Forever And Ever

Heartbeat

Warning, although this chapter is mostly light hearted, it still had talks of cancer and also talks of miscarriage, and little bit of talk of anxiety read on your terms. 

Only three days into Tiffany's recovery, she was feeling a lot better. She said her head was feeling better already, but she still mostly wanted to lay down and watch either the TV or YouTube. By day five she was getting up on her own, and even dancing around her hospital room and singing Niall Horan songs. Although she was still getting very tired from it. On Tiffany's first week of recovery, Doctor Charlotte walked into Tiffany's ward, only to find the bed empty. 'Boo' Tiffany jumped out from behind the door. 'Oh there you are cheeky girl' said Doctor Charlotte laughing. 'You must be feeling better'. 'Yes' said Tiffany. The day's in the hospital actually weren't bad at all. Tiffany definitely brought fun into it. After a while she loved the hospital, she loved when the clown doctors visited, when she could go down to the starlight room. She could even go and play on the hospital playground outside. I would push her on the swing they had there, and sometimes she would try to push me on the swing. When Joe and Ryan would visit, they would also join us on the playground. Playing hide and seek or freeze tag. However, Tiffany and Ryan's new favourite game to play was monster. Joe would hide somewhere while Tiffany and Ryan would pretend to be monster hunters. If they got too close to Joe's hiding place, he would jump out and chase them. The game often ended with Joe being wrestled to the ground by Tiffany and Ryan. 'The monster has been destroyed' Ryan would shout. It was always the funniest thing I had ever seen. After a whole four weeks in hospital, few scans, check-ups, Tiffany was finally allowed home. 'All packed'? Mum asked. 'Yes mummy' said Tiffany. 'Got everything'? I asked. 'Yes Ava' said Tiffany. 'Daddy's waiting for us at home' said Mum. 'Goodbye, little princess' said Doctor Charlotte. 'Goodbye Doctor Charlotte, I'll miss you' said Tiffany, giving her a hug. 'I'll miss you to, you brought a lot of life into this ward' Doctor Charlotte smiled. 'And don't worry, you'll see me for appointments'. 'Thank you, Doctor' said Mum. 'Thank you' I said. Mum and I took Tiffany's hands from either side and walked out of the room. As we walked out, all the nurses in the hall clapped and smiled at Tiffany. Tiffany smiled at them, Mum and I did to. Apparently, they often do that with cancer patients. After walking through the clapping and waving, we made it to the elevator. 'Wanna press'? I asked. 'Yep' said Tiffany, pressing the button. After getting to our floor we exited the hospital into the car park. We made it to our car. I helped Tiffany into her seat. I was about to shut the door so I could get into the passenger seat. 'Can you sit with me, Ava'? Tiffany asked. 'Of course, Tiff' I smiled. I climbed into the back seat, next to Tiffany. Not long after we started the car and left the hospital car park. Tiffany and I both looked at the hospital building. Tiffany starting waving at the building. I joined in waving to. I remember first coming here, when we didn't know what was happening with Tiffany. And every visit after, always back and forth. It almost felt like we were leaving home. Tiffany turned to me and smiled. 'Excited to go home'? I asked. 'Yeah' she said. 'We have a surprise for you at home' said Mum. 'Is it a pony'? Tiffany asked. Mum and I laughed with Tiffany. 'No sweetie' said Mum. 'Can you tell me'? Tiffany asked. 'Just wait and see' I said. At home, John and I planned a surprise for Tiffany, to congratulate her for her recovery. I knew Tiffany was going to love it, just like her fourth birthday party. Tiffany couldn't stop talking about her surprise the whole way back. 'Can you tell me now'? she kept asking. 'We can't, princess' said Mum. 'You'll love it, I promise' I said. We had finally arrived home, this time feeling like it was for good. We all got out of the car. 'Home' Tiffany shouted. 'Sweet home' I said. Tiffany had noticed all the cars parked on the street. 