Against the Odds

Description: When her brother Emmett is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, Bella attempts to save him by secretly embarking on a radical scheme involving his best friend Edward. As their plan proceeds, Bella and Edward must deal with the repercussions of their actions and a love they were never expecting.

AH, Angst/Romance, HEA

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A/N: I'm not claiming to know anything about leukemia or bone marrow transplants, so if you're close to the topic or are in the medical field and can't suspend reality for fiction, then this may not be the story for you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Prologue

I tried to hold it in. I tried to ignore the torturous burning from the pressure he was creating. But my knuckles felt like they were going to tear right through my skin from how tightly I was grasping on to the covers below me, and I knew I couldn't hold on for a moment longer...

My screams were muffled by my own pillow after my trembling hands failed to stay attached to their positions and moved to hide my face in a last ditch effort to stay quiet, and that was his breaking point.

"What are you doing?" I cried out as I felt him back away from me. When I pulled the pillow off my face and sat up to look at him, he was on the other side of the room fastening his pants. "That's it? You're just done?"

"This is wrong," he replied. His voice was strained with the guilt and frustration that he was obviously feeling from the event. "We can't do this. I can't believe I even let it go this far."

"We have to do this!" I replied angrily. "You can't just walk away now."

"Yes, I can," he said sternly before grabbing his shoes and heading for the door.

"Edward, I need you," I said desperately.

He turned back to me slowly. "No, what you need is to forget about all of this. It wouldn't have worked anyway."

"You don't know that," I argued with tears streaming down my face. "How will we ever know if we don't try?"

"We did try. This was trying," he said while gesturing towards the bed. "It's not going to work so we need to just…stop."

"How can you say that? After everything he's done for you, how can you just….give up? He'd never give up on you, and you know that!" I argued emotionally.

He froze in shock as if I just slapped him across the face. "That's not fair," he said slowly. "I'd do anything for him."

"Obviously not," I challenged.

He shook his head. "This won't work. Even if we went through with it, the chances of it actually helping him are slim, and then what? You're stuck living with this for the rest of your life."

I huffed. "We already talked about this. I understand what you're saying, but I think I know myself a little better then you do. I won't let it affect me, but if I sit back and do nothing when there is even the slightest chance that I can save him….that's something I'd never forgive myself for, and trust me, you won't either."

He was quiet as he considered everything I was saying, and then he sighed in defeat. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll live," I replied meaningfully. "But if we don't do this….he doesn't even have a chance."

I could see the conflict burning in his eyes, but I knew he would ultimately agree to it. The consequence to our decision could never outweigh the alternative, and we were both unwilling to give up without a fight….

***A/N: I got the idea for this from watching a TLC documentary. LOL. I have no idea why, but I've been thinking about it for a while now. I hope it's obvious where this is headed so you know it's definitely not going to be a light and fluffy story. But if anyone is interested in reading more, please let me know with a review.

I have a couple chapters in the works, but I also have ideas for a few other stories and I just wasn't sure which to proceed with at this time. I may decide to write more than one, so if this isn't a plotline for you perhaps my next story will be

If you do decide to read this, try not to get caught up in the whys. It's not really about the reason behind what's going to happen, it's the relationship that develops between them as a result. I definitely don't want to open a moral debate with this, so just remember that people don't always think rationally in events such as these, and it is fiction.

Thanks for giving it a chance either way, I really appreciate the support.
~KC