Chapter 27: Chapter 27

"It has been a very long past couple weeks." I say as Mark and I are bringing in our bags to our apartment. "You know what?" I ask Mark.

"What?" he asks, opening the door and I'm not really helping. I'm only carrying two things and he's got everything else.

I sigh. "I'm tired, I don't want to start treatment, but I'm happy to be home." I say as Mark opens the door. I blow past him, drop my stuff and jump on the bed.

"You could help you know." Mark says kicking the door closed and dropping our stuff and joining me on the bed.

"No I can't. I start treatment tomorrow, I have to rest." I turn Mark's words around on him that he's been saying for the past few weeks.

"Wow. Now you listen to me." Mark says fake annoyance.

"Well, it is true. I hate to admit it but I have to be ready and rested. It's going to be tough for the next week then when it all gets better..." I stop for dramatic effect. "Another round."

"I don't know what to say." Mark admits. I shrug and blow it off. "Did you call your parents?" I shake my head no. "Charlie?" Again, I shake my head no. "Maya?"

"I called no one ok!" I shout. "I don't feel like talking to anyone. Maya would just ask what we did, and didn't want to talk about that with anyone really. Charlie might not even answer. My mom would make sure I'm getting my rest and baby me. I don't like being babies. My dad would yell again because I didn't call him sooner." I explained. "I don't want any of that, so if you think they should know you call them." I suggest.

"Fine. I will." He pulls out his phone and dials a number. "It's ringing." He whispers to me. I roll my eyes. "Hey, Chris, we just got home. Just wanted to tell you that." Then he hangs up.

"Left a message?" I ask.

"No." He drags out, which means he's lying. He dials another number. "Hey Liz..." He pauses, she answered. "Yes Alyanna's fine... yes she's resting... ok I'll tell her you love her... bye." He hangs up.

"Told you to shed baby me." I reasoned, looking away from my phone at him.

"Be quiet." He dials another number. "Maya's turn." He says bringing the phone up to his ear. "Hey Maya... we had lots of fun... like snorkeling, hiking stuff like that... oh just fun touristy stuff... sorry but I have to go.... bye." He hangs up fast.

"Asked about the trip?" I ask, knowing I'm right.

"There's still one person who can prove you wrong!" He states, a little too over confident that Charlie will pick up the phone.

I shake my head in disbelief and go back to the book I just found in a box of mine. "I wouldn't bet on it." I say.

"I'm dialing." Then he puts the phone up to his ear and it rings for about 10 seconds before he starts talking. "Hey Charlie, I just wanted to tell you we got home. Uh... well I guess I'll see you later."

"I told you." I say sadly.

"He'll come around. You'll see." Mark says, putting his arm around me. "Want to watch a movie?" He asks, trying to change the subject and brighten my mood. It's working.

"I have just the movie." I smile mischievously.

"Should I be scared?" Mark asks skeptically.

"That depends, how do you feel about vampires?" I ask, giving a smile that he should be scared of.

"Ok so why can't he stand to be around her?" Mark asks, getting into the movie.

"Because of her smell, also he can't read her mind which makes him mad." I explained grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"Why does that make him mad?" Mark asks with a mouth full of popcorn like me.

I swallow before answering him. "Because he can read everyone's mind except her. When he reads people's minds it makes him feel in control." I explaineded in a duh tone to him. "I'm surprised you haven't run for the hills to get away from this."

"Remember I spent most of my time with my mom watching chick flicks. I mean we did watch the occasional scary or action movie." Mark reasons. "I've never minded it and I still don't now."

"And I spent my time watching scary and action movies with my dad with the occasional chick flick with Maya." Mark and I grew up differently and ended up pretty good.

Mark asks the annoying questions that I love - I will never tell him that though - every now and then. I only have to pause the movie twice in the past half hour.

"Why doesn't he just let her change?" Mark asks.

"Because he doesn't want her to miss out on all the stuff that she could do. Also he doesn't want her to lose her soul." I explained. We're almost done with the first Twilight. "Would you like to watch the second one after this?" I ask Mark.

"I will if you promise to go to sleep after." He wagers.

"Ok... mom." I tease.