'Why are there cars'? Tiffany asked. Mum and I just smiled at each other and said nothing. We walked up to our front door. 'Ok Tiff, I'm going to hide your eyes' I said. 'But then I can't walk' Tiffany giggled. 'I'll guide you' I said. I placed both my hands over Tiffany's eyes, Mum opened the door. With my hands on Tiffany's eyes, I guided her into the house. 'I can't see' said Tiffany. 'We're nearly there' I said. I guided her to the backyard, and stopped when we got out there. '3, 2, 1' I counted. I removed my hands from Tiffany's eyes. 'Surprise'!. Tiffany gasped. In front of us was John, Joe and Ryan holding a homemade sign that said "welcome home Tiffany". Behind them was the rest of the family. Aunty Bonnie, Uncle Ray, Nanna, Pop. Even all the way from the Gold Coast was Annie, Peter, Seth, Casey and Brianna. Seth also brought his new girlfriend, Thea. And many of our other family members. 'Welcome home' John smiled. Tiffany ran up to John for a hug. He lifted her into the air. I walked over to Joe for a kiss. 'Me to' said Ryan, excited. I kneeled down and kissed Ryan on the cheek. 'I think she likes it' I smiled. 'Joe' Tiffany shouted, excited. 'Hey, Tiff' he smiled, hugging her. 'Tiffany' said Ryan, also giving her a hug. 'How about some food'? Joe suggested. 'Definitely' I said. We all went to get some food, there were so many options as we asked everyone to bring a dish to enjoy. Tiffany loaded her plate with pizza, fries, cupcakes. 'Whoa, princess, save some for everyone' I joked. 'It's better than hospital food isn't it'? said Joe. 'So much better' Tiffany smiled, taking a huge bite of her cupcake. While Tiffany and Ryan went to sit with the other kids, Joe and I went around to mingle with the family. 'She's definitely doing good, isn't she' said Aunty Bonnie, gesturing to Tiffany, who was happily laughing with the other kids. 'Yeah, its like she was never sick' I said. Mum smiled and nodded. 'So, Linda, what did the doctor say on her condition'? Aunty Bonnie asked. 'Well, she'll be having fortnightly appointments, just to see if we are really in the clear' said Mum. 'We are' I piped in. Mum continued talking. 'Sorry, it's just a precaution' said Mum. 'Are there any chances of it growing back'? Aunty Bonnie asked. 'No' I said. 'Ava' Mum said, putting her hand on my shoulder. She turned to Aunty Bonnie. 'There is always that ten percent chance' said Mum. The words Mum was saying kept repeating in my head. Ten percent, ten percent, ten percent. I felt my hands shake, I started to sweat a little, I could hear my own heart beating in my ears. 'So how's the baby'? I asked Aunty Bonnie, looking to change the topic. 'She's good, moving around a lot' said Aunty Bonnie, placing her hand on her belly. 'Have you decided a name'? I asked. 'We did, but we'll never tell' she winked. My mind started to go at ease. I took a deep breath, my hearts stopped shaking. There was suddenly a knock at the door. 'Mum were you expecting anyone else'? I asked. 'No' she said. 'I'll it' I said. I put my drink down and walked over to the front door. I answered it, it was Nick. 'Hey Ava' he said. 'Nick hi, what are you doing here' I said. 'I saw on Facebook that Tiff was leaving hospital' he said. 'Yeah, that's why we're celebrating' I said. Nick looked down at his feet. 'Is there anything you need'? I said. 'Do you want to for a walk on the beach'? he asked. 'There's a party inside, Nick' I said. 'Maybe later on'? Nick asked. 'Look Nick, you can come in if you want, but I don't think you came here to see Tiff, do you have something to say'? I asked. 'I miss you, Ava I do, I've asked a lot but I want another chance' said Nick. 'Nick, why did you have to pick today to say this, of all days'? I asked. 'You always ignore me in class, and every other day you're with Tiffany or that Joe guy, I thought maybe...' said Nick. 'It was bad timing Nick, Tiff just got out of hospital, my boyfriend is inside' I said. 'I'm sorry' he said, looking at his feet. I felt so bad for him, he looked defeated and sad. 'Nick, I'm sorry I really am, but I just can't' I said. 'I know, I was jerk, but I don't think it was all about what happened with Jess' he said. 