A/N: The sequel to Bad Things has arrived!! I know this first chapter isn't great, but I've not written much the past month so I'm out of practice! I promise it will get better from here on out...
"Hey, you ok?" Lia turned to Emily with concern in her eyes. They were sitting patiently in Dr. Stone's waiting room for Emily's one year check up.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Emily shrugged off Lia's question and went back to staring off into space.
"Ms. Lehman?" A short plump nurse emerged from the door.
Lia stared at Emily who hadn't moved, apparently hadn't even heard her name. She nudged her gently in the side and Emily's head snapped up.
"Ms. Lehman?" The nurse tried again. Emily stood up and followed the nurse to the back. She stopped momentarily in the doorway and flashed Lia a nervous smile. 'Here goes nothing.' Emily thought to herself.
"Hi Emily. My name is Rhonda and I'll be your nurse today. How are you feeling?" Rhonda was busy putting the blood pressure cuff around Emily's slender arm as she spoke.
"Not too bad." Emily felt butterflies in her stomach and took a deep breath in. It had been one year, almost to the day, since Dr. Stone had gone in and removed the cancer from her breast. He was able to get it all out and further tests revealed the cancer was stage one. Emily underwent a round of chemo to kill any cells that might've spread throughout her body. It had now been 6 months since any treatments and she was anxious to find out if it worked.
"118/75." The nurse recited her blood pressure before writing it down in the chart. She grabbed the thermometer next and stuck it under Emily's tongue.
"100.4...hmm. That's not horrible, but it is a fever. You said you've been feeling ok?" Rhonda looked at Emily, her face scrunched up as she studied her patient. Emily picked at a loose thread on her shirt.
"Well I've been a little tired lately but other then that I feel ok." Emily bit her lip nervously. Things were not off to a good start.
"Alright, well let's go ahead and get your weight, then I can get you back in a room." Emily stepped on the scale and Rhonda adjusted the different levers until it was balanced.
"112." Rhonda wrote the weight down then grabbed Emily's chart and led her to exam room 4. Emily was slightly in shock. She never really lost any weight from the chemo and last time she was at the doctor's she weighed 120.
"Dr. Stone will be right in." She left Emily alone with her thoughts. So much had happened last year. Between the poisoning and the cancer and Matt getting shot by her brother…Emily didn't know how much more she could take. If the cancer had returned…Emily pushed away those thoughts and picked up a magazine. No need to worry herself with what-ifs.
Lia uncrossed her legs only to re-cross them seconds later. Emily had gone back 45 minutes ago. She was starting to get nervous. Lia felt her cell phone vibrate and knew immediately who it was. She looked at the caller id and sighed. Lia was about to answer the phone when Emily walked out. She flipped the phone shut and stood up, trying to read her friend's expression. Emily smiled weakly at Lia as she checked out at the front desk.
"Ok, let's go." Emily walked out first not even checking to see if her friend followed. They walked in silence out to Lia's car. She was dying to ask Emily how the appointment went but was able to refrain. At least for 10 minutes. They were a few blocks from Matt's house when Lia decided to break the silence.
"So, how'd it go?"
"It went good. The doctor got held up with another patient. That's why it took so long." Emily stared out the window.
"That's good."
They rode in silence the rest of the way. Lia knew Emily was hiding something but didn't want to push her. She would talk when she was ready. Ever since the whole ordeal with her brother, Emily hadn't been the same. Maybe she was just shook up over the cancer, but everyone around her knew it was more than that.
Matt, Emily and Lia sat around Matt's dining room table. In exchange for accompanying Emily to the doctor's, Matt promised a home cook meal for their friend. It had been awkward from start to finish though. Emily sat quietly pushing her food around the plate with a fork. Matt and Lia made small talk, each stealing glances at Emily trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Finally she stood up, kissed Matt on the cheek and said she was going to take a bath.
"What happened at Dr. Stone's?" Matt spoke quietly knowing Emily was still within ear shot.
"I don't know. She hasn't said much since her appointment." Lia frowned.
"You don't think…could her…" Matt trailed off not wanting to finish his sentence but knowing Lia would understand where he was headed.
"I don't know, Matt. I hope not…" Lia's eyes glistened and she excused herself to the guest bathroom. Matt leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He silently prayed that Emily's cancer had not returned. She didn't deserve this and Matt wasn't sure she was strong enough to fight it. The nightmares had just stopped and Emily seemed to be making progress with her therapist. (Something both the bureau and her doctor suggested and much to everyone's surprise, Emily didn't resist.) But she still wasn't back to her old self yet. Matt heard the telltale signs of someone crying and sighed before standing up and heading to the master bathroom. He paused at the door and knocked lightly.
"Hey, Em? You ok?" Matt held his ear to the door but Emily didn't reply. Lia peeked her head in and whispered "I'm gonna go." Matt nodded and then tried again.
"Emily, can I come in?" He heard the water slosh around in the tub and opened the door a little bit. Emily was out of the tub. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her noticeably thinner body. Matt opened the door the rest of the way and she looked up at him with tear stained eyes.
"It's…the cancer's back. Matt, the treatment didn't work…" Tears poured from Emily's eyes once again as she collapsed in Matt's arms. He held her tight against him, fighting back his own tears. Life wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't supposed to be this hard.
"You're gonna be ok. You can beat this. I'll be right here by your side. We can fight it together…" Matt whispered encouraging words in her ear. After a few minutes, Emily's tears finally subsided. Matt noticed she was shivering and grabbed her robe. Emily dropped her towel as Matt wrapped the robe around her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms to help warm her up.
"Thanks." Emily managed a weak smile. She hated crying especially in front of Matt. It made her feel weak but it was something she seemed to be doing a lot this past year. Matt picked her up and carried her to the bed. It was only 6:30 but he could tell how exhausted she was. He laid her down and pulled the covers up over her, kissing her gently on the lips. Emily scooted over a little bit and lifted the covers. Matt grinned before climbing into bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Emily buried her face against Matt's chest and sighed contentedly.
"I love you so much, Em. I promise you we will get through this ok?" He kissed the top of her head. Emily looked up at Matt and smiled weakly, wanting desperately to believe him.
Tonight, though, Emily didn't want to think about the cancer. She needed a distraction. Emily ran her hands down Matt's chest and stomach, stopping momentarily to unbutton his jeans. Matt wondered if this was healthy, if they should be doing this tonight but all thoughts left his mind as soon as she took him in her hand. Matt moaned and pushed himself harder against her before flipping them over. His lips met hers in a heated, passionate kiss. Emily tried to push all thoughts aside and focus her attention on Matt. But as they made love, Emily couldn't help but think that every time with Matt could be the last time. She screamed as her orgasm overtook her body, Matt reaching his own climax seconds later. They collapsed onto the bed and Emily buried her face against his chest once again. Matt pulled Emily closer, still trying to slow his breathing, and held her while she cried.