn't faze Ryan at all. We started to talk about my music career. 'What are you planning to do after you graduate'? Joe asked. 'Well maybe send out my demos, try to get as much gigs as I can, but there is always that dream in my mind' I said. 'Dream'? Joe asked. 'Seeing the world, playing my song' I said. 'Oh yeah'? Joe asked. 'My high school teachers always tried to talk me out of it, like saying to become a doctor or something, but I didn't want that' I said. 'Your teachers shouldn't have talked you out of what you love' said Joe. 'They didn't' I smiled. 'For what it's worth, you have an amazing gift' said Joe. 'I always had this attitude, if you were born with that talent, use it' I said. 'Those are good words' said Joe. 'You said you could play guitar right'? I said. 'Yeah' said Joe. I got up and grabbed my guitar from my room. I returned to Joe. 'Play for me' I smiled. 'Oh come on' Joe blushed. 'Pretty please' I begged. 'Only if you play first' said Joe. 'Deal, any requests'? I asked. 'One of your originals' said Joe. 'What'? I asked. 'Come on I wanna hear' said Joe. 'Aright, but only the chorus' I said. I started to play. "I'll make it one day I'll show you all soon, maybe day night or the afternoon, see me on stage maybe by a C.D, this is my chapter do not turn the page". 'Keep going' said Joe. "Some say that it's all a dream, but I know, I'll live that dream, someday I'll make it there". 'Wow, you wrote this'? said Joe. 'Yeah' I said. 'It's beautiful, your speaking the truth' said Joe. 'Thanks' I smiled. 'I can't wait to hear all of it, and the rest of your songs' said Joe. I smiled and kissed his cheek. 'A deals a deal, your turn' I said. 'Alright sassy pants' said Joe. 'I'm wearing a skirt' I laughed. 'Any requests'? he asked. 'Justin Bieber'? I giggled. 'You wish' he laughed. 'You choose' I smiled. Joe started to play and sing. "It's been a long day, without you my friend, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again, we've come a long way, from where we began, oh I'll you all about it when I see you again". Joe's singing was perfect. His voice was amazing, so gentle yet so powerful. 'Wow Joe' I said. 'You said it was your favourite song' said Joe. 'It was beautiful, when did you learn to sing'? I asked. 'I didn't, I just kind of just sang around the house and the shower' said Joe. 'Well it was absolutely prekrasnyy' I said, (beautiful in Russian). 'Thank you, I mean spasibo' said Joe, (thank you in Russian). I gave Joe a quick kiss. I heard a familiar shouting. 'Ava, Ava' Tiffany shouted. I saw her running over, holding her scarf to her forehead. 'What happened did it fall off'? I asked. 'No, Jess painted my head' said Tiffany. She dropped the scarf and revealed her head had been in fact painted. All around her head were various butterflies, all in different colours. I was speechless on how beautiful it was. 'Tiff you look beautiful' I said. 'It looks great' said Joe. 'Thank you' said Tiffany, doing a little curtsy. Tiffany came over to sit on my lap. 'Jess did a really good job' I said. 'Daddy look' Ryan came running over. Ryan's head was painted to, he had a spiderweb all across his head. 'I'm Spiderman' he said, doing the Spiderman pose. 'You sure are' said Joe. 'Jess did a good job on you to' I said. It was so nice of Jess to do this for Tiffany and Ryan. I heard Mum shout out from the other room. 'Come on kids time for the treasure hunt'. 'Come on Ava' said Tiffany, jumping off my lap. Joe and I joined everyone outside. The rest of the party went perfectly. James had an amazing time running around with the other kids, diving into his birthday cake, he really enjoyed himself. He didn't even flinch when getting his face painted. After everyone left Tiffany continued to play with James, pushing him around in his car. I was helping Mum and John clean up. 'You did it once again Ava' Mum smiled. 'Thanks Mum' I said. 'He had a good time' said John. 'Yeah he did, Tiff to' I said. After a while we managed to get the house clean. 'Come on you two time for bed' said John, picking up James. 'Not yet' said Tiffany sadly. 'It's getting late princess' said Mum. I helped out getting the kids ready for bed. I washed Tiffany's head painting off, though it made her sad. 'We can't leave the paint on while you sleep princess' I said. I as always helped tuck Tiffany into bed. 'Sweet dreams princess, you and me, together forever' I said. 'And ever' she said. The week went by, Tiffany continued to get treatment in hospital. Those days were tough, watching her be sick and tired all the time. We tried to make it as easy as we could for, we were always there to help her. Joe and Ryan even kept visiting her. Another week went by, it was getting closer to the surgery day. We kept a count on the calendar, even Tiffany was keeping count. The doctors explained to Tiffany how the surgery was going to work. Tiffany had a lot of questions. 'Will it hurt'? she asked. 'Not at all, you won't feel a thing, though you might have a sore head and feel a bit sick when you wake up' they explained. Tiffany asked a lot of questions, but she wasn't scared at all. Even a week before the surgery she wasn't scared. One week to see if the tumour would come out. One week to see if everything would go back to normal.

Warning to my readers who are under 18, DO NOT attempt to cut your hair on your own, you may hurt yourself.

Thank you for reading this chapter. One again I am not a doctor and therefore don't know everything about cancer. Rude comments will be deleted.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.