'Yes it was' I butted in. 'No, it was what happened after, I know it was hard on you' said Nick. I knew where he was going with this. Nick spoke softly. 'I know its why you're close with Tiffany, and you love this guy with a child, maybe it makes up for losing...'. 'That is enough' I shouted. 'Please leave now'. I felt tears forming in my eyes. Nick took a step back. 'I'm sorry Ava, I'll go' he said. 'I'm sorry'. 'Me to, Nick, I'll see you in class' I whispered. Nick turned around and left. I again felt my hands shake, my body sweating. And this time I felt like my heart beat was being amplified by a speaker from a concert arena. I felt my breathing getting tighter. 'Ava' said Joe, putting his hands on both my shoulders from behind. I couldn't talk. 'Ava, it's ok come with me' he said, leading me outside the front yard. I started to breath heavily, but I still felt like no air was getting inside me. 'Deep breaths, darling come on, it's ok' he said. He sat me down on the chair we kept outside. 'Deep breaths, in, out' said Joe. Slowly, I got my breath back. I laid my head on Joe's shoulder. 'You're ok, you're ok' said Joe, creasing my hair. 'How did you know what to do'? I asked, shakingly. 'My cousin use to get panic attacks' said Joe. 'What'? I asked. 'Is this your first one'? Joe asked. I had never had a panic attack before this one. I don't know what had come over me, between Tiffany and what Nick was talking about. The truth is that Nick had a point, I always denied myself the truth as to why I never fell for him again. But what had happened wasn't his fault, or mine. I looked up at Joe and nodded. 'How much did you hear, between us'? I asked. 'Most of it' said Joe. 'I'm sorry' I said. 'You don't have to tell me what happened between you to, if you don't want to' said Joe. I don't know why, but I felt comfortable. I started to tell the story, and I thought all about what had happened. About a month after I had broken up with Nick, over the stuff with Jess, I woke up feeling kind of weird. I thought it was teen stress but it got worse and worse that week. At the end of that week I had found out the truth. I was pregnant. I knew it was Nick's. He was the first I had told. He was in shock. I told him it didn't change anything, that I didn't want to get back together after how he acted while with me. I told Mum and John pretty much straight away, since we had no secrets. I remember they wanted to help as much as they could. I remember that day, that one day. The was doctor performing the ultrasound. I looked up at him, he looked distressed, I was confused, he was silent. 'Is something wrong'? Mum asked. The doctor stopped the ultrasound. He looked at me, his look said it all. 'There's no heartbeat, Ava' he said. He sighed, 'I'm really sorry'. I looked over at Mum, then at the doctor again. 'Sometimes these things happen, it's no one's fault and we don't know why, but remember your only sixteen, you're still young and healthy, and you have your whole life to have a baby' said the doctor. I felt numb, I couldn't respond. I looked at the paused ultrasound screen, the baby looked like nothing more than a jelly bean. After a silent drive home, I went straight to my room, not even acknowledging John. I remember that night, I spend most it strumming my guitar in silent. Mum and John came into my room at some point. They asked if I was alright. I remember breaking down while they held me in a group hug. I looked in Joe's eyes. 'I pretty much got back to my life after that, being a teenager, focusing on school, Nick didn't react to much when I told him, I mean I guess we just pretended it didn't happen, and about two years later, Tiff was born' I said, ending the story. Joe held onto my hand tightly. 'Ava, I'm sorry, I had no idea' he said. 'It's ok, no one really knew, not even Jess' I said. 'It must have been hard, you went through a trauma that normally happens in adulthood at only sixteen' said Joe. 'I guess its kind of like Tiff, she's going through something quite adult, no child should go through what she is going through' I said. Joe put his arm around me. 