I'm really, really, really sorry, everyone. But last night was a war to me... I was updating my new chapter(this) but I think because of an error the process wasn't clear... so I had to wait about 8 hours to update. But at the morning, my stupid computer cant' update it! I kept updating new chap and another... but it was no use. It took me a lot of time for the matters to settle. Sorry if I confused all of you.

RHS then this... then again RHS... I guess that would be my schedule while I'm writing them. I don't know that much of a... medical term so I always have to ask them on internet... of course, like this. 'hey, people. How do we say ****** in English?' it's not funny! It's torturing to me!ㅠㅠ

Well, anyways. At least then I'll know some of your... medical terms. Such as weird names and such.

Have a nice day!^^ and please leave a review if you enjoyed. Constructive critiques are very welcome. And special thanks to who left reviews last time! *^^*

Chapter 2

Tears, those endless tears

"I'm really sorry to tell you this, sir..." the doctor hesitated before he opened his mouth. Munkustrap inadvertently squeezed his grip on Demeter's paw. He could feel her tensed beside him as she stared at the doctor with paled pace. Her small paws were shaking on her knees.

"It is... gastric cancer. You're in the terminal period."

At that instant, he thought his visions go blurry. He suddenly felt a rush of dizziness and tried hard not to lose his balance. The world collapsed beneath him and he was no longer aware of his wife bursting into tears next to him. It was like as if he was deaf and made out of cold stone. He could still see the doctor's mouth moving but he couldn't hear anything as he numbly stared into the doctor's concerned face.

"I'm really sorry..." he sighed. "but it is too late. The cancer has spread to the peritoneum and we can't afford an operation for that. Then you'll have to endure anticancer treatments... it's extremely painful, and costs a lot..."

Inside of his head, he heard his own voice, screaming in hot rage towards himself.

Why?

Why did this happen to me?

"You have about four months left..." the doctor murmured. He reached out his paw, grabbed a pen on his desk and began to spin it in his paw absentmindedly. Munkustrap watched the pen slowly spinning in his fingers. Demeter's tears fell from her eyes and they poured down sliding down her cheeks. Her small body shook as she sobbed into her mate's shoulder.

"Do you... uh. Do you have anything to ask?"

"...No." he replied.

Jemima endlessly paced back and forth in front of her father's room. She knew he was in there, though he made no sound at all. She was worried about him.

Her father had come home early in the morning with her mother and her uncle Tugger. The second he had entered the house she raced towards him and flew her arms around him. Munkustrap hugged her back but everything was wrong. His smiles were wrong and her mother's expression on her face also worried Jemima terribly. As soon her uncle Tugger left the house, Demeter pulled her off from Munkustrap and guided her back to her bedroom, where her younger sister was still fast asleep. She said her father was tired and needed rest.

She glanced towards her mother, who was sitting beside the dining table staring numbly at a book. Jemima had the feeling that Demeter was just looking at the paper, without reading the words. It seemed that her mother didn't even notice her daughter pacing around the door, disobeying her orders to be inside of her bedroom.

Jemima's heart sank as she watched a drop of tear falling from Demeter's eyes. She didn't even try to wipe it away while the teardrop silently made it's way down her cheeks. She walked up to her mother and hugged her. Demeter flinched by the sudden touch, but she also wrapped her arms around her kitten in a tight embrace. Jemima felt her mother's shoulders shaking softly.

"Mommy..." she looked up at her mother and saw tears flowing down her cheeks and dampening her golden fur. She reached out her small paw and brushed them away. Demeter smiled weakly at Jemima's gentle touch.

"Ah, Jemima." she quietly sobbed into her ears, still holding her kitten tightly. "what are we supposed to do now?"

Munkustrap raised his head from where he was sitting. But he once again buried his head between his paws, feeling his eyes starting to sting. His heart pounded in his chest as his breath started to slow down. He let out a small sigh as he turned around in his chair. He looked around his room. There were lots of books and papers rolling about. He got up from his chair and began to clean his room, for no special reason. He picked up books and placed them in his desk.

The books made a small noise as they landed on the hard surface. But Munkustrap didn't miss the small noise of books making contacts with thin layer of glass. He reached out and grabbed the thing that had made the noise. It was a small picture frame which had his family's picture inside of it. He brushed away the dust from the frame and stared at the picture through his green eyes.

The picture was taken about a year ago. Demeter was holding Sillabub onto her lap whild he was holding Jemima up from the ground, with a big smile over their faces. Although Sillabub didn't look so happy, Munkustrap had to let out a soft chuckle as he stared into his daughter's face. He remembered Demeter trying desperately to put crying Sillabub onto her lap. He had laughed at that moment with Jemima in his arms.

He gently touched the picture with his fingers, trying to feel his family around him. But no matter how he stared into the picture, he knew they would never be the same. It was as if his beloved family had already fallen apart.