"Shut up." He laughs as he puts the second one in.

The second one isn't really my favorite so I don't pay that much attention. I can still answer Mark's few questions. He doesn't ask as much as the first one. Maybe he doesn't like this one either.

"Not my favorite of the only two I've watched." Mark states. I called it.

"Me too. The last one is my favorite." I say.

"How many are there?" he asks. Maybe he's making up for the few questions he asked during the movie.

"Five." I answer.

"What about the third and fourth?" He asks. I think I'm right.

"Third is good, fourth is slow, and the fifth is just intriguing. The books are better though in every case." I say.

"Ready to sleep so you're well rested for tomorrow." Mark says in a cheery voice.

"No! I need more time! I'm not ready!" I exaggerate.

"You promised. Time for you to sleep. I'll even tuck you in." He says in his best mom voice.

"Fine. Will you get me warm milk too?" I ask in my best baby voice.

"Sure." He comes over to my side of the bed to 'tuck me in' then leaves and comes back with the milk I asked for. "I'll be in in a few hours. I'm going to catch up on some of my work."

Before he leaves I stop him at the door. "Wait!" He turns around. "If you had control of the company, what would you do with it?"

"I don't get the company." He reasons.

"I know, but what would you do if you had control?" I ask again this time in a duh tone. "Come on don't tell me you haven't thought of it. I have." I say.

"Really you thought of that?" He asks.

"Yes, but this isn't about me." I'm trying my best to start my plan of convincing Mark to not give the company to his father.

"I don't know... I've always wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps I guess." I try to hold back my eyeroll and keep my mouth shut. "So what would you do?"

"Well, I've always loved art in school and when I was diagnosed all I wanted to do was draw, paint, even sculpt, anything to do with art." I'm sitting up now. "The nurses and doctors didn't have anything for me to do and no one really came to see me because they were at school and work. I didn't have anything to do, I was bored, really bored." I'm stalling and I think he knows it, but he doesn't say anything. "I didn't have anything art to do so I started thinking about stuff."

"Can you just get to the point?" Mark asks me. "You have to get some sleep."

"No problem, mom." I snap. "One of the things I thought about was how to make being in the hospital more fun. I traveled to different rooms and surveyed them on what they like to do for fun when they're not here."

Mark puts his hand up to stop me. "How old were you?" He asks.

"Eight and not important." I declare. "Most of them said art or music. So now, or more recently I thought of a non-profit organization that would go to different hospitals around the country teaching art and music. Now that I would have someone to sing and do music with, meaning you, I wouldn't have to hire anyone that I don't trust." I stand up on the bed for dramatic effect. "And... that is what I would do if I could..." I sit back down and come back to reality. "Keep my company." It comes out sad.

"Wow that sounds amazing. I went to business school for four years and you just graduated high school, found out you had to marry me, and got diagnosed with leukemia." He realizes pretty much to himself. "My dad would probably just turn it into a some stock thing where he would only make money for himself." he realizes again to himself. He makes this face when he's thinking. "He'd probably have me run it as sad as that is." I think he forgot that I don't get the company anymore.

"Uh Mark?" I ask him to bring him out of his trance. "You know I don't get the company anymore, right?"

"Oh yeah sorry." He says getting up. "So I guess I will be running his new stock company." he says sadly as he opens the door.

"Mark, wait." I say.

"You're stalling again." He says rolling his eyes and coming a little away from the door.

"No I'm not." I say sincerely. "I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Now he comes in a little further into the room, so he's at the foot of the bed.

"For being here. I don't think I could have lasted the past week without you" I explaineded while biting my lip.

Before I know it he moves next to the bed again and kisses me. It's just like the ones we've had before. Perfect. When we part I don't like it. At all. Is that yet another sign that I'm in love with him?

"Anytime." He whispers. Then he leaves and closes the door. I'm glad he left me with that sweet vision to put me to sleep, but still.

I get to sleep really quick. Not because I'm tired or anything, or wanting to start treatment. I just fell asleep. Maybe it was the kiss. I mean Mark's voice did help me get to sleep at the hospital. Even the first time we kissed I fell asleep right away. And so begins the rest of my life.