'Were you going to keep it'? Joe asked. I took a deep breath. 'I wasn't sure actually, I hadn't made that decision by that day' I said. 'It's ok' said Joe. 'I'm sorry I had to tell you this, does this change anything'? I asked. 'Never, you're my girl now' said Joe. He gave me kiss on the cheek. I had told Joe one of my deepest secrets and saddest stories. It made me wonder about his past love, what had happened to Ryan's mother. I felt myself wanting to hear it more and more. 'Joe, can I ask you something'? I asked. 'Anything' said Joe. I took a deep breath again. 'What happened to...'. The front door suddenly swung open. 'Ice cream inside' Tiffany shouted. We both turned around. 'Ice cream'? I asked, smiling. 'Better hurry up' she giggled. 'We're coming, princess' I said. Tiffany ran up to me, arms out. 'I want a piggy back ride' she said. 'Jump on' I said, bending over. Tiffany jumped on my back and we went back inside. The rest of the afternoon was fun. Tiffany was so happy seeing all of the family. She enjoyed playing various games with her cousins, dancing for the whole family, and the whole family each gave Tiffany a fun coloured wig. By the end of the party she had so many. She had fun trying them on, and Joe, Ryan and I had fun trying all of them on to. By the end we all had a wig fashion show. 'Darling' I said in a posh voice when trying on a white long haired wig with a fringe. 'Fabulous' said Tiffany clicking her fingers. 'Which one is your favourite'? Mum asked. Tiffany put on a long haired wig that had a rainbow ombre pattern going down. She pretended to walk down a runway and posed. 'I like that one' I said. 'Definitely the best one' Joe agreed. Tiffany flipped the hair on her wig and smiled. 'We have one more' said Mum. Tiffany turned to Mum. 'Where is it'? she asked. I smiled, knowing what Mum was going to give her. Mum showed a box from behind her back. The top of the box was see through, and in it was a wig. A beautiful blonde human hair wig. Mum pulled the wig out of the box to show it off. It looked just like Tiffany's hair from before, long, blonde and beautiful. Tiffany smiled, impressed by the wig. 'It's real hair' said Mum, putting her fingers through the wig. 'How'? Tiffany asked. 'Some people grow their hair really long, and then they cut it all off to make these wigs' said John. Tiffany ran her own fingers through the wig. 'And you can wear this one all the time if you want' said Mum. 'Can I try it on now'? Tiffany asked. 'Sure' Mum smiled. She help Tiffany put on her new wig. 'Is it nice'? Tiffany asked. Mum smiled with tears in her eyes. 'Gorgeous' said Mum. 'Stunning' said John. Tiffany turned to me. I couldn't believe how real the wig looked. It was like from before she had cancer. 'Beautiful' I smiled. I kneeled down to Tiffany. 'But you're are beautiful both ways' I smiled. Tiffany gave me a hug. A while later, everyone had left, except Joe and Ryan. While they were still around, Tiffany had decided to give me and makeover with the makeup set for kids that Aunty Bonnie gave her. I took of all my real makeup and let Tiffany make me over. Tiffany was having a blast with it, putting on my eye-shadow, doing blush, adding hair clips to my hair. Although I had no idea what she was doing to my face without a mirror. But Joe and Ryan kept laughing while looking at me 'And now some lipstick' said Tiffany. She smeared the kid lipstick on my lips, it felt as hard as a crayon. I giggled as she did it. Joe and Ryan started laughing again. 'What's so funny'? I asked. 'Oh nothing, Ava' Joe giggled. Tiffany took a step back. 'All done' she smiled. She handed me a little kids mirror. I looked at myself and let out a little scream. My eyelids were a pastel blue, my cheeks were the deepest pink I had ever seen, and my lips were dark purple. I looked like a clown. Joe and Ryan couldn't stop laughing, and I did to. 'It's lovely' I giggled. 'It is, isn't it' said Tiffany proud of herself. Tiffany joined in laughing. I turned to Joe, a smirk formed on my face. 'Joe's turn' I smiled. I picked up one of Tiffany's lipsticks, got up and walked slowly towards him. 