A soft noise was heard as a drop of tear fell from his eye and dropped to the picture. He quickly cleaned it away with his finger, but his visions were already going blurry because of the hot tears forming in his blue eyes. He tried to blink them away, but as he did so tears rolled down his cheeks. His heart felt heavy as he sat down again with the picture frame pressed hard against his chest. There were so many things he wanted to do with his family. He wanted to see them making their own lives. He wanted to share his life with his friends and beloved ones.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave.

A silent knocking noise came from the door. Munkustrap looked at the door without making any sound. But the small tapping noise continued as he sighed and walked to the door.

"Daddy?" a quiet voice murmured. He felt his heart heavy as he touched the doorknob with his paw, as if he could touch his daughter in that way. But his paws felt nothing except the cold feeling of metal against his skin.

"Daddy, can I go in?" Jemima said. "Please?"

Munkustrap opened the door, sighing softly. But he forced a smile when his little ten-year old daughter walked into his room. She held onto him tightly as Munkustrap carried her to his desk. Jemima had always liked to sit on her father's lap and listen to his stories. He could almost hear her soft giggles as she once again sat onto his lap. But now his daughter's face looked so sad and worried. Her usual happy expressions were long gone as a single drop of tear fell from her eyes.

"Jemmy..." he tried to comfort her, but then she burst out crying as he raised his paw to wipe away her tears. "don't cry, baby."

"Daddy, I know you're sick." she whispered into his ear as she clutched onto him tightly. Her tears slowly flowed down her cheeks and dropped to his shoulders.

"Jemima, I'm perfectly fine." he said firmly. "its just that... daddy needs some rest, that's all." he tried to smile but all came out was a bitter smile. He hated himself at that moment as he realized that there was nothing he could do watching his beloved daughter crying in his arms.

Jemima raised her small head from his shoulder, tear marks still visible in her face.

"Then why is mommy crying?" she said.

Munkustrap felt icy claws gripping his heart. His heart ached as he pictured Demeter crying alone. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to child her but he found nothing to say. Jemima seemed even more saddened by her father's silence and she started to cry again.

Demeter got up from where she was sitting at the kitchen and rushed towards them as she saw her mate and daughter emerging from the room. She came to them with worried expression but smiled as she looked at Munkustrap holding Jemima's small paw in his.

"Jemima, go to your room. And get some more sleep. You must be tired. I'll wake you up at nine." Demeter gave a small smile to her daughter and Jemima reluctantly went up the stairs to her room. She took the last glance at her parents before she closed the door behind her. She saw them hugging each other tightly. Her mother was burying her face in his strong chest while Munkustrap was wrapping his arms around her waist.

The door made a small click as it closed.

"Jemmy?" a sleepy voice called from behind. She turned around. It was her younger sister, who was starting to wake up. Sillabub rubbed her blue eyes before staring at Jemima who was still standing by the door. Jemima padded to her side and patted Sillabub softly on the head. The little kitten giggled at her sister's touch.

"Where's mommy?" she asked.

"Downstairs... with daddy."

"He's home?" the kitten brightened up at that instant. Her big eyes sparkled with delight as she jumped up from the bed. "I'll go now!"

Jemima caught her before she reached the door. She took her sister's paw in hers and pulled her away from the doorway gently. Sillabub stared at her with eyes filled with innocence. She looked as if she was wondering why her sister stopped her.

"He's tired." Jemima said softly. She just couldn't bring herself to speak louder because she feared that if she did, her tears would fall from her eyes. "he... he needs rest."

"But daddy's never tired!" Sillabub whined. "he told me so just last time!"

"Bobby, he's tired." she told firmly. "go to bed, NOW."

"You sound just like mommy..." she complained as she went to bed. "what time is it?" she asked on her way.

"Five thirty." she lied. Jemima silently thanked to the fact that her sister didn't know how to tell time, just yet. "just go to sleep. And I'm sleepy too."

"You don't sound sleepy..." Sillabub murmured before she pulled up her blankets. "you're lying, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on." she exclaimed. "just go to sleep and play that silly games only with your invisible friend Bailey." she lied down beside her and closed her eyes.

"He's not invisible! He's sitting right there..." Sillabub whispered quietly. Then she yawned softly before she was once again asleep.

Jemima turned around and looked at the wall when she became sure that her sister was asleep. But her father's gentle face was still visible as she closed her eyes shut.

This was going to be a hard day... for all of them.

Finally the second chapter finished! I kind of had a hard time for searching the medical terms on the dictionary...

Isn't Sillabub cute? I love her, actually. I wish I had a younger sister just like her... but I'm an only child so I'm sometimes very loney.ㅠㅠ well, anyways. I can always wish for better!

Have a nice day, everyone^^ and please leave a review if you liked this new chapter.