Urg...I'm tired. I had a swim meet this morning...

OMIGOODNESS! I just realized this is my fifth fanfic! That's a milestone for me! :D

I don't know that much about leukemia...or deaths...so I had to research like 90% of all the stuff about leukemia on Google.


Chapter Two

It had been a few months since they found out about Katie being diagnosed with leukemia. And everyone was quieter and sadder in those months.

"How many days does she have left to live?" whispered James to the others. The boys were sitting near Katie's hospital bed, waiting for her to wake up.

"They said roughly eleven days," replied Logan somberly.

"Oh," Kendall replied, emotionless. He must have been done crying for the day. Suddenly, he felt his sister stir, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Hey guys," Katie said hoarsely. "I had the weirdest nightmare! I had bruises all over my body, and I found out I had leukemia…" She saw the look on each boy's face and quickly was saddened. "It wasn't a nightmare, was it?" Her eyes were glistening, and she was holding on tightly to James and Kendall, who were the closest to her. She leaned on Kendall's shoulder, shaking violently as she made her brother's shirt damp. James rubbed her back to soothe her, but was also shaking.

"We need to be happier," Carlos quietly spoke up, although he himself didn't sound too happy. The other boys nodded.

"Katie, all of us agreed to do something every day while you're…alive," Logan choked. "We want to tell you about our favorite memories with you, you know, so you can remember us, up there…"

Katie nodded. That was the reason she loved these boys so much: they made the most of everything.

"Well, we decided that since you have…eleven days left to live, we could tell you about each year that you were alive…" James didn't seem to like the word eleven that much today.

"So, today you're gonna talk about when I was born even though I wasn't technically one yet?" Katie asked, trying my best to keep conversation as light as possible.

Kendall smiled. "Yep, I guess."


Five year old Kendall Knight was playing Power Rangers with his best friends Carlos and James, when his teacher, Miss Kaydeen, walked up to the boy.

"Kendall, your mom's in the hospital. Your dad's coming to pick you up."

"What? Why?" the kindergartener asked, eyes wide. "Did mommy get hurt? Did she get cancer?"

His teacher shook her head, smiling. "No, Kendall. You're a big brother now!" The boy looked confused for a moment, then exclaimed very loudly, "I'M A BIG BWOTHA! YAY I'M A BIG, BIG BWOTHA! THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE A LITTLE SISTAH!" Even when he was out in the parking lot with his dad, he was bouncing up and down excitedly.


"Kendall, we're here!" Mr. Knight announced. He walked out of the car to unbuckle his son from the booster seat. Hand in hand, they walked into the hospital, into the long, seemingly endless hallway, then into the room 1101.

Once they were in the room, little Kendall ran as fast as his tiny legs could to hop up on the white bed.

"Where's my sistah?" Mrs. Knight smiled.

"Right here." Kendall was given a bundle of blankets, which made him confused. "My sistah's not here…" His mom smiled. Her son still couldn't pronounce some words correctly. She moved aside a few blankets to uncover a small, delicate face.

"I was thinking of naming her Apple. What do you think?" asked Mrs. Knight.

Kendall shook his head and screamed. "NO!" His mother gave him a quizzical look. "No, because worms live in apples. I don't want worms to live in Katie!"

"Katie? Why do you want Katie?"

"Well," started Kendall, as he pulled Mr. Knight over to the bed. "Jennifer, Jeremy, Kendall, and Katie!" he said, pointing to his mom, then his dad, himself, then the baby.

"Hmm…" said Jennifer, feigning that she was deep in thought. Katie actually did sound like a good name. "Katie it is!"

"Yay! I don't have a sistah who's all wormy!" Kendall jumped up and down. "When can I show Katie to Carlos and James?"

Jeremy Knight kneeled down to Kendall's level and placed his arm on his shoulder. "As early as you want. Just not–"

"Now!" his son screeched. "Now now now now!"

"No, Kendall," replied his father, shaking his head.

"Pwease?" One of the few words that Kendall couldn't pronounce was 'please'. And whenever Kendall asked his parents for anything, it was really hard to resist.

Like that one day…

"Mama, can I get a new hockey stick?"

"No."

"Pwease? Pretty pwease?

"Um…sure."

"YES!"

"But this is the last time, okay?"

But then about three weeks later…

"Mama, can I get a new video game?"

"Kendall, remember what I said?"

"I know, but this is the very last time, pretty pretty pwease?"

"Kendall!" Mrs. Knight groaned.

"Yes mama?"

"Ugh, fine. But this is the VERY last time!"

And then there was that other time…and the time after that, and the time after that, and the time after that…

And so, when Kendall said that oh-so-famous word, of course, Mama Knight caved in.

"Sure, Kendall. Just don't drop her. Please." Kendall nodded his head quickly while Mr. Knight, still slightly confused, was dragged out by Kendall, who was holding little baby Katie in his arms.


Katie started giggling, earning her confused looks. "Mom always said that the reason I have a 'gambling mind' is because Kendall dropped me on that day. She always mumbles that she shouldn't have trusted a five year old."

Kendall smiled. "Yeah, she's right about that. By the way, where is mom?" Right on cue, Mrs. Knight walked in, a beaming smile on her tear-stained face.

"I didn't want to interrupt Kendall's story," she explained. Katie looked up at Mama Knight, about to ask her something.

"Yes, Katie?"

"Why did you want to name me Apple?"

"Well, your cheeks were red, like an apple," her mother replied.

Katie blushed. "Mo-om!"

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Anyways…" He looked at his watch. "It's lunchtime, so can we go to McDonald's for lunch?" His mother nodded.

"Yes, but don't get an ice cream sundae. You four have been eating many of those lately," she remarked.

"Mom, pwease?" Mrs. Knight laughed.

"Kendall, really. That stopped working ten years ago."


BTW, the reason Kendall wanted to show Katie to Carlos and James is because Logan moved to Minnesota in 3rd grade.

And the part about Kendall not liking apples because they were full of worms...I always pictured a worm wearing glasses sticking out of an apple when I was little. :] Yeah...

And the hospital room number? 1101? You know, Katie's eleven, and Kendall's telling the story about how she's 'one' year old?