'Oh no you don't' said Joe. 'Yes I do' I said. I got up and started running, I chased him with the lipstick. I chased him all around the house with the lipstick. Eventually I caught up to him. I turned him around. 'Well, well, it's just you and me now' I said, in an evil tone. 'I surrender' said Joe. 'It's too late' I said. I smeared the lipstick on his face. I ended it with an evil laugh. 'Definitely your colour' I said. Joe suddenly smirked. 'Well I have backup' he said. 'Huh'? I was confused. Suddenly, from behind me I felt two pillows hit me. Tiffany and Ryan had attacked me. 'I surrender, I surrender' I said. 'Your evil shall be no more' said Joe. I jokingly laid down on the floor, acting defeated. 'I am number one' said Joe, raising his fist in the air. 'Number one' said Tiffany and Ryan doing the same as Joe. I laughed along with me. Joe put out his hand for me to take. I held onto it as he helped me up. 'Didn't see that coming' I giggled. The kids ran back to the living room, Joe and I stayed behind a bit. 'She's got so much energy, despite everything' said Joe. 'It unreal, like it never happened' I said. 'Are you ok'? Joe asked. 'Yeah, I am now' I smiled. Joe kissed my cheek. 'I was thinking, this weekend I was going to go down to the beach and do some street performing on the boardwalk, and of course take Tiff swimming and stuff, do you wanna come with Ryan'? I asked. 'Yeah I'd love to, I would love to hear you sing live' said Joe. 'Well it's no Madison Square Garden, but I've always loved going down there to sing' I said. 'And I'm sure you sound great' said Joe. After a while, Joe and Ryan left. I helped Mum get Tiffany and James get ready for bed. It felt like a such a long time since I last help get them both ready for bed. Watching Tiffany play with James in the bath, it really felt like years ago since they had done that. It felt good, it felt normal. They had finished their bath and I was helping Tiffany get changed for bed. 'Ava, can I sleep with you'? Tiffany asked. 'Why, princess'? I asked. 'Cause I missed you in hospital' she said. 'Of course you can' I said. We first went to Mum and John to say goodnight. 'She's gonna stay with me tonight' I said. 'That's ok, sweetie' said Mum. Tiffany went to hug Mum. 'Goodnight, Mummy' said Tiffany. 'Goodnight, princess' said Mum. Tiffany then went to John. 'Goodnight, Daddy' said Tiffany. 'Goodnight, princess' said John. 'Goodnight you guys' I said to both Mum and John. 'Goodnight' they both said. Tiffany and I went to my room after that. I tucked Tiffany into my bed and gave her toy seal to her. I got into my bed myself. 'You've had a big day, princess, time to get some sleep' I said. 'Ok' she said. I held onto her hand. 'You and me, together forever' I said. 'Forever' she said. I turned of my bedside light. 'Ava, can you sing me a song' said Tiffany. 'Of course' I said. I started to sing Flicker by Niall Horan to her softly, Tiffany started to relax. I had made it to the second verse when she was finally asleep. I smiled and took a deep sigh. 'Sweet dreams' I whispered. I fell asleep to. The rest of the week went by, Tiffany was right back to her old self. Every morning she would jump on my bed to wake me. Also now that James was walking, they were both causing trouble. But after being her lively self throughout the day, playing pretend or with our pets. In the evenings she always wanted to make herself comfy on the floor with pillows and blankets and watch Disney movies, and I never said no to that. If we ever went out, Tiffany would often wear her wig, she loved having hair again. Although we still had hospital appointments coming up, we were definitely hopeful that Tiffany had made a full recovery. Tiffany never mentioned that her head hurt, or that she felt sick. I never realized how much I missed her, or how little life our house had without her. I still had classes through the day, and every time I got home, Tiffany was always behind the front door to jump out at me. Class was going really well to, as well as writing new music. Even on my lecture days, I was writing down new song ideas, and when I got home, I would play it on my guitar. Everything felt like it was returning to normal. Saturday finally came, today was the day Joe would finally get to see me singing in action. Just like every day this week, Tiffany jumped on my bed. 'Wake up, we're going to the beach' Tiffany shouted. 'Alright, alright' I laughed, sitting up. Mum was standing at my door. 'She already helped me load the car' Mum said. 'We're not leaving till ten' I said. 'It's nine-forty' said Mum. 'Oh, no' I said, jumping out of bed. I ran to my closet and picked out a flowy white sun dress, quickly ate one slice of toast and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Mum peeked her head in the bathroom while I was fixing my hair, which had grown a little but was still very short. I ran my fingers through it. 'Mum, do you think I should dye it'? I asked. 'You know I've always loved your black hair, but any colour would look great on you' said Mum. 'It was just a thought' I said. 'You've never been this frazzled before, you always go down to the boardwalk to sing' said Mum. 'But Joe's watching today' I said. 'You want to impress him' Mum teased. 'Well yeah' I said. 'Typical teens' said Mum. 'Except I'm in my twenties' I laughed. Tiffany ran into the bathroom. 'Come on let's go' she said. I noticed that her wig wasn't on. 'Wears your wig, princess'? I asked. 'It'll get wet' said Tiffany. 'Smart girl' I said. 'Come on, Ava' said Tiffany. 'Alright, I'm ready' I said. I done the finishing touches to myself, and we all left for the beach. Since we were right around the corner from the beach, it literally took no time. Tiffany went straight to the sand, dragging John along with her, Mum and James followed. I went over to the boardwalk to start setting up. I sat down on the seat I brought with me and started to tune my guitar. A few people noticed me setting up, but didn't stop. I started to strum a tune, I looked over at my family at the sand, Mum waved. I looked around for Joe, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. I noticed some people had stopped, to wait for me to start playing. I smiled at the people and started to play. "Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven? would it be the same if I saw you in heaven? I must be strong and carry on, cause I know I don't belong here in heaven". I looked over at my family again, while I continued to sing. Tiffany was burying John in the sand. I couldn't help but smile, right in the middle of my song. I felt so thankful that we didn't lose Tiffany, throughout our journey I had that fear come into my mind. Today, seeing her playfully burying John, and decorating the sand around him with shells, I felt completely whole, our family was back together. I got to the end of the song, the people who stopped to watch clapped. Some more people also stopped to listen. 'Thank you' I smiled. I started to playing the next song, We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift. I started to think about Nick while singing that, but I realized something. Maybe all these years I had been too hard on him, after all it wasn't his fault what had happened all those years ago. He may have acted like a jerk but maybe he was growing up. I hoped soon he would find love again, but that person just isn't going to be me. I looked into the small crowd, I noticed Joe had arrived with Ryan. I smiled, he smiled back and winked. 'Ryan' I heard Tiffany call out. Ryan ran over to Tiffany and started playing in the sand. I finished singing again, I got some claps. I think Joe clapped the hardest. 'Thanks' I smiled. I looked over at Joe. 'This one's for you' I smiled. I started playing again. "I've got a young heart and it's wild and free, and I don't know where it starts but it ends with you and me, It's a hard road as far as I can see, I don't where I'm going but I'll get back to you and me". When I got to the chorus, I noticed Mum, Tiffany, John, James and Ryan had joined Joe. Tiffany was very excited to hear Niall Horan. I started to smile more, seeing the support from the family and boyfriend. Some more people began to stop and watch. I noticed some people taking out some money, but they couldn't find where to put. That was because I didn't leave anything to put money in. All I wanted was people to hear my voice, to hear what I had to say, money didn't matter to me when I was on the street. I finished playing my song, my family again were clapping the loudest. 'Thanks' I smiled. Another person tried to give me money. 'No, thanks' I smiled. 'But played so well, you deserve it' the person said. 'I'm not here for money, I'm just here for fun' I said. 'Ok, if your sure' he smiled. 'I'm sure, I'm glad you like my music' I smiled. The guy walked back over to who I assume was his girlfriend. 'Any requests'? I asked. I noticed Jess had joined my family, along with her boyfriend Brandon, I assume Mum had texted her I was here. 'Somebody to you' she had shouted. 'Oh, that one's a classic, ok Somebody to you it is' I said. I started playing my guitar again. This time everyone started to clap to the beat. Other people on the beach began to notice the noise, a lot of them came over to watch. Every time I got to the chorus of this song, everyone joined in, singing loudly, I couldn't even hear myself. "All I wanna be, yeah all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah is somebody to you, all I wanna be, yeah all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah is somebody to you, everybody's trying to be a billionaire, but every time I look at you I just don't care, cause all I wanna be, yeah all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah is somebody to you". I felt tears my eyes when looking at my family and friends, and the small crowd. But not sad tears, happy tears. This was the first time in a while I sang here, I forgotten what it felt like to perform almost. All I had ever wanted with my life was to make music, nothing else mattered. Seeing how people reacted to the music, I felt whole, like I was being what I was meant to be. I knew from this day forward I was going to work harder then ever to become what I wanted to be. When the song ended, the small crowd went wild. I imagined myself on stage, with a bigger crowd. 'Thanks, I'm going to go join my family now' I said. I got up and packed away my guitar. I walked over to my family, stopping to thank people who were praising me. 'That was great' Tiffany shouted, excitingly. 'I can always rely on my number one fan' I smiled, hugging her. 'Seriously Ava, you are best, I'm stunned' said Joe. 'You're just being nice' I said, blushing. 'Fine, I hated it' Joe joked. 'Meany' I said, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder. 'But really, you are amazing' said Joe. I kissed his cheek as a thank you. I turned to Jess. 'Amazing as always, my darling' she said. 'I'm so glad you're here' I said, hugging her. 'I'm sorry I couldn't make Tiff's homecoming last week' she said. 'It's ok' I said. 'Ava, you killed it' said Brandon. 'Thanks' I said. 'Well done' said Mum. 'Hey guys, what are we waiting for, we have a whole day, and this whole beach, let's have some fun' I said. The whole day was amazing. While Mum and John stayed with the kids at shore, Joe, Jess, Brandon and I swam out into the water. Between the flags off course. We had a lot of fun out there. We started playing the game Who can stay on their partners shoulders the Longest? Joe carried me on his shoulders, while Brandon carried Jess on his. Jess and I started to play fight, grabbing each other's arms trying to knock each other off. Eventually I fell off Joe's shoulders and fell into the ocean. I felt so much sea water go up my nose. By the time I was on the surface, Jess was gloating. 'I win, I win, I win' she said. 'Thanks a lot, I have sea water in my nose' I laughed. 'Just sneeze it out' Jess laughed. 'I can't' I said. Joe swam over to me and started to tickle the tip of my nose. I turned away from him, but it worked. Achoo! 'Eww, nasty' Jess teased. I playfully splashed her, she splashed me back. I heard Tiffany shouting for us. 'Coming' I said. I started to swim back to shore. When back at shore, I played with Tiffany, while the others sun-baked. 'See any fish'? I asked. 'No' she said. 'What about shells'? I asked. 'Lots' she said. We continued looking around the shore. I looked over by the rock pools. 'Maybe we should check here' I said. 'Ok' said Tiffany. We walked over to the rock pools. 'See anything'? I asked. 'No, just more shells' she said. 'Some of these shells have small creatures in them' I said. 'Really'? Tiffany asked. 'Yeah, they're called mussels' I said. 'Like the ones we have in our arms'? Tiffany asked. 'No princess, not those muscles, these are mussels' I said. I pointed to some closed black shells. 'There are little sea creatures inside them, but they don't really come out of their shells' I said. 'Cool' said Tiffany. 'You can touch it, but leave them where they are' I said. Tiffany touched the shell of the mussel, carefully. 'Look, a little crab' I said, pointing at a crab that was scurrying away. 'Wow' said Tiffany, impressed. We continued looking through the rock pools. Tiffany suddenly gasp. 'A starfish' she said, excited. She pointed to an orange starfish. 'Yeah' I said. 'It's so pretty' said Tiffany. 'It is isn't it, should we touch it' I said. I touched the starfish with the tip of my finger. 'It's ok Tiff, it won't bite' I said. Tiffany touched the starfish, gently. She looked up at me and smile. 'Can we take it home'? Tiffany asked. 'No, I'm sorry we can't, it's home is here on the beach' I said. 'Aww' Tiffany moaned. 'Don't be sad, the starfish is happy here' I said. 'Ok' she said. We again continued searching the rock pools. 'Hey Ava, look' said Tiffany. She picked up a beautiful shell. 'Wow, that's the shell of a hermit crab' I said. Tiffany gave a little scream and moved the shell away from her. I laughed and picked up the shell. 'No sweetie, it's empty, the crab must have left it behind' I said. 'Why'? Tiffany asked. 'When hermit crabs get too big, they get a new shell' I said. 'Oh' she said. I put the shell to my ear. 'If you listen into these, you can hear the ocean' I said. I gave Tiffany the shell. She put the shell to her ear, she giggled with delight. 'Can I take this one home'? she asked. 'Sure, you can' I said. 'But won't the crab miss it'? Tiffany asked. 'No sweetie' I said. I looked over at Mum, who was waving us over. 'We should get to the others' I said. 'Ok' said Tiffany. We soon joined the others. The rest of the day was amazing. We swam, played in the sand, ate fish and chips, and Tiffany and Ryan buried Joe in the sand. 'Daddy is a sandcastle' Ryan shouted. 'Oww, I think a crab bit me' Joe shouted. All of us started laughing. As the evening got near, Jess and Brandon went home. The rest of us went back to my house. Joe, Tiffany, Ryan and I watched the sunset from the front of my house. 'It's beautiful' I said. 'Just like you' said Joe. I blushed. I noticed Ryan yawning. 'I think it's time to get you home, son' said Joe. 'Ok, daddy' said Ryan. 'We can watch Toy Story when we get home' said Joe. Ryan nodded in approval. Ryan hugged Tiffany and then hugged me. 'See you later, buddy' I smiled. I turned to Joe and gave him a kiss. 'I love you' I said. 'Love you to, prekrasnyy' said Joe, (beautiful in Russian). 'Krasavchik' I said, (handsome man in Russian). Joe and Ryan walked to their car and drove away, Tiffany and I waved. 'Wanna go inside and watch a movie'? I asked. 'Yeah' said Tiffany. 'What do you want to watch'? I asked. 'Sleeping Beauty' said Tiffany. 'That sounds lovely' I said. We both walked inside to watch the movie. We sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket, James also joined us watching. Ending the perfect day.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know the backstory of Ava is a little sad and shocking but this stuff happens in real life and it can happen at  any age. And no, Ava does not see Tiffany as a replacement of the child she lost, she is just a good big sister. Nick isn't a bad guy either. Once again I am not a doctor and I do not know everything about cancer. Also sorry for any grammar errors. And also don't forget if you go to the beach always stay safe and wear sunscreen 😊.

The makeup part was inspired by a game I've played with my little cousins. 

See you later  ❤